So Close and Yet So Far

2 Chronicles 25:2: "He (King Amaziah of Judah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly."



King Amaziah began his reign over the nation of Judah at the age of 25, and he ruled over the people for 29 years. The Scripture records that the king was the kind of person that wanted to straddle the fence of obedience to the LORD. He had one foot on the side of loyalty to God and one foot on the side of his own selfish desires. Of course we know that one is not able to dwell successfully on both sides of the "fence." Ultimately, this duplicity will bring God's judgment.



One of the first things that the king failed to do was remove the high places of worship that had been constructed years before for the purpose of worshipping pagan idols. Because these pagan places were not removed, the people were lured into worshipping gods other than the One True Lord of Hosts. They continued to burn incense there, which was a ceremonious act of submission to those false gods.



God did give temporary victory to King Amaziah over the Edomites, with the hope that Amaziah would recognize the Lord's greatness and would serve Him wholly and exclusively; however, the king did exactly the opposite. After the victory in battle, King Amaziah brought back the gods of the defeated Edomites and set them up as his own gods, "bowing down to them and burning sacrifice to them" (2 Chronicles 25:14). The king had allowed the victory to become a stumbling block in that his pride swelled up within him. Amaziah came to believe that he was invincible and thus could do anything that his heart desired.



God in turn sent a prophet to condemn the king's behavior of rebellion against the Lord; of course, the king wanted to hear none of it. He warned the prophet that if he did not shut his mouth, he would be struck down. The prophet stopped, but not before one final word to the king: "God has determined to destroy you" (2 Chronicles 25:16).



Later in his continued boastful spirit, King Amaziah challenged King Jehoash of Israel to war. Jehoash sent communication to Amaziah to keep his army at home and not pick a fight against the northern tribes of Israel. Jehoash knew that Amaziah was too proud, and he warned the King of Judah that his pride would lead to his downfall if he continued this path of antagonism.



Of course, the brazenly proud Amaziah would not listen; he believed himself invincible against any other nation. The two armies met at a battlefield about 20 miles west of Jerusalem and Amaziah's warriors were defeated. As the army of Judah was scattering in defeat, King Amaziah was captured. Jehoash paraded the defeated king back to Jerusalem, where he forced him to watch the destruction of the wall of Jerusalem and the taking of the precious temple treasures of Judah by the victorious northern tribes of Israel.

King Amaziah had now lost all credibility with his own people. They conspired to murder the king, so he fled westward toward the Philistine territories in order to avoid capture. Amaziah made it as far as Lachish, about 30 miles southwest of Jerusalem, but the pursuers captured him there and executed him.

Proverbs 16:18 tells us that "pride goes before destruction, (and) a haughty spirit before a fall." King Amaziah had so much potential for the Lord, but his self-adulation brought about his belief that he was the center of the universe. Life existed for his own self-fulfillment, not for the purpose of glorifying the Lord through obedience.

We would do well to learn from the fateful end of King Amaziah, namely that when we attempt to exalt ourselves over everyone else (including God), we should not expect that God will provide blessing and protection. As the prophet told Amaziah, God will seek to humble us, if we think too highly of ourselves.

Are You Standing For the Lord?

Ezekiel 22:30: "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none."




This Word of the Lord came to the prophet Ezekiel around 590 B.C., about seven years after Ezekiel had been sent with a second wave of exiles hundreds of miles away from Judea to the region of Babylon. The Babylonians had begun a campaign of invasions of the Promised Land as part of God's Divine judgment against the wickedness of the Judeans. In previous decades, God had sent a number of prophets to preach repentance to His people, but the Judeans would have none of it. They were so engrossed in their sin and were enjoying it, that they turned a deaf ear to the words of rebuke spoken by the prophets.




In Ezekiel 22, God identified the reasons why He was bringing judgment upon His people. The reasons are as follows:




1. The people worshipped false idols over the One True God


2. They were guilty of murdering innocent people


3. They treated their parents with contempt


4. They mistreated the disadvantaged (e.g. widows, orphans, aliens, etc.)


5. They despised the articles of worship set aside at the Temple to honor the Lord


6. They failed to set aside time to stop from their busyness and praise the Lord


7. They slandered others with false allegations


8. They practiced lewd acts on mountain tops in outright defiance to the Lord


9. They committed all kinds of sexual immorality (adultery, incest, fornication)


10. They accepted bribes


11. They charged exorbitant rates of interest to take advantage of the disadvantaged


12. They practiced extortion against their neighbors.


13. They profaned the law of the Lord




In response, God declared that He would pour out His wrath upon the people of Judea. God compared these wicked people to the dross left over after silver had been refined by fire, and He said that He would take these "impurities" and melt them within the city walls of Jerusalem. True to His Word, God sent the Babylonians who would siege the city of Jerusalem for 18 months, cutting off the food supplies to the people shut within the walls. The people would become so desperate for food that parents began cooking their children for their own nourishment (see Lamentations 4:10). Certainly, it was a most terrible time for the people of Judea.




Still, the greatest tragedy was the universal cosmic treason of the Judeans against the Lord, evidenced in the Biblical passage quoted above. Before satisfying His wrath for the wickedness of the Judeans, God looked for a man in the land who would stand in righteousness for Him, but He found no one. Everyone was devoid of submission to the Lord. Each man followed his own wanton lusts and desired His own Lordship over the Lord Sabaoth (Lord of Hosts). In response, God would destroy these rebellious people, thus proving that He is the One Holy God.




We have often heard the old adage, "Those who do not learn from history are destined to repeat it." We today would do well to hear the Word of the Lord, namely, that God even now is looking for men and women who are standing for Him through submission and obedience. If you yield to Him as your Lord, you will not later regret it. God will bless your faithfulness to Him. Still, if you seek your own sinful appetites (and hence your own quest for lordship) then be warned . . . God will bring your wickedness to account. You will not be able to escape His righteous wrath. Therefore, make this very day the day of your salvation by surrendering yourself to the Lord, repenting of your sins, and receiving His precious gift of grace, provided to you through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Then you will be found by Him to be one who is standing for His Glory!

That's Gratitude For You

2 Chronicles 24:22: "King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah's father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, 'May the LORD see this and call you to account.'"



As one reads through the 40-year reign of King Joash, one at first is encouraged that a righteous king finally would lead the people of Judah in obedience to God. The sad reality however is that the king's allegiance to the LORD fizzled out in the latter years of his reign. Still more grievous is the way in which he treated the family of the Godly priest, Jehoiada, who had protected him during the king's early years.



Joash was born in an era of instability within the royal family. When his father, King Ahaziah of Judah, was killed by Jehu (commander of the army), Joash's grandmother, Athaliah, attempted to kill the entire royal family so that she could assume control of the throne. Fortunately, a half-sister of King Ahaziah by the name of Jehosheba, rescued Joash and took him secretly to the temple to be protected by the priest, Jehoiada. The righteous Jehoiada was committed to the young prince, rearing him in the ways of the LORD and preparing him for the throne. After seven years of providing protection to Prince Joash, Jehoiada the priest was able to assert Joash as the rightful king of the people of Judah. Queen Athaliah was removed from her throne and executed.



Joash showed himself to be a young man who had learned from his mentor the importance of following the LORD obediently. He ruled with a righteous hand and "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him" (2 Kings 12:2). The king was instrumental in getting a campaign started to restore the LORD's temple . . . a structure that was showing the wear and tear of over 100 years of existence. Joash knew the importance of keeping the House of the LORD in excellent condition so that the prescribed place of worship of the One True God would be respected.



Yet, after Jehoiada died at the age of 130, the officials of Judah were able to sway the king to abandon exclusive worship of the Lord. The temple, which had once been the grand place of worship of God, was abandoned in favor of pagan shrines and altars. God, in response, sent prophets to declare that the king was perpetrating rebellion against the Lord and that this behavior needed to stop.

Not only did Joash not listen to the prophets, but he began a campaign to execute the prophets, in order that he might silence the critics of his wickedness. When the Lord sent Zechariah, the very son of Jehoiada, to pronounce divine judgment upon the king, Joash ordered that Zechariah be stoned for such "insolence." As Zechariah lay dying, he cried out to the LORD that He see this evil act and call the king to account.



God would see this despicable act and would enact judgment upon the king for his wickedness; within the year, the Lord would send the army of Aram against Joash and the Judeans and defeat them. As the Arameans invaded Jerusalem, they killed the leaders who had convinced the king to turn away from worshipping the LORD; and they plundered the riches of the city, leaving Jerusalem in ruins. As a very demonstrative final act of superiority over the Judeans, the Arameans severely wounded King Joash, and then left him to rule in his weakened condition.



By now the king had lost all credibility. His wickedness had brought his kingdom to ruin; he had lost many of his leaders and certainly had lost the material richness that had been accumulated for so many years. The remaining officials developed a disdain for the king, and they conspired to assassinate him. As Joash lay in his bed recovering from his wounds, the officials entered the royal chamber and murdered the king; they then dishonored him by not burying the king with the other royal monarchs who had ruled before him.



Truly, this is a tragic story. Here is a king, who as a young prince was rescued and protected by the priest, Jehoiada. Yet, when Joash was given the opportunity to rule the people, he treated with contempt the previous acts of kindness of Jehoiada by turning away from the Lord and killing the son of the priest. That's gratitude for you.

God however would not be mocked; He ultimately enacted His Divine judgment against the king. And this judgment would result in the loss of the king's riches, his subjects, and his very life. In the end, he was dishonored and would be seen throughout history as a king that fell short of the mark of righteousness.

Not Living Up To One's Name

2 Kings 11:1,3b: "When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family . . . (and she) ruled the land."

Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab, presents to us a life that does not live up to the meaning of her name, for the name, "Athaliah" means "the Lord is exalted." Her life of wickedness in no way honored the Lord; rather, she treated with contempt the holiness of God by her defiance to His will.

When her son, King Ahaziah of Judah, was killed by Jehu (commander of the army of Israel), Athaliah responded in a most debased way. Instead of honoring the memory of her dead royal son, she sought opportunity to rule herself. Specifically, Athaliah enacted a massive campaign to destroy the entire royal family so that no other person could assume the throne but herself.





Only one child was saved from the mass murdering of the royal family of Jehoram. Fortunately, Joash, the young son of Ahaziah, was taken by Jehosheba (daughter of King Jehoram) and placed in hiding at the temple for six years. During this time, Athaliah asserted herself as the ruler of Judah.





During the six years of hiding, the young prince was placed under the protection of the priest, Jehoiada. In the seventh year, the priest was able to gain the support of the commanders of the army to serve as the royal bodyguard for Joash; and now with the support of the military leadership, the priest was able to move forward with the coronation of Joash as the rightful king.

At just the right time, Jehoiada placed a crown on Joash, gave him a copy of the covenant/law of God, and declared him king. The people who were in attendance clapped their hands and shouted their allegiance to Joash. The noise of praise for the new king was so great, that Athaliah went to the Temple to see why there was such a commotion; when she saw that the people were rejoicing that a new king had been crowned, she cried out "treason!" and tore her robes in disgust. Isn't it amazing that a person who herself would commit acts of treason against her own royal family in order to promote her own position of power would now point out treason in others. People who perpetrate evil will hide in darkness so that their evil deeds will not be exposed (John 3:20); yet, they will be quick to point out others who violate their so-called "rights."



The queen attempted to rush back to the protection of her palace, but the commanders of the army captured her on the outskirts of the palace grounds; there they executed her, per the instructions of the priest, for her rebellion against the Lord.



Jehoiada the priest then initiated a covenant observance for the king and people before the Lord that they would submit to God. To demonstrate their allegiance to the Lord, they smashed the idols and altars to the pagan gods that were housed in the temple.



In the end, the city was at peace. The people rejoiced that their evil ruler had been deposed and God's anointed had been placed upon the throne of Judah.

Success In Ministry

John 6:60,66-67: "On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?' . . . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. (Jesus said) 'You do not want to leave too, do you?'"

More than any other passage in Scripture, this section of John 6 reinforces to me that ministry is not always easy. In fact, ministry can be filled with headache and heartache; for when God's truth of submission is shared to a self-centered world, the hearers will leave in droves.

It has always pained me to hear ministers talk about "success in ministry" based primarily upon attendance in their church buildings. Occasionally when I participate in a regional minister's conference, I will overhear conversations like "So how many are you running now? . . . . Well, we're running (x) in our worship services, so God is blessing." At one particular conference, I had the opportunity of sitting with a pastor of a fairly large congregation. As a number of pastors came to speak with this pastor, invariably two questions surfaced: "How's the construction going?" and "How many are you running now?" Although I know that many of these pastors were well-intentioned in making small talk with their fellow ministerial leader, the redundancy of these same two questions caused me to ponder what we in Christendom are ascribing as successful ministry. If we think that effectiveness is only found in numerical responses, we are not teaching God's Word.



This ideology reminds me of Christ's words about the way to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). He suggested that very few will find the narrow road to salvation. I believe that this is not for the lack of attendees in our church buildings; rather, it is the lack of understanding that salvation necessitates submission to Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9). Many will enter the doors of the church for a variety of needs (e.g. seeking spiritual significance, business contacts, familial expectations, relationships, children's programming, experiential worship, positions of power/influence, et al), but these reasons are not the same as seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). When people use the church to satisfy their own selfish needs, they craft an idol of themselves within the doors of the church and use the church to propagate their pagan worship. This type of idolatry is not unlike what the 70 elders of the house of Israel were doing just before God's declarative judgment upon them (see Ezekiel 8). Whereas they were great at going through the motions of worship at the temple, these elders were worshipping their own idols in secluded places. They had crafted images of crawling things and detestable animals . . . inanimate objects that could not tell them what to do. In effect, these wicked leaders crafted their lifeless idols so that they could speak their own will into the image and say that their god justified their own licentious behavior. God's holiness would not be mocked, however, and He communicated to Ezekiel that He would turn His ear away from the wickedness of the people when calamity would later befall them. God also said that He would remove Himself from the presence of the Temple, thus revealing that God was not going to bless such rebellion against Him. Whereas this religion was very popular at the time, it nonetheless was not equivalent to following the Will of God as communicated through His Word. God would avenge His Holiness through judgment so that the Israelites would know that He alone was the True LORD (Ezekiel 7:4).

If we fast forward nearly 600 years from the time of Ezekiel to Jesus Christ in John 6, we find again the struggle of humanity between its own quest for lordship and the True Lordship of the One True Christ. Jesus had fed the 5000 near the Sea of Galilee and the people followed Him passionately. I can just see the throngs of stomach-filled people crying out with hands lifted, "Go Jesus . . . Go Jesus." Numerically, Jesus was having quite the success in getting people to follow Him, because He was satisfying their fleshly needs. Still, Jesus knew the hearts of many who followed Him. He knew that they wanted Jesus for what they could get from Him; they weren't interested in submitting to Him as their Lord.

Jesus then began to weed out the false disciples when He began to teach the people that He alone was the Bread of Life who had come from heaven to provide eternal nourishment to those who would feast upon Him through faith (John 6:32-40). The Jews who had been following Jesus, now were grumbling about Him, for they knew Jesus to be the son of Joseph and Mary from Nazareth, not the Divine Savior. If Jesus were looking for success in ministry numerically at this point, He would have stopped talking about His Divinity in this way; He would have toned down the teaching so as not to offend all of His supporters. But this is not what happened. Jesus would stir the controversy even more by telling the followers that unless they would feast upon His flesh and drink His blood (i.e. receive His crucifixion and resurrection as the source of God's eternal life through submission to Him as Lord), they would have no life within them.

The people who heard Jesus' words at the synagogue in Capernaum said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" (John 6:60). They refused to trust by faith that Jesus was the Messiah come into the world to provide redemption for man, and their response was demonstrative. Scripture records that many of His disciples turned away and refused to follow Him anymore (6:66). Jesus no longer was satisfying their selfish desires; now, He was calling them to capitulate to His Rightful place as Lord and Savior of their lives.

With the hoards of people walking away from Jesus, He turned toward the twelve disciples and asked them "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Of course, Simon Peter gave an appropriate response, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that YOU (emphatic) are the Holy One of God."



If the city of Capernaum had a local newspaper during those days, I could see them posting the event on the front pages: "Noted Rabbi Loses Most of His Followers . . . Looks Like His Ministry Is Washed Up." Still, this massive response of unbelief did not take Jesus by surprise, for He "had known from the beginning which to them did not believe and who would betray him" (John 6:64).



Christendom needs to understand that the message of the Gospel is offensive and foolishness to those who walk in darkness (I Cor. 1:18). Churches need to love all, but they need to communicate that salvation is not merely associating oneself with a church congregation while continuing to promote oneself above all others, including God Himself. Ministers need to reinforce that the way to adoption by God into the Royal Family of the Lord is to kick oneself off the throne of his life and surrender to God as the Lord. This surrender is counter to what the sinful flesh desires, its sole supremacy. When the Church sifts out those who would use the Church for their own self-aggrandizement, it will find that the cancer of wickedness will be removed and the true body of Christ will flourish in obedience to the Sovereign King of Kings.

Familial Leadership

Genesis 35: "Then God said to Jacob, 'Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God' . . . . So Jacob said to his household 'Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes. Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.' So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the oak at Shechem. Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them . . . . God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, 'Your name is Jacob but you will no longer be Jacob; your name will be Israel . . . A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will come from your body . . . The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you.'"

Jacob presents for us in this passage the model of obedient, spiritual leadership in the home. Certainly, God had prepared Jacob for this calling of spiritual leader through several, previous supernatural encounters with him. The first episode occurred on the way to Haran at a place called Bethel. At Bethel (meaning "House of God"), Jacob had a dream of a stairway leading to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. God assured Jacob in the dream that He would be with Jacob, bringing blessing and protection to his family. Surely, Jacob was impressed with the power and the majesty that God presented; the awesome sight of heavenly hosts ascending and descending from the presence of God affirmed to Jacob that the Lord was Sovereign and that His will would be accomplished. Jacob never had to worry if what God said would come to pass; all that the patriarch needed to do was be obedient to God's commands. God in His majestic glory would fulfill His promises.

The second episode occurred at Peniel (meaning "face of God"). At this place, God chose to show part of His glory to Jacob. Not only did Jacob receive a further blessing from the Lord there, but he was strengthened in that he was permitted to see the face of God. It is important to note that Jacob received a blessing there because he had his face turned toward the Lord; he easily could have missed the blessing of this Divine encounter had he not been earnestly seeking the Lord. It is important for us as leaders to remember that we must have our faces turned toward God in faith and obedience if we expect to receive direction and blessing. God does not reward half-hearted allegiance to Him.


Now in the Genesis 35 passage cited above, God instructs Jacob to return to Bethel to settle there with his family (again, this is the place where God previously confirmed to Jacob the blessing of the Promised Land) . The first instruction to Jacob when he arrived was to build an altar to the Lord. Altars were used to pay homage to a deity; thus, God was instructing the patriarch to worship the Lord exclusively. There was to be no duplicity in his allegiance to the One True God.


However, before Jacob would be permitted to build an altar to the Lord, God told Jacob that he was to rid his household of any pagan idols. Jacob's wife, Rachel, had kept the idols of her father, Laban, when she and Jacob left Laban's home in Haran to return to the land promised to Abraham. God would not commune with Jacob and his family if they maintained other objects of worship; God's holiness demanded total, unadulterated allegiance. As a result of God's command, Jacob instructed his family to purify themselves in preparation of the dwelling place God had instructed for them to live. This purification involved his family's repenting of their sin, ridding themselves of their idols, and submitting completely to the Lord. Jacob was able to encourage his family by retelling the stories of God's unfailing commitment to him personally. . . answering and accompanying him in all situations that he faced.

The household of Jacob was obedient to his leadership. They gave to him all of their items of pagan worship, which Jacob in turn buried under an oak at Shechem. Immediately following their obedience, God empowered Jacob's household by stirring up terror in the hearts of the townships around the patriarch's family so that no one dared attempt to attack them. Thus, Jacob's household was able to experience prosperity without the fear of enemy invasion.

After Jacob built the altar to the Lord at Bethel and worshipped Him, God appeared to Jacob again to bless him. God reiterated to Jacob that he would have numerous descendants, that kings would come from him, and that the promised land would be given to him as well. All of these blessings were predicated upon Jacob's previous responses of obedience to the Lord's commands. Jacob knew his role as spiritual leader of his household; he gave specific instructions to his family to submit solely to the Lord and remove the obstacles that would hinder their obedience to God. He was able to encourage his family by recounting his past experiences with God, and he led them to fulfill God's command that they worship Him at the newly created altar in Bethel.

This message is a good word to those who are the familial leaders in their homes. We are called to be leaders that are driven by complete allegiance to the Lord. We must model for our families the importance of being solely committed to the Lord, and we must remove from our families anything that may compete with our loyalty to God first in our lives. We too must encourage our families by sharing with them how God has been impacting our lives because of our personal commitment to Him. Of course, this evidence will only be available if we ourselves have surrendered our lives to Him and are seeking him personally above all other persons and things.

Being a Godly spiritual leader in the home is not easy. It involves focused direction toward God in an environment that would attempt to sway us off course from God's intended path. Still, we must press on, in order that our families might see the hand of blessing from our Lord. Truly, God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6); this necessitates familial leaders leading their families towards the paths of righteousness.

God's Word Does Not Fail

2 Kings 10:10: "(Jehu said) 'Know then, that not a word the LORD has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The LORD has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.' So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor."

This story of the utter destruction of the family of Ahab takes us back years before to the time of God's pronounced judgment against the king (Ahab) and his wife, Jezebel, for their detestable wickedness against the LORD. When God sent his messenger, Elijah, to tell Ahab of the coming judgment, He told his prophet to tell the king that he had, "sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD" (1 Kings 21:20). Ahab had first married a pagan wife from the land of Phoenicia, and she brought into the land of Israel her worship of the pagan god, Baal. She was instrumental in having the prophets of the LORD killed, and she placed her own prophets of Baal in positions of prominence within the kingdom.

The event that occurred in I Kings 21 was the decisive act that moved God to send Elijah to declare divine retribution for the evil ways of the royal family. To be sure, King Ahab was not a true leader. He had all of the choicest land and produce that he could ever want; still, he coveted one of his subject's (Naboth's) vineyards. The king petitioned Naboth to acquire the vineyard; however, Naboth could not release this precious land that had been given to his family by the LORD. The childish Ahab returned to his palace, sulking; he lay on his bed and refused to eat because he did not get his way. This immature response of the king led to his co-dependent wife, Jezebel, orchestrating a plan to have Naboth executed for treason and blasphemy. Once Naboth was murdered for false charges, the queen was able to secure the land for her weak-willed husband. In response, the LORD was quick in sending Elijah to Ahab to pronounce judgment upon the king. The LORD said that He would bring disaster upon the royal family in years to come, even avenging the shed blood of Naboth by bringing the same fate to the king's descendants on the very land where Naboth met his demise.

When we fast forward several years to Ahab's son, Joram, we find that God is ready to enact his judgment for Ahab and Jezebel's wickedness. Ahab had already met his fate at the Battle of Ramoth Gilead, when he was pierced by a random arrow shot into the air by the Arameans. As the chariot was washed of the king's blood in Samaria, the dogs came and licked up the blood, thus confirming the prophecy of the LORD in 1 Kings 21:19.

Now, King Joram, the wicked son of Ahab would see a similar fate as his father, for the LORD raised up a new king, Jehu (an officer of the army), to destroy the entire house of Ahab. After Elisha anointed Jehu at Ramoth Gilead, the new king was sent by the LORD to kill King Joram, his family, and his associates. Jehu would not delay this commandment of the LORD; he quickly found Joram, ironically at the field of Naboth, and shot the king with an arrow. As the king slumped over in his chariot from the mortal wound through the heart, Jehu ordered that the body be thrown into the field of Naboth thus communicating that the LORD was avenged for the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel against Naboth. Jehu would go on to have Queen Jezebel, 70 princes, and a number of royal supporters executed to fulfill completely the Word of the Lord.

This tragic story reinforces God's declaration in Galatians 6:7-8: "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction." King Ahab would commit treason against the Sovereign Lord through his utter wickedness against the Will of God. God would not be mocked; thus, He would seek His vengeance at the proper time (Romans 12:19). And God's Word was fulfilled through King Jehu, bringing the utter destruction of Ahab and his entire family.

Often, it is said that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. In reality, the only certainty is the Word of God. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we can rest in the assurance that God is true to His Word, and if we are obedient to His Will through obedience, we can expect to receive His Divine blessing. Let us press on to be all we can be for His Kingdom through submission to Our Sovereign King!

The Mark of the Beast

Revelation 13:11f: "Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon . . . . And he performed great and miraculous signs . . . in the full view of men. Because of the signs . . . he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived . . . . He also forced everyone . . . to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."

In John's apocalyptic book, we find the account of the beast coming forth and performing miraculous signs that impressed the inhabitants of the earth. Although the beast desired to present himself like the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, in reality, the speech of the beast condemned him as a dragon of evil. Despite his wickedness, the beast was able still to deceive humanity into worshipping him over the true LORD, due to his demonstrative power. He also mandated that everyone must receive his mark of distinction, the infamous mark of the beast, 666.

Whereas this story is not the easiest to conceptualize, it nonetheless has relevance for us today. The distinguishing characteristic of the beast is his quest to usurp power and authority from the LORD for his own self-adulation. He performs mighty acts to convince people to worship the image he has crafted, and he dictates that everyone must have his mark. This mark of the beast is in outright rebellion to the name of God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Lamb, that had been inscribed on the foreheads of the elect. Thus, the beast is not unlike the wicked man of Job 15:25-26 that "shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield."

We can see why 666 would be the chosen number of rebellion. Since the number 6 has been a number historically assigned to man, its trifold repetition could be seen as man's attempt at rebellion against the triune God (i.e. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). If 7 is seen as the number of perfection or completion, then one could see the possibility that 777 may be the number that God would define as His own. 666 is the number that the purveyors of evil would use to stand in rebellion to the Lord Almighty. The number displaces the name of God with mankind's attempt to assert his own divinity.

When we think of what the number 666 represents (i.e. quest for self-lordship over the Triune Lord), it is not surprising that many already have the mark inscribed on their foreheads. True, this number is not visibly evident to the physical eye; nevertheless, the number is there, for it is the testament to the rebellious heart that is within man's soul. Many people today have the distinguishing mark that would identify them as modern-day antichrists (those who refuse to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ).

The book of I John tells us that antichrists are present today on the earth propagating the lie of self-aggrandizement: "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist-he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."

It's All In Whom You Ask

2 Kings 1:2; 16b-17: "Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, 'Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.' . . . . (Elijah said to Ahaziah) 'Because you have done this, you will never leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!' So he died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken."



Two years into his reign, Ahaziah, the wicked son of King Ahab, had a tragic accident that would lead to his death. The death was not instant, but the injuries would prove to be fatal. The king, in keeping with the ways of his wicked father, did not consult the LORD; rather, he sought out Baal-Zebub, the "lord of the flies" who was the god honored by the pagan Philistines.



What is implied within the text is that the king may have experienced deliverance had he sought the LORD instead of the false god. Elijah was summoned by the LORD to intercept the messengers sent by the king to consult with Baal-Zebub in Ekron. God told Elijah to inform the messengers that the king would not leave his bed . . . he would most certainly die for his lack of seeking the LORD during his time of utmost need.



When the messengers returned with Elijah's edict from God, the king was furious. He summoned a captain with 50 men to capture the prophet; however, when they approached Elijah to overtake him, God reigned down fire from heaven and consumed all of the men. When the king heard of the demise of his men, he sent another 50 men; like the first group, so too did these next 50 meet their death by divine fire from heaven. Still not satisfied, the king sent a third captain with 50 men to capture the prophet. This captain, however, was wise enough to plead with Elijah for his life and the life of his men. God granted mercy to the troops by sparing their lives, and He encouraged Elijah to go with the men in order that the prophet could pronounce the LORD's judgment directly to the king. And soon thereafter, the king met his demise.



What I am reminded from this story is that our true character is revealed in times of tribulation. When King Ahaziah faced his own mortality, he did not seek the LORD; rather, he sought the gods that he had worshipped throughout his wicked reign. Even when Elijah had pronounced the divine judgment of death upon the king, Ahaziah did not repent of his ways. Instead, he sought to capture the prophet presumably to execute him.



In contrast, the third captain and his army faced a similar fate of death at the hands of the LORD; however, he was smart enough to know that if he approached the prophet in a spirit of humility and petition, the LORD may be gracious and withhold his wrath. The LORD honored the captain's request for mercy and spared his life.



As Galatians 6:7-8 exclaims, "God will not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature . . . will reap destruction." The evil king Ahaziah proved his wickedness in his time of tragedy, and God would not permit his recalcitrance to go unpunished. In the end, the king met his physical (and spiritual) fate.

Sharing of Godly Truth is Not Popular

I Kings 22:5-8: "But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, 'First seek the counsel of the LORD.' So the king of Israel brought together the prophets-about four hundred men-and asked them, 'Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?' 'Go,' they answered, 'for the Lord will give it into the king's hand.' But Jehoshaphat asked, 'Is there not a prophet of the LORD here whom we can inquire of?' The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, 'There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.'"



As we compare our world today with the history of the Israelites in the book of I Kings, we see similarites, namely, that the sharing of Godly truth is not very popular. In the era of King Ahab of Israel, being a Godly prophet who shared the truth of God resulted in alienation and persecution. King Ahab ruled Israel for 22 years and he "did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him" (I Kings 16:30). The king started his wayward path by marrying the pagan Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Tyre/Sidon. Jezebel, named after a pagan god of fertility was ruthless in her attacks against the prophets of the Lord, killing off every prophet that was obedient to the One True God (18:4). To replace these fallen prophets, the king and queen put their own pagan prophets in places of prominence within the kingdom. These prophets were loyal to the regents first; they were never known to discredit the wishes of the royal family. Their support of Ahab was not only the popular thing to do; it was the profitable thing to do.



Only a few men stood up for the truth of the Lord instead of caving to the political correctness of that day. One of these men was Micaiah. When Ahab was consulting with King Jehoshaphat of Judah about attacking the Arameans to reclaim lost territories in Ramoth Gilead, Jehoshaphat suggested that they seek the counsel of the LORD. Ahab was not interested at all in God's will in the matter, he wanted to hear someone support his own personal appetites. He summoned his 400 prophets, and as expected they all supported the king's desire to wage war against Aram. They exclaimed that the king would be victorious over his enemy. One prophet in particular by the name of Zedekiah made a rather demonstrative proclamation of the king's pending victory by presenting iron horns that he had made and said, "With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed" (2 Chronicles 18:10). Of course, these "prophets" would only share positive news to the king; to announce anything else was to risk the threat of the king's anger toward them directly. Being supportive of the king was important for these prophets' own personal well being. They were looking out for themselves, even if that meant selling out the truth for a lie.



Still, Jehoshaphat was able to see that the king only had a bunch of "yes men" around him. The King of Judah was not satisfied with the answers that were given and again asked if a true man of the LORD was available to present God's opinion about the war to come. One can just imagine the sullen face of Ahab at this remark. The last thing that he wanted was to consult a true prophet of God; Ahab had not had much success with the Lord's messengers. They had been known as men who brought messages of judgment to the king for his wickedness (e.g. Elijah). Nevertheless, Ahab told Jehoshaphat that there was a prophet who could inquire of the Lord, but Ahab was quick to mention that he hated the man because he never shared anything good. Micaiah was not the type of prophet that would share only what the king's itching ears wanted to hear (see 2 Timothy 4:3); rather, he was bold in sharing the truth no matter what personal consequences may befall him.



True to form, when Ahab summoned Micaiah, the prophet of the Lord told the king that disaster would occur, with the Israelites losing the battle and the king losing his life. Before Micaiah was presented to the king of Israel, he had been encouraged by a messenger that all of the other prophets were speaking victory for the king and he should follow suit. Still, Micaiah could speak nothing other but the truth. He told the messenger, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him (the king) only what my God says." This proclamation of truth by Micaiah is noteworthy, for with it came a lot of personal consequence. At once the prophet Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face for such a statement of defiance to the king and denigration to the other prophets. Enraged at this very unpopular response, the king had the prophet imprisoned and insisted that Micaiah only receive bread and water until the king returned from battle victorious, to prove the prophet was wrong.

The king went ahead with his plan to invade, but the battle was disasterous. The people of Israel were scattered and Ahab was killed by a wayward arrow shot into the air. Truth prevailed as the Word of God was accomplished; still, with the continuance of the evil reign's of Ahab's sons, Ahaziah and Joram, as well as with the continued influence of Jezebel for at least 14 more years, it is quite possible that Micaiah remained in prison.

We must remember that telling the truth of God as revealed in His Word is not very popular today; nonetheless, we are called to obedience to the Lord by faithfully proclaiming His truths. We may find that we suffer personally for taking a stand for the truth of God, but we press on knowing that the Lord is still on the throne and is still in control.

Another Look at Sex and Circumcision

Genesis 17:8-14: "'The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.' Then God said to Abraham, 'As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner . . . . My covenant of flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people, he has broken my covenant.'"





The topics of sex and circumcision are not ones proclaimed regularly from the pulpits in Christendom. It seems that the Church is either uncomfortable and/or confused as to its significance and purpose for the covenant community. This should never be, for God discusses both in His Word. Thus, we should take the time to reflect upon their significance in our lives.





In order that we can best understand the significance of circumcision, we first must look at the topic of sexuality to see its divinely created purpose. Whereas we know that the act of sex was established for the procreation of Godly generations that would give praise to the Lord (Psalm 145:4-7. Malachi 2:15), still there is another foundational purpose for sex. Specifically, we can see in the act of sex between a husband and wife in marital covenant the beautiful imagery of God with His covenant bride (the Church). When God penetrates the heart of the newly redeemed, He infuses life into the one who otherwise is barren (i.e. spiritually dead [see Ephesians 2:1ff]), and as a result of that spiritual union, there is joy on the part of both God (the husband) as well as the Church (the bride).





We must re-emphasize that this spiritual union is relegated specifically to the marital covenant between God and His bride. God does not join with those outside the covenant (i.e. unbelievers) and infuse spiritual life into them. They forever will remain barren, and subject to God's eternal wrath. This is why God sees with disdain any human sexual behavior that occurs outside the marriage covenant. Since the Lord has created sexuality for the primordial purpose of helping us better appreciate the divine union of God and His bride, any aberrant sexual behavior (be it fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc.) is seen as contemptible to His Sovereign Will and His Holiness. God is mocked when humanity treats with sacrilege the institution that was created to help us reflect upon God and His salvation for the redeemed through Jesus Christ.





Now, there have been times when I have wondered, "Why is the sign of the covenant the act of circumcision? Why could it not be the cutting of the arm, a big toe, or something less intrusive?" I wonder what the 99-year-old Abraham was thinking when God came to him and proclaimed that circumcision would be the sign of the everlasting covenant between the Lord and Abraham's descendants? I'm sure that when the men lined up to participate in the ceremonious act, there were mixed feelings about what was about to happen; nonetheless, we know that Abraham "believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Abraham had the faith and insight to know that God was offering a tremendous gift of His eternal mercy to those who otherwise were without hope; to participate in the act of circumcision was a small price to pay given the overwhelming gift that God was offering. [We must note here that the act of circumcision did not merit salvation for Abraham and his "children"; rather, it was faith in the promise of redemption by God that was credited for Abraham's righteousness (see Romans 4:9-10)].





If we can see Abraham (and all men) figuratively as the LORD and Sarah (all women) as the covenant community (i.e. the Church), we can see why circumcision was the determined sign of the covenant. Whereas, the act of circumcision involves a sacrifice of pain and the shedding of blood before the infusion of life into the bride, so too we see that the Messiah was to endure the pain of the cross before there was an infusion of life into the Church. Thus, we can see in circumcision a symbolic portrayal of the sacrifice of Christ.



We in the Church are not unlike Abraham's wife, Sarah. She was unable to produce a child through herself, and due to her age (she was 90-ish) it looked as if she would never produce a child. God proclaimed to Abraham that when all seemed hopeless, He would demonstrate His power by transforming Sarah's barrenness into fertility. Praise be to God that He takes us who are beyond all hope and infuses life into us, making us righteous before His eyes. This is the re-birth of God's love and mercy that is lavished upon the redeemed (Ephesians 1:8). Maybe this is why the act of circumcision was observed on the eighth day. Whereas the first creative process occurred over seven days (six days of creation and one day of rest), God's re-creative process through His sacrifice on the cross bringing re-birth, symbolically occurred on the following (eighth) day.





The Apostle Paul also saw a figurative significance to circumcision, in that it is the circumcision of the heart that is of importance, not merely the external act per se. No man or woman will be transformed by the power of Christ by merely going through the motions of religion. A cutting of the heart through repentance and confession is necessary, for only the penitent heart will be redeemed. The Scriptures proclaim that "neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation" (Galatians 6:15). As mentioned before, we can see beautiful imagery in the act, but we should never relegate the practice (or any ceremonious act) as the medium that bestows grace. Only God bestows grace to the heart that by faith submits to His Lordship.

Triumph Over Trials

I Peter 1:5-9: (The believers are those) "who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time . . . .for now a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of you souls."



The purpose of this first letter written by Peter was to encourage the Church that was struggling through the pain of persecution. Later in the passage, Paul advises the Church not to be surprised at the painful trials that they are experiencing but rejoice that they "participate in the sufferings of Christ" (4:12-13). He tells them that their sufferings are the evidential fruit that the glory of the Holy Spoirit rests upon them.



To begin his letter, Paul encourages his readers that God's power shields their faith from any outside entity that would attempt to separate the believer from the Lord. No person or thing can deter the purpose of God to redeem those who are His by the grace of Christ. Paul reemphasizes this thought in Romans 8:37-39 when he writes, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Here Paul is proclaiming that neither physical realities, spiritual forces, time, spacial/distance restraints, nor created beings . . . in effect anything . . . will separate the redeemed from the Sovereign Lord. And even though the forces of darkness would desire to destroy those who have surrendered themselves to the Lordship of Christ, God will gather His elect from the depths of oppression and dispair and place them into His heavenly abode for all eternity.



Still, with the comfort that comes with this Divine assurance, we who are true followers of Christ must traverse this temporal, earthly realm of pain, alienation, and persecution. God tells us in this passage that our trials help to prove the genuineness of our faith. We all know that talk is cheap. We are all able to say the "righteous" things when our lives are filled with blessing and prosperity; it is in the dark days of tribulation and temptation when our true faith is proved genuine. James tells us that trials bring a testing of our faith, which in turn developes perseverance and maturity. The Greek word used for "perseverance" is hupomonen which means "tenacity or 'stick-to-it-iveness.'" It is the ability to have the joy and peace of Christ, irrespective of the events that befall our lives, and this faith sustains us thoughout the difficulties in life.



In the passage above, Peter also says that our faith, when unfettered by the trials of life, results in "praise, honor, and glory when Jesus Christ is revealed." For the redeemed, we know that our foundational purpose in life is to glorify God. If our true faithfulness to the Lord is demonstrated in times of adversity, then we are able to celebrate that we are fulfilling our primordial purpose in life.



Peter closes this passage by saying that we are able to have the inexpressible joy of Christ by believing in Him and loving Him though we are not able to see Him. We trust that God is Sovereign and in control and is working out our eternal redemption, even though we are at present struggling through the painful trials of life.

Finding the Favor of God

Ezekiel 5:11: "Because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestible practices, I myself will withdraw my favor."



Ezekiel was a prophet who lived during the time of God's judgment on the people of Judah, for their brazen rebellion against the Lord (597BC). By the time the passage above was written, God had already sent the Babylonians to invade the land of Palestine. Ezekiel was part of the second wave of exiles of Israel that had been sent into captivity to Babylon; and while in exile, he was summoned by God to communicate to the people in that distant land why God was bringing judgment. God had declared that the people of Judah had been wicked "rebelling against my (God's) laws and decrees more than the nations and countries around" (5:6). Therefore, God decreed that He was against the people of Judah and would inflict punishment upon them for their defiance to His Sovereign Lordship.



One of the manifestations of the people's wickedness was their attitude of contempt for the sanctuary of the LORD. Whereas this had been a place in which God was honored through worship and obedience, the people of Ezekiel's day had placed vile images of false gods in the temple to worship them instead of God. They practiced detestible, immoral acts in the sanctuary as well. God would not be mocked; He declared that He would withdraw His divine favor from the people, and this withdraw resulted in loss of protection and blessing.



We as followers of Jesus Christ would do well to remember this story as a word of direction for us. We know from the New Testament that our bodies are now the temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells (I Corinthians 6:19); thus, we must remember that we are to honor the Lord with our very selves. We are to commit our lives fully to worship of the Lord and follow Him in faithful obedience. To turn from this calling and follow after the "idols" that would distract us from focused loyalty to the Lord is to experience the withdraw of God's blessing. If we expect to be blessed by the LORD, we first must be unwavering in our submission to Him as Lord. Rebellion will never be rewarded.

Wisdom Does Not Necessarily Increase With Age

I Kings 15:9,11; II Chronicles 16:1-2,9: "In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king of Judah . . . . Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done . . . . (Yet) in the thirty-sixth year of Asa's reign . . . Asa took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD's temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus . . . . (then Hanani the seer said to Asa) You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war."



Asa is one of those kings that started strong in obedience to the LORD but fizzled out in the later years of life. To be sure, he did not have a good example to follow from his father (King Abijah) and grandfather (King Rehoboam) for both of these kings committed detestible acts of rebellion against the Lord. Still, Asa rose early in his life above the example of his fathers and did what was "good and right in the eyes of the LORD" (2 Chronicles 14:2). Asa removed the pagan places of worship and commanded that all of his kingdom (Judah) seek the LORD.



Asa then called upon the strength of the LORD when he was faced with war against the mighty Cushites. Asa knew that he would need the LORD's help to defeat such a mighty foe, and so he cried out to the LORD: "there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army" (2 Chronicles 14:11).



God provided victory for Asa and the people of Judah. Asa was so strengthened by the LORD's help that he took courage and ordered that anyone in his kingdom who would not seek the LORD was to be put to death. Therefore, all of the people "sought God eagerly, and he (God) was found by them and (God in response) gave them rest" (2 Chronicles 15:15).



Yet after 36 years of ruling as king, during which time he saw the mighty works of deliverance from the LORD, Asa lost faith in God. When Baasha, king of Israel, sought to invade Judah, Asa sought the aid of Ben-Hadad king of Aram. Asa went to the point of taking the silver and gold out of the temple and his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad as a bargaining tool to gain the favor of the Aramean king. In response to such faithlessness, God sent the seer, Hanani, to Asa to rebuke the king. Hanani reminded Asa of God's deliverance from the Cushites years before when the king sought the aid of the LORD; but now, since Asa determined to bring deliverance through his own efforts, God declared that the king would only see war for the rest of his life.



One would think that the king of Judah would have repented at that point; however, the king became angry at the words of rebuke from Hanani and had him imprisoned for presenting such a scathing admonishment. Within three years, the king was afflicted with a debilitating disease; still, the king refused to seek the LORD. He sought only the help of his physicians for his sickness. Within 2 more years, the king was dead.



Asa's story is one of triumph turned tragedy. He started so strongly in obedience to the LORD, that one would have expected that the king would have been recorded as one of the greatest kings in the history of Judah; instead, one finds that King Asa would finish his reign as a brazenly defiant monarch, who did not seek the LORD. He went from experiencing the blessing and peace of the LORD to seeing war and personal illness. He is the consummate example of one who underachieved his potential for the LORD.



We would do well to remember the story of Asa as a word of instruction about the need to continue in faith, knowing that the LORD is to be honored in all stages of life. We never get to a point in life when we can put our obedience to the LORD in park. We must strive throughout the entirity of life to be committed to God and trust in Him. If we will put our faith in the LORD, we will reach our potential that God has desired for us, and we will not finish short like King Asa.

On Being a Light Reflector

Proverbs 4:18; Luke 11:36: "The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day . . . . If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you."



The path of the righteous begins with a glimmer of God's glorious light ahead, for God is "Light . . . . in Him is no darkness at all" (I John 1:5). Still, this life is not without the dark corners of pain and disappointment, for there are those among us who love the darkness and hate the Light. They prefer to dwell in places where their evil deeds will not be exposed (John 3:20). And the evil one would want to cast the dark shadows of temptation and tribulation upon our path, so that we would lose the intensity of our reflection of Our Lord. Satan knows that if he can get our eyes off of the Light, our reflection will grow dimmer and we will become discouraged by the darkness that lay around us.



Still, the calling of the righteous is to reflect the glorious Light of God; and with each passing day, our reflection should be growing brighter as we draw ever closer to the Light source. As we mature in the faith and cultivate our intimacy with Our Lord, our reflection illumines sharper to the darkened world around us. And then, when God wills for us to come to Him, we will experience the blessing of the fullness of His glorious presence. We will not need the light of a lamp or the sun "for the Lord God will give (us His glorious) light" (Revelation 22:5).

God's Grace Does Not Involve Our Efforts

Romans 10:3,6b,9,11; 11:6: "Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God, they sought to establish their own . . . . Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down). . . . (instead) if you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved . . . . Anyone who trusts in Him (Jesus) will never be put to shame . . . . And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace."

Faith is believing and submitting to Jesus Christ as Lord, who offers salvation to all who receive His mercy through His death and resurrection. All who do not surrender to His Lordship by faith will attempt to "ascend" into the presence of God through their own efforts, or they will conclude that they themselves are a god and should be worshipped. Either of these two paths invariably end up at the same place . . . . self-aggrandizement and adulation. The Bible tells us that grace would not be grace were salvation available through our own efforts. The reality is that none of us are righteous; thus, we are not able to ascend into the presence of God by our efforts or our position. This is why God had to come to us, and He came in the person of Jesus Christ.

Romans 9:22-23 tells us that God is ready to show His wrath and power against all godlessness and unrighteousness in the world. Still, He today is showing great patience by withholding His righteous judgment. Today, He is still offering the blessedness of salvation to those who will respond to Him with repentance and submission to Him as Lord.

For those of us who have responded to such an act of Divine Love and Mercy, we celebrate that God will never be put us to shame. All praise and thanks is given to our Loving, Faithful, Righteous Lord!

When Faithless Leadership Brings Judgment

I Kings 12:26f: "Jeroboam thought to himself, 'The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.' After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, 'It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up our of Egypt.' One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin"

The theme of Jeroboam's leadership was "whatever it takes to keep my position." Jeroboam had been crowned king by the tribes of Israel that had rebelled against Solomon's son, Rehoboam. Soon after Rehoboam had come to the throne, representatives of the tribes of Israel came to him to complain about the heavy yoke of burdensome labor that his father, Solomon, had placed upon them. Now they wanted the son to lift this burden from them. Rehoboam not only refused to listen to the people, he decided that he would be even more ruthless than his father had been. In response, the people rebelled against the king and appointed Jeroboam king. Only the tribe of Judah remained faithful to the son of Solomon.

Jeroboam had been promised by the Lord through the prophet Ahijah that he would be king of ten tribes of Israel. God promised Jeroboam that if he would be obedient by keeping the Lord's statutes and commands, God would be with the new king and would build a dynasty for him as enduring as the one built for David.

What Jeroboam lacked was faith. After being crowned king, Jeroboam became worried that if the people went to Jerusalem (to the land of Judah loyal to Rehoboam) to sacrifice offerings to the Lord, then his subjects would return their loyalty to his rival. Jeroboam did not seek the Lord, but decided that he would consult his advisors. Apparently they were able to sway the king to build shrines in his own territory, in direct defiance to the Lord's command that He was to be worshipped at the temple in Jerusalem. Jeroboam also decided to validate the improper venue of worship by crafting false idols and recognizing them as the ones who brought deliverance to the Israelites from Egypt centuries before. Jeroboam was commiting cosmic treason against the Sovereign Lord by praising lifeless idols and crediting them with what God had accomplished years before.

Whereas God had promised Jeroboam a lasting dynasty, the king's fear of loss of the throne and his lack of faith in the promises of God brought about his downfall. The king was more concerned with maintaining the loyalty of his subjects over doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Ultimately, this brought the very thing he feared most: the destruction of his kingdom.

God Can Identify With Divorce

Jeremiah 3:8; 31:31-32: "'I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries . . . . I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,' declares the LORD."



In a culture today that is saturated with marital separation and divorce, we who make up the Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ must deal with this painful reality that is affecting so many lives. Tragically, what I hear from attendees of divorce recovery programs is that the Church is ostracizing their divorced members, irrespective of the circumstances that brought the divorce to pass. Even though many of these divorced people labored to save their marriages at all costs, they still are being set aside as unfit for the kingdom of God; their churches are taking the position that the divorced are precluded by their marital status from using their giftedness for the cause of Christ. These people are being overlooked for positions of church ministry and leadership; they are marked with a stigma comparable to the reprobate (or even worse, for even the reprobate have a hope of being "redeemed").



The Church must re-examine the Scriptures to see how God has handled the subjects of marriage and divorce. First, we must recognize that divorce was never God's intention from the beginning of time when He created the institution of marriage (Matthew 19:8). Human marriage was created not only to meet a relational need within humanity (Genesis 2:18) and to produce future generations that would seek the Lord (Malachi 2:15); first and foremost, the institution was designed by our Sovereign Creator for the purpose of helping us appreciate in a tangible way His relationship with His bride. (Ephesians 5). In the Old Testamant, this marriage was with the covenant community; in the New Testament, it is with the Church. And God has commanded that the husband and wife remain faithfully commited to each other within the covenant of marriage (I Corinthians 7:10-11) to model the faithful fidelity that Our Lord has for His bride. We know that Our Lord does not abandon us. He always is faithful to us, even when we demonstrate faithlessness through sin (2 Timothy 2:13). We never have to worry about whether God will forsake us for someone else; He is commited to His covenant. So too, He holds us to the same standard of fidelity to our spouses, so that we better can appreciate His immutable commitment to us. Only God could design a human relationship so intimate and special that it would teach us about His level of intimacy with those who have surrendered to His Lordship.


Still, God is not without the painful experience of divorce Himself. As one reads through the Old Testament, one is able to see that a covenant was established early between God and the Israelites through Moses (see Deuteronomy 28-29). Yet with time, the Israelites began to adulterate themselves by following after pagan gods and commiting detestible acts of rebellion against the Lord. One can find God calling out to His bride to return to Him, so that the covenant could be restored; but the covenant community would have none of it. They enjoyed their estrangement, and determined not to return to their covenant. Eventually, a point was reached in which God decreed that He gave "faithless Israel a certificate of divorce and sent her away because of her adulteries." At this point, God's covenant relationship was broken; God became divorced.


Some would say that these passages are merely figurative . . . that God really has not experienced either marriage or divorce. I would counter by again saying that our human marriages were created to help us appreciate THE ULTIMATE MARRIAGE COVENANT of God with His covenant people. Thus, God has experienced the ultimate divorce. I believe that this is why God can say in Malachi 2:16, "I hate divorce." God has experienced the pain of rejection by His bride for another "person." He knows the agony of pleading for His covenant love to return only to see an unresponsiveness from her.


Nonetheless, once the covenant was broken, God declared that a new covenant would be established; but this new covenant would be with a new bride, the Church. Paul addresses this in Romans 9 when he says, "It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel . . . . it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring" (9:6,8). God had seen the severing of the old covenant through the infidelity and abandonment of the covenant community, resulting in a new covenant with the Church. Thus, we can see that God has not only experienced divorce but He has been remarried as well. (Of course, those naturalized Israelites who lived before the arrival of Jesus Christ but who by faith trusted in the coming Messiah to provide salvation are counted with the new covenant people who now look back upon the reality of Jesus as the fulfillment of God's grace and thus are the beneficiaries of the true Abrahamic Covenant [see Hebrews 11:13-16]).


Marriage should be honored by all (Hebrews 13:4). God expects that those who enter into the covenant of marriage should remain commited to the one with whom they entered into covenant. Still, for those who have experienced the betrayal and abandonment of their spouse, they should not be ascribed by the Church the label of "Unfit for the Kingdom of God." If the Church is not going to look at the circumstances of the divorce to determine the culpability of the divorce . . . if instead the Church is going to label every divorced person as unfit for kingdom work, then it will need to assign the same unworthiness to God Himself. I wonder sometimes how many churches would prevent God from speaking from the pulpit or holding a position of leadership or using His abilities to edify the members simply because of His divorced status. It is a very sobering thought isn't it?