2nd Evangelical Free Church

The Chronicles of the Kings: Jabez and Bithiah.

1 Chronicles 4

In the midst of this continuing list of difficult to pronounce names we encounter one that rings a bell. I am sure all of us remember Jabez from the book written a few years ago by Bruce Wilkinson. He held that the prayer of Jabez was a model for all to follow. The prayer certainly is one of bold faith and trust that God honored. The name Jabez means “pain”. What was behind the requests he made was a desire that he would not be handicapped by the curse of his name. He asked that his life would be blessed with prosperity. The prayer is not a template for us to follow. Instead it is indicative of the faith and trust we need to honor God. Jabez prayed a godly prayer and was blessed with the strength and wisdom to live a holy life. The life of holiness inherently brings great blessings, joy and peace.

Another name worthy of note is Bithiah, an Egyptian woman whose name means “daughter (or worshiper) of Yahweh.” Apparently she was a pagan idolater who converted to worship of Yahweh. The mention of her is an attempt by the Chronicler to foster an evangelical spirit among the Jews newly returned from exile. They were to remember their duty to preach God’ word to others because it was part of the covenant the Lord made with Abraham (Gen. 18:18-19). Perhaps there were extremists among the exiles men who wanted to maintain ritual and ethnic purity by excluding all non-Jews from their fellowship.

Some extremists do masquerade today as Christians. Yet there are no racial, linguistic or ethnic distinctions in the Kingdom of God. All sorts of sinners are allowed in as well, provided that they look to Jesus for forgiveness and mercy. The only ones who are excluded are those who refuse to repent and those who claim they are without sin. You cannot get into the Kingdom unless you come in through Jesus who is the only means of entry as He is the one perfect atonement for all men.  

 

The Chronicles of the Kings: The witness and testimony of the past.

1 Chronicles 2-3

As we continue through 1 Chronicles we may well wonder why we have to read all these genealogies. Do I really have to know who these people were and why? The word of God tells us that all scripture is inspired by God and profitable for us. If we truly believe this then even these lengthy and detailed lists of names can teach us a lesson. And of course that last statement is a lesson in itself. These people were important enough to remember though not all of them were believers. It is also worth noting that some women are named as well as many Gentiles. Gentiles and pagans figure both prominently in the ancestry of the tribe of Judah, in the family of David and thus in the human lineage of Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Man.

One important lesson we can glean from reading these names is that our faith, is handed down to us through other people. We Christians today sometimes think too narrowly when we think of our salvation as merely personal. We must realize that it is corporate as well. We are born again into a body of believers that extends back through Wesley, Luther, Calvin, the Catholic Church (much as we evangelicals may not like to admit this), the Church Fathers, the apostles, the prophets and the Patriarchs. Our faith in part rests on their testimony and teachings.

Therefore we really ought to find out what Christians in ages past have said and done especially in theses days of competing denominations, false teachings and false teachers. We need to sort out truth from lie, opinion from orthodoxy by finding out how our spiritual ancestors dealt with controversial issues and heresy. Thus anyone who proclaims new doctrine or new revelation, such as TV preachers, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses among others, ignore the traditions of church teaching that extends back 2000 years and Scriptural teaching that extends even further. The Church is the Kingdom of God on earth and its teaching as long as it is based on the rock of God’s word must be heeded.

The Chronicles of the Kings: God is at work.

1 Chronicles 1

Today we turn over to 1 Chronicles. This book contains information that parallels a lot of what we have read in the Old Testament so far, for the Chronicler used the Scriptures as the main source of his writing although he had access to other books and histories. The Chronicler is an unnamed Jew who wrote in about the year 450BC. The Jews had just returned to Israel and Jerusalem from years of exile in Babylon. They returned to a newly rebuilt Temple but were disappointed because the Kingdom of David had disappeared.  They failed to see that the loss of the Kingdom was a result of their sin of idolatry. Instead they blamed God and wondered why He had deserted them and broken His covenant. The theme of the Chronicler thus is to inform the people that Yahweh is faithful and has not broken His word.

To accomplish his task, the writer opens with several lengthy genealogies. The first chapter takes us from Adam to Jacob. What he hoped was that as people read this, they would identify the names and remember the stories told of them, stories of faith or judgment. The names of many of these people were quite familiar to them although they may not be to us. We do recognize men like of men like Enoch, Noah and Abraham so we can understand this process.

In the same way when we hear the names of our ancestors or of historical figures and martyrs we too recall their stories and they inspire us. This too is what the Chronicler wanted. His idea was to encourage the people and help them realize that as the Lord worked in the lives of their ancestors He is still working in theirs. For us we too can know that despite trials, disappointments, illnesses and unfulfilled expectations, the Lord is working in our lives to build His kingdom. Therefore as believers we can and must continue to worship the Lord.

Blogging through Samuel: A plague on pride!

2 Samuel 24

In this last chapter of Samuel, we once again encounter a passage that is unclear and difficult to understand. Apparently God was angry with Israel because of an unspecified national sin. He “inspired” David to take a census of the fighting men of Israel so He could have a good reason to carry out punishment. Now there was nothing wrong with taking a census if you have a good reason such as preparing for war. However, there is no such reason given here. We do not know why David chose to do this now. Perhaps he did it merely to satisfy his curiosity and pride so he could boast in how many men he commanded or feel comfort in knowing how well he and Israel were protected. Both reasons would show a lack of trust in God’s ability to protect His own. Whatever the reason, when David confessed his sin, the Lord gave him a choice as to his punishment. He chose to suffer by the Lord’s hand for he knew that the Lord never acts out of spite, sadistic cruelty, caprice or a whim such as a man would. There is always purpose and blessing, mercy and love in His discipline.

This last chapter ends the book with hope for the Lord provides the means which ends the punishment: sacrifice. Although God abhors sin, it does not prevent Him from accomplishing His great plan of salvation. In David’s case there were 2 grievous sins from which the Lord wrought great blessings. His sin with Bathsheba resulted in the Messianic line being passed down through Solomon to Jesus, the Savior of all mankind. The sin of the census resulted in the location of the temple, the symbol of God’s dwelling among His people and the means by which atonement is achieved. Thus while sin is something that merits punishment, God incorporates it into His plan. All men may have evil intents and work to oppose and frustrate God’s purpose, Yet He is always able to work His will and provide blessings to those whom He loves. No one can circumvent or frustrate His perfect will.

 

Prayer offered up on 9/11/11 on 2nd Evangelical Free Church of Brooklyn

Today marks the 10^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks which destroyed the World Trade Center towers  and killed nearly 3000 people in NYC, Washington and Pa. On the evening of that terrible day, many of us came here to this church to pray together, to ask God for comfort, guidance and strength for ourselves and our nation and to intercede for those who survived. We also came to thank the Lord for preserving us and many of our loved ones through this horrible event.

Today once again at Christian churches all across America and probably all across the world, millions of our brothers and sisters gather to mark this occasion with prayer not for the dead but for the living. Yet the eyes and ears of millions of others will be focused over at Ground Zero. That memorial service will get all the media coverage and attention because it involves politicians, national leaders and celebrities meeting to remember those who died and to observe a moment of silence for them. Who they will pray to, who they will call out to for help, or who they will thank I do not know, but we who are members of the Kingdom of God, we who are the church of Jesus Christ must pray and intercede for them and all others before the throne of the one true and living God.

Dear Lord, we remember where we were when the planes hit the towers or where we were when we heard the news. One of the first and most important things we did then was to call out to you. We prayed then and we pray now.

First we pray for those who are still disturbed by the events of that day, who are not at peace. Some of us were there at or near Ground Zero but all of us knew someone who was there. We know Lord that many of those who were there still suffer the aftereffects of the physical and emotional trauma they experienced and from what they saw, as do many of the surviving family members, co-workers and friends of those who died.  We who are members of your church, your kingdom pray for those who do not enjoy this privilege, those who suffer because they do not have a loving God to whom they can turn for healing, hope, salvation and forgiveness from sin. We ask you to grant them that salvation, by leading them to acknowledge their sin and in repentance turn from the world to you for we know that peace, strength and perseverance come only from those who are rightly related to you.

We pray for these people and for our nation and for our leaders of this nation that they too would come to know you so that they may find true wisdom and exercise righteousness, justice and unselfish concern for others. We pray that you would protect them from all evil and guard them from the weapons of the terrorists. We pray for the law enforcement officials who are working hard to protect us all, that you would keep them safe from harm and enable them to defeat and disarm any and all threats to the safety of the American people.

We pray for those who serve in the military especially those on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq, that they too would be vigilant and strong. Protect them from the plots and weapons of the enemy. We pray for those who have suffered injury and disability that they would be at peace in you, that you would continue to strengthen them and heal them physically, emotionally and spiritually.

We pray also for those who have set themselves up as our enemies, those who inflict violence and terror on their fellow human beings. We ask that you would defeat their wicked plans in every way and bring them to nothing. We ask you to break the hold Satan has over them so You would speak to their hearts and lead them to repentance and faith in you.

Finally we your people also ask for protection from all the schemes of the devil.  Grant us and the church throughout the world the strength and wisdom to preach the good news to all men with love and kindness that we might extend mercy and grace to all those who do not know you, to all those that claim to hate you, to all those worship false gods and idols. Grant us to strength to minister to all we meet no matter what their response. 

Blogging through Samuel: What to think about as you approach the end of life.

2 Samuel 23

The final words that David speaks reflect God’s faithfulness to him. The Lord had established an everlasting covenant with him and his offspring. David would not see it fulfilled in his lifetime for though he would have descendants sitting on the throne of Israel and Judah, the ultimate fulfillment of the eternal covenant would be found in his descendant Jesus, the Messiah. Through Him all would find salvation for there is no god besides Yahweh. Those who oppose Yahweh will be destroyed. Perhaps then as David grew old, he realized that it had been wrong not to punish his son Absalom for his misdeeds and rebellion. His son had brought much grief and pain to Israel for he had opposed God. No one can stand up to Yahweh and survive.

The list of mighty men contains the names of those who stood with David and so also with the Lord. The Lord upheld them all. The way they are remembered for their deeds should give us hope and comfort. We also are listed like they in the Lamb’s book of life. Although we are mere men, subject to weakness and prone to error, the deeds we do in His name please Him for they exalt His glory. Most human beings want to be remembered in this world, in the minds and hearts of the family they leave behind or the people they have touched. Many still want to be remembered as heroes or for that they were a part of some great historical event. And many still want to be remembered for having been famous or a celebrity.

The Christian ought to think as David did. When we look back at our lives, what we have done, we should see not what we have done for ourselves or for the world, but what God has done for us and through us. When we reflect we should see how God has remained faithful to us, how He has blessed us by carrying us through much adversity and tribulation and using us to build His Kingdom.

Blogging through Samuel: Give thanks with a grateful heart.

2 Samuel 22

The Psalm contained here is Psalm 18 with slight variations. It is a Psalm of Thanksgiving written by David as he reflected on his life and all the wonderful blessings he had received from the Lord. Yes he realized that he had experienced much travail and had endured many trials. He had been plagued by many enemies such as Saul and the Philistines who had sought his destruction. David knew that the Lord stood with him through all these situations and had enabled him to overcome them all. David remained faithful to the Lord, even despite his sin, and the Lord remained faithful to him. The Lord’s reputation was at stake here for if David the one who trusted Him was not protected and blessed, then the Lord would seem uncaring and impotent. By upholding David the Lord demonstrated His love and power to His enemies.

This certainly should fill us with peace and joy, but perhaps it does not. We remain troubled by our sins and imperfections. We look at our guilt and wonder how the Lord could love and care for us for we are so wicked and inconsiderate. And though we confess our sins to the Lord, we still fell guilty because we think we still deserve only God’s punishment. Yet the very act of confession shows our humility and faith. These please the Lord and give Him glory. It is not the Lord who condemns us then if we still continue to suffer feelings of guilt after we confess. Such guilt comes from Satan or those he uses who are only too happy to render us powerless and impotent with fear and thoughts of punishment. The enemies of the Lord will also use those “old tapes” that play in our heads, words and criticism that people in our past have used to hurt us. They often come up when we feel guilt. The Lord, however, delights in forgiving those He loves. Vindicating them exalts His own reputation and glory.

 

Blogging through Samuel: Now that doesn’t seem fair.

2 Samuel 21

The chapters that follow appear to be out of chronological order. They seem to have been added on to complete some of the missing details of David’s history. The incident concerning the Gibeonites is a bit difficult to understand. Joshua had made a special covenant with them which apparently Saul had violated with a savage act of violence and killing. Since this was a breach of covenant law, the Lord demanded the act be punished. Because it had not been dealt with, He allowed drought and famine to afflict the nation. David responds in a way that appears unjust and even pagan. The Lord did not require that children be punished for the sins of their parents or ancestors. And appeasing Him with human sacrifices is pagan. But the Lord is pleased with the actions, so how are we to interpret this incident?

In a few areas of scripture we do encounter difficult passages which cannot be properly understood because we lack the full details. They leave us confused and baffled about the Lord’s behavior. In such cases we must assume that God is always right and just and that our ways of understanding Him are limited. He always does the right thing even if we think He is wrong. If we trust Him we will not second guess Him or reject Him as is common today. When disaster strikes many blame God or think He is evil or powerless. Yet when things go well, they fail to acknowledge His grace.

Perhaps in this case regarding those descendants of Saul who are executed, we may assume that somehow they shared in the violent attack on the Gibeonites or profited in some way from it. The lesson we learn again is one we have seen before: sin has consequences which have far reaching and long-lasting effects. We also learn that God is quite serious about rooting sin out of His children and the world.

 

Blogging through Samuel: Somebody’s got to do the dirty work.

2 Samuel 19:40-20:1-26

In my opinion, Joab again comes off as David’s best advisor, despite his violent temperament and his disobedience to the King. Joab thought he knew what was best for David and for Israel and had proven himself many times. The problem concerned whether or not he was wrong to disobey the King’s authority even when David was wrong or confused. Nothing David did in this chapter regarding rebellion was outright sin but it did demonstrate a lack of sound judgment. Like a good servant, Joab acted to correct David’s error even though he had to resort to violence and deceit. 

Christians should never act with deceit even when they do so for a good purpose. The end never justifies the means even when that end is something right and good. The Lord values faithfulness and godliness more than He does getting results. Our culture operates in a different way and to some degree the Christian culture in America reflects this attitude as well. The Christian culture values charismatic preachers, numbers, upbeat music, flashy services and success. Leaders of mega churches as well as tele-evangelists get all the fame and recognition but refrain from doing humble service except that which boosts their image. The majority of pastors and churches go both unnoticed and unappreciated except by those individuals whose lives have been touched by the love these faithful ministries. Joab is the type of guy who speaks the tough words and does the dirty but necessary jobs few leaders would touch.

 

Blogging through Samuel: A friend in time of mourning.

2 Samuel 19:1-39

What we encounter here reminds me of a funeral wake. The chief mourner, in this case David, pours out his grief in outburst of emotional words and tears. He is consoled by his friends, relatives and business acquaintances, but not all of them are there just to express grief. Shimei comes to apologize for not helping out. So does Mephibosheth. He appears to have been falsely slandered by Ziba. David’s grief made him indecisive for he had already made promises to Ziba. This shows us that the mind of the grieving person is not focused and that person can be easily confused. He needs the help of a trusted friend.

Joab was the man who stepped up to help David. He helped him to get a grip on himself and do the things he had to do so that the kingdom did not fall apart. Those who are grieving all need such a friend, though not one quite so bloodthirsty. Often those who grieve and mourn get stuck in it. They put themselves, their loved ones, their jobs in jeopardy as they wallow in their sorrow. We saw this after 9/11 and this still continues 10 years later. A lot of people who lost loved ones could not get on with their lives for their loss was so sudden and painful. Some of them got help from friends or relatives and from their churches, but many are still stuck in grief.

The Christian is called to stand with those who grieve but not to rush them through the stages. The good friend helps them do things and then helps them to get back to the business of living and doing the Lord’s work. And those who are stuck in immobilizing and obsessive grief years after the loss dishonor the Lord for He is more than sufficient to supply all they need.