Are We Mad Now to Pursue After Holiness? (Part 5)

Thomas Brooks (1606-1680)[1}

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” — Hebrews 12:14

Objection: Some may object, and say, We see that no persons on earth are exposed to such troubles, dangers, afflictions, and persecutions, as those are exposed to who mind holiness, who follow after holiness. These are days wherein men labor to frown holiness out of the world, and to scorn and kick holiness out of the world; and do you think that we are mad now to pursue after holiness? Now to this great and sore objection, I shall give these following answers

We’ve seen three of those answers to this point:

1. First, It must be granted that afflictions and persecutions has been the common lot and portion of the people of God in this world.
2. Secondly, Christ and his apostles hath long since foretold us that afflictions and persecutions will attend us in this world.
3. Thirdly, I answer, That all the troubles, afflictions, and persecutions that do befall you for holiness' sake, shall never hurt you nor harm you, they shall never prejudice you, nor wrong you in your main and great concernments:

4. Fourthly, I answer, That the condition of persecutors, of all conditions under heaven, is the most sad and deplorable condition; and this will appear by the consideration of these five things:

• [A.] First, By the prayers and indictments that the saints have preferred against them in the highest court of justice, I mean in the parliament of heaven:
• [B] Secondly, Persecutions do but raise, whet, and stir up a more earnest and vehement spirit of prayer among the persecuted saints:

Moving on we see the third of these five points:

Thirdly, It will appear that the condition of persecutors is the most sad and deplorable condition of all conditions under heaven, if you will but seriously consider and lay to heart the sore judgments that are threatened, and that have been executed upon them: Deuteronomy 30:7,

“And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them which hate thee, which persecuted thee;”

Nehemiah 9:9-11,

“And didst see the afflictions of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea: and shewed signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst thou get thee a name, as it is this day. And thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters.”

Pharaoh and his princes and people were very great oppressors and persecutors of God's Israel, and therefore God visited them with ten dreadful plagues, one after another; but when, after all these plagues, God saw that their enmity against his people was as great, or rather greater than ever, and that they were still set upon persecuting of his people, then God takes up Pharaoh and his mighty host, and throws them as a stone into the mighty waters, (Exo 15:10).

God whets before he strikes, he bends his bow before he shoots, he prepares instruments of death before he brings men down to the grave, his hand takes hold on judgment before his judgments take hold of men; but if all these warnings will not serve their turns, God will overturn them with a witness. “He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors,” or as the Hebrew has it, “against the hot burning persecutors.” God hath his hot burning arrows for hot burning persecutors. Let persecutors be never so hot against the saints, God will be as hot against them; and let them be never so much inflamed against the people of God, God will be as much inflamed against them.

When malicious and mischievous persecutors have done all they can to vex and fret, to daunt and affright, to dismay and discourage the people of God, then God will terrify the most terrible among them, and “they shall not prevail nor prosper, yea, they shall stumble and fall, they shall be ashamed and confounded.” When the time is expired that God has pre fixed for his people's sufferings, then God will retaliate upon their persecutors, then they that spoiled his people shall be spoiled, and they that dealt perfidiously[1] and treacherously with them, shall be dealt perfidiously and treacherously withal: 2 Thessalonians 1:6, “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.” It is but justice that God should trouble those that are the troublers of his people.

And God has even in this life been a swift witness against the persecutors of his people. Cain was a persecutor, and his brother's blood pursued him to hell; Pharaoh was a great oppressor and persecutor of his people, and God followed him with plague upon plague, and judgment upon judgment, till he had overthrown him in the Red Sea; Saul was a persecutor, and falls by his own sword; Haman was a great persecutor of the saints, and he was feasted with the king one day, and made a feast for crows the next; Pashur was a great persecutor, he smote the prophet Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks, and God threatened to make him a Magor-missabib, a terror to himself and to all his friends, Jeremiah 20:1-3; Zedekiah was a persecutor, he smote the prophet Micaiah on the cheek for dealing plainly and faithfully with the kings, and in the day of trouble and distress he goes from chamber to chamber to hide himself (1Ki 22); Jezebel was a great persecutor, she slew the prophets of God, and she was thrown out of a window, and eaten up of dogs, (1Ki 18:4-13; 2Ki 9:30); Herod the Great, who caused the babes of Bethlehem to be slain, hoping thereby to destroy Christ, shortly after was plagued by God with an incurable disease, having a slow and slack fire continually tormenting his inward parts; he had a vehement and greedy desire to eat, and yet nothing would satisfy him; his inward bowels rotted, his breath was short and stinking, some of his members rotted, and in all his members he had so violent a cramp that nature was not able to bear it; and so growing mad with pain, he died miserably.

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[1]  From Crown and Glory of Christianity, Thomas Brooks, The Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol IV, pp. 261-300, reprinted by Banner of Truth. Thomas Brook s (1608-1680) Nonconformist preacher and advocate of the Congregational way. Born into a Puritan family, he was sent to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Author of Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices, The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod, and others. He was buried in Bunhill Fields.

[2]  perfidiously – faithlessly, disloyally

Are We Mad Now to Pursue After Holiness? (Part 4)

Thomas Brooks (1606-1680)[1}

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” — Hebrews 12:14

Objection: Some may object, and say, We see that no persons on earth are exposed to such troubles, dangers, afflictions, and persecutions, as those are exposed to who mind holiness, who follow after holiness. These are days wherein men labor to frown holiness out of the world, and to scorn and kick holiness out of the world; and do you think that we are mad now to pursue after holiness? Now to this great and sore objection, I shall give these following answers

We’ve seen three of those answers to this point:

1. First, It must be granted that afflictions and persecutions has been the common lot and portion of the people of God in this world.
2. Secondly, Christ and his apostles hath long since foretold us that afflictions and persecutions will attend us in this world.
3. Thirdly, I answer, That all the troubles, afflictions, and persecutions that do befall you for holiness' sake, shall never hurt you nor harm you, they shall never prejudice you, nor wrong you in your main and great concernments:

4. Fourthly, I answer, That the condition of persecutors, of all conditions under heaven, is the most sad and deplorable condition; and this will appear by the consideration of these five things:

[A.] First, By the prayers and indictments that the saints have preferred against them in the highest court of justice, I mean in the parliament of heaven: Psalm 35:3-9,

“Draw out the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them be as chaff before the wind; and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery, [or darkness and slipperiness;]and let the angel of the Lord persecute them. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.”

Lamentations 3:61, seq.,

“Thou hast heard their reproach, O Lord, and all their imaginations against me. The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day. Behold their sitting down, and their rising up, I am their music, [or I am their song.] Render unto them a recompense, O Lord, according to the work of their hands. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger, from under the heavens of the Lord:”

2 Timothy 4:14,

“Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil; the Lord reward him according to his works.”

Thus you see how the hearts of the saints have been drawn out against their persecutors. Prayers are the arms that in times of persecution the saints have still had recourse to. But,

[B.] Secondly, Persecutions do but raise, whet, and stir up a more earnest and vehement spirit of prayer among the persecuted saints:  Revelation 6:9, 10,

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? ”

The blood of the persecuted cries aloud for vengeance upon the persecutors. There is no blood that cries so loud, and that makes so great a noise in heaven, as the blood of the martyrs, as the blood of butchered persecuted saints. Persecutors, like these Roman emperors, in all ages have causelessly and cruelly destroyed the people of God; they delight in the blood of saints, they love to wallow in the blood of saints, they take pleasure in glutting themselves with the blood of saints, they make no conscience of watering the earth, nor of coloring the sea, nor of quenching the flames with the blood of the saints, yea, if it were possible, they would willingly swim to heaven through their hearts' blood, whom Christ has purchased with his own most precious blood.

Persecution puts an edge, yea, a sharp edge, upon the prayers of the saints: Acts 12:5,

“Peter therefore was kept in prison; but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

The Greek word ektenes signifies earnest and stretched-out prayer. When Peter was in prison, sleeping between two soldiers, and bound with two chains, and the keepers standing before the prison door, oh, how earnest! Oh, how instant! Oh, how fervent! Oh, how vehement! Oh, how constant were the saints in their prayers for his deliverance! Oh, their hearts, their souls, their spirits were in their prayers! Oh, their prayers were no cold prayers, no formal prayers, no lukewarm prayers, nor no dull or drowsy prayers, but their prayers were full of life, and full of warmth, and full of heat. They knew Herod's bloody intention to destroy this holy apostle by his imprisoning of him, and by the chains that were put on him, and by the strong guards that, were set upon him, and by his bathing of his sword in the, innocent blood of James, that his hand might be the more apt and ready for further acts of murder and cruelty; and oh, how did the consideration of these things whet and provoke their spirits to prayer! Oh, now they will have no nay, now they will give God no rest, till he has overturned the tyrant's counsel and designs, and sent his angel to open the prison doors, and to knock off Peter's chains, and to deliver him from the wrath and fury of Herod; and their prayers were successful, as is evident in the 12th verse,

“And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying, [or rather, as the original has it,] where many thronged together to pray.”

The violence and rage of their persecutors did so raise, whet, and encourage them to prayer, that they throng together, they crowded together to pray, yea, when others were a-sleeping they were a-praying, and their prayers were no sleepy prayers, they were no lazy dronish prayers, nor they were no book-prayers, but they were powerful and prevalent prayers; for as so many Jacobs, or as so many princes, they prevailed with God; they prayed and wept, and wept and prayed; they called and cried, and cried and called; they begged and bounced, and they bounced and begged; and they never left knocking at heaven's gates till Peter's chains were knocked off, and Peter given into their arms, yea, their bosoms, as an answer of prayer. Oh the power and force of joint prayer, when Christians do not only beseech God, but besiege him, and beset him too, and when they will not let him go till he has blessed them, and answered their prayers and the desires of their souls!

I have read that Mary Queen of Scots, that was mother to King James, was wont to say that she was more afraid of Mr. Knox's prayers, and the prayers of those Christians that walked with him, than she was of a knocking army of ten thousand men.

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[1] From Crown and Glory of Christianity, Thomas Brooks, The Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol IV, pp. 261-300, reprinted by Banner of Truth. Thomas Brook s (1608-1680) Nonconformist preacher and advocate of the Congregational way. Born into a Puritan family, he was sent to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Author of Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices, The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod, and others. He was buried in Bunhill Fields.

Are We Mad Now To Pursue After Holiness? (Part 3)

Thomas Brooks (1606-1680) [1]

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” — Hebrews 12:14

Thirdly, I answer, That all the troubles, afflictions, and persecutions that do befall you for holiness' sake, shall never hurt you nor harm you, they shall never prejudice you, nor wrong you in your main and great concernments:

Exodus 3:2,

“And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.”

Here you have a bush, a dry bush, a bramble-bush all on a-light fire, and yet not consumed. This burning bush was an excellent emblem of the church in the fire of tribulation and persecution. Though the church may seem to be all on fire by reason of afflictions and persecutions, yet it shall be preserved, it shall not be destroyed. God would not suffer his anointed ones, his sanctified ones, so much as to be touched, hurt, or harmed by those who had malice enough in their hearts, and power enough in their hands, not only to hurt them, but even to destroy them. Sanctified persons are sacred persons, and they that touch them touch the apple of God's eye, and whosoever shall be so bold to touch the apple of God's eye shall dearly smart for it.

It was no small affliction to have no settled habitation. To fly from place to place, from kingdom to kingdom, and from nation to nation, was without all peradventure an afflicted condition. Doubtless many fears and frights, many hazards and dangers did attend them, when they considered that they were as lilies among the thorns, and as a few sheep among a multitude of wolves. In the land of Canaan there were seven mighty nations (Deu 7:1). Now for the people of God, who were so few in number that they might easily and quickly be told, to sojourn and wander among these, could not but be very dangerous and perilous; and yet such was the love of God to them, and the care of God over them, that he suffered no man, whether he was high or low, honorable or base, rich or poor, civil or profane, to hurt or harm them: Daniel 3:25, 27,

“And the king answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like unto the Son of God. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.”

Though these holy men were cast into a furnace, into a fiery furnace, into the midst of a hot fiery furnace, yet God will work a miracle, yea, a glorious miracle, rather than the fire shall in the least hurt or harm them. God gives a commission to the fire to burn those mighty men that made the fire, and that cast his children into the fire, and whom the king would have to be spared and saved; and he lays a law of restraint upon the fire, that it should not hurt nor harm them whom the king would have destroyed.

Those, whom the King of kings will not have hurt, shall not be hurt, let kings and princes do their worst; that fire that burnt their bonds had no power to burn, no nor to touch, their bodies. God would not suffer the fire to singe a hair of their heads, nor to change the colour of their coats, nor to leave so much as an ill smell upon his people, that those heathen princes might see how tender he was of them, and how willing he was to put forth his almighty power rather than he would see them wronged or harmed. So chapters 6:21-23,

“Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angels, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.”

Holiness, innocency, and integrity will preserve a man even among lions. Daniel preferred the worship of his God before his life. He made no great reckoning of his life when it stood in competition with divine glory, and therefore, rather than Daniel shall be hurt, God will by a miracle preserve him, he will stop the mouths of the hungry lions, and he will tame their rage, and overmaster their cruelty, rather than a hair of Daniel's head shall perish. When Daniel was taken out of the den, there was no hurt, no wound, no sore, no bruise found upon him. Daniel was a harmless man, and God keeps him from harms in the midst of harms.

Acts 18:9, 10,

“Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee; for I have much people in this city.”

Paul met with many trials and troubles, bonds and prisons, oppositions and persecutions, and yet none of all these hurt him, but God miraculously preserved him even to old age (Act 20:23). All the troubles, afflictions, and persecutions that attends holiness, can never reach a Christian's soul, they can never diminish a Christian's treasure; they reach the shell, not the kernel; the case, not the jewel; the lumber, not the goods; the outhouse,[2] not the palace; the ribbon in the hat, not the gold in the purse. The most fiery trials and persecutions can never deprive a Christian of the special presence of God, nor of the light of his countenance, nor of the testimony of a good conscience, nor of the joys of the Spirit, nor of the pardon of sin, nor of fellowship with Christ, nor of the exercise of grace, nor of the hopes of glory (Psa 23:4; 2Co 1:8,9,12); and therefore certainly they can't hurt a Christian, they can't wrong a Christian in his greatest and chiefest concernments.

O Christian, let persecutors do their worst, they can't reach thy soul, thy God, thy comfort, thy crown, thy paradise, &c.; and therefore let no man be kept off from pursuing after holiness because of afflictions or persecutions, seeing none of these can reach a Christian's great concernments.

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[1]       From Crown and Glory of Christianity, Thomas Brooks, The Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol IV, pp. 261-300, reprinted by Banner of Truth. Thomas Brook s (1608-1680) Nonconformist preacher and advocate of the Congregational way. Born into a Puritan family, he was sent to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Author of Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices, The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod, and others. He was buried in Bunhill Fields.

[2]       outhouse – outbuilding

Are We Mad Now to Pursue After Holiness? (Part 2)

Thomas Brooks (1606-1680)[a]

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” — Hebrews 12:14

Secondly, Christ and his apostles hath long since foretold us that afflictions and persecutions will attend us in this world.

The Lord hath long since forewarned us, that we may be forearmed, and not surprised on a sudden when they come. Christ hath shot off many a warning piece in his word, and sent many a harbinger,[1] that so we may stand upon our guard, and not be surprised nor astonished when afflictions and persecutions overtake us: Matthew 10:22,

“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” Chapter 16:24,

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Luke 21:12,

“But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.”

John 15:20,

“Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than the lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.”

Ah Christians, since they have crowned your head with thorns, there is no reason why you should expect to be crowned with rosebuds. John 16:33,

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Acts 14:21, 22,

“And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

As there was no way to paradise but by the flaming sword, nor no way to Canaan but through a wilderness; so there is no way to heaven but by the gates of hell, there is no way to a glorious exaltation but through a sea of tribulation. They do but dream and deceive their own souls who think to go to heaven upon beds of down, or in a soft and delicate way, or that think to be attended to glory with mirth and music, or with singing or dancing. The way to happiness is not strewed with roses, but full of thorns and briers, as those of whom this world was not worthy have experienced.

Ecclesiastical histories tell us that all the apostles died violent deaths. Peter was crucified with his heels upward — Christ was crucified with his head upwards, but Peter thought this was too great an honour for him to be crucified as his Lord, and therefore he chose to be crucified with his heels upward; and Andrew was crucified by Egeus, king of Edessa; and James the son of Zebedee was slain by Herod with the sword, (Act 12:2); and Philip was crucified at Hierapolis in Asia; and while Bartholomew was preaching the glad tidings of salvation, multitudes fell upon him and beat him down with staves, and then crucified him, and after all this, his skin was flayed off, and he beheaded; Thomas was slain with a dart [2] at Calumina in India; and Matthew was slain with a spear, say some, others say he was run through with a sword; and James the son of Alpheus, who was called the Just, was thrown down from off a pinnacle of the temple, and yet having some life left in him, he was brained with a fuller's club; Lebbeus was slain by Agbarus, king of Edessa; and Paul was beheaded at Rome under Nero; and Simon the Canaanite was crucified in Egypt, say some, others say that he and Jude were slain in a tumult of the people; and Matthias was stoned to death; and John was banished into Patmos, (Rev 1:9), and afterwards, as some histories tell us, he was by that cruel tyrant Domitian cast into a tun [3] of scalding lead, and yet delivered by a miracle. Thus all these precious servants of God, except John, died violent deaths, and so through sufferings entered into glory; they found in their own experience the truth of what Christ had foretold concerning their sufferings and persecutions.

When Mr. Bradford was told that his chain was a-buying, and that he must be burnt, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “I thank God for it; I have looked for this a long time; it comes not to me suddenly, but as a thing waited for every day, yea, every hour in the day; the Lord make me worthy thereof.” If upon God's warning you will but prepare for sufferings, you will never fear nor faint under sufferings, yea, then you will be able under the greatest persecutions to bear up bravely, and with holy Bradford bless the Lord that has called you to so high an honour as to count you worthy to suffer for his name.

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[1] harbinger – that which precedes and gives notice of the expected arrival of something else.

[2] dart – a short lance.

[3] tun – a large cask.

[a] From Crown and Glory of Christianity, Thomas Brooks, The Works of Thomas Brooks, Vol IV, pp. 261-300, reprinted by Banner of Truth. Thomas Brook s (1608-1680) Nonconformist preacher and advocate of the Congregational way. Born into a Puritan family, he was sent to Emmanuel College, Cambridge. Author of Precious Remedies against Satan's Devices, The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod, and others. He was buried in Bunhill Fields.

Just How is the Counsel of God Described in The Bible? (Part 2)

We’ve spoken quite a bit about the Counsel of God over the past weeks.  We’re taking some time to take a look at just how the Bible speaks for itself about those counsels.  The first thing we noted was that the Bible says that God’s Counsels are Immutable – they do not and cannot ever change.  They are ever the same just as He is ever the same.

A second quality¹ of these counsels is that they are Faithful. Isaiah 25:1 says:

Lord, You my God. 
I will exalt You, 
I will praise Your name, 
For You have done wonderful things; 
Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

William Elwell² defines God’s faithfulness as “maintaining faith or allegiance; showing a strong sense of duty or conscientiousness.” In biblical Hebrew, “faith” and “faithfulness” are grammatically related. Although both concepts are important in the OT, there is no English word exactly equivalent to the Hebrew terms. The most relevant Hebrew verbal root (related to our word “amen”) carries such meanings as “strengthen,” “support,” or “hold up.” In a physical sense it is used of pillars that provide support for doors.  See 2 Kings 18:16 for instance:

At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

Moses used the word when he disclaimed any role as supporter of the Israelites.  Numbers 11:12, for instance uses the term:

Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers?

The nursing mother is the sole support for the child until the child is able to eat and support itself.

God, however, is an eternally firm support for his people. and that is the connection between that ideas.  Deuteronomy 7:9 says:

“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments…

Likewise Isaiah 49:7

Thus says the Lord,
The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,
To Him whom man despises,
To Him whom the nation abhors,
To the Servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise,
Princes also shall worship,
Because of the Lord who is faithful,
The Holy One of Israel;
And He has chosen You.”

So faithfulness is an attribute of God and it only makes sense that the purpose of God, His plan for His creation, would share that attribute as well.  They are the faithful expression of the faithful character and intention of God’s nature.

If we do a study of the Hebrew word for faithfulness we find that there are three “branches” of meaning for the word in the OT, as we have seen above.  Those branches give us a good rich idea of what God’s faithfulness mean for the believer.  He is a “doorpost” for His children, that is, He is that which gives a sense of solidity and solidness to life, which holds all of life and eternity together.  He is the “frame around which all it held. 

He “nurses” His children, giving them sustenance and all they need to live and walk in the world, seeing to it that they can live as children of God in a hostile world and be faithful men and women of God, witnesses to His goodness and to His power to call and bring men out of the nations.

And He is a Father, with all that implies in the best sense of the word.  A Father will love, command, instruct, guide and warn. He will train, rebuke, restrain, punish, chasten, nourish, and supply needs. A Father is responsible to not provoke His children wrath.  All of this God will do – Praise His holy Name!

Just How is “The Counsel of God” Described in the Bible?

While the phrase “Counsel of God” may seem a bit stilted and old fashioned, it is a useful one. The phrase appears 4 times in the KJV, once in 1 Samuel 14:37 where Samuel asked “counsel of God”. It is used twice in Job (15:8 and 29:4) both speaking the counsel of God in terms of the counsel of a friend. The last instance is the famous instance of Acts 20:27:

27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

Paul here speaks of the entire content of his preaching as the “counsel of God”. From his office as Apostle, a writing Prophet, so to speak, that counsel takes on the authority and impact of one who spoke the very words of God Himself.

The word “counsel” in Acts 20:27 is “boulay” and speaks of a plan, purpose, or a decision^[1]. That makes the idea different than our idea of counsel. It is not a suggestion, it is the Kings objective purpose, laid out and declared for His subjects. When we think of “counsel” we think in terms of suggestions and helpful tips. That is not all the class of idea we are in here. No, no – This is no more a suggestion than the policeman’s light and siren is a suggestion that you pull over!

And so we ask – just how is this “Counsel” described in the Bible? ^[2] Space prohibits a full listing of all of the attributes that are used, but a short list can be supplied. But we’d like to make one observation first if we may – the attributes are all the attributes of God Himself!

And this is not Surprising – in fact we would expect it if we give it but a moment’s thought! It is God’s counsel and there is every reason that it would share the characteristics of His character. What He does should be like Him.

First, the Bible tells us that the counsel of God is Immutable. Speaking of the great purpose he had in Christ, and the truth that this purpose could not be thwarted, The writer to Hebrews said in Hebrews 6:17-18:

17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

This shows exactly what we said earlier – that we are not talking about suggestions – but are talking about purposes – plans! They are unalterable because God’s character is unalterable! He doesn’t make one plan, have second thoughts and then erase that, and go for plan “B”. His plan is His plan – it is unshakeable! This is, in part why we can rest our hope on what He has promised! He and His Word are immutable.

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^[1] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLG 1087, #2). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[2] Thomas Nelson Publishers. (1995). Nelson's quick reference topical Bible index. Nelson's Quick reference (156). Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

#6 - They Have Provoked The Holy One – Part 2a

We looked at the first three of the characteristics of the Counsels of God in our last post.  God’s counsels are Great, they are Wonderful and they are immutable. 

We fourthly^[1] observe that they are Sovereign. In the midst of a discourse on the nature of God, Isaiah comments of the this aspect of God’s counsels in Isa 40:13,14:

¹³ Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
¹⁴ With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?

After his humbling time crawling on his belly and eating grass like an animal, Nebuchadnezzar came to know about the wisdom of bowing to the counsels of the God of heaven.  In Daniel 4:35 we hear him say:

All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
He does according to His will in the army of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth.
No one can restrain His hand
Or say to Him, “What have You done?”

The control of God exercised over His creation is both an encouragement and a consolation.  Looked at from either side of an event, the truth of the sovereign hand of God is essential to a proper, Christian view of life.  From the “before” side, it can encourage us to to look at events with hope the assurance of God’s positive involvement.  From the “during” and “after” side, it can calm and reassure use that the is a controlling hand at the controls and life is not random.  This too is encouraging.

Fifthly, the Counsels are Eternal. Paul says in Ephesians 3:10-12:

^10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, ^11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, ^12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.

Dr. MacArthur has said:

“The supreme purpose of the church is to glorify God, which includes the displaying of His wisdom (v. 10) before the angels, who then honor Him with even greater praise.” ^[2]

If this is the supreme purpose of the Church (and it surely is) then those purposes must be eternal.  The highest purposes of God must also be the ones that He will seek to serve for the “longest” time, thus for all eternity. 

Further, sixth, the Counsels of God are proved to be faithful and true. Isaiah said in Isa 25:1:

O Lord, You are my God.
I will exalt You,
I will praise Your name,
For You have done wonderful things;
Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

This passage begins a section in Isaiah of praise for God concerning His final judgment of the world as laid out in Chapter 24.  The praise is because God ahs planned all of His actions ahead of time, and will act in righteousness and faithfulness to His plan, to His counsel given long ago.

It is interesting that this affirmation is very personal on Isaiah’s part.  Note the use of personal pronouns and very individual nature of the application of the truth here.  This is fairly typical of the way that Isaiah responds to the revelation of God.  It is not a dry and academic truth for him, but something that seizes his mind and his emotions and propels his him forward into the midst of what God is doing.

Seventh, The counsels of God cannot be frustrated, they shall be performed.  Many of these ideas are certainly related, but it is good to consider them separately I believe.  Men seek to frustrate the plans and counsels of God by various means, what means they can think of really.  But the plans and schemes of man come to naught.  God’s counsels are sovereign and will be performed.  Isaiah said in Isaiah 14:26-27:

²⁶ This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth,
And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
²⁷ For the Lord of hosts has purposed,
And who will annul it?
His hand is stretched out,
And who will turn it back?” .

This is obviously an rhetorical question, the implied answer being “no one!  We must note that the emphasis here is the power lies with the decree of God.  It is not that God figures out a way to make it work.  The decree is, in and of itself, unable to overcome.  It is the arrogance and sinful pride of man that leads him to set himself against it, but that does not make the decree breachable.  The possibility of it being frustrated does not have to exist in order for this statement to have meaning! 

Our free-will buddies, those who argue for a libertarian free will, that in order for the will to be truly free there must be the possibility to contravene the the final desire of God, could take a lesson from this example.

Just before that statement Isaiah had said in verse 24:

The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying,
“Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass,
And as I have purposed, so it shall stand:

The verb here is in a form that means “to swear an oath”.  It is coupled with the Name of God, “Lord of Hosts” that traditionally is associated with the might of God, His power and ability to do as He has decreed.

“As I have thought” is translated in that fashion because it is an infinitive, an active sense for the verb “to say”.  God has no verbal ability, no tongue with which to speak in the normal way in which in this verb would be used and thus the translator uses the idea of thinking or purposes in this context for God.  The idea is active, ongoing, not passive and looking backward at a finished act. 

The grammar of the phrase is a simple statement, very emphatic and thus the use of “surely.  As I am “thinking” or “saying”, so it shall be.  There is no question that what I purpose will come to pass!

Isaiah 46:11 repeats the idea:

Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.
Indeed I have spoken it;
I will also bring it to pass.
I have purposed it;
I will also do it.

Here God speaks more of a settled purpose, and declares that it will be accomplished – it will be done.  But the idea is the same nevertheless.  God has declared, He has purposed it – and those purposes will come to pass!

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^[1]  Torrey, R. (1995, c1897). The New Topical TextBook : A scriptural text book for the use of ministers, teachers, and all Christian workers. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos research Systems, Inc.

^[2]  MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Eph 3:11). Nashville: Word Pub.

#5 - They Have Forsaken the Lord

Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward. (Isaiah 1:4)

A sinful nation, seed of evil-doers, laden with iniquity, and children that are corruptors... not a glowing evaluation that anyone would want on their resume.  Yet this is God’s evaluation of His chosen people, Israel.  How terrible to see, in print, in reality, God’s estimation of you!  We all have a cherished view of self.  We like to think of ourselves in a certain fashion, at the least in a somewhat positive fashion at any rate. 

To have that view of self destroyed is devastating.  It is crushing!  But yet, from a Biblical point of view, this kind of realization is necessary.  Of course, it is far better never to have fallen down into sin to begin with, to obey is better than to need to repent.  But when and where there is need to be called to repent, to hear and to heed that call is best.  We don’t do anyone any favors when we sugar-coat the truth and beg and plead in terms less that what the real truth of the matter is.  Isaiah speaks truth to the Israelites and calls them to repentance, and he is not done with them yet!

When we think of the verbs in this verse, we need to remember that the Hebrew had no real sense of grammatical “tense” as we think of it, we do, however, understand that they had “aspect” and viewed verbs as to whether or not the action of the verb was accomplished from the point of view of the speaker. That roughly correspond to our idea of tense.

The action of the verb here, forsaking or leaving, is viewed as finished, or complete, without any technical reference to time. That is difficult for us to grasp, but there it is. Hebrew also had a “Person” called the “Common” that was used for a group that included both male and female.  It is that which is used here.

In the English it might appear that this is a participle, but that is not the case, is a simple verb actually, in a simple form.

Note that there is a clear chain of reference here. The “they” refers back to the “children” in the prior phrase. That, in turn, speaks of the “brood” from the prior phrase, which speaks of the “people” referred to earlier, all the way back to the “nation” at the beginning of the verse. That chain of reference can be trace all the way back to verse one and the reference to Judah and Jerusalem.

“Forsaken” conveys a fairly condemning Hebrew word^[1]. It means to abandon, to reject, or desert, specifically, to leave a former association. In 1Ki 18:18 Elijah replies to Ahab’s charge that he has troubled Israel:

And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals.”

Literally it means to leave, that is, to depart from an area with linear motion, implying a continuing state or condition is the result. In Jos 8:17 we read:

There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

Note the clear expression of the full idea. They left the city completely and fully.

Metaphorically, it can mean to leave behind, abandon, i.e., cause an object to stay in a place while the participant leaves. Genesis 39:6 expresses this idea well:

Thus he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate…

Following the example of Ahab, these Israelites has forsaken the commands of the Lord and abandoned the relationship they had had with Him historically, in the face of all blessing and evidence.

It is no small matter that the word used here for LORD is YAHWEH – this is the “covenant name” of the God of Israel. According to the biblical account, it is the name by which God identified himself to Moses in the encounter at the burning bush (Exod. 3:14).^[2]

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

Although the meaning of the name remains subject to debate, Yahweh is most likely a verbal form of Heb. hâyâ (perhaps originally hwy) “be, become.” It is frequently held to be a hiphil form “cause to be,” and as such may represent the initial element in a compound such as Yahweh-El (“God, who causes to be”). ^[3]  The bottom line is that the grammar, really, is almost as inscrutable as as God Himself! (I suspect purposefully!)

This is the chief OT title and representative name for God.  It was translated kyrios (Gk., ‘Lord’) in the LXX and ‘the Lord‘ by several English versions. This name was used by ot authors more than 6,000 times, compared to about 2,500 times for elohim, ‘God.’ The NT continues to use ‘Lord’ for God (about 100 times), primarily in quotations from the LXX (e.g., Mark 1:3; 12:11; Acts 2:34) and in set phrases such as ‘hand of the Lord’ (Luke 1:66).

The vast majority of the 719 occurrences of kyrios (‘Lord’) in the NT refers to Jesus, however, usually as the exalted Christ (e.g., Acts 2:36; John 20:28). Thus, the two most common OT names for deity, ‘God’ and ‘Lord,’ are used in the NT not only for God but also (though rarely in the case of the word ‘God’) for Jesus as the exalted Lord of the church’s faith. A much less common word for ‘Lord’ in the LXX, despotēs (Gk., ‘lord,’ ‘sovereign,’ ‘master’) is also used in the NT both for God (Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; Rev. 6:10) and for Christ (Jude 4; 2 Pet. 2:1). ^[4]

 

The significance of the statement in its’ context could not be greater!  They have forsaken the God of the universe!  This is the God Who bought them, made them a nation, molded them into a people, set them as a holy people above the other nations around them, preserved them above all or the other families around about them.  He provided for them, protected them, defended them and loved and cherished them and yet they have abandoned Him, “forsaken” Him; walked away from for that which is no god!  There is little wonder that His anger is falling and His judgment, in the form of chastening and captivity.

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[1] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLH 6440, #4). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

[2] Myers, A. C. (1987). The Eerdmans Bible dictionary. Rev., augm. translation of: Bijbelse encyclopedie. Rev. ed. 1975. (1075). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans.

[3] Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row, P., & Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). Harper's Bible dictionary. Includes index. (1st ed.) (684). San Francisco: Harper & Row.

[4] Op Cit, Myers.

Israel - A People Laden with Iniquity

Having laid out His first complaint with Israel, that they are a sinful people, having missed the mark of His holy and righteous standard and owing a debt, Jehovah now goes on to a second complaint here in Isaiah 1:4:

Alas, sinful nation, 
A people laden with iniquity…

“People” is another non-specific reference a familial or tribal relationship. We tend to think of a family in terms of the small unit around which our society is built. The Hebrews, though certainly valuing the immediate family, also placed great value on the extended family, the tribe. That is an emphasis that is prevalent in Middle Eastern society even to this day. In many instances, tribe comes before immediate family. This is something that makes it difficult for us this country, who value personal family above the greater group, to understand that culture.

The word translated “laden” properly denotes anything “heavy,” or burdensome; it is from a word that means “to be heavy.” It speaks of the quality of having actual weight. The “actual” idea is important as opposed to perceived.  It is not so much that that it is thought to have weight as it actually does have weight! 

Of course, in this context, it is not referring to physical weight, but to metaphorical weight. The prior reference to sin and guilt associated with it would indicate that this is the burden of guilt and the resulting wrath and judgment of God. This is another instance of the great “context is King rule” that goes a long way toward making the meaning of the Scripture clear.

At its root, we ought to note that the word can also be used to refer to the grape vine, fruit tree or olive tree that is laden or weighed down with fruit when the time of harvest in near. That is the time when the fruit is both the largest and the most plentiful. The connection to the prior context, the sinfulness of the nation, is still present and the fruit borne is the fruit of sin, both in immediate defilement as well as in long-term effect.

We might also say that it indicates that they were oppressed or borne down with the “weight” of their sins. Thus we say, Sin sits “heavy” on the conscience. Cain said,

‘My punishment is greater than I can bear;’ (Gen. 4:13).

The word is applied to an “employment” as being burdensome; (Exo. 18:18): ‘This thing is too “heavy” for thee.’ (Num. 11:14): ‘I am not able to bear this people alone; it is too “heavy” for me.’ It is applied also to a “famine,” as being heavy, severe, distressing. (Gen. 12:10): ‘For the famine was “grievous” in the land;’ (Gen. 41:31). It is also applied to “speech,” as being heavy, dull, unintelligible. (Exo. 4:10): ‘I am “slow (heavy)” of speech, and of a slow (heavy) tongue.’ It is not applied to sin in the Scriptures, except in this place, or except in the sense of making atonement for it. The idea however, is very striking - that of a nation - an entire people, bowed and crushed under the enormous weight of accumulated crimes.

“Iniquity” speaks of wickedness, iniquity, i.e., wrongdoing, with a focus of liability or guilt for this wrong incurred^[1]

…keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” (Ex 34:7)

The iniquity of the people was a major issue in the OT system. Christ had not come to actually pay for sin, hence the elaborate system that symbolically required the giver as well as the Priest to fulfill exhaustive and detailed requirements seemingly filled with minutiae. But all of that detail had meaning and was significant. It all pointed to the qualification and work of Christ in satisfying the wrath of God. Much of what the Priest wore when working in the Tabernacle and Temple was often significant of the Priest’s action as the symbolic bearer of the iniquity of the people, by bearing it, as if it were a heavy burden. a good example is, for instance Exodus 28:38:

So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.

This was a major part of the Priest’s role as the Priest foreshadowed the work of Jesus Christ…‘That Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things.’

(Lev. 10:17): ‘God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation.’

(Lev. 22:9; 16:22; Num. 18:1; Isa. 53:6): ‘Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.’

(Isa. 53:11): ‘He shall bear their iniquities.’

(1 Pet. 2:24): ‘Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree.’

Remember that these were the people of God, the ones to whom God had give the means of the covering of sin. They had the Tabernacle, and then the Temple. They had the Alter and all of the accompanying pieces of hardware and implements. They had the Priests and all of the Levites and the elaborate rituals and profound services. They had the Revelation of the Word and the ministry of the Prophets. If anyone in all of history to that point should have been a holy people at that point in history, it ought to have been the Israelites. But instead, they were as the orchard at the time of harvest, boughs heavy with the fruit of iniquity, the guilt of sin. Not just guilty, as the nations were, but heavy laden with that guilt!

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^[1] Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLH 6411, #1). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

More on the Basis for Judgment

Note that this passage also uses the term “Master” to speak of the One giving the charge and to Whom the servants were accountable. “Master” is “Kurios”, a Greek word that, in many ways, is the equivalent of Yahweh in the OT. This is not merely master in the sense of employer or superior. There is an absolute sense to this idea, of ownership or absolute authority.

Verse 46 speaks of the sudden nature of the Master’s return. Note that the return is not really unexpected, but unlooked for. There is a big difference here. The steward was given clear instructions along with his charge and clearly knew of his responsibilities and the requirements of the Master. He knew the Master was leaving and would be gone a long time. It is here that the dichotomy is drawn for us. On the one hand, the one that remains faithful to his instructions will be rewarded; but on the the other, the steward that fails to obey, instead using the takes the opportunity of the Master’s absence to indulge himself and live riotously will inevitably end up not being vigilant and the Master will return and find him unready to give account.

The key question is really inn verse 42 –

“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?”

Who then is that faithful and wise steward? The implication o the question and the resulting context seem to indicate that the question includes both Jew and Gentile. While there are many things that can be drawn from the context of this great parable, one thing can surely be taken, that is the issue of accountability and the resultant reward and punishment.

There is also the issue of conscience. Paul addresses this issue, clearly speaking of both to Jew and Gentile. In Rom. 2:12–16 he says:

¹² For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law ¹³ (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; ^14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ^15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ^16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Those “with the Law” are, of course, the Jews who were the caretakers of the Law from Moses onward. Those “without the Law” would thus be the Gentiles (no specific tribe or nation). Both will perish because both have sinned. Paul specifically addresses the issue of conscience saying that even the Gentiles “show the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness” that there is a God and that they are accountable to Him.

A further basis for judgment is the matter of having greater light. Rom. 2:17–29 explains:

^17 Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, ¹⁸ and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, ^19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ^20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. ^21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? ²² You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ^23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? ^24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.

²⁵ For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ^26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ^27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? ^28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; ^29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

The Jews believed themselves to be safe from judgment and under the blessing of God both now and in the time to come simply because they had been chosen by God and held the Law in trust. Paul makes it clear that this is not so. What it did was quite to the contrary, being the recipients and holders of God’s Law brought upon them the danger greater judgment and greater accountability and punishment.

Lastly, we might mention the matter of maturity of judgment or, perhaps better said, the issue of sinning in the face of the specific knowledge that we possess as believers thus “flaunting” our liberty as those redeemed. Paul enlarges on this in 1 Cor. 8:1–13:

¹ Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. ^2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. ^3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

^4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. ^5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), ^6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

^7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸ But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

⁹ But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. ^10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? ^11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? ^12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ^13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

As we saw before, there is the witness of General Revelation, present in all men, that is sufficient to call men to judgment and condemn them if the saving grace of the Gospel is not present. But as you can see, that is not where the matter ends. Deliberate sin in the face of greater knowledge, greater light, than that conveyed by General Revelation brings a greater accountability and a greater condemnation should that greater light fail to be followed.

All of this comes to bear on the people of God, the Israelites, to who God is speaking here in Isaiah 1:2ff. They had had light and they lived a riotous and vain life in spite of that light. This verse is really a partial quote of the OT passages where God is giving that light and warning Israel that a greater accountability would be required of them. ^

^Deuteronomy 4:26 – 

I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed.

Deuteronomy 30:19 -

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

These are not by any means the only passages that speak in this fashion, there are many others[1]: Deut. 32:1. Ps 50:4. Is 1:2. Je 2:12, 13. 6:19. 22:21, 29, 30. Ezek 36:4. Mi 1:2. 6:1, 2. 1 Ti 5:21 among them.

That is some serious talk to the people who were about to enter the land! All of that proclamation came to be true and more as history unfolded itself and lay itself out. Sadly, what we are seeing here in Isaiah is the manifestation of that promise by God.

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[1] Smith, J. H. (1992; Published in electronic form, 1996). The new treasury of scripture knowledge : The most complete listing of cross references available anywhere- every verse, every theme, every important word (231). Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson.

Considering Real Freedom

When the Lord called Elijah to hide from the king's wrath and find water at a time when the land was under the judgment of drought, God directed him to a brook called Cherith. Yet, in what I am sure was a situation that brought great anxiety to Elijah, day by day he watched the water level shrinking further and further. Lets remember that this very drought was the result of the words God had instructed him to proclaim. What a challenge this must have been!

Elijah Predicts a Drought

1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 2 And the word of the Lord came to him: 3 “Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” 5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord. He went and lived by the brook Cherith that is east of the Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Yet even in the midst of famine, God had not forgotten his man and had provided means for supplying Elijah's needs, through a very unusual source - a widow who was preparing what she thought was her last ever meal before death. Think about that. This widow, at the very end of herself, was God's appointed means of provision for His prophet. God was surely showing Elijah that He has countless ways of providing, but also showing this widow such amazing love and mercy (though she might not be aware of this when asked to share her last meal with him). How tender He is with His people even as they face great trials and hardships. How great is His love.

God provided the Cherith brook for Elijah, but this means of provision was ending, and so God instructed Elijah to leave that place and go to another.

The Widow of Zarephath

1 Kings 17: 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

The initial drought came as an act of judgment on the land because of the sins of King Ahab (which we could read about in the previous chapter of 1 Kings 16). Perhaps you are experiencing a drought of a different kind. It may be some special season that has passed; losing a job or some illness or relationship problem. Some of these situations are extremely heartbreaking and challenging; others the Lord lifts quickly by the prayer of faith. Yet whatever we face, our God is in the heavens and He does what pleases Him. He wants us to look to Him as our Source recognizing that He has many different means of supply for us. Our mistake is to put our confidence in the means rather than Him as the Source. Whatever God does to provide for us we need to see it as simply a temporary means of supply (sometimes it lasts a very short time, while at other times it can last decades before that particular brook dries up... but it is simply a means nonetheless and not the Source). God Himself is our Source, Jehovah Jireh, our Provider!

Let us remember that He alone is our Source both as individuals and families and even as a nation. Here in these United States of America, we remain, one nation under God.

The Source of Real Freedom

That is what brings real freedom!  When we are not bound or beholding to some source or afraid that supply will be cut and that we will go lacking - it is then and only then we can be really free to worship and see Who God truly is.  It is this that the secular world seeks after.  They seek it by a political means, the only means available to them as unregenerate men.  But as the children of God we are free from the cares of the world and worries and fears that those cares bring.  The future holds no dread for us (at least in need not!).  The promises of God are glorious indeed when we consider the the contrast of this world with the next, but that not the only impact that they have.  They are are likewise glorious for His children here as well.  For they enable us to walk through life as those who are different, holy, "other", bearing witness to Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides and to the freedom in which He can allow His children to walk; a freedom for which all men long!