With wildflowers the fields God has arrayed;
In their beauty His glory is displayed!
They are here for a season to unfold,
Then they are gone no longer to behold,
But someday soon the earth shall be remade,
And wildflowers shall never again fade!
Their beauty shall blaze forth eternally
With more splendor for every eye to see!
—Perry Boardman
It has been my observation while browsing Ezra — he was instrumental in restoring the use of the Jewish scripture and temple practices to the Israelites after returning from Babylon. Ezra was a contemporary of Cyrus. It was Cyrus who conquered Babylon, facilitated the return of the Israelites to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity, and Cyrus who ordered Babylonian people to furnish the Israelites with necessaries, so that they did not go out empty handed from Babylon any more than from Egypt (implied in Ezra 1:4).
Cyrus told the Israelis — The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me (Cyrus) all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with gold, goods, livestock, and freewill offerings for the new temple in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:2-4 paraphrased)
As word traveled amongst the nations, the gentiles, trapped in their old ways, came to the Israelis seeking freedom. They approached the Israelis and fell before them saying – surely God is in you – we see what he has done. They wanted to be a part of this migration (Isaiah 45:11-14). They humbly begged to go with the Israelis – they were able to see God moving. This interest by the gentiles is a glimpse of what happened when the New Covenant was put into place.
Zachariah 8:14-23 (paraphrased) says — Just as I had determined to bring disaster to your ancestors and showed no pity when your ancestors rebelled against me, says the Lord Almighty, so now I have determined to do good again to you. As of today, do not be afraid. Speak the truth to each other, render true and sound judgment in your courts. Do not plot evil against each other. Rather, you should love the truth and live peacefully. Many people and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to seek the Lord and petition the Lord Almighty. Many people and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to find the Lord Almighty. In those days, many people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you (NIV).
This promise to Cyrus and the Israelites was a forerunner of the gospel message. We are encouraged in this Zachariah passage to not be afraid, we are told to speak the truth, respect each other, help each other. How do we implement this passage in our life? Consider the incredible potential of the Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit upon our daily life. Go back and review the Zachariah passage above. Many of the elements of life in Judah after Babylon are the type of things that the Fruit of the Spirit and Gifts of the Spirit cultivate in us. We are told to live peacefully and avoid creating friction with other people. This is the Holy Spirit in action. This is the focus of the new covenant. Love each other!
Imagine a world where people are seeking the one true living God, they are helping each other and worshiping the God they serve. Their prayer is focused on others rather than themselves, seeking help to fix issues. People within all stratifications of life from the immensely powerful to the lowliest are seeking the counsel of God (Gifts of the Spirit). For those who are speaking God’s word into others, people clamor to hear and learn. This is an amazing vision of what could be. What ought to be. What can be.
We the redeemed are enabled by God. His Spirit infuses us, always leading us to do things that help others. We may see three things done for us by God, but rest assured there are ten thousand things accomplished for us that we never see. It is in that context we are encouraged to be helpful to others.
I choose Jesus.
It was my observation while reading the book of Ecclesiastes, in a mere two sentences Solomon summarizes his findings for all the wisdom present in the twelve chapters of his opus.
Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 — Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil (NIV)
Now, let us reduce the two sentences to six words. Fear God and keep his commandments. There we have it. Jesus said — love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Then came the second thing – love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. That was simple to express. But what about the commandment – Fear God? I think it is helpful to look at Isaiah 29. For me, this entire chapter helps define the notion of fearing God. The three verses below focus our thoughts.
Isaiah 29:13-16 — These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore, … I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? (NIV)
These are strong words; they describe someone who does not fear Elohim. This passage can be reduced to a single phrase – Respect Me, I am the one who made the heavens and earth. Respect Me, if not for what I did, then for what I Am. Respect Me, Obey my commandments. Respect Me, Love your neighbor. Respect Me, Love my Son. Respect for Elohim leads to blessings and our contentment that all is right in the world. Resistance melts away and becomes peace. We feel happy in our place.
The fear (respect) for the things of God starts when the King of Kings occupies our heart. We quickly develop a reverence and appreciation for his majesty, we yield to his authority, and we pull away from things that displease him. We see and embrace his wisdom. We freely embrace him and worship with all the honor due to his name and actions. This becomes true devotion, fledgling at first, but soon becomes a comfortable stride, a power walk with God.
Scripture becomes much more personal. We become aware that God is talking to us, revealing himself to us in the same way that Martin Luther, or Augustine learned about the things of God. One moment of insight after another. We gain understanding and knowledge. Then, as we experience the application of God’s plan for us, we become wise. We learn this respect by absorbing his statutes and precepts from scripture. We know that what we think quickly becomes how we act and how we relate to others.
This acquisition of insight is the process of the Spirit of God writing the word upon our heart. The more dominant this respect becomes the more careful we are with the application of His word in our life. We know that this is no game, it matters how we process and relate to the message. If we are not settled on the inside, our actions will be bumpy, inconsistent – the internal war will be played out in our actions with others. This idea of respect is the whole of man’s relationship with God. It requires care and feeding. It requires alone time, wrestling with the word of God. It requires regular visits with God. It requires interaction with others of similar mind. It brings peace. It brings contentment. It brings rest.
I choose Jesus.
If age doth speak of wisdom learned,
And battles won, and sorrows earned,
Then youth doth boast of hopes to come,
Of strength to waste, and wisdom shunned.
But if youth could seek instead the wise,
and see life through more vintage eyes
And turn to God while still they sow
The seeds of harvest they’ve yet to know,
They might then be blessed to reap
A bounty they’ll delight to keep,
And share with those who come behind
A harvest of a richer kind.
—Vicki Baird
Shalom Talk