Feb 20 A Bad Ending

Feb 20

A Bad Ending 

Mal 4:6, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

No one likes bad endings.  The hero gets killed, the bride dies before the wedding, or the despicable criminal walks free. The Old Testament has some bad endings.  Like the Book of Genesis. It starts out in the Garden of Eden and ends in a coffin in Egypt!

Ge 50:26 So Joseph died,…and he was put in a coffin in Egypt

But the entire Old Testament has an even worse ending. It starts out with God creating the world and seeing that “it was good” but ends with a curse!

Mal 4:6, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

     If it has been a long time since you read the 4 short chapters in Malachi you may have forgotten how humorous the book is.  Well funny in a sad way. The best way to read Malachi is to picture God as a parent talking to a teen age kid. If you ever raised any teenagers you will identify with this book right away.  The argument between God and Israel (father and teen) gets started right away.

 I hope you can turn to your Bible and get the whole picture of the narrative.  Here is an abbreviated version.

      Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?

The father says “I love you”  The teen replies “Right! What did you ever do for me?”

Mal 1:6  …saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?  

“You are disrespectful to me”      “Name one time I was ever disrespectful!”

 This back and forth conversation that Malachi relates continues for several verses.  

 Israel could have been a nation of Godly people but they were not. Malachi has come to remind them of their shortcomings and the coming judgment.

They no longer believed God loved them. (1:2)

The people did not honor God, and the priests despised his name. (1:6)

Their offerings were disgusting; Moldy bread, sick, blind, or lame animals. (1:7-8)

They would not even shut a door or build a fire at the altar unless they got something. (1:10)

They despised the offerings at the altar, and said they were tired of bringing offerings.  (1:12-13)

They snuffed – saw it as worthless, meaningless, valueless –to bring offerings to God (1:13)

The priests were teaching that those who did evil were doing good and making God happy (1:17

          Malachi was sent to warn them to repent, return to serving the Lord, and warn them of the coming judgment if they did not. Chapter four does have some hope for those who had not fallen into the culture of unbelief. The Godly would be remembered. The wicked would be destroyed. That is why the Old Testament ends with a curse.  

We see people who are as bad as Israel, or perhaps worse, nearly every day. Some of them are famous, powerful, influential people. Our media depicts sports figures who proclaim as righteous what God calls an abomination.  Politicians argue for laws protecting those who would have been stoned in the Old Testament.  Preachers teach evil is good and good is evil.  Profanity, lewdness, and ungodly behavior is depicted as harmless and normal. Those who speak against it are labeled bigots and zealots.

          Dear reader, pray for our land. Israel was destroyed. They were taken captive into Babylon, split up among the towns and adopted the Babylonish life style.  God is long suffering and He put up with their ungodly behavior for centuries. But He did eventually destroy them as a nation, with only a remnant remaining. Pray that our nation may not follow the way of Israel.

     Those of us who have the curse lifted from us by the matchless gift of salvation through Christ need not fear the curse that ends the Old Testament.  The book of Malachi shows that man could not keep the law. In Israel’s case they did worse than make no effort. They developed a culture that was apposed to God. They were like todays culture that claims righteousness for what God has condemned and condemn what God’s Word calls rightous. Laws increasingly ban any public display of our Christian heritage.

 

      What can we do? Trust God. Learn and apply Biblical principles in our own lives. But most importantly,       

Let us be as lights that shine in a world of darkness.   

 Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works,

and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Feb 19 I don't have time

Feb 19

   I Don’t Have Time

Hag 1:2… The time is not come….

The Book of Haggai is one of the Minor Prophets. Most Christians don’t know much about the Minor Prophets. There are twelve of these short books. At times they are hard to read and understand.  Partly that is because there are so many mentions of places, people and circumstances that we are not familiar with.  But if you do a little study to learn what the background of the book is, and can locate some of the places, or understand why they are mentioned,  the books come alive.

Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary summarizes the events in the book of Haggai in three or four paragraphs. The book was written after Judah had been released from the Babylonian captivity. During the 50 plus years they were in captivity Jerusalem was reduced to rubble. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed. The nation of Judah had started to rebuild the temple but had given up and become occupied with other pressing issues.  Haggai encourages them to return to complete the temple. It was an essential place of worship, which they needed.

The last part of Haggai ends with prophetic language regarding the coming Messiah.  OK, let us dig for what treasure we can find in this portion of scripture for us today.

The book of Ezra tells us some of the previous temple building efforts.

Ezr 1:3 … and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

The decision was made to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. 

Ezr 3:10 And when the builders laid the foundation

of the temple of the LORD, …

They started with the foundation and much enthusiasm. 

Ezr 4:24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem.

The ruler at that time sent an order to stop the building of the temple, fearing Jerusalem would become too powerful.

And there it sat, unfinished, year after year. The ruler who had ordered it stopped was gone. Yet it sat there, undone, with no one taking the time to get it started again. What reasons could they have to not build that which was so central to their religious lives? There were reasons. (Excuses!)

They were new in Jerusalem and were still getting settled in.  (They had been there 18 years!)

They were ordered to stop building the temple.   (Yes, 16 years previously)

Maybe they didn’t have the money for it.   (They had money for nice houses)

OK, Maybe the didn’t have time for it.  (They had time to make nice houses)

Maybe they were waiting for someone to form a “Committee of Temple Completion”  (Phooey)

Perhaps they did not think it was their job. (That was the reason they were sent to Jerusalem)

We don’t need a temple. Abraham worshipped at a pile of rocks.  (You aren’t Abraham!)

Finally God sent Haggai with a message to these excuse making people.

Hag 1:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying,

This people say, The time is not come,

the time that the LORD'S house should be built.

They thought it wasn’t the right time. Maybe next year they would have time. Or maybe when the kids were out of school, or when the dog died!  But not now.  We are just so busy.  This isn’t a good time to start another project.  God’s response is;

     Hag 1:4 Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your

cieled houses, and this house lie waste?

You have time to work on your houses with their fancy ceilings, but no time for My house? God’s displeasure with them is obvious.  Notice in Haggai 1:2 God does not call them “my people” but “this people” and in 1:4 refers to them as “O ye” (as in O ye of little faith).

Haggai goes on to explain that there was a reason their crops did not yield what they should. God was withholding blessings from them.  They were not honoring Him and needed some correction.

Procrastination is a problem for some of us. We allow everything that is good to crowd out what is best. We all get the same amount of hours each week (168) but they seem to slip away so easily. When I think of the old phrase “time flies” I don’t think of a bird, I think of a rocket!  Perhaps we need to re-read their excuses in hopes we can find some that will work for us.

They thought it wasn’t the right time. Maybe next year they would have time. Or maybe when the kids were out of school, or when the dog died!  But not now.  We are just so busy.  This isn’t a good time to start another project.

I will gently ask you if God has laid some task on your heart. What is the thing you know you should do for Him?  Perhaps spend time in His word? I won’t guess. By now you have thought of what it is.  So have I!  Please excuse me now. I have something that needs to be done!    

  

Feb 18 The Blessed man

Feb 18

Blessed is the Man

Ps 1:1  Blessed is the man…

Along with warnings to the ungodly the Bible contains blessings for those who follow Him.

Have you counted your blessings lately?  It is a good and pleasant thing to do, and will produce a thankful spirit in us. Sometimes we get so busy with the frustrations of daily life we focus on our problems, what we do not have, how we can get what we want, and enough concerns to crowd out our abundant blessings.  Stop and count 10 of your best blessings. I will count mine with you.

1.    I am a child of the King. I know Christ as my personal Savior and have received His matchless gift.

2.    I have a born again wife. I am reminded of the book of Proverbs

Pr 18:22  Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing,

and obtaineth favour of the LORD.

3.    I have God’s Word to guide me and am blessed to have a library for study

4.    My wife and I are in good health, and accept the aging process of..of..oh I can’t remember!

5.    We have a warm and comfortable home. God has provided us shelter.

6.    We have full bellies. God has provided us an abundance of food. Just look at my belly!

7.    We live in a country where we have freedom.  I can attend whatever church, go where I please, vote as I want, and enjoy the blessings of liberty.

8.    We have friends who are a blessing to us.

9.    We have challenges that help us enjoy the carefree days.

10.  I have a tractor with a snowblower and a heated cab. Now that is a great blessing!

I only listed ten, but could have done 100. Every day as I care for what needs to be done I am thankful that God has blessed us so richly.  

      I am blessed, not because of what God has given us over the years. I am thankful for what we have. When we decided to go to college we quit our factory jobs and our income dropped in 1968 from $33,000 to $3300 the next year. Why do I tell you this? Because we cannot remember when we were any less blessed, felt we were being deprived, or any other emotion that you might expect when the change on your dresser determines what you have for lunch.  We also were making house and car payments. God provided all we needed and even a few of our wants. We were young and happy. Now we are old and happy.

          The point of telling you these personal details is not to brag.  It is to tell you that happiness, blessedness, is not found in things but in the Lord. You do not need to have things, or perfect circumstances  or get rid of people who bug you, or be in the right mood to be blessed.

     Now what about the man in psalms 1? Why was he blessed?  There are things he does not do.

Ps 1:1  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel

of the ungodly,nor standeth in the way of sinners,

 nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

 First we should understand what the word blessed means. To say it merely means happy is like saying an athlete who has won a gold medal is just OK with winning. Blessed is a plural in the Hebrew and could be read “blessednesses”.  Webster says “…pleasure, contentment and good fortune.”  When I read blessed I read “Double happinesses” 

He is blessed because he is not on the pathway of the ungodly.  His steps are not directed (walketh not) by what ungodly people say. The false philosophy of the world holds no appeal for him.

  He does not take any delight in standing with sinners, feeding on their way of thinking that omits God.  We see here a progression.  1.He does not walk according to the latest celebrities advice 2. He does not stand around with people of that crowd and exchange a way of thinking that excludes, no, denounces God. 3. He does not sit down, become comfortable, and join them in scorning those who have chosen a more righteous Godly path. He does not start walking according to their ways, or stand around discussing their way of thinking, and he certainly does not get comfortable and sit with the ungodly and join them in making fun of Christians.

What he does is in verse 2.

Ps 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

His delight is to understand who God is, what He has done and what God wants for the blessed man’s life. He studies the Bible. He memorizes special verses. He seeks God’s will and allows God to lead him through life. He thinks about what God’s word says, he offers simple prayers as he is going about his day, and he thinks about the verses that give him instruction on how to live. He meditates on them, as a cow chews it’s cud. He does it because it is delightful, not burdensome.  He does not do it out of fear, or demand, or decree, but because he finds delight in doing it.

     Yes he is a blessed man. You and I are also a blessed people.  Now go delight yourself in the Lord.  

Feb 17 The Lord's Guest

Feb 17

The Prepared Table

Ps 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of mine enemies:…

 The twenty third Psalm is a familiar portion of scripture.  I hear it read at nearly every funeral I attend.  We have heard or read it so often the depth and beauty of these words is sometimes glossed over.  Such is the portion before us today.

I used to read this 23^rd Psalm and was a little puzzled why in the middle of talking about laying in the grass, walking by a pond, walking in a dark valley and having enemies present there is suddenly a table prepared. It just sounded a little odd to me.

A side note: When you read something in the Bible that sounds odd, or makes no sense, do not assume the Bible is messed up, but blame it on your lack of understanding. 

Lu 24:45 Then opened he their understanding,

that they might understand the scriptures,

When I read John H Jowett’s  “The Lord’s Guests” he helped me understand the reason a table is discussed.  He describes a person being pursued by his enemies. He is fleeing across the desert. His enemies are hot on his trail. At last he sees a tent in the far distance and heads for it.

“The way is long!   The enemy is near!   The air is feverish!  The night is falling!  The runner is faint!   Spurring himself anew, and flinging all his wasting resources into the flight, with the pursuers even at his heels, he stretches out toward the mark, and with one last tremendous exertion he touches the tent rope and is safe.” (J.H.Jowett)

Then Jowett goes on to explain that Arab hospitality makes him a guest of the tent owner who will provide him food and shelter. His enemies must sit and stare only. Violating hospitality in the Arab world was a despicable act, far worse than whatever the fleeing man had done.

But what of us today? Now if you ran onto someone’s porch, instead of hospitality you would receive “Get off my property before I call the police” !  No, we need not exert ourselves to find a receptive tent rope. God is there and will prepare a table before us where there is food (green grass) calm for our souls (still waters) courage for the fear of the unknown (dark valleys) and direction for the path ahead (thy rod and thy staff comfort me).

Some of us may think like the Israelites in the wilderness. They had seen the great mercies and miracles of God at the Red Sea, water from the rock, and manna from heaven etc. They responded to all God’s provision and protection by sinning even more and tempted God. 

Ps 78:19 Yea, they spake against God; they said,

Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Are we not like they when we see dark valleys, great needs, exhaustion, depression and hopelessness and ignore God’s table of comfort and refreshment.  Do we run aimlessly across parched ground, unwilling to stop and let God help us? Must God be the last thing we try when our souls are bankrupt of every human effort?  I have been there in my youth. Once I was young but now I am old.  Oh dear reader,  are you in a dark valley and cannot see the path? The future is unknown.   What can I do to convince you to stop running in your own strength.  Stop and turn to the table God has set before you.

Ps 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good:

blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Two final thoughts.  If your life is going well, your soul is at rest and you have no need of God’s table in your life perhaps you should recall that the church of Laodiccea, the luke warm church had no needs..

Re 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased

with goods, and have need of nothing;…  

Or if you are enjoying the calm and nourishment of God’s table and are a regular guest at His table then stop and thank God for your blessings. Hopefully you are inviting others to join you.

May all who seek His face be blessed today.  

 

Feb 16 - It Isn't About Eggs

Feb 16

Not About Eggs

 

Mt 11:29… and learn of me…

Did you know that the word yoke has nothing to do with eggs?  Yolk and yoke sound alike but they are very different things. With that explanation we will concern ourselves today about Matthew 11:29.  There we find the familiar words of Christ. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me…”  I used to think that should have said “lean on me”, like in the song Leaning on Jesus.  Today we will look at what it means to learn of Jesus.

In chapter 11 we have the account of John the Baptist sending 2 of his disciples to inquire if Christ was the Messiah. Christ then spends several verses praising John the Baptist.  Christ then admonishes the cities where he had done miracles and they had not believed.  After a prayer we have those three familiar verses that end chapter 11 “Come unto me…”

The word “yoke” is used in the Bible as a metaphor for a heavy burden. 

 

Le 26:13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke… 

When God was to restore the people from their exile in Babylon the word yoke is used  

Jer 28:2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.

In acts 15 we have the record of the first church council debating if circumcision was still required after salvation. When Peter spoke he refers to the yoke of the law as a heavy burden.

Ac 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Finally, in Galatians Paul also uses yoke as a metaphor for heavy burdens.

Ga 5:1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

 The yoke of bondage Paul refers to was the idea that after salvation people had to follow the law to stay saved.  Paul describes some of the wrong thinking of the day in Gal 4. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. The mingling of grace and law, which Paul says cannot happen for a person either believes one or the other.

Christ was continually fighting the Pharisees with their hyper-legalistic man made rules.  Paul had to fight against it as well.  That yoke of bondage still exists in some churches today. Some days are special religious days when you must do or must not do some religious thing.  There are 40 days during which you must give up something.  Some churches require or forbid some types of clothing or head covering.  Human nature is not content to just rest in the saving grace of our great savior. They must figure out a way to add something and secure some means of labeling other Christians. “Oh they do or they don’t do something ...and isn’t that awful”

Mt 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The lesson for us is to lay aside the heavy yoke of legalism and religious traditions and man made rules and “take my yoke upon you, and learn of me”

Trying to add anything to salvation will be a frustration, a discouragement, and a heavy burden. That is why Christ uses the metaphor of a yoke, which was usually used as a heavy burden, and says “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light”  When you trust Christ, and leave home made religion behind, you will find freedom. Paul calls it liberty. If the son shall make you free you shall be free indeed.  

The thing we need to learn is Jesus paid it all, All to him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow.