Nature of Man

The Day You were Born as a Nation

Dan

It was my observation in Ezekiel 16 that God was feeling sorrow for the impending destruction of Jerusalem. A parent knows what must be done to help a child even if the punishment is painful, so does Adonai. Previously (in chapter 15) Ezekiel compared Jerusalem to a vine that bears no fruit. Now we look back when God first spoke to Abraham about becoming a father of many nations. God compares the Hebrews to a loose woman who needs to be held accountable for her actions. Part of the accountability is to be sure they understood why the judgements were happening and to remove any and all mitigation they might offer to repel the judgements as unfair. Let us begin.

Ezekiel 16: 1-14 says — Son of man, confront Jerusalem with her detestable practices and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says to Jerusalem: Your ancestry and birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in clothes. No one looked at you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. … You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign Lord. [NIV]

I think Ezekiel was already in Babylon when this message came to him. It feels more like a conversation over coffee between two friends rather than a message. By this time, Jeremiah was also present in Babylon. The two of them were both working for God, getting the message out. They told the Hebrews to stay calm in the exile, they often focused on the remnant, bringing hope for the future. On the other hand, their message for the rebel Hebrews still in Jerusalem and struggling in captivity was simple. They spoke to bring conviction and humiliation that led the rebels to repentance. This message seems to be a message of morning from God for the failures of his poster child nation.

In this scene, we see Abraham as an outcast child born in obscurity. Abraham was the beginning of the Hebrews, he was the beginning of Jerusalem. The mother of Abraham is not clear, the Talmud suggests her name is Amathlai, she is not named in scripture (see Genesis 20:12). His father was Terah (the ninth descendant from Noah), they were strangers and sojourners drifting across the desert with no possessions, strength, power, not even a place to call their own. As I understand things, in the early days, Terah, Abraham, Sarah and Lot headed together from Ur (a city near the Persian Gulf) to Canaan (modern day Israel), but stopped in Haran (a city in Turkey, close to the modern-day border of Syria). Terah remained in Haran but the others continued to a land that God would show them. God promised to make Abraham a great nation and bless his family (see Genesis 12-25).

In the early years Abraham wanders about as a tenant in Canaan. He could have asserted himself but did not at first. Yet God blessed them and nurtured their life as the gradually abandoned their old heritage and started earnestly worshiping the one true living God. This rag tag band of followers was the beginning of the proud nation. And now, as Ezekiel finishes his coffee shop reminiscent with God, he gets back to his work and starts hammering the Hebrews for their persistent idolatry and rebellion.

We are wise to note the mercy of God documented by Ezekiel. He is quick to forgive our transgressions. He longs for success in our life. When we accept his yoke, he builds protection around us. But if we stray, we are held accountable. He is no pushover. The buck stops with him, it stops at his throne. There is no appeal to his judgements. We know he is fair. We are wise to yield. He declares there is only one way, one truth and one life to choose if we want to see the Father (see John 14:6). I choose Jesus.

There is none besides me.

Dan

It has been my observation while reading Isaiah 45 that Cyrus was given incredible understanding of his role in God’s Plan for the emancipation of the Hebrews held captive in Babylon. God pushes his agenda forward as the sole and sovereign overseer for Israel. God then asserts his plan to use Cyrus to crush the Babylonian’s and free the Hebrews. As I review Isaiah 45, I can see Elohim’s sovereignty defined by two statements: (1) I am the Lord and there is no other; (2) I the Lord, have done these things.

Isaiah 45:5-10 says — I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. You, heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it. Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’? Woe to the one who says to a father, what have you begotten? or to a mother, what have you brought to birth? [NIV].

There are several fundamental truths present in this passage. The repetition of ‘I am the Lord’ drives home the point. We can do nothing else but engage in a firm belief built upon immutable truth.

I think if any person reads and embraces the purity of this message, they will not be able to form any conclusion except to abandon idolatry and self-worship immediately. I get the feeling that God was not pleased, he speaks with commanding authority, the air of majesty infuses the words, power, dominance, and sheer animosity displayed for all pretenders. This message thunders power to the world. How much stronger can it be — I am the Lord, there is no other, there is no God besides me, there is no other self-existent, self-sufficient, infinite, and eternal God. Selah.

Sometimes I drive downtown Tucson and wander through the shops on Fourth Street. Over and over, I see defiance of the one true living God. Some of the shops sell trinkets and tools that mislead and entice our people away from the things they might have learned as children. God thunders out – There is none besides me. None! The enemy smiles and continues to sell things (tools of necromancy) that appear to be innocent but compete with the one true living God, these things are counterfeits; they are mere distractions. These resellers are like a potter who makes and sells idols. They sell chaff to distract the mind and prevent the truth of God from hitting the mark. Who gave the earthly potter permission to use clay from God’s earth to build their distractions. Who gave the earthly potter permission to use things from earth to discern the future? Lucifer’s day of reckoning is coming. Selah.

Here is the deeper truth – Jehovah Shammah is the first cause of all things we can see, hear, feel, smell, taste and know. Lightening surrounds his voice when he speaks. None can stand in his presence. He says — I am the Lord, the origin of all beings, the source of all power and wisdom. He who formed the natural light (Genesis 1:3) forms the spiritual light in our hearts.

He who at first made our peace with the principles of nature has also offered peace in the affairs of men. He who allowed the absence of light, created natural light. He who brings grace to all, is slow to judgment. He who stands against evil, offers a hand of peace to avert our afflictions. Our God, in all his wisdom, brings order to chaos. I choose Jesus.

What was Cyrus thinking?

Dan

It has been my observation that we can know for sure Cyrus was called by God to move against Babylon. Consider how thick the walls were (you could ride six chariots side by side on top of the wall). Consider how long the Babylonians ruled (centuries). Yet our God says – there is no God beside me, I have prepared you to attack and subdue Babylon. Then we hear the message of God that tells Cyrus — it is not your idols that made this happen. They did not prepare you; they did not give you authority to attack, and they did not give you the ability to succeed. I, the Lord God did this.

Over and over, we are told that God can use anyone for anything. The allegiance of the person does not matter, only the will of God matters. The idols of Cyrus are inert — made by ordinary men. God knows Cyrus. God empowers Cyrus.

Isaiah 44:9-11 says — All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless. Those who would speak up for them are blind; they are ignorant, to their own shame. Who shapes a god and casts an idol, which can profit nothing? People who do that will be put to shame; such craftsmen are only human beings. Let them all come together and take their stand; they will be brought down to terror and shame (NIV).

I wonder what Cyrus thought about this. More than likely, he took it in stride, pleased it was happening, but I bet he struggled to wrap his mind around this stuff. Isaiah was talking to any city that would have him. He put the message out. The known world became aware by God’s providence, and by the testimony of the suffering Jews in Babylon. Every person, from the east and from the west, sunrise, and sunset, was hearing the message — Our Lord is God and there is none else. The wonderful deliverance that authenticated the message proclaimed to all who would listen — there is none like the God of Jeshurun, that rides on the heavens for their help.

Isaiah 44: 24-28 says — I am the Lord, Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself, who foils the signs of false prophets and makes fools of diviners, who overthrows the learning of the wise and turns it into nonsense, who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, It shall be inhabited, of the towns of Judah, They shall be rebuilt, and of their ruins, I will restore them, who says to the watery deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your streams, who says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, Let it be rebuilt, and of the temple, Let its foundations be laid (NIV)

I think about wandering about the city in the university area. There are musicians playing songs about every subject under the sun. Occasionally there is a street preacher or a Harikrishna group on the corner speaking out for all to listen. In a previous life I was one of those street musicians making a little music for pocket change, talking with listeners, watching little kids dance to the sounds I was making. Then I grew into festivals and concerts. Still the same message. People listened, transported someplace else for a bit of a rest; and so, it was with Isaiah. He went out, found an audience, and started talking. People were curious, they listened. Things started happening. They listened a little closer. People found the answers. They knew that Cyrus was coming to emancipate them from Babylon. It was true.

Fast forward three thousand years and it is Billy Graham, delivering the same message Isaiah delivered to the curious and the downtrodden. People want answers. The message we responded to is the answer given by Isaiah – God’s grace and redemption. Make haste, the time is close. Yield, God is calling.

I choose Jesus.

I’m done with the Delays

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ezekiel 12 that God had employed an assortment of themes to get the attention of the careless Hebrews to understand the Judgement that was at the doorstep. They needed to focus, repent and walk away from their crazy ways to halt the judgement. Unfortunately, they resolved to stand behind their stone safeguard, stand behind the walls of the city to protect them; they were adamant, the one true living God was not going to protect them.

Instead, they kept reassuring each other they were on the right path. Elohim was an ancient relic, no longer relevant to their modern thinking and ideas. Elohim was not coming. Ezekiel was just another soothsayer trying to make a living peddling bad news. They wondered out loud, where is this God, he is not so tough. He hides behind hacks and mystics. He had no real power. Then God says — Enough!

Ezekiel 12: 22-25 says — Son of man, what is this proverb you have in the land of Israel: The days go by and every vision comes to nothing? Say to them, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to put an end to this proverb, and they will no longer quote it in Israel. Say to them, the days are near when every vision will be fulfilled. For there will be no more false visions or flattering divinations among the people of Israel. But I the Lord will speak what I will, and it shall be fulfilled without delay. For in your days, you rebellious people, I will fulfill whatever I say, declares the Sovereign Lord [NIV].

Goodness, how these Hebrews have made a mess out of things. There is a remnant present, but the leadership and most of the community are rebellious. They have no real belief that God is a God of his word. They use what they want from his message but refuse the full counsel of Scripture and his teachers. They make up new proverbs to support their position. Enough, says God! Enough! Yet, they continue in their rebellion. Even if they were remotely aware of the message, they feel the end was a long way down the road. Therefore, they need not be troubled by the threat or prepare for the threat. More than likely, they will die of natural causes from old age in honor and peace rather than some kind of threat to the city walls. But this turned out to be a massive mistake on their part. God was putting his foot down. He was done with the preparations. The time was now!

Their quaint sayings had morphed into proverbs, it was as if they had been on the evening news day after day until they became accepted as truth and spoke by all at the dinner table and at the workplace. I think this demonstration of degeneracy by the Hebrews revealed the depth of corruption in their heart. This thing became a tricky artifice used by Lucifer to reinforce the corruption in our heart and make us feel like we are in safe ground. Yet, it is a clear tool of the woke Hebrew community, a clear tool creating prejudice against the way of God. This progressive idea ‘woke up’ the Hebrews to a false reality. They move in their woke state and deliver a great offence to the one true living God.

The deeper truth – when our life and message demonstrate the truth of heaven and paints a contrast between heaven and hell; we are a persuader. We are being used by God. He provides opportunities to answer the questions, he provides the answers. We simply become available. It is not our place to view them as infidels, even if they rail against God’s plan. We are to love them with everything inside of us. We are to be patient with them as they struggle to walk away from the old ways and embrace the new.

Some decide that the cost is too great. For them, we still love them. Why? Because we may be the last person who speaks Jesus into them. We may be the last time they hear God speak to them through another human. We do not know. Just love them. Our message must always be one of life with Jesus and death without Jesus. Our compassion and mercy must reflect the gravity of their poor decisions. For even if the return of Jesus is more than a few weeks away, it is near, very near indeed. I choose Jesus.

Do not Fear the Speedbumps

Dan

It was my observation while reading Solomon, He delivers a powerful call for us to embrace the wisdom of God (Ecclesiastes 8). It is difficult to read this chapter and not be affected by the clarity of God’s wisdom, the assurance of his grace, the power of service, and the outcome for evil.

He wrote an overview of God’s wisdom in Ecclesiastes 8:1-5 — Who is like the wise? Who knows the explanation of things? A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes their hard appearance. Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence; … Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure [NIV].

The judicious person seeks a wise heart. Finding the wise heart, we move with prudence, looking for the opportunities granted by God’s grace to help others. We use that wise heart to help us understand what needs to be done, when to act, and how to act. We use that wise heart to identify someone who needs help. Consider Mother Theresa’s decision theorem — How did she know who the help next? She just looked forward and noted who was standing in front of her. That person was the person that God has placed in her life, that was the person she helped.

What do we do with the person in front of us? We simply need to ask that person – what can I do to be helpful? God will provide the means to be helpful. Solomon clearly states our heart, properly infused by the Spirit of God, is able to discern both the right time to act and the right thing to do. It is the Father’s mercy that empowers this action, the blood of Jesus that justifies this action, and God’s Spirit that teaches us strategy and tactics. We will know how to prepare and move forward. God’s plan will prevail.

Consider the actions of Ester. We read in Esther 4:12-16 — When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. … I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish [NIV].

A person guided by God’s wisdom knows — be helpful. A simple mantra, but an incredibly powerful watch phrase to live by. We are to love others as Jesus loved us. We are to ‘be helpful’ in a manner driven by Gods love. When we are in the zone, we will be effective and find the right solution. Esther moved with haste and purpose. She was in the zone.  Alas, sometimes we miss the guidepost.

Therefore, we are wise to always respect the king. We must pay attention to what we say and what we do. Proverbs 30:32 says — If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth! For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife [NIV]. We are wise not to race out of his sight at the first sign of displeasure with us, or when we are displeased with the outcome of his action.

As we walk through life, we may miss God’s guidepost and be drawn into a dark path. When this happens, immediately confess the sin and pull back. Do not stand in the sin. Recede to safe ground and then deal with the aftermath. God will light a path. He will love you back to safety. Wisdom and mercy will prevail. In God’s Grace, be helpful to others. Do not fear the speedbump, embrace wisdom.

I choose Jesus.

Finding the Right Words

Dan

It was my observation while reading the closing statements of the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon seemed to be frustrated in his quest for the right words. Even in his quest for the proper name of this book, he settled with Qoheleth, a Hebrew term that suggests the assembler of students and collector of wisdom. Notice he does not take credit for originating the wisdom, he knew everything he documented ultimately came from God, not his own thoughts or others.

We find this message in Ecclesiastes 12:8-10 — Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher, everything is meaningless! The Conclusion of the Matter. Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true [NIV].

This message of word selection was part of the closing themes in this wonderful book. Solomon tells us to find a place of rest, be clear in our actions, look to Elohim for answers. Solomon seems to be saying — I have been everywhere, tried everything, seen everything, and heard everything. He concluded; it was all meaningless. He tells us to talk with our friends, exchange ideas, help each other, and walk with God.

Solomon made it his business to follow the precepts of wisdom he had learned over the years. He knew from experience, even the ‘long in tooth’ needed guidance, there was always something deeper to explore in the truth. He knew that God’s thoughts will always outrun our best day of thinking. He took pleasure in the hunt for proverbs that could be used to teach wise actions. He moved beyond the obvious and trite. Solomon mined knowledge, he found the deeper thoughts of God with regards to subjects such as relationships, moral values, business actions, and government administration. Then Solomon dug deep inside of his heart to hear the best choice of words to express God’s wisdom.

When I was first learning how to string words together in a useful manner, I recall a senior engineer who would say to me – mean what you say and say what you mean. This had a profound effect during my fledgling days as an engineer writing stuff for satellite systems. He also helped me to understand, sentences should build on each other, they should gradually lead the reader from nothing into something useful to know. Later, I learned from Paul how to build a good argument (for status briefing slides) by looking at how Paul expressed ideas in his letters. Paul was trained in the art of logic in his early days. Paul was a master communicator – the right choice to document the New Covenant.

Solomon took the time to find acceptable phrases and terms, he looked for words that would delight and inform at the same time. He was careful to avoid incongruity within his expression. Both Solomon and David use repetition to reinforce and improve retention. You may have noted they often make a point and then repeat the statement in different words. I was taught in Officers Training School that repetition in a briefing improves listener retention. Retention of the plan leads to greater mission success.

Solomon learned an impeccable model and writing template from God when learning how to communicate. Writers have used Solomon’s teaching models and templates for thousands of years. There is no finer collection of wisdom than Solomon’s. Of course, we know he had a little help getting things gathered and finding just the right way to express the message. Solomon’s message is pure truth (Isaiah 30:10). Solomon’s model was easy to follow — Gather the facts. Break complex ideas down and present the ideas in the proper order to convey the complex idea. Use clear statements and logic to persuade men of the truth. During this process, always move man’s thoughts from himself to Elohim. This model is the first step to expressing truth as defined by the wisdom of God. It has stood the test of time. I choose Jesus.

Solomon

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ecclesiastes 12 that there was a significant amount of oxygen used by Solomon in the first few verses of the chapter on issues with old age. I get the sense that he is feeling his age, and the awareness that men in my age bracket have many more days behind us than are in front of us. It becomes prudent to pay careful attention to how we use the days we still have. I think when you read the section from Solomon I want to examine, it is easy to get lost in the sadness. Let us manage our thoughts and look for the wisdom present.

Ecclesiastes 12:3-5 — when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when people rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; when people are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags itself along and desire no longer is stirred.  Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets [NIV].

Solomon was living in the epicenter of Jerusalem, God’s land, God’s city, near God’s temple, the temple that Solomon had constructed. When the strong men stoop, they are in the streets that are full of the noise of life, children running back and forth, playing tag and tossing balls back and forth. They are laughing with life brimming over. The sound of animals is everywhere. Birds are chirping and the wide assortment of animals are calling us with their wonderful songs. Yet Solomon also sees the frightened looks of people who are afraid of the shadows in the streets. This is his land, he is responsible for their safety, yet he sees the fear. Almond trees are blooming, fragrance fills the air, grasshoppers are moving about. People are looking at high places and fear what they cannot see. Death happens, life moves forward, people mourn, and the streets are cleared for a moment as the mourners pass by. Then the children resume playing, things return to normal.

What does Solomon see? People who are lost no longer have a desire to get things done. When Solomon speaks of the melodies from the local birds, he could be musing that old people wake up at the slightest disturbance, they are not working so much so their sleep is light. Trivial things disturbed them that they did not notice in their younger years. God made the birds beautiful, the children’s play exciting, yet they are a reminder of what we (the old) no longer have – youth.

But I would be remiss if I did not point out an alternate passage that takes the same view and includes encouragement Solomon did not mention in Ecclesiastes 12:3-5. Let us review Isaiah 46:3-4. He writes –You whom I have upheld since your birth and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hair, I am He. I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you [NIV].

So, in Isaiah we find the rest of the story, it is God who sustains us – even in our old age, with our gray hair, and tottering walk, he sustains us. There is meaning, a purpose for life. We can look at the troubles of the day or we can listen to the extraordinary gifts that were freely given – the song of the bird, the warmth of the sun, the rain in the desert, the shade of a beautiful tree, an afternoon nap, children to ask us questions, people who seek our help when resolving their issues. People to pray for, people to encourage, wisdom to share. Elohim has provided – he has carried us; he has sustained us for the duration. We should find our place of contentment, take time to enjoy God’s creation, and embrace the plan of God for our remaining days. That is the message of Solomon.

I choose Jesus.