2014-10-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I wrote, at the behest of the Holy Spirit, about integrity and how the land of Israel is hers by divine right. GN 15: 18-21 outlines God’s original will for Israel’s boarders. But over the years, there has been Jewish disobedience to God, shrinking the current size of her country as being that of the state of New Jersey. Jewish disobedience is not the only reason for this, because a view of Israel’s geography leads to further understanding. She is surrounded on three of her four sides by Arab enemies, who want Israel to be pushed westward into the Mediterranean Sea. They kept Jews from worshipping at the western wall (the only remaining remnant of Solomon’s temple) for over thirty years until the ’67 Six Days War. One must consider God’s grace in the outcome of the latter and in the fact that Israel still exists after enduring greater persecution over the last 3000 years (including the horrific Holocaust) than any other people. Many of her former enemies do not exist anymore.
Even today, blessing is a choice. It comes by doing what God commands us to do, avoiding temptations, and taking the “hard path that leads from the narrow gate that leads to eternal life” [MT 7: 13-14]. We are to love the Lord, obey Him, and hold fast to Him. This means that we need to attain knowledge of Him and His will through the Scriptures and prayer. Then, we must take that knowledge and apply it to the conduct of our lives.
It’s necessary to return to Israel’s history to learn more about God’s will for our lives. Ancient Israel did not go without warnings of coming negative consequences when she kept sliding into disobedience. First she wanted a human king, like the idolatrous countries around her. Then, she broke the Covenant of the Law in many ways. Many of those kings tried to combine idolatrous practices with Judaism or practice idolatry altogether. One of the most hurtful sins is outlined in EZK 8: 6-10—the practice of idolatry within the very walls of the temple in Jerusalem. This is the one that prompted God to leave the temple for heaven [see EZK 10: 18-19]. Approximately 300 years before Christ, God also commissioned and sent Isaiah and Jeremiah to warn the people, but they were ignored. The same is true for other lesser prophets. Idolatry is the sin God detests the most. Practice of it breaks the covenant.
In 722 BC, the northern kingdom of Israel (previously split off from the southern kingdom of Judah) had 19 kings straight, who practiced idolatry and encouraged it. The Assyrians took this kingdom captive, overpowering it. In Judah, the prophet Jeremiah went to the king, Zedekiah, telling him to be just and righteous, delivering the oppressed from their oppressors. Only then would Judah’s kings remain on David’s throne. God remembered His part of the Davidic Covenant [2 SAM 7: 12-13], but would not allow disobedient humans to sully it. JER 22: 5, 7-9, “’But if you do not obey these commands,’ declares the Lord, ‘I swear by Myself that this palace will become a ruin…I will send destroyers against you, each man with his weapons, and they will cut up your fine cedar beams and throw them into the fire. People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing in that great city?’ And the answer will be ‘because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and have worshipped and served other gods.’”
The problem with many humans is that they don’t learn the lessons history has for us. Instead, they question those who want to study it, asserting that it’s a waste of time. Judah didn’t learn it, which is why what happened in the Assyrian Captivity of Israel (northern kingdom) didn’t keep them from falling into the same trap, only with the Babylonians. Israel had made bargains with Hiram, king of Tyre, to buy materials from them, which were incorporated during Solomon’s time into the temple in Jerusalem [1 K 5: 10-11]. God disapproved and was ignored. That contributed to her punishment in the Babylonian Captivity, initiated during the period between 602-586 BC. We are not stupid or wasting our time in applying these lessons to North America and the world today. In our case, it is the Covenant of Grace that some break. We need only look at the degradation of the so-called “superpower” (USA) from refusal to keep our covenant. These are moral and ethical issues that demand our immediate attention-- things like the breakdown of the family unit, doing business with enemy nations, and the rise of secularism.
HE 2: 1-4, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received it’s just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His holy will.” There is no question that the author of the book of Hebrews (whom I believe to be the apostle Paul) focuses on the comparison between this same teaching being applicable to both the OT and NT. This notion is borne out by the consistency of God’s teaching between these testaments and our recognition that God’s teaching is eternal in it’s nature-applies to any time in history.
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before Your mighty throne today to thank You for the consistent wisdom of Your teaching. We also offer You praise and thanks for making Your requirements for us to keep our covenant with You so clear and doable. They don’t necessarily lead us to taking easy paths, but You have created us with the ability to obey You faithfully. This prayer warrior has no answer for why mankind refuses so often to learn the lessons from their own history. All any of us can do is to appeal to You to guide and help us to reject apathy and to learn the lessons You have for us, from Yourself and from our history. IS 50: 4, “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue [or pen] to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” We, who offer this prayer, want to be among those who are teachable and who desire to be faithfully obedient to You. We submit to You, knowing full-well that You are more wise, more compassionate, and more loving than any human can be. PS 31: 3-5, “Sin You are my Rock and my Fortress, for the sale of Your name lead and guide me. Free me from the trap that is set for me, for You are my Refuge. Into Your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.” We understand that You are our Covenant Partner and the stronger Partner in this union. We acknowledge You in our lives as a permanent Resident of our households and our congregations. We accept Your correction of our decisions and behaviors that don’t please You, and we attempt to obey You to the extent of our ability. Praise, honor, glory, loyalty, and thanks are offered to You, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Next week, I’m led to supply definitions for miracles, signs, and wonders, as well as to discuss why the Covenant of Grace is superior to the Covenant of the Law. Each of us has some idea of just how faithful to God’s will we are as individuals. I don’t believe that God’s desire in warning us to improve is designed to evoke guilt. Rather, it is to remind us to seek Him out through study of His word-something that we should do daily anyway-and through frequent prayer. He wants us to know Him better [COL 3: 9-10]. JER 29: 11-13 gives us insight into God’s heart attitude. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to bring you the future for which you hope. Then you will call upon Me and come to pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Interestingly enough, our Covenant Partner has shared the future with us through the books of Daniel and Revelation among others. He did the same thing with the Jews in Judah too. JER 29: 10, “This is what the Lord says, ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My gracious promise to bring you back to this place (indicating Israel as a reunited country).’” We saw this also in JER 25: 11 and even in GN 15: 13. And we must never forget the love our Covenant Partner showed us when His only Son, Jesus, was sent to the cross, so that we might have escape from sinfulness, salvation, and eternal forgiveness for believing in Him! [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25]. Praise be to the Lord!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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