Artaxerxes, whose heart was turned by God toward Ezra and the people of Israel, was a Persian king with great riches. In his decree to help the people of Israel, he generously gives whatever Ezra needs to fund the trip to Jerusalem.
When God moves a man's heart, He moves it "whole-heartedly"! Verse twenty states, "And whatever
else is required for the house of your God, which it falls to you to provide, you may provide it out of the king's treasury." The footnote in the Reformation Study Bible says, "The amounts involved are enormous but the Persian Empire is very wealthy."
Wow!! So God moved the heart of this very wealthy king who provided for Ezra's trip "out of" his treasures. I'm sure Ezra was wowed by King Artaxerxes riches supplied to him for the work of God! How much more should we be wowed by the supplies of the Creator of the Universe. Ephesians 3:16 says, "I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being."
God is building His temple through us. "For we are the temple the living God." (2 Corinthians 6:16)
And "out of" His glorious riches He is giving us unlimited strength with His power to do what it takes to make our "temples" complete. I would say wow to that for I am wowing this same God Who has been doing this throughout history and continues to do that today and forever.
Friday, March 23, 2018
King of 'All' Kings
Artaxerxes called himself king of kings. This was a title that Persian monarchs used to indicate their supremacy over all kings. But in the book of Ezra, where you find this phrase used by Artaxerxes (7:12), that "God is the true King of kings is implicit and also explicit elsewhere in Scripture." (Reformation Study Bible) In fact, at the end of this chapter, Ezra gives praise to the sovereignty of God over Artaxerxes: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of our fathers, who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king, to beautify the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem."
Man may be placed in high positions by birth, by integrity or by cunning. But it is God that is in complete control of it all. "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne." Psalm 47:6-8
Man may be placed in high positions by birth, by integrity or by cunning. But it is God that is in complete control of it all. "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne." Psalm 47:6-8
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Expostulate
I learned a new word from Matthew Poole: Expostulate. It means to "reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done". I like it. Especially in regard to passionate praying. And that is exactly what Isaiah is doing in chapters 63-66.
Isaiah expostulates with God in 63:15, "Look down and behold". Isaiah is asking God not only to look and barely see or glance but to look with regard and respect of His poor people in captivity. Before verse fifteen, Isaiah recounts God's past mercies on His people. Starting with verse seven, he lists God's steadfast love, great goodness, compassion, salvation, hurts for them, pities them, lifted them up and carries them. Now in verse fifteen, Isaiah says, "Look down", really look! Here we are, needy and hopeless, the same ones you had mercy on before.
Then Isaiah passionately begs God in chapter 64, "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!!!" (How many times would we like for God to just come?) He continues to exalt God in 2-5, "to make Your name known...You did awesome things...no eye has seen a God besides You". And on in verses 6-7, Isaiah confesses the sins of the people and of himself. More details of our fallible selves versus His infallible Lordship and loving Fatherhood in verses eight through nine. (Beautiful reading that you do well to read in the quietness of your alone time.)
God talks back to Isaiah in chapter 65 and tells Isaiah the reason for His silence: SIN. And in case He is not clear enough, in verse 12, He says, "I called; you did not answer. I spoke; you did not listen. You did what was evil and chose what I did not delight." God had already told Isaiah in 58:9 that "you shall call and the Lord will answer. You shall cry and He will say, 'Here I am'."
And with the same steadfast love, great goodness, compassion and pity, God continues in chapter 66:2 more directions for His slow to learn followers: "this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble, contrite in spirit and trembles at My word." In other words, one who is subdued to the will of God, poor and low in his own eyes, listening to God's word with reverence.
Do we have the same God as Isaiah? He answers when we cry out with a passion for obedience and His glory! Some will say, "well He actually talked to Isaiah." I would say, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) We draw our hope in the complete and inspired Word of God. We see witnessed in many God's dealings with man and that's when we tremble at the Word, God's Word of truth.
Note: As I expressed in last post, if you look at Isaiah's prayer in 63 and 64 compared with Jesus pattern for prayer in Matthew and Luke, you'll see hallowed exaltation of God and His kingdom, desire for God's will, and an asking forgiveness of sins and petitions.
Isaiah expostulates with God in 63:15, "Look down and behold". Isaiah is asking God not only to look and barely see or glance but to look with regard and respect of His poor people in captivity. Before verse fifteen, Isaiah recounts God's past mercies on His people. Starting with verse seven, he lists God's steadfast love, great goodness, compassion, salvation, hurts for them, pities them, lifted them up and carries them. Now in verse fifteen, Isaiah says, "Look down", really look! Here we are, needy and hopeless, the same ones you had mercy on before.
Then Isaiah passionately begs God in chapter 64, "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down!!!" (How many times would we like for God to just come?) He continues to exalt God in 2-5, "to make Your name known...You did awesome things...no eye has seen a God besides You". And on in verses 6-7, Isaiah confesses the sins of the people and of himself. More details of our fallible selves versus His infallible Lordship and loving Fatherhood in verses eight through nine. (Beautiful reading that you do well to read in the quietness of your alone time.)
God talks back to Isaiah in chapter 65 and tells Isaiah the reason for His silence: SIN. And in case He is not clear enough, in verse 12, He says, "I called; you did not answer. I spoke; you did not listen. You did what was evil and chose what I did not delight." God had already told Isaiah in 58:9 that "you shall call and the Lord will answer. You shall cry and He will say, 'Here I am'."
And with the same steadfast love, great goodness, compassion and pity, God continues in chapter 66:2 more directions for His slow to learn followers: "this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble, contrite in spirit and trembles at My word." In other words, one who is subdued to the will of God, poor and low in his own eyes, listening to God's word with reverence.
Do we have the same God as Isaiah? He answers when we cry out with a passion for obedience and His glory! Some will say, "well He actually talked to Isaiah." I would say, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) We draw our hope in the complete and inspired Word of God. We see witnessed in many God's dealings with man and that's when we tremble at the Word, God's Word of truth.
Note: As I expressed in last post, if you look at Isaiah's prayer in 63 and 64 compared with Jesus pattern for prayer in Matthew and Luke, you'll see hallowed exaltation of God and His kingdom, desire for God's will, and an asking forgiveness of sins and petitions.
Prayer-Life: Passion & Power or Pitiful & Puny
What is your prayer life like? Do you shout out "help me" now and then? Do you have your list in hand, read out the names and tell God to take care of these? Do you ask Him for more blessings, good health, a better relationship with someone, or fire from heaven to devour your enemy? So, what is your prayer life like? Do you lay your heart and mind on the table, bowed down, burdened with your own sin and gut-wrenchingly place your everything in His hands and communicate with Him as though He were your Daddy?
Prayers don't have to be long, King James-sounding, theologically impressive verbiage. There is no formula you must use, just like there is no formula for talking to your dad. You love your dad and you need his insight and direction. You love your heavenly Father and you need His insight, direction, leading and power.
If you need guidelines, Jesus has given them in Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-13. (My next post will share some gleanings from one of Isaiah's prayers who almost goes exactly by Jesus answer to His disciples on prayer. And that about 800 years before it was said!) Jesus never intended for us to quote this as a prayer, but use it as an outline to teach you how to pray. However, after you learn and relax in your relationship with the Father through prayer, like any outline or guide rules, they aren't needed and the communication will come naturally. (I'm not saying Jesus guidelines aren't needed, as all scripture is always useful for correction and training. I'm just saying prayer comes as a natural desire of making it the priority of your heart.)
Scripture gives us great prayers of the many people who were just like us: sinful, struggling humans that want to please a holy God. Their prayers are as different as personalities are different and also as their place on the Christian growth scale is different. But the fact is, if they are in the Bible, the inspired word of God, then we can definitely learn much from these prayers. I share this post as an introduction to one of Isaiah's prayers. I was encouraged, convicted and excited as I read Isaiah's passion for His God, His Father, the Creator of all things. It ignited in me the desire to continue digging and "seeking first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added..." And prayer is the only way to see this "addition" whether it's growth in your spiritual life or your evangelistic efforts for the growth of the kingdom. All addition, all growth in the spiritual realm is in and of the power of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN
Prayers don't have to be long, King James-sounding, theologically impressive verbiage. There is no formula you must use, just like there is no formula for talking to your dad. You love your dad and you need his insight and direction. You love your heavenly Father and you need His insight, direction, leading and power.
If you need guidelines, Jesus has given them in Matthew 6:5-15 and Luke 11:1-13. (My next post will share some gleanings from one of Isaiah's prayers who almost goes exactly by Jesus answer to His disciples on prayer. And that about 800 years before it was said!) Jesus never intended for us to quote this as a prayer, but use it as an outline to teach you how to pray. However, after you learn and relax in your relationship with the Father through prayer, like any outline or guide rules, they aren't needed and the communication will come naturally. (I'm not saying Jesus guidelines aren't needed, as all scripture is always useful for correction and training. I'm just saying prayer comes as a natural desire of making it the priority of your heart.)
Scripture gives us great prayers of the many people who were just like us: sinful, struggling humans that want to please a holy God. Their prayers are as different as personalities are different and also as their place on the Christian growth scale is different. But the fact is, if they are in the Bible, the inspired word of God, then we can definitely learn much from these prayers. I share this post as an introduction to one of Isaiah's prayers. I was encouraged, convicted and excited as I read Isaiah's passion for His God, His Father, the Creator of all things. It ignited in me the desire to continue digging and "seeking first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added..." And prayer is the only way to see this "addition" whether it's growth in your spiritual life or your evangelistic efforts for the growth of the kingdom. All addition, all growth in the spiritual realm is in and of the power of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN
Perception
"I perceived..." Nehemiah, in talking to a priest, one to whom Nehemiah should have been able to trust, had to draw off his own thinking in regard to what the priest had counseled. (Nehemiah 6:12 KJV) "And, lo, I perceived that God had not sent him; but that he had pronounced this prophecy against me." Again, Nehemiah had to draw off his own thinking! What drives your thinking: Feelings, Fear, Fortune? With what kind of counsel do you expect from others your are suppose to trust? Do you want them to be driven by the same thinking that drives you?
Nehemiah is in charge of rebuilding the physical realm of the city's security: the wall. He and his workers, according to Matthew Poole's commentary, have shown "a prudent distribution of work and admirable zeal". Nehemiah has been summoned five times by Sanballat, who is trying to discourage the work. Nehemiah has refused to leave his job. He answered Sanballat, "I am doing a great work so that I cannot come...".
Now the priest has summoned Nehemiah and he goes. Nehemiah should be able to trust the priest, as the priest should have been an encourager to this great work and Nehemiah's part in it. However, the priest gives Nehemiah more discouraging news. This brings us to "I perceived..." or as another translation says, "I understood". How does Nehemiah understand that this so called man of God, a priest, is giving bad counsel? Matthew Poole offered a three-fold answer to this question. "Nehemiah perceived partly the sinful nature and pernicious consequence of this counsel; partly, by the suggestion of God's Spirit, 'whose counsel and help I sought in this matter'; and partly by the event, which discovered that there was no such danger from the approach of the enemy as was pretended". In other words, Nehemiah knew God's word in regard to the temple and knew this counsel was out of line. Also, Nehemiah had sought God in prayer. And the Holy Spirit pressed upon him the untruth of the counsel. And lastly, Nehemiah found out later of the reality of the truthless priest.
Know, seek, wait. How does that flesh out for us? Know God's word in order to perceive error. Pray for direction. He will bless you with an answer. And many times, God enables you to see the results of His direction. Our perception, as believers, must always be based on the word of God. Then we can rest in the direction He leads and our work will not be in vain.
Nehemiah is in charge of rebuilding the physical realm of the city's security: the wall. He and his workers, according to Matthew Poole's commentary, have shown "a prudent distribution of work and admirable zeal". Nehemiah has been summoned five times by Sanballat, who is trying to discourage the work. Nehemiah has refused to leave his job. He answered Sanballat, "I am doing a great work so that I cannot come...".
Now the priest has summoned Nehemiah and he goes. Nehemiah should be able to trust the priest, as the priest should have been an encourager to this great work and Nehemiah's part in it. However, the priest gives Nehemiah more discouraging news. This brings us to "I perceived..." or as another translation says, "I understood". How does Nehemiah understand that this so called man of God, a priest, is giving bad counsel? Matthew Poole offered a three-fold answer to this question. "Nehemiah perceived partly the sinful nature and pernicious consequence of this counsel; partly, by the suggestion of God's Spirit, 'whose counsel and help I sought in this matter'; and partly by the event, which discovered that there was no such danger from the approach of the enemy as was pretended". In other words, Nehemiah knew God's word in regard to the temple and knew this counsel was out of line. Also, Nehemiah had sought God in prayer. And the Holy Spirit pressed upon him the untruth of the counsel. And lastly, Nehemiah found out later of the reality of the truthless priest.
Know, seek, wait. How does that flesh out for us? Know God's word in order to perceive error. Pray for direction. He will bless you with an answer. And many times, God enables you to see the results of His direction. Our perception, as believers, must always be based on the word of God. Then we can rest in the direction He leads and our work will not be in vain.
Friday, January 12, 2018
Why?
A common question for man is the question "why?". Why did you...? If we kept track of every time we ask "why", we'd probably be surprised at how often we, ourselves, ask it. It's our nature to question and I'm not saying questions are wrong, nor is the question "why" always wrong. But we must think through our own reasoning as to the why of the question "why"? And in regard to the root of that reason, if the underlying answer for our "why" is a lashing out at the Almighty God, then the ground we tread is treacherous.
If you have never read the passage of scripture in Jeremiah about the potter and the clay, I encourage you to do so. (Jeremiah 18: 1-12) However, the passage for my post today is Isaiah, and that passage begins with a "woe"! "Woe to him who strives with Him Who formed him." I would like to share a commentary quote from Matthew Poole, theologian and thinker of the seventeenth century, in regard to this passage. Isaiah is warning the people of Israel not to fight against Cyrus, whom God has place in his ruling position. Mr. Poole writes: "...so He pronounces a curse upon them who should endeavor to hinder it...that they did not only fight against Cyrus, a man like themselves, but against God, the Maker and Governor of the world." Poole goes on to write, "...contend, if you please, with your fellow creatures, but not with your Creator."
Poole further elaborates on this thought about contending with your Maker in verse ten. The verse reads: "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'" Poole writes, "As it were an absurd and impudent thing for a child to quarrel with his parents, either simply for begetting him, or for begetting him of this or that sex, contrary to his desire; no better is it for any persons to quarrel with God the Maker and Father of all things, as God is called, for disposing of them and their affairs by His providence as he sees fit, and otherwise than they desire or expect."
I praise God for His grace in salvation and the amazing transformation that takes place as a result. One of those elements of transformation is the ability to fight against our natural tendency to rebel. When God's word says, "Woe", I want to listen. He gives us every opportunity to repent of our rebellion, our "whys". We must heed the warnings. He has made Himself plain through His word.
"I'll trust in God's unchanging word till soul and body sever; the words of men will pass away; God's word abides forever." (last stanza of poem by Martin Luther)
If you have never read the passage of scripture in Jeremiah about the potter and the clay, I encourage you to do so. (Jeremiah 18: 1-12) However, the passage for my post today is Isaiah, and that passage begins with a "woe"! "Woe to him who strives with Him Who formed him." I would like to share a commentary quote from Matthew Poole, theologian and thinker of the seventeenth century, in regard to this passage. Isaiah is warning the people of Israel not to fight against Cyrus, whom God has place in his ruling position. Mr. Poole writes: "...so He pronounces a curse upon them who should endeavor to hinder it...that they did not only fight against Cyrus, a man like themselves, but against God, the Maker and Governor of the world." Poole goes on to write, "...contend, if you please, with your fellow creatures, but not with your Creator."
Poole further elaborates on this thought about contending with your Maker in verse ten. The verse reads: "Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' or to a woman, 'With what are you in labor?'" Poole writes, "As it were an absurd and impudent thing for a child to quarrel with his parents, either simply for begetting him, or for begetting him of this or that sex, contrary to his desire; no better is it for any persons to quarrel with God the Maker and Father of all things, as God is called, for disposing of them and their affairs by His providence as he sees fit, and otherwise than they desire or expect."
I praise God for His grace in salvation and the amazing transformation that takes place as a result. One of those elements of transformation is the ability to fight against our natural tendency to rebel. When God's word says, "Woe", I want to listen. He gives us every opportunity to repent of our rebellion, our "whys". We must heed the warnings. He has made Himself plain through His word.
"I'll trust in God's unchanging word till soul and body sever; the words of men will pass away; God's word abides forever." (last stanza of poem by Martin Luther)
Monday, September 11, 2017
"Confused Noise"
"For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise... and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor." (Isaiah 9:6 & 5,KJV) As I read and studied Isaiah, chapter nine this morning using Matthew Poole's commentary, I was struck by these two verses. While the passage is referring to coming wars for the Israelites and the coming promised Messiah, I saw also the plight of man in his depravity and his crying out for relief from the plight.
Battles had become for the people of God a continual fear, and God in His mercy continued to warn them and call for them to return to Him. This is still true of man today with "wars and rumors of wars". Yet for this post, I refer to the war within us; the battle that daily afflicts us with "confused noises". The battle with sin is not being fought by those who do not believe. But for the believer, the battle rages. Romans seven clearly depicts the battle as we "do not do the good we want to do but do the very sin we do not want".
In writing about the verse in Isaiah, Matthew Poole says this about "confused noise": "with the triumphant exclamations of the conqueror, and the battle lamentations of the conquered and the differing cries of the same persons, sometimes conquering, and sometimes conquered", I could not help but think that this is the battle with sin, Paul writes about in Romans seven. However, with a great victorious exclamation, inspired Isaiah goes on to say in verse six: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given...shall be called Wonderful, Counselor..." Ah, what a relief to have a counselor for this "confused noise" of the mind and heart. Poole writes, "Christ, truly wonderful, in His person, and natures, and words, and works, being made up of wonders, in whom there was nothing which was not wonderful..." And about "Counselor", he goes on to say, "may well be called "counselor", because He knew the whole counsel of God... and is the great Counselor of His church and people in all their doubts and difficulties."
We must as believers, continue daily to throw our doubts and difficulties on Him Who is our best Counselor and always available. He has kept His church through the ages and He will not let us down now, no matter how hard the battle may be. Poole says Christ "has gathered, and enlarged, and preserved His church by admirable counsels and methods of His providence, and in a word, hath in Him all the "treasures of wisdom and knowledge". (Col. 2:3) We do well to always run to Him first in prayer; not to man, whether friend, professional analyst, or self-absorption. Only Christ, our ultimate Intercessor and Counselor, has the solution and power to solve life's hardest battles and all the confused noises that come with them.
Battles had become for the people of God a continual fear, and God in His mercy continued to warn them and call for them to return to Him. This is still true of man today with "wars and rumors of wars". Yet for this post, I refer to the war within us; the battle that daily afflicts us with "confused noises". The battle with sin is not being fought by those who do not believe. But for the believer, the battle rages. Romans seven clearly depicts the battle as we "do not do the good we want to do but do the very sin we do not want".
In writing about the verse in Isaiah, Matthew Poole says this about "confused noise": "with the triumphant exclamations of the conqueror, and the battle lamentations of the conquered and the differing cries of the same persons, sometimes conquering, and sometimes conquered", I could not help but think that this is the battle with sin, Paul writes about in Romans seven. However, with a great victorious exclamation, inspired Isaiah goes on to say in verse six: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given...shall be called Wonderful, Counselor..." Ah, what a relief to have a counselor for this "confused noise" of the mind and heart. Poole writes, "Christ, truly wonderful, in His person, and natures, and words, and works, being made up of wonders, in whom there was nothing which was not wonderful..." And about "Counselor", he goes on to say, "may well be called "counselor", because He knew the whole counsel of God... and is the great Counselor of His church and people in all their doubts and difficulties."
We must as believers, continue daily to throw our doubts and difficulties on Him Who is our best Counselor and always available. He has kept His church through the ages and He will not let us down now, no matter how hard the battle may be. Poole says Christ "has gathered, and enlarged, and preserved His church by admirable counsels and methods of His providence, and in a word, hath in Him all the "treasures of wisdom and knowledge". (Col. 2:3) We do well to always run to Him first in prayer; not to man, whether friend, professional analyst, or self-absorption. Only Christ, our ultimate Intercessor and Counselor, has the solution and power to solve life's hardest battles and all the confused noises that come with them.
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