Our Treasure in Heaven

The circumstances depicted in Genesis 13 are good for us to consider:  will we lift our eyes and take for ourselves, or will we wait on the LORD who bids us lift our eyes to receive all He has provided for us?  How good it is to realise all we need for life and godliness is in Him alone!

Conflict broke out between the servants of Lot and Abram because the land where they settled was not able to support all their flocks and herds.  Abram humbly approached Lot and pleaded that he separate from him, and offered him first choice of where he desired to go.  Lot lifted his eyes and saw the Jordan plain was well-watered, and it was likened to the garden of Eden God made to flourish before the flood.  Genesis 13:11 said, "Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other."  Lot chose what appeared to be the best choice, and they separated from one another.

Genesis 13:14-15 reads, "And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: "Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are--northward, southward, eastward, and westward; ¹⁵ for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever."  By faith Abram received the land and the promise of God of descendants when he was yet to have a son or daughter.  Lot took for himself land that would be rendered desolate in judgment in a matter of years, yet God gave all the land Abram could see with an everlasting promise.

What a good reminder this is for followers of Jesus Christ, that we would look to Him, wait on His counsel and remember His awesome works.  We have been born against by the Gospel and it is God's good pleasure to give us the kingdom where no rust or moth destroys, where no thieves break in and steal.  Our treasure is in heaven because Jesus is there preparing a place for us to abide with Him forever in His presence.  This world and everything in it will pass away, but we have the blessed hope by faith in Christ of an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for us.  May the power of God that keeps us through faith unto salvation also keep us walking in the love and fear of God, looking unto Him with joyful praise as long as we live.

Better than choosing for ourselves what we cannot keep, how blessed we are to be kept by God who has chosen us for His inheritance according to His grace. :)

Jeremiah and Jesus

The Law of Moses is a shadow of the new covenant of the Gospel Jesus would usher in through His death and resurrection.  Like a living, breathing person differs from a human likeness enshrined in a wax museum, so Jesus Christ excels all prophets and rulers who preceded Him.  The Law prepared God's people to receive God's forgiveness and love they could not earn or ever deserve.

Last night I was struck with the stark contrast between the prayer and desires of the prophet Jeremiah under the covenant of Law and Jesus who instituted the new covenant in His own blood.  Consider the prayer of the prophet in Jeremiah 18:19-23:  "Give heed to me, O LORD, and listen to the voice of those who contend with me! ²⁰ Shall evil be repaid for good? For they have dug a pit for my life. Remember that I stood before You to speak good for them, to turn away Your wrath from them. ²¹ Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; let their wives become widows and bereaved of their children. Let their men be put to death, their young men be slain by the sword in battle. ²² Let a cry be heard from their houses, when You bring a troop suddenly upon them; for they have dug a pit to take me, and hidden snares for my feet. ²³ Yet, LORD, You know all their counsel which is against me, to slay me. Provide no atonement for their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from Your sight; but let them be overthrown before You. Deal thus with them in the time of Your anger."

Wow.  Under Law Jeremiah was justified in praying thus, for it followed the tenor of blessing and cursing throughout.  He was zealous for the Holy God of Israel and had bore the brunt of ungodly and wicked schemes.  Jeremiah spoke the truth and was hated for it.  He was persecuted for obedience to God and suffered great grief over their refusal to turn from their wicked ways to God.  Did not Jesus face all that Jeremiah did and more?  Men on earth and Satan contended with Him, and they schemed to murder Him.  They did not just plot wickedness but achieved their end through deceit, lies, betrayal and bribery.  Jeremiah prayed there would be no atonement for those who plotted against him, yet on the cross Jesus provided atonement for the sins of the world.  Among the words He uttered on the cross, those concerning His adversaries were brief and flavoured with love and grace in Luke 23:34:  "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

Incredible!  Jesus knew His Father knew all things and thus had no need to explain His situation in detail.  Jeremiah desired no atonement or forgiveness of sin for those who had wronged him, but that was and is the desire of Jesus' heart.  Jesus was flogged and asked for them to be forgiven; He was crucified and killed according to their designs but breathed compassion and grace to the Father as He laid down his life for lost sinners.  The Law condemns without mercy, but the Gospel offers atonement and forgiveness by grace.  Followers of Jesus ought not to resemble Jeremiah in desiring the destruction of the wicked but to walk in agreement with the love of Christ that longs for their salvation and redemption.

Known To God

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:6-7

When a great host of Assyrians encamped outside Jerusalem, the people and king Hezekiah were filled with fear.  The Assyrian war machine had torn through nations and people with ease and finally arrived at the gates of Jerusalem intent on destroying the will of the people to fight, swallow up the nation and absorb them in captivity.  After Hezekiah heard the report of what the Rabshakeh has said, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and went to the house of the LORD.  He also sent messengers to the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 37:4 who said to him, "It may be that the LORD your God will hear the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to reproach the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left."

Hezekiah was a godly king who feared the LORD and hearkened to His prophets.  Though he went up to the house of the LORD in mourning at the disturbing report brought to him, it seems Hezekiah's hope was God would hear the words of the Rabshakeh to rebuke them, and urged Isaiah to pray for the remnant because he would be heard by God.  In going up to the house of the LORD I would expect Hezekiah to meet with the chief priest, though it is not recorded for us.  Later he would spread out a scroll of threats before the LORD and prayed believing the LORD would hear and respond.  Hezekiah's reliance on God, seeking Him in prayer and urging others to pray is a good example to us all.

In the age of grace in which we live, Hezekiah could only see the faint outline of the LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ who has been revealed, has risen from the dead and ascended to the Father.  He has been revealed to be the KING OF KINGS and the great High Priest and Hebrews 7:25 says, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."  Instead of accommodating worry or anxiety, Christians are called by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to "let your requests be made known to God."  It is fine for us to ask others to pray to God on our behalf, but they never ought to pray to God for or instead of us.  Hezekiah did not retire to his palace and direct Isaiah what to pray, but because he trusted and feared the LORD he sought God himself first.  When Hannah was barren she sought the LORD herself in prayer without consulting with the high priest who imagined she was drunk!  God heard the prayers of Hannah and Hezekiah, and He will hear our prayers of faith in Him as well.

Often what is called "prayer requests" are made of other people to pray and outline a need or circumstances where we desire God would intervene.  Telling people about our problem or having people pray on our behalf does not meet the conditions of the peace of God promised in Philippians 4:7.  Having sought the LORD in prayer, with supplication and thanksgiving, having made our requests known to God, then the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  If we are anxious without contentment, rest or confidence in the LORD, it may be we have neglected to actually pray about it.  Thinking about a situation is not praying, though praying involves thinking.  Prayer is an expression of our faith God hears and will answer according to His goodness and grace.  In bringing our requests to God we consider Who He is, what He has said and the glorious things He does.

Friends, I encourage you to let your requests be made known to God by your prayers.  One does not need to be a king, a high priest, prophet or pastor to pray and be heard by God.  Hebrews 4:16 is true concerning all those born again by the Gospel of Jesus Christ:  "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  Before we ask God knows what we need, and praise Him timely mercy and grace is on offer for us all.  We can boldly make our requests known because we know Jesus, Who intercedes on our behalf, knows and loves us.

Glory in the LORD

"Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; ²⁴ but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD."

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Man has a thing for self-promotion and seeking his own glory.  Whether it is an obvious boast, a humblebrag, belittling others or showing off for attention, it seems we cannot help ourselves.  We can be proud about how much we have or proud of how difficult things have been.  Our pride can manifest itself in rejoicing in accomplishment through perseverance or quitting and still being successful.  Man's tendency to glory is often by comparison to other people, and the command of God through the prophet is to make God the One in Whom we glory.

Everything we have has been received by the goodness and grace of God, and this includes knowledge of Him.  God instructed the wise man not to glory in his wisdom, the mighty man in his strength or the rich man in his riches.  We could extend this list as much as we wanted:  let not the Instagram influencer glory in their followers, the youtube content creator glory in likes or shares, the educated to glory in degrees, the celebrity in their popularity, the Super Bowl champion in his rings, the musician in her mastery of an instrument, or the pastor in the number of people attending a Sunday gathering or prayer meeting.  Instead we are to glory in that we understand and know God, that He is the LORD over all.

This privilege of knowing God is made available to all people by God's grace, mercy and goodness.  The LORD God today is exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth because He delights in them.  God's love is unchanging, revealed in His covenant through the shed blood of Jesus to atone for lost sinners.  He chose to freely offer Himself as the payment for sin so forgiveness could be justly provided.  Through the Gospel the righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers so we can know and understand God.  As we interpret scripture with scripture we plainly see Jesus Christ is the LORD of glory we ought to make our boast in.

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 says, "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption--³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."  It is all by God's grace and goodness Peter could conclude his epistle with the exhortation to believers in 2 Peter 3:18:  "...but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen."

David's song is a good conclusion to this post and also an invitation to start making our boast in the LORD continually from now on in Psalm 34:1-3:  "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. ² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. ³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together."  When it is revealed we are boasting in ourselves, our accomplishment or our possessions, let us repent of our sins and exercise lovingkindness, wise judgment and righteousness to glory in the LORD.  Such are those who will grow in the grace and knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ.