Joy In the Midst of Defeat

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.” (Hab 3:17-19 AV)

One wonders if he could do as the prophet says he will do.  If reduced to absolutely nothing with no improvement in the foreseeable future, can we still rejoice in the LORD?  Can we still joy in the God of our salvation?  What makes this statement even more potent is the future tense of the coming disasters.  Habakkuk promised to rejoice in the God of His salvation even though he knew what he would have to face.  No crops, no fruit from his labor, no cattle, no provision.  There would be absolute desolation because the people of God broke their covenant with God.  The prophet decides before he even realizes the future that he will rejoice in the God of his salvation.

This reminds me of my saintly mother.  She has this sense of humor that was passed down to her children.  A way of looking at the tragedies of life with a grin.  She had a way of looking at life that got her through the hardest of times.  It was the balance we all desperately needed as, by nature, we inherited my father’s pessimism.  My mother came down with type II diabetes several decades ago, but then she suffered a double whammy.  She came down with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  This would eventually take her life this past March.  Yet, my mother always kept a positive attitude.  I remember speaking with her over the phone about countless tests coming up.  A poke here.  A prod there.  One medication trial after another.  One time, I had the privilege of sitting with her as she was infused with her chemo treatment.  What a blessing it was!  She didn’t sit there in self-pity.  She didn’t complain at all.  She knew what the future held for her, but she decided to rejoice.  She made the choice to look at life as a blessing rather than a curse and she decided the greatest prize of all could never be lost: her relationship with the LORD.

Sometimes we get life a little skewed.  We get our eyes on the things of this life and forget that our relationship with the God of our salvation can never be lost.  As bad as life can get, it is always good as long as the LORD is right there with us.  If we could only learn to live this way every moment of every day no matter what life might bring.

Free From The Yoke

“For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.” (Na 1:13 AV)

The LORD created within us a yearning to be free.  Unfortunately, our nature desires to be free from the wrong thing or things.  The context above is a promise to Israel that Assyria would be dealt with and Israel would be free from all the influence this wicked kingdom brought upon her.  Not just financial or physical bondage, but spiritual as well.  The idols of pagan worship will be destroyed.  The corrupt and immoral society which has vexed Israel will be destroyed.  The yoke and bonds of which the prophet records from the voice of God are not necessarily those of slavery.  Rather, they are more inclined to be those bonds and yoke that adds sin and vexes the heart.

If we know and seek to walk with the LORD, our biggest struggle is over sin.  Paul records this frustration clearly in Romans chapter seven.  We have this new nature that cries Abba, Father.  We have this new heart that deeply desires to please the LORD.  Yet, almost as equally powerful in the old man.  The man of sin who desires to please self.  This battle rages within the mind and soul of the child of God.  We see this life as a life of continuing liberty from sin as the ministry of the Holy Spirit matures.  But we also see this life as a life of bondage to that which pleases the flesh, yet displeases God.  We see this life as a constraint.  Not because God requires of us obedience.  We desire obedience.  We feel constrained because the old man will not allow us to live freely for the LORD.

As Israel can look forward to the promise of complete liberty from all her enemies, including her own stony heart, we can look forward to eternity.  What a day that will be when we are no longer subject to the battles of the Christian walk.  What a blessing it will be when the devil, the world, and the flesh are no longer part of our existence.  What a day that will be when the yoke and bondage of a corrupt body are shed that we might receive the glorification unto Christlikeness and be free to live in complete righteousness! AMEN!

Blind Tragedy

“Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.” (Mic 4:11-12 AV)

Every once in a while, I get the impression those who cover the news don’t have a clue as to what the future holds.  They report all the tragedy in the world as though it s normal.  They report the mass shootings, natural disasters, and armed conflict as thought these things are temporary.  They truly believe these things are not all that bad and given the right set of laws or correct leadership, they will all go away.  Knowledge, technology, science, and bureaucracy, are their answers.  They do not have a clue that within their generation, or a few from now, the LORD will return with vengeance upon a world that spat upon offering for salvation.  They will march against Israel not truly understanding the love God has for His people.  They march on, ignoring the clear revelation of the Word of God concerning their future.  It is rather sad.

Three schoolmates became good friends and their time at a frontier one room school house was greatly wasted.  They made a pact they wouldn’t waste their time learning how to read.  They would go off to school as instructed by their parents but would retreat to the local pond for an afternoon of fishing, telling their teacher they had to return for farming chores.  No one caught on until it was too late.  These three young men never learned how to read.  They never cared to.  One day, they discovered an abandoned mine.  Clearly posted on the front entrance was a date when the mine would be decommissioned.  In they went.  They planned to spend a weekend and make an adventure of it.  The tragedy that followed could have been easily avoided had they cared enough to learn how to read.

Such is the case of the world.  They will perish, not for a lack of information.  They will perish for a lack of caring enough to find out.  The word of God is readily available.  There are more churches in the world than there every has been in the history of the world.  With the internet, the truth of God’s word is available more than ever before.  They will perish because the choose not to know.

Thankfully Suffering Loss

“But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.” (Jon 2:9 AV)

It is one thing to sacrifice.  Another to do so with thanksgiving.  The former doesn’t exact a great price.  The later does.  This is vow of which Jonah is promising.  A sacrifice that doesn’t challenge one to be thankful while offering it is no sacrifice at all.

One must know a little history in order to understand Jonah’s challenge.  Nineveh was the neighbor from the dark side.  The were to the east of Israel and repeatedly invaded the eastern tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.  The stole cattle, enslaved women and children, and abused what was left.  These were a wandering miradors of men with no clear understanding of war.  They were thieves first.  This caused a natural bias on the part of the prophet.  A dislike for the very people to which he was sent.  Secondly, Jonah as a good ministry back in Israel under the reign of Jeroboam II.  A secular king who did not interfere with the ministry of God’s prophets and brought prosperity to the kingdom.  Jonah was asked to give up a lucrative ministry and go to a place which he would rather not.  All the while being thankful for it.

 A sacrifice is not the surrender of something that we wouldn’t miss.  Sacrifice is supposed to hurt.  Sacrifice is supposed to cost us something.  Sacrifice is supposed to be uncomfortable.  Sacrifice is supposed to challenge the heart above all else.  Jonah, like us, was asked to surrender a part of himself that was going to hurt and be thankful for it.  I am reminded of a small child who is asked to give up his favorite toy for the benefit of a guest.  He may throw it at his guest because he is angry.  He may hand it to him while pulling back a little because he is resentful.  He may drop it on the floor in a bed of tears because he is envious.  Rarely does he hand it over with a smile and maybe even help his guest to figure out how to play with it.  When we are asked to sacrifice, it will reveal our level of maturity.  Will we do so with thanksgiving?

Only What We Can Endure

“Then said I, O Lord GOD, cease, I beseech thee: by whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.” (Am 7:5 AV)

Our nation has a principle against cruel and unusual punishment.  At the root of this value is a two-fold understanding.  The punishment must fit the crime.  But second, there is an idea of human dignity.  There is a point when punishment can surpass justice and swerve into the area of vengeance.  When justice is served yet punishment continues is not a godly value.  Such was the case above.  Amos asked a great question.  There were covenants made to Israel.  Yet, if justice is surpassed, then the covenants are no longer able to be honored.  If Jacob (Israel) is punished into oblivion, then he cannot arise and honor the LORD through those covenants which the LORD made with them.  God’s justice is tempered by His mercy.  His jurisprudence is bound by His covenantal promises.  When the LORD chastens us, it for correction.  Not for destruction.

Many decades ago, I knew of a parent who did not understand this principle when it came to his own children.  He would spank an errant child for minutes rather than seconds.  In extreme cases, in that time of our history or culture, that may have been needed.  But not as a routine practice.  These children were chastened beyond their capacity to endure it.  Not physically.  Physically they were fine.  There was no physical abuse whatsoever.  However, emotionally they may have suffered from it.  To this day, his now grown and adult children do not have a normal respect for this parent.  Their relationship has been harmed because a balance between justice and mercy was not sought.

In my own life, I know times when the LORD has chastened me to the limit of what I could endure.  It was at that time that I cried out to the LORD for His mercy.  Many times, we are chastened and think we are so to our limit.  But there have been a few times when I understood what that limit was.  It was at that time that I prayed and asked the LORD for mercy because deep down inside, I knew that I could not endure one more moment.  And, the LORD heard that cry.  If we are saved, then we must understand that God is not out to destroy us.  He is out to correct us.  We may feel like the end is near sometimes, but the LORD knows our limits and will not cross them.  He loves is that much!

What We Like Doesn't Matter

“And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.” (Am 4:5 AV)

Just as a reminder:  there was to be absolutely no leaven offered with sacrifices unto the LORD.  And, as a reminder what that might have looked like:  unleavened bread is absolutely plain, flat, and little can be done with it aesthetically.  When one adds leaven to the bread, it rises.  When it rises, all sorts of shapes, designs, and added ingredients can be incorporated.  In short, unleavened bread doesn’t take a whole lot of human input and from the eye of the observer, it rather uninteresting.  Leavened bread, on the other hand, is attractive and varies quite a bit.  It would make complete sense for those who worship to want to be creative and produce what they consider the best of what they have to offer.  The problem with that is pride becomes the main ingredient.

This theme is as old as Cain.  Can brought the best of what he could produce.  Not the best of what God required.  Some things never change.  The idea that mankind could do anything for God to impress Him of our worth is ludicrous.  We do this not because God likes it.  We do it because we like it!  That is the problem.  This challenge is an old one.  This challenge is a stubborn one.  As a preacher, it is a temptation to preach in such a way that it pleases the hearers, or it pleases my ego.  This must be surrendered before one mounts the pulpit.  What we do must be for the glory of God and Him alone.  Whether it pleases us or not.  Whether we like it or not.  There are principles in the word of God that govern what we do.  Too bad if they are not to our liking or we think them too boring!  Too bad!

I know this will rifle a few feathers, but so be it.  It seems our contemporary friends believe that emotion is all that counts.  As long as we feel it, then God accepts it.  We like it.  No matter how biblical it may or may not be.  We read corrupted bibles because we like them.  We dress immodestly or cross-gender because we like it.  We come to church when we like to.  We serve when we like to.  We tithe when we like to.  We use the music we like to.  We stay for as long as we like to.  Then we have the audacity to expect God to accept what we like to do.  My father used to handle this attitude rather well.  If we ever said that we didn’t ‘like to’, he would say something like, “I don’t really care what you like or don’t like.  Do it anyway or you’ll get a spanking.”  That works for me!  Who cares what I like or don’t like when it comes to the LORD?  He doesn’t.  So, I shouldn’t either.

Blind Joy

“Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things.” (Joe 2:21 AV)

Note here the difference of tenses of the verbs.  The land is told to rejoice in the present tense because of what God will do in the future tense.  The traditional position of the Hebrews is that Joel prophesied in the reign of Manasseh.  He was the king who nailed the final nail in the coffin of Judah because of his disobedience.  The prophesy of Joel is God’s judgment upon the heathen nations for their persecution of Israel and Judah.  Primarily the end of the tribulation period when the nations of the world meet the LORD in the valley of Megiddo (Decision) and are stricken from the world.  This prophecy is given prior to the hardships which Israel and Judah shall suffer, instructing them to rejoice for the promises of the future in spite of the circumstances of the present.

It is difficult to rejoice for relief that you may never experience.  This is for what Israel is told to rejoice.  The generation that heard this prophecy would be the generation that entered Babylon and die there.  They would never see the great things God would do for the land.  They would never see the restoration of the temple.  None of the Hebrews who read this book would see the coming of the Messiah.  They would die in trouble with a hope yet unfulfilled.  Yet, the LORD told them to rejoice.  And rejoice they should.

We, if we are not careful, can do the same.  We can see the trouble into which we are born (as Job said) and lose sight of the blessed hope which has been promised.  We probably will not see it in our lifetime.  Even though we pray for the rapture, so too has every generation done so since the LORD ascended.  Statistically speaking, we probably will not see it in our lifetime.  Yes, current events point to the probability it may happen soon.  But if our predictions are off, like every other generation, it could be another millennia.  We are still told to rejoice.  Not for our sake.  Not that we would see sweet relief in our lifetime.  Rather, than the LORD might finally be vindicated in the presence of all creation. That is for what we should rejoice!

The Shadow Knows

“They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.” (Ho 14:7 AV)

I prefer rainy days or overcast days.  I don’t particularly enjoy bright sunny days.  Clouds are my friend.  I am fair skinned so I burn easy and as I age, the risk of skin cancer precipitously grows.  When I am asked to an outside activity, I am looking for the shade.  The shadow of a tree or building is where I wish to be.  Protection from the oppressive heat of the sun is that from which I seek to escape.  In particularly hot days, when the body is worn and tired, the shadow of a tree or building can revive the soul.  The thing is, we cannot occupy the exact same space as a tree.  But we can reside within the protective shadow of it.  The building that casts its shadow does offer complete protection within its walls.  That is the picture we wish to see today.

God’s presence is not that hard to detect.  Specially when compared to the surrounding world.  The point to be made is this:  in the protection which God’s presence provides, we can revive back to the life we once had.  The presence of God’s protection and influence is the key!  The shadow of a building is better than direct sunlight.  But the air-conditioning within its walls is even better. When we accepted Christ, we were cast under the shadow.  We grew closer to the LORD in our daily walk.  Yet, there are times when we walked to the outer edges of that shadow, further from the source of it, in order to fulfill sinful desires.  But the shadow remained.  What we learned is that returning to the source of the shadow we even better than remaining in the shadow.

Sometimes the shadow is not enough.  If the land is arid, a shadow may slow down the process of withering.  But it will not prevent it.  What the corn and vine need, above the shadow, is a source of refreshing.  This revival starts with the shadow.  But it ends with revival.  It ends when the plant draws on the living waters of God’s grace.  When we are not satisfied with the shadow only, but rather, desire to reside with the source of that shadow.  We return.  And we come alive!

Remember What You Truly Enjoy

“And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn; but I passed over upon her fair neck: I will make Ephraim to ride; Judah shall plow, and Jacob shall break his clods. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.” (Ho 10:11-12 AV)

Beasts can teach us much.  The beast is born wild.  It must be trained to do that for which it was created.  The oxen do not naturally accept the yoke.  But put feed in front of it, and it will gladly pull the plow.  The picture here is of the oxen who would pull equipment that would harvest the corn.  However, it must first tread it down.  In doing so, the oxen could then eat of the corn that was laid to field while the second pass harvested the corn.  This is why muzzling the oxen was forbidden under Old Testament law.  There was fruit for one’s labor.  The oxen had to be taught that service comes with perks.  Accepting a burden comes with provision.  One taught, the beast enjoys its labor.

I love dogs.  They are wonderful animals.  They can communicate to their owners by way of obedience.  They can pick up on the owner’s disposition.  When leash training, the dog will naturally pull against it.  However, over time, he learns to heel.  He learns to sit at the side of the owner when the owner stands.  He learn to return when called.  He learns direction when retrieving.  When asked to go for a walk or a hunt, the dog becomes extremely excited because he gets to do what he is trained to do.

Sometimes, God’s created beasts have more sense than the saints of God!  We are trained in the word of God to walk by its precepts.  These precepts have with them promises of blessings associated with complying.  Our lives are richer, safer, and more fulfilling.  Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly.  Yet, we unlike the beasts, seek to go back to our carnal nature and forget that all along, we really did enjoy life better when walking in obedience to the word of God.  We need to be reminded from time to time of what we really do truly enjoy.  Once trained, we really do enjoy serving the LORD!  We really do!

Affliction, and Not Absence, Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” (Ho 5:15 AV)

This is the LORD speaking of His relationship with Israel.  He is stating the obvious here.  When Israel went after other God’s, the presence of God left.  He did not cancel the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and David.  That was still, and is still, in force.  What the LORD did was remove His presence from them until they were willing to acknowledge the fullness of their wickedness.  Note also that God allows or sends affliction equal to the offence that results in the saints of God seeking the face of God afresh.

As the saints of God, sometimes we can get used to the lack of the presence of God in our lives.  We get accustomed to a cursory presence.  He is there when and if we need Him.  But He is not close.  Whether from direct sin or simply a neglect of our relationship, the presence of God can wane.  It is at this time that the LORD reminds us of His presence by replacing His presence with affliction.

There were times when my father was not nearly as close to me as he could have been.  Particularly the years of 12 to about thirty.  Dad was replaced with friends, a wife, my own kids, etc.  He became distant.  But then there came times when My kids were growing apart from me and I missed my dad.  There were difficult times of trials or being overwhelmed by a major life decision that a phone call home was refreshing.  There were times in ministry that were particularly difficult and just to hear that mature male voice on the other end of the line brought comfort and security.  We need that strong voice in our lives even if we think we do not.  Affliction has a way of pushing us back into the presence of the One who is the only one who can be that voice.  If we have sensed God’s presence at a distance, and not as close as we know it should be, perhaps what we need is a little affliction so that we would humble ourselves into the presence of the One who is yearning for our heart!

What I Our Name?

“It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.” (Eze 48:35 AV)

There is no such city today.  Unfortunately, even Jerusalem itself with its gay pride marches, can no longer be called “The LORD is there.”  There is no such city wherein the LORD is the very definition for its existence.  Rome may claim such a title, but with her religion of works, she is a harlot.  A pretender who claims to represent God, but rather, represents the pride of man’s religious accomplishments.  There is no city which lives completely by the righteous laws of God.  There is no city purged of the filth of man.  But there will be!

Imagine, if you will, a city with no bars, no theaters showing entertainment contrary to the glory of God, no clubs in direct rebellion against ungodly truths.  No drug stores selling immorality, no liquor stores pushing their poison.  No drug dealers on the corner captivating weak souls into a trap of no escape.  No crime.  No jails.  No strife.  No police force.  A place where worship of the LORD is the number one activity.  The only music other than what the LORD provides in nature is the sweet sound of the psalms.  No man centered music that makes a mockery of a holy God by its over-beats, stirring listeners to a physical response while negating a spiritual experience.  No more immodest dress designed to entice our fellow man to impure thoughts.  No more dishonor of the word of God by questioning its reliability and purity.  No more blatant sin allowed within its walls.  The LORD Jesus Christ, King of kings will assure this.  But wait.  Have we digressed from the condition of the world to the condition of the average “Christian” church?

I fear that even today; our churches are in such states of disrepair that the name of our churches could not even have the honor of “The LORD is there.”  With the flesh winning out over the spirit, our churches are sickened with the wickedness of the world and no longer to the people of God live soberly in this wicked world.  Jesus must come back soon!  For the LORD must be there!

How Would They Know?

“Thus saith the Lord GOD; No stranger, uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any stranger that is among the children of Israel.” (Eze 44:9 AV)

Apparently, there was a time when those who were not qualified entered into the sanctuary of God to perform the duties assigned solely to the Levite.  Of note, though, is the requirement here.  The circumcision of both the heart and the flesh cannot be readily seen.  Both are hidden by the outward.  Circumcision of the flesh is hidden by the garment.  Circumcision of the heart can be hidden by conversation (in the biblical sense).  So, the question arises, how does the Priesthood police its own?  How do they tell.  Circumcision of the flesh is easily discerned.  A physical exam would reveal the truth.  But what of the later?  What of the circumcision of the heart?  How is that discerned?

Let us be clear here.  The mandate is not for those who wish to come and offer sacrifice for their own sin.  This mandate, at least that of circumcision of the heart, is not a requirement to enter the temple.  The former would be.  But not of the heart.  What the LORD is saying here is there must be a standard for those who would serve in the temple.  It is upon this we wish to meditate.  God has given a high standard for those who wish to stand before the throne of God and minister on behalf of others.  This standard has to be discerned in some way.  There has to be an outward manifestation of an inward condition.  What might that be?

A thought persists in this passage.  Perhaps a question would better explain the concern.  If a Levite would be unwilling to be circumcised in the flesh, would it also follow that he would not be separated unto the law?  Perhaps.  Regardless, there has got to be some indication that the servant of the LORD is not separated unto the law of God.  What my fear is for myself and others is that perhaps our minimum standards have slipped.  There is no one who is perfectly blameless.  However, that doesn’t mean the servant of God cannot strive to be.  It is up to those of us called to serve that we do just that.  Not just circumcised in the flesh (conforming to the law) but circumcised in the heart wherein the LORD Jesus Christ is the love of our lives.

Sometimes More God Than Not

“Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.” (Eze 37:23 AV)

This is the whole point of salvation, isn’t it?  To be purged from our sin that we might walk with God is the whole point.  To be cleansed from tip to toe; to be made clean by the blood of Christ; and to continue in that life is the whole point, isn’t it?  To be changed moment by moment into the image of Christ is the whole purpose for His sacrifice.  It is not a mere change of address.  It is a change of nature.  Salvation is not a simple escape from the consequences of sin, but a reclamation from the nature of sin itself.  Israel saw the law as a burden.  God means it as a source of liberty.  As the New Testament saints, we can understand Israel’s failure, but we follow down the same path as well.

We are not saying that the relationship of God being our God is conditional.  The statement above is one of relationship, not standing.  Israel never has, nor ever will, loose the unconditional promises made to their ancestors.  These are certain.  These are absolute.  What they did lose and what we can lose is the practical workings of that relationship with God.  He may be our God for salvation.  But, is He our God for every choice and direction of life?  That was where Israel failed.  That is were we can fail as well.

There was never a doubt that my Dad was my Dad.  He always was and always will be.  However, there were times he felt like my Dad more than other times.  There were times when we fished together, walked in the woods together, and took a road trip or two together.  One such trip was when he had an interview for a new career.  He needed a sidekick for the weekend.  I had the privilege of that experience.  There were other times when we were not so close.  When I was a teenager and young adult, feeling that I had outgrown him.  Or, when I didn’t live up to his reasonable expectations.  When disobedience or disappointment was what I gave him.  The LORD is our God.  He always will be.  But there are times when He is more our God than at other times.  It is for this He changes us that He might always be our God.

God's Honor Swings Both Ways

“And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.” (Eze 36:20-21 AV)

One of our hopes is that God is an honorable God who will not allow His name to be tarnished.  He will not allow His perfect name to be sullied by the saved or by the lost.  In our passage, the people of Israel had gotten so immoral, the reputation of God was dirtied among the heathen who conquered them.  In their very temporal way of thinking, they believed external success defines reality.  Since they conquered and destroyed the land of the people of God, then their God must not be a very powerful one.  What the heathen do not realize is God is a God who can do all things and their day is coming, too.

Let us no minimize the necessity of chastisement.  God must judge sin.  In the lost as well as His people.  He will judge the lost in this life and the next.  For the saints of God, He will judge our sin in this life.  This often required He use the hand of the lost to do just that.  When He does, it hurts a lot.  Whether it’s a rebuke from a wicked employer, a financial setback at the hands of the world, or a tongue lashing by the tongue of an unbeliever, we may deserve those things.  And, they are needed.  The hardest of all is when we are corrected for sin by the heathen who were able to discern what we did was wrong.  They corrected us and said something like, “I can’t believe someone who claims to be saved would do such a thing.”  That one especially hurts.  It hurts because we know that we have tarnished the good name of God among the heathen.

But, this passage also teaches that to keep us in such a state would tarnish the name of the LORD beyond what the LORD will tolerate.  He will honor His name.  Even if the people of God are in the wrong, which they often are, it does not give the right to the self-righteous to exalt their lack of submission to the LORD.  God will honor His name!  He will turn the tables.  Take this promise with you:  God will honor His name.  In both chastisement and reconciliation.  His name is not honored if the means of chastisement are excessive beyond reconciliation and restoration!  Grace is as much a part of His name as justice.

God's Patient Mercy

“Yet thus saith the Lord GOD; At the end of forty years will I gather the Egyptians from the people whither they were scattered: And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a base kingdom.” (Eze 29:13-14 AV)

When one considers what the kingdom of Egypt did to the Jewish nation, one has to wonder why the LORD would show any grace at all!  Recalling scenes from that famous movie, The Ten Commandments, we are struck with how cruel Egypt was to their captives.  Especially Israel!  Over 400 years of cruel bondage to the point of enslavement and dehumanizing labor, Egypt brought Israel lower than a common creature.  When Israel was perceived as a threat, Pharaoh ordered the murder of all male newborns as an offering to the god of the Nile.  Why would the LORD show any kind of mercy to this kingdom in bringing them back after only forty years of captivity to Babylon?  Perhaps the LORD is giving us a picture of His grace towards His enemies, offering an opportunity for repentance and faith.  One cannot help but see a type in this offering.  God, showing mercy to a world that crucified His Son that they might come to know Him.

This reminds me of all that I had done towards the God who created me prior to salvation.  All that I had done, not only to fulfill the lusts of the flesh, but also to persecute God’s people.  Mockery of the people of God was a sport.  Using their inconsistencies to justify my own rebellion.  Laughing with the likes of Saturday Night Live as they made professing saints look the part of clowns.  My record collection was full of comedians who made sport of those who professed Christ.  My, how things have not changed!  Using the LORD’s name in vain as much as a common contraction showed deep disdain for a God of mercy and truth.  Yet, He showed mercy!

Egypt is a type of the world.  Out of ignorance, fear, and disrespect, they treat the LORD and His people with disdain.  Yet, the LORD still loves them and sent His Son to die for them, too.  Their captivity to sin can turn as well.  All that is needed is repentance of sin and faith towards Jesus Christ.  Egypt is a picture of hope.  Hope for those who are trapped in the evils of life whom God has not yet abandoned.  Hope that God will reach their hearts and they will turn.  Hope that mercy is still available and all that is needed is to repent, believe, and call upon the LORD.

Master of No Destiny

“Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:” (Eze 28:2 AV)

No doubt, this passage is also prophetic regarding the AntiChrist.  This person is a self-made man.  He has come to the conclusion that because of his wisdom and financial success, that he is the only one who determines his situation.  He has come to the conclusion there is no force that can change his plans and future accumulation.  It almost reminds me of the rising oligarchs of today’s nations.  We no longer have democratic Republics, Parliamentary governments, or even dictatorships.  We are seeing the rise of the oligarchs.  When Rome started the experiment of the Republic, it was seen as a balance of power.  However, when the Senate became a body of wealthy men and their ‘Caesar’ a successful military conqueror, the government became a place where the rich and powerful ruled.  This is what an oligarchy is.  Ruling by a select few wealthy and powerful people.  Isn’t that what has become of most governments of the world? But of what application does this have for the saints of God?

When a person gets to the point that he believes he is the sole determiner of his life and that not even the LORD can disrupt his situation, he has become a god!  God has given us the ability to choose.  To some extent, we produce the consequences of our situation.  However, God can, and often does, override our consequences and assigns others.  Our choices are free.  But our situation is not.  What ever our situation, it exists because God has permitted and/or designed it as such.

Which brings me to the application for today’s passage.  How much to we pray before we make a decision?  How much do we include the LORD in all our plans?  How much to we ponder that whatever choice we do make, God has the last word?  Often times we leap before we look.  We make decisions in life, perhaps with sound reasoning at the time, but fail to consider that even if it does make sense, God may not be in it.  We are not the master of our destiny. No matter what Star Wars preaches.  God has been and always will be in control.  The minute we think we are in control, we have become gods.

Administrators Wanted

“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Eze 22:30 AV)

This verse is often used to motivate those called into full-time Christian service to surrender to said call.  But the context is slightly different.  What the LORD is speaking of here is not the lack of prophets.  Jeremiah is the one penning these Spirit led words.  Isaiah was a contemporary.  There were prophets among the people. The verse says there one absolutely no one willing to stand in the gap.  The LORD is not speaking of a dearth of prophets proclaiming the word of God.  Of what He is speaking is a lack of kings willing to administer the word of God which the prophet is preaching.  There isn’t a lack of declaring. There is a lack of administration.  This is a telling sign to the church of God in the later days.  There won’t be a lack of preaching.  There will be a lack of administration.

What I have seen happen in the midst of my generation is alarming and sad.  We have lost the will to administrate.  The home is run by children and not be a father willing to lead and correct.  Our government is led by the loudest and most obnoxious of voices rather than the rule of law set down several hundred years ago.  In our churches, we have leaders not willing to make hard choices that result in spiritually sound bodies of believers.  We have become too timid, fearing God’s people will leave in droves for the soft-spoken preacher-politicians building churches on the power of positive thinking rather than on the hard truths of the word of God.  We have churches that tolerate perverted and wicked behavior in the lives of its members because we want to be popular.  We will have no minimum standard for service or membership and every person will do that which is right in his own eyes.  Leadership will not create and enforce standards or guidelines for membership or service and produce a powerless church sustained by mere emotional experience.  We have no backbone.  Heaven forbid church discipline is ever exercised.  Someone might get offended.

This was the cause of the downfall of Israel and Judah.  There was no administration of the law.  There was plenty of publishing.  It was preached and taught well.  But if the people of God are not willing to live what they hear, and there is no authority to administer the word of God, all the preaching in the world is not going to change a thing.  What we need are men who have backbones who are willing to take a stand and then stand!  We need men willing to administer the word of God, first in their own lives, then in the lives with whom then are charged.  We need men who will do the hard things no matter what the outcome will be!  Men who are willing to say ‘no’ when the temptation of compromise with promises of popularity come about.  Men who are just as concerned with what is done as they are with what is said!  Men of administration.

Proud Ears Ponder Not

“Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken.” (Jer 13:15 AV)

The number one reason we do not hear from God!  Pride will ruin everything!  The whole foundation of a relationship between the LORD and the saint is humility.  Humility on our part to know that we need to hear from God.  Humility to know that we are dependent upon the word of God.  Humility to know that without the word of God, we cannot survive.  Emotionally, physically, but especially spiritually.  It is pride that shuts down this directional conversation.  We have all experienced this in our filial relationships.

When we reached the age of reason, all of a sudden we thought we knew as much as our father.  If not more.  If he tried to teach us something, we blocked him out.  Even if we knew his advice was right, our independent streak kept us from hearing not just the advice, but the love behind it.  I remember one of my sons who had a particularly independent streak in him.  He would bicker with me over truth.  I remembered how I was and the example my father-in-law set when trying to help me.  I have the world’s best in-laws.  They never meddled.  Very rarely would they offer unsolicited advice or voice an opinion over a choice that we made.  When they did, we deserved the rebuke.  But may father-in-law set and example of patience that helped me with my son.  I had to remember that he was headstrong and had definite opinions.  I learned to keep quiet and not say a word until the LORD showed him truth.  What was the core issue?  Pride!  On both our parts.

However, with the LORD, pride is only one way.  From us to Him.  I hear a lot of people who claim to be saved say they get little out of the word of God.  There could be many reasons for this.  There could be unconfessed sin.  There could be a lack of prayer before reading.  But maybe the biggest reason is that we are too big for our britches.  Maybe our problem is pride!  Maybe God refuses to speak to someone who thinks he or she has more knowledge than they really do.  Maybe our pride is why God is silent.