Currents

Tonight's sermon was on Micah, the positive prophecies of hope. It was a refresher of the high points of the book. He was given three messages for the Jewish people: you are going into exile to 

Babylon and will return; your future king will come from Bethlehem; finally there will come a time when war is past and the need for war-making materials will be no more. 

Two have been fulfilled, one is yet to come.

These are massive God-stirrings in the human condition. Currents of his hand in our sphere of existance. Micah caught the flow and offered hope to those who believed in the near future, mid future and distant future. I'm positive that between the mega-movements there are still awesome currents that we need to jump in and ride.

Tonight the elder prayed for boldness. Does he know what that means? In our world these days it will mean putting up the beautiful church building to pay for the legal bills caused by the activists disagreeing with our new marriage policy. It is one thing to state boldly the Word to one's own congregation. It is entirely another to stand boldly when the world tries to force that stand down. We are on that razor edge as a nation. Oh churches, will you be bold when the Obama-nazis come to seize your pastor and elders? Will you stand on the Word to the prison cell?

This current in our society is going to be difficult. But we are given the final prophecy in Micah (ironicly first of the three in the book) as a beacon to aim for: there will be a time when swords will be beaten into plowshares, and there will be peace between the nations. 

Our speaker, calm and deliberate, spoke of a friend in a nation that is 99% Muslim. Yet he cried as he sensed the danger this family was in just as representatives of Jesus Christ as their religion. The threat is real, their lives are in danger, there would be no repercussions should they be killed for their religion. Yet in that region there is reason to hope, because one day Christ will rule that land too. That is a current in history that no man can hold back. 

Or for that matter, no demon or Satan will either. 

There is hope, my friend. There is always hope.

Pew Research Findings

The percentage of the American population that identify themselves as Christian has declined over the last eight years.

A Lot.

From 78.4% to 70.6%.

That was big news this week.

So was an article commemorating the 50 years that have passed since a famous photograph of amish children running into the corn fields to escape forced bussing away from their one room school to the local public school system.

These are connected. And it should be obvious.

I am a Christian. 100% sold out.

And the part of the population that no longer identifies as a Christian may have:

1. Never been Christian
2. Be a joiner, but not believer
3. Be apostate, having left the faith
4. Be brainwashed against the faith
5. So deep in sin that they barely see the light
6. Something else

Frankly, the percentage means nothing to me. You do. My kids do. My friends do. That's where the Amish kids and the choice of schooling is important. Without that choice, they aren't Amish, they aren't really people.

50 years ago the state was forcing kids into education programs. 100 years ago the Germans turned their children over to the State for education. 150 years ago Marx envisioned education as the way to return humanity to control.

The Pew study just told us that the plan is working. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Missionaries 2

Missionaries have a mission. They represent their parent organization and push the agenda of the group. Christians use the term to speak of those who go to a foreign environment and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But there is a new group of missionaries promoting their religion through the tactics advocated by their original leader: Mohammed. And the West isn't handling it very well. Why not?

This is a blog, my ideas, and not a definitive examination of the subject. Disclaimer over.

Secularism has discounted the value, importance, validity and need for religion. The philosophy that man is the measure of all things is the modern counter weight to the idea that God is the center of all things. The tactics of secularism have pushed Christianity into the corner in order to establish a society without moral restrictions, regardless of eternal outcome. Why? Because in the secularists philosophy there is no eternal for a man therefore there should be no restrictions. Our wealth is choking our hearts and souls.

When a person, or many people, have more money than they can possibly spend in a lifetime there is a tendency to slack off and pursue whatever feels good in the moment. Rationalizations kick in and restrictions are thrown away. Eventually the wealth of the nation becomes the touchpoint for decline because the populace weaken in their bodies, minds and will. America is the wealthiest population in the world. Our poor receive benefits that dwarf the subsistence living of most of the world. Yet, the push continues to discount restrictions, morals, and religion. 

Secularists find it inconceiveable that religion could be that important to anyone. Why bother, they reason!

So now we have new missionaries in our midst. They are firm believers in their religion, follow its rules and guidelines, and wholeheartedby believe that their lives matter only in the age to come. They use the tactics laid out by their original leaders to spread the new understanding of god and man's order. They convert people who are interested and ready to have a soul change in a radical way. These converts want to matter to someone, or something and the missionaries are doing their best to give them a great shot at it. People are being recruited in person, in temples, in jails and through the many communication avenues of the internet.

The discounting of religion in secular society has caused a blind spot in media reporting and political thinking. Therefore they have missed the true nature of the threat of Islam. These missionaries are not in our midst to promote their faith through “good works”. These modern missionaries are promoting their faith through a war, a “jihad”, that was outlined by their leader Mohammed. The fact that the entire movement is based on their religion is what seems to baffle these prominent leaders. Why, when they have been given so much, do they want more?

This ignorance, willful or genuine, means that the West is in big trouble. The principles of Christianity laid the thinking for the emergence of America as the leading nation in the world. The principles of Islam have laid the foundation for continued strife and stagnation in the areas where it holds sway. These missionaries want to drastically restructure the world into their own image and belief system. It’s all religion, folks. And these missionaries are doing their best to make converts and infiltrate the society we live in according to their leaders direction.

Politically correct language tries to soften the blunt reality of a situation. It may be more polite but it does not have the emotional push needed to confront this latest push by Islam into the world’s stage. These missionaries are the vanguard of the armies to come. Will we have the language, stamina, and faith to repel the first emissaries of this religion? Will we be able to establish Christianity again as the only freedom faith ever shown to man? Or will we live our faith lives in smaller enclaves until the day of our redeemer’s return?

Tactics, missionaries, modernity. Wake up secular America, we’re in real trouble.

Missionaries

Language is a funny thing. English can be a very precise communication device. Just dip into science and medicine and the language is unintelligilble gibberish to the uninformed. Or the blog posts here: the lowercase titles are straight reflections of mine from reading "The Story" chapter by chapter.

If that is what you are looking for, then don't read further. This uppercase titled piece is strictly an untested observation that I wanted to get down before it escaped my fragile short term memory.

The missionary movement among the Christian faith was birthed by Jesus when he sent out the twelve in two's to preach the good news in the neighboring towns. Their mission was simple, speak publically and privately about the work Jesus was doing and the reason he was doing it. The disciples were advised to take little baggage along, but instead survive on the generosity of the people in the town moved by their message. If no one listened, then move on. 

The modern missionary movement had the same goals, but with outside funding could stay in resistant areas and "do good works" to prove their worth and fortify the message. In many settings it was a recipe for cultural clashes and martyrdom. Death on the field was a major loss at home, but it was seen as a direct ticket to heaven based on purity of motive and service to "the cause". Excuse me if this is a little blunt, but the hardline truth in this analysis is to throw a light on intent and strategy: Modern Christian missionaries used service, good works, and teaching as the strategy for attention to the message: Jesus Christ is the messiah and shows us the right way to live and die.

The crazy thing to me has always been the idea that different denominations, often with very similar doctinal stands, would have similar missions in the same foreign lands yet never speak of joint efforts or mutual benefits. Just two completely separate organizations with almost identical missions, doctrinal statements, identical missional strategy, and location. The duplication of effort drive me nuts. One church, one Savior, one salvation, 8,000 organizations. (Exaggeration intended. Accuracy not needed. Bureaucracy run amok.) 

Now we are seeing a similar missionary effort in the West by another religion, and we are not handling this situation so well. First, what is the missionary effort then why are we not handling it so well.

The missionaries and their tactics. 

Media reports the infiltration of missionary tactics happening on our borders and through the internet. People and thoughts are crossing our porous safety nets to bring a new message of order and peace to the people of America. Their mission is to make converts. Their tactics are to use the same rhetoric of oppression, dominance and order that makes for great conspiracies. But it is also the same rhetoric that builds freedom crushing societies built on fear. The first push for such organizations is to build enclaves of useful “others” who peacefully coexist and build lives of prominence. The second step is to build a force of their well heeled children and the disaffected in the surrounding society.

What the current missionary effort in the USA didn’t count on was the close aliance with another movement pushing through the culture at the same time: radical racial upheaval and the adoption of the Teachings of Mohammed by many influential religious leaders of color. While Christians looked to Ghandi for patterns to change society, others looked to Mohammed for inspiration and found a different tactic for cultural “rightness”.  Think Martin Luther King compared to Louis Farrakhan as an example.

If this writing seems vague without names or specific dates/events it is on purpose: I’m laying some ideas about strategy that are running through my head, I have not done the hard work of researching them or correlating them to facts. Let’s face it, this topic is worthy of book length examination.

People without hope looking for meaning (in a meaningless society, now there’s another statement to tear apart) will gravitate to the place where change is being done personally and in the surrounding world. The new crop of missionaries to America see the mission as lifting Mohammed and his religious order to prominence using the tactics of the past: peaceful infiltration then legal reform to the pattern of the Koran and finally pressure enforcement through fines, imprisonment and death. Their tactic is the soldier, recruited and trained according to the thoughts and motives of their founder, with language that only now sounds ominous; before the language sounded like the language of protest. 

So how does my earlier observation about the English language come into play here? Because we are loathe to call these recruits what they really are: missionaries of Islam in the context of the Koran completing the missions that Mohammed himself sent his disciples to do to the surrounding towns. This is the core of the tactic being revived in the modern age. Our language, or perhaps our societal refusal to engage religious dialogue, has set us up to miss a crucial point for the so-called terrorist threat. These are not terrorists! They are missionaries of the prophet working according to the directions he gave with the message and tactics outlined through practice. Not so different than Jesus sending out the twelve, just radically different message, tactics and results. 

Missionaries. Some bring water, crops, medicine, chickens and a message of life and hope. The current crop bring bullets, confrontation, dirty bombs and “in your face” pressure hoping to die for the cause. Which should be supported for the general welfare? Which should be stopped?

Living in the Times of Judges

Judge Judy sits high on her lofty bench, ruling over the hapless combatants below. Everyone has signed waivers so the stakes are high. She hears, questions, ridicules, speaks her general truisms and renders her decision. Judgment. Final. Post "court" interviews are done and we are done enjoying the micro-drama we've witnessed. 

That is not what a biblical judge was, or is.

The Baltimore riots reminded me of the uprisings in the late 60's across the country. My mid-sized GM town saw more than its share of rioting, vandalism and random shootings in the name of racial equality. Are we again in an era of godless rebellion? 

One generation: 1970 to 2015. And this one more rebellious against God than the earlier one. Sounding familiar.

In the evangelical world we raise individuals who speak plainly to their generation of God's truths and God's way of shalom in the world. Often, they are mocked as a sideshow, but the longterm results of their work lay a foundation of right living and peace in society with an effect much greater than political or financial muscle can force. Great names worth repeating include Jonathon Edwards, John Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham. 

A godless, licentious generation would arise and then a voice would sound out doing the impossible: making sense of right living and shalomic peace with God and man. 

This is not new. However the tragedy of the situation is documented in the cycles of the Judges in that Old Testament writing. The only judgement that a biblical judge pronounced was a judgement against sin. They could not order punishment, they could not enforce decrees, they were restricted in what they could say and do. A biblical judge told what was true to people who did not know they were in trouble. They arose to calm fears and restore order but they didn't have the backing of the political, financial or military bigwigs of the age. Biblical judges simply began to apply God's word to the days actions and changes happened. They were the right people for the time.

But the flaw with the Judges was their specificity and adherance to the path God laid out for them. When the politicians came courting a judge would go back to their farm after rebuffing their advance. When money came calling the Judge could not be purchased. When the military called for a Judge's leadership (male or female!) the Judge said "no" and continued to speak and do the will of God.  They would not be turned from their Godpath. 

I believe we are in the between times of the Judges. Billy Graham, singularly focused and undeterred, is a Judge. His message is tightly focused on the Gospel and salvation. His message to politicians, money, and power is the same: "You must be saved". His effect on society has been vast, and I believe he stood in the gap between God's wrath and our country's wayward people. Billy Graham was heard and instantly respected. God had Billy's ear, and Billy did not waste what he heard. 

But now what, or who will arise to speak God's word to this lawless generation? Or will society degenerate again into a godless generation that echoes this fatal observation in the old Book:

"Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's commands. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshipping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. Therefore, the Lord was very angry..."

Judges 2:17-20 NIV

keys

Keys.
Locks.
Inclusion and exclusion.

Contemplate the lowly scrap of metal you call a key.

Seriously, come up with a couple observations yourself before you go forward with reading this bit of drivel.

We use keys for a very specific reason: to prohibit people from entering or using the locked object. Houses, cars, deposit boxes, guns, and lockers are reasons for a lock and key. We do not want those to be opened or accessed by anyone except those who we give the privilege of  owning the key. Those that own the key have all the rights to allow or disallow others access to the locked item.

If one does not make a copy of a key or share the key, then it is assumed that others will have no access at all to the desired object locked.

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Revelation 1:17-18

Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. Wow, take some time and turn your earlier observations about keys into applications about Jesus owning the keys to death and Hades... Satan doesn't have a copy, death and Hades are wide open, Cerberus is necessary to keep the dead inside, not keep the living out! Hades is the most INCLUSIONARY place ever created, while Heaven is the most exclusionary place ever created. The criteria for entrance to Hades is simple: did you live. The criteria for Heaven is incredibly narrow: is your name in the Lamb's book of life?

This is the last chapter in "The Story - The Bible As One Continuing Story of God And His People" and my review of chapter observations. And how fitting that God would drive the word "keys" into my conscience. As a pastor I was often asked if someone was in Heaven after death. It was most often specific: Aunt Jane, Grandpa, Billy. Now I understand why it was such a frustrating question: I don't have the key to that place. Jesus does have the key. I cannot know fully what is true in a man's soul, his connection to the crucified one, his transformation, his sanctification. I can only be a shepherd to those who choose to identify with the Lamb who was slain according to His Word. I cannot lean on my own interpretations.

Perhaps that is why I lean so heavily on the text of Scripture rather than theology or interpretations. Too much man, too little God. What does the Book say?

"The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into (Heaven). Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." Rev. 21:27

"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolators and all liars - they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Rev. 21:8

At the end of the ages, after the final judgments, when Hades and death are depopulated of the redeemed and Jesus has claimed His own (those whose name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life) then the keys are brought out and Jesus locks the door of Hades shut. This I read. This I believe.

This is a truth that grieves me, for you dear reader. We have only this life to choose the one solution to man's core problem: sin. Once this physical life is over we are not just inanimate matter to dissolve and be reused by the scavengers of life. We are more, and you sense it in your soul. When the final key is used, which side of the gates of Hades will you be on?

tactics

My journey through "The Story" has come to the final two chapters: Paul and the Revelation. What can we learn from these that hasn't been hashed over a million times? 

The chapter highlighting Paul's ministry was remarkable to me for two incidents. Not what Paul said, but what Paul used to effect God's will. Paul illustrated tactics that incorporated earthly wisdom and observation with completing God's will. 

So often I hear that Christians cannot use worldly methods or ideas to advance the Gospel. How can the godly use tainted articles or ideas? But that was not the example of Paul.

In one instance Paul is about to be condemned by the entire Sanhedrin, and he declares that he is on trial because, as a Pharisee, he believes in the resurrection of the dead. (Of course he did, Jesus is alive!) That started a riot as the Sadducees and Pharisees immediately began to bicker and argue about this contentious doctrine. The Roman guards immediately saw the danger and protected Paul from the melee. Divide and conquer, earthly wisdom to further God's cause.

The second instance is the reflection that the Romans carrying Paul to Rome used a ship with Castor and Pollux, the twin gods of the Greek pantheon, on the masthead. They were the "guardians" of the ship. Clearly this was an article dedicated and revered as set apart to this god-pair. It merited a mention in Scripture, the only instance I'm aware exists. This tells us that Paul, and God, are not concerned about the spiritual forces that simply do not exist, and instead Paul reminds his shipmates that it is God who will bring them through the storm, even though They have spent two weeks begging the twins for help. The ship will be destroyed (your gods are doomed) but you will be saved if you stay under the banner of Paul's God.

Amazing, if you consider it, that Paul lived in a most contentious time, immersed in the evil of the day, and used it all for the glory of Jesus Christ. 

The earth is the Lord's, and the glory thereof.

blessing

The crucifixion of Jesus brought an end to many traditions. The Temple was critically damaged so the sacrifices were compromised. There were the many who no longer felt compelled to follow the ones who led to the death of their rabbi. The Law was tempered in three short years of teaching, and people felt empowered to ask different questions than the politically correct ones.

Paul was transformed into the super apostle he was in order to provide some sense to the unrest. He was a brilliant student with the skill to learn quickly and adapt to the new knowledge. He was a keen observer of cultures and religions. He was physically tough, mentally sharp and spiritually sensitive.

Unfortunately he also dreamed of wiping out the new movement of Jesus' devotees. 

The Damascus road blinding of Paul by Jesus was to give Paul a living demonstration of the blindness that humanity was enduring. It was through the work of a different believer that Paul could regain his sight, demonstrating the critical importance of the Body of believers over the individual. It was Paul who was escorted to the wilderness for personal teaching by Jesus that applied the Old Testament to his life and teachings.

And what did Paul learn?

Freely give, even if nothing is received.

The flesh is a monster never to be trusted.

Love everyone, but love those in the body enough to help them grow into Christlikeness.

Don't ignore the Old Testament, but don't worship it either.

Christ on the cross is the final fulfillment of man's true problem. There is no need for other gods, traditions, or philosophies for man to live a good, full and pleasing life.

Paul learned, taught and lived how to be a blessing. Even when he was rebuking the Corinthians or confronting the Romans, his goal was harmony and blessing among the saints. 

May it be the same with us these days. May our blindness fall like scales  that we might see the needs around us!

birth

If you've followed the blogs to now, there is a steady theme focusing on the crucifixion of Jesus from the legal perspective of the sacrifice. Sacrifice provided a way to please God. Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel knew the ritual's requirements and followed them. Sacrifice was codified in the Law, practiced in the Temple, and despaired over during the dispersion. The sacrifices were endorsed by Rome because of their pacifying influence on the population (and because they were done by Rome for Romish gods).

The event of the crucifixion provides a screeching halt to the practice. The Temple is eventually destroyed and never rebuilt. There will be a Temple, and there will be a sacrifice, but the New Testament place those events into the end times scenarios. Jews may mourn the loss of sacrifice but it does not seem that God has empowered the ritual anymore.

It is safe to say that the crucifixion solved the legal condition brought on by the original sin committed by Eve, then Adam. A new relationship with people is available with God, who before could not personally abide with any form of sin in His Holiness. Now, through the blood of Christ splattered on the doorposts and lintels of a person's life (by faith), God can pass over the judgement on mankind to abide with us in the desert of this world. This is a drastic new relationship and is rightly termed a birth.

No one denies that a child is alive immediately prior to the birth event. One has to accept that the child is not free, is not capable, and is not independent until birth, however. So also is the person who has not applied the blood of Christ's sacrifice to their life. Original sin is like the walnut's shell to the nutmeat - an almost impenetrable covering to the outside world. The nut is not free to grow, cannot be fed by the world around it, and is not capable of an independent life. The shell must be cracked, the baby must be born, and we must be spiritually birthed at some point in life.

The sacrificial system is over because the final sacrifice is complete. Prophecy and practice collided on Calvary with God's foreseen solution. "It is finished" was much larger than a death breath, it was God's exclamation point on his covenants.

The result? The birth of the church, the gathering, without the restrain of the physical altar or sacrificial system. Free, capable and independent people gathered to enjoy the blessings of God and proclaim to the captive world the way out. The walnut shell can be cracked, the womb opened up, the life to live is available!

surety

Never cosign for a loan, instead, just give the person the money. That's Dave Ramsey's advice. The borrower is slave to the lender until the debt is paid.

Mankind finds itself in debt to holiness both in the sin were have done and the sin that we are. This causes the Lord God to turn His back on us because in his holiness he cannot behold the result of our sinfulness. We cannot behold Him either, or we should instantly die in our Fallen nature.

The gulf created at the Fall was terminal for man. God continued to reach out to man, made agreements, promises, covenants, gave the Law for direction. But still there was a failure in the system because no one person or action fulfilled man's side of the ritual. There was none righteous, none clean, none who could fulfill the dictates of the sacrifice.

And that is all it would take, just one pure sacrifice.

Millions of animals, from the beginning of life outside Eden, have been sacrificed. Not one of them were truly perfect or sufficient. They were tainted from the beginning of their earthly existence. Likewise human sacrifice is insufficient in most regards because of the sin factor. And without the shedding of blood there is no remission for sins. It is impossible that, by the shedding of the blood of bulls and goats, to be made clean from sin. Mankind needed someone to pay our debt, to cosign the warrant demanding our death and separation from a holy God.

This is where the necessity of the cross factors into the plan. God did not string us along giving us tidbits of hope in the sacrifices, the family, the Law, the Judges, the Temple, the kingdoms, the return, or any other supernatural intervention. Those were meant to teach us that mankind is unable to satisfy the demands of a holy covenant made with a holy God. It was always in the plan of the Trinity that there needed to be One of them that needed to fulfill the dictates of the prophecy in Eden "you shall strike his heel, he shall crush your head" (to the serpent). One of the Trinity had to be our bondsman to pay the bail price and hold our presentation to the court. This is the prime meaning of the word "surety". The debt will be paid, if not by the one who incurred the debt then by the surety who will "for sure" pay it out of their own pocket. This was always the hope of the Patriarchs and the prophecies. Oh, who will free me from this burden of sin and the debt that suffocates my thoughts, my goals and my will? Thanks be to God, who in

Jesus paid Our infinite debt in one lump sum - at the cross.

The perfect sacrifice, the high place of mounded dirt, the uncut altar, the blood shed after death and spilt on the altar, the final declaration of resolution and atonement all conform to the dictates of ancient sacrifice.

Jesus

paid

it

all.

Have you signed on with the ultimate bondsman of all time?

passover

Egypt is primed for judgement, Israel is primed for freedom. Moses and Pharaoh are in the final stanzas of the last dance before closing time. Nine plagues done, one to come. The last plague God brings on Egypt is a full frontal assault on the pre-eminent god of the Egyptians - Pharaoh and his lineage, specifically the firstborn son, the next god on the throne.

All the firstborns in Egypt will be judged and killed in this plague. All of them in the land. So how does God manage the Israelites in this threat? With sacrifice and blood.

One lamb, consumed in whole, by a family or group of people, under one roof, roasted only, eaten in haste and ready to flee at daybreak. The sacrifice at twilight, blood on the door frame as a sign of following the ordinance. Follow these guidelines, all of them.

Passover. So the angel of death would see the blood then pass over the homes of the faithful and spare them the awful selective death of the firstborn. No blood on the doorposts meant someone in that household was going to die. The family had to follow every part of the ritual or they wouldn't be ready for the life to come and would lose the firstborns.

This substitutionary death, complete with blood splattering, is a foreshadowing of Christ's Passion and Crucifixion. Life was in jeopardy and God gave a way through the threat in both instances.

I find it amazing that the same elements of an acceptable sacrifice are present from the beginning of the narrative of God and his people. The elements commonly include a substitutionary death, perfection of the sacrifice, blood spilling, and simple altars. A common theme is the position of the "high place", or hill top as the location. Mankind knew and instantly responded to God's call to perform a sacrifice with a sense of what was right.

What do we learn? God solidfies the concept that only through sacrifice is a person or family saved from the consequences of spiritual death. Further we learn that the general consequences of community sin can be avoided by strictly adhering to the Word of the Lord and submitting to His sacrifice. Anything outside the strict guidelines is not enough to avoid the coming punishment. 

highplace

Genesis expands on the theme of the sacrifice in Genesis 15 and 22. Both events are pivotal to understanding the relationship between the sacrifice and God's covenants with people.

How does God confirm his agreement with Abraham? With and understood and well practiced ritual called the suzereignty ceremony. It was a treaty ratification between two Kings that designated that the agreement was morally binding on those who participated. Large animals were ritually sacrificed, cut in two and arranged down the sides of a path. Birds were sacrificed but not divided. The agreement was stated, then the one(s) who were bound to the agreement went down the path to signify "may I be like these animals should I break the agreement."

God restates his commitment to give the land to Abram, then travels down the lane alone. 

Sacrifice is necessary for a confirmation or agreement in God's economy. Genesis 15

The offering of Isaac is very interesting from many aspects. There are the basic parts of a sacrifice worthy of God: the high place, the altar of earth and a sacrifice. It is interesting that Isaac is not concerned about the trip until they are close to arriving to the location. Was it assumed that this was a normal part of everyday life? Abram assumed God would provide the sacrifice and it is further reasoned in Scripture that Abram figured that God would raise this promised child from the dead after the sacrifice was over. Genesis 22 shows that God did provide the ram for sacrifice but only after the test was successfully completed, Abram was willing to sacrifice the child of promise to obey God.

Some have said that God provided the ram because he does not require human sacrifice. However, this would place the cross and Jesus at odds with God's commands. Perhaps it is better to say that Isaac did not measure up to the known requirements for a sacrifice: he was not without defect. This passage does teach that God demands absolute obedience, which Abram passed. A secondary lesson is that children can be blessed if they follow their godly parents.

Thus, the closest a person came to being sacrificed for God was Isaac, who submitted to the trial without struggle. God endorsed sacrifice and participated in rituals involving sacrifice with Abram. However God did not demand Abram complete the sacrifice of Isaac instead accepting the ram as a substitute. One day there would be One worthy of that ultimate position of sacrifice. 

in sight of eden

Years passed after Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Children were born, grew up, became productive. Abel, a son, tended animals. Cain, a second son, tended plants. Both knew something significant and knew how to do it right.

They both knew how to make an acceptable offering.

Abel offered the best of his herd and the best of the fatty portions for his offering.

Cain offered grain from his storehouse.

How did they know to make this kind of offering? How did they know what an acceptable offering was? And how was it that the conscience of Cain was disturbed when his offering was rejected? God seeks Cain out and asks him "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?" Gen. 4:7

There are three important aspects of the offering shown in the Cain and Abel passage:

1. God had imparted the necessity of the offering to people, and offerings were a regularly practiced ritual. 

2. God had communicated the standards for offerings to the people alive in those days, even though the regulations were not written down until the Exodus. Adam, Eve, Abel and Cain all knew the standards and God was still conversing directly with people. There has always been a God-endorsed standard for offerings. 

3. God expressed the value of the offering for the person by equating the action with acceptance. By doing right the person was accepted, not just the offering as a covering or relief from the offense.

Necessity, standards and value for acceptance by a Holy God were known and practiced by people at the earliest stages of existance. Thus, when Jesus stated that he was about to fulfill the Law by his death he was declaring what others testified about him: it was a necessary action, at the highest standards, with the ultimate goal being acceptance by God for those who applied the sacrifice to themselves.

Here is the first clue about the incredible importance of Jesus and the crucifixion. It is a clue that most of us miss completely.

crucifixion

Someone dies when intractable worldviews collide. There were three such worldviews at loggerheads at the trial of Jesus. Roman, Jewish and Jesus.

There are no easy ways to categorize those three worldviews. They are complex in origin and difficult to enact. Rome used the power of the military and law. The Jews used the power of behavioral modification and religious law. Jesus combined religious law with a new power - God's attributes. Jesus was alone, he lost out.

That is why the question Pilate posed is so powerful: "What is truth?". He apparently saw at least two sides of the equation, and was being confronted with acting on the third. Pilate must have known about the teachings of Jesus. Rome was everywhere and knew almost everything. He was a learned man accustomed to making decisions according to Rome. The fact that he released a man from prison at Passover showed he had come to understand the minimums for dealing with the Jewish worldview. He must have favored Jesus's worldview in a people: pay your taxes, obey your appointed leaders, live a life of service. Nothing wrong with that in a subject nation.

The Jews understood their problem clearly. Jesus was undermining the power of the Law by declaring that he was fulfilling it. Who needs the Temple when you can go directly to the source?

Finally, Jesus was well aware that the end of the matter had to be his death. It was part of the plan and within the wisdom of God. It was a big deal, this flesh sacrifice. But Jesus had agreed to it should Adam or Eve falter in the Garden of Eden.

The next entry in this series will look at some of the rationale for the death of Jesus. Why death in God's economy? How does that fulfill the Old Testament Law?

For now, its important to know that the reality was Jesus was introducing a new worldview. It opposed Rome and Jewish Law. Someone was going to die while Jesus was the odd man out. This rational conclusion by the power players was forecast in Scripture, played out in public, and consummated on a nearby hill. The teachings of Jesus weren't important at that moment, Equilibrium was. The crucifixion was meant to solve a problem for both Rome and the Jews. Instead, it created a  whole new one for the entire world: choose you this day whom you will serve: the State, the Religion, or Jesus.

Sorry boys, Jesus won that battle. That was in your writings too.

before

You know that limp Jacob had? I gave it to him.

Elijah saw my backside.

Abraham argued with me. A lot.

Sarai laughed at my words. 

Adam and Eve thought leaves could hide their deeds from my sight.

"Before Abraham was, I am." Jesus declared.

The fact that Jesus existed before he took on human flesh is a confounding truth of Christianity. Flesh is begotten, lives a brief time and dies to return to elementals. The soul or spirit was an unknown quantity to the Jews. Think of an unknowing ghost, a wisp of the past for an idea of their conception. Only God had an active spirit life that was before and after a human's span.

For one man from Galilee to claim pre-existance in a true active form was way out of the understanding of the ruling, teaching elites. Even the very phrase 'I Am' was revealed as the one true name of God (to Moses). Jesus used it in reference to himself directly in this passage, but also when he described himself: "I am the good shepherd", "I am the living water", "I am the bread of life". 

And so Jesus is claiming the right to speak of the unseen world and how to live fully in that world. His teaching opened a door that noone else dared to believe existed. How could there be a life after death? The concept was far too advanced for the religions and philosophies of man's mind. There is just not frame of reference from man's perspective to conclude there is a heaven and we were made for it. Jesus spent a good deal of time talking about it, giving references to rooms, mansions, praises, thrones, the hosts who had gone before. At the Transfiguration Jesus spoke with Moses and Elijah in bodily form, for a brief time. Thinking, relating, planning, sharing are all done in this spirit life. 

This is our goal and hope: that this Fallen life will be redeemed for an Eden life with Jesus in a real place we call Heaven. Why can we hope for this? Because it was the hand of Jesus that squeezed the clay and puffed into it to make the man. It was Jesus who then fashioned clay, added a rib and blew into it to make the woman. It was Jesus who brought the right male sperm and the right female egg together to make you. And Jesus told us that if we believe in him that is our future too. 

before... and after.

y1

Jesus was a great teacher.

How do you respond to that statement? The person making that is often trying to say something nice or inoffensive. But its clearly a limiting statement as well. Jesus was a great teacher. So was Miss Fenton and Dr. Fetters.

Jesus didn't get in trouble for great moral teaching. He got in trouble because commanded the matter of earth and unseen of life as its rightful superior. To the crippled hand he ordered it stretched out and it did. To the uncontrollable demons of the tombs he orders out of the man and into the pigs and they do. John asked of Jesus "Who are you, really?" 

"Jesus replied, 'Go back and report to John what you hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.'" Matthew 11:4-6 

Nothing about teaching in that self description. Nothing at all. 

If you have been reading this blog at all you have perhaps caught a trend in my thinking. The Old Testament is the failed record of man attempting to overcome the effects of the Fall and failing. No self help program has ever overcome the reality of man's fallen nature. Perfect religion, perfect laws, perfect guides, perfect governments, not even the stress of perfect domination could create a man who overcame the damage incurred in the Fall.

There needed to be One who fulfilled all of these to satisfy the dictates of the Law and Covenant. It wasn't coming from man's direction, it had to come from God. 

Not a great teacher, they had plenty of those.

Not a great leader, they had plenty of those.

Not a great religion, they had one of those.

Not a great lawyer, oh dear Jesus not another self absorbed arrogant lawyer....

And certainly not a great political leader, though those were in short supply.

We needed a Savior, one who was clearly in charge of earth and heaven. Jesus is that One. 

So when someone tells you that Jesus was a "great teacher" don't let it sit as the final word defining Him. Let that person know that it was the enemies of Jesus who labeled him that way. The Old Testament and the demons both testify that Jesus is the Son of God, Ruler of Heaven and Earth, fully flesh and fully God, fulfillment of all prophecy, awaited Messiah, final prophet, ultimate priest, legitimate King. Jesus is the answer, the reconciler, the Holy One, Creator, conqueror, dominator, the End.

Do we know that from his teaching? No. We know that from his confrontations with the flesh and the unseen worlds. He always won, never a contest. When Jesus speaks stuff happens. Everytime. Great teachers explain the world to you. Jesus comanded it. 

Jesus was not a great teacher. Jesus is God. Year 1 proved that. Don't let that one slide, dear reader.

born

again.

"I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - Jesus

Every religion has laws, rules and guidelines for righteous behavior. Every religion speaks of the afterlife in one form or another. Jesus introduced the idea that the afterlife could be a part of our everyday life today. But a transformation has to happen, a second time.

The first transformation is flesh. From conception to birth raw materials are converted into baby. Somehow a breath of life enters that organized material and the baby is a person. A person with Adam and Eve's flesh, fallen. Rules may temper the flesh as the Old Testament shows. But rules do not temper the soul.

The interaction with Nicodemus in John 3 is remarkable for many reasons.

• Nicodemus was among the most knowledgeable teachers in Judaism.
• Nicodemus was a political powerhouse on the Jewish ruling council.
• Nicodemus was seeking wisdom.
• Nicodemus arrived at night.
• Nicodemus listened.

Jesus was blunt with Nicodemus, brushing aside the conventional chit chat with this man who wanted answers and insight. "Unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God". There you go, Nicodemus, there is the answer to your unspoken question. Now lets manage the fallout from that answer. 

No one, ever, has directly addressed the issue of the spirit. Indirectly, the Old Testament reveals God's love for the person who's heart is turned towards Him. The spirit of man is little more than a left over wisp of a man's life. Jesus instead illuminates that the focus of God is not so much the fleshly redemption in resurrection but the spirit's redemption of being born again. God has "given up" on the flesh, it is cursed until death, but not on the spirit of a person.

The Holy Spirit was a concept in the Old Testament and it is unclear if the references refer to the person of the Trinity or some godlike power working in the person. There are many hints about the Spirit, but not a definitive examination. Jesus is opening the window to the heavenlies here with a broadside truth. The Holy Spirit must do a work to transform the person's spirit: "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

Lets not rush too quickly to the crucifixion of Jesus which is professed next in the narrative. Instead take a moment to dwell on the incredible gift of the Spirit to all who confess Jesus as Savior! The comparison to being born of flesh is enlightening:

• from confinement to physical freedom - we are set free in our spirit to enjoy God's life
• from dependence on another to independence - we are given the opportunity to grow, change, think, pray, communicate, and create
• from weakness and disorganization to singularity - we experience the world in the new order
• from isolation to exposure - we identify with all the pains and joys of the world around us

If you have the time, add to the list. 

Born again. If you have confessed Christ the Holy Spirit has changed your spirit and taken up dwelling with you. What are you going to do now?

law

Joseph was not a zealot. Not a priest or prophet or saint. 

Joseph was a righteous man, a man of the Law. (Matthew 1:19)

If we stop right here for a moment we can gain an enormous God-view of the Jewish people and how the five hundred years prior to the birth of Jesus had changed them. We often ask what was God doing during that time. We have the rich history of the era but it isn't in our Scripture. Instead, we have centuries passing until we find a righteous man and woman caught in an ethical bind. 

God watched as his Law and past history wove to create his people Israel. It took five hundred years for enough people to learn to live by his principles that they became normal life, and it was good. The Law was stable, satisfying, and not too much of a burden. 

The Law had been tempered slightly by human grace, as Joseph had the option to divorce Mary quietly. But the Law had fulfilled its duty: provide for an aware people who would listen to the Messiah, especially if he was perfect in his obedience of the Law.

Joseph, the carpenter, was a righteous man. He was God's goal for a person living in this fallen world. Joseph was at peace with his world, his work, his God and his life. Joseph had shalom. 

Men today can take great solace in Joseph's example of steady faith in the revealed truth. He is a model for the average guy who is called to make only one or two decisions in his life that are out of the norm. Joseph chose Mary over convention and raised Jesus as if he were his own. Joseph disappears from the narrative after Jesus reaches age 12 having fulfilled his duty to raise Jesus in the Law until his confirmation in the faith at age 13. We remember Joseph as a righteous man with an important role with Jesus: Protect this child, teach this child, love this child, nurture this child in the Law. He did his best and it was credited to him as good.

Joseph shows us that God watched as His plan unfolded for the Law: to create a people used to living in the path of righteousness ready to hear the words of the Savior. Joseph shows us that you don't have to be perfect to be Perfect in the eyes of God. Just faithful.

Oh, by the way, Joseph had shalom in Egypt too. 

tab

I'm reading through "The Story: The Bible As One Continuing Story of God And His People". It is mostly Scripture with a few narrative passages to bridge the gaps. The final chapter for the Old Testament is entitled "Rebuilding the Walls". It is the account of Nehemiah's leadership restoring the defensive wall around Jerusalem, Ezra's restoration of the Law and finally Malachi's prophecy.

Nehemiah 8 is a record of a response to the reading of the Law, where the priests and Ezra discover a festival that had never been celebrated by the Jews: the Feast of Tabernacles (or Booths). The rules for this feast were simple:

1. Make a temporary shelter and live in it.
2. Show up for daily reading of the Law of Moses.
3. Eat sparsely until the feast at the end.
4. Repeat.

The purpose was to remember and relive the Wilderness Wanderings and the giving of the Law. But let's face it: this is a major bore-fest. That's probably why it was never celebrated. There are so many other uses for that time than sitting around listening to old bearded guys prattle on about fun-killing rules and then walk off and sleep in a pile of rotting branches. Lets just do the party, OK?

That attitude is exactly why the Jews were about to enter their Dark Ages. Someone else took care of the Temple, someone else was defending the city, someone else was managing the God thing, someone else was in charge over in some other land. When someone else is managing the store then no one is responsible for their actions or life. 

I was discipled in an environment where the primary gathering place during large meetings was called the Tabernacle, or Tab. It was a sturdy building but clearly not meant as a palace or Temple. A few telephone poles, 2x12's, and a roof. There were screens in the large holes along the walls to keep the bugs out, but the doors were often propped open to let a little air flow through. Shellac and plywood. Benches. Yes, sawdust on the floors, in remembrance of the good old days. 

It was replaced with a thoroughly modern conference center with mega-donations and all the amenities. I've seen it happen at other campgrounds too. It's sad. Because often the externals are good to great but the soul is gone. The balance sheet is the judge of the leadership and the programming better be superior. 

That's what is going on in this chapter, and what has happened to American Christianity. The idea of the wandering traveler on this earth, ready to do and accept life as it comes has been lost. We are so tied to our buildings or organizations that very few "pick up their cross" and "follow me". We, me included, are loathe to leave our comfortable home for anything less than what we enjoy every night. And to spend every waking hour listening to the Law being read? For a week? This attitude is the stain of the Jews at the end of God's attempt at building a people who would take Him seriously. There would be those who continued with the traditions, the guys with the curly sideburns and black vestments perhaps. And for those few and the promises He made God settled in to let history do it's job till He moved with the second great stanza of faith history.

The Jews transferred personal responsibility to "someone else". Someone else then called the shots and told the Jews how life could be lived. Not God. Someone else. Guess who would love to fill that slot?

Let's go to the Tab, and hear that Old Word again, friend.

choice

I had an "aha" moment today (thank you Dr. Fetters).

Queen Esther, whose rise to the throne was God ordained and Uncle Mordecai inspired, spoke for her Jewish people and saved the nation from utter ruin. During her impassioned speech to the King she makes a contrast that was a pure surprise:

"if we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king."

Merely been sold as slaves? Merely? If one is looking for a pro-life statement in the Scripture this is it. Life in slavery versus being killed is far preferable. That contrast is flip-flopped today. Lots of cultural issues are flip-flopped today.

And that is my "aha" moment: Esther sees faith possible in life in slavery. The Jews have done the slavery thing and come through with God's help. But death is final and without hope. 

Is this an earth shattering statement? To our modern ears, yes. We can hardly conceive of a decree anihilating a people in our midst done by their neighbors with the State sanction: cries of "Third Reich" or tribal warfare would arise instead. Today this still happens, however. The Islamist Boko Haram, ISIS, Al Qaeda and others seek to "cleanse" their land of the Jew and Christian. Two days ago video evidence of ISIS beheading 21 Egyptian Christians was broadcast. Christians in Iraq have been surrounded and executed. Slavery? We can manage that. Death? Time to fight back.

Is this harsh? Yes. Is it real? Yes. Will it come? That depends on which God you believe in. The God of the Word or the god of the age. One has the power to deliver from evil, the other has the power of evil. 

God grant that I do not have to make the Esther choice: slavery or death, and hear my prayer for my fellow believers in the world who currently do not have a choice. Rise up for them an Esther. Amen.

rebuilding

Solomon's Temple was grand. Anyone who remembered it held the vision as the standard of excellence for a House of God. So the second building of the Temple brought tears to those old timers eyes. Cyrus the conqueror had decreed that the Jews could rebuild their Temple, according to his wishes and their plans.

Rebuilding is hard. It is more expensive than the first time. Rebuilding suffers from the grand memories of the old timers. Rebuilding restores the emotional baggage of the original structure. Rebuilding seems like such a second level effort. Can't we do something new?

The incredible failure of the Jewish people and their Temple leads one to ask, "Why bother rebuilding?" Why, God, why try this failed route again? Then again in another 500 years.

There is no easy answer to this why question. Perhaps the worship and attention of God was not yet fully developed to survive without an earthly outpost. The scattered people did not have a unifying factor of a Savior, or the Word. The Jews were like all the other nations and quickly diluting their heritage in the commerce of daily life. Syncretism was merging pagan beliefs into the Jews faith practices. The prophets were rapidly becoming irrelevant and out of date. The priestly class was ignored as out of touch. 

The reality of "The People of God" was slipping away on earth. 

The answer was to rebuild, jealously rebuild in the face of multiple threats. Restoring the focus of worship and Torah to daily life was the ancient answer for God. Turn back to engage forward seems to be the plan. 

We too, must rebuild when our faith crumbles. We may wail at the losses incurred. We often sense the new just isn't the same as before. We are older, wiser, more grace oriented, yet stiffer in the truths. God calls us to rebuild and the faithful respond. We copy God and start from the rubble left after the storm to build anew. To build different, but the same in function. To continue in the paths less worn. To last longer this time till that moment when this shell of a life is no longer needed and we are one with the Lord Our Savior. 

Friend, take heart, and do the hard work of rebuilding your crashed faith on a better foundation than before. And know that the Lord is with you through it all. 

even

if.

Today's reading centered on Daniel and the life of exile for the Israelites. During this time there were numerous pressure points for the worshippers of Yahweh. There were many who did not follow the ways of their overlords, nor did they want to conform. But how does a God follower manage when they are told to change their beliefs?

"even if" is the answer. Boiled down, the punishment may be death but the Lord God can deliver. Daniel's first recorded act was to turn down the royal food under threat of severe punishment. Daniel stood to meet the emperor and declare to him a dream with interpretation with the threat of death should he be wrong. Shadrach, Meshah and Abednego would not worship the gold idol, Daniel would not stop praying, Jeremiah kept on proclaiming from the bottom of a dry cistern, and so on. "even if" I die, I will not turn from my God.

Did many die? Of course. Their faith will never be forgotten in the annals of our Lord. Their names and deeds are in the book of Life. We will meet them someday and marvel. 

There is a great mystery: the importance of the Spirit when facing imminent trial. How did these men and women face certain death? They were empowered by the Holy Spirit with a shalom that filled their inner being. They didn't scream their devotion, or bewail their bad fortune, and they didn't recant to save their skins. They were at peace with their God no matter what the world through at them.

How different today in our affluent world. Especially in the USA where the open spirit of tolerance for other religions was made possible by prevailing Christianity's gospel of grace. We do not prosecute Hindu's, or Muslims, atheists or any other religion (unless they are dangerous). But now Christians and Jews are being targeted for anihilation. The stories are being told on a one to one basis now. "Convert or die." "Submit or die." "Just die." 

"even if" I die, I will not deny my God, my Lord, my Jesus. Is your faith ready for this moment?

portion

"The Lord is my portion..."

What one thing identifies a true and full faith?

Job answered the question through trial, so did Jeremiah who uttered the line above after Jerusalem fell and he was dragged to Egypt. Peter experienced this truth with his remaining apostles after Pentecost. Foxe's Book of Martyrs tells the stories of the many who found the power of a true and full faith. 

What one thing identifies a true and full faith?

What one thing remains when all else is peeled away from your life?

Jeremiah's life was characterized by an unwavering presentation of bad news. Jerusalem was going down, the Temple was doomed, the people were to be enslaved, the land laid to waste. He prophesied that the few remaining people would live just above a subsistence level. There was no hope in Judah or Jerusalem, except in the Lord their God. 

After the Babylonian devastation of Jerusalem the poorest of the poor and Jeremiah were left to survey the damage. There were no stones still in place, except under mounds of rubble. Acrid tendrils of smoke remained of the Temple and great Palace. The wall was torn down and cast down the slopes. The emaciated bodies left were tossed into the pit known as Gehenna, The waste pit that never stopped burning. 

Jeremiah saw deeper than the devastation, however. He saw that the high places and Asherah poles were gone too. All the false gods of the land were scrubbed away by the Babylonian flood. Finally there was a vacuum where the people who were left could begin to live according to the Law and faith without major influence from foreign people, their gods, their money or their ideas. The first step for rebuilding the people of Judah was to recognize forever "The Lord is my portion..." no matter what happens in this life that comes against me. 

Christians in the USA have enjoyed wealth, favor, high places of power, influence and shown that with erecting great houses of worship and organizations that claim the favor of the god. But the public presentation of faith has been bastardized beyond recognition into commercial displays that are repugnant to the average unbeliever. 

The call is simple in this time of degradation, if you call upon the name of Lord make sure that He is your portion, your slice of life, and it will never be taken. Build on that, my friend, and the trip to Egypt won't be so bad.

prophets

Prophets were the most notable of God's attempts to gain and secure man's enduring attention. How can you argue with a man who can call down fire on a water soaked mountaintop in defiance of 450 religious zealots? Yet the war with God is fought with the flesh on a person to person basis. Though the prophets are powerful witnesses to God, they were also local people with limited reach. Their mission was spectacular and dangerous, truly radical emissaries for the omnipotent God.

A prophet was a forth-teller and a fore-teller. As a forth-teller he used the known truths about God and man in order to lay out the probable future. Sometimes one trained (yes, trained) as a prophet would hear from God directly. Most of the time these trained individuals had a gift for insight and application so their words were true. The fore-teller was divinely anointed to be able to see what could not be discerned by man's skills. Elisha knew every move of the Aramean army because God told him what to expect. Elijah saw Jezebel in the dust being devoured by her own dogs. 

The purpose of the prophet was to provide evidence that could not be refuted and call the people back to God. They fought the false gods, foreign armies, traitors and the Israelites themselves. God protected them, spoke the words of truth through them, and in Elijah's case took him to heaven directly instead of death. 

Yet the Israelites and others around them would not submit to the God of the prophets. I am reminded of the taunt of Satan to Jesus to become a spectacle of miracle. Been there, done that Satan. Didn't work then won't work now. And so the call for a clear show of God on earth is a test of God that has been done and ignored by those who called for it. We can point to the prophets when someone says "Where is your God?" or "I'll believe in God when (insert miraculous event) happens." 

Prophets, God's ambassadors to an unbelieving world that was trying to ignore the Living Lord. They are proof that God can, when He so desires, totally turn over the world for his purposes.

Someday he will again, only this time through the precious return of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

fathers

Do the father's faults flow to the next generation more easily than their virtues?

That is the observation after a brief review of the kings of divided Israel. The kings of the north are judged against Jeroboam, their first king. The review is commonly "did even worse things than Jeroboam". The kings of the South are compared with either David as good or Rehoboam as bad. A much more common theme is the steady decline of the moral fiber of both nations until God gives up on the monarchy to disband the nations with foreign conquerors.

Solomon the wise loved foreign wives: he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The one significant failure of David, his sinful management of the affair with Uriah's wife, multiplies in the next generation. The multitudes of women drew him to worship their gods in sacrifice. Solomon was known to travel to these sites even as he was building the Temple to the Lord! In the very next generation the unity of the kingdom is lost and the downward moral spiral becomes a freefall.

The monarchy is a failure to bring a people into shalom with God.

The third generation loses the family business.

An earnestly desired government becomes the oppressor in less than 100 years.

Man's thoughtless rebellion against God is manifest in the crying against unrest or war. Man wants shalom, peace with God, but continues to indulge the Fall of Adam's flesh. 

Surely a Savior to show the way is needed!

But in most of our lives we need an example of what good looks like, and then emulate that example. I'm talking about fathers. David was never perfect, but if he stayed true to the Law then peace was the theme of his family. But the introduction of unforgiven sin led to the downfall of his house, Abasalom rebels, and his line through Solomon. God promised One from the line of David who would be the Messiah, but never promised one from the royal side of the family. David continues to be the example for the generations of the upright godly man. 

Fathers, are you taking this lesson seriously on a day to day basis? Are you doing the godly actions that will be remembered for ages? Will your stories be of devotion to drink or driving to worship through horrible weather? Will your children smile at the examples of loving discipline that have served them well through the years or will your children be angry at life because they don't get their way like they did at home? Fathers, how will you be remembered? From the line of David or the line of Rehoboam?

confession

Or cover up? 

We all view life through our own lens. My reading glasses don't work for my wife, and vice versa. The title of this entry belies my New Testament understanding of God's desire for mankind. Why? Because in the place of an opportunity for confession and forgiveness we have a devastating downward spiral of a man of God. Yet, what recourse did David have with his knowlege of the ways of God?

Do not commit adultery, the Commandment reads.

"If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - with the wife of his neighbor - both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death." Leviticus 20:22

I don't read much wiggle room in there for David.

And thus the "Man of God's Own Heart" did not even conceive of the amazing gift called confession and forgiveness. In those days sin was managed with blood: either the blood of the sinner or a substitute. David refused to expose his failure and face the ramifications. Abraham trusted God with his son's life. David did not trust God with his own life. 

Today we know of the grace called confession and forgiveness. Blood is still required, but it was spilt on Calvary from the body of Jesus. As Jesus forgave sinners when he walked on earth, he does so still. 

David went through agony before he confessed his sin. Don't do the same thing, dear reader. Keep that list short and seek confession with forgiveness. Then perhaps you can avoid the horrible soul eating darkness that consumed David until the child born of adultery died. 

how

 How did David fall with Bathsheba? 

How did a man so close to God make such a brazen basic mistake? Its a shock to the reader, but a severe lesson to any man or woman who is serious about their faith.

David fell because he was in an unfamiliar place. He should have been on the battlefield. He had lived every spring in the field. Sheep, early skirmishes, constant battles in the spring against border enemies. But not at the same place he spent the cold months. Be careful when you are away from your normal habitation.

David fell because he was out of his usual routine. What was usual? Being all primed to lead troops into battle. Planning, executing, engaging and the constant thrill of the confrontation. Instead he was home wondering what to do with all the pent up battle ready aggression. Time to conquer something, his body said. But his soul was weak to understand the battle of sexual temptation or to stop it before the damage was done. Beware the times when you are out of your routine.

David was in the wrong place, wrong time. He handled his amped up body with a late night walk on the rooftop. He was witness to anything at anytime from up there. And there was the custom of women bathing after their period of uncleanness... on rooftops. Lets not dig too deep here, just stop and turn around when you are going alone into the wrong place at the wrong time.

David fell because he did not recognize the temptation. David was given a wife, no choice. David made alliances with nations by marrying a daughter of their king. David collected his women as a position of his office. So he had women at his disposal. However, David did not have experience with wanting, lusting for someone he spotted. The view quickly became a thought became a response became a "need". The temptation was the view, David neither had the knowlege nor a companion who could point it out. Beware your body or mind when it begins to wind up with expectation. Ask quickly if you are being tempted out of God's will.

There are others but these are a good start. Examine your life on the fly during these types of situations and save yourself a grief point in your life.

sword

David was the pinnacle godly king in Israel's glory years. Solomon may have been flashier and smarter, but David embodied the full-on love of God while he aggressive led the nation to worship or war.

David was a passionate man. And when he should have been off to war his passions failed him with a glance. When he normally would have been "in the game" he was at home, on his roof, missing the action. His glance? Downward to a rooftop nearby where a young woman was bathing. Passion flares, David engages, the king is obeyed, pregnancy is discovered a couple weeks later. 

David called the husband home, Uriah the Hittite (yes a foreigner!). He is a warrior of the highest caliber, totally dedicated to his king, his unit and the cause. He will not enjoy his wife until all his mates have returned. David's plan is thwarted, a new one hatches in the dark. 

The letter Uriah takes back carries his doom. "Attack with Uriah in the front," it read, "then pull back from him." The order is followed, Uriah is killed in the battle, his wife mourns, finally after the appropriate time David "graciously" brings Bathsheba into the palace to join his harem. Problem solved.

Not really. God was watching and was displeased. God pulled away from David. David sensed the loss, but felt like it would be best for the world to just move along. Avoid the embarrassment.

Then Nathan, a trusted prophet, confronted David, saying "Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own." I Samuel 12:9 a,b. 

WAIT a minute there, Nathan! David at no time handled a sword! David did no killing this time! How can you pin this on David? How can God be so wrong? 

And that my friends, is where we get it wrong. All of those self-justifying statements are technically true but factually a lie. The reality is in the last line of the verse: "You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites." I Samuel 12:9c. David is held to a personal accountability for the deceitful way he used the position Uriah was in. His coverup led to a valient story for Uriah's memory, but was a lie straight from the evil heart of David. There was enough plausible deniability for the plan to work, except for Nathan. 

We live in a world that really doesn't believe the simple truth of the Word. Many "christians" ignore the plain reality of the social calls in Scriptures, writing them off to archaic times, or bad translations, or whatever. None of it fools God. And those who know better keep their mouths shut in order to keep the peace. How foolish! What a road to hell this is. To stand quiet is to use the sword of the media to kill the souls of misguided believers. 

Here's my point: You and I are accountable to God who sees everything. All the good David did in his life didn't matter at this one point. God wants our best, he wanted David sexually happy so he gave him a wife, then allowed wives according to the custom. God saw David's heart and gave him a kingdom. God knows that certain actions bring irrepairable harm to relationships and tried to give us the rules of interpersonal engagement. God created shalom. That's why he is so angry when we screw it up.

And it really peaves hiim when we try to pass it off on someone else. 

The Ammonites were simply the tool David used to commit murder to cover his adulterous night. Don't do the same with your sins, friend. Flee from the temptation to what God has already given you to satisfy that urge. Then you will save yourself a world of trouble from a God who sees all, and wants the shalom he offers to be a core of your being.

fame

How does one handle sudden fame? 

Generally, sudden fame is not handled well. Super star failures are the norm, millions of dollars do not make up for significant moral weaknesses. How many musicians have commited suicide at age 27, stunning the world's admirers but fooling no one. 

For this blogger, Kurt Cobain was a train wreck waiting to happen. He led the Grunge movement out of the northwest, a movement dedicated to the leveling of life with their clothes, lifestyle and words. His music lashed out at the dollar driven world and advocated that the best life was one unshackled from materialism. Cobain became a hit, was given millions of dollars, then fell into a deep despair because of the tear between he believed and what life gave him. He chose neither and instead tried to live in the gap between. The lostness was overwhelming until he killed himself. He is much like King Saul, the first of the Isrealite kings.

In contrast, a young man with a clear foundation for life's troubles arose with the blessing of both God and men. He was the youngest in a large family, was left to do the simplest jobs, and really wasn't expected to amount to much. His older brothers discounted his small stature and devotion to God as unmanly. The blessing of God was on the big, strong warmonger Saul, wasn't it?

Samuel the prophet  was pleased when God spoke about a new king to replace the egomaniac that Saul had become. Samuel was stunned that God was about to leave the conventional wisdom behiind to choose the shepherd with spunk. God said not to look on the outward appearances, because He looked at the heart for his choice. David arrives, smallish but handsome, well worn by the elements and smelling of the combination of sheep and hillside. David is chosen, anointed, will be king. 

I believe Saul, like Cobain, was a humble man at the start of his career. I also believe that they both were trapped in the chasm between expectation and reality. When they tried to mold reality to fit their expectation they failed and lost hope. Saul becomes paranoid and sees himself as a savior, dying on a hill with his sons. Cobain dies of suicide amid a pile of cash he did not want or believe he earned honestly. David rises because he can go to God in the pit, or praise God violently on the mountaintop. 

So, how do you handle sudden fame? How would you want to handle sudden fame?

pastors

This post is solely concerned with Samuel's promise to the people in I Samuel 12:20-25. He pledges to pray for the people and to teach them. That's it. 

Let's not get beyond ourselves with analysis of this statement or the circumstances that surround the event. Context is important. So is the historical movement. Not to mention the spiritual quake shaking the flow of God's desire. No, instead I want to take a quick look at Samuel's conclusion of his prime duties in his last years of life as the pastor of the flock known as Israel.

I will pray for you.

I will teach you.

What a simple job description! What a horrible burden on the people! 

Samuel had learned that leadership is hard. Families are difficult. People are constantly failing your expectations. Samuel learned that he could not save anyone, but that each could come to a point of personally being right with God. He took that terrible burden off himself and placed it where it should be for every man who represents Jesus Christ: on those who hear.

I will pray for you. Our intersessions with God for others make a bit difference in the spiritual flow of life. It is a key to the position and should never be cheated.

I will teach you. This is the Word, and this is the plain meaning of the Word. Now do it! This is not easy in a charisma oriented media flashy mushy doctrine world. But that is what Samuel promised to do for the people. 

The rest is gravy, pastors. All the rest of it is secondary: business skills, oratory excellence, size or age of the congregation, even the degrees you can earn. Your denomination and theology are almost nothing in the heavenly sphere. All of this gets in the way of prayer and teaching. 

So pastors, do yourself a favor: stop whatever you are doing now and spend a half hour with a pad and a pen. Listen to God and let him tell you the people with concerns that need your intervention. What would God say to them? How do you know from God's Word? Then after that half hour, teach what you have learned that others will come closer to the Lord and known that He has spoken. Do this in a spirit of humilty and grace. But do it, and make it a habit to merge the two practices of prayer and teaching. 

Oh, and what if you spend a half hour and nothing comes? Then perhaps you need to spend more half hours until you once again recognize the voice of God leading you. 

government

God laid out the absolute need for personal salvation through a series of historical failures. He built his case by giving man the opportunity to try every human option available in order to witness the senseless destruction of their ideal. Man to this day reasons that man alone is the source of our salvation, except for those who have come to know the final solution to man's guilt does not originate from man to God, but instead is from God for man.

The ideal of personal perfection failed in the Garden of Eden: two perfect people in a perfect locale with perfect lives still disobeyed a simple direction. Personal perfection will not bring the salvation of man.

The idea of sacrifice being sufficient was destroyed when Cain killed his brother Abel.

The idea of the "collective" leading to salvation was scattered at the Tower of Babel.

The idea of total freedom was shut down before the flood.

The idea of the "fresh start" died with Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and . . .

The idea of a perfect Law didn't even make it down Mt. Sinai the first time.

The idea of the military salvation died with Joshua.

The idea of the charismatic leader died with Samson.

The idea of the prophet slipped away with Samuel, who spoke God's Word as he anointed the next historical attempt at man's salvation: a king.

"Do not be afraid, Samuel replied, You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all you heart. 

"Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.

"For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. 

"And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 

"But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consiser what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish."

I Samuel 12:20-25

You: Face the Lord and serve Him. Do not turn to idols.

The Lord: Will not reject his people, you are still His own.

Samuel (God's representative): Will pray for you and teach you.

Man's government, here represented by a king, is a concession to man by God. Men have sought to put a distance between the Holy and the inward sin that gnaws at us all. All these major attempts to soothe that gnawing failed to provide the shalom of soul the person desired. There are too many trials and failures recorded in the Scriptures to make specific note of them all. The great themes are above and man made a joke of them all. 

(Today the idea is that money and technology will be the salvation of man is considered the new hope in medicine, personal happiness, and government. We will be satisfied when our technology serves us perfectly. However the idea of technology dies with the dream of every scientist who watches their invention for good become twisted into terror very quickly. Just ask Mr. Nobel, or Solomon with his "chariots for peace" program.)

So what can we apply to our lives from the introduction of the idea that government is our savior, here in the form of an anointed king? 

1. As individuals trusted in the judgement of the king they were much less likely to attend to their personal condition. The king is our representative of God, both ways, so follow the dictates of the king no matter if it aligns with God's word or not. People turned to the king as an idol instead of to their own alignment with God. Learn the lesson of personal devotion to God, His Law and His Savior: Jesus.

2. The king is a man. Unless he attends to the Lord as a servant he will govern as a man above the law. We cannot trust any person in government to be a savior, or perfect, or particularly wise unless they are willing to submit to God and His revealed Word. Always hold a healthy mis-trust of the ones in power over you, especially when they direct against the clear teaching of that Word.

3. Charisma, media savvy, politics, fine speeches, political machines, political parties, and even most legislation is a false sense of security for choosing the right persons to lead other people. The only quality that works for the people's benefit is that the government be founded on the truth revealed in God's Word - the people chosen and the work they do to govern. All of man's efforts to work the system are dangerous at least and fatal at worst. Do not believe anything that comes from a person's mouth seeking office. Only believe what his actions reveal about his heart's direction in life.

Finally, if you want to see the results of centuries of men leading government and the testing of these ramblings just read through I & II Samuel, I & II Kings and I & II Chronicles. One last note: Solomon's journey through life was documented in three books of his thoughts: Song of Songs when he was young and newly lifted to royalty; Proverbs which reveals his thoughts as a mature leader; and Ecclesiastes which are his thoughts as the well worn life expert. Enjoy!

foreigner

Jews Elimelek and Naomi left their home near Bethlehem and traveled East to Moab. They were hungry. Moab had food. Easy choice. Now they were foreigners but fed. 

Their two sons grew to age and married local women. Local women bring local gods and customs. Local women change foreign men to conform to local gods and customs. Slowly, surely, change.

Elimelek dies. Ten years slip by and the two sons die. Bethlehem's harvests return. Naomi is left with two foreign women as daughters-in-law and no desire to stay near the death of her family. She wants to return to the known: her God and her customs. The story of devotion is well known for Ruth chooses to follow Naomi. 

Somehow, Ruth sees in Naomi something of intrinsic value: faith. The Moabite gods instill fear, Naomi's God shows love. Ruth wants to live in that glow even if it means she will be the forever outsider.

Here is where the story veers sharply for a striking reason: God needs this foreigner in the line of Christ. This Ruth has royal blood and has no clue it exists. Her eventual husband, Boaz, has royal blood without a clue either. This couple plays out a drama that is as old as time: odd couple finds attraction in mutual helping, fall in love and have a child. But God has different plans for this pairing. King David will shepherd the descendents of the sheep of Boaz, probably on the same fields that brought Ruth into the family.

How often do we misinterpret the daily events of our life as ordinary? We forget the simple moments of love, attention and joy in our Lord, never wondering if God might have something deeper going on! 

Naomi missed those clues, in her loss she renames herself "Bitter". But God has a name for her at this time as well, "Blessed". It is good that she opens up to the possibility of hope in the customs of the Jews regarding the kinsman-redeemer to coach Ruth on the path to Boaz. Naomi had lost much in her life during the stay in Moab. She did not forget her faith in a God who did amazing things for women. Naomi is restored as Ruth is joined to Boaz and the grandchildren denied to her in Moab arrive. 

What do you make of this? Do you view your life from the narrow, selfish perspective of me, myself and I? Open your eyes to the miracle of faith in a foreign land, for this is what we are: foreigners and strangers in a foreign and strange land. Show faith, hope and love to those in your sphere of influence and perhaps there will be a king or queen that comes from the moment. If not, there will be a story to share in heaven that perhaps you had forgotten about on earth. To someone it may have made an eternal difference.

Gotcha Day?

Grinch here. 

There seems to be a trend of celebrating "Gotcha Day" with adoptive families. That's the day of the introduction of a new child to their "forever family". I suppose its a day that is meant to be filled with promise and joy.

Well it may be for the adoptive family, but how can it be seen the same way by the child? 

Adoption may be beautiful in the big picture. Onlookers see it as such. That poor child, can't stay with their parents and have to be placed with the next set of parents... 

Let's face it, children placed in adoptive families are often birthed to dysfunctional parents who may or may not be involved in the life of the child ever again. Each child has their own story, even within sibling groups. And rarely are the stories clean. 

From the child's viewpoint the parent(s) they have known are no more. Yes, the pain of living with them may be gone, but still constant dysfunction is their normal. Peace and quiet without threat is so out of the ordinary that many create chaos so that the situation feels right! The child's environment changes drastically. The child's food changes drastically. The attention the child gets changes drastically. The physical attention the child receives changes drastically. The language, tone and force of the voices used to communicate with them changes drastically. Gotcha day can only bring back those memories and cause a key question I've heard: "Just how bad were my birth parents?"

Gotcha Day is a nightmare from a child's perspective. 

That's why we don't, and won't, emphasize the day of adoption. We will celebrate the day of birth, for that is a day that was blessed regardless of condition. It is the day that God saw fit to bring a new life to fruition. That was a day God smiled with a tear of knowing that the short term pain would end in a much better place than the child was born into. That was a day filled with wonder and joy in the heavens because this was a new opportunity to love.

And we are the beneficiaries of that blessing, entrusted to us to love, nurture and guide as best we can. But I cannot imagine celebrating the horrible disruption that causes a child to be placed forever away from its birth parents.  Told ya, total grinch today.

generations

It has long been observed that family businesses rarely survive the third generation. One multi-national company I'm well acquainted with followed that pattern very closely. The founder was one who liked the work, liked to innovate but most of all enjoyed the product. It was his great fortune to create what many others around the world appreciated enough to pay top dollar to own. His fortune was a joy to share. The Lord had helped him with his business so he praised God, supported the church universal and humbly served his Lord. Generation One.

His son loved the business, and loved to see it go well. He loved guiding the business to greater heights. His wife loved the fortune with frequent shopping trips to famous expensive locations around the world. She did not like the town or the people in the town where the business was located. She did not like the Lord or his Word. But because that town was the source of their income, she participated in the life of the community, led good works projects and became respected for her philanthropy. Many wanted to emulate her. Many despised her. Generation Two.

The grandchildren hated the discipline of work, grew to see business as a necessary evil to gain the money to establish their lifestyle and finally threw off the pretense of the town. The grandchildren abused their friends and ignored their counselors. Generation Three.

The son (G-Two) was wise enough to know that his children (G-Three) would never pay enough attention to the family business to keep it going well. Thus, the business was sold and the fortune set for the lives of the third generation and their immediate families. The founder (G-One) died knowing his business was gone and his generations did not respect what he loved.

The business? It still exists, the family name exists and many people still buy this product. But the soul of the product is now gone with the founder and his love for that work. Is the product as profitable or respected as it once was? No, but the product still makes a huge profit for the corporation that owns it.

Why do I relate this story?

Because it explains the book of Judges and the rapid degradation of a people. By the time Joshua and those who served with him in the conquest of Canaan grew old and died there were grandchildren to assume control of the nation. "Another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." Judges 2:10

The third generation syndrome.

Of the nations Joshua left the Lord states "I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did." Joshua 2:22

And what did the Lord do? "the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them." Judges 2:18. Leadership through strength and charisma.

And what did the people do? "But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways." Judges 2:19

Billy Graham is our judge. His life is fading and his message is now being ignored. The current president pays token attention to the Word of the Lord. The society openly attacks the clear and simple teaching of the Word. The enemies of the Lord are brutally advancing. The Judge is almost done and our generation will see the oppression of the people.

People of the Word should not be too much surprised by this, though the contemporary world of 2015 would revolt against me should anyone read this analysis. But the daily news reinforces the downward spiral of our moral character. Chaos reigns and those who should be supported to protect the "common man", the police, are under attack for doing their job. People of the Word who apply their faith to their business are sued for being "intolerant". Pastors who speak up for the Word and apply it to politics are investigated and threatened by the IRS. "Christian" denominations now endorse the wholesale exclusion of clear teachings in the Word as being "irrelevant" or "culturally ignorant" or "out of context". Babies have been, for decades, slaughtered in the name of convenience. The Affordable Care Act legislates the President's wishes that grandma gets a pain pill instead of that new hip because she is past her useful years.

Americans do not respect the young or the old. Americans fight the Word. Americans twist the law and the Law to advance the immoral (as outlined in Scripture) desires of the unredeemed flesh.  Our judge will soon be gone and the full fruits of the third generation are about to come to pass.

As a member of Generation Two, my simple expression is "God help us." May Generation Four understand and apply that message too.