Randy Green's Blog, page 487
February 25, 2012
That doesn’t make sense, God!
Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves? [Habakkuk 1:13]
Men and women can sometimes have an impossibly difficult time communicating. Some refer to this by the contemporary adage, “Women are from Venus, men from Mars”. But all jesting aside, men and women by nature have a different mental framework. Their thinking processes are not identical.
This is not an indictment of men or women, just an accurate observation. By the same token Orientals and Occidentals in general also employ different thinking processes. In this case the thinking varies because Occidentals are trained to think, even if subconsciously, in terms of Aristotelian logic. But for Orientals this is not the case.
In the verse we cited at the start of this study, Habakkuk is faced with another example of different thinking processes. In this case the variation is between God’s thinking processes and sinful man’s. God is holy. All men are sinful.
God makes a distinction between born again folks and plain old born folks. Because born again folks have the Spirit of God living in them, they are capable of understanding the mind of Christ, which is equivalent to the mind of God.
We have to go through a spiritual growing process, just as babies in the physical realm do. But if we continue to spend time alone with Jesus—feeding on the Word of God, praying, and obeying—then we mature spiritually to understand how the Lord thinks and what He expects of us.
In Habakkuk’s case He had difficulty grasping how, on the one hand, God cannot bear to even look upon evil, much less tolerate it. On the other hand God permits the extremely wicked people to have the victory over those who are less wicked than them. As if to say, “What gives, God? That doesn’t make sense!”
At the heart of Habakkuk’s complaint lies the different thinking processes of God and sinful man. In God’s eyes sin is sin. He doesn’t label some sins as flagitious and others as peccadilloes. Any person who sins is a sinner. A rose is a rose. By any other name it stills smells sweet. A sin is a sin. By any other name it still reeks to high heaven!
So God is not being illogical, when He employs the devil’s kids to spank His kids for sinning. He will do much more than spank the devil’s kids when the time is right, viz., at the Great White Throne judgment. For the present time His business is to rear His own kids.
Sometimes this entails visits to the woodshed, sometimes physical or mental afflictions, other times financial failures, and still other times making use of foreign invaders who are more wicked than His kids.
In the final analysis, though, the Lord disciplines His kids to spiritually mature them, but He casts the devil’s kids into the lake of fire for all eternity to be rid of them. During our lives on earth this side of eternity, the Lord does what it takes to get His kids to become like Him. This is well worth the cost to us because in eternity we will live with the Lord forever.
The devil’s kids have their good things now. In eternity they will beg for just a drop of cool water to cool their parched tongues. We have good things now too, just not the worldly good things the devil’s kids crave. In eternity we will enjoy our good things of all stripes and colors.
Let’s not question God’s motives. Let’s spend more time alone with Him and His Word, so that our minds are transformed into the mind of Christ. Life has such a grand appearance when we see through His eyes. What do you say. Can I have an “Amen”?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Men and women can sometimes have an impossibly difficult time communicating. Some refer to this by the contemporary adage, “Women are from Venus, men from Mars”. But all jesting aside, men and women by nature have a different mental framework. Their thinking processes are not identical.
This is not an indictment of men or women, just an accurate observation. By the same token Orientals and Occidentals in general also employ different thinking processes. In this case the thinking varies because Occidentals are trained to think, even if subconsciously, in terms of Aristotelian logic. But for Orientals this is not the case.
In the verse we cited at the start of this study, Habakkuk is faced with another example of different thinking processes. In this case the variation is between God’s thinking processes and sinful man’s. God is holy. All men are sinful.
God makes a distinction between born again folks and plain old born folks. Because born again folks have the Spirit of God living in them, they are capable of understanding the mind of Christ, which is equivalent to the mind of God.
We have to go through a spiritual growing process, just as babies in the physical realm do. But if we continue to spend time alone with Jesus—feeding on the Word of God, praying, and obeying—then we mature spiritually to understand how the Lord thinks and what He expects of us.
In Habakkuk’s case He had difficulty grasping how, on the one hand, God cannot bear to even look upon evil, much less tolerate it. On the other hand God permits the extremely wicked people to have the victory over those who are less wicked than them. As if to say, “What gives, God? That doesn’t make sense!”
At the heart of Habakkuk’s complaint lies the different thinking processes of God and sinful man. In God’s eyes sin is sin. He doesn’t label some sins as flagitious and others as peccadilloes. Any person who sins is a sinner. A rose is a rose. By any other name it stills smells sweet. A sin is a sin. By any other name it still reeks to high heaven!
So God is not being illogical, when He employs the devil’s kids to spank His kids for sinning. He will do much more than spank the devil’s kids when the time is right, viz., at the Great White Throne judgment. For the present time His business is to rear His own kids.
Sometimes this entails visits to the woodshed, sometimes physical or mental afflictions, other times financial failures, and still other times making use of foreign invaders who are more wicked than His kids.
In the final analysis, though, the Lord disciplines His kids to spiritually mature them, but He casts the devil’s kids into the lake of fire for all eternity to be rid of them. During our lives on earth this side of eternity, the Lord does what it takes to get His kids to become like Him. This is well worth the cost to us because in eternity we will live with the Lord forever.
The devil’s kids have their good things now. In eternity they will beg for just a drop of cool water to cool their parched tongues. We have good things now too, just not the worldly good things the devil’s kids crave. In eternity we will enjoy our good things of all stripes and colors.
Let’s not question God’s motives. Let’s spend more time alone with Him and His Word, so that our minds are transformed into the mind of Christ. Life has such a grand appearance when we see through His eyes. What do you say. Can I have an “Amen”?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 24, 2012
How to Take Up the Mantle – Part 2
(Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over [2 Kings 2:14-15].
We ended our last study with Elijah raptured to heaven and Elisha with a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and taking his place. There was Elisha, standing alone on the east bank with the Jordan River blocking his path to the west bank. Let’s continue at that point now.
When Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind, his mantle fell off. Elisha picked it up. It now was the property of Elisha, so he took it and struck the waters of the Jordan River. Then he gave an authoritative command to the waters, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?
Those are the words from the Bible verse with which we began this study. And there is the moral to this story. Elisha hadn’t been a prophet before. He was Elijah’s protégé. Suddenly Elijah was gone and Elisha was on his own. What to do? We might think Elisha’s knees would buckle and knock together. He might let out an audible gulp and turn into a worry wart.
Not so! Elisha had received his request. He received a double portion of the Spirit of God. He was bold but not arrogant. He exuded confidence but tempered it with love. He didn’t worry one iota. He proceeded straightway to the Jordan, struck the waters with Elijah’s mantle, and imitated what he had seen from his teacher.
His command to the waters wasn’t a question, though he phrased it as one. He knew the waters would divide because Elijah had done it that way, and Elijah granted his request for a double portion of what Elijah had. The waters could not help but divide and permit Elisha to cross over on dry ground.
The moral to the story? Elijah was gone for good, speaking in terms of this earth. Elijah would never again be available for Elisha. But Elisha wasn’t afraid because the God of Elijah never left! The God of Elijah was the One who performed the miracles and commanded such a presence before men. The same one true God would do the same, and even more, in and through Elisha.
Dear friends, we need to spiritually exercise ourselves on a daily basis, so that our spirits grow strong while our flesh weakens. Otherwise we remain infants in spiritual matters. Instead of fixing our sight on the Lord Jesus, we fasten our attention on men. We expect the pastor or the Sunday School teacher or an author or some other man to serve as Jesus for us.
Alas, but every man will soon be gone. Notwithstanding this fact, the Lord Jesus will still be here with us and for us. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever [Hebrews 13:8]. So let’s learn to focus on the One on Whom we can depend, rather than on that which is passing away even as we speak.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We ended our last study with Elijah raptured to heaven and Elisha with a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and taking his place. There was Elisha, standing alone on the east bank with the Jordan River blocking his path to the west bank. Let’s continue at that point now.
When Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind, his mantle fell off. Elisha picked it up. It now was the property of Elisha, so he took it and struck the waters of the Jordan River. Then he gave an authoritative command to the waters, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?
Those are the words from the Bible verse with which we began this study. And there is the moral to this story. Elisha hadn’t been a prophet before. He was Elijah’s protégé. Suddenly Elijah was gone and Elisha was on his own. What to do? We might think Elisha’s knees would buckle and knock together. He might let out an audible gulp and turn into a worry wart.
Not so! Elisha had received his request. He received a double portion of the Spirit of God. He was bold but not arrogant. He exuded confidence but tempered it with love. He didn’t worry one iota. He proceeded straightway to the Jordan, struck the waters with Elijah’s mantle, and imitated what he had seen from his teacher.
His command to the waters wasn’t a question, though he phrased it as one. He knew the waters would divide because Elijah had done it that way, and Elijah granted his request for a double portion of what Elijah had. The waters could not help but divide and permit Elisha to cross over on dry ground.
The moral to the story? Elijah was gone for good, speaking in terms of this earth. Elijah would never again be available for Elisha. But Elisha wasn’t afraid because the God of Elijah never left! The God of Elijah was the One who performed the miracles and commanded such a presence before men. The same one true God would do the same, and even more, in and through Elisha.
Dear friends, we need to spiritually exercise ourselves on a daily basis, so that our spirits grow strong while our flesh weakens. Otherwise we remain infants in spiritual matters. Instead of fixing our sight on the Lord Jesus, we fasten our attention on men. We expect the pastor or the Sunday School teacher or an author or some other man to serve as Jesus for us.
Alas, but every man will soon be gone. Notwithstanding this fact, the Lord Jesus will still be here with us and for us. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever [Hebrews 13:8]. So let’s learn to focus on the One on Whom we can depend, rather than on that which is passing away even as we speak.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 23, 2012
How to Take Up the Mantle – Part 1
(Elisha) took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the waters, they were divided here and there; and Elisha crossed over [2 Kings 2:14-15].
In keeping with the Word of God, Elijah summoned Elisha to the prophetic ministry. Elisha would be Elijah’s replacement. Well, the days went by and it was time for Elijah to exit the scene. Elisha would need to step up and fulfill the Lord’s task at hand.
So Elijah headed for the east bank of the Jordan River, where the Lord would remove him from the earth and promote him to eternity. At three separate locations Elijah told Elisha to wait behind, but Elisha would not budge. He had committed himself to the Lord and to Elijah, and he wasn’t about to leave Elijah at such a solemn time. So Elijah desisted from his attempts to dissuade Elisha.
Just before they crossed the Jordan, Elijah, knowing that his time was moments away, asked Elisha what he could do for him. Elisha responded to Elijah’s question, Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me (v.9).
A double portion in the Bible represented the right of the firstborn son. In effect Elisha put Elijah on notice that he wouldn’t be content to be just another prophet. He had to be Elijah’s replacement. Elisha admired Elijah and wanted to follow in his footsteps, you see. Elijah was the chief prophet at the time.
Elijah acceded to Elisha’s request, but with this proviso: You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so (v.11).
Well, lo and behold, as they walked along horses of fire and a chariot of fire came between them to separate them. Then a whirlwind carried Elijah to heaven. Elijah was raptured, you see. He went to heaven without first dying physically on the earth.
Elisha obtained his request. He did see Elijah when he was taken. He received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. This spirit was the Holy Spirit, dear friends. Elijah’s spirit was under the control of the Spirit of God. This is what enabled Elijah to do such outstanding miracles. The Lord worked in and through Elijah, and Elijah served as the Lord’s body on earth.
Now it was Elisha who was full of the Spirit of God. It was time for him to be surrendered to the Spirit and perform miracles, in order to continue Elijah’s ministry of leading the Israelites out of Baal worship. So what was Elisha’s first act. He returned to the Jordan to cross back to the west bank. The river blocked his path, so he imitated what Elijah had done to get across.
Oh, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what that was. We are out of time today! So go spend some time with the Lord Jesus a while. I love to be with Him!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
In keeping with the Word of God, Elijah summoned Elisha to the prophetic ministry. Elisha would be Elijah’s replacement. Well, the days went by and it was time for Elijah to exit the scene. Elisha would need to step up and fulfill the Lord’s task at hand.
So Elijah headed for the east bank of the Jordan River, where the Lord would remove him from the earth and promote him to eternity. At three separate locations Elijah told Elisha to wait behind, but Elisha would not budge. He had committed himself to the Lord and to Elijah, and he wasn’t about to leave Elijah at such a solemn time. So Elijah desisted from his attempts to dissuade Elisha.
Just before they crossed the Jordan, Elijah, knowing that his time was moments away, asked Elisha what he could do for him. Elisha responded to Elijah’s question, Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me (v.9).
A double portion in the Bible represented the right of the firstborn son. In effect Elisha put Elijah on notice that he wouldn’t be content to be just another prophet. He had to be Elijah’s replacement. Elisha admired Elijah and wanted to follow in his footsteps, you see. Elijah was the chief prophet at the time.
Elijah acceded to Elisha’s request, but with this proviso: You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so (v.11).
Well, lo and behold, as they walked along horses of fire and a chariot of fire came between them to separate them. Then a whirlwind carried Elijah to heaven. Elijah was raptured, you see. He went to heaven without first dying physically on the earth.
Elisha obtained his request. He did see Elijah when he was taken. He received a double portion of the spirit of Elijah. This spirit was the Holy Spirit, dear friends. Elijah’s spirit was under the control of the Spirit of God. This is what enabled Elijah to do such outstanding miracles. The Lord worked in and through Elijah, and Elijah served as the Lord’s body on earth.
Now it was Elisha who was full of the Spirit of God. It was time for him to be surrendered to the Spirit and perform miracles, in order to continue Elijah’s ministry of leading the Israelites out of Baal worship. So what was Elisha’s first act. He returned to the Jordan to cross back to the west bank. The river blocked his path, so he imitated what Elijah had done to get across.
Oh, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what that was. We are out of time today! So go spend some time with the Lord Jesus a while. I love to be with Him!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 22, 2012
Mannequins in Style – Part 2
Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak [Matthew 26:41].
Yesterday we were presented with two different scenarios. Your actions were the same in each case, but the police response was quite different in each case. How do we explain this?
Weigh your actions in each case. They were the same, were they not? So why a different response by the police in each case? Answer: because the responses were to two different scenarios, obviously. A different scenario will evoke a different response.
We can describe the different scenarios as different contexts, dear friends. This illustrates the necessity to put things in context, when it comes to interpreting them. If we weigh the facts as if they occurred in a vacuum or consider them in the wrong context, the result will be fallacy rather than truth.
Consider the Bible verse we quoted today. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas brought the Jewish soldiers to arrest Him and have Him crucified by the Romans. He took His three closest disciples with Him and told them to pray. He wanted them to prepare themselves for His impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
That is the context for understanding His words. Jesus told His disciples to pray. He added that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. May I point out to you that the spirit is not willing and the flesh is very strong? I just contradicted Jesus’ words, and that’s not a good thing to do!
If I put my words into the context of Gethsemane, then I spoke falsely. If I put my words into the context of the old man, the old sinner who lives inside each one of us, then I spoke Gospel truth. In the old man the spirit is not willing to do righteousness, and the flesh is indeed powerful in its wickedness.
In the new man, the born again person, the spirit is absolutely willing; but the flesh is weak and succumbs at the thought of conducting spiritual warfare. The disciples were products of Jesus’ righteousness. Their spirits were willing, but they were so tired that the flesh gave in to weakness. Ergo, they slept instead of praying.
Let this be a lesson to us about putting things in context. It is the only way we can arrive at the correct conclusion. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Yesterday we were presented with two different scenarios. Your actions were the same in each case, but the police response was quite different in each case. How do we explain this?
Weigh your actions in each case. They were the same, were they not? So why a different response by the police in each case? Answer: because the responses were to two different scenarios, obviously. A different scenario will evoke a different response.
We can describe the different scenarios as different contexts, dear friends. This illustrates the necessity to put things in context, when it comes to interpreting them. If we weigh the facts as if they occurred in a vacuum or consider them in the wrong context, the result will be fallacy rather than truth.
Consider the Bible verse we quoted today. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas brought the Jewish soldiers to arrest Him and have Him crucified by the Romans. He took His three closest disciples with Him and told them to pray. He wanted them to prepare themselves for His impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
That is the context for understanding His words. Jesus told His disciples to pray. He added that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. May I point out to you that the spirit is not willing and the flesh is very strong? I just contradicted Jesus’ words, and that’s not a good thing to do!
If I put my words into the context of Gethsemane, then I spoke falsely. If I put my words into the context of the old man, the old sinner who lives inside each one of us, then I spoke Gospel truth. In the old man the spirit is not willing to do righteousness, and the flesh is indeed powerful in its wickedness.
In the new man, the born again person, the spirit is absolutely willing; but the flesh is weak and succumbs at the thought of conducting spiritual warfare. The disciples were products of Jesus’ righteousness. Their spirits were willing, but they were so tired that the flesh gave in to weakness. Ergo, they slept instead of praying.
Let this be a lesson to us about putting things in context. It is the only way we can arrive at the correct conclusion. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 21, 2012
Mannequins in Style – Part 1
Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak [Matthew 26:41].
You are sauntering down the city streets, looking in store windows. Suddenly you hear a loud, hard crashing sound and tire wheels screeching. You jerk around with as much speed as your body will provide. A car is stopped in the middle of the road. A body is in front of it, and it’s not moving. The driver screams at the top of his lungs, “Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
You rush into the store and use their phone. When you come back out the car is gone, but the body is still lying motionless in the middle of the street. It’s past dark already, but the street lights allow you to see the person. You rush over to see if the body has a pulse. Ah oh. It’s not a body after all. It’s a clothed mannequin.
At just that moment the police and ambulance sirens are heard in the distance. In a matter of seconds their vehicles screech to a halt. There you are, left holding the bag for some prankster who thinks this is funny…probably peeking from around a building and having the time of his life trying not to roar with laughter and get himself caught.
The police want to know where the car is. You have egg on your face as you sheepishly grin at the officers, all the while appearing to be a distant relative of the Cheshire Cat. You explain how you went into the store to use their phone to call, and when you came out the car was gone.
Just then the emergency medical people blurt out as they kneel over what was supposed to be a body, “Hey! There’s no body here. It’s just a mannequin!” The police stare at you fiercely, their eyes piercing so menacingly that you think they will burn a hole right through your eyes.
“Why did you make a prank call to the police, lady? I’ve half a notion to run you in and let the judge make an example of you! Don’t you realize you’ve taken us away from real crimes? You should be ashamed of yourself, pulling such a jejune act!”
Now let’s change the story so that the mannequin is really a human being. The driver of the car fled, not because he was a prankster, but because he just ran over somebody and didn’t want to face the music. What words do you suppose the emergency medical team would say, as they bent down over the body? I know they wouldn’t say, “Hey! This isn’t a body. It’s just a mannequin!”
And do you believe the police would still want to run you in for being a wiseacre? Wouldn’t they more likely want to buy you a cup of coffee and sit awhile, so they can question you thoroughly and then send you on your way with compliments for being a good citizen?
We will pause at this time and return to our subject on the morrow. See you then. In the interim enjoy your time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You are sauntering down the city streets, looking in store windows. Suddenly you hear a loud, hard crashing sound and tire wheels screeching. You jerk around with as much speed as your body will provide. A car is stopped in the middle of the road. A body is in front of it, and it’s not moving. The driver screams at the top of his lungs, “Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
You rush into the store and use their phone. When you come back out the car is gone, but the body is still lying motionless in the middle of the street. It’s past dark already, but the street lights allow you to see the person. You rush over to see if the body has a pulse. Ah oh. It’s not a body after all. It’s a clothed mannequin.
At just that moment the police and ambulance sirens are heard in the distance. In a matter of seconds their vehicles screech to a halt. There you are, left holding the bag for some prankster who thinks this is funny…probably peeking from around a building and having the time of his life trying not to roar with laughter and get himself caught.
The police want to know where the car is. You have egg on your face as you sheepishly grin at the officers, all the while appearing to be a distant relative of the Cheshire Cat. You explain how you went into the store to use their phone to call, and when you came out the car was gone.
Just then the emergency medical people blurt out as they kneel over what was supposed to be a body, “Hey! There’s no body here. It’s just a mannequin!” The police stare at you fiercely, their eyes piercing so menacingly that you think they will burn a hole right through your eyes.
“Why did you make a prank call to the police, lady? I’ve half a notion to run you in and let the judge make an example of you! Don’t you realize you’ve taken us away from real crimes? You should be ashamed of yourself, pulling such a jejune act!”
Now let’s change the story so that the mannequin is really a human being. The driver of the car fled, not because he was a prankster, but because he just ran over somebody and didn’t want to face the music. What words do you suppose the emergency medical team would say, as they bent down over the body? I know they wouldn’t say, “Hey! This isn’t a body. It’s just a mannequin!”
And do you believe the police would still want to run you in for being a wiseacre? Wouldn’t they more likely want to buy you a cup of coffee and sit awhile, so they can question you thoroughly and then send you on your way with compliments for being a good citizen?
We will pause at this time and return to our subject on the morrow. See you then. In the interim enjoy your time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 20, 2012
Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak – Part 2
He (i.e., Elisha) left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he (i.e., Elijah) said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” [1 Kings 19:20]
Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:61-62]
Yesterday we watched Elijah extend the call of the Lord to Elisha to be His prophet. Elisha accepted with relish. Then he went home and announced to the family that he would no longer live with them and be a farmer. To act out this truth—as the prophets were wont to do—he slaughtered his pair of oxen, cooked them over a fire which burned on the wood of his plow, then fed the family (and Elijah) a hearty meal before departing. This made Elisha the Lord’s witness to his family.
It was quite otherwise with the man who volunteered to follow Jesus. On his own unsolicited initiative, he claimed he wanted to be Jesus’ disciple and serve Him. But then he added a condition to keeping his word to the Lord. First he wanted to return home and tell his family good-bye.
Do you see the difference? This man wasn’t Elisha. He had ties to the world from which he wasn’t prepared to make a clean break. He should have kept his mouth shut and fulfilled his commitments at home. When he was truly ready to leave the world and its lifestyle, then he could request of Jesus permission to be His disciple.
Jesus wasn’t much impressed with this man. Ostensibly the man wanted the glory of “following Jesus”. He wanted the praise of other men for his selfless sacrifice. He wanted to appear holy, you see, but he didn’t really want to be holy. That would entail giving up his own dreams and plans, and laying down his life as a whole burnt offering in service to His Lord.
This is heavy stuff, my dear friends. Let’s hie off to the prayer closet a while and visit with Jesus now. Let Him reveal the truth of our hearts to us. Do we really want to walk with Jesus as His disciples? Are we prepared to leave all the things of the world which we cherish so dearly, in order to be His willing bond slaves? That is heavy…not some quixotic promise to be uttered by our lips.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:61-62]
Yesterday we watched Elijah extend the call of the Lord to Elisha to be His prophet. Elisha accepted with relish. Then he went home and announced to the family that he would no longer live with them and be a farmer. To act out this truth—as the prophets were wont to do—he slaughtered his pair of oxen, cooked them over a fire which burned on the wood of his plow, then fed the family (and Elijah) a hearty meal before departing. This made Elisha the Lord’s witness to his family.
It was quite otherwise with the man who volunteered to follow Jesus. On his own unsolicited initiative, he claimed he wanted to be Jesus’ disciple and serve Him. But then he added a condition to keeping his word to the Lord. First he wanted to return home and tell his family good-bye.
Do you see the difference? This man wasn’t Elisha. He had ties to the world from which he wasn’t prepared to make a clean break. He should have kept his mouth shut and fulfilled his commitments at home. When he was truly ready to leave the world and its lifestyle, then he could request of Jesus permission to be His disciple.
Jesus wasn’t much impressed with this man. Ostensibly the man wanted the glory of “following Jesus”. He wanted the praise of other men for his selfless sacrifice. He wanted to appear holy, you see, but he didn’t really want to be holy. That would entail giving up his own dreams and plans, and laying down his life as a whole burnt offering in service to His Lord.
This is heavy stuff, my dear friends. Let’s hie off to the prayer closet a while and visit with Jesus now. Let Him reveal the truth of our hearts to us. Do we really want to walk with Jesus as His disciples? Are we prepared to leave all the things of the world which we cherish so dearly, in order to be His willing bond slaves? That is heavy…not some quixotic promise to be uttered by our lips.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 19, 2012
Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak – Part 1
He (i.e., Elisha) left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you.” And he (i.e., Elijah) said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” [1 Kings 19:20]
Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:61-62]
Judging by those three verses, we’ve found a contradiction in the Bible. On the one hand, it was okay for Elisha to turn back from following Elijah as the Lord’s chosen prophet-in-training. On the other hand, it was utterly inexcusable for someone else to want to turn back from following Jesus, in order to bid a fond farewell to his family. Hmm. What to make of this. Is it a contradiction or not?
This demonstrates the absolute necessity of reading the Scriptures in context, dear friends. Chapter and verse divisions have cultivated in us the habit of grabbing words and phrases and sentences out of context, as if they occurred in a vacuum. They don’t, and we shouldn’t interpret them as if they did.
In Elisha’s case he was at home, plowing the field with twelve pairs of oxen. This means that Elisha had eleven other men working under him, each person having a plow and a pair of oxen to pull the plow. Elisha was an affluent gent, you see.
Elijah came walking along and tossed his mantle on Elisha. The mantle symbolized the office, and Elijah’s office was that of the Lord’s prophet. In other words Elijah extended to Elisha the Lord’s call to be His prophet.
Elisha was plowing his field, remember. He wasn’t praying for the Lord to call him. He didn’t send his résumé to Elijah or the Lord, applying for the office. The call came to him out of the blue…in more ways than one.
Notwithstanding this context, Elisha straightway embraced the call. Then he requested of Elijah permission to tell his relatives that he had accepted the Lord’s call to be His prophet. This consisted of going back to the house with his pair of oxen and his plow, slaughtering the oxen, then cooking them on the wood from the plow.
Can a more vivid picture story be imagined to declare, “I will no longer be a farmer, dear family. I am leaving that occupation permanently. From now on I will be on the road ministering as the Lord’s prophet!” Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned up his plow. Obviously he was not intending to farm again!
This is known as being the Lord’s witness, dear people. The Lord calls all Christians to be His witnesses. Elisha did a good thing. No wonder Elijah gave his blessing to this proposal.
Oh, but we’re out of time! We’ll continue the tale tomorrow. For now chew the cud on what we’ve studied today. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and move the knowledge down into your heart.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” [Luke 9:61-62]
Judging by those three verses, we’ve found a contradiction in the Bible. On the one hand, it was okay for Elisha to turn back from following Elijah as the Lord’s chosen prophet-in-training. On the other hand, it was utterly inexcusable for someone else to want to turn back from following Jesus, in order to bid a fond farewell to his family. Hmm. What to make of this. Is it a contradiction or not?
This demonstrates the absolute necessity of reading the Scriptures in context, dear friends. Chapter and verse divisions have cultivated in us the habit of grabbing words and phrases and sentences out of context, as if they occurred in a vacuum. They don’t, and we shouldn’t interpret them as if they did.
In Elisha’s case he was at home, plowing the field with twelve pairs of oxen. This means that Elisha had eleven other men working under him, each person having a plow and a pair of oxen to pull the plow. Elisha was an affluent gent, you see.
Elijah came walking along and tossed his mantle on Elisha. The mantle symbolized the office, and Elijah’s office was that of the Lord’s prophet. In other words Elijah extended to Elisha the Lord’s call to be His prophet.
Elisha was plowing his field, remember. He wasn’t praying for the Lord to call him. He didn’t send his résumé to Elijah or the Lord, applying for the office. The call came to him out of the blue…in more ways than one.
Notwithstanding this context, Elisha straightway embraced the call. Then he requested of Elijah permission to tell his relatives that he had accepted the Lord’s call to be His prophet. This consisted of going back to the house with his pair of oxen and his plow, slaughtering the oxen, then cooking them on the wood from the plow.
Can a more vivid picture story be imagined to declare, “I will no longer be a farmer, dear family. I am leaving that occupation permanently. From now on I will be on the road ministering as the Lord’s prophet!” Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned up his plow. Obviously he was not intending to farm again!
This is known as being the Lord’s witness, dear people. The Lord calls all Christians to be His witnesses. Elisha did a good thing. No wonder Elijah gave his blessing to this proposal.
Oh, but we’re out of time! We’ll continue the tale tomorrow. For now chew the cud on what we’ve studied today. Allow the Holy Spirit to teach you and move the knowledge down into your heart.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 18, 2012
Keep Your Eye on the Ball – Part 2
Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again [1 Kings 18:37].
Old King Ahab, a wuss who hid behind Jezebel’s skirt, added Baal worship to the sins of Jeroboam, prompting the Lord to dispatch His miracle-working prophets to take on the prophets of Baal and Asherah. That’s where we left off yesterday. Sounds like a suitable place to continue today.
So the Lord afflicted Israel with a 3½ year drought to get the Israelites’ attention. At the conclusion He had Elijah challenge all 450 prophets of Baal and all 400 prophets of Asherah to a duel. This made the odds 850 to 1, fine odds indeed. But not to worry because Elijah was on the Lord’s side, and He’s omnipotent.
The 850 yokels, er, I mean prophets spent all morning dancing a jig and chanting their drivel to Baal, calling upon him to send fire from heaven and burn up their sacrifice to him. Not surprisingly nothing ever came of it. Elijah had a splendid time poking fun of them in the process.
Then Elijah set up an altar of seven stones, dug a big ditch around it, saturated his offering with water until the ditch overflowed, and proceeded to pray to the Lord to send fire from heaven and burn up the drenched sacrifice he was presenting to the Lord. Straightway fire came down from heaven and devoured not only the animal, but also the water and the stones!
Here’s the point, dear people. We cited a portion of Elijah’s prayer at the start of this study. He called on the Lord to perform a mighty miracle, and the Lord did. What we want to center our attention on is the stated reason why Elijah wanted the Lord to perform this miracle. The reason was this: that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.
The purpose of miracles is not to impress us and keep us coming back for more. Nor is it to tickle our fancy and leave us feeling happy. And it is certainly not to draw attention to the miracle worker. The purpose is to point people to the one true God, that they may turn from their sins and give their hearts to Him.
In today’s religious climate there are churches and denominations which emphasize miracles as a necessary part of the Church. The more time people spend around suchlike folks, the more they ogle the supposed miracles and the self-styled miracle workers. The attention does not go to the Lord Jesus but to man.
Let’s wise up and be mature men and women of God. Let’s seek the God of miracles, not the miracles of God. Give us the Person of Jesus Christ and it suffices. He is the Bread of Life, our all in all.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Old King Ahab, a wuss who hid behind Jezebel’s skirt, added Baal worship to the sins of Jeroboam, prompting the Lord to dispatch His miracle-working prophets to take on the prophets of Baal and Asherah. That’s where we left off yesterday. Sounds like a suitable place to continue today.
So the Lord afflicted Israel with a 3½ year drought to get the Israelites’ attention. At the conclusion He had Elijah challenge all 450 prophets of Baal and all 400 prophets of Asherah to a duel. This made the odds 850 to 1, fine odds indeed. But not to worry because Elijah was on the Lord’s side, and He’s omnipotent.
The 850 yokels, er, I mean prophets spent all morning dancing a jig and chanting their drivel to Baal, calling upon him to send fire from heaven and burn up their sacrifice to him. Not surprisingly nothing ever came of it. Elijah had a splendid time poking fun of them in the process.
Then Elijah set up an altar of seven stones, dug a big ditch around it, saturated his offering with water until the ditch overflowed, and proceeded to pray to the Lord to send fire from heaven and burn up the drenched sacrifice he was presenting to the Lord. Straightway fire came down from heaven and devoured not only the animal, but also the water and the stones!
Here’s the point, dear people. We cited a portion of Elijah’s prayer at the start of this study. He called on the Lord to perform a mighty miracle, and the Lord did. What we want to center our attention on is the stated reason why Elijah wanted the Lord to perform this miracle. The reason was this: that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.
The purpose of miracles is not to impress us and keep us coming back for more. Nor is it to tickle our fancy and leave us feeling happy. And it is certainly not to draw attention to the miracle worker. The purpose is to point people to the one true God, that they may turn from their sins and give their hearts to Him.
In today’s religious climate there are churches and denominations which emphasize miracles as a necessary part of the Church. The more time people spend around suchlike folks, the more they ogle the supposed miracles and the self-styled miracle workers. The attention does not go to the Lord Jesus but to man.
Let’s wise up and be mature men and women of God. Let’s seek the God of miracles, not the miracles of God. Give us the Person of Jesus Christ and it suffices. He is the Bread of Life, our all in all.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 17, 2012
Keep Your Eye on the Ball – Part 1
Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again [1 Kings 18:37].
From the time my kids were born until they finished high school, I explained to them the importance of choosing our friends wisely. Since what we eat is what we are, so too who we hang with is who we are…or who we become. If we make friends with folks who have their head on straight and are succeeding in life, then we’ll likely keep our head on straight and be successful too.
Old King Cole, er, I mean old King Ahab of northern Israel needed to learn that lesson. Alas, but he didn’t, and the result was that all the Israelites paid the price right along with him. Let me tell you some of the story behind this.
When King Solomon died, the Lord gave ten tribes (i.e., the northern half of the Promised Land) to Jeroboam ben Nebat. The southern half of the Promised Land remained under David’s kingly progeny. The Davidic throne ruled the south (aka Judah), while Jeroboam ruled the north (aka Israel). The worship of the Lord was at the temple in Jerusalem, where the Davidic kings ruled.
For centuries until northern Israel went into exile in Assyria, the sins of Jeroboam plagued Israel. His primary sin was that he established two golden calves to serve as Israel’s gods, placing one in the north and the other in the south near Judah. Jeroboam didn’t want his subjects going to Jerusalem to worship, you see. He established idolatry pure and simple, and there is no surer way to get on the Lord’s bad side than to be an idolater.
What Jeroboam did is known in Scripture as the sin of Jeroboam. But that isn’t what our story is about, dear friends. Alas, but old King Ahab wasn’t content to worship Jeroboam’s golden calves. He went off to Phoenicia and married that no account Jezebel, princess of the Phoenician king. In Phoenicia they just loved to worship Baal, and Jezebel brought Baal worship with her to Israel.
This left Israel with two major false religions, and the Lord was none too thrilled by it all. This ushered in the second period of miracles in the Old Testament. Baal worship in Israel led to the Lord’s miracle-working prophets coming to town. The main two were Elijah and Elisha.
Oh, no. We’re out of time again. It’s time to pull into the rest area, savor some delectable spiritual quisine, and spend some time in wholesome conversation with the Lord. We’ll continue the journey to Mount Carmel tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
From the time my kids were born until they finished high school, I explained to them the importance of choosing our friends wisely. Since what we eat is what we are, so too who we hang with is who we are…or who we become. If we make friends with folks who have their head on straight and are succeeding in life, then we’ll likely keep our head on straight and be successful too.
Old King Cole, er, I mean old King Ahab of northern Israel needed to learn that lesson. Alas, but he didn’t, and the result was that all the Israelites paid the price right along with him. Let me tell you some of the story behind this.
When King Solomon died, the Lord gave ten tribes (i.e., the northern half of the Promised Land) to Jeroboam ben Nebat. The southern half of the Promised Land remained under David’s kingly progeny. The Davidic throne ruled the south (aka Judah), while Jeroboam ruled the north (aka Israel). The worship of the Lord was at the temple in Jerusalem, where the Davidic kings ruled.
For centuries until northern Israel went into exile in Assyria, the sins of Jeroboam plagued Israel. His primary sin was that he established two golden calves to serve as Israel’s gods, placing one in the north and the other in the south near Judah. Jeroboam didn’t want his subjects going to Jerusalem to worship, you see. He established idolatry pure and simple, and there is no surer way to get on the Lord’s bad side than to be an idolater.
What Jeroboam did is known in Scripture as the sin of Jeroboam. But that isn’t what our story is about, dear friends. Alas, but old King Ahab wasn’t content to worship Jeroboam’s golden calves. He went off to Phoenicia and married that no account Jezebel, princess of the Phoenician king. In Phoenicia they just loved to worship Baal, and Jezebel brought Baal worship with her to Israel.
This left Israel with two major false religions, and the Lord was none too thrilled by it all. This ushered in the second period of miracles in the Old Testament. Baal worship in Israel led to the Lord’s miracle-working prophets coming to town. The main two were Elijah and Elisha.
Oh, no. We’re out of time again. It’s time to pull into the rest area, savor some delectable spiritual quisine, and spend some time in wholesome conversation with the Lord. We’ll continue the journey to Mount Carmel tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Exodus: Volume 2 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
February 16, 2012
Lord Houdini? – Part 2
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” [1 Kings 17:24]
We concluded our last study by noting how a heathen Phoenecian widow knew Elijah and His God. Now let’s continue with the point to the story.
While Elijah was staying with this widow, her son died. She cried to Elijah and Elijah cried to the Lord, to King YHWH of Israel. To make a long story short, the Lord answered Elijah’s prayer affirmatively and raised the deceased boy out of death. Elijah then returned the boy to his mother alive and well.
Dear friends, we recognize this as a miracle. Some folks refuse to accept miracles, so they deny this account ever happened. Others do accept miracles as real and praise the Lord for this one and for others. All this is well and good, but the Lord isn’t Harry Houdini.
The Lord doesn’t perform tricks of the trade. The Lord performs genuine prima facie miracles. He suspends the “laws of nature”, His normal method of working, in order to do something contrary to the norm. This is something we Christians can easily misunderstand or forget. And when we do so, we wind up seeking miracles to tickle our fancy. We search for Lord Houdini instead of Lord Jesus.
In the story of today’s Bible verse the Phoenician mother unwittingly blurted out this Biblical teaching about miracles. She cried to the Lord’s prophet and received her dead son back alive again, a miracle. Her response was to state that the miracle proved Elijah was a prophet of the one true God, and that Elijah’s words were the Word of God.
That, my dear friends, is the purpose in the Lord performing miracles. Miracles serve as a witness that the Lord is the one true God. They are not given to evoke oohs and aahs from us and leave us gasping at Lord Houdini and His magic tricks. They are given to evoke genuflection from us, so that we surrender our hearts to Him in worship and service.
Let’s get together with the Lord now and hold a serious conversation with Him. Let’s surrender our lives to Him and begin the journey of a new life in Christ. And may the name of the Lord be praised in the doing of this.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deteuronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
We concluded our last study by noting how a heathen Phoenecian widow knew Elijah and His God. Now let’s continue with the point to the story.
While Elijah was staying with this widow, her son died. She cried to Elijah and Elijah cried to the Lord, to King YHWH of Israel. To make a long story short, the Lord answered Elijah’s prayer affirmatively and raised the deceased boy out of death. Elijah then returned the boy to his mother alive and well.
Dear friends, we recognize this as a miracle. Some folks refuse to accept miracles, so they deny this account ever happened. Others do accept miracles as real and praise the Lord for this one and for others. All this is well and good, but the Lord isn’t Harry Houdini.
The Lord doesn’t perform tricks of the trade. The Lord performs genuine prima facie miracles. He suspends the “laws of nature”, His normal method of working, in order to do something contrary to the norm. This is something we Christians can easily misunderstand or forget. And when we do so, we wind up seeking miracles to tickle our fancy. We search for Lord Houdini instead of Lord Jesus.
In the story of today’s Bible verse the Phoenician mother unwittingly blurted out this Biblical teaching about miracles. She cried to the Lord’s prophet and received her dead son back alive again, a miracle. Her response was to state that the miracle proved Elijah was a prophet of the one true God, and that Elijah’s words were the Word of God.
That, my dear friends, is the purpose in the Lord performing miracles. Miracles serve as a witness that the Lord is the one true God. They are not given to evoke oohs and aahs from us and leave us gasping at Lord Houdini and His magic tricks. They are given to evoke genuflection from us, so that we surrender our hearts to Him in worship and service.
Let’s get together with the Lord now and hold a serious conversation with Him. Let’s surrender our lives to Him and begin the journey of a new life in Christ. And may the name of the Lord be praised in the doing of this.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deteuronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
