Asking With Assurance

Jehoshaphat was a king who trusted in God.  He was a man who "questioned" God, but not the doubtful way God's existence is "questioned" today.  Jehoshaphat asked questions of God, knowing God heard his prayers and would honour His promises.  It is not a lack of faith that moved Jehoshaphat to ask questions of God:  it was faith that compelled him to seek God in his time of need.

When the Moabites and Ammonites came against Judah and Jerusalem with a massive army, Jehoshaphat's response was to seek refuge in his God.  In response to the invaders 2 Chronicles 20:3-12 says, "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. ⁴ So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. ⁵ Then Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court, ⁶ and said: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You? ⁷ Are You not our God, who drove out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel, and gave it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? ⁸ And they dwell in it, and have built You a sanctuary in it for Your name, saying, ⁹ 'If disaster comes upon us--sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine--we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.' ¹⁰ And now, here are the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir--whom You would not let Israel invade when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them and did not destroy them-- ¹¹ here they are, rewarding us by coming to throw us out of Your possession which You have given us to inherit. ¹² O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

Jehoshaphat did not tell God anything He did not already know - but his words proved he knew God.  He knew who God was, what He had promised, and He was willing and able to fulfill His Word.  All of Jehoshaphat's questions were answered in the affirmative!  2 Corinthians 1:20 says, "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us."  Jehoshaphat admitted he was overwhelmed and did not know what to do.  He did one thing:  he looked to God for salvation.

It is good when we are brought to such a place.  It was a looming war and potential defeat that moved Jehoshaphat to seek an audience with the Most High.  What does it take to turn your eyes to God for deliverance and help?  God heard and answered Jehoshaphat's prayer, and Judah was delivered from the hands of their enemies.  Men and women of faith ask questions God is pleased to answer with a resounding "Yes!"  We must first lay aside our plans and back-up plans and come to God for help, looking to Him alone.  James 1:5-8 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."  We have assurance through God's Word He will give liberally and without reproach to all who ask in faith, and Jehoshaphat is a great example.  When we don't know what to do, God does - and He will do it!

Micaiah the Son of Imlah

One of the men in the Bible I truly admire is found in 2 Chronicles 18:  Micaiah the son of Imlah.  He was a faithful prophet to God when he faced a lot of pressure to fall in line with Ahab's 400 prophets.  The wicked king Ahab couldn't stand the man!  When Jehoshaphat asked if they could inquire of the LORD before going to battle in Ramoth-Gilead, Ahab quickly produced his 400 prophets.  Their consensus?  "Go up; for God will deliver it into the king's hand."  We are not told how, but Jehoshaphat discerned these 400 prophets were not speaking for God.  So he politely asked Ahab, "Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might inquire of him?"

Ahab was blunt.  2 Chronicles 18:7 tells us, "So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say such things!"  Even in those dark days, there was still one man by whom they could inquire of the LORD!  The Bible tells us among all the kings of Israel there was none more stirred up to wickedness than Ahab (1 Kings 21:25).  Jesus says in Luke 6:26, "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets."  It stands to reason a true prophet of God would not have encouragement or messages of peace for wicked Ahab.  God does not lure us into a false sense of security.  In love He warns us when we stray from the path, longsuffering though He be.

Whilst Micaiah was being brought before the king, he was strictly told to fall in line.  Everyone else had positive things to say:  couldn't he just for once agree with all the other prophets?  Micaiah did as he was told, only to be rebuffed by Ahab!  2 Chronicles 18:15 says, "So the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"  Then Micaiah held forth the truth:  Israel would be scattered without a shepherd, and Ahab's 400 prophets had been influenced by a lying spirit for the purpose of persuading Ahab to go to battle so he might be destroyed.  For his words Micaiah was punched in the face by a false prophet, arrested, and sent to prison until Ahab's return - which never happened!

The verses in the passage which resonated with me when I read it this morning are 2 Chronicles 18:25-27:  "Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; ²⁶ and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and water of affliction until I return in peace." ²⁷ Then Micaiah said, "If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Take heed, all you people!"  Ahab would perish on the field of battle by the time the sun went down, and not another word is said of Micaiah the son of Imlah.  The scripture does not tell us if he remained in prison until the day of his death or was later released.  He was the only man among the prophets who spoke the truth and was hated for his trouble.  He was sent to prison for doing good.  He was commanded to be fed with the bread and water of affliction.  Yet even in that dungeon Micaiah had something Ahab did not:  comfort and peace with God.

God is looking for people such as Micaiah today, men and women willing to stand up for what is right in the face of opposition.  Jesus told His followers we will certainly face persecution and tribulation because of the spiritual battle we are engaged in.  Take heart believer!  Even if we are thrown in prison we can feed upon the Bread of Life, the One who was afflicted for our sakes.  We need never thirst, for God has provided Living Water which springs from us through the Holy Spirit.  The words of one man stand true from before the foundations of the earth were laid, and His Word will endure forever!  How great is our God, and how blessed are His people no matter what befalls us.  Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah hid himself in an inner chamber after he was exposed as a fraud.  Speaking for myself, I would rather be imprisoned for the truth than go into hiding to escape the consequences of lies and deceit.  I'm thinking Micaiah would agree.

Is God Bigger Than A Book?

The title of this post is loaded and cocked like a high-powered rifle.  Answering "no" runs the risk of limiting God, and affirming it creates the potential of wrongly attributing deeds to God.  God is Almighty and has primarily revealed His character, righteousness, and Gospel through the Word of God.  The times I have heard this statement used, the Bible is the book being referenced.  The Bible is not just "a" book, but His book.  I believe the Bible is exactly what it claims to be:  all scripture is of His divine inspiration, His God-breathed Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  So before we can even fairly tackle the question, we must consider the context of making such a statement.  If we do not first understand the premise, we can arrive at the wrong conclusion.

When someone says "God is bigger than a book," it is the premise of the statement that concerns me more than the statement itself.  Atheists or unbelievers are not the ones saying this, but often it is professing Christians.  What is the motive to say such a thing?  Scripture itself reveals that God is greater than all, so it seems obvious that God must be "bigger" than a book.  But what is the word "bigger" intended to convey when speaking about God?  Has He not placed His word above His name (Ps. 138:2)? What synonym better conveys the true agenda?  By referring to the Bible as "a" book, the statement itself denigrates the sufficiency of the Word and shrinks down the scope and power of the Bible, equating it to just any old book.  This is very problematic, especially today with a growing culture in the church that is moving away from literal trust and adherence to scripture.

John says Jesus did many things which were not written in the Gospel he penned, and what was written was to the end we might believe.  He closed the Gospel of John with these words in John 21:25:  "And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."  If all the deeds Jesus did could not be contained in the world itself, then it seems clear that the scope of what Jesus did is not entirely contained in scripture.  This by itself seems to lend a positive answer to the original question.  But the case isn't closed.  Jesus said there would be many who would come in His name but be deceivers.  They would claim to do the works of God but have no part in Him.  Paul describes the works of Satan in 2 Thess. 2:9 "...with all power and signs and lying wonders."  For this reason we are not to believe every spirit but to test them, for many false prophets have gone into the world (1 John 4:1).

The Holy Spirit gives us discernment through the scriptures to know truth from error.  Because that is one purpose for the scriptures being given it is not "limiting God" to look to the scriptures to find precedent.  Did Jesus do miracles of all kinds?  Yes!  Can Christians do miracles of all kinds today in His name, even healing diseases and afflictions not specifically mentioned in the Bible?  Yes!  The baptism with the Holy Spirit is for today, and I personally have received this baptism from Christ.  Our experiences and feelings will be different from each other because we are all different people.  The Acts of the Apostles reveal the Spirit of God manifested Himself as tongues of fire on the heads of the believers gathered in one accord in the upper room as they prayed:  is it possible the Spirit of God could manifest His presence in the same or different way today?  Sure.  But we must approach such "signs" or events cautiously, our feet firmly founded on the Word of God.  We are not ever told to seek after signs or miracles in scripture, but after Christ.  When the unbelieving Jews asked for a sign Jesus said it was "a wicked and adulterous generation" that sought after a sign when there He stood in their midst (Matt. 16:4).

God does miracles today.  Because of this scripture reveals Satan performs lying wonders as an angel of light with the intent to deceive and destroy.  If miracles or spiritual gifts were not in operation today by the power of the Holy Spirit, every supernatural act by Satan would expose his treachery!  His greatest asset is his subtlety.  His strongest approach is to question the validity of God's Word.  Wolves can pose as sheep and infiltrate the flock of God.  Therefore we must remain vigilant to hold fast to God's Word.  Jesus said His followers would do greater works (in scope) than Him through the Holy Spirit (John 14:12), but God has established boundaries He will not cross.  He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) or contradict Himself, almost like fresh and salty water flowing from the same spring.  The Holy Spirit will always glorify Christ (John 16:14), and Christ always honours the Father (John 8:49).  God's character is the same yesterday, today, and forever because He does not change (Ps. 102:25-27).  In all these aspects God cannot and will not overstep the bounds set clearly by His Word.  In this sense God always operates within the revealed truth of scripture.  There is a consistency in God's Word that can be counted on.  We must be cautious not to fall for Satan's sleight of hand, dazzled and duped.  Men are liars and easily led astray, but God is true and trustworthy.  That being said, God will not be confined by our limited view of Him.  Our unbelief restricts His resurrection power from being displayed.  We should have an expectancy of God to move in power and not to try and dictate how or when He will do wonders.  Truly, the greatest wonder to me is the salvation of a soul and the testimony of a transformed life through the Holy Spirit.  Physical healing is temporary, but the salvation of souls is eternal.

Understanding the premise of this statement is the key to the conclusion.  I am no one to judge another man's servant, because we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.  Allow me to conclude with Psalm 19:7-14:  "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸ the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; ⁹ the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward. ¹² Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. ¹³ Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. ¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Taught to Know War

During family devotions a few nights ago we read a passage which has remained in my mind and on my heart.  Judges 3:1-4 reads, "Now these are the nations which the LORD left, that He might test Israel by them, that is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan ² (this was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known it), ³ namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses."

The children of Israel were not obedient to drive out the nations in the land of promise.  Therefore God told them He would no longer drive them out, and it was not out of spite or frustration.  God had righteous motives in allowing the enemy nations to remain, and these verses reveal some of God's redemptive purposes.  Verses one and four say God left the nations to "test Israel by them," so it would be evident if His people obeyed His commands or not.  If you read on for a few more verses, you will see they did not.

The part of this passage which has me thinking is verse two.  After the initial war to secure the land, a generation in Israel arose who did not know war.  Another purpose of God for allowing opposing forces in Canaan was "only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war..."  I don't know about you, but I would be glad for my children to never know war as many have known it.  My grandfather, Bernard Francis Grisez, was a Pearl Harbour survivor.  He was a great man.  Despite the struggles of service, I know his experiences had a formative quality in his personality and character for good.  God is wiser than men, and He knows how to make them.

God desired the new generation be taught to know war, to learn to trust God to fight their battles.  He didn't want the children of Israel to be soft, complacent, and be ignorant of enemy threats.  He wanted to develop men into warriors who could teach others to trust God and fight.  He didn't want His people touting their strength at fitness boot camp when they hadn't even been through military basic training!  What good are toned abs if you can't handle a sword, spear, or bow?  There is a big difference between basic training and live combat.  There is something about risking your life that is an impetus to growing faith in God.  Every day God provides tests to prove us to see if we will obey Him or not.

How true this is for us!  The scriptures tell us we are in a spiritual battle for the souls of men and the glory of God.  Remember the words of 2 Timothy 2:1-4:  "You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. ² And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. ³ You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. ⁴ No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."  We are called to be strong in the grace of Christ, lead others to Him faithfully, teach them to observe His commands, and endure hardship as a good soldier.  God is our Commander, and we are His subjects.  He allows opposition and battles within and outside so we too might learn how to battle, fight on in faith despite hardship, and learn how to walk victoriously.  We can endure to the end, even as Jesus did.  He endured the cross, knowing the glory and victory of the resurrection was only possible through the cross.  Let us follow His example and fight on for the joy set before us!