KING OF KINGS

One thing that struck me in preparation for the sermon this week was the visual of Jesus riding a white horse with the name written on His robe and thigh:  "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  The only time I have seen artwork where the thighs of Jesus are exposed are during His crucifixion, but John saw in the book of Revelation the legs of Jesus which were compared to bronze will be seen and declare a message of His authority and power over all.

When John penned Revelation, one of the most devastating hand-to-hand weapons at the time was the large sword wielded by Thracians called a rhomphaia.  It was so effective it was the only weapon (as far I know) that prompted the Romans to make wholesale changes in armour because of cutting power that could split a shield.  Innovations like horses, chariots and strategic formations resulted in the defeat and subjugation of worthy fighters who were undone by outdated and insufficient resources.  In later times bows and arrows were overmatched by firearms, and tanks and aeroplanes rendered horses irrelevant.  Today I imagine swords are only worn as part of a dress uniform, nothing like the state-of-the-art weapon used in the 1st century.

Instead of having a sword girded on his thigh, Jesus has the name written:  "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."  This is significant because Jesus will not subdue the nations because He has more advanced weaponry.  There is no attack or defence possible against the Almighty God who will come to judge the world in righteousness.  As a skilled chess player has knowledge of strategies and responds to the move of an opponent (while thinking ahead), there will be no defence possible against Jesus, no shift in tactics or weaponry to obtain any advantage.  It is not weapons Jesus has at His disposal but who He is that will make Him victorious--God made flesh.  Unlike Goliath who carried a massive spear and sword, there is nothing intimidating about what Jesus carries.  He does not need armour for protection or weapons to strike down His enemies, for Jesus will annihilate all His enemies by His word alone.

Revelation 19:15 says, "Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."  Before Jesus came to earth, God gave people His word so all could know and choose to trust in Him.  God gave Moses His Law and sent prophets to proclaim the coming of the promised Messiah.  God came Himself to earth in the person of Jesus, and after Christ's death and resurrection God has enlisted His servants (Christians) to speak His Gospel to everyone so all could come to the knowledge of the truth, believe in Jesus and be saved.  For those who will not heed God's word or humbly respond to the Gospel spoken by His ambassadors, one day Jesus will return and speak for Himself--and bring destruction upon His enemies that makes all global conflicts combined seem a Sunday stroll.

When I started playing golf, I naively gauged the quality of a player based on the brand and quality of clubs they swung.  I didn't have the money for top-brand equipment, but it wasn't long before I learned clubs are not nearly as important as the coordination and consistency of the one swinging them.  The Hebrews hid from Goliath as he cursed God and defied the armies of the living God because he was a giant of a man with huge weapons.  Many people today don't think much of Jesus as He is depicted seated in a grass field holding a baby or a lamb, yet Revelation 19 paints a very different picture.  The God who spoke the world and all living things into existence can wipe mankind from the earth as a child does a dish.  Do not mistake His patience and mercy for weakness, for He is the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS who will take vengeance upon His enemies.  Bow the knee before Him today and confess Him as LORD, for He is LORD and will always be.

God With Us Changes Everything

Family Bible reading after dinner provided a great example of what a difference one person can make--even as a child.  We read 2 Chronicles 23 which was a turning point for the southern kingdom of Judah as the coronation of Joash suddenly and dramatically ended the rule (and life!) of the tyrant Athaliah who murdered her grandsons to assume the throne herself.  The High Priest Johoiada bravely sheltered Joash for years in the temple, and when the heir to the throne was 7 years old the priest organised a public coronation ceremony with high security.  Once Joash was crowned king, it meant the treasonous queen was dethroned and promptly executed.

Joash being crowned king resulted not only in the dispatching of Athaliah and all who followed her, but the establishment of a covenant the people of Judah would serve God only.  This immediately resulted in the overthrow of idolatrous worship by destroying altars, breaking Baal's images, and the execution of the priest of Baal.  This progression follows a pattern of those who agree to the covenant God has established by the Gospel, that we would repent of sin and place our faith in Jesus.  With Jesus in His rightful place in our hearts, then our eyes our opened and we are spiritually empowered to discern sin and cast it from our lives.  Jesus turns our lives around from darkness to light, from death to eternal life.  As Athaliah was rendered without authority and powerless by the rule of Joash, so Satan and all demons and curses must bow to the will of the KING OF KINGS.

A seven-year-old boy can seem insignificant in the world, yet when he is the rightful king on a throne he has great authority--even over life and death.  It is estimated there are 368,000 babies born every day in the world, and we are blessed to know just one of them by name.  If their names were put on a list, with so many born there is little that makes one stand out from another.  Every one of them is born completely dependent on their mums and families to hold, wash, clothe, feed and love them.  There was a unique baby born about 2,000 years ago whose birth was spoken of by the prophets and announced by angels:  Jesus Christ born of Mary.  This baby who grew to be a man would bring incredible, unthinkable transformation to the world, ushering in an era of grace and salvation by faith in Him.  Jesus died on the cross for sinners, rose from the grave as He said, and ascended to heaven in glory.  With Him in His rightful place on the throne above and enthroned in our hearts by faith, He still works wonders and turns lives around.

The godly influence of Joash waned as he grew up and especially after the death of his mentor Johoiada.  He was corrupted by influential princes and was guilty of murdering a righteous man:  Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the High Priest.  Jesus has done the opposite, for His righteous influence in the world has remained pure and multiplied exponentially as the Gospel has gone forth and continued to save souls, renew minds, and purify people from sin.  The word spoken to Joseph by the angel remains true in Matthew 1:21-23:  "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." ²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."  God with us!  Praise God for Jesus, the KING OF KINGS who will one day rule the nations with a rod of iron.  This world hasn't seen the last of Jesus, and may people see Him in us.

God's Faithfulness

God remains faithful in all seasons of life, and there is no substitute for His gracious presence.  While my family and I are still in the process of settling in a house after moving, I felt it fitting to magnify God for the help He has provided step by step when everything seemed too arduous to endure.  When we are overwhelmed, God remains sovereign and is truly a present help in times of exertion, trouble, inconvenience, uncertainty and hard work.  As our Good Shepherd, He makes His people like sheep to lie down in green pastures, leads us to green pastures, restores our souls, leads us in paths of righteousness to a broad place.

It was just over two months back my wife Laura and I discussed embarking on looking for a house to buy in a nearby suburb and to see what we could sell our house for.  What followed was a whirlwind of driving to open houses and vacating our house for open houses, meetings with realtors, banks and solicitors.  Laura handled the vast majority of the administrative burden.  To make a very long story short, the LORD provided a house we liked with owners that accepted our offer, our house was sold via auction, and loans were secured.  I quite liked our other house, a gift from the LORD that was compact and suitable for our needs.  But with all the building in the area the traffic was growing more congested and will only continue.  In Sydney it seems the traffic needs to become a hopeless mess before one lane can be added to each side when it should have been a three-lane road to start with.  It might be 2030 before Garfield Road receives a much needed upgrade.

Our moving day illustrated God's faithfulness and help He has shown through the whole process.  I rented a large box truck for 24 hours to move our stuff, and it happened to be one of the hottest days of the summer.  The Grisez family plus people from church helped one or two at a time over that period of hustling back and forth.  All of us who were outside in the heat were likely suffering from various stages of heat exhaustion as we were cramping up.  I don't think I ever had hand cramps before!  But God gave us strength to keep going.  By the time I drove to return the truck, I was praying for everything:  that I could find a petrol station with diesel, drive into the correct bay, that I could unlock the petrol cap, that I would return the truck in time despite traffic.  The LORD worked it all out.  We had been planning on coming back to the "old" house to cleanup and finish moving in days to follow, but with the help we had--like Gideon's skeleton crew--we were able to have the house cleaned and emptied right when the new owners showed up for their walkthrough.

God's grace has continued as a couple from church came over that evening and helped us haul desks and beds upstairs so we had a place to sleep.  That evening there was a massive change in the weather as a "southerly buster" rolled in and we have enjoyed the cool breeze ever since.  The house is well on the way to becoming more functional with hot water, internet and laundry going, and there is no doubt in my mind it is the LORD's doing.  We are continuing to pray both properties will close on the proper date, and trust God will be with us and will help us every step.  When we consider the world He has made with the sun and moon, the living birds, trees, flowers, bugs and how they all live together, we can see God has thought of everything and is faithful.  Psalm 107:31 is a fitting conclusion to this testimony of God's faithfulness I desire to practice continually because He is worthy:  "Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"

Serving the LORD Joyfully

When going on full-time paid staff at church, your eyes are opened to many tasks and responsibilities you did not consider previously.  Even with many hard-working volunteers, there are many duties that fall to you.  One of the maintenance tasks I tackled was keeping an eye on the vacuums, making sure they were serviced regularly and the bags emptied.  I was amazed at the sorts of things I would find lodged inside people imagined the vacuum could pick up.  The most unpleasant discovery was fresh vomit, but I digress.

I genuinely believe there was not a single occasion during my time on church staff that anyone but staff emptied the contents of a vacuum.  It was a blessing to have vacuums to use and people who wanted to leave the place clean, but the condition of the vacuums and the belts became my responsibility.  I was reminded of that season when I emptied a vacuum bag at church today, and the thought came to mind:  have you ever had a task you faithfully did and wondered, "Who would be doing this if I didn't?"  It likely isn't exactly true, but perhaps we have felt if we didn't scrub the tub, wipe out the microwave, clean out the fridge, empty the vacuum bag or change the belts no one would do so.  As we grit our teeth and do a job that goes unrecognised and taken for granted, we can feel our efforts are going unnoticed.  We say to ourselves, "Aren't they in for a surprise when I'm not here any more!"

If you have every wondered something like this, allow me to suggest another perspective:  could it be God has you there to serve Him in that precise chore or task no one else notices or thinks of?  It may not be glamorous or a skill to put on your resume, but if you are doing a job no one else is doing it makes sense God has sovereignly placed you there for this purpose--with attention to detail others do not possess.  God has given you an ability to scrub, clean, wipe down, to listen, move chairs from here to there, a skill-set perfectly employed in menial duties others are physically unable or unwilling to do.  Paul wrote in Colossians 3:23-24:  "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  Every task we do, whether unseen or recognised by others, can be done unto the LORD.  When we think more of ourselves than we ought we are serving ourselves, and feeling like everyone needs your contribution is your reward.  How much better it is so serve the LORD cheerfully in the mundane and menial, for great is your reward in heaven--and humility with joy today!

Going to the Heart

When it comes to treating illness, we know the importance of identifying the root cause rather than seeking to only alleviate symptoms.  Taking an Aspirin may relieve a headache, but it will do nothing to treat a tumour that is causing intercranial pressure.  Negative symptoms are usually major components that prompt us to seek medical help, and in this way a bad symptom can be a positive thing.

I have spoken of my ongoing battle with ongoing scale problems in previous posts, and yesterday I had a breakthrough.  I discovered the reason I am losing the scale battle is because I had been focused on the symptoms rather than the root cause:  ants that place, farm and protect scale to feed on honeydew scale produces!  I had noticed ants on the tree, but I had no idea they were the culprits who persistently placed scale at strategic locations where there was fresh growth.  This knowledge has shifted my tactics dramatically because the scale was only a pawn in this battle.  Eliminating the ants is the first and most important step of ridding the tree of scale.  Unless I deal with the root cause, the symptom will persist.

In a recent study in Revelation 18, I had a similar enlightening moment concerning the Greek word "pharmakeia" that is translated "sorcery" in the KJV and NKJV.  During my youth a lot of teaching I was exposed to about this word happened to be in the 80's and 90's, a time marked in America with a "war on drugs" that aimed to better educate and rid the nation of the scourge of illicit narcotics.  Because "pharmakeia" bears a resemblance to "pharmacy," the application was often along the same popular lines of the day, to connect street drug use with witchcraft as abominable in God's sight.  While this is a fair point, to reduce the meaning of sorcery or "pharmakeia" to drug use runs the risk of doing exactly what I did with the scale--looking at it as the problem in itself when it was merely a symptom of ant activity--it more resembled a shoot than the root.  Unless the root cause of idolatry and self is dealt with drugs, sorcery, pride and sin will persist in a person.

One thing I observed of sorcerers in the Bible is their intention to draw people away from the worship of the true God.  Pharaoh's magicians sought to duplicate God's wonders to show their idols and powers were superior to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 amazed the people in Samaria with his magic arts and claimed to have the power of God.  He desired to draw attention to himself.  The Jew Bar-Jesus in Acts 13 sought to draw the proconsul away from faith in Jesus Christ.  In Acts 19 Christians in Ephesus gathered their books of magic and burned them because they were completely opposed to faith and obedience to Jesus.  This goes to the root of what "pharmakeia" is:  a seductive, deceptive lie that man can be god.  To reduce it to "doing drugs" misses the heart of rebellion that can manifest itself in countless ways.

How important it is for us to go to the hearts of the matters, and Paul did this with his exhortation to believers in the church in 2 Corinthians 7:1:  "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."   God has promised to dwell in us, have fellowship with us and receive us a father does his children.  Having been forgiven and cleansed of sin, in the fear of God we are to perfect holiness by cleansing ourselves--by repenting of sin in our minds, hearts and actions.  Our efforts to "say no to sin" will be just as ineffective as saying "no to drugs" when our hearts are inclined to please ourselves rather than God.  Being born again transforms us, and God's desire is for us to continue changing by further yielding to Him inside and out.

God's Awesome Judgments

God is the Judge of all the earth who only does right, and He holds to account every person according to His word and the testimony of our conscience.  Even people who deny God's existence will be weighed in the balances and found wanting like King Belshazzar.  Though a Babylonian ruler who had not been given the Law of Moses, God judged him for his arrogance to live contrary to knowledge of God who humbles the proud, as Nebuchadnezzar his father experienced personally.  The prophet said to him in Daniel 5:22-23:  "But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ²³ And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified."  Though Belshazzar had never willingly entered into a covenant with God, he and all people created in His image will be judged by Him according to our works.

God does not turn a blind eye to the transgressions or pride of His own people who willingly enter into a covenant with Him, for Scripture makes it plain judgment begins at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).  Judgment will not end there (as some would prefer), for the ungodly, proud and disobedient God will surely hold to account as well.  Any smugness found in us that is pleased to see others others judged and condemned ought to be repented of and tempered with humility, knowing we will be required to give an account of our lives before the LORD of hosts.  God is gracious and merciful to bring incremental judgments in our lives along with trials and pains, to the end we will be further refined and purified.  One reason God allowed the Hebrews to face enemies and attacks within Canaan was to see if they would obey Him or not, to provide every opportunity for them to learn of His goodness, provision and salvation.

I have observed people who have been brought up in a version of Christianity that is preoccupied with setting up boundaries to prevent sin and then judging others who have a different standard as people "holier than thou."  Isaiah 65:5 says before God this hypocrisy is like billowing smoke that burns His nostrils all day.  Activities people viewed as sinful in themselves years ago (like playing cards, dancing or going to the movies) has changed for some people, but the proud and hypocritical spirit observed in the Pharisees according to the Gospels has endured.  What is important to comprehend is God will hold us accountable to our exercise of liberty according to our knowledge, our conscience, His word, and how we walked in love for Him and others.  We will not be judged on the basis of convictions other people maintain, but we will be judged if we willfully sin under the guise of liberty or place others under a legalistic yoke of bondage Jesus did not prescribe--for He does nothing of the sort.

I am often impressed and awestruck with the wisdom of God in His judgments, for those who violate His word and will are taken in their own net.  God made a covenant with His people those who sold themselves as servants to pay off debts were to be released after 6 years, and in Jeremiah's day they released servants only to force them back into bondage.  The LORD through the prophet declared in Jeremiah 34:17:  "Therefore thus says the LORD: 'You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming liberty, every one to his brother and every one to his neighbour. Behold, I proclaim liberty to you,' says the LORD--'to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine! And I will deliver you to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth."  Those who imagine themselves free to do as they pleased were then given liberty by God to sword, pestilence and famine.  Better to bind ourselves to please God with gladness and hearken unto His words than to bind ourselves or others with legalistic burdens or fall into the snare of sin disguised as liberty.  Consider how the God's ways and wisdom are past finding out, yet He is gracious to show us His awesome works.

Appointment to Wrath

A myth Christians do well to dispel is that God's people will never experience the wrath of God.  While it is true Christians will not experience the wrath of God for eternity, the Bible is filled with instances of God's wrath coming upon His own people to correct, refine and draw them to Himself.  We see this in God's dealings with Judah under the rule of wicked King Ahaz in 2 Chronicles 28, and God nor His ways have changed.  As Psalm 7:11 says, "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day."  God's judgment and wrath is not devoid of love, grace and mercy, for He suffers long and is kind; God warns and shows restraint in His administration of justice as when a father disciplines his beloved child for good.

People might wonder, "But I thought the Bible says Christians are not appointed to wrath."  That is true, but Paul wrote that in the context of eternal salvation in contrast to everlasting damnation.  Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:6-11:  "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. ¹¹ Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."  It is a comfort to know God's chastening of us and correction for our sin is not for our destruction but for edification, purification and sanctification.  This passage does not teach we can do no wrong as God's children when we sin.  A loving parent can be moved to anger by foolish and sinful choices of a rebellious son, and because God loves us He will take appropriate action to warn, teach and judge us righteously.

A passage in the Old Testament illustrates both God's wrath against sin in His people as well as our need to do as Jesus taught--to judge ourselves lest we be judged.  Ahaz reigned in Judah and his wicked, idolatrous ways were likened to the kings of Israel.  Due to the sins of Ahaz and his people, God delivered Judah in to the hands of the Syrians and the northern kingdom of Israel who slaughtered valiant men of Judah and Benjamin.  Great spoil and captives of Judah were taken to Samaria with the aim to enslave them.  2 Chronicles 28:9-11 reads, "But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said to them: "Look, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, He has delivered them into your hand; but you have killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. ¹⁰ And now you propose to force the children of Judah and Jerusalem to be your male and female slaves; but are you not also guilty before the LORD your God? ¹¹ Now hear me, therefore, and return the captives, whom you have taken captive from your brethren, for the fierce wrath of the LORD is upon you."

Because of the sins of Judah God delivered them into the hands of Israel, and in executing God's judgment the malice and rage of the Israelites reached up to heaven.  The prophet Oded confronted Israel for their own faults, for they were not innocent themselves.  God's fierce wrath was upon them for adding to their sin God had punished Judah for!  By God's grace there were wise men among them who agreed with the word of the LORD through the prophet and responded in 2 Chronicles 28:13:  "...You shall not bring the captives here, for we already have offended the LORD. You intend to add to our sins and to our guilt; for our guilt is great, and there is fierce wrath against Israel."  In humbling themselves before God in repentance, the great wrath of God was turned away for a season.  They judged God to be righteous and themselves to be guilty of great sin, and the people responded by obedience to God and showed kindness to their brethren by providing for their needs and sending them home.

Paul wrote to believers in Ephesians 5:5-7:  "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be partakers with them."  Knowing Jesus died to cleanse us from sin and reconcile us to God, Christians ought not to be partakers of sin like the people of Judah and Israel were.  The end result of God's wrath is different for the believer and unbeliever, for one is refined as precious gold while the other is consumed as chaff.  Christians are not permanently appointed to wrath as those who rebel against God, yet should we rebel against God a brief appointment with God's wrath can be booked in because He loves us and desires to further sanctify us according to His wisdom.

Verses like Romans 5:9 ought to be balanced and put in perspective by others like Romans 1:18.  Romans 5:9 says concerning born-again Christians, "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."  Romans 1:18 also says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness..."  God has revealed Himself to us, the almighty God whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are higher than our ways.  We cannot fathom all God does, plans and accomplishes through the administration of His righteous wrath and judgments, but we can know God and His ways are good.  What we can do by God's grace is to respond in humility to His correction, confess our sin and repent, and praise God we are not appointed to wrath forever.  Even should His wrath burn against us for a season, it will never be malicious or murderous.  Rather than only being content to escape God's wrath forever, shouldn't we live in a godly way in which He is well-pleased today?

Pillar or Pendulum?

King Uzziah, the father of Jotham, transgressed by burning incense to God in the temple at Jerusalem--something only sanctified priests were permitted to do by the Law of Moses.  Lifted up with pride, Jotham went beyond his station as king and brought judgment upon himself from God who struck him with leprosy.  His condition prevented him from continuing to rule as he did previously, and being a leper became more a defining feature of his reign than his feats of engineering, warfare and husbandry.  He did what was right in the eyes of God generally speaking, but his sin led to a great fall.  Jotham noticed this and took note.

2 Chronicles 27:2 provides an interesting detail concerning the reign of Jotham:  "And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Uzziah had done (although he did not enter the temple of the LORD). But still the people acted corruptly."  Jotham prepared his heart to walk in God's ways and took care to avoid the sin committed by his father who went into the holy place and burned incense on the altar.  Some people have blamed God for judgments He has administered or troubles He allowed, but Jotham did not do so.  The people continued to live corruptly, but he was not swayed by them either.  He did not walk in the sins of his father or the people, and it is most commendable how Jotham remained faithful to God.

If you ever observed a pendulum swinging in a clock or the Foucault Pendulum at the Griffith Observatory, the pendulum goes from one side to the other.  The place it pauses, ever so slightly, is at the most extreme range of its movement.  I have observed this movement to align with typical responses in people, to swing to the opposite extreme than to remain in a central and stable position.  Some who are raised by overbearing parents can rebel against them, and others who had few boundaries are pleased to enforce many.  I imagine there are people, who if their father had been stricken by leprosy from God, would have bailed on God entirely as if God was to blame.  Maybe they would have stayed as far away from the temple precinct, worried they too might be struck with leprosy if they sinned in some obscure manner.  As the passage is rendered in the NKJV, it seems Jotham still worshipped God publicly in the temple courts but did not enter the holy place in the temple as his father did.

2 Chronicles 27:6 says, "So Jotham became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the LORD his God."  We do well to follow Jotham's example of faith and obedience to God, who prepared his heart and ways before the LORD his God.  He was not influenced to do evil by his father's proud example, nor did he reject God in anger as a untrustworthy tyrant for putting his father in his place.  Jotham was also not swayed by numbers of corrupt people and remained steadfast in faith.  How many people, I wonder, would have been like a pendulum in Jotham's situation rather than an immoveable pillar given the sinful, swirling influences all around.  In an effort to oppose or push back on what is wrong we can go too far, swinging like a pendulum away from balance in the middle by faith in Christ where righteousness, truth, grace, love and mercy meet.

An Enriched Life

At a recent Bible study, we had a group discussion concerning specific ways God has enriched our lives.  Because we tend to associate riches with money or financial gain, it was good to consider changes God has ushered into our lives money cannot buy.  Of course God is able to provide for His people financially and He faithfully does, but money aside:  how would you answer the question?  Having been born again by faith in Jesus we can resemble children born into a family where we take much for granted and feel entitled to having what we want.

As I reflected upon many answers I could give, one answer to how God has enriched my life is a capacity to love and care for others as Christians are exhorted to do in Romans 12:15:  "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."  Being content with God's grace extended to us, we can rejoice with those who rejoice without envy.  We can be legitimately happy when others are glad rather than feeling bad we haven't experienced the success others have.  Their achievements they celebrate need not ruffle or annoy us, and we do not need to downplay their reason for happiness or be compelled to compete with them by informing them others have done better.  Even when we are dealing with the worst news possible, we can still rejoice with those who rejoice because this is God's will for us.

At the same time, Christians are given the capacity to weep with those who weep--to care deeply and sympathise with people who are doing it tough.  We can be disturbed by those who weep and we do not understand why; we wonder what could possibly justify such an emotional response.  In my hard-hearted youth I looked at tears with disdain when God was aware of every tear and why it fell.  At times in my life there were people I could not have cared less about, yet God has brought a change where I have shed tears for people I did not even know personally.  If I was someone who was easily moved emotionally, I never would have understood the profound change Jesus has brought into my life by His love.

Rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep are not my natural inclination, but by God's grace our lives can be enriched by the transformation Jesus brings.  Romans 12:14 is another change among many God intends to bring into our lives:  "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."  How profound it is that God does not merely forgive our sins, save us from hell and promise us eternal life, but He changes the way we think, feel and think--to bless us by making us a source of blessing to others.  How has receiving Jesus enriched your life?

Answering God's Questions

Often when I watch reporters interview politicians, I admit I am often bemused how direct questions are rarely (if ever!) answered.  It is remarkable how questions are dodged as skillfully as Neo evaded bullets in The Matrix and replaced with rehearsed talking points that take shots at political opponents.  How non-sequitur answers became the acceptable norm, I'll never know.  Imagine asking your son, "What did you eat for breakfast?" and hear him answer, "13% of kids don't even eat breakfast."  I would respond, "Answer the question, please.  Why are you being evasive?"  An honest question warrants an honest answer.

If we would require our children to answer direct questions directly, we ought to be those who answer questions God asks us.  The questions God asks in the Bible are not "gotcha" questions, but are designed to deal with matters of our heart, life and faith.  "Good question!" we acknowledge when we hear it, but hearing the question does not mean we have bothered to answer it.  As long as God's questions remain questions we do not carefully consider and honestly answer, we will not receive the personal illumination God intend to provide through them.

I did a cursory search of questions Jesus asked, and I found many of them His disciples never directly answered--in public, anyway.  One might say there is no need to answer Jesus because He already knows the hearts of men, but then again people often refused to answer Jesus to avoid self-incrimination.  It would be impossible for Christ's enemies to avoid detection if they honestly answered the question, "Why do you seek to kill me?" (John 7:19).  Those who posed dishonest questions to Jesus were met with direct questions they could not avoid the implications of--much to the delight of onlookers.  Though we see Jesus ask questions that go unanswered in the Bible, we can know those questions are also for the reader to consider, answer, and take Christ's teachings to heart.

One example from the book of Matthew was when the disciples were afraid of perishing in a storm on the Sea of Galilee.  Matthew 8:26 reads, "But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm."  Matthew 14:31 details the response of Jesus after Peter began to sink and cried out to Jesus to save him:  "And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  Another example (which couldn't be answered immediately because it was in a sermon) is found in Matthew 6:30:  "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  All of these questions are good for the child of God to consider:  why are we afraid when Jesus is with us?  Why do we doubt Jesus can save us?  Why is our faith so small in God's provision of clothing for us when God has provided even for grass that is here today and gone tomorrow?

Fellow believer, as you read God's word I encourage you to personally answer the questions God asks.  God's questions through Jesus, prophets and even random people in scripture may seem completely irrelevant to us, even as disciples who believed Jesus was the Son of God--were ironically asked directly by Jesus concerning their lack of faith in Him.  It is in answering these questions honestly the Light of the World shines in our hearts, and the Holy Spirit reveals unbelief, doubt and fears to be repented of so we might walk in the light as Jesus is in the light.  Questions Jesus asks are not to condemn or shame us but to draw us closer to Himself and increase our faith.

Good that Never Ends

While driving yesterday, I read a sign that faced a busy intersection that announced the sale of property was almost over.  It read, "All good things must come to an end."  That was not the first time I heard that quote, and it dawned on me from a worldly perspective it was true.  One could debate if that particular sale of property was a good thing, but the world and all the things in it and of it are passing away.  Where the statement falls down completely is in relation to God and what is of God, for He is good without beginning or end.  Jesus identified Himself as the first and the last, the beginning and the end--not to suggest He has an end, for no timeline can contain or restrict His eternal, immortal attributes.

What Jesus said in Luke 21:33 is repeated several times in the Gospels:  "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."  The word of God is timeless, good and will never come to an end.  God's word, even when fulfilled, remains a relevant, true and powerful declaration of God who is, was and will ever be.  Those who trust in Jesus Christ and receive eternal life will never die, even when their earthly bodies breathe their last (John 11:25).  It is written in 1 John 2:17, "And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."  The good and abundant life Jesus gives us will never come to an end.

One thing I love about God's word is it is not a relic, fading words hidden away in dusty tomes.  Everything God said and says is in full force and powerful to instruct, convict, encourage and save.  Recently in Australia there was discussion around a possible "disinformation" or "misinformation" bill, that a government agency would be employed to determine what is true and false and to hold people accountable for intentionally misleading others.  Fraught with grave danger of overreach with opponents warning of potential Orwellian impacts and highly unpopular, the bill was scrapped.  But this desire to "control the narrative" extends beyond the government.  We who believe the word of God is true are on guard against theological heresies as well as humanistic distortions of the Gospel that fundamentally change it to no longer be the Gospel.

In Jeremiah 23, God spoke of dreamers and prophets who did not speak for Him but from their own hearts.  They passed off their own ideas as divinely inspired, yet God was not at all threatened by their folly.  God said in Jeremiah 23:28-29:  "The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?" says the LORD. ²⁹ "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"  Though they grow together, the stalk of wheat is nothing like the grain that contains nutrition and potential for life.  Plant chaff or straw and it will not grow; plant grain and it will produce life.  God compared His word to fire that immediately consumes chaff, like a hammer that fulfills its designed purpose to break rocks in pieces.  God's word will always accomplish His will in giving it (Isaiah 55:11).  It will always, eternally accomplish what God pleases and will prosper for His purposes.

In this world all good things do come to an end, but we can know God, His word and His good purposes will endure forever without fail.  People come and go, they say this and that.  The best among men are only here for a short season, and the good they do will be forgotten, unappreciated or undone.  But God's word will by no means pass away, and he who does the will of God abides forever.  God is eternal, and His word is living and powerful to continue doing His work and perfect will.  Praise God He is good and will never come to an end!

Giving More Grace

God has given every human being a unique personality and perspective.  Because patience is a fruit of the Spirit of God, it follows not one of us is naturally patient like God is.  There are likely many things that cause us to quickly run out of patience, grow frustrated, or we refuse to tolerate.  A person can be very patient towards a stray dog that lashes out when being fed but will not extend grace to their own spouse or child because they should know better.  We can be more gracious to unbelievers in rebellion against God than a sinning brother or sister in Christ because we expect them to do better.  Whether we are quick to run out of patience or are able to endure for a long season, our patience has an end.

We are blessed God is good and gracious, that He is always longsuffering and kind.  He is not at all like us, full of limitations, and our kindness is more of an exception rather than an unalterable rule.  James wrote of God's grace to believers in in James 4:4-6:  "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"? ⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  Married couples who desire a monogamous relationship are not pleased or tolerant with their spouse committing adultery.  To willingly enter into the covenant of marriage and then seek other lovers would rightly be seen as unacceptable.  In a very direct way, James rebuked believers for their quarrels, lusts and love of the world that brought conflict in their relationships with one another and also provoked God to jealousy for their misguided affections and desires.

Jesus taught adultery is a matter of the heart the Law of Moses could not fully address.  It must have shocked Jewish hearers of Jesus who were versed in the Law when He said even looking at a woman with lust was as sinful as sleeping with her!  In God's eyes, adultery with the woman had already been committed because of the wayward heart.  If we were to apply this principle with friendship of the world--the love of money, lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life--it is apparent we have been guilty of spiritual adultery because we have not always valued or loved God as much as what we can see, obtain and experience.  Yet what was God's response all those times?  "But He gives more grace."  Though God is righteous and jealous for our love, trust and obedience, even after knowing this we have not always responded by faithfulness to Him.  We have put our trust in ourselves, in others and looked for hope in things other than God--even as an unfaithful spouse casts a wistful glance or seeks attention from others they find attractive.

God gives more grace, and He continues to be gracious despite our proclivity to unfaithfulness.  Like a good shepherd cares for the sheep of his flock, God convicts of us sin, pursues us, speaks gently to us and accepts us despite our foolishness.  It is important we realise grace is undeserved favour from God the humble are enabled by God to receive.  God resists the proud, and this resistance is also a revelation of God's grace.  God could destroy the proud without remedy in a moment, but He resists them so they might see their need for Him.  He gives grace to the humble--not because they are worthy or have earned the right to such grace--but out of His goodness and kindness demonstrated to all people.  Rather than being those who withhold grace from others until they show themselves worthy, let us be as God who gives more grace.  And when we have given grace, let us give more grace we humbly receive by faith from the inexhaustible stores of our Father in heaven.

Divine Pardon

I have noticed news coverage of presidential pardons over the years, but none in recent memory have been as high profile as President Biden pardoning his son Hunter after he plead guilty in federal court earlier this year.  President Biden concluded his formal statement concerning granting clemency with this:  "I hope Americans will understand why a father and a President would come to this decision."  Lady Justice is blind, but apparently some presidents and fathers are not.  Though Biden went on the record many times saying he would not pardon his son, his actions show he had a change of mind--which everyone has a God-given right to do.  Whether the decision is right in the eyes of Americans or politically expedient is another matter that will be determined in the days ahead.

Concerning pardoning sinners, God said to His people in Isaiah 55:6-7:  "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. ⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon."  God's desire is to redeem and restore sinners to fellowship with Himself, yet there are conditions to be met by those who will receive a pardon.  God required His people to seek the LORD, repent of their sin, and return to God to receive mercy.  God did not pardon the children of Israel because they were His chosen people He brought of out Egypt, because He was obligated to help them as their father, but out of His goodness and grace He extends to all sinners.

God had given His people the Law of Moses, and the Law outlined the sacrifices and offerings required to provide atonement for sin.  Whenever there was a violation of the Law, a payment was required before God and man.  God required the blood of animals for sacrifice, and the guilty were required to pay restitution to those wronged and even submit to being their servant for years to clear debts.  Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world, to pay the price required for every sinner to be washed clean of sin and be pardoned forever.  God sent His only begotten Son to be crucified and die on the cross as a sacrifice for sin so the justice of God would be fully satisfied.

What God has done in offering a pardon and everlasting life through the Gospel is infinitely more amazing than a presidential pardon of a family member:  while we were sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8).  God did not offer us the Gospel to let us off the hook for our sin, for Jesus paid it all with His shed blood.  In receiving Christ by faith we are adopted into the family of God to have fellowship with Him forever.  We were like orphaned street urchins who picked the pocket of a wealthy man who, when we stood to be hauled before the judge and sentenced to a life of hard labour, intervened to pay our debts and adopt us as his own children to live with him.  It is not God but we who need a change of mind, to repent of our sins, knowing we are guilty and deserving of eternal wrath.  1 John 1:9 says concerning born again Christians:  "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

There are requirements God has established to be pardoned:  we must humble ourselves to seek the LORD, confess our sin, and by faith in God ask for forgiveness.  Asking is the law of God's kingdom, even under the new covenant.  What Jesus taught in Luke 11:9-10 can be applied to forgiveness, salvation and being baptised with the Holy Spirit:  "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."  No one deserves to be pardoned by God, but He freely offers to pardon sinners out of His love for us.  God himself has paid the debt our sin justly deserved, and our gratitude for His sacrifice ought to be demonstrated in living righteously by faith in Him today.

Be At Peace

The Bible is filled with life situations that provide encouraging illustrations for God's people who trust in Him.  In this way God's word is living and powerful to provide guidance that shifts our focus from troubles to the LORD, from what is unknown to God who knows us, and from what is totally out of our control to submit to the sovereign God who does everything.  During our lives we regularly arrive at the crossroads of needing to choose if we will lean on our own understanding or rely upon the LORD for all things.

I was recently struck by an important decision of King Jehoshaphat after he became king.  Prior to him, his fathers made building cities and fortifying them a high priority.  Rehoboam, Abijah, and Asa were involved in extensive efforts to capture cities and they constructed walls, towers and secure gates.  These building projects were wise and circumspect, good stewardship of resources to provide security for the people.  Jehoshaphat did not neglect the security of the land, for he added garrisons of armed soldiers in all the cities.  Yet Jehoshaphat took steps to address the spiritual insecurity and waywardness of the people--something walls, towers, gates and armed soldiers could not address.

In the third year of Jehoshaphat's reign, he sent leaders and priests throughout the region to teach his subjects the Law of God.  2 Chronicles 17:9-11 says, "So they taught in Judah, and had the Book of the Law of the LORD with them; they went throughout all the cities of Judah and taught the people."  See what happened after the people were taught of their God in 2 Chronicles 17:10-11:  "And the fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute; and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats."  When Jehoshaphat made teaching of God's word a priority with an aim to obey it, God was an infinitely greater defence and refuge for His people than walls and gates.  The fear of God on neighbouring countries was so great they did not dare attack, and some even brought gifts!  Walls, gates and armies did not deter or prevent attacks like God did.

God's people are wise to look to Him rather than relying on themselves or resources for strength and security.  We must decide if we are going to invest our efforts in fortifying earthly security that can be bypassed, ignored or prove inadequate or if we will build our lives on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus Christ and His word.  The words of Solomon in Proverbs 3:5-6 are timeless truth for all God's people to heed:  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  When we are walking in step with God like Jehoshaphat, we will see the principle held forth in Proverbs 16:7 fulfilled:  "When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him."  Even when troubles arise, we need not be troubled because our God is with us--the Prince of Peace.

The Wise and Foolish Exam

"Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more."

Ecclesiastes 4:13

It is said that with age comes wisdom, and this certainly can be true.  It is also true that a good and wise king can make foolish decisions and be unwilling to be instructed or corrected.  A king is in a position of great power and influence, yet life experience and political savvy is no substitute for wisdom that only comes from God.  Only those who maintain a humble posture in faith before the LORD will be divinely enabled to walk in wisdom.

A wise youth and a foolish king both at times need to be admonished, for there is no man who does not sin.  It is not primarily the absence of sin that marks the wise or foolish person but their response to instruction and correction reveals their hearts truly.  Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction."  Fools are revealed in their disdain to be instructed or corrected, for it is an affront to their pride and conceit.  As Proverbs 12:15 tells us, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise."  Unlike a fool, the wise will receive rebuke and repent of sin as it is written in Proverbs 17:10:  "Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool."  When disciplinary action is ineffective to address behaviour, it is not the discipline that is the problem but the person who stubbornly refuses to amend their ways.

Consider the difference between the ways scoffers (who fall into the foolish category) and the wise and how they respond to correction, rebuke and instruction in Proverbs 9:7-9 says, "He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself. ⁸ Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹ Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."  It is good for us to ask ourselves:  when admonished or rebuked, does our love for that person increase or do we hate them?  Our hatred is exposed when we realise hatred means to love less, to be more apt to avoid and ignore a person rather than include them and have an inclination toward helping them.

Solomon's proverb suggests there was a time when a king would accept correction and be admonished, but a day came when he became lifted up with pride, was full of himself and indignation:  he was king!  How dare anyone speak to him in this manner?  Was he so inept and foolish he needed instruction?  If his thoughts were along these lines, a wise man would experience conviction of the Holy Spirit and identify the foolish plague of pride in his own heart that must be confessed and repented of as sin.  God can use a foolish youth to rebuke and correct a wise old king.  Let us not miss the message God speaks to us because of the brashness or folly of His messenger.  Believers, as we grow older may we remain as that poor and wise youth, for God promises the poor in spirit the kingdom of God.

God's Word and Ours

There may be times when people have risen to the occasion when given responsibilities when they had shown little responsibility previously--but this is the exception to the rule.  The one who cannot or will not keep pace with the footmen cannot match the speed of horses.  Until people have a genuine change of heart and mind, they will continue to do as the Steely Dan song goes:  "You go back, jack, do it again...wheel turning round and round."  In the song a man swears he is not a gambling man, but finds himself back in Vegas with a handle of a slot machine in his hand and playing cards with hopes to win big money.  What people say is no guarantee they will ever do as they say.  From history and experience, it is more likely the opposite will eventually be true.

In 2 Chronicles 15, Azariah the prophet spoke to king Asa of Judah and encouraged him to seek the LORD, to exert his strength to put away idols in his kingdom and turn to God.  The king and people did so with one heart, and Israelites from the northern kingdom flocked to Asa in Jerusalem because they saw God was with him.  Asa removed idols from Benjamin and Judah, restored the altar of God, and offered many sacrifices to the LORD.  In the fervor of this revival the people made a covenant with God, an oath that whoever among them who would not seek the LORD would be put to death.  They rejoiced to make this promise because they sincerely did so with one heart, and the LORD was found by them.

There is nothing wrong with the enthusiasm the people showed in seeking the LORD, but the oath they made with God certainly raised my eyebrows:  they had not been faithful to keep God's law concerning executing idolators (Deuteronomy 13:6-18), yet they would go beyond the Law of Moses to execute anyone who did not seek the LORD ?  What was their definition of "seeking" God?  How was this determined?  Any metric for discerning this likely boils down to appearances, what a person does or does not do--and cannot address the heart.  This passage shows enthusiasm for God, sacrifice, unity in a cause and oaths uttered before God does not provide the ability to follow through and keep promises.  As Samuel told Saul, "To obey is better than sacrifice."  It is better to heed God's word and follow it than put ourselves under oaths to require more of ourselves than God does--as if our oath is more important than God's commands.

The failure of Asa and his people to obey God's law (much less their oath) is found in the passage that immediately follows in 2 Chronicles 15:16:  "Also he removed Maachah, the mother of Asa the king, from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah; and Asa cut down her obscene image, then crushed and burned it by the Brook Kidron."  Maachah was removed from her royal duties (which was unprecedented under previous kings) but still stopped short of obedience to God's law.  Under law, what was done to her obscene idol is what ought to have been done to her.  I do not fault Asa for what he did, but in his actions we see the folly of thinking we are capable to do ourselves more than God requires of us.  If I cannot bench press 100 kilos, it would be silly to load the bar with an additional 200 kilos and imagine I can rise to the challenge because the stakes are higher.

James 5:12 teaches us, "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and your "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment."  James tells us what we don't think we need to hear, for like Asa and the people, we easily slip into making promises we do not keep.  We have a tendency to put our word above God's word in a sense, making more of an effort to keep our word for the sake of our pride and keeping up appearances rather than simply obeying God's word for His sake and glory.  There is no point in saying we will do God's will if we will not do it.  God's desire is that without making promises we would heed His word and walk in His ways because of what He has said, we love Him and delight in seeking Him.  Talk is cheap, but what we do speaks truly.

A Lonely, Broken Heart

"Owner of a Lonely Heart" was a number one song in 1984, the most popular song by the progressive rock band Yes.  When I was in high school, the song was played occasionally on the local classic rock radio station.  It has a catchy chorus, and catchy songs are usually among the more popular ones.  It is amazing that I have not heard this song played for a very long time, yet it was ringing in my ears clearly for no obvious reason this morning.  It occurred to me that the reason I was reminded of the chorus of this song was to ponder the question:  is the message true?

Overall the song smacks very much of self-help books that focus on your responsibility to take charge of your life to improve it--to take your chances by making a move.  The basic message of the chorus goes, "Owner of a lonely heart (much better than a) owner of a broken heart."  From a biblical perspective, there is no need to be lonely when we have the LORD who will never leave or forsake us.  Having been born again by faith in Jesus, He adopts us as His own children and makes us members of His body, the church.  While He connects us with a global community that meets in small groups everywhere, people cannot satisfy our need for belonging and love like He does.

Jesus said those who hunger and thirst after righteousness are blessed because they will be filled.  In a similar way it can be said blessed are the broken hearted because they have the sure hope of healing by faith in Jesus Christ.  God is attracted to the owners of broken hearts as it is written in Psalm 34:18:  "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."  I suspect the broken heart referenced by the band may be more hurt than humbled, yet pain has a way of humbling us as well where we realise we need help.  Jesus fulfilled the words He read in Isaiah 61:1:  "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound..."  Blessed are the brokenhearted, for Jesus has been sent to heal them.

Feelings of loneliness are good when they result in us seeking the LORD, and blessed is the the owner of a broken heart because it prompts them to find healing and rest by faith in Jesus.  There are many Christians who struggle with loneliness and broken hearts even after coming to Christ.  This does not bring salvation into doubt, but God would have us learn what Jesus understood and taught in John 8:29:  "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."  Jesus had fellowship with the Father He obeyed, and the same is true for Christ's followers.  Jesus had many disciples and followers, but Jesus did not rely upon them for love and companionship He enjoyed with God the Father.  Despite betrayal and being abandoned, Jesus was not lonely or brokenhearted as John 16:32 says:  "Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me."

I have heard it said "It is lonely at the top," but this does not take Jesus Christ or His doctrine into account.  No one is higher than Jesus, yet He humbled Himself beneath all others to suffer and die on the cross.  As a man Jesus humbled Himself before God and mankind, and when He was left alone He was never alone.  The one who is proud will be lonely, because the proud do not have fellowship with God.  It is the one with a contrite, humble heart the LORD draws near to and heals, and our hearts are warmed knowing we are never alone--because God is with us.

Distinguishing God's Service

Many Christians who have come to faith in God through Jesus look at the Law of Moses as ridiculously complex and burdensome--even unnecessary due to the Gospel.  It would be unwise to hold to this view, especially since the lawgiver Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Since God does not change, this was true for the Jews who kept the Law of Moses by comparison to all other masters to whom they bound themselves.  As keeping God's commandments was His will for His people, He was always faithful to help them walk in His ways.  No man ever kept the Law perfectly because no man (except Christ) is perfect.

The children of Israel toiled under cruel taskmasters in Egypt and they groaned to God in bondage.  They were forced to bake bricks and build cities while Pharaoh decided to slaughter their male children in the river because they had grown strong.  God delivered His people from their crushing burdens and gave them His Laws.  He was the generous provider of all they sacrificed and offered to the LORD, and He made a covenant with them to bless them.  God gave them freedom in His service and did not force them to do anything, and He was gracious to warn them of consequences should they rebel and sin.  Sin was a more brutal dictator than the Egyptians ever were, for the soul that sins will surely die.  There is no escape possible from the sinful plagues of the heart that bind a man body, mind and soul except through the atonement God provided graciously in His covenant.

After the Hebrews were established in the land of promise, they asked Samuel to anoint a king over them who would go before them and fight their battles like all the other nations, God directed Samuel to warn the people what they were asking for.  The king who would rule over them would not rule them gently as God did.  Saul would tax them heavily, take their daughters to be his bakers and their sons to fight in his wars.  In asking for a human king they were requesting someone they would need to support and would be dependant upon their provision.  This was not the case with God as King, for He is not dependant on anyone; He is a provider, protector and fights His people's battles without needing weapons or an army.  Unlike human kings, God is not self-serving, proud, unjust or oppressive.  Serving the LORD according to His Law was a lighter load than what Saul would require of them.

Another example of how serving God is different than serving idols, men or ourselves is seen during the reign of Rehoboam in Jerusalem.  Having been established in his kingdom, Rehoboam forsook the Law of the LORD and God allowed Shishak of Egypt to plunder him.  God sent a prophet to instruct Rehoboam that his rebellion against God was the cause of his defeat, and he and his people humbled themselves before God.  2 Chronicles 12:7-8 says, "Now when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, "They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance. My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. ⁸ Nevertheless they will be his servants, that they may distinguish My service from the service of the kingdoms of the nations."  God allowed the people of Judah to serve Shishak to learn to distinguish his service from the service of other kingdoms.  For three years they served the LORD with gladness, and when they rebelled from God the heavy yoke of Shishak was placed on them--a much heavier yoke that left them weak, plundered, facing threats of retribution, fears and worries. 

If we feel serving God is a heavy burden and difficult chore, remember the other yokes that dragged us down over the years and rendered us helpless and hopeless to deliver ourselves--sins, addictions, pride, people-pleasing and selfishness.  It is true what Jesus says, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  In His service we discover peace in Him and rest for our souls.  There is joy and gladness in knowing God is with us, helps us, and loves us with an everlasting love.  The apostle writes of the new covenant in 1 John 5:3:  "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."  Those who love Jesus will keep His commandments, to love the LORD and one another as Jesus loves us.  Christ's yoke is easy and His burden is light because He lifts us up and fills us with the Holy Spirit.  He provides divine resources of wisdom, strength and understanding to do God's will, and He is faithful.  God's desire is we would learn to depend upon Him entirely, distinguish His service from all others, and delight to serve Him with gladness.

God's Completed Wrath

I was encouraged while reading Revelation 15 when John observed seven angels parading plagues out of the temple of God in heaven.  Each of them was given a bowl that was filled with the wrath of God that would be a manifest judgment of God through the plague poured out.  It struck me how these plagues came from God and were intended to accomplish His perfect will at the right time.  Though we cannot see a plague as a good thing in itself, knowing God is wise, sovereign and good moves us to worship God when He administers judgment and wrath.

It occurred to me I have often expressed gratitude and praise to God that He is just, but I have neglected to worship God for His wrath He has revealed and will one day pour out bowl after bowl.  Because God is good and righteous, every judgment He makes and action He takes is upright and good.  His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and thus it is faith in God that enables us to thank and praise God like the martyrs, psalmists and children of God for His righteous judgments.  When a judge on earth pronounces a judgment and sentence, we have opinions whether "justice" was served or not.  But we must realise God is not at all like a judge under law and guided by precedent:  He is the lawgiver and the law is beneath Him.  He is not beholden to any law like a human judge, for He is also KING OF KINGS.

In the seven plagues carried by the angels, God's wrath was complete.  It is awesome God's love, grace and mercy have no bounds, and this is revealed by His choice to restrain and limit His wrath.  In light of God's wrath martyrs for the sake of Christ in the Great Tribulation will sing:  "...Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! ⁴ Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested." (Rev. 15:3-4)  Those people who refuse to draw near to God at the revelation of divine love through Jesus Christ on Calvary may indeed be moved by the manifestation of His judgments in wrath.  The glorified believers do no wring their hands at the prospect of the devastation and destruction that will result, but worship the LORD God Almighty for His great and marvelous works and His ways that are just and true.  Nations will come and worship God because He is in Himself glorious and worthy, able to do what we cannot.

The song of Moses ends in Deuteronomy 32:43:  "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people."  The wise who fear God are called to worship and rejoice in God who will avenge the blood of His servants, render vengeance upon His enemies, and provide atonement for the land and His people.  If we will praise God He is just, that He is loving and merciful, we also can praise Him for the righteous administration of His wrath in judgment.  The trusting soul delights to do this, for God does all things perfectly in righteousness.  Praise the LORD for His wrath, and that one day it will be completely finished.

Drawn By Love

An illustration many Christians are familiar with concerns a common way how shepherds dealt with wayward lambs or sheep.  The story goes a shepherd would carefully break the leg of the sheep, immobilise the limb, and carry the animal around.  By needing to rely upon the shepherd for everything, a strong bond was forged between the sheep and shepherd and the wandering issue was over.  A problem I have with this story (one I have likely perpetuated over the years) is there is no biblical evidence of this practice.  There is scant or any evidence outside the Bible this was ever a common way to correct sheep that wander.  I place this among the often parroted illustrations because we heard it from someone we respect and it made sense at the time.  The more I think about it, however, the less sense it makes.

Let me preface this by saying, I have never cared for a flock of sheep or even one little lamb.  My only interactions with sheep was at a petting zoo.  In a stinging rebuke to the religious rulers in Israel, God used the responsibilities of a shepherd to expose their failure to serve His people in Ezekiel 34:4:  "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them."  Among the things good shepherds did was to bind up the broken, but there is no suggestion it was their responsibility to break bones of the sheep.  Shepherds cared for the flock by lovingly nurturing them, protecting them from harm, calling out to them, counting them regularly so the lost might be sought and found, and bringing them back to the safety of the fold.  Breaking bones sounds forceful and cruel--characteristics that marked these wicked rulers but not God.

I was reminded of something that happened long ago that illustrates how love, patience and care makes a better, lasting bond than breaking a bone.  I was house-sitting for a workmate who had a dog named Buddy who was anything but my buddy.  I had dogs growing up and always enjoyed them, but for whatever reason Buddy was timid and did not care to be around me at all.  One morning I awoke to find the back room where Buddy slept in a crate looking like a crime scene:  the poor dog had lost control of his bowels and the mess was everywhere.  After calling the owner and being assured this was not out of the ordinary, Buddy seemed to know I was there to help.  He let me pick him up (and I don't think I had even pet him by that stage), place him in the deep sink, and wash him of his filth.  As the warm water poured over him, I remember him simply staring into my eyes as I talked to him.  Showing love to Buddy when he was willing to receive it marked the beginning of Buddy trusting me, and the ice melted.

It has been a long time since I read A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, but there was a passage that always stuck with me.  Phillip Keller spoke of a quality ewe that was the epitome of a wayward sheep he named "Mrs. Gad-about."  The problem with this ewe is she was a skilled escape artist that was never content to remain in the fold and taught other sheep how to follow suit.  It seems Keller did not consider the broken-leg technique on the ewe, for she had to go.  He said, "...I took the killing knife in hand and butchered her. It was the only solution to the dilemma."  This was not a cruel thing to do because he was moved by love for all his sheep and the good of the flock.  This may not make for a homey sermon illustration, but it rings true with reality how shepherds dealt with problem sheep in their flocks.  Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd and He laid down His life for the sheep so we can have eternal life.  Our call as sheep of His pasture is to love one another as He loves us.

Shepherds pursued sheep that wandered and were lost; they helped the ones that fell into a pit and broke bones on rugged terrain.  Jesus described the shepherd who left the 99 sheep to find one sheep rejoicing when he found it.  He would carry the sheep on his shoulders, call his friends and neighbours together, and ask them to rejoice with him because he found his lost sheep intact.  There were times this didn't happen, as Amos 3:12 says, that only piece of an ear or a couple legs would be found by the shepherd. The gladness of the shepherd and kindness towards his sheep was more likely to build bonds of love and loyalty in a sheep towards the shepherd than a shattered leg.  This agrees with God's word in Jeremiah 31:3:  "The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you."  When David or Jeremiah spoke of their bones or skeleton being broken by God, it is figurative indication of inner agony--not an allusion to the practice of eastern shepherds.

David sang in Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise."  God's desire is His people would humble themselves and be broken and contrite due to our sins.  God desires one person to be broken in spirit and heart like David was for his sin before a holy God more than a million burnt offerings.  Breaking a leg does not change a heart. God does not need heavy-handed tactics to convict us of sin nor will He force us to be with Him.  He wants us to love and want to be with Him even as He has demonstrated His love for us as our Good Shepherd by dying in our place.  We can humbly offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God (with all limbs intact!) as a spiritually acceptable offering, made whole by Jesus and transformed by His love.  Even if our physical body is broken we are accepted in the beloved by God's grace because of Jesus.

God's Exceptional Glory

Of all people, kings and queens might be among those most difficult to impress.  Their wealth, fame, power, possessions and land holdings are vast in comparison to their subjects.  They have the authority, ability and right to take anything they want for themselves, to demand even the lives of anyone who may be a threat to their rule and prosperity.  For this reason I find it remarkable how the queen of Sheba was amazed and overwhelmed by the wisdom and glory of king Solomon.  Reports of king Solomon had reached her ears and were intriguing enough to compel her to personally pay a visit to Jerusalem.

After the queen of Sheba was granted a tour of king Solomon's courts, she was overwhelmed by everything she saw--the architecture, clothing and service of his servants, and the grandeur of his entrance to the house of the LORD.  2 Chronicles 9:5-6 says, "Then she said to the king: "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ However I did not believe their words until I came and saw with my own eyes; and indeed the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You exceed the fame of which I heard."  I have the sense that the queen of Sheba experienced what we do when we try to capture the beauty of a sunrise or windswept vista with a picture that cannot possibly contain it.  The energy and excitement we feel being in a crowd when the championship game is won cannot be conveyed fully second-hand or by a video.  The queen of Sheba heard great things about Solomon, but no one came close to telling her the full story.

The queen of Sheba came bearing gifts worthy of royalty that included gold, an abundance of spices and precious stones.  Amazingly, 2 Chronicles 9:12 tells us she and her servants left with more than they brought due to Solomon's wealth and generosity:  "Now King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all she desired, whatever she asked, much more than she had brought to the king. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants."  This reminds me of when we come to Jesus as Saviour.  We come to Him having heard He loves us, that He died to save us sinners.  When we come to Him in faith and give our lives to Him, as time goes on in our relationship with Jesus we realise we have not been told or have begun to comprehend a fraction of how good He is.  There was no spirit left in the queen of Sheba because she was overwhelmed in Solomon's presence, and God has chosen to put the Holy Spirit within us when we come to Him, not as kings and queens, but as beggars who are undeserving to even speak with divine royalty.

In offering our lives to Jesus, we end up being enriched far beyond what we have ever given by God's grace.  What is lovely is the observation in the text that spices brought by the queen of Sheba were unlike any found in Solomon's kingdom before or since (2 Chron. 9:9).  This is also true concerning the way God has created human beings in His image and how He unites us individuals in the body of Christ, the church.  There is no one else in God's kingdom like you and me, and this is God's doing.  We each bring a unique personality, perspective and spiritual fruitfulness by the Holy Spirit that brings a sweet fragrance and flavour to the kingdom of God.  The almighty God does not lack anything, nor does He need us to accomplish His will, but He delights in us like parents do their own child.  When we offer to God freely what He has already given us, it is we who are enriched and blessed beyond reason.

It is true what is written:  that eye has not seen, ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him--and He reveals them to us through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).  The queen of Sheba was of another kingdom, so at some point she had to leave king Solomon and the glories of Jerusalem.  For Christians, our glorious Saviour will never leave or forsake us, and we can abide with Him forever starting right now!  How awesome is our wise and holy God who gives us all things to richly enjoy, who supplies all that is needed for life and godliness for eternity.  Whatever we know of God today, we only know a fraction of the greatness of His wisdom and the glory of His kingdom.  When we seek the LORD and His kingdom, everything else will be added to us because it is God's good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:31-32).  Rather than weighing us down, our glorious God draws us close and lifts us up.

God Prepares Hearts

Even in societies that have forsaken God, God is gracious and faithful to preserve a remnant for Himself.  The prophet Elijah lamented he was the "only one" who was zealous for the LORD's sake in Israel, but God had reserved 7,000 who had not bowed once to Baal (1 Kings 19:18).  After Jeroboam became king over the 10 northern tribes of Israel, he was instrumental in establishing the worship of idols throughout the kingdom.  He rejected God fearing priests and Levites from serving the LORD and sanctified priests of the lowest (character-wise) of his subjects.

The priests and Levites took a stand against the king's abominable idolatry by leaving the lands given them as an inheritance and moving their families to the territory of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.  These men refused to bow the knee to the calf idols Jeroboam set up and remained faithful to the LORD.  The rise of king-sanctioned idolatry resulted in a revival of true worship in the hearts of those who took a stand to honour God all across the land as 2 Chronicles 11:13 says:  "And from all their territories the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him."  With one heart and mind to serve the LORD, God galvanised the faith of His faithful servants--and used a wicked ruler to set it in motion.

One might imagine the illiterate and uneducated in the land were like lambs sent to the slaughter because of Jeroboam's idolatrous ways, yet God is able to guide those who fear Him to walk in wisdom even when accountability before men is low.  2 Chronicles 11:16 reads, "And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers."  Like the Levites, those from all the tribes of Israel who set their heart to seek the LORD God continued to travel to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices at the annual feasts, and brought tithes and freewill offerings.  They rejected the lure of convenience to offer sacrifices to the LORD at the high places Jeroboam set up, for they set their heart to seek God at His temple.

Praise God He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  God has promised all who seek Him will find Him regardless of how secular a society, government or rulers might be like in Deuteronomy 4:29:  "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul."  God does not weigh our worthiness but is looking for people who seek God with all their heart so He might reveal Himself according to the riches of His grace.  Those who do not prepare their hearts to seek the LORD will do evil (2 Chronicles 12:14), and God holds each person responsible to prepare their hearts to seek Him.  Any who prepare their heart to seek God can know this is evidence of His working in our hearts and lives (Proverbs 16:1).  Let us glory in our awesome God as it is written in Psalm 105:3:  "Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!"