The Earnest Servant

I'm always drawn to Nehemiah's description of Baruch when the walls and gates of Jerusalem were being repaired in the KJV rendering of Nehemiah 3:20:  "After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest."  The NKJV uses "carefully" instead of "earnestly," and "earnestly" seems to better convey the zeal Baruch demonstrated in his efforts.  Of all the workers, Baruch is the only one where an adverb was used to describe how he worked and thus clearly stood out.  The Hebrew word "hara" is only translated "earnestly" on this one occasion, and the Strong's Concordance noted other uses in English as, "kindled (44 times), wroth (13), hot (10), angry (9), displease (4), fret (4), incensed (2) and burn (1).  Baruch was a man on fire, one who attacked the task with fervency and unrivaled earnestness.

Since "earnestly" is not a word spoken often, I also looked up the definition in the 1828 Webster's Dictionary:

EARNESTLY, adverb ern'estly. Warmly; zealously; importunately; eagerly; with real desire.

"Being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly." Luke 22:44.

"That ye should earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints." Jude 1:3.

2. With fixed attention; with eagerness.

"A certain maid looked earnestly upon him." Luke 22:44.

The examples used by Webster from scripture are Jesus agonising earnestly in prayer, how believers are to contend for the faith and the thoughtful, intense stare of a maid at Peter because she recognised him.  Baruch took to the task of repairing a portion of the wall earnestly, though he worked alone.  Many workers are mentioned who teamed up together, and even sons and daughters pitched in as one to make progress.  Whilst it is possible and probable Baruch had many helpers, his earnestness in working was fit to be distinguished as distinct and recorded.  The nobles of the Tekoa did not put their necks to the work of the LORD (Neh. 3:5), but Baruch maintained singular focus to do this work with great effort.  While people day-dreamed about how good it would be to have their portion of the wall built so they could be done and relax, Baruch's earnest labour suggests he would be one who, after finishing his bit, would volunteer to assist others until the whole job was done.

If there was a man besides Christ who laboured for the LORD earnestly in the New Testament, my pick would be Paul.  Like Jesus did not come to be served but to serve and give His life for mankind, Paul worked with his own hands to provide for himself and others so no one could say he was greedy for financial gain or shared the Gospel for profit.  By day he worked sewing tents and all other hours were consumed in labouring in the word and teaching.  As a servant of God he gave an exhortation he followed himself in Colossians 3:22-24:  "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ 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."  Servants of the LORD were not just to work, but work heartily--exceedingly, abundantly even vehemently--as unto the LORD.  Their "secular" job was to be sanctified with the holy aim of serving God himself in their earnest efforts.

Are you a Baruch, believer?  Are you like Paul who obeyed his master according to the flesh in sincerity of heart, fearing God, working heartily as to the LORD on and off the clock?  Paul received wages but he did not set his heart or hopes on them:  he looked to the reward of the inheritance he would receive as a servant of Jesus Christ.  Baruch repaired earnestly, not to impress the high priest or Nehemiah who watched him, but did the work of the LORD as if the success of the whole project depended upon him.  It was God's work He would see done with the help of many willing servants from various backgrounds and skill levels.  Among many men and women Baruch stood out who earnestly repaired, and thus the way he worked made a difference God saw fit to note for our benefit.  Let us be this sort of servant, brothers and sisters, who serve the LORD earnestly knowing He has promised us eternal rewards by His grace.

God's Will Done

In a world full of people that change over time, God remains the same.  It is profoundly comforting to consider the righteous, merciful and gracious character of God who has spoken forth His word that contains promises He will be faithful to bring to fruition.  The God who has made Himself known to Israel and all the world also has revealed His will that remains constant.

One thing we must keep in mind is from man's vantage point God's will is not always done.  2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."  God is absolutely righteous and holy, and death entered into the world by Adam's sinful choice to rebel against Him.  Man doing his own will led to destruction that was never God's will.  Though God is not willing any should perish, mankind was cursed by sin which is evidenced by sickness, pain, suffering, the death of the body and the eternal destruction of the soul.  Because we know it is not God's will any should perish and Jesus was sent to seek and save the lost, those souls who trust in Jesus are assured of eternal salvation--according to God's will.

Another consistent aspect of God's will in scripture is to heal as seen by those who came to Jesus who were diseased, bind, lame and demon possessed.  Luke 5:12-13 says, "And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." ¹³ Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately the leprosy left him."  Jesus healed all those who came to Him, even from incurable illnesses like this man full of leprosy.  By doing so He showed His power over all illnesses and the source of it (sin), for He proved His power to forgive sins by restoring a paralysed man in an instant.  Though God has the power to heal over all sickness, even as He has provided atonement for all sin, the reality is people still become sick and die.  The first part of 2 Kings 13:14 illustrates this well:  "Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die."  Paul, who delivered the woman from the unclean spirit was himself buffeted by a messenger of Satan.  God, in His wisdom and strength, is able to redeem suffering for good.

Because we live in bodies of flesh, we can make the healing of our temporary bodies a priority whilst neglecting the condition of the inner man.  Based upon the promises of God and His revealed will, we can know God is not willing any should perish and His will is always to forgive, heal, redeem souls and give eternal life by faith in Jesus.  John 11:25-26 says, "Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. ²⁶ And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  Lazarus died from an illness, Jesus raised him from the dead and ultimately the body of Lazarus died.  But Jesus revealed the one who believes in Him "though he may die, he shall live."  Whether our bodies live or die we ought to keep trusting Jesus who is the resurrection and the life, and even when we are sick or suffer from a physical malady we can know our sins are forgiven and our souls are redeemed.  While sickness can be a direct result of a particular sin (1 Corinthians 11:30), in Job's case sickness was allowed by God for the opposite reason because he was above all others a righteous man who trusted God.  Jesus explained a man born blind from birth was not due to sin but so "the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:3)

Though God's will is clearly revealed to us, in our fallen world God allows much to occur that is not His will.  Because His thoughts and ways are above ours, we cannot often understand His reasons or purposes.  Being sovereign and in command over all, God is able to redeem and leverage even the schemes of Satan to further His kingdom, strengthen His people and amazingly accomplish His will.  The most tragic injustice of all time--the condemnation and murder of the Son of God Jesus Christ--has been redeemed by God to bring salvation, healing, forgiveness and eternal life for all who trust in Him.  Ultimately God's will was done and is being done when we trust Jesus.  When a child of God is sick, should there be miraculous healing or it turns out to be an illness that leads to physical death, we can rest in our God whose will was done because the born-again soul lives in the presence of God forever.  Death was never God's will, but even in death God is victorious over it.  One day God is going to kill death with death (Revelation 20:14), and the empty tomb proves God is able.

Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died because He loved him, and love suffers long.  Since the fall of mankind God has patiently suffered sinners who have hated, disobeyed and rebelled against Him and opposed His will.  God has remained the same:  He is the resurrection and the life, He is not willing any should perish but all should come to repentance.  God is willing to forgive sins, to redeem souls and heal bodies.  His grace is even extended to those who reject Him, for He patiently waits for sinners to come to Him in faith.  Even when God's will is disregarded and seems undermined He is able to bring His will to fruition, for the believer who dies due to an illness is raised eternally healed, whole and glorified.  Man's will leads to sorrow, pain and destruction without hope, and God's will is to provide all a living hope through Jesus for all.  Whether our bodies live or die, we have a sure hope in God who gives eternal life.  Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:10, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  God's will is done in heaven, and by His grace it is also done on earth.

Doing What God Says

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Deuteronomy 29:29

Regardless how much a person might know, there is abundantly more that they do not know.  When it comes to the secret things of God, there is much we cannot know or understand.  The complexity of life and glory of God revealed in nature and His word are merely the edges of His ways.  The more we learn of God and the things He has made, we realise there is much more we have yet to understand.

Moses wrote of secret things that belong to the LORD our God:  some mysteries He chooses to reveal in His time, and other things He chooses to keep secret.  The thrust of the passage, however, is not to focus on what God knows that we cannot know.  The truth is God has revealed Himself and His wisdom to us and has given us things to take to heart and put into practice.  The book of Deuteronomy contains many warnings to God's people of the danger of departing from faith and obedience to Him:  plagues, sickness, fires and deadness would pollute the land, even as sin had corrupted the people.

When people saw the desolation of the land, they would wonder what was the cause.  The answer was given in Deuteronomy 29:25-27:  "Then people would say: 'Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; ²⁶ for they went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them. ²⁷ Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book."  God revealed beforehand what would happen should His people depart from Him, and thus they were to order their lives according to the knowledge of His law.

The timeless principle held forth by Moses is applicable to the new covenant established by Jesus Christ.  There remains much we do not know, but the things God has revealed are gifts for us to the end we would put them into practice.  We should heed the exhortations, warnings, directives and promises God has provided that we ought to own and share with our children forever.  See how the wisdom of God is eternal, that those who fear, trust and obey the LORD will live beyond our short years on this planet, for God is the God of the living.  How blessed and privileged are those to whom God has revealed Himself, and blessed is the man who does what God says.

Identify Jesus as LORD

 After Jesus spoke the parable of a sower, He explained how blessed His disciples were to have such revelation from the living God while the unbelieving remained ignorant in Matthew 13:16-17: "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  Those who believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God could listen to and understand Him, but those who did not believe He was God made flesh remained in darkness.  Jesus again and again repeated His claims of being one with God, that He was equal with God and told Thomas, "He that has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  The scribes and rulers who did not believe He was the Christ narrowed their eyes and repeatedly asked in their interactions with Jesus, "Now who do you make yourself to be?"  Those who would not believe could not receive His words.

In contrast, how bright is the Light of the World Jesus Christ who illuminates the meaning of God's word in the Old and New Testament!  The Old Testament hinted and alluded to the coming of the Christ, the Gospel and the eternal kingdom of God opened to Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus, and it was Jesus who fulfilled many prophesies in Himself.  Micah 4:1-7 is a good example of how knowing Jesus as LORD opens our understanding to the things God will surely bring to pass when Jesus establishes His kingdom in Jerusalem during the Millennial reign upon Christ's return:

"Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. ² Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. ³ He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. ⁴ But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. ⁵ For all people walk each in the name of his god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever. ⁶ "In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted; ⁷ I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation; so the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever."

We can know we are not in this season of rest from war because of the conflicts that currently embroil the world.  The temple mount is not currently "exalted above the hills" and with COVID restrictions people are not flowing into it, neither are the lame being assembled or the outcasts gathered.  There is no one speaking forth the word of the LORD from Jerusalem the entire world currently hears and responds to.  To people who looked forward to sitting under their own vine and fig tree without fear in peace Jesus came and proclaimed His identity as the LORD God who teaches us His ways so we can walk in His paths.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  The Torah provided no assurance of eternal life, but twice in this passage we see allusions to the kingdom of God enduring "forever and ever."  A pious, Jewish rich young ruler approached Jesus and asked what thing he needed to do to secure eternal life--because he had done all from his youth and remained in doubt if he had done enough.  The scribes searched the scriptures, thinking in them they had eternal life, but they testified of Jesus who gives eternal life.

The teaching of Jesus reveals we cannot do anything to earn eternal life but it must be received as a gift of God by faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus said in John 3:14-16, "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  The prayer of Jesus affirmed this again in John 17:1-3:  "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, ² as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. ³ And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."  Believing Jesus is the Christ and eternal life is entered into by faith in Him alone opens our understanding to His teaching and illuminates the scripture to know God.