Category: sermon

REVERSE REPENTANCE

REVERSE REPENTANCE

Jeremiah 34:14-18 NET.

14 “Every seven years each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you for six years, you shall set them free.” But your ancestors did not obey me or pay any attention to me. 15 Recently, however, you yourselves showed a change of heart and did what is pleasing to me. You granted your fellow countrymen their freedom and you made a covenant to that effect in my presence in the house that I have claimed for my own. 16 But then you turned right around and showed that you did not honor me. Each of you took back your male and female slaves whom you had freed as they desired, and you forced them to be your slaves again. 17 So I, the LORD, say: “You have not really obeyed me and granted freedom to your neighbor and fellow countryman. Therefore, I will grant you freedom, the freedom to die in war, or by starvation or disease. I, the LORD, affirm it! I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to you. 18 I will punish those people who have violated their covenant with me. I will make them like the calf they cut in two and passed between its pieces. I will do so because they did not keep the terms of the covenant they made in my presence.

Whenever we read the Old Testament, we need to keep in mind that God had a message to his people then, in the context of their place in salvation history. We also need to keep in mind that everything that happened to God’s people then has a special relevance to God’s people now. Some themes recur throughout the Old Testament and apply to us now. One of those themes is the kingdom of God.

Initially, the kingdom was defined by a divine theocratic government, and the arrangement Yahveh made with Israel through the law given to Moses at Mount Sinai, meant to be visible in the Promised Land. However, the Hebrews rebelled against this kingdom. Their rebellion led them to desire a monarchy like other nations, rather than God’s direct rule. They asked for a king to lead them, as neighboring countries did. The elders of Israel approached Samuel, requesting a king because his sons did not follow his ways. Saul was eventually appointed as king in God’s anger, but he was later rejected in wrath.

God raised David, whose reign pleased Yahveh and led to success in defeating Israel’s enemies, symbolizing the ultimate victory over all enemies of Christ. Due to David’s faithfulness, Yahveh promised him an everlasting throne after he expressed a wish to build a house for Yahveh. Prophet Nathan delivered Yahveh’s message: Yahveh chose David from humble beginnings, was with him, and helped him defeat his enemies, making his name great. Yahveh also vowed to establish a lasting dwelling for Israel where they would live securely, free from enemies or wickedness.

This divine promise to David guarantees Israel’s permanent presence in Canaan and a future peaceful reign, unlike their current suffering and persecution. It also speaks of making David a house, meaning a dynasty of kings, not just the temple, with an everlasting throne.[1] The ‘house’ symbolizes a kingdom, as mentioned to Hezekiah.[2]

Another theme that began in the Old Testament and was reflected in the New is that of the temple. All temple details—materials, sizes, patterns—were given to David by the Spirit, as Moses received the tabernacle’s pattern. The design was written by Yahveh, granting wisdom for its creation. During construction, stones were prepared beforehand, and no iron tools were heard, symbolizing the spiritual house of “living stones.[3] The temple of Solomon thus represented a spiritual temple, with the sanctuary as Yahveh’s dwelling.

These scriptural facts demonstrate that the foundation of David’s throne was not physical, but symbolic of discipline and unmet expectations. Concerning Solomon, God stated, “I will be his father, and he shall be my son,” promising mercy and an eternal throne, as Nathan told David (2 Samuel 7:14-17). This shows the kingdom’s growth started with David, not Saul, because David followed God’s directives to defeat Israel’s enemies, unlike Saul.

The kings of Israel were governed by the conditional law covenant from Mount Sinai, leading to fluctuations in their history. All blessings depended on obedience, while disobedience brought curses, making Israel’s royal stability hinge on this covenant. If they had obeyed, they would have stayed in Canaan, and Jerusalem would have remained glorious like in Solomon’s reign, with the kingly line intact. David recognized this, as shown in his prayer in 2 Samuel 7:18-19, where he acknowledged God’s promises and the vital role of obeying His law.

The king ruling Judah in the time reflected in Jeremiah 34 is Zedekiah. The chapter begins with Jeremiah approaching King Zedekiah and promising him that he will not die in battle or be executed. Jeremiah promises this while the city of Jerusalem is surrounded by Babylonian armies and under siege.

God had made known his will through his covenant.

Zedekiah knew this. As king, he knew the covenant God had made with the Hebrews who had escaped Egypt under Moses. Zedekiah knew that the kingdom he had inherited and ruled had broken that covenant drastically and comprehensively. They were not living according to the rules that God had given them. The king knew that God would be fair to them if he allowed the Babylonians to conquer them and destroy them all. He had probably lost a few nights’ sleep wondering when the walls would come down, and the soldiers would go in and kill him and all his family.

But the prophet Jeremiah comes and tells him, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that he was not going to die in battle or be executed. I imagine King Zedekiah responded to that prophecy by thinking he could turn the event to his advantage, making it seem as if he were a true spiritual leader. He was not, but he might have thought that he could fake it. What Zedekiah decided to do was lead his nation in what he called repentance.

The people repented of breaking that covenant.

Well, at least it would look like repentance. It is possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason, and that is what Zedekiah cooked up for the city of Jerusalem to do. Remember, they are under siege. Enemy armies are surrounding the city, making it impossible for anyone or anything to come into the city or out of it. When a city was under siege, it faced the real danger of dying of starvation or disease, or of being weakened to the point where the invading armies could break through the defenses and annihilate it.

But Zedekiah thinks that won’t happen. Because of Jeremiah’s promise that he would not die in battle or be executed, he believes God is going to intervene. Now, Zedekiah begins to think deviously. He imagines that if he puts on his spiritual leader hat and gets the city to do something obedient to the covenant, then when God delivers them from the siege, the people will think it was because of Zedekiah. So he goes into his archives and searches for the stipulations of the covenant. He is looking for something the citizens are supposed to be doing under the Mosaic Law, but are not. There were many things, but he is not concerned with changing everything. All he wants is one thing that he can get the people to do. That’s when he finds this verse in Deuteronomy:

“If your fellow Hebrew — whether male or female — is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant go free.”[4]

Now, remember, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are under siege. The wealthy landowners had accumulated lots of slaves over the generations because they had not been keeping this command to free their slaves every seventh year. But now they are stuck in the city. They have a bunch of slaves who cannot go out into the countryside and work their farms because of the blockade. That means that the slaves are now a liability, not an asset. Extra slaves mean extra mouths to feed.  So, the “repentance” that Zedekiah leads the city to do is something they are ready and willing to do.

Zedekiah initiated a formal covenant with the people. He made them promise to set their slaves free. The slaughter of a calf sealed the promise. They split the animal in half, and all the landowners had to walk between the two halves. It symbolized a curse upon themselves if they broke the covenant. If they didn’t free their slaves, they were asking to be cut into like the calf.

But then they withdrew their repentance.

The passage does not tell us why the people changed their minds. History explains why they repented and then reversed their repentance. All the slaves that had been held onto and not granted their freedom suddenly found themselves without a home and without a means of support. But at least they now had their freedom. So, why did the slave owners take their slaves back?

The armies that had surrounded Jerusalem and had laid siege to it were eventually recalled. They heard that Egypt was going to come and fight them, so they headed South to battle against the Pharaoh. All of a sudden, Jerusalem was no longer under threat. Then the landowners remembered why they had held on to their slaves instead of obeying God’s Law. The Bible does not tell us how, but they somehow managed to round up all those former slave families and reinslave them.

God withdrew their protection under the covenant.

Now all the important people were happy. The king was delighted because he came off as being spiritual when he was not. The landowners were glad because they had retrieved their workforce. But God was not happy, and neither was the prophet Jeremiah. God said through Jeremiah, “You turned around and showed you did not honor me. Each of you took back your slaves, whom you had freed as they wished, forcing them to become slaves again. The LORD says: “You have not truly obeyed me or given freedom to your neighbor and fellow citizen. As a result, I will give you freedom—freedom to die in war, from starvation, or disease. I, the LORD, declare it! I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified by what happens to you. I will punish those who broke their covenant with me, making them like the calf cut in two and passed between its pieces. I will do this because they did not uphold the covenant they made in my presence.

Because the people withdrew their token repentance, God withdrew his hand of protection from them and their land.  The Babylonian armies came back, and this time they completed the siege. Jerusalem was destroyed, and multitudes died. But King Zedekiah did not die in the siege, and he was not executed. God was true to his promise. They did capture him, and they killed his sons in front of him, making him watch. Then they gouged his eyes out so that the last thing he saw was the slaughter of his own sons. He was taken prisoner as a blind, useless king with no throne and no people.

Jesus also covenanted with us.

This terrible story in the Old Testament is a reminder to all of us that a covenant with God is not something to be taken lightly. It is serious business. We are not under the Mosaic covenant, but we are under a covenant. Jesus is our King, and he has made a covenant with everyone who puts their faith in him.  His blood is the blood of the new covenant.[5]  

The New Covenant is not based on the letter but on the Spirit.[6] We agree to let God’s Holy Spirit rule our lives and change our behaviour so that we live Christlike lives. When we repented of our sins, we decided to live according to this promise.

Have we reversed our repentance?

Seeing how horribly God’s wrath was visited on the Israelites who withdrew their promise, we should be careful make good our promise. Jesus did not set us free from our sins for us to turn around and reenslave ourselves. When our Savior returns, it will be to set up a new eternal universe. Nothing impure will be allowed into that new universe. Paul wrote that “no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God”.[7] When we came to Christ, we made a promise to live in his kingdom today. Let us all learn to be faithful to that promise.  

[1] 2 Samuel 7:8-14

[2] 2 Kings 20:1

[3]1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:21

[4] Deuteronomy 15:12.

[5] Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25

[6] 2 Corinthians 3:6.

[7] Ephesians 5:5.

HIDEOUT

HIDEOUT                          

Jeremiah 7:1-11 NET.

1 The LORD said to Jeremiah: 2 “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s temple and proclaim this message: ‘Listen, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the LORD. Hear what the LORD has to say. 3 The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. 4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, “We are safe! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here!” 5 You must change the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. 6 Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. 7 If you stop doing these things, I will allow you to continue to live in this land which I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. 8 “‘But just look at you! You are putting your confidence in a false belief that will not deliver you. 9 You steal. You murder. You commit adultery. You lie when you swear on oath. You sacrifice to the god Baal. You pay allegiance to other gods whom you have not previously known. 10 Then you come and stand in my presence in this temple I have claimed as my own and say, “We are safe!” You think you are so safe that you go on doing all those hateful sins! 11 Do you think this temple I have claimed as my own is to be a hideout for robbers? You had better take note! I have seen for myself what you have done! says the LORD.

We are now in the 24th book of the Bible. I want to congratulate y’all for staying with me through this adventure. We must spend some quality time in the Old Testament. One evangelist I used to watch on television said that the trouble with some people is that they don’t use the whole sword. They have the handle but not the blade. The handle is the New Testament, and many are familiar with it. But some of the most powerful truths the New Testament authors knew are found in the Old Testament. It is the blade of the sword.

Jeremiah is classified as a major prophet. That doesn’t mean his teachings are more important than those of the minor prophets. It just means he was more prolific. He wrote more. Probably, when people look back on my ministry, they will say the same thing. They might say I wasn’t very influential, but I sure wrote a lot. Well, I identify with Jeremiah, and not just because I write a lot. He was called the weeping prophet. He suffered much during his ministry. He paid the price for standing up for God and his word. His life was not easy, nor was his ministry. His message was not peace and prosperity.

I think it is ironic that some people who hold to the prosperity gospel use a verse in Jeremiah as their life verse. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the LORD. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.” People think that if they keep quoting that verse and believing its words that they will eventually succeed financially and improve their health. But Jeremiah 29 is not about getting rich and healthy. It’s about turning back to God. All of Jeremiah is about that. The prophet Jeremiah was called to proclaim God’s word to a people who had already turned their backs on him.

A Sermon at the Gate (2).

The LORD told Jeremiah to preach a sermon on his behalf. He didn’t ask him to stand at a pulpit in a church building. He told him to go to the gate of the temple in Jerusalem. This was a significant venue. Everyone who was committed to the temple and its religious rituals would frequent that gate. They would have the opportunity to hear what Jeremiah was saying. He probably preached this same sermon many times – perhaps over several days. We know, for example, that Jeremiah preached a similar message, and that was recorded in chapter 26. So, people who might not have been paying attention one day would hear the rerun the next. The words would eventually become embedded in the minds of these listeners. They would find themselves quoting the crazy prophet in their conversations.

He was obnoxious. He was confused. He was too negative. He was many things. People hated him. They hated his message. They tried to get rid of him by throwing him into a mud pit. But thousands of years later, Jeremiah is still shouting his message at the temple gate. It is still relevant. It is still significant. It still speaks to people who are outwardly religious but struggle to live out their faith. Jeremiah spoke to people who had substituted ritual for reality. They regularly worshipped God at the temple, but their lifestyle had not changed as God required.

A Misplaced Faith (4).

God tells the crowds entering the temple to stop placing their confidence in the false faith – faith in the temple itself. They cry out, “We are safe! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here!” They see the temple as a magical place to hide from the cares of the world. They see it as a place they can run to on a regular basis, and just by going there, the ugliness and corruption of the city will not cling to them. They think that as long as they practice the temple rituals and enter the temple courts regularly, the temple will protect the nation.

Later in this chapter, Jeremiah will point out the danger of misplaced faith. He will remind them that before the temple existed, there was the tabernacle. One of the places where the tabernacle resided was called Shiloh. Jeremiah invited the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go on a hike and visit Shiloh. He told them to go to the place in Shiloh where he allowed himself to be worshiped in the early days. He wanted them to see what he did to Shiloh because of the wicked things his people, Israel, did. God made Shiloh a desolate place. Its inhabitants had worshipped the place rather than the God it was supposed to represent. As a result, God turned Shiloh into a desolate place. When the place becomes more important than God, God afflicts it with desolation.

Fast-forward to Jeremiah’s time, and we now see God saying that what he did to Shiloh he is prepared to do to the temple in Jerusalem. God says he will destroy this temple, which he had claimed as my own, the temple they trust to protect themselves. He will destroy this place he gave to them and their ancestors, just as he destroyed Shiloh. And he will drive them out of his sight, just as he drove out their relatives, the people of Israel.

It is wonderful to have a place where people can come to seek God’s face. It is a blessing to have a place where our relationship with God can be nurtured and made a priority. Yet there is always a danger that this incredible place might evolve into something evil. When God’s place takes the place of God himself, that place risks becoming a hideout for robbers.

That is what Jeremiah proclaimed about the Jerusalem temple in his day. It had become not a place of spiritual renewal and nurture. Instead, it had become a hideout where people could rest, then go back out to commit more crimes.

A Call to Repentance (3,5).

God’s purpose for his temple had not changed. But the people had created a new purpose for that place. The place had not changed, but the people had. So God demanded that they change back. He wanted them to repent.

However, even as I use that word, I need to define it because people seldom use ‘repent’ nowadays, and when they do, they often think it means only admitting their sins. Admitting you are a sinner is part of what it means to repent. Trusting in God’s grace to forgive your sins on the basis of the blood of Christ is part of repentance as well. But Jeremiah did not merely ask his listeners to admit that they were sinning. Through the prophet, God commanded them to change their ways.

The Hebrew verb Jeremiah used for “change” was יָטַב. It is related to the word טוֹב, which means “good.” The verb means to make something good or right, or beautiful. Jeremiah used it to describe the process of repenting. It means turning away from the bad, wrong, and ugly things in one’s life and exchanging them for good, right, and beautiful things. Instead of hiding behind a veneer of religious propriety, Jeremiah wanted his people to turn away from their sins and seek a genuine relationship with God, as evidenced by their good behavior.

Jeremiah knew this was a nation of hypocrites. He could not leave his message there because the people had convinced themselves they were not doing anything wrong. So Jeremiah had to list the crimes the people were committing to show them that he knew what they were hiding. Here is the list:

  • They were not treating one another fairly (5). Their courts and justice system had become corrupt and were used to exploit people.
  • They were taking advantage of the weak in their society and exploiting them (6). The weak people that Jeremiah identified were foreigners who lived in their land, children who had lost their fathers, and women who had lost their husbands. These people who needed protection the most had become prey to the powerful.
  • They were killing innocent people (6). That was a general statement, but one of the particular incidents was the sacrifice of innocent children to Molech. This was a detestable practice. It involved taking a new infant and burning it alive. It was an unthinkable sin, but it was practiced because some were teaching that the gods would make you more fertile and prosperous if you did it.
  • They were paying allegiance to other gods (6). You would think that if a people had become obsessed with the Jerusalem temple and put their trust in it for their safety, they would want nothing to do with other gods. But the devil had convinced them to sin in both ways. They had rejected an authentic relationship with God and had substituted a faith in a building: the temple. But lacking a genuine spiritual life in Yahveh, they sought out other gods.

This list was not exhaustive. There were many more things Jeremiah’s audience was doing wrong. But God, in his mercy, said that if they changed these behaviors, he would allow them to continue living in the land he gave to their ancestors as a lasting possession (7).

History tells us that Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was lost, and the people were exiled from the land. They did not listen to the prophet, refused to repent, and failed to stop sinning. They put their confidence in the temple and wound up losing both the temple and the land.

Long after that temple was destroyed, Herod built a new one. But the people in Jesus’ time were just as guilty of hypocrisy and a lack of repentance as the people in Jeremiah’s time. That’s why Jesus quoted from Jeremiah 7 when he saw corruption in the temple during his time. He said that God’s house was supposed to be a house of prayer, but they were turning it into a hideout for robbers.[1]

We no longer worship in a temple. We are the temple. We worship in a church building. Yet we can still sin against God by trusting in this physical building instead of the God it is dedicated to. We can still sin against him and against others, as Jeremiah’s people did. We can still run to the building every week and hide our sins by appearing respectable. But God sees everything.

The same God who pleaded with his people to repent in Jeremiah 7 is pleading with us to do the same. He still wants a genuine relationship with us. We can learn to turn from our evil ways to his good ways while we are in this building. Or we can learn to hide our sin well. But we can’t fool all the people all the time, and we can’t fool God ever.

[1] Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46.

FASTING GOD’S WAY

FASTING GOD’S WAY           

Isaiah 58:3-10 NET.

3 They lament, ‘Why don’t you notice when we fast? Why don’t you pay attention when we humble ourselves?’ Look, at the same time you fast, you satisfy your selfish desires, you oppress your workers. 4 Look, your fasting is accompanied by arguments, brawls, and fistfights. Do not fast as you do today, trying to make your voice heard in heaven. 5 Is this really the kind of fasting I want? Do I want a day when people merely humble themselves, bowing their heads like a reed and stretching out on sackcloth and ashes? Is this really what you call a fast, a day that is pleasing to the LORD? 6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply, ‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully.

10 You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday.

Some health gurus suggest that intermittent fasting can help us lose weight or manage specific health problems. That is not the fasting Isaiah addresses in today’s text. He is dealing with ritual fasting, when a group of people fast to get back on God’s good side. Recently, our Sunday School class watched a video featuring a former Muslim. He described salvation in Islam as doing enough good works to outweigh all your sins. He said that one of the good works a Muslim can do to impress God is to fast.

The LORD told Isaiah to confront his people with their rebellious deeds. They were seeking God, but they were not changing their ways. They were doing many of the things they thought were right, but it was to cover up for all the things they were doing wrong. Let’s take a look at today’s text to see what the problem was.

What was wrong?

The ritual was fasting, and the people fasted regularly. They complained to Isaiah that God was not holding up his part of the bargain. But God told Isaiah to tell them that their fast was not acceptable. They were doing it, but they were doing it wrong. A fast is supposed to bring a person closer to God by allowing them to focus on God rather than their daily work schedule. It was not just about food. It was also about the tremendous amount of time each day needed for the processing, preparation, and consumption of food. By setting aside time that would otherwise be spent on food, people could focus on their relationship with God.

Food is a natural desire. But if we allow that desire to take first place in our lives, it can overrule our spiritual desires and make us selfish. During their fast, the Israelites showed an inclination toward selfish desires. Instead of satisfying their need for closeness to God, they focused on themselves. Their hunger became an excuse to mistreat others, especially employers. If a couple had servants working for them, they would hate fast days because those would be the days when their bosses would be unbearable. They would use their hunger as an excuse to exploit their workers.

Another thing that happened during fast days was that personal relationships took a hit. Because people were hungry, they allowed it to affect how they felt about each other. Little annoyances became huge problems. Everyone was wound tight, so the slightest thing could make them angry. Anger, without self-control, can lead to arguments and fights. That is what fasting was doing to the people Isaiah was preaching to.

It was also turning them into a nation of hypocrites. They would focus so much on appearing humble, yet inside, they would denounce each other in pride. It was all about the show.

Why was it wrong?

God never intended the ritual of fasting to become a means of destroying his people. He wanted their fasting time to be a time of spiritual healing and growth. He wanted it to be a time when the people could come together and reflect his love for one another. He wanted them to look forward to this time when they could rest from their labor and focus on the word of God rather than on their own stomachs.

God had never intended the ritual of fasting to become a show of false humility. It was designed to reinforce their actual dependence on God and on each other. But it had become a competition. They were trying to outdo each other by appearing more humble than anyone else. The winners looked more humble than the losers. The fact was that they were all losers. You cannot get a blue ribbon in a humility contest. As soon as you accept the prize, you reveal that the show is all you were doing.

Brian Beyer says this about today’s passage:

  • “The people complained because God was not honoring their fasting (58:3). They abstained from food and humbled themselves (at least they thought so), yet God seemed unimpressed. Isaiah explained the reason for God’s failure to honor the people’s fasting (58:3-4). No heart change occurred. The people continued exploiting their workers and quarreling, their edginess no doubt intensified by their hunger and their frustration at God’s lack of response. Such a situation would never receive God’s blessing. Isaiah contrasted the people’s current situation with the scenario God desired (58:5-7). Sincerity and humility are needed to accompany their fasting. But sincerity and humility were best evidenced by action, not by words. The Lord wanted to see them cease injustice and oppression, share food with the hungry, and take care of others’ needs. Fasting that produced a change of heart in God’s people would bring God’s approval (58:8-12). The Lord’s presence would surround them, and he would quickly answer their prayers. Their spiritual darkness would give way to the light of God’s ways, and the Lord would refresh their souls. They would rebuild ancient cities that had long lain in ruins. God’s presence would bring them the ability and resolve to accomplish everything he set before them.”[1]

How could it be made right?

God tells the people through the prophet that if they want to rescue the fasting ritual, they will need to break some chains. Where were the sinful chains? The lower class was wearing them. The servants, the poor, and the homeless in the community were being mistreated. The foreigners who owned no land were at the mercy of the landowners. During fasting times, the mistreatment worsened. The lower class expected to be abused by their “betters” during fasting days.

God tells the people to change how they observe fasting days. He tells them to take some of the food they have stored because they cannot eat it and give it to the hungry. Build shelters for the homeless and exploited poor. Give clothing to those who need it. Help fellow Israelites who are down on their luck.

He says that if they rescued the ritual of fasting in that way, the darkness will turn to light. Then the Lord will be free to respond to their prayers and make himself known among them.

Communion meditation:

“…we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35).

The communion service is a time we set apart to remember what Jesus Christ did for us. He gave his life for us. His death paid the ransom for our sins, so that we do not have to experience the second death.

The Apostle Paul told the Ephesian elders to remember something else. He told them to remember that Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive. He wanted the church community to model the Lord’s generosity.

We don’t have public fasts in our community today, but we do have a ritual we observe every week. It’s called going to church. If we are not careful, going to church can become a time when our selfishness dominates us, and our anger and lack of self-control can ruin our testimony. God wants us to turn that around, too.

Imagine what would happen if our fellowship became a time to help those in need. Imagine if we broke a few chains and rescued the needy during our meetings. Imagine a time focused on spiritual growth rather than the deeds of the flesh. That is what our Lord wants. This week, whenever we remember the blessing of communion, let’s also remember to be a blessing to the others we see every day.

[1] Beyer, Bryan. Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey. Baker Academic, 2007. pp. 224-225.

LOVE

LOVE

Isaiah 31:4-6 NET.

4 Indeed, this is what the LORD says to me: “The LORD will be like a growling lion, like a young lion growling over its prey. Though a whole group of shepherds gathers against it, it is not afraid of their shouts or intimidated by their yelling. In this same way, the LORD who commands armies will descend to do battle on Mount Zion and on its hill. 5 Just as birds hover over a nest, so the LORD who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. He will protect and deliver it; as he passes over, he will rescue it. 6 You Israelites! Return to the one against whom you have so blatantly rebelled!

We are now in our fourth Sunday of Advent meditations. During this season, we have explored various themes found throughout scripture. In November, we focused on the theme of hope. We examined a passage in Ecclesiastes that encouraged people to live with hope, even though everyone eventually goes to the grave. It’s only when the New Testament message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is included that it genuinely makes sense. That is the purpose behind this Advent theme. We are reminded to center our hope on Christ and Christ alone. The Bible teaches us that we are mortal and that there is no hope for us after death. Therefore, we must find our hope in Christ and Christ alone. In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus revealed life and immortality through the gospel. He is our hope for eternal life.

In the second week of Advent, we learned about peace. However, the message of peace also relates to a prophecy about a great day of the Lord that will bring destruction upon the Earth. On that day of destruction, most people will realize they trusted the wrong thing and will be doomed. But the good news, as foretold in the book of Isaiah, is that before this day of the Lord, God will send a message of peace. That message was born in a stable in Bethlehem. Jesus Christ is our peace. Again, we see both good and bad news. A day of ultimate war and destruction is coming, and this terrible day of the Lord will happen according to God’s own will. It cannot be stopped or changed by human effort. It will surely happen because it is part of God’s plan. But the good news is that God has another plan. We learn about that plan in the Bible. We know that God will send his only Son to pay the price for our sins. He is the Prince of Peace. He makes peace possible. He brings peace not only between people but also between God and us.

Last week, we examined another passage from Isaiah’s prophecy. Isaiah spoke out against the nation of Moab, foretelling its destruction. He said that God would take away Moab’s joy. This doomed nation serves as an example of all the nations that have rejected Christ. On the day of judgment, there will be no joy for them. They put their trust in the wrong things and will try all kinds of ways to reconcile themselves, but they will never look to the Son of God for salvation. This is terrible news—God is even upset that this nation has not repented, and He mourns for them. However, there is no hope for them because they have not turned to the King of Kings. Yet, amid this darkness and sorrow, there is good news: joy is available forever in Christ. The Advent season prompts us to ask whether we have room in our hearts for Jesus Christ. The joy of Christmas is ours if we can answer yes. Similarly, the joy of His second coming is ours if we have made room for Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Otherwise, like the Moabites, we will only experience loss, and even our sincere prayers will never reach God. Worse still, when Jesus returns in His glory with all His angels, He will greet us not as our Lord and Savior but as our Judge. To experience true, lasting, and incredible joy, we must open our hearts to Jesus.

We now enter the fourth week of Advent, and our fourth message focused on the theme of love. As Christians, we often say that God is love, and we have evidence to support this. He demonstrated His love by creating us. He showed His love by giving us the gift of life. He has blessed us with a beautiful creation, supportive families, and wonderful friendships. However, there is also evil in this world. This evil challenges our understanding of God’s love. We are compelled to confront the reality that things are not right in the world that God created. The Bible explains why this is the case.

In the book of Genesis, we learn that God created everything good. But He gave our ancestors the choice of whether it would stay good or become corrupted by sin. They chose to sin. Their decision turned a perfect creation into an age of imperfection and corruption. You and I were born into that age.

The Israelites in Isaiah’s time were born into the same era. They faced destruction by a mighty superpower that aimed to wipe them out. Because they were in danger, the Israelites had a choice. They could either trust in their God or seek help from a neighboring nation. In this chapter, Isaiah encourages the Israelites not to rely on the Egyptians but to trust in their God for protection and safety. In today’s passage, Isaiah explains why they should trust in their God rather than rely on their neighbor.

The Lord’s love is a fearless love (4).

To understand what Isaiah is saying in verse 4, imagine a group of shepherds who realize that one of their lambs has been attacked by a fierce lion. The shepherds are courageous. They gather together and try to scare the lion away to protect the injured lamb. However, all their efforts are in vain. The lion is not going to release his prey.

In Isaiah’s imagery, the lion represents God Himself, and the lamb symbolizes the nation of Israel. Isaiah chose a lion as a symbol of God because lions are fearless. He wanted to demonstrate that God was unafraid of any of the surrounding nations. Israel didn’t need to rely on Egypt; they had a God they could trust. They could trust God because He loved them, and He loved them with fearless love. He would not abandon them. The God of armies isn’t afraid of anyone else’s army.

The Christmas message is also a message of fearless love. Lord came down to this earth during a time of great violence. His life was in danger from the very beginning. But God would not let us go. He clung to His people even when we were still in our sins. To show us how much He loves us, He sent His Son to the cross to die in our place. His fearless love was a stubborn love. It will never let go of us. Though danger surrounds us, we can trust in God’s stubborn, fearless love.

The Lord’s love is a protective love (5).

In verse 5, the image shifts from a lion to birds. Since moving to Delco, I’ve learned a lot about birds. Once, walking on the lawn beyond the cemetery, I was approached by a bird. I had no idea why it wanted to attack me, but it soon became clear that the bird must have a chick nearby and was protecting it. Similarly, there was a time when I was leaving the house when birds suddenly swooped very close to my head. They were dive-bombing me. Again, I had no idea why I was the target of this experience, but then I noticed the nests. The birds had built nests in the rafters of the fellowship hall, and I was getting dangerously close to them. The same thing happened when I tried to enter the church building—suddenly, the birds were there, aggressively defending their nests. Wherever the nests were, the birds would be there to protect them.

So I can understand Isaiah’s illustration here. He says just as birds hover over a nest, so the Lord who commands armies will protect Jerusalem. God’s love is a protective love.

In the New Testament, we learn that Jesus is the door through which the sheep come in and out, finding safety. He leads us into the way of life and away from the way of destruction. Ultimately, we will see victory for eternity through the resurrection. And during this life, we will understand what it means to live victoriously through the power of His Holy Spirit. It is wise to be protected by a loving Savior.

In the New Testament, Jesus pleas for people to come to him. He calls on all who are weary and burdened, promising to give them rest. He invites us to take his yoke upon ourselves and learn from him because he is gentle and humble in heart, and we will find our rest in him because his yoke is easy and his burden is light. We don’t need to rely on ourselves. We don’t have to depend on the world around us. Our Lord loves us, and we can trust in him.

All this talk about Advent truly centers on God’s plan. God has a plan for the universe, and we’re living it out. We haven’t reached the end yet; we still face hardships, difficulties, and challenging experiences. But we can look back at what God has said in the past and realize he was working out his plan then. We can also look forward to what God has promised to do in the future and trust him to follow through.

We can look to Christ as our example in doing just that. He faced hardship and suffering, including the cross, because he trusted God. He endured the cross until it was finished. The next time we see him, he won’t be as a baby in the manger, but as a victorious, triumphant king returning. That is God’s plan — to bring hope, peace, love, and joy to the world.

What Advent challenges us to do is to embrace that plan. The season invites us to accept God’s plan for our lives and to live accordingly. It challenges us to make room in our lives for the Savior of the world while He is still pleading for us to repent.

The Lord’s love is a pleading love (6).

Isaiah pleads in verse 6. He tells the Israelites to return to the one they have openly rebelled against. As God’s prophet, Isaiah speaks for God and urges his nation to turn back to Him. They had rebelled and were trying to do things their own way. Now, when faced with danger, they look for an alternative other than returning to their God. God could reject them and let them suffer the consequences of their rebellion. But that is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is always pleading for people to come back to Him. He does not want to destroy us; He desires repentance and restoration. That is why, in this passage, the prophet is pleading with the people to repent.

JOY

JOY

Isaiah 16:10-12 NET.

10 Joy and happiness disappear from the orchards, and in the vineyards no one rejoices or shouts; no one treads out juice in the wine vats — I have brought the joyful shouts to an end. 11 So my heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp, my inner being sighs for Kir Hareseth. 12 When the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places, and enter their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective!

When we studied the poetry of the Bible, such as the Psalms, we primarily examined words coming from humans directed toward or about God. But now we’re looking at a different genre. We are focusing on literature that is mostly directly from God through a human prophet. It’s important to understand that the direction differs in prophecy. Prophecy involves words from God through the prophet, whereas poetry involves words from humans about God or to God.

All of these words in the Bible come directly from God, the Holy Spirit, in that He inspired them. He inspired poets to say what was needed for the songs to be written. In the Old Testament’s prophecy section, we see words from God the Holy Spirit as a testimony from God Himself. Today, we often use the word prophecy to refer to predictions. Some of these are found in the Old Testament prophets. For example, messianic prophecies throughout the Bible predict the coming Messiah; many were fulfilled at Jesus’ first advent when He was born. Others were fulfilled during His earthly ministry, and some are yet to be fulfilled at His second coming. The second coming is a primary focus of Old Testament prophecy. While many messianic prophecies appear in the Old Testament prophets, most prophecies focus on the Day of the Lord, which is the second advent.

But the prophets spoke directly from God to the people, culture, and time in which they lived. That explains why we have passages like today’s text, which speaks directly to the nation of Moab and is a prophecy from God to that nation. Although Israel was God’s chosen people to bring about redemption for all humanity, that does not mean Israel was God’s only concern. Even in the Old Testament, we see reflections of a God who is the God of all nations and cares about them all. Today’s text reflects that because it is about a nation other than Israel.

You might remember that Moab, as a nation, consisted of people who were relatives of the Israelites. Moab came from Lot, Abraham’s nephew. Both the Moabites and the Ammonites are descendants of Lot. You might recall that Lot’s daughters got their father drunk and slept with him. They both became pregnant and gave birth to the ancestors of those two nations. The names of these nations reflect this fact. The name Ammon means “my people,” and the name Moab means “from the father.” Moab was the ancestor of the Moabites to whom God speaks in today’s text.

Even if we only consider the three verses from today’s passage, we can still learn something about Moab as a nation. We find that they are a nation of vineyard owners and orchard keepers. Evidently, the land they possess is well-suited for fruit trees and vineyards. They also appear to derive great pleasure and joy from this way of life.

Another thing we learn from today’s passage about the Moabites is that they are very religious. They don’t worship at the temple in Jerusalem, but they have their own temples and high places where they pray and make sacrifices. They didn’t follow in Abraham’s footsteps; they have their own religion. However, we see from today’s text that they are very dedicated to practicing it. But we also learn from today’s passage in Isaiah that their devotion to their religion will not influence God. Isaiah declares judgment upon Moab.

The Lord will end the joy of the heathen.

Isaiah says that joy and happiness will disappear from the orchards. He explains that in the vineyards, no one will be rejoicing or shouting. The reason is that the labor that brings about joy will come to an end. No one will be treading out juice in the wine vats. Isaiah, speaking for God, says that God has brought the joyful shout to an end.

It’s essential to examine a passage like this, especially in today’s season. Christians around the world during this Advent season are talking about joy from the Lord. We have every right to speak about joy from the Lord. But we must remember that the joy that comes from the Lord is a joy for those whom the Lord is pleased with. Just as the peace that God promised when He sent Jesus into the world, the joy He promises is also explicitly directed toward those who will accept Christ. The joy entering the world only comes to those who receive Jesus Christ as King. This is the message of the Old and New Testaments.

The prophecy Isaiah shares in today’s passage concerns the destruction of Moab as a nation. There is no Moab today, so that prophecy has been fulfilled. However, there’s more to this passage than just the prediction and its fulfillment. God gave us that message not only because of the Moabites, but because what happened to them will happen to all the heathen nations that haven’t accepted Christ. He will take away the joy from those nations and remove all who claim to have a relationship with God but have not come to His Son and accepted Him as their King.

Last Sunday night, we watched a movie during the evening service. The film showed a tribe living in the jungle that had not yet learned about Jesus. Some of you have talked to me afterward and said that the movie really shook you up. You couldn’t understand how people could live like that. It’s important to remember that there are still people in the world living without Christ and without hope. They are living in darkness and have not yet experienced the light of Christ.

We are still living in an age where our primary focus should be on reaching the lost. There are not only many individuals who need salvation, but also thousands of people groups who have never heard the name of Christ. Some of these might be experiencing temporary joy in their current lives, but as the Moabites did, that joy will be short-lived and ultimately disrupted by the judgment of Almighty God. We must have compassion for these people and strive to get the gospel to them. If the only way to reach them is by sending our sons and daughters, that is what we must do.

The reality of God’s judgment upon the nations remains unchanged. The heathen are still lost regardless of what happens to us. They need to hear the word of God and to listen to it from the Church of God. Yes, God loves them, but He also hates their sin. Just as God pronounced judgment upon Moab, many people groups around the world are facing God’s judgment.

The Lord has no joy in doing this.

Isaiah, speaking for God in today’s passage, says that His heart constantly sighs for Moab, like the strumming of a harp. His inner being sighs for Kir Harosheth, one of the Moabite cities. Isaiah opens a window into God’s mind, revealing His heart. He shows a God whose heart is breaking because He must destroy the wicked. You see, God is a God of justice. When something is wrong, He must correct it. As the ruler of this universe, He is responsible for fixing mistakes. But God is also compassionate. He does not want to destroy the lost. He is not willing that anyone should perish, but He desires all to come to repentance. However, He has set a date for judging the great and the small. When that day arrives, there will be no more time for mercy. When the trumpet sounds and time ends, those who are lost will be forever lost.

Why does God tell us that he has no joy in destroying Moab? Specifically, why is this statement included in the Israelite scriptures? Why does God speak this through the mouth of an Israelite prophet? There must be a reason this is relevant to the children of Israel. It reveals the heart of their God. It shows that their God is not a respecter of persons. He loves the children of Israel, but also loves the children of Moab. He loves the followers of the Christian Bible, but also cares for those who follow other Bibles and have not yet seen the truth in his holy word. God’s heart extends beyond just those who consider themselves his. His heart cries out for us to reach those who don’t see themselves as his. He takes no joy in their destruction—he took no joy in the destruction of Moab. He takes no pleasure in the destruction of those who rebel against his truth. He considers them his children, even if they are prodigal children. He eagerly waits for the day when the prodigal son will come to himself and return home.

There is only one Way to the Lord.

There is a heretical teaching that continues to spread among Christian circles. This false teaching reflects everyone’s desire to be saved. Some say that as long as you are sincere in your belief, it doesn’t matter what that belief is. But we don’t see that idea in today’s passage. Isaiah says that when the Moabites plead with all their might at their high places and go into their temples to pray, their prayers will be ineffective. Isaiah shows that these Moabites are sincere in their belief and eager for God to save them, but they are going about it the wrong way.

The New Testament gospel communicates the same message. Jesus states that he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one comes to the Father except through him. Many of us struggle with this truth because we know there are many nations, many religions, and many ways people try to reach God. All around us, we hear people saying there are many ways to God. However, when they do so, they are not reflecting the Christian gospel. Today’s text reminds us that you can be sincerely seeking God and still not reach him. God has given us only one way of salvation: through the Lord Jesus Christ. That means many prayers will not be answered because they have not come through Jesus.

The joy we talk about at Christmas is a joy found only in Jesus Christ. The good news of the gospel is good news of great joy. However, the gospel is conditional, with Jesus Christ as the condition. This means that when Jesus comes, there will be joy in the world, but it will not reach everyone. As seen in other prophecies in the Old Testament, the coming of Christ will bring great fear and sorrow to those who have not accepted Him. That is why, when we proclaim the Christian joy of Christ’s coming, we must make it clear that the joy we speak of will only belong to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Furthermore, the joy we speak of when we sing “Joy to the World” is a joy only experienced when our Lord returns. The joy we feel now is terrific, but it is only a preview of an even greater joy. The joy of Christ coming as a baby in Bethlehem was marvelous, but it was just the beginning. It was a joy for those who welcomed Christ into their hearts. It was a joy for Mary and Joseph. It was a joy for the shepherds. It was a joy for the wise men. It was a joy for Simeon and Anna.

The Advent season is a time for you and me to ask ourselves if we have room in our hearts for Jesus Christ. The joy of Christmas is ours if we can answer that question in the affirmative. Likewise, the joy of the second Advent is ours if we have found room in our hearts for Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Otherwise, like the Moabites, we will see that all we will eventually experience is loss, and even if we are sincere in our prayers, those prayers will never reach God. Even worse, when our Lord does come in his glory with all his angels, he will greet us not as our Lord and Savior but as our Judge.

If you want joy, absolute joy, incredible joy, let Jesus into your heart.