Hebrews

Declared from the Distant Past

Dan

It was my observation that when Cyrus was sending the Israelis back to the promised land that God had a thing or two to say with regards to the Babylonians. God called the people of Babylon ignorant for carrying idols of wood, Isaiah made it clear there is no God but Elohim, Isaiah then tells the Babylonians clearly – sooner or later all will worship the one true living God, every knee shall bend, every tongue will swear allegiance, all who rage against Elohim will be put to shame.

Isaiah wrote — Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. Declare what is to be, present it — let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength. All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him (Isaiah 45:20-25).

For 70 years the nation of Israel was banished to Babylon as punishment for not allowing their agricultural lands to rest every 7 years. Now that the banishment is complete, the Israelites are being gathered and returned to the promised land, God is being clear with the people of Babylon – the idols must be left behind, they are hollow and worthless.  I wonder what ‘important things’ we worship — cars, trucks, music, houses, degrees, job titles, we have a litany of things that we carry about like a wooden idol and look to them for comfort and strength. Yet the ‘important things’ cannot help us, they do not hear our mutterings, they have nothing we can cling to – they are an idol with no power. Nada.

After Isaiah completes the idolatry message, he starts comparing the one true living God with the Idols. First, the obvious statement appears; There is (and never has been) another God like Elohim. Let us take a deeper dive into this idea.  When considering our ‘important things’ such as our job title, does that job title make us a ruler? Are we trained to rule? By what authority to we operate; some ‘man given’ authorization to act? Does this authorization have boundaries? Are we limited? Well, you know job titles are limited.  And you know — only God can help in every situation. Does our job title give us the ability to help anyone in all cases? I think not, our Job title authority is limited. Who has more power, your Job Title or God?  When you weigh the value of ‘important things’ vs God I think we should note — Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand (Proverbs 19:21)

This I know for sure — Elohim will be exalted. We read in Hebrews – when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So, when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:13-20)

I choose Jesus.

I have made you a Watchman (Part II)

Dan

It was my observation that Ezekiel was given a profound second nickname, I addressed some of this in the first essay on this subject. In my previous essay (Part I) we examined the instructions on what to do with the rebellious Israelis. In this essay (Part II) we find the second half of the command for the watchman. Let us explore God’s instructions for the righteous under the old covenant.

Ezekiel as the watchman is told to take notice of the things God has said, not just what Ezekiel has said, but the entire counsel of God. This includes Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the other prophets. He was not commissioned to function as a spy but to make simple observations as to the character of the righteous. It is good to assume we should listen first; earn the right to speak through our own actions and behavior; and then find a way to help people change their ways.

Ezekiel 3: 16 -17 says — At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel” [NIV]. Ezekiel 3: 20 -21 says — “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” [NIV]

As a watchman, Ezekiel is compelled to speak out what he has heard. He functions like a newsman on the evening news. He gives forth a warning, an alarm from the heavens, not in his own name, but just like a reporter should. He gives the facts, as he knows them, straight from God (Implied in Isaiah 56:10). The watchman knows the counsel of God from the scriptures and the prophets. Using the wisdom from God, we are warned (see Psalms 19:11). But in this case, Ezekiel is advised to differentiate between the rebellious and the righteous. We presume God will shape the watchman’s message to fit the audience.

Ezekiel was asked to warn people not to neglect their work and quit the service of God (see Psalms 19:11). The best men in the world occasionally need to be warned to return to the proper path. Look at what happened to Ezekiel a little earlier in this chapter (see Ezekiel 3:14). Stuff happens, God intervenes, and stuff gets better (implied in Hebrews 4:1). There are many people who start on the path, they engage in service, but then speedbumps start, and they become discouraged. They don’t become apostates, they don’t deny the existence of God, they don’t deny the ransom. They simply get discouraged and pull back. They become one of the ones Jesus spoke of as the ‘one’. The one he went after (leaving the 99 safe) to bring back into the safe haven with the rest of the flock.

They become careless and remiss in their walk with God, with worship, with scripture reading, with prayer. They become an easy target for the enemy. The restraints are removed and trouble starts. If they resist the call of Jesus to return, then the speedbumps become larger. The goal is repentance.

Ruin is coming their way. But the man of God, no matter how far off the track he is, being warned, internalizing the warning, will withdraw from sin. He will find it down deep inside — the call to return. He will respond to wisdom if he was once wise himself (implied in Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 9:9, Proverbs 9:12). We must never believe that we are immune from troubles and speedbumps. They are tools of choice used by God to build our strength against sin and character. They often lead to larger tasks. I choose Jesus.

Answering for our actions

Dan

It was my observation while researching God’s mercy, there exists within the nature of Elohim a characteristic to be actively compassionate. We call this God’s mercy. Consider this – we were once alienated from God by our disobedience, we were destined to face God and answer for our actions. Now, within the new covenant, we are part of the family, adapted into Abraham’s family. We walk with God. In the past we had earned banishment, now we are part of the community of God.

Isaiah 65: 16-19 says — Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the one true God; whoever takes an oath in the land will swear by the one true God. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes. See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more [NIV].

Consider what Isaiah wrote — See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind [NIV]. It is possible to say Isaiah 65:17 teaches we will not remember much of our life on earth. He seems to be saying our memories will be purged. The preceding sentence (Isaiah 65:16) says — For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes [NIV].

Together, I think these two verses means, in God’s mercy, upon resurrection, our memories will be cleansed of the strife and troubles we experienced. But the good stuff remains in our memories. This is why John can write (Revelation 21:4) — He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away [NIV]. God’s mercy gives us a pass to heaven – Selah!


By what right do we obtain a pass to Heaven? Did we not by our sins, take part in rebellion which tried to dethrone Elohim? And did we not in times past move in this world by Lucifer’s nudge, sowing disobedience? Did we not live by the lust of our eyes and heart? How can God love us? Our struggle is with the notions of justice vs the notions of mercy. They complement each other, but one is applied more aggressively than the other in each case. Our answer to the question – how can God love us? The door pass (faith) is provided by his redemptive mercy and love which renews every morning.

Seem too simple? Could our resistance to the idea of pure mercy be part of a subtle resistance to faith. Sometimes I struggle to accept mercy being this simple. The Israelites had the same problem. Paul said, speaking of Israel — they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge (Romans 10:2). The Israelites did not understand the one thing that would make a difference in their life. Consider Hebrews 4:2 — For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us [believers], just as they [some of the Israelites] did; but the message they heard [in the wilderness] was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed [NIV].  

Goodness. To obtain mercy from God, we must believe it is achievable. It is not enough to know what he did in the past; we must believe it is available to each of us now. An endless supply of mercy – Why an endless supply? Because we know ourselves. We need an endless supply of mercy to survive. We have two choices. #1 — We starve to death, sitting on the doorstep of a banquet hall, rejecting the invitation. Or, #2 — we grab hold of God’s mercy (Romans 10:9), enter the hall, and sit down with the other brave souls who have embraced the redemptive power and mercy of the blood of Jesus.

I choose Jesus.

As if Full of Fire

Dan

It was my observation when working my way through the first chapter of Ezekiel, this passage of interest is our first glimpse of the most high. All of the parts of the vision described in the previous essays on chapter one was no more than an introduction to this portion of the vision. This is the main event. Why? because now we discuss the image that appears above the throne, the figure that was like a man.

Ezekiel 1:26-28 says — Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking [NIV].

In this vision God establishes himself as the Lord of angels and overseer of events in the world, thus it is easy to postulate — whatever God either promises (positive or negative); he is able to accomplish.

Angels are presented as his servants; we mortals are his tools. Knowing he is not silent, we look above the wheels, the angels, and the platform to the throne, to the one true living God. We expect a message. Why? Because he is the one true living God who communicates that plan. He is not silent.

In other throne room visions we get the same message. God is not silent. John in Revelation 1:12-13 hear a voice, and again in Revelation 19:10 John speaks of the testimony of Jesus.

We should also note the Glory of God was above the heads of the angels. His position commands reverence and respect. The angels were under his feet as we have read in 1 Peter 3:22 that angels, principalities, and powers are made subject to him. This brings to light the amazing depth of God’s grace. He lives above the angels in this vision, but in his role as our ransom, he chose to become a little lower than the angels (see Hebrews 2:9).

When Ezekiel saw God, he was shroud in light, the color of amber, covered as with a garment. And so, in this vision, he appears in the likeness of man. Notice his lower section gave the appearance of fire, reinforcing the notion that God is a consuming fire. There were rays coming out of his hand (Habakkuk 3:4) that suggest the shielding of his full power. In Revelation 4:3 we also see a rainbow, most view this rainbow as a display of majesty, a cooling of the heat, God’s mercy and kindness, a display of graciousness (implied in Genesis 9:16, Leviticus 26:42) [NIV].

We should note that Ezekiel does not say this is how God himself appears. Rather we are looking at his glory, a translucent image, lest we see God and die. We see a mere shadow (implied in Hebrews 10:1). When he saw this image, he fell upon his face. Ezekiel was overpowered, He knew the distance between himself and God, distance caused by sin. Ezekiel went prostrate on the floor in humility and respect. He prepared himself to hear the message from God. The plan, expressed by God, was overwhelming.

I have come to know — the more we humble ourselves; the more God will make himself known to us. Everything Ezekiel saw to this point served one purpose. Prepare his heart to hear the message. Prepare his heart to hear the plan. We are taught by words from the Spirit of God and then the message is written on our heart with the blood of Jesus. Review Matthew chapter 5, make no mistake, God delights in teaching the humble to be humbler. We benefit. Prepare your heart. Embrace the fire. I choose Jesus.

The Teacher of Truth

Dan

It has been my observation the Holy Spirit has many different tasks; this includes indwelling believers to bind them together with God and help them become more like Him. For Christians, the experience of eternal life does not begin at death but when they trust in Jesus and God places His Spirit within them (see 2 Timothy 1:14). Paul says — Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Holy Spirit equips people for ministry, is our guarantee (deposit) of eternal life, gives people insight and wisdom, teaches people truth, communicates with the Father on people’s behalf, and empowers Christians to walk with God.

He lives within followers of Jesus and produces lasting change in their character. John 14:26 says — But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said [NIV]. He produces God’s love in human hearts. Romans 5:5 says — “Hope does not put us to shame, … God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit [NIV]. The Holy Spirit speaks the truth. John 16:13 says — When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come [NIV]. This infusion of the Spirit is remarkable, life changing, stabilizing, and essential.

The Holy Spirit is a promise of the great things to come for those who trust God. Ephesians 1:13-14 says You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession [NIV]. He provides us with the skills and abilities necessary to share God’s love. Hebrews 2:4 says — God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will [NIV].

Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit to carry out His ministry. Luke 4:18 says — The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free [NIV]. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit and wanted His disciples to understand the power of the Spirit. He told them it was “better” for them that He leave, because then the Holy Spirit would be sent to them (implied in John 16:7).

The first followers of Jesus were filled with God’s Spirit to take the gospel to the known world, and so are we. Acts 2:1-4 says — When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them [NIV].

This passage from Acts is vital to understanding the Holy Spirit. After Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came down and filled up every disciple and apostle of Christ to spread the gospel to the world. Now, whenever anyone puts their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately lives within them. God’s people get to experience the power of the Holy Spirit like Jesus did. The Holy Spirit provides believers with the strength to live the Christian life. John 15:5 says — Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing [NIV]. It is the Holy Spirit who convinces us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

I choose Jesus.

The Teacher of Truth

Dan

It has been my observation the Holy Spirit has many different tasks; this includes indwelling believers to bind them together with God and help them become more like Him. For Christians, the experience of eternal life does not begin at death but when they trust in Jesus and God places His Spirit within them (see 2 Timothy 1:14). Paul says — Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Holy Spirit equips people for ministry, is our guarantee (deposit) of eternal life, gives people insight and wisdom, teaches people truth, communicates with the Father on people’s behalf, and empowers Christians to walk with God.

He lives within followers of Jesus and produces lasting change in their character. John 14:26 says — But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said [NIV]. He produces God’s love in human hearts. Romans 5:5 says — “Hope does not put us to shame, … God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit [NIV]. The Holy Spirit speaks the truth. John 16:13 says — When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come [NIV]. This infusion of the Spirit is remarkable, life changing, stabilizing, and essential.

The Holy Spirit is a promise of the great things to come for those who trust God. Ephesians 1:13-14 says You also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession [NIV]. He provides us with the skills and abilities necessary to share God’s love. Hebrews 2:4 says — God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will [NIV].

Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit to carry out His ministry. Luke 4:18 says — The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free [NIV]. Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the Holy Spirit and wanted His disciples to understand the power of the Spirit. He told them it was “better” for them that He leave, because then the Holy Spirit would be sent to them (implied in John 16:7).

The first followers of Jesus were filled with God’s Spirit to take the gospel to the known world, and so are we. Acts 2:1-4 says — When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them [NIV].

This passage from Acts is vital to understanding the Holy Spirit. After Jesus died, rose again, and ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit came down and filled up every disciple and apostle of Christ to spread the gospel to the world. Now, whenever anyone puts their faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit immediately lives within them. God’s people get to experience the power of the Holy Spirit like Jesus did. The Holy Spirit provides believers with the strength to live the Christian life. John 15:5 says — Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing [NIV]. It is the Holy Spirit who convinces us that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

I choose Jesus.

Learning From David

Dan

It has been my observation that one of the more difficult passages for soldier’s (including me) to review and learn from is 2 Samuel 11. This is one of the most poignant accounts of human failure in Scripture notwithstanding the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Yet, at the same time, it also has great value as it offers us redemptive hope about the greatness of God’s extremely gracious forgiving heart. This passage provides a plain, easy to understand warning about the terrible consequences of sin, coupled with the aftermath of forgiven sin. I traveled down a similar path during the divorce process from my first wife. I am not proud of the time, nor do I talk about it very much. It is my past not my present.

When you start reading 2 Samuel, David is moving in concert with Gods will. He is popular, successful, and able to inspire his people. His throne has been established. His enemies have been subdued, he is respected in the kingdom, and plans are in progress. Then trouble starts.

David sees a beautiful woman near his palace in the evening, he calls her to himself. He sleeps with her and she gets pregnant. Her husband (Uriah) is part of David’s Mighty Men. David knew Uriah. David has Uriah murdered to coverup his sin (2 Samuel 11). As a soldier, I can think of no more heinous action – my commander killing a fellow soldier and taking his wife. I would guess that trust in David as a commander drops to zero among his troops. The prophet Nathan confronts David on behalf of God (2 Samuel 12). David repents. God forgives. David is told that Elohim has forgiven the sin, David’s death will not be required, nor will his throne be required (2 Samuel 12:13). But for David there are consequences for his sin. When much is given to a man; much is expected (Luke 12:48). David’s troubles are not over.

Later, David writes — Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them (Psalms 32:1–2). Centuries later, Paul writes of God’s forgiveness for David to demonstrate salvation has always been for the unworthy, we are saved by grace through faith (Romans 4:4–8).

I suspect, it is with humility and tears that God chose to document the tragedy of Uriah, Bathsheba, and David in scripture. This could have slipped into obscurity. But God chose to mark this event in history books. Every time I run across the message in both 2 Samuel 11 and Psalms 51, I am reminded of the extraordinary grace offered to us by the one true living God. It is especially important that we not only see David’s initial reaction; but we need to also take note of the things that happened to David later in life. Review 2 Samuel 12, you will see the death of Davids first born from Bathsheba, you will see civil wars and outside attacks on the Israeli kingdom. You will see the violence and murder committed by his two sons Amnon and Absalom. You will see struggle after struggle as David reels from one mess to another. Yet, Bathsheba is one of a handful of women mentioned in the bloodline for Jesus. Selah!

Words cannot accurately describe the fullness of God’s grace offered to us, especially when we are acutely aware of just how widespread sin is in our life. Death is very near. Yet, we know that God justifies us while we are ungodly (Romans 4:5). Nothing we have ever done is out of range for God’s grace and redemption. God invites us to seek his compassion, his pardon, his shelter (Isaiah 55:6-7).

The deeper truth – there is a wonderful balance to Scripture. While grace draws us close to him, we know that bad things may happen in our life to keep us focused on him (see Hebrew 3:15). I see David’s example as proof that God will always embrace us. God wanted his complete attention. Even during the consequences for our actions – our salvation is not at risk. Elohim’s amazing redemption for us is renewed every morning. His mercy will always overpower the troubles we create. Always…

I choose Jesus.