Archive for June, 2007

26
Jun

Right in Their Own Eyes: Wisdom of a Theif

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Categories: Right In Their Own Eyes

What is it about a people without a king that robs them of their moral understanding? Why do people without a ruler become driven to and fro from standard to standard by their own whims? “Without vision, the people perish”, the Bible clues in Proverbs. That same verse is translated “Where there is no widespread revelation, the people cast off restraint.”

I want to continue this blog series this week with these questions, and with my typical “I’m thinking into the keyboard so follow me along” style. As I continue to get thoughts, I will flesh them out, and feel free to add your own in the comments below.

People cast off moral restraint, lose their senses, and fall into major sin when there is no king and no widespread revelation of what is true, just, and right. These may seem like two entirely separate things, but in reality, the greatest revelation we can have is that of the King and His kingdom. Neither can be separated from the other, they are intricately woven together. The Kingdom is what Jesus first preached, and died speaking of. And yet talk of Jesus as King is sparse, as we mostly speak of Him as Savior, which He is. But widespread revelation of the King and His kingdom will surely inaugurate the blessings of vision, restraint, and justice.

That revelation is the goal, for then and only then can we be “Right in God’s Own Eyes”. We want to see as He sees, not be deluded with our own misguided notions, as the people of Israel were without a King. The more we recognize Jesus as King and learn of His kingdom ways, the more wisdom we will understand, and then be able to walk in. Even our sense of justice will be greater, as is demonstrated by the remarkable wisdom of the dying thief on the cross. Consider!

After the man on one side of Jesus remarks, ”Are you not the Christ, save yourself!”, the thief on the other side rebukes Him (Luke 23:40-42) saying “Don’t you fear God even as you are dying? We deserve to die for our evil deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” And then, in faith and revelation of one of the main purposes of Jesus death he turns to Jesus and says “Jesus, remember me when you come into your KINGDOM.”

Amazing! An amazing clarity about justice (we deserve our punishment but Jesus does not) and an amazing clarity about eternity! And as we all know, Jesus rewards His faith by saying “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.” What blessed peace fell on this crucified thief as He heard those words of Life coming out of the Bread from Heaven! All else faded away, all pain seemed small, all joy illuminated as He was guaranteed not only forgiveness, cleansing, but honor and glory to be with the King in Paradise that very day.

Why? He asked Jesus to rememeber Him in His kingdom. Notice he didn’t say “Lord, forgive me of my sins”, for he realized that the Kingdom of God was open to the humble and broken, ready to receive those who looked to the nature of the King for not only their rescue from sin, but for their purpose in existence, to fellowship with the King. And this thief who stole was given freely the greatest gift, eternal life.

In the next few posts I want to illustrate how a vision of the King and His kingdom removes our man-centered thinking to a God-centered reality.

25
Jun

Right in Their Own Eyes: No King, Will Sin

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Categories: Right In Their Own Eyes

“In those days Israel had no King…” that’s for sure! I’m so thankful for that last verse in Judges. If it was taken out, we would have quite the puzzle to solve as to what the problem was with Israel during those years, and why God even allowed those maniacal chapters in the Word.

I thank God for these chapters, as I believe they show part of the depths of what can happen when man is given over to “what is right in His own eyes”. I hope to flesh that out more fully over the next few days. Obviously, the lack of a King left Israel in major sin. But what is it about a King that is so necessary? And what can we as the church glean from these chapters of the Bible? Lord, guide our thoughts here!

Let’s start by examining this a little closer. What were the specific problems Israel encountered without a King?

1) Idolatry “in the name of the Lord” - Judges 17 talks about a mother who creates an idol in honor of her son, and “dedicates it all to the Lord”. How foolish does this seem? That someone would make an idol out of something created, and then say - well, I’m doing it to honor the Lord? Actually might sound a bit more familiar than we might care to admit! Our “key” last verse of Judges is repeated in this chapter in verse 6.

2) Division among the People of God - Massive infighting, division, and downright attacking of each other. They burned down each others towns, and killed each other’s women and children. Surely God’s very own people wouldn’t attack each other with swords? Would they?

3) Sexual Immorality - Unfortunately, enough of this to go around throughout the chapters. The most horrible thing is, the one mentioned most is a Levite - a man who was supposed to be consecrated to the Lord in ministry. Surely God’s very own ministers would not dealing with such perversion? Would they?

4) Lack of the Knowledge of God’s Heart and Ways - The people would go up and “worship”, and then make vows that they would kill anyone who didn’t worship with them. Then, they felt it was “just” to give the young girls of a different town to the left-over men that they had just killed in battle. Is this what God desired? Surely not - but without revelation of God’s heart - the people just “assumed” they thought they knew what God wanted. Interesting.

These are just a few examples of what happens to the people of Israel without a King. Did God want them to have a King? Didn’t He not want them to have a King, because He wanted to be their King?

23
Jun

Right in Their Own Eyes: Introduction

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Categories: Right In Their Own Eyes

Warning: The following post comes straight from the Bible, but contains explicit content! Don’t believe me? Read on…!

Massive war, brother against brother. Thousands die as entire cities are wiped out. Idolatry is regularly practiced. Homosexuality, with men beating down a door trying to fulfill their own lusts. An entire group of people raids a city, kidnaps all the virgins, and then gives them to another tribe as wives.

Think that’s enough? How about a man cutting his dead concubine into twelve pieces and sending them express-mail to the 12 tribes of Israel? And most of this (here’s the worst part) is done after supposedly “seeking the Lord” about it. Is this a gnostic Gospel? The new hollywood blockbuster? No! It’s the last few chapters of the book of Judges! Old Testament!

Completely inspired of the Holy Spirit Old Testament. Why would God record such amazing brutality, idolatry, and immorality? Surely He didn’t approve of such behavior, much less want to condone it in the Bible. I was reading these chapters last week and was astonished again and again after reading through them. Until….

I came across the very last verse of Judges.

And through this verse everything about this madness made sense.

And since then - my thoughts have been going wild. And I’m going to write them here if you care to read them this week. Oh yeah - what’s the verse?

“In those days Israel had no king; and all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” - Judges 21:25

01
Jun

Thoughts from Colorado #7 - Up to Transfigure

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Categories: Colorado

And after six days, Jesus took James, Peter, and John with him by themselves, and led them up a high mountain. And He was transfigured before them….- Mark 9:2

We ourselves heard this very voice borne of heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. - 2 Peter 1:18

It is on the mountain that we learn how to see Jesus. It is on the mountain that we learn how to worship Jesus. It is on the mountain that we learn how to listen to Jesus. Surely we can do these other places, but God calls us who draw near to Him up higher so that we can experience Him in fresh and new ways.

I haven’t been necessarily speaking of the physical mountain, but of the inner season and journey it represents. In the Old Testament, the “high places” were established for worship in various locations. Either false gods and idols were worshipped, or the Lord himself on these “high places”.

However, when the Temple was established, God desired the high places to be done away with, so that all people would come “up to Mount Zion” to worship the King of Glory. Unfortunately, many still set up high places to worship Baal and other false Gods. (2 Kings 14:4) Going up to the high places, and now, the long journey to Jerusalem was to be an act of humility, sacrifice, and dedication to go and worship on God’s holy hill, Mount Zion.

Then, when Jesus came, he spoke to the Samaritan woman in this way: “Believe me dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or [at the temple] in Jerusalem….For God is Spirit, and He is seeking worshippers who will worship in Spirit and Truth.” (John 4:24) What an amazing transition!

Look! He turns the worship from an outward requirement to an inward position! Notice that he did NOT say “worship by the spirit and by the truth”. We often try to acquire these things that we might “use them as tools” to worship God. On the contrary, worshipping “IN spirit and IN truth” are actual positions to God, just as the mountain was previously in the natural.

Instead of striving to obtain more “spirit” and more “truth”, the veil on God’s holy mountain has been torn asunder, that we might enter in to the spiritual reality of “spirit and truth” by His blood! By bold confidence and humble faith, we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us “into” spirit and truth! By that inward positional reality, unattainable by even the most “self-righteous” individual, we are ministering to the Lord - becoming the exact worshippers “the Father is looking for”. No flesh can gain access there, it is by the Spirit in faith!

Who will come up to the mountain to see Jesus transfigured, hear His voice, and worship Him in His presence, which is “spirit and truth”? God is Spirit, and Jesus is the Way, Truth, and the Life. Unlike here in Colorado, the journey is an inward sacrifice, for we must believe in order to see. We can not see and then believe, but by believing we have access to be positionally “in spirit and in truth” we are worshipping as the Father desires.

Therefore, let us lay hold of this place we have been granted, this free access to the mountain of God by His grace! Let us minister to God without fear, without striving, but with humble faith, true humility, and passionate joy out of His great love and provision for us to be the very thing He desires.