Fine! He’s Healed. But I Still Don’t Like It!

Updated Excerpt From Heart On Fire

Luke 5:18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him. 19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus. 20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee. 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone? 22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? 23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? 24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house. 25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. 26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.

This scripture reminds me of when Jesus healed the paralytic and told him to take up his bed and walk. He had the nerve to heal him on the Sabbath day and the priests were angry.  “How dare you carry your bed (do work) on the Sabbath day.” Here they aren’t angry over the day or that Christ healed them, but that he did so by forgiving sins. Are you one of these people? Do you get angry because someone’s good works are done different than you were taught?

I have seen it all to often in churches that someone doesn’t like how another saint’s gift works.  Scripture says that Jesus gives each of us several gifts AS HE WILLS; not as WE will.  There are religions over all the earth that will murder you because you do not believe as they do.  Why do we in Christ get so angry because one has prophecy and the other has tongues and interpretation.  I had one person tell me to stop wasting time speaking in tongues and just prophecy to the person I was praying for.  That is great advice except for one thing; my gifts don’t work that way.  My wife receives warnings and prophetic visions in her sleep.  I pray in tongues and THEN I receive the interpretation. 

It’s not your job to denigrate someone’s gift.  Unless they are doing something UNSCRIPTURAL you should rejoice over their gift.  I have Word of Wisdom but not Word of Knowledge.  I know others who have word of Knowledge but not Word of Wisdom.  I’ve had a perfect stranger prophesy to me because they saw me in a vision and two days later saw me in real life.  There are gifts I wish I had and I have certain gifts that I used to wish I didn’t have.  What changed in my life is that I finally realized that I have EXACTLY the gifts that God ordained for me to have.  In addition to that exciting idea, scripture offers me the opportunity to request other gifts that I feel I may want (1 Corinthian 12:31).  Since you are coveting the best gifts from God and He has an unlimited supply, it is the one type of coveting you can do with God’s blessing.

There was a doctor, Patch Adams, who treated the fear and uncertainty of an illness before he treated the patient. His first act was to make you feel comfortable and then, when you weren’t terrified out of your wits, walk you through the treatment process. In the case of this scripture, the man was a sinner.  We know this because Jesus said he was a sinner. Sometimes we will hesitate to come to God because our heart is so guilty. I attend a highly prophetic church and there have been many times over the years when I have wanted to stay home because I feared God would put my stuff out there, let people know I’m not perfect. The only reason for God to shout your sins from the housetop is that you won’t deal with them in a timely manner. Remember, He’s not interested in embarrassing you, He wants you delivered and set free. Run to Him.  He can fix it.

In the scripture above, this man knew he was a sinner. It’s possible he might have stayed in bed till he died if it had not been for his friends. Verse 20 says that Jesus saw THEIR faith.  What faith?  The faith to climb up onto the roof and dig a hole large enough to lower their friend down to Jesus. That act was the faith Jesus saw.  The Bible says that faith works by and is empowered by love. Has a great move of God ever come by stinginess?  All the great moves of God have come because when God sought for a man, someone heard the heart call and shouldered the burden. Whether it was because they loved God or that they loved their friend, it moved them to action which moved God to complete the process.

My wife reminded me yesterday of the scripture that says, “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend.”  These men loved their friend enough to tear up a roof and make sure that Jesus could see their friend up close and personal.  They didn’t care about the consequences, only about the results.  Their faith healed their friend.  Their faith probably saved their souls by turning them to Christ and God.  They could not have healed their friend; they didn’t have the gifts.  They probably took up offerings for doctors and nothing came of it.  They still loved him enough to climb a roof and tunnel through it to reach Jesus. What love!

On the other hand, the scribes and Pharisees who loved appearances more than results, who lived for the letter of the law rather than the spirit of love, were angered by Christ’s pronouncements, “thy sins be forgiven.” One thing the Jews knew was that only God could heal. Christ settled that one by saying, “Arise, take your bed and go home.”

The man with palsy glorified God and went home. The others were filled with fear and awe and wondered about God’s miracles. In Matthew 12:24, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus said that no house divided against itself shall stand. Satan who breeds illness, does not heal.  Only God heals.  After their accusation in Matthew 12:24 He ceased speaking to them again.

You may not always like the way God gets things done. You may not like dancing or singing or prophesying, or any number of Christian acts that many in the church enjoy; but NEVER speak against them unless scripture specifically forbids them. You might just find yourself fighting against God, and you can’t win that fight.

Lord, let me see your vision and renew a right spirit within me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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CHASTENED BUT NOT DESTROYED!

Psalm 118:18 The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.  19 Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord:  20 This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.  21 I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation.  22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  23 This is the Lord 's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it

Psalm 118 begins by EMPHATICALLY stating that God’s mercy endures forever.  Israel has been chastened sore as it says in verse 18.  They have often failed to be faithful and steady in their obedience to God and some in the Christian church have the idea that WE are their replacements and that God no longer loves Israel.  As it states in Romans 11:17, 24, we are the WILD olive tree.  Our inclusion in God’s circle of love is as much a matter of mercy toward someone undeserving as is God’s continued love and tender approach to Israel following their almost complete dismantling. 

What other nation on earth has ever been restored after their homeland was leveled and their people scattered.  The answer is that none have.  Israel and Israel alone have returned to the land of their promise and have resurrected a language and nation that was dead and destroyed.  Of all peoples ground into the dusts of time only Israel retained their national identity and maintained their roots and family tree alive.  All twelve tribes are alive and well in Israel today and very soon our Lord will remove His Gentile bride and reintroduce Himself to His chosen bride Israel.

Revelation says there are twenty four elders sitting before God in Heaven (Revelation 4:4, 10; 5:8, 14; 11:16; 19:4).  There are twelve gates in the new Jerusalem of Ezekiel 48:30-35 named after the twelve tribes of Israel.  It says in Ephesians 2:20 that we the church are built upon a foundation of the apostles and prophets.  Revelation 21:14 says that the twelve foundations of the heavenly Jerusalem are named after the twelve apostles.  Jesus Himself is the chief cornerstone, He joins both foundations and gates together. 

God has no intention of throwing away Israel in favor of the church.  Israel is the gate of the city of God and provides access to that city.  The church is the foundation upon which the walls rest and must be stable, rooted, grounded and established upon principles that are both firm and sure.  Without a strong and sure foundation those great walls would collapse but without the gates of Torah, named after Israel’s tribes, the wrong people might be allowed in and the wrong people might be kept out.  This is a great and separate honor given to both peoples, Israel and the church.

Jesus is the Torah of God and the head of the church.  He is the chief Cornerstone as quoted in Psalm 118:22, Luke 20:17, Ephesians 2:20 and 1 Peter 2:6.  In the first two verses, Psalms and Luke, we are told that the BUILDERS rejected that stone.  In the third, Ephesians 2:20, we read that the foundations of the apostles and prophets are UNITED with the chief Cornerstone.  In 1 Peter 2:6 we see Jesus as the chief Cornerstone who upholds ALL those who BELIEVE in Him.

Those who press toward the mark of the true calling of God in Christ Jesus will include both the church and after the rapture, all Israel.  Some in Israel have become Christians over the centuries and therefore a part of the Church of Christ.  That still leaves Israel the nation.  It is inconceivable that God’s mercy in Christ is greater than His mercy to His chosen people.  God’s MERCY (as Psalm 118 states) endures forever and without end.  Even 1 Corinthians 13:8 which states that knowledge, prophecies and tongues will one day cease, does not say that God’s mercy will.  Scripture says that in addition to love, mercy will be forever. 

Mercy is not the same as grace.  Grace is unearned favor with God, receiving the good things you do not deserve.  Mercy is God withholding your just punishment to allow you to change and repent.  It is not so much God’s grace that has prevented the judgment of God from striking America; it is His longsuffering and mercy.  You can still be punished terribly while mercy is in effect.  Is it merciful to ignore a child’s bad behavior or to call them on it and chasten them until they obey?  Certainly chastening for all its pain leads to a far better conclusion than allowing bad behavior to continue.  God is both parent and husband to this world we live in.  Because of His desire to have a people who serve Him out of love He will not force us to obey.  A husband who controls his wife by threats and beatings is no husband.  Song of Songs says, “God’s banner over me is love.”  A banner is something armies and navies raise over their heads to declare whose they are.  God has raised His banner over me and that banner is love. 

A bride must be mature and loving to receive a close and loving relationship in return. A child must be obedient and submissive to avoid chastening.  The deeper our maturity the greater our relationship with God.  Those who spend all their time trying to get away with something will often wonder why they never seem to grow out of the child stage and enter the bride stage.  Those who continue to press toward the mark of the great calling of God in Christ do not have to ask.  Like Esther they have walked the narrow way and won the heart of the King.

A PRECIOUS GEM WILL BLIND YOU TO THE TRANSGRESSION

Proverbs 17:8 A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.  9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

I’m probably not the only one who has carried the pain and heartache of someone’s actions toward me, nor am I the only one who has caused someone’s pain either without knowing it or because I was angry or upset.  I need the peace of forgiveness as much as I need the release of forgiving.  God has given us many gifts when we came to Him.  I love verse eight above because it addresses those who have chosen to sit upon their gifts and fail to release them. 

A gift can only direct the light in different directions if it is brought out of our hearts and pockets and held up to the light of the Lord and His gospel.  I have seen a crystal globe hanging in the sunlight and watched how it directed the sunlight in all different directions and colors throughout the room.  I have seen that same globe go dark as it was wrapped in a cloth until it was no brighter than the material it was wrapped in.

Our Gifts are like that globe and unless we lift them up before God to allow His Spirit to shine through them we will never achieve the wonders and prosperity God has ordained for our lives.  If we do not do this we are like the servant who took his single talent and buried it in the dirt until His Lord returned so he could not lose it.  In the end, he was cursed for not even allowing those around him to use his gifts so it might produce SOME fruit.

Your gifts are given to YOU SPECIFICALLY…by God.  He didn’t give yours to me nor can I do the things you can do so well and seemingly effortlessly.  I am not a financier or a businessman.  My gifts are not mathematics or science.  I need businessmen and organizers in my life so my gifts can flow and prosper.  I need your ability to draw in others so I might be able to speak the purpose of God into their lives.  It’s possible I need your teaching skills to help strengthen weak areas of my life and you need mine for the same reasons. 

Because I am not as perfect as our Lord Jesus and have flaws and weaknesses that He has not ye addressed, I may (will) need your forgiveness and understanding when I fail to live up to God’s full expectation for my life just as you may (will) also.  Gossip is possibly one of the worst sins a man might commit and has been the cause of many broken friendships and marriages.  I know of a man whose marriage ended because he was struggling with his wife’s attitude toward him.  He spoke to his best friend about his frustration and anger and rather than counsel him on how to humble himself and love his wife until she grows into a different attitude, he reported his best friend’s anger to the wife.

Some might say, “She had a right to know!”  To know what?  That the man was human?  That her poor attitude was brought on by issues in her own life clashing with his, and rather than help these two find the common ground of their powerful love so they could grant one another grace, he drove them apart. 

Consider this beloved…every idle word we speak, every graceless comment we make will be judged by God one day.  I would hate to arrive at that day and find that any marriages or friendships had ended or souls had been lost because of my tongue.

BROKEN DOWN WALLS

Proverbs 24:30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;  And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.  Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:  So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

Have you ever visited someone and there was always something broken or dirty or out of order in their home?  It might be the front porch with the broken board or the wallpaper with that loose strip up near the top or down near the floor.  Perhaps its just the dirty dishes in the sink or tub ring in the bathroom.  Occasionally these circumstances are there because of injury or old age; but often is simply laziness and an unwillingness to fix the problem.  I know a person who traveled to another country and was passing through a neighborhood where the people maintained their homes with pride and kept them clean and in good repair.  When this person crossed a single street into a different neighborhood where the people had a different religion and belief system, the identical homes made by the VERY SAME CONTRACTOR were run down and filthy. 

Whether you talk about the garden of your life or home or car, you can observe the heart of the person by how they maintain that particular place.  My late Apostle used to say that God gave him every car he owned as well as his home.  I have never seen him drive a dirty car or observed his home to be anything but clean and orderly.  To him those ‘gardens’ were sacred because God made the way for Him to get them and he made sure they would always honor God.  Usually we are as diligent or lazy in our prayer, study or ministry as we are in our vacuuming, cleaning and repairing.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 says, “People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night's sleep.”  Have you ever worked hard all day long and when you finally got home and had a choice of dinner or bed you just fell upon your bed and went to sleep?  On the other hand, I have spent an entire day doing nothing at all and could not sleep no matter how hard I tried.  My body was full of energy reserves and I was trying to make it ignore them and sleep.  Not so.  You HAVE to use the gifts God has given you to effectively use the energy (anointing and life) that God desired for you.  Just as over eating without physical labor can make you fat, an abundance of spiritual gifts laying waste can make your spiritual self bloated and weak.

I was watching a sermon by TD Jakes yesterday and he began to speak of the importance of Psalm 1.  It was one of the best messages I have ever heard.  One of the most important points of his sermon was that God could only bless and multiply ACTION.  James 2:20 and 2:26 say, “Faith without works is dead.”  In the story of the talents (Matthew 25:14-29), the lord gave each of his servants talents according to their gifts.  Most of his servants multiplied the talents they were given and received great blessing from their lord.  One buried his talent in the dirt and refused to exercise it to benefit his lord.  Fear of failure caused him to be frozen and not even try.  Fear is the opposite of faith.

When Jesus fed the 5000 with a few fishes and loaves of bread in Matthew 14:13-21, He BLESSED the bread, BROKE the bread and GAVE the bread to His disciples.  The miracle didn’t happen when he blessed the bread.  That simply let God know that what He did He was doing in God’s name.  The miracle didn’t happen when He broke the bread.  That simply made enough pieces for each disciple.  The miracle happened when He gave the bread to His disciples and they began to distribute it by breaking of pieces and handing it out.  It didn’t multiply in Jesus hand; He couldn’t have carried all those baskets.  It multiplied as people were fed and more people were fed and more again.  God kept the miracle going as long as the need existed, working hands existed, and the bread was given out.  Had someone said, “This can’t work,” in the midst of it all, it would have prevented them from passing it on and the miracle would have ceased.

Miracles and blessings, blessings and miracles, they need action to take place.  Whenever you see a scripture that leads to a miracle there is always an action that brought that miracle about.  Without action the walls of your life, your body, your future will begin to crumble and fail to keep you safe.  Be diligent to grow and multiply the seed sown.

JUDGMENT COMES

Ecclesiastes 10:8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. 9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

Our walk in Christ IS glorious and life changing.  Our life in Christ MAY BE hazardous and deadly.  Why?  Because we walk in the power and anointing of Almighty God and yet we are also hated by all mankind  except those relative few who believe as we do and receive the Bible as the uncompromised word of God.  Protestants may hate you and Universalists and Catholics and even many formerly evangelical faiths.  It has become unfashionable and possibly dangerous to be known as someone who believes in the Word of God and patterns all his life by it.

God’s Word is not ninety nine percent accurate and true; it is one hundred percent.  While there are figures of speech in scripture, by and large the average scripture that is considered allegory is actually true.  Jesus is the (only) Way, the (only) Truth and the (only) Life (John 14:6).  Without Him you cannot have any of those important gifts.  Jesus made a way through His own body’s death and resurrection.  He is the truth; there is no lie or falsehood in Him.  Jesus is the Life; purchased and paid in full by His death and resurrection.  There is no other religion and no other truth than this.

Because we are hated by vast billions here on earth, there will always be those who set traps for us and seek to change us and force us to bend to their belief systems.  Their values change daily and embrace the idea that all religions have some truth.  This is a vicious, deadly lie.  Wide is the way that leads to destruction and narrow is the way that leads to the truth (Matthew 7:13-14).  Which leads to God; a worldwide ecumenical movement that embraces all the world’s religions with “feel good” doctrines, or the single most important man that ever lived and died for mankind through whom alone we have redemption?

There will be a pass or fail test on this last question.

Many will try to lay traps to make you stumble.  Some take advantage of gaps in our Christian education which is why we must study to show ourselves approved unto God (2 Timothy 2:15).  They dig pits of circumstance and doubt before us and hope we will fall in and be broken.  God has promised to trip them up and make them fall if we will but trust Him AND His perfect Word. 

Others will try to tear down the hedge of protection that God has so carefully planted around us.  Sadly, it is often the church that has torn down God’s hedges leaving gaps where God’s wrath can break out and destroy.  They fail to believe His Word fully and choose an easier path of compromise and moderation in all things (2 Thessalonians 2:3).  There is no longer any zeal in them for the truth of God’s scriptures and they have diluted their love for Him until nothing is left.  God’s warning to those who would tear down the hedge of His promises is that He will allow a serpent, your father the devil, to bite them and poison their life.  God meant the hedge for protection but they have not been worthy of that honor.

As Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness to save the people from the poison of asps Jesus must be lifted up so all who see Him and His example will be saved from the bite of the serpent.  He said, “If I be lifted up from the Earth I will draw all men unto me.”  He is the Hedge.  He leads us away from the tumult of raging storms and toward the still water.  There is no one else but Him in this respect.

In addition to His hedge, God has laid marker stones to keep us upon the path.  These perfect and clearly understood scriptures are being maligned and changed bit by bit in our commentaries until they hold no power of correction nor do they limit anyone’s sense of right and wrong.  Each one from Genesis to Revelation point to the Chief Corner Stone (1 Peter 2:6-8).  Since God is the one who has placed these stones, God will be the one who curses any who change one rock or one pebble. 

Finally, some will try to cut down men and women of faith who stand tall for Christ, who will not bend to the right or to the left in what they believe.  They may harm some few saints and even take their lives, but God will cause that axe of words and lies to turn against you (Mark 9:42). Remember, out of all Israel, Elijah learned that only seven thousand had not bowed to false gods and lies (1 Kings 19:18).  Out of millions, only those on the most narrow path were saved.  God cast the rest away from Israel, never to return.  Those who remained faithful from ALL tribes were safely ensconced in Judah.

Trust in God Beloved.

Carved in Stone 05

SACRIFICED STONES

1 Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

Ahab’s wife Jezebel had killed every prophet of God she could find.  The King’s chamberlain Obadiah had managed to save 100 prophets of the Lord by hiding them in two caves and feeding them until it was safe to move them.  The queen had taken 450 prophets of Baal under her wing and caused Israel to follow Balaam rather than God.  Elijah had hidden himself because king Ahab had sought him for bringing a famine upon the land.  When the famine had become so severe that all the animals in the land were in danger of starvation God sent Elijah to Ahab. 

This portion shows us the desperate need for godly leadership.  It used to be that most of the liberal politicians of questionable morality were visibly in one party and the more conservative and godly were in the other.  Now both parties are about as corrupt as they can be and for all their powerful rhetoric they espouse, the true source of their allegiance is filthy lucre, the almighty dollar.  In this country it is becoming more and more difficult to be a believer.  So-called Christian churches who bow to homosexuality, political expedience and a social rather than spiritual gospel are rising in power and those who believe in salvation through faith in Christ alone are being persecuted.

This is not a new thing.

After mocking the prophets of Baal, telling them their god must be locked in a bathroom somewhere, and praying to the true and Living God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he was gratified to see the fire of heaven come down and consume the sacrifice, wood, water and even the stones used to make the altar.  The people around him shouted and gave one another high fives.  They cried, “The Lord!  He is God!  The Lord!  He is God!! 

Elijah used his new-found celebrity and put all 450 prophets of Baal to death.  Now you would think that this action might make Jezebel run for her life but no.  She was far too calculating and conniving for this to happen.  Her vicious threats were so violent that Elijah forgot for a moment just who he served.  He ran for his life and hid in a cave.  Elijah begged God to kill him since he was so ineffective.  God sent all sorts of violent weather but He Himself came as He so often does in a still small voice.  He rebuked Elijah and said He had more than 3000 people who had not bowed their knee to Baal. 

I know that is a wonderful thing to have so many who have not turned their backs on God but consider this…  Most people in Israel HAD turned their back on God.  Millions lived there and yet only 3000 still trusted in God.  When scripture says, “Many are called but few chosen,” it means it.  Thousands will fall and fail God; a few will trust in Him no matter the cost.  When God’s judgment finally comes and the earth is depopulated by ninety percent or more, He is simply judging those who failed to acknowledge Him.

When God consumed the stones of Elijah’s sacrifice, many rejoiced to see the miracle.  When Jesus died (consumed by our sin) and rose again, many rejoiced to see that miracle and came to serve Him.  Sadly, our attention span is no better today than it was thousands of years ago.  After every great move of God people forget.  Even knowing it was God and that there is no other explanation will not change this sorry fact.  Take care that you are not one of those who sees himself saved and sanctified in a mirror and then forgets (James 1:22-24).

NEVER MOCK THE LIVING STONE

2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth. 16 Lord, bow down thine ear, and hear: open, Lord, thine eyes, and see: and hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17 Of a truth, Lord, the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands, 18 And have cast their gods into the fire: for they were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone: therefore they have destroyed them. 19 Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.

Hezekiah was one of the few godly kings after David.  As king of Judah he removed the high places of pagan worship, broke up all the stone altars and idols and cut down the groves of the fertility worshippers (2 Kings 18:4).  Scripture says that after him none of the kings of Judah lived up to his example.  Under his rule, Judah obeyed the laws of Moses fully and completely.  Because of this he had a moral authority and relationship with God that none of the foolish kings of the North and later years in Judah could boast.  They chose to fight against the righteous judgment of God and were defeated.  Hezekiah fought against an overreaching Assyrian king and God made him a winner.

Unlike all the other kings who rebelled against the pagan empires who demanded annual tribute from Israel after the God ordained split into two kingdoms, God protected and honored Hezekiah for his godliness and faithfulness.  In Hezekiah’s fourth year as king of Judah, the king of Assyria besieged Samaria the capitol of the other ten tribes and conquered it after three years of siege.  This would mark the end of the divided kingdom for all practical purposes. 

It was this event that has falsely started the idea that there are ten lost tribes of Israel dispersed into the world.  The fact of the matter is that those who chose to serve the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had long since moved to Judah to get away from the pagan lifestyles in the north.  Jerusalem became a holy magnet which drew all who served the Lord.  From the days of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin, the godly in Israel continued to flock into the City of David.  When Samaria fell the majority of people lost were those who had long ago ceased worshipping Yahweh exclusively or those few who were too poor to make the move south.  In other words, God’s prophetic warning of Samaria’s fall caused an exodus to Jerusalem and safety for those who obeyed Him (2 Kings 18:9-12).

Amos was one of the prophets who warned those in Samaria who were at ease and lived in great wealth but were morally bankrupt: 

Amos 6:4-8 “Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock  and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!  Therefore they shall now be the first of those who go into exile, and the revelry of those who stretch themselves out shall pass away.” The Lord God has sworn by himself, declares the Lord, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and hate his strongholds, and I will deliver up the city and all that is in it

How often do we hear men and women speak against God these days.  They call Christians and Jews troublemakers and deluded fools.  Quite often they lie and use false, even blasphemous rhetoric to make it appear that we are nothing but angry tricksters who will do anything to snare others in our supposed delusions.  There are enough angry wounded Christians in poorly served churches to bolster their outrageous claims because many of the wounded and broken souls in these churches will lash out in their pain rather than allowing God to heal them.  These sad souls attack everyone to defend a God who in His strength does not need their defense, and leave the general public with a dirty taste in their mouth for religion.

2 Kings 18:19 is a marvelous example of this.  The king of Assyria believed that Samaria and Judah were both cut from the same bolt of cloth because they are all Israelites and those he conquered in Samaria were almost depraved enough to make him blush.  The truth is that these two kingdoms couldn’t be more different if they were on opposite sides of the earth.  Samaria and Judah are a perfect example of the world today.  That world is one because we are all human beings created in God’s image.  Like the nation Israel, at least ten out of twelve men and women on earth serve false gods, no god or Satan himself.  It would not surprise me to discover that the percentage of lost to saved in Israel and Judah during the fall of Samaria is exactly what it will be worldwide during the tribulation. 

Satan’s attack in Jerusalem was exactly the same as it is now where we live.  Those who hate God will falsely represent those who serve Him and sell those falsehoods to those who do not know any better.  The king of Assyria sent his armies to destroy all Israel and to say that God Himself had given him the order to destroy all Israel.  What God wanted was for those who had abandoned Him to be destroyed but those who still served Him to be left alone.  When he refused to stop at the proper border and Hezekiah cried out for God’s intervention, God was more than happy to answer.

At first, Hezekiah responded in fear and asked the King of Assyria what it would cost to buy his peace.  The answer was 300 talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.  Hezekiah robbed the temple to provide this tribute but it wasn’t enough.  They wanted more and eventually sent the army.  They made the fatal mistake of mocking God before a righteous man.  When God has ordained judgment, your protestations of a family bond to Abraham will not save you but if you are righteous, He will move heaven and earth to assist you.

In chapter 18 of 2 Kings the Assyrian delegation began to mock Hezekiah and threaten the residents of Jerusalem.  In verse 32 he begins to mock Hezekiah and the God of Israel without understanding that God had sent Assyria to punish the Northern kingdom and not Jerusalem.  He was about to learn that the living stone of Israel was more than a match for the king of Assyria.  Scripture says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord (Zechariah 4:6).”  God did not defeat Assyria by a great army or outwardly supernatural means.  In verse 21 of 2 Kings 19, the Lord begins to speak forcefully against the loudmouth from Assyria.  He lets them know the difference between a god of stone and the Living Stone.

That very night God sent an angel who slew 185,000 men from the Assyrian camp.  There was no cry or sound of battle.  When the camp awoke, dead bodies were everywhere.  In the face of this great terror, the king of Assyria went home where he was murdered by his own sons.  Don’t mess with the rock of ages.

STONES OF OFFENSE

Nehemiah 4:1 But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews. 2 And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned? 3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall. 4 Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity: 5 And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

Israel has always had to live with the foxes who spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15).  In John 15:1 Jesus said, “I am the vine and ye are the branches.”  There are always foxes, spiritual enemies of the work of God who lead and control those natural enemies of God’s plan.  When Cyrus the King of Babylon freed the Israelites to return home and rebuild the Temple of God, only 42,000 men left to complete the work out of the millions of Jews in Babylon.  They left with all the gold and implements removed from the previous temple as well as much gold, silver and offerings from the people of Babylon who wanted the God of Israel’s blessings over their lives.

Sadly, due to the low number of men and women who made the journey, they had insufficient numbers to continue the work of rebuilding the temple in the face of all those who sought to defeat God’s plan.  Because of this constant nipping of the ‘foxes’ they were forced to cease their work until a decree might come from the new king of Babylon.  In the midst of this confusing period God raised up two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah who encouraged the people to continue the work.  Under their direction the temple was finally finished after God touched the heart of the Babylonian king to see the work completed (Ezra 6). 

After this God raised up Ezra who had a great love for the law (Torah) of God.  Ezra had a strong desire to teach that law to the people of Israel in Jerusalem.  In the seventh year of King Darius of Babylon he left Babylon with that king’s blessing and gifts.  Ezra was embarrassed to ask for soldiers to protect his party since he insisted that God was with him and sending him on this great journey (Ezra 8:21-23).  He fasted and prayed and after gathering the Levites he needed for the work of the house of the Lord he began his journey.

Can you imagine the look on Ezra’s face when he heard the king of Babylon order him to serve God and to teach others to do the same?  He made sure Ezra had all the finances, supplies and manpower he needed to make sure he was on God’s good side (Ezra 7:13-23) and even went further to prevent any taxation of the workers and Levites (Ezra 7:24-26) and ordered that anyone who went against his decree would be put to death or banished completely.  In verse 27-28 of that chapter Ezra is absolutely beside himself with joy over the grace that God has extended. 

None of this took place because of armies battling one another or money changing hands.  This was all begun and completed by a sovereign act of God.  As I said before, Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord!”  Does it ever appear that you are stuck in a place and nothing is happening?  Have you prayed?  Fasted?  Studied His Word to be sure your requests and desires line up with it?  If you have done these things and still seem to be locked in one place then you simply do whatsoever your hands find to do according to His Word and wait. 

Many do not like the concept of waiting and in this case Israel waited 70 years because of their sin.  After that 70 years of waiting they had to battle complacency (most Jews did not want to leave Babylon), backbiting and lies from the pagan people who populated Israel, as well as hardships of hunger and privation.  All these things will come against you.  We are more than conquerors (Romans 8) but though we have already won by the power of our God, we must still fight the fight.  We must press on.

It seems I have been writing a lot for this particular portion of scripture.  In case you’ve forgotten, we’re not talking about Ezra, but about Nehemiah.  To understand Nehemiah we must first understand all the difficulties in Ezra.  Thirteen years later Nehemiah was about to endure a whole new area of difficulty.  While Ezra was an obscure scribe who knew the Word of God very well, Nehemiah was a highly respected, highly placed servant of the King of Babylon. 

When Nehemiah heard of the trials of affliction being heaped upon those who had returned to Jerusalem, he was moved to fast and weep before God.  I appreciate how he doesn’t’ try to make light of Israel’s past sins.  He lets God know that he, Nehemiah knows Israel’s current condition is well deserved.  He acknowledges all the sins of the people and how badly they failed God.  Not one stone had been left upon another and all the walls of Jerusalem had been pulled down and the gates burned with fire.  Simply processing this great sorrow caused him to take a leave of absence of several days from his duties as cupbearer for the king of Babylon.

This particular king was known to be mercurial with violent flashes of temper.  When Nehemiah came before him to serve he was expected to be pleasant and happy.  The king immediately picked up on Nehemiah’s grief over Jerusalem and commented upon it.  The King James translation of “sore afraid” does not quite bring across the true feeling of stark terror Nehemiah experienced.  He was in fear for his life for appearing before the king in a bad mood.  Consider the book of Esther when she had to come before the king unbidden to save her people (Esther 5).  Had he not extended the scepter her life would have been forfeit.  She knew this and knew as well that the kings previous wife had been killed for insubordination.  There are times when you simply have to do what God requires … come what may.

Even after the king asked what his request was Nehemiah took a brief moment to pray before answering.  Due to his station as the king’s cupbearer, Nehemiah had asked for soldiers and letters to make his life easier.  That did of course help, but as we saw in Nehemiah 2:10, there are always those who would like to see God’s work stopped.  One thing you see in Nehemiah 2 is that you don’t have to go about broadcasting what God has called you to do.  Whenever you do so there are those who might want to help you but think you should do it their way.  Others will try to stop you because they are offended you might do something they do not want to see done or because you aren’t doing it their way.  Some people simply do not like change and will come against you for that change.

In the end of chapter two we see another reason someone might fight against you.  If you have a heart to serve God fully there are always those who say it does not take all that effort to serve God.  In this case Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian all gathered together to nip and bite at Nehemiah’s heels to prevent his success.  They also were deeply offended because Nehemiah turned down their feigned offer of ‘help.’  He knew they only wanted to do whatever they could to slow down the work of God and he could not allow that.  His king had only given him so much time to complete his task and so he had a schedule to keep.

Israel (for the most part) was thrilled to begin work on the walls.  There were groups who disagreed and refused to work (there always will be), but most were anxious to make Jerusalem a proper city again.  Some worked on the walls and others upon the gates to restore her security.

The stones surrounded Jerusalem are a symbol of the chief cornerstone of the Lord.  They alone were unable to protect Jerusalem, they were but a symbol.  Israel knew her true strength lay in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The walls might mean something to those who thought to harm them, but in truth the strength of those walls had always been spirit. 

This brings us to our scripture above.  In spite of orders from the king, they were trying to battle against Israel by nipping at their heels and weakening their resolve.  In later verses we see them try to interrupt Nehemiah and the others with requests for meetings and opportunities to talk.  Nehemiah never for a moment stopped the great work they were doing.  Men worked on the wall with a pick or hammer or axe for the work and a sword on their belt should battle ensue.  They were prepared to fight the good fight.

Our faith in God is like a well built wall of stone.  Waters may rise and insults may ensue, but if the wall is kept strong they will not prevail.  It is said that the stones in the walls and temple were so well cut that they went together so well that neither water nor outsiders could press through.  How about your faith?  Is it strong enough that the constant dripping of complaint or the constant nibbling of the foxes cannot knock it down? 

STONES OF ADVERSITY

Psalm 91:9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;  10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.  12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Psalm 91 is all about protection in trials and service to God.  The word dash is nagap which means to push.  It is used of pushing something away or pushing a sword at someone.  The word leaves the flavor of someone doing something that will cause themselves harm if they are not careful.  God is not responsible to keep you from suicide or self harm, but He sends His angels to guard us from the stones of adversity that may sometimes block our paths.

There is a remez to this scripture in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:11.  In those verses Satan quotes the scripture to make it appear that God will send His angels to protect Jesus even if He threw Himself headlong off of a precipice.  Jesus’ answer was to quote Deuteronomy 6:6 and say you shall not tempt the Lord thy God.  God’s promises are sure and His protection is powerful.  They do however require your obedience to His leading and even then He may allow your wounding or even death.  Romans eight says we are sheep for the slaughter which means if our life is necessary for His purposes He is more than willing to spend it knowing our eternal life in Heaven is always secure.  To God our death brings us closer to Him, not more distant.  It should not be a frightening idea.  The more we learn to trust in Him, the more at peace we’ll be. 

Always remember, “The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; thou saved me from violence. I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies (2 Samuel 22:3-4).”

Blessings to you in your assurance of God.

Bishop J

Carved in Stone 04

UNTOUCHED STONES

Deuteronomy 27:5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them. 6 Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God: 7 And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God. 8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

You cannot make God perfect, He is perfect already.  When God killed animals to make Adam and Eve’s clothing to wear He was making the most important point mankind could ever understand and know (Genesis 3:21).  First, the wages of sin are death.  Romans 6:23 said it best and explained the part of Jesus in it all, but the point was well made in Genesis 3:21.  You can’t cover yourself with vegetables or fig leaves for that matter.  You can’t offer vegetables to God as a sin offering (Genesis 4:1-5) as Cain did.  It had to be a living animal just like Abel offered and whom Cain killed because God wouldn’t accept his sacrifice. 

Because God is perfect He needs a perfect sacrifice.  The animals used had to be without noticeable flaws.  If they were flawed, they were rejected.  Sadly, due to the greed of many priests it came to be that almost every animal brought to the temple was considered flawed and the people had to purchase “acceptable” animals from the priests.  They made extra income by selling animals to the people at a profit.  Jesus discussed this problem with them in John 2:13-16. 

The altar itself had to be holy.  It couldn’t have been built by the pride of man so the stones had to be in a natural state.  The law had to be written upon the stones used so it would not be forgotten.  This altar is another type of the Christ.  Not only is He our sacrifice, but He is also the altar.  He is made without human hands, He IS the Word of God and like the altar upon which the sacrifice is burned, surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4) just like the other sacrifices.  Jesus is both altar and sacrifice.  We used to lay our prayers at the altar, and now we pray in Jesus name.

FALSE STONES

Deuteronomy 29:16 (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the nations which ye passed by; 17 And ye have seen their abominations, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were among them:) 18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood; 19 And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: 20 The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven.

What is the great ‘stone’ in YOUR life?  For some it’s the love of money and for others giving and sacrifice.  It can be lust or prayer but there has to be some thing in our life that we believe in and pray to.  My stone is Christ Jesus.  I cast my prayers at HIS feet and not to some non-existent made up god.  If I had other stones in my life I would cast them at His feet as well.  Why?  Because all those false stones will burn up at the power and truth of God.  An example of this is found in 1 Kings 18:36-39 which says,

1 Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.

I’ll just bet they did!

Notice verse 20 above.  It says that those who worship idols (of any sort) will reap all the curses written for those who curse Israel and his name shall be blotted out of God’s book.  What are those curses?  It tells of them in Deuteronomy 28:16-68 (and you REALLY need to read them).  The blessings are from verses 3-14 but the curses go from verse 16-68, that is fifty two verses of curses. 

You know what?  I’ll go ahead and add them here.  I’d hate for you to miss God’s opinion of those who worship idols of stone (and other objects and materials).

Beginning in Deuteronomy 28:16 God says:  Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me. The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess. The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish. And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron. The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away. The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, with tumors, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you cannot be healed. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of heart. And you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you. You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand. A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. The Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods; wood and stone. And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you. You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off. You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land. The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the Lord your God has given you. You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you. The sensitive and very refined man among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the rest of his children whom he leaves behind, so that he will not give any of them the flesh of his children whom he will eat, because he has nothing left in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and sensitivity, will refuse to the husband of her bosom, and to her son and her daughter, her placenta which comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears; for she will eat them secretly for lack of everything in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you at all your gates. If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, The Lord Your God, then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues; great and prolonged plagues; and serious and prolonged sicknesses. Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the Lord bring upon you until you are destroyed. You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And it shall be, that just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. Then the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known; wood and stone. And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. In the morning you shall say, “Oh, that it were evening!” And at evening you shall say, “Oh, that it were morning!” because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see. And the Lord will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, “You shall never see it again.” And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.

There is only ONE way given for man to be saved and that way, that door is JESUS the Son of the Living God.  This is written to His beloved upon their faithlessness.  How much worse will it be for those who do not know God.  Worship God faithfully.  Do not allow any other thing to come between you and your God.  Sadly I can see portions that mark this and other nations even today.  We must pray beloved.

REMEMBRANCE STONES

Joshua 4:2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests 'feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

Has God ever done something for you that was incredible, amazing and miraculous?  What did you do to make sure you remembered it?  You might think, I’ll never forget what He did or what  I saw, but time causes all things to fade.  In Israel’s case, Joshua prayed and God piled the Jordan up in heaps until they all made it across.  It must have been incredible to see the bottom of a river that had been hidden for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.  The priests stood on dry ground holding the Ark of the Covenant above their shoulders. 

In the midst of this glorious miracle Joshua had the twelve greatest princes of the people build a heap of stones right where they stood.  They then took another twelve stones, as great as they could carry, and brought them to their camp.  Not one adult or child would ever forget the pile of stones now hidden as the waters reclaimed their channel.  They would look upon the placid waters of the river and know the honored altar below awaited a time when God might stop the river again to prove His Word. 

When they arrived in camp they built another pillar of stones and those stones would serve as a visible reminder of God’s miraculous passage.  God performs many miracles in our lives and He expects us to remember them and rejoice in them during the times of dryness and doubt.  There are pillars of stone in my life.  I’m a terrible journal keeper but I try from time to time to do so.  At one dark time in my life I discovered one dusty journal in my night stand.  As I read the pages that told of God’s miraculous love I was encouraged and able to press on with even greater faith.

I hope you will keep these markers in your life, whether journals or history quilts or heaps of stone in the yard.  It honors both God and our faith when we keep these treasures of the glorious and can help you make it across the desert times of your life. 

STONE OF OFFENSE

Joshua 7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

If you don’t know the event well, you should read Joshua 7:1-26.  Saints in many churches sing a song about Joshua who fought the battle of Jericho but that song is not fully correct.  Israel obeyed God and destroyed the evil of the people within Jericho, but GOD destroyed the city wall itself by pressing it flat into the earth so the people could walk right in.  I often hear the ignorant complain of Israel’s evil in destroying every man, woman and child within the city walls.  These people worshipped many false god’s and idols, and as we learned in FALSE STONES, God’s curses are not to be laughed at.  He was not willing to leave any poisonous pagan influences behind to act like leaven in His people.

Because God fought the battle, everything within the town was devoted to Him.  They were not allowed to save the young virgins for brides or keep any of the gold, silver or other items of any value.  Those objects were to be placed into the tabernacle treasury for the maintenance of the priests.  God was their lot and He cared for their needs.  What was given to God and devoted to God was considered holy and unpolluted.  If any idols were made of gold or silver they would have been smashed and melted down.

Achan was one of the warriors who fought valiantly that day.  God will often allow us to come across our temptations to strengthen us though He Himself does not tempt us (James 1:13).  Upon entering one of the businesses or homes Achan discovered a beautiful garment that was probably made of silks and encrusted with gems.  There was a wedge of gold and other items as well.

Rather than placing these items in the church treasury he coveted them longingly and hid them in his tent.  His wife and children had to have known.  Women in Israel usually remained in or near their tents and she must have been anxious to see her husband return from the battle.  On that day she might have become one of the women of faith in Israel had she spoken to Joshua or one of the tribal princes, or even tried to talk her husband out of the theft, but she did not.  Her husband’s covetous greed had infected her as well.  The curses of God would poison their household as well as the skill and courage of the nation.

When they moved on to their next town of Ai, it seemed to be a simple thing to destroy it.  They picked out only a few thousand men to destroy this small village and after the battle 36 men of Israel lay dead.  This was a shocking thing for a people who had not endured a single death destroying the great Jericho.  They immediately did what they should have done before the battle.  Joshua had the priests speak to God and discovered there was sin in the camp.  Someone had trespassed against God. 

As it says in Malachi 3:8  Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this WHOLE NATION. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

The very curse God warned them of in Deuteronomy had settled over the WHOLE NATION because of one man’s sin.  I’m sure many were saying, “If Achan realized his error, why wasn’t he allowed to repent and get right with God?”  His actions were directly responsible for thirty six of his fellow men dying on the battlefield.  His wife and children bore his sin as it said in Deuteronomy 5:9.  Ezekiel 18:2 speaks of a proverb that says the father’s have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.  This was changed when Christ came and spoken of in Jeremiah 31:29-30.  After this mankind was responsible for his sins alone, but here God was trying to teach his people that they were responsible for one another.

We are to fall upon Christ and be broken, contrite and obedient.  If we refuse the stone will fall upon us and crush us to powder.  Achan refused to control his own lust for wealth and the stone fell upon him and his family.  God’s mercy is not unlimited.  We would do well to bear that in mind when we choose to sin against Him by our actions or our heart.

WITNESS STONE

Joshua 24:26 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God. 28 So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance. 29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

In Luke 19:40 Jesus Himself stated that if the people refused to shout Hosanna the stones themselves would cry out.  When Cain slew Abel his blood cried out.  When someone’s ear was held against the doorpost of the house, the door and doorpost bore silent witness on behalf of the house that someone had permanently sold themselves into service of the house.  In this case Joshua (a type of Christ), had just finished writing down the blessings, miracles and glory of God toward the children of Israel and he took a great stone to be a marker and a witness between God and Israel.

Did you know that according to Hebrew tradition, the oak tree that Joshua attached the stone beneath was the same oak tree that Jacob buried all his household’s false gods in Genesis 35:1-4 when he promised to follow and obey all God’s commandments.  Joshua has chosen to build upon that testimony and link his scriptural account of God’s power and providence toward Israel to the very tree that Jacob, one of the three great patriarchs, had chosen to bury his past.  One day someone may find that specific tree and locate the wealth buried beneath it. 

Joshua stated that not only did the stone bear witness of their vow to continue serving God and obeying His Words, but that God Himself would hold them responsible for their obedience to keep that word.  I can imagine it was a bittersweet moment in the life of Joshua.  He knew he was too old to continue and that God had not prepared a replacement.  It was time to release those who wished to return home, especially those from the other side of the Jordan river.  I imagine there was more than a bit of sadness on his part that he had done all he could but the rest was up to them.  With that in mind Joshua died, at the age of one hundred and ten.

After Joshua had been buried and everyone went to their own cities, the great stone pillar remained behind to bear mute witness to the vows made on that final day.  It is equally true that God would hold the people responsible for their vows and that the Lord can probably read and hear their every word through His own experience having been there as well as recorded within the structure of the stone.  Their very words were captured, recorded as if upon a magnetic tape, within the great stone.  Perhaps only God could read those words, but God alone is the one who will hold us responsible for our every word and in His grace and mercy will also remind us of them and stir us to action on His behalf.

Jesus is the chief corner stone.  He is the stone that the builders’ rejected.  Throughout Israel’s history, the stone has been an implement of truth, lies, judgment and honor.  

Are you a stone of honor beloved?

Bishop J