The God Who Is

God is not like a person who conveys, "Do as I say but not as I do."  He is not like a parent who needs to apologise after doing or saying something they forbid of their children.  He is utterly consistent in His righteousness and purity.  His holiness reaches infinitely beyond our ability to ascertain, and He says truly of Himself:  "I am the LORD; I change not."

Romans 1:31 sums up the condition of a sinner worthy of death with five words which are the antithesis of the of character of God:  "undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful."  Having established His throne on righteousness, God is the source and sustainer of all life.  God is discerning, knowing all things.  He is absolutely trustworthy for He cannot tell a lie.  God is loving, demonstrating this reality by sending Jesus Christ to save sinners.  He is forgiving, a quality not found in men who nurse grudges and remember wrongs done against them.  He also delights to show mercy because He is merciful.  This is the God who was, is, and is to come.  He is our Creator and divine sovereign who is worthy to be worshipped and praised.

Though we have all been undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful, we sinners can be born again and sanctified by the grace of God.  The wickedness which marked our lives we cannot undo, yet God can make us new with a clean slate.  Because of the Holy Spirit who indwells us, our thoughts, motives, and ability to perceive spiritual truth begins to align more with His.  Naturally in us there is no good thing (Romans 7:18), and thus any attribute deemed good has been gifted by God to us.  How we need Him, and may we do more than appreciate Him:  let us praise Him, exalt Him, and honour Him now and forever.

Eyes Open to See

"And Elisha prayed, and said, "LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."

2 Kings 6:17

It seemed like a hopeless situation:  the Syrian army surrounded the city of Dothan to bring Elisha to the king.  When the servant of Elisha saw they were surrounded by this great force he was overwhelmed.  He said, "Alas my master!  How shall we do?"  "Alas" is a word used to express pity, grief, or concern.  The servant of Elisha realised he and the inhabitants of the city were out of their depth given the tenuous situation, and given the circumstances it is likely most people would have panicked.

The perspective of Elisha was quite different than his servant.  Elisha didn't ask what they should do because he knew something his servant did not:  they were not alone or forsaken.  God was with them and had the situation completely in hand.  He said in 2 Kings 6:16, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them."  Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant, and then he was divinely enabled to see the Syrian army was completely surrounded by horses and chariots of fire.  God could have laid waste to His enemies in a moment, yet He would have them live.  When the Syrians came to arrest Elisha they were struck blind and he led them to Samaria.  After feeding them he sent them on their way.

I wonder how many times we are lamenting an overwhelming situation like Elisha's servant when Jesus our Master has everything in hand?  How often have we been afraid because our eyes have been closed to God's promises and presence in our lives?  Walking by sight things seem impossible, yet with God all things are possible.  He has all knowledge and power at His disposal, and He is gracious to deliver and save.  This passage shows even those who rise up against God and His people benefit from His grace.  May God open our eyes to see we are never alone and can have complete confidence in the God who sees and knows all.

It is a little thing for Christians to perceive potential danger or opposition rising against us.  It is obvious we live in a world where there is great animosity against God and His people.  Those who know God and whose eyes have been opened to see remember those who are with us are more than those who are with them.  Elisha and his servant were two among countless foes, yet because God was with them they were the far stronger side.  Praise the LORD for this!

A Presence Regarded

Have you ever received a call you declined to take because it was a "private" number?  In the old days people would "screen" their calls by listening to the caller speak on their answering machine in real time:  if they wanted to take the call, they could.  But if it was a caller they would rather not talk to at the moment (or ever!), the machine ran interference.

This morning I read a passage which showed similar to how we screen calls, God in a sense screens prayers.  Those who do not fear or regard Him do not have the access and immediate response He gladly gives to those who trust and obey Him.  The situation is described in 2 Kings 3 when the king of Moab rebelled against Jehoram king of Israel.  Jehoram enlisted the aid of king Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom.  Of the three only Jehoshaphat feared the LORD.  When Jehoram blamed God for dooming their mission, Jehoshaphat suggested they inquire of the LORD and Elisha the prophet was summoned.

2 Kings 3:13-14 reads, "Then Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and the prophets of your mother." But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab." ¹⁴ And Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you, nor see you."  Elisha the prophet was a man who spoke for God, and idolatrous Jehoram nor the king of Edom were deemed worthy of an audience.  The presence of Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, was regarded by God.  Access to the glorious presence of the LORD cannot be earned but is happily granted by God to all who trust in Him.  The cries of the humble will be heard and answered by the Almighty God of Israel.

God was gracious to respond to the inquiry of Jehoshaphat in spite of the kings who he sat beside.  God's grace is even greater magnified by God's answer and action which would benefit them all by giving their cattle water and smiting the Moabites before them.  The requests of unbelievers went straight into the spam folder, but God honoured the presence of Jehoshaphat as a son in whom He was well pleased.  Who would you rather be:  to be one whose presence God regards or to be one He will not look at or see?  Do you want your prayers to be screened and silenced or to be likened to a call God immediately takes at any hour of day or night?  Those who regard God's presence will be gladly regarded by Him.

God, A Consuming Fire

Placing our faith in God ought to change our perspective.  If we believe God created all things seen and unseen, if everything has been made by Him which has been made, then He has authority and control over it all.  Things which appear impossible to us are possible with God, and insurmountable obstacles for us are no hindrance at all to our great God.  Every man and woman of God can be assured of God's protection, help, and power in every situation of life.

I was reminded today of when king Ahaziah sent a captain and his 50 to arrest Elijah and bring him before the king.  The backstory is the injured king had sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub (god of Ekron) if he would recover.  God took exception to this and sent a message by Elijah to condemn the king's act and inform him he would not recover but die.  The king was not pleased with God or Elijah speaking to him in this manner.  2 Kings 1:9-10 says, "Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: "Man of God, the king has said, 'Come down!' " ¹⁰ So Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty."

The captain addressed Elijah as "Man of God," and given the situation this is most ironic.  If Elijah truly was a man of God, then there was indeed a God in Israel.  And if there is a God in Israel, why didn't the King inquire of Him - the One who was revealed to Amaziah's father Ahab and all Israel through Elijah calling fire down from heaven to consume the sacrifice on Mount Carmel?  God's wisdom and insight was displayed in knowing when, where, and why Amaziah sent messengers.  Why didn't Amaziah honour God?  It seems Amaziah had forgotten that at the request of Elijah rain did not fall in Israel for three and a half years, and at his request God caused the rain to fall in torrents.  Since the king nor his men feared God, God gave the king an awesome display of His power by consuming his captain and fifty men in fire.

Undeterred, Amaziah sent a second captain with his 50 to Elijah, demanding he go with them.  Can you guess what happened?  They too were consumed with fire from heaven as the previous group.  Amaziah stubbornly sent a third group to fetch Elijah, but the demeanour of the captain was different than the previous two.  2 Kings 1:13-15 reads, "Again, he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, and said to him: "Man of God, please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. ¹⁴ Look, fire has come down from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties. But let my life now be precious in your sight." ¹⁵ And the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him; do not be afraid of him." So he arose and went down with him to the king."  The third captain went in obedience to his master, but he came humbly before Elijah and his God.  He begged for his life, acknowledging what God had done to the previous captains and their fifties.  God responded graciously by sparing the captain and his 50 and guided Elijah to go with the men without fear.

How fitting it is for us to acknowledge all God has done and humble ourselves before Him!  God already knew why the third captain had come and the orders he had been given by Amaziah.  The God who can withhold rain and cause fire to fall from heaven is worthy of honour and greatly to be feared.  Imagine a man demanding anything of God!  Are we in any position to make demands of God or to think we must inform Him of what is going on as if He didn't know?  What do we know?  As men and women of God we ought not to think it is our place to call fire down from heaven upon others, even upon those who hate or oppose God.  When the disciples James and John suggested they do this upon Samaritans who did not receive Jesus Luke 9:55-56 states, "But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. ⁵⁶ For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village."

It is not for man to avenge himself or even to try to avenge God's honour, as if God needed any assistance from man to do so.  God has said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay."  He is King and will execute justice and judgment in the earth.  God's heart of love is seen in Christ who came to save lives, not destroy them.  He does not kill first but allows opportunity for men to humble themselves and repent.  Our God is love and also a consuming fire.  Those who humble themselves and acknowledge His sovereignty will experience His love and grace, but those who vaunt themselves against Him and proudly make demands will have another experience entirely - and those flames will never be quenched.