A Holy God, Removing Evil And Revealing How To Do It Right

"You will destroy all the peoples that the LORD your God is handing over to you. Show them no pity. And don't serve their gods because that would be a trap for you." (Deut 7:16)

From our perspective today, in an age of grace, this is hard to read. We can judge Yahweh without understanding all the facts.

For example, did you know that Yahweh told Abraham that his descendants would spend 400 years in slavery in Egypt because Yahweh had to wait until the evil of the Amalekites reached it maximum? Does this mean there was also a chance for repentance in that time as we read about with Nineveh?

By the time Israel had been released from slavery the area God was sending them into had descended into great evil. It had taken on the sense of a mystical land, filled with giants, witchcraft, human sacrifices, divination and everything that flew in the face of Yahweh's holiness.

Yahweh treated it like a disease that had to be surgically removed and Israel was warned to remove it all or they would become infected. Israel was Yahweh's judgement on these nations that refused to turn from their unacceptable choices, traditions, and culture. Yahweh also planned to demonstrate his glory through his great outpouring of blessings for Israel, a nation that had promised to model the correct way of living under the one true God.

Through Jesus the Church has also been raised up to model a life of blessings so the whole world would see and know Father. But so many of us refuse to receive these blessings and prefer to limit and reduce Yahweh down to our level.

The First Step Toward Spiritual Maturity

Disbelief is both ugly and sad. It results from a short memory. I am not referring to the disbelief of non-believers but of those who made the choice to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. How many great things has he done in your life? How many times has he saved you from the brink of disaster? How many times has he provided for you when you had no provision? How many times has he quieted your troubled Spirit and been there to carry you through impossible times?

Yahweh is good and he is good all the time. He is faithful even we are not. Yet we doubt.

Israel should be a constant reminder of how ugly disbelief is to Yahweh. With a mighty hand he rescued them from Egypt. He practically carried them to the edge of the promised land, defending them, feeding them, guiding them. The entire time they complained, rebelled and caused as much difficulty as possible. Now here they were on the edge of the land Yahweh had been promising them since the time of Abraham. His command was a simple one: Go and take the land.

They sent spies in to test the waters and 10 of the 12 came back with a bad report. The people refused to enter. The people are too big, too mighty, the cities are fortifies, they would all be killed. This they spouted off in the face of the one who used force, never seen before, to bring them out of Egypt. They said this in the face of the one who parted the seas to rescue them. They said this in the face of the one who brought water from rock and fed them every day with food direct from heaven. They said this in the face of the one who gave them the might to defeat every enemy they had faced. And Yahweh's response:

How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? (Numbers 14:11)

How long? How long must we learn the same lesson time and again? How long does he have to show us his love and compassion before we believe? Ho long will it take before we start trusting him with today, tomorrow and our eternity? What is wrong with our memory that we start every day as if we have had no experience at all with Jesus? How long?

A lack of trust means we are stuck drinking milk instead of eating steaks. It means we have to continue wearing diapers until we trust enough to learn our lessons. It means we will be 8o years old and still not have obtained the spiritual maturity Jesus wants for us. Yahweh sent Israel back into the desert because they were not ready to receive the Promised Land. He will also keep us at this stage until we have learned to trust because without trust we cannot grow. He desires us to have more and be more but he will not allow us to progress until we have gained the lesson of faith. We need better memories.

A Holy Nation - For What Purpose?

They say  that if we do not study history we are doomed to repeat it. That gives us a very good reason to study the Old Testament. I once had someone tell me that there are no perfect people in the Bible except one, and that the LORD had filled his Word with ordinary people so we could discover how extraordinary he is by his mercy and grace. As we study the Hebrew Scriptures we do indeed find a God of mercy and grace who often covered the sins of his people.

What a wonderful LORD we serve who called us by his mercy and grace for his purpose. But in order for us to understand our purpose we need to study history to understand the purpose of Israel. What was so special about them? Why did the LORD choose them to reveal his glory to the world? He seemed to have nothing but problems with them.

First, it was more than a choosing. The LORD grew this nation. He chose a man (Abraham) and then he gave this man a son with a promise that he was the seed of a great nation. From this seed he developed a large family that was blessed with fertility. The Egyptians tried to control the population but could not because God's blessing was upon them. By the time they left Egypt we know there were over 600,000 fighting men so if we add the women and children and the older folk, the population could very well have been over 2 million people. That's in just over 300 years.

The LORD had grown this nation for a specific reason. It wasn't because Abraham was a superstar and the LORD wanted to honour him. It was because our LORD had chosen a period in time to reveal his glory to the world. He said to this nation:

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ (Exodus 19:5-6)

He had set this nation aside, giving them a set of laws to follow, and called them holy because he is holy. He poured blessings into them, prospered them, drove out nations from them, created a land for them, watched over and defended them, all so he could show himself to the world.

Now Israel, instead of understanding their purpose and place, became like spoiled and disobedient children. They were a source of heartache for the LORD, yet he gave them opportunity after opportunity to get it right. He had warned them what disobedience would bring. He warned them that there were consequences for rejecting his holiness and their purpose, but Israel still made it about them and the LORD had to bring in severe correction.

Why is this important to us as the Church? Because this is what the LORD has said of the Church, the Body of Christ:

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

I believe at times the Church has forgotten her purpose; that we, as a nation, act as spoiled children, doing whatever we want with the excuse of grace. But the LORD has raised us up with the same purpose as Israel was raised up: to be his people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. For ourselves? Don't you believe it. He has done this so that we will magnify the name of Jesus in words and deeds, so the whole world will see his glory.

But I am afraid we are making the same mistake. I believe we are destroying ourselves and our witness. I believe we are setting aside our purpose for selfish gain. I think we are trying to gain the whole world at the risk of our souls. I think we have to repent. I think we need to turn away from the direction in which we are headed. I think the LORD must become our LORD once more and we his holy nation, set aside for his purpose so that the whole world may see his glory, believe and be saved. It's not about us.






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Have You Thought Much About Israel?

I don't often remark on specific countries because I believe there are no borders for those of us who follow Jesus. Our pledge of allegiance is not to a single flag but to our King. We are not citizens of a piece of territory defined by a line on a map because we are citizens of a Kingdom that is far above the definition of man. However, I do want to point out why Canada appears to be a nation blessed above other nations in recent days.

Where the world has suffered terrible financial hardships, Canada has breezed along relatively unscathed. There have been some natural consequences to a financially struggling world but, despite the nay sayers, Canada is doing excellent. Many don't understand why, citing that perhaps it is because of our strong banking system. There is another reason but most people don't want to consider it: Canada has stood by Israel, defending and supporting her when most of the world turned their back on her.

It is clear that Israel remains important to God and the Word of God speaks truth: Those who bless Israel are blessed and those who curse her are cursed. As Christians there are even more important reasons for us to stand with Israel.

We may not agree with what is going on there and it is true that much of that nation has turned its back on God, but that is for God to deal with. The reason we need to stand with Israel is because the word is clear that they will turn to Jesus. They are part of us and we are part of them:

In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6)

Even though this is a revealed mystery it seems it is still a mystery to most Christians. Some actually think that we have replaced Israel, that we have replaced the Jews. But God has said that he has brought the two together and has created a new thing, so now we are all the Church, the Body of Christ.

Some blame Israel for the Middle East Crisis but Israel is not to blame for bringing beauty to a wasteland. Israel is not to blame for protecting herself. It was the world who came into agreement to give Israel back part of the land that was taken from her many years ago. It was God's judgement to take away the land those many years ago just as giving Israel back is part of the end time prophecies fulfilment. We need to be watching Israel because the signs of Jesus' return is seen there.

I know this may seem uninteresting to you but it is important for us as fellow members of the Body of Christ to realize. Seek the blessing of Israel and stop with the cursing. Don't be indifferent to her plight but support her in prayer. Don't ignore what is going on there but instead diligently watch and look for the signs of our King's return. Israel remains an important place for all of us.

God Has Done A New Thing

I realize that politics and government are boring subjects to many people. We would rather just deal with what is important to us and leave the important stuff to other people to figure out. Even in the Church we only want to deal with worship and prayer, leaving other matters to the pastors and elders to deal with. But there is one subject that is important for us all to grasp and deal with. It is important for us to understand our relationship with Israel.

Wow, I actually heard a number of people switch off there. No, seriously, it is important for us to understand our relationship with Israel because there are those who believe that we have replaced the Jewish nation. They teach that the Jews have been kicked to the curb and the Church has been raised up in their place. This is wrong.

We can never forget that we have been grafted in but the Jews are natural to the vine. Although they have been allowed to exist in the darkness of their rejection of Jesus, they will not remain like this. Those who are natural to the vine will awaken to the truth and when they do it will be a beautiful thing. What is really important for us to understand is that we will be one with them. We have not replaced them. God has done a new thing, tearing down what was and creating something new, in which the natural and the unnatural have become one and the same:

For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. (Ephesians 2:14-15)

That's where the Jews struggle, over the law issue. Who can blame them? The law has defined them for thousands of years and then God says, "No, I am doing a new things." Suddenly instead of leaning on the law they have to lean on Jesus. Yes, in order to be part of this new thing God is doing, both the natural and unnatural must enter through the cross, the blood of Jesus Christ:

His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. (Ephesians 2:15-16)

Now there is no longer the natural and unnatural, the Jew and the Gentile. God has done a new thing and we are one in Jesus. The Jew no longer has the advantage of the law, it is no longer what defines them. We are no longer excluded, left out in the cold, considered foreigners. We are as natural to Jerusalem as the Jews. We all have the same Father and we all have access to him by the same Spirit:

He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Ephesians 2:17-18)

It is why we pray for and support Israel. We have not replaced Israel but instead, together, we have become something new through Jesus Christ by the will of the Father. Many may be in the dark right now but soon they will see. In fact, many Jews have abandoned even the Law, abandoned God and have nothing to do with faith. Pray that the conviction of the Spirit and the faith of God will descend on these people so we will see our brothers and sisters rise in Jesus and take their place with us. May God receive the glory in the love we show to Israel.