Tag: God Responds to Our Persistent Prayer! Luke 17-18

Luke 18:7

And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?

Tag:  God Responds to the Prayers of the Saints!

The story this verse is found within is about the unjust judge who gives in to the widow’s request because she simply bothered him so much.  He grew tired of her constant whining about being needing justice and, although he was “unjust” in his character, he was even more selfish:  He wanted his peace and quiet.  The persistent widow received what she wanted from the selfish, unjust judge.  The point Jesus is making in the story is that God IS just.  He IS not selfish.  He delights in answering the prayers of His saints.   So, as we cry out to Him, day and night, we can fully expect Him to give us our desires ... assuming our desires meet His plan and will for our lives.   God is not a Magic Jennie.   He is not there to give us our whims and wills.  But, He does answer us according to the plans He has for us.  This is why, later, Jesus will say that when we pray we should pray:

Matthew 6:10

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

We are blessed to rest in the assurance that God answers our prayers.   We don’t have to feel as though He is not there.  Our persistence in prayer (the reference to “day and night”) is not to be viewed as though He is waiting for us to ask a certain number of times.  The purpose of our persistence is to draw us closer to Him and lean further and deeper into His arms.   He delights in our asking Him for His will to be done in our lives.  We can rejoice that He is a just judge who answers and responds to our persistent prayer.  

Tag: The Character of God - Ezekiel 19-24

Ezekiel 20:9

But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt.

Ezekiel 20:14

But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Ezekiel 20:22

But I withheld my hand and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out.

Tag:  God Acts For His Character

In each of these verses God is telling the nation of Israel, through Ezekiel, that despite their sin and rebellion, He will ALWAYS act on the basis of His divine character and plan.   God will not be shamed among the nations.  He always corrects rebellion and magnifies His name.   He “brought them out” of the land of captivity and He will take them back to that land of captivity because they failed to worship and honor Him.  He will not be profaned.   God is a jealous God and He demands our sole worship of Him.   We are not to have idols in our hearts - He rescued us from idols.  Why would we return to them?   God’s saving grace is to be on display, not mocked.   God is a jealous God.   We are to live in a way that reflects His character for it was by His character and for His character that He redeemed us.   

Tag: Wisdom is Available - Proverbs 8-9

Proverbs 8:1-4

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?

On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: “To you, O men, I call out; ...

The book of Proverbs is all about the contrast between the fool and the person who chooses wisdom.   “Folly” is personified mostly as an immoral woman or the adulterous.   In the above portion of this chapter, “Wisdom” is personified, also, as a woman.  Chapter seven through chapter nine should be read as one section.   In chapter seven we see “folly” standing on the corner, attempting to entice the naive young man:

Proverbs 7:10-12

And behold, the woman meets him,

dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.

She is loud and wayward;

her feet do not stay at home;

now in the street, now in the market,

and at every corner she lies in wait.

Folly is at “every” corner in “every” street.  Her goal is to entice us to succumb to her waywardness.   But, as chapter eight opens, we see that wisdom is also at every corner, every height, every city gate, at every entrance.   We can be assured that anywhere we turn, God has provided wisdom for those who search for her in faith.   Wisdom is a gift of God that He provides to those who ask in faith:

James 1:5-8

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

When we are “double-minded” we ought not to expect to find God’s wisdom.   Wisdom is crying out but can’t be seen by those who are walking in the flesh and have the choice of folly on their hearts.   We can’t live in folly and hope to access the fruits of wisdom.   

In contrast to folly, Lady Wisdom is calling out in the most obvious places, it is almost impossible to miss her.  Note where and when folly cries out:

Proverbs 7:6-9

For at the window of my house

I have looked out through my lattice,

and I have seen among the simple,

I have perceived among the youths,

a young man lacking sense,

passing along the street near her corner,

taking the road to her house

in the twilight, in the evening,

at the time of night and darkness.

Wisdom is not in the dark.  At the “entrance” of the city was the most important place of the city.  The city gate is the city’s commerce.  Above the walls (the heights) was so all could see her.  Folly attempts to tempt us in the dark, Wisdom portrays herself in the light.   By faith we can have wisdom.  She calls out to the children of men.  

Tag: God is the “God of Hosts” - Psalm 78-80

Psalms 89:8-9

O Lord God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

with your faithfulness all around you?

You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, you still them.

Tag: God is the God of Hosts

The word for “hosts:”

ṣâḇâ’; or (feminine) צְבָאָה tsbadah; from 6633; a mass of persons (or figuratively, things), especially reg. organized for war (an army); by implication, a campaign, literally or figuratively (specifically, hardship, worship): — appointed time, (+) army, (+) battle, company, host, service, soldiers, waiting upon, war(-fare).

Perhaps the best example of this theme and concept is seen below:

2 Kings 6:15-17

When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

God has surrounded the people of God with a hosts of His army.   What a great picture for us as we move through a difficult world.   We can know that God is so caring for us that He provides the “hosts” of God to care for us.  Four times in this Psalm the writer refers to the “God of Hosts” (vs. 4, 7, 14, 19).  He realizes the beauty of the God of Hosts.  

Tag: God’s Will vs God’s Word - 2 Kings 1-5

2 Kings 3:25-27

And they overthrew the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone until it was covered. They stopped every spring of water and felled all the good trees, till only its stones were left in Kir-hareseth, and the slingers surrounded and attacked it. When the king of Moab saw that the battle was going against him, he took with him 700 swordsmen to break through, opposite the king of Edom, but they could not. Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.

Tag:  God’s Plans Never Go Against His Word

We can’t really understand the above passage without the context of the entire chapter.  The three kings of Edom, Israel and Judah have come to the prophet Elisha and asked if God had given them Moab into their hands.   Note what Elisha prophecies: 

2 Kings 3:18-19

This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

As we can see, Elisha prophesied and the three kings conquered Moab ... to a point.   However, at the very end, the King of Moab prevails.   The question must be asked, “Did Elisha offer a false prophesy?”  Remember, the measure of a real prophet was wether they gave a true prophecy.   In this story what we see is that Elisha’s prophesy does come true, to a point.   Everything Elisha did proclaim came true.   But, his prophesy did not say they would utterly Moab.  To the extent that Elisha prophesied, the three kings prevailed.   Elisha gave the prophecy that God gave Him.  We know this by this portion of the story:

2 Kings 3:15

But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him.

The prophet s subject to the “hand of the Lord” upon him.   Elisha said they would prevail against Moab and destroy cities and fields and trees.  They did.  It would be natural for the three kings to besiege the King of Moab, but that is t not what Elisha said to do.   Plus, if they were going to besiege the city they would NOT be commanded to cut down the good trees that don’t bear fruit.  That was strictly forbidden in the Law:

Deuteronomy 20:19-20

“When you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field human, that they should be besieged by you? Only the trees that you know are not trees for food you may destroy and cut down, that you may build siegeworks against the city that makes war with you, until it falls.

The Kings of Israel and Judah should have known that.   They did not rely on the Word of God to give them direction.   Elisha would not have prophesied against the Law.   It was up to the kings to confirm the prophets words with the Law.  Had they done so, they would not have suffered defeat.   Elisha gave them truth, but not all truth.  The Word of God would supply the remaining truth.  

Tag: Servants of God are to be Holy - Leviticus 10-12

Leviticus 10:10-11

You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.”

Tag:  Servants of God are to be Holy

In the above passage Moses is instructing Aaron and his sons about the conduct and purpose of the priest.  However, it is found in the context of Aaron’s son’s Nadab and Abihu’s recent deaths.   Both of these sons paid the price of death because they approached the sacrifice with “unauthorized” fire.  We are not told what that means.  We only see that they died as a result.   Aaron and his remaining sons were in the middle of sacrifices and we not able to mourn their deaths.   In the midst of THIS circumstance Aaron and his remaining sons were to complete the above mission and the above standard.   God will have holiness in His servants.   Look at what God stated right after the death of the two boys, priest selected and enabled by God:

Leviticus 10:3

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

God states, “I will be sanctified ...”.    God is not to be treated as casual.  God is the ultimate object of our lives.   We are not to treat Him or His service with anything less than complete holiness.  

Tag: The Path to Real Joy - Philippians 1-2

Philippians 2:3-7

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Tag:  The True Path for Joy

In the world’s philosophy of life, the path to joy involves accumulation, power, security and, for many, a time in the sun ... a chance for fame.  Power trumps humility in today societal mores.   Meekness is viewed, by most in the world, as weakness.   If you want “joy”, says the world, you have to grab it while you can get it ... whatever “it” is.    However, in Christianity, joy is found in a completely different philosophy.   Jesus is our example.  Imagine the God of the universe, uncontainable or constrained by NOTHING, willingly taking on a human body.   A God never contained by time and space is suddenly constrained by the sheer limits of physical matter.   Imagine the God of the universe, who created time and space, to be limited by it.   Imagine the God of the universe who created food for creatures to be subjected to hunger pains.   Imagine the God of the universe, who in wisdom created all things and knows ALL things having to suffer the debates with the religious leaders of the day.  This is like an ant arguing with mathematics professor about algebra.  Yet, he did all this.  It is said, for the “joy” set before Him, He endured the cross:

Hebrews 12:2

looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Christ’s pathway to joy was serving others by way of the cross.   Can we endure any suffering for others so that they can find the freedom in Christ?    We are told by our world the joy comes through being comfortable.   Jesus proves to us and demonstrates to us that joy comes through the obedience to God and to the joy He provides in that obedience.   We all look for joy in the absence of suffering.   Christ set the example for us that we have joy in suffering for Christ.   Not suffering due to our own mistakes.   That is not what Christ is referring to here.  It is suffering by choosing to live for Him and only Him.  When we choose to live for Him there will be rejection from the world around us.   It will be doing things for others so that they can see Christ in our lives.   It is not self absorbed but Christ absorbed. It is NOT “others” absorbed but serving Christ through our service of others.   We are, in humility, serve others in order to see Christ exalted.