Seeking Spiritual Clarity

Ezra 8-10

8:21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.

In spite of all the opposition to rebuild the temple, Ezra successfully secured permission from King Artaxerxes for the journey and the project.  Ezra’s success came through faith in God.  It was God that softened the heart of the king to treat Ezra favorably.

Ezra also had to gather the leaders that were needed for this venture.  He noted there were no Levites so he took action to secure those that were needed for temple service.  Once again, God blessed Ezra’s efforts with success and now his group was ready to embark on their journey from Babylon to Jerusalem.  Ezra expressed strong faith in God to the king.  Now he was “ashamed” to ask the king for protection.  Instead, he proclaimed a fast so the people might humble themselves before the LORD.

Presuming upon God’s grace is dangerous, even sinful.  Failing to trust in God’s grace is equally sinful and dangerous as well.  There must be balance.  We humble ourselves and seek the LORD while we continuously use our God-given gifts and talents to exercise obedience.  Most people are prone to one extreme or the other: Faith only—I sit here and do nothing; Action only—you pray while I get things done.

Was Ezra nervous about the journey?  Absolutely.  Why else would scripture record that he was ashamed to ask the king for protection after proclaiming faith in God?  “I have absolute faith in God (but a military escort would be nice).”  

The balance is learned through an abiding relationship with God.  There are times for prayer and fasting.  These are times when we must humble ourselves before God and confess that we are nothing without Him.  Then are times to get moving and deploy the gifts and talents He has given us.  Prayer and fasting equals spiritual clarity.

Why would Satan care?

Ezra 4-7

4: 4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. 5 They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Competition.  It is seen everywhere in western society.  We see it on sporting fields and in courts.  We see it in schools and colleges.  We see it on church game nights.  We see it on highways in the way people drive.  We see it between churches and we see it between ministries in churches.  It is everywhere.  

Competition is not always bad.  In sporting events or friendly games, it can be fun and exciting.  It can help build a team.  It can raise morale and esprit de corps in teams and organizations.  It can lead to innovations that benefit people.

The competitive spirit can be used by the enemy as well.  There are some people who seem to think the way to get ahead in life is standing on the failures of others and they put their effort into your failure instead of their success.

Once construction started on the temple, the enemies of Judah sought to discourage them.  As you read on in the text you’ll see that they tried to influence the king to stop construction and accused the people of Judah of a history of sedition.  

The people were seeking to rebuild the temple for the glory of God.  The temple was central to their national and religious identity.  It signified God dwelling amongst His chosen people. All who are called by His name should seek to dwell in His presence.

The practice of an individual’s faith should not pose a threat to anyone.  However, the chief of liars will do anything to disrupt God’s people from doing anything that brings Him glory.  When God gets glorified, His people get blessed.  Praise and glory to God and blessings poured out on God’s people is a painful reminder to Satan that his act of sedition sealed his fate for eternity.  The death blow has been delivered and his time is running short.

If you have a God-given vision, work towards it.  Satan will use people to try and discourage you.  He will frustrate you, accuse you, and interfere with the work of the LORD every chance he gets.  Do not be faint-hearted.  Do not be discouraged.  The greater the vision-the greater the glory.  The greater the glory-the greater the opposition.  The greater the opposition-the greater the opportunity to persevere, to grow, and to make an eternal impact on this world for God.

The Good Ole' Days

Ezra 1-3

3:13 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

The Israelites had a series of bad kings that led them to being taken captive.  Cyrus decreed that they should return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.  Once the foundation was laid, many of the younger people shouted for joy but the older generation wept.  Why?

The prophet Haggai might address this very issue.  God told Haggai to tell Zerubbabel, “Who of you is left who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Does it not seem to you like nothing?” (Hag. 2:3)  

Ah, the good ole’ days.  Things just aren’t what they used to be.  This is a common sentiment that becomes more common as people get older.  It reflects a general feeling of dissatisfaction for current circumstances.  It seems the best place to be is the place you just came from or the place you are about to go.  It seems true in jobs, relationships, assignments, and where we live.  It seems true of churches and pastors too.  We get so caught up in earthly circumstances we lose sight of the fact that we have an ongoing relationship with God.

I can’t imagine God lamenting on how things used to be.  He continues to work in the world to redeem everyone.  He chooses to use people in carrying out His redemptive work even though He does not need us.  Rather than dwell with joy in the presence of our LORD as we join Him on mission in the world, we cry for the good old days.  Chances are, those days were not as good as you now remember them.

Haggai goes on.  He tells Zerubbabel, “But now be strong, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord. ‘Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work. For I am with you,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” (Hag. 2:4)

And so it is today.  Things may not be what they used to be.  It does not matter.  We just need to heed the words of God through the prophet Haggai and be strong and work, for the LORD is with us.

Eternally Focused-Free from Angst

2 Chronicles 34

24 This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people—all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah.

It seems unfair that God’s wrath is seemingly poured out on people because of the actions of others.  There are times when it seems that God’s wrath is unleashed even when people repent.  It is never too late to repent and receive God’s forgiveness but in His sovereign judgment, there are times when the consequence of sin are not held back.  Try to think of it from God’s perspective.  If He withheld judgment every time a person, or a small group of people, interceded and expressed repentance, than the fear of His wrath would wane and He would seem like a toothless tiger.  The heart’s of people would become increasingly hard and the ability to repent would dwindle.  This would be the cruelty on God’s part.  If there were no consequences, would anyone truly seek God?

Josiah was a godly man and a godly leader even though he was the son and grandson of an ungodly father and an ungodly grandfather.  He corrected the mistakes of these two men and when he found the book of Law and had it read, he led his nation to a greater level of repentance.  He sought the advice of the prophet Huldah and we see the words of her prophecy in the passage above.  In spite of all the good that Josiah did, the consequence would not be withheld.  Judgment was coming.

Josiah was not perfect.  He went up against the king of Egypt even though God told him, through that king, not to.  He died in a battle he should not have joined and was taken into God’s presence.  This was an act of mercy and further fulfilled the words of the prophet Huldah that he would be taken to his ancestors and not have to witness the judgement of God on his people.

After his death there were a series of successors, most of whom did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  Ultimately, the kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity by the Persians and this began a period of exile for the nation of Israel.

Somewhere, in every lineage, there are ungodly men and women.  The consequence for their actions impact their children and other descendants.  This can be seen with the gambler who loses money needed to feed, clothe and house his family.  It can be seen with the cycle of domestic violence that follows one generation to another.  The children of incarcerated parents may have to go from one foster home to another.

Yet God remains merciful.  He allows the consequence of sin to be felt by the righteous and the unrighteous alike.  He shows that He is both merciful and just and calls all to repentance and to accept the free gift of salvation that leads to eternal life.  Even if our homes, our neighborhoods, our countries crumble around us because of the consequence of sin, He provides us as individuals and as groups of followers to experience His grace, His peace, and ultimately eternity in His presence in paradise.

Josiah was spared experiencing the wrath of God visited on the nation of Israel.  He was taken into heaven before the wrath was poured out.  This can only bring comfort as we remain eternally focused and avoid getting bogged down in the vagaries of living in our fallen world.

It is your fault

2 Chronicles 34

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.

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33 Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.

Josiah became king after his father was assassinated.  His father, Amon, is said to have done evil in the eyes of the LORD and ruled for two years.  This is the same characterization that was given to Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh.  Manasseh reigned for fifty-five years. At one point in his reign the LORD allowed him to be taken into captivity by the king of Assyria.  Disgracefully, he was led away after having a ring placed in his nose like an ox.  In his humility he sought the LORD and was restored as king to finish his rule.  Josiah assumed rule in the footsteps of two generations of bad rulers.

Not long ago a sixteen year old boy in Texas was sentenced to probation after he pled guilty to manslaughter and assault while intoxicated.  The sentence came after psychologists testified that the boy suffered from affluenza.  Because he came from an affluent family (thus the term affluenza) and his parents spoiled him, he never learned that there are consequences for bad decisions.  Four innocent people are dead and their killer received probation because he was too wealthy to know better.

Parental failure is no excuse for poor decisions.  Modern psychology and sociology might suggest otherwise.  Popular television show hosts might proclaim parental failure is the cause of bad behavior and the child should not be held accountable for his or her actions.  God says otherwise.

Josiah’s immediate family history is an example of poor parenting.  Our positional authority as parents allows to use the parenting technique of, “Do what I say, not what I do,” but children do grow up and that positional authority loses its effect.  Children become adults and make their own decisions.

Josiah is an example of doing the right thing contrary to what was learned by watching his father.  He became an effective leader, a godly leader, and restored a national adherence to God’s law.

Who do you blame for your failures?  Your parents?  Your grandparents?  Your neighborhood?  Maybe your current vocation?  Perhaps it’s time to quit casting blame, accept responsibility for your own decisions, and seek to live a godly life under the leadership of the Holy Spirit regardless of all the obstacles you had to overcome to get where you are. Josiah did just that.

It worked for them

2 Chronicles 28

22 In his time of trouble King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He offered sacrifices to the gods of Damascus, who had defeated him; for he thought, “Since the gods of the kings of Aram have helped them, I will sacrifice to them so they will help me.” But they were his downfall and the downfall of all Israel.

Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king of Judah.  Even though his father, Jotham, and his grandfather, Uzziah, both did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, Ahaz did not.  Some of the things he did contrary to God’s commands include making idols of false gods for worship and engaging in human sacrifice; specifically, sacrificing children in fire.  The results of this blatant idolatry were that his kingdom was delivered into the hands of the King of Aram as well as into the hands of their sister nation, Israel.  At the hands of the Israelites, 120,000 soldiers from his army were killed and 200,000 other were taken into captivity.  (Although God used Israel to bring justice against Ahaz, He convicted Israel of going too far through the prophet Oded.)

Had this young king looked at the history of the nation he led he might have realized that he was a leader of God’s chosen people.  This history lesson should have turned him back to God to seek God’s hand of protection and blessing.  Instead, Ahaz goes further against God but embracing the false gods of his conquerors.  “It worked for them; maybe it will work for me.”  The Bible tells us that this was his downfall and the downfall of the people.

At times of trouble we all have a default mechanism we turn to.  Perhaps it’s “comfort food”, or alcohol, or drugs—illegal or prescription.  Maybe it’s manifestations of anger or engaging in sexual immorality.  Perhaps it’s experimenting with new age religions or some false spirituality because our favorite celebrity started following this new religion or cult.

Many times we turn back to the greatest stronghold from our past that we asked God to deliver us from is quite often the default mechanism.  Instead of turning to the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, worship, and studying God’s Word, we go back to our slave-master.  We might think this worked to make us happy in the past or we might think it seems to work for other people so I will give it a try.

When we do this, the results are often catastrophic.  The results could be our downfall.  Manifestations of anger could lead to a fight that causes us physical harm, incarceration or even death.  Gluttony could lead to obesity and the associated health problems from this vice.  Drugs and alcohol could also result in our arrest or land us in the hospital in need of rehabilitation.  Practices of sexual immorality could lead to the loss of our family or our ministry—whether we are laymen or vocational ministers.

Obedience to God is the only correct course of action.  Anything else will lead to our downfall even though it might have worked for someone else.

Weep for our Country

Nehemiah 1

1 The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.  3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”  4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.

Jerusalem was at the very center of Israel's national identity in the 5th Century B.C.  It was the the center of their nationality, their faith, and where God displayed His glory to them as His chosen people.  Because of their disobedience, God removed His hand of protection and blessing and allowed them to be taken into captivity.  The general thought was, "How could this happen to us?"

As the text indicates, some of the Jews survived the exile and remained in Jerusalem.  It was a remnant, a small percentage of what once was a great and powerful nation.

Nehemiah sought news from Jerusalem.  There was no Internet, no cable, no satellite news stations, no way to get breaking news from home.  He relied on word of mouth from his brother and some men that came from that city.  When Nehemiah heard the report of his beloved homeland, he wept.

What about our nation?  Are we weeping over what once was?  How do we restore our nation to be, "One nation, under God."?

It starts with us as individuals.  Instead of pointing fingers and casting blame, lets look at how we, as individuals and as local churches, have contributed to the problems.  Let’s have a season of prayer and fasting for our nation and our leaders of all levels of governments.  Not just the first Thursday in May, but on a regular basis.  Be part of the remnant that God has called to be the foundation of the next great spiritual awakening.

Truth or Consequence

2 Chronicles 12

8 They will, however, become subject to [Shisak king of Egypt], so that they may learn the difference between serving me and serving the kings of other lands.

After Rehoboam succeeded his father, Solomon, to the throne, he established himself and became strong.  Once this occurred, 1b he abandoned the law of the LORD.  God called him out through the prophet Shemaiah and the king and the other leaders humbled themselves.  As a result, God restricted what Shisak could do but allowed Rehoboam and the people of Israel to suffer the consequences for their choice.  Verse 12 reads, “Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the LORD’s anger turned from him, and he was not completely destroyed.  Indeed, there was some good in Judah."

We often confuse consequence with punishment and the lack of forgiveness.  We do this in our relationship with God and with our relationships with others.  For example, a person commits a crime against a neighbor.  Knowing that neighbor is a Christian, the offender seeks forgiveness hoping the neighbor will drop charges.  The Christian neighbor does not drop the charges and the offender goes to jail.  The Christian may have forgiven the offender but allowed him to suffer the consequences for his actions.  Forgiveness does not mean we escape the consequences for our actions.

So often people seek advice or counsel for relationship problems.  If they seek this counsel from a Biblical counselor they may not like what they hear especially if the counselor guides them through God’s Word and God tells them they need to change.  The came to counseling hoping for change in the other person, not to hear that the problem is them.

Don’t assume God hates you when bad things happen even though you repented and asked forgiveness.  Your repentance may have resulted in God holding back the amount of suffering you were destined to go through but He did not withhold all of it.  This is discipline and God’s discipline is done out of love.  Embrace His discipline but fear His wrath.

Tickle my ears and kill my soul

2 Chronicles 10

13[Rehoboam] answered them harshly.  Rejecting the advice of the elders, 14he followed the advice of the young men and said, “My father made your yoke heavy; I will make it even heavier.”

Rehoboam was heir to the throne of King Solomon, his father.  After his father died, the people requested a lighter tax and work burden.  Rehoboam sought the counsel of elders that served his father.  They told him that if he lightened the load of the people, they would become loyal to him and would be his servants forever.

Rehoboam then sought the advice of his childhood friends.  Their advice was completely opposite.  Their counsel was to be heavy handed and threatening; to lead through intimidation and fear.  All of the Israelites, except those living in Judah, rejected his authority and went to their own homes.  The kingdom was now divided.

There are several lessons to be gleaned from this passage.  First, is the affirmation that, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton, 1887)  These young men were friends of the king’s son.  This no doubt afforded them special privilege amongst those that were not Rehoboam’s friends.  They probably looked forward to Rehoboam’s accession to the throne to gain even more vicarious power.

Another lesson to be gleaned is the value of advice.  We all learn from our mistakes as well as our successes.  How much better it is to learn lessons from the successes and failures of others.  However, many people shop for advice until they hear what it is they wanted to hear.  We want people to “tickle our ears” with words that affirm the desires of our hearts.  This is how many people shop for a church.  They want to hear from the word of God provided that word is comforting and affirming.

A true friend is one who will tell the truth even when the truth is harsh.  Speaking truth in love is not that difficult provided the love is established long before the truth needs to be told.  If a friend is sinning and we sugar coat it, we are doing more harm than good.

Our current society likes to call everything an addiction or a disorder.  This diagnosis suggests that things really are not your fault and you may suffer with this addiction or disorder for the rest of your life.  

Sin, however, needs no cure.  It needs no medication.  It requires no support groups or sponsors to call.  When we call it sin, we give the sinner an opportunity to immediately repent and receive forgiveness and restoration.  Tickling the ears is fatal to the soul.

Release from Captivity

2 Chronicles 6

36“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy,...38 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul,...39 then...hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause.  And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.”

This prayer of dedication was offered by Solomon at the completion of the building of the temple.  It offers a lot of doctrine and theology including the sin, its consequences, repentance and restoration.

Solomon worried that the people of Israel would sin and turn against God.  His fears were well founded and history showed this pattern of behavior over the next several centuries.  The people would sin against God.  The consequences for their sin was separation from God.  In that period of history this was seen in God allowing the Israelites to be taken captive by their enemies, exiled in foreign lands or occupied and ruled by god-less governments in their own land.  When they repented they were restored to their own land and they regained sovereignty over their nation.

Throughout this prayer of dedication Solomon asks that God would hear the prayers of His people when they turned towards the temple and prayed.  The temple was a dwelling place for God among His people.  In verse 18 Solomon recognizes that the heavens cannot contain God so a building constructed by human hands certainly could not contain God.  Turning towards the temple to pray was, in reality, turning towards God to pray.  Turning towards God means turning your back on the thing that took you into captivity—sin.

Sin still angers God.  When we sin God still allows us to be taken into captivity by our enemy.  Once we start down a road of sin there seems to be no turning back.  We resist temptation and we enjoy a season of success but eventually give in to the desire of our flesh—whatever that desire might be.  Once we give in, we indulge in our sin like a hungry glutton before a table of food.  We are given to captivity to our sin and we cannot seem to escape.

Our efforts are just that, our efforts.  We cannot escape captivity anymore than we can secure our own salvation.  Our only recourse is turn back towards God and cry out in repentance.  We must turn our back on our sin and acknowledge that only He can restore us to fellowship with Him.

Are you abiding in Christ right now or are you being held captive by the enemy?  Have you tried everything to break the chains of bondage except asking God to forgive and restore you?  Turning towards God means turning away from the sin that caused led to your exile.  You cannot bring it back with you.  The Gatekeepers remain on watch.