Of Comfort and Mercy

“Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.” (Isa 49:13 AV)

We hear much about God’s corrective hand.  We are soon to forget the comforting hand. The book of Isaiah is a wonderful book of balance.  Many of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the suffering Messiah and restoration of Israel are found in this book.  God deals with their sin.  But He balances it with His grace.  If we did not have the promises of God’s mercy, comfort, and hope, there would be not point to anything.  It is upon this comfort and mercy the contrite rely.  The LORD promises to rescue His people from their sin.  He promises Israel there will come a great Day of Reconciliation and restoration.  This is the God whom we serve.  This is the God whom we love.

 

I have a son whom we nicknamed Crash.  He was very accident prone.  He has more scares on his face than Frankenstein.  Each scar is a testament to a boy who played hard but was not aware of his surroundings.  Some parents may have gotten a bit calloused after the umpteenth time to the clinic for stitches.  The calloused parent may have uttered something he would later regret out of pure frustration.  Something like, “why don’t you watch where you are going?”  Or, “haven’t I told you a million times not to do that?”  Perhaps, “Exactly what were you thinking?  Or were you thinking at all.”  Maybe a, “well, what stupid thing have you done now?”  I have heard parents call their children idiots, morons, and much worse.  This is not good parenting and is that to which Paul is referring when he warns fathers not to provoke your children to wrath.  When my son added another permanent mark of life, we simply scooped him up, got him patched up, and loved on him.  This is what the Lord does.

I know are Calvinists friends will have hard time with this, but the LORD does not afflict man willingly.  He would rather prefer to show grace than affliction.  “For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.” (La 3:33 AV)  God’s preferred manifestation towards the children of men is comfort and mercy.  Truth and judgment must come.  Otherwise, God would not be God.  Comfort and mercy are the other side of the coin.  The preferred side.  Take the promise above and seal it within your heart.  Specially during this wonderful time of the year, remember Christ came to comfort the penitent sinner and have mercy upon the saint.  This is the Savior whom we will be celebrating this coming Wednesday.

Reasoned Faith

“That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.” (Pr 22:19 AV)

In the light of this statement being made in the book of Proverbs, it takes on a unique understanding.  This statement by a father to his child is not mere faith alone.  Rather, it is faith founded upon wisdom.  The book of Proverbs are pithy sayings revealing the nature and application of wisdom.  This wisdom is, in a nut shell, how things work and don’t work.  Solomon takes great pains is sharing with his child what he should do or how he should act with the consequences of failure spelled out.  The writer gives advice on what his child should do and how he should live with the blessings described as a result.  Then he makes the statement above.  The question arises, if wisdom is nothing more than common sense advice based on the nature of God’s creation and absolutes, what need is there of trust and faith?  Giving as example: if hard work results in material gain and laziness results in poverty, where is faith involved?

I know that I have used this illustration before, but it still works.  My father showed wisdom in requiring all his children to learn how to swim.  He didn’t know how to teach us, so, he sent us to a program offered by the Red Cross.  It was held on Saturday mornings at the public High School pool.  I still remember my first day.  This is almost fifty years ago.  But I still remember it.  After getting changed into our swim trunks, the instructor had us stand against the wall as measure our height.  We had to be over three feet tall.  Then, he had is stand on the edge of the pool and read the depth of the water.  Two feet, six inches.  Proving that all we had to do was step on the floor of the pool, we couldn’t drown.  Then he showed us the rescue pole which he would use if we got into trouble.  The problem was, when one looked into the water, knowing the water distorted the true depth, our observation and fear overwhelmed our logic.  Even though it was distorted.  Ultimately, we had to trust the instructor, ignoring what our flesh and mind was telling us.

Our wicked nature distorts truth.  It cannot see it.  Our wicked nature believed lies.  It pursues what it desires regardless of the outcome.  Our egos misunderstand the absolute nature of God’s design and falsely thinks the mere ability of self-determination also means truth is relative.  Our pride refuses to see what is plainly in front of our eyes.  We ignore the obvious results of our choices or those of another thinking these results are new and not repeatable.  It does take faith to ignore our nature and trust the truth of God’s word.  The evidence is overwhelming.  No matter how much we ignore the LORD’s hand and plan, truth is still truth.  Trust means we take God at His word and apply it regardless of what our flesh or mind is telling us.  We need trust because the old man is using a lifetime of experiences to battle the truth revealed to us in His word.  We need trust based on the logic of cause and effect as revealed in the book of Proverbs so that our faith stands firm on the nature of God’s truth:  irrefutable.  This is what the book of Proverbs was written.  That trust would grow in the wisdom of God’s book and not in the feelings or desires of the heart.

Our Maker Makes no Mistakes

“Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?” (Isa 45:9 AV)

If we are going to strive, then let us strive with men.  But not with God.  The warning is a good one.  The warning is a humbling one.  The warning, if heeded, bring finality and security to a life chaotically ambling along.  The context is Judah having a hard time with God’s purpose for them.  They rebelled against being different.  They didn’t like the fact they could not live like the nations around them.  So, the fought against God’s perfect plan for them.  God is a God of purpose and plan.  He creates with a goal in mind.  To fight against it is to rob ourselves of the most blessed life we could possibly have. 

Years ago, I watched a documentary on the formation of human life.  Many things astounded me and the truth of Psalm 139 was firmly reaffirmed.  However, one part of the documentary really struck me as the hand of the Maker.  The statistical probability that you are who you are is one in 400 quadrillion.  Not factoring in your parents meeting, getting married, and able to bear children, the above statistic comes after those assumptions.  One writer puts it this way.  You have as much chance of being you as a single turtle sticking his head up in a single life preserver randomly thrown in an unknown body of water.  ON THE FIRST TRY!  This is how unique each and every individual is.  That being said, that God our maker has created with purpose and plan goes without saying.  We can believe no two snowflakes are identical.  Cannot we believe we are and always will be unique?

If that is the case, then why to we fight against the One who has made us as though we know better.  That is the point of the passage above.  We can argue with one another.  One pot can argue with another pot.  But the pots cannot argue against the potter.  If we would just relax and trust the LORD to guide us, our anxiety level would precipitously drop.  Here is another application.  Several years back, I was rebuked by a church member for trying to educate youth out of their life situation.  I was told there was no hope.  They were born into a fractured family to parents who didn’t care and their lot in life was to hopefully graduate from high school (but if not, it really didn’t matter) and either be a laborer or live off the system.  I am sorry, but their Maker might have bigger plans for them and if we don’t put those goals in front of them, they will never achieve God’s will for their lives.  Not that being a laborer is a bad thing.  It is not.  But if the LORD has something else in mind, then it can be.  In other words, God made you and to fight against God’s plan for you is not wise.

Three Little Words

“But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” (Isa 43:1 AV)

Three little words that mean all the world.  Some might see the possessiveness of these three little words as an offense.  They are not meant to be.  They are meant to convey value, commitment, and security.  Some may see the relation between redemption and possession and see the fact as being owned as devaluing the soul to an impersonal possession.  This is not the case.  These three little words might seem demeaning.  It is often preached the right of redemption as the right of a property owner.  Although we are the creation of God and He has the right to do with us as He pleases, this passage is not meant to convey this sovereign right.  These three little words are the most beautiful of all.  To the saint, these three little words are words that bring the ultimate in contentment, joy, purpose, security, approval, and affirmation.  These three little words sum up the total of our relationship with the Savior who gave His life that we might live.  These three little words should be held deep within the heart.  These three little words should dispel and attack waged by the adversary.  These are sound words.  These are perfect words.

One can tell whether an individual is ready for marriage.  There are restrictions to competing relationships that are natural and necessary.  There are certain liberties lost when one says ‘I do’.  For instance, there was a time I was courting a young lady prior to meeting my wife and this young lady had a lot of guy friends.  There was no romance or flirting involved.  Aside from the inappropriateness of these relationships, I was disturbed that she would have so many male friends while I courted her.  She made it plainly known these relationships would continue and I was to get over my jealousy.  I didn’t own her.  She felt she should have the liberty to continue her life however it pleased her without any regard to how it affected me.  She clearly was nor ready to be married and the courtship ended as quickly as it started.  I have counseled couples who are considering marriage and even some married couples who struggle with the concept.  A fella doesn’t want to commit to the restrictions a permanent relationship would require.  A husband resents the lack of liberty a wife and children bring.  A bride to be desires to continue pursuing life’s goals apart from what it would mean to her husband.  Or, she wants to place other relationships as equal to, or greater, than the one she is thinking of establishing with her groom.  These people are not ready to marry.  These three little words mean all the world and those who are happily married treasure them.

The LORD does not wish to establish a relationship on ownership.  Rather, His idea has always been a relationship based on covenant.  A mutual promise of exclusivity.  A deep and committed relationship wherein both parties treasure one another beyond any and all others.  These three little words are like a husband who holds his wife tight to his chest.  Not because he owns her.  Rather, because he treasures her.  He has won the blessing of calling her, his.  There are no others that can have her heart.  There are no others who can claim her as his interest.  All other suitors have been fended off and he alone stands the victor for a heart worth the struggle.  I am God’s!  And so grateful for it!  There is not a being ever created that can break this bond.  I am eternally secure in the love of an eternal God.  Satan, the world, and the flesh have lost.  I am His and He is mine!  Forever

Wealth of Kindness

“The desire of a man is his kindness: and a poor man is better than a liar.” (Pr 19:22 AV)

This is a tough one to understand.  The poor man is the man whose desire is to show kindness.  The liar is a man of mean who wishes not to show kindness.  The point of the proverb is kindness is better than the opposite, even if it means we do without.  To be kind is a blessing to one’s own heart as well as the heart of another.  To be unkind blesses no one.  Knowing many kind people of my day, I can honestly say, they are the most blessed of all people, but often suffer needs of their own.  They derive pleasure in helping others and somehow, this reduces the effect suffering a need may have on their own life.  Their needs don’t seem nearly as overwhelming as another’s need and thus their burden is lessened by the mere act of being kind to another.

Being kind doesn’t necessarily mean one has to be charitable with material goods in order to prove kindness.  There are others ways in which a soul can be kind.  Have you ever noticed that it is common to see a greeter with a handicap at your local hospital?  Some may be cynical and think it is the only job someone with those abilities could find.  I think it is much more.  The other day, I had to take my wife for an outpatient procedure.  We passed a young lady sitting at a small portable podium type desk.  She was there to assist people in finding their destination.  She was part of security, but you could tell she was not mobile enough to chase down trouble.  She was there to help and greet.  She had a really great smile and outgoing personality.  Despite her set back.  In fact, her set back was the reason she was who she was.  She was more pleasant then the vast majority of others there to secure the area.  We had a great conversation.  Merry Christmas’ all around.

Being kind could mean opening a door for someone else.  Being kind could mean starting a conversation with someone who seems down or lost in their own world.  Being kind could mean buying that first responder a cup of coffee.  Being kind could be in the form of a simple compliment.  Being kind could be expressed by a desire to pray for someone.  Being kind may look like a phone call or text, just to check up on someone.  Being kind ultimately has its expression in sharing the gospel of Christ with someone who desperately needs it.  It is better to be kind and lack some need than to have all your needs met and not care about another soul.  Being kind brings an inner peace and joy that cannot be matched.  As expression of love to a total stranger is more blessed than most all other pursuits.  Being kind always results in kindness in return.  A smile.  A thank you.  A burden being lifted.  Greater riches than even the most unkind, yet wealthy person, could ever hope to obtain.

Weeping Will, oh!

“And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.” (Isa 38:3 AV)

Sometimes, the perfect will of God is a hard thing to bear.  Hezekiah was just told that he was to put his house in order because the illness of which he was suffering was terminal.  What disturbed Hezekiah the most was not his death.  Rather, he had no male heir.  There would be no son of Hezekiah to carry on the throne of Judah.  No lasting legacy to the revival which Hezekiah brought to Judah.  No legacy of faith that withstood Assyria to pass on to his seed.  No grandchildren.  No wonder Hezekiah wept sore.  This was God’s will for him.  A hard reality for sure.

Living for Jesus is not for the faint of heart.  There is a difference between being a believer and being a disciple.  The disciple is learning to conform to true Christlikeness.  He or she is learning the mind of Christ and found in First Peter and Philippians.  They are learning that true discipleship means a death to self.  This is why the first step of true discipleship is to deny self.  There are costs to following Jesus that many will never know.  There are private costs.  These are unfulfilled desires or dreams.  The cost of missing out on the blessing that others enjoy is perhaps one of the hardest to bear.  Resentment, like Hezekiah’s, is way too easy a temptation.  These costs are seldom welcomed.  They are seldom a cause for joy.  Persecution is easier to endure, in one sense, because we see the result of that costs.  But these private costs are the hardest.  Unless we walk in the shoes of those whom God has asked to sacrifice, we will never understand.  I have been blessed with three sons who love the LORD and are serving, or have been trained to serve, the LORD in full-time service.  They have private costs that no one will ever know.  They don’t publish it.  They don’t share it.  But they are there.

Hezekiah made the mistake of asking the cost be removed.  God heard him and granted him fifteen more years.  Two years later, he would father a son who would bring Judah down to final judgment.  Even though Hezekiah seemed not to be too disturbed by this fact, it had to eat away at him.  As he waits for the final consummation of all things, he has to bear the fact his son, born two years after God removed the cost for service, was the king that destroyed what was left of Judah.  We may feel sorrow over those things God asks is to surrender.  These things are necessary.  These things have to be.  It hurts and it hurts deeply.  But fighting it from the emotion of resentment, asking the LORD to remove the cost may indeed increase our sorrow even more.  Sure, Hezekiah rejoiced at the birth of a son.  Now he had an heir.  But at what cost?  Greater than the cost of not having a son to begin with!

Deal of the Century

“Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern; Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.” (Isa 36:16-17 AV)

The deal of the century!  Something looks eerily familiar about this deal.  Not that I wish to digress, but a ruler is suggesting the people sign over their government to him and he will let them enjoy their life just as it is.  And, when he decides to finally take them to his land, it will be just as good.  Sound familiar?  The king of Assyria has come to invade Jerusalem.  Hezekiah, king of Judah is trying to encourage the people not to fear the threats of this invading king.  One argument after another is failing.  The king of Assyria claims to be stronger than the God whom they trust.  He points to the false gods of other nations as though they were real.  Being defeated by his armies, he believes the God of Judah is just as hopeless.  This king even goes so far as to state the LORD sent him because the people has failed.  Just as he did to Israel.  This claim above is the last of the arguments.  If they will surrender, then their lives will never get worse.  It will only get better.

This is a great illustration of temptation.  Sin has a way of promising things it cannot deliver.  When meditating on this passage, I cannot help but think of the believer more so than the lost.  Those who have lived a life in the protection of the Christian home are tempted away from it by this very argument.  It promises we don’t have to give anything up.  All the blessings realized and owned will still remain even if we sign over our lives to sin.  The promise of security which we already possess doesn’t make sense.  Why sign away our lives to sin if we already have that which is best for us?  At least the king is honest in that he admits they will be carried away into his land.  The promise is a false one.  The promise that life will continue as it always has or even better than it has is a lie.  The hardships they might be facing now, coupled with the blessings of obedience, will all become a curse if they believe the word of a king who simply wants to consume them.

When we leave the center of God’s will, no matter what the allure, it is a mirage.  It won’t be better no matter how much the world or the devil try to convince us otherwise.  The real question is:  why do we want to believe such foolishness?  But we do.  Again, not to be political, but the masses simply believed the line our leaders told us and not we are going down the road of more and more government control.  What made us think we would be freer?  What made us think we would be better off?  Temptation is a strong enemy.  It is not honest.  It is not forthright.  It is not going to have any compassion on us whatsoever.  It will promise the moon and consume us down to nothing in return.  It will claim there is little to no risk.  It will claim it only has our happiness at heart.  It will claim it knows better than we do.  It will claim other similar things to our faith have not worked.  So, why not trust it?  This lie is as old as the garden of Eden and we have not learned our lesson yet.  This particular event ends well.  The King of Judah placed the threatening letter from the king of Assyria before the LORD and the people decided to trust the LORD.  185,000 enemy combatants died that night without Judah having to raise a sword.  The king of Assyria was assassinated upon return to his city.  It is always better to trust the LORD than to believe the lies of temptation.