Seek God and Live

"For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live; ⁵ but do not seek Bethel,nor enter Gilgal, nor pass over to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing."

Amos 5:4-5

During our study of the book of Amos at Calvary Chapel Sydney the LORD has impressed upon me the importance of seeking Him.  Religious activity was in full swing in the northern kingdom of Israel, but the people worshiped the works of their own hands.  They went to "holy" sites like Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba, places of antiquity where pillars and monuments had been set up by the patriarchs--not for worship, but in response to the revelation of God, His presence, and covenant.  When Abraham planted a tamarisk tree, Isaac dug a well in Beersheba, Joshua directed the elders to set up a monument of stones from the Jordan in Gilgal, or Jacob set up a stone in Bethel it was never intended to be the idolatrous shrines their descendants made them.

It is good to seek God in worship and prayer, but it is possible to do these activities without seeking God at all.  We can read the Bible and learn something new without having intentionally sought God.  When I visited Israel I went to many ancient biblical sites but there is no power or holiness in the stones walked upon by Jesus.  Many times I have stood by the Western Wall and even walked on the Temple Mount but proximity to where Solomon's temple once stood does not aid God in hearing prayers or answering them.  I have witnessed pilgrims from all over the world tour sites and it is common to see them caressing or kissing the ancient stones where it is believed by some the dead body of Jesus once lay, moved by the experience.

There is nothing wrong with visiting Israel and the many historical sites of interest, but like Bethel and Gilgal buildings and stones will all come to nothing.  A stone touched by Jesus is nothing, but Jesus is the Rock of Salvation we are to build our lives upon by faith in Him.  Man's natural inclination is to reverence and place great value on what is old, famous, or of monetary worth.  We classify relics and ruins as "priceless" because a price cannot be placed upon the immense historical value.  Is not the presence of God what made Jerusalem a special place?  I have been blessed by visits to Israel, but a person need not go to the Old City to experience the abundant Christian life God gives by grace.

If we will worship and honour God, seeking to express our love to Him, it is not the kissing of stones or bowing in ancient crypts He requires from us.  If we love Him, we ought to love one another--even our enemies.  No one is closer to God by a trip to Israel, but we draw near when we seek and obey Him.  Micah 6:8 says, "He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?"  Doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly has everything to do with our conduct towards other people in light of God we have sought.  1 John 4:20 makes the connection clear:  "If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?"  Kissing a stone does not show love for Jesus, but through faith loving people does.

Based on Amos 5:4-5 it seems the children of Israel sought Bethel, Gilgal, and Beersheba as a substitute for seeking God.  It is vital to understand we too can adopt the same error, imagining we are making sacrifices for God when our sole aim is (on some level) to please ourselves.  Our gifts, service, and sacrifices unto the LORD is the effect of seeking Him, not offered as a bribe so we might find Him.  Those who seek God will find Him, having believed the promises of His Word.  We are wise to seek God as if our life depends upon it because He is our life.

Labouring Together to Enter

When the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and Manasseh looked upon the prime cattle country east of the Jordan, they requested that land be deemed their inheritance.  At first Moses was angry with them for stopping short of entering the land of promise, but they assured him they did not shrink from the task which lay before them of driving out the enemies so all tribes could enter their inheritance.  They would pass over Jordan armed for battle to assist their brethren obtain the land God allotted to each one, and then they would return to their own families on the east side of the river.  In the end Moses agreed to the request of the three tribes, and they also kept their word to fight beside their brethren.

In 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul explained what happened concerning the children of Israel in the Old Testament had been provided as relevant examples for Christians today.  Like the children of Israel had been given an inheritance and rest they needed to labour to enter so it is for us as followers of Jesus.  We have an inheritance and reward in heaven to be sure, but that is not the picture of Canaan--full of strongholds, idols, and enemies to be overcome.  Every follower of Jesus Christ has a place and function in the Body of Christ, spiritual gifts, and good works God has prepared for us to enter into.  What the example of Ruben, Gad, and Manasseh confirms is we have a role to help other Christians walk in the victorious and fruitful inheritance God has given us by grace.  And guess what?  We need the help of others too.  As much as we like to think we are sufficient, no one is capable of victory in isolation any more than a hand severed from a body can wield a sword.

As I think back upon my younger days I realise many of my relationships with fellow believers had very little to do with Christ:  I did little to intentionally help others win the personal battles they struggled with, nor did I openly share concerning the obstacles or enemies which hindered me from entering into greater faith and reliance upon Jesus.  Having Christian friends was a good thing, but how much better if we would have supported and held each other accountable to follow Jesus like the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and Manasseh did in following through with their commitment to serve.  They said as one man to Joshua in Joshua 1:18, "Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage."  Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme--but you see what I mean.  Their determination to obey Joshua together ought to mark the lives of believers who aim to walk in obedience to our sovereign King Jesus.

What amazes me is the tribes of Ruben, Gad, and Manasseh did not place the burden of accountability upon Joshua to keep them in line but policed themselves at the expense of their own lives.  It is true making a promise and actually following through are two different things, but the intent of these tribes to obey Joshua and help their brethren is commendable and admirable.  All Christians are on equal footing before our Saviour Jesus Christ as sheep of His pasture, and we are called to work together to see all enter into the rest God has provided by His grace.  There yet remains a rest for us to enter, and let us labour as one in humility and grace to enter in.

Revival in a Tomb

I read a passage of scripture last night which reminds me when it seems all hope is lost, God is able to do the miraculous and unexpected.  The Bible is filled with instances where God's almighty power overruled the natural laws He established in the universe, and sometimes with almost comedic effect.  Elisha was a prophet filled with the Holy Spirit through whom God did many miracles, and there was a notable occasion after his death mentioned in 2 Kings 13:20-21:  "Then Elisha died, and they buried him. And the raiding bands from Moab invaded the land in the spring of the year. ²¹ So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet."

Burying a man according to the ancient Hebrew tradition did not involve burying the body in dirt but to lay the body in a tomb or crypt typically chiseled out of stone.  Whilst we are not provided the details about this man or the manner of his death, it was quite a hurried, unceremonious affair.  As these men were burying the deceased suddenly they saw a band of Moabite raiders and decided to dump the body in the tomb of Elisha!  If they did not hurry perhaps they too would be dead men!  Suddenly, much to their shock and amazement, when the body the dead man contacted the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up.  Before his death Elisha promised the king of Israel would have victory over the Syrians, and perhaps this incident urged him to renewed faith in God and His power to save.

What this passage does not teach us is there remains mystical, miraculous power in the deceased bodies of God's prophets.  We are not to reverence the tombs or bones of dead saints, attributing any goodness or glory to them.  The power to raise the dead was not in Elisha (whose body died of illness and decomposed) but in the God who he served.  By grace God brought life out of death when men had given up hope and were frightened.  God did what they least expected.  The paralytic brought to Jesus was healed because Jesus saw their faith and it was a sign to reveal His divine nature, but these men (and the revived man too!) were benefactors of God's grace and mercy they didn't count on.

Brothers and sisters, let us count on the goodness of God to do the miraculous when we least expect it!  The situations we have wept over and despaired can be overcome in an instant by the grace of God.  We may not live to see a dead person revived by touching the bones of a prophet, yet we could see something even more amazing:  the return of prodigals, revival in the church, repentance in the hearts of hardened sinners, and renewal of our relationship with the living God.   One person passing from death to life by receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ is worth a million physical resurrections without a change of heart.

What God Has Done!

From the mouths of babes God has ordained praise, and He also has been glorified by the mouth of crooked, greedy prophets like Balaam.  After he was asked to curse Israel from afar, Balaam said in Numbers 23:22-23, "God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. ²³ "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'Oh, what God has done!'"  There is no one more powerful or intimately involved with what is commonly called "spiritual warfare" than God, and there is no sorcery or divination which works against Him.  Victory depends primarily not on what we do but what God has done.

The focus of many genuine believers can be more on what we need to do to be protected and victorious rather than extolling and believing what God has said and done.  God spoke to His people in Isaiah 54:16-17:  "Behold, I have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the spoiler to destroy.¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD."  Satan, who has been a liar, thief, and murderer from the beginning, remains under the absolute authority of God.  He recognised a hedge of protection God placed around Job, a boundary he could not cross without permission.  Even when he was permitted to afflict Job there were limits sovereignly enforced by God whose intention was revelation, restoration, and double blessing.

Paul wrote that Christians are not to wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and rulers of wickedness in heavenly places.  This is a bit daunting to some, that we would be pitted against invisible, malevolent beings who seek our ruin.  But remember what Jesus accomplished on Calvary when He disarmed principalities and powers!  Colossians 2:13-15 says, "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it."  Knowing our enemy has been disarmed by the almighty God who has redeemed and reconciled us to Himself makes a huge difference in how we engage in spiritual conflict.  We do not fight to obtain victory but from victory Jesus has wrought.

People talk of a need for a "prayer covering" but Jesus is the glorious One in whom is our life and vitality whose shed blood covers us by grace through faith.  Jesus Christ knew the secret thoughts of the hearts of men and the desires of Satan too.  Luke 22:31-32 says, "And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  Even as Satan's murderous desire towards Jesus was overthrown and resulted in new life and salvation for all people through the Gospel, God would redeem Satan's efforts to sift Peter by redeeming the situation and bringing strength to Peter and others too.  Looking at Peter's denial of Christ and the death of Jesus on Calvary appeared hopeless, but God's redemptive purposes were in full force for good.

Hasn't God done amazing things?  He brought the children of Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand, led them through the wilderness, and caused them to enter the inheritance He prepared for them as promised.  We were once dead in trespasses and sins but through the death of Jesus we have been raised to new life.  Balaam wanted to curse Israel for profit, but he could only bless.  Weapons in the hands of enemies make us feel vulnerable, but God causes no weapon fashioned against us to prosper.  Principalities and powers have been disarmed through the overcoming victory of Jesus Christ, and He prays for those who face satanic assault.  1 Peter 5:8-11 urges us from inspiration of God and experience, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. ⁹ Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. ¹⁰ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. ¹¹ To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."