And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads;
for your redemption draweth nigh.
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March 20, 2008:Traditions | Just a few more weary days and then... I'll fly away... And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. |
| December 29, 2007:New Year's 2008 | ||
| November 3, 2007:How To Be Successful in Christian Ministry | ||
| October 23, 2007:Salmon |
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| Here Comes the Judge William H. Haller |
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As we continue the historical view of the Israelites we are getting this quarter, we move on to Judges. We ended last week with one of Joshua's final and important speeches to the Israelites, where he implored them to choose to serve God. They all agreed with one accord that they would do so.
This week, we see the Israelites have conquered much of the land of Canaan. They have backslidden time and again, and God, during the book of Judges, raises up individual military and political leaders to pull His chosen children back from the brink of destruction at the hand of their enemies. These selected judges would help lead the people to repentance and the people would do right for a time. They would be freed from bondage and be successful against their enemies. Then, they would again be enticed away by their neighbors to do evil in the sight of God. God would take away His protection from the people and they would once again fall victim to their enemies. This cycle repeated for a long time.
The teacher's quarterly makes some good points about the nature of the leadership during the time of the Judges. They make the claim that the people had moved away from a stronger centralized leadership carried down from Abraham, Moses and Aaron, and more recently through Joshua, to a more loosely confederated group of tribes, headed by individual judges. The central tabernacle worship that they had experienced from the time it was established when they left Egypt to the entry into the land of Canaan now was more distant to most of the people. Even though the actual tabernacle was limited to a select group, and the Holy of Holies strictly limited in terms of access, the tabernacle setting had provided a local and very visible part of lives of the Israelites up until that point. Now, because they were spread out over a wider geographical area, this setting was limited to those few times a year when all the tribes gathered in one place for specific feasts and worship times.
The effects of this were twofold. First, the people had to rely on themselves and their local priests to keep the history alive in the people's hearts of what the Lord God had done for the people in the past - the miracles that Abraham saw, the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, the flood, the famines and miraculous preservation of the people through them, the rescue from bondage, the protection in the wilderness, the healing from disease, the miraculous feeding with manna, the victories in the battles of the Canaanites, and all of the other little things that God had done for His people had to be passed on to each member of each new generation.
I suspect that as the people didn't gather together as often, the parts of the history that didn't seem relevant to a particular tribe didn't get passed on. Even today, you rarely hear people talk about how God helped the person down the street or in the next pew. It is rare to even speak of what God has done in your own life in your past. What He has done for others is rarely discussed. We may hear testimonies of what God has done in particular situations during a praise time, but by next week, they are largely forgotten by most people in the audience. In a month, they may be out of the active memory of the person they happened to. So I suspect that over time, much of this history was not imparted to the people. Much of the history that was passed on was recounted as just that - history.
I'm not sure how you feel about history. For myself, I enjoyed studying any history but my own. I was happy studying ancient civilizations, I was happy reading about European history, et cetera. But when it came to studying the history of Wyoming, I was pretty bored - Indians, settlers, forts, disease, ranching, sheep herding, farming, snore... This is not a Wyoming phenomena. Big cities have wonderful attractions - museums, shows, things to do. But most people who live in these cities rarely go to them. They might go to see the same sort of things while on vacation in another city, but in their own town there is the feeling that it will always be there so why waste any time on it today.
That is exactly how people get in trouble. The other side is always more fascinating. So idolatry crept in among the people. They were interested in the history of the people around them. Their own children didn't want to pay as much attention to their own history - boring - but grew interested in that of others. The adults didn't want to take the time to pass down the family history to the children - we had to sit through this when we were kids - our own kids shouldn't have to sit through that again. The important stories were passed down less often than they should and were replaced with stories that should never have been repeated. As time went on, fewer people knew all the truth and more were easily manipulated by the enemy. The printed word is a marvelous thing. The wonder of having a printed Bible that gives the same information to everyone who reads it is truly a great advancement for mankind. Now all we have to do is take the time to read and study it.
The second major problem was that during the time of the Judges, the people fell away from God, were sold into slavery or were conquered by the people of the land when God took His protecting hand away, were restored by a righteous judge, and then fell away again. The more times we try to defeat something and the more times we find ourselves right back in the same situation, the harder it is to get the will to fight that thing again. Our spirit, seeing only what is around us and only our own abilities is weakened and it is easier to fail the next time.
When God did restore them by bringing them a righteous judge, it was easy to feel resentful of the judge and of God even though it was their own fault that they had gotten into the situation in the first place. It is very easy to get judgmental when things aren't going your way. It is much harder to accept responsibility for what you've done that is wrong and move forward from there. To turn from a wicked idolatrous past and stand for God is a courageous but hard thing to do. It is very easy to get sucked into the lure of the world.
The thing we need to keep in mind is that God is always on our side. He always wants us to succeed. If we will do our part, He is always faithful to do His part. Always. We just have to do our parts first.
We often ask why God lets bad things still happen in the world. There are a couple of basic reasons for this. First, God made the choice that we would be free moral agents, able to make our own decisions to do right or wrong. Just as you have that choice, so do the Hitler's, Stalin's, Amin's, and Hussein's of the world. So also do those individuals who commit the simplest or vilest crimes. The fact that they make such terribly wrong choices, doesn't change the fact that it was their choice to make and God left that choice totally up to them. Satan is always doing his part to try to make the wrong choice look better than the right choice. With some people, that is easier than others.
The second reason is that God himself allows some things to happen to test His children. It is stated here in Judges 2:21-23 that God expressly left some of the Canaanites in the land to try the children of God to see whether they would choose to do right or wrong. That they chose the wrong choice frequently was not God's fault. I'm sure that God would have preferred that God's people would have been able to convert the people around them to follow God. He doesn't want anyone to be lost for any reason.
He is still looking out for you today. If you are going through a rough spot, call out to Him and listen to what He tells you to do. Make sure that it lines up with the Bible, and if it does, do what He asks you to do. He is watching your back. That doesn't mean He is obligated to help you if you are disobedient or haven't accepted His path to salvation. Stand for Him, and He will stand for you. He may not stand the way you expect or wish He would, but in the end, if you look back, you will be able to say with assurance that His was the better solution if He is allowed to bring it to pass as He wishes.
There will always be those who are aligned against Christianity. If there isn't, then Christianity is no longer Christianity because God's word is true and he said there would always be enemies against us. Satan is acting to crush us. Many listen to Satan's voice. Many in power listen to Satan's voice. God wants you to succeed. Be strong and put your faith in Him.
So how do the judges apply to us today? There are a couple of parallels I would like to make. The Israelites weren't 100% successful during the time of Joshua in driving out the Canaanites. They were less successful after the people came under the leadership of individual judges.
Just as in that time, the church was stronger in the time of the disciples than it is today. It certainly wasn't as big, and in many ways it was under far greater persecution than today, but it was also stronger. There are several reasons for this. The authority was centralized (to a much greater degree than today). The acts of Christ and the disciples were fresh in the minds of everyone and they were seeing similar miracles performed by Christ's followers on a frequent basis. The power of God was more evident. Today, 2,000 years from that time, we have relied on the Bible to record those great events, but have rare first hand knowledge of similar things going on today. It is easier to feel dispirited when you are reading history than if you are seeing miracles first hand or hearing about miracles second hand. That is why Christ said to Thomas, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
Likewise, the very fracturing of the church is similar to what happened in this time period of the Israelites. There is no longer a single Church. Granted, we are all called Christians, and all have a common Savior. We are all saved in the same way as in the time of the disciples. There are not multiple paths to God. But instead of a single united body against the world we are a fractured group of bodies each trying to make its own way against the world. Frequently there is little cooperation even between churches from the same denomination in a particular town. If this describes your town, I would urge all pastors to unite first in a denomination, and then with each other. Stop competing for the same people and begin working together for the church. I know that most of you are thinking I'm lost on Fantasy Island. But it can work if we let Christ have control of our churches once again through the Holy Spirit. He isn't at all interested in what denomination you belong to. He doesn't care a whit about why your denomination split off from the Apostolic historical church. He doesn't care why your non-denominational church started. He cares about only one thing. Winning the lost back to him. If something gets in the way of that, He is against it. If it works toward that goal, He is for it. Our opinions are of no consequence.
The next important item that we must address is to do a better job of instructing the next generation in what God has done in the past and just as importantly what God is doing in our midst today. God is doing things for each of us. We need to get the word out to encourage each other and encourage other people in our town, regardless of the church they attend.
Faith is important for anything to get done in God's name in any part of the world today. Many of the Israelites in the time of the Judges lost that faith because they were not taught their history and didn't see God working in their midst. Get back to church on a regular basis. Your son's soccer or football or swimming meet isn't more important than his eternal salvation. Get grounded yourself and get your children grounded in God's word, in the traditions of the church, what they mean, why they are there.
What are some of the ways we are trying to do this today? How can we do a better job of this?
Pass along in a tangible way what God is doing in your midst. If God is ministering to you through the gifts of the Spirit, make sure everyone in your church knows. Then make sure all the churches in town know, and then make sure the town knows. We are so afraid today that if Church A is getting blessed that everyone will stop coming to Church B and go to Church A that we don't try to find out what is going on in Church A if we are in Church B. If we are in Church A, we don't want to share the news because God is blessing us the way we are and if we start bringing in more people we and others at our church might find out that God is blessing Church C and He's doing more there or it might changes things in a way that takes away what He is doing. We are too selfish for our own good.
We need to stop the competition and lift up and bless the good work God is doing in every church in our town. We need to pass along the good and the bad things that God is telling each of us. I'm sure the Corinthian churches weren't too happy about some of the things Paul wrote them. But they didn't try to quash it. Because they and the other churches of the day made sure it survived them and was written down, the Christian church today has a whole New Testament to draw from. How much more would the world have today if each church opened its own website and posted what God told them each service for the world to read. What a testimony! It isn't competition to do that - it is edifying each other - literally building and reinforcing the body of Christ in a tangible way. Be strong and trust in God. Let Him move in each of your churches and let Him reign in each service. If you want true church growth, you need to let God have control once again. The best program, the best books, the best teaching, the best fellowship, the best special events, is no substitute for God's presence. There are more than enough unsaved people in the world to fill up every church in town to overflowing even with multiple services.
God's presence doesn't come without cost. God is a Holy God. He won't strike the vilest sinner dead who comes into a church where He is moving. He might not permit that person to be a disruption, but you can be assured that God wants to see that person saved and his life changed. If anything, the pattern of Jesus was to go after those who worked in the temples. Read John 2:13-17 and Matthew 21:12-16 for examples... Reading 1 Pet. 4:17, it is clear that God is going to judge the righteous first. If they can scarcely be saved, there is no hope for anyone else.
This period of time in the history of Israel was just before the Kings took over. Our King is coming back and I believe He is coming back soon. Like Israel, the church has spread into all corners of the world, but the enemy is not vanquished. He is still there enticing our people to sin and leading us astray. Today, there are many significant sin issues that have infiltrated the church in America. They aren't as prevalent in other parts of the world, but the other parts of the world may have their own issues to deal with that we don't hear about. It is the equivalent time of the Judges in Christianity today. Is God calling you to be a judge in your congregation? Be sure you hear the call correctly, because no judge was successful that God wasn't with. Is God calling you, pastor, to be the Judge in your district, conference, or whatever other organizational structure you have? Is God calling you, bishop, to be a judge in your country or other geographical area?
One thing I know. God is calling judges today. He is saying rise up for what the Bible says is right! Chase the moneylenders from the temple. Purify it and make it holy once again. Make it acceptable to me. If evil people wish to congregate on a Sunday, let them form their own social clubs, but get the unrepentant sinners out of the house of the Lord and the unrepentant churches out of the denominational structure. God is not inclusive. God has His own strict standards and He spelled them out in the Bible. Quit twisting the words into spaghetti to try to make them mean what you want to condone your evil behavior. You know what He said. It may chafe you. You may not like it. But God doesn't care! Start living up to His standards. Become a church of Christ again. Let Christianity mean something once again that sets us apart with love and holiness from the other competing false religions of the world.
A common phrase is "If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem." Where do you and your church stand today? Do you want to be part of the solution? There are many scriptures which indicate that bad and good are allowed to exist together, and that God doesn't root up the evil because it would hurt the good. Examples are the tares and the grain or the sheep and goat nations. Eventually though, God takes care of the problem. The tares are gathered together and burned, and the goat nations are turned away to everlasting fire. The rapture is coming soon. The good and the evil will be separated, and woe to those who are left behind. Let us all choose to be part of His solution.
