Graceful Lips
Proverbs 22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be
blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
He who has a bountiful, gracious, giving, caring, good,
loving eye shall be blessed; because he gives his bread to the poor. There are so many out there today who are
just plain cranky and rude. I had
someone argue with me the other day whether a female with the ministry of a
prophet was a prophet or a prophetess. I
have to ask, “What is the difference in operation?” There is none. What is the difference in
administration? None. A woman or man who prophesies is speaking the
will of God to a situation. There is no
male nor female in that. God’s Word
simply is, without respect for persons. Let
the gifts and actions speak for themselves.
Someone who loves with the love of God will give with the
love of God. It is done without a lot of
words or fanfare. We give and offer our
love freely and if we have what you need and can spare it, we will give it to
you. In this we are of a bountiful
eye. People who are bound so tightly
with tradition that they cannot see the spirit behind the rule have missed the
best of God. Jesus spoke of those souls
and said, “They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.” The Pharisees worried so much about the rule
of law that they killed the spirit of it.
Jesus sought to embrace the spirit of the law.
These days we have defined ‘religion’ as a series of rules
and regulations to be followed. God’s
definition was a bit different. James
1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself
unspotted from the world.” Simple
right? No major rules or
regulations. Follow the fruit of the
spirit and not the fruit of the flesh. Care
for the orphans and widows afflicted by poverty. The Pharisees used to devour widows houses
and say long prayers while they did it.
Jesus called them hypocrites and blind leaders of the blind.
10 Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea,
strife and reproach shall cease.
In Exodus 14 God told the Israelites to be silent, stand
fast and see the salvation of the Lord.
Jude 1:16 AMP says, “These are inveterate murmurers and grumblers who complain
of their lot in life, going after their own desires [controlled by their
passions]; their talk is boastful and arrogant, [and they claim to] admire
men’s persons and pay people flattering compliments to gain advantage.” Scorners believe that they will be respected
and attended to by those who also believe in nothing. In truth, they respect nothing and no
person. Once they are cast out of your
group the strife and reproaches will cease.
Israel wasn’t destroyed by the faithful ‘saints.’ Israel was destroyed by the ‘mixed multitude’
of hangers on who followed the money trail out of Egypt. These unbelievers kept picking at the faith
of the rest of the saints until they began to doubt God and His appointed
leadership. They should have been cast
out of the camp but instead they found like minded Israelis to complain to and
with. They stole the spine out of God’s
people. We must beware of these and not
be like them.
11 He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his
lips the king shall be his friend.
There is nothing a king despises more than murmurers and
mockers. A king or leader is seeking
someone who will link to his vision and assist his cause. A noble king will give a lot to have faithful
and honorable followers. He will
cultivate them and bless them. Read the
story of Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4) and you will see a king who had a noble
servant who began life as a slave and became an honored advisor by his
faithfulness. Even when this greatest of
all kings lost his mind for seven years for pride, his servant remained
faithful. Only two great men in the
Bible had nothing negative said about them.
Both became prime ministers to powerful kings and both came to power as
slaves but died free, Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babylon.
Both had a pure heart to serve the Lord and do no evil to
the king. They never sought an
opportunity to harm the king or the foreign nation. They were humble, honorable, honest and
faithful. They were Galatians 5:22-26
men before there was a Galatians. Many
men live in Galatians 5:19-21 but only those who trust God and live humbly
according to His Word and His precepts will succeed in eternal things. He will not speak evil of the king but will
honor him and offer grace to the king. A
king offered grace will often strive to be worthy of that grace, but a king
offered hatred and evil will destroy you.
12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge, and he
overthroweth the words of the transgressor.
You might ask yourself why you should be so gracious and
honorable to someone who might hate you.
The reason is simple. The truth
and knowledge of God will never fail. It
will come to pass though famous scientists and diplomats and politicians full
of words might speak against it. God’s
Word NEVER fails and it will accomplish ALL that God sends it to do. Thieves, liars and cheats will ultimately
fall because God Himself fights against them.
Have you been lied upon or cursed by the wicked? Why do you fear? God will bring their words to nothing and
they will feast on bitter herbs and broken glass. Their own words will be cut up by the lies.
Grace for Redemption
Jeremiah 31:1 At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be
the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. 2 Thus
saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the
wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest.
Consider this… God
saw Israel in an instant of time. He
looked upon the Jews while they were still in Abraham’s loins and He loved
them. When God looked upon the Jews He
saw them until time ended. Has time
ended yet? No…it has not. God saw Israel yesterday, today and forever
and chose them at that moment to be his special people. He chose them with His eyes wide open and was
not surprised or dismayed when they failed Him repeatedly. His love and purpose for Israel has not ended
nor could it because our God is not a fool and has not been tricked. Israel is STILL God’s chosen possession as is
the land they dwell on.
Jesus knew Judas was a devil. He knew it when He chose him to be a
disciple. Jesus had to die for our sins
and someone had to betray Him as the ultimate insult. Jesus was not betrayed by the Jewish people;
He was betrayed by a man and the nation that man came from was irrelevant. Jesus was honored and followed by both men
and women and those men and women with very few exceptions were Jews. When Jesus died and was resurrected those
same men and women honored Jesus and followed Him – in many occasions unto
death – and they loved Him more than life itself.
It’s sad that we have chosen to believe that God hates
Israel and has given their future and promises to gentile Christians. HE HAS NOT!
Our promises are different and while we are a part of spiritual Abraham,
Israel will one day be completely spiritual and natural Abraham. They have a task to perform after the
Christian church is taken out to meet Jesus in the air. God is not one to give up on a people simply
because they have fallen short. You
might say that both Esau AND Jacob were God’s chosen ones and in the lineage of
Abraham but scripture says that God loved Jacob but hated Esau. Why?
Because He did and because He chose to.
God made an eternal vow to Israel and the Jews and no matter how much we
think we are God’s chosen ones…we were just wild olives grafted in (Romans
11:17).
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me,
saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an EVERLASTING love: therefore with loving-kindness
have I drawn thee.
How can we believe God who says His Word never changes and
that He does not think like we do, and not simply take His Word at face value
without trying to turn Him into an all powerful man in our eyes. He is NOT a man. He is God.
Notice it says He has loved Israel with an everlasting love? Everlasting means never ending. It is eternal. God will ALWAYS love Israel and cursed is any
man who curses Israel; especially if you try to curse them in the name of
God. God draws them with loving-kindness
and will not abide it when we choose to curse them in our ignorance.
Ask yourself a question.
How many times have you missed it with God and yet He continues to
remain more than faithful toward you, even merciful and full of grace. So many Christian groups say that we have
been given Israel’s blessings because God is done with them. Where do we get that kind of idea? If God expects us to forgive seventy times
seven (Matthew 18:22) then just how gracious do you think He is with His chosen
people. Has He punished them
severely? Absolutely. That should make us stop and think. We are the wild olive branch and if anything
He will be less gracious to us than to the Jews.
Jeremiah 31:4 AGAIN I will build thee, and thou shalt be
built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and
shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. 5 Thou shalt yet plant
vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat
them as common things.
Look at that first word…AGAIN. God built Israel up over and over again but I
have never read where He did it as many times as He requires we forgive. Verse 4 above is not just for their escape
from Babylon. It applies to them in all
things because God’s promise to Israel is an EVERLASTING promise and while 2000
years of punishment may seem excessive on our time scale, it is only two days
of “time outs” on His scale. God made a
covenant with Abraham while Abraham was asleep and because God could swear by
no greater than Himself. If God promised
Abraham and by extension, Israel, and promised it by His own strength and not
Abraham’s; what could Israel do to be utterly cast aside? Nothing.
With this understanding we can acknowledge that one day,
Israel will be much more than a nation; they will be a people once again. Their hearts will be turned to their God and
His blessings will flow through the nation.
They will once again dance in joy and happiness before God in the
streets of Jerusalem. They will play
instruments before the Lord and rejoice in honor of His love and grace. Once again the mountains of Israel will be
covered by vineyards.
Spiritual Grace
Zechariah 4:6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying,
This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by
power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Zerubbabel was the king who led Israel out of Babylon after
their captivity and laid the foundation for the second temple. His name meant ‘sown in Babylon’ or ‘born in
Babylon.’ Zechariah quotes him in one of
the most important verses contained in the Bible. Not by might (wealth, virtue, valor, goods,
substance or riches), nor by power (strength or force), but by my spirit
(ruach) saith the Lord (Yahweh) of hosts (war, armies, forces).
God is the Lord of all warriors, armies, forces and
realms. He is filled with all power and
all might and yet states here that it is not those attributes that will make a
difference. His Spirit and that alone
will make us MORE than conquerors. When
scripture calls Jesus meek and lowly, it does not mean weak and useless. It means He is humble, submitted unto the
Father and completely in charge of the situation. Why do we fear appearing weak or
foolish? If we are in Christ, we are
indeed more than conquerors.
Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for our
good. A few verses later it says that, v-35
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword cannot harm us. Does this mean that we will never endure
physical pain or suffering? In verse 36
it says, “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are
accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
This sounds quite intimidating doesn’t it? It almost seems like we are supposed to just
walk around being abused.
Oddly, that same passage of scripture continues to make the
allegation that we are completely the winners, v-37 Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Scripture after scripture states that we are supposed to
live in the spirit and not in the flesh. The reason for this is simple; our greatest
strengths lie in God’s Spirit and our every weakness in the flesh. God has given us limited physical and
psychological strength but our access to His Spirit is unlimited. It is only limited by our willingness to
enter into it. We rarely walk in the
Spirit all the time in fact all too many of us do not walk in the Spirit most
of the time. This is one of the marks we
need to press toward to reach the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus
(Philippians 3:14).
Zechariah 4:7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before
Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone
thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 8 Moreover the word of
the Lord came unto me, saying, 9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the
foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know
that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.
Bear in mind that it is not by might, nor by power. There are many great mountains in our lives
that seem to stand in the way of accomplishing God’s will. If we press into the Spirit like Zerubbabel
though, they will be turned into a flat place.
In the end, the cornerstone shall be placed, that cornerstone called
Christ. It is His great grace that makes
it possible to do all these things in the Spirit of God..
Notice that it is God who brags about Zerubbabel laying the
foundation of His house. Nobody thought
the house would ever be built again, but God had declared it. He purposed that it would be completed by the
hands of His faithful servant and so it was.
When mankind built the tower of Babel they did it in their own
strength. Zerubbabel built the Temple in
God’s strength and for this received both God’s honor and His respect. If you want God to honor you then your life
must be lived in His Spirit.
Zechariah 4:10 For who hath despised the day of small
things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of
Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro
through the whole earth.
Have you ever seen a stack of wood and thought, “How will
that ever turn into a house?” God says,
“Zerubbabel merely held the plumb bob on the end of a string to make sure the
stones were laid straight and yet the seven Spirits of God were on hand
watching. The eyes of the Lord sighted
along the string and it was God’s strength that brought the whole process along
until it bore fruit. We can do nothing
without the grace of God lending His strength.
Restoring Grace
Zechariah 12:6 In that day will I make the governors of
Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a
sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and
on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in
Jerusalem.
Why Judah? Because
Israel had already been conquered by the Assyrians and their sin was so great
that God allowed them to be utterly destroyed.
It was this absolute destruction of Israel that spawned the theory of the
ten lost tribes. In actuality there are
still all twelve tribes. For many years
before the Northern Tribes were captured, those who wanted to serve Yahweh
moved to Jerusalem in the South and left the sin and licentiousness in the
North. Though they now occupied a
smaller area around Jerusalem, they still tended to remain in tribal groupings;
especially the Levites. By the time even
Judah was conquered by the Babylonians for THEIR sin, all twelve tribes were
fairly well represented in the South.
Now, seventy years later the Lord had raised up a new leader
who would reenter Israel like a firebrand and cause the new temple to be built
against the rage and anger of the current inhabitants of the land. Like today’s inhabitants, they felt the Jews
had no right to the land and both the Jews and God disagreed. Verse six is all about God lighting this fire
with His own power and authority.
Zechariah 12:7 The Lord also shall save the tents of
Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah. 8 In that day
shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among
them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as
the angel of the Lord before them.
Joseph in the guise of Manasseh and Ephraim was no longer
the driving force of Israel’s future.
Judah, the lion tribe, would carry the power and authority of the
nation. All the tribes were included of
course but Judah was the apple of God’s eye.
They had failed to release the land from its labors for hundreds of
years and God had required that rest.
Now, seventy years later they were being returned to the land. Verse seven states that God placed Judah
first and raised them up.
In verse eight we see that it is God Himself defending the
children of Israel against the heathens in the land who wish them dead. No matter the trickery and no matter the
strength, they would be unable to overcome this land which was truly, “One nation
under God.” If you recall I once
described the concept of a remez. A
remez is a hint, a finger pointing to another scripture. Can you see the remez’s in this chapter of
Zechariah. Notice it says that he who is
feeble will be as King David and the house of David (Judah) shall be as God and
as the Angel of the Lord in battle. Joel
3:10 says, “Let the weak say, “I am strong!”
This is a remez and a commandment of God. Are you in Him? Are you in Christ? Then you cannot be weak. You must be as your Father in Heaven has made
you. As you press into God, He will
press His strength into YOU!
They are strong because God and His Word will have made them
strong. In the End Time they will be
strong for the same reason. All mankind
will seek to battle against Christ and the Father as well as the Jews in
Israel. God will take the battle to them
Himself and they will be defeated. “Let
the weak say, “I AM STRONG!”
Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in THAT DAY, that
I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I
will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the
spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and
shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
In a much smaller sense this took place many centuries ago
in Jerusalem after Cyrus let the Jews go.
The promise from God still stands.
He has sworn to destroy all nations that come against Jerusalem. A strong remez is included in the statement
above. This is not a fanciful hope
written by a Jew in fear for his nation.
This is a glorious and powerful promise written by God to a world in
sin.
The first time God punished Israel for seventy years and
destroyed a few nations surrounding Israel for their sins against God’s
people. There is a time coming in the
not too distant future when God will be finished punishing His children Israel
and He will destroy ALL nations on the earth for attacking His chosen
people. Their sins were great and their
punishment greater; but as with all chastening, it is about to come to an end
and Israel will triumph through God’s power and all mankind will say, “Jesus
Christ is Lord!”
Notice in verse ten that it says God has given the people of
Jerusalem the spirit of Grace and Supplication.
This is a remez even to today.
Israel has sinned often against God but God’s mercies are new every
morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). His
grace, His UNMERITED favor has always been over Israel and now He watches over
them to perform His word of blessing to them.
In addition it says He has given them a spirit of supplications.
People often say that Israel is the most secular nation on
Earth. This is a foolish lie. Even if a majority of the people there are
non-religious there is a strong group who are very much in love with God. You see them in every picture of the Wailing
Wall in Jerusalem. They rock back and
forth while reading or quoting scripture and then they place SUPPLICATIONS
written on slips of paper into the cracks of the stones. Scripture says that no man comes to the
Father unless the Spirit calls them. If
God had written off the Jews they would not be there in answer to Zechariah,
worshipping God.
One day in the not too distant future they will realize that
Jesus is the one they have pierced when He was crucified. They will acknowledge Him as a son of Israel
as well as the Son of God. In that day
salvation will come to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem and Israel will
acknowledge that they have killed their son…their Firstborn son. The bitterness of the gall Jesus tasted will
also be experienced by the Jews and they will look on and grieve for the one
they have pierced.
Bishop J
