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Choosing Evil

Bringing Hope to the Darkness 7

            Last time, we were able to learn what God was teaching His miscreant children (through the mouths of His prophets Micah, Nahum and Zephaniah), about the judgment He brought against Israel by way of Assyrian conquest. He also warned the Judeans that they would face a similar fate at the hands of the Babylonians if they would not get right with Him. (here)

         Didn’t Listen. Let us consider the events that are about to take place:

  1. The Babylonians conquered the Assyrians.
  2. In 609 B.C., Pharaoh Neco of Egypt invaded Judah, killed King Josiah and crowned the king’s grandson as a puppet king to do his bidding.
  3. In 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquered Egypt, as well as becoming the new puppet master of the token king in Judah.
  4. In 597 B.C., the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem, plundered the temple, and captured most of the Hebrews, whom they took to Babylon as slaves.

The siege lasted 11 years, effectively starving the people to death. Yet, even with these dire circumstances, the sins of the people kept growing in both frequency and perversity:

All the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled the LORD’s temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 2 Chr. 36:14 CSB

            In 586 B.C., the Babylonians stormed the city, burning it and the temple to the ground. Any survivors were taken captive to Babylon – just as God promised He would do.

            You might think that God was being cruel, but nothing could be further from the truth. He continued to cry out to His rebellious children through the mouths of yet more prophets, right up to the point where He had to dispense justice:

The LORD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them, for he had compassion on his people and his Temple. But the people mocked these messengers of God and despised their words. They scoffed at the prophets until the LORD’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done. 2 Chr. 36:15, 16. NLT

            The Judeans were at the gates of destruction, when one such prophet, Habakkuk, was sent. His ministry covered the time of the Assyrian defeat of northern Israel to the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians.

He was overwhelmed by the moral corruption of his Hebrew brothers and sisters, and all of the chaos that it brought. He cries out to God, asking why He is not coming to their rescue. Jehovah’s response takes Habakkuk by surprise:

“Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it. I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people. They will march across the world and conquer other lands.” Hab. 1:5, 6. NLT

         God is saying that He’s sending the Babylonians to clean up the mess His children had made, using the tool that He promised He would, if they continued in rebellion. And as we know, God keeps all of His promises. He is using their captivity to interrupt their spiritual death at their own hands.

            Often, people throw their hands in the air and shout at Jehovah, ‘Why don’t You do something?’

We don’t always see that God does many things simultaneously. And, we might turn a blind eye because we don’t like the way that He is solving our problems – especially if it is contrary to what we want. Yet, what do we know about Jehovah?

…God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Rm. 8:28 NLT

            This is where our faith in God’s goodness, wisdom, faithfulness and His love must be exercised. God has a unique plan for your highest and best life, now and forever (Ps. 139:16).

            Habakkuk finally understands that His Creator has a purpose for him as well:

Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” Hab. 2:2 – 4. NLT

            So, Jehovah God is telling us to position ourselves to hear Him, by keeping our focus on Him, and taking it off of ourselves. Often, we find that the solution to our situation is something that we haven’t even considered. We need to keep our faith in God’s ability to deliver what is best for us – even if present circumstances seem bleak. God’s timing is always perfect:

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. Hab. 3:17 – 19. NLT

         Habakkuk is one of three prophets that God sent to make His final curtain call to the Judeans. The second is Jeremiah, who had a ministry that began in 627 B.C. and overlapped Habakkuk’s. He ministered for 40 years. The first thing he did was to bring God’s formal charge against His children:

“…when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols. Therefore, I will bring my case against you,” says the LORD. Jer. 2:7 – 9. NLT

            Thus, every stratum of Judean society rebelled against God. They made Him promises of obedience, yet they repeatedly reneged:

“Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you and tore away the chains of your slavery, but still you said, ‘I will not serve you.’ On every hill and under every green tree, you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.” Jer. 2:20 NLT

            Yet, our Creator’s love and mercy are still proffered. He pleads in the face of their rejection:

“O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever. Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to listen to my voice. I the LORD have spoken! Jer. 3:12, 13. NLT

            So, we’ve seen again and again, that no matter what we’ve done, no matter how far we’ve fallen, our confession and repentance will always bring us back into God’s arms. Feel His heart:

“Return, O backsliding children,” says the LORD; “for I am married to you.” Jer. 3:14 NKJV

“Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness.” Jer. 3:22 NLT

            God’s heart is always bigger than your sin. The time for action is now. Our last call began when Christ rose from the dead. We want to make sure our standing with Him is good when He comes back.

            Yet, God will not violate your free will. He wants your free will-offered love. But, you can choose to walk another path; and there are only 2 paths to walk: either with Jehovah or with Satan. Many of the Hebrews picked the latter. Judgment is declared:

I am about to bring a nation far away against you, house of Israel. This is the LORD’s declaration. It is an established nation, an ancient nation whose language you do not know and whose speech you do not understand. Jer. 5:15 CSB

            Even so, He will be merciful, and the punishment will not last forever:

“They will devour the food of your harvest; they will devour your sons and daughters. They will devour your flocks and herds; they will devour your grapes and figs. And they will destroy your fortified towns, which you think are so safe. Yet even in those days I will not blot you out completely,” says the LORD. Jer. 5:17, 18. NLT

“This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.” Jer. 25:11 NLT

         At this juncture, God stops casting pearls before swine. Turning away from the hard-hearted majority, He now focuses only on His children who choose Him:

“Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.” Jer. 6:16 NLT

This is what the LORD says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches, but to those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things.” Jer. 9:23, 24. NLT

“…blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they never stop producing fruit. Jer. 17:7, 8. NLT

            What God is telling His children, is how to live and survive their captivity for these 70 years, through  living by these three paragraphs of divine wisdom. If they do this, there will be a God-guaranteed outcome:

“I will watch over and care for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will build them up and not tear them down. I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them hearts that recognize me as the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.” Jer. 24:5 – 7. NLT

“I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the LORD. Jer. 30:17 NLT

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you. Again I will build you so that you will be rebuilt…” Jer. 31:3, 4. CSB

            So, when we transgress against God, know that He wants to make up immediately. It begins with confession and repentance, with showing patience as we wade through our ‘correction’ phase, knowing that He will take us back into His fold of mercy and love:

(Note: Jeremiah has been traditionally been thought to be the God-inspired author of the book of Lamentations as well).

Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins? Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the LORD. Lam. 3:39, 40. NLT

I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him! The LORD is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the LORD. Lam. 3:24 – 26. NLT

For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love. For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow. Lam. 3:31 – 33. NLT 

            Amen to Jehovah’s grace, love and mercy…

            Goodnight and God bless.

The Bad Seed

We looked at how our problems in life began with the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. Furthermore, we commented on how the consequences of this ‘bad seed’ were passed down from them to all generations. God shows us the big picture when he addresses Satan for his maliciousness in the Garden of Eden:

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are more cursed than all cattle, and more than any animal of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity (open hostility) between you and the woman, and between your seed (offspring) and her Seed; He shall [fatally] bruise your head, and you shall [only] bruise His heel.” Gn. 3:14, 15. AMP

What God is saying is that the world will be divided into two camps: those who follow the devil, and people who follow Jehovah. These camps will be engaged in a spiritual battle for all time, until ultimately, Jesus, who is His Father’s and His followers’ champion, will finally vanquish Satan for all eternity.

Because of Adam’s sin, all people were pronounced dead: 

Therefore, just as sin came into the world, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned. Rm. 5:12 AMP

…when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death. Jas. 1:15 AMP

…for there is no one who does not sin… 1 Kings 8:46 NKJV

If you look at the scriptures that reveal the nature of sin, you can see why it must be avoided as much as we are able to. Conglomerated, the definition of sin goes something like this: 

Sin is an act that causes one to miss the mark [i.e. the 10 commandments, (Ex. 20:3 – 17; Mt. 22:37 – 40)], that God has set for us to reach for, which points the way for living the highest and best life. It is an act of rebellion against Jehovah, a lapse in moral character, a behavior that deviates from His word, a volitional perpetration of injustice that offends God and separates the offender from His love.   

Thus, sin is serious stuff; and it gets handed down.

How do we know that sin was handed down? Because we find it within Adam and Eve’s first-born child, Cain. 

Cain and Abel were brothers. They were called to bring an offering to God as a form of worship, which must be presented to Him exactly the way He prescribes it. At that time, animal blood sacrifices were required to provide atonement for any disobedience against God:

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Lv. 17:11 NKJV

The atonement is a tradeoff: the life in the blood of the sacrifice is given to God; and He in turn, stays the penalty of death for sin. It is a pardon, restoring your eternal covenant with Him, (which we now receive through the sacrificial blood of Christ). 

Abel’s sacrifice was accepted, Cain’s was not. God is not showing favoritism, He loves everyone equally (Rm. 2:11). Something else is afoot:

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain through which he was commended as righteous… Heb. 11:4 ESV

We must have faith when we approach Jehovah regarding anything (Heb. 11:6). This infers, with regards to Cain, that he did not come to God in faith, that his heart wasn’t in the right place. 

Cain did not take God’s refusal well. He gave way to wrath. Jehovah responds directly to Cain:

“Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.” Gn. 4:6, 7. AMP

God is telling Cain that if he does the right thing, He will give him a ‘righteous do-over,’ so that Jehovah can restore the love-connection between them. 

Instead, Cain goes in search of his brother and compounds his sin of unrighteous anger, with committing the first direct murder of another human being. Being that Cain is willfully expressing his sin, it indicates that he is under a dark influence – as scripture confirms:

…Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. 1 Jn. 3:12 NKJV

Yet, God’s mercy is immeasurable. He first gives Cain a chance to confess and repent by asking him about the whereabouts of Abel; Cain responds by lying to God, telling Him that he didn’t know (Gn. 4:9). Thus, Cain made no confession and offered no repentance. Jehovah’s response must have made Cain weak in the knees:

“What have you done? The voice of your brother’s [innocent] blood is crying out to Me from the ground [for justice].” Gn. 4:10 AMP

God banishes Cain from tilling the earth and casts him from His presence, to live as an outcast vagabond (Gn. 4:11, 12.)

God’s second recorded act of mercy:

Cain cries out to God, lamenting the severity of His punishment – mostly concerned that someone will murder him in his repugnant state (Gn. 4:13, 14.). 

Even in the face of murder, God extended His loving mercy. While He did not relent on Cain’s banishment, He put a protective ‘mark’ on him that would ward any murderers away from doing him harm.

There is no one that God does not love, regardless of their circumstances. Whatever we say, think, or do, God will forgive our transgressions against Him if we accept Christ as our Savior, and offer our sincere confession and repentance. 

God wants us to be with Him forever. To do that, we must position ourselves to be cherished by God. That can only take place if we do our best to live godly lives. To help facilitate that, we must be extremely familiar with ungodly living and its destructive behavior. Then, we can identify it when it first shows up, (when we practice ungodliness), and extricate ourselves from it as best we can, as well as, and more importantly, to enlist the help of Jesus to better walk His walk.

Next time we will begin looking at how to extricate Cain’s sin-problem, anger, from our lives…

Goodnight and God bless.

St. Augustine: Journey to Heaven

How can we help God help us make that journey? Sounds funny doesn’t it? Yet, as much as God wants to help us, He is bound by His own words. If we transgress them, He must allow us to face the consequences until we confess and repent.

Let’s start with the foundation of what we are. In the book City of God, St. Augustine described it like this:

For nonentity is the contrary of that which is. And thus there is no being contrary to God, the supreme Being, and Author of all beings whatsoever.

God saw that everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. Gn. 1:31 AMP

What does that mean? It means Satan and the angels who followed him were created perfectly, and Adam and Eve were created perfectly. None of these beings had any innate evil within them. Yet they all did evil (sinful) things.

Augustine again: In Scripture they are called God’s enemies who oppose His rule, not by nature…but by their will…

You oppose God by yielding to your free will, in order to languish in the ways of the world that are contrary to God. You make yourself an enemy:

“The hand of God is favorably disposed to all those who seek Him, but His power and His anger are against all who forsake Him.” Ezra 8:22 NASB

Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Jas. 4:4 NLT

We know that our God is not an angry God as a rule. He is love itself. We encounter His ire when we transgress against Him, because He doesn’t want to be separated from us. He knows that when we are, we are killing ourselves.

St. Augustine illustrates this self-destruction:

…the vice which makes those who are called His enemies resist Him, is an evil not to God, but to themselves. And to them it is an evil, solely because it corrupts their good nature…hurts them by depriving them of integrity, beauty, welfare, virtue…

…when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil – not because that is evil to which it turns, but the turning itself is wicked.

…the defection of the will is evil, because it is contrary to the order of nature…and that makes light of the voice of conscience…nothing else than defection from God…

So, we must work on our faith in God. Why? Because if we believed that God’s ways were the better ways, we would not violate them in the first place. We have to cleave to God, place our faith in that our hearts would be far more satisfied by His treasures, than by the temporal and destructive pleasures of our senses and the hungers of our ego.

Worse, these indulgences ultimately cause suffering; and if they continue without repentance, permanent death will ensue.

When you are chasing after the world, you are in essence going after other ‘gods.’ You’re transgressing God’s first Commandment:

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Ex. 20:3 NKJV

Instead, cling to the guarantees of our Savior, and abandon independence for a godly dependence upon Jesus, so that you may be bearers of His grace. It is within that grace that your healing will begin, and your Christ-produced heavenly wholeness will be reborn.

Be thankful for God’s grace and He will shore you up to resist temptation, so as to keep your slips off of His path to a minimum:

…in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess. 5:18 AMP

For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness [to be dedicated, and set apart by behavior that pleases Him, whether in public or private]. So whoever rejects and disregards this is not [merely] rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you [to dwell in you and empower you to overcome temptation]. 1 Thess. 4:7, 8. AMP

Goodnight and God bless.

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