Trust & Obey

“And all the trees of the field shall know that I LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it.” — Ezekiel 17:24

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“…Which [persecutions and tribulations] is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.” — 2nd Thessalonians 1:5-6

God’s ways are oftentimes inscrutable to us, making both His justice and His mercy seem capricious at times. He looks not just at our immediate circumstances, but to His eternal purpose and glory to be revealed in His plan for each of us.[1] Why do righteous men suffer? Ask Job. Why is a ruddy shepherd boy preferred over tall and handsome Saul? Why are the widow’s two mites more precious than the large tithes of the Pharisees?

Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off[2].

We must first of all trust the Lord because His timing and his ways are not always clear, but we know that in His time he will dry up the green tree and make the dry tree to flourish, according to Psalm 1: And he shall be like a tree planted beside the rivers of water, the bringeth forth his fruit in his season.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all[3].

Scripture References: [1] IS 55:8 [2] Ps 138:6 [3] Rev 22:21

Make Us Like All the Nations

“…now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”— 1st Samuel 8:5

“The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.” — John 19:15

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As dogs return to their vomit[1]so the unregenerate will always prefer the bondage of tyrants over the liberty of the Spirit[2]. Towards the end of Samuel’s life and career as judge of Israel the people desired a king to rule over them, “like all the nations.”

Moses indeed predicted that Israel would one day raise up a king:

“When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me[3]…”

And in that prediction the people of God were explicitly forbidden from raising up a foreign king: “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.[4]”

In their worldliness and hardness of heart the people attempted to overthrow God’s established order and set up a dynasty of their own choosing. The Lord bid Samuel to grant them their request, saying “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me[5].” Likewise, by the time of Christ’s incarnation the Israelites have rejected the King of Kings and acknowledge only the pagan emperor of Rome as their king, in complete defiance of the law of Moses the Pharisees pretended to uphold. They swore up and down that they were Abraham’s seed and they “were never in bondage to any man[6]” even as they paid heavy tribute to Caesar[7].

But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members[8]. We all have this carnal mind that exalts sin and loves the world. Apart from the intervention of the Holy Spirit, we will remain dead in our sins, never supposing that there is anything wrong with us. We will be like all the other people around us, eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, not realizing what is going on until the flood comes[9] and takes us all away.

Be careful not to go the way of the world, setting up foreign kings and strange gods in your heart.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen[10]

Scripture References: [1] Prov 26:11 [2] 2nd Cor 3:17 [3] Deut 17:14 [4] Deut 17:15 [5] 1st Sam 8:7 [6] John 8:33 [7] Luke 20:22, Mth 17:24 [8] Rom 7:23 [9] Mth 24:38-39 [10] 1st John 5:21

For They Know Not the Voice of Strangers

“And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him…” — Nehemiah 6:12

“And a stranger will they not follow: for they know not the voice of strangers.” — John 10:5

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Discernment is the mark of God’s elect. My mother once objected to my conversion by saying, “Well how can you be sure that the Bible is the word of God and not any other writing or tradition? How could those people in the Middle East have known they have The God.™ I confess to wondering the same thing and the answer appears fallacious to an unconverted mind. There is no higher authority for God to swear by but himself. The Bible authenticates itself. His sheep hear His voice within it in a way you will not experience in any other book. But that’s circular reasoning! says the unconverted heart. So what?

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God[1].”

Couching the gospel of Christ in worldly logic in order to make the message more palatable only waters it down and makes it of no effect.

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many might, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty[2]…”

In this day, when lying spirits are running amok we must be vigilant and pray for this discernment God gave to Nehemiah. When the time comes, you will simply know in your heart as Nehemiah did that the person speaking to you is not bringing a message from God. And even better than pure intuition, you have the scriptures so that you can try the spirits and see if they are of God.[3]

“Thou through they commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.” — Psalm 119:98

Watch and pray.

Scripture References: [1] 1st Cor 1:18 [2] 1st Cor 1:26-27

[3] 1stJoh 4:1