New Covenant

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.

Give Them an Undivided Heart (Part 1)

Dan

It was my observation that Ezekiel was given an interesting sense of how the remnant was to be treated while they were in captivity. In Chapter 10 we see the shekinah glory of God leave Jerusalem. Now, in Chapter 11, we see the plan for the remnant that leads to the new covenant.

This is what I think – prophecy is a simple concept – every person in the valley is given an exit plan they can choose to follow, every person standing on self-made mountains are soon to be knee capped (see Isaiah 40:4). The exit plans are full of hope, the kneecapping can be avoided. This is simple stuff.

God’s prophets such as Ezekiel speak with conviction, they warn the presumptuous and secure and bring comfort to the despised and despondent. He that tremble at God’s word and God’s voice has nothing to fear from the message of a Prophet. And so, we see Ezekiel in the service of the one true living God, bringing these words of comfort to the remnant by the Kabar River as they mourned over Zion.

Ezekiel 11:14-16 says — The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, they are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession. Therefore say: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone. [NIV]

When we read that the people of Jerusalem have said they (the remnant) are far away from the Lord, this land was given to us (not to the remnant), we find the audacity of the stiff-necked Hebrews at a high point. The revelers cut themselves off from the remnant. This was done in reaction to the remnant separating themselves from the local leaders in Jerusalem and demonstrating allegiance to God by willingly heading to Babylon as a slave.

The one true living God used this specific message to respond to the shunning of his remnant by the rebellious Hebrews. He speaks of his protection and comfort extended to his remnant even while they are working as a slave for the city of Babylon (see Isaiah 66:5-6). Then he takes ownership of the judgements rendered in Jerusalem. He reminds them the remnant may look abandoned, but they are still connected by grace to the one true living God. Their current state is temporary. Mercy is on the way. Those who remain in Jerusalem may have the Temple but they do not have God. On the other hand, those who left for Babylon have the shekinah glory of God overseeing them, but they do not have the temple. I think it is obvious who is the winner.

Go back and read the last sentence of the cited Ezekiel passage closely. Notice the phrase “I have been a sanctuary for them” (Ezekiel 11:16). Specifically, they have been provided with a place of refuge, a refuge within God himself, while in Babylon. They still had communion with God even when in captivity. The rebellious people remaining in Jerusalem were stuck on the notion they could only know the presence of God within the confines of the temple. They could not be further from the truth.

So, now we find the key point. The sanctuary provided by God is scattered about to be sure each person within the remnant has a place of respite (see 1 Kings 9:6-9). Compared to the Hebrews remaining in Jerusalem (think about those who will not be raptured, who remain on earth), the number of people in the remnant is small. God is aware of the low status of his people, he fusses over their wellbeing, He brings little things along to let them know he loves them still. The God of this universe becomes their sanctuary. Oh my, this reminds me of the stable in Bethlehem.  I choose Jesus.

Give Them an Undivided Heart (Part 2)

Dan

It was my observation; to understand the depth of Ezekiel 11:17-20, we need to examine Isaiah 43. This message from Isaiah is connected to the message of Ezekiel. I do not want to take the assessment too far. But I see hints of the mediator in Isaiah 43, the mediator being applied to the plight of the remnant banished to Babylon. Read this passage from Isaiah slowly, then read the passage in Ezekiel. Consider the departure of the shekinah glory from the temple, consider the fury of God demonstrated by 6 angels hammering Jerusalem starting with the leaders in the temple. With that, let us get started.

Isaiah 43:25-28 says — I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together; state the case for your innocence. Your first father sinned; those I sent to teach you rebelled against me. So, I disgraced the dignitaries of your temple… [NIV]

God makes it clear he, the highest authority existent, has blotted out our transgressions. What a way to start the conversation. Did you notice the place in this quote from Isaiah that tells the reader to think about your history, bring your case before God, argue the matter in the high court, present the facts for your innocence? Consider what this is saying. God is telling us to come to him and make clear in his court we stand in the circle of the Remnant.

There is more. I cannot see any circumstance that would cause me to seek out the courthouse of God without a mediator. I am convinced Jesus would greet us as we approached the court and tell us how to behave during the court proceedings. Finally, Isaiah tells us the people to blame are the leaders God assigned to teach us. They failed in their duties. We were misled. These three verses from Isaiah are profound. Now let us learn from Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 11:17-20 says — “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God [NIV].

The idols. The thing that stands between us and a vibrant relationship with God. The idols. The thing that distracts our thoughts. The idols. The thing we turn to when we are sad. The idols. The thing we believe makes us better, stronger, wiser. The idols. If you have such things that replace your direct interaction with God, this is spiritual infidelity, those things need to go. The idols. They must go.

When the remnant returns, they will learn to look upon the idols with disgust. They will return standing in God’s mercy with a new heart, they will bulldoze the idols and turn to God. He gave them peace, he will end their troubles, they will be home once more. He will plant good judgement in them, prepare them for proper service, prepare them to glorify God in all things. He resolved to give them a new heart, not divided between the old and the new, but an entirely new heart. A sincere, upright heart. He will put a new spirit within, a guide to enlighten their walk. And a new direction to walk.

For we all know that if any person is a new person, we are made that way by Jesus, by his ransom. He mediates our case before God. He is an excellent lawyer. He has never lost a case. This action is God’s work, this work is a gift from him. A wonderful change that moves us from death to life. 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.

Are we are Remembered?

Dan

It was my observation, while reading Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes (chapter 12), that Solomon expresses an ardent desire for us to remember him and his life. I suspect that is true of most of us, we all want to leave things behind that stand the test of time, which are of some sort of value. It can be houses we built, children we taught, families we raised, records of achievement we set – it can be as varied as there are butterfly species, but we all wonder; did we have influence? Death brings a momentous change to us — are we remembered?

Solomon asks us in Ecclesiastes 12:6-7 to — remember him, before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it [NIV].

Pepper told me a parable about a guy who tried to barter with God on the topic of creation. This guy seemed to think that any of us could do what God did. He talked about the marvels of technology, the things we do now that were not conceivable in the day of Moses. He mused that we had more thinking power in our hand (cell phone) that every person existent during the time Moses could muster in the aggregate. This guy bragged that our medical advancement had negated the need for healing. He accused God of being a foolish dated relic. The Man claimed we had moved far beyond God’s primitive sense of morality; our understanding of human relationships and genetics are far more enlightened than Gods. Then the man said to God – give me a few days – I will make a better human than you made. The man bent over and started to pick up a little dirt to build a new human. God, who was silent until now, said – You can’t use that dirt. The man asked, why? It’s just dirt. God replied, well, that is my dirt, I made it. Make your own dirt, and while you’re at it, make your own earth and your own air.

Psalms 49:10-14 — For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others. Their tombs will remain their houses forever, their dwellings for endless generations, though they had named lands after themselves. People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish. This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve of their sayings. They are like sheep and are destined to die; death will be their shepherd (but the upright will prevail over them in the morning). Their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions [NIV].

We are a strange sort of a creation, we are created in God’s image, yet we are made from dirt. With Jesus, our body may decay in the grave, but our soul communes with God on gold streets. We could live our entire life like the Frank Sinatra song – I did it my Way (see Genesis 3:19). But we all will eventually answer for our foolishness. Our mortal bodies are a mere transportation device.

But our soul, that is a different matter. We are like a beam of light that returns to God. He raised us from dust, breathed life into us, and placed the soul inside of us (Genesis 2:7). The soul does not perish with the body; it is redeemed by the blood of the Lamb from the darkness of the grave (Psalm 49:15). The soul can subsist without the body and will flourish in heaven (as a candle burns brighter in the open space rather than in a lantern). On Judgement Day, if we are among the redeemed, we do not endure death, we stand in front of the living God, the one who owns the dirt, the one who owns us. We are defended by the mediator (Jesus) and found not guilty – our debt paid. Are we remembered? Oh yes. In the most important event of our existence, the mediator remembers us forever. We live forever, our body and soul are reunited just after death.

I choose Jesus.

Where is thy Sting?

Dan

It was my observation while reading Ecclesiastes 8:6-8 that Solomon commented on proper government procedures, future events, our time of death, and sustained wickedness in this section. Solomon writes — For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a person may be weighed down by misery. Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come? As no one has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has power over the time of their death. As no one is discharged in time of war, wickedness will not release those who practice it [NIV].

Most of us know that a wise man can manage his time and make proper judgements during his day-to-day business activities. He knows God’s assurance — blessings will come his way. Yet, at the same time, Solomon is aware that few men are actually wise. Furthermore, he knows that are times when even the wisest man does not foresee the trouble on the horizon. And that leads to our passage in Ecclesiastes; there is a proper time for us to deal with every matter and there is a proper method to deal with each matter, with all this coming together at the right time, to accomplish the task in front of us. When we accept our task from God, he will help us understand what is needed to render the task successful. We know that following the plan will rarely lead to trouble (if we stick to the plan).

It is a sure thing that we are in the dark about the future, in fact it could be considered a blessing to be in the dark about the future. Who among us at the Saturday morning group (given most are type A personalities) could resist tweaking God’s plan to ‘make it better.’ I think it is a blessing we do not know. We are told what we need to know when we need to know it. I suggest you are wary of those who would tell you about the future. They may have some insight and perhaps not. Seek God before you act.

Now, being weighed down by misery can be difficult, to be sure, we are pressed from all sides when trouble strikes. It could be troubles with the county or the city, it could be troubles with your HOA, it could be troubles with your neighbors, it could be troubles with your family. For example, when dealing with government or local officials we may struggle because they have one way, a method or process to fix the issue. If we have little recourse or interest to avoid the problem, misery can move right in and take control of our thoughts. Then we experience diminished capability to solve problems because we are burning brain cells thinking about our angst, caught in the circle of self-pity and misery. Once we let misery in, we will make mistakes, and we will have trouble pushing misery back out the door.

What do we do? We take the time to get close to God, we look for the goodness in the situation, even if it is hard to find. We work hard to be attentive to the situation and look for the best (not easiest or quickest) path to rectify the situation and move on – never looking back. Most of all – We look for God.

On the topic of death. We cannot run from death, hide from it, or otherwise prevent death. When our soul is called to heaven we shall respond. Fortunately, it is not an actual time of sorrow, rather it is a time to be happy. We are going home. Evil men fear this event, they try to bring their fear into our life and supplant our hope. But the evil will fail, those who remain will be sad for a season, but in time they will heal and move on. Evil does not ultimately win, it may hinder us for a time, but it will never win. Jesus has already won!

The deeper truth — for those who have yielded to Jesus, misery has no hold, death has no sting. Death calls us home and we go, knowing of the glory to come. Evil men try to crush our hope, but they cannot. We stand tall, pointing to the cross, resting in the restoration of Grace – safe in the palm of the Father.

I choose Jesus.

The appearance of Justice

Dan

It has been my observation while reading scripture on God’s mercy that Justice also appears. We know that Mercy and Justice are attributes of God. We know they both existed before creation; we know they are part of who God is, was, and always shall be. The one true living God has always engaged in mercy when handling our problems and he has always employed justice (fair jurisprudence) when managing cases where his mercy has been rejected, trampled upon, and despised. This was the plan when Jesus walked on earth and he is doing it today, it shall be forever. for as long as we can visualize the future, Elohim will continue – He is God. God’s mercy is not a temporary thing but a strong dominate attribute of the one true living God.

Consider what Micah 6:8 says — He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God [ESV]. When deciding what to do, I think we should start by saying — but for the grace of God, I could be the one to be judged. When we are wronged – we usually have a choice: (1) seek justice or (2) forgive and strengthen the person involved. In general, with mercy, we restore a relationship and move forward towards a positive outcome. The proper outcome of justice should be the same. The notion of walking with God involves finding a proper balance between justice and mercy in a way that advances the cause of Jesus.

I spent many years running a company and was compelled in several cases to explore the relationship between justice and mercy. Justice is rendered when people receive their due. Within the operations of my company, an act of justice typically was causing people to keep their word in agreements. Mercy, on the other hand, was an exercise in forbearance, grace, and compassion (let them off the hook).

I recall a case where I had a client that needed some graphics support for several images in a federal proposal. I reached out to a friend of mine and gave him the subcontract. I defined the requirements and provided a few samples. He did his best, they were not acceptable, I requested and obtained edits to the images, still not good enough. I was starting to push against a due date with no product to deliver. I reached out to another friend, provided the requirements and original samples, he made good stuff, and I delivered the products. Now, what to do with failed graphics. I could not in good faith charge my client for the failures only for the success. I wrestled with paying my failed sub (subcontractor). I knew the failed sub needed the work and I had overestimated his skills. I talked with him, showed him the final results, talked about his mistakes and how to do it better next time, and then paid him. I made the contract with my sub, I concluded I was not clear enough on the acceptance criteria, I took the blame and moved on. I helped him find a job with a local company to get the skills he needed.  Justice? Yes.  Right decision? Absolutely.

Paul says (Ephesians 2:4-6) — because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, … made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by [God’s] grace you have been saved. [For] God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms [NIV].

The deeper truth – it is hard to embrace God’s justice, generally we are not able to fully trust he will deal with the sins committed against us – we want to become part of the vengeance. It is hard to embrace God’s mercy because we are not sure he will accept our meager request for forgiveness, we are not sure he will put away our grievous sin’s. For both viewpoints, there is only one answer. A cross with streaming red blood dripping onto the ground. A tomb with nothing remaining but the empty clothing of a risen Jesus. His mercy and justice will be perfectly applied to close the issues. He will do the right thing. He will never break a bruised reed. He is far more merciful than we can ever imagine.

I choose Jesus.