Be Reconciled!

"Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹ that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God."

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

These verses were read during announcements at church this morning and they were a useful exhortation to me.  A key word and theme repeated in this portion is reconciliation.  To be "reconciled" is "to restore to friendship or harmony; to make consistent or congruous."  We are not God, and as sinners we are completely opposed to and incompatible with God.  Since repenting and believing the Gospel, God "has reconciled us to Himself."  No amount of effort on our part can reconcile us to God, for who among men can wash himself free of the stain of sin?

In His grace God has reconciled us to Himself and has committed unto followers of Jesus the ministry of reconciliation.  The aim of our labours therefore is to lead other sinners to be reconciled with God as well.  Having experienced God's love, acceptance, and forgiveness of our sins through the Gospel, we can share the good news of eternal life with others.  We who were once enemies of God have been made one with God because Jesus Christ died for us, rose from the dead, and the Holy Spirit now lives within us.  We have been born again, regenerated by the same dynamic power that raised Jesus from the dead.  As God's ambassadors we seek to advance His kingdom, knowing we have a home in heaven prepared for us.

Based on how God has reconciled us to Himself and given us the ministry and word of reconciliation, Paul implores followers of Jesus:  "Be reconciled to God."  What is he saying?  Since we have been redeemed by God we ought to live like those who are redeemed from sin.  We have been made new creations through spiritual regeneration, and therefore we ought to walk in newness of life.  Our thoughts, words, attitudes, and actions ought to correlate with the spiritual transaction which has taken place.  If we are Christ's, then we ought to follow in His steps and love as He loves, forgive as He has forgiven us.  It would be a terrible thing for an ambassador of a nation to have multiple warrants issued for their arrest by the government they are tasked to advance.  It is a shame when Christians, whose divine calling by God is to labour to see others reconciled to God, are not even on speaking terms with Him because of sin.

The admonition given to the church in Corinth is fitting for us today.  All whom God has reconciled to Himself should make every effort to be truly reconciled to God, submitting our lives to God's authority and perfect will.  There should be a correlation between our truth claims and choices, and agreement between God's Word and our lives.  Our love and allegiance to Christ should be more than words but be demonstrated by our decisions.  If we know Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven, then we ought to live like citizens of heaven.  We are worthless ambassadors of heaven if we live like children of hell.  Since we are children of God through the Gospel, let us walk in His love and light.

The Blindness of Unbelief

"They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, 'It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.' ²⁶ "Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; ²⁷ and you complained in your tents, and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us."

Deuteronomy 1:25-27

The children of Israel had been brought out of Egypt by God, but their actions reveal they did not know Him.  Their unbelief and subsequent rebellion exposed their ignorance of God and skewed perceptions.  They had seen firsthand the good land God promised to given them in Canaan.  They did not doubt God's existence or the signs and wonders He had performed among them.  He miraculously supplied bread, meat, and water for their needs, but when they considered their enemies and the strong fortifications they lost heart.

Can you imagine it?  The children of Israel were on the threshold of the good land God was giving to them.  God commanded they enter into the land He provided them, but instead they sat in their tents and complained.  They lifted up their voices and wept, and they even accused God of hating them for bringing them out of Egypt.  All they had to do was trust God and obey, but they suspected God all along had schemed to destroy them.  It's a strange thing how unbelief, disobedience, and rebellion - in God's people - led to such ignorant blindness.  Unbelief kept them from entering into the good land God had graciously prepared for them.  They foolishly claimed God hated and hoped to destroy them, and unbelief led God's people to destroy themselves.  All they feared came upon them.

All that is written in the Bible is for our learning, and let us not think we are so different than these overwhelmed complainers who murmured against God in their tents when they should have packed up and joyfully entered into their inheritance!  Do you know failed expectations are often a key part of our struggles?  The Israelites were glad to be saved when they were oppressed slaves.  They liked the idea of living in a fruitful land flowing with milk and honey.  They left Egypt on a high, amazed at the great deliverance of God.  But life wasn't easy.  There was quite a distance to travel without the comforts they were accustomed to.  They murmured about the direction God led them, complained about those God appointed to lead, and they were tired of eating the same thing every day.  Where was this good land anyway?  Why isn't this becoming any easier?  Where is this promised rest?  And how long do we have to keep doing this?

Let's face it:  we too have had expectations about what God should do in a situation.  When He doesn't seem to respond like we assume or expect He should, resentment can grow in our hearts.  We start to doubt God's promises.  Oh, we may agree they must be true but because of opposition we stop expecting them to be fulfilled.  Doubt leads to disobedience and rebellion in small areas which infest the whole.  Pretty soon we are complaining in unbelief against God like the children of Israel, refusing to obey God because we are convinced He actually hates us.  We just want the lesson to be over so we can be done with the uncertainty, pain, and dashed expectations. This is selfishness and sin.  We always want our way, but God's way is different and better than ours.  Understand unbelief always leads to rebellion and keeps us from receiving the promise provided should we trust and obey.  What we fear can also overtake us when we sit in unbelief.

Caleb and Joshua entered in the land because they believed God.  Are you willing to wait 40 years to obey God's command to enter the land when the previous generation called it a death-trap?  Maybe you won't have to.  Perhaps there is one thing God has told you to do this very day and you don't want or feel like doing it.  The risk seem too great.  Unbelief will always distort our vision of God and heighten potential dangers.  If we believe God, we will obey Him.  Looking to Jesus clears our fuzzy perceptions of God and what we ought to do in light of His love, strength, and grace.  Had the Israelites believed God they wouldn't have lamented their losses but celebrated sure victory.  This victory wouldn't be won in a day, month, or year, but it was one they could have experienced again and again by God's grace.  Let us believe God, in faith obey, and inherit the promises!

Freedom to Choose

The Law of Moses and the whole Bible is a comprehensive testament of God's reality, character, and righteousness.  Thankfully the God who inspired the Bible is accessible and available to guide us into all truth, to make sense out of specific dilemmas the Word of God does not explicitly cover.  The Bible is relevant for today because God nor His Word will ever change:  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

After the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, the five daughters of Zelophehad expressed concern the inheritance of their father's house would be lost because he did not bear any sons.  Though the Law was detailed, it did not expressly say what should happen in their case.  They boldly approached Moses so their situation could be addressed.  They said in Numbers 27:4-7, "Why should the name of our father be removed from among his family because he had no son? Give us a possession among our father's brothers." ⁵ So Moses brought their case before the LORD. ⁶ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: ⁷ "The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance among their father's brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them."  This interaction shows us the importance of seeking the LORD for wisdom and discernment in every situation, especially in cases that are not explicit in the Bible.  Our "common sense" or past experience is insufficient.  God affirmed the daughters of Zelophehad spoke rightly and He always judges righteously.

Later in the book of Numbers the head of the tribe of Joseph came before Moses with another pressing issue:  if the inheritance was to be passed to the daughters of Zelophehad and they married men from other tribes, it would cause the tribe of Joseph to lose the inheritance given them by lot.  The mind of God was shown to Moses and it is written in Numbers 36:5-7, "Then Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying: "What the tribe of the sons of Joseph speaks is right. ⁶ "This is what the LORD commands concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, 'Let them marry whom they think best, but they may marry only within the family of their father's tribe.' ⁷ So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers."  Again, the people of God who knew God's Law were able to ask valid questions and points which God affirmed as right.  God gave another command which allowed the inheritance of Zelophehad to remain in the family and within the tribe.  The women were given freedom to marry whom they thought best, but they were prohibited from marrying outside the tribe of Joseph.  They had complete freedom of choice limited by God's sovereign will.

This is an important principle in dealing with areas of liberty in the Christian life, concerning things which are not plainly expressed in scripture.  After being born again through faith in Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit dwells in us and guides us into all truth.  We are granted freedom from sin and the legalistic requirements of the Law.  At the same time, we are to do righteously according to God's Word and Christ's example.  The Holy Spirit will never lead us to speak or behave in an unloving manner contrary to scripture.  Since their father died the daughters of Zelophehad had the freedom before God to choose any man they thought best, but at the same time were limited to marrying from one tribe.  God is not wrong or evil to place such restrictions upon our lives.  "But what if they loved someone from another tribe?" some might ask.  Even in matters of love and marriage, God's people who fear Him ought to submit to His holy Word.  The same God who told His people, "Be holy for I am holy" says the same to us and if we obey our lives will be profoundly and positively impacted.  Instead of complaining and pushing against God's boundaries, we can rejoice in His righteousness, gracious provision, and our freedom.

I believe God has given all people the right to choose, and as followers of Jesus Christ our choices should be limited to righteous ones.  We naturally lack God's wisdom and therefore we need God's guidance.  How glorious it would be for God to say of our words, "What you have spoken is right."  We stand on solid footing when we choose God's way.

Worship in Adullam

The Bible is filled with amazing accounts of valour and courage in God's people.  One notable example took place in the cave of Adullam where David hid with his mighty men.  After David fled for his life from the face of King Saul, many men gathered to him who were distressed, in debt, or discontented.  From these David's "mighty men" were forged through the grace of God and the leadership of David.  This man after God's own heart made a profound positive impact in the lives of the people he led.

2 Samuel 23:13-15 reads, "Then three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁵ And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!"  As the men rested during the hot summer day in the cool of the cave, David longingly wished (out loud!) for a drink of water from the well in his hometown of Bethlehem.  No doubt he had been refreshed many times at the well after hot days tending sheep in the arid conditions.  But such refreshment was quite out of reach because of distance and the garrison of enemy Philistines which encamped in Bethlehem.  What happened next is remarkable.

2 Samuel 23:16-17 continues:  "So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. ¹⁷ And he said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men."  Though David did not task anyone with bringing him water to drink from the well, three men decided they wanted to bless and please David by doing just that.  Adino, Eleazar, and Shammah trekked to Bethlehem, broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew the water from the well near the gate, and returned to David with water in hand.  David was amazed at the risk his men had taken and felt himself unworthy to drink of the water for which he longed.  He refused to drink the water and instead poured it out unto the LORD.

I daresay they were not offended David poured out the water unto the LORD, and the fact he did is a reason why these men loved him enough to risk their lives to bring water from the well in Bethlehem.  David valued the lives and well-being of his men over the satisfaction of his own thirst; he poured out life-sustaining water because he saw himself unworthy of so great a sacrifice and gift.  That is why they loved him so.  It wouldn't surprise me that as they were returning to the cave with the prized  water one of them said, "You know, David is a man of such humility I bet he won't even drink this water."  Yet without being asked love demanded they freely give for the benefit of their beloved leader, a man who had been anointed at king by Samuel and filled with the Spirit of the Living God who refused to lift a hand or speak an unkind word against the murderous king who pursued him like a dog.  In the dimness of Adullam water from Bethlehem splashed to the ground, a testimony of honourable men, a humble leader, and the greatest God who is worthy of all sacrifice and glory.  Drinking water became mud on the ground in an act of worship, an acceptable offering of praise.

Was it is waste for David to pour out the water?  Some might say so, but I disagree.  The sacrifice and love of David's men would never be forgotten.  Is it any surprise these three would be numbered in the Chronicles as David's mightiest men?  In freely giving David water he was free to do as he wished with it, and so great was the cost in procuring it David expressed his unworthiness to even drink it, for he felt only God was worthy of such sacrifice.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:42, "And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward."  Even the simple gift of a cup of cold water is recognised and rewarded by the God who sees all.  When the gifts you give aren't used or appreciated in the way you intend, realise that when you do it for Christ's sake He will accept it as unto Him.  How sad it would be to give a gift and resent someone because they have not shown appreciation as you thought they should.  Give glory to God for prompting you to give and supplying the means to do so.  God sees the sacrifice of his children and every one - even when we give a cup of cold water - will be remembered forever.