Saved From Good Intentions

“And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It [is] the king of Israel. Therefore, they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them [to depart] from him.” (2Ch 18:31 AV)

Jehoshaphat was the king of Judah.  Ahab was the king of Israel.  Ahab had to go to war with the Syrians over the town of Ramoth-Gilead.  This city was located on the east side of Jordan and belonged to the tribe of Gad.  It was strategically located along the king’s highway and, whoever controlled this city, controlled commerce from the east to the west.  Ahab asked Jehoshaphat to join him in battle.  Both kingdoms being Jewish, Jehoshaphat agreed.  Part of the battle plan was to disguise Ahab as a common soldier while Jehoshaphat remained in his royal robes.  The prophet had warned Ahab that he would die in battle for all the sins he and his wife, Jezebel, wrought on the ten northern tribes.  His scheme was to sacrifice his brother so that he might live.  It is surprising the king of Judah agreed to be the sacrificial lamb for his errant colleague.  As the battle would go, the forces focused on the one in royal apparel.  Here is where we pick up the account.  With his life in jeopardy, Jehoshaphat cries out to the LORD, and the LORD delivered him.  God protected the king from consequences of a poor choice made with good intentions.

We often make poor choices with good intentions.  We mean well.  We cannot say ‘no’.  We think we are the only answer to another person’s problem.  Sometimes the one in need is suffering greatly and our emotions get the better of us.  The cause may even be a noble one.  Regardless of the reason, we should not make the choice.  In Jehoshaphat’s case, God was preparing to judge a severely backslidden and wicked king.  Even though they shared a lineage and culture, and the heart would feel a certain loyalty because of it, he had no business helping someone whom God had declared judged.  We often make similar choices.  If the circumstances were slightly different, it would be the right thing to help.  If someone was truly in need and there was no compromise in assisting, then it would be the right thing to do.  Serving full-time in ministry, opportunities to exercise charity are extremely frequent.  People in need tend to search out churches for help.  Sometimes, the situation warrants assistance.  Many times, it does not.  No matter how destitute someone might appear, if it is evident they will use the assistance for substance abuse, helping does more harm than good.  This reminded me of Peter, who told the poor, begged lame man, “…Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (Ac 3:6 AV)

It is a good thing the LORD exercises compassion on our misguided compassion.  God sees the heart.  He knows we meant well.  But if we show love and compassion without divine instruction, and it leads to unfortunate circumstances, sometimes God intervenes and prevents further harm.  Not always, mind you.  If the error was clearly wrong and especially egregious, it might be the LORD allows us to suffer the consequences of misguided assistance.  Such was the case with me.  I helped someone out with a medical need and chose to ignore a regulation.  That cost me for three years.  God is good.  He loves us.  He appreciates the concern we have for others.  It is better to show concern and be wrong from time to time than to be a cynic and never show any concern at all.  Know that if we do make a poor decision based on good intentions, the LORD may not allow us to suffer all we could have if He didn’t show grace.  Praise the LORD for His grace!  Praise the LORD that our lives are not in bigger messes than they are!  Praise the LORD for His charity on the hearts of those who only mean well.

Even After Ages

“Now for a long season Israel [hath been] without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.” (2Ch 15:3-4 AV)

What an amazing statement of God’s grace.  These words were directed to Asa, king of Judah.  They were meant to encourage Asa to get right with God and to the right thing.  This would include the removal of his own mother from the queen’s throne because she possessed an idol.  This he did, and much more.  The grace of God on others was the motivation from Asa to do right before the LORD.  Note in particular the phrase, “for a long season”.  Israel, or the ten northern tribes, fled from God almost immediately after the split.  Their first king, Jeroboam, set up golden calves in Dan and Bethel.  They did their own thing.  They worshipped false gods.  Yet, when trouble came, they cried out to the one true God who had compassion on them.  He eased their suffering as they turned back to Him.  I am always amazed at the grace of God and live in the wonder that He so readily forgives and restores.  Even if we have been away for a very long time, God still desires our reconciliation.  He never wishes for long-term estrangement.  Or any estrangement, for that matter.  His heart is to walk with His children and will do all He can to make that happen.

It is tragic when we deal with saints who think they have been away far too long that returning is impossible.  These are tragic cases, to be sure.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, those who remain away usually do so to their detriment.  They fall deeper and deeper into sin until they come to a place of utter failure.  They erroneously believe there is a point of no return and no matter what they do, God doesn’t want them back.  How sad.  This is a devil’s lie!  The season we stay away may be long, but God’s grace is always greater.  We meet these people quite frequently as we work our neighborhoods.  As we speak to others regarding their soul’s condition, invariably we will encounter someone who has been part of a church but hasn’t darkened the door in decades.  It is not out of the ordinary to speak to some who attended a children’s program, but are now a wayward adult who have made a series of very bad choices.  Sometimes, the humility is ignorance is obvious.  They simply do not believe God would ever want anything to do with them, no matter how much they tried.  So, they live in a state of permanent defeat.  For the most part, however, people like this simply do not want to change their habits and lifestyle.  They have gotten comfortable in their sin and have no desire to walk with God.

Asa was heading down the wrong road.  It wasn’t so bad that his life was a complete wreck.  But he did have a few idols lying around.  When the prophet visited him, he took to heart the message of God’s grace.  He recognized God’s goodness to his neighbors north of the border.  He realized the grace they experienced was available to him.  So, as Paul tells us in his first letter to the Romans, the goodness of the LORD leads us to repentance.  If the LORD could be good to a nation who had rejected Him for a long season, then surely God could and would be good to him!  Herein is our message this morning.  God is good!  He is so good that we cannot understand it.  If we wander far from God, and have been doing so for a very long time, God still desires reconciliation.  If we want back in, He wants us back in!  That is how God’s grace works.  All we have to do is ask.  If God can forgive a nation who, for a long season, walked away; surely, He will forgive you, welcoming you back with wide and open arms!  Glory!

Prepared Heart

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

This is the first occurrence of the underlined phrase above.  This phrase is used both negatively and positively.  We read of leaders preparing their heart to seek the LORD, and as above, those who do not.  What grabbed my attention is that one word, ‘prepared’.  When I think of that word, I think of preparing a meal.  There is a lot that goes into preparing a meal.  It has to be planned.  Food items must be purchased.  Then there is the prep work that comes before any heat is added.  There is chopping, searing, stirring, and frying.  There is baking, grilling, and rendering. There is finishing the plate, keeping it warm, and making sure everything comes out at the same time.  There is a lot that goes into preparing ingredients and combining them into a perfect meal.  So, the question I went to my understanding of that word above.  Then I looked up the definition, and it simply means to set.  This would include all the dispositions, attitudes of the mind, and desires of the will be fixed to seek the LORD.  This condition of the heart is a determined will that disciplines the heart to love the LORD above all else.  It is a fixed heart.  It is a heart resolved to seek and love the LORD.  But there is a lot that goes into it.

When one looks at the definition, it is apparent there is much that goes into fixing the heart.  The definition tree goes on and on.  The definition includes processes that result in a firm and fixed heart.  There is, first and foremost, prioritizing seeking the LORD above all other interests or desires of the heart.  God comes first.  This is a discipline.  This is the opposite of the world’s theme of ‘just follow your heart’.  That is poor advice.  To prioritize seeking the LORD is doing just the opposite.  The heart is not to be followed.  The heart is to be confined.  The heart must learn what ‘no’ means.  It must learn it cannot have what it wants.  The heart must be in subjection to the will of its Creator.  The heart must become a servant to the desires of another.  To prepare the heart means to replace the desires of what one cannot have with what the LORD has prepared for it.  In other words, if the heart wants rest and slumber, yet following the LORD means rising and spending time with God, then that is what the heart must do.  In context, Rehoboam fell away from God because he followed in his father’s footsteps.  Rehoboam loved many wives, and it was his love for intimacy that drove him away from God.  He followed his heart.  He did not prepare his heart.

Many foolish choices occur in life because we follow the desires of the heart.  Our emotions go unchecked and we are taught every itch must be scratched.  We are not taught the nobility of self-discipline.  We are discouraged from fixing the heart because it is assumed those who do are Pharisees who stand in judgment of those who fail.  What a pity.  Instead of controlling the desires of the heart, we succumb to them.  Our hearts are not fixed.  They are not firm.  They are not resolved to follow the LORD, no matter the cost.  This is where Solomon and his son, Rehoboam, failed.  Their heart’s desires got the better of them.  They could not say ‘no’.  They could not remain content in what the LORD had prepared for them and instead marched after harmful desires.  They hurt everyone around them.  They placed Judah on a trajectory that eventually led to their captivity.  These two men, father and son, refused to prepare their hearts to seek the LORD and as a result, left a wake of damage behind them.  So, when we are faced with a decision to seek the LORD or please self, LORD willing, we are mature enough to tell the heart to take a hike.  Doing what we must is more Christlike than doing what we want.

Think Before You Step

“Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” (Pr 4:26 AV)

To ponder something means to take time and let is circulate in the brain.  It means to think of every possible angle and the impact every decision.  To ponder means time stands stands still, and that no decision is made until one is full convinced it is the right decision.  Furthermore, the path which the pilgrim must consider is the whole path.  Not just that which lies before.  The path that he took, the path he is on, and the path that lays before him.  To ponder the path of the feet is to consider past actions, present conditions, and future possibilities.  To ponder the path of one’s feet is far more than simply pressing forward.  It is deeper than that.  Pondering the path of the feet defines who you are, what you are, and where you are going.  The suggesting here is not merely to avoid hazard.  The advice Solomon gives to his sons, if followed, will certainly keep them from unnecessary trouble.  But if followed, it will also produce a confident man who can glorify God and bless men.

Hiking the mountains while in pursuit of venison was an experience of planning and real-time strategy.  More so than flat-land hunting, one had to plan the journey with much more in mind.  Ascending a mountain is not nearly as hazardous as coming back down.  Especially if the hunter was successful.  Climbing is only concerned with the next step.  Descending often involves much more.  Ascending is concerned with forward motion and avoiding unplanned hazards.  Descending must look at much further ahead.  So, as one climbed the hill in pursuit of venison, the predator must look at where he had been and determine if descending the same way is doable.  Thinking of another example, climbing a tree and getting back down sometimes are not the same.  A child will often climb a tree, but when he gets as high as he can, discovers he cannot get down the same way he got up.  Pondering one’s journey from the perspective of the entire journey and not what only lies ahead will become short-sighted.  Looking back at where we came from gives us a reference point of where we should go.  Following game trials is a way to learn this skill.  Deer will follow the least treacherous path that also keeps them hidden from predators.  These game trails often indicated how to safely navigate a ravine or cliff.

We do not like to take the time to ponder.  We want to plow ahead and deal with the consequences later.  I did that once and got myself stuck at an impassable intersection and had to double back, dragging my game behind me.  I had to climb back up the mountain and find another way around.  Had a pondered my path, I would have avoided all that extra work.  If we think of our life’s journey as a single road, looking back gives direction for the future.  This direction is the same for everyone.  The choices may be different, but the objective is the same.  We are all heading toward Christlikeness.  The end is the same for us all.  When we look at the journey that lies before us, taking the extra time to ponder where we have come from and where God wants us to go will result in a straighter path.  We will not waste effort and expel resources to get where God wants us to be.  We will be where God wants us to be when He wants us to be there, doing what God wants us to do.  Pondering is a lost art.  We have no patience for it.  If we stop and think, others will think we are indecisive.  If we meditate too long, we are seen as faithless.  Too bad!  Pondering is a good thing.  Knowing where we have been, where we are going, and why it is so goes a long way to being consistently profitable for the LORD.

Living In a Hostile World

“Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, [that] I dwell in the tents of Kedar!” (Ps 120:5 AV)

Mesech is another term for a remote and barbarous people bent on warfare.  Many scholars believe the reference is to an area which, today, is located in southern Russia.  They also believe this to be the area of Gog and Magog.  Some suggest that Mesech is an earlier form of Moscow.  The word Kedar means blackness.  They used blackened animal skins to make their tents.  These people were Bedouin in practice and extremely violent.  They survived by making victims of others.  This psalm is meant to share how the writer felt while living among those who hate God.  This could have been written regarding the diaspora, but if David wrote it, perhaps he was referring to his time fleeing from Saul or Absalom.  Either way, it perfectly describes the pilgrim’s experience as he journeys toward the land of Jehovah.  The writer specifically seeks God’s favor so his soul does not become a casualty to those who hate peace.  He is not asking for deliverance from those around him.  Rather, he is simply asking for protection so that which does surround him does not sap the life from his soul.

One can only imagine the internal struggles David had while fleeing family.  He had to run from his father-in-law for thirteen years.  He ran from Absalom for a few months.  During these times, no doubt, he felt deeply rejected and persecuted.  It might be argued that David did play a small part in the rebellion of Absalom.  But not Saul.  David did nothing wrong.  He endured slander and persecution from his father-in-law, who wanted him dead.  There is no record of David spending any time in Mesech or with Kedar, but the analogy is true, nonetheless.  To say these times were discouraging is putting it mildly, to say the least.  He had to be monumentally discouraged.  Maybe even bordering on serious depression.  People who were supposed to be his closest supporters wanted him dead.  This had to weigh down on him.  After a few years of running from Saul, David settled in the land of the Philistines.  He knew Saul, although crazy, would not venture into enemy territory.  He was safe for the moment.  But raiders came while he and his men were out.  They took everything, including their wives and children.  The men were so upset with David that David removed himself from everyone and “encouraged himself in the LORD.”

We live in a hostile world.  The world hates God and hates God’s people.  No one, no matter how hard one might try, will be immune from the wrath of the God haters.  No one.  We will all live in Mesech and dwell in the tents of Kedar.  We cannot understand it.  We are peaceful people.  We may talk about sin, conviction, and faith.  But we do not start wars.  Seeking conversion is not by force.  We don’t want to make enemies of anyone!  We seek to convert others to Christ.  But that is not because they are enemies.  Rather, we desire to be friendly.  The world simply cannot stomach any truth that will bring conviction to the soul.  If it does, then they seek to destroy it.  David did nothing wrong.  He served the king faithfully.  He honored the LORD’s anointed.  He loved the LORD with his whole heart.  But there he was.  He was living among those who loved to war.  Living like this had the potential to change who and what he was.  This is what he was concerned with.  This was his prayer.  If he had to live among those who loved war, then so be it.  It was freedom from the influence he was seeking, and not freedom from proximity.  We should pray the same.  We live in a hostile world.  We should pray this hostile world does not influence us contrary to Christlikeness.

All Must Determine

“And Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the LORD, and an house for his kingdom.” (2Ch 2:1 AV)

The house to which our writer refers is the temple.  This dream started with David.  God had done so much for him and he wanted to honor the LORD in return.  The best way he knew how to do that was to erect a temple that would rival all the temples of the pagans.  He drew up plans given to him by the LORD.  He assembled all the pieces necessary.  He hired metal workers to fabricate the instruments of worship.  Almost everything was ready to go.  Then the LORD told David even though the desire to build the temple was in his heart, he was to be used for warfare and not for industry.  The LORD desired to use David in a different capacity.  So, David passed onto Solomon the vision and provision for the temple.  He charged his son to erect this magnificent building to God’s glory.  God Himself told Solomon he was the one determined in His perfect will to build the temple.  One would think Solomon did not have a choice in the matter.  God told him he was to do so and his father did most of the work for him.  But note the three first words of our passage.  Just because God says to do so and your father confirms the call of God, you still have to make that calling your own.

There comes a time when we have to make obedience and purpose of life our own.  We can learn from our teachers.  We can hear from our parents.  We can read and study.  But there comes a time when we must determine within our own hearts that the will of God is to be followed.  This doesn’t mean we are unthinking creatures who have no rationale for what we do.  Rather, when we get over ourselves and surrender self-determination, we realize all must do the same.  It is not just us.  It is everyone.  Many people wrongly assume that surrendering to what we have been taught or led to believe suggests a mind without reason.  We get our backs up and strike out on our own path.  We don’t want to follow in the footsteps of others because we can go our own way.  This only ends in ruin.  But there is another application here.  Similar to what was just mentioned, but from the perspective of David and God.

We cannot expect others to follow without questioning what they are doing.  Nor can we expect them to simply do as they are told without reasoning it all out in their own minds.  Just because we have outward compliance does not mean we have inward surrender.  This they must do of their own free will.  David and the LORD gave every opportunity for Solomon to build the temple.  They gave the call, the reasoning behind it, and as much provision as they could to see the project completed.  But in the end, Solomon had to determine to build it.  What a statement of wisdom for those who lead.  A pastor cannot expect or force a church to take up their lamp and carry the church forward.  They must determine to do it.  A parent cannot force a child to be what God wants them to be.  That child must determine to be what God wants them to be.  Leaders who mentor must be willing to let the LORD work and the student to determine.  One cannot force or coerce it.  The choice to determine to obey and follow must come from within that person.  Often, this waiting is hard and gut wrenching.  It may not end the way one would have hoped.  But there is no other way around it.  Solomon has to determine in his own heart.  Until then, all David and the LORD can do is to encourage him.  In the end, each of us has to make their walk with God their own.  Until then, pray!  Pray that Solomon sees the lamp and takes it.  Pray for Solomon that your passion not only becomes his, but that it grows.  Pray that future generation will grow up beyond themselves and make Christianity their own!

What A Vow!

“I have sworn, and I will perform [it], that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” (Ps 119:106 AV)

That is a pretty serious vow to make.  I imagine an even harder one to live.  A verse or two later, the writer discusses his failure to keep the judgments of God and the steps he took to make it right.  Failure to live perfectly does not mean complete failure.  Rather, how we choose to respond to those failures is what determines our walk with God.  If we vow to live in the law of God and fail to do so, there is a remedy provided by God by which we can be right with Him.  This remedy involves confession and forsaking of sin.  This remedy seeks a commitment to learn from our failures and strive to do our best to avoid the same failure.  If these failures are presumptuous, the remedy is to rely deeply on the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit.  We may have to make changes so that temptations do not come so easily.  Whatever the case, we are to vow and strive to live under the perfect law of God.  When we fail, seeking the remedy is the answer to keeping that vow.

The bible refers to the law as the perfect law of liberty.  As we learn to live by the principles and commandments of the word of God, we gain liberty.  We do not lose it.  Rebellious saints and sinners alike often misunderstand this.  We assume the word of God exists to make our lives more miserable.  Not so.  It is designed to do just the opposite.  We are all going on a journey.  This journey is like a maze.  Our perception is very limited.  We cannot see the events of the future.  All we know for certain is that life will end some day.  Other than that, there are no certainties in life.  We may have our plans and work toward those ends.  That doesn’t mean life will end up as we have planned and prepared.  This maze has one entrance, and we have been pushed through it.  It has many exists, but only one ends well.  We cannot see it.  All was can see is right in front of our faces.  Each turn may have a hazard.  It might be a trap.  In fact, most of them are traps.  There is one maze master overlooking our journey and through a PA system, is giving us instructions.  We can choose to follow or we can try to figure it out ourselves.  The problem is, we have to trust that Maze Master.  We have to trust he desires us to get through the maze with little or no adverse consequences and reach the exit with a prize.  How many of us stubborn people would think of shutting off the PA system and risk certain pain and suffering, never arriving at the one exit that promises relief?

This is exactly what we do when we ignore the word of God.  God is our Maze Master.  He is on the PA system called the word of God.  He gives us turn by turn instructions but we turn it off.  As a result, we suffer consequences that, in turn, limit our liberty.  We suffer hardships that make our lives more difficult to live.  We lose liberty when we do not listen.  We may feel we have freedom, but that freedom lasts only as long as consequences are delayed.  Once they come, we lose a bit of liberty.  The writer above promises to live by the holy word of God.  He knows if his life is to have meaning and certain blessings, he must submit to the One who has the rule book in His hand.  There is another consideration.  If a person accepts Christ as their Savior, the new nature within them will long for the holiness of God.  If there is no desire to make such a vow above, then perhaps there is cause to seek the legitimacy of one’s relationship to God.  If we are a child of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit produces a longing for the law of God as a means to please our heavenly Father.  The vow above extends beyond a desire for blessings.  More importantly, the writer desires to please his Creator-God.  The law is seen as an opportunity to do something, or be somebody, for the God who created him.