The New Sheriff in Town

A familiar plot in many westerns begins with outlaws and anarchy reigning because there is no sheriff in the town, or the sheriff or deputies are unwilling or unable to do anything because of corruption or fear.  It is only after a brave lawman comes to town that order and peace are restored to the community.  This is the plot arc of a movie I watched as a kid called Support Your Local Sheriff, a parody of westerns and a comedy starring James Gardner who was just a guy "on his way to Australia."  His talent with a firearm was only matched by his ingenuity as he made a prison without bars secure with a little red paint.  There was no question having a new sheriff in town meant there were changes in the ways things were done, and for the better.

Years ago when I lived in the States my wife and I purchased a house with the aim to completely renovate it.  Over the course of many months the layout was altered significantly as walls were knocked down, the kitchen and bathrooms gutted, plumbing fixtures and appliances were relocated, new lighting added, tile and carpet laid.  The consequence of having new owners who had a vision and enacted a plan resulted in dramatic changes to the house and property inside and out.  The difference a new sheriff or homeowner came to mind as I considered the impact of Jesus and the truth of the word of God in the lives of Christians according to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6:  "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ⁴ For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, ⁵ casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

What is striking about Paul's words to the Galatians is the premise that in the lives of Christians there are strongholds of erroneous beliefs in the hearts and minds of God's people.  It makes perfect sense that children of the devil brought up in the wisdom of the world--not to mention as flawed, sinful, proud and selfish human beings--would to any degree live in light of God's holiness.  It follows that Jesus, having purchased us with His own blood, aims to have strongholds of sin torn down as He makes us new creations by grace through faith.  There are beliefs about God, practices, lustful desires and pride that must be confessed as sin and forsaken.  God has given us spiritual weapons of far greater power than sledgehammers and wrecking balls to rip down strongholds, throw down arguments and anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God provided in His word.  Having heard the words of Jesus, by faith we build upon Him by faith, our solid foundation and Rock of Salvation.

When the Holy Spirit enters us by saving belief in Christ, we are washed free from sin and guilt, the righteousness of God imputed to us by faith.  The Holy Spirit does not just start smashing walls down like the Hulk:  it is like He points out the slipshod wall that must come down and hands us a hammer.  There are many passages we will read that illuminate sin in our lives through our conscience:  we will recognise our previously justifiable outburst of wrath as sin; suddenly we realise we cannot remember a time when we were not envious or habitually looking with lust.  It comes like a thunderbolt we have doubts of God's goodness or have at times imagined Him to be petty, vindictive and manipulative.  The strongholds built by ignorance, unbelief and rebellion are many, but God and the weapons of our warfare are far stronger.

As a homeowner there is always something that can be done, whether it is a major renovation, painting or something minor like cleaning.  Things like cleaning the oven, BBQ, moving the lounge to sweep or vacuum under it, spraying for pests and washing windows can easily be neglected.  Sometimes it takes new eyes to notice the chair we always sit in is torn, stained, and falling apart.  Imagine what happens when Jesus walks into our hearts and looks with His kind, gentle and piercing gaze upon our thoughts and ideas.  How valuable is the word of God, the guidance of the Holy Spirit and fellowship with the Body of Christ the church, for by these God provides illumination of the renovations He desires to do within us and identifies strongholds of error in us He would have us part with forever.  Having agreed to pull down strongholds of lies, we ought to take heed how we built on the foundation of Jesus (1 Cor. 3:9-13) knowing our obedience will yield eternal rewards by God's grace.

With Adoring Eyes

Occasionally a video pops up on my newsfeed about a lone or neglected animal given a new start by a caring rescuer.  I am impressed at the great lengths people go to for the purpose of rescuing strays and nursing them back to health.  They patiently build the trust of the animal until they can safely catch it with the aim to provide food, shelter and love.  Often over the course of months or years (which take mere minutes in a video) the horse, cat or dog that was rescued, fostered and settled undergoes massive changes in physical appearance and behaviour.  Animals that suffered neglect and abuse transform from being aggressive, skittish or cowering to bouncing around a yard at play, tail wagging with bright eyes, looking happy and healthy.

Whenever I see those videos, I consider how the change in these animals provide insight into the lives of people who also have suffered for whatever reason.  One thing the rescuers do not focus on is how the creature came to be in such an emaciated, unhealthy or aggressive state, as if it was their fault:  their sole aim is to care for the animal today and for a bright future.  They do not withhold care if the animal previously ran away, had been dumped by an owner or was born in the wild.  Another thing demonstrated by these rescuers is patience, perseverance and compassion.  They do not lash out in anger or shout if the cat snarls or the dog snaps and even draws blood to defend itself in fear.  The hope is in time the animal will respond positively to being spoken to gently, fed, washed and loved.  While there may be sad cases when neglected animals are too far gone to recover fully, the only way they could ever recover is because someone cared enough to do something about it.

Christians are those who have been rescued by Jesus Christ, for we were like sheep going astray.  It is like we laboured under a heavy fleece that was matted and filthy, were infested with parasites, had eaten noxious weeds that made us ill and were skittish from the attacks of predators.  God has done more than foster us but has adopted us sinners as His beloved sons and daughters.  A rescued animal learns to trust the one who rescued and feeds it, and as believers we are to look to God in faith, worship and gratitude.  There is something in a person that feels special to be the one relied upon or looked to by adoring eyes even of an animal, and should God use us to lead others to Jesus our role is to remind and help them to look to Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd who feeds, protects and provides for all our needs.

People are willing to go into the alleys to find a stray and nurse it back to health so it can be re-homed, and Jesus went to the lost sheep of Israel and opened His arms wide as He called for them to come.  For the most part the Jews in Israel were unwilling, but many of us have heard His voice and come to Him in faith.  Since Jesus has done all for us by coming to us and dying in our place, it follows we ought to demonstrate the same care and compassion to others by dying to self and seeking to have others restored to reliance upon Him.  There are people who suffer neglect on the street, and there are others who are just as spiritually neglected and abused by Satan who live in mansions worth millions.  Jesus has rescued us, and as we look to Him with adoring eyes we can lead others to Him by His grace.

Dealing with the Devil

The Bible has unrivaled wisdom and richness within its pages, and through it we gain divine insight we ought take to heart.  My eyes were recently opened to an incredible parallel all Christians do well to consider.  The children of Israel demanded a king, and according to God's direction the prophet Samuel anointed Saul of the tribe of Benjamin king.  God gave the people what they desired and asked for, yet many of them were displeased with God's choice.  For years people continued living autonomously as if they did not have a king when they actually had a king.  Saul was God's anointed, and their refusal to submit to him lead to unnecessary trouble.

1 Samuel 11:1-3 says, "Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." ² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel." ³ Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you."  When Nahash came up to besiege Jabesh Gilead, notice they did not send word to their king.  It seems it did not even enter into their minds to send messengers to king Saul:  instead they asked for conditions of surrender before a brutal enemy whose terms were to put out all their right eyes!  And they agreed to it!  They asked they be permitted seven days to send messengers to see if help and salvation was even possible.  They did not seek the LORD, nor did they send word to king Saul.  The men of Jabesh Gilead pledged to serve a oppressive, abusive enemy who would reproach them with blindness instead of seeking help from their sovereign.

When Saul heard of the dire situation the men of Jabesh Gilead were in, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and very angry.  1 Samuel 11:7-10 reads, "So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen." And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. ⁸ When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they said to the messengers who came, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.' " Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. ¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you."  The men of Jabesh Gilead did not hold out hope for any help of deliverance from Nahash the Ammonite, but king Saul took immediate action to rally the entire nation to rush to their aid.  They went from dreading having their right eyes gouged out by a cruel master to being saved the following day.  God helped Saul and the 330,000 men of Israel to destroy Nahash and scatter his army.

The chapter concludes in 1 Samuel 11:12-15:  "Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death." ¹³ But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel." ¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly."  King Saul had already been anointed and crowned king over Israel years before, but the people hadn't yet made him king over them.  Saul was God's chosen king over Israel but Saul had not been submitted to as king.  There was great rejoicing when the people had victory over their enemies by surrendering to their God and king.  The men of Jabesh Gilead went from making a deal with the devil to saying to Saul, "You may do with us whatever seems good to you."  Nahash came to blind and oppress, and Saul came to deliver and save.

What a wonderful parallel this is of Jesus who is the anointed Messiah of God, the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.  He rules over all, yet many have not chosen to surrender to His rule.  Oppressed by Satan and self they look for help and deliverance without hope, and by God's grace Jesus came to seek and save.  Saul sacrificed his oxen as a warning to those who did not swiftly come to aid the fight against Nahash, and Jesus shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world so all who trust in Him can be forgiven and saved from eternal damnation.  Jesus opens our eyes to see, and all who surrender to Him as Sovereign find joy and peace beyond compare.  After Saul died on Mt. Gilboa, it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who recovered his body which was displayed on the wall of Beit Shean and gave him a proper burial.  Jesus Christ is risen from the grave, and He lives to intercede for us, to raise us up to new life and usher us into His glorious, eternal kingdom.

How important it was for the men of Jabesh Gilead to surrender to their king who desired their good rather than making deals with the devil who wanted them destroyed.  Christian, is it time for you to renew the kingdom as Israel did, who for a long season had lived as if they didn't have a king at all?  Let us seek our Saviour Jesus Christ instead of making vain attempts to save ourselves or willingly submit to what will destroy us body and soul.  Let us say to Jesus, "You may do with me whatever seems good to you."  We who have been delivered by Jesus ought to display the undying loyalty to Him always more than the men of Jabesh Gilead honoured Saul.  They were loyal to their deeply flawed king after his death, and we ought to love and delight in our risen Saviour in whom is no fault.  It is in surrender and submission to Jesus Christ we find victory, perfect peace and with open eyes behold the beauty of His grace.

Hearts and Minds at Peace

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Having been provided access to God through prayer by His grace, it is both a privilege and duty of believers to pray.  What ought to be a first impulse can be relegated to a last resort when God is not in all our thoughts.  It is God's will we would pray without ceasing, and those who are wise discipline themselves to often align our hearts and minds with His.

The prophet Samuel provides a good example of a person who often sought the LORD in prayer in 1 Samuel 8:4-6:  "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵ and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." ⁶ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD."  When I am displeased, there are many things I can do instead of praying to God.  I can mull it over in my mind and become bitter, and I can complain or vent my feelings to others.  Samuel took his displeasure to the LORD who guided him in wisdom, discernment and humility.

Nehemiah was another man for whom prayer to God was instinctive.  When the king questioned him about his despondency, Nehemiah said his grief was fitting because of the sad, wasted state of the city of Jerusalem.  Nehemiah 2:4 reads, "Then the king said to me, "What do you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven."  It would have been easy for Nehemiah to trot out his wish-list before a king who had great power and means, yet he sought the God of heaven to know how to answer.  He turned aside the blank check offered him by a king and bowed his heart before his LORD and God because the Jews were His people; He was their God.  Instead of thinking he knew what needed or should happen, Nehemiah looked to the LORD and waited on him to give an answer.

Daniel is an example of a man who prayed at regular intervals of the day with thanksgiving, and this shows us the manner of our prayer to God.  Even when praying was outlawed by the decree of king Darius for 30 days Daniel 6:10 tells us, "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days."  Daniel was a man who had been taken captive into Babylon and knew Jerusalem was burned with fire.  Yet from his early days he had a custom of giving thanks to God in prayer on his knees three times a day.  Regardless what was going on in his life or what laws came into effect, Daniel knew God always remained worthy of thanks.

Paul exhorted followers of Jesus to rejoice in prayer in Philippians 4:4-7:  "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶ 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."  As an unregenerate man self-righteous Saul breathed out threats and murder against Christians, and later as a born-again Christian Paul rejoiced with thanksgiving to make his requests known to God.  By faith in Christ he experience the peace of God that guarded his heart and mind through Jesus.  Prayer for Paul and and us ought to become intentional, instant, regular with thanksgiving and rejoicing, knowing we have been heard and are protected by our LORD and Saviour Jesus.  How blessed we are to enter the throne room of grace where we find mercy and grace to help in time of need by the Prince of Peace, Jesus.