The World vs The Church - 1 Thessalonians 1-3

 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 (ESV)

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!

What happens when we become “imitators” of what God wants us to look like in church?   Suppose all the churches in the land started to act, in a perfect way, like God wants churches to act?  What would the world do?  We don’t have to guess.  The above passage tells about the churches located in the area of Thessolinca that acted the way churches were designed to act.  Notice what happens:

1. They suffered.    This is something the church today can not accept.  We are told that coming to Christ is a blessing. To some, a financial blessing.  We are not told we would suffer.  But, that is the truth taught in the New Testament.   

2. They suffer at the hands of the familiar, not just the foreign.   We would expect that those who unfamiliar with us to cause some suffering.   That is the basis of most suffering: Ignorance.  But, this was a group of believers who suffered at the hands of those who knew them well.  It was their own countryman.    Don’t be surprised, after coming to Christ, that the church will shot at their own members.   

3. They were hindered from speaking to others about Christ.  This might be the most egregious part of the church in Thessalonica’s plight.  They were being hindered from spreading the Gospel to others.   God will, of course, judge such hinderance in the future.  But, the making of disciples is the purpose of the church.  When they cease to do, refrain from doing it, or are hindered from doing it, that is what Paul describes, “to fill up the measure of their sins.”   He is telling them that they might be hindered from making disciples but God is not hindered from carrying out His wrath.  

When the church starts to act like the church, the world will start to act like the world.  Those two bodies are different.  They should be different.  They cannot co-exist, at least if you read the prophecy of God’s Word.   Yet, the church tries to look like that world and that hinders their very purpose of making disciples.   

False Narratives - Luke 23-24

Luke 23:1-5 (ESV)

Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.”

It is interesting to read the above text and then read or listen to the current new cycle about our country.    The power of false accusations was a tool in our day and age, just as it was in the first century.  You would have thought that we were the ones that created this narrative approach to destroying your opponent.  But, here we are in the crucifixion story and the same corrupt narrative is being utilized.   Politics have not changed.   Something becomes political if you are doing it for the purpose of obtaining, retaining, or acquiring power over others.   In this case the religious rules of the day were fearful that they were losing power.   Pilate, eventually fears he will lose power.   Herod, who investigates Jesus later in this chapter, if fearful he will lose power.    They all wanted power and control over the minds and hearts of the people.   Does that sound familiar?  Of course, the above example has far greater implications than our local or national political frameworks.   Jesus had to be crucified.   He was innocent.  So, what truth could be said to make that happen?   If the truth were stated, Jesus would not have been crucified.   So, God used the nature of man to accomplish the death of the Son of God.   The nature of man will be to always use false narratives as leverage over another person.  People do it every day.   In this case, it was used to crucify the Son of God.  

Fear Not, God Controls World Leaders - Ezekiel 37-42

Ezekiel 38:1-6 (ESV)

(Prophecy Against Gog)

The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all his hordes; Beth-togarmah from the uttermost parts of the north with all his hordes—many peoples are with you.

Is that not inspirational reading?  Probably not, to most of us.   Our first question might be, “Who is Gog, Magog and Tubal?”    The second question we might ask is, “Why do I need to know this?”   The above text stretches us in regard to what the Bible tells us about all Scripture:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

ALL Scripture is said to be profitable for us to read.   Therefore, that makes the above passage on Gog and Magog and Tubal important to us.   There has been much discussion as to the exact location, meaning and/or identification of these “cities, countries and/or leaders.”   The passage seems to have a general and somewhat ambiguous approach to it.   The point that we do know is that in the future God is going to bring all the most powerful nations on the earth to fight against His people, Israel.   In chapter 37 we read God bringing Israel and Judah back together as one nation. In chapter 38 we read God bringing all the nations of the earth into one army to attack Israel.  That is the point of the passage.  God is controlling the nations and will bring them to a place.  At that moment and time God will destroy all nations that do not honor Him and His chosen people.   The take-a-way for us can be multiple truths, but at the top of that list is that God determines the course of the nations.  Note:

 Acts 17:26 (ESV)

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

Proverbs 21:1 (ESV)

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;

he turns it wherever he will.

We may lose heart when we see the turmoil in the world today.   We can certainly get confused as to what is happening in the world as we watch the world powers unfold their plans.  But, it is God who has a plan.  He is control of all kings and supremes and governments.   He is in total control to work His final plans for the earth.  Whoever these are in Ezekiel 38, they are controlled by God and brought to a certain point, at a certain time, for definite reason.   

The Light of the Righteous vs the Light of the Wicked - Proverbs 13

 Proverbs 13:9

The light of the righteous rejoices,

But the lamp of the wicked goes out.

The light of the righteous rejoices ... or shines brighter.   In this first line of the proverb we read that those who God declares righteous will shine bright ... and, according to the second line, it is brighter than the light of the wicked.  When the righteous and the wicked are compared with each other it will not be tough to see who is who.  The wicked will be in the dark.   The righteous will light the room.  This is all of God's work in our life, however.  We don't shine bright because we have some internal glow.  We shine bright because God is shining in us.  If God is shining in us we have no worries to be seen for what we are.   God does what He does in us for the purposed of shinning His light.   He shines His light in us so that man will see that light and glorify Him.  We don't have the responsibility in shinning the light.   We have the responsibility for being the vessel He has chosen for the light.    We need only be the willing vessel for Him to use as He would.  We simply are the portal for the chosen light.

The light of the righteous also, according to this proverb, has two aspects that the light of the wicked does not:

1. The light of the righteous rejoices.   That means it celebrates eternal glories, not temporal.  The light of the wicked can certainly rejoice.  But, they are limited in that they only have this earth’s pleasures.  In one sense we ought to want them to have some joy here, because they cannot rejoice in things about life hereafter.   But, as they enjoy here, they forget about “there.”    The righteous rejoice because they have eternal treasures. 

2. The light of the righteous burns on.  The light of the wicked burns out.  This, again, is the eternal vs the temporal aspects of their lives.    The wicked ONLY has this time here on earth to find “life.”  The righteous rejoice because their light burns FOREVER.   That is a reason to rejoice.   

The Gospel in the Old Testament Psalms - Psalms 87-89

 Psalms 89:13-16 (ESV)

You have a mighty arm;

strong is your hand, high your right hand.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,

who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

Psalm 89 is about God’s steadfast love. It is especially highlighting the faithfulness of God in regard to His covenant with David.   In this song the writer sings praises to God for loving David and establishing his throne forever (through the Messiah, a descendent of David’s family).   Despite the failure of David (and he had many), God remained faithful to him.   As the section of the song states, God has a “mighty arm” and His faithfulness is based upon His “righteousness and justice.”   God is both “righteous” and “just.”   He can never not be “righteous.”   In order to remain “just” and still continue His steadfast love to David, he must someone how apply His own “righteousness” to David.  This is the Gospel.  Note how Paul will state it centuries later:

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (ESV)

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

It is only with this truth that we can “walk, Oh Lord, in the light of your face.”   We can “exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted.”   This is the truth of the Gospel, written years before Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross for us.  But, the truth remains, He is righteous and just and applies that to those who believe in His name and His mighty work.  

God’s Control Over the Affairs of Mankind - 2 Kings 19-21

 2 Kings 19:25-28 (ESV)

“Have you not heard

that I determined it long ago?

I planned from days of old

what now I bring to pass,

that you should turn fortified cities

into heaps of ruins,

while their inhabitants, shorn of strength,

are dismayed and confounded,

and have become like plants of the field

and like tender grass,

like grass on the housetops,

blighted before it is grown.

“But I know your sitting down

and your going out and coming in,

and your raging against me.

Because you have raged against me

and your complacency has come into my ears,

I will put my hook in your nose

and my bit in your mouth,

and I will turn you back on the way

by which you came.

The above words are spoken by God, through Isaiah the prophet to King Sennacherib, the king of Assyria.   Sennacherib had recently come to besiege Jerusalem and their king, Hezekiah.   Sennacherib’s commanders made great proclamations and boasting about Assyria’s accomplishments.  As a leader of the most powerful nation on earth, at that time, Sennacherib had a complex about his greatness.   In the above passage God reminds him (as all leaders of the world should know), it is God who makes the plans and the one in charge of the world’s movement of power.   It is amazing how quickly a mere mortal can assume they are more than temporal and flesh.   As a result of these words, notice what god does to Sennacherib’s army and commanders:

2 Kings 19:35 (ESV)

And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

The world does not understand God’s sovereign rule over the nations.  The powers in governments around the globe believe they are totally in charge.   Yet, it is God who directs, plans, establishes and determines their boundaries:

Acts 17:26-27 (ESV)

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

We can worry about our political leaders and fall into the same trap that Hezekiah and Judah did when Sennacherib came to flex his muscles.   Or, we can trust the truth that it is God who sets up one and takes down another:

Psalms 75:7 (ESV)

but it is God who executes judgment,

putting down one and lifting up another.

Practice Justice - Leviticus 19-21

 Leviticus 19:15-16 (ESV)

“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

Justice matters to God.  God is just!   Therefore He demands that His people are also just.  The book of Leviticus is often hard to read. At times, it has many laws and guidelines that make little sense to us. The point of the book, however, is to teach the nation of Israel to be “different” than their neighbors (especially when they entered the promise land).  They were not to do the things the evil nations around them did. They were to be holy, like God is holy.   That was best demonstrated by practicing the justice of God in their daily lives.   Notice how God has outline His desire for His people to practice justice:

Micah 6:8 (ESV)

He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the LORD require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

Psalms 15 (ESV)

A PSALM OF DAVID.

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right

and speaks truth in his heart;

who does not slander with his tongue

and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a vile person is despised,

but who honors those who fear the LORD;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

who does not put out his money at interest

and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

God demands justice. How we treat one another shows that justice.   We are to make sure that we act like God in front of our unbelieving neighbors. That is the entire theme of the Old Testament. Israel was supposed to be the example.   They failed and Jesus became that example to us.  

Prayer with Thanksgiving - Colossians 3-4

 Colossians 4:2 (ESV)

(Further Instructions)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Those who put the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible together entitled this section of the letter that Paul wrote to the church at Colossi, “Further Instructions).   The reason is probably that the last chapter of the book has no collective theme.  But, it might do some harm in our mind as we read the section by making it sound less powerful, and/or disconnected to what Paul wrote previously in the letter.  They material in this section is very powerful, particularly the above verse.   

Remember, the original letter had no chapters and verses.  The collective church inserted the chapters and verses in the Bible text in the 1500s.   It does mislead us at times as we read a letter like Colossians in bits and pieces.  Remember, the first time the readers heard this text it would have been in its entire length.   So, the above verse would have been in context with the preceding.   This is significant because Paul has been telling them what a new life in Christ looks like. He has told them what they were and moved to what the are and further to what they are becoming (in Christ).   He has addressed their most personal and transparent relationships (the family and work) and has instructed them to not be men-pleasers but to be of those who honor and work for Christ. 

This is the background for the above verse about prayer.  Our tool to accomplish our new life in Christ is prayer. Our tool to put off the old life is prayer.  Our tool to put on the new way to walk and talk is prayer.   And that prayer is to be done in thankfulness.  We are to come to Christ in prayer and praise Him with a thankful spirit.  It is not based on our circumstances, it is based upon obedience to Him.   Prayer is one of the most powerful tools God has given the believer.  We are not to pray in regard to results, however.  He does not say, “continue steadfast in prayer as long as you see results.”  He tells us to pray in steadfastness with a thankful spirit toward God.   That is how to pray. Nothing short of that qualifies.   Steadfast prayer is authentic when it is offered in way that thanks God and praises God.  Will God give results?  Yes!! Do other passages speak toward results?  Yes!!  However, the above Paul is tell them that if they want to experience a new life in Christ (read chapter 3), than prayer with thanksgiving is the tool.  

Do We Betray Christ for Money? Luke 21-22

 Luke 22:3-6 (ESV)

Judas to Betray Jesus

Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.

What would we take today in return for betraying Christ?   Would we take money?   The amount was stated as 30 pieces of silver.   That amount of money today is said to be worth between $100 and $3,000.   That is a broad amount, but neither end of that spectrum is worth much.   It is doubtful that members of today’s church would betray Christ for such amounts.    We probably find that we betray Christ for much less!   Today the world is prepared to “shame” people who speak the truth of Christ in public, at work, in schools and/or communities.   To avoid being shamed, we close our mouths.  There is no money changing hands in that incident, but to keep our livelihood, we betray our loyalty to Christ.   We, like Peter, will deny Christ (our connection and identity with Christ) in order to keep our popularity.   In order to maintain our status we turn our back on Christ.  When others profane Christ we stay quiet out of ear of some time of reprisal.   We can mock and look down on Judas (and we should) but, to be truthful, we, at times, are less profitable by the world’s standards in regard to our betrayal and/or denial.  

God Gives Grace to the Humble - Ezekiel 31-36

 Ezekiel 33:17-20 (ESV)

“Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just,’ when it is their own way that is not just. When the righteous turns from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it. And when the wicked turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he shall live by this. Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways.”

God’s character is to give grace to the humble.   Those who do not repent, do not get God’s grace.  Those who hear His Word and repent in humility, will receive God’s grace and salvation.  There are a number of really good examples of this in Scripture:

1. Abraham’s prayer and interaction with God over Lot being in Sodom.   Note Abraham’s prayer for Lot and God’s response:

Genesis 18:22-26 (ESV) So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the LORD said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

2. The story of the king of Nineveh after Jonah’s message of doom:

Jonah 3:9-10 (ESV)

Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

3. The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15.  Jesus told the story about the lost son (along with the sheep and the lost coin) to tell us about God’s grace to pursue us and to honor those who hear and turn in faith in humility.  

God give grace to the humble.      

Get Counsel From Others - Square it with God’s - Proverbs 11-12

 Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Solomon has a lot to say about making plans. In Proverbs 15:22 he tells us to make sure we have other advisors to our plans and without them, plans may fail. 

Proverbs 15:22 (ESV)

Without counsel plans fail,

but with many advisers they succeed.

In Proverbs 20:18 and Proverbs 24:6 he further recommends that we seek others input before we move into a plan. 

Proverbs 20:18 (ESV)

Plans are established by counsel;

by wise guidance wage war.

Proverbs 24:6 (ESV)

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

There is much to learn in these proverbs about planning and action in our lives, but perhaps a missing lesson is how much emphasis God puts on the interaction of others in our lives. God could say making plans should be reserved exclusively from seeking His truth in His Word and through His Spirit. But, using Solomon's Words, God is, indeed, telling us that planning is something that should come from seeking counsel of others, as well. God gives good plans through His Word and His Spirit bears witness with our spirit in regard to what we should and should not do. However, God has given us "others" for the perfection of those plans. Wisdom is available through His Word and His Word is exponded by other believers in our lives.  When we solely rely on God's Word and His Spirit we are not wrong, but God's Word tells us to include the counsel of others, as long as that counsel squares with God's Word. God speaks to us by the counsel of others. Now, we must filter their counsel through God's Word. In Acts 21 when the prophet Agabus propheised that Paul would be taken prisoner, everyone wanted Paul to stay away from Jerusalem. But, Paul knew their "counsel" needed to be filtered by God's Word.  Since God had already told him to go to Jerusalem, Paul was not going to make plans by their counsel. Counsel from others is needed to find God's will for our plans. 

Acts 21:13-14 (ESV)

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

The counsel of others in our lives is only to be heeded when it is offered in God's will.  When we listen to good counsel and take the correction it will give us, we can have the victory, safety and security. Getting the opinions of others about our choices in life gives us safety and security, as it comes into alignment with what God has already told us.  

The Power of Praise - Psalms 84-86

 Psalms 84:4 (ESV)

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah

The power of praising God is the most underused weapon of the believer’s life and fight for holiness.    Repeatedly we are told to praise God.  Vine is one of the most stable Biblical Word encyclopedias ever written. Although this is a bit long it is not all that Vine wrote on the word.   But, it does carry the message that praise is a powerful tool for those who love Him.  Note:

(Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary) 

“halal (הָלַל, 1984), “to praise, celebrate, glory, sing (praise), boast.” The meaning “to praise” is actually the meaning of the intensive form of the Hebrew verb halal, which in its simple active form means “to boast.” In this latter sense halal is found in its cognate forms in ancient Akkadian, of which Babylonian and Assyrian are dialects. The word is found in Ugaritic in the sense of “shouting,” and perhaps “jubilation.” Found more than 160 times in the Old Testament, halal is used for the first time in Gen. 12:15, where it is noted that because of Sarah’s great beauty, the princes of Pharaoh “praised” (KJV, “commended”) her to Pharaoh.

“While halal is often used simply to indicate “praise” of people, including the king (2 Chron. 23:12) or the beauty of Absalom (2 Sam. 14:25), the word is usually used in reference to the “praise” of God. Indeed, not only all living things but all created things, including the sun and moon, are called upon “to praise” God (Ps. 148:2-5, 13; 150:1). Typically, such “praise” is called for and expressed in the sanctuary, especially in times of special festivals (Isa. 62:9).

“The Hebrew name for the Book of Psalms is simply the equivalent for the word “praises” and is a bit more appropriate than “Psalms,” which comes from the Greek and has to do with the accompaniment of singing with a stringed instrument of some sort. It is little wonder that the Book of Psalms contains more than half the occurrences of halal in its various forms. Psalms 113-118 are traditionally referred to as the “Hallel Psalms,” because they have to do with praise to God for deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses. Because of this, they are an important part of the traditional Passover service. There is no reason to doubt that these were the hymns sung by Jesus and His disciples on Maundy Thursday when He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matt. 26:30).”

God calls us to praise Him!!  The power of praise is unstoppable!!

God’s Plan - Our Bigotry - 2 Kings 11-15

 2 Kings 14:23-29 (ESV)

Jeroboam II Reigns in Israel

In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, began to reign in Samaria, and he reigned forty-one years. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin. He restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher. For the LORD saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter, for there was none left, bond or free, and there was none to help Israel. But the LORD had not said that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, so he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.

Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Judah in Israel, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, the kings of Israel, and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.

Jonah the prophet was first a reliable prophet to his people and then became a reluctant prophet toward the Ninevites.  We all know the story of Jonah and the fist.   We know that he was sent, by God, to the capital city of the Assyrians, Nineveh, and told to preach God’s grace to them.  He refuses to do that and instead boards a ship in the opposite direction.  Most people know how that ended up.   Most people don’t know the above story, however.   Jonah was not always reluctant to preach God’s Word.  In the above story, Jeroboam II is the new king.  He, like all the kings of the northern nation of Israel, was wicked.  He followed his early relative, who he was named after, by remaining evil and doing evil things.  Despite this evilness, however, God does expand the nation of Israel and allows them to expand their territory (a promise God had made years earlier ... 2 Kings 10:30).   

It is interesting that Jonah was from the town of Gath-hepher.   The name “Gath” out to be familiar to most Bible readers.  That was the town that Goliath was from.  It was a boarder town of Israel to the far north.  It would have gone back and forth in regard to ownership.   The town would go back and forth as to ownership.   Goliath was a Philistine.   This understanding of Jonah’s home town might give us some insight into his reasoning for not going to Nineveh.   Jonah grew up, as a Jew, in a town that often was taken over by another race of people.  It was even named for that group of people originally, before Joshua conquered it and gave it as an inheritance to Israel (Joshua 19:13).   It is not a large stream to believe that Jonah’s reason to not to go to the wicked people of Nineveh, was his hatred for anyone NOT Jewish.   He had this experience in his youth.   Although born to a Jewish family (Amittai), he was raised among foreigners.    Yet, God used him to speak to Jeroboam II.   However, when God wanted him to go to another group of foreigners, he refused.   Jonah was raised to see the Jewish people as special and chosen by God and did not want to see God’s grace extended toward wicked Gentile men and women and children.   That is being a bigot, at best.   

God did use Jonah and he eventually brings God’s grace to not just his people (see above), but also to the Ninevites (albeit still reluctantly).    It is important to see how our past informs the present and can, often, control our actions and behavior in the future.    When Jonah was given a prophesy to his people that would be good for them, he was eager to speak God’s Word.  But, when given a prophesy to speak truth to a group of people he disliked, Jonah was reluctant and even suicidal.  Hatred in the heart of any people causes us to miss the mark on God’s plan for us.   

Worship God Together - Leviticus 16-18

 Leviticus 16:16-18 (ESV)

Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses. No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel. Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.

Today’s corporate church worship has no understanding of the constraints in worship outlined in the above passage.  Chapter 16 of Leviticus is about the Day of Atonement.  The High Priest (in this case, Aaron, Moses’ brother) was to come before God, once a year, to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the nation.   In the above passage we read that the people were not allowed to join him.   He did this alone and he represented them.  Outside the Tabernacle the people could join in sacrifice and worship, but only the High Priest could come before the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies.   This was a shadow of what Christ would do for us, through the cross.  He went and sacrificed his own body for our sins.  This allows us to come to God, the throne of grace (the Mercy Seat).  We enjoy free entry to God.  Note Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:11-14 (ESV)

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

As a result of what Christ did for us, note what the writer of Hebrews concludes:

Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV)

The Full Assurance of Faith

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

We can, in corporate worship, or alone, enter boldly into the Throne of Grace.  We can find grace in time of need.  This is the glory of the age of grac/the church age.   The Old Testament believers could approach God, obviously.  David’s psalms show us the power of a personal relationship with God.  But, the system of worship, for corporate worship, was a shadow of what we are able to experience.  We need to praise God for that and enjoy our worship together in a powerful way.  

How Did Paul Pray? Colossians 1-2

 Colossians 1:3 (ESV)

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

There is no doubt that Paul had a robust prayer life.  We can read about his prayers in everyone of his letters.   When writing to others he wanted them to know that he was also speaking to God.    He prayed about a lot of things, but we can see much about “how” he prayed in the above short introduction verse to the church at Colossae.  

Note how Paul prayed: 

1. "We" - There is a fellowship in Paul's prayer life. - see Colossians 4:2-3

2. "Always" - There is a consistency to Paul's prayer life and that consistency not only includes "always" praying (Colossians 1:9; Romans 1:9; 2 Timothy 1:3), but "always" giving "thanks" in his prayers.  (The word " always" modifies "Thanks" not "praying")

3. "Thank" - There is a gratitude to Paul's prayer life. (Colossians 1:12; 2:7; 3:17) but "always" giving "thanks" in his prayers.  (The word " always" modifies "Thanks" not "praying")

4.  "God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" - There is a worship aspect to Paul's prayer life.

5. "Father of" - There is an authoritative aspect to Paul's prayer life. 

6. "when we pray for you" - There is a relationally aspect to Paul's prayer life. (Colossians 2:1)

God Starts Judgment with His Own - Luke 19-20

 Luke 19:45-46 (ESV)

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.”

Luke only handles briefly what happened that moment.  Note John’s account:

John 2:13-17 (ESV)

The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father's house a house of trade.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

When the nation of Israel came to Jerusalem for Passover, they typically would bring their own animals, from their own flock, to the priest for their sacrifice.   However, those animals had to first be approved by the High Priest as “without blemish” to qualify for an “acceptable” acceptable sacrifice (Leviticus 22:20).  However, since the High Priest had already set up booths in the outer court (the Court of the Gentiles) to sell animals, they would often reject the animals brought from home and force them to turn to the commerce center they set up in the court.  This became a money maker for the priesthood.   This is the point of this moment.  The Sunday before Jesus rode in on a donkey and they believed he would overthrow the forces of Rome that had oppressed them and enslaved many of them.  But, rather than take on the world, Jesus started with the house of God.  He was going to change things, on that point they were correct.  But, they did not expect Him to start that change with the central focus of the nation, the Temple.   Peter must have paid attention that day.  Although often misses the mark during the days he followed Jesus, here is what he must have remembered from that, years later:

1 Peter 4:17 (ESV)

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

God is going to judge the world.  Especially those who oppress others.  But, that judgement always begins with His own first.  In the book of the Revelation we read about the final judgment on the nations, the non-believers and the host of Satan and Satan himself.  Yet, the book begins by address the seven churches and their sins.   God always starts with us and then expands outward.   We are to get our act together before we look for judgment on the world.  

God Removes Our Idols - Ezekiel 25-30

 Ezekiel 29:13-16 (ESV)

“For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered, and I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin, and there they shall be a lowly kingdom. It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and never again exalt itself above the nations. And I will make them so small that they will never again rule over the nations. And it shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel, recalling their iniquity, when they turn to them for aid. Then they will know that I am the Lord GOD.”

God will remove from us anything that we rely on that replaces Him as our sole source of strength and worship!  That is the summary of the above verses.  In Ezekiel 29 & 30, the prophet is calling out a prophecy agains Egypt.   It is the utter destruction of the nation and brining it down to the lowest of all nations.   But, why?   The end of the passage answers that question:  “And it shall never again be the reliance of the house of Israel ...”.    

When we, as believers, rely on something other than God, God will remove it, diminish it, expose it, and/or limit its control in our lives.   God wants nothing between us and Him.   Egypt was a powerful nation.  At one time Israel relied on it for its sustainment.   When Joseph was led there (by God), Israel (Jacob) brought the entire family there.  But, God never intended on Egypt replacing Him.  God then redeemed Israel from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.  They were told to never look back.  But, they did.  They continued to desire Egypt and they continued to rely upon her.  But, God would not have it.  He would remove all props that Israel turned to that replaced Him.  If we cherish something in our lives more than we cherish God, God refers to that as an idol and He will remove it.  

Wealth Works by God’s Hand - Proverbs 10

 Proverbs 10:2 (ESV)

Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,

but righteousness delivers from death.

Proverbs 10:15 (ESV)

A rich man's wealth is his strong city;

the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

Proverbs 10:22 (ESV)

The blessing of the LORD makes rich,

and he adds no sorrow with it.

Proverbs has much to say about wealth, money and riches.  In fact, the entire Bible speaks to this obsession we have for accumulating coins and dollar bills.   Money has been around a long time.   Gold, silver and other valuable items have always captured minds and hearts.    In the above proverbs from chapter ten, we read three more truths about wealth vs wisdom.   The entire premise of proverbs is for us to choose wisdom over anything else, including riches.  The “rich” man believes he/she has a “strong city.”  God does not want anything in our hearts that takes our desire and honor to Him.   Notice that it is God who “makes rich.”  God is NOT against riches (see Solomon’s story).   When God makes someone rich (vs their own pursuits and own obsessions) we can be assured that it comes with “no sorrow.”   God is not opposed to riches.  He is opposed to where it sits in our hearts.  

The Unseen World - Psalms 81-83

Psalms 82:5 (ESV)

V. 5 - They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

they walk about in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

To understand the above passage we have to know who the “they” is referring to in the opening line of the verse.   To understand that we have to read verses 1-4. 

Psalms 82:1-4 (ESV)

God has taken his place in the divine council;

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

“How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;

maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Although most Christians (much less the non-believers in the world) would not understand, or possibly even accept what the above verses are referring to.  But, if you read it a few times it might begin to sink in.  Let’s read it in another version and try to catch the meaning:

Psalms 82:1-5 (AMP)

GOD STANDS in the assembly [of the representatives] of God; in the midst of the magistrates or judges He gives judgment [as] among the gods.

How long will you [magistrates or judges] judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Do justice to the weak (poor) and fatherless; maintain the rights of the afflicted and needy.

Deliver the poor and needy; rescue them out of the hand of the wicked.

[The magistrates and judges] know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in the darkness [of complacent satisfaction]; all the foundations of the earth [the fundamental principles upon which rests the administration of justice] are shaking.

The point the author (Aspah) is making is that God has, in eternity past, established “gods” (Hebrew, “elôhîym” , or judges) over the nations.   Their role was to enact justice in submission to the only true “elôhîym.”  You will note that the same word is used to refer to both God and the “gods.”  The only difference is the definite article before God and not used before “gods.”    These “gods” are to “rule” the nations.   Yes, we have political, human figures that rule.  But, in reality, God established “gods” over the world.  But, as verse five states, these “gods” rebelled against God.  They don’t know about justice, however.  They walk in “darkness.”   Note that “the foundations of the earth are shaken,” as a result of their “judging.”  In this psalm we have a glimpse of the world behind the world we see.  Michael Heiser recently wrote a book entitled, “The Unseen World.”  His premise is based upon this type of Scripture. We need to know that our “seen” world is not only shaken, but also, the “unseen” world of the gods that God established have also rebelled.   But, notice how the psalm ends:

Psalms 82:8 (ESV)

Arise, O God, judge the earth;

for you shall inherit all the nations!

God will eventually restore order!! 

Seek Counsel From God, Not The World - 2 Kings 6-10

 2 Kings 8:7-15 (ESV)

Hazael Murders Ben-hadad

Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,” the king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the LORD through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels' loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’” And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the LORD has shown me that he shall certainly die.” And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The LORD has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.” Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.” But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.

Perhaps the most confusing thing is when the people of God seek counsel from the world, but the world seeks counsel from God.  Such is the case in the above passage. We read that Ben-hadad, King of Syria, is ill and needs wisdom.  So, the king sends one of his servants, Hazael, to consult with Elisha, the man of God.    The fact that that world would seek out a Godly man to counsel him is not that strange.  We can read about from Pharaoh of Egypt consulting with Joseph to Nebuchadnezzar to King of Babylon, consulting with Daniel to King Ahasuerus consulting with Mordecai.   

What is strange, however, is what we read earlier in the stories of the kings, about, Ahaziah, the King of Israel.  Note:

2 Kings 1:2 (ESV)

Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”

So, Ahaziah, who knew God, falls sick and seeks medical advice from Baal-zebub, a fake god of Ekron.    But, Ben-hadad, a non-believer, falls sick and reaches out to Elisha, who represents the God of the universe.  That is a great picture of some of our leaders today.  Those who know the risen Christ and believe in the authority of God’s Word, often look into the latest fade that the world is doing and attempt to copy their “best practice” mindset.  Yet, the world, exhausted by its own futile ways, often looks over the fence into the arena of faith and wants answers to life’s larger questions.   As believers we do such a poor service to act like King Ahaziah.    We hold the treasure of the mystery of life in our belief in Christ and His Word.    Yet, we often go slumming into the waste-land of the lost, looking for answers.   When, in reality, we ought to be the shinning light on the hill for a lost world, we are often talking a dim-lit flashlight into the the darkness of the world, looking for answers from the lost.   We need to be bold and aggressive in our witness that Christ through His Word has the answers for life.  The principles taught in Scripture out to sustain us and should be the value others seek in life.  

God’s Health Care System - Leviticus 13-15

 Leviticus 13:1-3 (ESV)

Laws About Skin Disease

 

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

Where is a good dermatologist when you need one (the word translated “leprous” in the above text is better understood as ANY skin disease)?  In our modern life we don’t think about some of the challenges that faced the nation of Israel.  They were 1.5 million peoples, living in tents in the deserts and hills of the wilderness.  There were NO modern day conveniences.  There were no rest stops along the maintain by the Department of Wilderness Travelers.  There were no stores to replenish.  There were no medical facilities if your child suddenly became ill.   The “community” of believers had to be cared for by the priest, established by the decree of God. Anyone born into the tribe of Levi, was now a priest.  And, that tribe had sole responsibility to care for not just the spiritual aspects of the nation, but the health concerns, as well.  This might be the greatest example of God gifting and empowering someone for a job they don’t have the full training to perform.   When the nation left Egypt, they also left all the “structure” of that nation.   The infra-structure of health and human services was now in the rear view mirror of Israel.   God would be their sole health-care provider.  They would not be able to select their own physician.   

Chapters 13-15 of Leviticus are not the most popular reading for the Saints in the church age.   Even though we have the this instruction from Paul to Timothy, this section of Leviticus (and perhaps all of Leviticus) seems to stretch our minds:

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

We might read these passages and wonder how profitable can it be to read about a priest dealing with a skin infection for a nation that lived like nomads for 40 years?   The answer is to marvel how God was so loving and so kind He even provided a health-care system, with Himself as the major administrator.   Yes, He designated the Levitical priest to do the day-to-day work, but make no mistake, this is God’s hand caring for and protecting the health and welfare of over a million souls that He redeemed from Egypt.   Much is lost in our minds about this type of care they would have needed.   But, not for them.  They NEEDED God to care for them.  We don’t.  We just go one of many med-centers in our area.   We get prescriptions drugs like candy.   We have huge hospitals that care for us with market driven customer services engineering.    Let’s take a moment and realize that even though we might have these modern conveniences, we must still fall humble on our knees for God’s care and interaction in our lives.   If we begin to trust in the systems of the world, we soon lose out on the care of the God of the universe.  He was concerned enough to address skin infections and make provision for the nation.   He is concerned enough to address our needs, as well.  There certainly is nothing wrong with seeking modern medical help.  But, it is sinful to forsake the pursuit of God’s care over all.   

God’s Grace - Philippians 3-4

 Philippians 4:23 (ESV)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Paul ends all of his letters with a similar ending as above:

See: Rom. 16:24; 1 Cor. 16:23; 2 Cor. 13:14; Gal. 6:18; Eph. 6:24; Col. 4:18; 1 Thess. 5:28; 2 Thess. 3:18; 1 Tim. 6:21; 2 Tim. 4:22;Titus 3:15; Philem. 25

In many of those books he opens the letter with the same way he started Philippians:

Philippians 1:2 (ESV)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In essence, Paul is staying to them, “be energized” by God’s grace in your self.   Yet, that doesn’t seem to carry the entire meaning of the text.  It is like he is saying “be futile” by God’s grace in your self.   But, again, this lacks the real power and meaning of the text.   God’s grace is God’s unmerited favor on mankind.  When we give grace to others we are giving them something they don’t deserve.   Their life style, behavior, last act and/or their mindset is not deserving of the blessing, goodwill and/or gift they are about to get. 

We know that we are saved by grace by faith in Christ.  But, believers are also sustained, guided, governed, sanctified, comforted, have peace and joy and empowered by God’s grace.  Grace is the constant flow of God’s unmerited favor in our life.   We can do nothing apart by grace.   Our success is not possible by works. It is only by grace through faith. Note:

Romans 11:6 (ESV)

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

We live, breadth, walk, run, struggle, succeed, and/or triumph in God and by God’s grace.  God’s grace is not a concept. It is not just a doctrinal word.  God’s grace is an active attribute of God fueling, empowering and guaranteeing our triumph in the work He gives us.  Read Jonah to see God’s active grace.  God called Jonah in grace, disciplined in grace, enabled him in grace, corrected and comforted him in grace.   He does the same thing for us.  Grace be to you.  

Trust Him Like A Child - Luke 17-18

Luke 18:15-17 (ESV)

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

How old were they?   Did they bring him brand new babies? Were they babies in their “terrible two’s?”   Were they toddlers who could walk but not yet run?   The Greek word used by Luke, here, is “brephos.”  It us commonly used in the Scripture to indicate an unborn child, or a baby infant.   The context of the passage, to emphasis the point Jesus is trying to make, would indicate these were infants, who had little will and no ability to care for themselves.   The pictures painted for this scene, by artist, pictures small children.  The point Jesus is making is that, like a small infant who is completely dependent upon adults, we must, too, come to Christ.  We cannot be dependent upon ourselves, be able to care for ourselves, or think we can “save” ourselves.  As I read these passages this morning, I have been watching my triplet grandsons all night.   Talk about dependent upon adults!   These three boys (8 months) are 100% dependent upon the adults in their lives.  They can do the essentials by themselves (cry and mess their diapers and smile).  But, they a limited to do anything to help themselves survive this life.   This is the point Jesus is trying to teach the disciples and the people around them.  Our spiritual life is completely dependent upon Jesus.  It is regretful that when we get older we think we can do it ourselves.  Just because we can make toast does not mean we can avail ourselves of the bread of life.   Jesus wants us to completely sit on His lap, spiritually.  Trying to do any kind of walking on our own is to fall flat like a toodler.   

Different Than The World - Ezekiel 19-24

Ezekiel 20:30-32 (ESV)

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will not be inquired of by you.

“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.’

God knows what our minds think.   God knows when we deviate from His desired will for our lives.   In the above passage we read Ezekiel’s message to the “elders” of Israel.  They had come to him to hear what God’s message was to them.  The nation was about to be taken captive by foreign powers, and they came to Ezekiel to find out the “why?”   God was glad to tell them, but it is doubtful they liked the answer.   The nation of Israel had rejected God’s Word.   They seldom even paid attention to it.  Instead they went about following the mindset of the world around them.   The greatest sin that Israel committed toward God was the sin of idolatry.    Almost every prophet in the Old Testament speaks out about this idol worship.  Instead of being “different” than the world around them (the entire point of God redeeming the nation from Egypt), Israel wanted to be like the other nations.   They started doing things so absurd (like offering their live children to false gods), that God had to discipline them.    Today we would never think of offering our children to false gods in a flame of fire.   Or, do we?  When we do not teach our children the holiness of God and rather present them to the world and encourage them to be entangled in the world, are we not doing the same thing?   We do not offer sacrifices to “wood and stone.”   Or, do we?  Do we worship the houses we build, the cars we drive, the riches we hoard, the careers we build?   An idol is anything that draws us away from a holy, righteous God.   We ought to be careful that rather than being different from the world (the entire point of God redeeming us from sin), and, rather, become just like them.  

If you don’t think God is serious about this, notice what He continues to say through the voice of Ezekiel in the very next verses.   God means what He says:

Ezekiel 20:33-38 (ESV)

“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD. I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

No Choice At All - Proverbs 8-9

 Proverbs 8:10-11 (ESV)

Take my instruction instead of silver,

and knowledge rather than choice gold,

for wisdom is better than jewels,

and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Proverbs 8:18-19 (ESV)

Riches and honor are with me,

enduring wealth and righteousness.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,

and my yield than choice silver.

What we value determines how we act.  Solomon, during his day, was said to be the wealthiest person alive.   God has blessed him beyond comparisons of others.  When presented with the option to choose whatever he wanted, he chose wisdom:

1 Kings 3:10-13 (ESV)

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.

The above passages from Proverbs 8 bear out Solomon’s choice from his early age.  Today we do not value wisdom in this manner.  Very few young people, when given a choice would choose God’s wisdom of earths possessions.   Yet, that is what the Gospel message is all about.  We can choose the riches of this world.  Or, we can decide to look for something differing, something God provides that transcends the temporal.   Notice how Moses thought about it:

Hebrews 11:24-25 (ESV)

By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

We can look for the riches of this world and pursue them, or we can be satisfied in the power of God and the wisdom of God through Christ.  That is a constant choice to make each day we live on this earth.   Solomon is telling us that it is really no choice at all.  

Remember What God Has Done For You!! - Psalms 78-80

 Psalms 80:8-13 (ESV)

You brought a vine out of Egypt;

you drove out the nations and planted it.

You cleared the ground for it;

it took deep root and filled the land.

The mountains were covered with its shade,

the mighty cedars with its branches.

It sent out its branches to the sea

and its shoots to the River.

Why then have you broken down its walls,

so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?

The boar from the forest ravages it,

and all that move in the field feed on it.

Aspah wrote the above lines from Psalm 80.   In this section we have many of his songs.   He was a significant song master for Israel.  He often wrote about the relationship between God and the nation of Israel.  In the above passage we read him writing about God’s choice for Israel, but not Israel’s choice for God.  That is a theme of much of his songs.  He outlines how God took Israel out of Egypt.  He calls them a vine.  He pulls them out of Egypt and sets them in a place of fertile soil.  He covered them with shade (sometimes that shade was a cloud of His divine glory).   He allowed the nation to have roots wide and far and drink from the sea and the river.  He is referring to how he expanded their territories and gave them both room to grow and sustenance to grow.   But, they he asks the key question, “Why then have you (God) broken down the walls of the nation?”  

In this particular song, he doesn’t explicitly answer the question.   He is rather, in these lines, complaining about the wicked nations around him that are destroying the nation God so marvelously planted.   We know the reason God is allowing, as does Asaph.  Note what he wrote in a previous song:

Psalms 78:56-59 (ESV)

Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God

and did not keep his testimonies,

but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;

they twisted like a deceitful bow.

For they provoked him to anger with their high places;

they moved him to jealousy with their idols.

When God heard, he was full of wrath,

and he utterly rejected Israel.

Because they rejected God, God would reject them and bring wicked nations to punish them.   They were given much and would be held accountable for much.    God took a sapling and made it into a giant tree.  But, the tree, full of pride, rejected the one who made it.  That is why God punished them.   God takes us from the depths of sin and causes us to grow in power and strength.  We ought to be very careful to turn away from that Grace and that power.   God is a jealous God and demands and deserves our unfettered love for Him.  When we turn to other sources for strength, pleasure and/or satisfaction, we become like that little vine that God pulled out of Egypt.   When we do that God must send a wild boar to ravages us to persuade us to turn back to the one who saved us.  

God Doesn’t Do Normal - 2 Kings 1-5

 2 Kings 5:8-14 (ESV)

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

God saves by unconventional methods.   In the above story we read about a Gentile dignitary wanting to be healed from a serious illness.   However, when he discovers the method he is to employ to be healed, he is offended.     Convinced by his servant to follow through with the instructions from Elisha, Naaman is healed.   Imagine if you went to the doctor today and you were given an unusual and non-conventional prescription.   You would probably pause and research the instructions.   

This is, however, how God works.  He saves through the most unconventional methods known to man. This is why mankind cannot wrap their minds around the risen Savior.   The idea of the crucifixion and resurrection is offensive to man’s natural mind.    This is one reason we should believe in the resurrection: It is such and amazing and unconventional plan, ONLY GOD can and would think of it.   But, if you study Scripture you will see that God continues to save via the odd and absurd: 

1. Noah was save by a boat built in a desert during a time it never rained. 

2. Daniel was saved by making dangerous lions desire a nap more than a lunch. 

3. The three Hebrew boys were saved from even the smell of a fire even though the flame was so hot it took the lives of those who tossed them into the flames.  

4. Israel was saved from a giant, not by armor or armies, but by a teenage boy with four two many stones and an old sling. 

5. Israel was saved by the parting of the Red Sea. 

6. Peter was saved by the guards falling asleep and the prison doors miraculously opening before him. 

7.  Rehab, the harlot, was saved when every portion of the walls of Jericho fell, except the portion that held her house.  

8.  Israel’s army was saved by a whisper in the trees, the shining of blood off the water and once when the sun actually stood still. 

9.  A blind man had his sight saved when Jesus simply spit in the dirt and rubbed it on his eyes.  

10.  You and I are saved by grace, through faith in the resurrection of a risen Savior.  

Don’t look for a normal, conventional and understandable rescue.   God doesn’t do normal.  

 

Church People Care for Church Ministry - Leviticus 10-12

 Leviticus 10:12-15 (ESV)

Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the grain offering that is left of the LORD'S food offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy. You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons' due, from the LORD'S food offerings, for so I am commanded. But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you shall eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for they are given as your due and your sons' due from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the people of Israel. The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they shall bring with the food offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering before the LORD, and it shall be yours and your sons' with you as a due forever, as the LORD has commanded.”

Perhaps, lost on today’s New Testament church, is the understanding of the many “offerings” that were required of the nation of Israel and the responsibility of those offerings by the priest (and his family).   The “grain offering” not only served as an expression of thanks to God by the offerer, it also provided the food needs of the Aaron priestly line and their families.  Aaron’s family has not inheritance with Israel in regard to the promise land.  Their inheritance was the priesthood.   That was to be their lot when they entered into the promise land.   So, the only way they could survive was through the offerings of the people of God.   This was to be the way things worked for the priest throughout their generation.    This is why when the nation quit offering sacrifices in the correct way to God, they also, inadvertently, denied the priest their daily needs.   This caused the priest to find other ways to sustain their lives and become worshippers of idols, because that is what the people wanted.  As went the hearts of the people, so went the hearts of the priestly line.  

We may not understand that through the lens of the church age, but that is exactly what happens with those we identify as “full-time” ministry servants of the church.    When the members of the Body of Christ meet in community, they give of their tithes and their offerings.   The point of that giving is no less than in the book of Leviticus.  It is to show the grateful heart of the believer to come in faith toward God in obedience.  It is NOT for salvation (anymore than it is in the book of Leviticus).  It is for expression of thanks through faith.    But, those tithes and offerings are also for the welfare of those who serve.   Remember what Paul stated about this to the church at Ephesus when writing instructions to young Pastor Timothy:

1 Timothy 5:18 (ESV)

For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

He was writing to the church to remind them that the elders, pastors and servants of the Church should partake of the offerings made to God in the church.  That was God’s full-time ministry compensation package.  God compensates His servants through His people. Disobedient people injures their relationship with God, but also does great damage to the welfare and care of God’s servants.  

Harmony in the Body is Powerful - Philippians 1-2

 Philippians 1:27-30 (ESV)

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Paul is writing this letter to the church at Philippi while he is in prison, in chains.   Prisons in those days were not like our prisons today.   They only way a prisoner could eat in those days was for someone to bring them food from the outside.  That meant that whoever brought the food had to identify with the prisoner.   The prisoner was, at times, chained to a guard.   Other times they were just under house arrest.  We do not know the exact circumstances of Paul’s imprisonment, but we do know it was not something we could easily visualize in our minds.  Despite his circumstances, however, Paul writes the above lines to tell the church that expects them to life in harmony with one another and serve one another.   He believes that the power of harmony for the Gospel while standing together in the body is the best weapon to silence those who wish to harm the church and hinder the Gospel message.   When the church is united over its vision for the Gospel in the community of faith, nothing can stop it.   No opponent can destroy it.   

Paul even goes on to say that any opposition we do find, despite the harmony of the Body of Christ around the Gospel, we will suffer for the Gospel.   Like Paul, we will have the world against us.   We are to engaged in the Gospel, no matter the cost to us (like him) in our suffering.   In some countries today, this is actively happening.  People are suffering for their testimony about faith in Christ.  In our country we may be shamed and canceled, but not killed or imprisoned.   We need to realize that the power of harmony in the Body of Christ around the Gospel of Christ is our greatest protection agains the suffering that comes at the hand of the world  around us.  

Priority In Life Matters - Luke 15-16

 Luke 16:19-24 (ESV)

The Rich Man and Lazarus

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

The afterlife is a mystery to most of the world.   To many it is not something they prefer to think about.  They prefer to live large in this life and let the next be oblivious to their senses.   God has, however, put eternity into the heart of man:

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

In the above story, told by Jesus, we see the impact of living without a conscious knowledge of life after death.  Without explaining, Jesus tells as story of the rich man and Lazarus and simply implies life after death.  That is the first century mindset, however.   Even those who denied God would have believed in life after death.  Our modern day thought does not, however, carry that much gravity toward the topic.   The rude awakening of the rich man is the destination of all those who are lost in their sin.  They will, at some certain point, see the life they have for eternity.  While they are busy raising future soccer stars, drinking lattes and climbing corporate ladders, they will soon find that these things of this life pale in comparison to the things of the next life.   Most people don’t see that eternity awaits them because they have little time to consider it.  They are so earthly minded they fail to realize the heavenly weight that awaits.  Jesus talked often about the next life.  He wanted His disciples and those He was teaching to know about His eternal Kingdom.   The rich man had it all in this life.  Lazarus had nothing.   In the next life their station was reversed.   We can get caught up in this world, but it is the next is the one that matters.  And, it is the one that last the longest.   

Salvation Changes How We Look - Ezekiel 13-18

 Ezekiel 16:8-14 (ESV)

“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD.

If you had to describe what God did in your life when you were saved from your sin by the death of Christ, what would you say?  We often here words or phrases like:

1. Set free

2. Received peace

3. Had great joy

4. Can live guilt free

5. Found worth

6. Burdens gone

In the above passage are they words that God uses to describe the salvation He brought to Israel when He called Abraham out of a land of idolatry.   Notice “how” God describes His salvation.  In God’s Word we find that He often goes from the “known” to the “unknown” to tell us about what He does in our lives.  He uses “known” word pictures to describe “unknown” Theological concepts.  Jesus did this by using the parables.  He told us about a prodigal son (a known concept) to tell us about God’s amazing forgiveness (an unknown concept).  

It is interesting that God uses the above word pictures of jewelry around the neck and in the nose to describe His salvation of Israel by taking them out of Egypt.   The world picture He uses through Ezekiel’s writings are not word the modern church would use to describe what we should even wear to church, much less the description of our salvation.   But, God is not lost on the things we get wrapped up in.  The point He is making here is the “unknown” truth that when God saves us, He changes us.   We might get caught up in the “outward” picture presented in the text (and even in our lives).  But, God is saving us to change us so that we love Him.  The prophet Ezekiel was sent to tell Israel that despite how God changed them, they turned right back, inwardly, to worship idols.   The lesson in this text is that God changes us to love Him and that will mean we look incredible different than we did before.   But, the outside should simply be a reflection of what He did on the inside by putting His love in our hearts.