YOU and GOD

Josiah—A King in a Class of His Own (10th and last in a series on Old Testament Kings)

“And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses, neither after him arose there any like him.” (II Kings 23:25)

Those words were written about a king who sat upon Judah’s throne shortly before God brought judgment upon the land. Before that storm of judgment, the nation experienced a relatively calm period during King Josiah’s 31-year reign.

His father, Amon, was—like his grandfather Manasseh—a wicked scoundrel, ruling in Jerusalem for two brief years, but Josiah had a godly heritage in the person of his great grandfather, Hezekiah. In some ways, he even surpassed the spiritual plateaus reached by his forefather.

His life story is one of the most interesting found in the Word of God. Careful study of it can yield both inspiration and instruction. Note with me, please:

His view of service (II Chr. 34:2,3): Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign. We read that “while he was yet young, he began to seek after God. At the age of 20, he instituted a purge, cleansing Jerusalem of idols. At the age of 26, he began to repair the house of God.

His view of sin (II Chr. 34:4,5): The altars of Baalim were “brake down” and “beaten” in his presence, scripture says, not only in Jerusalem but in other parts of the countries round about. “And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel….” (II Chr. 34:33) The words “uncompromising,” “intolerant,” “narrow-minded,” “fanatical,” and “negative” were probably labels hurled at this young, wise king who had no time for idolatry, specifically, or sin in general.

As a young man, Josiah evidently did not buy into the fallacy that “you have to try and taste of sin” before you can appreciate the life of godliness. He was not willing to delve into sin, even though had he done so he might have blamed his father or grandfather for the bad examples they had been to him.

His view of scripture: When Hilkiah the priest found a copy of the Law while cleansing the temple, it was brought to Josiah, who upon “hearing the words of the law…rent his clothes.” (II Chr. 34:14-22) He was humbled, anxious to understand, willing to listen to the Word, and ready to obey it. (II Chr. 34:23-32) He would have totally agreed with John Quincy Adams: “The first and foremost book that deserves unwavering attention is the Bible.”

His view of sanctification (II Chr. 35:1ff.): Josiah, having purged the land of Baal worship and idols, and having led in the cleansing of the Temple and in reading and heeding God’s Law, next set himself to keeping the Passover. He encouraged the priests “to the service of the house of the Lord.” His instruction was to “prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David, king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.” (II Chr.35:4) God’s commentary on the Passover that Josiah reinstituted is recorded in II Chr. 35:18: “And there was no Passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept, and the priests…and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

Well-meaning Josiah met an untimely death in a battle that he did not have to fight. Necho, king of Egypt, was engaging Carchemish by Euphrates, and Josiah went out against Necho. Necho sent word that he had not come to do battle with Josiah, and that he would be wise to turn back and go home. Scripture gives us “inside information” that this warning of Necho was actually from “the mouth of God.” (II Chr. 35:22) Josiah failed to consult God and—not convinced by Necho’s admonition—forged headstrong into the fight. He was mortally wounded, dying at the age of 39.

So, in the Valley of Megiddo, where victories had been wrought by Gideon, Barak, and others of Israel’s warring soldiers and sovereigns—and where the great battle of Armageddon will be fought and won by Israel’s Messiah at a future date—Josiah’s life ended. Quite possibly, his death was not so untimely. One has written that “the providence that directed the shaft to its lighting place intended that wound for a stroke of mercy.” A handful of years later, the first of the deportations of Jews to Babylon would mark the beginning of what is known as The Captivity. The godly Josiah was spared living through any part of that, having ruled in a rather peaceful slice of Judah’s history. God “looked past his death to his glory,” mercifully saving the best of kings to reign as one of Judah’s last.

Thus Jeremiah lamented Josiah’s death: “And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.” (II Chr. 35:25)

The Principal Thing

If you achieve every goal, reach the pinnacle of your profession, enjoy every imaginable luxury in life, and leave this world with banks full of money for your posterity—but fail to possess and practice what God calls wisdom—you will have been an utter failure.

God says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Provs. 9:10) Solomon, the wisest of mere men, expanded on the worth of wisdom: “Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Provs. 4:5-7)

Of course, Solomon was speaking of God’s wisdom, not man-centered wisdom, called by James “the wisdom that descendeth not from above.” (James 3:15) James characterized this worldly wisdom as that which is “earthly, sensual, devilish,” the fruit of which is “bitter envying and strife in your hearts, confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:14,16) Contrasted with that low-level wisdom, James goes on to characterize “wisdom that is from above” as being that which is ”first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without hypocrisy;” (James 3:17)—the fruit of which is “righteousness…sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:18)

Wisdom is the principal thing, for here are some of the things that wisdom has accomplished since creation: It founded the earth; will bring man happiness; will yield length of days; will cause one to inherit glory; will preserve one’s being; will give one’s heart rest; will help a person to build a home and establish it; and will instruct the warrior on when and how to conduct war. (See Provs. 3:19; 3:13,16,35; 4:6,33; 24:3,6)

Where could you find something that would do all of the above? What would it cost? What in creation matches it?

T.S. Eliot—poet, playwright and literary critic—affirms that knowledge is not enough: “All our knowledge only brings us closer to our ignorance, and all our ignorance, closer to death, no closer to God. Where, then, is the life we have lost in living?”

The English preacher Charles Spurgeon clarified the difference between knowledge (“the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”) and wisdom: “Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” (Provs. 1:7)

So, we need to fear God in order to get knowledge that squares with God’s truth; then we need wisdom in order to make use of the knowledge that we have acquired from God.

After listening to Job and Job’s friends, plus Elihu, God puts it all into His perspective: “Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?” (Job 39:26) “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him? (Job 40:2) And God uses illustrations from the natural world to demonstrate His incomparable wisdom. Jeremiah picked up that theme in his prophecy: “Yea, the stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times; and the turtledove and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming.” (Jer. 8:7)

Here is a splendid example of the creative wisdom of the Almighty: “A tiny bird weighing less than half an ounce and only 5 to 5 and one-half inches long, the blackpoll warbler, takes off on its annual migration from the coast of North America to fly over the Atlantic and Caribbean of South America. Its ocean, nonstop flight is 2,300 miles, lasting an average of 86 hours. A scientist, Dr. Williams, in “Mysteries of Bird Migration”by Allan C. Fisher, Jr. (National Geographic, January 1979) says that the metabolic equivalent for a man of that nonstop flight would be to run four-minute miles continuously for eighty hours. During one part of its incredible journey, it will fly at the cold, oxygen-starved altitude of 21,000 feet in order to find favorable winds. In a year’s time, the blackpoll warbler may journey as much as 10,000 miles.” (copied)

The answer of God to Job and his “miserable friends,” continued in Job 39: “Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months that they fulfill? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth? They bow themselves; they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows. Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn, they go forth and return not unto them.”

And, for the rest of Job 39 through chapter 41, God continues to take Job and the others to school. The result: “Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do every thing and, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.” (Job 42:1,2)

Oh, the unsearchable wisdom of the Almighty! We can never achieve such knowledge or wisdom in our finiteness, but we can realize all the knowledge and wisdom that it pleases God to grant us from and through His matchless Word. Let us therefore “say unto wisdom, thou art my sister; and call understanding (our) kinswoman.” (Provs. 7:2)

“There is no wisdom but that which is founded on the fear of God.” (John Calvin)

“Sir, We Would See Jesus.” (John 12:21)

And, it is my heartfelt desire that all who read this will, too, see Jesus! Of this Jesus, an unknown author has written: “He was born in an obscure village, and grew up in another obscure village where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was 30, and then for three years as an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never went to college. He never put his foot inside a city the size of Indianapolis; He never traveled more than 200 miles from the place where He was born. He never did any of things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself. He was only 33 when the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends deserted him. One of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two common thieves. His executioners gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth while he was dying—and that was his coat. When he was dead, he was taken down and laid in a borrowed tomb through the pity of a friend. Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is still the central figure of the human race. It is far within the mark to say that all the armies ever marshalled, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, put together, have not affected life upon the earth as dramatically as has that one solitary life—Jesus.”

The song writer says, “He washed my eyes with tears that I might see.” May our eyes, too, be washed with tears as we see Jesus—in the cradle, on the cross, and with His crown.

Jesus in the cradle. See His name, announced by the prophets: “Wonderful, counsellor, the mighty God; the everlasting Father; the prince of peace.” (Isa. 9:6). And, announced to Joseph by an angel before His birth: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:21)

See His names throughout God’s Word: “The Alpha and Omega; the Author and Finisher of our faith; the Bishop of our souls; the Bread of life; the Captain of our salvation; the Chief Shepherd; the Chief cornerstone; the Chief among 10,000; the Christ, the Counsellor, the Desire of all nations; the Diadem, the Door, the Everlasting Father, the Faithful witness; the First begotten; the Friend of sinners; God with us; the Great High Priest; the Great Shepherd; the Head of all things; the Heir of all things; the I AM; Immanuel, the King eternal; the King of glory; the King of kings; the Lamb of God, the Life; the Light, the Lilly of the Valley; the Lion out of the tribe of Judah; the Man of Sorrows; the Messiah; the Passover; the Great Physician; the Prince of Peace; the Prophet; the Propitiation; the Redeemer; the Resurrection; the Rock; the Rose of Sharon; the Savior of the world; the Shepherd of souls; the Son of God and the Son of man; the Star out of Jacob; the Stone; the Son of Righteousness; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; Wonderful, and the Word!”

See His divine nature: He is God and could not sin; He is man and would not (and could not) sin; He is the God-man: “Remaining what He ever was (God) and becoming what He never had been (man)—ever to remain: the God-Man.” “Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh….” (I Tim. 3:15)

Jesus on the Cross. His suffering: a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities…oppressed and afflicted…brought as a lamb to the slaughter. “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels; my strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; thou hast brought me to the jaws of death; I may tell all my bones.” (Isa. 53; Psalm 22) “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” (I John 2:2) “Who is the Savior of all men, specially of them that believe.” (I Tim. 4:10)

Jesus with a Crown. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father, exalted by the Father with a name that is above every name, at which every knee should bow…and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Hebs. 12:2; Phil. 2:9-11)

He will “come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, and then He shall sit on the throne of His glory.” (Matt. 25:31) He will wear many crowns: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse: and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.” (Rev. 19:11,12)

“Jesus shall reign where e’re the sun, doth its successive journeys run.” (Watts) “Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne.” (Bridges and Thring)

So, yes, we would still see Jesus today—like the Greeks, who came to the feast to worship and said to Philip, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” (John 12:21) Have you, reader, seen Him yet? Have you seen Him as the Son of Man who came to seek and to save that which was lost? (Luke 19:10) Have you seen Him as the Savior of the world, whose substitutionary death on the cross was for the purpose of bearing the penalty and payment for the sins of all mankind, thus satisfying the demands of the law? Have you seen Him as the coming King, crowned with glory and honor, ruling and reigning forever and forever, inviting you to be a part of His kingdom? “Look to the Lamb of God, look to the Lamb of God. For He alone is able to save you, look to the Lamb of God!” (H.G. Jackson)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The Power of 1

“By the grace of God, I am what I am,” the Apostle Paul, church planting evangelist par excellence, said of himself humbly in I Cor. 15:10—just after confessing that he was least of all the apostles and not worthy to be called an apostle. Yet he was what he was!

And, so are you! You have never been called or commanded to do the work of any other person. You are your unique self, one person, and you are only able to do exactly what your Creator has planned for you to do today, one day at a time.

And, today is Election Day here in the USA. The polls are open; hopefully you are registered to vote. You have approximately until sundown, depending upon which state you live in, to get to a designated voting place and cast your ballot for the candidate of your choice.

The two major political parties, with their candidates, have made their cases to the American people. Every office is important. You no doubt have heard it said that “all politics are local politics.” At the grassroots level, debates, deliberations, and discussions have occurred that have shaped the direction of the party platform that will eventually impact the direction and destiny of a nation. There is no inconsequential vote to be cast, no unimportant office to fill, and no candidate for any office that should be considered with indifference. Today is an historic day in our nation’s history.

Today, America stands at a crossroads: We will choose our leaders, lawmakers, and executives for another two, four, or six years. Each vote is hugely critical. Each person who casts a ballot or pulls a lever will vote for life or death, morality or immorality, truth or tyranny, socialism or capitalism, freedom or oppression.

Yes, the contrast could not be more pronounced. Long shadows are being cast over our nation’s horizon by little people. Churches are harassed by petty bureaucrats. Laws, customs, mores, history books, and monuments are being turned upside down to accommodate the “woke” world. People who are dedicated to keeping neighborhoods, streets, malls, and public squares safe places to congregate are dodging bricks, vile epithets, and lawless mobs—while the peace-keeping thin blue line of law enforcement is abjectly abandoned by city councils gone crazy. It’s not the America most of us have known; it’s not the America most of us want to know. You, friend, must vote.

Yes, you are only one, but you are one. One vote can turn—and has turned—the course of history. The Middleton, Massachusetts, homepage cites some elections won or lost by the narrowest of margins: In 1800, Thomas Jefferson was elected President by one vote in the House of Representatives after a tie in the Electoral College; in 1824, Andrew Jackson won the presidential popular vote but lost to John Quincy Adams after an Electoral College deadlock; in 1845 the U.S. Senate passed the convention to annex Texas by just two votes. More recently, in 2000, the Presidential election was decided by just 537 votes, with millions of voters having voted. So, yes, one vote—your vote—is very important.

Do not let the huge early voting numbers discourage you from doing your civic duty: Get out and vote today. You will not regret doing it. But you most certainly may regret not doing it. See you at the polls!

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

(This “You and God” post is a reprint of the article of the same title published on Nov. 3, 2020.)

“Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” James 4:17

Mighty Micaiah

Of the Pharisees, the Word says: “They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:43) This was true of the Pharisees and, sadly, it is true also of many “religionists” today who, having a form of godliness, deny the power thereof.

Nowhere is this more readily found than in the pulpits of our land. To preach for the praise and plaudits of men is the basest occupation under the sun. But if men today are like men of all times (and they by and large are), false prophets are still with us. One writer speaks of these in a poem:

“To please them all on Sunday morn; just dish them out the same old corn;

A touch of humor here and there; some prudent statements made with care.

And if you’re not one to exhort—if saving souls is not your forte;

If you don’t want your crowd depressed; by such a thing as sins confessed.

If facts of life are far too strong, for righteous people never wrong;

Use illustrations far away, and preach on ‘drink’ on Labor Day;

And when your folks arise to go, they’ll all confide, ‘Enjoyed it so.’”

One English authority on the subject categorized modern sermons according to seven qualities: “(1) The sesquipedalian—big words—little thoughts; (2) the wishy-washy, (self-explanatory); (3) the pyrotechnic, burning with brilliant metaphors and illustrations, finishing with a faint odor of gun smoke; 4) The anecdote—teeming with stories, some good enough once, but gone bad with time; (5) the flowery, rhyme more important than reason; (6) the mellifluous, with calm, unbroken flow; (7) the paregoric—against which all the powers of wakefulness fail, so much alike at all points that a yard can be cut off at any point.”

Enter Mighty Micaiah! He steps onto the pages of holy writ when the evil king of Israel, Ahab, and the good king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, had—defying all understanding—agreed to join forces together against Syria, whose king at that time occupied the coveted Ramoth-gilead. The king of Israel gathered 400 prophets together to seek their counsel as to whether the two kings should go against Syria in battle. Every one of the false prophets encouraged the two kings to do so. (I Kings 22:6)

But Jehoshaphat raised the question: “Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might inquire of him?” Well, Ahab had to admit there was one other prophet who could be consulted, but the wicked king hastened to say: “I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” Jehoshaphat could not believe that, so an officer was dispatched to fetch Micaiah. While he was gone, the priest Zedekiah made horns of iron and, in a visual way, demonstrated how the two kings would push back, as with iron horns, the king of Syria.

The messenger sent to bring Micaiah onto the scene informed him of the proceedings, coaching him not to rock the boat—since 400 prophets, led by the priest Zedekiah, had assured the covenanting kings that victory was a sure thing. Micaiah responded with: “As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak.” (I Kings 22:14)

When Micaiah came face to face with Ahab, the king asked, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle?” With what was no doubt a “tongue in cheek” answer, Micaiah said, “Go and prosper, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.” Incredibly, the king retorted: “How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?” So, Ahab knew that a true prophet of God would counsel him not to go to battle as he and Jehoshaphat had planned to do!

And, sure enough, Micaiah proceeded to share what God had shown him: Israel scattered as sheep with no shepherd. About that time, Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat and said, “See, I told you he would not prophesy any good toward me!” Micaiah then told the two kings what God’s Word was: he painted a picture of God seated with the host of heaven before Him, asking His servants how He could persuade Ahab to go up against Ramoth-gilead to fall there in battle. After a couple of ideas were shared, one spirit said, “I will persuade him; I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.” This was the answer that the Lord was looking for, and He dispensed the spirit to go and prevail.

Predictably, Micaiah was howled down, slapped in the face by the false priest, Zedekiah, and ordered to solitary confinement with only bread and water to eat. The two cohort kings went to battle as the false prophets had encouraged them to do; and, having concocted a strategy where Ahab disguised himself while the king of Judah put on his robes and parked his chariot away from the heat of the battle, all of their proud plans melted when a man drew a bow at a venture that struck Ahab “between the joints of the harness,” resulting in his death. (I Kings 22:34)

Mighty Micaiah. He had the spiritual backbone of a David, a Daniel, or an Elijah. He made only a brief appearance on the pages of scripture, but he was true to his calling as a man of God, a prophet who with undaunted courage told the misguided kings the truth—and was exiled to prison for it. What a great example of faithfulness to our calling in the face of scoffing, criticism, rejection, and persecution. God, give us prophets, pastors, preachers, men of God today with the courage and conviction of Mighty Micaiah!

“When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace becomes sin; you must, at any price, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.” (Abraham Kuyper)

Beware!

From the founding of the local New Testament church—on the Day of Pentecost, in about 30 A.D.—to the present, believers have been engaged in spiritual warfare against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph. 6:12) Our only hope and help against these other worldly powers is “the whole armor of God.” (Eph. 6:12ff.) Satan’s attack is two-pronged, involving “wiles” and “fiery darts.” (Eph. 6:11,16)

Jesus warned against the wiles that His followers should beware of when, in His sermon on the mount, He plainly said, “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matt. 7:15) In his emotional farewell parting from the elders of the church at Ephesus, the apostle Paul would say: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock…for this know, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:28,29) Peter, John, and Jude, among others, would sound the same solemn warning against “certain men crept in unawares…turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4)

These stern admonitions against the false prophets in sheep’s clothing remind me of what I once read about the “Judas goat.” At one time, in certain meat companies, a goat would go to work about 7 each morning, escorting a herd of sheep from the unloading pens near the docks to the slaughterhouse, where the sheep would be killed and dressed. Two to three hundred ewes and lambs might follow the “Judas goat” each time. Sheep cannot be driven like cattle and hogs, but they will follow a leader. It is estimated that one “Judas goat,” over the course of its life, might lead four or five million sheep to their deaths.

The wiles of the Devil, using ravening wolves in sheep’s clothing, are even more dangerous and deadly. Throughout the centuries of church history, the number of unsuspecting lambs led to the Devil’s slaughterhouse is incalculable.

Beware the wiles of the Devil; he is first deceitful in his disguised attack. But he is also deadly, with “fiery darts” that can only be quenched by the shield of faith. (Eph. 6:12) Some of those deadly darts are:

Doubt. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom.14:23) Satan tried, successfully, to get Eve to doubt God: “Hath God said?” He tried to pull the same wool over our Lord’s eyes: “If thou be the Son of God….” (Matt. 4:4,6) He is still firing those darts today, trying to get God’s children to doubt His love, goodness, call, and promises.

It is nothing new. The children of Israel saw Goliath and said, “He’s so big no one can kill him.” David saw Goliath and said, “He’s so big, how could I miss him?”

“Doubt sees the blackest night; faith sees the day. Doubt dreads to take a step, faith soars on high.”

One believer, whose close friend was killed in a car accident, cried out to God: “Lord, I don’t understand You. Why did You allow this death?” Isaiah recorded the answer in advance, “Have you not heard? The everlasting God…neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.” (Isa. 40:28) Again, the bereaved friend cried, “Lord, you are beyond my understanding, but I still wonder, have You turned your back on the world?” And again, God answers: “God reigneth over the heathen; God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness.” (Ps. 47:8) Finally, the distraught friend cries: “Lord, I do believe you are ruling this world, but do you care about the pain?” God hears and proclaims, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” (Ps. 86:5)

Some other fiery darts:

Discouragement, the fruit of which is nothing. Peter, discouraged, said: “I go fishing!” The Bible says, “And that night, they caught nothing.” (John 21:3)

Defeat. Moses felt the sting of this dart when he struck the rock twice rather than simply speaking to it as God had instructed; he was not able to enter the promised land because of his disobedience, which led to a momentary defeat. (Numbers 20:2-13)

Distraction. “No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:52) Not being fit does not mean the man will miss heaven; it means he is not yet ready for heaven. He has been distracted. The young John Mark was distracted. As was Demas, whom Paul said had forsaken him because he loved the world.

Disinterest. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebs. 2:3) It is subtle, but how many once-faithful followers have just “neglected” spiritual disciplines?

Disillusionment. Think of someone who had looked up to the prophet Jonah before he boarded a ship to Tarshish. Or, in 30 A.D., some Hebrew youngster who, before the Upper Room, had considered Judas a role model. The answer: “Looking unto Jesus.” (Hebs. 12:2)

Discontentment. Paul had to learn in whatsoever state he was in to be content. (Phil. 4:11)

Disobedience. “If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted? If thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.” (Gen.4:7)

Disloyalty. “No man can serve two masters; a house divided against itself cannot stand.” (Matt. 6:24; 12:25)

Beware the fiery darts of the wicked one!

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Eph.6:13

A Good King Who Died A Leper (9th in a series on Kings and Priests)

A 17^th-century poet had this to say about good and bad kings: “Good kings are mourned for after life; but ill, and such as govern only by their will, and not their reason—unlamented fall; no good man’s tears shed at their funeral.”

This was certainly the case with King Amaziah (see the Oct. 3 “You and God” about him by clicking here). Ninth king of Judah following King Solomon’s death, after which the kingdom was divided, Amaziah began his 29-year reign successfully and with great hope. But before he died, his own subjects conspired to kill him, and when he had died his burial was without mourning. He started out good, but the last chapter of his life was the story of a king gone bad. Pride was his demise. Yet God, in His gracious accounting of the “big picture,” summarized Amaziah’s life, reign, and death in a single sentence: “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.” (II Kings 25:2)

After Amaziah’s death, his 16-year-old son, Uzziah, was made king. He remained on the throne for 52 years in Jerusalem. Like his father Amaziah, it was said of Uzziah, “And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.” (II Chr. 26:4) A closer look though at the whole of Uzziah’s life—and death—reveals that, like his father, his life ended in tragedy because of his pride. He died a leper’s death, isolated in his own palace.

Two coronated kings, with bright prospects and promising futures. Father and son, with subjects to do their bidding, with the prestige and the power of royalty. Both starting out with successes and victories. But both coming to the end of their lives with ignoble conclusions and, no doubt, with haunting regrets for wasted opportunities and wanton stewardships.

Believers in this church age are said to be “kings and priests.” We shall reign with the King of kings. (Rev. 5:10) It behooves us to learn well the life-lessons of these Old Testament kings, incorporating into our lives the good features of their ways and avoiding the pitfalls that caused them to bite the dust in death.

Look with me, then, at Uzziah’s walk with God and at his walk without God:

Uzziah’s Walk with God

He began his reign by doing right. He was just 16 years of age, but with good and faithful counsellors, he made good decisions: “And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions; and as long as he sought the Lord, the Lord made him to prosper.” He heeded the words of his ancestor, King Solomon, who had exhorted his son: “Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.” (Provs. 4:10)

He sought the Word of God. Zechariah, the priest, understood God and was able to discern visions that God had given him. Visions were how God, in days before the Word of God was in written form, communicated to prophets and priests. (Hebs. 1:1,2) As Zechariah shared what God had communicated to him, Uzziah charted his course accordingly, and God was pleased with him and caused him to prosper.

Uzziah sought the Word of God, and he sought the will of God. He built a strong empire, with hosts of soldiers that were well armed. He erected towers in Jerusalem, and his fame spread abroad, “for he strengthened himself exceedingly.” (II Chr. 26:8) His success is summarized in II Chr. 26:15: “And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvelously helped, til he was strong.” Again, what his ancestor forefather Solomon posited proved true: “Righteousness exalteth a nation.” (Provs. 14:34)

Uzziah’s Walk Apart from God

When he was strong, God’s Word sadly says, “His heart was lifted up to his destruction.” (II Chr. 26:16) Again, Solomon had warned: “A man’s pride shall bring him low.” (Provs. 29:23) And “when pride cometh, then cometh shame.” (Provs. 11:2)

Uzziah’s fall came through pride, when he presumed that as king he could go into the temple and offer to the Lord incense. His sin of presumption was met with rebuke from priest Azariah, backed up by fourscore priests. (II Chr. 26:17,18) Uzziah was angered (“wroth”) by their rebuke, but when the king began to put forth his hand to offer incense to God, he was smitten with leprosy on the spot, “even up in his forehead.”

The priests, led by Azariah, thrust him out of the temple, and Uzziah lived in a separate house until he died. He was buried in a cemetery for kings; his son, Jotham, who had been acting king until Uzziah died, reigned in his stead. For the record, Jotham was also said to be a “good king,” reigning 16 years. (II Chr. 27:2)

Uzziah—much like the first king of the nation, Saul—presumed to take upon himself the assignment of offering what priests alone were commissioned to offer: burnt offerings, in Saul’s case, and incense in Uzziah’s. Saul lost his kingdom for his disobedience. And Uzziah, for all practical purposes, lost his.

The story of this king who started his reign with such promise—but ended it so sadly, due to sin—offers a life-lesson that we as “kings and priests” must heed: Sin comes with a hefty price tag.

“Wherefore let him that thinketh that he standeth take heed lest he fall.” (I Cor. 10:12)

On The Light Side

Solomon reminds us that “a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” (Provs. 17:22) We have all been in very tense, maybe nerve-racking situations, when some wag uttered an utterly ridiculous thought that caused even the most wearisome among us to laugh. There was always in school—and maybe there is in every family—someone whose genius was to find something humorous to comment on that would relieve the pent-up tensions.

Now, there is undoubtedly a time and place for everything, but few of us can remember a time when the world was closer to a boiling point than now. With the Middle East a tinderbox, the recent hurricane holocaust, and the political pit bulls growling and sneering loudly—maybe, just maybe, something should be offered to lighten life up just a bit.

Admittedly, humor is not my “bailiwick,” but I can borrow a laugh or two now and then, so I am going to share with you, my faithful readers, a few items you probably have all read or heard before. But they never fail to bring a chuckle—much like an old routine of Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, or Jackie Gleason (for you old-timers). Here, then, are some church-bulletin bloopers for your enjoyment once again:

The third verse of “Blessed Assurance” will be sung without musical accomplishment.
During the minister’s illness, a bulletin: “GOD IS GOOD. Dr. Hargreaves is better.
Due to the Rector’s illness, Wednesday’s healing services will be discontinued until further notice.
The concert in the Fellowship Hall was a great success. Special thanks to the minister’s daughter who labored the whole evening at the piano, which as usual fell upon her.
The Reverend Adams spoke briefly, much to the delight of his audience.
The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the church basement on Friday at 7:00 p.m. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
A new loudspeaker system has been installed in the church. It was given by one of our members in honor of his wife.
The outreach committee has enlisted 25 members to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
Evening massage: 6 p.m.
The Pastor would appreciate it if the ladies would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday morning.
The audience is asked to remain seated until the end of the recession.
Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Memorial Church in Racine. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
Reminder of the upcoming National Prayer and Fasting Conference. The cost includes meals.
Miss Charlene Mason sang, “I Will Not Pass This Way Again,” to the obvious delight of the audience.
Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.
The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict.
The morning sermon: “Jesus Walks On the Water.” Tonight’s message: “Searching for Jesus.”
Next Thursday will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack’s sermons.
The Rector will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing “Break Forth into Joy.”
Remember in prayer the many who are sick in our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say “hell” to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24^th in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
The service will close with “Little Drops of Water.” One of the ladies will start quietly and the rest of the congregation will join in.
The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind, and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What is Hell?” Come early and listen to the choir practice.
The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.
Attend and you will enjoy an excellent speaker and heave a healthy lunch.
Potluck supper at 5 p.m. and prayer and medication to follow.
This afternoon, there will be a meeting in the south and north ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends.
On Sunday a collection will be taken to defray the expense of the new carpet. All wishing to do something on the carpet, please come forward and get a piece of paper.

Ok, enough for now. And, most of these no doubt occurred before “spell-check!”

“All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” (Provs. 15:15)

My First 42 Years

Where do I begin? A flood of memories waft through my mind as I look back on the 42 years that I have been blessed in serving as a member on the Baptist World Mission board of directors. Dr. Monroe Parker was the General Director of BWM when I first joined the board, and I cannot forget meeting around his desk in a small office in Decatur, Alabama, in what was an executive committee meeting with a half-dozen or so other board members with the General Director. I must have pinched myself a couple of times as I felt like a pigmy in the land of giants. But, Dr. Parker, with his slight lisp and southern draw, soon made me feel comfortable, and lunch that day at the Director’s favorite place for a mid-day meal, Bob’s Barbeque in Decatur, Alabama, was all that I needed to feel right “at home.”

There have been scores of meetings since, under the leadership of Dr. Parker, his able successor, Executive Director, Dr. Fred Moritz, then the adroit administrator, Dr. Bud Steadman, and now the seasoned missionary whom God has moved from the field of Cameroon to the home office to lead 300 plus missionaries, a wholly dedicated staff of field administrators and office personnel, and a board of 32 pastors who assemble a couple of times a year to encourage missionaries, appoint new ones, and to give direction to the board administrators. I have found Baptist World Mission to be a servant of local churches in assisting them in getting their ambassadors out to the four corners of the earth in ways that are incalculably valuable.

The fellowship that has been a hallmark of these board gatherings has been cherished through the years, not only for the pastors who gather with other pastors and missionaries, but for our wives who, as Ellen, come to the meetings as often as possible. Not a few of the meetings have been held in the quaint (and at one time, I think, laid-back) town of Decatur, a charming southern city. Our friends, now with the Lord, Pastor Collins Glenn and his wife, Durienne, from Muncie, IN, used to look forward to going with us to certain clothing and shoe stores in Decatur between board sessions, where Pastor Glenn, a one-time Georgia haberdasher, would always leave with a new sport coat or pair of sharp shoes that would, somewhere down the way, set him off as one of the best-dressed preachers in any meeting. He just had a flair for what would look sharp, and all who knew him would attest that he “wore it well!” All of the pastors and wives relished the coffee times and fellowship before and after the plenary meetings.

And the meetings! How instructive to hear the distilled wisdom of pastors from across America who shepherded congregations that majored in missions. Their counsel was out of hearts aflame for world evangelization and full of love, respect and utmost esteem for God’s servants who had been set apart by the Holy Spirit and sent by local churches to perpetuate the fulfilling of that Great Commission that Christ left the Church He founded, and is building. Hearing the burden and feeling the excitement of missionaries who were called and ready to go to the fields of the world, was both humbling and life-changing for this pastor.

Just one of scores of examples now comes to mind. I believe it was at Suburban Baptist Church in Indianapolis in 1985. A pastor and his wife from Illinois had answered God’s call to go to Brazil with the life-saving gospel message. Roger and Sharon Crowder shared their story how that God had led them to leave their home and homeland to answer the Holy Spirit’s directive. It was with wonder that the pastors present listened as Roger shared how that his wife had been afflicted with a crippling disease, having for a time been incapacitated and wheel chair bound; but that God had healed her and she was able to function. I for one just questioned in my heart how this sincere husband and wife could even think about going to a foreign country to labor, having come through what they had experienced. Well, that was thirty years or more ago. The Crowders did go and their labors abounded to the glory of God and they are now home in Huntsville, Alabama, still serving God, but in a “retirement” mode. And that is just one of a myriad of testimonies I could share to the glory of God!

I never came home from a meeting with other board members and the BWM staff but that I was excited to share with our church here in Indianapolis. One year, 1985, our church had the privilege of hosting the annual meeting of BWM. The keynote speakers were Dr. Monroe Parker, Dr. Fred Moritz, Dr. Ed Nelson, Dr. Wayne Van Gelderen, Sr., and Dr. Tom Malone, all giants for God. Ralph McGilvra, long-time soloist on Oliver B. Greene’s “Gospel Hour” broadcast, was our conference music director. LaBelles, Hallecks, Duttons, Kimbles, Johnsons, Crowders, Lears, Grimes and other missionaries shared their vision and burden with us for world missions. Nothing will meld the hearts of God’s people with missions and missionaries quite like having such a conference which is a “taste of heaven!”

Well, that’s a brief look back at my first 42 years as a BWM board member. I loathe the thought of reckoning with the probability that it is time to pass the torch on so that a younger pastor can enjoy something of what I have been enjoying for more than four decades. That time for me is near. But even then I will always, as long as I can think clearly, look back with precious memories of mingling testimonies, tears and thanksgiving with some of God’s choicest ambassadors, all of which has, to this unworthy servant, proven to be nothing short of priceless.

Spiritual Meltdown

Do you believe that you are “up to the task?” Are you convinced that you can live the Christian life? Having been a believer for quite some time, and having received appropriate training and acquired considerable knowledge, especially of God’s Word and of spiritual matters, do you feel you are ready for just about anything Satan might throw at you?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above rhetorical questions, you would do well to note that you are a candidate for eventual spiritual meltdown.

“What?” your rejoinder might be. “Me, a candidate for spiritual meltdown? No way! I am a serious student of scriptures, of theology and human complexities, and I am ready for just about any possible situation in ministry or life experiences. Bring it on!”

Well, I doubt anyone reading this post is so brash as to admit, “That’s me!” You probably know by now that I am about ready to affirm—with scriptural, Pauline support—that no person can live the Christian life, apart from the way Paul said that he lived it: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) There is not a Christian alive today who is able to live the Christian life apart from the indwelling, moment-by-moment enabling of Christ through surrender to His Holy Spirit. Apart from Christ living His life through you, you are doomed to failure.

If there is an ounce of self-sufficiency in you, deceiving you into thinking that you are up to the task before you, then beware. There is not one good thing in our flesh, Paul exclaimed in Romans 7:18. To do daily tasks, even ministry, in the power of the flesh, can only result in defeat.

Our sufficiency is of God! And when we come to realize that, then we allow God to demonstrate His all-sufficiency. His grace is sufficient, Paul reminds us. (II Cor. 12:9)

After a half-century of preaching and teaching God’s Word, of pastoring one of His choice congregations, I am not sufficient to preach one more message. I now preach regularly in a small church in Noblesville, Indiana, on an interim basis. I have “barrels” full of messages to draw upon, outlines and manuscripts bulging in file-folders. If I were so foolish as to rely upon this experience, or upon these past resources, approaching the pulpit on any Lord’s Day with the confidence that yesterday’s blessings were enough to propel me through today’s needs, I would fall flat upon my face, disappointing God, His Spirit, the congregation waiting to hear a fresh word from God, and, finally, myself (and Ellen, too!).

This is not to say that all past experience must go out the window. I treasure lessons learned, messages received from the study of His Word, outlines and manuscripts that have been used to discharge a life-long ministry. What I am saying is that if I should ever come to the place where I am just depending on these tools to take me through another assignment, then Christ is not living His life through me, and I am ministering in the flesh—in which there is no good thing!

No, I am not sufficient to preach another sermon, in and of myself. I am not sufficient to pastor any church; to be the head of my home, to tithe, pray, counsel, or live another day as a Christian.

But I thank God for His sufficiency, and that through my weakness He is pleased to make known His strength!

In Exodus 36, Moses received offerings, free-will offerings of the people, every morning, with which the tabernacle was to be furnished. In time, Moses had to issue a proclamation that nothing more be brought. There was more than enough. “For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”

It’s good to know that He has all we need—and more—to serve Him and to discharge our duties. Yes, sometimes the task seems overwhelming. Maybe you are a caregiver for some loved one—day in and day out, month upon month. You are literally worn out, and you know that in yourself there are no more resources. But, as the meal in the widow’s barrel was never exhausted even though it was apparently depleted, so your supply is always sufficient for the day at hand as you trust Him moment by moment. You cannot think about tomorrow, for that seems an impossibility with the strength you have at the end of today. But your sufficiency is of God, and you trust that when tomorrow comes the supply will be there.

The children of Israel wore the same shoes for 40 years, and they did not wear out. So also in His sufficiency, He will provide our every need. Praise God for that never-ending supply of grace which, like the loaves and fishes, never seems to run out regardless of the huge demands! Who is sufficient for these things? (II Cor. 2:16) God is! And our sufficiency—to live the Christian life, with all of its apparent impossibilities—must come from Him and Him alone. To attempt to live the life for Christ without the “Christ in me, the hope of glory” mindset and surrender, is to set one’s self up for spiritual meltdown. Walk by faith—day by day, moment by moment—knowing and never forgetting that “Our sufficiency is of God!”

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” (2 Cor.3:5)