You Can and You Will

“And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.  And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?” (2Ki 10:8-9 AV)

 

So, what is going on here?  A man named Jehu was anointed king over the ten tribes of Israel.  He was sanctioned by the LORD to bring judgment on the house of Ahab, his predecessor.  Ahab had died in battle, but his son reigned in Samaria.  Jehu was instructed to kill all the sons of Ahab so that not one of them would reign in Israel.  Jehu took his unction rather seriously.  He killed the king of Israel, Ahab’s son; killed Ahaziah, king of Judah who had married Ahab’s daughter; killed Jezebel, Ahab’s wife; and had all the sons of Ahab beheaded.  This is where we pick up the story.  There were seventy sons of Ahab.  Every one of them was beheaded.  Jehu had the heads of these men piled in two piles outside the gate of the city.  He then called the people together and made the statement above.  This was a profound and wise move by a determined leader to free his people from the oppressive influence of a corrupt king.  Jehu may have killed the king, his wife, his eldest son, and the king of Judah.  But the people executed the rest of the family.  This is an important distinction.  The people had to know it was within them to do right.  They had been under the leadership of evil kings for generations.  They could not believe in themselves.  They had to know no matter how powerful the enemy, they have the power to do right.

Great revivals happen when people cease to see themselves as helpless victims.  They have to see themselves as free, yet not quite free.  They have to believe they can be rid of that which oppresses before they can cast off that which oppresses.  I am fascinated by those who are experts in wilderness survival.  The skills and techniques they reveal are common sense.  However, for those who panic and do not think about their situation all the way through, a predicament in the wilderness can become life-threatening.  One of those predicaments which I like to watch is how to escape from quicksand.  The method of escape is always the same.  The first thing the instructor tells you is not to try to struggle against the sand.  The more the victim struggles, the deeper he goes.  The survivalist explains the victim needs to use surface area to his advantage.  He or she needs to lay on their stomach or belly as much as they can.  This goes contrary to our instinct.  We think we will sink faster.  But it is all about displacement.  Once on the back, work one leg at a time.  Move it in a small circular motion and lift it slowly.  When freed, rest it flat on the sand.  Work the second leg free.  Once freed, move as you would swimming the backstroke.  Slowly move while remaining on your back until you can reach something to help pull you out.  The most important thing the victim must do is believe he or she can be free.  If not, there is no getting out of it.  Panic is the only response.

Victims of oppression need to believe they can be free.  Those overcome by sin need to believe they can be free.  If there is no belief they can be free, then there is no hope.  This is why Jehu had the people execute the sons of Ahab.  He could have gone in there and taken care of business with the small army he had.  He didn’t need the people to do what they did.  They needed to do it.  They needed to see no matter how oppressive Ahab and Jezebel were, by the power of God, they could overcome.  What an astounding exercise from a leader who wanted his people free.  So, if you are battling sin, discouragement, or failure, you are not hopelessly entangled with something that will ruin your life.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can do this.  You can have victory.  You can overcome.  You can and will slay the dragon.  There is nothing you will ever face that is greater than the God upon whom you trust!  Nothing!  So, gird on the shield of truth and wield the sword of God’s word.  Pray for enabliement.  Pray for resolve.  Listen to that voice of the Holy Spirit inside of you.  Let His conviction and courage rule in your heart.  By God’s grace, you can do this!

Is God Big Enough?

“And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.” (2Ki 7:19 AV)

 

Jerusalem was in a bad way.  Syria had besieged it.  There was a famine that was so bad, two women petitioned the king for judgment concerning cannibalism.  They had agreed they would boil their babies for food.  The first gave up her child but the second did not.  The king was so distraught he went to the city walls and in view of the entire city, rent his clothes.  Jerusalem, which had a formidable calvary was down to five horses.  A single meal cost the equivalent of a year’s pay.  The prophet heard the king had rent his clothes so he came to encourage the king.  He said about the same time tomorrow, a single meal would practically cost nothing.  This is where we pick up the story.  One of the leaders of the nation states that even if God were to open the windows of heaven, what the prophet declared would still be impossible.  In essence, what the lord is saying is there are things too big for God to do.

I get it.  If been there, done that.  Several years ago, things came crashing down.  Several things were going on all at once that magnified one particular thing as too big for God.  I had lost my mother, my organ player, and my son and his family moved to Brazil.  The boys all moved away and my ministry was coming to an end.  I made a decision in the midst of all of this that I probably should not have made.  It was rather traumatic.  Nothing illegal, but there were threats and no-so-nice phone calls back and forth.  Because I was already weakened by great loss, the consequences of this decision looked insurmountable.  I thought I was going to suffer greatly for what I decided.  This was too big for God.  He could not possibly straighten it all out.  I caused the problem with an unwise decision and now God was judging me.  I had to plead with the LORD for grace.  It was through this event I learned that even the likes of me might experience the grace of God too.  If it wasn’t for my wife and good friend, I would not have made it through that trial.  In the middle of it, I echoed the words of the lord above.  Even if God were to do all that He could do, I had messed up so badly that there was no way out.  How wrong I was!

It is one thing to think it.  Quite another to verbalize it.  We all have those thoughts from time to time.  We may lose someone close to us and the pain we feel is so large, we don’t think even God can make up the difference.  Our babies need food and there is nothing in the cupboard.  We are out of work and there is no money in the bank.  How will God feed my babies?  We have a diagnosis that seems like it marks the end of our days, or the pain from a procedure is so overwhelming, there is nothing else we think about.  In these times, we may think that even if God were to pour blessings untold upon us, it would never make up the difference in our deficit.  But God has not changed.  He is still almighty.  He is still omnipotent.  He is still benevolent.  He still cares and He can still do the impossible.  In times like these, it is best to keep one’s thoughts to oneself and allow God to be God.  You might enquire of this lord.  The prophet’s words came true.  The Syrian army fled and left behind everything.  Animals, food, and material wealth all lay dormant on the battlefield.  When the people stormed out the gates of Jerusalem, they trod this lord under foot that he died.  He wouldn’t trust in the grace of God.  Therefore, he never experienced it.

Partial Repentance is Not Repentance at All

“Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.  And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made. Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom.” (2Ki 3:1-3 AV)

 

Ahab was the worst king Israel ever had.  He took the sins of the first king of Israel and magnified them tenfold.  Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, set up two altars for Israel to worship.  One was in Dan.  The other in Bethel.  They were in the form of calves.  He also made of the lowest of the people, priests, to serve the calves he has set up.  However, Ahab did much worse.  He married the daughter of a pagan king who promoted Baal worship over the worship of Jehovah.  Ahab had a man executed so that he might take his inheritance.  Ahab was so bad God sent Elijah to condemn him to death.  Both he and his wife Jezebel were killed and fed to dogs.  That was how bad Ahab was.  His son Jehoram, seeing what had become of his parents, cleaned out the prophets of Baal and put away all Baal worship from Israel.  The problem was, he did not go far enough.  He never took away the calves of Jeroboam.  It was those calves which first tempted Israel to leave God in favor of foreign and fake gods.  Jehoram got rid of the obviously wicked while leaving intact the less obvious.  He got rid of the clearly wrong but held on to those things which seemed to be not as bad as what he cleansed.  Partial repentance is no repentance at all.

I just read how Parkinson's is on the rise among the elderly.  Research indicates this might be tied to a chemical used with the acronym TCR.  This chemical is used for industrial applications.  But it is also used to decaffeinate coffee.  This is not good for me! Because of a heart issue I have, I have diluted my regular coffee with decaffeinated to treat a fluttering heartbeat.  It works pretty well.   Now I come to find out I may have increased the chances of falling to Parkinson’s by as much as 500%.  When my heart flutters, I get really tired.  An occasional fluttering isn’t bad at all.  However, the last time lasted for three weeks.  There was a day or two when I was fatigued to the point I could not move fast and I had to hold myself up lest I fall.  This scared a few people.  I also have to be careful about how much chocolate I consume.  It seems caffeine and chocolate in access are not good for the old ticker.  So, now I find out that the chemical to decaffeinate coffee could cause a disease.  And here I thought I was doing good by reducing my caffeine intake.  Apparently not.  Getting rid of most of it is not good enough.  Altar, here I come.

This is often how we deal with sin.  We do a partial withdrawal.  We get rid of the most obvious.  We remove that which causes the greatest harm.  Yet, we leave behind the root cause of the sin.  We remove what everyone can see but still hold on to a little taste of it.  Sort of like when I quit smoking.  Trying to wean off of nicotine doesn’t work.  One must go cold turkey and deal with it.  Otherwise, that one you hold on to will lead right back to the problem.  This is what happened with Israel.  Jehoram may have removed the obvious sins of Ahab, but he did not remove the idols of Dan and Bethel.  They were still there.  There they sat as an enticement back to where they were.  There they say.  A golden idol on the hilltop, calling a nation back to that which was causing their demise.  If we are to repent it must be all the way.  It cannot be halfway.  One must quit cold turkey.  One has to get rid of all possible ways in which this sin can grow again.   Partial repentance is no repentance at all.

Bitter Is Sweet

“And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.” (1Ki 22:27 AV)

 

Maciah was the prophet of God sent to preach to the wicked king Ahab. Ahab was the king of the northern ten tribes of Israel who married Jezebel, a daughter of a Phaniciaen nation.  Jezebel pushed Baal worship and Ahab her husband was a spineless wimp of a man who wouldn’t stand up to her.  His most hideous act was to murder a close relative that he might possess a field.  Upon this act, which was three years before the event above, Elijah declares to the king that he and his wife would die violent deaths.  In the process, wild dogs and birds would consume their carcasses.  This brings us to the above event.  Syria has come out against Israel.  Ahab summons his prophets to declare what God will do.  All declare God will bless the battle and Ahab would be victorious.  The only thing is, they did not prophesy in the name of the LORD.  None of what they said was valid.  The king of Judah, Jehoshaphat (who came up to help in the battle) called for a man of God who would prophesy in the name of the LORD.  Here enters Maciah.  After initially telling Ahab to go ahead and fight because he would return victorious, Ahab tells him to prophesy in the name of the LORD.  When he then revealed the truth of the future; that Ahab would die in battle and the dogs would eat them; he is sent to prison and fed with the bread and water of affliction.  When I read this, I wondered how Maciah actually felt about it.

There is a difference between being punished for doing wrong and being punished for doing right.  One can suffer the same conditions of punishment, but experience it differently depending on the circumstances.  When I worked at the pizzeria, there were two of us considered for the manager position.  Jerry and I competed for the same position.  The owner’s brother was the current manager but was leaving to manage a new store.  Not to brag, but I was the better employee.  I was faster, better organized, and could deal with employees better than Jerry could.  I was a Christian and my character was far and away higher than Jerry’s.  However, I would not drink with my boss.  I would not go to bars with my boss.  I would not go next door to a Seven-Eleven to buy booze for my boss.  I would not tell dirty jokes or listen to them either.  I wouldn’t stay until the early morning hours just to shoot the breeze.  I went to church whenever I could.  I worked just as hard as Jerry but I also went to Bible school.  I was passed over time and again.  Not just for the management position at the restaurant I worked, but for every new shop the company opened also choose someone different.  One might think I might have become bitter.  Not so.  The oppression I felt was a badge of honor.  The bread and water of affliction they meant as a discouragement was a reminder that I had done the right thing.  To me, it wasn’t stale bread and bitter water.  It was the reward for doing the right thing.

The bread of affliction may be moldy.  The water of affliction may be bitter.  What makes all the difference in the world is why we are consuming it.  If we are in obedience to the will of God, then that which is meant to be a discouragement and punishment is rather a constant reminder we did the right thing.  What is meant to be a hindrance is actually and motive to continue.  What is meant to be detrimental is actually a source of growth.  Ahab may have meant to do additional harm to Macaih, but perhaps Macaih looked at that old and dried-out loaf of bread and said, “praise the LORD!  At least I declared the truth in the name of the LORD and he will be dead within a day or two.”  There is no persecution the world can send that would discourage the faithful saint from service to God.  All it does is add fuel to the fire of a heart that is already on fire for God.  So, appreciate the cost of faithfulness. It is a reminder of what God can do through a surrendered heart.

A Time To Decompress

“And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (1Ki 19:13 AV)

 

This is the second time God asks Elijah this question.  Elijah had concluded a dramatic confrontation with Jezebel’s prophets of Baal.  He had called them to the top of mount Carmel and dared them to call upon Baal to rain down fire from heaven.  He would do the same with the one true God.  They built their altars.  They dressed their sacrifices.  Then the prophets of Baal called upon him for the majority of the day.  Nothing.  Elijah dug a trench around his altar and soaked his sacrifice with water.  One quick prayer and the fire came down.  To show God as the One and only Tyre God, Elisha then commanded all the prophets of Ball to be killed.  This angered Jezebel so much that she swore to take the life of Elijah before the conclusion of the next day.  This causes Elijah to flee into the wilderness and hide in a cave.  This is where we pick up the story.  God asks Elijah what he was doing in the cave.  He asks twice.  Both times, Elijah’s answer is the same.  He is burned out and he feels he is the only one who is fighting for God.  The question is asked twice.  What the question is meant to imply, we cannot tell.  What we do know is God’s response was to send help by way of a new king in Syria, and new king for Israel, and a replacement for his office.  Perhaps the question was more therapeutic than it was accusatory.   Maybe Elijah had to admit to himself just how used up he really was.

When going through very stressful events, we do not see, to take the time to decompress.  Recently, my wife and I sat with her oncologist and she told us there was nothing to worry about.  Her cancer was stable.  There were no new tumors.  There was no reason to believe in the short term, there would be anything of concern.  Her treatments were doing what they were designed to do and there was no indication this cancer would return.  At least in the foreseeable future.  At the same time, I was dealing with a church problem that had the potential of boiling over into a full-blown catastrophe.  I did not deal with the second because I needed to decompress from the first.  For ten months, we had been battling the heavy-handed monster called Cancer.  We went through the typical experience of all couples faced with this diagnosis.  We put our battle array on and faced the giant.  When the giant seemed to be dead, we went after our ten thousand.  Like David, Goliath, and the Philistines, I felt like I had committed to the bitter end.  With the sword of God in my hand, we faced down the oppositions of discouragement, fear, and hopelessness.  When the doctor said there is nothing to worry about and that do not foresee cancer returning anytime soon, I felt like David with a sword in hand, looking for another head to lop off.  There was no head.  There was no battle.  There was no enemy.  I had to decompress.

Many look at the question as a rebuke.  I don’t think that it was.  Otherwise, the LORD would not have sent help to Elijah.  Rather, I think the question was meant to help Elijah process the situation.  Elijah had to decompress.  He has to process the dramatic and extreme ways in which God used him and the consequences of being used.  I remember one time when the LORD asked me to switch from the message I had prepared and trust Him to extemporaneously preach Romans 6.  There were serious sin issues in the camp of which I was unaware.  God really came down.  The entire church came to the altar and serious sin was halted.  All glory to Him.  But I had to go straight to my office and I collapsed on the floor.  I had to decompress.  It is not good for anyone to go through hard times without stepping back into a cave and decompressing from what just happened.  In doing so, Elijah expressed a need he might not have any other way.  He was not whining.  What he was doing was coming to the end of himself and admitting he needed help and encouragement.  Next time the LORD gives you a deep trial of faith, don’t forget to take some time and process what you just went through.  Otherwise, it will eat you up inside and you will burn out.

Loving Self

“He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.” (Pr 19:8 AV)

 

There is a term we throw around that is misused and, quite frankly, anti-Biblical.  The secular world uses the term self-love to designate a feeling one has for oneself.  A feeling of self-affirmation, self-appreciation, and even pride for oneself.  This self-love is pushed into our culture as a way to tolerate our own faults.  Self-love is an excuse to live contrary to the word of God and feel proud as one is living that way.  But the passage above reveals the true manifestation of self-love.  If we loved our own souls, we would seek the wisdom that comes from above.  We would study the word of God and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to it.  If we really loved ourselves, we would conform to the commandments of the word of God and confess our faults when we fail.  One thing is clear.  Remaining naïve is not a food thing.  Remaining in the dark is a form of self-hatred.  Refusing to read and study the word of God that we might apply it, is a form of self-loathing.  If we really loved ourselves, we would know and live the word of God.

There are so many weight loss programs out there, it is hard to keep them separate.  Our TV is hammered with one ad after another of diets for a person to try.  There is GOLO.  There is Adkins.  There are KETO products.  Supplements are promising to shed pounds.  But the one that seems to broadcast more than others is WeightWatchers.  I don’t know if their commercials are the ones that I am thinking of, but some push self-love as the motivation to try their product and lose weight.  I don’t think that idea is proprietary.  I wouldn’t be surprised if several of these products use that same motivation.  Regardless of who it is, they do have a point.  Not that we should love ourselves over God.  Rather, if we do truly care for ourselves, then we will do what we can to live healthily.  If we do not care for ourselves, then no matter what method we try, it will not work.  I remember one commercial years ago.  It might have been for weight loss.  Or, it might have been for a nicotine patch.  The subject mentioned they had struggled with addiction and tried everything on the market.  They were motivated by a child telling them to quit, or this child would grow up without a parent.  This worked for a while.  The addiction came back.  It wasn’t until the subject decided to “do it for myself” that he or she gained the victory.  There is something to this.

Our first motive for living wisely should be our love for the LORD and to bring Him glory through our choices.  However, the second best motivation is that we love ourselves.  Again, you might be chaffing at that term.  Love ourselves.  Our king, Solomon used those words.  He is not advocating an ego-centric love.  He is not pushing an arrogant love.  Solomon is not teaching a love for self above love for God or love for others.  Solomon is merely saying if we seek and live by wisdom, then we show appreciation for the life God has given and are willing to care for it as He would.  This is not an infatuation with self.  This is a sacrifice to ensure self grows and remains healthy.  Like taking our medications, exercising, and eating right shows an appreciation for life, wisdom is the same.  Wisdom is to the soul what healthy living is to the body.  Turning our back on wisdom is a form of destructive self-loathing.  Not good.

Safety First

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Pr 18:10 AV)

 

How can you run into a name?  A name is an abstract noun.  It is not a solid structure.  A name is a series of letters put together that when spoken, the addressed responds to or is acknowledged.  A name is a title. A name is an identification.  How can something that is abstract be a thing to which the righteous flee?  A name can be more than identification.  In this case, the name of the LORD is not a mere identifier.  It is His reputation.  It is not a title by which we address Him.  It is His character.  Those who feel threatened or afraid can run to the reputation of God and place all their faith in what He is.  Not only in who He is.  Note also the individual application here.  The righteous are not a group of saints in general.  This is often how that word is used.  If it were, the verb would be plural.  “And are safe.” The tower, although available to all those who are righteous, is applied to any single individual who needs the reputation of the LORD to feel safe.

I know I have used this illustration before, but it is what comes to mind when I think of this truth.  I attended and worked many Boy Scout camps.  There were competitions between the troops all week long.  One of them was on Friday nights.  It was a glorified game of Capture the Flag.  Being a Boy Scout camp, there were plenty of structures we could use as a base.  There were two in particular.  We had constructed thirty-foot TeePee-type structures.  Actually, they were frames upon which TeePees could be built.  They were lashed together as expert Scouts would do.  Atop these structures were the flags.  The objective of the game was to capture the flag from your opponent's structure and hoist it on your own.  The structure was used as both a holding place for the enemy combatants and also for those rescued from the enemy to recover.  Those in recovery would have to stay there for a predetermined amount of time before they were released back into the field of play.  When I think of the name of God as a tower, this is what comes to mind.  A soul who has been rescued from the enemy yet needs a place of refuge to which to flee.

So many of us are like the inexperienced boys running around that field with no direction or strategy.  We are taken by the enemy.  We fall because we did not think things all the way through.  We do not go to the tower when we are overwhelmed by the threat that is all around us.  We do not flee to the tower when we know we will lose if we do not.  The reputation of God does not mean as much as our own efforts or courage.  The righteous flee to the tower because they know they are right with God.  The righteous flee to the tower because life experience has taught them the LORD can be trusted.  The righteous know when to flee.  They know to whom they should flee.  And they know if their heart rests on what God is as much as who God is, they will be safe.