BOOK

Strengthened to Serve - Encouragement & Exhortation For Christians

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Table of Contents

Part One – Essays of Encouragement

Chapters

1.     Crossing the Jordan in our Lives

2.     Lessons from the Demon-Possessed

3.     It Takes All Kinds

4.     Being Strong in Times of Trouble

5.     Refuge

6.     Psalm 39 - What are You Waiting for? 

7.     Joyful Together

8.     Joshua at the Tent

9.     The Greatest One of All

Part Two – Essays of Exhortation

10.    Moses Made a Mistake

11.    The Man Who Didn’t Wait  

12.    No Partiality

13.    After God’s Own Heart

14.    Repenting of False Religion

15.    Higher Ground – Don’t Spit the Dummy! 

16.    Shechaniah and Continuing Sin

17.    Do the Work! 

18.    Here am I – Send Me! 

2014 Published by David B. Kidd

Broadview, South Australia 5083

Scripture from King James Version or New King James Version (Copyright 1982Thomas Nelson, Inc.) Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Glory be to God for any blessings received through this book!

*cover photos shot in Coyoacan, Mexico City in 2013

Part One

Essays of

Encouragement

 Chapter One

Crossing the Jordan in Our Lives

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:31, If God be for us, who can be against us? In looking at the what, the who, the where, the when, the why, and the how of the Jordan crossing, the truth of Paul’s statement will be illustrated. I pray you will also be strengthened to overcome great obstacles in your life.

What?

Firstly, WHAT – what is the Jordan, and what does it represent to us? The Jordan is a mighty river in Israel, being more than 200 miles long. The word “Jordan” means descender, and it’s no wonder the river was given this name, as it descends from the foot of Mt. Hermon (more than 9,000 feet above sea level) to the Dead Sea (1300 feet below sea level).

The Israelites crossed the Jordan on the flat plains of Jericho near the Dead Sea, so the river would not have been particularly fast flowing at their point of crossing. Yet, as we will see, this mighty river was a great obstacle standing between the Israelites and the Promised Land.

To us, the Jordan is much more than a mighty river. Our personal Jordan is whatever stands in the way of us laying hold of God’s promises, or whatever obstructs us from enjoying the blessings of the Christian life that are rightfully ours. Consider what mighty obstacle seems to be blocking your path right now. It doesn’t matter what it is – if God be for you, who can be against you?

Who?

Secondly, WHO – who were crossing the Jordan? A people with a negative history were crossing the Jordan. This was a people who many years before would have entered the Promised Land had it not been for their doubting and disobeying God. Because they doubted, they were doomed to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Their faithlessness and wickedness during this period have brought them reproach throughout the ages. Their deviant ways have become an object lesson for us.

Also, a great number of people were crossing the Jordan. Some commentators have speculated that over one million people crossed. If the army of 40,000 men who crossed armed for war is any indication, indeed, it was a very significant number who crossed (Joshua 4:12-13). This crossing was a great undertaking and a daunting task.

Maybe we have a negative past too. Maybe it’s hindering us from succeeding in great undertakings or even attempting them. There could be many things about us, besides a negative past, which we allow to hinder us. However, it doesn’t matter who we are, what our past is, or what our weaknesses are – if God be for us, who can be against us?

Where?

Thirdly, WHERE – where were the Israelites crossing the Jordan? They crossed near the city of Jericho (Joshua 3:16). Jericho was a mighty walled city about six miles away. Jericho was a very fertile area where a great many people lived. Do you think for one minute these people were ignorant of the presence of Israel and happy for them to march right through? Of course they weren’t! So why did God have them cross so close to the city of Jericho? Remember, God is with us and for us wherever we are, and no matter how dangerous or desperate our situation is. His grace and strength are sufficient for us to overcome anything.

When?

Fourthly, WHEN – when were the Israelites crossing? They were crossing at the time of harvest when the waters of the Jordan continually overflowed its banks (Joshua 3:14-15). This was also the time of the Passover (Joshua 5:10). World Book Encyclopedia (1986 edn, Vol. J-K, p.132), talking of the modern Jordan, says the part of the river where they crossed is usually not more than about 5 feet deep except during – can you guess when? You guessed it – except during the harvest season when they crossed. At this time, the melting snow from Mount Hermon often floods the river valley, which is from 0.5 to 2 miles wide and lies in the centre of the larger valley. It was therefore very possible the Israelites crossed the Jordan when it was a good mile wide and much deeper than 5 feet deep. What a mighty obstacle! However, it did not matter how wide or how deep it was, because God was with them, just as He is with all who put their faith in Him whilst facing great obstacles.

Why?

Fifthly, WHY – why were they crossing? Were they crossing just to receive some simple blessing or to enjoy a relaxing time? No! They were crossing to undertake the giant-sized task of taking the Promised Land where giants lived. They were crossing for war (Joshua 1:2-6, 4:13).

How?

Finally, HOW – how were they crossing? Let me tell you the what, the who, the where, the when and the why mattered not at all for the Israelites in light of the how. Consider how they crossed:

So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God." And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap." So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.  

                                                                                            Joshua 3:9-17

Only by God’s mighty power did the Israelites cross the Jordan. The “what” did not matter because of the “how.” The “when” did not matter because of the “how.” All obstacles bowed down to the “HOW.” If God is for us, and if we trust and rely on His strength, the river of impossibility can divide in our lives too.

God with us

God’s parting of the Jordan surely would have been enough to encourage the Israelites and to assure them He was with them. I am amazed though at what He did next. Immediately following the crossing He required the Israelite males to be circumcised. Surely He remembered what happened to the men of Shechem in Genesis 34. After having just been circumcised, they were in no fit state for battle and they were slaughtered by the Israelites. Why then did God through Joshua command circumcision on the Jericho side of the Jordan? Joshua 5:4-7 says they were circumcised because none of the Israelites born in the wilderness had been circumcised on the way. God had not forgotten circumcision. I believe He wanted to remind the Israelites of the importance of the covenant he made with their forefather Abraham. Circumcision was a sign of this covenant (Genesis 17:8-14). It was a reminder God was with them from everlasting to everlasting. The Lord also said to Joshua, This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you (Joshua 5:9).

After being circumcised, the Israelites were given another powerful reminder of God’s presence with them. They celebrated Passover and recalled from the days of Moses how God provided manna for them in the wilderness for forty years. However, just as God had promised, the manna ceased once they ate of the harvest of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:10-12).

If reminding them of how He was with them through Abraham and Moses wasn’t enough, then the Lord Himself appears to Joshua in a very special way assuring him of His powerful presence:

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.

God reminds us today yet again He is with us. Romans 8:31-37 says:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Is God for you? If you are not sure, it’s time to be sure. Psalms 51:17 says the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart. God will respect our humility and repentance before Him. We can be sure today God is with us. If we have a spirit truly yielded to God that wholeheartedly says, not my will, but yours O God, and which is like the broken spirit of the publican who prayed, have mercy on me a sinner (Luke 18), God is for us. We will be able to overcome any obstacles standing in our way and hindering us from enjoying the fullest spiritual blessings of this life and the next. We will cross our Jordans.

Chapter two

Lessons from the Demon-Possessed

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.  And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.  And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  Mark 5:1-5

A terribly dark existence

Does your heart go out to this man? Can you imagine living like him? According to the passage above and Luke’s parallel account in Luke 8:26-29, he wore no clothes. He had no house. He had no shelter in his nakedness from the cold, the heat or the storm. He lived in a graveyard, and at times the wilderness! No one could tame him. He was a wild man. He was totally out of control. People had tried to tame him. Like an animal, he’d been trapped and seized. His freedom was constantly under threat. He ran from those who often seized him and bound him with chains and shackles. He frightened those who came near him. He had no friends! Neither was sleep his friend. Day and night he cried out and cut himself. The man was in great anguish and pain. He had no peace of mind. He was utterly tormented by men and demons. He had utter darkness of the soul. Hope, joy and love were foreign to this man. How could anyone live like this!

The man was clearly demon-possessed. He was a demoniac and, according to Luke 8:27, had been so for a long time. Many of the signs of demon-possession were present in his life. He demonstrated anti-social behavior. He was wild, fierce and out of control. He had extraordinary physical strength. He disrespected his own body, which he mutilated. It’s also interesting how he would live amongst the tombs – he felt an affinity for darkness and death.

I wonder how he came to be demon-possessed? The scripture doesn’t say. I believe it’s quite possible he suffered some painful issues in his life and instead of seeking the Lord or other wholesome sources of support, he turned to the dark and evil things of the world. I believe he would have opened a gateway for Satan and his host by inviting them into his life either expressly or inadvertently through pursuing evil. Perhaps his parents had done this, rather than him.

A lesson arises for us from this. We should be concerned about the warped passion for crime, profanity, witchcraft, horror and all kinds of deviancy demonstrated by the things most people today prefer to watch or play as television programmes, movies or computer games. Many people also like to wear clothes or tattoos featuring symbols of darkness and death. The people of God should turn away from even watching the things of darkness.

Refuge in worshipping Christ

We can learn another lesson from the demoniac by considering Mark 5:6-9:

When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.  And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me."  For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."

Who was Jesus really dealing with here – the demoniac or the unclean spirit? It seems from verses 8-9 He was conversing with the unclean spirit who had taken over the man and the man was actually possessed by many demons. We learn something very important about Jesus from this exchange. Jesus was worshipped and referred to as the Son of the Most High God. Scripture plainly states only God is to be worshipped (Rev. 22:8-9). The demons knew who Jesus actually was. Even they believed and trembled. We ought to consider how our reverence for Christ compares to that of demons. God forbid theirs exceeds ours! No matter what our spiritual condition is, the presence of Christ can still lead us to worship Him.

Verses 10-13 are also very interesting:

Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.  So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."  And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

Why did the demons beg Jesus not to send them out of the country, but rather to send them into the swine? Can we really understand demons I wonder? I suggest we don’t immerse ourselves in the study of demons, unless we have a special calling in this regard. Scripture encourages us to think on pure and lovely things rather than focusing on the things of darkness (Philippians 4:8). Let’s not get entangled in speculating about demons or pursuing demons. Let’s not go there, or maybe we too could become vulnerable to demonic influence.

The key thing we need to know about, as far as demons are concerned, is the armour of God. Ephesians 6:14-18 describes the armour of God as the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. If we put on the full armour and surround it with prayer we have more than enough strength to stand against the Devil’s schemes. Jesus, who is in us, is greater than Satan. Notice from the verses above Jesus had authority and power over demons. The Light is more powerful than the darkness. Let this be a comfort to us. You can find comfort in Christ no matter what is facing you right now.

Fear God alone

According to verses 14-17, after Jesus granted the demons’ request to go into the swine, people from the city and the country heard about the drowning of the pigs. Naturally, they were all curious and they came out to see what had happened. When they saw the demoniac sitting, clothed and in his right mind, verse 15 says, they were afraid. Why? Notice also the same reaction recorded at the end of chapter four when Jesus calms the storm. The disciples feared exceedingly and exclaimed, Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him! Why were all these people so fearful? I suggest because they knew a very powerful being was in their midst, a person who had the power of God and the right to judge them. In such moments, when one is in the presence of Christ, one is reminded of his or her own sinfulness. Perhaps many standing there before the demon-delivered man remembered how shamelessly they had mocked and mistreated him. I suggest they were fearful of what Jesus could do to them.

However, they didn’t worship Jesus as the demons did. What did they do instead? They begged Jesus to leave their region. Apparently, what Jesus had done to the 2,000 swine had caused a greater fear in them. They were more concerned about their economy, dollars, jobs – physical things, because you don’t ask Jesus to leave if you really care about spiritual things. If you care about spiritual things you invite Him to stay forever. You want to be with Him forever. Sadly, these Gadarenes cared more for physical things.

Following Christ the extra mile

Compare though the response of the demon-delivered man described in verses 18-20:

And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.  However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."  And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

This man fervently desired to follow Jesus where ever He went. When Jesus would not allow Him to do so, but rather instructed him to go home and testify of the compassion He’d shown him, the man obeyed, although he must have been very disappointed over the denial of his passionate plea. In fact he even went further than simply obeying. Verse 20 shows us he went the extra mile and proclaimed the compassion of Christ in Decapolis – a place name meaning “ten cities.”

Attachments and gratitude

The main question and lesson for us to consider from the demoniac’s story flows from this rare and commendable obedience. Why did the demon-delivered man obey so well when others Jesus had helped didn’t? Remember, on other occasions Jesus had instructed those He had healed not to tell anyone He’d healed them, but they disobeyed (Matthew 9:29-31). Related to this is another question. What was the difference between the people of the region who wanted Jesus to leave and the man who wanted to be with Him where ever He was? I believe there were two key differences.

The first relates to attachments to things, people, routines and customs. Mark tells us the man had been a demoniac for a long time. All of his attachments would have been destroyed. He’d lost all self-respect and respectability in the eyes of others. He wouldn’t have cared what others thought of him. He had no comfort zones left. He had no job. It’s likely he had no possessions to speak of. Even though Jesus told him to go back home to his friends, he really had to wonder whether any would want to associate with him. The man was free. He had no ties. He felt he had nothing. In his mind there was nothing else, but to follow his deliverer.

We ought to seriously consider how much our attachments and comfort zones prevent us from obeying God. Jesus warns that those who love mother, father, son or daughter more than Him are not worthy of Him. He also commands us not to lay up treasures on earth.

The second and probably the greatest reason why the demon-delivered man not only desired to follow Jesus, but also obeyed him in contrast to the others, is because he realized perfectly well the gloriousness of what God had done for him, not only physically, but also spiritually. This man had tasted utter darkness of the soul. He was not only delivered from enormous physical discomfort, pain and disability, but from great mental and spiritual torment. His existence for many years could be described as nothing short of “hellish.” Like the woman who washed Jesus feet with her tears and who loved Him much because she had been forgiven much (Luke 7:47) this man’s love abounded toward Christ because he too had been delivered from much. He was in no doubt as to the magnitude of the debt he owed Christ.

Our great deliverance

How about us? Do we fully realize the debt we owe Christ for delivering us from the destructiveness of sin? We should pause and reflect upon the lives we lived before we were converted, or just look at the lives of the unregenerate around us which have been darkened or destroyed through sins such as substance abuse, crime and sexual sins, to name but a few. Maybe someone reading this living in the depths of sin right now regrets not choosing or following Christ’s path. Remember, it’s not too late to change course.

Finally though, consider whether Christ has delivered us from a situation as bad, or even worse than the demoniac’s hellish situation. We may not have thought of it this way before, but He has. Every person who does not turn to Christ for deliverance will one day suffer the fires of hell which will destroy them, both body and soul (Matthew 10:28). Whilst a terrible hellish experience had been brought forward in the demoniac’s life and Jesus saved him after this experience, we ought to praise the Lord He has saved us before we should experience such a dark and terrifying thing. What a wonderful thing Jesus did for us at the cross. If we have accepted God’s free gift of grace by faith then we have been delivered from hell already. Oh praise the Lord! We ought to follow Him.

The commission was given to the demon-delivered man to go home and tell his friends of the great things the Lord had done for him and how Jesus showed compassion on him. It’s our commission too. Let us therefore obey and go the extra mile, for what a great deliverance we have also experienced.

Chapter three

It Takes All Kinds

We’ve all been victims of the put downs of others? The sarcastic put down, “it takes all kinds,” or, “it takes all sorts,” is one you might have heard. Such a put down is aimed at a person who does something that seems strange or stupid. This essay is a light-hearted one I pray will give you some encouragement in the calling God has on your life.

Perhaps if you feel weak, dumb, useless or unworthy in any way this will help you in overcoming your negativity. If you haven't yet accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour I hope you will be encouraged when you see the great strength God gives those who accept His Son.

Not many wise called

The Apostle Paul’s words in 1Corinthians 1:26-31 are very instructional:

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 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; 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, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."

We might paraphrase what Paul was writing to the Corinthians as follows:

It takes all kinds. You Corinthians, you're mainly a rag tag bunch of people. Who among you are important or prominent in the worldly sense? Maybe only one or two of you. But all of you should only glory in the Lord, because it’s in Christ you have been given great power and wisdom to succeed in your calling.

Just take a look at the people in your church, and yourself. If it’s anything like my church you will find grown-ups who ride on shopping trolleys. Some drink Coke-Cola with their breakfast. Some drink the hot water falling from their shower head. Some try to gently take every insect out of the house not wanting to harm any. Others will engage in mass exterminations of insects. We are all so very different. We’re all just a little strange. We each have different characteristics and shortcomings.

The shortcomings of the called

Despite our shortcomings, I believe God has called each of us individually, and each of us can reach people for Christ others among us may not reach, if we just make ourselves more available and believe God can do it through us.

Just look at the Prophet Jonah and what God could do through him when he didn't seem to have much going for him. He was called by God for a specific mission, but he ran away. He didn’t care for the salvation of the Ninevites. He not only ran, he paid money to get away from God and boarded a ship. He was not very smart to think he could hide from the presence of the Lord. He also behaved in a contradictory manner by disobeying God, yet declaring to the men in the ship he was a Hebrew who feared the Lord.

Jonah didn’t have much going for him, but God chooses the foolish to shame the wise, the weak to shame the mighty, and the things that are not to bring to nothing the things that are. We can see throughout the Bible how God is consistent in actively using the weak to achieve His purposes. Despite his shortcomings, Jonah was used by God to preach to the Ninevites, and they repented on a grand scale.

Maybe we identify with Jonah because of our own reluctance to preach to others or even in our lack of concern for the lost. The good news is it doesn’t matter. God can still turn us around and use us.

Look again at yourself and some of the Christians you know. Some of us when we are asked how we are doing will give every detail of how we are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Others will get married and the rest of the church won’t find out about it till months later. Some of us like to hot up our cars so they can go from 0 – 110 kph in one second, but we will have our cars so low to the ground we can barely enter our own driveways at 1 kph without scraping the car underneath. Like me, some of us when we try to take a photograph press the off button instead of the shoot button. Some of us won’t let a dog in our house, but others will let a dog lick our faces. It takes all sorts. But thank God, He uses all kinds, especially the weak, the foolish, the despised and even the noble and the mighty. It’s a privilege to be used by God.

The strength of the humble

If we want to be used by God however, we must be prepared for one very important thing. He doesn’t puff us up or flatter us. He first does the opposite. He humbles us and then later empowers us. If there’s not much power in our Christian walk we ought to question whether we have actually been humbled. Have we surrendered ourselves to God? Let’s be humbled through surrender and just be honest. Can we admit it if we fall into the categories of people in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 other than the wise, mighty or noble?

I pray the following stories and information from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul (Hendrickson Publishers, 2001), which I am told is true, will minister to any weakness we might feel and show us that all sorts can be mightily used by Almighty God if we avail and humble ourselves.

Little Brittany loved Jesus and wanted to make sure He knew she did, so she asked her Mum for advice on how to do this. She said, “Mum, I know Jesus lives in my heart. Do you think if I write Him a love letter and eat it that He will get it?” (adapted from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p.349)

During preparations for an evangelist’s crusade in Latin America, a very poor, unshaven, shoeless and shabbily dressed man signed up for a week long biblical counselling course. It was unusual to see such a man at such a course. He attended every class. The leaders did not expect him to complete the course and go on to become a counsellor. Weeks later, all the counsellors were busy and a doctor required counselling. The unlikely man took him into a consulting room. The leaders saw this and were concerned. When the doctor emerged from the room they asked him if he needed any help. He responded, “No thank you, this fellow has helped me very much.” The next day the doctor brought along two of his colleagues. By the end of the week this illiterate man had lead four doctors and their wives to Christ. It takes all kinds. God needs nothing more than available, humble people. (adapted from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p.92)

Alvin Straight’s story is a strange, but touching story. In 1994 when he was 74, Alvin could no longer drive because of his poor eyesight. His brother Henry, who had a stroke, lived 240 miles away and Alvin desperately wanted to see him. He decided his only option to see his brother was to get there on his ride-on lawn mower. He left early July with a trailer attached to carry gas, food, camping gear etc. He rode 240 miles on a lawnmower to affirm his love and concern for his brother. Such love will not be forgotten. It takes all kinds. Are you willing and available to be humbled on a lawnmower? Are you willing to be humbled to be empowered? (adapted from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p.170)

Listen to the empowerment of missionaries. To get into the Who’s Who publication it takes 25,000 families of unskilled persons to get one person in. It takes 10,000 skilled labouring families for the same and 2,500 professional families. However, it only takes seven missionary families. Consider for a moment how humbling the experience of being a missionary to a strange and underdeveloped country is. (adapted from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p.33)

The New Testament Christians were a great mixture of people too, and they were greatly empowered. The Apostle Paul was highly educated, but apparently not a very eloquent speaker. Apollos was eloquent, but needed further education from Priscilla and Aquila. Peter and John were simple fisherman. Luke was a physician. John the Baptist was rugged and very unworldly eating locusts and honey and wearing camel’s hair. Joseph of Arimathea was a rich and prominent council member. Mary, who washed the feet of Jesus with her hair, was very emotional and not ashamed to express her emotions publically. Peter hid his real emotions and denied Christ. They were each unique individuals, who were humbled and then empowered in God’s service.

Christ our strength

Notice from 1 Corinthians 1:30 the wonderful position of strength people humbled before Christ are in:

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption …

We are wise because Christ became wisdom for us. Accepting His wisdom makes us far wiser than any who reject it, and we know wisdom brings power and strength for the weak. We are declared righteous because Christ became our righteousness. This means we can stand justified in God’s sight, just as if we had never sinned. Compare this position with those who walk in the way of wickedness, those who are still seeking justification by their works, and those who struggle to dismiss their guilt from their minds.

Also, Christ is our sanctification. We are no longer vessels of impurity or ungodliness. Our moral standards, the ways of God we live by through Christ, make the moral standards of the world look like dirt or filth. Finally, the last part of verse 30 declares Christ has become our redemption. We are no longer seeking redemption as many are doing. Christ has brought us back to our God, the source of all life, peace and holiness. He has paid the price. We are forgiven, accepted and whole because of Christ’s redeeming blood.

Conclusion

God can therefore use all of us, no matter who we are or how unusable we think we might be. He uses all kinds. It takes all kinds. God is no respecter of persons. He shows no favouritism. He will continue to empower all those who surrender to Him to fulfil the wonderful calling to be a light and an example to the world for His glory.

Chapter four

Being Strong in Times of Trouble

So you think things are tough today? So you think your society or your government has failed you? Well let's go back in time to a society that had really failed its people.

Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, had Samaria surrounded (2 Kings 6:24). They had besieged Samaria for so long verse 25 reports:

And there was a great famine in Samaria; and indeed they besieged it until a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

And you think things are hard today? One quarter of a kab of doves droppings (perhaps three litres) sold for five shekels of silver (about 60 grams according to the NIV Table of Weights and Measures). We’re talking the price of dove’s droppings here! Life’s necessities were very scarce and expensive. Inflation was running wild.

Let's not just talk economics though. Verses 26-30 also show the alarming extent of the human suffering:

Then, as the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help, my lord, O king!"  And he said, "If the Lord does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or from the winepress?"  Then the king said to her, "What is troubling you?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.' So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."  Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he tore his clothes; and as he passed by on the wall, the people looked, and there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.

Responding to times of crisis

This society was a mess. It had failed its people and the king's response was to tear his clothes? Many other people in the Bible are recorded as tearing their clothes. Actually tearing clothes and wearing sackcloth and ashes was pretty normal for the Israelites in times of trouble. Maybe if we are a fanatical sports fan we can identify with this behavior. Maybe we have torn our team’s scarf after their pathetic effort on the field. Maybe we can't identify with this at all. If we can't, just know when people in the Bible tear their clothes things are really, really bad. In fact we get the picture from the scriptures a lot more than tearing of clothes was going on in Samaria – Samaria was being torn apart from within and being torn apart from without. It was not reacting well to the crisis.

Does our society or our government always react well to crises? Have you ever felt wronged by the government, the system or society? Have you been left out in the cold, swept under the carpet, forgotten about, or have you felt like a sacrificial lamb being led to the slaughter? It is terrible when society can't provide everyone who wants to work a job. It’s terrible when you don’t feel safe in your own home because the justice system has failed you and you just want to curse the government, the system or something?

Let’s look closely at some ways people react when things are failing all around them, when they seem to be caught between a rock and hard place. Let’s look at how the people in this besieged town reacted, and what consequences flowed from their reactions. We can all learn lessons for life and for eternal life from their reactions and the consequences that followed.

Despair, irrationality and corruption

So far we’ve seen how two women in the town reacted. Two woman made a bargain to eat each of their sons and they both ate the first woman’s son. This bargain was not only revolting, but also stupid. Forgive me for saying so, but the woman who lost her son could probably have got a better deal. If I were making such a deal, which I wouldn't, I think I'd agree with the other woman to eat her son, and she could eat mine so I would not have to eat my own child. I’d also want a guarantee the other woman would fulfill her side of the bargain. However, what happened was they shared the first woman's son and the second woman had no guarantee the other woman would keep her word – and she didn’t!

What can we say about the first woman's reaction to the crisis? I believe it symbolizes two ways people react in times of trouble. Firstly, when things are tough people often react in desperate ways.  Secondly, they often act without sense because their rationality disappears right out the window.

Thirdly, the second woman's failure to honour her promise symbolizes the fraudulent or criminal reaction. When times are tough, people often say, "well the government isn't looking out for me, so why should I pay my taxes," or they say, "nobody cares about me, so why should I care for them," and they therefore justify cheating on the Social Security or Tax Departments or breaking other laws of the land to gain a little extra money. These three types of reactions (desperate, stupid and criminal/fraudulent) only make things worse.

Grief and anguish, blame and losing faith

Consider also the king's reactions. We’ve already seen how the king tore his clothes. When he tore his clothes, what does verse 30 say the people did? The people looked! They stared at him and saw his sackcloth and ashes. This wouldn't have inspired much confidence in their king. Wearing sackcloth and tearing clothes symbolizes a fourth reaction to hardship – the grief and anguish reaction.

The king also reacted to the crisis in two more very significant, but common ways. He reacted with irrational or senseless blame and giving up on the Lord. In 2 Kings 6:31 the king said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today. He blamed Elisha, the man of God, the man chosen by God to declare the truth and to declare the things that were to come to pass. The king wanted Elisha’s head. This was irrational. It made no sense. The situation wasn’t Elisha’s fault. Maybe the king was superstitious like many people are today. Maybe he thought Elisha’s words were bad luck. We have to admit though it is hard to see how blaming and killing Elisha would help things. The king’s reaction of irrationally blaming the man of God symbolizes the destructive form of reaction we often have when we are suffering. Often we blame everyone else or everything else, but we don't look at ourselves enough. We’ll blame the weather, kick the cat, point out our mid-life crisis, blame the government or our parents. However, blame, our fifth reaction, is not constructive and also doesn’t help anyone.

The sixth reaction, demonstrated also by the king, is blaming the Lord. It is common for people to blame God and lose faith and patience. The king said, surely this calamity is from the Lord; why should I wait for the Lord any longer?

Scepticism and mocking

The seventh reaction is seen in 2 Kings 7:1-2

Then Elisha said, "Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord: 'Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria.' "So an officer on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God and said, "Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, could this thing be?" And he said, "In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but you shall not eat of it." 

Elisha, the man of God, was declaring good news. He was giving hope by declaring the prices of food would be so low the next day that everyone could eat. An officer, however, who was leaned on or influenced by the king, reacted with scepticism, disbelief and perhaps mocking. He said, Look, if the Lord would make windows in heaven – could this thing be? The officer’s reaction symbolizes those in despair who see no way out in a million years and who mock God – who, ironically, is their only real hope. Such people, including the king here, negatively influence others. We must be very careful as Christians our lack of faith or disillusionment doesn’t hurt the faith of another child of God.

Surrender

The eight reaction shown by the four lepers is really interesting:

Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, "Why are we sitting here until we die?  If we say, 'We will enter the city,' the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. Now therefore, come, let us surrender to the army of the Syrians. If they keep us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall only die."  And they rose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians; and when they had come to the outskirts of the Syrian camp, to their surprise no one was there. 2 Kings 7:3-5

It doesn’t appear they had heard or believed Elisha’s good news. Even standing at the gate as they were, they did not know good times were just around the corner. One thing they realized though was if they stayed where they were or if they went into the city they would die! Their options were limited and very grim, but they had another option, an option symbolizing the type of option that seems worse than death – surrendering to the enemy. Taking such an option could be fatal, but it was worth a try. The important word here is could. There was a glimmer of hope the enemy would not kill them. Perhaps the Syrians gripe was not with them, but rather with their king.

A saying I once saw on a poster says, “never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” What the lepers essentially did was to throw themselves upon the mercy of God. They decided to walk into the hands of people who in all probability would not let them live. After all, why would the Syrian soldiers want to associate with lepers anyway? It was do or die for the lepers. Only God could save them now.

Steadfastness in God

The ninth and final reaction to the crisis was the man of God’s reaction. His reaction was one of constancy. He just kept right on serving God. He made the most of the situation by continuing to trust in the Lord. Don’t we need people like this in our lives, people who are constant and dependable through hard times?

I think you will agree the nine reactions to adversity we have seen are the most common reactions we see, even today. Each reaction or choice had a consequence. Now, let’s look at the consequences of each choice.

Living with the consequences of our reactions

What happened the day after Elisha proclaimed prices would fall so the people would be able to eat again? Indeed, as verse 18 says, they fell. The word of God happens:

So it happened just as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, "Two seahs of barley for a shekel, and a seah of fine flour for a shekel, shall be sold tomorrow about this time in the gate of Samaria."

So what of the first woman who ate her son? If only she had waited a little longer. The consequence of her choosing to eat her son out of desperation and stupidity was she lost her son in the worst possible way. Firstly, because the second women lied and didn’t carry out her part of the bargain, and secondly because she didn’t even need to do what she did since help was just around the corner. Perhaps in our circumstances too, help is just around the corner. Jesus might return soon, or He might send help from somewhere else.

The second woman had to live with the guilt of her criminal reaction. People who knew what she did would have reminded her of it for the rest of her life. She may also have been punished by the law, or by God.

What about the king? We can’t criticize him for feeling grief for the woman who ate her son. Grief usually helps the griever and shows others you care. It can be very positive. However, grief obviously is not constructive if you want to effect change. It’s a natural and necessary response in harsh circumstances, but it seems the king let grief overtake him to the point of depression so that he lost all perspective and failed to be the king he should have been. May we not do the same.

The consequence of this in the king’s case was he went about blaming the man of God, and thereby God Himself. Didn’t he look stupid the next day when everything Elisha said came to pass. His question, why should I wait on the Lord any longer? was effectively answered, because He’s coming tomorrow, you fool. We should do our best to deal with grief, anguish or humiliation before it leads to serious depression or a wrong standing with God, as it did in the king’s case. The king’s mortal life was spared, but his action of influencing the officer had fatal effects.

The officer who was unbelieving and who mocked when he heard of the coming deliverance lost his life, just as Elisha had warned (7:2,20). We too should be careful of unbelief and having low expectations. Our low expectations or lack of faith can be like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The four lepers and conversion

The four lepers, by choosing to surrender to the enemy, effectively throwing themselves on God’s mercy, faced a fearful situation. They went defenseless to the Syrian camp not knowing what they would encounter. To their surprise, they found no enemy there. The enemy had even left their possessions behind (7:10). Apart from their trepidation, the consequences of their choice to take their only viable option to surrender were good.

Isn’t all of humanity in a sense in a similar situation to the lepers? If there is no God who raises us from the dead, and if we do not surrender to Him and throw ourselves on His mercy at some definite point in our lives – we die without hope. If, however, we do believe in God and ask for His mercy, we have hope we will live.

The lepers’ reaction also reminds me of the process of conversion and the road Christians must continue to walk:

For the Lord had caused the army of the Syrians to hear the noise of chariots and the noise of horses--the noise of a great army; so they said to one another, "Look, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of the Egyptians to attack us!" Therefore they arose and fled at twilight, and left the camp intact--their tents, their horses, and their donkeys--and they fled for their lives.  And when these lepers came to the outskirts of the camp, they went into one tent and ate and drank, and carried from it silver and gold and clothing, and went and hid them; then they came back and entered another tent, and carried some from there also, and went and hid it.  Then they said to one another, "We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news, and we remain silent. If we wait until morning light, some punishment will come upon us. Now therefore, come, let us go and tell the king's household."  So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city, and told them, saying, "We went to the Syrian camp, and surprisingly no one was there, not a human sound--only horses and donkeys tied, and the tents intact."  And the gatekeepers called out, and they told it to the king's household inside. 2 Kings 7:6-11

As a person coming to Christ through the calling of God we begin to see the world we live in offers no true hope. The lepers saw their society offered no hope.

Conversion is also a very radical process in the sense we have to completely give up or leave behind the values of the world and take on God’s standards. The lepers were prepared to leave their own people for the enemy. To become a Christian we must also surrender to God as the lepers surrendered to the Syrians. Christianity to the outsider may seem like an alien thing or an enemy – like an army of Bible bashers, but when we convert we find out, as the lepers did, there is no such enemy at all. We are pleasantly surprised.

Further, it is God who takes away the enemy, as he did here for Samaria (v. 6), and it is God who gives Christians strength to overcome all enemies. As people coming to Christ, we might fear all kinds of enemies. We might fear losing our freedom. We might fear what our friends or family will think of us. We may fear we won’t be accepted. God takes these enemies or fears away. The lepers fears were likewise relieved.

There’s even more parallels though from the lepers’ situation which relate to conversion. Conversion leads to great treasures in a variety of forms. All the converted will receive the reward of the eternal inheritance referred to in Colossians 3:24. At first though, those who convert receive a special inner peace and joy and this remains in our lives if we continue to serve God faithfully. The lepers found great joy and peace and they found silver and gold and clothing, which they initially hid. This reaction of hiding the treasure is an interesting one in light of the kingdom parable Jesus spoke about the man who found treasure hidden in a field and then hid it, but for joy over it sold all he had to buy the field (Matthew 13:44).

Finally, conversion leads to us having a spirit of responsibility and a conscience toward others like never before. The lepers suddenly had a conscience toward the horrible society they had come from which had failed them, a place where women would even eat their own children. 2 Kings 7:9 shows the lepers shared with their people the good news of the enemy’s disappearance.  Christians too have the responsibility to share the good news of the gospel and that the enemy of our souls has been defeated, and sharing it to a society that aborts its own children and does all sorts of other horrible things besides.

It’s interesting the lepers came up against the same kind of skepticism Christians come against when we share the gospel. We see this in verses 12-13. The king thought their good news was a trap and the Syrians were suddenly going to appear. The lepers were however genuine in their motives for sharing, just as many Christians who desire all men to repent and be saved are. Interestingly, the lepers’ motives may not have been completely pure or altruistic, as it says they shared the good news because they feared punishment. As Christians, let us share out of compassion for the lost. In 2 Kings 7:16 we see eventually the people of Samaria went out and plundered the tents of the Syrians and abundance was had by all. New converts in a sense also go out and plunder the good things of God.

Peace through trials

There’s one final character to consider – the man of God. Was it all a bed of roses for him? He, unlike the lepers, did not have to endure the fear of going to the enemy camp. The consequences for him of his choice to trust God were the best. He had peace, strength and courage throughout the ordeal, because God was with him. Of course this did not mean he endured no suffering. God never took him out of the trouble. But God was his strength through the trouble. He also suffered ridicule and threats to his life. God gave him strength to bear it and be certain of his great hope right to the end. God will do the same for us.

Conclusion

How are you going to react in times of trouble? How are you going to react when society seems to be failing all around you? Are you going to behave like a desperate fool and do something that might only help the problem for a short while, but which you will regret because of the terrible consequences? Will you try and cheat your way out of it? Are you going to grieve to the point of depression and, like the king, behave destructively rather than constructively? Will you blame everyone except yourself and do all of the wrong things to get out of the trouble? Are you going to blame God and lose patience with Him? Will you lose faith in the situation ever changing, reject true hope, mock God and take others down with you like the officer and the king. Or will you react like the lepers? They acknowledged the severity of their situation and chose an option offering some hope. Then they followed after it, effectively trusting in God’s mercy. Will you continue to do the things the lepers symbolically did? Will you keep surrendering to God, letting Him take your fears and enemies away, listening to the Holy Spirit and your conscience within? Will you declare the good news of God and keep plundering the good things of God?

Even better still, I encourage you to react like the man of God in troublesome times. Keep offering hope to others. Stand firm and be constant in your faith, commitment and love. Elisha’s hope and peace were not shaken by the adversity. Nor was his faith or commitment to God. He didn’t run away as the lepers did, because God was with him and he knew God’s will. God will be with you too, everywhere, no matter what your circumstances are, if you just continue to trust in Him. Give Him first place and then you will be comforted and strengthened like Elisha.

We must remember the choices we make have consequences. May each of us make the “man of God choices,” for the Lord’s sake.

Chapter five 

Refuge

Refuge is defined as “shelter or protection from danger or trouble; a place of safety or security,” and a “refugee” is defined as “a person who flees to a foreign country in time of war, persecution or disaster” (World Book Encyclopedia Dictionary). If you are a Christian, did you know you are a refugee? 

David flees for refuge

David, before he became king fled for refuge, even though he was the one the people of Israel celebrated saying, Saul has slain his thousands, And David his tens of thousands. David fled because of king Saul’s jealousy and determination to kill him. In the book of Psalms, David wrote about refuge many times affirming God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. He also declared to God, In the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge. King David knew all about seeking refuge and being a refugee.

According to Hebrews 6:18, Christians are refugees too. We have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. All people need to flee to God for refuge because we all have a death sentence hanging over our heads. Today if we should get hit by a bus, or in three years’ time if cancer or heart failure should come, or in another 50 years if we die of old age – a death sentence hangs over all of us living in the kingdom of man. Satan, our adversary, wants us dead, but if we flee to God for refuge we have a wonderful hope ahead of us. We are only pilgrims on this earth passing through. We are God’s refugees.

Finding fellowship

1 Samuel 22:1-2 tells us where David fled to and what he found:

David … escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.  And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

In his place of refuge David found he was not alone. He found others just like him in distress, debt or discontentment. He found brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. Just imagine the wonderful feelings of belonging, comradeship, comfort, consolation and like-mindedness those with David in the forest enjoyed together. It may not have been exactly like Robin Hood and his merry men feasting on venison, but David was a mighty warrior and captain greatly loved by those with him in the forest and by many in Israel.

When we flee for refuge in Christ, hopefully we’ll find what David and his men found. My vision for the church is we will not only come together once a week to fellowship on the day of worship, but we will also meet regularly at other times too. If we immerse ourselves in the fellowship of the brethren our Christian experience will be so much richer. Our place of refuge can be a sweet foretaste of the perfect age of the kingdom to come.

Escaping great wickedness

Compare the wonderful refuge David found in the forest with the great wickedness in the realm he had fled. In the rest of chapter 22 we read of gruesome murders. King Saul came after David and his men. Verse seven shows how the Benjamites did not want to tell Saul where David was. However Doeg the Edomite told Saul David had gone to Ahimelech’s place (v. 9-10).

So Saul went there and asked his guards to kill the priests of the Lord there (such wickedness!). The guards wouldn’t dare do it, so Saul commanded Doeg to do it and he gladly obliged killing 85 priests and countless men, women, children and animals (1 Samuel 22:19). What terrible wickedness was outside David’s place of refuge!

Fleeing completely

Similarly, what great wickedness is outside our refuge in the present kingdom of God! For example, Satan rules our world where murder, rape, and adultery are not only rampant, but are also prime time entertainment for the masses. In Satan’s world, if a Christian man marries a woman who is not pro-life there’s no protection for his baby in the womb. He has no rights at law to save his baby from abortion. Nor does the baby have any rights. In Satan’s world, selfishness, greed, pride, futility, sexual deviancies and addictive behaviours cause all manner of evil and bring inestimable harm to people’s lives. We must not leave one foot in such a world, for there really is no refuge if one foot is in the evil place and the other in the righteous place. Imagine if a refugee from Afghanistan had to spend the odd years in Australia and the even years in Afghanistan. Can you see there is no real refuge unless we flee completely?

I am not suggesting we flee physically from the world. We can’t, and we’re not meant to. We’re supposed to be the light of the world through Christ. I’m urging we flee fully from sin to righteousness in Christ. Then we will find great protection, security and refuge from danger and trouble.

Finding great encouragement

In David’s place of refuge there was also great encouragement. Jonathon, David’s very close friend and the son of the man trying to kill him, came to him and strengthened his hand in God. What joy this would have brought David, and what great promises Jonathon had for David. He said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that (1 Samuel 23:17). Now this did not completely come to pass (as Jonathon died), but it was strong affirmation God was with David.

When we flee for refuge in God we are given many encouraging and sure promises. Hopefully we will also find great encouragement from the brethren. Our brother John, the disciple with a very special bond with Jesus, encouraged us by reminding us of the surety of eternal life to those who remain faithful (1 John 5:13). Our brother Peter, another very close companion of our Lord, encouraged in 1 Peter 5:6-7:

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Listen also to the further encouragement and the surety of this further promise from Hebrews 6:13-18:

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

Finding an oasis

David fled for refuge from terrible circumstances, and do you know what else he found? He found an oasis – a very pleasant place in a barren and desolate area. 1 Samuel 24:1 says David was in the Wilderness of En Gedi. Engedi is about 45 km southeast of Jerusalem. The springs of En Gedi were full and the vegetation was semi-tropical. There were fine dates there, sweet smelling perfumed and medicinal plants, and Israel’s only natural waterfall. Even though David was an outcast and a wanted man, there would have been some very pleasant moments for him at En Gedi enjoying its natural delights and enjoying peace with God. He knew God was with him, so what did he have to fear? Also, for a time while he was there, Saul was pre-occupied with battling the Phillistines (1 Samuel 24:1)

As a Christian I have enjoyed many an oasis. I remember the special tranquility I felt as I began to turn away from the world to God, as I began to sit quietly and learn about Him through His word and as I listened to sermons from inspiring preachers. Realizing I didn’t have to live like everyone else and strive for all they strive for brought me inner peace. I also found each Sabbath day to be an oasis in time. Indeed, God has prepared an oasis for us on the Sabbath where we can feel 100% at peace ignoring our work or studies and just being with God in a special way. *Please ask for my free book “Made For Man - Enjoying Your Sabbath Blessings”

Finding unusual strength

So David enjoyed some blessed respite at the oasis of En Gedi, but 1 Kings 24:2-4 shows us he also found strength despite the difficulties of being a refugee:

Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David … So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' "And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

Picture that. David and his men see Saul enter their cave to relieve himself. Can you just imagine the great difficulty David’s men would have had holding back their laughter? But also just imagine their anger, frustration and disappointment when David didn’t finish their enemy off. David even felt upset with himself for cutting just the corner of Saul’s robe. Further, he pursued Saul and showed him the piece of robe saying to him:

Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.'  1 Kings 24:10

We see David the refugee displaying great or unusual strength to love even his most dangerous enemy who had 3000 choice soldiers nearby to call on. David didn’t only do this once though. Not long after in chapter 26:7 we see he again had Saul’s life in his hands. A deep sleep from the Lord fell upon Saul (v.12) and David came right next to the sleeping king. If you had the opportunity to possibly end all of your problems and to be lifted up high (to king in David’s case) would you have the strength to deny yourself what you felt you deserved? David did, through God’s strength. What wonderful strength!

We too can be empowered mightily. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God will also give us power through the Holy Spirit to deny ourselves and to take up our cross and follow Jesus daily. Saul, David’s sworn enemy, said to David on this second occasion when David showed him mercy, May you be blessed my son David. You shall both do great things and also still prevail (1 Kings 26:25).

Conclusion

Brethren and friends, you also are blessed and shall both do great things and prevail when you take full refuge in God. There’s great strength for us in God. There’s great encouragement. There are sure promises. God will provide us oasis after oasis from the great wickedness of the realm we have fled from. There’s great fellowship and consolation to be had with like-minded people who have likewise fled for refuge in God. Best of all, there’s everlasting refuge.

We must remember though we can’t fully enjoy this refuge from the world’s wickedness if we only seek refuge on Sabbath morning. We must seek God’s refuge daily and share this refuge more and more with brethren who truly want to share it with us.

The words of the hymn writer L. R. Tolbert are apt to conclude with:

O Rock of Ages, Hide Thou me, No other refuge have I but Thee

When life’s dark vale I wander, Far, far from thee;

Then, I cry, O Rock of Ages, Hide Thou me.

Chapter six

Psalm 39 - What Are You waiting For?

… I said, "I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me."  I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up.  My heart was hot within me; While I was musing, the fire burned. …  I was mute, I did not open my mouth, Because it was You who did it. 

Like a difficult poem our English teacher in school once asked us to interpret, Psalm 39 presents us with an interesting interpretational challenge. The main difficulty is understanding why King David decided to remain silent before the wicked, and why he held his peace even from good, despite the burning of his heart within.

A weight on David’s shoulders

The key to understanding the Psalm is firstly to recognise what is crystal clear about it. Clearly David needed help from God because he had sinned (v. 7-8). His sin was very public, and he was the object of reproach and mocking. It is also clear David was being punished by God for his sin (v. 10), and his good reputation was melting away (v. 11). David was aware of the ugliness of sin in his life, and also that life was too short to waste wallowing in sin and shame. Clearly, David was sorrowful for things he had done, and he wanted his good relationship with God to be restored (v. 12). It should also be clear by now it was no small sin inspiring David to pen this Psalm.

David’s life is given a lot of attention in the Bible. It’s very much an open book. He is lauded as a man after God’s own heart, but there are three major sins of David painted across the sky - his adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11) and his numbering of the people of Israel resulting in a plague from God killing 70,000 Israelites (2 Samuel 24).

Psalm 39 probably relates to one or more of these sinful episodes. Given the punishment promised to David as a result of the incidents with Bathsheba and Uriah, and the things that happened to David in the period following these, but before the census sin, I suggest it relates to the incidents with Bathsheba and Uriah. 2 Samuel 12:10-13 details the punishment promised to David for these horrible sins as follows:

Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'  Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.  For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.' "  So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 

Embarrassed by Shimei

Some have interpreted David’s silence as meaning he didn’t want to cast his pearls before swine who would only trample on them. In other words, they say he saw no benefit in correcting the wicked with wisdom as they would only turn upon him. This is unlikely to be the meaning though, as we have already seen how David was crushed under the weight of his own sin. He was in no state to be correcting others or pointing the finger at them.

Another commentator has suggested David wanted his mouth muzzled so he would not say wrong things about God in his depression and thereby cause the wicked to reproach God or complain against God. Again, with respect, if David was not in the mood to cast stones at man due to his own sin, he would certainly be in no mind to speak against God.

The incident between David and Shimei though, provides a more promising explanation for David’s silent submission. In the years following David’s sin with Bathsheba, his son Absalom turned against him, and he had to flee (2 Samuel 15:14). Just as was prophesied, adversity arose from David’s own house and Absalom lay with David’s concubines for all of Israel to see (2 Samuel 16:21-22). Around this time Shimei met David and threw stones at him and cursed him continuously saying in (2 Samuel 16:7-12):

"Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you rogue! The Lord has brought upon you all the blood of the house of Saul … and the Lord has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. So now you are caught in your own evil, because you are a bloodthirsty man!" Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please, let me go over and take off his head!" But the king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the Lord has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?' " And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the Lord has ordered him.  It may be that the Lord will look on my affliction, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing this day."  

Notice how, consistently with his words in Psalm 39 about guarding his tongue before the wicked and the foolish, David indeed restrained himself before the wicked who reproached him under the inspiration of God. Notice also how David still hoped in God.

Poor in spirit

King David was humiliated and still penitent before God, and so he would not stand up for himself before Shimei. David was silent before his accuser, just as Jesus was silent before His accusers. Christ by no means deserved his ill-treatment, but David did. David was silent before Shimei, but opened his mouth to God and said in Psalm 39:4-7:

"Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah.  Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

This is a man now poor in spirit, rather than being puffed up or confident in his own strength. Here is a man recognising his own frailty or weakness, a man stripped of self-reliance recognising his helplessness before God and acknowledging humanity’s helpless state and futile pursuits. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. In contemplating his life and the state of humanity David truly humbled himself before God. He therefore cried out, And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.

David had sinned to such an extent it had brought his spirit very low. He felt crushed, downtrodden and unworthy to be in God’s presence. His prayers had been hindered. He felt so low he’d lost his self-esteem. He dared not point out the sin of others as he was acutely aware of the vileness of his own sin. He expressed this perfectly in Psalm 38 as follows:

For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. For my loins are full of inflammation, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and severely broken; I groan because of the turmoil of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart pants, my strength fails me; As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me. My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague, And my relatives stand afar off. Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. Thus I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth is no response. Psalms 38:4-14

If we are in sin over our head, what are we waiting for? Our hope is in God. If we are downcast, depressed or feeling distant from God, what are we waiting for? Our hope and help is in God. If there is no health in our bones, or soundness in our flesh, don’t wait to reach for God’s renewing power. If God is punishing us, our only hope is still in His forgiveness. If our heart is panting or our strength is failing, the hope of the ages is standing by to revive us. If the light from our eyes is gone, the Light of the World awaits to shine upon us. When our loved ones and friends stand aloof from us in our calamity or turn upon us with venom, what are we waiting for? When we feel like we’re ready to fall and sorrow is continually before us, then it’s time to immediately cry out to God for help as David did in Psalm 38 and 39.

Conclusion

Are you in the place where your sin seems like a heavy burden you cannot bear anymore and where you feel too ashamed to approach God through prayer or public worship? Maybe you are in over your head in sin and foolishness – what are you waiting for? Go to God. He provides the only true hope.

Psalm 39 is also for the man or woman who has sinned, but whose sin has only been to them like water off a duck’s back. Psalm 39 shows a godly person will be greatly disturbed by his or her sin. Sin will not be like water off a duck’s back. Sin will be like an arrow that pierces the heart. Sin will be such to cause us to be very careful to guard our ways lest we sin with our tongue.

What are we waiting for? Our only hope is God, through Christ. The hymn writer W. T. Sleeper provides us encouragement to go to Christ:

Out of my shameful failure and loss, Jesus I come, Jesus I come;

Into the glorious gain of Thy cross, Jesus I come to thee;

Out of earth’s sorrows, into Thy balm, Out of life’s storms and into Thy calm,

Out of distress to jubilant psalm, Jesus I come to Thee.

Chapter seven

Joyful Together

God understands our humanity and has our best interests at heart. That’s why He’s planned for the faithful of all ages to experience the greatest day of all together. Abraham, Moses and Peter have not entered the joys of the coming kingdom of heaven ahead of us. We will experience it afresh with them.

A popular misconception

A popular understanding would have it that when we die we go immediately to heaven. If this were true, then people would be entering heaven every day “at all hours of the day.” If you died today you would not share the greatest day of your life with your children or brothers and sisters who remained alive and subject to the trials of tumultuous planet earth. Only those loved ones who had reached heaven before you would celebrate your entrance into heaven with you. We might also question whether all the saints of old, such as Abraham and Moses, would be expected to engage in these celebrations each and every time a Christian passed from earth to heaven?

God has a better plan

I certainly would not be complaining if this popular view turned out to be correct, but I am so thankful the scriptures reveal a better plan that appeals to one of our greatest human joys – sharing the fulfilment of our greatest hopes together with our loved ones.

Suppose there were 20 people marooned on a desert island who had battled together for many months to survive. All of them had been hoping to be rescued together by a great ship. They had pictured the exuberant celebrations of their great day of rescue. However, their rescue “ship” turned out to be a small boat and it could only take five people off the island at a time, and only once a month. The first five rescued by boat would attain their hope of deliverance, but you can appreciate how it would not be as joyous as they anticipated, knowing their companions on the island were still enduring great hardship.

God knows our good times become great times when we experience them with our family and friends. He has made provision for this in His plans. Notice how the following words of the Apostle Paul’s illustrate this:

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.   1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

That the Old Testament Saints were still waiting unconsciously for their resurrection at the time of the New Testament is confirmed by John 3:13 which stated no one had ascended to heaven except Jesus. Acts 2:29 & 34, written about 30-40 years after the resurrection of Christ, also talk of beloved king David still being “dead and buried” and as not having ascended into the heavens. Acts 26:23 likewise confirms Jesus was the first to rise from the dead.

We all understand sleep very well, and should be able to understand why the metaphor of “sleep” is used by Paul for “death.” Whether we are “sleeping” in the grave for two minutes, two years, or two thousand years, it will be as peaceful and quick as an uninterrupted night’s sleep. The time from our dying breath to our joyous and triumphant resurrection will seem as an instant.

One further scripture which clearly illustrates the joy of togetherness in God’s plans for our glorification is Hebrews 11:39-40:

And all these [Noah, Abraham, Moses etc] having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

God has planned for us a most special day that will be perfect. The day will be perfect, because God is perfect, and we will be perfected at the same time as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob etc.

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.   2 Peter 3:14

Chapter eight

Joshua at the Tent

One day each of us will find ourselves in a very difficult situation where we will need to trust God completely to get through: but we might fail! It needn’t be this way though. Let me share the inspiring story of a man who did not fail when faced with such a situation.

A daunting prospect for most

In the first 20 verses of Numbers 13 we see the mission to the Promised Land Moses sent Joshua and others on. Moses instructed:

“ … see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.  Numbers 13:18-19

Joshua is mentioned in verse eight and sixteen. He is just one of the men sent to spy out Canaan. He’s not mentioned first. Verse two says every man who was sent on the mission were leaders in Israel. In verse 27-29 we see the report of these spies:

… "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan."

In verse 31-33 we see the conclusion of most of the spies:

"We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we."  And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." 

Joshua was of a different spirit

So the people were scared and they wanted to get rid of Moses and get a new leader to take them back to Egypt. However, Joshua and Caleb were of a different spirit:

But Joshua … and Caleb … tore their clothes; and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land.  If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, 'a land which flows with milk and honey.'  Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them."   Numbers 14:6-9

Now the consequences for Israel of doubting God were terrible. All those over the age of 20 would never enter Canaan except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:29).

Why Joshua didn’t fail

Joshua did not fail God in this difficult situation. My only question is why he didn’t? What was special about him compared with the other leaders? Exodus 33:7-11 gives us a very good clue:

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp. So it was, whenever Moses went out to the tabernacle, that all the people rose, and each man stood at his tent door and watched Moses until he had gone into the tabernacle.  And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. All the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the tabernacle door, and all the people rose and worshiped, each man in his tent door. So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. (my emphasis)

What was happening at Moses tent? Wow! There was a pillar of cloud at the door of Moses’ tent and Moses talked with God there “face to face”! Who stayed there when everyone went home? Of course it was Joshua. Why do you think he stayed there, and what benefits do you think he got from staying there? How did this help him to stand tall when faced with the difficult situation of the giants and the might of Canaan?

In answering these questions, consider the following two scenarios. Firstly, there’s a flying instructor with five students who all like him very much. Four of the students go to all the classes and listen to everything he says. They come to know him very well and come to love and respect him, and learn much from him. They also spend time with him on social occasions. However, one student misses most of the classes and all of the social events with the teacher because he wants to impress him by finding new students for the class and raising money so his instructor can have better resources. Which of these students after the course is finished will go on to be most like their teacher? Of course it’s the four who attended all of the classes, sitting at his feet, so to speak.

Secondly, two couples are to be married in arranged marriages in 30 days. The first time they meet is 30 days before the wedding. The first couple spend 30 days together getting to know each other and falling in love. However, in the case of the other couple, the man thinks it's more important to earn money to buy a nice house to start their life together in. Just before the weddings the two couples are faced with a terrible dilemma. A man threatens them, saying he will burn their houses down if they get married. Which couple do you think is more likely to go through with their wedding? Most likely the first couple who bonded, don’t you think?

Lingering in God’s presence

Maybe we are a bit like the student who wanted to do things for his teacher, but wouldn't spend quality time with him. Are we doing lots of things for God or otherwise being busy with our lives thinking God’s okay with that, but not spending much special time with Him? My message from Joshua’s example is simply this. Be like Joshua who lingered at the tent of Moses. Be like Joshua who lingered where God's presence was. It was only because he had a close relationship with God he did not fail like the others when difficulties came. By being close to God, God developed his character. By being close to God, he knew God well enough to know he could trust God no matter what obstacle faced him. Because he really was close to God, he knew all things were possible with God.

Brethren, don't neglect your quiet times with God in prayer, in meditating upon His word and in studying His word. Talk to God throughout the day. You will not fail when difficulty or pressure comes your way if God is your best friend and you know He is walking with you.

Chapter nine

The Greatest One of All

A shattered community

Jim Cartwright was a bus driver at a country school in Kaitaia, a small New Zealand town. He lived next door to Keith Dodd, who had 10 children. Each year Jim would take a class away on a school camp in his bus. Tragically though, in 1983, Jim parked the bus next to a cliff overlooking the sea while he quickly crossed the road to buy a packet of cigarettes. He failed to put the handbrake on and before he’d even finished crossing the road the worst thing you could ever imagine happened. The bus with Keith’s 10 children, 20 other children and parents rolled toward the cliff and then fell into the sea. No one survived. You can just imagine the guilt and pain Jim felt, but you can also imagine, even worse, the incredible sadness and loss experienced by Keith and the whole community.

Also remember, these two men were neighbours. After spending two years in prison for his criminal negligence, Jim moved back to his home next to Keith. It certainly wasn’t easy for Keith to forgive Jim for what happened – all for a lousy packet of cigarettes. However, they continued to live in harmony.

Heroic righteousness

One day Keith noticed smoke coming from Jim’s house. Jim had not given up smoking, and it was later discovered he’d fallen asleep while smoking in bed. His cigarette had started the fire. Since it was early in the morning, chances were Jim was still inside. What was Keith to do? The house was now a flaming inferno. Would he risk his own life to save Jim? Thoughts crossed his mind about how Jim had destroyed his own family, but he decided he couldn’t just stand by and let Jim burn to death.

The local community had gathered near the blazing fire. They could see any attempt to go inside the burning house would be a very dangerous and stupid thing to do. They were not willing to risk their lives for the man who had brought so much pain to their community. When Keith declared his intention to rescue Jim they tried to stop him. Keith would not be deterred. He was willing to sacrifice his life. Holding his breath, he ran in. His clothes caught fire, but he was able to drag Keith out. He saved Jim’s life, but both of them had to spend six months together in the Auckland burns unit battling to survive their serious burns. Sadly, six months later, Keith lost his battle for life, but Jim survived.

Would you call Keith Dodd a hero? I would. Do you admire his courage and great sacrifice? Do you respect the righteousness of this man? Do you know anyone who would do what Keith did for you if you had sinned against them or hurt them so badly? Do you? Do you know God?

God’s righteousness

There’s something I need to tell you. I want to encourage you with the true story of the gospel. As great, as admirable and as righteous as Keith’s act in this story was, God’s actions toward us are vastly greater. We look at what Keith did in this story and we think – what a righteous man he was. Clearly what he did for Jim shows us he was a man who stood out among men as a hero. No one else was willing to forgive Jim.

Our God’s righteousness is shown through the gospel in a similar, but much greater way. Consider what Romans 3:21-26 says. As you consider it, look for the truth of how the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection (the gospel) shows us our God is righteous, and count how many times the word righteousness or justice appear:

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

A person who is willing to forgive others who have hurt them and who is willing not only to forgive them in their mind, but also to show it by their actions is a righteous person. We see this in verse 25 where God was willing to pass over the sins committed against Him. The word forbearance in verse 25 means God held back from giving us the punishment we deserved. He endured it and held back. He was willing to forgive the sins against Him, and oh what terrible sins they were.

Keith lost 10 children because of Jim’s accidental act. God has lost so much more than 10 children, and not just by anyone’s accidental actions, but by countless deliberate actions. God is the Father of all. The Bible in Acts 17 describes all humankind as God’s offspring. How many millions of God’s children have been deliberately hurt, killed or led away from Him by evil persons who have rebelled against Him? We can’t even begin to appreciate how serious our sin is to God though until we reflect upon what God felt He had to do for our sins to be forgiven. Sin troubles Him so much He considered it necessary to send Jesus to die for the sins of the world. Now I don’t think we can fully understand why God had to do it this way, but God’s doing it this way sends a powerful message about the seriousness of sin.

The greatest rescuer

There’s something else I need to tell you though. Romans 3:21-26 also tells us God is the greatest One of all in another way. Jim not only needed forgiveness from Keith to be saved from the destroying flames – he also needed a rescuer. Keith could have forgiven Jim in his heart and done nothing to rescue him, but he didn’t. He was the hero rescuer. No one else was willing to rescue Jim at all costs. Only Keith was willing to pay the ultimate price.

Paying the ultimate price

Our God is the greatest rescuer of all. He was willing to pay an infinitely greater price than Keith. In thinking about the price God paid for our sins and our lives, firstly think about the price of the suffering and life of an only son. Patri-passionists believe the Father also suffered on the cross with Christ. Whilst this idea was rejected by early Christian theologians, we know any father endures great suffering when his son suffers. Of course God would have been experiencing great pain during His Son’s terrible ordeal. Secondly, think also about the oneness and closeness of their relationship. Their relationship was from before the world began. Jesus’ fervent desire was to please His Father. It was a perfect relationship. Thirdly, think about the truth of scripture that God created everything through Jesus Christ, and consider therefore how much more value the Creator’s life and well-being are than a man’s life.

Keith did not know for sure what the extent of his sacrifice would be, but God knew beforehand the price he had to pay and yet still paid it. This is the ultimate rescue story, and as verse 26 says, it was all to demonstrate [God’s] righteousness that He might be just and the justifier. The one who justifies is indeed a rescuer. God is the rescuer of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ.

Hero dishonored

There’s something further I need to tell you though. Would you be pleased to hear Keith in our story was greatly honoured and remembered by his community for his bravery and his incredible sacrifice? I am sorry, I can’t tell you that. They were not pleased he gave up his life for a man who had caused them so much pain by destroying so many of their children. They regarded Keith as a fool. They used his name as a curse word.

Sadly, the same is true for God and His Son. As Keith wasn’t honoured, most in this world do not honour God or Christ, and their names are commonly used as curse words. Most see the gospel as foolishness. 1 Corinthians 1:23 says the Greeks or the Gentiles see the gospel as foolishness. But as the Apostle Paul said, the gospel of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is not foolishness, but rather the power of God for the salvation of souls.

The greatest true story of all

There’s one final thing I must tell you though. The story of Jim Cartwright and Keith Dodd is fictional. I made it up. You will be pleased to know no children died. I searched and searched but could not find a true story of forgiveness that even came close to Jim and Keith’s. I could find no greater story of loving your enemy than Jim and Keith’s. I could find no greater story of self-sacrifice. I could find no greater story of righteousness. I could find no greater story combining forgiveness, loving your enemy, sacrifice, righteousness and rescue than Jim and Keith’s EXCEPT in the Bible, where we find the true story of a loving God who demonstrates His love for us in that while we were still sinners He sent His Son to save us through His suffering and death.

Why share this message with those who are already converted? Because I want to remind us we have the greatest story of all to tell. What’s even better is it’s true. There’s no greater story of forgiveness, loving your enemy, sacrifice, righteousness and rescue than the gospel.

The story has been presented to you in a way showing God as the ultimate person to love and admire, but I want to challenge you to find your own way of expressing the powerful gospel message to others. I want to challenge you to seek God’s inspiration for how you can express and share the great gospel message with others so you can and will share it.

As Christians we have a great responsibility to share. Some of us aren’t sharing it or aren’t sharing it consistently. If that’s you, then you need to ask yourself why, and you need to get answers. If you can’t get answers yourself, you need help – both you and the church need you to find the answer to why you’re not. If you are not growing in your Christian life as a person who shares the gospel with others and you don’t know how to, then you need to sit down with someone to get the help and direction you need.

If you are reading this and aren’t converted, I hope this chapter draws you toward Jesus Christ and our extraordinary God of love and righteousness. There is no greater thing you could do with your life than to give it to the God of love, hope, peace and comfort - the God who has rescued all who will reach out by faith for His hand of rescue.

Part Two

Essays of

Exhortation

Chapter ten

Moses Made a Mistake

Why do we sin? I want to suggest sin is usually bound up in our emotions. By recognizing this truth, and by responding to it, we can be spared from many of the serious consequences of sin.

Hot under the collar in the wilderness

One day in the wilderness, the Israelites complained bitterly against Moses and Aaron because they lacked water. They griped it would have been better to have remained in Egypt than to have been brought into the wilderness to die. Moses and Aaron therefore fell on their faces before the Lord and the glory of the Lord appeared to them (Numbers 20:6). God then instructed Moses to bring water from a rock for the people by speaking to it.

However, Moses made a mistake. Rather than speaking to the rock in the presence of the assembly, he said to the people, Hear now you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock? He then struck the rock twice and water flowed out abundantly for the people. His behaviour made it look like he brought water out of the rock rather than God. God was so displeased with Moses for not hallowing Him in the eyes of the children of Israel He did not allow Moses to take the Israelites into the Promised Land. Rather, he was to die before that glorious day (Numbers 20:12). The severity of the punishment highlighted the seriousness of Moses’ mistake.

There is a very important lesson for us to learn from Moses’ sin. It behooves us to consider why Moses slipped up. Was it because he lacked knowledge? No. God filled Him with wisdom and knowledge. Was it because something was wrong with his relationship with God? No. His relationship with God was described as a very personal face-to-face relationship. Was it because Moses was full of pride and wanted to show off? No. Numbers 12:3 describes him as the humblest man on the face of the earth. Moses was certainly a righteous and holy man. What then caused him to sin?

This wasn’t the first time the Israelites had complained bitterly about their situation in the wilderness. Moses had had to endure their rebellion against him and God many times before. Put yourself in Moses’ shoes. How would you feel if you’d been wholeheartedly serving your people around the clock and all they could do was grumble and rebel? Moses felt angry. Perhaps he also felt betrayed and unappreciated. He may have even had righteous anger at the way the Israelites were disrespecting God. Consequently, Moses lost control of his emotions and sinned against God.

Emotions and sin

Moses is not the only person who sinned when he lost control of his emotions. Consider also the Apostle Peter who denied the Lord three times. Wasn’t it the emotion of fear that caused him to sin? Consider also King David and his sin with Bathsheba. Wasn’t it lust that caused the man after God’s own heart to sin with Bathsheba? What about Job, another one of the most righteous men ever to live? Perhaps you are surprised to hear Job sinned! If he didn’t sin, then why does Job 42:6 say he repented in dust and ashes? In the terrible time of testing Satan brought upon Job, indeed he kept his integrity and did not sin. However, after being worn down by the poor counsel of his so-called friends Job started to bemoan his situation so severely God rebuked him in Job 40 saying, He who rebukes God, let him answer it (v. 1-2) and, Would you condemn me that you may be justified (v. 8). Job fell victim to the emotion of requiring vindication or justification. Praise God though he was a righteous man who recognized his need for repentance. He was therefore greatly blessed.

If these righteous men could let their emotions cause them to sin, then obviously we can too. There are many emotions we must be careful of because of their tendency to cause us to sin. Consider disappointment for example. Perhaps you have been disappointed with the way your church is going, or the way things are in your workplace or in your relationships. Sometimes disappointment can cause us to give less than 100% and to shirk our responsibilities.

Worry can also lead us to sin. Remember how Saul was commanded to wait for Samuel, but when Samuel didn’t arrive when Saul expected him and the enemy were gathering, Saul took upon himself priestly duties which were not his to perform. Worry often causes us to break God’s commands. Sometimes when we can’t see how our needs are going to be met we might seek to meet them in inappropriate ways, such as working on the Sabbath, or cheating on our tax. It’s no wonder Jesus told us not to worry (Matthew 6:25-34). He knew how worry can cause us to stray from His commands.

Even the powerful emotion of love can cause us to sin. If we love anything or anyone more than God we break the commandment concerning idolatry. Jesus also said if we love mother or father or anyone more than Him we are not worthy of Him. Even the beautiful emotion of joy can cause us to sin. Have you ever enjoyed something so much you forgot where you were or who you were? Perhaps you were driving along the highway enjoying your favourite music and before you realized it you were way over the speed limit.

Many people have also experienced deep hurts caused by rejection or abuse. If these emotions are not overcome a person may treat others without love or compassion. Bitterness can cause us to be most unlike our Lord whose life we are called to imitate.

Sadness can also cause us to sin. Often when we are sad we do a variety of things to cheer ourselves up which are not appropriate in God’s sight. Three obvious examples include drinking too much, spending frivolously, or engaging in unwholesome forms of entertainment. Sadly, some will even curse God when sadness causes them to sink to great depths.

Realizing the strong link between our emotions and sin Jesus was wise to instruct us about the attitudes of our hearts. Remember, He stressed in chapter five of Matthew, if we have lust in our hearts we have already committed adultery, or if we are angry with our brother without cause we have committed murder. The Apostle Paul exhorted us in Ephesians to be angry and sin not.

If such a humble, obedient and self-controlled man as Moses could get carried away and err through emotion then we need to be very careful when it comes to our emotions. Let me suggest three positive steps we can take.

Reigning over our emotions

Firstly, we need to be very careful what we say or do when our emotions are stirred. It is at these times we must be extra cautious or extra vigilant. We must check ourselves and call upon the Lord when we feel our hearts burning or our emotions welling up.

Secondly, we must keep sowing to the Spirit and building up our minds in Christ. The more we are filled with the Spirit and growing in knowledge and spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting and praise, the more stable we will be. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of love, power and soundness of mind. If we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption, but if we sow to the Spirit we will reap everlasting life. The more we set our minds on spiritual things, the more God will build His loving and disciplined character in us.

Thirdly, if we have been having trouble with the same emotion for a long while it’s important we get help in overcoming it. We might need help from a professional counsellor and we certainly need help from God our Counsellor too. 1 Peter 5:6-7 instructs us to cast all our care upon Him, for He cares for us. We can bring our bitterness, anxiety, fear, jealousy, loneliness, despair and hopelessness to Him and tell Him all about it. He’s listening. He will refresh us with the mind of Christ. I encourage you to read the Psalms and see how the Psalm writers expressed their feelings to God in the Psalms. Let Him hear your cries. He is the God of all comfort.

Chapter eleven

The Man Who Didn’t Wait

Are you a person who sometimes loses patience? Maybe even now you are losing patience with something or someone. Then the story in 1 Samuel 13 about a man who didn't wait is just for you.

A crisis for an inexperienced king

Saul was king, but he didn't have much experience as king in handling crises. A crisis arose when his son Jonathan, started a war with the Philistines, who were as the sand of the sea in number. The people were afraid and greatly distressed and were fleeing and hiding from their enemy in caves and holes (1 Samuel 13:6). Israel was really in trouble. Verse seven says some of the Hebrews were even running away to the mountainous areas of Gilead. As for King Saul, verse seven says he was in Gilgal and all the people were trembling as they followed him.

Samuel wasn’t usually late

Saul waited seven days according to the time set by Samuel the Prophet (v. 8). However, there was no sign of Samuel, and Saul was losing patience. What was he to do? Samuel wasn't usually late. Previously, just before Saul was made king, Samuel had given Saul the same instructions to wait. On that occasion, Samuel had instructed Saul:

… You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.

                                                                                            1 Kings 10:8

On this occasion Saul waited and Samuel came on time. Samuel wasn't usually late!

Saul’s patience ran thin

Now, however, Saul could wait no longer. So he asked for the offering and peace offerings to be brought to him and he offered them himself! But as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering … Samuel came (v. 10). Woops! - he could have waited. Samuel was not all that late after all. How long do we wait? I hope longer than Saul. How long do we wait for things we should wait for? I hope longer than Saul. How patient are we with people? I hope longer than Saul was with Samuel.

Unacceptable excuses

Now consider verses 11-12.

And Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.' Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering."

Don't you think these sound like pretty good excuses for not waiting? Given Saul was an inexperienced king, and in light of Samuel’s apparent lateness, the grave danger from the Philistines and the fact his people were frightened and running away, don't you think God might have shown more understanding to Saul and cut him a little slack?

Not so! Saul by failing to wait had made a great mistake.

“And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you."    1 Samuel 13:13-14

When patience matters

It's very important we wait on the Lord and be patient. King David, the man after God’s own heart who succeeded Saul as king, instructs us several times in Psalms to wait patiently on the Lord. For example Psalms 27:14 says:

“Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your  heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord"

If we are like Saul, the man who didn't wait, the consequences for us can be just as serious. There are many situations in life where it is very important to wait, but we are tempted not to. Can you think of any facing you right now?

If we are young, how about not waiting until we’re old enough? Young people, you will be an adult for most of your life. Don't try to grow up too fast. Enjoy being a child while you can. Wait until you are an adult and mature enough to handle adult things.

How about not waiting until we can afford something before buying it and putting ourselves under unnecessary financial pressure? Don't covet and sin against God!

How about not waiting in a relationship until the right time to get physically close to another person? Many Christians today do not wait until they are married before enjoying the ultimate in physical intimacy with another. Many stray from the morality set forth in the Bible about physical intimacy and bring upon themselves all kinds of problems, stresses, diseases and heartaches of the soul. Wait! Again, the Lord says “wait!”

How about not waiting on God to vindicate or defend us when we have been wronged, but rather vindicating ourselves in the wrong way? Wait on God to vindicate and exalt – don’t exalt yourself!

How about not waiting for God’s leading before committing to a project or something important in our lives? How about not waiting for permission from someone in authority such as the government, a parent, or a pastor, or not waiting on the approval of the church board? How about not waiting on people who we rely on, or need, and trying to do things ourselves just as Saul didn't wait on Samuel whom he relied on? How about not being patient with the weak? 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says uphold the weak and the patient with all.

Just think about what Saul missed out on because he didn't wait. He lost his kingship. Personally, his relationship with God was destroyed, and his life just fell apart gradually from there. Often our relationship with God is harmed when we don't wait on Him.

Conclusion

There are many wonderful promises in scripture for those who wait and who are patient:

Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.  Proverbs 20:22

… evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.  Psalms 37:9

[God will give] eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality …   Romans 2:7

Let’s be men, women and boys and girls of God who patiently wait. Let’s not break God’s commandments through impatience. God will bless those who wait.

Chapter twelve

No Partiality

My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.  James 2:1

Understanding James’ message against partiality

Let’s be very sure we understand what James meant when he wrote we should not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with partiality. James goes on to give an example of what he meant in verses 2-4 so we can be in no doubt:

For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

In James’ example, the rich visitor got better treatment from the brethren than the poor man. He was offered a good seat, whilst the poor man had to stand. This is what James meant by showing partiality, or respect of persons.

James continued exhorting with some very strong, but loving words:

Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?  Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?  v. 5-7

Our interactions with newcomers

Does this kind of partial behaviour ever occur in your church? James only gives the point of distinction of wealth. However, we could add further distinctions. Perhaps we treat newcomers with partiality because they are of a different race or because they are less educated. What about people with obvious disabilities? Do we treat them inappropriately by leaving them in a corner with other disabled people to let them just converse among themselves? How do we treat Christian visitors dressed up nicely for church as compared to the person we perceive not to be a Christian because they have tattoos, nose rings or an inappropriate hair style?

Just one perceived snub toward a newcomer could turn them off the church of the Lord of glory for life, so we ought to be very careful. Consider how the poor man James described might have felt. Verse six mentions how he was dishonoured. He would have felt embarrassed and offended. He would have formed a very negative opinion of the people of God.

How should we treat newcomers then? We certainly shouldn’t tell them how good we are. We shouldn’t ignore them, or conversely, embarrass them by unduly putting the spotlight on them. We certainly shouldn’t ask them to preach. We shouldn’t interrogate them with twenty questions. Most of all, we should not show them partiality, for God is no respecter of persons. He treats us equally. Therefore, we should treat all newcomers equally and with love.

Growth required

Why do we sometimes treat visitors unjustly? I suggest it’s usually not because we are racist or have evil motives. Usually it’s because we don’t feel comfortable communicating with strangers or with people who seem different. Usually it’s simply because we ourselves need to grow. Many of us have not developed good communication skills, or we lack confidence and are afraid or uncomfortable talking to visitors.

As a short aside, the problem of poor communication skills will only get worse if we continue to let electronic devices dominate our lives and the lives of our children. We must be careful not to let the overuse of technology detract from our interest and ability in interacting naturally with other human beings as our Lord always did. Let’s give more priority to cultivating good communication skills and in following Paul’s great example of being all things to all men for the sake of the gospel.

Our interactions with brethren

A further important thing to consider is whether James’ instruction not to hold the faith with partiality should be limited to how we treat newcomers. Could what he said also apply to the way we treat our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Yes, indeed, we should not show partiality to one another either!

Do brethren in your church show partiality to one another? Do the educated happily mix with the uneducated? Do the talkative people make an effort to lovingly communicate with those who are quiet? Do those knowledgeable in the scriptures spend time socializing with babes in Christ, or do they only socialize with the brethren with the iron to sharpen their iron? Do some see fellowship times only as a time to catch up with family and friends rather than ministering to the needs of the brethren? What about adults? Do they find any time to converse with the youth? Should spouses or family members always close ranks and support one another, or should they rather speak the truth, exhort their family members to do right in Christ’s sight and rebuke each other if such is warranted? Brethren, we mustn’t show partiality, even to our spouses or relatives!

Verse 5 implies we will be spending eternity with the kind of people who we might have despised, so let’s get to know as many of our brethren as we can. James finishes on quite a stern note about all forms of partiality in verses 8-13:

If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.  For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.  So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James is really saying the spiritual consequences of the sin of partiality are the same as the spiritual consequences of murder or adultery. This stern warning though is followed by an exhortation to show mercy rather than partiality. This indeed is the sure answer to this serious problem.

Mercy wins

Notice verse 13 which says mercy triumphs over judgment. This verse reminds me of the children’s game paper, rock and scissors where the rock triumphs over the scissors, the scissors triumph over the paper and the paper triumphs over the rock. James is telling us mercy triumphs over judgment. Mercy is superior to the judgmental spirit of partiality. James is really encouraging us to show compassion to all kinds of people as Christ did. The word in the Greek for mercy in verse 13 is eleos, and compassion is a highly significant aspect of its meaning. Jesus showed compassion to all people including those who were unpopular, neglected and despised. We must show the same to all who enter the church and to all who remain in the church.

Closing prayer

Maybe there is a person or a group of persons, such as the young or the elderly who you have paid little or no attention to. Remember – no partiality! Maybe there is someone in the church who annoys you or offends you. Remember, no partiality! Maybe there is someone you notice who is often left out socially at church and who usually stands around looking lost or uncomfortable. Go to them, or they will soon leave your church. Maybe there is a brother or sister who no one visits during the week. May we all at least make the effort with one more person. My prayer is we always remember to treat newcomers and brethren equally, for judgment is without mercy to the one who shows no mercy, but mercy triumphs over judgment.

Chapter thirteen

After God’s Own Heart

                                                   Heart image here in print version of book

Look upon the heart above. God looks upon the heart. The prophet Samuel went to the house of Jesse because God had told him to go there to anoint the king to replace Saul. When Samuel beheld the impressive appearance of Jesse’s son, Eliab, he thought he was surely the Lord’s anointed. However, he was sadly mistaken.

The Lord said to Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7:

… "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 

God led Samuel to Jesse’s house because King Saul had not proven to be a man after His heart and God was seeking to appoint such a man. Saul had done foolishly in failing to keep the Lord’s commands (1 Samuel 13:13-14). David was therefore anointed, but he didn’t look much like a king to onlookers. He wasn’t an imposing figure like Saul who was much taller than most men. He was the youngest of his brothers. Nevertheless, his heart pleased the Lord so much the Bible describes him as a man after God’s own heart. God uses all kinds of people to glorify him, but most of all He uses those who have yielded their hearts to Him.

It was indeed a blessed thing and an honour for David to be called a man after God’s own heart. Let’s therefore look at David’s heart for a while and discover what his heart was really like. We will only consider three of the most important characteristics of David’s heart.

A jealous heart

The first special quality of David’s heart is shown in the day David was commanded by his father to go to his older brothers in the Valley of Elah where the Israelites were in conflict with the Phillistines. According to 1 Samuel 17:18, David had to take 10 cheeses to the captain of the army, see how his brothers were faring and report back to his father.

While David was there, he saw how his people were being mocked and taunted by Goliath. He saw how the people of God were cowering in fear. Now look upon David’s heart in 1 Samuel 17:26:

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

This was a heart outraged when the true God is dishonoured. This is a heart watchful in keeping or guarding the honour and great name of his God. Is that our heart? I call this the jealous heart.

Normally jealousy is not considered to be a good thing, but one aspect of jealously is very positive. My World Book Dictionary defines jealous as “watchful in keeping or guarding something, such as the rights of others.” David was watchful in keeping or guarding God’s honour.

His jealous heart was also revealed in 2 Samuel 7:1-3 when he desired to build a temple for God:

Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."  Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you."

Recently my wife was in a class at university studying to be a teacher. One of the students asked the teacher how she could tell children Christianity was only a myth. Would your heart have burned within you if you were in the same class? I am sure righteous David’s would have and he would not have remained silent. When our heart burns jealously for our God we should follow David’s example and glorify God openly. There are many situations in today’s world where our God is dishonoured. If we are a people after God’s own heart we will jealously and courageously speak up when God is mocked.

God’s heart is indeed a jealous heart. He is jealous for his children’s well-being. It hurts Him when he sees us being seduced to follow paths that only cause us pain, grief and loss.

A loyal heart

David’s heart after God’s own heart is further revealed in 1 Samuel 24:3-6. King Saul was diligently seeking to kill him with all his resources. The text says:

So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' "And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." (my emphasis)

Why didn’t David defeat his sworn enemy there and then while he had the chance? Was it more because of his loyalty to his king or because of his loyalty to his God? David’s remorse over doing the seemingly small thing of cutting just the corner of Saul’s robe is very revealing of his loyalty to God. A loyal heart is an obedient heart. This was King Saul’s problem. He did not obey God. The same opportunity again presented itself to David in 1 Samuel 26 when he found Saul sleeping and defenseless. David could have rid himself of his dangerous enemy once and for all. He had the opportunity to stop living as an outcast. He could have taken his rightful place as the anointed king of Israel, but just look again upon David’s heart:

… David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?"  1 Samuel 26:7-9

There are a lot of temptations pulling at our hearts tempting us to be disloyal and disobedient to God. Remember though, God looks upon the heart, and our true heart can be revealed in just the smallest acts of disobedience. May God grant us all loyal hearts like David’s as we continue to seek to be renewed day by day in the heart after God’s own heart. God, indeed, has a loyal and loving heart. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

A repentant heart

However, we might be asking how David, a man loudly proclaimed to be a man after God’s own heart, could commit the terrible sins he is infamous for? 2 Samuel 12:7-10 tells part of this sordid story:

… Thus says the Lord God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 

Undoubtedly, David’s heart strayed “big time” here. Thank God He is a forgiving God. We too have needed God’s forgiveness many times. How our heart responds when we sin is something God pays very close attention to when looking upon our hearts. God loves the repentant heart. David’s heart is probably the greatest example of the repentant heart in the entire Bible. Consider below his prayer of repentance in Psalm 51:1-10 and see if you agree David’s repentant heart is the greatest example for us to follow:

… Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 

Words (mere words) you might say. Well then, consider the other major example of David’s sin and repentance in 2 Samuel 24:10,15-17 when he numbered the people of Israel against God’s will:

And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly." … So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house."

The last verse above shows David’s repentance was not mere words. It was truly genuine. If we were witnessing the destructive punishment of God all around us as David was, would we pray God would turn from doing this harm and redirect his wrath at us and our family? David did! His was a truly repentant heart. His repentance did not stop there though. Notice how the Lord restrained the destroying angel’s hand by the threshing floor of Araunah. David then shows his repentance by boldly asking God to have mercy on the innocent and to punish him instead. We discover though just how sincere and costly David’s repentance was as we read on in verses 18-25:

And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people." Now Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the Lord your God accept you." Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing (my emphasis)." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

King David said, I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing. Do we have a heart willing to pay the price of repentance? When we sin, will we back up our confession and cries for forgiveness with actions that will cost us dearly? A truly repentant heart shows its repentance by its works, by changing its behavior no matter what it costs, unlike in the story below:

While travelling on business, an executive had a really bad experience at one particular hotel. When he climbed into bed, a bug started racing up his leg. He jumped from the bed, turned on the lights, and threw back the covers. The bug wasn’t alone; there were numerous other critters between the sheets. Although the man was granted another room, he was not satisfied with the situation. Upon returning home, he wrote a letter to the hotel’s corporate office. Within a few weeks he received a letter directly from the company’s president. With flattering remarks and penitent words, the president made it quite clear the problem should never have occurred and that he would make sure it wouldn’t happen again. The businessman felt somewhat vindicated by the letter until a small Post-it note fell from the envelope. … The little note simply said, “Send this man the bug letter.” (McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p. 242-243)

A repentant heart is not a heart simply trying to cover its tracks after having been caught out, or one just trying to get into God’s “good books.” Someone with a repentant heart commits to correcting their ways.

Our hearts

King David was a man after God’s own heart because, as we’ve seen, he had a heart jealous for God’s honour, a loyal heart and a repentant heart. There are more wonderful things that could be said about David’s heart, but we need now to turn away from looking at David’s heart to looking at our own hearts.

If we have already accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour we have a new heart. We have the heart of Christ. As we yield our hearts to the Holy Spirit more and more, and walk in the Spirit and all the things of the Spirit, our heart will be a heart after God’s own heart. God has blessed us all with the spiritual resources to have a heart like David’s and probably even greater. He has shed abroad His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit

God looks upon the heart. What does He see when He looks upon your heart? If you are a Christian, He sees the heart of Christ shining or desiring to shine more brightly. Let your heart shine. 2 Corinthians 4:6 says:

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

If you have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and you feel God may not like what He sees when He looks upon your heart, you are encouraged to invite Jesus to come into your heart. I remember doing this when I was quite young and God has been the strength of my heart. He is my portion forever. God will take away the darkness that lies in your heart too. He will cause your heart to shine as he fills you with everlasting light and everlasting love.

Chapter fourteen

Repenting of False Religion

If a husband died in Israel leaving a widow who had no son, the deceased’s brother, if he lived nearby, was required by the Law of Moses to take the widow to be his wife and their first born son would then continue the deceased’s line in Israel (see Deuteronomy 25:5-10). So the dead man’s brother had an interesting duty under Moses’ law. He had to be what we call “a good Samaritan” to his brother. But, what if he didn’t want to?

In such a case the widow would report this to the elders. The elders would attempt to persuade the brother to perform his duty. However, if they failed, then the widow in the presence of the elders would remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face and say, so shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house. His name shall be called in Israel, The house of him who had his sandal removed.

A good legal system

The Law of Moses contains several other examples of these “good Samaritan” laws. Leviticus 19:18 says to love your neighbour as yourself. Deuteronomy 24:14-15 required employers to pay their poor and needy servants wages at the end of the day. Deuteronomy 24:19-24 required owners of farms at harvest time to leave some olives or grapes on the trees for foreigners, orphans and widows. Anyone who saw their brother’s ox going astray or stuck in a ditch was required by the Law of Moses to help. I think we can agree these “good Samaritan” laws were a compliment to Israel’s legal system.

Did you realize, though, “good Samaritan” laws are not so common in our world. In Australia, for example, if the Prime Minister was tied down on a railway track and you saw him lying there helpless as a train was fast approaching and you did nothing to help, the law could not convict you of anything! The common law casts no duty on a person to go to the aid of another who is in peril or distress.

The wonderful “good Samaritan” laws of Moses’s day were not brought about through democracy, monarchy, communism or any other form of earthly government. No, they were brought about by theocracy. God was on the throne and He passed on His laws through His servant Moses. Our western democracies think democracy is the best thing since sliced bread and we try to impose it on countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. As good as democracy is though, if the Prime Minister was in peril we would have no obligation to help. In many ways the Mosaic laws were outstanding for their time, especially compared to the barbaric, arbitrary and superstitious legal systems that existed in many cultures of the world of Moses’ day. Many leaders or so called “progressives” today mock the laws of Moses; yet in many of our western legal systems there are no “good Samaritan” laws.

And who is my neighbour?

Let’s jump forward though about 1500 years from the time of Moses to the time of Jesus and see whether having good laws resulted in a nation of good people. Consider Luke 10:25-37:

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?"  So he answered and said, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.' "And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live."  But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Then Jesus answered and said: "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'  So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?" And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

A good system failed

Jesus was concerned about the righteousness of this lawyer who asked, And who is my neighbor? Do you think somehow this lawyer who wanted to justify himself might have resembled the priest or the Levite in the parable? What if the priest and the Levite represented the leading religious figures of Jesus’ day and were not just characters in the parable? What a shame it would be if those who were supposed to be setting the example were not doing so at all. In fact, this was the case. Such a good legal system, but what a shame this indeed was the result. Jesus would have been dismayed or even angry. It seems He was sending the priests and Levites, who wouldn’t lift a finger to help anyone, a strong personal message such as that in Matthew 23:4:

“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

What good were their devout practices of fasting, Sabbath keeping, religious ceremonies and sacrifices if they wouldn’t stoop to help one of God’s precious children lying helpless on the road? God help us when we pass by those crying out for help.

When the system in place fails and when those in the system who are supposed to set the example fail miserably, what do you do? If the best student in your local school fails to pass their Year 12 and all the rest fail too – what do you do? If the best 100m runner in Jamaica can’t qualify for the Olympics what do you do? You get a new system. God, through Christ, was indeed bringing in a new system – the New Covenant.

The irony of the Samaritan

Yet, before considering that, we should pause to consider the Samaritan. He did the right thing in a beautiful way. He did what the letter and the spirit of the Law of Moses clearly taught. He loved his neighbor as himself. He’s an example of the gentiles, which Romans 2:14 says did not have the law but by nature did the things in the law, and of whom God said, I was found by those who did not seek me. I was made manifest to those who did not ask me, but to Israel he said, ‘All day I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people’ (Romans 10:21).

Isn’t it ironic the Samaritan, considered to be a low-life dog in the eyes of many in Israel, was given as the example of righteousness. In 2007, Brendan Keilar, a Melbourne lawyer, was tragically shot dead when he stopped to help a tourist who was struggling with another man. This is ironic too when we consider lawyers in Australian society are often mocked as being money grabbing and uncaring. Yet it was the lawyer who risked his life to help despite probably knowing better than anyone there was no legal requirement to help. Isn’t this again the gentiles not having the law doing by nature the requirement of God’s law?

Who do we resemble – the Levite or the Samaritan?

Let’s look at where we stand though. Are we more like the Levite or the Samaritan in the parable? God did bring in a better system through Christ’s blood. In the book of Hebrews, it’s described as the new and living way, a better covenant established with a better sacrifice on better promises bringing in a better hope. We even have a better system than Israel had at the time of Jesus’ parable. We have the greatest example – Jesus the High Priest of our souls, not the priest who couldn’t even cross the road to help. So much was invested for us, not just the blood of bulls, but the blood of God’s own Son. Well, are we more like the Levite or the Samaritan? What a great shame it would be if we were more like the Levite!

Let me suggest if we are not consistently helping needy persons, yet we are attending church weekly and reading our Bibles regularly, praying every day and keeping many of God’s commands, but we are not regularly and consistently loving needy people then we are more like the priest and the Levite in the parable than the Samaritan. If we don’t go to church, but still think we are godly, but likewise are not regularly and consistently loving needy people then we are more like the priest and the Levite in the parable than the Samaritan.

I also want to suggest if we are waiting for people’s needs to suddenly appear along our path at the exact place we are walking and then and only then will we help we are not much different from the priest or the Levite because there are desperate needs all around us, if only we’d open our eyes and find some time to help.

It’s time to repent of false religion:

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” James 1:27

Chapter fifteen

Higher Ground – Don’t Spit the Dummy

Have you ever genuinely tried to do something good for others and put a lot of your time and money into it, but all you were confronted with was criticism or negativity? Or did people try to slow you down or stop you with a whole lot of rules or red tape. Perhaps you got frustrated, annoyed or even angry with the people who seemed to be opposing all the good you hoped to achieve and part of you wanted to walk away or, as we say in Australia, “spit the dummy.” We will see being ‘Christ-like’ includes not spitting the dummy.

False battles

We don’t always handle criticism, negativity, opposition, red tape or rejection very well. Perhaps like me you start wrestling against people or you have critical or unloving thoughts towards others. Ephesians 6:10-12 is a good scripture to remember in these circumstances:

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (my emphasis)

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. In fact, verse 12 is telling us people are the least of our concerns. Our real enemy is the satanic and demonic forces behind the people who oppose us. We need the full armour of God to wrestle against far, far greater forces than people. Have you ever watched the commercial ‘Wrestle-mania’ wrestling on television and wondered if it is for real? The hype associated with such wrestling sometimes makes you laugh. Are the wrestlers really enemies doing all they can to hurt each other, or are they engaged in a false battle?

Hang on for Christ’s sake

We must remember, when people criticize or oppose us, our real battle is not with them. That’s a false battle. Even if people treat us like enemies, are we to treat them like enemies in return? No! Jesus said we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness sake and commanded us to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate and mistreat us (Matthew 5:44).

We’ve all performed a lot of wrestle-mania in our time. If we have tried to help out at government institutions as volunteers we would have experienced a large amount of red tape. If it wasn’t for the love of Christ I know I would have spat the dummy a long time ago because of it. Do you give up too easily in life because people put obstacles in your way or because they annoy you or offend you, or because there is just one person you really don’t want to see? Have you ever given up something really good or worthwhile because of one person? God wants us to be stronger than that and He has made us stronger.

According to Romans 8:37, God has made us more than conquerors. He has also made us a victorious people. 1 John 5:4 says, And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. We must press on in doing righteousness like Jesus, even in the face of opposition.

Jesus and His critics

When Jesus first preached great news in the synagogue in His own town He came up against staunch opposition. According to Luke 4:22, all the people were amazed at His gracious words. However, He then told them the truth many of them would reject Him. Look what happened:

So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff.   Luke 4:28-29

Jesus did not quit though. He went on preaching, healing and loving His enemies. One Sabbath day he did a wonderful thing. He healed a man blind from birth (John 9:6-7). Jesus’ critics said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them (v. 16).

Did Jesus get offended and stop healing people? Not at all. Many times people criticized or reviled Him. Some even sought to kill him. Jesus was still willing to love them, suffer for them and die for them. He knew it was the forces of darkness that were His real enemy and if He stopped doing what was right in God’s eyes Satan would win and He would lose.

Never quit doing right

The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:18-24 strongly encourages us to never quit doing what’s right, whether it be at home, work, church, school, in our relationships, or anywhere. We are never to quit even if we know, as Jesus did, we will be persecuted or killed for it. Consider in this light then 1 Peter 2:18-24:

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.  For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.  For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.  For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:  "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";  who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. 

Don’t let people who unfairly treat you or oppose you bring you down to their level. When we criticize them back, or withhold our love from them, we are going down to their level. Let’s stay on higher ground. Let’s live above the world though Satan’s darts are hurled. Let’s keep going onward and upward bound singing Lord plant our feet on higher ground.

Be harmless as doves and wise as serpents

This does not mean we never tell people they are hurting or offending us. Sometimes we need to. It’s the way we do it that’s important. We can express our needs without criticizing or judging others. For example, we may feel unloved in a relationship and we might accusingly say to the other person, “you don’t love me anymore, or you hate me don’t you?” Or we might think our spouse does not value us, so we tell them they make us feel worthless! In both these examples of what not to do there’s strong criticism, but there’s poor expression of the real need.

What if instead we expressed our needs? For example, instead of accusingly saying you don’t love me anymore, or you hate me, how about expressing our need to feel loved. Instead of telling our spouse they make us feel worthless, how about expressing to them our general feelings of worthlessness. Your non-judgmental approach allows God to deal with the person’s conscience and turns a potential conflict into an opportunity for them to reach out to you. The other person is free to respond to your need instead of being defensive about your attack. Maybe they will be moved by the way you feel and express compassion toward you. If you realized someone (especially one close to you) felt no one loved them, including you, would that cause you to have compassion toward them? I hope so.

A pastor’s example

Below is a true story of a pastor who almost quit the church because of one person:

One of the greatest personal crises I have faced in the ministry revolved around the problem of forgiveness and a board member I will call Calvin. I struggled relating to this man, so I asked if he would meet with me weekly … About four months [later] … I asked the board if I could lead a tour group from the church to Israel. Calvin’s hand shot up. “I’m against it because, as the tour leader, the pastor will go free … After assuring Calvin and the board I would pay my own way and use my vacation time for the trip, they agreed.

      … On one of my free days in Jerusalem, I spent several hours alone … pouring out my heart to God about Calvin. … I concluded by telling God that if Jesus could take all the world’s sins upon Himself, I could surely endure the sins of one difficult person. …

     Two weeks after I returned, Calvin shifted his attack to our youth pastor. That did it. I could handle Calvin’s resistance to me, but when he started blasting the youth pastor, I reached the end of my patience. I confronted the board and demanded they do something about Calvin. If they didn’t, I would resign. …

     The week before I was going to read my resignation to the congregation, I got sick. I was flat on my back with a 103.5 temperature and I totally lost my voice. I had never been so sick before; nor have I since. It doesn’t take a genius to recognize that God was not pleased with my decision. When you are flat on your back, you have nowhere to look but up. So I began reading the Gospels and came to Mark 8:22-26 where some people led a blind man to Jesus. After Jesus touched him, the blind man said, “I see men … like trees” (v. 24). I got the message. I was seeing Calvin like a tree, an obstacle in my path. He was blocking my goal! Oh no he wasn’t. I was. I am the only person on planet Earth who can keep me from being the person God created me to be. God used that man more than any other man to make me the pastor God wanted me to be.

     Then Jesus touched the blind man again and he began to see people as people, not as trees. “Lord, I don’t love that man, but I know you do and I want to. I need a second touch from You.” God did touch me, and I chose at that moment to forgive Calvin completely.

     The next Sunday I went to church, not to resign but to preach. … I croaked out a message from Mark 8:22-26 about our tendency to be independent in the face of our great need for God and for each other. I confessed to the congregation my own independence and my desire for the Lord to touch me, to help me see people as people and not as obstacles in my path.

      … At the end of the sermon … [the congregation] were going across the aisles to ask forgiveness and to be forgiven … It was a revival.

(Neil T. Anderson, Victory over the darkness – Realizing the power of your identity in Christ, p195-197, Anderson Regal Books, 2000)

The following is a wonderful poem that has also encouraged this pastor. May it encourage us to keep doing what’s good and right to the glory of God, just as Christ did, despite what comes against us:

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.  

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. 

Do good anyway. …

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway. …

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds.   

Think big anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you help them.

Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you’ve got and you will get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. 

By Kent M Keith   (Neil T. Anderson, ibid, p. 213-214)

Chapter sixteen

Shechaniah and Continuing Sin

One day at the newly restored and dedicated House of God, Shechaniah spoke up at a very large gathering of the people of God. It had been a very emotional meeting at the Temple. The hearts of the people were stirred. Ezra, the leader, had been weeping over the sins of the people of Israel and many men and women had been crying very bitterly. Shechaniah then stood up to say something people then, and people now, would normally have considered to be unspeakably horrible.

Shechaniah’s shocking word

Shechaniah said to Ezra:

We have trespassed against our God, and have taken pagan wives from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope in Israel in spite of this. Now therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and those who have been born to them, according to the advice of my master and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.  Ezra 10:2-3

Yes, Shechaniah was calling for the separation of families! In verse four he exhorts Ezra in the hearing of the people, Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.

Leaders must sometimes do things that are hard, things they don’t really want to do, things that are going to cause others heartache and pain. If we want to be leaders though, this just goes with the territory of being a leader. Ezra knew what he had to do and exactly why he had to do it. Well you may justly ask, “Why did he have to do it?” If you read Ezra chapter nine you will see Ezra’s people for centuries and centuries had disobeyed God’s solemn command not to marry foreigners or to allow their children to do the same. Verse two talks about mixing holy seed. The people of God were only to marry the people of God. It’s similar to Christians marrying non-Christians. A Christian doing this is inviting trouble into their lives, especially in relation to their walk with God. The people of God are wise to only marry the people of God.

From the time Israel entered the Promised Land they’d been led astray by their foreign wives into worshipping false gods, just as God had warned they would. They were also punished just as God had warned. The greatest punishment for this sin had only recently been poured out on them in the century prior to Ezra. They spent many years as captives of Assyria and Babylon.

True repentance brings revival

As we will see from the next passage though, Ezra realized by thatGod’s grace His people had another chance, a chance of true revival, and Ezra realized only true repentance from sin would secure it. This is likewise true for the church today. This is also true for us as individuals. We will not have revival unless we are filled with true repentance. God will not bless us unless there’s true repentance. We can’t say sorry and then keep right on sinning. Ezra 9:4-10 recounts:

Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel assembled to me, because of the transgression of those who had been carried away captive, and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.  At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And I said: "O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens. Since the days of our fathers to this day we have been very guilty, and for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to humiliation, as it is this day.  And now for a little while grace has been shown from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and give us a measure of revival in our bondage. For we were slaves. Yet our God did not forsake us in our bondage; but He extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to revive us, to repair the house of our God, to rebuild its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem.  And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Your commandments.

So Ezra confessed the sins of Israel and acknowledged the grace of God in leading them to a measure of revival, but he didn’t stop there. He acknowledged this continuing sin of mixing the holy seed with the people of other lands had to stop. It just had to stop! Ezra 9: 13-14 says:

And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, since You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this, should we again break Your commandments, and join in marriage with the people committing these abominations? Would You not be angry with us until You had consumed us, so that there would be no remnant or survivor?

Now it was at about this point, as Ezra and the people are weeping and praying, Shechaniah challenged the people about their continuing sin. Many of them were still married to their pagan wives and had children from them too. The practice was ongoing. So Shechaniah spoke up and Ezra knew what he had to do and he did it:

Then Ezra arose, and made the leaders of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel swear an oath that they would do according to this word [separate from their foreign wives and children born from them]. So they swore an oath.

The priests were guilty. The worship leaders were guilty. The rulers were guilty. People from all walks of life in Israel were guilty. After the reading of the long list of the guilty, verse 44 says, All these had taken pagan wives, and some of them had wives by whom they had children.

Extreme measures

Even children had to suffer for the sins of their parents. Forsaking ongoing sin called for the drastic, horrible measure of breaking up families. The margin note of my Holman Experiencing God Study Bible (Broadman & Holman, Nashville Tennessee, p685) reads:

The sin of marriage with the ungodly separated families and thus brought great distress. In the particular instance of national threat, drastic measures had to be taken to save God’s people and their loyalty to Him. Does the current situation demand drastic measures for you and your church to please God?

This statement rightly recognizes this radical community measure of separating families was only taken because it was an extreme situation. Another margin note in my Bible likewise rightly says “Ezra’s extreme example does not give you reason for easy divorce.” In other words, we must be very careful in how we apply this story to our lives or our church because it was a very special or unique circumstance. It was a national measure. There wasn’t just one family involved.

Nevertheless, what about our situation? Does the current situation in our lives demand extreme measures for us to please God? We need to consider this because we are also warned in the New Testament that sin, like leaven in bread, can spread rapidly and dangerously through the church if it is allowed to continue like the continuing sin of the Israelites with their pagan wives (1 Corinthians 5:6).

Continuing sin in our lives

There’s another margin note in my Bible about this story providing an important

application:

Revival comes when God’s people face their sins honestly and openly. Does your church need to deal with a problem of sin as it seeks revival? Are there any continuing sins we are not facing openly and honestly as individuals?

A long list of possible continuing sins could be supplied here, but if the Holy Spirit is speaking to us we will know what applies to us. These sins can hurt the church and frustrate our revival, growth and success in fulfilling our Great Commission. They can also hurt us individually. They can destroy us. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us they can.

The writer of Hebrews shares a serious warning about how ongoing deliberate sin can destroy us. Take serious heed to it, but don’t be scared or discouraged by it. The serious warning below is followed by great encouragement – but first the warning:

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.  Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people."  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Hebrews 10:26-31

Now for the encouragement:

But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven. Hebrews 10:32-34

This is saying, always remember how God gave you strength to endure hard times in the past and how he helped you to joyfully accept loss. Why? Because you knew God had something better ahead for you. Just endure as verses 35-36 say:

Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.

Just endure - Jesus is coming.

Verse 38 brings one further sober warning to us – Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.

Finally though, the writer to the Hebrews expresses confidence in them saying, But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul (v.39). Is this the same for us? Are we too amongst those who do not draw back to destruction, but who truly believe in Jesus Christ who was slain at Calvary but is now a mighty King and Saviour seated at the right hand of God soon to come in glory.

Let’s affirm we will live by faith. We will not draw back. We will give up wilfully sinning so we can experience true revival. We will not cast away our confidence which has great reward. We will endure and receive the promise.

Conclusion

If the Holy Spirit has spoken to you through this essay about ongoing sin, just as Ezra knew what to do when Shechaniah stood up and told him it was his responsibility to deal with the problem – we too will know what has to be done, and we will respond appropriately. I am confident of that.

Chapter seventeen

Do the Work!

I have a law degree, but don't call me a lawyer! I obtained my Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and qualified to be a lawyer, but don’t call me a lawyer! I was admitted to the bar. I could present myself to work as a lawyer. I could begin to gain experience as a baby lawyer. The purpose of all my study and training was so I could do the work of a lawyer. But still, please don't call me a lawyer! Why? Because after all of my study I never started working as a lawyer, so I can't really be called one.

Spiritual maturity not an end in itself

Similarly, there is a great reason why God wants us to repent of sin, go to church, study the Bible, and be holy. There is a great reason why God, by His amazing grace, saved us from being slaves of sin and gave us the Holy Spirit. There is a great reason why God wants us to grow in spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is not an end in itself.

Even if we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, rested in Him, learned the Bible thoroughly and kept the Ten Commandments, something could still be seriously lacking in our lives. Our heavenly Father is seeking so much more from us.

If the entire Bible I know

if every week to church I go

if my Holiness I show

it matters little, if little I sow.

Our heavenly Father is seeking so much more from us. Just as I studied hard to be a lawyer, but didn't begin to do the work of a lawyer, and couldn’t claim to be a lawyer (so don’t call me a lawyer!) – if we are well-schooled and equipped in the things of God, can we really call ourselves Christians or be called Christians if we are not involved in the work we are called to do?

I live an alternative lifestyle when it comes to my legal qualifications, and I get away with it. I write law books for a living. But we can't afford to live an alternative lifestyle as it relates to our Christian qualifications. Our heavenly Father has prepared us for a path He does not want us to deviate from.

A form of godliness

Are we prepared to take up the challenge to put into practice the things we have learned? The Apostle Paul issued this challenge in 2 Timothy 3:2-5:

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

We might query what having a form of godliness, but denying the power could mean? I suggest this means not having a changed life for God. I also suggest this includes not being transformed to do the work of God. Verses 10 to 11 give us a further clue about what it means.

But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra--what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.  Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. 

Paul and Timothy had a form of godliness with power. In verse 10, Paul was contrasting their lives with those who lacked power.  A Christian life with power is a life characterized not just by knowing doctrine, but by following doctrine. It’s a manner of life evidently purposeful and loving, showing faith by works, and lived out so boldly it results in affliction and persecution. Verses 16-17 confirm this:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

We see all scripture is given for a reason. It’s not given just so we can be equipped and never do very much. It seems that way though sometimes doesn’t it? We attend church every week and countless Bible studies and seminars, and we listen through the week to sermons and Christian music, but how many weeks a year is this often the full extent, or close to the full extent, of our service for God? This shouldn’t be so! Scripture is given to equip us for every good work.

Presenting as living sacrifices

Perhaps we think Paul’s exhortation was only for Timothy whom he wrote to. After all, he was young and strong, a minister and an evangelist. Think again. Romans 12:1 exhorts:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Note this is written to the brethren. They are told to present themselves as living sacrifices. That’s what I felt I would be if I started working in the very demanding legal profession – a living sacrifice. However, working in the vineyard of the Lord is likewise very demanding (but joyous at the same time). We are to give our lives as living sacrifices, and such is only our reasonable service. Our sacrifices should only be for God, and certainly not for ourselves. Just as there was nothing left of the animal sacrificed on the altar to God, there should be nothing left of ourselves once we have sacrificed ourselves to God. Indeed, we are expected to deny self and daily take up our cross and follow Christ.

Look what Paul goes on to say to the Romans in Romans 12:4-8 after beseeching, almost nagging, the brethren to present themselves for service:

For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,  so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let us use the gifts God has given us brethren!

The real world of experience

Have you presented yourself as a living sacrifice? Are you ready to go on to real maturity in Christ? Do you recognize you are saved to serve? Then let us all be equipped by God’s cleansing and empowerment and by the biblical knowledge we have gained to be real servants of God. The place for developing a higher level of spiritual maturity is awaiting us. The real world is awaiting us, not the students’ world of school or university, but the world of experience. It’s the place of service where our experiences will bring on our Christian maturity.

The Bible describes this service as the work of the Lord in 1 Corinthians 15:58:

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Jesus showed us the slothful or lazy servant displeases Him. He counselled through His parable of Matthew 25:14-15:

… that the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

In the parable, the servants are more like investors and the talent is money. In a broader sense though, the talent represents the things God has blessed us with – things such as knowledge, gifts, abilities, resources and the Holy Spirit. The servant who didn’t use the talent was regarded as wicked and despicable and was cast into hell. By contrast, the one who used what he had for the master’s benefit received the compliment, well done good and faithful servant.

Real servant-hood

Pastor Rick Warren summed up the essence of being a real servant in a powerful way in his best-selling book The Purpose Driven Life. He wrote real servants make themselves available to serve. We should query whether we are truly available for God. Are we servants prepared for action, or have we filled up our lives with time consuming things which leave us with little time to serve God?

Real servants serve God not only when it’s convenient to do so, but also when it’s inconvenient. They don’t say, “well I will do what God wants after I have finished the other things I am doing.” They do what’s needed even when it’s inconvenient.

Real servants do their best with what they have. They don’t make excuses, procrastinate or wait for better circumstances. They work even when their service might not be as good or perfect as someone else’s. They do their best.

Real servants do every task with equal dedication. The size of the task is irrelevant. The only issue is, “does it need to be done?” Whatever they do, whether small or large, they do all heartily to the Lord and His glory.

Real servants finish what they start, fulfil their responsibilities and keep their commitments. They don’t quit when they get discouraged.

Finally, Rick Warren adds real servants don’t serve for the approval or applause of others. They don’t promote or call attention to themselves, but are humble.

Take up the challenge

The Apostle Paul’s strong emphasis in Titus on the importance of Christians serving God through good works should not be missed. His exhortation to good works here is strong and repetitive:

They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. 1:16

… looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works   2:13-15

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work … This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men … And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. 3:1,8,14

Perhaps we feel challenged, convicted or even burdened by what we have just read. We know the truth on the one hand that we can’t be saved by our works, but we also realize a lazy servant is not well pleasing to Christ. If so, then there’s only one thing to do to meet the challenge or relieve the burden. That’s to take up the challenge in the power of the Holy Spirit. Get working on the building that has a true foundation – Jesus Christ. Don’t get tired of working on the foundation. Great rewards, in this life and the next, await those who in Christ serve the needy of this world, who love and edify the brethren and who share the good news of salvation through Christ. Such work will never be in vain.

Chapter eighteen

Here Am I – Send Me!

During the Olympic marathon in 1968 John Akhwari, a Tanzanian, fell early in the race. Most runners would have quit the race and gone to a doctor. Akhwari had his leg bandaged and ran on in pain. Akhwari’s injury took its toll, but he was determined not to quit even though he was miles behind most of the other runners. Eventually, over an hour after the other runners had finished, he limped into an almost empty stadium. He completed the last lonely lap in solitude and agony. Bud Greenspan, a respected sports commentator, watched on as he wanted to know why Akhwari finished so heroically despite his injury. So he asked him why? John Akhwari answered, “My country did not send me 9,000 miles to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”  (adapted from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p. 47)

John Akhwari’s story teaches us commitment means giving our best until the job is done, even when the conditions are harsh. It involves sacrificing our own comfort. Christian commitment also involves sacrifice. Everyone is committed to something even if it’s a commitment to do nothing. Everyone sacrifices for something. May God inspire each of us to be “here am I – send me Christians [HAISMCs].”

Pray that the Lord sends

In Matthew 9:35-38, Jesus asked his disciples to pray a very interesting prayer:

… when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

What an interesting prayer? Why do I find this interesting you may wonder? Well, isn’t Jesus the Lord of the harvest, and doesn’t the passage above speak of His compassion for the lost, scattered and directionless sheep? So why does he ask His disciples to pray He send out labourers into the fields. Why doesn’t he just send them out?  Alternatively, if the Lord of the harvest is the Father, surely He has the same kind of compassion. Why do we need to pray God sends labourers out? Why doesn’t He just send them out?

Let me suggest perhaps it is because the Lord of the harvest only sends out willing labourers. Disciples must be willing to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus, or they can’t be disciples. Therefore we must pray for more willing labourers whom the Lord will send.

The practice of sending

There’s no question God and His representatives on earth send out willing labourers. Just read for example Luke 9:1-6 where Jesus sent the 12 disciples out on a mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel with specific instructions. In Luke 10:1 we’re also told Jesus sent 70 disciples out on a similar mission with the same instructions.

If we think this practice of sending disciples out on mission ended with Jesus’ missions for His disciples, then think again. The apostles in Jerusalem, when they heard Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them to pray they might receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14). Upon hearing of the conversion of gentiles in Antioch, the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas there (Acts 11:22). Paul and Barnabas were then sent out by the church in Antioch and by the Holy Spirit to Cyprus, Salamis and other places (Acts 13:3). Judas and Silas were sent to Antioch to bring word of the Jerusalem Council’s ruling concerning the newly converted gentiles in Antioch and Syria (Acts 15:22). Romans 10:15 says, “And how shall they preach unless they are [given loud speakers or fully trained – no!) - how shall they preach unless they are sent. Timothy was sent to the Corinthian church to remind them of the right behaviour in Christ (1 Corinthians 4:17). In 2 Corinthians 8:16-20, we read Titus had such earnest care in his heart for the brethren he did not need to be sent, but an unnamed brother was sent with him to Corinth. Tychicus was sent (Ephesians 6:21). Epaphraditus was sent (Philippians 2:25-28). The Apostle Paul even commanded Titus to stay in Crete and appoint elders in every city (Titus 1:5). All of these disciples were sent out on the Lord’s work or commanded to do something because they had a “HAISMC” mentality.

In the church today I hear of pastors breaking their necks to pastor several churches because of a sad lack of sending going on. Their families are neglected and suffer. What’s wrong I wonder with using the same “sending” approach adopted by the early church? What’s wrong with elders saying to a fellow Christian something like, “We believe in you and that God is with you; we believe you’d make a good leader and we want to appoint you Elder in the new church that’s just been established; we will support you 100% - are you willing”?

The HAISMC mentality is a committed and sacrificial mentality. The leadership of the developing NT church practiced the “sending out” and “appointment” of willing servants. It was entirely appropriate. No one we know of complained about it being too heavy-handed, because only the willing were sent.

The leaders of the NT church could count on men and women to cooperate in the work the Holy Spirit was directing them to do. Can the church count on you if your leaders feel the Holy Spirit is leading them in a certain direction? If the church has a mission or a task to be done, can it count on you to say, “Here am I – send me.”

Relating to Isaiah’s “here am I, send me”

The prophet Isaiah of course was the prophet famous for uttering these “here am I – send me” words. Isaiah 6:1-8 says:

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.  Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"  And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.  So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.  And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged."  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."

I believe we can relate to Isaiah’s experience in a meaningful way. Someone might object and say Isaiah was sent directly by God and our situation is therefore different. They might refuse to be guided by the pastor, preferring to wait on God to personally send them just as in Isaiah’s case. However, we saw earlier the early Christians were in the habit of following direction from their God-inspired leaders.

Someone else might further object that Isaiah’s situation was special as he saw the Lord. He not only saw the Lord, but he saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up. Compare though what Isaiah saw with what we have seen through Christ. We’ve seen great things he hasn’t seen, or has only seen dimly. The hidden wisdom of the ages has been revealed to us (1 Corinthians 2:7). The things eye has not seen nor ear heard have been revealed to us through the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The things angels had desired to look into have been revealed to us (1 Peter 1:12). Through our mind’s eye we can look back at the revelation of God to humanity through the person of His Son, His express image, and at the glorious accomplishments of God at the cross. Surely we also have seen enough to inspire the same earnestness in our hearts that Titus had?

Isaiah’s experience of the holiness of God was so great it humbled him to the point of recognizing just how unclean he was in the presence of God. Again, in comparing Isaiah’s experience to ours and in relating to Isaiah, this is not such a radical point of distinction. Just compare the impact knowing Christ and His love and righteousness has had in our lives. As followers of Christ we’ve repented. We’ve made a public commitment and been baptized. God has opened our eyes to our own sinfulness and depravity and has changed our lives dramatically.

Yes we can relate to Isaiah. And what about the cleansing of Isaiah 6:6-7? All who have been cleansed by the precious blood of Christ can certainly relate to this. When we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Finally, we should be able to relate to Isaiah’s response to what God did for him – “Here am I! Send me.” Of course this is exactly the attitude the Holy Spirit will produce in a born again believer.

Enlisting to be sent

If there was a HAISMC list at the back of your church and the pastor said they wanted all those willing to be sent on any mission the church needed doing to put their name on the list, would you put your name on the list?

A pastor of an underground Chinese church once testified of the precautions they had to take to avoid persecution. Each time the church reached 10-15 members they divided into smaller groups to reduce attention. For the same reason they also met at different places. Because their phones were monitored members met with a volunteer downtown to find out where the church would meet next. One volunteer was caught by the government, beaten and thrown in jail. He lost his job, house, and medical benefits. Another man volunteered to take his place. [wow, he must have really been an HAISMC!]. He got caught and lost his job, house, and medical benefits. Do you suppose this underground church then had difficulty filling this downtown volunteer position? The Chinese pastor testified, “No. we have a waiting list.”  (adapted from McHenry’s Stories for the Soul, ibid, p. 49)

If you are an HAISMC there won’t be any need for you to put your name down on a list at the back of the church. The pastor will know. You’ll make sure of it. If you’re not getting any direction and you’re sitting quite idle in the Lord’s work you’ll pester the pastor until you are given work to do or given direction in using your spiritual gift to God’s glory. There won’t be any need for an HAISMC list. Everyone will know you will go where ever you are sent. Accordingly, you will have no objection to being sent because your desire for the Lord, compassion for the lost and love for the church will be strong and unwavering.

May each of us be ‘here am I send me Christians’ so that no matter the adversity we are facing, and regardless of how busy we are, and regardless of whether we even fully agree with the direction or programmes the church feels led to pursue (unless they are heretical), we will commit to working together with our brethren in the joint efforts we are asked to be involved with.

May this all be to the glory of God. Amen.