June 28

“…The sword of the king of Babylon shall come upon thee.” Ezekiel 32:11

In the narrative of Holy Scripture we find God’s involvement in the rise and fall of nations. Far from being the indifferent, remote and disinterested God that some would have Him to be, Yahwah is clearly close to the events of history that seem to have shaped the destiny of nations, peoples and civilizations. In these passages from the book of Ezekiel, we have the prophecies concerning the fall of Egypt, at the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Though in due course Babylon too would find retribution for its violations and pride against the Almighty, at this time the great kingdom would be used as a tool to bring judgment upon the sin and idolatry of Egypt. Two things we must keep in mind as we read these passages. Firstly, the Lord is in authority over all and any kingdom of man, even those who by their laws show they have no regard or consideration of Him. As the Supreme Potentate, He is capable of using and directing the events, and the ultimate outcome of all human affairs, to suit and fit His own purpose and will, if He so chooses. In our modern world so aloof and self-sufficient in its technology and scientific advancements, little care or place is given to the power and majesty of God. He is not glorified in the dealings of the present nations of this world as a whole. Actually quite the opposite is true, most of the world’s powers and governments are antagonistic to God, His law and His ways. They promote immoral and sinful lifestyles which deny and defy God’s power and authority. They mock, decry and belittle the ways of the Almighty as old-fashioned, archaic, out of touch or inapplicable, mere myth. History has clearly shown that when God has had enough of man’s pride and foolish boasting, He will come in judgment and will make quick work of all man’s self-aggrandizing and self-glorification. Secondly, we must remember that the Lord is longsuffering and patient, and as believers, we must be like Him. Even when we might think that the wicked is ‘getting away with it’, and that nothing is happening to bring about justice and righteousness, we must remain patient and leave the timing and call of action to God. He has the knowledge and wisdom necessary to bring about justice in the right way and at the right time. His longsuffering is bound up in His love for mankind, for in spite of man’s sin and self-destructive nature, He is not willing that any should die, but desires that all should come to repentance. Nevertheless the time will come when He will close down the opportunity for mankind to choose His righteousness. Then will come the judgment, and like that which fell on Egypt and many other great nations, it will fall upon the whole world, it will be sudden and it will be final. It won’t be the power of one nation pitched against another at God’s bidding, but a judgment conducted by His own personal power and presence, for “..in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords!” Our task is not to complain about the conditions of the world, worry about God’s timetable, or suggest what He should do, but to stay faithful and pure till the end; to continue to trust, love and believe in Jesus and His Word; and to reach out to as many as we can with the gospel of salvation while there is yet time!

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June 27

“…Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her?...” Nahum 3:7

Nineveh again becomes the centre of God’s attention and the recipient of His judgment, because of its gross immorality and wickedness. Once before, God had sent the reluctant prophet Jonah to this same city, with a message of impending doom. In those days, this great city was so large that it took three days to walk it from one side to the other. It has been estimated that it had a population of around one million inhabitants, a particularly large city for those days. Only upon their swift repentance with sackcloth and ashes, did God avert the judgment which was about to be poured upon it. Now again under the ministry of the prophet Nahum, Nineveh’s sin, idolatry, witchcraft and immorality is brought into focus and its destruction is prophesied. With the accuracy of detail that can come only from the Omniscient Yahwah, Nahum tells of how its ruin will happen, and the manner of its fall. History shows the events took place in this very way, to the last minute detail! Nineveh had become such a scourge and pollution of many nations, and where in the past God’s mercy had covered, the time had come, where no such healing could be promoted any longer. Nineveh would be destroyed, laid waste and there would be no one to weep over her! No one that would not agree, this was a just and correct judgment upon her! The patience and longsuffering of God is remarkable and sets us in awe of His greatness, when we consider how much room He allows, and how long He deals with the human family, in an effort to bring us to repentance. There is however in God’s economy an end to His striving with man. There comes a time when for God to continue striving, would mean having to bend man’s will, or allow him to violate His holiness - and the Lord will not do either. He has allowed man a free will by which he can make his own choices, for or against God. Yet the Lord will also tenaciously defend His holiness and protect it from allowing man to go beyond his allowed scope. There is therefore a time limit which God sets for all men, nations and people. That time is known of the Lord alone, and when it comes, there is no holding back on the judgment of God! It is a time of reckoning, a time of judgment, destruction, cleansing and restoration of righteousness. Time then will have run out, it will be time ‘no more’, in regards to possible repentance and change. Nineveh and all the civilizations that have gone before, teach us the great lesson that there is a limit and boundary to the longsuffering and mercy of God. It is wise for us to repent quickly while there is yet time, and while God is near and calling. If we insist on remaining in sin, violating God’s law and repudiating His love, the time will come when the opportunity to make it right will no longer be available. Wise are the words of the prophet Isaiah when he exhorted the people saying “seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:”! 

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June 26

“After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.” Job 3:1

Much has been written on Job, his patience and faithfulness in his relationship with God. This verse is a clear reminder that even men who have grown in relative perfection and in such graces of God as patience, compassion and generosity, are yet human and capable, under circumstances of pressure, pain and affliction, to open their mouths and utter things which may be unwise, negative or unedifying! This is not to say that if a believer expresses sorrow, disappointment or another negative feeling, he is automatically sinning. Sin can take hold however, if we do not deal with the negative emotions correctly, give place to them, and become controlled by them. Instead we should yield them to God and trust Him for help, solutions and strength to overcome. Job had by this time endured seven days of mourning after the loss of all his family, possessions and health, without apparent relief to his condition, and he does something here, which was not unusual among the people of his time, when they were faced with intense distress and sorrow – he curses the day he was born. Although this may be considered a slip in his spiritual compass, let us note a few things which may be explanatory. Firstly, Job did not ‘curse’ God as the devil had falsely predicted, and his wife had so callously incited, nor did he curse anyone else or even himself as creatures of God. In fact he did not even curse the present condition and suffering he found himself in. Secondly, it is questionable that man can of his own accord, actually ‘curse’ anything, since such power lies outside his ability, and is therefore merely reflective of an attitude or desire to do so, if only it were possible. Thirdly, he turned his despair and ill will, towards something that could not be changed nor was in any way in his control, making his ‘cursing’, a mere token expression of his inner despair, his discomfort and disconsolate situation. Lastly, later in the narrative of his life, we find Job repenting of anything he may have spoken unwisely and without due regard toward God. He was conscious that even this moment of negative expression from his lips, should have been avoided. Such cursing isn’t necessarily saying any bad word or oath, but a wishing that the event, in this case his birth, had never taken place. Jeremiah stated something similar (Jer 20:14-18) when he was in distress over Israel rejecting God’s word and torturing God’s prophets. The reasoning behind this expression of negative emotion is that the present suffering and distress, which is so painful and discomforting, would not have taken place if the individual had not been born; we would relate it to the expression - ‘sorry you were ever born’. So whilst it is an expression of suffering humanity, it is nevertheless inappropriate for the believer to make such a statement, because it reflects a lack of acceptance that God is in control of all things. If we truly know and believe that Yahwah is Omniscient, then not only the time and event of our birth, but all the details of every aspect of our human lives are known to Him, and ultimately in His control. True faith, in spite of our despairing humanity, would call and demand that we remember this fact. It would encourage us to believe that somehow God’s mind, His wisdom and plan is perfect and higher than what we can comprehend in our despair, appropriate to us by His allowance, and that we should take nothing in our hands and away from His, even if only in token complaint or misplaced desire, born out of our human  affliction. This high standard of trust and reliance upon God is a goal of all true believers, and it is only from God that we can draw the strength to perform our lives in this manner and remain pleasing to the Lord. 

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June25

“Now I have prepared with all my might…” 1 Chronicles 29:2

David had not been allowed by the Lord to build the house for God that he so desired to erect. His son Solomon would do that when came into the reign as the new king. David contented himself nevertheless to do all he could towards the construction, by supplying all the materials necessary for it, which he had accumulated, including much gold and silver from his own personal wealth. This example of desire and passion to see the house of God built, stirred other leaders and the people to also give as they could towards this great and worthwhile cause. In due course Solomon did build the renowned and awe inspiriting temple in Jerusalem which became the centre of Israel’s worship. A simple and yet powerful lesson we can draw from David’s contribution toward this great event, is found in his manner and attitude. Lesser men, when turned down on their desire to do something, also turn away with disdain and pride, feeling that is if they are not ‘good enough’ to do what they wanted or offered to do, then they will have no part at all with the situation or project. They then often look down on whatever ensues from there, with distant aloofness and unfeeling disregard. Clearly David was made of better stuff! With the same purity and humility that characterised his entire life, rather than turn away and shut down the idea, he pursued it in any way he could! His desire to build God’s house, was not motivated by personal pride or a desire to be recognised, his motivation was his love for his God! If he couldn’t build the temple per se, then he would facilitate the building of it by whatever means and ways he could! What is particularly of note is his manner and spirit in even doing that! He didn’t go about it with a half-hearted, ‘I’ll see what I can do’, type of attitude! He was pro-active about the project and did all he could with all his power, might and with all due zeal and diligence! In a time when kings were often remembered for the structures which were erected and the cities built during their reign, David sought no such recognition or accolade, yet is remembered to this day as a man after God’s own heart! This is not a title he assigned to himself, but attributed to him because of the life he lived for the Lord, and is probably the greatest praise that any king could ever be given, and the greatest achievement that he could be remembered for! What attitude and manner do we take when we do service unto the Lord? Does it matter to us what aspect of His work we are called to or allowed to do? Do we do it with all our might?

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June 24

“For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD…” Ezra 7:10

Ezra had been directed by God and had found favour with the Lord, to do a special work and carry out a mission. He prepared his heart to carry out the threefold task of seeking the law of God, doing it, and teaching it to the people of Israel. His heart preparation is a significant aspect of true leadership. Spiritual leaders, who would please God with their service, are people who prepare themselves thoroughly and consistently. The athlete would not be ready to compete without his physical preparation, which often amounts to daily toil in strenuous exercise. The artist could not paint the variety of colours needed without suitably mixing and preparing them on his palette. The musician would not produce any intelligible or pleasing sounds, without first tuning his instrument. In the same manner we cannot really do God’s bidding, without appropriate and sincere heart preparation. Ezra gives us a good example of how we should prepare ourselves. He started in the right place and so should we. God’s word, His law, His thinking, His wisdom and authority, should be the starting place for all our preparation. Like Ezra also, it should become more than just head knowledge however, and develop into what we ‘do’. It should form the basis of all our thinking, understanding and action. It should guide our decisions, choices and preferences. It should touch and affect every area of our lives and influence all our desires. Only when we truly ‘do’ God’s word, willingly, faithfully, with willing discipline and joyful desire, can we really teach it to others, and be effective leaders. Pray that God give us leaders like Ezra, who are willing to prepare their hearts the right way, and personally practice what they have learned from God that they may positively affect others with their teaching and example! 

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June 23

“But they also have erred through wine…” Isaiah 28:7

Judah had fallen prey like Israel to the mind-robbing, sin-encouraging vice of drunkenness. Sadly the enslaving habit had found its mark even with the priests and the prophets who were intended to be beacons of God’s direction to the people. Their erring while in this intoxicated condition, included failing to discern the direction of God, and being unable to correctly judge matters. What an indictment against God’s people that Isaiah should be able to point at their lives being so devastated by sin, initiated and continued while under the influence and in the stupor of strong drink! Drunkenness is forbidden and deemed a sin in the bible, and for good reason! It robs reason from the mind and causes many to pursue and fulfil the sinful tendency of their flesh even more readily. It has always been at the centre of social deterioration in every culture and civilization of the past, and accompanied every degradation and moral failure that humans are capable of. In our present modern and so-called civilised western world, it is one of the main contributors to social problems. Alcoholism is associated with many serious and life threatening medical conditions; responsible for poor performance in the work place, and creating a host of complications and severe setbacks for people in various relationships. It is often at the centre of domestic violence, driving offences and many other crimes and socially abusive behaviours. It pollutes every area of organised, societal living, ruining and destroying the fabric of our cultures and undermining our ability to work and behave responsibly. Alcohol abuse affects the drinker’s life, his immediate environment, family and work, and the overall society the drinker is a part of. God visited stern judgement on His people for their abuse of strong drink and the resulting sinfulness. It is important as Christians, that we take note of the things which caused God’s hand to fall in punishment in the past, both in our lives and in the lives of others, learn from those mistakes and lessons, and determine to stand strong against anything that can be offensive to the Lord. As believers we have been given the Spirit of a sound mind - God’s Holy Spirit, which causes us to live holy and grants us a clear and sober mind as to moral and spiritual issues. Anything that can cloud, inebriate, intoxicate and distort our thinking and emotions is not holy, and cannot be tolerable before the Lord! We are to avoid such aberrations and keep to the trueness of love, faith and holiness God has prescribed for us. When we present our bodies a living sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptable unto Him, we are acting in a manner pleasing unto the Lord and are doing what is our ‘reasonable service’ to God!

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June 22

“…This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it” 2 John 1:6

The scriptures labour at length to teach us all about that which is necessary for us to fulfil the will of God. In this verse we are taught that we can only truly love God, when we are obedient to Him by walking in His commandments! Many, in their own versions of the Christian faith, have divorced the necessity of unrelenting obedience unto God and His Word, from any evidence of our love for Him. They have made loving God a mere ‘fuzzy, warm feeling’, akin to what we may feel towards a favourite song, picture or other comfort; an emotional, temporary response to God, based on how we feel at the time. Given the ‘right’ circumstances, today we might ‘feel’ love for God, but not so much tomorrow, when the circumstances have changed, and the comfort or ‘warmth’ is no longer there! Such ‘love’ for God is at best a poor imitation, and is not a reflection of the true love, which the scriptures teach we are to have for God. In God’s economy, obedience to His Word, His directives, is the way we can measure and determine the reality and quality of our love for Him. The text also insists that God’s standard on this has not changed. The commandment of God, meaning His entire revelation to man through His Word, His entire counsel on how we should live our lives and please Him, has been the same from the beginning! Keeping His word then means to obey what He says we should do, make it our life, walk in it and reflect it in all our directions and dealings. It means determined obedience, even when it is not comfortable to do so, when others mock, disagree or disapprove. By walking in God’s commands, we are not making our obedience and therefore love towards Him, an isolated instance or once of condition. Walking intimates a continuing process, an ongoing exercise and a progression towards a goal or direction! Love for God is the greatest motivation for our service unto Him and cannot be based on the whimsical nature of human feelings. It is directed, strengthened and supported in response to the obedience we give the Lord. Our relationship with Jesus grows nearer and closer as we willingly  yield more of ourselves to His will and ways! What a privilege to know the Lord and to have the benefit of His word to teach us how to love Him the way we should!

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