Diligence

Diligence is eager, earnest doing; till the job is done.

2 Kings 13:14 “And Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died.  And  Joash the king of Israel came down unto him,  and wept over his face,  and said,  O my father,  my father!  The chariot of Israel,  and the horsemen thereof.”

Elisha was a prophet of God to Israel.  

And the king of Israel came down to him,  to get some sorely needed help.

Assyria was their bitter enemy,  who had destroyed most of their army;  and had taken cities away from Israel.

Israel’s king was not godly;  he had followed the sins of Israel’s kings before him, and kept the worship of two golden idols.     

God had not forsaken Israel,   yet.      He had a remnant in Israel, under Elisha, called the sons of the prophets, who still followed Him.

But the king needed help, and what he was doing was not working.

So the king came down to seek the help of Elisha.

2 Kings 13:15-17 “And Elisha said unto him,  Take bow and arrows.   And he took unto him bow and arrows.

                               And he said unto the king of Israel,  Put thy hand upon the bow.  And  he put his hand upon it:  and Elisha put his hands upon the king’s hands.

                                And he said,  Open the window eastward.  And he opened it.  Then Elisha said,  Shoot.  And he shot.  And he said,  The arrow of the Lord’s deliverance,  and the arrow of deliverance from Syria:  for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Apek,  till thou hast consumed them.”

Hurrah, a promise of deliverance!  And it was so simple.  Just shoot an arrow; a very manly, kingly thing to do! 

But wait;  God was not yet through with this king.

2 Kings 13:18 “And he said,  Take the arrows.  And he took them.   And he said unto the king of Israel,  Smite upon the ground.    And he smote thrice,  and stayed.”

This was not very manly, or kingly;  and he had gotten the promise already.   What was he doing  hitting the ground?     

Well, he would humor the old guy,  but why do this, he could not see.

His lack of diligence (the eager, earnest doing, till complete) cost him.

For God was going to require subjection to His Word from this king.

One arrow shot, with his hands covered with the hands of the prophet, was enough for the promise of victory.  

(Wasn’t that what Elisha had been doing for the whole nation?  Covering them from complete judgement from God, for their idolatry?)

But now,  something more was going to be required from the king and his nation.   Elisha was dying, and with him, a great deal of “covering” was gone.

Would the king subject himself to God’s Word and do what seemed tedious?

Would he pound the ground with the arrows, like he was fighting the Syrians?

Diligence is eager, earnest doing; till the job is done.

But the king had no real diligence.   He wanted promises from Elisha’s God, not instructions in perseverance.   

He had not come to learn that God was going to require something from his hand.

Oh sure,  he would fight the battles which God would give him victory in;  but pound upon the ground in obedience to God’s Word?   

No,  that was not for him.    After all he was a king. 

(How often we are the same way.   We want promises:  which God is glad to give.   But to do the work of praying for them, and being obedient everyday for them;  we would rather not.   How often our enthusiasm disappears!)

2 Kings 13:19 “And the man of God was wroth with him,  and said,  Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times;  then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hast consumed it:  whereas now thou wilt smite Syria but thrice.”

Think of it!   Two or three more times, was all he had to do to get complete victory.

But now,  he would have victory—as God promised;  but only three times.      The amount of times he hit the ground.   

The effort he showed there,  would be the victories the Lord would give!

(Remember, it was only his hand on the arrows which were to strike the ground.)

How important our diligence is,   in our walk with Christ Jesus.

We are not kings,  yet,   are we  like Joash here,  incomplete in what God has given us to do?

You could say he was not diligent   because of unbelief,   or not wanting to humble himself under the Word of God.             Or for a number of reasons;  but in the end,  God would not honor him, more than he was willing to be diligent.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence;  for out of it are the issues of life.”

In other words,  with your own hands,  hold on to the affections and emotions which come out of your heart, like the reins of a horse—so they will not run away with you.

The Lord will give us victory,  He will empower us.     But we must use it;    the diligence comes from our hand.

We must take God at His Word, and diligently “keep” our hearts for Him.

Faith and Hope

Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”

Faith is the substance of things hoped for.

And both faith and hope take the things of the Holy Spirit, in our spirit, and make them real to us.

Faith deals with God;  making Him real to us—in us.

Hope deals with God’s Word;  placing confidence in it, even though we have not yet experienced it.,

We must exercise our wills with the Holy Spirit within, and  then faith and hope become strong helps in our walk with God.

If you are born again, then you have this peace with God by Christ Jesus, and we are ready to proceed further.

Romans 5:2 ” By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

“Access”,  think of the doors of heaven opening; and power, strength, encouragement, whatever you need; coming down to you.

This is this access that faith in our Lord Jesus Christ gives us.  For it opens into “grace”.

“Grace” is the unmerited favor of power.   

Grace is the power of God to save, of course.

But it is also the power of God to keep,  change,  to do what He has called you to do in your life.

Zechariah 4:7 “Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.”

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that  ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

This is the grace we have access to, through faith, by our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the grace  that empowers us to stand.

We seek it from Him, or we never stand.

And if you are experiencing this grace,  you should also be experiencing:

“And rejoice, in hope, of the glory of God.”

This hope is from the Holy Spirit…you can’t work it up,   it is given.

It is the confident expectation that God will do what He said.

He will work glory out of my life, as I yield to Him, and stand with Him.

2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me,  My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.   Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Paul was rejoicing in that power, even though it meant his prayer was not answered the way he wanted.

Romans 5:3 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also; knowing that tribulation  worketh  patience;”

When you are kept–sustained is a better word.  Kept is taken care of like we are still babes in Christ.

Sustained is upheld, and that is for maturing Christians.

Our Rock is Christ…and He is always strong for us.

So when you are sustained by this faculty of hope (that confidence from the Holy Spirit that God will do what He said),  you can indeed glory in tribulations–for you see that they are all to the glory of God.(though you may not see how at the time)

Tribulations work patience within us.   These tribulations aren’t just those which lead to martyrdom.  No, they are also the trials,  which are really trials of the way.

Places so hard to overcome (they are often called mountains in Scripture) that they are seen as impossible to us.

But they work patience with in us, by waiting on God to do the impossible.(and how many times He has done so for us!)

“Worketh”.  That doesn’t mean we will be instantaneously patient—Oh, No.

But worketh patience.

If we are having a “fit”;  or rebelling against a certain set of circumstances; you need to go back and “access” more grace.

For you can not be experiencing that hope that will enable you to gain patience in these circumstances, for you have given up that confidence in God.

Grace is enabling; and how much we need enabling in our work, and life.

And God does do the impossible;   If not for us the way we want….then in us, to yield in a mighty way to these circumstances and have the victory in them.

Romans 5:4 “And patience, experience;  and experience, hope:”

And how much experience we will have in our walk with God!   That patience that He has worked within us,  will gain us such experiences that will increase our dependence on God, Who gives us hope.

You will know as you receive from your Father’s Hand, all that comes to you; His grace abundantly,  and His love.

Romans 5:5 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

This confidence that God will do what He says,  has been proved again and again;  and the Holy Spirit within us lights up the love of God within us,  so that we are blessed by His Presence in all circumstances.

We are not ashamed of our God and His working in us,  though the way be rough or smooth….God’s love encourages us to have more of His boundless joy, peace, and love.

All of this is by the Holy Spirit within.  Stifle not the Holy Spirit.  Yield to Him, and enjoy His gifts of faith and Hope.

As Christians, What are we to seek First?

Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,  and His righteousness;  and all these things shall be added unto you.”

We are to seek His kingdom, first.  It is a kingdom which comes within each of us.         He will surely see to us.

It is a reign of Grace.

God is the God of all grace, and He gives us what we need.

1 Peter 5:10 “But the God of all grace,  who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,  after that ye have suffered awhile,  make you perfect (complete),  stablish you,  strengthen you,  settle you.”

Grace is the unmerited favor of power.  The grace of God is manifold (1 Peter 4:10),   which means that God’s power is shown many ways:

By grace are ye saved 

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace are ye saved through faith;  that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:

                                 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

                                 For we are His workmanship,  created in Christ Jesus unto good works,  which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men,”

Also by grace, we live for Christ Jesus. (Remember it is His power that enables us to do.)

2 Corinthians 12:9 “And He said unto me,  My grace is sufficient for thee:  for my strength is made perfect in weakness.   Most gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities,  that the power of God may rest upon me.”

Hebrews 12:28 “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which can not be moved,  let us have (hold on to) grace,  whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:”

By grace we are kept, or upheld by His power within us, so we persevere to the end. 

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,  that we may obtain mercy,  and find grace to help in time of need.”

By grace we are made strong for the work before us.  

2 Timothy 2:1 “Thou therefore my son,  be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

By grace we show to others, what God has done for us.   

Example:  Paul’s own testimony.

1 Timothy 1:12-14, 16 “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord,  who hath enabled me for that He counted me faithful,  putting me into the ministry;  

                                      Who was before a blasphemer,  and a persecutor,  and injurious:  but I obtained mercy,  because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

                                       And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”

                                        “Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy,  that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering,  for a pattern for them which should hereafter believe on Him to everlasting life.”

Paul,  who persecuted the church, putting some to death by his witness against them,  received mercy, and grace.

He said, “..the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”

For such a sinner (he calls himself the chiefest of sinners. 1 Timothy 1:15), great grace was needed to bring him to the mercy of salvation. 

And Who does he praise for this grace?

1 Timothy 1:17 “Now unto the King eternal immortal,  invisible, the only wise God,  be honor and glory forever and ever,  Amen.”

Now unto the King—my King, Paul says, be honor and praise forever.

As Christians, we should seek His kingdom first, and praise our King for all He has done, by grace, for us.

It is the Eleventh Hour

I am going to speak frankly about some searching internal things of God, and my soul I experienced years ago.

For years I had gone along, (a Church goer, Sunday School Teacher).  But over a series of months, I was “forced” (by the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment) to admit  to myself and God, the lack of permanent spiritual fruit in my own life.

I would be peaceful and joyful, at times; then angry and bitter, at other times.

I began to doubt the reality of my conversion.

My obedience I knew was partial, so I sought to be obedient in all things; to be more diligent.

Yet I longed with a greater and greater yearning to hear some Word from the Lord about it all.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

I the Lord search the heart,  I try the reins,  even to give every man according to his ways,  and according to the fruit of his doings.”

I started to pray that He would search me, hoping that it would lead to an experience.

A once accomplished setting in order, if you will.  Then my life would be under the control of the Holy Spirit.  No problems.

But time and time again, the Lord lead me to discover the times I simply did not deny myself in this attitude,  or in that reaction. 

Our reactions to people and things tells God, as well as others, a lot about our true spirituality.

To “deny myself” (Matthew 16:24);  this was not what I wanted to hear.  

I do that;  I’ve done that.

But time and time again,  I came face to face with the fact that I had started to do it,  but my “reasons” for putting up with myself, seemed too good.

Or I had denied myself in the action.  I did not do what was wrong.   

But I sure wanted to.  

Was that really “denying myself”?

So then the Lord showed me that I was born again,  but I was not walking with Him.

I was following my own way.  A way which was not producing fruit for Him,  or true life for me.

He showed me, that time is important.   I had made choices in things I could not change:  consequences I must bear.

So, what could I do?  How can I do for the time I have left?

Matthew 20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.”

The Kingdom of Heaven, if it is to be gained, is by One man.  The householder here; our Lord Jesus Christ; and His call to us.

God’s call is always to Himself:  it may be to Salvation,  or it may be to a work,  or it may be to more knowledge of Himself.

But His Call is always to Himself.

Christ calls those who would be part of the Kingdom of Heaven, not to sit around, but to labor in His Work in this World.

The Lord showed me, through this parable, my life; and how I had served Him. 

Will you see yourself here?

Now, within every believer, there is a “clock”, so to speak.

This clock begins to tick the moment we are born again.   It is like a time clock for the Work of the Lord, for ourselves.

When Christ calls to the Work:

Some respond early, and go to work for Christ.  

Matthew 20:1-2 “…a man that is a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.   

And when he had agree with the laborers for a penny a day,  he sent them into his vineyard.”

(Back then, there were twelve hour days, and a penny was a good days wage.)

Some respond later, but still go.

Matthew 20:3-5 “And he went out about the third hour,  and saw others standing idle in the marketplace.

And said unto them;  Go ye also into the vineyard;  and whatsoever is right I will give you.  And they went their way.

Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour,  and did likewise.”

But some, stand idle all the day;  inactive, and barren.

Matthew 20:6-7 “About the eleventh hour he went out,  and found others standing idle,  and saith unto them,   Why stand ye here all the day idle?  

They say unto him,  Because no man hath hired us.    He saith unto them,  Go ye also into the vineyard;  and whatsoever is right,  that ye shall receive.”

How can religious people be idle?

Because they have bee brought into the Christian faith without any confrontation of the total commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord.

Without any instruction that real Christian Victory, means complete abandonment of our self and person to Jesus Christ.

So when the householder said,  “Go into my vineyard”;   Jesus was giving us the opportunity of doing that.   How many times in my life had He done so?

Now where were these “idle” ones during the times He came before?

He accuses them of standing idle “all the day”, so they must have been there.

Yet they did not heed His call to go and work.

What about you?   Has the Lord Jesus call for laborers, and you stood idle?

When others went, you were relieved that you did not “have to” go?

Yet the time (remember each of us have a clock, ticking) goes by, and the emptiness with us seems to weigh us down.

Now the day is almost gone.

Oh, if He would just call again;  for the Kingdom of Heaven is wrapped up in the laborers He has called.

The He does, rebuking you for your laziness,  for your attitude of letting someone else do the work.

What will you do now?

Let this last opportunity go by again?    For it is the eleventh hour.

Matthew 20:9-10 “And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour,  they received every man a penny.

But when the first came,  they supposed that they should have received more;  and they received every man a penny.”

Here is the wages of these workers. (Not the wages of sin;  Christ took those)

But in Him we receive the “wages” of our Obedience to His call; and our faithfulness (even after we were unfaithful).

Some labored longer;  some a very short time. 

Yet the householder, Jesus Christ, pays out the same wages to all.

Those wages are the reward for the faithful following of His call.  The faithful putting of yourself aside for Christ’s sake, and for the faithful love which (finally) follows Him.

In that day of receiving, we will enter into His Joy and into His courts with praise.

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Jonah

I love the book of Jonah,  because all the way through the circumstances that come up;  there is always the conversation between the Lord and Jonah going on.

It begins with:

Jonah 1:1 “Now the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “

God had a job for Jonah, his prophet, to do.    He had spoken to him before, a word that was sent to help Israel;    but now God was going to send him to Nineveh.

Nineveh was the capital of Assyria,  Israel’s hated enemy.   So when Jonah heard:

Jonah 1:2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against it;  for their wickedness is come up before Me.”

He did not want to go and ask them to repent, which is what “cry against it” means.      Instead he wanted them to be destroyed by God. 

And he thought if he would not go,  they would not repent, and God would slay them for their sins (which were terrible:  they were a vicious people).

And why did he think that they might repent?

Jonah 4:2 “And he prayed unto the Lord,  and said,  I pray thee,  O Lord,  was not this my saying,  when I was yet in my country?  Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish:  for I knew that Thou art a gracious God,  and merciful,  slow to anger,  and of great kindness,  and repentest Thee of the evil.”

Because he knew that God was merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.

So he ran away from God. 

Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord,  and went down to Joppa;  and he found a ship going to Tarshish:  so he paid the fare thereof,  and went down into it,  to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

So into a ship to Tarshish—to the other part of the known world! (It was in Spain)

That would settle that, he thought.   No message of repentance, and there would be no repentance.   No repentance, and God would destroy Nineveh.

But God was not done with Jonah (all through this book, this back and forth is wonderful to see.  So much hope that God does not give up on His wayward servants!)

Jonah 1:4 “But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea,  and there was a mighty tempest in the sea,  so that the ship was likely to be broken.”

God sends a storm, and scares even hearty sailors.   So much so, they seek for the reason of the storm—and find Jonah.

Jonah 1:7 “And they said everyone to his fellow,   Come, and let us cast lots,  that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us.   So they cast lots,  and the lot fell upon Jonah.”

He tells them he is running away from the Lord, the God of heaven, who made land and sea.

So they ask him,   What can be done, to quite the storm?

“Throw me overboard.”  Was Jonah’s answer.

But they try and bring the ship to land first,  but when that failed,  they threw Jonah into the sea.

God’s next move was to awaken His servant to the need of mercy.  (That very mercy he wanted to deny the people of Nineveh.)

But how?  

Jonah 1:17 “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.   And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”

Three days and three nights Jonah was in the great fish.  The darkness, and suffering of smell, touch, and decay around him;   was as he said,  “…the belly of hell…”.

But God preserved him, and led him to seek mercy.   Spiritual mercy is that kindness of God for sinners, which brings comfort of soul,  and the need met.

Jonah 2:7-9 “When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord:  and my prayer came in unto Thee, into thine holy temple.

                         They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

                          But I will sacrifice unto Thee with the voice of thanksgiving;  I will pay that  that I have vowed.  Salvation is of the Lord.”

Jonah had wanted to forsake God, and His call.    But now he asks God not to forsake him.

But instead to hear his confession:  “they that follow the lies of our imaginations and wishes,  forsake their own mercy.”

Jonah had “imagined” and “wished” that he could run away from God, because he did not want to do this particular thing.

But at the same time,  he knew the Lord was the God of heaven who made land and sea,  which could not be run away from.

(How silly we are to listen to our wishful imaginations, when we are trying to “get around” God.)

God hears Jonah’s prayer, and:

Jonah 2:10 “And the Lord spake unto the fish,  and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry ground.”

God again sends Jonah to Nineveh:

Jonah 3:2 “Arise,  go unto Nineveh,  that great city,  and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.”

And this time Jonah goes,  and they do repent!   

Jonah 3:5 “So the people of Nineveh believed God,  and proclaimed a fast,  and put on sackcloth,  from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

This is so much a miracle:   for the people of Nineveh would not have cared anything for a prophet from Israel,  nor his message.

But God used the very means,  they would have normally despised,   to start an awakening.

Jonah 3:8, 10 “But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth,  and cry mightily unto God:  yea,  let them turn everyone from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hearts.

                          And God saw their works,  that they turned from their evil way,  and God repented of the evil,  that He had said He would do unto them;  and He did it not.”

And what about Jonah?

The conversation between Jonah and God continues:   

Jonah had not wanted them to repent,  even after seeing that he too, was a sinner in need of mercy.

But God still speaks to his (this time angry) prophet:

Jonah 4:11 “And should not I spare Nineveh,  that great city, wherein are more than six score thousand persons that can not discern between their right hand and their left hand;  and also much cattle?”

To me this is really special.  God does not give up on us.  He speaks, and speaks again.   And shows us many mercies and many corrections;  so that we may enter into more fellowship with Him.  And into His joy, when one sinner repents.

“Salvation is of the Lord.”     Praise the Lord for that.

Behind our Wall

The book of the Song of Solomon is a picture of the love relationship between the King (Christ Jesus) and the individual believer.

Song of Solomon 2:8-9 “The voice of my beloved!  Behold,  he cometh leaping upon the mountains,  and skipping upon the hills.

                                            My beloved is like a roe or a young hart:  behold,  he standeth behind our wall,  he looketh forth at the windows,  showing himself through the lattice.”

The Lord comes,  nothing hinders Him coming to us—not mountains or hills.

Pictured as a roe or a young hart (deer),  because He can bound away at any moment.  

The Lord comes, and we hear His Word,  His Voice.  He comes leaping over difficulties, and skipping over daily problems.  

He is showing how He is ready and able to do in my life.

I am thrilled to hear His voice.    How wonderful that He is interested in me, and my problems.

He comes and stands before the lattice at the window.   I can see Him, yet I am suddenly aware that there is a wall between us.  I had not noticed it before.

This wall is our Spiritual experience up to date.  

(I know when I was born again, the Lord showed me I was to pray.     I must tell you, most of my prayers were more like telling God what to do,  then prayers;  but as I went along, He showed me promises to claim,  and how to approach His throne in prayer, for myself and others.)

They were good things when I was a babe in Christ;  but now Christ Jesus is calling me on,  to grow in grace.  

To come out with Him, and leap the difficulties which come to me, with Him. ( And by doing so, we can show others His grace.)

To come out with Him and skip the everyday problems, so we can have the victorious faith which He has for us.

Song of Solomon 2:10 “My beloved spake, and said unto me,   Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

To have what is next,  we always have to leave what is now.

To leave the better you have attained,  for the best that He has for you.

He has already shown that He is able to surmount any of the obstacles that stand before us.   

Will we go out and go on with Him?

It is a love relationship,  that says,  “Come with Me”.     

Are you ready for the next step with Jesus?  

It is always to answer His call to “Come.”    Come and get the more grace I have for you,  for this day,  and onward.

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you;  that ye,  always having all sufficiency in all things,  may abound to every good work.”

But we must:  “Come away,  with Him.”

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord;  He turns it whithersoever He wills.

Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,  as the rivers of water:  He turneth it whithersoever He will.”

The example I’m going to use is found in:

2 Chronicles 28:5-6, 8 “Wherefore the Lord his God delivered him into the hand fo the king of Syria; and they smote him, and carried away a great many of them captives, and brought them to Damascus.     And he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel,  who smote him with a great slaughter.

                                           For Pekah the son of Remaliah slew in Judah an hundred and twenty thousand in one day,  which were all valiant men;  because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers.

                                           And the children of Israel carried away captive of their brethren two hundred thousand women,  sons,  and daughters,  and took away much spoil from them,  and brought the spoil to Samaria.”

Here is God’s judgement on Judah.  They had forsaken Him, and turned to idolatry under king Ahaz.  

God let Syria kill and take captives.  But there was no repentance on king Ahaz part;  or even turning to God for help.    So….

God let Israel,  the kingdom of ten tribes, win a great battle against Judah; and let them take away many captives, and great spoil.

But Israel and Judah were brothers.   They should not have been fighting, nor should they enslave each other.

Leviticus 25:39,42-43 “And if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee;  thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bond servant:

                                         For they are My servants,  which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt:  they shall not be sold as bondmen.

                                         Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor,  but shalt fear thy God.”

So God sends a prophet to warn Israel.  Those that had taken captives from Judah, were putting all Israel under the “fierce wrath” of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 28:9-11 “But a prophet of the Lord was there,  whose name was Oded:  and he went out before the hosts that came to Samaria,  and said unto them,     Behold,  because the Lord God of your fathers was wroth with Judah,  He hath delivered them into your hands,  and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth up into heaven.

                                     Now ye purpose to keep under  the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bondmen and bondwomen unto you:  but are there not with you,  even with you,  sins against the Lord your God?

                                      Now hear me therefore,  and deliver the captives again,  which ye have taken of your brethren:  for the fierce wrath of the Lord is upon you.”

Yes, Judah had sinned, and so God allowed Israel to kill many, and cripple the plans of the wicked king Ahaz.

But, they too, were sinners;  and to keep slaves of their brethren from Judah would have brought  judgement upon Israel….God’s fierce wrath.

This was the same term he used when describing God’s actions toward Judah.  This was serious.

But would they hear?

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, he turns it wherever He wills.

Sometimes God lets men go on in their sins.   Especially after His Word has been given to them, many times. 

But when God chooses to,  He can override the natural hatred and pride of any heart.  

And so He did here.

2 Chronicles 25:12-15 “Then certain of the heads of the children of Ephraim….stood up against them that came from the war.

                                          And said unto them,   Ye shall not bring the captives hither:  for whereas we have offended against the Lord already,  ye intend to add more to our sins and to our trespass:  for our trespass is great,  and there is fierce wrath against Israel.

                                          So the armed men left the captives….

                                          And the men…rose up and took the captives,  and with the spoil clothed all…., and arrayed them,…and gave them to eat and to drink,….and carried all the feeble of them upon asses,  and brought them to Jericho,….to their brethren:    then they returned to Samaria.”

The captives were returned,  and by it the Lord showed how He would help His people if they would just hear His Word and obey.

God’s mercies are great every day.   Who knows how God will prepare a people’s heart for more mercies.

Even though, under Ahaz,  Judah sinned greatly;  yet God was merciful, and caused their enemies to act as brethren for the people.

Ahaz ruled sixteen years.   He did a lot of damage to the people by his rebellion against the Lord.  

But when he died,  his son Hezekiah lead a great revival,  which was carried into the ten tribes of Israel.   To the very people who had their hearts “turned” by God before.

God is Great, and Greatly to be praised.   

His Answer 

Luke 17:20-21 “And when He was demanded of the Pharisees,  when the kingdom of God should come,  He answered them and said,   The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

                           Neither shall they say,  Lo here!  Or , Lo there!  For behold,  the kingdom of God is within you.”

He was demanded of the Pharisees!          Show us some manifestation of the kingdom.   Something we can observe.

Now did they want this, so they would believe Him?

Or did they want this so they could prepare for the coming of the kingdom?

No.   They simply demanded of Jesus.  

“Demanded” here means that they tried to show their authority by interrogating Him.

His answer?

“If you are really looking for the kingdom of God,  it will not come with trumpets, or solar flares.   People will not be able to tell you when or how.   Because….

The kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus Christ the King, was standing within their midst.

But also He was telling them;  that God’s kingdom would come within their hearts first;  before it would come to them in any outward manner.

The answer is the same to us:  The kingdom of God will come first within our hearts:   He must reign within us.

The place and power of His Presence is manifested within me.

It is always;  first in me.  

He is to reign within my heart, and life.  Guiding, Comforting, Correcting, and Commanding:  that is what the Lord Jesus does, by His Holy Spirit within me. (How can we make it through this life,  with all the pitfalls all around us,   without His commanding Presence?)

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,  according to the power that worketh in us.”

That power that works within me, bringing me into subjection to God’s Word and Will;  will then be an influence through my life, on the lives of others.

We are filled with the Holy Spirit, to the amount that we are emptied of our self-will.   God will never empower me to see my will done (thank goodness!), but He will empower me to see His will done in me, by me and through me.

Matthew 7:28-29 “And it came to pass,  when Jesus had ended these sayings,  the people were astonished at His doctrine:

                                 For He taught them as one having authority,  and not as the scribes.”

He taught as one having authority;    not like their scribes,  which told them how to act,  but did not do it for themselves.

This is the difference between one who is in subjection to God for himself; and one who just talks well.  (Of course, Jesus, the Son of God, was obedient in all things—“He did always those things that pleased Him.” John 8:29)

But He is saying here,  that we too, can be empowered to do God’s Will, as we let His kingdom come within us.   As we let Him rule within our hearts and lives;  then we are subjects of His authority, and show it.

Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

When we are obedient to our King;  it influences others, for good.

Bless the Lord

Psalm 103:20, 22 “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength,  that do his commandments,  hearkening unto the voice of his word.

                                 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion:  bless the Lord, O my soul.”

And how can we bless the Lord?

Certainly with praise for all the things He has done for us.

But also by doing His commandments,  as we hear the voice of His Word to us.

The Lord Jesus Christ is a King now, ruling in the circumstances of everyone’s life,  whether they know it or not.

As Christians, we have the privilege of submitting to the kingdom of Christ as our king, now, and being a conductor of His power.

Obedience is required of every child of God.  Believing, joyful Obedience comes easily, when He is the object of our love. (It is only when we let another take His place in our lives, that our joy is put out)

We will never have sinless perfection.  But we can will with the Lord, as we walk along with Him; and be a blessing to Him.

And He can use us to be a blessing to others.

Pray for one another.

Encourage each other.

Speak of Christ,  the great Shepherd of our soul. (How much we need His care for us)

As we do these things,  we bless the Lord,  for He loves His children and wants to see them peaceful and joyful.  (And we can’t be, when we are far from Him)

We are to seek to know and do His Will for ourselves.  

John 14:15 “If ye love Me, keep my commandments.”

Titus 2:13-14 “Looking for the blessed hope,  and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;

                          Who gave himself for us,  that he might redeem us from all iniquity,  and purify unto himself a peculiar people,  zealous of good works.”

Then we can,  “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”

The Widow of Zarephath:

God had caused a famine, in Israel and the surrounding area.  Elijah, God’s Prophet,  had been fed with bread by ravens, next to a stream of water; during part of the famine.  But now the water had dried up, for there had been no rain.  

Yet God would not forsake His Prophet.  And  Elijah was told what to do next.

1 Kings 17:9 “Arise, get to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there:  behold,  I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”

Let us take a look at this command.  

First, God said it;  and is He not able to deliver?   Of course!  

So Elijah goes to the next country over, Sidon; and to the city of Zarephath.   

At the command of God (What else made this woman gather sticks at just this time) a widow was at the gate,  preparing for her,  and her family’s last meal.

Seeing her, Elijah asks for her to get him a small drink of water.  Even in her extremity, she was courteous, and was going to go to get it.

Then Elijah, understanding that this was the woman to whom he had been sent, asks her another favor.

1 Kings 17:11 “And as she was going to fetch it,  he called to her, and said,  Bring me,  I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand.”

This stranger would have seemed very presumptuous,  in my way of thinking.   After all,  wasn’t I being nice enough to get him a drink?

But remember:   “I have commanded”.   This was a test to see if indeed this was the woman.

1 Kings 17:12 “And she said,   As the Lord, thy God liveth,  I have not a cake,  but a handful of meal in a barrel,  and a little oil in a cruse:  and,  behold,  I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

She was not rude.

She just told this man the truth.   But notice;  she recognized  him as an Israelite;  and a Godly one;  since she said,  “As the Lord, thy God liveth”.

Convinced that this was the woman to whom he was sent,  Elijah gave a command, and a promise to her.

1 Kings 17:13-14 “And Elijah said unto her,  Fear not;  go and do as thou hast said:  but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

For thus saith the Lord God of Israel,  the barrel of meal shall not waste,  neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.”

She was to feed him first.  This, again, may seem presumptuous,  but how else would he have known if she believed the Lord’s Word?    If she had made three cakes, one for her son,  one for him, and one for her….that would have been generous,  but  unbelieving.    It would have been the wait and see attitude.   Maybe you’re right, maybe not;   here is what we have, we all eat, and see.

But she was to believe God,  and make him a cake, and see him eat it; and return and make cakes for herself and her son.   

Amazing God we have, who can move a heart,  any heart,  to truly believe enough to obey.

1 Kings 17:15-16 “And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah:  and she, and he,  and her house, did eat many days.

And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail,  according to the word of the Lord,  which  he  spake by Elijah.”

God’s Word is always true.  Our believing enough to obey,  is often the problem.

It was the same, when the Lord Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth.  They refused to believe His clear message, that He was the Messiah.  In His rebuke of their unbelief….the wait and see attitude;  Jesus then speaks of this widow.

Luke 4:24-26 “And he said,  Verily I say unto you,  No prophet is accepted in his own country.  

But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months,  when great famine was throughout all the land;  

but unto none of them was Elijah sent, save unto Zarephath a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.”

Our belief is always recognized, and honored by God.

God’s power works within us, as well as through us;  if we trust and obey.