By John Stallings
When a scrawny, listless, dull-eyed baby is brought to a physician and the physician pronounces, "F.T.T", the parents are in world of hurt.
F.T.T often suggests that the parents are negligent, or abusive, or psychologically unfit, or at the very least too immature to be entrusted with a baby.
F.T.T. is an acronym to describe an ailment where—for unknown reasons—a newborn infant is unable to gain weight or to grow.
F.T.T. stands for “Failure To Thrive.”
Sometimes it happens when a parent or care-giver is depressed, and the depression seems to get passed down. Sometimes something seems to be off in an infant’s metabolism for reasons no one can understand. FTT is one of those mysterious, terribly medical phrases that sounds like an explanation but in truth, explains nothing.
NOTHING MORE NORMAL THAN GROWTH
One of the most common and widespread activities of the natural world around us is growth. The universe is alive and growing and we just naturally expect it. Children grow, often more than their parents would wish. I’ve been shocked at the suddenness with which tiny babies develop into little children and next thing you know they’re sitting on the front row in church. Then almost overnight they’re in school and then almost overnight they’re graduating from college. To me this is a beautiful thing to watch, although it makes me feel old.
A wobbly-legged puppy is a full grown dog within a few short months. Trees grow, flowers grow, Institutions grow, and Nations grow. Growth is universal. But more important than any of this is the growth that takes place in man. Man grows physically, intellectually and spiritually. It’s the last of those that is supremely important.
Some time ago I heard a minister tell about going to a 40th high school reunion. I didn’t know there was such a thing but there obviously is.
For months he saved to take his wife back to the place and the people he’d left four decades before. The closer the time came for the reunion, the more excited he became, thinking of all the wonderful stories he would hear about the changes and the accomplishments these old friends would tell him. One night before he left he even pulled out his old yearbooks, read the silly statements and the good wishes for the future that students write to each other.
He wondered what ol’ Number 86 from his football team had done. He wondered if any others had encountered this Christ who had changed him so profoundly. He even tried to guess what some of his friends would look like, and what kind of jobs and families some of these special friends had.
The day came to leave and a friend drove them to the airport. Their enthusiasm was contagious. The friend encouraged them to have a great time and assured them he’d be there to pick them up on their return home.
The friend watched as this man and his wife got off the plane two days later and was stunned at how despondent they looked. He almost didn’t want to ask, but finally asked how the reunion was.
The minister told him it was one of the saddest experiences of his life.
When the friend asked what happened the minister quickly retorted that it wasn’t what had happened but what hadn’t happened. It had been 40 years and his class-mates hadn’t changed. They had simply gained weight, changed clothes, gotten jobs...but they hadn’t really changed. And what he felt was maybe one of the most tragic things I could ever imagine about life. For reasons he didn’t fully understand, it seemed as though many of them had chosen not to change.
On the drive home, the minister unburdened his heart to his friend. He asked him if he ever saw him becoming stagnant or “stuck in a rut” to give him a quick swift kick where he needed it because life is too precious and too important to grow stale and jaded. The minister added- “for Christ’s sake” I hope you’ll love me enough to challenge me to keep growing."
In most areas of life growth is automatic. We eat, sleep and -voila, we grow. Of course that doesn’t happen in the case of a child with FTT. Tragically there is no growth. But for the overwhelmingly majority of us growth just happens.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH ISN’T A GIVEN
In the area of spiritual growth, it doesn’t happen that way. In the realm of things spiritual, growth isn’t automatic. It doesn’t take place without plan and effort. It can be achieved only through conscious desire and diligent work.
As Christians our greatest desire should be to grow into the likeness of Christ but tragically many develop Spiritual FTT. Failure To Thrive-as a Christian. The problem is that we live in a secular age and often the sheer mass of secular, non-spiritual activities crowd out the deep longing of our hearts. Much of the time the desire is there but at other times it’s crowded out by the trivia of the day. We find ourselves striving for the same goals and in the same manner as non-Christians. We live in a materialistic, secular age and often the den of non-spiritual activities drowns out the things of the spirit.
IMMATURITY
Babies are cute and delightful in many ways. But if a person were to remain a baby for ten or twenty years, something would be terribly wrong. We would find in that baby something pitiful, something grotesque. Most all parents have remarked when their kids were being raised, “Look how quickly they’re growing. I wish I could keep them this age forever.” But if that child truly stopped growing and developing, as parents we’d pay any price and do any and all things in the realm of possibility to have that child to continue to grow and develop normally.
Now, in a literal, physical sense there are no twenty-year-old babies. But there are twenty-year-olds, forty-, sixty-year-olds who often act like babies. And what do we say about them? That they are cute and delightful? No! Think of a grown man coming to church with a flower in his lapel that squirts water at you. You mutter, “Joe, why don’t you grow up?” After a while, Joe might find himself without any friends, because people like that are unpleasant to say the least..
Immaturity is hard to tolerate. I’m afraid that God is similarly annoyed by some of us, for there’s a lot of spiritual immaturity among Christians today in the church. This is not always necessarily a bad thing — much of it results because of our evangelistic emphasis on winning souls. When new spiritual babies are being born you expect to have spiritual babies around.
But we’ve got to keep encouraging the young Christians to grow. And older Christians too, for we never outgrow the need to grow. We need to emphasize the basics of the gospel: salvation by the death and resurrection of Christ, by God’s grace. That’s imperative. But let nobody misunderstand: there’s a lot more to learn in God’s Word beside these basics. And it’s sad when someone who has been a Christian for a long time knows nothing else than the simple gospel.
Listen to Hebrews 6:1,
Let us go forward, then, to mature teaching and leave behind us the first lessons of the Christian message. We should not lay again the foundation of turning away from useless works and believing in God…
It’s amazing how many older Christians there are who have to be nursed. People have to walk on egg-shells around them to keep from hurting their feelings. Then they’ll start whining if not howling and the church “wet nurse” has to carry them their “bottle.”
Instead of being spiritually strong men and women, they are mere babes and have to be cared for. Instead of being a workshop, the church becomes a nursery—a hospital. Paul said,
"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I understood as a child; but when I became a man I put away childish things."
But many who profess to be mature believers are still playing with spiritual dolls.
Spiritual babes, instead of doing work, make work for others. The difference between a child and a man is that the man works and the child makes work for others. Too many churches of today are full of babies. You could put up a sign in front of the church that reads “Babyland.”They do not help; they hinder. Many have not learned to walk, but they have learned to talk. The preacher must spend much of his time cradle-rocking to keep them from whining. He has to feed them Pablum from the pulpit then rush to the back door to “burp” them before they leave.
Many Christians live with stunted growth. We weren’t made to be like the tiny ponies that will never grow any bigger or the twisted bonsai tree. Once in a while we see the little people, normal people in every way except they are dwarfs. Some Christians suffer from stunted growth! Like Peter Pan they never grow up. Many Christian men and women stop short! They grow older, yes, but long ago they ceased any inner development. They have had no fresh ideas for years. They have flowered in no new interests or understanding. They are spiritually dead wood. They sing “standing on the promises” but they’re just sitting on the premises. They are spiritually immature and often this is seen in their un-Christian attitudes or behavior. Growth in a human being is a matter of striving. By our own will and grit we can shake off lethargy, push through the hard crust of accustomed ideas, and reach into the light of greater wisdom.
WHAT DOES SPIRITUAL GROWTH LOOK LIKE?
First, let's look at what it’s not. It’s not becoming more saved than at the moment of conversion. It’s not becoming more forgiven than when converted. It’s not becoming more justified than at salvation.
Growing to maturity isn’t being sinless. Christians are sinners saved by grace, constantly being forgiven, but continually growing to maturity in Christ. Perfection will be completed in heaven when we shall be as He is. Perfection is completed only in eternity but here our personal best is our goal.
What Christian growth is , is learning about who God is and what He says to us through His Word. It’s being able to do more of what God wants. It is living more and more in the love of God.
Consider Bible evidences of growth in men. This growth resulted in change in,
Peter: From backsliding to blessing.
Paul: From the Damascus road to the Roman Road.
John: From the Son of Thunder to the disciple of love.
TWO FALSE CONCEPTS OF GROWTH
Like ditches on either side of the road, there are two “spiritual growth ditches” we can fall into. One ditch is the false concept that in order to grow, one must become more Radical and Legalistic. Therefore, any additional teachings that offer a stricter way are what God’s looking for in us. Teachings that offer a more permissive approach are avoided. This attitude isn’t descriptive of spiritual growth.
Please understand: The Bible clearly describes the Way of life as a narrow way (Matt. 7:13-14), -but not a way that is progressively becoming narrower and narrower. Satan will get behind us and push us so hard and fast that as time goes by we’ll become so narrow-minded that we can look through a key-hole with both eyes. This isn’t Christian growth.
The opposite point-of-view is-that growth manifests itself by becoming increasingly permissive. Thus, any teaching perceived as being burdensome-anything that’s “Jewish,” or from the Old Testament-is discarded in favor of the “new-found freedom” that Christ brought.
An honest reading of scripture however, does not support either approach. The biblical record shows that in the early Church, there was no deleting of or adding to the Truth that was given initially. Some changes were made [male circumcision was dropped as a requirement] to show how the Truth should be administered in the New Testament era, but the Truth itself was an unalterable, divinely revealed message. It was and still is the unchanging standard. Therefore, there was no need for it to become progressively stricter or more liberal. But sadly there will always be those who will get into the ditch on one side of the road or the other. If he can, Satan will “Freeze” us or “Fry” us.
The Bible emphasizes over and over again – do not add to or take away from the Truth. Don’t go to the right or to the left. Do not conservatize or liberalize. God wants balance, stability, and consistency, not vacillation with every wind of doctrine (Eph. 4:14). God doesn’t want us to go to extremes. Both the biblical and historical record clearly show that when any church organization begins to tamper with the revealed Truth, whether making it more restrictive or less restrictive, it is only a matter of time until that organization repudiates what it originally believed.
BIBLE EMPHASIS
Growth in grace is a constant emphasis of Peter’s: "Crave spiritual milk so that you might grow into the fullness of your salvation. It’s not difficult to understand why this might be his concern. Peter had let the Savior down. He knew what the consequences of immaturity were. He was eager that others be spared the pain it brought him so he wanted to see his fellow Christians growing-up.
Listen again to Peter…
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.—2 Peter 1:5-7
The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.-3 John
Listen to the writer of Hebrews chapter 5:12...
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.—Hebrews 5:1
“By this time you ought to be teachers….” -By this time.
How long have you been a Christian? 6 months? 6 years? 50 years? How much growing have you done in that time? And where ought you to be by this time?
The writer to the Hebrews furnishes us with two important measuring devices…not length and weight but knowledge and behavior.
SPIRITUAL BOTTLE BABIES
The writer of Hebrews uses the picture of baby’s diet: Are you still drinking milk, or have you been weaned to solid food? If you are a new Christian, of course, you need milk! Simple spiritual truth. By this time, says the Hebrews writer, you ought to be teaching others!
Is it any wonder that so few Christians have brought another person to Jesus Christ, and that we feel so ill-equipped to answer the questions or challenges others bring? Is it any wonder that when some moment of trial of serious crisis comes, we go to our spiritual wells and find that they have run dry. If you and I don’t grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, we dishonor Him who made our minds and calls us to use them!
Are you growing in knowledge? If so, I rejoice with you and urge you to continue!
Listen to Paul…
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ...Ephesians 4:11-15
The following are several proofs that we are making progress in our spiritual lives:
# If you are conscious that you are exercising more childlike and complete confidence in God, this indicates that you are growing in grace. As your life, attitude, and spirit manifests this ever-expanding faith in God, you demonstrate that you are growing in God.
# If you are weaned from the world and its temptations, you have grown in grace. A soul crucified to the world signals spiritual progress.
# Fewer feelings of reluctance when called to exercise self-denial reveals growth in grace. It shows that the soul is blending into harmony with the Will of God.
#Less temptation to sins of commission and omission is another sign of growth. Less temptation to shy away from unpleasant responsibilities, from prayer, Scripture reading, private and family devotions, displays growth.
#Deepening intensity and zeal for God’s causes reveals growth. Sometimes a Christian’s zeal cools, and at other times it warms; sometimes it is committed, at other times it is fickle and fleeting. As Christians grow in devotion, their zeal becomes deep, intense and steady.
# Christians sometimes cannot speak, pray or do anything in public without being either proud or self-condemning. As they lose sight of self and consistently work for God’s glory with spiritual confidence, they grow.
# Deadness to flattery or condemnation signals growth in grace. Paul counted it a small thing to be judged by others. He sought only to find God’s approval.
# A growing graciousness in all things denotes Christian growth.
# Calmness in hardship evidences growth. It shows that the soul is firmly anchored in Christ, more able to withstand the storms of life.
# Christian growth is manifesting when there’s tranquility in the face of sudden, crushing disasters and losses.
# Patience under provocation and less temptation to worry speak of growth in grace.
# When you find that you not only tolerate but accept God’s will when it calls you to suffer, when you can endure patiently and joyfully, this shows you are growing in God.
# An increasing deadness to all the things that the world offers and to all its threats denotes growth in grace.
# Dwelling less on other’s faults and shortcomings and having the ability to “sweep around our own door” first, and becoming more focused on biblical solutions to problems is a heartening sign of growth in God.
# Speech that is gentle rather than sarcastic, uncharitable or severe. A growing sensitivity and tenderness in speaking of and relating to others is a healthy sign of growth.
# An increasing reluctance to think of or treat anyone as an enemy, and an increasing ease in treating people kindly, praying for them earnestly and working to do them good.
# An ability to forgive rather than hold grudges, and a lack of desire to retaliate for injuries.
# Conformity to God and growth in His grace is clearly displayed by a growing jealousy for God’s honor, and for the church’s purity in a corrupt world.
#Doing things less by feelings and more because it’s the right thing to do.”
#Greater humility.-James 4:10-1 Peter5:5,6
QUESTIONS WE SHOULD ASK OURSELVES
Are our thoughts and motivations moving beyond worldly interests?
Are we moving beyond wanting everyone's approval?
Are we moving beyond having to be asked to serve the Lord?
Are we moving beyond the fear of life, death and eternity?
Are we sharing our faith as the Holy Spirit leads?
Are we adding Diligence and Faith to our life?
Are we adding Virtue?
Are we adding Knowledge?
Are we adding Temperance?
Are adding Patience?
Are adding Godliness?
Are we adding Brotherly Kindness?
Are we adding Love?
If God had grades within the Christian life, what grade would you be in? What if our schools turned out as many [or few] graduates as the Church does?
When our ancient fore parents began to sail they could sail only in the direction that the wind was blowing. If the wind was blowing where they didn't want to go, too bad. Either they took the sail down and drifted or they put the sail up and were blown off course. As people became more sophisticated sailors, however, they learned how to sail across the wind, even how to sail against the wind. Regardless of where the wind was blowing now, they could use the wind -- any wind -- to go where they were supposed to go. As the old axiom says, “It’s not the direction of the wind, but the set of the sails.”
It’s is a mark of Christian maturity that we can advance, go where we are supposed to be going, regardless of the most contrary winds that are blowing around us. Only the mature can do this!
Which gives us a choice doesn’t it? We can come together to encourage one another, to love one another, to support one another and to teach one another and so form this spiritual family which is God’s will for our life.
Or we can try and be lone ranger Christians and attempt to do it on our own. We can embrace our fellow believers, take them by the hand and open our heart to them. Or, we can exclude them, with the risk that we may grow cold and distant and our faith may experience-
Failure To Thrive.
Blessings,
John
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
A Few Good Men
By John Stallings
He wasn’t a prophet, preacher, priest, or a king, just an ordinary man who was radically changed by an encounter with a heavenly visitor.
His name is kept alive in modern times by the Bibles to be found in most hotel and motel rooms.
Judges records the history of the nation of Israel for 305 years after the death of Joshua and in this book we see many frightening parallels between Israel and America.
Israel was established by God Himself and He gave them Canaan, the best land on the earth at that time. God gave them His love, The Law, and The Land, only asking them for one thing in return--that they would love Him, obey Him, and serve Him. What did Israel do? They Denied the Lord, they Defied the Law, and Defiled the Land. So God had to judge them.
RIPPED FROM AMERICAN HEADLINES
The parallel with America is obvious and alarming. No nation has ever had a Christian beginning like the USA. We too have been given The Lord, The law, and a Land, and we've Denied Him and Defied Him. Our land is being Defiled, leaving us fighting for survival.
Gideon's story is recorded in chapters 6-8 of the book of Judges. He lived in the period of history of Israel that was made up of seven repeated cycles in which the people of Israel rebelled against God, began to worship the pagan gods around them, suffered the painful consequences, cried out to God for help, and He responded by sending a judge who would deliver them.
For a while the people would return to God but when the judge died they would rebel against God and the cycle would start all over again.
Gideon was the fourth of these judges and his ministry began with the same phrase that got all the other judges started. We find it in verse 1 of Judges 6, -“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord." This time the consequence of worshiping false gods came in the form of a group of people known as the Midianites. Their mode of attacking the Israelites was different than the Canaanites that Deborah had to deal with. Instead of the iron chariots that served Jabin and Sisera, the Midianites had a unique military weapon in the form of…. camels.
In the twenty-first century with our sophisticated instruments of death: smart bombs, patriot missiles, and stealth bombers it’s hard for us to appreciate the military significance of camels twelve hundred years before Christ. In Gideon's day, camels gave the Midianites an enormous military advantage. They were so ugly they had to slip up on water to get a drink [kidding] and would strike the Israelites with great fear. But the main benefit of the camel was that it gave the Midianites a mobile, long-range, swift, attack-capability against the Hebrews, who were entirely dependent on foot soldiers.
I saw something this week that I never thought I’d see; a video of huge elephants brought to Joplin Missouri to help clean up the debris from the vociferous twisters that struck the town. I watched in amazement as the Pachyderms pulled cars and trucks around like they were small tin-cans. At first it seemed funny but it worked-or they worked-beautifully. I prayed they wouldn’t get upset because if those elephants had decided to throw a fit, a few of them could easily wipe out what was left of Joplin.
A camel can travel for three or four days with a heavy load on its back, and cover about 300 miles without food or water. With this powerful “new weapon,” the Midianites were able to develop a unique strategy in their war against Israel. Rather than invading and occupying the land, they simply waited until harvest time each fall.
Then they would move in from the desert, cross the Jordan in huge numbers, like a plague of locusts, stripping it bare of grain, vegetables, fruit, and livestock. Finally, with their camels loaded down with spoils, they would cross back into the desert and live there until the next harvest time. They did this for seven years and left Israel in desperation. People were reduced to hiding food in mountain dens and caves.
This was incredibly humiliating and debilitating to Israel. Since an attack could come at any moment, they lived in constant fear. We’re told… "They were brought very low because of Midian."
GIDEON
Then Gideon appears on the scene. His name means "hacker" or "hewer" which would seem to be a name for a man of great strength and courage. But, when we get our first look at Gideon, he's cowering under a tree, threshing grain in a wine press. Normally a man would do so on a wooden threshing floor, in an exposed place so that the wind could carry away the chaff. He would use a threshing sledge pulled by oxen. But, Gideon was trying to separate the grain from the chaff by walking on it in his bare feet as you would on grapes to turn them into wine. And he was doing this hidden under a tree for fear of the marauding Midianites. One day when Gideon was doing this a man approached, sat down under the tree, and watched.
Two things are significant about this person; Gideon didn’t know that he was the Angel of the Lord so there must have been nothing supernatural about His appearance. He didn't have wings, or wear a halo, or carry a harp. He didn't glow with a heavenly light like those heavenly beings on Touched by An Angel. Secondly it was not an angel of the Lord, but rather THE angel of the Lord. In the Old Testament whenever the phrase, "THE Angel of the Lord," is used it refers to Jesus Himself, before His incarnation...taking the form of an angel and visiting the earth. Now, if I didn't know the Lord better, I might think that He was mocking Gideon with the first words He spoke. In verse 12, He said, "The Lord is with you, Oh Valiant warrior!" Gideon was anything but valiant at this point. He was more of a cowardly, beleaguered victim.
One day a man came to his psychiatrist with a problem. He said, "Doctor, please help me. Everything's going wrong. I feel worthless. My friends tell me I have a terrible inferiority complex. Can you help me?" So the psychiatrist told him that he would give him some tests and evaluate him. A week later, the man came back and the psychiatrist said, "Friend, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that we have proved you don’t have a complex. There is no doubt about that. The bad news is, you’re inferior."
Gideon was inferior-at least in the judgment of his peers-and he pointed this out to God. He said that he was of the tribe of Manasseh, which was the lowest and weakest tribe in all Israel. Then, he said that his family was the lowest and weakest family in the tribe of Manasseh. Further, he was the lowest and weakest member of his family. So, he was the lowest and weakest member of the lowest and weakest family of the lowest and weakest tribe of all Israel! You cannot get much lower than that. But to these excuses of inferiority, God gave a single reply, "I will be with you...."which brings us to the first principle of how to be a valiant warrior for God. You see, when it comes to the battles of life you must remember:
IT’S NOT IMPORTANT WHO YOU ARE, IT’S WHO YOU’RE WITH
God does not seek people who are the most outwardly capable, or the most naturally "strong." No, He intentionally works with the most unlikely material so that everyone can see the glory belongs to God and God alone. The apostle Paul marveled over this principle more than a thousand years later writing,
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong...as it is written, 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” [I Corinthians 1:26-27, 31]
Time and time again as we read the Word of God, we see God cutting away a man's self-confidence to bring him to the place where he admits that he is totally inadequate to do or to be what God desires. There isn’t a single major figure in the Word of God whom God didn’t bring to realize a deep sense of his own inadequacy. And this is vital for truly valiant warriors.
Paul reminds us- "We are not adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves...our adequacy is from God." (II Corinthians 3:5)
The narrative says- "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon." The Spirit of God wore Gideon the way a man puts on a suit of clothes, indwelling him, empowering him to do battle. You and I must remember this principle if we are to be effective soldiers in God's army! A good approach for us would be to daily say to God, "Lord, here I am. I want to be your suit of clothes today. I want you to take me and use me. Lord, just walk around in me today." This a great philosophy for us to embrace, for our strength, and our sufficiency for victory doesn’t come from ourselves but from God.
Our key to victory is God's indwelling presence and power. We are nothing without God, no matter how strong or talented we may be. In this army, it doesn't matter who you are. It matters Who you are with or Who is with you! To what extent have you allowed the promise of God's adequacy to minister to your life? God Himself has committed to be with you and to pour His strength into you. Remember your weakness does not hinder God. In fact, II Corinthians 12:9 says that,
"His strength is made perfect in weakness."
IF YOU AND I WANT TO BE VICTORIOUS IN LIFE WE MUST DECIDE WHICH GENERAL WE’LL FOLLOW.
The first assignment that God gave Gideon was not to attack the Midianites but to assault the idol worship of his people.
The reason the people of Israel were weaken and unable to defend themselves was that they had chosen to worship and put their faith in something other than the true God. They were following the wrong "general!" And many times we are weak because we make the same mistake. We feel overwhelmed because we worship things other than God. We have divided loyalties. This is what Jesus was warning us of when He said,
"No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24)
And this, Gideon's first battle was probably his toughest because in his own backyard there was a vivid example of the reason God had allowed Midian to overwhelm and enslave Israel.
Joash, Gideon's father, had apparently built an altar to Baal on his property and with it an Asherah, a wooden pillar representing the Canaanite goddess of fertility. And it was not just for the family's private use. It obviously served as the village shrine with Joash acting as the supervisor of pagan worship in the area. God told Gideon to take a young bull and a seven-year-old bull and use them to tear down the massive altar to Baal. Then he was to cut down the wooden Asherah and, using that wood, he was to build a fire on which to sacrifice the seven-year-old bull on a new altar which he was to build for the Lord. God gave Gideon this task so that he could learn that before Midian could go, Baal had to go.
God would tolerate no rivals. Truly great soldiers in God’s army only follow one commander.
People notice how committed we, who claim to be Christians, are to God. Gideon's neighbors certainly noticed the results of his actions that night. In fact the next morning when they saw what he had done they demanded his death but his own father came to his defense and said … "Hey....if baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar!" The neighbors agreed and they gave Gideon a new name, "Jerub-baal" which literally means "let baal contend-let him fight for himself."
From that moment on, every time the people of Israel looked at Gideon, they had visible proof of the weakness of baal and the power of God. This valiant warrior helped them to see the importance of following only the one true God.
OUR FOLLOWING HIS ORDERS ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD
This was a learning process for Gideon. From the beginning he had a lot of trouble trusting the commands and promises of God. Even after he gathered his army he was afraid and you may remember he tested God. It wasn't that Gideon was trying to discover God's will. He already knew what God's will was for his life. Prior to his fleece Gideon said to God, "If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have said." You see, God had made His will perfectly clear. Gideon didn't lack information about the will of God; He lacked confidence to trust the Word of God. Gideon's real struggle was one of faith, not information. This is an important lesson for all Christians to learn for as Hebrews 11:6 says,
"Without faith it is impossible to please God."
Note that God is gentle with Gideon. God graciously helps build Gideon's faith. First Gideon put a sheep skin on the ground and asked God to make only the fleece wet with dew and the ground dry and God did this. But that wasn't enough to build Gideon's confidence. You can almost see his mind at work. He thinks, "Maybe this isn't as amazing as it seems...after all, it would be more likely for the water to be absorbed by the wool than the ground.
Maybe the fact that the wool is wet and the ground is dry would have happened anyway. It's not really as sign of anything." So, he makes a second request of God: "Will you reverse the process -- and make the ground wet and the fleece dry?" Gideon's response here points out how inadequate fleeces can be when used as a method for discovering God's will. The results are difficult to interpret.
I read about a Bible school announcing that it was planning to buy a building. They said, "If we have $100,000 by this date, we will know it is God's will. We will know that God wants us to do it." On the appointed day, they had only $90,000 and now they had a problem; should they buy the building or not? And if it was not God's will, where had the $90,000 come from? Was it Satan's money? Of course not. But the fallacy was that they had expected God to do His work in their way.
Do you see the weakness in this practice? It tends to limit God...it puts Him in a box. Litmus tests like this are always difficult to interpret. Fleeces aren't the best way to find the will of God. We don't need to cast fleeces to experience God's guidance. We’re liable to be “fleeced.” He has given us His written Word to help us find His will...and His presence to help us understand and do it. In Psalm 73:23-24 the psalmist rejoices in this truth saying to God,
"You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory."
The amazing thing about this isn’t what it shows about Gideon's fleece, but what it teaches us about God's patience. Gideon was a special student in God's "slow-learner class." God had done so much in his life already but Gideon was still saying, "If you're really going to do what You say...do this or that." But God kept on loving and working with him. I thank God for that because I too am one of God's slow learners. Many times in my life I have had to pray, "I believe...but not quite enough...help my unbelief.”
Over and over I have learned to be thankful that God is,
"Slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness; maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." Exodus. 34:6-7.
IF WE FOLLOW GOD, GET READY FOR “GOD-SIZED” BATTLES.
The Midianites had a force of 135,000 men with them when they invaded Israel in this 8th harvest season. They camped in the Valley of Jezreel, and they came fully expecting to carry out their usual policy of an uncontested stripping of the land and a triumphant return to their desert home. But this time there was a difference. God had raised up a man who was prepared to lead Israel against these camel-riding carpet baggers. Empowered by the Spirit of God, Gideon marched his army of 32,000 men to the hills of Mt. Gilboa.
The Midianites were armed to the teeth but Gideon and his men had virtually no weapons. Gideon and his men were no doubt wondering how they could possibly win against such a superior force. So imagine how Gideon felt when God said that he had too many troops and that all those who were afraid should return home? Interestingly, 22,000 took him up on this offer!
After the 22,000 left, God said that was still too many so He instructed Gideon to watch his men drink and send everyone home who bent their faces down to drink water from the stream directly. Only 300 stood up alertly, ready for battle, the water cupped in their hands.
So in a short span of time God had taken an overwhelming situation and made it impossible. It would seem that defeat was going to be snatched from the jaws of victory. The original 32000 had no chance of winning against the hordes of the Midianites and their superior weaponry but for 300 it was laughable. God chose less than one percent of the group that Gideon began with to fight. They were outnumbered 450 to 1. God isn’t interested in simply giving His people victory. He’s concerned with teaching us trust.
Our victories make us self-reliant, which is worse, far worse, in the long run, than losing! That night I don't think Gideon slept too well. Would you? 300 against 135,000! That's like a football team composed of junior high school girls going up against Super Bowl champions! God of course knew how Gideon felt so He told him, "If you are afraid to go down against the Midianites, let me help you."
A DREAM CHANGES EVERYTHING
God knew the anguish Gideon was going through so He invited Gideon to go to the camp of the Midianites. Gideon obeyed and was accompanied by a young boy, named Purah. They snuck in close enough to hear Midianite sentries talking about a dream in which a barley loaf flattened a tent. The Midianites were nomadic so the tent clearly represented them. And barley was most often used as animal food, but it was all that the Israelites had left because of the better foodstuffs had been taken. So, the barley loaf clearly represented Israel. The Midianite said, "That barley bun is nothing less than the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash. God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand."
As he listened Gideon no doubt sensed that the dream had been repeated throughout the whole army of the Midianites. They had been terrorized inwardly by the mysterious hand of God. So this huge army was already defeated. And at this point Gideon learned he greatest lesson of his life. He realized as he never had before, that it was not a battle between 300 Israelites and 135,000 Midianites. It was God who was fighting Midian and the 300 men were just His channels.
Gideon went back to his little band of men and said, "Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands." He divided his army into three groups of 100 and as they departed they were given their weapons.
Here is what was issued to them: a clay jar, a trumpet, and a torch. No shields, no spears, no swords. Gideon had his “few good men” to surround the camp and then waited until the middle watch had just been posted. That was about 10:30 pm when some of the men had been asleep for three or four hours and were now in their deepest sleep. The men who had just been relieved from guard duty would still be moving through the camp, and the men who had just gone on duty would still be rubbing their eyes.
Suddenly there was a huge noise all around them. The rams' horns were signaling an enemy attack! Then the clay pitchers smashed on the ground sounded like the armor of armies clashing into one another. The Midianites looked up and they were surrounded on three sides by lights and torches. Finally a great shout shattered the silence "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon."
In all the confusion, the camels stampeded and in the chaos that resulted, the panicked Midianites began to slaughter one another. To the half-asleep men, everything that moved became an enemy. Every shadow was an Israelite. All this time, Gideon's men didn’t move. They stood in their place blowing their trumpets, waving their torches and shouting their slogan, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon." By they way, they only had one "sword"-the sword of the Lord-and that is all they needed!
God still calls His troops into battle against overwhelming odds but sadly many Christians only want to do things they can do. Just like Gideon, fear keeps us from victory. Fear stops us dead in our tracks. So we go on living a defeated existence until the pain of defeat becomes too much for us to bear.
Then some of us like Gideon find the faith to break through seemingly unconquerable fear and take an honest shot at victorious life in God.
Why is Gideon in Hebrews 11? In the midst of a backslidden people he rerouted his doubts. He accomplished something for God strictly by faith!
Gideon defeated the powerful Midianite army with only 300 soldiers-Just a few good men!
Blessings,
John
He wasn’t a prophet, preacher, priest, or a king, just an ordinary man who was radically changed by an encounter with a heavenly visitor.
His name is kept alive in modern times by the Bibles to be found in most hotel and motel rooms.
Judges records the history of the nation of Israel for 305 years after the death of Joshua and in this book we see many frightening parallels between Israel and America.
Israel was established by God Himself and He gave them Canaan, the best land on the earth at that time. God gave them His love, The Law, and The Land, only asking them for one thing in return--that they would love Him, obey Him, and serve Him. What did Israel do? They Denied the Lord, they Defied the Law, and Defiled the Land. So God had to judge them.
RIPPED FROM AMERICAN HEADLINES
The parallel with America is obvious and alarming. No nation has ever had a Christian beginning like the USA. We too have been given The Lord, The law, and a Land, and we've Denied Him and Defied Him. Our land is being Defiled, leaving us fighting for survival.
Gideon's story is recorded in chapters 6-8 of the book of Judges. He lived in the period of history of Israel that was made up of seven repeated cycles in which the people of Israel rebelled against God, began to worship the pagan gods around them, suffered the painful consequences, cried out to God for help, and He responded by sending a judge who would deliver them.
For a while the people would return to God but when the judge died they would rebel against God and the cycle would start all over again.
Gideon was the fourth of these judges and his ministry began with the same phrase that got all the other judges started. We find it in verse 1 of Judges 6, -“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord." This time the consequence of worshiping false gods came in the form of a group of people known as the Midianites. Their mode of attacking the Israelites was different than the Canaanites that Deborah had to deal with. Instead of the iron chariots that served Jabin and Sisera, the Midianites had a unique military weapon in the form of…. camels.
In the twenty-first century with our sophisticated instruments of death: smart bombs, patriot missiles, and stealth bombers it’s hard for us to appreciate the military significance of camels twelve hundred years before Christ. In Gideon's day, camels gave the Midianites an enormous military advantage. They were so ugly they had to slip up on water to get a drink [kidding] and would strike the Israelites with great fear. But the main benefit of the camel was that it gave the Midianites a mobile, long-range, swift, attack-capability against the Hebrews, who were entirely dependent on foot soldiers.
I saw something this week that I never thought I’d see; a video of huge elephants brought to Joplin Missouri to help clean up the debris from the vociferous twisters that struck the town. I watched in amazement as the Pachyderms pulled cars and trucks around like they were small tin-cans. At first it seemed funny but it worked-or they worked-beautifully. I prayed they wouldn’t get upset because if those elephants had decided to throw a fit, a few of them could easily wipe out what was left of Joplin.
A camel can travel for three or four days with a heavy load on its back, and cover about 300 miles without food or water. With this powerful “new weapon,” the Midianites were able to develop a unique strategy in their war against Israel. Rather than invading and occupying the land, they simply waited until harvest time each fall.
Then they would move in from the desert, cross the Jordan in huge numbers, like a plague of locusts, stripping it bare of grain, vegetables, fruit, and livestock. Finally, with their camels loaded down with spoils, they would cross back into the desert and live there until the next harvest time. They did this for seven years and left Israel in desperation. People were reduced to hiding food in mountain dens and caves.
This was incredibly humiliating and debilitating to Israel. Since an attack could come at any moment, they lived in constant fear. We’re told… "They were brought very low because of Midian."
GIDEON
Then Gideon appears on the scene. His name means "hacker" or "hewer" which would seem to be a name for a man of great strength and courage. But, when we get our first look at Gideon, he's cowering under a tree, threshing grain in a wine press. Normally a man would do so on a wooden threshing floor, in an exposed place so that the wind could carry away the chaff. He would use a threshing sledge pulled by oxen. But, Gideon was trying to separate the grain from the chaff by walking on it in his bare feet as you would on grapes to turn them into wine. And he was doing this hidden under a tree for fear of the marauding Midianites. One day when Gideon was doing this a man approached, sat down under the tree, and watched.
Two things are significant about this person; Gideon didn’t know that he was the Angel of the Lord so there must have been nothing supernatural about His appearance. He didn't have wings, or wear a halo, or carry a harp. He didn't glow with a heavenly light like those heavenly beings on Touched by An Angel. Secondly it was not an angel of the Lord, but rather THE angel of the Lord. In the Old Testament whenever the phrase, "THE Angel of the Lord," is used it refers to Jesus Himself, before His incarnation...taking the form of an angel and visiting the earth. Now, if I didn't know the Lord better, I might think that He was mocking Gideon with the first words He spoke. In verse 12, He said, "The Lord is with you, Oh Valiant warrior!" Gideon was anything but valiant at this point. He was more of a cowardly, beleaguered victim.
One day a man came to his psychiatrist with a problem. He said, "Doctor, please help me. Everything's going wrong. I feel worthless. My friends tell me I have a terrible inferiority complex. Can you help me?" So the psychiatrist told him that he would give him some tests and evaluate him. A week later, the man came back and the psychiatrist said, "Friend, I have some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that we have proved you don’t have a complex. There is no doubt about that. The bad news is, you’re inferior."
Gideon was inferior-at least in the judgment of his peers-and he pointed this out to God. He said that he was of the tribe of Manasseh, which was the lowest and weakest tribe in all Israel. Then, he said that his family was the lowest and weakest family in the tribe of Manasseh. Further, he was the lowest and weakest member of his family. So, he was the lowest and weakest member of the lowest and weakest family of the lowest and weakest tribe of all Israel! You cannot get much lower than that. But to these excuses of inferiority, God gave a single reply, "I will be with you...."which brings us to the first principle of how to be a valiant warrior for God. You see, when it comes to the battles of life you must remember:
IT’S NOT IMPORTANT WHO YOU ARE, IT’S WHO YOU’RE WITH
God does not seek people who are the most outwardly capable, or the most naturally "strong." No, He intentionally works with the most unlikely material so that everyone can see the glory belongs to God and God alone. The apostle Paul marveled over this principle more than a thousand years later writing,
"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong...as it is written, 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” [I Corinthians 1:26-27, 31]
Time and time again as we read the Word of God, we see God cutting away a man's self-confidence to bring him to the place where he admits that he is totally inadequate to do or to be what God desires. There isn’t a single major figure in the Word of God whom God didn’t bring to realize a deep sense of his own inadequacy. And this is vital for truly valiant warriors.
Paul reminds us- "We are not adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves...our adequacy is from God." (II Corinthians 3:5)
The narrative says- "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon." The Spirit of God wore Gideon the way a man puts on a suit of clothes, indwelling him, empowering him to do battle. You and I must remember this principle if we are to be effective soldiers in God's army! A good approach for us would be to daily say to God, "Lord, here I am. I want to be your suit of clothes today. I want you to take me and use me. Lord, just walk around in me today." This a great philosophy for us to embrace, for our strength, and our sufficiency for victory doesn’t come from ourselves but from God.
Our key to victory is God's indwelling presence and power. We are nothing without God, no matter how strong or talented we may be. In this army, it doesn't matter who you are. It matters Who you are with or Who is with you! To what extent have you allowed the promise of God's adequacy to minister to your life? God Himself has committed to be with you and to pour His strength into you. Remember your weakness does not hinder God. In fact, II Corinthians 12:9 says that,
"His strength is made perfect in weakness."
IF YOU AND I WANT TO BE VICTORIOUS IN LIFE WE MUST DECIDE WHICH GENERAL WE’LL FOLLOW.
The first assignment that God gave Gideon was not to attack the Midianites but to assault the idol worship of his people.
The reason the people of Israel were weaken and unable to defend themselves was that they had chosen to worship and put their faith in something other than the true God. They were following the wrong "general!" And many times we are weak because we make the same mistake. We feel overwhelmed because we worship things other than God. We have divided loyalties. This is what Jesus was warning us of when He said,
"No man can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24)
And this, Gideon's first battle was probably his toughest because in his own backyard there was a vivid example of the reason God had allowed Midian to overwhelm and enslave Israel.
Joash, Gideon's father, had apparently built an altar to Baal on his property and with it an Asherah, a wooden pillar representing the Canaanite goddess of fertility. And it was not just for the family's private use. It obviously served as the village shrine with Joash acting as the supervisor of pagan worship in the area. God told Gideon to take a young bull and a seven-year-old bull and use them to tear down the massive altar to Baal. Then he was to cut down the wooden Asherah and, using that wood, he was to build a fire on which to sacrifice the seven-year-old bull on a new altar which he was to build for the Lord. God gave Gideon this task so that he could learn that before Midian could go, Baal had to go.
God would tolerate no rivals. Truly great soldiers in God’s army only follow one commander.
People notice how committed we, who claim to be Christians, are to God. Gideon's neighbors certainly noticed the results of his actions that night. In fact the next morning when they saw what he had done they demanded his death but his own father came to his defense and said … "Hey....if baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar!" The neighbors agreed and they gave Gideon a new name, "Jerub-baal" which literally means "let baal contend-let him fight for himself."
From that moment on, every time the people of Israel looked at Gideon, they had visible proof of the weakness of baal and the power of God. This valiant warrior helped them to see the importance of following only the one true God.
OUR FOLLOWING HIS ORDERS ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD
This was a learning process for Gideon. From the beginning he had a lot of trouble trusting the commands and promises of God. Even after he gathered his army he was afraid and you may remember he tested God. It wasn't that Gideon was trying to discover God's will. He already knew what God's will was for his life. Prior to his fleece Gideon said to God, "If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have said." You see, God had made His will perfectly clear. Gideon didn't lack information about the will of God; He lacked confidence to trust the Word of God. Gideon's real struggle was one of faith, not information. This is an important lesson for all Christians to learn for as Hebrews 11:6 says,
"Without faith it is impossible to please God."
Note that God is gentle with Gideon. God graciously helps build Gideon's faith. First Gideon put a sheep skin on the ground and asked God to make only the fleece wet with dew and the ground dry and God did this. But that wasn't enough to build Gideon's confidence. You can almost see his mind at work. He thinks, "Maybe this isn't as amazing as it seems...after all, it would be more likely for the water to be absorbed by the wool than the ground.
Maybe the fact that the wool is wet and the ground is dry would have happened anyway. It's not really as sign of anything." So, he makes a second request of God: "Will you reverse the process -- and make the ground wet and the fleece dry?" Gideon's response here points out how inadequate fleeces can be when used as a method for discovering God's will. The results are difficult to interpret.
I read about a Bible school announcing that it was planning to buy a building. They said, "If we have $100,000 by this date, we will know it is God's will. We will know that God wants us to do it." On the appointed day, they had only $90,000 and now they had a problem; should they buy the building or not? And if it was not God's will, where had the $90,000 come from? Was it Satan's money? Of course not. But the fallacy was that they had expected God to do His work in their way.
Do you see the weakness in this practice? It tends to limit God...it puts Him in a box. Litmus tests like this are always difficult to interpret. Fleeces aren't the best way to find the will of God. We don't need to cast fleeces to experience God's guidance. We’re liable to be “fleeced.” He has given us His written Word to help us find His will...and His presence to help us understand and do it. In Psalm 73:23-24 the psalmist rejoices in this truth saying to God,
"You have taken hold of my right hand. With Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory."
The amazing thing about this isn’t what it shows about Gideon's fleece, but what it teaches us about God's patience. Gideon was a special student in God's "slow-learner class." God had done so much in his life already but Gideon was still saying, "If you're really going to do what You say...do this or that." But God kept on loving and working with him. I thank God for that because I too am one of God's slow learners. Many times in my life I have had to pray, "I believe...but not quite enough...help my unbelief.”
Over and over I have learned to be thankful that God is,
"Slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness; maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." Exodus. 34:6-7.
IF WE FOLLOW GOD, GET READY FOR “GOD-SIZED” BATTLES.
The Midianites had a force of 135,000 men with them when they invaded Israel in this 8th harvest season. They camped in the Valley of Jezreel, and they came fully expecting to carry out their usual policy of an uncontested stripping of the land and a triumphant return to their desert home. But this time there was a difference. God had raised up a man who was prepared to lead Israel against these camel-riding carpet baggers. Empowered by the Spirit of God, Gideon marched his army of 32,000 men to the hills of Mt. Gilboa.
The Midianites were armed to the teeth but Gideon and his men had virtually no weapons. Gideon and his men were no doubt wondering how they could possibly win against such a superior force. So imagine how Gideon felt when God said that he had too many troops and that all those who were afraid should return home? Interestingly, 22,000 took him up on this offer!
After the 22,000 left, God said that was still too many so He instructed Gideon to watch his men drink and send everyone home who bent their faces down to drink water from the stream directly. Only 300 stood up alertly, ready for battle, the water cupped in their hands.
So in a short span of time God had taken an overwhelming situation and made it impossible. It would seem that defeat was going to be snatched from the jaws of victory. The original 32000 had no chance of winning against the hordes of the Midianites and their superior weaponry but for 300 it was laughable. God chose less than one percent of the group that Gideon began with to fight. They were outnumbered 450 to 1. God isn’t interested in simply giving His people victory. He’s concerned with teaching us trust.
Our victories make us self-reliant, which is worse, far worse, in the long run, than losing! That night I don't think Gideon slept too well. Would you? 300 against 135,000! That's like a football team composed of junior high school girls going up against Super Bowl champions! God of course knew how Gideon felt so He told him, "If you are afraid to go down against the Midianites, let me help you."
A DREAM CHANGES EVERYTHING
God knew the anguish Gideon was going through so He invited Gideon to go to the camp of the Midianites. Gideon obeyed and was accompanied by a young boy, named Purah. They snuck in close enough to hear Midianite sentries talking about a dream in which a barley loaf flattened a tent. The Midianites were nomadic so the tent clearly represented them. And barley was most often used as animal food, but it was all that the Israelites had left because of the better foodstuffs had been taken. So, the barley loaf clearly represented Israel. The Midianite said, "That barley bun is nothing less than the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash. God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand."
As he listened Gideon no doubt sensed that the dream had been repeated throughout the whole army of the Midianites. They had been terrorized inwardly by the mysterious hand of God. So this huge army was already defeated. And at this point Gideon learned he greatest lesson of his life. He realized as he never had before, that it was not a battle between 300 Israelites and 135,000 Midianites. It was God who was fighting Midian and the 300 men were just His channels.
Gideon went back to his little band of men and said, "Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands." He divided his army into three groups of 100 and as they departed they were given their weapons.
Here is what was issued to them: a clay jar, a trumpet, and a torch. No shields, no spears, no swords. Gideon had his “few good men” to surround the camp and then waited until the middle watch had just been posted. That was about 10:30 pm when some of the men had been asleep for three or four hours and were now in their deepest sleep. The men who had just been relieved from guard duty would still be moving through the camp, and the men who had just gone on duty would still be rubbing their eyes.
Suddenly there was a huge noise all around them. The rams' horns were signaling an enemy attack! Then the clay pitchers smashed on the ground sounded like the armor of armies clashing into one another. The Midianites looked up and they were surrounded on three sides by lights and torches. Finally a great shout shattered the silence "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon."
In all the confusion, the camels stampeded and in the chaos that resulted, the panicked Midianites began to slaughter one another. To the half-asleep men, everything that moved became an enemy. Every shadow was an Israelite. All this time, Gideon's men didn’t move. They stood in their place blowing their trumpets, waving their torches and shouting their slogan, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon." By they way, they only had one "sword"-the sword of the Lord-and that is all they needed!
God still calls His troops into battle against overwhelming odds but sadly many Christians only want to do things they can do. Just like Gideon, fear keeps us from victory. Fear stops us dead in our tracks. So we go on living a defeated existence until the pain of defeat becomes too much for us to bear.
Then some of us like Gideon find the faith to break through seemingly unconquerable fear and take an honest shot at victorious life in God.
Why is Gideon in Hebrews 11? In the midst of a backslidden people he rerouted his doubts. He accomplished something for God strictly by faith!
Gideon defeated the powerful Midianite army with only 300 soldiers-Just a few good men!
Blessings,
John
Friday, May 6, 2011
Is It Wrong To Rejoice In Bin Laden's Death?
By John Stallings
Someone recently said,
“I see Americans cheering the unnatural death of someone whom God loves. I see my nation glorying in our own vengeance, even though God says: “Vengeance is mine.” Christians believe that all humanity was created in God’s image including the worst of us. We believe that Christ came to offer salvation to even the worst of sinners. Christians believe that God loves even a murderer such as Osama bin Laden.
The celebrations look familiar. I have been frightened before by news broadcasts where hateful Iranians burn our flag, yell hate, or celebrate our mourning. Our celebration of death matches the hatred that we condemned elsewhere. When humanity glories in the killing, we do not honor God. We also do not end violence, but we add to violence. Because of my faith — I am offended.
I know that some will point out that Osama killed and deserves to die — perhaps this is true, but God can redeem even the worst of sinners. God values even the life of murderers. Even Saul the persecutor who sought to kill all Christians met Jesus on the road to Damascus. After meeting Jesus, Paul later became a chief spokesman for Christianity. Who are we to make this judgment for God?”
WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?
OBL’s death was the news the world has been waiting to hear for a decade now. Finally it has come, and celebrations have erupted around the globe, especially in America. With the leader of al-Qaida now finally killed, one small – but significant – step in the war against terror has been completed.
Of course he has been leading the terrorist organization for more than twenty years now, but the West only came to learn about him big time after 9/11. The attack on America was only one of his many acts of terror. But with his death, one chapter in this ugly terrorist assault is now closed.
There will certainly be many who will seek to take his place, and reprisals may well be forthcoming. So how all this exactly pans out in the days ahead remains to be seen. But I for one rejoice at this news. It is a case of justice being meted out to a very evil person.
However already in all the early discussion about this, a lot of different Christian thought is emerging. Lefties and pacifists of course will think this is bad news. They trot out all the usual tired arguments about how all killing is wrong, and how violence never solves anything.
Indeed, so much silly thinking on this has appeared in such a short period of time that I am quite amazed to be honest. We expect non-believers to come up with such vapid thinking but for believers who should know something about their Bible to do so as well is simply sad.
For example, some have said that the use of violence only leads to more violence, and we should have nothing to do with the use of force. The answer to this is simple: try telling that to the prisoners at Auschwitz. Try convincing them that the use of force never achieves anything.
Try telling them that all killing is always evil, and that the Allies were so very wrong to try to stop Hitler and liberate the concentration camps. Only someone who has never experienced such horrors could make such ludicrous statements.
Then some believers rather foolishly try to make the case that all killing is murder, and that God condemns all killing. Never mind that God in fact has condoned at least three types of killing: capital punishment, self-defense and just war. But some believers just don’t get it – or don’t want to get it. No female would be safe behind any door or wall were it not for our strong laws against rape and the fact that we put rapists to death.
The fact that many people can’t make the most basic of mental and moral distinctions baffles me. The Bible is quite clear on this: not all killing is morally wrong. Yet some of these believers think they know better than God, and are more moral than God. They actually sit in judgment on God, insisting that he conform to their morality.
Some people would use Matthew 5:44 for example, with its call to love our enemies. Briefly stated, this was a personal ethic mentioned by Jesus, which must be seen in the light of the social ethics elsewhere defined in Scripture.
Paul for example examines the use of force – even killing – by divinely-ordained government, as he writes in Romans 13:1-7.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Some good folk will raise the objection of Matthew 28:19-20 which speaks about the Great Commission – our responsibility to preach the gospel to all people. These people obviously think that we should never kill anyone because that takes away their chance to hear the preaching of the gospel.
But that is not a very thoughtful objection. Just take it to its logical conclusion: if we want everyone to have as many chances to hear the gospel, and for the longest possible amount of time, then we should be doing everything we can to ensure that people live as long as possible.
Any scientific discovery to extend our lifespan should be welcomed unconditionally, and anything which might reduce it should be resisted at all costs. And by this reasoning, all killing whatsoever should be resisted, since it lessens the time a person has to hear the gospel.
Thus we were quite wrong to kill Hitler, or Saddam, or bin Laden. If an armed rapist breaks into our home, it would be wrong to try to resist him – at least by killing him – because that would shorten his time to hear the good news and repent.
But this is rather silly. God has appointed a time for each person on earth to leave this world. Many people die in infancy. If God has allowed this, then he is wrong, according to this kind of reasoning, because the person did not have a proper opportunity to encounter the gospel.
The truth is, we do have an imperative to tell everyone the gospel. But when it is time for people to go, they will go. And if God has ordained for example the state to punish evildoers, and that includes the death penalty, then God is not unjust to send them to an early grave.
Others will cite Proverbs 24:17-18:
“Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased.”
Yes that is a biblical principle, but it is not the last word on the subject. Indeed, any one verse alone can be used to say anything. But we must let Scripture interpret Scripture. Another Proverb that can equally be used here is Prov. 11:10:
“When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.”
There are many such passages. When we look at the issues of evil, justice, and judgment on wrongdoing – both divine and human judgment – we see lots of passages which actually speak of rejoicing over the destruction of the wicked, of seeing justice triumph, and so on.
We certainly find this in the Wisdom literature, of which Proverbs is a part. Many psalms for example speak to this as well, such as Ps 44:7-8; Ps 60:12; Ps 118:6-7; etc. As but one example, consider a passage like Psalm 139:21-2:
“Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.”
Of course we need to take care with such passages. But there are plenty of them. Read the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, wherein God’s people rejoice and exalt in the destruction of their enemies. After Moses and the Israelites sing this song as an act of worship, we read these words in vv. 19-21:
“When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea’.”
Then there is the climax of history when a heavenly praise meeting erupts because of God’s judgment on the wicked. The people are finally vindicated and they celebrate God’s judgment of the enemies of God and his people. Read Rev. 18:20; 19:1-3 for example.
But all such discussions are not in fact new. Should Christians be pacifists, or is there a case for just war? Is there a proper and moral use of force? How should Christians think about international relations – and more recently – the war on terror? There will always be disagreements on these sorts of issues.
Some Christians will never shake their pacifism, and there is little anyone can do to convince them otherwise. So we will just have to learn to agree to disagree here. But one thing we all can do is sharpen up our intellectual skills and our moral reasoning. There is far too much wishy-washy and mushy moralizing out there in some Christian circles.
Confused and muddled thinking does not really bring clarity to the debate. We all at least need to be willing to trade in any preconceived ideas and agendas for what the Word of God actually teaches. But nonetheless we can expect that these sorts of debates will keep percolating.
In my last blog I acknowledged that any human being spending eternity in Hell is absolutely awful. It’s so awful in fact we continue to see “theologians” attempt to "massage Christian revelation " so that they can believe no human actually ends up in hell.
Nonetheless Hell is a creation of God and like everything else He created it’s morally good. As we all know Hell serves God’s just nature – His rebellious creations, be they angels or humans, meet their just end in this place.
Where Osama is concerned it’s clear to me that he’s solely responsible for his eternity because of his actions. In new information coming out we see even more clearly that he was vigorously committed to his bloody agenda, and was planning to use trains to kill as many American’s as possible on the upcoming anniversary of 9/11. I have a hard time being sympathetic when this is clearly the intentionally chosen course of his life and life’s work and I for one feel comfortable as one who loves life, peace, and justice saying it was a good thing that OBL was taken out.
Yes, it would have been far better for him to convert but his stubborn refusal to do so leave this the best available alternative.
As a result, my Biblically informed Christian conscience is free to see Osama’s death as God’s good gift of justice in a morally warped world.
Blessings,
John
Someone recently said,
“I see Americans cheering the unnatural death of someone whom God loves. I see my nation glorying in our own vengeance, even though God says: “Vengeance is mine.” Christians believe that all humanity was created in God’s image including the worst of us. We believe that Christ came to offer salvation to even the worst of sinners. Christians believe that God loves even a murderer such as Osama bin Laden.
The celebrations look familiar. I have been frightened before by news broadcasts where hateful Iranians burn our flag, yell hate, or celebrate our mourning. Our celebration of death matches the hatred that we condemned elsewhere. When humanity glories in the killing, we do not honor God. We also do not end violence, but we add to violence. Because of my faith — I am offended.
I know that some will point out that Osama killed and deserves to die — perhaps this is true, but God can redeem even the worst of sinners. God values even the life of murderers. Even Saul the persecutor who sought to kill all Christians met Jesus on the road to Damascus. After meeting Jesus, Paul later became a chief spokesman for Christianity. Who are we to make this judgment for God?”
WHAT’S A CHRISTIAN TO DO?
OBL’s death was the news the world has been waiting to hear for a decade now. Finally it has come, and celebrations have erupted around the globe, especially in America. With the leader of al-Qaida now finally killed, one small – but significant – step in the war against terror has been completed.
Of course he has been leading the terrorist organization for more than twenty years now, but the West only came to learn about him big time after 9/11. The attack on America was only one of his many acts of terror. But with his death, one chapter in this ugly terrorist assault is now closed.
There will certainly be many who will seek to take his place, and reprisals may well be forthcoming. So how all this exactly pans out in the days ahead remains to be seen. But I for one rejoice at this news. It is a case of justice being meted out to a very evil person.
However already in all the early discussion about this, a lot of different Christian thought is emerging. Lefties and pacifists of course will think this is bad news. They trot out all the usual tired arguments about how all killing is wrong, and how violence never solves anything.
Indeed, so much silly thinking on this has appeared in such a short period of time that I am quite amazed to be honest. We expect non-believers to come up with such vapid thinking but for believers who should know something about their Bible to do so as well is simply sad.
For example, some have said that the use of violence only leads to more violence, and we should have nothing to do with the use of force. The answer to this is simple: try telling that to the prisoners at Auschwitz. Try convincing them that the use of force never achieves anything.
Try telling them that all killing is always evil, and that the Allies were so very wrong to try to stop Hitler and liberate the concentration camps. Only someone who has never experienced such horrors could make such ludicrous statements.
Then some believers rather foolishly try to make the case that all killing is murder, and that God condemns all killing. Never mind that God in fact has condoned at least three types of killing: capital punishment, self-defense and just war. But some believers just don’t get it – or don’t want to get it. No female would be safe behind any door or wall were it not for our strong laws against rape and the fact that we put rapists to death.
The fact that many people can’t make the most basic of mental and moral distinctions baffles me. The Bible is quite clear on this: not all killing is morally wrong. Yet some of these believers think they know better than God, and are more moral than God. They actually sit in judgment on God, insisting that he conform to their morality.
Some people would use Matthew 5:44 for example, with its call to love our enemies. Briefly stated, this was a personal ethic mentioned by Jesus, which must be seen in the light of the social ethics elsewhere defined in Scripture.
Paul for example examines the use of force – even killing – by divinely-ordained government, as he writes in Romans 13:1-7.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
Some good folk will raise the objection of Matthew 28:19-20 which speaks about the Great Commission – our responsibility to preach the gospel to all people. These people obviously think that we should never kill anyone because that takes away their chance to hear the preaching of the gospel.
But that is not a very thoughtful objection. Just take it to its logical conclusion: if we want everyone to have as many chances to hear the gospel, and for the longest possible amount of time, then we should be doing everything we can to ensure that people live as long as possible.
Any scientific discovery to extend our lifespan should be welcomed unconditionally, and anything which might reduce it should be resisted at all costs. And by this reasoning, all killing whatsoever should be resisted, since it lessens the time a person has to hear the gospel.
Thus we were quite wrong to kill Hitler, or Saddam, or bin Laden. If an armed rapist breaks into our home, it would be wrong to try to resist him – at least by killing him – because that would shorten his time to hear the good news and repent.
But this is rather silly. God has appointed a time for each person on earth to leave this world. Many people die in infancy. If God has allowed this, then he is wrong, according to this kind of reasoning, because the person did not have a proper opportunity to encounter the gospel.
The truth is, we do have an imperative to tell everyone the gospel. But when it is time for people to go, they will go. And if God has ordained for example the state to punish evildoers, and that includes the death penalty, then God is not unjust to send them to an early grave.
Others will cite Proverbs 24:17-18:
“Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased.”
Yes that is a biblical principle, but it is not the last word on the subject. Indeed, any one verse alone can be used to say anything. But we must let Scripture interpret Scripture. Another Proverb that can equally be used here is Prov. 11:10:
“When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.”
There are many such passages. When we look at the issues of evil, justice, and judgment on wrongdoing – both divine and human judgment – we see lots of passages which actually speak of rejoicing over the destruction of the wicked, of seeing justice triumph, and so on.
We certainly find this in the Wisdom literature, of which Proverbs is a part. Many psalms for example speak to this as well, such as Ps 44:7-8; Ps 60:12; Ps 118:6-7; etc. As but one example, consider a passage like Psalm 139:21-2:
“Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.”
Of course we need to take care with such passages. But there are plenty of them. Read the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, wherein God’s people rejoice and exalt in the destruction of their enemies. After Moses and the Israelites sing this song as an act of worship, we read these words in vv. 19-21:
“When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the LORD brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea’.”
Then there is the climax of history when a heavenly praise meeting erupts because of God’s judgment on the wicked. The people are finally vindicated and they celebrate God’s judgment of the enemies of God and his people. Read Rev. 18:20; 19:1-3 for example.
But all such discussions are not in fact new. Should Christians be pacifists, or is there a case for just war? Is there a proper and moral use of force? How should Christians think about international relations – and more recently – the war on terror? There will always be disagreements on these sorts of issues.
Some Christians will never shake their pacifism, and there is little anyone can do to convince them otherwise. So we will just have to learn to agree to disagree here. But one thing we all can do is sharpen up our intellectual skills and our moral reasoning. There is far too much wishy-washy and mushy moralizing out there in some Christian circles.
Confused and muddled thinking does not really bring clarity to the debate. We all at least need to be willing to trade in any preconceived ideas and agendas for what the Word of God actually teaches. But nonetheless we can expect that these sorts of debates will keep percolating.
In my last blog I acknowledged that any human being spending eternity in Hell is absolutely awful. It’s so awful in fact we continue to see “theologians” attempt to "massage Christian revelation " so that they can believe no human actually ends up in hell.
Nonetheless Hell is a creation of God and like everything else He created it’s morally good. As we all know Hell serves God’s just nature – His rebellious creations, be they angels or humans, meet their just end in this place.
Where Osama is concerned it’s clear to me that he’s solely responsible for his eternity because of his actions. In new information coming out we see even more clearly that he was vigorously committed to his bloody agenda, and was planning to use trains to kill as many American’s as possible on the upcoming anniversary of 9/11. I have a hard time being sympathetic when this is clearly the intentionally chosen course of his life and life’s work and I for one feel comfortable as one who loves life, peace, and justice saying it was a good thing that OBL was taken out.
Yes, it would have been far better for him to convert but his stubborn refusal to do so leave this the best available alternative.
As a result, my Biblically informed Christian conscience is free to see Osama’s death as God’s good gift of justice in a morally warped world.
Blessings,
John
Monday, May 2, 2011
What Happens When We Die?
By John Stallings
How great was it to get the news that Osama Bin Laden, one of history’s most repugnant butchers had tasted of American justice and that his body has already been buried at sea so that no shrine or memorial could ever be built by his followers in his “honor?”
This Sunday past was a bad day for Bin Laden but a great day for America.
I wept with joy while watching Fox News as spontaneous victory celebrations broke out all over the country. I watched the video, available on You Tube, of the people on New York subways late Sunday night rejoicing and singing patriotic songs.
We’ve seen so many rallies lately with people from all political persuasions carrying placards and shouting hate-filled rhetoric, it does our national soul good to finally get some news that would bring us together acting like we did in the days following 9/11.
Speaking of Bin Laden and the war he spawned, If Jesus tarries His coming, death will come-eventually for all of us, sooner than we think for some of us. Death is extremely democratic; all of us will get a shot at it. I’m told that every second that ticks 24/7, someone in the world dies.
I’m sure Bin Laden wasn’t expecting to split hell wide open so soon but I can assure you in less than a minute after he was shot by a crack team of U.S Navy Seals he was in hell along with other inhabitants of darkness such as Hitler, Pol pot, Judas Iscariot and Mussolini.
Our Navy Seals are trained not to shot an individuals’ face off, but to put one bullet in their forehead. Identification will probably be no problem.
THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES
The most important moments in a person’s life are the first two minutes after death. It’s during these crucial moments that every person who ever lived will know whether what they believed was true or not.
There are very few people, if any, who can honestly say they are not interested in what awaits them just before and after death. Some are extremely uncomfortable with the topic and avoid talking about it at all costs.
A lot of people struggle with the loss of a loved one and need comfort and answers. To say there’s a lot of misinformation going around about death would be a classic understatement. Pop psychology abounds with stories of “bright tunnels” and lights and numerous books have been written by people telling of their own “near death” experiences.
Earnest Hemmingway, author of “Death in the afternoon” wrote, “Life is so full of problems, the only remedy for them is death.” Sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy for a man who would blow his brains out not long afterward.
A few years ago Raymond Moody wrote a best-seller called Life After Life, which purported to detail the near-death experiences of men and women who “died” and then came back to tell remarkably similar stories of weightlessness, with bright lights and reunions with loved ones.
• Hundreds of so-called “channelers” claim to be able to contact the spirits of the dead.
• The New Age Movement has popularized such Eastern concepts as the transmigration of souls, reincarnation (thanks especially to Shirley McClain), spiritualism, and communication with the dead.
• The Ouija Board remains a perpetual fascination for youngsters.
• Today, via the Internet, anyone with a computer and modem can connect with online psychics, spirit guides, and experts in reincarnation. I’m told that there are 16,000 Internet sites about witchcraft, 13,000 about reincarnation, 12,000 about psychics, 10,000 about sorcery, 5,000 about clairvoyance, and 1000 about necromancy. Nearly all these sites are free and easily accessible.
WHY THIS FASCINATION WITH THE WORLD BEYOND THE GRAVE?
Is it not because death is so final? Whatever one thinks about the reports of “near-death” visions, death -when it finally comes is irreversible. When you finally cross the line, there is no coming back from the other side. Death wins the battle every time. After the doctors have tried the latest wonder drug, after the best minds have pooled their wisdom, after the philosophers have done their best to explain that death is only a natural part of life, we come face to face with the ugly reality that some day we will all die. And that death-whether planned or accidental, whether comfortable or painful-will be the end of life as we have known it.
Three Questions
Nothing is certain-except death and taxes. But death is more certain than taxes. A clever man can find ways to evade taxes but no one evades the Grim Reaper. When your time is up, it’s up.
Death can be postponed, but never eliminated. Someday I will die, and those I love the most will die, and nothing can change this solemn fact. There’s a parting at the end of the way. We all have a rendezvous with death.
No wonder the human mind is drawn to the question, -“What happens when we die?” In many ways it’s the one remaining unanswered question. We know so much about so many things, but about life after death, we know so very little.
There are three great questions every person must answer:
1. Where did I come from?
2. Why am I here?
3. Where am I going?
It’s the third question that most grips the heart of man, for in one sense, the question “Where did I come from?” is yesterday’s news and the question “Why am I here?” is one that we answer every day. But the third question takes us into the unseen future-into the unfolding years and decades. What happens when we die? Is death the end of everything? Does man live for a few years and then simply vanish from the screen? Do we simply play our part and then shuffle off the stage into the misty obscurity of nothingness? Or is there something more, something beyond the great divide? Thousands of years ago Job spoke for the rest of us when he asked, “If a man dies, will he live again?” Job 14:14.
THE BIBLE IS FULL OF INFORMATION ABOUT DEATH.
In answering questions about life after death, we’re left with only two sources to consult. Either we turn to human experience or we turn to the Word of God. If we turn to human experience, we find many guesses, many ideas, many theories-but no sure answers. That’s because no human has a sure answer. The only people who have the answer are dead! That leaves us with the Word of God. In God’s Word we find ample, abundant answers. God who knows the future knows what happens when we die … and he hasn’t left us to wonder about it. The Bible is filled with information on this subject, so much in fact that I could never hope to cover it all here.
If you want the answer in one sentence, - what happens after you die depends on what you do before you die. Consider what the Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 (KJV),
“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
This is an appointment no one will miss. The statistics on death are appalling. One hundred out of 100 people will eventually die. We are terminally ill with a disease called death; we just don’t know when the end will come.
Last week while watching the wedding of Prince William and his bride Kate, we were reminded of Princess Diana who died unexpectedly in 1997 in a tragic car accident in Paris. We were also stunned this week by the unexpected home going of one of God’s generals David Wilkerson in a tragic car accident in Texas.
A couple of years back I was shocked when Dottie Rambo was killed on her bus when spring storms collided with the path she and her entourage were traveling. She was knocked out of bed and killed in a situation where I’m sure she couldn’t have felt safer.
IS THERE A SECOND CHANCE AFTER DEATH?
This is the popular view of many people who hope that those who did not accept Christ in this life will somehow have a second chance after death-either in the afterlife or perhaps through reincarnation. The answer is quite simple. There is no biblical support whatsoever for the notion of a “second chance.”
Here’s the truth; the only opportunity you and I will ever have to get right with God is the opportunity God affords right now. If you dream of coming to God after you die, you are nursing an empty dream -a vain hope.
WHAT ABOUT NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES?
Such experiences are very popular today. Betty Eadie wrote a bestselling book called "Embraced by the Light" which purports to tell of her “death” and her visit to heaven. Unfortunately, the book embraces unbiblical heresy and is in fact closer to Mormon theology than to the New Testament.
In thinking about this question, we need biblical balance. On one hand it’s undeniably true that some Bible characters did see the Lord before they died. Stephen saw Jesus just before he died in Acts 7. Paul was evidently given a vision of heaven-perhaps during his stoning at Lystra in Acts 14. He alludes to the event in 2 Corinthians 12. However, it’s important to say that such revelations did not often happen even in Bible times. Not every believer had or will have a revelation of heaven.
Could such a thing happen today? Yes, but we shouldn’t expect it or base our hope of heaven upon a last-second experience. Let’s also remember that Satan, the great deceiver, is at work. He can create scenes that seem to be scenes of heaven but are actually creations born in hell. Many near-death experiences are demonic in nature.
We should never base our hope of heaven-or the hope of seeing a loved one in heaven-on a supposed vision or revelation. The only reliable ground given to us is the eternal, unchanging Word of God.
WHAT HAPPENS TO CHILDREN WHO DIE?
This is obviously a very tender subject to many people. Parents want to know: Will I see my child again? The place to begin in answering this question is with the observation that the Bible doesn’t specifically address this question. However, we do know two things are true. First, children are not born innocent, but sinful. If children who die do go to heaven-and I believe they do-it’s not because they are morally innocent in the sight of God. No, all of us are born with an inclination to sin that leads us away from God. Ephesians 2:1 says that we are spiritually dead by nature. That applies as much to young children as it does to full-grown adults. Second, we know that God’s grace is always greater than human sin. Romans 5:20 reminds us that where sin abounded, grace super-abounded. God’s grace always goes far beyond sin’s disgrace.
I believe that God’s grace credits children with the merits of Jesus’ blood and righteousness so that those children-who die before they are old enough to believe-are covered by his blood and their entrance into heaven made sure and certain. Thus they are saved by grace just as we are.
I’ve written more than once about how my mother, who nursed a bitter, backslidden spirit for a year after her first daughter died unexpectedly at seven, was brought back to God by the reality that her daughter was with the Lord and she could never hope to see her again unless she was reunited with her in heaven.
CAN WE CONTACT THE DEAD AFTER THEY’RE GONE?
No. Any attempt to dabble in spirit contact is strictly forbidden in the Bible. It is sometimes called necromancy or sorcery or dealing with familiar spirits. Remember, demons can masquerade as the dead. They can even mimic the voices of our loved ones and give information that only the dead person would have known. For more on this subject, see Leviticus 19:26, 28, 31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Galatians 5:19-21.
Don’t attempt to contact the dead through any means at all-séances, Ouija Boards, crystal balls, psychic readers, channelers or mediums. You are involving yourself in that which God forbids. Leave the dead alone.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO HAS A LOST LOVED ONE?
Over the years I have discovered that it really doesn’t matter what you say-in terms of the precise words. Those who are grieving will not remember the words you say, but they will never forget that you cared enough to be there when they needed you. If you go with the love of God in your heart, he will give you any words you need to say.
What happens at the moment of death?
Now we come to the question of the hour. What happens at the very moment of death? We’ve already given the general answer: What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die. The Bible classifies the whole human race into two broad categories-the saved and the lost. What happens to the saved is radically different from what happens to the lost.
FOR THE SAVED
The Bible is abundantly clear on this point. When the saved die, they go directly into the presence of the Lord. Remember the words of Jesus to the thief on the cross,
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
This is a straightforward promise that at the moment of death the repentant thief would pass from his life of crime and his agonizing death into the realm called “paradise.” This contradicts the teaching called “soul-sleep” which implies that at death a believer “sleeps” in a kind of suspended animation until the day of the resurrection. How could the thief be that very day in paradise if his soul were to go to sleep when he died? At the moment of death the believer passes immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope and comfort as we stand at the graveside of a loved one. Paul said he had a desire to depart and to
…. “be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).
He also said,
“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body (that is, separated from the body by death) and at home with the Lord” II Corinthians 5:8. You’ll be blessed by re-reading the first ten verses of this chapter.
These are the words of a man who believed that heaven would begin at the moment of his death. Was Paul looking forward to an unconscious slumber after his death? No! He was looking forward to the presence of Jesus Christ.
But that’s not the whole story. The soul goes to be with the Lord in heaven and the body is buried until the day of resurrection when Jesus returns to the earth. I Thessalonians 4:14 says,
“We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Here you have both sides of the truth. Christians who die are said to be “with Jesus” -that’s the soul in the conscious presence of the Lord- and “have fallen asleep in him” -that’s the body which “sleeps” in the grave. Listen to Paul’s description of that great reunion of body and soul:
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thessalonians 4:16).
Here is a clear promise of future bodily resurrection for the believer. First Corinthians 15:51-55 adds the magnificent fact that our bodies will be “raised imperishable"-that is, with a body that is perfect in every way, free from the vestiges of death and decay. In this life our bodies wear out, like a clock continually running down, but when we are raised, it will be with bodies that can never decay, never wear out, never suffer injury, never grow old, never get sick, and thank God, never die.
Many Christians have a wrong view of death. We think we’re going from the land of the living to the land of the dying-No! If you know Jesus, you are going from the land of the dying to the land of the living.
Here are some of the images the Bible uses for the death of a Christian: going to sleep and waking up in heaven … moving from a tent to a mansion … walking from the darkness into a well-lit room … coming home to see your family and friends … being set free from prison … taking a long journey to a new land … riding a chariot to the New Jerusalem … moving into a brand-new home … opening a gate to a brand-new world.
Christians have always faced death with confidence. Over the years many people have asked me how God can raise the dead if the body has been burned or lost or vaporized in some terrible explosion. I don’t think that’s a difficult question at all. If you can raise the dead, you can raise the dead. Resurrection is God’s problem, not ours. We don’t need to know the how of the resurrection as long as we know the who.
As he lay dying, D. L. Moody proclaimed, “Earth recedes, heaven opens before me.” Catherine Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, cried out, “The waters are rising, but I am not sinking.” And George MacDonald, the English novelist, said, “I came from God, and I’m going back to God, and I won’t have any gaps of death in the middle of my life.” John Wesley summed up the faith of the early Methodists with four simple words: “Our people die well.”
Once our bodies are raised, we will be with the Lord forever. Wherever he is, there we will be, rejoicing, praising, singing and celebrating throughout the ages of eternity. First Thessalonians 4:17 says, “We will be with the Lord forever.” Speaking of his own return, Jesus said,
In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).
What is ahead for us when we die?
1. Our soul goes into the conscious presence of the Lord.
2. Our body is buried until the day of resurrection.
3. When Christ returns, we will be raised bodily from the grave.
4. Body and soul reunited, we will be with the Lord forever.
DEATH FOR THE LOST
Let's consider the fate of those who die without Jesus Christ. The lost fear death and with good reason. Job 18:14 calls death “the king of terrors.” Hebrews 2:14 reminds us that the devil holds people in bondage through the fear of death. And 1 Corinthians 15:26 calls death “the last enemy.”
Let’s note one similarity between the fate of the saved and the lost. At the moment of death, the soul enters a new realm while the body is buried in the grave. For the believer, the moment of death brings him into the personal presence of Christ. For the unbeliever, death begins an experience of unending conscious punishment.
We can summarize the fate of the lost in four short statements:
#- At the moment of death, the soul of the lost is sent to hell where it is in conscious torment. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus told of a rich man, who upon his death, went to hell and suffered in the flames of torment. It matters not whether you think this passage is literal or figurative. If you say it is literal, then it must be a terrible punishment. If it is figurative, the figure itself is so awful to consider, that the reality must be much worse.
# -The punishment is eternal. Though this is debated in some circles today, Christians have united across the centuries in their belief that the Bible teaches an eternal punishment for those who do not know our Lord. Mark 9:43-48 speaks of the fire that is not quenched and the worm that does not die-a reference to the continuing existence of human personality in hell.
I noted-with chills up my spine-the words of the father of a 9/11 survivor when he assured people of a literal heaven and hell and spoke of his assurance that Bin Laden was in hell. Did that make hell more real to me? Not really, but I was blessed to hear a layman say something I haven’t heard a gospel preacher say in years.
# -The body is raised at the Great White Throne judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 describes the awesome scene as the unsaved dead are raised to stand before God and receive their final sentence of doom.
# -The unsaved are then cast into the lake of fire where they will reside forever, eternally separated from the presence of Almighty God. If this is unbearable to think about, if we shrink from such a thought, then let’s by all means do whatever is necessary to make sure that such a fate does not befall us or the ones we love the most.
This is the final destiny of those who do not know Jesus Christ. To make it more personal, it’s the final destiny of our friends, neighbors, loved ones, r parents, brothers, sisters, and children, if they die without Jesus Christ.
And, yes, it’s your destiny if you die without Jesus Christ. Let that thought linger in your mind. The reality of hell is more than just a theoretical doctrine. There is a place reserved for you in the lake of fire unless you, by a conscious choice, put your complete trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
IF YOU KNOW JESUS YOU HAVE NOTING TO FEAR WHEN DEATH CALLS.
Death comes to all of us-it will come for you one of these days. If we know Jesus we need not live in fear. Death may be quick or slow, painful or painless, but when the moment comes, you will find yourself ushered into heaven where you will see Jesus face to face.
Some people wonder if they will have enough faith when they die. When she was a young child in Holland Corrie Ten Boom worried about her own death and whether or not she would have enough courage when the moment finally came. Her father-Papa Ten Boom-knew of her fears and calmed her heart with these words. “Corrie, when I am going to take you on the train, when do I give you the ticket?” “Just before we get on board.” “That’s right. Dying is like taking a trip to see the Lord Jesus. He will give you whatever you need just when you need it. If you don’t have the courage now, it’s because you don’t need it now. When you need it, the Lord will give it to you, and you won’t be afraid.”
Jesus Has the Keys
Listen to the words of Jesus in Revelation 1:18, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore and have the keys of hell and of death.
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25, 26).
If you have put your trust in Jesus, you will never die. What an amazing promise. Believers die every day but for the believer, death is merely the passing from this life with all its sorrows into life eternal in the presence of our Lord.
The question is not: What happens when we die? But rather: What happened before we died?
DEATH ISN’T THE END OF THE ROAD -BUT RATHER A BEND IN THE ROAD.
For the believer, death is the doorway to heaven. For the unbeliever, it’s a passageway into unimaginable suffering. These things are true even if we do not fully understand. They are true even if we don’t believe them. While it gives me no personal gratification, let me quote what I heard an unbeliever say at the tire shop recently, and he said it several times; -“Sure as hell’” Even the devil’s crowd seems to be totally convinced.
Within a four day span one of God’s 5 Star Generals, David Wilkerson and Osama Bin Laden, one of Satan’s minions slipped through the phantom walls that separate us all from eternity. Both of them died which is what the Bible says will happen to us all.
One of these men had the blood of untold thousands of innocent people on his hands. The other man led millions to the foot of the blood soaked cross upon which the Prince of Glory died. While both men died violently, their eternal souls took different directions; one to heaven the other to hell.
What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die. Dear friend, make sure you’re ready so that when the time comes…
You won’t be surprised by what happens next.
Blessings,
John
How great was it to get the news that Osama Bin Laden, one of history’s most repugnant butchers had tasted of American justice and that his body has already been buried at sea so that no shrine or memorial could ever be built by his followers in his “honor?”
This Sunday past was a bad day for Bin Laden but a great day for America.
I wept with joy while watching Fox News as spontaneous victory celebrations broke out all over the country. I watched the video, available on You Tube, of the people on New York subways late Sunday night rejoicing and singing patriotic songs.
We’ve seen so many rallies lately with people from all political persuasions carrying placards and shouting hate-filled rhetoric, it does our national soul good to finally get some news that would bring us together acting like we did in the days following 9/11.
Speaking of Bin Laden and the war he spawned, If Jesus tarries His coming, death will come-eventually for all of us, sooner than we think for some of us. Death is extremely democratic; all of us will get a shot at it. I’m told that every second that ticks 24/7, someone in the world dies.
I’m sure Bin Laden wasn’t expecting to split hell wide open so soon but I can assure you in less than a minute after he was shot by a crack team of U.S Navy Seals he was in hell along with other inhabitants of darkness such as Hitler, Pol pot, Judas Iscariot and Mussolini.
Our Navy Seals are trained not to shot an individuals’ face off, but to put one bullet in their forehead. Identification will probably be no problem.
THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN OUR LIVES
The most important moments in a person’s life are the first two minutes after death. It’s during these crucial moments that every person who ever lived will know whether what they believed was true or not.
There are very few people, if any, who can honestly say they are not interested in what awaits them just before and after death. Some are extremely uncomfortable with the topic and avoid talking about it at all costs.
A lot of people struggle with the loss of a loved one and need comfort and answers. To say there’s a lot of misinformation going around about death would be a classic understatement. Pop psychology abounds with stories of “bright tunnels” and lights and numerous books have been written by people telling of their own “near death” experiences.
Earnest Hemmingway, author of “Death in the afternoon” wrote, “Life is so full of problems, the only remedy for them is death.” Sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy for a man who would blow his brains out not long afterward.
A few years ago Raymond Moody wrote a best-seller called Life After Life, which purported to detail the near-death experiences of men and women who “died” and then came back to tell remarkably similar stories of weightlessness, with bright lights and reunions with loved ones.
• Hundreds of so-called “channelers” claim to be able to contact the spirits of the dead.
• The New Age Movement has popularized such Eastern concepts as the transmigration of souls, reincarnation (thanks especially to Shirley McClain), spiritualism, and communication with the dead.
• The Ouija Board remains a perpetual fascination for youngsters.
• Today, via the Internet, anyone with a computer and modem can connect with online psychics, spirit guides, and experts in reincarnation. I’m told that there are 16,000 Internet sites about witchcraft, 13,000 about reincarnation, 12,000 about psychics, 10,000 about sorcery, 5,000 about clairvoyance, and 1000 about necromancy. Nearly all these sites are free and easily accessible.
WHY THIS FASCINATION WITH THE WORLD BEYOND THE GRAVE?
Is it not because death is so final? Whatever one thinks about the reports of “near-death” visions, death -when it finally comes is irreversible. When you finally cross the line, there is no coming back from the other side. Death wins the battle every time. After the doctors have tried the latest wonder drug, after the best minds have pooled their wisdom, after the philosophers have done their best to explain that death is only a natural part of life, we come face to face with the ugly reality that some day we will all die. And that death-whether planned or accidental, whether comfortable or painful-will be the end of life as we have known it.
Three Questions
Nothing is certain-except death and taxes. But death is more certain than taxes. A clever man can find ways to evade taxes but no one evades the Grim Reaper. When your time is up, it’s up.
Death can be postponed, but never eliminated. Someday I will die, and those I love the most will die, and nothing can change this solemn fact. There’s a parting at the end of the way. We all have a rendezvous with death.
No wonder the human mind is drawn to the question, -“What happens when we die?” In many ways it’s the one remaining unanswered question. We know so much about so many things, but about life after death, we know so very little.
There are three great questions every person must answer:
1. Where did I come from?
2. Why am I here?
3. Where am I going?
It’s the third question that most grips the heart of man, for in one sense, the question “Where did I come from?” is yesterday’s news and the question “Why am I here?” is one that we answer every day. But the third question takes us into the unseen future-into the unfolding years and decades. What happens when we die? Is death the end of everything? Does man live for a few years and then simply vanish from the screen? Do we simply play our part and then shuffle off the stage into the misty obscurity of nothingness? Or is there something more, something beyond the great divide? Thousands of years ago Job spoke for the rest of us when he asked, “If a man dies, will he live again?” Job 14:14.
THE BIBLE IS FULL OF INFORMATION ABOUT DEATH.
In answering questions about life after death, we’re left with only two sources to consult. Either we turn to human experience or we turn to the Word of God. If we turn to human experience, we find many guesses, many ideas, many theories-but no sure answers. That’s because no human has a sure answer. The only people who have the answer are dead! That leaves us with the Word of God. In God’s Word we find ample, abundant answers. God who knows the future knows what happens when we die … and he hasn’t left us to wonder about it. The Bible is filled with information on this subject, so much in fact that I could never hope to cover it all here.
If you want the answer in one sentence, - what happens after you die depends on what you do before you die. Consider what the Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 (KJV),
“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
This is an appointment no one will miss. The statistics on death are appalling. One hundred out of 100 people will eventually die. We are terminally ill with a disease called death; we just don’t know when the end will come.
Last week while watching the wedding of Prince William and his bride Kate, we were reminded of Princess Diana who died unexpectedly in 1997 in a tragic car accident in Paris. We were also stunned this week by the unexpected home going of one of God’s generals David Wilkerson in a tragic car accident in Texas.
A couple of years back I was shocked when Dottie Rambo was killed on her bus when spring storms collided with the path she and her entourage were traveling. She was knocked out of bed and killed in a situation where I’m sure she couldn’t have felt safer.
IS THERE A SECOND CHANCE AFTER DEATH?
This is the popular view of many people who hope that those who did not accept Christ in this life will somehow have a second chance after death-either in the afterlife or perhaps through reincarnation. The answer is quite simple. There is no biblical support whatsoever for the notion of a “second chance.”
Here’s the truth; the only opportunity you and I will ever have to get right with God is the opportunity God affords right now. If you dream of coming to God after you die, you are nursing an empty dream -a vain hope.
WHAT ABOUT NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES?
Such experiences are very popular today. Betty Eadie wrote a bestselling book called "Embraced by the Light" which purports to tell of her “death” and her visit to heaven. Unfortunately, the book embraces unbiblical heresy and is in fact closer to Mormon theology than to the New Testament.
In thinking about this question, we need biblical balance. On one hand it’s undeniably true that some Bible characters did see the Lord before they died. Stephen saw Jesus just before he died in Acts 7. Paul was evidently given a vision of heaven-perhaps during his stoning at Lystra in Acts 14. He alludes to the event in 2 Corinthians 12. However, it’s important to say that such revelations did not often happen even in Bible times. Not every believer had or will have a revelation of heaven.
Could such a thing happen today? Yes, but we shouldn’t expect it or base our hope of heaven upon a last-second experience. Let’s also remember that Satan, the great deceiver, is at work. He can create scenes that seem to be scenes of heaven but are actually creations born in hell. Many near-death experiences are demonic in nature.
We should never base our hope of heaven-or the hope of seeing a loved one in heaven-on a supposed vision or revelation. The only reliable ground given to us is the eternal, unchanging Word of God.
WHAT HAPPENS TO CHILDREN WHO DIE?
This is obviously a very tender subject to many people. Parents want to know: Will I see my child again? The place to begin in answering this question is with the observation that the Bible doesn’t specifically address this question. However, we do know two things are true. First, children are not born innocent, but sinful. If children who die do go to heaven-and I believe they do-it’s not because they are morally innocent in the sight of God. No, all of us are born with an inclination to sin that leads us away from God. Ephesians 2:1 says that we are spiritually dead by nature. That applies as much to young children as it does to full-grown adults. Second, we know that God’s grace is always greater than human sin. Romans 5:20 reminds us that where sin abounded, grace super-abounded. God’s grace always goes far beyond sin’s disgrace.
I believe that God’s grace credits children with the merits of Jesus’ blood and righteousness so that those children-who die before they are old enough to believe-are covered by his blood and their entrance into heaven made sure and certain. Thus they are saved by grace just as we are.
I’ve written more than once about how my mother, who nursed a bitter, backslidden spirit for a year after her first daughter died unexpectedly at seven, was brought back to God by the reality that her daughter was with the Lord and she could never hope to see her again unless she was reunited with her in heaven.
CAN WE CONTACT THE DEAD AFTER THEY’RE GONE?
No. Any attempt to dabble in spirit contact is strictly forbidden in the Bible. It is sometimes called necromancy or sorcery or dealing with familiar spirits. Remember, demons can masquerade as the dead. They can even mimic the voices of our loved ones and give information that only the dead person would have known. For more on this subject, see Leviticus 19:26, 28, 31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Galatians 5:19-21.
Don’t attempt to contact the dead through any means at all-séances, Ouija Boards, crystal balls, psychic readers, channelers or mediums. You are involving yourself in that which God forbids. Leave the dead alone.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO HAS A LOST LOVED ONE?
Over the years I have discovered that it really doesn’t matter what you say-in terms of the precise words. Those who are grieving will not remember the words you say, but they will never forget that you cared enough to be there when they needed you. If you go with the love of God in your heart, he will give you any words you need to say.
What happens at the moment of death?
Now we come to the question of the hour. What happens at the very moment of death? We’ve already given the general answer: What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die. The Bible classifies the whole human race into two broad categories-the saved and the lost. What happens to the saved is radically different from what happens to the lost.
FOR THE SAVED
The Bible is abundantly clear on this point. When the saved die, they go directly into the presence of the Lord. Remember the words of Jesus to the thief on the cross,
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
This is a straightforward promise that at the moment of death the repentant thief would pass from his life of crime and his agonizing death into the realm called “paradise.” This contradicts the teaching called “soul-sleep” which implies that at death a believer “sleeps” in a kind of suspended animation until the day of the resurrection. How could the thief be that very day in paradise if his soul were to go to sleep when he died? At the moment of death the believer passes immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope and comfort as we stand at the graveside of a loved one. Paul said he had a desire to depart and to
…. “be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).
He also said,
“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body (that is, separated from the body by death) and at home with the Lord” II Corinthians 5:8. You’ll be blessed by re-reading the first ten verses of this chapter.
These are the words of a man who believed that heaven would begin at the moment of his death. Was Paul looking forward to an unconscious slumber after his death? No! He was looking forward to the presence of Jesus Christ.
But that’s not the whole story. The soul goes to be with the Lord in heaven and the body is buried until the day of resurrection when Jesus returns to the earth. I Thessalonians 4:14 says,
“We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
Here you have both sides of the truth. Christians who die are said to be “with Jesus” -that’s the soul in the conscious presence of the Lord- and “have fallen asleep in him” -that’s the body which “sleeps” in the grave. Listen to Paul’s description of that great reunion of body and soul:
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thessalonians 4:16).
Here is a clear promise of future bodily resurrection for the believer. First Corinthians 15:51-55 adds the magnificent fact that our bodies will be “raised imperishable"-that is, with a body that is perfect in every way, free from the vestiges of death and decay. In this life our bodies wear out, like a clock continually running down, but when we are raised, it will be with bodies that can never decay, never wear out, never suffer injury, never grow old, never get sick, and thank God, never die.
Many Christians have a wrong view of death. We think we’re going from the land of the living to the land of the dying-No! If you know Jesus, you are going from the land of the dying to the land of the living.
Here are some of the images the Bible uses for the death of a Christian: going to sleep and waking up in heaven … moving from a tent to a mansion … walking from the darkness into a well-lit room … coming home to see your family and friends … being set free from prison … taking a long journey to a new land … riding a chariot to the New Jerusalem … moving into a brand-new home … opening a gate to a brand-new world.
Christians have always faced death with confidence. Over the years many people have asked me how God can raise the dead if the body has been burned or lost or vaporized in some terrible explosion. I don’t think that’s a difficult question at all. If you can raise the dead, you can raise the dead. Resurrection is God’s problem, not ours. We don’t need to know the how of the resurrection as long as we know the who.
As he lay dying, D. L. Moody proclaimed, “Earth recedes, heaven opens before me.” Catherine Booth, wife of the founder of the Salvation Army, cried out, “The waters are rising, but I am not sinking.” And George MacDonald, the English novelist, said, “I came from God, and I’m going back to God, and I won’t have any gaps of death in the middle of my life.” John Wesley summed up the faith of the early Methodists with four simple words: “Our people die well.”
Once our bodies are raised, we will be with the Lord forever. Wherever he is, there we will be, rejoicing, praising, singing and celebrating throughout the ages of eternity. First Thessalonians 4:17 says, “We will be with the Lord forever.” Speaking of his own return, Jesus said,
In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).
What is ahead for us when we die?
1. Our soul goes into the conscious presence of the Lord.
2. Our body is buried until the day of resurrection.
3. When Christ returns, we will be raised bodily from the grave.
4. Body and soul reunited, we will be with the Lord forever.
DEATH FOR THE LOST
Let's consider the fate of those who die without Jesus Christ. The lost fear death and with good reason. Job 18:14 calls death “the king of terrors.” Hebrews 2:14 reminds us that the devil holds people in bondage through the fear of death. And 1 Corinthians 15:26 calls death “the last enemy.”
Let’s note one similarity between the fate of the saved and the lost. At the moment of death, the soul enters a new realm while the body is buried in the grave. For the believer, the moment of death brings him into the personal presence of Christ. For the unbeliever, death begins an experience of unending conscious punishment.
We can summarize the fate of the lost in four short statements:
#- At the moment of death, the soul of the lost is sent to hell where it is in conscious torment. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus told of a rich man, who upon his death, went to hell and suffered in the flames of torment. It matters not whether you think this passage is literal or figurative. If you say it is literal, then it must be a terrible punishment. If it is figurative, the figure itself is so awful to consider, that the reality must be much worse.
# -The punishment is eternal. Though this is debated in some circles today, Christians have united across the centuries in their belief that the Bible teaches an eternal punishment for those who do not know our Lord. Mark 9:43-48 speaks of the fire that is not quenched and the worm that does not die-a reference to the continuing existence of human personality in hell.
I noted-with chills up my spine-the words of the father of a 9/11 survivor when he assured people of a literal heaven and hell and spoke of his assurance that Bin Laden was in hell. Did that make hell more real to me? Not really, but I was blessed to hear a layman say something I haven’t heard a gospel preacher say in years.
# -The body is raised at the Great White Throne judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 describes the awesome scene as the unsaved dead are raised to stand before God and receive their final sentence of doom.
# -The unsaved are then cast into the lake of fire where they will reside forever, eternally separated from the presence of Almighty God. If this is unbearable to think about, if we shrink from such a thought, then let’s by all means do whatever is necessary to make sure that such a fate does not befall us or the ones we love the most.
This is the final destiny of those who do not know Jesus Christ. To make it more personal, it’s the final destiny of our friends, neighbors, loved ones, r parents, brothers, sisters, and children, if they die without Jesus Christ.
And, yes, it’s your destiny if you die without Jesus Christ. Let that thought linger in your mind. The reality of hell is more than just a theoretical doctrine. There is a place reserved for you in the lake of fire unless you, by a conscious choice, put your complete trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
IF YOU KNOW JESUS YOU HAVE NOTING TO FEAR WHEN DEATH CALLS.
Death comes to all of us-it will come for you one of these days. If we know Jesus we need not live in fear. Death may be quick or slow, painful or painless, but when the moment comes, you will find yourself ushered into heaven where you will see Jesus face to face.
Some people wonder if they will have enough faith when they die. When she was a young child in Holland Corrie Ten Boom worried about her own death and whether or not she would have enough courage when the moment finally came. Her father-Papa Ten Boom-knew of her fears and calmed her heart with these words. “Corrie, when I am going to take you on the train, when do I give you the ticket?” “Just before we get on board.” “That’s right. Dying is like taking a trip to see the Lord Jesus. He will give you whatever you need just when you need it. If you don’t have the courage now, it’s because you don’t need it now. When you need it, the Lord will give it to you, and you won’t be afraid.”
Jesus Has the Keys
Listen to the words of Jesus in Revelation 1:18, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore and have the keys of hell and of death.
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25, 26).
If you have put your trust in Jesus, you will never die. What an amazing promise. Believers die every day but for the believer, death is merely the passing from this life with all its sorrows into life eternal in the presence of our Lord.
The question is not: What happens when we die? But rather: What happened before we died?
DEATH ISN’T THE END OF THE ROAD -BUT RATHER A BEND IN THE ROAD.
For the believer, death is the doorway to heaven. For the unbeliever, it’s a passageway into unimaginable suffering. These things are true even if we do not fully understand. They are true even if we don’t believe them. While it gives me no personal gratification, let me quote what I heard an unbeliever say at the tire shop recently, and he said it several times; -“Sure as hell’” Even the devil’s crowd seems to be totally convinced.
Within a four day span one of God’s 5 Star Generals, David Wilkerson and Osama Bin Laden, one of Satan’s minions slipped through the phantom walls that separate us all from eternity. Both of them died which is what the Bible says will happen to us all.
One of these men had the blood of untold thousands of innocent people on his hands. The other man led millions to the foot of the blood soaked cross upon which the Prince of Glory died. While both men died violently, their eternal souls took different directions; one to heaven the other to hell.
What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die. Dear friend, make sure you’re ready so that when the time comes…
You won’t be surprised by what happens next.
Blessings,
John
Sunday, March 6, 2011
WHO AM I?
By John Stallings
“They say I’m so important that if you made a list of the Top 10 Most Important men in the Old Testament, my name would be near the top.
However, despite the fact that my life and times are so important, most folk know relatively little about me.
I don’t make a very good roll model and to be honest most people, by and large -ignore me. I can fully understand that. I accomplished quite a lot but was overshadowed by my Grandfather and one of my sons.
I’m one of four men who make up the backbone of the book of Genesis. I’m the Son of Isaac, Grandson of Abraham and the Father of Joseph.
I was named “Grabber” as I emerged from my mother’s womb because I was grabbing my twin brother’s foot trying to reposition myself to be born first. This would have given me an advantage. You might call me “the evil twin.”I spent the first part of my life cheating & conniving. Today I’d be like a Vegas card shark among other things. You wouldn’t have wanted to do business with me in my early days.
As time passed I lived up to my name. I grabbed my brother’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew. I was my mother’s favorite so she later helped me grab my brother’s blessing belonging to the firstborn. This could sometimes mean as much as two thirds of an estate.
The family I grew up in was dysfunctional; in short it was a mess. My parents set us up for devastating problems by engaging in favoritism. I was my mother’s favorite son.
Who am I?”-
I am…
JACOB
If you know Abraham, Joseph, Isaac and Jacob then you know Genesis chapters 12-50.
The interesting fact is that most of us know a great deal about two of those men and next to nothing about the other two. Abraham and Joseph stand like well-known bookends, while Isaac and Jacob are lost somewhere in the middle.
That’s understandable where Isaac is concerned since, unlike Jacob the Bible doesn’t describe his life in great detail. Esau doesn’t do many exploits because he was basically a passive individual. Can you imagine; he didn’t even have the motivation to go looking for a wife, his father had to send out a servant to find him a bride.
Jacob’s story begins in Genesis 25 and ends with his burial in Genesis 50—a life spanning fully one-half of the book.
Why Is Jacob Important?
1. Because so much is said about Jacob in the book of Genesis.
2. Because Jacob plays such a crucial role in the history of Israel.
3. Because Jacob is a Bible character whose story we can understand.
Beyond all question, he is one of the most “human” characters in all the Bible. As we trace his life, we will discover that he had as many defeats as victories. Unlike some other Bible characters who seem to march from victory to victory, Jacob’s life is a struggle from the very beginning. He comes out grabbing his brother’s heel and dies settling old scores with his children. In between he knows more than his share of sorrow and heartache. He cheats and is cheated, deceives and is deceived, angers and is made angry, shocks and is shocked. In short, here is man who lives life the way many of us do—two steps forward and one step back.
•He was a schemer and a dreamer.
•He had an eye for business and a heart for God.
•He was a businessman who was also a man of faith.
•He cheated his brother and he wrestled with an angel.
•He deceived his father and he heard the very voice of God.
Jacob’s life is a paradox, an enigma, a riddle wrapped in a mystery. He’s a man with warts, with scars, a man who has known the detours of life. We could rightly say that in matters of spirituality, Jacob was a “late bloomer.” He never had it easy, he never made it easy on himself, he made a thousand mistakes, and yet at the end he dies in the faith, which is why Hebrews 11 lists him as one of the heroes of the faith.
If you think about it in one way, to have Jacob’s name mentioned in this chapter of great faith exploits seems a bit incongruous. Why include a man who’s leaning on a staff & worshipping in the great Hall of Fame of believers? What Jacob is doing doesn’t look like a miracle of faith but that staff symbolized his helplessness & and dependence on God and reminds him of the night God broke him of his stubbornness & self-will.
Why was Jacob leaning? Well, the angel knocked his thigh out of joint in that wrestling match. They tell me a man has a problem walking or even standing if his thigh is out of its socket. God allowed that impediment to remain with Jacob for life. To put it bluntly, after Jacob’s encounter with the angel, he was a cripple. The story of Jacob’s life after the night he wrestled with the angel was- learning to lean on God.
There is both warning and encouragement in Jacob’s life—much to follow and much to avoid.
In the end we will discover that the real hero of the story is God. Not Jacob, but God. Jacob is merely the backdrop against which we see both the justice and mercy of God. In many ways he is the Peter of the Old Testament—the man whom God used in spite of himself. Over his life we should write in big letters—ROMANS 8:28—for if any man ever proved that “all things do work together for good"—it is Jacob. He’s the walking embodiment of that verse. Somehow God saw within him the potential for greatness.
In the end the schemer becomes a prince and the manipulator becomes a man of faith. When God is through with Jacob, he is transformed into a patriarch—the father of an entire nation.
After his death, the nation eventually called itself “Israel” in his honor—looking to him as its Founding Father. Later in the Old Testament, God often referred to the nation Israel as “the house of Jacob.”
Consider his resume’…
He is born clutching his brother’s heel.
He cheats his brother out of the birthright.
He deceives his father in order to obtain the blessing.
He spends 20 years in Haran where his uncle Laban cheats him.
He tries to bargain his way back into Esau’s good graces.
His children are involved in rape and murder.
His oldest son sleeps with his maidservant Bilhah.
His favorite son Joseph is kidnapped by his other sons.His heart is broken by sorrow.
In his youth he was a schemer.
In his middle years he was a hireling to Laban.
In his old age he was depressed and discouraged.
And he died in Egypt—not in the Promised Land.
If you looked at his story from that perspective, it would appear that his life was a failure. But it wasn’t. It’s his name after all that ends up in Hebrews 11—not Esau’s. That’s the wonder and glory of his life. Jacob was a man of faith.
If you need any other proof, consider this: When God wanted to identify himself to his people, he said… “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That encourages me. I’m so glad our God is the God of Jacob, too. Not just of Abraham and Isaac. He’s also the God of Jacob. He doesn’t just run with the winners. Our God is also the God of those who struggle and scrap their way through life, sometimes barely making it, and hanging on by their finger-tips. That’s the kind of God he is—He’s the “God of Jacob.”
TWENTY YEARS OF PRAYER
The story of Jacob’s life begins before he was born. Genesis 25:19-26 tells the story of his birth with two chronological details: Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah and 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were finally born. Married at 40, had children at 60. Verse 21 tells us…
“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.”
We don’t totally understand that today, but in Isaac’s day the worst thing that could happen to a woman was to be childless. It was taken as a sign that you were outside God’s favor. Furthermore, to be childless meant you had no one to take care of you in your old age.
So Isaac prayed for his wife. Not once, but again and again he begged God to open Rebekah’s womb. What is to us only a small notice in the biblical record was to Isaac a crucial point. He prayed for his wife. Incidentally, so far as I know, this is the only time in the Bible where a husband is specifically said to have prayed for his wife. I’m sure it must have happened often, but this is the only time it is directly mentioned.
Rebekah’s inability to give birth presented Isaac with a dilemma. After all, God had promised Abraham that his “seed” would become a great nation. In Genesis 22 that promise was repeated to Isaac. But how would it happen unless Rebekah becomes pregnant?
One year passes.
Two years pass.
Three years pass.
Four years pass.
No children. Where is God? What about his promise? So Isaac prays harder … and the years pass quickly. No children. Where is God? Has he forgotten what he said? Was it all a kind of cruel cosmic joke by the Almighty? Has God changed his mind?
So Isaac prayed. The word means “to entreat” or “to beg.” “O God, remove the shame, remove the stigma. O God, keep your promise. Give us a child.”
GOD AND GOD ALONE
Why did Isaac and Rebekah have to wait 20 years for an answer? I’ll answer that when I know why our prayers are not answered immediately. We pray and pray and sometimes we pray for years … and still the heavens seem as brass. Where is God when we need him? Why doesn’t He answer?
What was God doing during those 20 years of waiting? Let me suggest three answers:
1. He was developing Isaac’s faith.
2. He was teaching Isaac patience.
3. He was arranging the circumstances so that when the answer finally came, God alone would get the credit.
Those three points help us understand why God’s answers are often delayed. He wants to develop our faith, he wants to develop our patience, and he wants to make sure that he alone
gets the credit when the answer finally comes.
WHY ME?
Verse 22 gives us the other side of the story. When Rebekah finally gets pregnant, she has a very rough time. I’m sure that at first she and Isaac had a great celebration. Perhaps her friends gave her the equivalent of a baby shower. But as the weeks passed, the babies began to “jostle” inside her. The word is stronger than that; it means to “go to war.” Her babies fought each other inside the womb. That frightened Rebekah so she asked God, “Why is this happening to me?”
Isn’t it interesting that after praying for 20 years, when the answer finally comes, it brings more questions and more difficulty? Isn’t it true that answered prayer can be as difficult to handle as unanswered prayer? I’m sure you’ve heard it said, “Be careful what you pray for because God may give it to you.”
—We pray for children and when our children come, they are nothing but trouble.
—We pray for a new job and when we get one, our boss is a jerk.
—We pray for a new house and when we move in, we discover termites in the foundation.
—We pray to be married and then we pray to be divorced. [too often.]
Often we pray for some cherished dream, thinking that it will make us happy. When God finally answers, we discover his answer only means more problems. Why is that; because God is not in the business of making it easy for his people to travel from earth to heaven? Rather, he’s in the business of using the journey to teach us holiness, righteousness and godliness. If he makes it too easy, we’ll never develop the right kind of character.
GOD'S AMAZING ANSWER
So Rebekah—feeling the struggle within—says, “Why me?” Verse 23 gives us God’s amazing answer. I can sum it up in four phrases:
#Two Nations—"Two nations are in your womb.”
#Continual Conflict—"Two peoples within you will be separated.”
#Differing Strength—"One people will be stronger than the other.”
#Role Reversal—"The older will serve the younger.”
All of that may not mean much to us, but to Rebekah this was shocking news—especially the last point. In the ancient Near East the first-born was always given certain inheritance rights. He received a double portion of the inheritance and was considered the head of the family upon the death of the parents. But here God is saying that the roles would be reversed—the rights normally given to the first-born would in this case be given to the second-born.
In Romans 9:10-13, Paul develops this point to show that salvation is entirely by God’s grace. He chose Jacob over Esau before the boys were born, before either of them had done good or evil. It is purely a choice made in God’s heart and mind and was not dependent on anything good he saw in Jacob or anything bad he saw in Esau.
When the babies were finally born, Isaac and Rebekah received another shock. The first baby to come out was red, “and his whole body was like a red garment.” That is, his body was covered with red hair—almost like a wild animal. They named him “Esau,” which means “Red” and can also mean “Hairy.” But that wasn’t the only surprise. As Esau came out, a little white hand was clutching his heel. So they kept on pulling and out came the second boy. They named him “Jacob,” which means “Heel-grabber.” Years later the name comes to mean “Supplanter” and “Cheater.”
None of this happens by accident. The way these boys come into the world reveals something of their character and destiny. Esau will become a successful hunter; Jacob will become a cunning businessman. Esau will feel most at home in the outdoors; Jacob will spend his life trying to push and pull his way to the top. Esau will build a mighty kingdom; Jacob will live by his wits. Esau will have a fiery temper, but will quickly get over his rage; Jacob will have a long memory and his guilty conscience will plague him for years.
Isaac and Rebekah knew none of this in the beginning. But no matter, the two boys will take on their own personalities soon enough. Before too many years pass it will become clear that this unusual birth foretold their ultimate destinies in life.
Two boys: “Hairy Red” and “Heel-Grabber.” From them will eventually come two great nations. Their destinies were decided before they were born.
PERSONALITY PORTRAITS
It’s remarkable to follow these two boys as they grow up. Esau turns out to be a hunter, an outdoors man, a strong, good-looking fellow, a natural leader, an extrovert, a simple man who lived with his emotions right on the surface. Esau was a man without guile. What you see is what you get.
By contrast, Jacob is somewhat shy and retiring. He prefers to spend his days around the tents—thinking, dreaming, watching, analyzing. Jacob is a complex man—what you see is not necessarily what you get. With Jacob you’re never really sure. He’s one thing and then he’s another. I want to call him eccentric but somehow the word “Odd” keeps coming to mind.
Suppose you looked at both boys from a human point of view, which one would seem most successful? Which one would seem to have God’s favor? On whom does God’s blessing rest? I think most people would say Esau. If you asked in childhood, which boy will turn out better, the answer would be Esau. If you asked who will be the better leader, the answer would be Esau. If you asked which one will do more with his life, the answer would be Esau.
And who will have more problems? Jacob. More difficulties? Jacob? More heartache? Jacob. If you just look at the story on the surface, what you see is Esau growing up, getting married, having children and building a vast empire. On the other side you see Jacob, like I said earlier—at the beginning he’s a manipulator, in the middle he’s a hireling, at the end he is depressed and discouraged. Finally he dies in Egypt.
On whose life is God’s favor resting? From that standpoint, we might say Esau. And we would be dead wrong. But that’s typical, isn’t it? Oftentimes we look at the prosperous people around us and we think, “How blessed they are.” And when we see someone going through incredible suffering, we often think, “They must have done something wrong.” But prosperity is not always a sign of God’s blessing. That helps us understand why God gave Esau material prosperity. He never sought to have a close relationship with God, so God gave him second best. He just gave him money.
On the other hand, God gave Jacob sorrow, difficulty and heartache. Why- Because God was preparing Jacob for something great.
We would have chosen Esau, but God chose Jacob. He said, “No, not Esau. Jacob is my man.” We would have picked Esau to be our leader. God said, “No, I want that man who’s back there by the tents. That quiet fellow, the one you’ve written off. He’s my choice.”
In the end God will make Jacob a prince but it will take a lifetime to get the job done. The story of his life is the story of the continual struggle between the flesh and the spirit, between doing things man’s way and God’s way, between self-sufficiency and God-sufficiency. It’s the difference between trying to manipulate things and waiting on God.
FOUR LESSONS FOR LIFE
Have you have seen those buttons that say, “Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet.” That could be written over Jacob’s life because he is truly a work in progress.
1. Behind the seemingly insignificant details of life stands God himself.
We see that clearly in this story. Two babies jostle in the womb, and two nations are born. If we had been there we would have seen two babies coming out of the womb and nothing more. Who would have dreamed that the course of world history would be affected by “Hairy Red” and the “Heel-Grabber?” Who knew?
There are no accidents in God’s plan. Nothing has ever happened to you by chance or fate or luck. Even the mundane things of life that you take for granted all fit into a larger, unseen plan that is slowly unfolding in your life.
2. When God decides to raise up a man, nobody can thwart his plans.
We would have chosen Esau. But God said, “It’s going to be Jacob.” We would have made Jacob the first-born, but God said, “I can choose the second-born if I want to.” We would have given Jacob an easier road, but God knew the hard road makes a strong man.
The same is true for you and me. When God gets ready to work in your life, the result will be the same as Jacob—trouble, trouble, trouble. John Newton understood that truth when he wrote, “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
3. When God decides to work in your life, He will not stop though it takes him a lifetime to finish the job.
It took him 80 years to get Moses in shape. It took him over a hundred years to get Jacob in shape. It takes him a lifetime with most of us because the clay is pretty lumpy—full of rocks and stones and useless material. When God starts shaping the clay of the human heart, He won’t stop until the job is done.
4. When you yield your natural weaknesses to God, they become the source of your greatest strength.
Look at Jacob’s life. His scheming became godly tenacity. His ambition for success became ambition for God. His unfocused desire became determination to do God’s will. His name was changed from Jacob "the cheater" to Israel "he who wrestles with God".
Isn't it wonderful that God condescends to be called the God of Jacob. Only God could see the princely qualities in a man like Jacob. God delights to begin where others have given up in despair. It’s a marvelous thing how God allows an imperfect man to leave the past behind, grow
in character & become an integral part of His plans & purposes.
Jacob’s story is all about the grace of God who never gives up. You may see yourself in Jacob. You are in the night of your struggle, feeling all alone, scared, and afraid. Are you tired of wrestling? Are you at the end of yourself? Are you ready to acknowledge your weakness, the futility of grabbing from behind? Can you see that when you wrestle with life you are indeed wrestling with God?
Maybe you feel inadequate, or guilty, or perhaps you feel your life is so tangled up that no one could ever straighten it out again.
If you feel unfit for God to use, congratulations! You're an excellent candidate for the grace of God.
Blessings,
John
“They say I’m so important that if you made a list of the Top 10 Most Important men in the Old Testament, my name would be near the top.
However, despite the fact that my life and times are so important, most folk know relatively little about me.
I don’t make a very good roll model and to be honest most people, by and large -ignore me. I can fully understand that. I accomplished quite a lot but was overshadowed by my Grandfather and one of my sons.
I’m one of four men who make up the backbone of the book of Genesis. I’m the Son of Isaac, Grandson of Abraham and the Father of Joseph.
I was named “Grabber” as I emerged from my mother’s womb because I was grabbing my twin brother’s foot trying to reposition myself to be born first. This would have given me an advantage. You might call me “the evil twin.”I spent the first part of my life cheating & conniving. Today I’d be like a Vegas card shark among other things. You wouldn’t have wanted to do business with me in my early days.
As time passed I lived up to my name. I grabbed my brother’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew. I was my mother’s favorite so she later helped me grab my brother’s blessing belonging to the firstborn. This could sometimes mean as much as two thirds of an estate.
The family I grew up in was dysfunctional; in short it was a mess. My parents set us up for devastating problems by engaging in favoritism. I was my mother’s favorite son.
Who am I?”-
I am…
JACOB
If you know Abraham, Joseph, Isaac and Jacob then you know Genesis chapters 12-50.
The interesting fact is that most of us know a great deal about two of those men and next to nothing about the other two. Abraham and Joseph stand like well-known bookends, while Isaac and Jacob are lost somewhere in the middle.
That’s understandable where Isaac is concerned since, unlike Jacob the Bible doesn’t describe his life in great detail. Esau doesn’t do many exploits because he was basically a passive individual. Can you imagine; he didn’t even have the motivation to go looking for a wife, his father had to send out a servant to find him a bride.
Jacob’s story begins in Genesis 25 and ends with his burial in Genesis 50—a life spanning fully one-half of the book.
Why Is Jacob Important?
1. Because so much is said about Jacob in the book of Genesis.
2. Because Jacob plays such a crucial role in the history of Israel.
3. Because Jacob is a Bible character whose story we can understand.
Beyond all question, he is one of the most “human” characters in all the Bible. As we trace his life, we will discover that he had as many defeats as victories. Unlike some other Bible characters who seem to march from victory to victory, Jacob’s life is a struggle from the very beginning. He comes out grabbing his brother’s heel and dies settling old scores with his children. In between he knows more than his share of sorrow and heartache. He cheats and is cheated, deceives and is deceived, angers and is made angry, shocks and is shocked. In short, here is man who lives life the way many of us do—two steps forward and one step back.
•He was a schemer and a dreamer.
•He had an eye for business and a heart for God.
•He was a businessman who was also a man of faith.
•He cheated his brother and he wrestled with an angel.
•He deceived his father and he heard the very voice of God.
Jacob’s life is a paradox, an enigma, a riddle wrapped in a mystery. He’s a man with warts, with scars, a man who has known the detours of life. We could rightly say that in matters of spirituality, Jacob was a “late bloomer.” He never had it easy, he never made it easy on himself, he made a thousand mistakes, and yet at the end he dies in the faith, which is why Hebrews 11 lists him as one of the heroes of the faith.
If you think about it in one way, to have Jacob’s name mentioned in this chapter of great faith exploits seems a bit incongruous. Why include a man who’s leaning on a staff & worshipping in the great Hall of Fame of believers? What Jacob is doing doesn’t look like a miracle of faith but that staff symbolized his helplessness & and dependence on God and reminds him of the night God broke him of his stubbornness & self-will.
Why was Jacob leaning? Well, the angel knocked his thigh out of joint in that wrestling match. They tell me a man has a problem walking or even standing if his thigh is out of its socket. God allowed that impediment to remain with Jacob for life. To put it bluntly, after Jacob’s encounter with the angel, he was a cripple. The story of Jacob’s life after the night he wrestled with the angel was- learning to lean on God.
There is both warning and encouragement in Jacob’s life—much to follow and much to avoid.
In the end we will discover that the real hero of the story is God. Not Jacob, but God. Jacob is merely the backdrop against which we see both the justice and mercy of God. In many ways he is the Peter of the Old Testament—the man whom God used in spite of himself. Over his life we should write in big letters—ROMANS 8:28—for if any man ever proved that “all things do work together for good"—it is Jacob. He’s the walking embodiment of that verse. Somehow God saw within him the potential for greatness.
In the end the schemer becomes a prince and the manipulator becomes a man of faith. When God is through with Jacob, he is transformed into a patriarch—the father of an entire nation.
After his death, the nation eventually called itself “Israel” in his honor—looking to him as its Founding Father. Later in the Old Testament, God often referred to the nation Israel as “the house of Jacob.”
Consider his resume’…
He is born clutching his brother’s heel.
He cheats his brother out of the birthright.
He deceives his father in order to obtain the blessing.
He spends 20 years in Haran where his uncle Laban cheats him.
He tries to bargain his way back into Esau’s good graces.
His children are involved in rape and murder.
His oldest son sleeps with his maidservant Bilhah.
His favorite son Joseph is kidnapped by his other sons.His heart is broken by sorrow.
In his youth he was a schemer.
In his middle years he was a hireling to Laban.
In his old age he was depressed and discouraged.
And he died in Egypt—not in the Promised Land.
If you looked at his story from that perspective, it would appear that his life was a failure. But it wasn’t. It’s his name after all that ends up in Hebrews 11—not Esau’s. That’s the wonder and glory of his life. Jacob was a man of faith.
If you need any other proof, consider this: When God wanted to identify himself to his people, he said… “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That encourages me. I’m so glad our God is the God of Jacob, too. Not just of Abraham and Isaac. He’s also the God of Jacob. He doesn’t just run with the winners. Our God is also the God of those who struggle and scrap their way through life, sometimes barely making it, and hanging on by their finger-tips. That’s the kind of God he is—He’s the “God of Jacob.”
TWENTY YEARS OF PRAYER
The story of Jacob’s life begins before he was born. Genesis 25:19-26 tells the story of his birth with two chronological details: Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah and 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were finally born. Married at 40, had children at 60. Verse 21 tells us…
“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.”
We don’t totally understand that today, but in Isaac’s day the worst thing that could happen to a woman was to be childless. It was taken as a sign that you were outside God’s favor. Furthermore, to be childless meant you had no one to take care of you in your old age.
So Isaac prayed for his wife. Not once, but again and again he begged God to open Rebekah’s womb. What is to us only a small notice in the biblical record was to Isaac a crucial point. He prayed for his wife. Incidentally, so far as I know, this is the only time in the Bible where a husband is specifically said to have prayed for his wife. I’m sure it must have happened often, but this is the only time it is directly mentioned.
Rebekah’s inability to give birth presented Isaac with a dilemma. After all, God had promised Abraham that his “seed” would become a great nation. In Genesis 22 that promise was repeated to Isaac. But how would it happen unless Rebekah becomes pregnant?
One year passes.
Two years pass.
Three years pass.
Four years pass.
No children. Where is God? What about his promise? So Isaac prays harder … and the years pass quickly. No children. Where is God? Has he forgotten what he said? Was it all a kind of cruel cosmic joke by the Almighty? Has God changed his mind?
So Isaac prayed. The word means “to entreat” or “to beg.” “O God, remove the shame, remove the stigma. O God, keep your promise. Give us a child.”
GOD AND GOD ALONE
Why did Isaac and Rebekah have to wait 20 years for an answer? I’ll answer that when I know why our prayers are not answered immediately. We pray and pray and sometimes we pray for years … and still the heavens seem as brass. Where is God when we need him? Why doesn’t He answer?
What was God doing during those 20 years of waiting? Let me suggest three answers:
1. He was developing Isaac’s faith.
2. He was teaching Isaac patience.
3. He was arranging the circumstances so that when the answer finally came, God alone would get the credit.
Those three points help us understand why God’s answers are often delayed. He wants to develop our faith, he wants to develop our patience, and he wants to make sure that he alone
gets the credit when the answer finally comes.
WHY ME?
Verse 22 gives us the other side of the story. When Rebekah finally gets pregnant, she has a very rough time. I’m sure that at first she and Isaac had a great celebration. Perhaps her friends gave her the equivalent of a baby shower. But as the weeks passed, the babies began to “jostle” inside her. The word is stronger than that; it means to “go to war.” Her babies fought each other inside the womb. That frightened Rebekah so she asked God, “Why is this happening to me?”
Isn’t it interesting that after praying for 20 years, when the answer finally comes, it brings more questions and more difficulty? Isn’t it true that answered prayer can be as difficult to handle as unanswered prayer? I’m sure you’ve heard it said, “Be careful what you pray for because God may give it to you.”
—We pray for children and when our children come, they are nothing but trouble.
—We pray for a new job and when we get one, our boss is a jerk.
—We pray for a new house and when we move in, we discover termites in the foundation.
—We pray to be married and then we pray to be divorced. [too often.]
Often we pray for some cherished dream, thinking that it will make us happy. When God finally answers, we discover his answer only means more problems. Why is that; because God is not in the business of making it easy for his people to travel from earth to heaven? Rather, he’s in the business of using the journey to teach us holiness, righteousness and godliness. If he makes it too easy, we’ll never develop the right kind of character.
GOD'S AMAZING ANSWER
So Rebekah—feeling the struggle within—says, “Why me?” Verse 23 gives us God’s amazing answer. I can sum it up in four phrases:
#Two Nations—"Two nations are in your womb.”
#Continual Conflict—"Two peoples within you will be separated.”
#Differing Strength—"One people will be stronger than the other.”
#Role Reversal—"The older will serve the younger.”
All of that may not mean much to us, but to Rebekah this was shocking news—especially the last point. In the ancient Near East the first-born was always given certain inheritance rights. He received a double portion of the inheritance and was considered the head of the family upon the death of the parents. But here God is saying that the roles would be reversed—the rights normally given to the first-born would in this case be given to the second-born.
In Romans 9:10-13, Paul develops this point to show that salvation is entirely by God’s grace. He chose Jacob over Esau before the boys were born, before either of them had done good or evil. It is purely a choice made in God’s heart and mind and was not dependent on anything good he saw in Jacob or anything bad he saw in Esau.
When the babies were finally born, Isaac and Rebekah received another shock. The first baby to come out was red, “and his whole body was like a red garment.” That is, his body was covered with red hair—almost like a wild animal. They named him “Esau,” which means “Red” and can also mean “Hairy.” But that wasn’t the only surprise. As Esau came out, a little white hand was clutching his heel. So they kept on pulling and out came the second boy. They named him “Jacob,” which means “Heel-grabber.” Years later the name comes to mean “Supplanter” and “Cheater.”
None of this happens by accident. The way these boys come into the world reveals something of their character and destiny. Esau will become a successful hunter; Jacob will become a cunning businessman. Esau will feel most at home in the outdoors; Jacob will spend his life trying to push and pull his way to the top. Esau will build a mighty kingdom; Jacob will live by his wits. Esau will have a fiery temper, but will quickly get over his rage; Jacob will have a long memory and his guilty conscience will plague him for years.
Isaac and Rebekah knew none of this in the beginning. But no matter, the two boys will take on their own personalities soon enough. Before too many years pass it will become clear that this unusual birth foretold their ultimate destinies in life.
Two boys: “Hairy Red” and “Heel-Grabber.” From them will eventually come two great nations. Their destinies were decided before they were born.
PERSONALITY PORTRAITS
It’s remarkable to follow these two boys as they grow up. Esau turns out to be a hunter, an outdoors man, a strong, good-looking fellow, a natural leader, an extrovert, a simple man who lived with his emotions right on the surface. Esau was a man without guile. What you see is what you get.
By contrast, Jacob is somewhat shy and retiring. He prefers to spend his days around the tents—thinking, dreaming, watching, analyzing. Jacob is a complex man—what you see is not necessarily what you get. With Jacob you’re never really sure. He’s one thing and then he’s another. I want to call him eccentric but somehow the word “Odd” keeps coming to mind.
Suppose you looked at both boys from a human point of view, which one would seem most successful? Which one would seem to have God’s favor? On whom does God’s blessing rest? I think most people would say Esau. If you asked in childhood, which boy will turn out better, the answer would be Esau. If you asked who will be the better leader, the answer would be Esau. If you asked which one will do more with his life, the answer would be Esau.
And who will have more problems? Jacob. More difficulties? Jacob? More heartache? Jacob. If you just look at the story on the surface, what you see is Esau growing up, getting married, having children and building a vast empire. On the other side you see Jacob, like I said earlier—at the beginning he’s a manipulator, in the middle he’s a hireling, at the end he is depressed and discouraged. Finally he dies in Egypt.
On whose life is God’s favor resting? From that standpoint, we might say Esau. And we would be dead wrong. But that’s typical, isn’t it? Oftentimes we look at the prosperous people around us and we think, “How blessed they are.” And when we see someone going through incredible suffering, we often think, “They must have done something wrong.” But prosperity is not always a sign of God’s blessing. That helps us understand why God gave Esau material prosperity. He never sought to have a close relationship with God, so God gave him second best. He just gave him money.
On the other hand, God gave Jacob sorrow, difficulty and heartache. Why- Because God was preparing Jacob for something great.
We would have chosen Esau, but God chose Jacob. He said, “No, not Esau. Jacob is my man.” We would have picked Esau to be our leader. God said, “No, I want that man who’s back there by the tents. That quiet fellow, the one you’ve written off. He’s my choice.”
In the end God will make Jacob a prince but it will take a lifetime to get the job done. The story of his life is the story of the continual struggle between the flesh and the spirit, between doing things man’s way and God’s way, between self-sufficiency and God-sufficiency. It’s the difference between trying to manipulate things and waiting on God.
FOUR LESSONS FOR LIFE
Have you have seen those buttons that say, “Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet.” That could be written over Jacob’s life because he is truly a work in progress.
1. Behind the seemingly insignificant details of life stands God himself.
We see that clearly in this story. Two babies jostle in the womb, and two nations are born. If we had been there we would have seen two babies coming out of the womb and nothing more. Who would have dreamed that the course of world history would be affected by “Hairy Red” and the “Heel-Grabber?” Who knew?
There are no accidents in God’s plan. Nothing has ever happened to you by chance or fate or luck. Even the mundane things of life that you take for granted all fit into a larger, unseen plan that is slowly unfolding in your life.
2. When God decides to raise up a man, nobody can thwart his plans.
We would have chosen Esau. But God said, “It’s going to be Jacob.” We would have made Jacob the first-born, but God said, “I can choose the second-born if I want to.” We would have given Jacob an easier road, but God knew the hard road makes a strong man.
The same is true for you and me. When God gets ready to work in your life, the result will be the same as Jacob—trouble, trouble, trouble. John Newton understood that truth when he wrote, “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
3. When God decides to work in your life, He will not stop though it takes him a lifetime to finish the job.
It took him 80 years to get Moses in shape. It took him over a hundred years to get Jacob in shape. It takes him a lifetime with most of us because the clay is pretty lumpy—full of rocks and stones and useless material. When God starts shaping the clay of the human heart, He won’t stop until the job is done.
4. When you yield your natural weaknesses to God, they become the source of your greatest strength.
Look at Jacob’s life. His scheming became godly tenacity. His ambition for success became ambition for God. His unfocused desire became determination to do God’s will. His name was changed from Jacob "the cheater" to Israel "he who wrestles with God".
Isn't it wonderful that God condescends to be called the God of Jacob. Only God could see the princely qualities in a man like Jacob. God delights to begin where others have given up in despair. It’s a marvelous thing how God allows an imperfect man to leave the past behind, grow
in character & become an integral part of His plans & purposes.
Jacob’s story is all about the grace of God who never gives up. You may see yourself in Jacob. You are in the night of your struggle, feeling all alone, scared, and afraid. Are you tired of wrestling? Are you at the end of yourself? Are you ready to acknowledge your weakness, the futility of grabbing from behind? Can you see that when you wrestle with life you are indeed wrestling with God?
Maybe you feel inadequate, or guilty, or perhaps you feel your life is so tangled up that no one could ever straighten it out again.
If you feel unfit for God to use, congratulations! You're an excellent candidate for the grace of God.
Blessings,
John
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