God is our Fortress

Then the Rabshakeh stood and called out in a loud voice in the language of Judah: “Hear the word of the great king, the king of Assyria! Thus says the king: ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The Lord will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ 
Do not listen to Hezekiah, for thus says the king of Assyria: ‘Make your peace with me and come out to me. . . . 
But the people were silent and answered him not a word, for the king’s command was, “Do not answer him.” . . . .  As soon as King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord. And he sent Eliakim… and Shebna… and the senior priests, covered with sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz. They said to him, “Thus says Hezekiah, This day is a day of distress, of rebuke, and of disgrace; children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to bring them forth. It may be that the Lord your God heard all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke the words that the Lord your God has heard; therefore lift up your prayer for the remnant that is left.” 
. . . . Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.’ ” (2 Kings 18:28–19:7)

Sometimes I say, “We have a big God” and someone else responds with, ‘yes, but” or “What if” and I want to weep. If the need is too large for Almighty God then why bother worshipping Him? Would it not be better to admit this lack of faith and allow God to defend Himself?
The story continues:

And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: “O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made the heavens and the earth. Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.” (2 Kings 19:15–19)

His prayer of faith is faith-building for me. I know as I read it that God will answer, and He did:

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it. By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the Lord. For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.” (2 Kings 19:32–34)

Jesus, it is important to remember that You answer prayer for Your own sake, not just mine. It is not bad to be known as a person of prayer, but far more important that Your people know You as One who hears and answers to show Himself to us, that we know Your power and Your faithfulness. It is when we see You as You are that You transform us by grace to be more like You. Help all of us to confess our doubts, then sweep them away so we can pray with confidence that You will hear our cries and take care of our needs.

Knowledge is not enough!

And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities. And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. So the king of Assyria was told, “The nations that you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they are killing them, because they do not know the law of the god of the land.” Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away from there, and let him go and dwell there and teach them the law of the god of the land.” So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord. But every nation still made gods of its own and put them in the shrines of the high places that the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities in which they lived. (2 Kings 17:24–29)

While this account reveals that the gods of those days were based on the superstitions of the people rather than the true God who had been revealed to the Israelites (who had been deported) there is still a truth in this story that convicts me. Unless God teaches me and unless I do what He says, I will still struggle with gods of my own making.

It is one thing to know about God and about Jesus Christ, and quite another to have my life transformed. I can read and study the Bible, go to church and hear stirring messages, and teach what I am learning to others, but not practice what I preach.

In the above story, the king of Assyria assumed that the people groups he planted in Samaria just needed to know the law of God and they would follow it. Their gods (inventions of their minds) controlled the weather, etc. and they had rules to gain their favor. This was not true of the Lord. They had no idea of His ways and even if it was told to them, they would not be able to obey without the power of His Holy Spirit.

This is true today as well. A sincere person can learn what a Christian is supposed to be like and fake some of it, yet Jesus made it clear that God is looking for obedience from the heart, not from a good education or from anyone merely performing in their own strength.

For instance, “Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you” can be a show of niceness when that ‘enemy’ is present, and gossip when they are absent. Love from the heart cares about the well-being of others, whether they are nearby or not.

As I write that, I point fingers at myself. I can be critical of my “friends” when they are not around. Love does not do that. Hypocrisy does. I need the Holy Spirit to fill me with love and give me His ways to show it. My efforts will always fall short.

This is why teaching those nations was a waste of time. A list of rules does not change hearts. That priest may have taught them the fear of the Lord, but if attacking lions could not bring that result, his teaching could not either. 

Lord, I sometimes fear that my knowledge will always be greater than my obedience, my laziness will overcome my zeal, and my selfishness will mock Your grace. I know my weak sinfulness and need of Your Spirit to enable obedience. Fill me up — that You will be glorified.

All fall short…

But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only. (2 Kings 17:14–18)

When reading passages like this one, a question comes into my head that would horrify most Christians. Did God “remove” Israel out of His sight for rejecting Jesus by using the horror of the holocaust? 

This question is considered a theological interpretation rather than a widely accepted scriptural doctrine because there is no evidence in the NT that God would deal with His people that way. His desire was that the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ would go out to the world, to the Jew first and then the Gentiles. When the first disciples followed that pattern, eventually the people of Israel rejected it, so they turned to the Gentiles.
And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed." (Acts 13:46–48)

Many see the holocaust as only about the Jews. But besides, the six million Jews who were murdered, others were also put to death who had no historical involvement with the crucifixion. The only commonality is that all are sinners just as I am even though Roma and Sinti were targeted on racial grounds, people with disabilities were considered "unworthy of life" and a threat to genetic health, Polish and Soviet Civilians, Soviet Prisoners of War, political opponents such as Communists, Socialists, and Social Democrats, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, “Asocials" and Social Outsiders including the homeless, prostitutes, alcoholics, and those deemed to be "professional criminals” as well as black people, and anyone else considered "racial enemies," "biological threats," or "enemies of the state” were targeted. 

As for all being sinners, the NT says, “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. . . .” (Romans 3:22–24) 

Another issue is that the OT speaks of unbelieving people who prosper in this life, yet will not have eternal life, yet their ‘punishment’ for rejecting God is not mass execution, but an eternity in  torment.

Not everyone thinks this was a horrible event. A Jehovah Witness (a cult that imitates Christian without faith in Christ) told me that they feel honored to have been “persecuted for their beliefs.” While that seems weird, it is a NT truth that those who believe in Christ (which excludes cults) are to rejoice when others persecute them:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11–12)

Certainly the ways of God are above our normal ways of thinking. Yes, it is horrible that millions of people were put to death by others who hated them for various reasons, yet thinking God allowed this to happen to punish them does not make it right. I tend to agree with those who say that we ask the wrong question. Instead of trying to figure out why some are being punished and others receive eternal life, we should wonder why anyone is saved. 

Jesus, when Christians decry the evil that others do, it is best that I respond with, “Yes, yet I am a sinner too” and praise You for Your mercy in forgiving me and giving me life. I don’t want to use the sins of others in an effort to make me look more righteous than they are. Except for Your amazing grace, all deserve to die.

 

Change Tactics?

Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the holy things that is brought into the house of the Lord, the money for which each man is assessed—the money from the assessment of persons—and the money that a man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, let the priests take, each from his donor, and let them repair the house wherever any need of repairs is discovered.” But by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had made no repairs on the house. Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why are you not repairing the house? Now therefore take no more money from your donors, but hand it over for the repair of the house.” So the priests agreed that they should take no more money from the people, and that they should not repair the house. (2 Kings 12:4–8)

The first idea to collect money and have the priests use it to repair the house of the Lord did not work. Therefore, the king switched the method. It doesn’t seem like a big change, but it pleased the Lord who worked in the hearts of the people to give generously. Then instead of the priests, masons and stonecutters and other “honest” workmen did the repairs with that money and, “The money from the guilt offerings and the money from the sin offerings was not brought into the house of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.” (2 Kings 12:16)

Clarity in the church budget is vital. We attend a church that is totally transparent with donations. The amazing result is not only generous giving but a congregation that trusts the leadership. Our budget meetings last mere minutes and rarely have any questions from anyone, never negative or in protest.

From the account above, I see the importance of abandoning that common reasoning that says, “This is the way I always did it’ and be willing to change how I do things. If something does not work, it is perfectly okay to try a different way. In fact, one definition of insanity says it is a pattern of repetitive behavior that leads to stagnation or failure, rather than realizing changing outcomes requires altering one's actions, mindsets, or strategies. 

Lord, this is timely. I’ve an issue where I need to change something that is not giving the results expected because of the way I’ve done it. So now need wisdom from You regarding what to change. Thank You for Your promise to give wisdom to all who ask for it. I’m waiting on You. 
  

Listen to my conscience…

Now there were four men who were lepers at the entrance to the gate. And they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.” So they arose at twilight to go to the camp of the Syrians. But when they came to the edge of the camp of the Syrians, behold, there was no one there. For the Lord had made the army of the Syrians hear the sound of chariots and of horses, the sound of a great army, so that they said to one another, “Behold, the king of Israel has hired against us the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to come against us.” So they fled away in the twilight and abandoned their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving the camp as it was, and fled for their lives. 
And when these lepers came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank, and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and went and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent and carried off things from it and went and hid them. Then they said to one another, “We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.” (2 Kings 7:3–20)

These four did just that. At first the king thought it was a trap to get his army out of the city where they would be vulnerable, but they discovered that the Syrians had left suddenly abandoning everything just as the lepers reported, so they plundered the abandoned camp. This had been predicted by Elisha who also said the gatekeeper would be trampled for saying God could not do this. He told that man, “You shall see it with your own eyes, but you shall not eat of it.” And so it happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gate and he died.

I’ve heard people without faith say God cannot or will not meet all needs. Sadly, some who say they believe also pray as if they do not expect much in reply. What touches my heart in this account is that God spoke through the human greed of the lepers. They were outcasts in that society and skeptics, certain that no matter what they did, they would die. However, in their plundering at this unexpected miracle, God spoke and convinced them of their sin and to do the right thing; share the bounty with those who cast them out.

This is what should make Christians different. Love enemies. Do good to those who hate us. Be like Jesus when He said, “Father, forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing.”
Sometimes others misunderstand me and I feel frustrated, even alienated. I need to remember these four, and most of all what Jesus said as His enemies drove in the nails. God not only protects me from the Syrians by driving them out of my life, He also wants me to meet the needs of those who leave me out of their lives.

Jesus, too often I get annoyed when misunderstood, or stared at as if I had three heads. The lepers did the right thing by listening to You speaking to their hearts and telling those who rejected them about the bounty You provided. Forgive me and fill me with Your grace that I can be less touchy and more loving.

Consequences

He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance, Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” So Gehazi followed Naaman. 
And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” 
And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’ ” 
And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi. 
And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 
He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” 
And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” 
So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. (2 Kings 5:19–27)

There is much more to this story. The prophet was significant when this Syrian man was healed from a serious case of leprosy. Naaman was on his way home and thought he should reward Elisha but Elisha refused because God did the healing, not him. However, Elisha’s servant liked the idea of a reward and decided to go for it, behind his master’s back. When Elisha found out and confronted him, he told him the consequences of his lies and greed.

I’ve often thought how we are free to make choices but we cannot choose the consequences. This OT story is an example. More can be seen in many of the fictional dramas in the movies and television. Sadder still are those from real life. Individuals, families, co-workers, all people suffer for choosing selfishly. Broken relationships, illness, jail time, accidents, and all sorts of tragedies and unhappy situations are only a few of the many outcomes of ‘my way’ instead of God's way. And even if these unhappy results do not happen, after filling a shopping cart, every person must go through the checkout.

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! (Psalm 73:16–19)
Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. (Psalm 37:1–2)
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him. For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed— and though you get praise when you do well for yourself— his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light. Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish. (Psalm 49:16–20)

When young, life seems long and filled with opportunities and many choices. Now that I am older, it seems short and much of what I thought I wanted seems without value. Only God knows what will survive the judgment seat of Christ and have value for eternity. This makes me much more cautious about my choices and values.

Jesus, it is sobering to realize that even those who serve You or support Your people like Gehazi did can become greedy for things that do not have eternal value. Today, the food I cook and the chores that are done have value in this life, yet are “wood, hay, straw,” unless I do them in the grace You provide. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). Enable me to keep my focus on what matters for Your glory rather than satisfying my selfish desires.

Three kinds of death

After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah went. (2 Kings 1:1–4)

In the Bible, there are three kinds of death. One is the physical death, usually first thought of for this word;

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:19) 

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, (Hebrews 9:27)

As my hubby often says, we are all terminal. This thought helps us make decisions in daily life. For instance, the accumulation of useless stuff is meaningless because we cannot take it with us. Unless our stuff has meaning for the time we are here, or can be helpful for others, possessing it has no meaning. Pragmatic thinking comes from recognizing this kind of death.

This physical death is the separation of the soul from the body yet the second one is of greater significance, spiritual death. This is the separation of the soul from God. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that in the day he eats of the forbidden fruit he will “surely die.” Adam does fall, but his physical death does not happen at that point. However, he is separated from God. Because of that sin, all who have not been redeemed and regenerated are alienated from God by sin. 

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1–7)

By faith in Jesus Christ, anyone who is dead in sin passes from that death into spiritual life, a life that is no longer lived apart from God. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

The third death mentioned is really the second one. It is eternal death or eternal separation from God after physical death. This is true for those who reject God’s gift of forgiveness of sin and eternal life. They remain eternally separate from the One who loves them and died for them.

Jesus, You died for a brief time and then were raised from the dead because You didn’t want me to remain separated from You. I shake my head in amazed wonder at the sacrifice You made for me and millions more. How utterly wonderful that Christians cannot be killed! I will live forever with You.