Blessed to Do

As I follow Jesus and read the Bible, I have learned by experience when I observe people exhibit behaviour that seems stupid or ridiculous in light of God's existence and power, I am looking at myself.  I have ceased to make fun or smugly mock people who made poor choices due to unbelief in God or fear of man because I recognise myself in them.  I have also learned if God gives a command, it is because it is naturally contrary to my flesh.  God told His people not to have other gods besides Him because we naturally do; He commanded the children of Israel not to covet because it is a sin as normal to us as breathing.

Consider the commands found in Leviticus 19:17-18:  "You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. ¹⁸ You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD."   It occurred to me our natural tendency as people is to do all God forbids and to leave undone all God commands.  Our tendency is to hate others, to take vengeance, to hold grudges and not forget the awful injustices we have endured.  We also do not normally rebuke others motivated by the love of God or them, and we tend to love ourselves more than anyone or anything else.  Being born again into the family of God by faith in Jesus changes who we are from within and enables us by the power that raised Jesus from the dead to choose to do what pleases God.

God has done more than give us a list of "do's and don'ts" but an example to follow in Jesus who demonstrated His love for His Father in heaven and people.  Jesus went to the funeral procession and touched the bier upon which the body of a dead son of a widow was carried to raise him to life.  He went to bring the Living Water of the Holy Spirit to the man by the pool of Bethesda who had no one to help him into the water when stirred.  Jesus was the One who humbled Himself to wash the disciple's dirty feet hours before He would be arrested, beaten and condemned to die.

After Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, He said in John 13:14-17, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."  Jesus was commanding for His disciples to have foot-washing sessions.  Washing feet was the task given to the lowest slave, and Jesus did to others what they wanted others to do for them.  They did not wash their own feet much less consider washing others!  They saw that as far beneath them.  Jesus demonstrated humility and was the servant of God and all.  How could anyone who claimed to serve God yet refused to humble himself and serve his brother say he truly served God who became the Man Jesus Christ and went to the cross for sinners?

Some imagine they are blessed when God does what we want or approve of:  the truth is we are blessed when we walk in obedience to Christ.  God is the greatest blessing and source of joy, peace and happiness there is, and when we heed the words of Jesus and follow His example in faith profound blessing is ours by God's grace.  We cannot earn God's blessing, but when we walk in His ways we are in a posture to rejoice in Him even when a cross looms.  We are blessed not by what we do:  we are blessed by all Jesus has done and is doing.  As we follow in the steps of our Saviour we are most blessed as He continues the work He has begun.

They Shall Be Mine

As I met with a brother over breakfast I was reminded by the grace of our glorious God who draws near to us in fellowship.  A small table became holy ground as the scripture was fulfilled, for the LORD Most High keeps His word.  Malachi 3:16-17 reads, "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name. ¹⁷ "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."  It was enough to move me to tears as I considered the divine condescension of God and He listened in on our conversation.  Though we could not see God with our eyes, with eyes of faith I knew for certain the LORD was in our midst.

Isn't it a lovely thing God takes note, not of how wretched and faithless we are, but of those who fear the LORD and meditate on his name?  When I consider this book of remembrance the scene with King Ahasuerus comes to mind.  During a sleepless night the king summoned his servants to bring the book of records of the chronicles and read it to him.  Esther 6:2-3 states, "And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ³ Then the king said, "What honour or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" And the king's servants who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him."  When reading of Mordecai who exposed a plot to save his life, the king wondered what honour had been bestowed on Mordecai for his loyalty.  He was moved therefore to determine what should be done for the man the king delights to honour.  He desired to heap honour upon the man who honoured him by his allegiance.

There are marked difference between the responses of the LORD God and king Ahasuerus.  It seems Ahasuerus had forgotten completely about Mordecai and the loyalty he displayed and hurriedly sought to do something to reward him.  That same day Mordecai was paraded through the streets riding a royal steed, wearing clothes and the crown of the king, led by a noble prince who shouted, "Thus shall it be done for the man whom the king delights to honour."  When the procession was over the horse, clothes and crown were returned.  God reads of people who fear and speak of Him and says, "They shall be mine."  We are accepted, not because we have exposed a plot to save the king, but because the KING OF KINGS Jesus Christ has died on the cross to save us from our sins.  He died and rose again so we can live with Him as adopted children of God by grace through faith.  Amazing!

Those born again through faith in Jesus are not honoured for a day but are gifted eternal life and a place in the presence of God forever.  The clothing, crown and jewels of the king ascribed glory to Him, and God likened those who fear and speak of Him as His precious jewels that honour Him.  God is altogether glorious in majesty and honour in Himself, yet He ascribes value to us and views us as a beautifying adornment in which He is pleased.  Though we are like earthen vessels in whom God has chosen to place His glory, God rewards us with Himself for eternity.  It is in God alone we discover at last where we fit and belong with God who spared us at His own expense and saves us.  We are His, and He is ours.

The Moses Example

Regardless of your views of church governance, there is a lot to glean from the leadership of Moses.  While I do not see the "Moses Model" of leadership as the prescriptive pattern for the church today with Jesus Christ as the Head of the Body, we would do well to demonstrate the meekness, boldness and faith he did during our earthly pilgrimage. 

When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, we see a man stripped of all aspiration to be known by the Hebrews as a deliverer.  According to the promise and direction of God Moses went back to Egypt out of obedience.  Moses was not a perfect man by any means, but any man the LORD refers to as "My servant" ought to grab our attention.  He was a man who feared God, prayed to Him often, who heeded advice from his father-in-law and delegated leadership roles to others.  He wished all people would prophesy and gave no place to insecurity, that only a select few were worthy to operate in spiritual gifts given by God.  When he was accused of pride and vilified by his own family Moses fell before the presence of the LORD without pleading his case or seeking to justify himself.  The testimony of Moses is truly the awesomeness of the great God of Israel who delivers, guides, provides and saves.

Moses along with other men, women and children who feared God provide examples (of what to do and not to do) and inspiration for followers of Jesus today.  Ultimately it is Jesus we look to as our example, for it is He we follow and strive to obey.  After the Passover meal Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, a task reserved for the lowest slave.  John 13:12-17 says, "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶ Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."  God has placed people in the church in different roles, and having been born again and filled with the Holy Spirit we are enabled to love and serve one another.

There are many kinds of church leadership structures which can be easily submitted to when we do as Christ says:  knowing we are to follow the example of Jesus, we are blessed when we do according to His promise.  Knowledge of correct doctrine is of critical importance but also heeding and practicing what Jesus has commanded.  We might be able to define "agapao" but words are of small benefit unless we are demonstrate sacrificial love like Jesus did by denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily and following Him.  The model Jesus provides for the individual members of the church is Himself, and we are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices unto Him which is our reasonable service regardless of role.  When we are governed by the fear and love of God we will be blessed and a blessing by God's grace.

Seraiah Spoke

It is wonderful how the LORD chooses and gifts people to contribute to the health and fruitfulness of His kingdom by His grace.  Because we serve the LORD who calls and ordains us for His good purposes, the things He tells us to do may not be our natural inclination.  We can make the mistake of limiting God by our own perceived strengths, and at our best (on our own) we are incapable of doing anything profitable for the kingdom of God.  The almighty God is likely to direct us to do things we cannot do on our own, something out of our comfort zone, so we will learn to seek and rely upon Him for success in faith.

Seraiah the prince is a good example of this.  See how he is introduced in Jeremiah 51:59:  "The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And Seraiah was the quartermaster."  A quartermaster was a royal attendant who aided the king by setting up camp and provided necessary comforts when the king traveled.  The KJV refers to Seraiah as "a quiet prince."  He was the sort of person who diligently went about his business behind the scenes.  Seraiah wore many hats in his duties, but one thing he was not was a prophet.  The word of the LORD came to the prophet Jeremiah who wrote in a book of all the evil God would bring upon Babylon.

Jeremiah 51:61-64 says, "And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, "When you arrive in Babylon and see it, and read all these words, ⁶² then you shall say, 'O LORD, You have spoken against this place to cut it off, so that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but it shall be desolate forever.' ⁶³ Now it shall be, when you have finished reading this book, that you shall tie a stone to it and throw it out into the Euphrates. ⁶⁴ Then you shall say, 'Thus Babylon shall sink and not rise from the catastrophe that I will bring upon her. And they shall be weary.' " Thus far are the words of Jeremiah."  Jeremiah was directed by God to write in a book and then gave it to Seraiah with instructions.  He was to pray to the LORD according to the word spoken to him, read the book, bind it to a stone, throw it in the Euphrates and then speak the word of the LORD.  Israel had been brought into captivity, but God would certainly judge Babylon.  Like a stone, the empire would sink and not rise.

This would have been a strange request by the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet to fulfill, something Seraiah would never encounter with setting up camp.  In a sense he was directed to utter Jeremiah's last recorded words of what God would do, and God would be faithful to according to do all He said.  God chose a quiet prince to proclaim the truth of the LORD we read today.  It was a comfort to know their period of captivity would have an end, and God would see to it those who plundered His people would be weary.  God would bring catastrophe upon Babylon from which they could not rise, and God would bring His people out and back to Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD He chooses regular people to do His work and proclaim the truth of His word that will surely come to pass.  By faith a quartermaster does the work of a prophet, and the quiet prince spoke up as the servant of the LORD.