Ya know, He sees the Good, Too!

“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” (Pr 15:3 AV)

 

The meaning here is obvious.  There is no mystery.  God sees everything.  We use this verse to warn people God sees everything we do, so we should be careful.  The straightforward and oft used application is that God sees the evil so we had better stop the evil lest He sees it and judges it.  This is a sound and appropriate use of this verse.  One which we need to hear more and more.  An application we rarely remember.  An application that would keep us from a world of sin.  However, there is something else God sees.  The LORD also sees the good.  Perhaps we forget this more than the former.  We hear much of failures and sins.  We do not hear enough of the successes.  Not only does God see the bad we do, but He also sees the good we do.  This is so important to remember.

Raising children is a privilege.  If a parent is sensitive to the raising of their children, they will discover praise works better than chastisement.  Recognizing what he or she is doing right even if it is less than wrong, will motivate that child to do more right.  Especially if we catch them doing something right rather than observation over an entire span.  For instance: when a son cleans up his room without being asked.  I have three sons.  One is completely organized and his room shows it.  Everything is decent and in order.  I have another who is exactly the opposite.  When you look into his room, it looks like a tornado took up permanent residence.  The third son is somewhere in the middle.  These traits are inherent.  They are part of their personality.  This doesn’t mean it is right.  It just means it is who they are.  So, when my messy son cleaned and organized his room, all on his own, it was cause for celebration!  The organized one is not that much of an athlete.  He earned the most improved player six years in a row.  How is that even possible?  However, when he sank a three-pointer at the buzzer as he jogged off the court, the place went wild.  Then there is the third.  Very athletic.  However, his choice of sport and position took great skill to master.  We worked on many aspects of that position and the combined skills to make him a success.  What worked in all three cases was acknowledging the good they accomplished while correcting the wrong.  If all I did was harp on the wrong, what motive would there be to improve?  A child needs to know he can please his parent.  Otherwise, he will give up trying.

Correction is not the only form of nurturing.  There is commendation as well.  In the letters to the churches of Revelation, if there was anything of commendation to a specific church, our LORD mentions it.  The letters were not solely regarding rebuke.  There was recognition of what they did well and an encouragement to continue on in that which they did well.  If it was their tenacity in standing for the truth, Jesus mentions it.  If they had mutual care one for another, Jesus mentions it.  If the church endured persecution, then Christ made a big deal of it.  If they protected the word of God, a statement of recognition was made.  Jesus recognized the good and not just the evil.  When we begin to think that no one sees how we serve the LORD and those things we do in private that no one would know, we need to remember that Jesus knows.  He saw that exercise of grace towards another they would never know about.  He sees the time you took it on the chin for the sake of another.  He observed you as you gave up something for the needs of another.  He sees it all and is well pleased.  Next time we get down on ourselves because of all the failures we commit (and they are great), let us remember He also sees all the good we do and we will hear, “Well done, though good and faithful servant.”

Wisdom Requires a Comprehensive View

“The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.” (Pr 14:8 AV)

 

The meaning of the word ‘understand’ here means to examine and discern.  The meaning of the word ‘way’ here means a road.  This road is the current one the traveler is traveling as well as the road he must travel to get to the desired end.  Solomon is sharing very wise advice for his sons here.  As he always does, Solomon is thinking long-term.  Not only should his children consider the current circumstances of life which they are living, but they must also consider the future and where it might be they are heading.  They are to consider these things in the light of one little word; his.  The implication here is the ‘way’ is the ‘way’ for the individual. We all have similar ways.  These ways are shared.  There is only one plan of salvation and all must follow that way or there is no heavenly home for us.  There are ways of sanctification that have no variation.  There are roles we are to fulfill like a father, mother, or employee that are common to all of us.  But there are other ways that are unique to us.  A calling of life can be unique.  Those areas of specific sanctification all roled up as a group are specific to us.  What one person needs to overcome is not necessarily the same as someone else.  There are steps of faith that are unique to us.  To know where we are and where we are going is the manifestation of wisdom.

There was this app I used to play on my smartphone.  The object of the game was to see how far you could travel without getting into an accident.  There were two views one could use.  A road-level view that is similar to how we experience driving in real life.  Then there was the aerial view which allowed a much wider field of view and forward observation of the situation.  As is obvious, the aerial view gave a far greater advantage in the contest.  One could plan much further ahead before a lane change was made.  In the aerial view, there was additional information.  The player could see the different speeds of the obstructing traffic far enough in advance that proper lane changes came early enough to keep the player out of trouble.  After a while, playing it got rather boring.  So, the player switched to a road-level view so the challenge became more difficult.  One could zip in and out of traffic to get ahead of the crowd.  In this view, attention to one’s immediate surroundings was far more important than looking further ahead.  In the aerial view, the player could ignore his immediate surroundings and look ahead.  Needless to say, I stopped playing that app when I noticed what I had been doing on my phone I was doing in real life.  Don’t need a ticket or an accident.

In life, both views are essential.  Wisdom would suggest we examine our current situation and check it against the infallible word of God.  Wisdom would require we examine what we are doing and why we are doing it.   Wisdom would look at our current condition and be sure that all around us and in us is as it should be.  Like driving.  I was instructed to move your eyes about.  Keep your eyes on the road ahead, but also look to the side and behind you.  However, if we are only looking at our immediate situation, we will miss a turn-off or exit.  Wisdom understands there is a way.  It is our way.  It doesn’t belong to anyone else.  By and large, that is exactly the condition of our travels.  I live in Milwaukee.  There is a lot of traffic.  There are thousands of other vehicles on the road in my immediate surroundings.  However, none of them is going to the exact spot at which I will arrive.  Even if the majority are headed to the local Walmart, two cars cannot occupy the same space.  This is my way.  This is no one else’s way.  If I am to show wisdom, there must be an understanding of my immediate situation as well as the direction in which I must travel to get where I want to go.  Or, in the matter of life, where God wants me to go.

Mitigating the Suffering of Others

“For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.” (2Ch 30:9 AV)

 

Hezekiah was king of Judah at the time that Israel went onto captivity to Assyria.  During Hezekiah’s reign, they cleaned out the temple which lay neglected and unused and reinstituted Temple worship.  Upon the first Passover Judah celebrated in some time, the king invited the remnant of Israel who was not taken captive.  The address went out to these tribes still left with a small number to come and join the celebration in accordance with the law handed down by Moses.  The promise is what we read above.  If they were to come down and participate in the Passover, repenting of their sin and rededicating themselves to the LORD, it could be that God would change the terms of the captivity of their brothers, children, and family.  What an amazing promise!  If they were to humble themselves, God would show more mercy to those whom they saw carried away.  Who wouldn’t?  According to our passage, the remnant lost someone close to them to the invaders.  Wives, children, parents, brothers, or sisters.  This invasion touched every home.  When we see what the LORD is promising here, it is quite amazing.

I haven't played all that much on sports teams.  I was never athletic or coordinated enough.  But the times I did, one of the disciplines of team building was corporate and mutual commitment.  I played baseball for a few years, track and field for about three years, and high school basketball for a bit less than a year.  One of the drills is always running.  Whether the basketball team is running suicides or the baseball team is running the outfield, the coach would often require the entire team to complete a goal – as a team.  For instance, there might be a time limit.  Run the entire outfield five times in under ten minutes.  If there were stragglers who didn’t care all that much, the coach would have the entire team run another five laps.  Doing this over and again until those who chose not to care would begin to care.  The more laps the team had to run, the more upset they became at those less committed.  It didn’t take long for the stragglers to pick up their pace.  They hated the running.  Most of the time they walked it.  That was never going to change.  What they could not endure was the anger of those whom they caused to suffer.  All they had to do was to run a little faster.  Until they grew a conscience, they would never run as they could from the start.  It took a bit to learn the coach meant business.  When they knew the coach would require extra laps, they ran as they should.  They simply did not want to be that person who caused the entire team to suffer more laps.

This got me thinking this morning.  I couldn’t help but wonder if my lack of repentance might be hindering someone else’s relief.  I had to wonder if I were to confess and forsake my sin, perhaps someone else might be eased by it.  Israel was in captivity for 188 years.  The Northern kingdom went into captivity in 723 BC and the south around 605 BC.  In other words, the Northern Kingdom spent an extra 120 years or so in captivity that their brothers in the south did not.  One has to wonder if the generation above would have repented and joined in temple worship if those taken would have returned at least until Judah was take 120 years later.  The point is obvious.  If we are reluctant to repent, we may be causing undue hardship on others.  We are not easing their burden.  Yes, they may be suffering for the choices they made.  But our lack of repentance could be causing them to suffer longer than God had hoped for.  One has to examine the recesses of the heart and determine whether our failure to forsake our sin is causing someone else’s pain to linger.  These Jewish citizens had the opportunity to ease the burden of their closest friend and relative, yet they declined.  That is pretty cold.  I have to ask myself.  Am I equally cold?

The Town Crier

“But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the host that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up unto heaven.” (2Ch 28:9 AV)

 

Israel, or the ten northern tribes, were returning from battle with their brethren in the south.  Judah (the two southern tribes) had gone after the gods of their neighbors and fell into the sins of their brethren to the north.  God sent the northern ten tribes (Israel, Samaria, or Ephraim) to invade the south because the south has fallen out of grace with God.  In so doing, the north inflicted far more injury than allowed by law.  This is the meaning of the last phrase of our above verse.  Their rage reached up to heaven.  In part, they were enraged because they were spurned by Judah earlier.  The king of Judah hired 100,000 northern mercenaries to join with his forces against Edom.  God rebuked him so he sent those forces back up north.  This was an insult because those 100,000 troops were expecting to gain spoil in the war.  In their rage, the northern forces kidnapped and enslaved 200,000 Judeans.  According to O.T. law, this was a big no-no.  Hence the arrival of the prophet.  The prophet preaches a message of national repentance for the ten northern tribes.  His message was clear.  Just because God used you as a chastening rod for the south does not suggest they are without fault.  The warning was dire.  Release your enslaved brothers and sisters or be destroyed.

In my mother’s wall, for a very long time, was a piece of artwork called the town crier.  I don’t know what the style of artwork was called, but it was brass plate relief overlaid by glass painted black.  It was a very stunning piece.  I remember it so well that I could go back to my childhood home and show you what walls upon which this artwork hung.  The town crier’s job was to verbally publish extremely important news that could not wait until the paper came out.  He would start in the town square, ring a bell, and announce the news.  He would do so in a very loud voice to be heard by all that passed by.  The town crier would then walk the city streets ring his bell, and bellow his news.  For the most part, the news was not good.  For the most part, his job was to announce some edict or judgment from the authorities which the town needed to be made aware of.  Many ears did not appreciate the news of the town crier, but the news he had was extremely important; like it or not.  This artwork made an impression on me as the more I learned about the duties of the town crier and the more I learned of the risks inherent with the job, the more impressed I was with this man of principle.  I don’t know if this artwork had any impression on me that led me into the ministry, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

That one little phrase is the Spirit’s burden for today.  Oded was not popular with anyone.  Judah and Israel both were in disobedience.  No one escaped the condemnation of the prophet.  The crowd he was speaking to did not care to hear what he had to say.  But they needed to hear it anyway.  A nugget to consider is not only the words but the actions of the prophet.  He did not wait until the returning troops and nation settled into their wrong behavior.  As they returned, the prophet was there.  Amid their sin, the prophet was there.  When they were in the process of erring rather than waiting until the error was complete, the prophet was there.  Another nugget would be the small word ‘but’.  It means contrary.  The prophet was there to be contrary to the actions of those who were coming his way.  He was not there to win a debate.  He was there to declare a truth.  But the prophet of the LORD was there.  Lastly, he was a prophet of the LORD.  He was not there for his own sake.  He was not there for his own benefit.  He was not even there solely for truth’s sake.  He was there because he was a prophet of the LORD. 

No Wishes For the Wicked

“When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.” (Pr 11:7 AV)

 

The suggestion is the opposite is also true.  A righteous soul will have his hope and expectation continue throughout eternity.  This verse struck the heart this morning in particular due to our soul-winning ministry.  A friend and I go out into the neighborhoods every Saturday morning.  We knock on doors and greet the dweller with a gracious smile and neighborly disposition.  We introduce ourselves.  Then we offer them a gospel tract.  This tract has the plan of salvation clearly explained within its contents.  This offer is made in a non-confrontational manner.  We do not challenge what the individual believes unless that individual brings it up.  We simply explain the tract has Bible verses about heaven and how to get there.  We offer to explain it to them if they have some time, but if not, try to make a time to return.  If they decline, then we are on our way.  In the months that we have been doing this, there are usually a few that respond in the negative when offered a tract.  The most heard response is something like, “We’re good” or “No thank you.  I have a church” or “I’m all set”.  However, something happened yesterday that is stuck in my mind.  A sign of the times, I suppose.

As the world reacts to the COVID concern, there is a myriad of ways in which we deal with it.  There is the cavalier way in which no concern whatsoever is shown.  There are those, like myself, which try to take a slightly more balanced approach.  Keeping a bit of distance and fist-pumping rather than shaking is my defense.  Then there are those like the fella we met yesterday.  He refused a gospel tract because he believed he could catch the virus by touching the tract which I would hand to him.   I am not writing to criticize someone’s precautions.  However, one must ask an obvious question.  What is more dangerous?  COVID or hell?  The expectation and hope of that man are he will be kept safe from a virus that has the slight potential of taking his life.  His expectation and hope are that he will live longer.  But how long?  Even if, by some miracle, COVID is eradicated from the planet, there are still millions of more ways someone will die.  Death is not a result of a virus.  Death is a result of sin.  And there is only one cure for sin.  That cure is Jesus Christ.

I guess what bothered me most about that visit was the look on this man’s face.  It was fraught with fear.  There is no cure for fear other than walking by faith with God Himself.  What is truly sad is the absolute futility described above.  All hope and expectation are lost when the wicked perish.  The hopes and expectations die with him.  Which means there is no hope and expectation once a lost soul dies.  When we walked off that porch, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of great loss and hopelessness.  Not for me.  But for this gentlemen.  In his window sat a single lamp lit for the entire first floor.  He sat in his recliner, alone and with his single lamp lit, with a heart of fear over something he couldn’t control.  The real tragedy is he was clinging to an unrealistic hope and expectation.  He will live alone for the rest of his life, safe from a virus.  That is for sure.  But death will come anyway.  One way or another, his heart will stop.  His hope and expectation will come to an end.  Not by one unseen threat. But by another.  That hope and expectation will end.  But it doesn’t have to.  For the saint, our hope and expectation is eternal life.  When this temporary body of ours gives out, we have a new and everlasting one awaiting our arrival.  Our hope and expectation are eternal!  That is the patience and faith of the saints.

All It Takes is a Word

“And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s….And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.” (2Ch 20:15, 18 AV)

 

Judah was under a threat of attack by the Moabites, the Ammonites, and their allies.  There were by far outnumbered.  The Bible goes so far as to say Jehoshaphat was full of fear.  If the leader is full of fear, you know the threat is massive and real.  Their fear was almost paralyzing.  The king called for a nationwide prayer meeting.  Many came to Jerusalem to pray with the king.  As they prayed, a prophet stood up and declared the word of the LORD to them.  Part of the word of the LORD is stated above in verse fifteen.  The response to this prophet’s word was confidence and worship.  When the people are afraid, all they need is the word of the LORD from a voice that believes it.  The word of God is a powerful thing.  It will, and does, change the course of a nation.  When the man of God stands before the people and speaks the word of God with conviction, hearts are changed.  Jehoshaphat when from fearful to courageous.  The battle plan was to meet at the edge of the battlefield and stand there, watching the hand of the LORD Himself destroy the people.  This He did, leaving so much spoil that in four days, they still could not gather it all.

There were times as a hospital chaplain and pastor that the word of the LORD was a matter of life and death.  There was the time I visited a church member who was ailing rather seriously.  His condition was not necessarily life-threatening, although it could have been.  I remember he had blood clots and a genetic circulatory condition.  These two are dangerous when suffered together.  I remember going to see him and he wondered why he was still alive.  He was getting up there in age and was slowly losing the ability and liberty to do as he always did.  An active gentleman, he saw the restricted abilities as a curse.  He saw the diminished activity of his life as a reason to give up and allow his condition to have the best of him.  We talked at length with him regarding family, friends, and church.  Then Frist Corinthians chapter seven came to mind.  By the power of the spirit, we reminded him we all have a calling.  This calling may change a bit, but the overall objectives are still the same.  That being, to glorify the LORD with one’s life and serve the needs of others.  When applied to the people he knew, together we realized there were still a few things left undone that needed to be tended to before the LORD would call him home.  It was that word of God that changed his whole outlook on life.  He fought hard to regain as much of his health as he could. 

Any preacher will tell you the word of God affects both people and crowds.  A simple scanning of the Bible will also reveal this.  Words have power.  Both good and bad.  It was the words of politicians that put in motion the crucifixion of Christ.  It was words that resulted in 3,000 souls coming to Christ in one service.  Words, if they are Bible-based, can bring a soul out of a deep pit and place him or her on a solid foundation.  Words, if they are of the LORD, can lift a discouraged or fearful soul out of that state of the heart into a state of recovery and victory.  When it came to a king and his leadership team, a word from the LORD was all they needed.  All they needed was to be told what they already knew.  God can handle any and all enemies we may face.  There is no reason to get upset or fearful if God is in control.  This reminder, from the mouth of the prophet, changed the course of a nation.  This is exactly what we need today.  We need those who know and believe the word of God to share it with those who desperately need it.  If revival is to come, it will only come by the words of God’s mouthpiece!

Not Everything is a Fight

“4  And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. 5  Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. 6  And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.” (2Ch 14:4-6 AV)

 

Not everything is about fighting a big battle.  Asa, king of Judah, had learned this early on in his reign.  Very early in his reign, he decided to go up against his brethren to the north.  Asa set himself against Jeroboam of the north.  The numbers were most definitely not in his favor.  Outnumbered 800,000 to 400,000, he was surrounded and facing all but certain defeat.  When Asa realized he was in a predicament, he and the leadership cried out to the LORD.  The LORD gave him deliverance to the toon of 500,000 dead.  Now, Judah outnumbered Israel and the chase was on.  The thing about this battle was that it was not of the LORD.  God had broken up the kingdom of Israel and gave ten tribes to Jeroboam while two went to Asa.  The LORD did not tell Asa to reunite the kingdom.  Separating the tribes was a chastisement on Solomon and his descendants. Through this, Asa learned that warfare is not the only objective of a kingdom.  There are times for war.  But there are times to concentrate on the nation’s walk with God.  The same is true for us.  There are times to battle, but there are times to rest in our personal relationship with God.

Having ministry with our United States Servicemen and Women, I learned quite a bit about how things work.  One constant across military branches is the practice of shore leave, furlough, or whatever each branch might call their time off.  Even in times of war, the soldier or sailor is given leave.  I had a pastor friend of mine who was a submariner.  He loved it.  He was a sonar tech.  He loved his duty because it meant a rotation of six months on, six months off.  He served on his boat for a total of six months.  Then, they would dock at their base and they would be onshore for six months.  During those six months, they may perform routine training or maintenance, but by and large, they spent a good deal of time with their families.  The six months on, they were underwater exercising repeated war drills, time checks, and drills to be battle-ready.  Those six months on meant battle scenarios.  Those six months on could mean encounters with enemy ships or other subs.  The mind was totally tuned to the possibility of conflict.  When they came ashore, the mindset changed.  The war bonnet came off.  The spirit and demeanor changed.  The family became very important.  There was a time to fight.  But there was also a time to rest.  Without the rest, they wouldn’t be ready for the fight.

I know saints who are in constant fight mode.  If there isn’t a fight to fight, they will create one.  If there isn’t a battle to be waged, they will make one.  They are not happy unless there is some weapon wielded for the glory of God.  Consequently, relationships are not nearly as deep as they could be.  Fighting the good fight of faith seems to be nobler than strengthening relationships.  Asa was told to put the sword down.  When he did, good things happened.  Judah cleaned up the sin that had accumulated by neglect during wartime.  They rededicated their lives to the commandments of God.  They got rid of the idols and hindrances to walking with God.  As the sword was laid aside, the word of God was picked up.  There is a time to fight.  There is a time to resist.  There is a time to stand for one’s principles.  But there is also a time to get alone with God.  There is a time to read the word of God and dedicate oneself to prayer.  There is a time when we must walk with our General because if we try to wage warfare without Him, we will lose.  Such is a time now.  How long have we spent reading and studying the word of God today?  This month?  This past year?  How much time have we spent in prayer?  These things go neglected because we think the battle is nobler.  It is not.  Our walk with God is the most essential of all we pursue.