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Consequences of Sin

Bringing Hope to the Darkness 5

            We’ve been following the prophets that God sent to bring hope to the darkness to deliver peoples who have rejected Him: Joel, who was sent to the southern region of Israel – Judah (here), Amos, sent to the northern region – Israel (here), Jonah, sent to the Ninevites (here), and Hosea, sent to Israel just before their captivity at the hands of the Assyrians (here).

            Now, that Israel has been swallowed up, let us consider the continuing spiritual degradation of Judah and what God told them through the mouth of the ‘messianic / evangelic’ prophet Isaiah – bringing yet more hope to the Judeans’ spiritual darkness.

            Even though the people of Judah were hell-bent, God has a huge heart went it comes to His children, and He rarely leaves them to their own destruction. So, in 740 B.C., (which would have overlapped Hosea’s ministry in Israel), Jehovah sent the most famous Old Testament prophet to Judah.

            (A little historical trivia: this would be about the same time that the city of Rome was founded, and the first Grecian Olympic games were played).

            Isaiah’s first task was to clarify the nature of the Judeans’ spiritual state and how it was affecting their relationship with God:

Oh, what a sinful nation they are – loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD. They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Is. 1:4 NLT

Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands. Is. 2:8 NLT

For Jerusalem will stumble, and Judah will fall, because they speak out against the LORD and refuse to obey him. They provoke him to his face. Is. 3:8 NLT

            So, the people of Judah were just as shameful as their brothers and sisters in Israel. The only difference between the two is that the Judeans continually fooled themselves, thinking that God forgave their behavior because they engaged in religious rituals:

“These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” Is. 29:13 NLT

            Thus, all of Judah’s religiosity was devoid of any real feeling or reverence for Jehovah. Subsequently, Isaiah told them to cease and desist (Is. 1:13 & 15), because His heart is not moved. Moreover, He delivers a stinging rebuke to them:

“…like Sodom, they flaunt their sin; they do not conceal it. Woe to them, for they have brought disaster to themselves. Is. 3:9 CSB

            The Judeans then, had the audacity to be brazen about their rebellion. They even told the prophet to cease upbraiding them, and preach ‘feel good’ messages instead:

‘…these people are stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the LORD’s instructions. They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your Holy One of Israel.”’ Is. 30:9 – 11. NLT

            The people left God no choice but to render His righteous judgment; but He does so with a heavy heart:

“Oh, that you had listened to my commands! Then you would have peace flowing like a gentle river and righteousness rolling over you like waves in the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sands along the seashore – too many to count…But there is no peace for the wicked,” says the LORD. Is. 48:18, 19 & 22. NLT

            Why does God care? Because He loves all of us so much. He doesn’t want anyone, (Himself included), separated from an eternal love relationship. Thus, Isaiah brings an acuity to their predicament:

Tell the godly that all will be well for them. They will enjoy the rich reward they have earned! But the wicked are doomed, for they will get exactly what they deserve. Is. 3:10, 11. NLT

The LORD takes his place in court and presents his case against his people. Is. 3:13 NLT

Woe to him who strives with his Maker! Is. 45:9 NKJV

            In spite of His children’s immoral behavior, Jehovah has not given up. He lovingly pleads with them to let Him turn them around:

“Why was no one there when I came? Why was there no one when I called? Is my arm too weak to redeem? Or do I have no power to rescue?” Is. 50:2 CSB

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary…” Is. 40:28 NASB

“I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior.” Is. 43:11 NLT

            God is declaring that there is nothing that can stand in the way of Him saving you except your unrepentant behavior. He is standing there, arms outstretched, waiting for you to get with His program:

“Therefore, the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for him.” Is. 30:18 ESV

            Does your heavenly Father love you or what? Because of that, He instructs His children in how to return to Him:

“Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” Is. 1:16, 17. NLT

            In other words, live by His word and serve others. In addition, Jehovah speaks to how they distort His laws, using, as an example to correct, the way they used fasting as a way of personal exaltation:

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. Is. 58:6, 7. NLT

            In a nutshell, God is telling us them / us to stop our sinful behavior and return to His instructions for godly living, i.e. to practice love.

            Next, He shows us the depth of His forgiveness when we return to Him:

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.” Is. 1:18 – 20. NLT

            We see then that God offers complete and absolute forgiveness. (That part about the sword shows that this is serious business). In fact, His forgiveness is so complete that He wipes our sins off of His own memory:

“I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more. Remind me. Let’s argue the case together. Recount the facts, so that you may be vindicated.” Is. 43:25, 26. CSB

“I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” Is. 44:22 NLT

            It is hard for us to believe that God can and will forgive all of what we consider to be ‘horrific crimes’ that we’ve committed. Indeed, we punish ourselves with guilt and shame; yet God forgives – paying the price with the blood of His Son. And out of that forgiveness blooms transformation:

“Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the LORD will protect you from behind. Then when you call, the LORD will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.” Is. 58:8, 9. NLT

            However, God is omniscient. He knows that most of His children will not turn from their wickedness. So, He informs them that because of their unrepentance, He will allow the Babylonians to take them captive. (He is telling them this 100 years before it happens).

            After 60 years in captivity, God will rescue the remnant of His children through the hands of King Cyrus of Persia. Our Father even reveals to us his name before he was born:

“The LORD says this to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him and disarm kings…: “I will go before you and level the uneven places…so that you may know that I am the LORD. I am the God of Israel, who calls you by your name. I call you by your name for the sake of my servant Jacob and Israel my chosen one. I give a name to you though you do not know me.” Is. 45:1-4. CSB

            When His children return, He will cover them with His grace and transform them yet again:

“And I will lead the blind in a way they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground.” Is. 42:16 ESV

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper…” Is. 54:17 NKJV

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel your Savior.” Is. 43:2, 3. NLT

            Again, let me remind you that whatever Jehovah promises the Israelites, also applies to all of HIs children for all time…

            Finally, God shifts His message to give us a glimpse of our eternal inheritance:

Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For you dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead. Is. 26:19 ESV

When he has swallowed up death once and for all, the LORD God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove his people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the LORD has spoken! Is. 25:8 CSB

“For I will create new heavens and a new earth; the past events will not be remembered or come to mind.” Is. 65:17 CSB

…nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Is. 2:4 NKJV

“No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.” Is. 60:19 NLT

            Hallelujah!

            Goodnight and God bless.

Bringing Hope to the Darkness 2

            When the ancient Israelites turned their collective backs on God, they entered into a dark pagan degradation. Seeking to save His children, Jehovah sent the prophet Joel to Judah to try to get them to return to Him (see Bringing Hope to the Darkness). Unfortunately, they did not listen to his message, and chose to be ruled by a succession of three additional pagan kings as they continued to wallow in paganism themselves.

            The northern region of Israel fared no better, as they allowed the reign of three pagan kings of their own. Now, the approximate date is 760 B.C. Again, God tries to save the people by sending a prophet to Israel by the name Amos, who came to warn them that He was going to administer some serious discipline to both Israel and Judah.

He first addresses the southern kingdom:

“The people of Judah have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! They have rejected the instruction of the LORD, refusing to obey his decrees. They have been led astray by the same lies that deceived their ancestors. So, I will send down fire on Judah, and all of the fortresses of Jerusalem will be destroyed.” Amos 2:4, 5. NLT

            God’s hands are tied. He is a God of justice. Thus, He must keep His word. This ‘fire’ will be the conquering Babylonian army that will appear in approximately 200 years.

            Next, Amos speaks to the fate of the northern kingdom of Israel regarding the consequences for their moral mortification; but it is not without anguish that He delivers His sentence. We can hear His tender heart:

“From among all the families on the earth, I have been intimate with you alone. That is why I must punish you for all your sins.” Amos 3:2 NLT

            But deliver it He must:

“Therefore,” says the Sovereign LORD, “an enemy is coming! He will surround them and shatter their defenses. Then he will plunder all their fortresses.” Amos 3:11 NLT

“The time will come when you will be led away with hooks in your noses.” Amos 4:2 NLT

            This prophecy would be fulfilled in only 40 years, when they would be defeated by the Assyrians, who were known to lead their captives away by piercing them with fishhooks through their noses or lips.

            Well now, you might be thinking, ‘How is this bringing hope to the darkness?’ First, God is trying to scare them (with the truth) into right behavior. Secondly, He follows the sentence of discipline with a compassionate plea:

“Come back to me and live!…For I know the  vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions…Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! Then the LORD God of Heaven’s Armies will be your helper…” Amos 5:4, 12 & 14. NLT

            Now, just as God spoke through the prophet Joel to Judah about being in right relationship with Him, both immediately and at the end of time, He delivers a similar message through Amos, to Israel:

“You dismiss any thought of the evil day and bring in a reign of violence.” Amos 6:3 CSB

            God does not beat around the bush. The immediate application is the threat of the Assyrian invasion. The eschatological (end times) implication, is that the time to get right with God is now! Why? The reason is one that I feel duty-bound to reiterate over and over: and that is that either before you die, or before Christ returns, (whichever comes first), you must already have that God-connection firmly in place, or you will never have a chance to have one.

            And just to help us to understand the urgency, Jehovah gives us a glimpse of the state of the world just before His Son comes:

“The time is surely coming,” says the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine on the land – not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.” Amos 8:11, 12. NLT

            One could look around in present time, and conjecture that this is happening. Just saying. You have to faithfully marinate in His word to avoid the fate of those with their focus on all things worldly.

            God gives them one more reminder that His discipline will be severe for those who won’t turn their lives around:

“I, the Sovereign LORD am watching this sinful nation of Israel. I will destroy it from the face of the earth. But I will never completely destroy the family of Israel,” says the LORD. For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost.” Amos 9:8, 9. NLT

            So, you see, God metes out punishment, but offers compassion to the repentant. The true kernels. Indeed, God left His children a promise that was finally kept in 1948, when Israel was reestablished as a nation:

“I will firmly plant them there in their own land. They will never again be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the LORD your God.” Amos 9:15 NLT

            He initially scattered His faithful children to other nations, in order to save them from further moral dilapidation, and ultimately brought them home.

God cherishes His children. He left us the accounts of His rebellious children in the past, so that we could learn from the consequences of their behavior. If you look around, you will see that the world today is not much different, and we have our own rebels living amongst us.

The Bible is timeless. Jehovah’s pleas for your salvation are still ringing out today. God is always faithful. He will bring you home to Him as well, if you keep the faith. And when you don’t, come to Him in repentance, and He will make things right again…

Goodnight and God bless.

Rebellion of God’s Children

            It is 930 B.C. King Solomon has died. His son takes over Solomon’s reign, but rules with an iron fist. There is a rebellion, and Israel fragments into two kingdoms – just as God had prophesied to King Solomon for his transgressions… (see Is Your Life Meaningful?) This is the beginning of the death throes of God’s children in ancient Israel.

            Ten of the original tribes form the northern part, now called Israel. The remaining two tribes form the southern part, where Jerusalem was located, now called Judah. Both turn to paganism.

            In response, God allowed Egypt to plunder the Temple in Jerusalem.

            Solomon’s grandson wrests the kingship from his father and declares war upon Israel, leading to 500,000 deaths. The city of Samaria is established as the capital of Israel, which suffers a succession of seven corrupt and pagan kings.

            The third king of Judah, Asa, reigns for 41 years, bringing the people back to Jehovah. So, God covered the people with His favor. A good thing, because Judah was on the verge of being invaded by a million-man army of Ethiopians. Asa did the right thing; he sought his Creator:

 Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God, “O LORD, no one but you can help the powerless against the mighty! Help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in you alone. It is in your name that we have come against this vast horde. O LORD, you are our God; do not let mere men prevail against you!” 2 Chr. 14:11 NLT

            Mighty Jehovah routed the vast army and they promptly fled. Unfortunately, later, Judah was invaded by Israel, and Asa panicked. Instead of waiting on God, he hired the Syrian army to help him. His kingdom went downhill after that.

            Meanwhile, in 874 B.C., the northern kingdom of Israel, gets another corrupt, pagan king, Ahab, the worst ruler yet. He married a Phoenician princess, Jezebel, who worshiped the pagan god Baal.

God is not happy. He sends His prophet Elijah to speak for Him to Ahab. Elijah says:

“As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives – the God I serve – there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” 1 Kin. 17:1 NLT

            Jehovah God is throwing down the gauntlet, because these pagan Hebrews worshiped Baal, who was supposed to be in control of rain. He is saying that it will not rain again until He says so through the mouth of Elijah.

            Elijah flees town to camp out along a brook fed by the Jordan River, because God told him that Ahab and Jezebel sought to kill him. While there, Jehovah had ravens bring him food.

            Because of the lack of rain, the brook dries up and God directs Elijah to a widow’s house to find sustenance. When he arrives, he asks the widow for bread and water. She responds by saying that she and her son were down to their last meal, assuming death would soon consume them.

            Elijah tells the widow that if she brings him some bread, she will never want for flour and oil because God would supply it until the rains come.

            Sometime later, the widow’s son gets sick and dies. She blames Elijah, but he calls on God and springs into action:

And he stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, “LORD my God, please let this child’s life return to him.” The LORD heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived! 1 Kin. 17:21, 22. NLT

            The drought was almost into the third year when Jehovah sent Elijah back to face King Ahab, whereupon he tells the king to meet him on Mount Carmel, along with his 850 pagan prophets. It would be there that the lone prophet of God would take his stand.

            Elijah had the pagans set out two bull sacrifices, saying that the real God would consume the bulls with fire.

            Jezebel’s prophets cried out to Baal for six hours. Nothing happened. They cut themselves and cried out for three more hours. Nada.

            Elijah had both his sacrificial bull and the wood under, it doused with water three times. Then, he cried out to God, fire fell from the sky and consumed his sacrifice. Game over. Moreover, Elijah went to the hilltop and prayed seven times, and the rains returned…

            Ahab fled in his chariot to see Jezebel. Simultaneously, Jehovah empowers Elijah with the speed to run faster than Ahab’s chariot for a distance of 25 miles. Elijah left town before Jezebel could kill him.

            He became despondent because no one was converted by the miracle and he was feeling all alone as a spiritual man. Elijah prays for death. Instead, God sends him an angel to strengthen him for a forty-day journey to have an encounter with Him:

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 1 Kin. 19:11, 12. NLT

            God is Master of the universe, effectively demonstrating His unlimited powers, while also showing how He can channel all of that power into a whisper. Jehovah assured Elijah that he was not alone, for God had preserved 7000 Hebrews who were loyal to Him.     

            There was only one task that Elijah had left to complete his ministry, and that was to pass it on to his sidekick, Elisha. After he did so, God sent a flaming chariot with horses to transport Elijah directly to heaven.

            Elisha served in the time of King Jehoshaphat, who succeeded King Asa in Judah. He was supernaturally empowered, similarly to Elijah. He makes water appear for Jehoshaphat’s army, gave and ever-flowing jar of olive oil to a widow and her two sons to sell the overflow and raise them out of poverty. Elisha bestowed fertility on an aged couple. Their new son died but the prophet resurrected him. He fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread, blinded the Syrian army, cured a man of leprosy and made poison food edible.

            The evil King Ahab of Israel was killed battling the Syrians.

King Jehoshaphat also brought the people closer to God so that Judah prospered once more. In 852 B.C., Judah was on the verge of being invaded by a conglomeration of Arabic forces. This godly king leaned on Jehovah:

Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the LORD for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the LORD’s help. 2 Chr. 20:3, 4. NLT

            The King called for a ‘fast,’ which means to abstain from all or some food and or drink for a proscribed period of time, so as to allow our spirit to have its proper dominion over our flesh – to hone in better as we seek God’s will.

            God responds to the corporate prayer and fasting:

He said, “Listen all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the LORD’s victory. He is with you, O people of Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow for the LORD is with you!” 2 Chr. 20:15 & 17. NLT

            Delivered again!

            In spite of the people and their sin, God waits for their return. Things grow dark, but now God begins to bring light in the form of speaking / teaching/ prophets, where we will encounter an amazing amount of Him – up close and personal! Next time.

            Goodnight and God bless.

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