Kenneth Winter's Blog, page 16

What's The Big Deal?

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Sometimes we can be doing things the wrong way for so long that we no longer see anything wrong with what we are doing. In some ways, our errant practices become the norm – and sometimes, they even become our new traditions. That can be true in places of worship – as well as in our own lives.

Such was the case in first century Jerusalem. One thousand years earlier, God had given King David and later his son, King Solomon, very specific instructions for the construction of the first temple in Jerusalem. Those instructions did not include the stabling of birds and animals within the confines of the temple in order for them to be purchased by pilgrims coming to offer their sacrifices.  Rather, the animals were available elsewhere in the city away from the temple.

The temple was to be a place of worship and prayer. It was never intended to be a place of commerce. And yet over time, the outer court of the Gentiles became a marketplace where visiting Jews could exchange their money for temple currency and purchase animals to be sacrificed. The practice was borne out of convenience for the travelers from out of town, and it quickly became a VERY profitable business. The outer court had been intended to be a place where “non-believers” could enter and learn about the one true God of Israel. But its use as a market had transformed the space from one being used for a missionary purpose to one now being used for a mercenary purpose

Every Israelite, rich or poor, who had reached the age of twenty was required to pay a temple tax of one-half shekel into the temple treasury. This tax was to be paid using a Hebrew half shekel. At Passover, all adult males who wished to worship at the temple would bring his "offering". Since foreign money with any foreign image was considered to be “corrupt and unclean”, the money changers would sell "temple coinage" at a very high rate of exchange and add an additional charge for their services. 

The animal dealers also charged exorbitant prices, but no one could oppose them. They profited from the wealthy by providing four-legged animals for sacrifice, and they profited from the poor by selling them doves. It had become the ultimate “convenience store”. The former high priest, Annas, was the manager of the enterprise, assisted by his sons, and they operated under the protection of the current high priest, his son-in law, Caiaphas. Their motivation was greed and extortion. To use Jesus’s words, it truly had become a “den of thieves”. They were using their religion to cover up their sin. It is estimated that between one and two million people came to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. So, do not lose sight that this had become BIG business!

Jesus was not the first to be sent by the Father to rebuke the religious leaders and the people of Israel for this practice of turning the temple into a marketplace. Over six hundred years earlier, God had sent the prophet Jeremiah to deliver the same rebuke, saying: “Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears My name, has become a den of thieves? Surely, I see all the evil going on there. I, the Lord, have spoken!”(1)

The day Jesus cleansed the temple,(2) He repeated the words of the prophet Isaiah, “My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”(3) It is to be a place where prayer bears evidence of dependence upon God and reliance in His Word. As Jesus demonstrated through the healing of the blind and the lame, His temple was to be a place where people were welcomed and received the help they needed. It was to be a place where God’s power was evident in the transformation of lives. And as evidenced by the children, as they gave praise, it was to be a place where God was praised and belief in God was evidenced. Jesus reminded them of the words of the psalmist – “You have taught children and infants to tell of Your strength, silencing Your enemies and all who oppose You.”(4) Not only had the temple become as fruitless as the fig tree Jesus had rebuked the day before;(5) it had become a stumbling block to true seekers desiring to worship the one true God.

But instead of repenting of their errant practice, the leaders became indignant and plotted even more fervently how to kill Jesus. They could think of nothing else, “because all the people hung on every word He said.”(6) He threatened their financial enterprise. He threatened their power over the people. He threatened their position of leadership. He threatened their own selfish ambition. He threatened their desire to walk according to their own ways. There was nothing godly within them. Their hearts were as cold as stone. They could think of nothing else, but how they would rid themselves of Jesus. 

We, too, can become easily blinded by our own selfish ambitions and our own personal desires. We easily allow compromises to make their way into our lives and become our norms. If we would take up the cross, the lessons for us from the cleansing of the temple are a VERY big deal – in our own lives, and in the local church bodies of which we are a part. 

First – the abomination that the marketplace practices became began with a simple and subtle compromise. It was a means to make it easier for foreigners to participate in worship. Those who had begun the practice probably did so in an effort to enhance worship, never imagining it would hamper it. It is a reminder to us to guard every facet of our lives and our worship and not compromise or redirect our focus from the One we follow, no matter how seemingly inconsequential the redirect might appear to be. 

Second – our lives and our local churches are to bear evidence of our utter dependence upon God and our complete reliance on His Word. We are to be welcomers and helpers of all who God brings across our path – personally and as a body of believers. His presence and His power are to be conspicuously evident in our lives, our praise, our beliefs and our actions. 

Third – we must never lose sight that we have been called to be ambassadors of the gospel to all people and all nations – through our prayer and through our actions.

The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”(7) Therein lies the big deal! We have been created for His purpose. Our lives are to be His temple and a reflection of His glory. But in order for that to be the case, we must turn from the sins that we have allowed to infiltrate our temple and turn our focus away from Him. He has promised to cleanse us(8) – not with a whip, but with the cleansing power of His shed blood. Allow Him to clear out the temple and make way for His glory to return. Because His glory is a big deal!

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This post is adapted from Taking Up The Cross, chapter 3, entitled “Cleansing The Temple” This fifth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1)  Jeremiah 7:11 (NLT) 

(2)  Matthew 21:12-16

(3)  Isaiah 56:7 (NLT)

(4)  Psalm 8:2 (NLT)

(5)  Mark 11:12-14

(6)  Luke 19:48 (NLT)

(7)  1 Corinthians 3:16 (NLT)

(8)  1 John 1:9

Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO – The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

We Are Family

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In 1979, four sisters from Philadelphia, who together formed an R&B vocal group, released what immediately became their breakthrough album, We Are Family,(1) featuring their Grammy Award winning single under the same title. The Sledge sisters celebrated in song what it meant to be family. If you were around in that era, i would venture to say that the song immediately began to play in your head as soon as you read the title of this post! Even if your own family experience wasn’t as joyful as the lyrics in the song, you found yourself celebrating the idea of family when those notes began to play.

Our pictures of family may in fact look very different from one another in many ways, but in the way that i would say is the most important, i would hope it looks the same!

As some of you know, i lived in South Florida for a good part of my life. i attended school there from the age of 12. My wife and i met there. Our children were born there. God called us into ministry there. Though we are delighted to now call Virginia our home, we savor every opportunity we have to return to South Florida for a visit. (Particularly during these chilly winter months!) People frequently ask if we still have family living in that part of Florida – to which we reply that though no “blood relatives” live there any longer, our ties there are to long-time friends (brothers and sisters in the Lord) who have become family through the years. That bond has become just as strong – if not, in some ways, stronger. So periodically, as the sun and surf call out to us to return and get some rest, our visits to South Florida have become a respite and a retreat from the busyness of life and the pressing pace of the day-to-day, as we reconnect with “family”.

The writer of the Gospel of Mark records that crowds had been pressing in on Jesus so greatly that He and His disciples couldn’t find time to eat. When His family heard what was happening, they tried to take Him away because they feared “He was out of His mind.”(2) His family had traveled thirty miles from Nazareth to plead with Him to come home and get some rest.

When Jesus was told that His family was outside asking for Him, He replied, “Who is My mother? Who are My brothers?” Then He looked at those around Him and said, “Look, these are My mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is My brother and sister and mother.”(3)

Jesus was not being disrespectful to His family. He knew their concern for Him was genuine. You’ll remember that at the wedding feast in Cana, His mother had turned to Him when she learned that the wine was running out. Mary was either a member of the family or a close personal friend of the wedding party. By association, therefore, so was Jesus. She was genuinely concerned for the family that day and was certain that Jesus would also share that familial concern. But He had patiently – and firmly – reminded Mary that He was absolutely bound to the Father’s will – and the Father’s will took precedent even over His mother. 

Even years earlier, at age 12, Jesus had explained to His mother that He must be about His Father’s business (though Mary didn’t fully understand what He meant). 

On this particular day, when Jesus was speaking to those who were standing or seated around Him, He was not suggesting His followers ignore or abandon their families in order to serve the Father. Rather, He was modeling that they put His will above all else in their lives. 

Another time when Jesus was teaching His disciples about the cost of following Him, He said, “If you want to be My disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else – your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be My disciple.”(4) Though it is certainly the Father’s will that we honor and care for our families,(5) we must never allow our loved ones to detour us from pursuing the Father’s will, no matter how well-intentioned their motivation. That was a radical position for Jesus to take in first century Jewish society. In many respects, it’s still a radical position today!

But Jesus was also reinforcing the truth that as followers of Christ pursuing the Father’s will, we are family. “Anyone who does God’s will is My brother and sister and mother.”(6) We have become brothers and sisters in Christ! We are to love one another, encourage one another and lift one another up. We’re going to spend eternity together, so let’s learn how to live as family in the here and now! 

But regrettably, that is not always the way we treat one another. Too often, instead of lifting up, we are tearing down; and instead of encouraging, we are criticizing – and not in a godly way! That too then detours us from being about the Father’s will. And trust me – no matter how much we may want to dress up our actions in “godly” jargon, there is no good motivation involved! The result is that the body is injured, our testimony is tarnished, the devil is delighted, the mission is set back, and we detract from the glory of God.

It is worthy to note that the very discussion Jesus was engaged in that day when Mary, His half-brothers and half-sisters came to see Him was with the Pharisees. They had just accused Him of being possessed by Satan.(7) And in His response, He admonished them that a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. There can be no health in feuding, no matter how much we may want to justify it.

As we walk with the Master, we are to be mindful of our family relationships. Children are to treat their parents with the honor they are due.(8) Parents are to nurture and cherish their children.(9) Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church.(10) Wives are to submit to their husbands as they do to the Lord.(11) Brothers and sisters are to love and edify one another.(12) But above all else, we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls and minds.(13) We are to seek Him first.(14) We are to honor Him above all else and all others. And as we do, He will enable us to honor our family as we should – those who are a part of our nuclear family … and those who are a part of our faith family. 

And don’t forget – our family is looking for us! Whether it is our nuclear family, our extended family, or our faith family. They are looking for us – to honor them rightly and well! Let’s be faithful to honor them in the way Jesus would! After all – we are family!

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This post is adapted from Walking With The Master, chapter 27, entitled “Your Family Is Looking For You.” This fourth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1) We Are Family released by Sister Sledge on January 22, 1979

(2) Mark 3:20-21 (NLT)

(3) Mark 3:33-35 (NLT)

(4) Luke 14:26 (NLT)

(5) Exodus 20:12; 1 Timothy 5:8

(6) Mark 3:35 (NLT)

(7) Mark 3:20-30

(8) Ephesians 6:2-3

(9) Ephesians 6:4

(10)Ephesians 5:25-27

(11)Ephesians 5:22-24

(12)1 Thessalonians 5:11

(13)Matthew 22:37

(14)Matthew 6:33

Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Whose Fame Do We Seek?

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i have a very personal question for all of us. When the day is done or when our lives come to an end, what do we want to be known for? Do we want to be known for the success we achieved, the awards we earned, or the victories we won?  Or do we want to be known for the way we helped others or the civic service we selflessly carried out? Or do we want to be known for being a faithful and loving son or daughter, or husband or wife, or parent, or friend? Most, if not all, of those would be noble pursuits. But each of those in one way or another, actually points back to us. Please allow me to press the question a little further.

Before the Israelites arrived on the scene, the city of Jericho was known for the ominous walls that surrounded it. Moses himself had told the Israelites before they ever crossed over to the Promised Land, “Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky!”(1)

It is believed that the wall around Jericho was in fact a design of three walls. First the mound, or “tell”, was surrounded by a great earthen embankment, with a stone retaining wall at its base. That wall was 12-15 feet high. On top of the retaining wall was a mudbrick wall six feet thick and 20-26 feet high. Then from the crest of the embankment was a similar mudbrick wall also six feet thick that started at 46 feet above the ground level (outside the retaining wall) and also arose an additional 20-26 feet into the air.(2)

So from ground level these walls projected approx. 70 feet into the air. At a timeframe of roughly 1450 BC, that would have been viewed like we view The Empire State Building in New York City today – “reaching to the sky”. The builders of the city of Jericho had taken great care and great pride in building a virtually impregnable fortress.

The citizens of Jericho, including those who ordinarily lived outside of the city, turned to its walls for protection from the advance of the Israelites and their infamous God. Jericho mounted no offensive effort against the Israelites. It is probably true that after watching the Israelites march around the city for seven days, the Jerichoites were pretty well convinced that the Israelites couldn’t see a way to overcome their walls. The Israelites could trust their God; the Jerichoites were content to trust their walls! 

Did you ever stop to wonder why God literally destroyed its walls and had the city burned to the ground? In many ways, the citizens of Jericho looked upon those walls as a god to be worshiped and a god in whom it took pride, in whom it trusted, and whom it elevated above the Lord God Jehovah. And the Lord God Jehovah is jealous for His glory. Do you remember the first commandment that He gave to His people? “You must not have any other god but Me.”(3) He will not share His glory with anything or anyone! And He was leading His people on a mission to make His Name known to the nations. He would leave no question – no doubt – that He – and He alone – is the Lord God Jehovah. All else is but crumbling dust and ashen embers!

A number of years ago i was meeting with the property manager of a high-rise office condominium. We were looking out of his window down many feet below to the top of the steeple of the First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach that itself stood over 150 feet into the air. When that church building was built in 1965, the cross at the top of the steeple was the tallest point in the city. It was illuminated so that it could be seen for miles around on a clear night. As we now looked down upon that dwarfed steeple, the property manager reminded me that architecture – and building height – is a reflection of what a society values. So it was with Jericho. So it is in much of our world today!

But after the seventh day the Lord led the Israelites to march around those walls, they were no longer what Jericho was known for. Jericho suddenly became known as the city that God destroyed! The walls collapsed to rubble; the city was burned to ash. And it would never be raised again as an affront to a Holy God. That’s why Joshua invoked God’s curse on the city.(4)

But the lesson for us is not solely about the things our hands can build or the great marvels we can accomplish like the walls of Jericho; it is also about the life we live as we look at the example of Joshua. After Jericho’s destruction, Joshua’s reputation spread throughout the land. And what was that reputation? “The LORD was with Joshua.”(5) Even to this day, Joshua isn’t remembered for being a great military strategist. He isn’t remembered for being the strongest man – that was Samson. Or for being the wisest man – that was Solomon. As a matter of fact, his leadership role in leading the Israelite people often gets lost in the shadow of the notoriety of Moses. i can name the wife of Moses and can recite some details surrounding his children, but i can’t tell you one thing about Joshua’s family. But what i do know is – “the LORD was with Joshua!”

Throughout his time serving as Moses’ chief lieutenant, as well as throughout his days as God’s anointed leader of the people, you never read of Joshua seeking his own way, his own fame, or his own glory. Being the leader of a nation of one to two million people can be some pretty “heady” stuff. It can bring all of the perks, the pomp and the prestige that is commonly seen expressed through the lives of many who find themselves in the limelight for far less important reasons.   

But it was not just fame that he did not seek. Joshua showed no sign of trying to build or prove his own reputation.  Obviously i don’t mean that he was a man of ill-repute. He walked uprightly before His God. He was a servant of his LORD, and a servant leader of the people. He sought to honor his LORD in all that he did – not for his name’s sake, but for the honor and glory of the only One who matters. And as a result, the LORD honored him, by making His presence conspicuous upon him. God Himself said, “those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.”(6)

As we each continue in the life journey that we’re on – whose fame do we seek? Do we want to be known for who we are, or rather – Whose we are? Do we want to be remembered for what we did, or rather – for the God whom we serve? Do we choose to be a people who place our trust and build a reputation on what we can do or what we can build? Do we seek fame – even modestly – for our own name? Or rather – do we desire to be Christ-followers who are known for the One we follow?

A little further down the road, Joshua was approached by a people that said, “From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt.”(7) May our lives magnify the name and fame of our Lord each day, and may His presence be what is conspicuous in our lives, reflecting what the psalmist wrote:

Your name, O LORD, endures forever;

Your fame, O LORD, is known to every generation.(8)

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This post is adapted from Possessing the Promise, chapter 18, entitled “Whose Fame Do You Seek?” This third book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1) Deuteronomy 9:1 (NLT)

(2) AnswersInGenesis.org

(3) Deuteronomy 5:7 (NLT)

(4) Joshua 6:26-27 (NLT)

At that time Joshua invoked this curse: “May the curse of the LORD fall on anyone who tries to rebuild the town of Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn son, he will lay its foundation. At the cost of his youngest son, he will set up its gates.” So the LORD was with Joshua, and his reputation spread throughout the land.

(5) Joshua 6:27 (NLT)

(6) 1 Samuel 2:30 (NKJ)

(7) Joshua 9:9 (NKJ)

(8) Psalm 135:13 (NLT)

Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Rob Birkbeck on Lightstock

The Lessons of the Detour

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The journey of our lives often resembles a car ride on an interstate highway. Sometimes we are able to fly along with very little interruption from traffic. But  most often, we are surrounded by crowded lanes of traffic that slow our progress. The congestion too frequently leads to accidents and, on occasion, to unexpected detours.

We never planned to encounter the accidents or the detours, but the reality is that they are a part of traveling along the interstate. The same is true of our lives. This week let’s look at the detours we come upon along the way, and heed some of the lessons the Israelites learned through the detours they encountered during their journey.

Their forty-year journey was almost at its end. All that stood between them and the Promised Land was a piece of land inhabited by the Edomites. The Edomites had refused to grant the Israelites passage through their land, and God directed His people to take the detour. 

It’s easy to gloss over the travelogue of places they passed through while making their detour.(1) The names are hard to pronounce, and we tend to want to bypass the geography lesson in our attempt to get on to the “good stuff”. However, if we do, we will miss some of the most important lessons that God would teach us in the wilderness. After all, let’s not forget what Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.”(2)

This journey around the Land of Edom was approximately one hundred miles and took the Israelites six days, traveling approximately sixteen miles per day. They now stood at the edge of the Promised Land. Despite the Edomites’ refusal to permit them passage, the Israelites were now right where they needed to be. The first lesson we might have overlooked is that the enemy may sometimes cause us to detour, but he can never prevent us from arriving at the place God intends us to be. Do not lose sight that God is sovereign even in the detours, and as we’ll see in a moment, God has blessings in store for us even along the way of the detours. Throughout our life journeys, we too will encounter detours placed in our path by the enemy. Remember Joseph’s admonition to his brothers that what they meant for evil, God intended for good.(3) God will lead us through the detour, and we will arrive at His intended destination.

In Moses’ account of the detour, he takes a moment to refer to “The Book of the Wars of the Lord.”(4) This is the book that God instructed Moses to keep after His defeat of the Amalekites.(5) It was a record of the victories that God accomplished on behalf of His people. The second lesson we might have overlooked is the reminder that we must keep a written record of the victories God accomplishes along the way. We must take time to celebrate the favor and the victories of God, preserving them in writing for our future recollection, as well as for the generations that follow. We must record, and in that manner preserve, an account of what He has done, where He has done it, and when He has done it. As we can see time and again in the account of the Israelites, they were quick to forget the goodness and the graciousness of God. But guess what – so are we! We must be faithful to record, review and recite the victories of God in days past; and allow those to provoke us to even greater faith in His Person, His promises and His purpose in the days ahead.

This account of the detour begins at a place called Oboth, which means “water skins.”(6) God provided them with water sufficient for the detour. But now six days later when they arrived in Beer their water bottles were empty; their water supply was exhausted. And do you know what the Israelites did not do? For the first time in almost forty years when their water supply was exhausted – they did not complain! The people had finally learned to look to the Lord God Jehovah to see how He was going to provide – at least for the moment!(7)

God gathered the people and instructed the seventy elders to place their staffs in the ground. He didn’t have Moses strike the rock, or even speak to it; as a matter of fact, He didn’t even work through Moses for this miracle; He worked through the seventy elders. And as they placed their staffs in the ground, water sprang forth, and there was more than enough for the people and their animals. The third lesson we might have overlooked is the reminder that God will rarely meet our needs in the same way He has done it in the past; but He will always meet our need. As God meets the need, it will be in ways that bring glory to Him; and it will often be in ways that are above and beyond anything that we could hope or ask. One pattern will always be consistent – the people prayed according to God’s will, He heard them, and He answered. And as He answered, the people responded with joy and thankfulness. 

The detour ended with the people crossing from the wilderness into the valley of Moab. The fourth lesson we might have overlooked is the reminder that our Lord is our Shepherd, and He will lead us to the green pastures and the quiet waters. He knew what the people needed before they even asked, and as the Good Shepherd He was, and is, faithful to provide it. Hold onto that lesson – no matter where you are in your journey, even if you can only see desert wilderness in front of you, be confident; He will lead you to those green pastures and quiet waters.       

i have no idea what detour you might currently be experiencing on your journey; but don’t overlook the lessons He would teach you through it. God does not waste a single moment of our journey. He teaches us through it all. And they are lessons we need to learn to prepare us for the rest of our journey with Him. Heed the lessons of the detour, and trust Him to use it for your good and His glory!

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This post is adapted from The Wandering Years, chapter 30, entitled “The Lessons of the Detour.” This second book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1) Numbers 21:10-20 (NLT)

The Israelites traveled next to Oboth and camped there. Then they went on to Iye-abarim, in the wilderness on the eastern border of Moab. From there they traveled to the valley of Zered Brook and set up camp. Then they moved to the far side of the Arnon River, in the wilderness adjacent to the territory of the Amorites. The Arnon is the boundary line between the Moabites and the Amorites. For this reason “The Book of the Wars of the LORD” speaks of "the town of Waheb in the area of Suphah, and the ravines; and the Arnon River and its ravines, which extend as far as the settlement of Ar on the border of Moab." From there the Israelites traveled to Beer, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, "Assemble the people, and I will give them water." There the Israelites sang this song: "Spring up, O well! Yes, sing about it! Sing of this well, which princes dug, which great leaders hollowed out with their scepters and staffs." Then the Israelites left the wilderness and proceeded on through Mattanah, Nahaliel, and Bamoth. Then they went to the valley in Moab where Pisgah Peak overlooks the wasteland. 

(2)  2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)

(3)  Genesis 50:20

(4)  Numbers 21:14

(5)  Exodus 17:14

(6)  Numbers 21:10

(7)  Numbers 21:17

Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Alexey Taktarov on Unsplash

Who Will Go For Us?

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After blogging for several years, i am mindful that some titles draw people to read the post … and others can scare readers away. This is one of those titles that tends to scare people away. That’s because it is a question that makes us uncomfortable. So … thank you for reading this far!

You probably remember the setting. It comes from Isaiah chapter 6. Isaiah finds himself unexpectedly in the throne room of heaven when he hears the Lord ask, “Whom should I send as a messenger to My people? Who will go for Us?”(1)

In the vision, God was not speaking to any one person individually. There is no indication that He was directing the question to Isaiah specifically. He was asking the question of all who heard it – at that moment, and as we read those words … even today. That’s the uncomfortable part. We’re okay with it when it is directed toward someone else. But it’s quite a different story when we believe it has been directed to us.

This week, i am releasing my newest book in The Called series. It’s entitled A Prophet Called Isaiah. Here is an excerpt from the book that pertains to that specific Isaiah 6 moment:

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A few nights after King Uzziah’s death, I was experiencing a fitful night’s sleep. All at once, I seemed to be in a crowd of people gathered in a magnificent temple. The building was far grander than anything I had ever seen, including the temple here in Jerusalem. 

It was also much larger. I could not see the walls opposite where I was standing. They were too far away for me to make them out. I turned to ask the people standing beside me where I was. But they were bowed on bent knees with arms uplifted.

At first I thought I was at a memorial gathering for King Uzziah. But then I began to hear what the crowd was saying. With one voice they were calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!”(2)

I followed their gaze and could make out the shape of a throne in the distance. It was elevated high off the ground in what I presumed was the middle of the temple. Then I realized someone was seated on the throne. 

As I watched, a host of what I now believe were angels encircled the throne. They were mighty men – larger than any I have ever seen. I’ve heard stories about the Philistine Goliath, but these men were even bigger than how he was described. And each of these men had six wings!

I was mesmerized as I watched them. With two of their wings, the angels were covering their faces. With two, they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they were flying around the throne.

They, too, were calling out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with His glory!”(3)

However, the sound of their voices shook the temple to its very foundation. And soon the entire building began to fill with what looked like smoke.

It was then I realized who was seated on the throne. Somehow, I had entered the presence of Jehovah God, and it was the train of His robe filling the temple. I fell to my knees and cried out in fear.

“It’s all over!” I cried out. “I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet, I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”(4)

I could no longer look at the One on the throne. My body was weighed down by my sin. But soon I felt something hovering over me. With all my strength, I forced myself to look up. Flying above me was one of the angelic beings. He was holding a burning coal with a pair of tongs.

I suspected the coal had been taken from the burning altar that stood before the throne. He reached toward me with the coal. I tried to back away, but I could not move. He touched my lips with the coal, and as he did, he said: “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”(5)

The weight I had felt was instantly gone. I looked at the One seated on the throne and heard Him ask, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for Us?”(6)

Immediately I rose to my feet and cried out, “Here I am. Send me!”(7)

My words echoed in my ears. Had I said them out loud? I must have … because every eye in the room had now turned toward me – even the eyes of the Lord!  “Yes, go!” the Lord said. “But tell My people this: ‘You will hear My words, but You will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning.’”(8)

“Lord, how long must I do this?” I asked.(9)

“Until their cities are destroyed, with no one left in them,” He answered. “Until their houses are deserted and the whole country is an utter wasteland. Until I have sent everyone away to distant lands, and the entire land of Israel lies deserted. Even if only a remnant survives, like a tree that is cut down, the stump will be a holy seed that will grow again.”(10)

I knew I could not speak the words I was thinking. My heart was broken by God’s promise of destruction. I wanted to shout, “No, Lord! Do not destroy our cities, our houses, and our nation!” I did not want to be the bearer of that news!

I looked at Him, and His eyes penetrated my soul. I began to panic. I wanted to flee from what He was telling me to do. But I knew I could not.

As much as I hated to hear those words, I knew God’s punishment was just because of our sinful actions. And now, that same God was commanding me to deliver His message.

At that moment, I felt as if I were being swallowed by a giant whirlwind. I fell backward into a bottomless funnel. I grabbed wildly, trying to find something to hold on to, but to no avail. The whirlwind unexpectedly stopped, just as a familiar voice called out to me.

“Isaiah, what has come over you?” my wife asked. “Wake up, Isaiah!”

Gradually, I opened my eyes but was completely disoriented. I was covered in perspiration, and my heart was racing. I realized I was waking up from a dream. But was it a dream? It seemed so real!

I raised my fingers to feel the spot where the hot coal had touched my lips. I could still feel the sensation. It may have occurred in a dream, but I knew it was very real!

Nebiah’s eyes were full of worry. “What is it, Isaiah?” she asked. “What’s wrong? Were you having a dream?”

I paused for a moment to collect my thoughts. I sensed the Spirit of God helping me understand what had just taken place. 

“Jehovah God has come to me in a dream!” I said. “Though I was asleep, the dream was real. He has chosen me to be His prophet. He has chosen me to tell His people what He is going to do!

“He has placed me in the palace – not to be a king – but to be a prophet to the kings. He has placed me among His people to be a prophet to His people.”

* * * * *

He may not have chosen you and i to be His prophet … but He has chosen us to be His witness. And He has placed us among His creation to be that witness. We don’t need His invitation to go. He’s already given it. The question is – how will we respond?

* * * * *

Portions of this post are taken from chapters 4 and 5 of A Prophet Called Isaiah, which releases Friday, January 14th on Amazon. The book is an account of Isaiah’s life story from his birth to his death. You’ll experience the events that unfolded in Judah beginning with their 8th king – whose name was Joash (Isaiah’s grandfather) – through their 14th king – King Manasseh (Isaiah’s grandson). You’ll see them unfold through the eyes of a royal that responded to God’s call to be His prophet. For more information about the book, go to my website or Amazon.

Also, i invite you to join me for a Facebook Live conversation about the book on Thursday, January 13that 7PM EST.

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(1)  Isaiah 6:8

(2)  Isaiah 6:3

(3)  Isaiah 6:3

(4)  Isaiah 6:5

(5)  Isaiah 6:7

(6)  Isaiah 6:8

(7)  Isaiah 6:8

(8)  Isaiah 6:9

(9)  Isaiah 6:11

(10) Isaiah 6:11-13

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

The Lesson of the Quail

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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It’s the beginning of a new year. Just like every year that has preceded it, the year stretches out before us like a great big unblemished canvas. This time next year, we’ll all be experts about what 2022 held in store for us … but right now, we really don’t have a clue, even though we may think we do. All of us have made plans of some sort for 2022. Those plans include the moments we look forward to – an upcoming marriage, the upcoming birth of a new family member, a graduation, the start of a new job, a planned vacation, a retirement, or the like. The list goes on and on. The possibilities are endless.

We’re also very aware of the problems we carry forward with us from the prior year – issues that we are facing personally, nationally or globally. We have made our plans for 2022 with the appropriate contingencies for those known problems as best we can. We’ve made our plans. We’ve set our course. But the reality is we really don’t know what will unfold. It could be amazing! It could be exceedingly above anything we could ask or think. Or … it could be devastating.

How many of us even knew the word COVID at the beginning of 2020, let alone could foresee its impact on the canvas of that year … or the year that followed … or the first few days of this year? Or on a more personal note, how many of us received unexpected news that totally changed the trajectory of our year … or our life … for good … or for not so good?

So … as we start another new year, what can we really count on? Or more importantly, who can we really count on? Now i know that most of you who are reading this will immediately give the right “Sunday School” answer – “we can count on the Sovereign and Almighty God!” And of course, you’d be right! But how many of us truly live out our lives that way?

How many of us live in a way that would indicate that we see God simply as the court of last resort? He’s the One we go to when we have exhausted everything or everyone else. We trust Him as long as we like the news we are hearing or the situation we are encountering … but when that’s not the case, we’re not so sure.

Allow me to remind you what you already know. God knows exactly what your finished canvas for 2022 will look like … and each year after that, for that matter. He knows what the outcome will be. He knows what we will encounter. He knows what we will need. And most importantly, He knows how He will use each situation and circumstance in a way that will ultimately be for our good and His glory.(1)

Since He is the same today as He was yesterday and He will be tomorrow(2), we can look at countless ways that God has proven that He is trustworthy. One of those is what i will call “the lesson of the quail.”

The Israelites were hungry. They had only been gone from Egypt for a month. But they’d already forgotten what it was like to be slaves and were craving the food they’d eaten in Egypt. They had seen God meet their needs and protect them in miraculous ways time and again, but still they had that mindset – “God, what have You done for me lately?”

In His patience, the LORD said to Moses, "I have heard the people's complaints. Now tell them, 'In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning, you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"  That evening vast numbers of quail arrived and covered the camp.(3)

His answer seized the attention of the people. Their eyes were now turned to Him; their ears were now trained on Him. Now that He had the full attention of His people, God was prepared to meet their natural need in His supernatural way. He was preparing to meet their need in a way that the people would again know that He is God, and they are not. And He wanted their complete attention. Does that mean that God was not at work until the Israelites turned their attention back to Him? No, not at all! God was making preparations for their deliverance long before they even realized they had need. 

Let’s look at the miracle of the quail. Quail begin their migration from Equatorial Africa to Europe and Western Asia in the spring of each year. Based upon the average flying speed of the quail, it would have taken them approximately three days to fly from Africa to the Wilderness of Sin (where the Israelites were at the time). God promised His people that they would have meat to eat that evening. That means He had already set in motion the events to deliver it to them at least two days prior.

Secondly, the Wilderness of Sin lies east of the migratory corridor of the quail, which means that God shifted the prevailing winds during their migration to deliver them right to the Israelites’ camp – a reminder that God will move heaven and earth to accomplish His purpose and fulfill His promise.

Thirdly, imagine the number of quail required to provide over one million Israelites with their fill of fowl. If you have ever seen the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie “The Birds”, the quantity of birds reflected in that movie pales in comparison to the flock that arrived in the Israelite’s camp that evening. God even timed their arrival by night because the sheer volume of birds in the sky would have blotted out the sun. And having just finished their winter feed, these quail were large and plump. God’s provision will never be less than what is required to meet the need. 

So … what does that mean for us as we look at the year ahead? First, remember God has promised to meet our every need as we follow Him; we will never have a need or encounter a circumstance that is too large – or too small – for Him to meet.

Second, be assured He will use His provision to bring glory to His Name. Therefore, we will not see nor experience His full provision until we have given Him our complete attention. Keep watching, waiting and trusting! 

Third, be confident God will accomplish it all in His perfect time and in His perfect way – moving heaven and earth, if need be, to accomplish it. 

Fourth, trust Him to meet your need and/or your situation in ways that are beyond anything that we could plan, hope or even imagine.

As you continue your journey in this new year, remember the lesson of the quail … and trust the One who goes before you.

* * * * *

This post is adapted from The Journey Begins, chapter 13, entitled “The Lesson of the Quail.” This first book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1)  Romans 8:28

(2)  Hebrews 13:8

(3)  Exodus 16:11-13 (NLT)

Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by James Wainscoat on Unsplash

Keep Gazing Upward

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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It’s hard to believe that another year is drawing to a close. And yes, what a year it has been! Some of the major wordsmiths are using singular words such as these to describe 2021: vaccine, insurrection, perseverance, variant, woke, “wokelash” – and the most recent addition – “omnicron.” (Feel free to search any of the words you may not be sure about.)

Most of the words, just like those in years past, tend to focus on the events we find swirling around us – in many ways, like a whirlpool – seeking to suck us in and draw us under. Given the fact that those are the subjects that are most often in the forefront of the news we hear and the conversations we have, it is no wonder that our gazes can easily be redirected from where they need to be.

When our gazes are redirected downward, it is also no wonder that a recent Barna survey indicated that among millennial women 47% are anxious, 45% are fearful about the future, and 33% are sad or depressed. Though the results among millennial men were slightly less, they followed the same trend.

i have recently been reading in the Book of Acts about Stephen, and i believe there is an important word of truth for us in this hour. You will recall he is one of those who was selected by the Jerusalem church to serve the needs of the widows within their community of faith.(1) Since that is our first introduction to Stephen, we are also told that he was a man “full of faith and the Holy Spirit”(2) and “full of God’s grace and power”(3) – the former being the cause and the latter being the effect.

As we continue to read through the rest of chapters 6 and 7 in Acts, we see that being full of grace, Stephen boldly declared truth. i fear that we today have in some ways bought into a lie about a false grace that declares “live and let live”. We have become confused into thinking that if we are standing up for truth, we are being judgmental and “grace-less”. As Stephen’s life reflects, nothing could be further from the truth!

He was surrounded by a group of religious thinkers of the day. Many of whom were the leaders who had rejected Jesus. They were controlled by their own selfish ambitions and had become fearful that the truth He proclaimed threatened their positions, their power, and their very way of life. Their fears and anxieties had quickly turned into bitterness and hatred – toward Jesus and toward anyone who followed Him.

Recognizing their state of mind – and state of heart – Stephen recounted God’s promises from the days of Abraham through the days of the prophets, and all God had done to draw the people of Israel to Himself.(4)Ultimately Stephen confronted them with the reality that they had rejected God’s promises from every prophet that God sent to them, including Jesus – whom this very group had murdered.(5)

He confronted the high council with the reality that they had disobeyed the very Word of God that through their position they were charged to honor and guard. They had so compromised the truth that they had crucified the One who was the personification of God’s grace and truth.(6) Instead of seeking and worshiping their Creator, they had created a god in their own image that they now served. They had molded and shaped their god to fit the circumstances that surrounded them as they perceived them to be. Their gaze had become so turned from God that they no longer recognized His truth – or His Person. Instead their god became their tradition, their position and their misguided power. Stephen was by no means preaching a message of “live and let live,” he was confronting them with the truth of God’s Word.

And, no, it wasn’t popular. The Jewish leaders were infuriated. They literally shook their fists at him in rage. If it had occurred today, they would have accused him of being intolerant. But Stephen, because he was full of the Holy Spirit, did not divert his gaze to their rage or back down from his mission. He kept gazing upward toward heaven with His eyes on the glory of God and his faith directed toward the Son of God. And he told them exactly what he was seeing. 

He chose to go right on speaking the truth when he knew that it would cost him his life. He chose to die rather than not speak the Word of God empowered by the Spirit of God. He chose to honor the One, rather than the crowd. The Jewish leaders killed him in their feeble attempt to silence the truth. They saw it as so threatening that it was better to kill a good man than to let this truth be spread. They had thought when they murdered Jesus that they were squashing the truth. And they had been wrong! Now, they were again making the same mistake. They thought that by stoning Stephen they would silence the truth, but they had underestimated God’s plan. Stephen was to be the catalyst that triggered an explosive growth of the church. It was his martyrdom that scattered the believers to the ends of the earth.(7) In the midst of it all, Stephen kept gazing upward full of grace and truth, as the religious crowd around him kept gazing downward, denying truth and attempting to silence it. 

So, as we prepare to enter into a new year and bid 2021 farewell, i think it’s appropriate to ask ourselves the question: will we orient our gaze on the noise that surrounds us, or will we turn our gaze upward and speak words of truth to those around us? This may be the very moment that God has ordained for His grace and truth to be proclaimed through our lives and revealed through the power of His Holy Spirit. An anxious, fearful and depressed world needs to hear it … and see it!

* * * * *

This post is adapted from Until He Returns, chapter 20, entitled “Keep Gazing Upward.” This sixth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. CLICK HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.

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(1)  Acts 6:1-6

(2)  Acts 6:5

(3)  Acts 6:8

(4)  Acts 7:1-50

(5)  Acts 7:51-53

(6)  John 1:14

(7)  Acts 8:1

Copyright © 2021 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Adam-F on Lightstock

An Advent Story - Anna

 If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE : This is the last of four short stories i am posting this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the prophecies and events surrounding the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained therein are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of Advent this Christmas season. 

The stories include:

Gabriel – the angel (December 1)

Zechariah – the priest (December 8)

Elizabeth – the cousin (December 15)

Anna – the prophetess (This week - December 22) 

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I am Anna, considered by some to be a prophetess – which means God has granted me the gift of hearing His voice and speaking His Word. In many respects, it is more of a responsibility than a gift. Long ago, God showed me I was to speak the message He gave me to the person He wanted to receive it – regardless of how that person reacted.

I grew up in the city of Hebron. While I was still very young, my father, Phanuel the Asherite, entered into an agreement with Abdiel the Levite for me to marry his son Menachem. My parents were already old when my mother gave birth to me, so they wanted to be certain that my future was secure.

Menachem was several years older than I was and already a priest of the division of Abijah, just like his father. We married when I was fourteen years old. And from that first day, there was never any doubt that Menachem loved me. But he also showed me that he loved God with all of his heart. And he taught me how to love God with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Those were not just words to him – he lived them out!

My mother gave me a white tunic she had woven in one piece without any seams for a wedding present. It was the most beautiful garment I had ever seen. “Anna,” my mother said, “this robe is for your firstborn son. Wrap him in it as a child, then preserve it and give it to him when he becomes a man.” That precious gift became my most prized possession, and I looked forward to the day I would wrap my son in it.

But in the sovereignty of God, I never bore a child. My only regret in my marriage to Menachem was that I never gave him a son to carry on his name. But Menachem was always gracious. He often reminded me that we would trust God and rest in the peace of His plan for our lives. Our love for Him and for one another filled our hearts and kept them from aching for the child we would never have.

We journeyed to Jerusalem multiple times each year for Menachem to serve in the temple. Each division of priests served in the temple for two one-week periods every year, as well as during our three major annual feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. The priests were to offer daily sacrifices and to convey priestly blessings.

Menachem counted it an honor and a privilege to stand before God on behalf of the people. He loved his Lord. He loved his wife. And he loved his work. He was greatly encouraged when his brother Zechariah began to sense God’s calling to also serve as a priest. Though Zechariah was fifteen years younger than Menachem, my husband looked forward to mentoring and training his brother. Our life was filled with joy and purpose. I could not imagine anything better.

Menachem lived each day believing it might be the day of the Messiah’s coming. He not only knew and believed the prophecies, he looked forward to them through eyes of faith. And he taught me to do the same. I came to believe that God would grant me the opportunity to see the arrival of His Son with my own eyes. We didn’t know how or when, but we believed the time was drawing near.

When we had been married about seven years, we went to Jerusalem again for a time of service. This occasion was particularly significant to Menachem. He had been selected to present the offering of incense on the altar in the sanctuary. It was a rare privilege and one he was looking forward to later in the week.

We were staying in one of the small chamber apartments reserved for priests in the outer courts. Menachem usually woke up before I did, so I was surprised to see he was still fast asleep that morning. He did not even stir once I began moving about our small room. When I went over to wake him, he was cold to my touch. I quickly realized he was not breathing.

My husband had peacefully died in his sleep. I called out to the other priests and their wives in the adjoining apartments. They quickly came to comfort me and attend to Menachem’s body. I was so grateful for their care and compassion; they even took care of all of the arrangements.

My husband had not been ill. We had been planning for a day of ministry at the temple. Little had I known when I lay down to sleep the night before that I would bury my husband the next day. Though we had been scheduled to only use the apartment until the end of the week, the High Priest Aristobulus II told me I could stay as long as I needed.

I was a twenty-one-year-old widow, not much more than a child myself. My parents had died soon after Menachem and I were married, so returning to their home was not an option. However, I was blessed by the way so many ministered to me and attended to my needs.

Seven days following my husband’s death, I sensed the angel of the Lord speaking to me in a dream that night. “Anna, thus saith the Lord, ‘I am the God of your fathers, and I am your God. I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.(1) I have known you since long before your mother gave birth to you. I gave you to your husband, and him to you, that you may know and experience the fullness of My love for you.

‘I have placed within your heart an earnest expectancy for the coming of My Son. You will be a part of His story when He comes, and I will be with you all along the way. I will never leave you nor forsake you. You are not to remarry. Rather, draw close to Me and look to Me. I will be your comfort, your strength, your provision, and your peace. Serve Me here in My temple, ministering to those I bring to you. Worship Me with prayer and fasting. Listen to My voice and speak My words. Admonish each one I bring you to look forward to the day of the arrival of My Son. One day you will see Him. In the meantime, minister to each one I bring to you as if they were My Son.’”

I awoke the next morning with confidence. Mine was not to be a life of sorrow or regret but rather a life of devotion and unshakeable hope! I sought out the High Priest and told him what the angel of the Lord had told me. The High Priest said I could remain as a caretaker in the temple as the Lord had instructed me. In the six decades since, eight high priests have followed, and by the grace of God, each one has affirmed his support and my calling from the Lord.

In the years that followed, the temple was reconstructed and restored. The city of Jerusalem was conquered by the Romans and placed under their control. The city grew in size and splendor, and the number of people coming to the temple increased every year.

When some hear my story, they ask me why I did not remarry. I tell them because God told me not to. But I also share what else He told me – including to expect the arrival of the Messiah. I encourage them to watch faithfully and hopefully!

I have seen many widows neglected and exploited. Most, particularly those without children, have lived a life of poverty. But God kept His promise. He provided for me and cared for me – and has given me an unending joy. I still miss Menachem, but my Lord has been my close companion.

Menachem’s brother Zechariah did become a priest. He later married a young woman by the name of Elizabeth who, as it turns out, was born on the very day my husband died. Over the years, I have watched God’s faithfulness to them. And then, just a little over seven months ago – despite their advanced age – God blessed Elizabeth’s barren womb by giving them a son.

Elizabeth confided to me that their son John is the one God has chosen to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. I saw them and their newborn son when they came to the temple to present their offering of redemption. My heart leapt, knowing that I will soon see the Son of God!

A friend of mine by the name of Simeon comes to the temple every day to wait expectantly for the Messiah. He watches every male child who is presented. He is now one hundred thirteen years old and has been waiting and watching for most of his life. I am eighty-four years old – but compared to him I am a youngster!

Then, this morning it happened! As I was walking through the temple, I noticed a young couple enter with their boy child. For some reason, my eye was drawn to them. The young woman, not much more than a child herself, was beautiful. Her husband walked beside her, paying close attention to her and their son. I was struck by his tenderness and humility. He reminded me of Menachem. I had seen many such tender arrivals at the temple over the years – but this one stood out.

I watched from a distance as they presented their offering to the priest. Then I heard the priest speak his words of blessing over the child. I continued watching as the man and woman lingered in the temple before turning to exit. Just then I saw Simeon approach them. 

But today, he didn’t just look at the child and walk away. Tears were streaming down his face as he spoke with the man and the young mother. Then he placed his hand on the baby’s head and spoke a blessing over Him. The mother and father watched and listened intently. As I looked at Simeon – and then at the child – I knew the Messiah had come!

God’s timing is perfect! He had ordered my every step throughout my lifetime. He had allowed me to watch as He ordered the steps of those around me. Even the way He had ordered Menachem’s steps – and his days. Now, He had ordered my steps this very day to witness the arrival of this family. I walked over and joined them in worship and praise of the one true God – the One who had ordered all of our steps from before the beginning of time.

The young mother graciously permitted me to hold the child. I spoke words of praise and blessing over Him. In my heart, I was that twenty-one-year-old, single woman who had been excitedly awaiting the arrival of the Messiah. And now, I was holding Him in my arms.

The young mother told me her story about the angel and what he had said. She told me about the shepherds and the magi. Her husband told me about the vision he had received in a dream that this child was the Son of God. But he also told me of a dream he had just the night before. 

An angel of the Lord had appeared to him in that dream and said, “Rise, take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child to destroy Him.”(2)

The child’s father told me they were departing that very hour as God had instructed. He did not know where they would go in Egypt, but they would walk by faith. Jehovah God had ordered their every step in the advent of His Son – and He would continue to do so.

As I stood there with the child and His parents, I realized there was something I needed to do. I asked them to wait while I returned to my chamber and retrieved my most prized possession. As I handed the gift to the young mother, I said, “Wrap Him in this tunic and use it to keep Him warm. Then one day when He becomes a Man, give it to Him and tell Him about this day.” His mother smiled at me sweetly and promised that she would.

I watched them leave the temple, and I knew I would never see them again – at least not in this life. But I looked to heaven and thanked God for His faithfulness and for this precious little One – the One who would save His people.

Little did I know how that salvation would come about, or how that seamless tunic would one day be a part of the story of my Savior’s sacrificial love for us all.

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This story is taken from  Little Did We Know , a collection of twenty-five stories for the Advent season. The book is available through Amazon in standard print, large print, for your e-reader, and as an audiobook. Click  HERE  for more information on how you can obtain your copy. 

You can listen to the audiobook version of this story by tuning into this week’s episode of my podcast by  CLICKING HERE .

* * * * * 

In multiple instances the dialogue in this story comes directly from Scripture. Whenever i am quoting Scripture, it has been italicized. The Scripture references are as follows:

(1)Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

(2)Matthew 2:13 (ESV)

Copyright © 2020-2021 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for a visual age on Lightstock

An Advent Story - Elizabeth

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

NOTE : This is the third of four short stories i am posting this Advent season about the incarnational birth of Jesus. They are fictional first-person accounts of the prophecies and events surrounding the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained therein are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of Advent this Christmas season. 

The stories include:

Gabriel – the angel (December 1)

Zechariah – the priest (December 8)

Elizabeth – the cousin (This week - December 15)

Anna – the prophetess (December 22) 

* * * * *

I am Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, and I am a blessed woman.

My father was a priest from the ancestral line of Zadok, a descendant of Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Zadok was chosen to serve as the high priest of Israel by King David and continued to serve in that capacity throughout the reign of King Solomon. He was the first high priest to serve in the First Temple in Jerusalem. 

Zadok’s descendants continued to serve as high priests in the temple even through the Babylonian exile. My ancestor, Ezra, was sent to Jerusalem by King Artaxerxes to serve as the Zadokite high priest in the newly restored Second Temple. And his descendants continued to serve in that capacity until they were pushed out by the Hasmoneans about one hundred fifty years ago.

For centuries, our Zadokite priestly line preserved the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah and the foretelling that the Messiah will come from the line of King David. The Hasmoneans, however, desired to usurp the legitimate royal line of King David by making themselves the kings of Israel. That is what motivated them to also seize the legitimate priestly role of my ancestral family. We currently live in a socio-political environment that is hostile toward anyone claiming that the Messiah will come from the line of David.

As a result, my father and other Zadokite priests believed the activity in the temple and the actions of our Sanhedrin were more politically motivated than spiritually motivated. They saw that many of the teachings and actions of our religious leaders were attempts to manipulate truth for their advantage rather than advocate adherence to absolute truth. 

That prompted a number of our Zadokite priests to form a sect within Judaism called the Essenes. Not only do the Essenes believe the Messiah will come from the line of David, they also devote themselves to charity and benevolence, studying the books of the elders, preservation of truth, prayer, and fellowship with one another.

While I was still living under my parents’ roof, my older brother left Hebron to go raise his family in Qumran among the Essene adherents. By that time, my family had already made marriage arrangements for me to be wed to Zechariah. So, Hebron would continue to be my home.

From a young age, I sought to honor God and to obey all of His commandments. I tried to live righteously and circumspectly before the people around me. Hebron had been one of the cities given to the patriarch Caleb, and it had been one of the initial cities of refuge. I desired to be a reflection of the faithfulness exemplified by Caleb and his family – and for my home to always be a place of refuge.

Zechariah and I were married when I was fourteen years of age. He was twenty-nine, and he was handsome. But more importantly, he was a good man and a godly man. Though I can’t say that I loved him when we were first married, I grew to love him. Actually, we grew to love each other. And I am thankful to Jehovah God for the husband He has given me.

My hope and prayer, even before we were married, was that God would grant Zechariah and me a home filled with sons and daughters. Zechariah had often quoted a psalm of Solomon: “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.”(1) My prayer was that God would greatly reward my husband! But as the years passed and I was unable to conceive, it appeared God had different plans for us.

Honestly, though, the desire for children never left my heart. Even as I approached the age where motherhood was no longer an option, my longing still persisted.

Zechariah traveled to Jerusalem about a year ago to perform his priestly duties in the temple for the eighth week of the new year. He was particularly excited about this trip. He had been chosen to burn the offering of incense on the altar in the sanctuary. He had prayed for that opportunity all of his life, and now at the age of seventy-seven his prayer was being answered. I was excited for him as I watched him leave and begin his journey.

Zechariah traveled to Jerusalem for one week five times a year. Sometimes, I would join him. In recent years, rooms had been added to the temple complex to provide lodging for the visiting priests and their wives. My widowed sister-in-law, Anna, now lived in one of those apartments year-round, so I occasionally joined Zechariah in order to visit her – as well as participate in the celebrations in the temple. This time however, I stayed home.

The week Zechariah was gone went by quickly. It was springtime and I was busy preparing and planting our small field for what I hoped would be a bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables. As a matter of fact, I was in the field when Zechariah returned home.

I saw him approaching from a distance. I was surprised he was not calling out to me like he usually did. I expected him to run toward me, excitedly sharing about his time in the sanctuary. But he seemed unusually subdued.

As he gave me his customary embrace, he was completely silent.

“Has the cat got your tongue?” I teased. “Why are you so quiet? Tell me all of your news! I want to hear all about your time!”

But I knew something was wrong when I saw the sadness in his eyes. He began to gesture and it quickly became clear that he was unable to speak. Somehow, he had become mute! He kept pointing toward heaven, and then he would place his hand on my stomach. Next, he made a gesture as if he were cradling a baby in his arms.

As the afternoon wore on, we continued in our attempt to communicate. He made gestures and wrote some words in the dirt and then on a tablet. I also asked him questions that he could answer with a nod of his head. Finally, I was able to piece together the story.

An angel named Gabriel had appeared to him while he was in the sanctuary. He told Zechariah that we were going to have a son and his name would be John. And he would prepare the way for the coming Messiah!

No wonder Zechariah was silent – that was a lot to take in! But he helped me understand that God had made him mute because of his initial reaction of disbelief. I was grateful to learn that his condition was temporary, and his speech would return after our son was born.

That night I marveled at all of this news! I had stopped hoping for a child. I was sixty-two years old, and I was soon to be a mother. Our prayers were being answered. The kindness of the Lord was overwhelming. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children,”(2) I exclaimed.

It wasn’t long before I became pregnant. My excitement grew each day – along with the baby in my womb. But it was challenging to explain to people what was happening – particularly in light of Zechariah’s muteness. We finally decided it would be easier if I remained secluded in our home. So, for the next five months I had little contact with anyone.

One afternoon during the sixth month of my pregnancy, a young woman approached our home and called out to me from the entry. When I went to greet her, I realized it was my young cousin, Mary, from Nazareth. (My father’s sister had married a man from Nazareth by the name of Matthat. Mary was their granddaughter.)

But then the most amazing thing happened. When Mary spoke to me, the baby within me leapt. I felt the flush of a presence come over me. I was filled with knowledge that had no explanation other than the Holy Spirit had just come upon me.

As I looked at Mary, I immediately knew that she, too, was with child. Though she was not showing yet, my spirit just knew she was carrying a child. And this was not just any child. This child was the Son of the living God. The child she was carrying was the very One for whom my son was being sent to prepare the way!

“God has blessed you above all women, Mary,” I exclaimed, “and your Child is blessed.”(3) As I ushered Mary into my home I said, “Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.”(4)

Mary explained how an angel had appeared to her, and how he had told her she would conceive a child as a virgin and give birth to a son. And the child would be the Son of the Most High.

I asked her to describe the angel’s appearance. Her description was identical to what I had been able to glean from Zechariah. I could not contain my excitement as I explained to her what the angel Gabriel had told Zechariah.

Mary interrupted me and said, “The angel told me, ‘Your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail.’”(5)

I do not know who was more encouraged at that moment – Mary or me! Though neither of us had any real doubt leading up to that moment, that conversation was such a precious confirmation. Mary bore witness to what Zechariah had heard, and Zechariah’s account bore witness to what Mary had heard.

We were walking through an experience together that no one else could fully understand – one that had never occurred before and never would again. Yes, we both were women blessed to be bearing a child – but these were not just any children. Mary’s was the Son of the living God, and mine was the messenger who would prepare His way. All of creation was awaiting their arrival. All of time was pointing to their birth. And here they were in our wombs!

I looked at Mary and said, “You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said.”(6)

Mary stayed with me for three months. It gave us the opportunity to talk about many things. She told me that she was betrothed to a carpenter. She had not yet told him about the angel’s visit or the child she was carrying. She feared how he would react. He was a gentle man and a God-fearing man. Would he understand? What would he do? She hadn’t yet told her father, either. She had come straight away to see me.

I reminded her that the same Holy Spirit who had come over me to tell me about the child she was carrying before she uttered a word was able to speak to her father and Joseph. The same God who enabled a barren old woman and a virgin to each conceive a child was able to do all that was necessary to prepare their hearts to receive the news. Again, I said, “You are blessed because you believed … and so will they.”

Mary soon returned home, and the time arrived for my baby to be born. Most of my neighbors had not known I was pregnant, so when they heard I had a son, they rejoiced that God had been merciful to me.

When my baby was eight days old, all of our neighbors came for the circumcision ceremony. They kept suggesting that we name him Zechariah in honor of his father. But I exclaimed, “No! His name is John!”(8)

They responded, “But there is no one in all of your family by that name.”(9)

They sought to gain Zechariah’s approval of their suggestion. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise wrote, “His name is John.”(10)

Then instantly, my husband’s voice returned, and he began to praise God! Zechariah told all of those gathered about the angel who had appeared to him and what the angel said. The entire community was in awe as the news spread throughout the Judean hills. “What will this child turn out to be?” they exclaimed. “Because the hand of the Lord is surely upon him in a special way!”(11)

God has blessed us with this precious son in our advanced years. We know that God has all things in hand. We asked Him to show us to whom we should entrust our son if we are to die before he is grown. The Lord reminded us that He has already prepared my brother’s son, Adriel, who lives in Qumran to raise our son when that day arrives. He has given us a peace that nothing in our son’s life has been left to chance.

As Zechariah said,

“Because of God’s tender mercy,

the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

and to guide us to the path of peace.”(12)

Little did I know how that morning light would break or exactly what the path of peace would look like, but I know who does. And I will trust Him!

* * * * *

This story is taken from  Little Did We Know , a collection of twenty-five stories for the Advent season. The book is available through Amazon in standard print, large print, for your e-reader, and as an audiobook. Click  HERE  for more information on how you can obtain your copy.

You can listen to the audiobook version of this story by tuning into this week’s episode of my podcast by  CLICKING HERE

* * * * * 

In multiple instances the dialogue in this story comes directly from Scripture. Whenever i am quoting Scripture, it has been italicized. The Scripture references are as follows:

(1) Psalm 127:3

(2) Luke 1:25

(3) Luke 1:42

(4) Luke 1:43-44

(5) Luke 1:36-37

(6) Luke 1:45

(7) Luke 1:46-48, 55

(8) Luke 1:60

(9) Luke 1:61

(10)Luke 1:63

(11)Luke 1:66

(12)Luke 1:78-79

Copyright © 2020-2021 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Pearl on Lightstock

An Advent Story - Zechariah

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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NOTE : As has become my annual practice, starting last week and for the three subsequent weeks, i will be posting a total of four short stories surrounding the incarnational birth of Jesus. The stories are my Christmas gift to you. They are fictional first-person accounts of the prophecies and events surrounding the advent of Jesus. Some of the characters and details contained therein are fictional, but you will find the truth they convey to be very REAL! My prayer is that through the stories you are reminded of the Good News of Advent this Christmas season. To that end, let’s look at the account through the eyes of four different eyewitnesses:

Gabriel – the angel (December 1)

Zechariah – the priest (This week - December 8)

Elizabeth – the cousin (December 15)

Anna – the prophetess (December 22) 

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I am Zechariah, a priest of the tribe of Levi from the line of Abijah and Aaron. The line of Abijah is one of the twenty-four priestly divisions established by King David. My father, Abdiel, was a priest, as was my older brother, Menachem. Our family lived and served in the hill country of Judea, in the city of Hebron.

Over four hundred years have passed since the writings of the prophet Malachi. The Persian Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great about one hundred years after Malachi died. As a result, Judea came under the rule of the Greeks. But later, the Greek civilization divided, and we became part of the Seleucid Empire. That is, until a priest named Judas Maccabeus led our people in revolt.

When Jerusalem was liberated, we enjoyed a brief respite of self-rule by the kings of the Hasmonean dynasty. Though we were independent, we were still influenced by the Seleucids. We enjoyed religious freedom, but our peaceful existence was precarious because of the competing empires surrounding us.

This was the political and religious condition at the time of my birth. In those days, our Hasmonean kings also served as our high priests; but otherwise, the priests of each division carried out duties as King David had decreed.

Five times each year our priestly division makes its way to Jerusalem to offer daily sacrifices in the temple and to convey priestly blessings. We serve two one-week periods each year, as well as during the three major feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

When I was a boy, barely a young man of fifteen who was still living in my parents’ home, my older brother traveled to Jerusalem to serve for the second one-week course that year. He and I were close despite our age difference. I looked up to him and wanted to be just like him.

Even though he was still a young priest of only thirty years of age, the leading priests on that occasion granted him the opportunity to be one of the priests to enter into the holy place and present that day’s offering of incense before the Lord. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many priests never experienced, particularly one so young.

I prayed that one day Jehovah God in His mercy would grant me an opportunity to do the same. I was excitedly awaiting my brother’s return home to hear all about his experience in the sanctuary. But he never returned home. He had died unexpectedly in his sleep. His young wife, my parents, and I were devastated.

Fourteen years later, I married a young woman named Elizabeth. She, too, is from the priestly family of Aaron and our parents have been close friends for many years. She was born around the same time my brother died, and our parents arranged our betrothal when she was still a child. Elizabeth and I earnestly prayed for a son. But as the years passed, we began to become painfully aware that God had other plans for us. Our hearts ached.

The world around us continued to change, as well. Ten years before I married Elizabeth, Judea became a client state of the Roman Empire. That meant we still had a Hasmonean king, but he now answered to Rome and our sense of independence was diminishing. But that, too, changed ten years after Elizabeth and I were married. The Roman senate installed Herod as the “King of the Jews” and established a more visible military presence throughout the region. There was no longer any illusion of independence. We were firmly under the control of Rome.

We were afraid that the pagan practices of our Roman conquerors would be thrust on us, but gratefully that did not happen. As a matter of fact, King Herod did something that soon caused him to gain our favor. He commissioned an extensive restoration of the temple. The First Temple built by King Solomon had been a majestic structure. But it was destroyed by our Babylonian captors.

The Second Temple reconstructed by Zerubbabel was a much more modest structure. Herod determined that a “great king” needed to make sure the people had a “great temple” in which to worship their God. The entire structure was completely refurbished. The restoration work was accomplished without any disruption to our worship or festival celebrations.

Each time I came to Jerusalem to carry out my duties as a priest throughout the construction period, I was amazed by the work that had been done. The work took about eight years to complete, and when it was finished the structure rivaled – and many would say eclipsed – the majesty and magnificence of the First Temple.

It’s hard to believe that thirteen years have passed since the restoration was completed. I am now seventy-seven years old. Elizabeth is sixty-two and we long ago gave up on our hopes of becoming parents. We are well past the age of bearing and raising children. 

Last week, I bid Elizabeth farewell and traveled from Hebron to Jerusalem to serve for the first one-week course of this year’s service. It was a beautiful spring day. I will confess that the journey seemed less burdensome than usual. I had received word that I was to present the offering of incense on the altar in the sanctuary. I did not know which day I would be doing so, but I was one of the fourteen priests who had been chosen from my division for that week.

I couldn’t help but think of my brother. Over sixty years had passed since he was chosen for this honor. I can remember his excitement – and mine for him. For a moment, my excitement turned to melancholy. I still missed him!

When I arrived at the temple, I learned I would present the offering at twilight on the first day of the week. I was grateful that I would not have to contain my excitement any longer.

As I entered into the temple’s sanctuary, I was in awe. There before me was the veil that separated the sanctuary from the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest is permitted to enter into the very presence of Jehovah God in the Holy of Holies – and that occurs only once per year on the Day of Atonement. I would never be closer to the Lord’s presence than I was today.

I was quite emotional as I realized that no matter how righteous I endeavored to be, I was but a sinner standing in the presence of a Holy God. It was only by His mercy and grace that I was permitted to enter into this holy place to present this offering of incense to Him.

There before me, in front of the veil, stood the golden altar. The fragrance of incense permeated the air. First, I placed on the altar the burning coals I had brought from the bronze altar of sacrifice in the courtyard. Then, I prepared and placed the incense, made of equal portions of stacte, onycha, galbanum, and frankincense. As the sweet-smelling smoke of the incense rose as a pleasing aroma to God, I quietly prayed and interceded on behalf of the people.

Even though my eyes were closed, I suddenly sensed a light radiating before me. As I opened my eyes, I saw a man standing to the right of the incense altar. My first reaction was, “What is this man doing in here?” But quickly, I realized he was glowing. He did not appear to be the source of the light, rather he appeared to be reflecting a light. I knew this was no ordinary man. My heightened senses and emotions transitioned to fear. Why was this “man” here and what was taking place?

Suddenly, he spoke. “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.”(1)

He continued speaking – but honestly, I could not understand everything he was saying. He told me he was a messenger from God. Was he an angel? No one had heard a message from God in hundreds of years, and no one had seen an angel in longer than that. Did God still send angels, and did they speak to men? I am a sinner. How can I stand in his presence? What is he going to do to me?

Don’t be afraid! Of course, I’m afraid! And he says Elizabeth will give me a son! How can that be? We long ago stopped praying for a son. Why is God answering now? We’re too old! Is this a dream? Am I just hearing things? Surely, this can’t be true!

I worked up the courage to ask, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”(2)

To which he sternly responded, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”(3)

My fear quickly melted into sorrow. God had sent one of His angels to bring me a message. He had waited until I was here in this special and holy place. At a time when my ears should have been the most attuned to the voice of my Lord, I had been fearful of His messenger. At a time when my heart should have been the most receptive to His message, I questioned if it were true.

Instead of rejoicing at this news, I had responded with disbelief. God was not only sending me a son – the son he was sending me would prepare the way for the arrival of my Messiah! And he would be filled “with the spirit and power of Elijah.”(4)

The world needed to hear and know that the Messiah will soon arrive. For centuries we have waited to hear that good news. For centuries we have awaited the messenger who would come before Him. And now this angel has told me that the messenger was to be my son! But because of my faithlessness, I would be unable to proclaim the news.

I lifted my head to speak to the angel, but he was gone. The light no longer radiated in the sanctuary. I tried to speak, but no words came out; I was mute. I was unable to tell anyone, including my dear Elizabeth, this wonderful news. My heart was overjoyed – and heavy – all at the same time.

My service here in the sanctuary was complete. It was time for me to return to the outer court. But I didn’t know how I would face those waiting for me. What should I do since I was unable to speak?

After a brief time, I came out of the sanctuary. One of my fellow priests was the first to approach me. He wanted to know what my experience was like. He was looking forward to one day presenting the offering of incense, too. But I couldn’t answer him. All I could do was gesture.

He quickly realized I was unable to speak. Others began to gather around us. I heard one of the people say, “He is so overcome with emotion having presented the offering to Jehovah God that he can’t speak.” Some nodded their heads in agreement. Another said, “Perhaps God has given him a vision in the sanctuary!” Others said, “Zechariah, tell us what you saw!” 

But I could not. And my muteness continued for the remainder of my week of service. After a while, my fellow priests just stopped asking. They looked at me with pity and told me everything would be all right.

It wasn’t going to be all right – it was going to be great! The Messiah was coming … and so was my son! But I couldn’t tell them that. 

At the end of the week, I made my way back home. How was I going to explain this to Elizabeth? 

Little did I know how or what I would say. Little did I fully comprehend the role my son would play. Little did I know how much more there would be to the story.

* * * * *

This story is taken from  Little Did We Know , a collection of twenty-five stories for the Advent season. The book is available through Amazon in standard print, large print, for your e-reader, and as an audiobook. Click  HERE  for more information on how you can obtain your copy. 

You can listen to the audiobook version of this story by tuning into this week’s episode of my podcast by  CLICKING HERE

* * * * * 

In multiple instances the dialogue in this story comes directly from Scripture. Whenever i am quoting Scripture, it has been italicized. The Scripture references are as follows:

(1) Luke 1:13

(2) Luke 1:18

(3) Luke 1:19-20

(4) Luke 1:17

Copyright © 2020-2021 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO – The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock