Everlasting Kindness

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.” (Isa 54:7-8 AV)

Praise the LORD for His compassion and parental care!  He cannot stay angry forever toward those who once trusted in Him!  Israel turned their back on God.  They went after other gods.  They forsook the God of their youth.  They slipped into immorality and human sacrifice.  It was really bad.  So, the LORD sent Assyria and Babylon against them.  They lost everything.  Their enemies sacked their nation, burned their cities, and carried them away into slavery.  It was not pretty.  They deserved all they suffered.  As so do we.  But praise the LORD that God does not stoke His anger.  Praise be to God that He does not remain upset for eternity.  His anger does turn to compassion.  The prophecy above is specific to the coming of the Messiah.  In His anger, the LORD reduced Israel to nothing.  But in His compassion, He sent His Son to die for their sin.  Praise be to God that He doesn’t stay angry forever!

What thrills my heart is the contrast between the ‘small moment’ and ‘everlasting kindness’.  We have all been there.  Times in our lives when we did not live completely and wholly for the LORD.  There isn’t a saint who ever walked that hadn’t backslid from time to time.  Even the great apostle Paul did an oopsie.  He was told not to go to Jerusalem, but he went anyway.  It just about killed him.  Moses had his moments.  Peter messed up a time or two.  David failed to the degree he lost four sons.  Three to violent deaths.  No matter how godly a person might be, there are times when he or she will disappoint the Father.  God may turn His back on His people.  He must.  He hates sin.  The encouragement comes when we realize this estrangement is not permanent, but very brief.  His rejection is very brief.  His chastening hand is very short.  What a wonderful, loving, patient, and kind Father we have.

I have three sons.  They are outstanding.  They love the LORD and strive to serve Him with their lives.  They are hard workers.  They have a sense of purpose and duty.  In their youth, there were times our relationship was strained.  Disobedience has a way of doing that.  Ignoring, rejecting, or disrespecting Dad has a way of changing the dynamics of the parent-child relationship.  As a parent, it is hard to stay mad at them for very long.  As a Dad, you want to hang with your son.  You want to go fishing, hunting, or watch a ballgame.  You want some time with your child because he or she is very special to you.  The desire for company and the value of that child far exceeds the infraction which they committed.  The same is true with the Father.  He placed all His wrath on His Son.  For our sakes, Jesus suffered all that we deserve.  Therefore, separation is but for a brief moment.  God will not stay angry forever.  He will restore.  He will reconcile.  His love is and will be eternal.  Praise be to God.

Hope In a Dark World

“Who [is] among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh [in] darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” (Isa 50:10 AV)

The question can be confusion unless you understood the context.  They that fear the LORD and obey the voice of God’s prophet are not normally referred to as walking in darkness and having no light.  This word of encouragement is written to the Israel while in captivity in Babylon.  It was written for the second and third generations of those who were carried away.  The first generation never repented.  They continued in their sin even though they had lost everything.  However, their children and grandchildren learned the lesson.  They learned the hard lesson that disobedience has hard consequences.  So, they feared God and listened to the man of God.  Because they were in captivity, they are referred to as in darkness and having no light.  Obedience and fear are not enough.  If we are to have the light of hope, faith is the ingredient.  For Israel, this was painfully obvious.  Their situation was not going to improve.  They were in captivity for seventy years.  When they returned, they would find a city destroyed by their enemies.  They would have to contend with enemies within their own territory.  For the next four hundred plus years, there would be one empire after another overrunning them and governing them.  It mattered not that they were fearing God and obeying His word.  Until their Messiah comes to set up His kingdom, there would always be trouble.  Faith, and not mere obedience and fear, is the answer.

We are too pragmatic for our own good.  We see life as a zero-sum game.  This was Job’s problem.  As long as he feared God and eschewed evil, life was supposed to be very good.  There was no expectation of misfortune, let alone tragedy, for this godly man.  But God had a unique design.  He used Job as an object lesson to the Devil that men can fear and obey Him even though blessings may be long in coming.  Job was our test case.  Job was the reason God loves the human race.  It is souls like Job who will not sin with their lips even though disaster strikes that deal a blow to the Devil’s plans.  Job learned a lesson in the sovereignty of God.  Even if he hadn’t learned this lesson, Job still would have lived in fear of God.  He would have remained faithful to godly living.  Job may not have had the answers he sought, but he understood faith in God was the key to navigating through the trials he faced.  We think that if we live right, then nothing but rainbows and unicorns are in our future.  We believe that trouble is only a result of sin.  We erroneously think that only those who don’t fear God and obey the voice of His prophets are those who suffer in life.  If we suffer in life, we default to the position that we did something wrong.  Not necessarily so.

Judah and Israel could not give up hope.  While in Babylon and under the governance of a pagan nation, Israel had to hope against all hope that God is a God of His word.  Israel is not a normal nation.  Any nation that has had to endure what they have over the last four-thousand years or so would have given up on God a long time ago.  They would have been assimilated into the cultures of the world and cease to exist at the invasion of Rome.  Not them!  They know they are God’s chosen people and it will be through them that Jesus Christ will reign in a peaceful world.  This is the key to enduring through darkness, wherein is no light.  When the light of hope is but a mere flicker, it is faith that will stoke it back into a roaring flame.  When the oil is running on empty, it is faith that will go to the fields and squeeze more out of the olive.  When darkness seems to surround the soul, it is faith that will break through the clouds and peer into the sun.  It is faith that will notice the rainbow and ignore the storm clouds.  It is faith that will bring sunglasses even though there is a one-hundred percent chance of rain.  It is faith that pierces through the darkness and lightens the way of the wayward pilgrim.  If we have lost hope, it is faith that will find it again!

Remember The Past

“Remember the former things of old: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else; [I am] God, and [there is] none like me,” (Isa 46:9 AV)

Sometimes, the evidence or answers are in the past.  Judah had made a choice to leave the God who delivered them.  They choose to go after false gods.  Both Judah and Israel allowed time and familiarity to rob them of the memories of what God had done in the past.  They allowed the troubles and duties of life to become more of an influence than the God who founded them.  Because God became more and more irrelevant, they forget who and what God was.  This resulted in backsliding.  This is why the LORD encourages His people to look to the past.  This is why remembering what God did yesterday will get you through today.  Reading of the works of God from years and ages gone by should result in increased faith.  As we remember what God did, and why He did what He did, we can look at the present in light of the future.  As God was in the past, He will be in the future.  We lose faith when we live only in the present.  When our eyes are cast downward, it is hard to see where we have been and where we are going.  Remembering where we have been and knowing where we will be, our present makes sense and becomes something we can endure.  In context, our passage teaches the more we remember God in the past, the more likely we will be to remain faithful to Him in the present.

The former things of old do not limit themselves to the person and works of God.  The things of old could also refer to the law and customs that organized Israel.  The things of old could also mean traditions, principles, or culture that shaped who and what they were.  The problem lay not in the things of old.  Rather, in the fact they abandoned the things of old.  Not all new things are good things.  That is not to say we should reject all things new.  If that were the case, we would all be dying at a much younger age.  Rather, there are certain things that stand the test of time.  For example, Hebrews chapter 10 commands the assembly of the saints.  Yet with the invention of the internet and streaming platforms, assembly is becoming something of the past.  This is not good!  The Bible tells us we should spend time in it every day.  We should read it, study it, apply it; but most of all, treat it as it is—the voice of God.  Yet, with the invention of electronic Bibles, the saints struggle to find the books of the Bible as they are referenced.  We used to know where things were by their location on a physical page.  Not any longer.  Considering the abundance of information available, one would expect us to be more knowledgeable about the Bible than we currently are.  Just the opposite is true.  The things of old have value.  They should not be discarded simply because something new comes along.

To the point, we can easily sway from our walk with God because we forget the past.  We forget the things of the past that define the present.  We forget the principles, the law, the standards, etc. and march after the new and exciting.  When it applies to God, we forget God has not changed.  He is the same God we met decades ago.  He can do above what we ask or think today, as He did in the past.  He is as real to us in the present as He was the day we met Him.  He has not gone anywhere.  If we are struggling in the present and the future looks bleak, perhaps the answer to both is in yesterday, last year, or a few decades ago.  The Bible is a record of the old things.  It is a record of what God did in the past.  History holds no value unless we can apply it in the present.  Why do we read of the past works of God?  Why do we study the seven days of creation, the miracles God wrought for Israel, or the life and times of Jesus Christ?  These things are things of old.  Thousands of years old.  We do so to find hope and purpose in the present.  We do so because we need to navigate life as our ancestors did.  We read and study the things of old because God has not changed.  We read and study the past so we can walk with God in a more intimate and faithful way.

Must God Serve With Sin?

“Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.” (Isa 43:24 AV)

It sounds a bit odd to think of the LORD when reading these words, but indeed, this is the LORD speaking to Judah.  Judah had been offering sacrifices to idols.  They had gone after the false gods of their neighbors.  At the same time, they kept up sacrifices at the Temple.  They were trying to play two ends against the middle.  The reason we think it odd is that God says He is serving.  Yet, that is not out of the ordinary.  God does serve with His people.  He uses His people as the vessel by which the good news of the gospel goes forth.  So, in looking at the question, we can apply it inward.  How often does God serve with us while we have known sin in our hearts?  How much does He have to put up with just to use us for His glory?  Do we expect the blessings of God when we know we are not right with Him?  It is only by God’s grace that He uses us at all.  Compound that with the curse of sin, and grace becomes all that much greater!

Running a business is not for the faint of heart.  There are many challenges.  There are taxes to pay and maintenance costs to consider.  There are advertising, pricing, and competitive edges to consider.  There are surveys to take, customer feedback to consider, and new product development to pursue.  However, one of the biggest challenges is dealing with employees.  Many are terrific.  Many show up on time and give an honest day’s work.  However, there are a few who do not.  When I ran the restaurant, we had mostly under 18-year-olds working for us.  With school schedules, their social life, and inherent immaturity, they were not the most reliable of demographic groups.  When I was that age, it was cool to work for a wage.  It was the thing to do.  Not so anymore.  If teenagers are working, more than not, it is because their parents are forcing them to.  They do not want to be there.  They would rather be somewhere else, doing something else.  Anything else.  This meant that on any given night, there would be at least one worker who called in sick.  You over staffed to make up for it.  Part-time employees are notoriously unreliable.  I was forced to work with those who really didn’t have the best interests of the business at heart.

God has it much worse.  Not only are we unreliable.  We are also counterproductive.  When we harbor sin in our heart, it is difficult for the LORD to serve with us.  It may even be repulsive.  The question can be asked: I wonder how much glory God could get from our lives if He didn’t have our sin to deal with?  Just think of it.  If we fled sin, our hearts would be completely clean, yielded, and ready to do the bidding of our great God.  If we were quick to confess sin and forsake it, there is one less barrier to surrender God must overcome.  Imagine if a carpenter had an old worn out drill that was prone to quitting versus a brand new one.  This is what we do to God.  When we are not right with Him, it limits what He can do through us.  We are asking the LORD to put up with our sin while He seeks to use us as His messengers to the lost.  This is the idea expressed above.  How long does the LORD have to put up with saints who entertain sin and serve God at the same time?  How long does He have to use sullied people because He has no better?  Do we really want God to move?  DO we really want to see revival?  Then it starts with a people who will confess, forsake, and hate the sin that hinders our service.  Does God use imperfect people?  All the time.  Does He wish He didn’t have to?  All the time.  Let us strive to overcome sin so that God doesn’t have to use what is available rather than use the best.

Anyone Listening?

“But this [is] a people robbed and spoiled; [they are] all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this? [who] will hearken and hear for the time to come?” (Isa 42:22-23 AV)

These words are spoken by the LORD regarding what Judah had become.  God gave the law to His people so that all may benefit.  The law was the means by which an orderly society and moral government might bring to the people blessings and God’s providential hand.  They ignored the law.  What is worse is in ignoring the law, it made victims of the innocent.  Those who wished to live according to God's law were victimized by those who did not.  This is the context of the passage above.  It is the question that follows which spoke to my inner man.  The question posed was if there were any who cared enough for justice to make a difference.  Was there anyone who cared that those who wished to live right before God were made prisoners and martyrs for their desire?  Who will care that there are innocent people being treated as an enemy?  The parallels to our current world condition are uncanny.  But there is another way to consider this.  Sin is a cruel taskmaster.  It is relentless, and it does not care what cost it exacts from its victims.  The sinner is in a prison of his or her own making.  They chose to live as they do, but that does not excuse the saint of God from having compassion for those lost in their sin.  Note, especially there is a distinction between the present and the future.  Who will give ear to this now?  Who will harken for the future?

We can get tone deaf if surrounded by the cries ringing out.  I volunteered as a hospital chaplain for a few years.  One of our tasks was to make rounds.  We would go from floor to floor and check in with each nursing station.  We would ask if there was anyone they felt needed a visit.  This took several hours.  The Chaplaincy department gave us a free supper.  Then we would go home and wait for our pager.  If it went off, our duty was to go in and serve the spiritual needs of the patient in need.  When I started, the moans and cries of each patient on each floor tended to bother me.  The loader it was, or the more agony it seemed the patient was suffering, the more it ate me up inside.  All I wanted to do was to fix the problem and give the poor soul some relief.  After the many months of doing this, a strange thing happens.  You get used to the moans and cries.  You learn which ones needed immediate attention and which ones were chronic no matter what you did.  Almost all the time, cries for help were not an emergency.  So, you had to deal with the yelling, moaning, sobbing, etc as best you could so that other duties did not go neglected.  It soon became a habit to block out those cries for help and tend to the most urgent first.  It could get to the point when one didn’t even notice the cries anymore.

This is the world in which we live.  There are cries for help and those seeking it are not even aware they are.  There are the innocent who are victimized by the rebelliously wicked.  Unspoken evils lurk all around.  Living in a large city, it is easy to turn a blind eye to the injustice that occurs all around us.  The cries for mercy come in many forms.  Most subtle.  There are cries for friendship, affirmation, or hope.  There is a look of a half-smile and half-frown.  There are the seemingly pointless conversations with no more rhyme or reason other than to visit.  This happened to me the other day.  A very lonely individual who simply wanted to talk about anything that came to mind.  There are cries for God’s forgiveness all around us.  So, who will harken?  Who will give ear?  I know; once we harken or give ear, the agony of the suffering will overwhelm us.  We will see too much of it, knowing our efforts cannot solve it all.  We get discouraged.  We get calloused.  Until the LORD calls us home, we are debtors to those lost in sin.  We owe them the message of hope.  We must give ear.  We must harken.  Now and for the future.  Someone must be as the good Samaritan and care!

Hope Is The Fuel for Life

"O Lord, by these [things men] live, and in all these [things is] the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live." (Isa 38:16 AV)

These are the words of Hezekiah.  The LORD sent a prophet to share with the king his days were coming to an end.  The king was told to put his house in order.  The problem was, Hezekiah did not have a son of whom would sit on his throne once he departed.  The king was extremely distraught.  He was in deep sorrow.  He prayed and mentioned to the LORD how fervently he has served Him.  He mentioned the restoration of the temple and the Passover that had been observed.  This after many years of neglect.  Hezekiah was the only king of Judah that removed the high places.  They had been erected during Solomon's reign.  They had lasted hundred of years.  These high places were a doorway to idolatry.  So, Hezekiah removed them.  HE completely cleansed the land of wickedness.  Morality and pure worship were restored under his leadership.  All of this came to the ears of God as motivation to give the king more time.  God heard the prayer of Hezekiah and granted him fifteen more years.  It is because of this we read a verse from the psalm of praise sung by Hezekiah.

Hope is a powerful thing.  This is to what Hezekiah is referring when he speaks of all these things, being that by which men live.  For Hezekiah, it was fifteen more years and one son.  The power of hope is seen in the next phrase.  The life of the spirit is in resides in hope.  There has to be hope, or life is not worth living.  This was the king's point.  Hope is not taken by a benevolent God.  Not for the saint, anyway.  Hope is something surrendered. Our gracious king states that hope is something God provides often for the souls of men.  It is by hope that we can live.  Hope is hard to retain when it seems there is none.  That does not mean there is no hope.  Merely, that we cannot see that upon which hope casts its anchor.  Hope is always there.  As long as there is a God, there is hope.  If God is eternal, then so is hope.  There is a saying.  Hope springs eternal.  From usdictionary.com, the following gives us the origin of the phrase, "The phrase "hope springs eternal" comes from Alexander Pope's poem "An Essay on Man" from the 18th century. The full line reads, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blest." This poetic line emphasizes the unwavering spirit of optimism in humans."  Our psalmist puts it this way, "But I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more." (Ps 71:14 AV)

Hope that is eternal is founded in the person of God.  God doesn't go anywhere.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  He is kind, benevolent, and merciful.  He is a God of purpose, regardless of our ability to perceive it or not.  Hope can be lost.  But unless we are chastened of God and that without remedy, our hope can be lost.  At least to a point.  There is always eternity.  That can never be taken.  If we have no hope, we must start with admitting we are the ones who lost it.  God did not take it from us.  Second, obviously, our hope cannot rely on what we are experiencing or can see.  This is what has caused us to lose hope.  Our hope must be in something, or someone, greater than that which has robbed our hope.  There must be a grander reason for it all.  Hezekiah understood his situation was not the best. He was going to die without a son to whom he could leave the nation.  The promise of David was greater than his premature demise or dying heirless.  That was the premise of his prayer.  He found something larger than his situation.  He found the cause for which to pray.  His hope was in the promise of God and not what a doctor or surgeon might say.  His hope was in the person of God and not the words of the prophet.  His hope was in God and His faithfulness.  If we have lost hope, it only means the object of our hope is on shaky ground.  The object of our hope must be God Himself.  If it is anything or anyone else, then our hope will be lost.

How Would You Answer?

“And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence [is] this wherein thou trustest?” (Isa 36:4 AV)

What a significant question.  The enemies of God posed this question to the faithful saints of Judah.  It was meant to discourage the Hebrews from trusting the LORD.  As is usually the fashion the lost do not know of what they speak.  Rabshakeh brought up two points which only worked to strengthen Judah’s resolve.  Not weaken it.  They accused Hezekiah of rejecting the God of Israel by removing all the high places.  In reality, this accomplished the opposite.  The high places are what introduced idolatry to Judah.  Hezekiah got rid of the temptation.  The second accusation by Rabshakeh suggested since the god of Assyria could defeat all other gods it faced; Jehovah God was no different.  Again, in the logic of those who know not the one true God, this would make sense.  All this did was prove to Judah that idolatry does not pay.  Why worship non-existent gods when their God was the only God?  Strike two.  What we want to entertain this morning is the question Rabshakeh posed to Judah.  If trouble comes, upon who are what are we trusting?

What further stirs the spirit and mind is how the question was asked.  There is an accusation in the question.  The question was not asked because Rabshakeh was curious.  He did not ask out of ignorance.  The enemy of God mentions God’s name in his argument as states of Israel who claimed Jehovah could not resist the armies of Assyria, then surely Judah was wasting their time as well.  In using the word ‘confidence’, he asserts their confidence is misplaced.  This is pure wickedness.  Rabshakeh did not ask ‘who’.  He asks ‘what’.  This is a world of difference.  The God-haters will never understand the faith of the saint.  Their confidence is in themselves.  They cannot fathom having to trust a power greater than themselves.  There is no use trying to explain it to them because, in order to do so, they would have to first understand what helplessness is.  They would have to come to the end of themselves before they begin to understand faith in God.  When the god-haters will not, or cannot, see reality in their situation, the question is not one that can be answered to their conversion.  There must be an answer.  And an answer will come.  An explanation, perhaps not.  But an answer for sure.

So, this poses a question for us.  How will we respond when the accusation of an inadequacy God is leveled?  That is what Rabshakeh insinuated.  Jehovah was a false confidence.  Egypt was no better.  TO equate God with Egypt is another wickedness.  So, what are we going to say when Assyria shows up and tried to convince us that God is not equal to our situation?  What of the Devil?  Assyria no longer exists.  That Wicked One will accuse God of the same.  What will we say then?  Judah did not say a thing.  They sat back and let God speak for Himself.  Perhaps that is one option.  However, there might be another. “You just wait and see!”  What an opportunity to brag on God!  There is no explanation.  The only thing Assyria understood was 180,000 slain at the hand of God.  This is part of their recorded history.  One can see the stone upon which this record appears.  Assyria learned just who it was wherein Judah’s confidence laid.  Dear saint, we are no different.  The god-haters will pose the same question as a veiled accusation against the God of Israel.  This started in the Garden of Eden and it hasn’t let up since.  Just you wait and see the wicked world what our God will do!  Glory!

Here He Comes!

“Now will I rise, saith the LORD; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself.” (Isa 33:10 AV)

You can bank on it!  All that we see belongs to God!  He made it all!  He has every right to do with it as He pleases.  There isn’t a creature that exists who has any rights contrary to His perfect will.  It matters not that mankind rails against the Creator!  They can do and say anything they please.  It doesn’t change a thing.  They cannot legislate God out of existence.  They cannot disbelieve God out of being.  They cannot educate themselves from under the sovereign hand of God.  They cannot hide.  They cannot flee.  They cannot create their own reality wherein God does not exist.  God is above all, in all, and through all.  He will determine the times and bounds of mankind.  They are subject to His commands and even though the ability to be self-determined may give the illusion of complete sovereignty from Almighty God; it is still only an illusion.  Mankind may have freedom of choice.  But they will never have freedom from consequences.  It may appear as though mankind has complete dominance over its own destiny. This is also an illusion.  The LORD will allow mankind the freedom to hang itself.  But the hangman’s platform is already built and if they reject His mercy and grace, there is a date set for judgment.  Whether creation accepts it or not, there will come a day when every creature gives glory to God and His Son, Jesus Christ!  Bar none, there will be a universal cry of God’s glory and majesty of both friend and foe of the Divine Creator!

The statement above is pure God!  He needs no one to lift Him up.  He needs nothing to collaborate with His majesty.  When an earthly king is exalted, he does so with the assistance of his army, government, and people.  If they are not with him, he might as well be a pauper.  His majesty resides in the support of those who follow.  Not so with God!  He needs no one or nothing.  He is LORD God Jehovah.  He is self-sufficient and self-sustaining.  Unlike the Greek and Roman systems of gods, there is no other God but God.  There is no support structure that grants Jehovah the greatest among many.  God is God and needs none else.  The definitive nature of the statement is also excellent.  He will be exalted.  He needs no vote.  He needs no agreement from those whom He has created.  He does not need a parade.  He does not need an independent declaration.  He will be exalted and all that He has created will have no choice.  Or, better yet, they will willingly praise and worship God, regardless of their previous feelings.  He will be exalted.  There is no dispute.  There is no counterargument.  The only argument ever offered didn’t come close to challenging God’s rightful place.  The five ‘I wills’ of Satan were the closest anyone came to stealing God’s glory.  And it wasn’t even close!  No one; not a single soul lost or saved will disrespect God.  All will honor Him!  All will exalt Him.

This honor extends to the Son as well.  Listen to Paul’s words, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Php 2:9-11 AV)  Our beloved Apostle is very specific here.  Not just things in heaven.  Things that are living and things that have died.  Everyone!  Saved, lost, or as yet to be determined will fall down on their knees have give glory to the Savior.  The Son will be exalted.  The LORD Jesus Christ will rule and reign.  No congress.  No White House.  No United Nations, WHO, or any other human body need apply.  He doesn’t need you.  You will all be laid off.  You’ll have to take up farming.  Sell the suit for a pair of coveralls.  He doesn’t need you.  The Son will be exalted in all the earth and the wickedness we suffer with will be done and over.  No more rebellious and corrupt self-interest groups.  No more perversion.  No more hatred for those who love God.  No more prisons for those who preach the truth.  No more executions for those who name the name of Christ!  He will be exalted in all the earth and there isn’t one thing mankind can do about it!  Praise be to LORD GOD ALMIGTY!

More Than Obedience

“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” (Isa 29:13 AV)

It’s that last phrase the hit me this morning.  Jesus sites this verse.  He uses the words ‘commandments’ and ‘traditions’ to expound on this verse.  The Pharisees added to the Mosaic law traditions, upon which the O.T. law did not elaborate.  Perhaps some of it was necessary.  What does it mean not to work on the Sabbath?  What is work?  Exactly what is supposed to be tithed?  Was it only that which was produced in the field?  Or were they to tithe every increase of every little thing?  How small of a measurement was required to tithe a tenth of powdered cinnamon?  These laws and traditions were seen as the manifestation of the fear of the LORD.  The more laws and traditions multiplied, the more fear the O.T. saint could exercise.  The point was not the ethical or moral nature of those laws, but the assumption that obedience to a code alone was the only definition of the fear of the LORD.

Don’t get me wrong.  Law and precepts are important.  Jesus said that if we loved Him, we would keep His commandments.  John expounded even more on this idea in his first epistle.  He echoed the words of our Master and taught obedience to the written word was the major way in which we love God.  Proverbs teaches a similar principle in that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.  The relationship between obedience to God’s law and love is missed in today’s Christian churches.  It seems as though we are liberating ourselves from the written word and assuming God’s grace permits it.  So, I am not implying that law has no part in fearing God.  Just the opposite.  Obedience is the beginning of the fear of the LORD.  Let us be clear: fear has more than one meaning.  It can mean to be terrified as one would be terrified of an authority figure.  But the word can also mean te reverence and respect someone to the point of being awed by their person, character, or abilities.  It is this latter understanding which we want to entertain today.

When I was a child, I was terrified of my father.  I tried to obey him as best as I could.  Doing as he pleased or refraining from what was not permitted indeed did affect our relationship.  He enjoyed my company and sought to be a blessing to me while I was obedient to his rules.  If I wasn’t obedient, our relationship changed.  There came a time when obedience was no longer motivated by fear of consequences.  Rather, the motive for obedience became respect for his person.  As our relationship grew, being established in obedience, I learned more and more of who and what my father was.  I learned of his past in the Army, as a foreign exchange student and college professor.  As he aged, we had many phone conversations where I just listened to him tell stories of his younger years.  Like I said, I learned a lot.

The point is, if we are stuck on rules and standards as the sole mechanism by which we fear God, then we will never really know Him.  It starts there!  We cannot abandon the rules and standards.  What the Pharisees did was stay in the mode.  They could not get closer to God, so their solution was to make more rules.  There was no relationship between obedience and personal connection.  They could not draw the right conclusion.  Another way to put it is to note the vast majority of faith traditions are works based.  The vast majority of people believe access to God is by obedience alone.  Not so.  God’s grace and mercy are also a part of it.  The Pharisees could not grow beyond the commandments and they became an end to themselves.  At some point, we have to grow beyond them without abandoning them.  The outward standards we keep are only the beginning.  The inward disciplines follow.  But there is a depth of relationship that goes even beyond these.  It is the depth of relationship, established in precepts, but grows beyond them to see the reality of who and what God is.  Few there be that find it.

His Day Is Coming

“In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that [is] in the sea.” (Isa 27:1 AV)

An obvious reference to Satan and his ultimate destruction.  Satan has done much to destroy God’s creation.  But let’s get something very clear.  He did so with mankind’s permission and or involvement.  The serpent was in the garden of Eden.  Satan tempted Adam and Eve.  They ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Yet no one compelled our originators to speak to the Devil.  God did not force Adam and Eve to conduct discourse that led to our fall.  The divine hand did not force Adam and Eve to be in the vicinity of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They placed themselves in the way of temptation and involved themselves in a conversation that led to temptation.  Many hold Satan responsible for much.  And rightly so.  Most of the time, he does his wicked work on or with complicit people.  That is not to say we will mourn his destruction.  Not so!  All of humanity will rejoice when the wicked One is no more.

This reminds me of the old spaghetti westerns.  For those unfamiliar, a spaghetti western was a genre of movies from the earlier to the modern era of movie-making.  These films got this moniker from the fact those of Italian lineage directed them.  Hence, the ‘spaghetti’ designation.  These films tended to be a bit hokey and clichéd. These films, apart from other westerns directed by those not of Italian lineage, had a flavor all their own.  One theme that runs consistently through these films was a ranch, settlement, or town controlled by an outlaw bully.  He and his gang would extort, abuse, and murder the people merely for pleasure.  It always struck me as funny that a movie set in the early 1800s had some many people with perfect teeth.  Anyway, I digress.  As the story moves along, a lone hero comes to town.  One of his biggest hurdles is convincing the people to put their lives on the line and help him defeat the monster.  For most of the film, the people are complicit in the crimes of their bully by the mere fact they will not stand up to him.  By the end of the film, our hero defeats the foe and despite a slight loss of life, the town is not free.  The bully could dominate because the people would not resist.  They were complicit in his behavior.

Unlike the western hero, Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ need not the help of anyone!  When He returns, the devil and all his army are no match for one lone rider!  Jesus will return, riding His white horse, to destroy all the evil in the world.  Although the saints will assist, they do so only for honor’s sake and not because Jesus needs anyone to help Him.  He is Almighty God.  He is omnipotent.  He possesses all power in heaven and in earth and He does so without limit.  The promise above is a glorious one.  The reference is to Satan.  Several times, the Bible refers to the devil as Leviathan.  The Bible tells us that he and all his fallen angels will be cast into the lake of fire.  After a thousand years, he will be loosed for a brief season.  Following the last battle of Gog and Magog, Jesus Christ will take that Wicked One and throw him in the depths of hell to be tormented day and night forever and ever!  Oh, glory!  So, the next time he gives you fits, rejoice in knowing that his days are numbered.  Sing praises to God that the torment of the saints is only brief.  The perverse Leviathan will burn forever!

Mutual Prayer is Essential

“Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.” (Ps 20:4 AV)

Psalm twenty was written by David for the priests who would pray for him.  The words above are the desire of the Priests for their king.  There are two points to be made here.  Before that, it is important to know the statement above is not a blanket statement for all that David might desire.  The desires of his heart and the meditation of his mind are very specific and are according to God’s will.  Having said that, priests cannot pray for David unless David confides in them the details of the prayers requested.  He needs to let those who would pray for him exactly what he seeks.  Living alone is not good.  Unless we have no needs, ambitions, or purpose, living in a shell is not a good thing.  Maybe we don’t know exactly that for which we should pray.  At least we know we need it.  So, we must ask for it.  Second, praying for one another is essential.  So much goes undone or merely in one’s own ability because prayer is not offered.  We need the prayers of others.  And we need to be praying for others.

Some writers speculate these prayers are for David in light of his flight from Saul.  God called him to be king in the stead of Saul.  Yet Saul was chasing him around, seeking his life.  How could he fulfill God’s call on his life?  David could not be what he was created to be while being pursued by the man who he would eventually replace.  David needed prayer.  If the priests do not pray for him, he may not ascend the throne.  If the priests do not pray for him, he will have a harder time governing Israel.  If the priests do not pray, the enemies of the king might gain an advantage.  If the priests do not pray, the king may fall to the temptations of his own flesh.  A measure of humility in a person is knowing how desperately he or she needs the prayers of others.  The measure of humility in a person is the willingness to ask for prayer.  Asking for prayer is a cry of dependence.  Praise the LORD that the priests were willing to not only pray the prayer above, but they set it to music so the rest of the nation could pray for their king as well.

Recently, I was going through some very deep waters.  I understood the causes of the distress.  There was nothing that would make it any better or change the circumstances at hand.  Some of it I had to come to terms with, as it will never change.  It seemed like the crosses I was asked to bear were too many at one time.  There was another cause of which I didn’t know until a few weeks later.  I have been in situations where I needed prayer often times.  But never like this.  There were no verses that would help.  Whatever verse was quoted to me, I could finish.  There was no counsel that could be offered.  I already knew the answer.  This was one time when prayer was the only answer.  The prayers of the saints were the only remedy.  If the prayers of the saints was not offered, there was no coming out if this.  I learned afresh how much prayer is needed and how effective it could be.  In the past, I have prayed and God gave miracles.   I have been on the receiving end of those same prayers.  But this was the first time I realized how necessary prayer is and how dependent we are on the prayers of others.  We often take the prayers of others for granted.  In reality, it might be the prayers of others that keep our heads above water.  It could be the prayers of the saints that literally save our lives.  It could be the prayers of others are the power by which we rise one more day.  The priests prayed for David, and David was not ashamed to ask for it.  He wouldn’t survive any other way.

Not Too Fast, My Friend

“Also, [that] the soul [be] without knowledge, [it is] not good; and he that hasteth with [his] feet sinneth. The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.” (Pr 19:2-3 AV)

Taken separately, these two verses are profound in and of themselves.  To rush off into action without prudent forethought or sufficient information is dangerous.  That would be the meaning of verse two if taken alone.  Verse three states the individual who frets against the LORD will twist the ways of God to avoid them.  Putting them together, however, strengths the idea that hasty decisions that attempt to avoid God’s will are foolish and perverts what God has designed for the saint.  The missing ingredient to patience here is knowledge.  However, as Job did, he sought the wrong facts.  He tried to answer questions that, at the time, had no answers.  Job tried to find a cause for God’s actions.  He wanted to know why.  The caution is to avoid reacting until we have all the necessary knowledge.  We cannot fly off because we don’t like what we are facing.  Knowledge before action is the key.

Judah was facing an invasion of Babylon.  For hundreds of years, both Israel and Judah rejected Jehovah God.  They had adopted the gods of their neighbors.  They wanted to be like the world in order to be accepted by them.  This was not what God called them to.  They were delivered from Egypt centuries before to be a nation that was different.  The design for Israel was to be a holy nation by which the rest of the world would understand who God is and what He requires.  The intent was to bring the world under conviction, resulting in the world seeking God.  They did not like God’s call on them, so rather than be different, they decided to be the same.  Assyria invaded and carried away the ten northern tribes.  A few decades later, Babylon did the same with Judah and Benjamin.  Jeremiah warned Judah’s leaders to submit to their Gentile captors.  They were told if they go to Babylon and submit for correction’s sake, they would live.  However, if they turned tail and ran, they would be caught and murdered.  Not liking their options, they decided the latter.  They didn’t like what the LORD had planned for them, so they hasted with their feet and suffered consequences.

What is true regarding correction is also true regarding trials of faith.  Seeking an end to a trial of faith is normal.  No one enjoys trouble.  No one looks for ways in which to be agitated, tested, or brought to the end of one’s self.  We all try to be as comfortable as we can.  This is normal.  James says, “Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (Jas 1:3-5 AV) Note the connection with patience and knowledge.  Wisdom is the key to allowing the trying of our faith to mature to completion.  It is near to impossible to do.  We want ease of life.  We want all troubles to cease.  We want that beach on a deserted Island or that cabin in a secluded valley.  We want peace at all costs.  We want perfect health.  We want all our bills paid on time and the cupboards full.  We want family nearby.  We want relationships that never cease.  We want a slice of heaven while here on Earth.  But life is not that way.  God has, for one reason or another, determined a course for us.  There are troubles seas along the way.  But as Paul’s ship captain learned, reacting without the knowledge of God will end in complete destruction.  Those that are hasty with their feet will pervert the ways of God and will result in a much worse outcome.

No One Is Perfect. That is Why God Shows Mercy!

“For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments [were] before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.” (Ps 18:21-23 AV)

We have to be careful we don’t create a standard that cannot be met.  The statement above is a pretty definitive statement.  If we are not careful, we might assume David never sinned in his life.  The verses above explain why God brought mercy.  God delivered David because David lived in the ways of the LORD.  This was not the only reason.  God made a covenant with David.  That was the strongest reason.  However, for the sake of the passage, the reason God delivered David was his consistent, godly life.  If we read without remembering David’s history, we might assume David was perfect in all his ways.  However, the Bible tells us of several of David’s missteps along the way.  Occasioning the death of all the priests save one at Nob comes to mind.  The fact he took multiple wives is another.  David also fled to the enemy of God for sanctuary.  All the while David fled, he never went to church nor is it recorded that he offered sacrifice in lieu of his absence.  If we looked deeper into David’s life, we can find he was not perfect in all his ways if by that we mean he never sinned.  This is not what David is claiming.  What David is saying is even though he may have faltered and fell into sin, as a pattern of life, he sought to obey the LORD.  Most of all, he never put away from himself the word of God.  Even though he fell into sin from time to time, he did not refuse the word of God.  He got right as the word of God would require and lived to strive after righteousness one more day.

In my generation and home state, we were required to learn a foreign language in order to graduation from High School.  Two years of a foreign language was on the books.  One had to take two years of a language which one didn’t know.  My school offered Spanish, German, and French.  Seeing as it was required to graduate, most students started in their freshman year.  That way, if they struggled, they had for years to complete a two-year requirement.  It started out ok.  But learning a foreign language when English stumps you is not exactly a walk in the park.  Trying to understand the rules of a language when you don’t understand the rules of your own is a herculean task.  Learning a foreign language and speaking one conversationally are two different things.  The first gives no grace.  Either it is right or wrong.  The latter does show mercy.  The goal of communication is far more important than the specific rules that govern speaking that language.  If both speaker and hearer can convey thoughts and ideas, technicalities are overlooked and the goal of having a conversation is greater.  This doesn’t mean learning and growing in that foreign language ceases just because a simple thought was exchanged.  Having helped many who do not speak English as their first language, our propensity is to correct the error.  Translation becomes a natural thing we do.  We forgive mistakes and correct them.  What we do not do is turn up our nose because the structure of a sentence or the pronunciation was not perfect.  BTW, I flunked first year French, and the law was changed the summer following my freshman year!  Praise God!  There is a God in heaven.

When it comes to God’s mercy, it works the same.  Yes, the LORD does require of us perfection.  He requires us to be transformed into the image of Christ.  What that doesn’t mean is God refuses to show us mercy and favor if we fail.  In fact, if we were sinlessly perfect, there would be no need for mercy.  Sometimes, we place a standard on ourselves that is so high that we lose any hope of the mercy which God desires to show.  We expect to never fail and if we do, we seek God’s mercy by trying to earn it rather than simply accepting it.  David was no angel.  Neither are we.  It matters not how externally righteous we may appear.  Internally, we are still fighting the old man.  We are still fighting emotions, dispositions, attitudes, or thoughts that are an offense to God.  David made some very wrong choices.  The Bible tells us he was a man after God’s own heart.  Not because he was sinless.  Rather, when he did fail, he trusted in the mercy and deliverance of God rather than any external conformity to God’s law.  What David did do was no matter how much he may have fallen, he never put the word of God out of his life.  He never got to where disobedience resulted in permanently staying that way.  This is the spirit which God expects.  This is the motivation God seeks.  He demands perfection.  But when we are not, He forgives and expects us to strive again.

Out Of The Path

“Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept [me from] the paths of the destroyer.” (Ps 17:4 AV)

The name of ‘destroyer’ also belongs to Satan.  Above, however, it is characteristic of those who are seeking to harm the writer.  This is Satan’s MO.  This is the world’s MO.  Both know they cannot defeat God.  God is all powerful.  God is sovereign.  The destroyer knows God cannot be beaten.  He is not out to defeat God.  He is out to hurt God.  The only way to do that is to destroy what God loves.  It is the ultimate act of defiance.  If God cannot be conquered, then the destroyer will ruin and hope of joy in victory.  If the destroyer cannot win, he will attempt to ruin the victory for the stronger.  This is beyond repulsive.  It is beyond wicked.  The destroyer is as far from God as anyone can be.  He is an active enemy of God, bent on inflicting as much misery as he can, knowing in some way it will affect God.  What the psalmist vows is that by the word of God, he will keep himself from the paths of the destroyer.  Either he is speaking of not becoming a victim of the destroyer, or perhaps not emulating him.  Either way, the ways of the destroyer are to be diligently avoided.  The saint and no business entertaining the ways of the destroyer and he should be wise enough to see them, sidestepping them effectively.

It actually sounds kind of funny that someone would deliberately go in the ways of the destroyer.  Most of us have enough sense to avoid traps or harmful places.  Most of us would not go over a guardrail.  Most of us could see destruction ahead and seek ways around it.  But destruction is not always that obvious.  Harmful places, actions, or dispositions are not always discernable.  Years ago, my brother and I were hiking through a gorge of shale.  If you don’t know what that looks like, I will try to explain it.  Imagine a narrow box gorge carved out be water through layers and layers of thin rocks.  These rocks are not as thick as they are long.  We call them field stones because in the old days, these stones made perfect ‘bricks’ in which to construct a wall.  It was not uncommon to see the boundaries of farms outlined by these walls of fieldstone.  Shale is a miniature fieldstone.  Shale is what the Indians used for arrowheads.  It is extremely thin rock laid atop on another like bricks would be.  All horizontal.  Anyway, my brother and I were hiking this gorge, and we came across a rope suspended from above.  We looked up, and it appeared it was used to climb out of the gorge.  So, my brother yanked on the rope to test it.  Down came a large rock right on his head.  It was not a small stone or piece of shale.  It was a larger chuck of rock.  Right on top of the head.  By God’s grace, it landed horizontally and not vertically.  Otherwise, he may not have survived that accident. The problem was not the rope.  The problem was not the gorge.  The problem was putting oneself in the path of destruction.  We would have walked that gorge with no problem.  We would have noticed the rope and could have moved on.  But my brother’s curiosity got the better of him.  He didn’t know what would happen.  We were not old enough or wise enough to discern to potential harm above.  We went down the path of destruction out of ignorance and not out of deliberate rebellion. 

This is exactly the writer’s point.  The escape from the path of destruction is heeding the words of God.  It is not enough to read them.  It is not enough to study them.  We must go to the word of God proactively and not reactively.  The saint must make it a daily habit to be in the word of God and seek wisdom that will eventually keep him from the path of destruction.  This does not come easy.  What must sink deep into our minds is the reality there are forces out there that want to see us destroyed.  It is personal.  The devil and world hate God.  They have made you their target.  They know you cannot lose your salvation, so they seek ways to make it impossible to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called.  They seek ways to make our walk with God a failure.  They invent paths that lead to utter desolation and misery.  If they cannot enjoy the pleasure of walking with God, they will see to it that you do not either.  The prudent saint will spend a good deal of time in the word of God’s lips.  It will keep him from traversing a path that only ends one way.  This is the psalmist’s vow.  This should be our vow.

Righteousness Is Perfectly Beautiful

“And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.” (Isa 11:5 AV)

This chapter of Isaiah regards the LORD Jesus Christ, his character and nature; in the context of His incarnation and second coming.  There is a comparison between the rulers Israel and Judah did have, and the person of the Messiah as He will rule.  As I read this, the Spirit brought to mind the righteousness of Christ and how much His righteousness was a part of Him.  The two are indistinguishable.  The Holy Spirit gave me a glimpse of what that might look like in the sense of how Jesus sees righteousness.  Through His eyes, He sees righteousness as a beautiful thing.  We tend to see righteousness as a set of rules, standards, and laws that are followed by which we might please God.  And certainly, they are.  But righteousness pleases God, not because we are compliant.  Rather, it pleases God because righteousness is a perfectly beautiful thing.  The LORD doesn’t please Himself in being righteous.  That would be egotistical and self-serving.  He exists in righteousness because it is His nature.  He cannot deny who and what He is. And what He is, is exquisitely beautiful.  When the Spirit illumined this, I could not help but desire the same.

I don’t know about you, but I am fascinated by perfect craftsmanship.  There is a difference between something that is handmade and something that rolls off a factory floor.  When a handmade object is not perfect, it is easily noticed.  I was looking at replacing my mandolin with an ‘A’ style standard model.  I have a crossover which is a bit harder to play.  I went to a music shop, and I saw something I had never seen before.  There, hanging on the wall, was a twelve string Mando-guitar.  It was handmade.  I fell in love with it.  I thought I had to have it.  A week later, I went in to look at it again.  This time, I went over it with a fine-tooth comb.  There was excess glue on the fretboard, on the neck, and along the side panels.  It appears as though three of the fret bars had come loose.  Rather than repair it correctly, the luthier and reattached them is a sophomoric way.  But the most glaring fault was found on the bottom of the instrument.  To one side of the string clamp, the body and split and was slightly warped.  As beautiful as that instrument at first appeared, it needed much TLC for any usability.

Many years ago, my wife and I were in Barea, KY on a mini vacation.  There is an arts college there.  Walking the town there is much to see.  We took in the works of art produced by the college body, and for the most part, it was pleasant.  We happened along a luthier who built custom lap dulcimers.  Also known as mountain dulcimers.  This man was an artisan.  His instruments were absolutely flawless.  We spent a bit in that shop and he showed us the basics of how to play a dulcimer.  My eyes of wantonness happened upon one instrument after another.  The design and artistry was impeccable.  We didn’t walk out with one that day.  They were way out of my price range.  They were worth every penny.  I simply didn’t have enough pennies.

This is the understanding the Spirit gave to me this morning.  Righteousness should be like that perfectly crafted instrument.  Righteousness should be something we salivate over.  Righteousness should be something we desire as the perfect ways of life.  Righteousness should not be something serving the ego.  It should not be something to prove what we are not.  Rather, living right and doing right should reflect the person of the LORD Jesus Christ that affects those around us.  Like appreciating perfect works of art, those who see true righteousness just might be apt to seek it themselves.  We can tell when righteousness is self-serving.  It repels.  True righteousness of Christ attracts.  If He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself.  This is the right perspective.  This is the way we should see and pursue holiness.  We should pursue it because it is a glorious thing.  We should live it because it reflects the glory of God.  We should be righteous because it is perfect.

We Can't Do A Better Job

“And all the people shall know, [even] Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change [them into] cedars.” (Isa 9:9-10 AV)

Reading the passage this morning struck me as pretty audacious.  The ten northern tribes are playing chicken with God.  They dare Him to destroy their buildings made with the stones He provided, and they will go out and cut stones of their own, making better homes than God provided.  They dare the LORD to destroy the lowly sycamore trees He had provided, for they will plant a much larger and stronger tree in the cedar.  They are daring God to judge them, thinking they could do better for themselves than God ever did.  The nation that dares God by threatening to improve on His plan is a nation whose days are numbered.  Of course, we cannot help but think this of our own nation.  When we kill babies in the womb thinking our plan is better than the Creator’s, watch out!  When we mutilate those who are born, convincing them God didn’t know what He was doing, watch out.  When technology is created to supplant what God has created, watch out.  When a nation not only forgets God, but goes the ultimate step by challenging Him, the end is near.  One need not look further than the tower of Babel.

The lost are not the only ones who do this, though.  God’s people can be guilty of this as well.  One of the most interesting passages in the word of God is the story of Moses’ call into the ministry.  Here was a man who had far more leadership skills than he realized.  When the LORD called him, Moses gave one objective after another.  He requested the ability to perform miracles as verification of his calling.  He stated he lacked the gift of oration and if he was going up against the mightiest of all royals at the time, he would be laughed out of the court.  But the objection that strikes one as bold is that Moses asks the LORD if he could pick the deliverer.  Moses thought he could do a better job than God did.  Listen to his words. “And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand [of him whom] thou wilt send.” (Ex 4:13 AV) “Of whom thou wilt send” is Moses.  Moses is asking the LORD to accept his nomination rather than go himself.  Moses was humble to a fault.  He was so humble he didn’t think God could use him even though God chose him.

We are prone to think of how our lives could be different.  If we were God, then one possibility or another would be better than the reality in which we live.  The difference here is Moses, or we, do not dare God to tear it all down and we will do a better job of building it back up.  We don’t limit God’s ability.  We merely question God’s wisdom.  This may not be rebellion, but it definitely is not faith.  When we think someone else could do a better job than we could, we are doing the same.  God placed us in the time and place for a reason.  He has given us the circumstances of our lives for a purpose.  He is all wise.  He has a plan.  We are part of that plan no matter how much we feel inadequacy.  If we think for a moment, we can build a better house or grow a better world, then we are no different from the rebellious saints above.  True, they are daring God’s hand of chastisement, thinking they could overcome it in spades.  How foolish.  When the hand of the LORD came, they never recovered.  However, the spirit of discontentment can lead us to think our lives could be much better if we were in charge.  Faith and prayer are the key.  God knows what He is doing.  He always has our best at heart.  The life we have, if we are in the center of God’s will, no matter how difficult it might be, is the perfect place to be.

It Is What He Sees Within!

“But yet in it [shall be] a tenth, and [it] shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance [is] in them, when they cast [their leaves: so] the holy seed [shall be] the substance thereof.” (Isa 6:13 AV)

Isaiah speaks of the tenth part of Judah and Benjamin, who will remain in Canaan and the remnant that will return after seventy years of captivity.  Even though God judged the nation for this idolatry, there were a few who did not bow the knee to Baal.  It was this small remnant who were allowed to stay behind and tend to the land.  It was this small remnant who were allowed to return and repair Jerusalem’s wall and temple.  Yesterday, we spoke of the small number of faithful who often benefit the greater number of rebels.  We noted that oftentimes, God spares the disobedient because there are still those who fear Him.  Today, we want to consider the nature of the obedient.  Our text tells us the reason they are obedient is their inward integrity compels them to obedience. The comparison of the oak tree and the teil tree is to Israel itself.  What is within them are those who love the LORD. 

This same principle can apply to the individual saint.  We wonder, sometimes, why the LORD puts up with all our failures.  We wonder how much patience HE truly has.  We wonder what He sees in us worth His effort.  We often scratch our heads, wondering why He would create us in the first place.  It is not because we bring to Him something He needs.  He is Jehovah God.  He is the self-sustaining one.  He has life in Himself.  He needs nothing.  He is infinite.  In all His attributes, He is without measure.  There is nothing He needs or wants that He cannot find within Himself.  So, we wonder what would compel a holy God to create human souls that would rebel against Him?  Why?  What is it that He sees in us that would motivate Him to love us as much as He does?  He loves us with infinite love.  His love never fails.  No matter what we do, what we are, or what we will become; He loves us without reservation and without measure.  The question remains.  What does He see that we cannot see?  What is within our existence that would drive an eternal and all-powerful God to have any thoughts toward us?

Look above for the answer.  What attracts a holy God to the people of God is what dwells within.  Inherently, we are wicked.  In the sight of a holy God, we are repulsive.  But if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, The Son dwells in our hearts.  The Holy Spirit takes residence in our souls.  It is His presence within us that attracts Him to us.  It is the presence of the holy within us; by the presence of the Son and Holy Spirit; by which the Father is committed to the sinner.  Like a tree in the winter who has lost all signs of life, within that tree and impervious to the observer is the essence of life.  On the outside, a teil or oak tree is unimpressive.  They can be downright ugly.  But there is water coursing through them.  There is oxygen, minerals, and carbon dioxide traveling to the most extreme twigs of its being.  In the wintertime, life is barely discernable.  When spring comes, the life that had always been within, is made obvious.  As God’s people, the indication of spiritual life may not always be evident.  We may fall backward and away from God a bit.  We may lose our fire for God’s law and presence.  We may become too busy to spend time with God as we should.  There is still life there.  The Holy Spirit still resides within.  The Son of God has not left us just because we might have left Him.  God loves us more than we will ever understand because of what He has placed within us.  Praise be to God that He takes care of everything.  Thanks be to God that He loves us even when we are at our worst.  Like Israel, who returns to Canaan, revives the nation under God’s law, and receives their Messiah once and for all; God does the same for us.  Glory that God never ceases to love us!