The Shame of Assimilation

“And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that [were] by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.” (2Ki 23:7 AV)

There was a time that governments set building zones to keep apart establishments that cannot co-exist.  There was a time when no bar or other institution of ill-repute could operated within a certain distance from a school.  There was a time when churches influenced their neighborhoods.  There were no bars, cigarette shops, drugstores, etc within hundreds of yards of a church or school.  The idea was to keep bad behavior away from those who wanted nothing to do with it.  There was something called the ‘blue light district’.  It has its origin in the Revolutionary war.  A faction of the Federalist Party would signal the British with blue lights.  Since that time, ‘blue light district’ or ‘red-light district’ are terms describing certain areas of the city or town where wicked behavior was bought or sold.  The point is, cities used to separate depending on values and purpose.  Church buildings were respected.  I pastored in a gang-infested area.  Buildings, fences, and homes were tagged all the time.  Yet the church was never touched.  We suffered no break-ins.  There was no vandalism.  Today’s world is completely different.  There is no longer respect of, and separation from, the things of God.

Which brings me to our passage.  The people of God were so depraved that they allowed houses of prostitution and Sodom to exist next door to, and around from, the house of God.  Let us remember that the people of God in the form of the nation of Israel were not regenerated.  They were as lost as those who are lost today.  They may have been religious.  They may have had a relationship with God as their Creator and God.  What they did not have was a regenerated soul.  They were not born-again.  They followed the law as best they could, but there was no indwelling of the Holy Spirit to aid them in holiness.  Having said that, there is no excuse for sin.  Even more so, there is definitely no excuse for flaunting your sin in the sight of God’s house.  Yet that is how wicked they had become.  What is alarming is that the faithful of God did little to nothing to correct it.  They had no leadership to assist them.  They needed a king who could see the pure evil of vices on church grounds or businesses that exist for the carnal pleasures of man so close to the house of worship.  They needed a leader who would take a stand and clean the nation from the evil that had become so common.

Competition with the house of God will always exist.  The NFL will always play on Sundays.  Restaurants and stores that used to be closed on Sundays no longer are.  But what alarms me is the proximity that these places tend to be.  The cell phone has seen to that.  Separation from the world makes a distinction between the holy and the profane.  There has to be some distance between the godly and the godly.  What the world needs are leaders who are willing to stand for the right thing and make changes that keep wickedness and righteousness separate.  We need leaders who will draw a line and keep the attacks on the sacred distant or non-existent.  It is alarming when a house of ill-repute opens right next to a church.  It is alarming when a deviant theater opened right across from our church.  This shouldn’t happen.  Our nation needs much prayer.  Our nation needs revival.  Our nation needs leaders who will do the right thing.  Otherwise, we will suffer the fate of Israel.  We will be carried away to captivity, and our nation will be lost.

Blessedness of Observation

“The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.” (Pr 20:12 AV)

Hearing and eyesight are the primary senses by which we observe and learn.  How we choose to use them matters.  Solomon prefaces the above proverb by stating that a child is known by what he leaves in his wake.  In other words, maturity cannot be hid.  It is known by what maturity produces, or fails to produce.  If we are known by what we manifest, what we are is determined by what we take in.  What is shown on the outside is a reflection of what is on the inside.  What is on the inside is produced and influenced by what is allowed from the outside.  What we take in must be filtered through the truth that God has made the means by which we consume, and it is to Him whom we are accountable.

It is interesting what happens when one begins to lose their eyesight or hearing.  For me, it is both.  I have worn glasses for the vast majority of my life.  Having suffered several childhood head injuries, eyeglasses were a part of my life from age seven or eight until this present day.  At one point, I was so dependent on eyeglasses that it was considered legal blindness.  Over the years, it has greatly improved.  But I will never know what it is like to see with normal eyesight.  Now, my hearing is beginning to fail.  The LORD has been very good to me and provided hearing aids.  They are a decent pair, and it is astounding how much I was missing.  I bought a hearing aid dryer and now I can deep clean them every other day.  What a difference!  The interesting thing is, when you begin to lose these faculties, you begin to be a lot more discerning on how you use them.  Knowing that you might lose them for good, picking what one consumes becomes a much more thoughtful practice.  I would rather listen to the birds sing or the rustle of leaves than music played from a loudspeaker.  I would much rather read a good book than watch a movie.  Losing one's abilities makes me appreciate what is left.

God has given the ability to consume our world and learn from it.  Sometimes it is used for enjoyment.  There is nothing wrong with biblically acceptable pleasures.  I, for one, am grateful God gave hearing and eyesight by which we can interact with His creation.  This is not intended as a rebuke on how we used our ears and eyes, but rather, to appreciate the ability to do so.  To enjoy a sunset or the faces of my grandchildren is a wonder to behold.  To hear a saintly chorus with perfect pitch voices as they glorify the Creator is a blessing.  To see the heart of a child of God break for the perfect will of God is more than one deserves.  To be part of God’s creation rather than merely in it is something for which we should be eternally grateful.  There is much beauty from the hand of God that surrounds us, and He has given the means by which we can take it all in.

Greater Faith In Overcoming

“He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor [any] that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, [and] departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses.” (2Ki 18:5-6 AV)

It is said of Hezekiah that no one had ever trusted the LORD as he had.  No king before him; as in David and Solomon, and no king after him; as in Josiah ever trusted the LORD as Hezekiah did.  That is quite a statement.  Why?  What made Hezekiah the most faith-filled king in the history of Israel/Judah?  After all, he did make come blunders.  Not as big as David and Solomon, but he did make some serious mistakes.  One of them cost Judah their temporary autonomy.  So, what was it about his reign that made it so commendable?  I think the fact that Hezekiah had to overcome much spiritual darkness to bring revival to his nation is the factor at play here.  Hezekiah has to cleanse the nation of generations of paganism.  He has to have those close to him executed.  He restored Judea to the glory it once knew as the temple was repaired and reused.  Hezekiah risked far more than any king before him had to risk and far more than those who followed him were willing to risk.  Sometimes it is not what we accomplish but what we overcome that determines the faith that we have.

Recently, there was a high school basketball clip that went viral.  Things like this happen all the time.  It was the charity of two competitors that took center stage, and what was lost was the bravery it took for two players to do what they did.  The game was already in hand for the eventual winning team.  There was no way for the losing team to catch up.  So, the winning team’s coach sent in a player who was handicapped.  He might have been a down’s syndrome student or some other physically impaired condition.  As the ball was in-bounded to this young man, all the players on both teams cleared the court so this young man could go the length of the court and score a basket.  What followed is why this clip went viral.  The substitution buzzer blew, and the losing team did the same thing.  They inserted a handicapped player, and the player went the full length of the court and scored a basket.  For both players, the teams and the audience stood and clapped.  What was missed was the courage it took for these two young men to do what they did.  It was only two points.  It didn’t affect the outcome of the game.  But it took all the courage and faith in the world to overcome the obstacles that lay before them.

Overcoming is often overlooked.  It is the king who can do great things because he had great resources and great opportunity who is heralded.  It is the athlete who was given great strength and skill, placed on an all-star team, and who had favorable conditions who is recognized as the greatest of all time.  The king who can take a nation seeped in wickedness and revive them unto spiritual life is not seen as all that special.  After all, there are no great buildings built.  No major wars won.  He lost more from the treasury than he ever added.  Compared to David and Solomon, Hezekiah did little to advance the physical condition of his nation.  Sin was cleansed.  Worship was rejuvenated.  But there were no temporal monuments built to the king who had faith that no one else had.  Overcoming is a huge deal.  Often it takes more strength and resolve to overcome adversity than it does to slowly build strength over time.  It is one thing to exercise faith a bit at a time and as a result, grow that faith.  It is quite another to summon huge faith for a single project or task and see God do some great things.  Overcoming is a big deal!  It takes more faith to overcome that it does to maintain.

Father, Exalt Thyself!

“Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth; That thy beloved may be delivered: save [with] thy right hand, and answer me.” (Ps 108:5-6 AV)

We have this misunderstanding that Satan is motivated by winning.  This is not true.  The devil is fully aware of his future.  He knows he cannot defeat God.  He tried that once and failed.  So, as we observe the forces of Satan aligning themselves against the things that God loves, it isn’t to win a score.  There is only one reason why Satan does what he does.  It is precisely because he knows he has already lost.  His name is Destroyer.  He has no interest in winning a war he cannot win.  But he is motivated by destroying all that he can in order to hurt the Creator in some way.  The world, however, is not that bright.  The world actually thinks it can win.  Their arena is the here and now.  Their field of play is the world.  They erroneously believe they can kick God off the planet and have it all to themselves.  This has been the case since Cain and Abel.  Those who hate God wish to defeat those who love God.  Thus, we see the request above.  Not until the LORD defends and delivers His beloved once and for all will the enemies of God realize they have lost.  It will happen.  It is merely a matter of time.

The cause for deliverance is important.  The writer is not seeking deliverance to ease the trouble.  Rather, he seeks it so that God is exalted.  Trouble from the hands of those who hate God may be severe at times.  But it is the least we could do for the One who gave His life for us.  We may want an end to the persecution, but we owe all that we are to Jesus our Savior.  We can do no less.  Therefore, seeking deliverance should be for a higher cause.  That cause is the glory of God.  As long as the world and devil perceive they are winning a war, then God is demeaned and insulted.  I am sure He does not feel threatened.  If they only understood who it is that they are attacking, and what He can do, perhaps they would see just how foolish it all is.  I have to admit.  It gets tiresome sometimes.  It is like a slow drip.  Annoying and draining.  We know the end from the beginning.  We know how this all ends.  We have a home in heaven, and the God-haters can never take that away.  They can live wicked lives, but that is not the case where the saints will dwell forever!  Not a chance.  Scream as they may, there is no abomination in heaven!  It is all outlawed!  Only purity and holiness.

So, how do we pray?  Do we pray as weary souls who want an end to all this filth?  Do we pray that we can live a peaceful and holy life free from the influence and attacks of those who hate God?  How do we pray?  I think our author gives us a clue.  It is not our deliverance from adversity that we seek.  Although we will welcome it with rejoicing and praise for our wonderful God.  Rather, we should be offended for God at the way His enemies treat Him.  Until we are more concerned with the glory of God than we are for our own comfort, our prayers will go unanswered.  It is time to pray.  Time to pray that God would be exalted.  It is time to pray that God would deliver His beloved to show to the devil and the world that they lost and He won!  Time for the conqueror to come and take what He created and is rightfully His!  It is time that we pray that the throne of Jesus Christ be lifted up above all His enemies and that all must come and bow the knee!  It is time to pray for the exaltation of the Creator above His creation once and for all!

Deliverance Guaranteed

“[Thou], which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.” (Ps 71:20 AV)

God’s deliverance does not mean the absence of all troubles.  If it did, there would be no need for deliverance.  David is summarizing his life.  He remembers the good and the bad.  When it comes to the bad, the king thinks of God’s deliverance.  He does not dwell on the baggage that troubles can produce.  David is also relying on the faithfulness of God to bring him out of all troubles that are yet to come.  The verse above suggests David is facing troubles and that because God has delivered him before, He will deliver him again.  Because this is the second to last of David’s psalms in what is called the book of psalms, he could very well be referring to his illness and impending death. (There are more Davidic psalms that appear after psalm 72.  But psalms.1-72 are all David’s.  That is why the ‘book of David’s psalms’ ends at 72) Because David uses ‘hast’ which is past tense and ‘shalt’ which is future tense, he is in the middle of times of troubles anticipating more ahead.  The point is simple.  If we are children of God by faith, then our Father will never abandon us.  No matter what troubles come; and they will come; God will be there.

It is unrealistic and immature to think that life can be trouble-free.  Those who pursue such a life will be disappointed.  Those who think it possible will never grow up.  Troubles are part of life.  Even if mankind had never sinned, faith would still need to be learned and grown.  For faith to grow, there must be risk.  Risk is a form of trouble.  So, to think that life can be free from all anxiety is naïve at best.  Foolish at worst.  Note also that David uses the words ‘great’ and ‘sore’.  Troubles are not meant to be easy.  They are not meant to be infrequent.  The problem with being human is that we are human.  We do not learn lessons all that easy.  Discipline and obedience are not in our nature.  Faith is not natural.  These things come by the hardness of life.  Faith and obedience, however, are the only means to a blessed life.  Have you ever met someone who was steeped in rebellion or doubt who was completely happy?

Today, Psalm 107 was in my daily reading schedule.  I was going to write regarding the last verse of this psalm.  It reads, “Whoso [is] wise, and will observe these [things], even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” (Ps 107:43 AV)  I had written of it before and it is a theme that has repeated itself several times over the last few months.  Observation is what determines the effectiveness of God’s lovingkindness and not the presence of it.  The presence of it is constant and unending.  If God’s love is ineffective, it is only because we do not see it.  What gives bones to this truth is the context in which it is found.  The psalm rehearses Israel’s history of doubt and disobedience answered by God’s mercy and provision.  Even when they did not live to please God, He never gave up on them.  He repeatedly delivered them even if their situation was self-inflicted.  That is the God who saved us and loved us.  Yes, troubles came and will come.  They will be many and sore.  But out of them all will the LORD deliver those who love and trust Him.

Ruled Spirit

“[He that is] slow to anger [is] better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” (Pr 16:32 AV)

Anger isn’t the only emotion that can get out of control.  Any emotion to which we are prone can get away from us.  In our proverb, it is anger.  Anger is an effective motivator to accomplish a task.  The problem with unabated anger is the damage is leaves in its wake.  Anger is monocular.  It hones in on one and only one goal.  What it cannot see are all the peripheral effects of being so singularly focused.  Having shared all that, that which we want to consider is the ruling of the spirit.  What is that?  How is it accomplished?  What does it look like?  Are feelings permitted, and to what degree?

To rule here means to have dominion over.  It means to cause to rule.  The spirit is that which gives animation.  It is our outward manifestation of who and what we are on the inside wherein it pertains to personality and emotional expression.  It is that part of us that expressed life of the soul and body.  To rule the spirit is to control how we express or manifest what we think, feel, or desire on the inside.  Now pay attention here.  The degree of what we are on the inside will force itself to the surface.  In other words, Solomon is not saying we can feel as deeply as we wish on the inside as long as it does not show on the outside.  That is not good.  Those feelings on the inside will work themselves out in one form or another.  This is why people who bottle up their emotions suffer physical consequences later on.  The problem isn’t self-control.  The problem is Self.  Thinking, feeling, and desiring are all expressions of who we are.  People become dependent on outlets for their emotions, thinking, or desires that are less harmful, but it doesn’t address the root problem.  The root problem is permitting the thinking, feeling, or desires to begin with.  Self is not disciplined.  It is simply refocused.

So, what is the answer?  God!  Not just the person of God, but the promises from God.  Peter writes, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2Pe 1:3 AV) Either we believe this or we don’t.  Our belief doesn’t change this.  All that we need is given of the Father.  What we must think is found in His word.  Anything above the authority of the word of God only leads to harm.  God has given us all the answers to our out-of-control emotional expression.  The comfort and contentment we seek are found in His word.  All the desires God permits are found in the scriptures.  Prayer, faith, and an intimate walk with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit will meet all our needs and help discipline the spirit.  Ruling the spirit is one of the most important things we can learn.  Just because we can feel, think, or want doesn’t mean it is good for us.  Just because we feel, think, or want doesn’t mean we are helplessly victimized by them.  No!  Ruling the spirit is the key.

Divine Intervention is a Matter of Perception

“And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2Ki 6:16-17 AV)

Syria had come against Israel, and because the blessed Seer warned her king, the nation could evade a war she could not win.  The king of Syria believed a spy was among them, but it came to his attention that the man of God was the voice in the ear of the king of Israel.  It was discovered where Elisha was abiding.  The king of Syria sent forces to completely surround the city.  His intent was to destroy it with Elisha also being among the dead.  At the time, Elisha was training a young prophet.  That young prophet was understandable gravely concerned for their situation.  Elisha took his young student out of the gate of the city and prayed that God would open his eyes to the reality of the battle that lay ahead.  Now note that the young men’s eyes were opened, and as they were, the angelic forces arrived.  Rather, the forces of God were already present and staged for the battle.  Experience and faith gave Elisha the spiritual eye to see the reality of the situation.  It took prayer for the younger man to see it.  What this shows us is that divine intervention is not a logistical problem.  It is a perception problem.  God is there.  God is here.  God is everywhere to work on behalf of those who love and trust Him.  We simply need to see it.

A common theme in stories of the thriller sort is a cat burglar who must evade several layers of security to catch the prize.  Or, the adventurer and treasure seeker must solve a labyrinth of traps designed to protect the valuable artifact.  One such scenario is the laser beam security feature.  Many beams shoot across the room and picked up by sensors on the opposite side.  They come from all directions and at all sorts of angles.  The character must stretch and bend to avoid breaking a beam.  If even one beam is broken, then he or she is trapped and apprehended.  The problem is, the beams cannot be seen.  That is where a can of fogger comes in.  A light mist or fog is blown over the room, and all the beams can be seen.  It is not until an agent is added that assists the character in seeing what he or she cannot naturally see.

Our outside agent is experience, the word of God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  We cannot see what God is doing without the eyes of faith.  For the young man to see, all it took was the prayer of a man with great faith.  Elisha had seen God to great things.  Things beyond belief.  He has seen God bring a young man dead for hours, if not days, back to life.  If God can reanimate a corpse, surely he could rescue them from an invading army.  Our faith may determine what God will do.  There is enough biblical evidence to make that point.  There were times when the lack of faith hindered what God was prepared to do.  But that is the key, isn’t it?  God is not less of a God because we do not believe.  God is not any less present because we have limited perception.  Those angelic chariots were on the hill surrounding the enemy, regardless of the young prophet’s perception to see them.  God is always there.  He is willing to act on behalf of those who trust in Him!