Change Is Near To Impossible

“But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10 AV)

This should be the heartbeat of every saint!  The transformation process if often difficult.  For Job, it was near to impossible.  The LORD exacted of him a cost he thought he could never pay.  Yet the grace of God saw him through it.  On the other side, Job was changed into a person he had never been before.  This is his hope!  When life doesn’t make sense, we can have faith the LORD has allowed or caused events that we might be a different person on the other side of the trial.  We may not even be aware of what needs to be changed or what had changed until the trial come to fruition.  Job didn’t need that.  At least not in this statement.  This verse should have been the end of Job’s words.  This is the conclusion of the whole matter and the only thing that does matter!  Change!

As a pastor, I am puzzled at times with those who claim the name of Christ, yet seek no change.  They are the Peter Pans of the church.  They simply do not want to spiritually mature.  When difficult times arrive, the ride it out and then wonder what just happened.  A basic human desire is to grow and mature.  Every child wants to grow up.  They want to get older.  The same should be the natural desire of the child of God.  Growth and maturity.

One must admit, some of the greatest times of growth have also been the hardest times of life.  This is the way of the LORD!  Advice I give to young pastors who are seeking the LORD’s leading in ministry, I tell them it is like marriage.  Your job is to change them into what Christ would have them to be, but God will use them to change you.  It is just as much about the preacher’s maturity as it is the people’s. 

The hardest of all is welcoming and internalizing these events so they might change us.  Job didn’t really have a choice.  He could not run from losing all his children.  He couldn’t run from losing all his wealth.  His poor health would follow him no matter where he ran to.  There was nothing he could do about his situation.  These trials are often the best ones to go through.  Welcome them.  Endure through them.  Allow the Spirit to permanently change you by them.

Walking Alone Has Costs and Rewards

“My breath is strange to my wife, though I intreated for the children’s [sake] of mine own body.” (Job 19:17 AV)

One of the hardest causalities of walking with God is the effect that choice has on those closest to us.  Mrs. Job paid a heavy price for her husband’s godliness.  She lost all of her children and her husband’s wealth in a single day.  It appears as though the loss of her children was the hardest of all the trials.  And understandably so.  I don’t know what I would do if I lost but one child or grandchild, let alone all nine.  It didn’t matter to Mrs. Job that her husband did all that he could do to save them.  Even to the point of physically sacrificing himself.  Nor would it.  Who couldn’t empathize with Mrs. Job and understand her bitterness towards her husband.  I certainly wouldn’t judge her.

When we decide to walk with God at any cost it not only affects us, it affects all those whose lives we touch.  Many reject the call into the ministry because of the cost it might exact on a spouse or their children.  Many reject a life of holiness and separation because a spouse, parents, children, or grandchildren would use this life choice as an excuse to grow distance.  Many people skip out on God because family plays the emotional card, manipulating loyalties so that God is not first.  There is always a cost.  But there is also a reward.

What Mrs. Job doesn’t realize is when the end of the trial comes, she will be more blessed than she was before.  That is the comfort for those who are willing to pay that cost.  Mrs. Job will have ten more children and her husband will be twice as wealthy as he was before.  What those closest to the one paying the deepest cost do not realize is they will suffer but also benefit.  When God calls, there is always a cost.  But there is also a reward.

Just Pray

“O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man [pleadeth] for his neighbour!” (Job 16:21 AV)

Knowing when to give counsel with prayer or just prayer alone is important.  Job really didn’t need the opinions of his friends.  He really didn’t need their judgments.  What he needed was empathy and prayer.  He knew the trouble of which he was suffering was not for some horrible sin of which he was guilty.  He knew he was right with God.  His own conscience would affirm this.  His friends needed to admit they had no answers and just pray with him.

There are two kinds of people.  Those who need advice and those who do not.  The majority of people need advice but don’t want to hear it.  So, trying to offer it when not wanted is a waste of time.  Then there are those who need advice and will listen.  God has to bring them to that point.  There is the group that does not need advice because the either a) already know the situation better than anyone else, so advice comes off as condescending, or b) there isn’t any advice to be given because their situation is a step of faith and waiting on God is the only answer, or c) the situation is above anyone’s ability to understand it and all opinions are misses!

As we stated before, most people fall into the category of needed biblical instruction but turn away from it.  Instead, they desire empathy without correction.  A prayer is all the ministry they will accept.  But Job is different.  If there were any words of wisdom to be had from this bunch, he would have listened.  But they were unwilling to entertain the possibility that Job indeed might be innocent.  They were predisposed to condemn him and the cause of all his troubles.  What Job needed to most was empathy.  Because that I all there was to give.  So, next time someone is in a world of hurt, empathy should be automatic.  Then, if there is wisdom to be shared, following the lead of the Holy Spirit is a must.  Prayer will never hurt.  Sometimes, miss applied advice can be more hurtful than the situation at hand!

If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say...

“Lo, mine eye hath seen all [this], mine ear hath heard and understood it. What ye know, [the same] do I know also: I [am] not inferior unto you…O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.” (Job 13:1-2,5 AV)

My Mom used to say, "if you don't have anything ice to say, don't say anything at all."  Perhaps a better way of putting that is, "If you don't have anything worth saying, don't say anything at all."  What Job is trying to tell his friends early on in their discourse is there is nothing which they can share that he doesn’t know already!  He is older and wiser than them all.  He knows the facts of all they are saying.  What he needed was not declarations of opinions.  What he needed was help from them to draw out what he already knew.

This is the bulk of our counseling.  It is not telling people things which they do not know.  The law is written on our hearts.  Most of what we need we already know because God put it there.  Often, what we need is counselors to draw it out of us.

What Job’s friends should have done was to ask questions.  Help Job overcome his grief and confusions to begin the process of healing.  They should have steered him towards a resolution which they do not know themselves, but rather, was within the heart of Job.  If they had nothing which could help poor Job, silence would have been the best choice.  Job rightly felt his friends were condescending.  They were talking down to him.  They were judging and belittling him.  When helping others, it is important to establish a value which they have.  Patronizing and condescension never work.  Establishing a relationship of mutual worth is the foundation of trying to help them.  If we cannot do this, then it is better we say nothing at all!

Oops! That Was Meant for Me!

“Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image [was] before mine eyes, [there was] silence, and I heard a voice, [saying], Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:” (Job 4:15-18 AV)

Eliphaz speaks of a dream which he dreamt.  A dream in which the Spirit of God, or another spirit, relayed to him the LORD’s lack of confidence in people.  Even if those people were the people of God.  He said the LORD spoke to him that God is purer, especially in wisdom, then man would even be.  He use this dream as a pretext for correcting Job, yet he never considers this vision applies more to him than to Job.  Had he applied it to himself, he may not have said a word to Job.  This statement is coming off a remark of Job in which is rightly states the answer to this all is within himself, but his distress is clouding the ability to see it.  Eliphaz, as old and as wise as he is, should have assented to that point and realized God’s revelation to himself was about him!

How many times have we done that?  I remember a few times when preachers close to me preached a message and had no idea the LORD was speaking to them.  One was a class instructor in Bible college.  He was teaching missions.  All the while the LORD was speaking to him to resign his position and start a church!  The other preached on a character flaw of which he himself was the greatest example.  This gentleman never did listen!

But preachers are not the only ones.  Parents and grandparents do this all the time.  Of course, we try to cover our hypocrisy by saying, “Do as I say and not as I do.”  We do our devotions as see the faults of others, never considering the LORD might be speaking to us.  We go to church and listen to the preacher. We are having a great time so long as he is addressing the faults of others.  When he speaks of ours, we assume the LORD must mean someone else.  It is the old beam and mote issue.  May the LORD humble our hearts and give us humility to discern when He is speaking to us that we might head His word!

Putting God First Puts Family First

“And it was so, when the days of [their] feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings [according] to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.” (Job 1:5 AV)

Devotion to family before the LORD is measured by action, not by emotion.  What we do for our children, in the area of spiritual growth, is the measure of our own righteousness.  Job, knowing that his children gathered (without inviting him and mom) may have swerved into the inappropriate.  The first thing he did was to call his children to him, sanctified them, then offered with them offerings to cover any and all sin which they may have swerved into.  One cannot help but see a church age application here.

The first thing on their return was not fellowship.  The first thing upon their return was not a family day, a picnic, or a meal together.  The first thing on the agenda for Dad to see to was the family worship together!  Dad did not sit them down and visit with them to reacquaint himself to his family.  He did not have the boys go out and check the family business; tending to the flocks or harvesting the fields.  Dad did not skip out on the daily sacrifice because his sons were in town and he rarely gets to see them.

No!  This man of God whose righteousness exceeds the righteousness of all but Christ, knew the most important thing for family was to be right with God!  There is a lesson here!  We make all sorts of excuses why family comes before the LORD.  But unless we are tending to the spiritual welfare of our families, but rather, entertaining or caring for their emotional or physical ‘needs’, then we really don’t care as much for our families as we claim!  There is no better extension of our love towards our families than to make their relationship with the LORD the number one concern.  Being in church and requiring of them the same is the greatest thing a parent can do for his children and grandchildren.  Serving the LORD is church and soul-winning is the greatest thing a parent can do for his kids.  Not a trip to the park, museum, or shopping.  Not play time, not work time, not social time!  GOD TIME!

When the Best is Better than the Perfect

“The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.” (Es 8:16 AV)

Sometimes we want what we think is the perfect answer to our problems in order to have encouragement and hope.  All we really need is an answer.  Haman, second to Ahasuerus – King of the Medes and Persians, has tricked the king into allowing the enemies of Israel to destroy them.  Esther, being a Jew herself and queen to Ahasuerus, requested the king reverse the decree which hired out armed men to kill the Hebrews.  Under Medo-Persian law, once a law was written and sealed, under no circumstance could it be reversed.  The best answer was for the law to be reversed.  But it could not be.  So, the next best thing was to allow the Jewish nation to defend themselves.  The date of the violence was already set.  Haman had been hanged on his own gallows and Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, was not next to the king.  It wasn’t the absolute perfect solution; for no doubt, some Jews would lose their lives in the fighting; but it was the best given the circumstances.

Sometimes, what we need for hope and gladness is not the perfect solution.  The best will do just fine.  Whether it’s a cure verses treatment, a lower paying position verses no position at all, or an imperfect spouse who is the best thing that ever happened to us, we should be grateful for God’s provision for us.  Perfect is for heaven.  The best is for here!

One thing was for sure.  One day, the Jews were looking at complete extermination.  The next they had a fighting chance.  Maybe that is all we really need!  Maybe all we need is a fighting chance.  The world brainwashes us into thinking that life can be perfect.  The perfect spouse, the perfect job, the perfect house, perfect health.  But trouble is allowed by God that we might spiritual grow by it.  The best is God’s way of building faith and character.  If we had what was perfect, all the time, we would never change!  So, let’s pray and thank God for the best!  And, wait on the perfect!

Victory by the Humiliated!

“Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;” (Es 4:10 AV)

The book of Esther is an amazing book.  Every time I think I have noticed the sovereign hand of God, something else pops up.  As many know, Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not state God’s name mentions Him directly.  However, one can see the sovereign hand of God as events are arranged to protect the people of God.  The application of Esther is simple.  Even though we may not sense the presence of God from time to time does not mean He has ceased to work.  He is always working on the behalf of His sheep.

Another theme of Esther is how God will use those whom the world humiliates to overcome the very world that humiliated them.  Esther is a great example.  As a Jewess and understanding what the word of God says, she would not have enjoyed the station in life as a concubine.  Furthermore, as the Queen, she would have been married to an adulterous husband who had concubines.  Her marital life would have been humiliating.  Married to a pagan king who was not exclusively her husband was an embarrassment to a faithful Jew.

Now we see another.  Hatach, a chamberlain of the king, was a messenger sent from Esther to her uncle Mordecai. A chamberlain is another name for a eunuch.  A eunuch was a man who had his male member surgically removed to keep him from relationships with women.  Specially the concubines of a king.  The position of chamberlain was not an honorary one!  It was a position of humiliation.  This Hatach received, and was privy to, communication between the Queen and Mordicai.  He would have known that Esther was Jewish.  Yet, he never divulged that information.  More than likely because in his physical state, he was not afforded the privilege to communicate with anyone but a concubine.  To the LORD, this humiliated man played a key role in keeping the Queen safe and delivering God’s people from slaughter.  God used the humiliated to conquer the proud!

So, next time those who hate the LORD do what they can to humiliate you, remember Hatach!  Given time, the scales will even.  What is wonderful about it is that we who are humiliated need not take matters in our own hands.  God is sovereign over it all.  Even if it takes eternity, God is better at evening the scales than we ever will be!

Prayer For The Leader

“And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the firstfruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.” (Ne 13:31 AV)

Nehemiah has this prayer request four times.  Each time, Nehemiah had to correct the children of Israel for some major issue which they were having.  Most involved neglect of the house of God and His priests.  One was the intermarriage of the Hebrews with pagan neighbors.  This request is interesting.  It has always puzzled me.  The motive is what puzzles me.  On the face of it, is may appear to be a request founded upon self-righteousness.  The fact that he himself did not succumb to the temptations which his people did and that he is asking the LORD to reward him for his godliness compared to the failure of his people.

I don’t think that is what is happening.  When Nehemiah made the decisions he did, it cost him something.  Leaders understand this.  To lead often means there are steep prices to pay that others will never know nor understand.  Often times, the leader is left alone.  He stands alone because the decisions he makes are not (at least initially) welcomed by the people he leads.  Over time, they will agree it was the right thing to do.  But in the short term, the leader stands awful lonely as the people acquiesce.

No doubt there was murmuring and a slight air of rebellion as they had to put away their foreign wives.  It surely didn’t go over well when the chief priest was corrected and embarrassed because he gave safe harbor to a pagan and enemy of God’s people.  Is surely was not popular when the people were forced to tithe again in support of God’s priests.  So, when Nehemiah asked the LORD to remember him, I think what he was asking is the LORD remember him by his presence.  Nehemiah is asking for the LORD’s presence because he needed it!  To lead without the presence of God is impossible.  The greatest prayer God’s people could pray for their leadership is that he walks with God first!

God's Mercy While Treading Water

“Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.” (Ne 9:19 AV)

Have you ever felt like your life is in a holding pattern?  Ever felt like your church is treading water?  It appears as though there is no meaning behind anything nor any conclusive direction to anything.  From our perspective, it is a big waste of time.  There are no significant goals.  No real point to anything.  We are in survival mode.  There is no prosperity.  But there isn’t poverty either.  Just boring old life with nothing real significant going on.

It is at these times when we are tempted to think that maybe God has put us on a shelf with no real future ahead of us.  We begin to think that God has abandon us because we have gone so far with our faith or sin that there is no future growth possible.  We begin to wonder if all there is left is to coast to the end of life without any meaningful goals yet to fulfill.  If we are not careful, we will begin to think that God simply doesn’t care.  We may even go so far as to believe that God doesn’t care.

Part of the wilderness wandering was chastisement for not trusting God deeply enough to take Canaan.  The generation which had the first opportunity failed to believe the LORD and chaffed at God’s encouragement towards faith.  So, the LORD chastened them with 40 years wandering.  But more important than that, the 40 years wandering also gave them experience to learn the faith they said they lacked.  God’s unlimited mercy met their every need!  Even the ones they didn’t know they had!  No matter how stuck in the mud we might feel, God’s mercy is there.  No matter how much treading of water we might feel we are treading, God’s mercy is there!  Even as the old generation died off so that a new and courageous one could build the nation, God’s mercy was there!

You May Be More Famous Than You Think

“And next unto them the Tekoites repaired; but their nobles put not their necks to the work of their Lord. Moreover the old gate repaired Jehoiada the son of Paseah, and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah; they laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.” (Ne 3:5-6 AV)

It would bother me if the nobles didn’t put their necks to the work.  It would bother me if there were people who thought the work of the ministry was beneath them.  It would bother me if there were leaders too good to sweep a floor, paint a wall, or clean a toilet.  It would bother me if I ever got that way.  Those who did the work, no doubt, would fight the same feelings.  But there is a great consolation.  Those that did the work were mentioned -by name-in the word of God for all of eternity!

It always amazes me when I read passages like this where people are mentioned by name having labored for the LORD or sacrifices for His kingdom.  Not so much the Moses’, Daniels, or Davids.  These men did great things for the kingdom of God and deserve eternal recognition.  This doesn’t surprise me.  But when there are folks who did the menial or simple things of the ministry whose presence could have easily been filled by another are mentioned, that is something.  That God would use valuable space in His eternal word to recognize men and women whose impact may not have been as great as a Nehemiah says volumes of the God whom we serve.

Even though the cannon of scripture is closed, that doesn’t mean God will fail to recognize all those who have faithfully and quietly served the LORD.  Next time we are tempted to resent those in the limelight who refuse to labor quietly for the LORD, just remember, God knows!  And God will recognize you in eternity for the selfless labor which you joyfully give towards the One who died for your sins!

Present Grace Greater than Past Failures

“But many of the priests and Levites and chief of the fathers, [who were] ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice; and many shouted aloud for joy:” (Ezr 3:12 AV)

Israel had served out their seventy years of captivity and now the LORD was restoring them to their land.  The first order of business was to rebuilt the destroyed temple.  The next, build a wall around the city.  When they laid the foundation of the temple, there was a mixed reaction.  Those who had never seen the temple shouted with rejoicing.  Those that had seen the temple, mourned with weeping.  It is those who mourned which caught my attention this morning.

I do not think these elder men were ungrateful.  I do not think they were upset that Zerubbabel laid a smaller foundation because he could have laid a larger one.  The fact of the matter is, some of what Solomon built needed not to be included in the temple itself.  Three floors of apartments and storage were completely unnecessary.  There is also the concern of stability.  If the new temple were laid directly over the foundation of the old, the building may not have been stable over time.  Whatever the reason for making this temple smaller, the aged generation felt remorse.  What I believe is they compared the glory of the old temple with the diminished glory of the new and it was a reminder of what they had lost because of their past rebellion.  The new temple was a reminder of what they had failed to do more than it was that God’s grace had come again.

There are so many people I meet that cannot get over the mistakes of the past.  They hound them and continue to rob them of the joy they could have in the present.  No doubt, there is a loss of what might have been.  We all suffer for the choices made and we all could have had a better life if only we would have not made certain choices.  But that does not mean we should rob ourselves of the joy which we can experience today.  A smaller temple is much better than no temple at all!  Yes, we have all made horrible mistakes in our past.  But if we dwell on them and not on how God is blessing in spite of those choices, we live a miserable life!

What's The Difference?

“And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.” (2Ch 36:4 AV)

This is the first time that a foreign country chose the leader of God’s people.  The only standard they had was the oldest should be king.  Jehoahaz was the people’s choice.  However, he was two years younger than Eliakim.  The choice didn’t much matter.  Both sons did evil in the sight of the LORD.  It wasn’t like one was an improvement over the other.  Both were equally wicked.  What this does show is God’s hand of protection and guidance is officially removed.  When the people choose the same quality as the world does, then God is nowhere to be found.

It is a sad state when the world becomes the authority over God’s people because God’s people have failed in ruling themselves.  It reminds me of the condition of our churches today.  We cry against the immorality of our world, yet we will not deal with it in the body of Christ.  We complain of the filth in movie and TV, yet we support it with our finances.  We rightly point out the evils of substance abuse, yet when given a choice, we make no preference for a business that does not serve or sell alcohol over one that does.  We complain about our drop in attendance at church, yet we frequent business on Sunday making it impossible for those who work to be in church.

In the verse above, the only difference between these two brothers was their age.  This is so sad because their father was a very godly man.  When God’s people do not even have a decent choice for a leader, then we are in a sad shape.  Godliness matters.  Holiness matters.  We are not perfect.  We often fail!  But our general direction should be towards holiness.  Not away from it!  When the church becomes like the world, then the world will govern it!

When Partial Obedience is Better Than None

“For a multitude of the people, [even] many of Ephraim, and Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet did they eat the passover otherwise than it was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, The good LORD pardon every one [That] prepareth his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though [he be] not [cleansed] according to the purification of the sanctuary. And the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people.” (2Ch 30:18-20 AV)

This is an interesting passage and a hard one to apply.  Israel had, for many decades, slipped into idolatry.  This revival was right around the time of the ten northern tribes exile into Assyria.  Either this was just prior to, or immediately after, Assyria’s carrying away of Israel.  So, the four tribes of the northern kingdom who participated in this Passover were either those who knew judgment was coming and wished to worship before the chastisement, or they were the remnant that was not immediately carried away.  These four tribes were the ones directly to the north of Benjamin.  They would have been the last to be invaded or the last to be carried away.  At any rate, it appears there were those of the north who wished to do right but time and opportunity did not allow them to be completely right when they did so.  At this point, a partial step of faith and obedience is better than none at all.  And that is the point.

Sometimes, we wish those who are not right with God to get everything right all at once.  But it doesn’t work that way.  It wasn’t that these four tribes didn’t want to.  Traveling to Jerusalem against the general opinion of their brethren took courage and faith.  It took expense on their part.  It took integrity on their part.  It was simply an issue of opportunity and time.

We are not saying that we should accept partial obedience when full obedience can be had.  We are not saying we need to show grace when someone, who can take a full step, refuses to because he is writing his own rules.  We are not saying that we should pray and ask the LORD to show grace on someone who is halfway there because he refuse to go the last mile.  We are simply observing that a king prayed for his brothers who wanted to do right but ran out of time.  Sincerity was never the question.  Ability was.

Where is that one man?

“And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is] yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same [is] Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.” (2Ch 18:7 AV)

While reading this passage, I was struck by the condition of Israel and why it would be that any prophet of God would want to be there.  Ahab was perhaps the worst of the worst when it came to Israel’s kings.  Married to a pagan wife, Jezebel, he did more to corrupt Israel than any other king before or after him.  He has 400 of his own prophets that will tell him anything he wants to hear.  There is no hope for revival in the terribly backslidden nation.  They have rejected the LORD that brought them out of Egypt and gave them their own land.  They have turned their back on Jerusalem.  They are closer ot the heathen nations around them than they are their fellow Hebrews to the south.  There is nothing of any future there.  So, why would anyone be there who wants to do a work for God?  What would possess him?

But, thank God for that one man!  Thank God for Mecaiah!  Thank God for the one who would confront Jehoshaphat and tell him he was making a big mistake.  Thank God for that one man who stood and declared the word of God without compromise or care for his own welfare.  Thank God for the one man who is a testimony to so many men of God after him to stay the course and preach the word no matter the consequences.  Thank God that there was at least one man!

There are so many times that I want to quit!  So many times, I look across the horizon of compromise and carnality.  There are so many times I see what other false prophets are doing and how they are enticing the multitudes into an emotional driven shallow religion that has no lasting change in the lives of those it touches!  I am so tired of the failure of the so-called church and wonder what it is that I am doing here.  But Mechaiah was that one man that continued to fight.  He suffered in the darkness of a prison.  He was rag tattered and filthy.  Yet, there is one man!  There is one man!

“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of [them] whose heart [is] perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.” (2Ch 16:9 AV)

Something happened to Asa.  As he aged, he changed.  The Asa of younger years took on Jeroboam being disadvantaged 2:1.  They met in the hills of Ephraim with 400,000 on Asa’s side against 800,000 to Israel’s side.  While Asa stood upon the hills communing with the armies of the north, encouraging them to surrender to a much lesser army, Jeroboam surrounded him.  Caught by and ambushment, Asa cried out to the LORD and the LORD delivered to the tune of killing 500,000 of the Israelites.  A great battle to be sure.  But something happened.  Israel made a league with Syria.  Syria came and fortified the border city of Ramah.  Asa, believing he was severely threatened by the assistance Syria brought to Israel, he paid them off to turn on Israel.  Asa did not seek the LORD has he did in his younger years.  This is the cause for the above prophecy.  From that day forward, Asa would have trouble because he did not trust in the LORD for every battle.  The next few verses also tell the tale of Asa refusing to trust the LORD for his diseased feet and instead, turned to all the physicians.

The point to be made is this.  As Asa aged, his boldness to trust the LORD lessened.  It should have been just the opposite.  But in our nature, it isn’t.  Something happens to us as we age.  There is a time when fear begins to grow.  We forget all the lessons which life taught us.  We forget how the LORD met us time and again to provide miracles greater than the ones we need in our later years.  We forget all the great preaching and all the great meetings.  We forget all the battles won over the Devil himself.  We forget all that and seek to find our own answers.  We react too quickly and seeking the face of the LORD first becomes something of the past. This is foolishness.  No matter how old we get, seeking the LORD first, before we turn to other helpers is what the LORD desires!  He is still God.  He is the same God as he was thirty, forty, or fifty years ago as He is today.  The same yesterday, today, and forever!

Raw Food Goes Bad, But Prepared Food Is Always Good

“And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.” (2Ch 12:14 AV)

When we use the word prepared, we think of something that is done quite a bit.  Such as, mom prepared dinner.  We think of it as a temporary state that has to be repeated because once the dinner is eaten, the mom has to prepare another one tomorrow.  However, that is not what that word means.  It means to establish something to an enduring and permanent state.  For example, when Mom has prepared a roast for dinner, it cannot become a turkey.  When it is fully prepared, it cannot become unprepared.  The roast cannot go back to its raw state.  The prepared Sunday roast cannot become Saturday’s hot dogs.  Prepared is a permanent state that happened in the past.  It cannot be undone.  Once it is established, then it cannot go back.

In our text, the king did evil because he had not determined that his heart be permanently oriented towards the LORD.  Not something that had to be decided on a daily or moment by moment thing, but rather, a permanent habit of life.  The king had to do this.  He was asked to make decisions on a regular basis.  That was the very purpose of his life.  To lead and make decisions.  Therefore, his heart must be established to seek the LORD.

Sadly, we suffer from the same weakness today.  God is not the God of Sundays and Wednesday only.  God is not the God of trials and temptations only.  God is not the God that shows up only when we listen to our favorite sermon or song.  God is not the God that only shows up at church.  God is not the God that comes and goes in a spontaneous basis.  He is ever-present.  Our churches and pews are shallow today because we have compartmentalized God.  God is a relationship.  Not something that we do.  When and if we ever establish our hearts to be always God conscience, seeking His presence and guidance, will we ever overcome the sin that rules our lives.  God is not a part of our lives.  He should be the very definition of it!

The Burden Not Meant To Be

“But God said unto me, Thou shalt not build an house for my name, because thou [hast been] a man of war, and hast shed blood.” (1Ch 28:3 AV)

I had always thought the reason God did not allow David to build Him a house was because of something he did wrong.  I thought perhaps the shedding of blood was in reference to Uriah the Hittite.  However, cross referencing to 1Chron 22:8, the shedding of blood had to do with all the wars David campaigned.  It wasn’t something David did wrong that disqualified him from building the temple.  It simply was not the calling God had for David.

It makes perfect sense.  If David, a king of war, erected the temple, it would have had a completely different meaning.  As the conquering King, this temple would have been seen as a temple erected in honor of a God who gives victory on the battle field.  It would have been a memorial (at least in the eyes of the heathen) to all the losses which they had suffered.  Not the right optics for a nation that wishes to be the nation which was supposed to bring the world unto the one true God.  In short, it was not David’s calling.  He was not disqualified from building the temple because he did something wrong.  He was disallowed because he was doing something right.  The two callings simply do not mix.

In the mind of David, he saw no contradiction.  That is because he knew and walked with the God of grace but also warred for Him.  He could understand the balance.  But those around him could not.  Specially those who did not know the LORD as well as he did. Sometimes, no matter how deep something might be in our heart, it is not the will of the LORD because He has given us a different calling.  Although there might be disappointment on David’s part, he understood that his place in life was not conducive to what he desired in his heart.