What is God really like?

But you who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you to the sword, and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter, because, when I called, you did not answer; when I spoke, you did not listen, but you did what was evil in my eyes and chose what I did not delight in.” Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit. You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord God will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name, so that he who blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the God of truth, and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten and are hidden from my eyes. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. (Isaiah 65:11–17)

Hell and judgment are not popular topics. But what would I think of a God who claims to be holy yet puts up with persistent sin? Could I worship a God who mercifully offers forgiveness and freedom from sin and then looks the other way when sinners prefer their choices over such grace? Does not God have the right to withhold blessing or eternal life from the people who defy Him or just ignore Him?

We get upset with the police who ignore crime or even speedsters who break the law plainly written on road signs. We get upset with doctors who ignore symptoms and tell sick people to take two aspirins and go home. It bothers many to see children abandoned by their parents or teachers who ignore their class. Yet God is criticized for letting the consequences of sin take down those who will not listen to Him and insist on sin?

It should break my heart to see the rich abuse the poor, and political leaders use their power for personal gain. I should also be glad to hear the prophets make declarations such as these:

“Therefore I still contend with you, declares the Lord, and with your children’s children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:9–13)

How sad to see the ‘wealthy and wise’ of this world value their gods that cannot see or talk and will not last, nor go to the grave with them, and to watch them live as if they are gods themselves, ruining lives until they themselves also become terminal.

And yet the love of God remains. No one is beyond repentance and redemption. How different He is from the gods of this world who entrap and bind people in sin and selfishness that ruins their destiny and harms so many along the way.

Jesus, no wonder You tell us to pray for those leaders. Not for our comfort but for their souls and for us to be at peace even if they keep on resisting You. Grant me the patience that trusts You with those who say no. You might lead them to repentance, but like the prophets say, You may also leave them to eternal punishment. 

Blessings for obedience?

And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men. And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.” ’ ” (1 Samuel 2:27–36)

The Bible says no one can earn their salvation. However, both OT and NT are clear that there is blessing for those who obey God. This is true, not because the blessing is earned, but because living as God tells us IS the blessing. His ways cause life to be different than does living as I think best cannot do.

In other words, if I ignore God, the consequences will not be pleasing. That is why He tells me not to ignore Him. This is a bit like telling a child not to touch the stove. If that child does it anyway, the pain is not punishment; it is the result of that choice.

Eli did not discipline his sons and they did not respect him or the Lord. They suffered the consequences. As a wise preacher said, “You are free to make choices but you cannot choose the consequences.”

The matter could be about this life’s events and small or long-lasting. Or it could be about choosing to obey God with far-reaching consequences. Eli was not lost because he disobeyed or saved because he obeyed. However his life and family destiny were changed. He lost his sons and whatever heritage he may have otherwise had. How sad, and yet for little Samuel, his life was never the same… 

Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. (1 Samuel 3:9) And he did what he was told. And he was blessed.

Jesus, You remind me of regrets and second chances, of Your desire that I do what You ask for my own good, and the importance of taking You seriously. You can show mercy regarding the selfishly-made consequences, but You have the wisdom and the right to make those choices.

 

Holiness is freedom

 

 

READ Leviticus 17-20

In ancient days, the religious practices of many included drinking blood. Some continue this practice today with the idea that consumption of blood produces energy as a sexual, healing, or mental stimulus. Today’s reading separates the OT Jewish blood sacrifices from that of other people groups with this command:

For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:14)

God further made a distinction between cultic blood sacrifices and the sacrifice that truly gives eternal life when Jesus said to the people:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53–58)

He quickly explained that His words were not literal but spiritual. That is, faith in Him meant a relationship so intimate that believers share in His life. His shed blood secures our forgiveness yet He dwells in our hearts and gives us His eternal life.

As I read through today’s chapters, I looked for other commands that point to life in Christ but found most of them as commands to stop or not do the practices of pagan religions. Those who disobeyed would be cut off from their people, indicating a serious separation from fellowship with them and with God. Our church has been hearing sermons about the Seven Deadly Sins and while the pastors tell why these sins are deadly, they also tell why God’s way is so much better. Like the above example, life with Christ is far superior to cultic and pagan practices. However, sin makes its appeal to temporary pleasures and leads people to think that holiness is no fun. The OT laws focus on the end result of this mistaken idea of what is ‘fun’ by pointing to our Creator who is holy and obviously knows what is best for His Creation. He says:

For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 18:29–30)

This list of abominations is sometimes surprising. Sadly, most if not all of them are commonly considered ‘not a big deal’ in today’s world yet whenever someone says that the ‘world is going to hell in a handbasket’ usually has one or more of this list in mind. They include:

Disrespect for mother and father, ignoring Sabbath rest, worship and creating idols, oppressing or robbing others, holding back wages, abusing deaf or blind people, partial to the poor or the great, unrighteous judgment, slander, opposing your neighbor, hatred of others, revenge, bearing grudges, eating flesh with blood in it, interpreting omens, fortune-telling, specific haircuts, cutting oneself for whatever reasons, tattoos, seeking out mediums or necromancers, unjust weights and measures, offering children up to false gods, cursing father or mother, adultery, forbidden sexual relations/activities, and the list goes on and on.

Our world is full of these negative and forbidden practices; however the Word of God turns our focus to the opposites, mainly that “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:17–18)

God is not a killjoy; He is the author of joy! Sin makes us too easily satisfied (at least for a short while) with much less than He wants for us. Those who practice any of the above list are totally unaware of the goodness of God in blessing family relationships, our rest and worship, generosity, loving actions toward others, and getting all our needs supplied by the One whose love and care is endless and perfect. He says:

You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. (Leviticus 20:22–24)

Being in the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ gives freedom from the bondage of trying to find lasting joy in anything that cannot last — that can only destroy. Leviticus is not a fun read, but it does point my heart toward Jesus and the freedom I have in His loving care.