Friday, May 18, 2012
Variations on a Hezekiah Theme
When God speaks the same word or touches on the same incident-issue more than once in the Bible, it doesn't mean He forgot what He'd previously said. Rather, His restatement highlights that subject's importance and our need to especially 'have ears to hear what the Lord is saying'.
Let me explain. 4 different gospels proclaim the Good News of Jesus because this news is so vital. No single witness alone can fully communicate God's greatest gift. So we have 4 Evangelists' perspectives all focused on 1 Person and 1 Message to give us the complete picture of Jesus. Same message; just different perspectives.
In a similar way, The Book of Acts records Saul's Damascus Road conversion 3 times; not because Luke didn't get it right the first time. But, in accordance with God's own requirement that truth must be established 'in the mouth of two or three witnesses' (Deut 17:6; 19:15), Luke gives 3 different perspectives to confirm and assure that this vital story makes its full, significant impact!
The Bible also recounts the history of King Hezekiah of Judah in 3 parallel passages: 2Kings; 2Chronicles + Isaiah.
Through previous readings, I've become aware of how all 3 basically agree on the facts of his life, reign and ministry; but each also differs somewhat in its own unique perspective. One includes what the others omit; one gives the general overview, the other provides specific details or presents them differently. Together, they give a full, non-contradictory picture of the truth.
Kings records his kingdom's civic historical facts, even including their effect beyond Judah, on all Israel;
Chronicles focuses exclusively on Judah and the priesthood's influence;
Isaiah perceives the spiritual heart of the matter from a more prophetic angle.
However, while re-reading them recently, I felt a remarkably personal kinship with Hezekiah while under spiritual attack.
Not that my tribulations at all rival his in either intensity or significance; but trials are all pilgrims' common denominator, the great equalizers of all lives. Tests and temptations happen alike to peasants and kings. No one is immune.
The Preacher says, 'The same thing - death - ultimately happens to us all!'
So what did I see through the lens of my fellow traveler, Hezekiah?
His trials are not only distant past reminders, but very much relevant to our contemporary situations.
The 1st passage - 2Kings 18:13-20:21 basically outlines Hezekiah's desire to restore Judah to right standing in worshiping God. The very first verses call him a good king, one of Judah's best in fact: 'he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.' (2Ki 18:3)
He was a reformer: restored the covenant; repaired the Temple, both its building and priestly services; celebrated a joy-filled Passover as had not been since Solomon; and instituted far-reaching civil reforms. His arch-rival, Samaria, had been carried away captive by Assyria and Judah dwelt in peace. Life was good for Hezekiah.
Contemporary commentators might say he enjoyed 'good karma' (not a Christian perspective): he had sown well so he would reap well.
However, something changed. His enemy's enemy became his enemy and suddenly Assyria attacked Judah's cities, besieging even Jerusalem, bellowing threats against Hezekiah and his people.
'I'll bring you down just like all the other nations! You're no different; I've defeated them all! You say you trust the LORD?
Well, I've got news for you: He's the One who's sent me against you. He's really not pleased with you.
In fact, Hezekiah has deceived you and is really working against the true LORD. I know; that's why I'm here!'
And as if these Goliath-like taunts weren't enough, 2Ki 20 tells us Hezekiah became very sick, right at the same time that his kingdom was under attack by the Assyrian army. So seriously sick, he calls for his trusted prophet, Isaiah, to give hope in the midst of this most desperate situation.
I paraphrase Hezekiah's plea: 'LORD, what do you say about this? I need some light in this very present darkness!'
But the prophet's words were not helpful. They provided neither relief nor comfort, but only made what was already distressing to be downright depressing! Instead of healing and hope, Hezekiah heard,
'Set your house in order, for you shall die and not live!' (2Ki20:2)
Insult was now added to injury. It appeared God was abandoning his king in his most dire moment of need.
So... Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall... away from Isaiah, the bearer of bad news to... what???
... his problem?... his disappointment?... his insurmountable mountain?... a distraction?... his God?... himself?
I don't know what his 'wall' was, but literally, Hezekiah was unable to face the truth, the prophet or his God and he turned away in his pain. Somehow he did find the faith to pray, to pour out his heart, if only to complain, recount all his past faithful deeds: 'Remember how I've walked before you... in truth... with a loyal heart,' and weep bitterly.
Hezekiah was clearly finding it difficult to accept the Lord's revealed will for his life.
Or was it really God's will? Perhaps this was just another part of the whole test?
Regardless, even before Isaiah had made his way out of the palace through the middle court after delivering his discouraging word, the LORD spoke another word, Isaiah turned around and proclaimed what sounds like the exact opposite to his original prophecy!
Had Isaiah's complaint moved God? Had the LORD changed His mind?
'I've heard your prayer, seen your tears, will heal you completely in 3 days, add 15 more years to your life and,
(as if that's not enough), I'll rid you of the Assyrians too!'
Who wouldn't want to receive a prophetic word like that?
Everyone say, 'Amen!'
So Isaiah put a lump of figs on the festering boil and Hezekiah miraculously recovered!
That's all that was needed? That's all that stood between Hezekiah, God's faithful servant, and death: a bunch of figs?! So simple a solution!
And then the LORD added,
'And would you like a sign to further show that my Word is true? Should I make the sundial shadow go ahead or back 10 degrees?'
That is, God can change the times of the entire universe, either increase or reverse the speed of light, just as easily as heal bodies and win battles! So Hezekiah chose what he thought most impossible: reverse the shadows!
Need anymore convincing? The LORD threw in an angel to slay 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in 1 night, sent their king Sennacherib fleeing back to Assyria where his own two sons murdered him. Assyria never recovered!
Then nations, including an upstart Babylon, saw the miraculous signs in the heavens (a part of the day's light lost forever would be quite a sign to these astrologers!?) heard of Hezekiah's great victory, and sent their envoys to discover what was happening. Hezekiah, elated with his personal healing and national deliverance, abandoned wisdom and discernment, and opened up all his treasures to these curious strangers.
Isaiah asked him, 'Have you shown them ALL that is in your house?'
Hezekiah confirmed he had and Isaiah then prophesied again. This unlikely Babylon would one day accomplish what the Assyrians had failed to do: utterly destory his city, Jerusalem, and take his children captive.
And what was Hezekiah's response? 'That's a good word... for at least it won't happen to me. There will be peace in my days!'
Great story, but there's something wrong with this ending. Not the ringing, uplifting, feel-good conclusion we expect from this 'good' king's reign!?
So let's look deeper... to the Bible's second passage on this story: 2Chronicles 29 -32.
Same basic outline, but these chapters add a dimension 2Kings never really discovers. Concerning the aftermath of Hezekiah's healing and victory, this chronicler focuses on Hezekiah's heart condition:
32:23 sounds the warning: Hezekiah was exalted in the sight of all nations.
Question is: How well do we handle exaltation? Seems Hezekiah didn't do too well with this part of the test.
Likewise, history reveals the church does better in times of persecution than exaltation. Why is that?
Light shines best in darkness?
Do we so easily forget the great victories the LORD has won for us and all too quickly settle for the world's fanfare, the applause of American Idol?
32:25 continues: 'Hezekiah did not repay according to the favor shown him'.
Favour shown from God calls for reciprocal favour from us towards Him. His heart was lifted up - with such a momentous, miraculous breakthrough, Hezekiah found it harder to process victory than challenge defeat? Why is that?
'Then Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart so the wrath did not come upon them in his days.'
32:31 the LORD sums it up:
'regarding this situation... God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.'
So what was in Hezekiah's heart, this great reformer king?
Same as in that Israel generation that had miraculously destroyed Egypt, walked through the Red Sea on dry ground and followed the pillar of cloud and fire in the wilderness, but didn't regard that these great miracles were inherently
'to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart.'(Deut 8:2)
Turns out: what was in his hearts was not good enough!
But what is in our heart?
Jeremiah (Jer 17:9-10) exposes it as inherently evil, deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, full of:
Rebellion and unbelief - not enough faith to enter into His land of promise.
Pride - caught up with its own works, unable to give God the glory and stop elation from becoming exaltation.
Materialsm/Greed - when the Babylonians + all nations showed up, Hezekiah showed them all his things, his earthly prosperity
and he failed to tell them the real heart of the great sign: why the sun and Assyrians were retreating: God's powerful love!
Self - he was more thankful that God's wrath would be deferred to following generations than he was willing to deal with it personally and see its root cause eradicated in his own heart and generation.
It is God's prerogative to test our heart: heal it from yesterday's hurts, purify it through today's presents, and transform us to His next glory!
The enemy tempts, but God tests. The enemy wants to trip us up and ensnare us, but God wants us to enter in!
Jesus went through a forty-day wilderness test at His ministry's beginning and overcame the enemy's temptations with God's Word + Spirit. Even in His final hour, no man could find any fault in Him. The enemy tempted, but Jesus completed His test with a triumphant, 'It is finished!' His Heart was to only know the Father's Heart and make Him known. Nothing deterred Jesus from this way.
Want to go even deeper? Look at the third passage: Isaiah's more personal, intimate perspective.
The prophet records Hezekiah's song in the midst of his trial, when he's most vulnerable, most transparent.
Our song is not just words - thoughts and ideas, but it's our heart set to music, so we can hear ourselves clearly, the fuller sound of who we really are. Lyrics + melody. Word + Spirit.
Isa 38:9-20 traces Hezekiah's process, his journey of faith through the test.
The 1st part: v10-14 records a sad, bitter, despairing, depressing lament descrying his miserable condition before He is healed:
'O LORD, It's not fair that I am going to die before my time! I am upset/angry/oppressed! Do something!
Can you relate? I can!
The 2nd part is his response, quite evidently after he's been healed. His difference in tone is remarkable: Hezekiah has been changed! and more than just physically!
'It seems it was good for me to go through all those troubles.
Throughout them all you held tight to my lifeline, You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing.
But my sins you let go of... It's the living who thank you, just as I'm doing right now.
The father shall make known Your truth to the children.'
And that's the heart of the matter: trials/tests produce seed that reproduce good fruit to successive generations!
Unfortunately, Hezekiah forgot this essential lesson during his 15 extra years. His son, Manasseh, was born during this time (he was 12 yrs old when Hezekiah finally did die!); but somehow Hezekiah failed to effectively convey his Father God's love + faith to his own son: Manasseh proved to be one of the most wicked kings in all of Judah's history!
He did such evil that he undid all the good his father had done!
Tradition reports he even had his cousin Isaiah sawn in two! Guess he didn't appreciate his prophecies?!
So what song are you singing NOW during your wilderness test, in the midst of your fiery furnace, or your desert tribulation?
A lament? a complaint? a dirge? or a praise-filled, victorious anthem?
And how's your singing AFTER your deliverance?
Is it different from when you're still 'going through it'?
Has it become a rehearsed God-story from your past: the same words, but lacking spontaneous passion and vision beyond yourself, without the perspective of application to future generations?
Hezekiah had the words, but he stopped living his song to his son.
Our song is the Tree of Life which reaches over walls, bears fruit in every season, shines through our tests and reveals Christ's life throughout successive generations.
This is the heart of the father making his truth known to his children; the exercise of faith and love that Hezekiah needed then and fathers like me still need to learn today.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
You can only keep what you've given away
You can only keep what you give away.
Strange-sounding paradox, eh? But that's the essence of life!
Our struggles to maintain what we think we possess or figure out ways through our problems often bring only fleeting, temporary, circuitous solutions. Truth seems ever-evasive, tantalyzingly outside our grasp, just like the proverbial carrot on the stick; we're ever reaching, but never able... But our futile predicaments are simply our wake-up calls to change our perspective!
Life is not out of reach... removed. It is nearer than we think. Definitely within the grasp of faith.
'We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive at the place we first started
And to know that place for the first time.' (Little Gidding - TS Eliot - HS paraphrase)
T.S. Eliot perceived that life's seemingly meaningless circuit really does have purpose. Our circle does have a centre after all and all life proceeds from that centre. We are not a disconnected series of random explorings on an uncertain circumference.
And all honest attempts to seek life's mystery will ultimately bring us to this revelation:
Life is a lot simpler than we think and that Centre and His Name is Jesus!
I'm convinced: resolution does not come from frantically trying to unravel our complicated Gordian knots; rather it flows from the revelation of Jesus Christ, God's Word + His Spirit. His Sword first pierces our heart and then it is free to cut through the entangling maze around and ahead of us.
Veiled riddles can lead to open portals. Complex confusions yield simple solutions. In Jesus Christ, mystery becomes Revelation!
Look again at our opening sentence. It parallels Jesus' words in Matt 16:24:
'For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.'
Is Jesus just talking in circles, seeking to impress us with how deep His thoughts are? I think not.
Rather, His simplicity challenges our complexity. His heavenly wisdom confronts our earthly delusion.
He who is The Way, Truth and Life calls us to forsake confusion and follow Him, even through accompanying tests and trials, to discover life to its fullest.
Quite simply... your life is NOT about you.
You, yourself, your 'I' is neither life's beginning, central focus nor goal.
'You' are an outward expression of God's innermost love. And the sooner 'I' come to the end of 'my'self and cease from introspective navel-gazing, then the sooner 'I' will be free from the non-stop merry-go-round treadmill impossibility of realizing 'self'.
Self-centred self-awareness; self-help + self-improvement, self-acceptance, self-sufficiency + self-esteem
-- they all lead to only more emptiness!
'Vanity of vanities,' saith Ecclesiastes, 'All is vanity!'
This is the pivotal question in our present-day culture wars.
Consumer-centred societies that strive to get and keep are empty, dying cultures and eventually consume themselves.
Jesus reiterated this same truth 1000 years later with His added Revelation: THE WAY, TRUTH + LIFE has now appeared in earth and taken up His rightful throne at our universe's centre, its very heart. Receiving Christ means 'self' relinquishes its throne to a new centre. All 'self' focuses are mere detours, deceptions and lies! Life is not a self-centred lie. To die to self is to find your new Identity in Christ and live for Him! Love gives. The Father gave His Son. Jesus gave His life. He is the only answer and He is His way to His followers, a new and living way: You can only keep what you give away.
It's like breathing: you take in and then you have to give out to keep on living!
Stop breathing out and you die! Give and you live!
Let me illustrate this further for a picture is worth 1000 words.
I know a lady in our city who grows dahlias. By summer's end, her garden is a living tapestry of colour! A wonderful rainbow of diverse reds, oranges, yellows and polka-dot purples, with white and gold highlights! Many of her varieties are totally unique to her garden because over the years she used the bulbs she already had to generate new, original and even more vibrant creations.
Her garden is like none other... and she shares it with her whole community.
She didn't attend our church, but many Sunday mornings I'd arrive to find one of her colouful arrangements at our church doorstep. No mystery; I knew exactly who had left them. She just wanted to bless us and she did. Her dahlias also greeted me when I entered the local bank -- banks definitely need blessing that money cannot give! Her displays of God's true wealth and exuberant prodigality added life to the otherwise austere, sterile money-changers' tables.
And if you took time to look even more closely... you could read, secreted amid their petals, her hand-written Bible verses proclaiming simple gospel truths.
Her flowers invited thirsty souls to stop and drink life's true honey.
But one day disaster struck!
Every autumn she brought her bulbs in from the garden, carefully wrapped them up + packed them away to protect them from the winter cold. But this one winter was especially harsh and all her bulbs froze. Frozen dahlia bulbs do not bloom again. The soggy mess was only good for the compost pile. None of her prize dahlias survived.
But this Dorcas lived a timeless secret.
For years she had selflessly sown seeds unwittingly for her own salvation that would now germinate in her springtime of need.
Out of her generous spirit, during her years of plenty, she had freely given her prize bulbs away to friends, neighbours, any dahlia-lovers. All who had shown an interest received some so they could then grow and enjoy their own dahlias in their own yards. And now, when these friends heard of her loss, they in turn rallied and one-by-one restored her garden with a whole new generation of bulbs -- a re-generation heralding her garden's resurrection! Virtually every variety she had once cultivated, but then lost, was ultimately restored and her garden bloomed again... replenished! Because she had given them away, they came back to her.
She had 'lost' her flowers to others, but when all seemed lost, then what she had given restored her to plenty.
She was kept because she had given away.
Something parallel is now happening in the Church here in the West. Her present state resembles my friend's frozen dahlias: desolate, desperate, decayed. Not only is the bloom off her vine, but her bulbs are rotten. She is lost in her own way, void of simple gospel truth, lacking Christ's essential life and without a vision beyond herself.
Yet I see hope! Jesus Christ is her true and only Root and neither He nor His gospel will be corrupted!
Nothing done in Christ is in vain.
For centuries, the Western church gave her best shoots and sowed her quality seed into the world's needy. Countless thousands, many in the prime of their youth, not only bloomed brightly in their generation, but branched over the walls to transform desolate wildernesses and affect many generations. The blood of the martyrs is still good seed, like the 'dahlia bulbs' my friend gave away.
Now Africa, Asia, South America are returning the gospel afresh to a spiritually-impoverished West.
They come bearing precious seed, priceless bulbs, completing the circle.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 encourages us to 'Cast our bread on the waters and we will find it after many days.'
Isaiah and Habbakuk prophesy, 'the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.' (Isa 11:9, Hab 2:14)
Jesus sent His disciples to the ends of the earth to 'make disciples of ALL nations'. That still includes the West.
God will not settle for a remnant when He has sown a harvest.
Now seed is returning to us from these nations that previously received it from our once over-flowing store.
Those who formerly received from us are now His messengers to us.
Our offering to them has become what they now offer us.
May we humbly receive the Gospel seed again and complete the kingdom cycle.
God's wisdom is evident: we keep + are only kept by what we've given away!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The Father's Heart 1 - ABBA!
We live in the midst of a fallen, fatherless world.
But prodigals are now realizing they have wasted much, spent all and accomplished little.
Our generation is coming to the end of its lie: itself.
Having sought fulfillment in their thoughts, things and themselves, many are now crying out from distant wastelands in which they have sold themselves, desperately seeking freedom from their self-made pig-sties. Our society’s love of money, pleasure and pride has deceived us and we are ensnared in our own 3-D Reality Shows of debt, distress + discontent. Lives stagger about drunken, alternately weaving from cries for equity and justice to lies of empty bottles and butts that once temptingly promised an end to our pain. And many, like those they have served, now themselves lie empty and strewn about: wasted transients in empty hotel rooms.
The consumer society has consumed itself.
The consumer has become the consumed.
However, the love of passing pleasures is itself passing away.
A deeper longing for our true ‘Home’ is replacing that painful, mournful lament.
And it’s growing louder daily throughout this earth.
Out of the prodigals’ emptiness also comes a growing awareness, a heart cry for that innermost need, a longing for revelation they have not known, but now sense they have somehow lost.
All the things of this world have not satisfied and never can satisfy that deep heart yearning.
Reality reveals they have lost at more than fantasy video games. They have lost at life as they thought.
They have come to the ends of themselves.
They are lost.
But they are also now ready. Ready to hear what they formerly mocked and rejected.
Ready to admit their real need, and receive hope, truth and good news for real life - redemption!
For the Spirit of God is also crying out in this world: for its lost to come home and be healed.
It reaches out to bind up broken hearts, heal wounded souls, and bring wholeness to this fragmented generation.
It’s time! Many now hunger and thirst for true spiritual substance that their substance-abused souls long for, but cannot comprehend.
Too long have the fatherless lain wasted!
Too many have perished for lack of good news for their souls.
But as the father in Luke’s parable waited for his prodigal son’s return, so our Father God has waited for wayward sons to hear His Spirit crying out, ‘Abba!’, come to their right minds and return to Him.
‘Abba!’ - the first letters of the first word. The ABC of the Hebrew-Aramaic dictionary calls us back to the basis of life, back into relationship with our roots, back to life with Our Father God... Daddy! Without even realizing, prodigals are now seeking: answers to the ‘eternal questions’ of life; a home and rest in their quest that only their Father God can give.
His call has gone out to the ends of the earth. All creation groans and labours.
Birth pangs are upon us.
Don’t mistake them for death throes. His cry is in the earth NOW!
NOW is the time for children of God to hear your Father’s Voice and arise from your graves!
NOW is the time for sons and daughters to see Light, come out of the dark, empty caves ironically called ‘entertainment centres’, and return to your Heavenly Father. Those are not your homes!
Your Father’s Heart awaits your response: the answer of sons and daughters, tired of doing life their way, empty of their own selfish ambition, ready... to come home.
From the depths of your heart, can you hear your Father calling?
Then answer Him.
‘Abba!’
But prodigals are now realizing they have wasted much, spent all and accomplished little.
Our generation is coming to the end of its lie: itself.
Having sought fulfillment in their thoughts, things and themselves, many are now crying out from distant wastelands in which they have sold themselves, desperately seeking freedom from their self-made pig-sties. Our society’s love of money, pleasure and pride has deceived us and we are ensnared in our own 3-D Reality Shows of debt, distress + discontent. Lives stagger about drunken, alternately weaving from cries for equity and justice to lies of empty bottles and butts that once temptingly promised an end to our pain. And many, like those they have served, now themselves lie empty and strewn about: wasted transients in empty hotel rooms.
The consumer society has consumed itself.
The consumer has become the consumed.
However, the love of passing pleasures is itself passing away.
A deeper longing for our true ‘Home’ is replacing that painful, mournful lament.
And it’s growing louder daily throughout this earth.
Out of the prodigals’ emptiness also comes a growing awareness, a heart cry for that innermost need, a longing for revelation they have not known, but now sense they have somehow lost.
All the things of this world have not satisfied and never can satisfy that deep heart yearning.
Reality reveals they have lost at more than fantasy video games. They have lost at life as they thought.
They have come to the ends of themselves.
They are lost.
But they are also now ready. Ready to hear what they formerly mocked and rejected.
Ready to admit their real need, and receive hope, truth and good news for real life - redemption!
For the Spirit of God is also crying out in this world: for its lost to come home and be healed.
It reaches out to bind up broken hearts, heal wounded souls, and bring wholeness to this fragmented generation.
It’s time! Many now hunger and thirst for true spiritual substance that their substance-abused souls long for, but cannot comprehend.
Too long have the fatherless lain wasted!
Too many have perished for lack of good news for their souls.
But as the father in Luke’s parable waited for his prodigal son’s return, so our Father God has waited for wayward sons to hear His Spirit crying out, ‘Abba!’, come to their right minds and return to Him.
‘Abba!’ - the first letters of the first word. The ABC of the Hebrew-Aramaic dictionary calls us back to the basis of life, back into relationship with our roots, back to life with Our Father God... Daddy! Without even realizing, prodigals are now seeking: answers to the ‘eternal questions’ of life; a home and rest in their quest that only their Father God can give.
His call has gone out to the ends of the earth. All creation groans and labours.
Birth pangs are upon us.
Don’t mistake them for death throes. His cry is in the earth NOW!
NOW is the time for children of God to hear your Father’s Voice and arise from your graves!
NOW is the time for sons and daughters to see Light, come out of the dark, empty caves ironically called ‘entertainment centres’, and return to your Heavenly Father. Those are not your homes!
Your Father’s Heart awaits your response: the answer of sons and daughters, tired of doing life their way, empty of their own selfish ambition, ready... to come home.
From the depths of your heart, can you hear your Father calling?
Then answer Him.
‘Abba!’
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas 2011
Here's our Christmas newsyletter to all our friends + eagles flying into all 4 corners of the world!
The Schmidts are home this year for Christmas, returning after an almost 2 months' journey. It's taken a bit to catch up with things after so long an absence + the Schmidt family is having babies! Our next generation is growing + on Nov 24th, Ryan + Sophia had a baby boy, Aleksandre Ryan, a brother for Anastasia, our 1st grandson!
And soon Michael + Kelsey have more good news on the way for next year!
We are blessed!
Our family picture keeps changing. How’s yours?
Some depart, always missed, but leave an ongoing legacy for new arrivals who in turn take up the baton to run their lap in life’s race! Speaking of running... we’ve been doing a lot of that since our last Christmas letter... running all over the world:
2010 - May + June I was in Ghana, Nigeria + England;
September - in Bali, Indonesia;
November- in Saigon, Vietnam, teaching in an underground Bible School.
Between trips, we fought off a ‘demon-rat’ that attacked our house + chewed through our plastic water-pipes! Our downstairs walls + ceilings looked like a battleground: water pouring out, holes punched in, carpets pulled up -- a mess! But God sent angels disguised as Harry the plumber + James the renovator to fix it all up again! I am convinced it was a ‘demon’ rat: it didn’t take our gourmet bait - cheese, sausage or peanut butter! but then in the dark of night - 2:30am! I heard it chewing - right above our bed, right above my head! ... if I’d had a gun?!
But he finally took the poison… after $9,000 damage!
Even rats have vulnerabilities.
So with our house under restoration last Christmas, our family scattered around the globe: Ryan, Sophia + Anya to Brazil, Michael + Kelsey to Mexico, Amy, Erica + I
to Uganda. Definitely more fun munching papaya than shoveling snow!
It was a return-trip for us to Kampala where we had run a month-long Training Centre in January 2008. Some of our students had been from UJV (Uganda Jesus Village),
a home for over 60 orphans, victims of war (LRA - Lord’s Resistance Army atrocities) AIDS + famine. It was an extra-not-so-ordinary Christmas as God used us wonderfully to not only touch others’ hearts, but also refresh ours! We loaded up suitcases to ‘send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared’ and emptied them all!
When we came home at the end of January, our house was fixed, but winter was still happening: we thought we’d missed the cold, but our furnace had stopped working!
From Africa’s 30c to BC’s 0c in January + no heat! What is wrong with this picture?
We shivered through, got the furnace running in a few days + then kept running…
throughout the year: Prince George, Edmonton & Red Deer in May; we fled the Stanley Cup play-off riots for Iceland + England during June-July; and now we have just finished a return lap to Finland, Uganda & England from September to November -- almost 2 months!
‘Jesus, the Revelation of The Father's Heart, to a fatherless generation’ became our focus message throughout this last trip; not just in words, but in action. Unfulfilled commitments, empty words, every kind of confusion will come; but when you are secure in your true Identity as a son with a Heavenly Father who loves you, then you are free to run + fulfill your Destiny! Africa has more than ‘demon rats’ to combat: it pulls + pushes, attracts + draws you in, only to disillusion with its pot-holes, poverty, corruption + grief. But then, just when all seems lost, redemption + salvation appear! -- only as it can in Africa!
And that’s what we found at UJV! Years of insufficient funding + lack of workers have taken their toll on the mission’s resources + left it in an only ‘with God all things are possible’ state.
Some promised help, but then walked away; others, even worse.
The bottom line for us is: here are 61 'vulnerable/orphans’ who are not to blame, but candidates for James 1:27’s
‘pure + undefiled religion = Take care of orphans + widows in their trouble’
= the fatherless! Less talk + more walk is needed here!
Amy had returned to UJV in August & we joined her during October with a team of 4 others: our friends Marg, Larry, James & even Erica’s 82-year old Mom! helped do whatever was necessary. It was sad to see UJV in such disrepair. I felt much like Nehemiah must have when he viewed Jerusalem’s broken walls and after I’d seen the ‘demon’-rat’s rampage.
We found: a woodpile without a saw or sharpened axe to cut firewood; filthy showers & washrooms without running water; plugged sewage + drainage pipes that threatened the entire mission’s closure.
The questions: ‘What can we do when the need, obstacles + giants are so great?’
and ‘What is so little among so many?’ filled my mind.
But then I also heard God say, 'A LOT when I AM in it!’
+ remembered the 5 loaves + 2 fish!
With funds donors had entrusted us to apply towards the greatest + most pressing needs, we went to work. We found a tradesman who fixed the drainage problem (must have been trustworthy, his name was Henry!). We repainted the washrooms + showers (bright blue is a lot better than black!). Erica’s 9 suitcases (they were really overflowing treasure-chests!) poured out new underwear, pyjamas + shoes! We pooled resources + bought 20 colourful new mattresses to replace the old, stained, tattered + shredded remnants children had been sleeping on for the last five years. I wish you could have seen their faces when they got them!
Marg + Grandma taught pre-school; Larry + James preached on the streets; Erica + I shared in the Missions Conference & churches. Our message became clearer: Healed people heal people!
It’s time for sons + daughters of God to be whole + become fathers + mothers with a vision beyond ourselves! = clear demonstrations of The Father’s Heart in action
to heal this fatherless generation!
We returned home in mid-November doubly thankful: no demon-rat + our furnace worked! Neither of us had any jet lag; we slept right through the nights!
My own bed had never felt so good! ..almost as good as the UJV kids with their new mattresses!
Amy has just rejoined us at home for Christmas, but hopes to return to UJV in the New Year. So we're all back, resting...
‘The Schmidts are nestled, all snug in their beds,
With more than visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.’
Please join me as I share more of these over the next year here on our blog:
-- archived DVDs of Revelation2Revolution are available: just click on Top Right button: 10-week Revelation StreamingLive
+ a just completed set of OT + NT Survey manuals is also ready:
just email me henryerica604@gmail.com
+ more to come, as we await the Lord’s leading on how to run further in this coming New Year!
Thank you ALL for ALL your continued love + friendship, Merry Christmas!
+ we pray ALL God’s best for you ALL in this coming New Year!
ALL our love in Jesus,
Henry & Erica
The Schmidts are home this year for Christmas, returning after an almost 2 months' journey. It's taken a bit to catch up with things after so long an absence + the Schmidt family is having babies! Our next generation is growing + on Nov 24th, Ryan + Sophia had a baby boy, Aleksandre Ryan, a brother for Anastasia, our 1st grandson!
And soon Michael + Kelsey have more good news on the way for next year!
We are blessed!
Our family picture keeps changing. How’s yours?
Some depart, always missed, but leave an ongoing legacy for new arrivals who in turn take up the baton to run their lap in life’s race! Speaking of running... we’ve been doing a lot of that since our last Christmas letter... running all over the world:
2010 - May + June I was in Ghana, Nigeria + England;
September - in Bali, Indonesia;
November- in Saigon, Vietnam, teaching in an underground Bible School.
Between trips, we fought off a ‘demon-rat’ that attacked our house + chewed through our plastic water-pipes! Our downstairs walls + ceilings looked like a battleground: water pouring out, holes punched in, carpets pulled up -- a mess! But God sent angels disguised as Harry the plumber + James the renovator to fix it all up again! I am convinced it was a ‘demon’ rat: it didn’t take our gourmet bait - cheese, sausage or peanut butter! but then in the dark of night - 2:30am! I heard it chewing - right above our bed, right above my head! ... if I’d had a gun?!
But he finally took the poison… after $9,000 damage!
Even rats have vulnerabilities.
So with our house under restoration last Christmas, our family scattered around the globe: Ryan, Sophia + Anya to Brazil, Michael + Kelsey to Mexico, Amy, Erica + I
to Uganda. Definitely more fun munching papaya than shoveling snow!
It was a return-trip for us to Kampala where we had run a month-long Training Centre in January 2008. Some of our students had been from UJV (Uganda Jesus Village),
a home for over 60 orphans, victims of war (LRA - Lord’s Resistance Army atrocities) AIDS + famine. It was an extra-not-so-ordinary Christmas as God used us wonderfully to not only touch others’ hearts, but also refresh ours! We loaded up suitcases to ‘send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared’ and emptied them all!
When we came home at the end of January, our house was fixed, but winter was still happening: we thought we’d missed the cold, but our furnace had stopped working!
From Africa’s 30c to BC’s 0c in January + no heat! What is wrong with this picture?
We shivered through, got the furnace running in a few days + then kept running…
throughout the year: Prince George, Edmonton & Red Deer in May; we fled the Stanley Cup play-off riots for Iceland + England during June-July; and now we have just finished a return lap to Finland, Uganda & England from September to November -- almost 2 months!
‘Jesus, the Revelation of The Father's Heart, to a fatherless generation’ became our focus message throughout this last trip; not just in words, but in action. Unfulfilled commitments, empty words, every kind of confusion will come; but when you are secure in your true Identity as a son with a Heavenly Father who loves you, then you are free to run + fulfill your Destiny! Africa has more than ‘demon rats’ to combat: it pulls + pushes, attracts + draws you in, only to disillusion with its pot-holes, poverty, corruption + grief. But then, just when all seems lost, redemption + salvation appear! -- only as it can in Africa!
And that’s what we found at UJV! Years of insufficient funding + lack of workers have taken their toll on the mission’s resources + left it in an only ‘with God all things are possible’ state.
Some promised help, but then walked away; others, even worse.
The bottom line for us is: here are 61 'vulnerable/orphans’ who are not to blame, but candidates for James 1:27’s
‘pure + undefiled religion = Take care of orphans + widows in their trouble’
= the fatherless! Less talk + more walk is needed here!
Amy had returned to UJV in August & we joined her during October with a team of 4 others: our friends Marg, Larry, James & even Erica’s 82-year old Mom! helped do whatever was necessary. It was sad to see UJV in such disrepair. I felt much like Nehemiah must have when he viewed Jerusalem’s broken walls and after I’d seen the ‘demon’-rat’s rampage.
We found: a woodpile without a saw or sharpened axe to cut firewood; filthy showers & washrooms without running water; plugged sewage + drainage pipes that threatened the entire mission’s closure.
The questions: ‘What can we do when the need, obstacles + giants are so great?’
and ‘What is so little among so many?’ filled my mind.
But then I also heard God say, 'A LOT when I AM in it!’
+ remembered the 5 loaves + 2 fish!
With funds donors had entrusted us to apply towards the greatest + most pressing needs, we went to work. We found a tradesman who fixed the drainage problem (must have been trustworthy, his name was Henry!). We repainted the washrooms + showers (bright blue is a lot better than black!). Erica’s 9 suitcases (they were really overflowing treasure-chests!) poured out new underwear, pyjamas + shoes! We pooled resources + bought 20 colourful new mattresses to replace the old, stained, tattered + shredded remnants children had been sleeping on for the last five years. I wish you could have seen their faces when they got them!
Marg + Grandma taught pre-school; Larry + James preached on the streets; Erica + I shared in the Missions Conference & churches. Our message became clearer: Healed people heal people!
It’s time for sons + daughters of God to be whole + become fathers + mothers with a vision beyond ourselves! = clear demonstrations of The Father’s Heart in action
to heal this fatherless generation!
We returned home in mid-November doubly thankful: no demon-rat + our furnace worked! Neither of us had any jet lag; we slept right through the nights!
My own bed had never felt so good! ..almost as good as the UJV kids with their new mattresses!
Amy has just rejoined us at home for Christmas, but hopes to return to UJV in the New Year. So we're all back, resting...
‘The Schmidts are nestled, all snug in their beds,
With more than visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.’
Please join me as I share more of these over the next year here on our blog:
-- archived DVDs of Revelation2Revolution are available: just click on Top Right button: 10-week Revelation StreamingLive
+ a just completed set of OT + NT Survey manuals is also ready:
just email me henryerica604@gmail.com
+ more to come, as we await the Lord’s leading on how to run further in this coming New Year!
Thank you ALL for ALL your continued love + friendship, Merry Christmas!
+ we pray ALL God’s best for you ALL in this coming New Year!
ALL our love in Jesus,
Henry & Erica
Friday, October 28, 2011
So Few Among So Many?
Here in Uganda so often so much looks like so little among so many. But Africa 'surprises' continue & you can never presume things are what they seem to be.
Father's Heart teaching went well, but Father's Heart in action went even better! Yesterday we bought & distributed 20 foam mattresses for UJV kids who needed them most. It would break your heart to see what some have been sleeping on: tattered, stained, mere fragments of stuffing. They were so excited + thankful!
I'm sure they had a better night's sleep!
What are so few among so many?
Step out & watch Jesus feed 5000 with your 5 loaves + 2 fish!
Father's Heart teaching went well, but Father's Heart in action went even better! Yesterday we bought & distributed 20 foam mattresses for UJV kids who needed them most. It would break your heart to see what some have been sleeping on: tattered, stained, mere fragments of stuffing. They were so excited + thankful!
I'm sure they had a better night's sleep!
What are so few among so many?
Step out & watch Jesus feed 5000 with your 5 loaves + 2 fish!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
COVENANT - THE BIG PICTURE 3
From its opening to closing chapters, The Bible charts the relationship between The Creator and His Creation through a 'covenant' lens. This is a Book of The Covenant, revealing God's Heart as not only Creator, but Father. The Old Testament portion, in particular, traces God's efforts and man's reactions from his Creation through his Fall and subsequent, tragic journey of unbelief and rebellion. This is God's account of how man, exiled from Eden, has aspired to find his way back to the garden without success.
The key to The Bible is Covenant. God is Covenant-making + Covenant-keeping.
Man, however, is Covenant-breaking. This is the chief underlying factor in all that transpires throughout this historic chronicle. The Old Covenant records approximately 4000 years of man's futile attempts to make his own way, while simultaneously outlining God's singular path of true restoration. It not only exposes man's separation and inability to keep covenant, but reveals God's heart of faithful love to fulfill His part regardless of our failures and promises an unconditional New Covenant in His Messiah.
Man has instinctively perceived his separation as 2-fold: between himself + God and among men themselves. His search for reconciliation brought him to understand he could not effect this by himself and somehow blood was required to restore these severed relationships. Leviticus 17:11 reveals: 'the life is in the blood'. In Hebrew, 'bereeth' means 'to cut, compact, confederate; a league made by passing between pieces of flesh'. Something had to die to restore the life man had once possessed. Blood had to be shed to re-establish trust between God and men. As sin had turned Adam + Eve from life to death, so man instinctively understood he now required a life-substitute sacrifice to effectively turn his separation to restoration. His very life depended on right relationship: both with God + other men. 'Covenant' was essential in securing this confidence.
Adam broke God's original covenant and lost not only his relationship with God, but also his authority over all creation. When Adam fell, so all creation fell with him and the way was barred to The Tree of Life. Following generations manifested the evil fruit of their separation from God and reaped a Deluge with total destruction of all but 8 souls. But God spared Noah and his family and gave them a further covenant, signed with His rainbow, promising that He would never again destroy the earth in such manner.
Later, in the face of idolatry, God called Abram, himself a former idol-worshiper, to walk with Him. He promised him the land of Canaan, an heir and descendants from his own body, innumerable as the sand of the sea and stars of heaven. Abram 'believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.' (Gen 15:6)
God then 'cut covenant' with him, changed his name to Abraham (father of many nations) and made him a blessing to all the earth. Abraham was circumcised in his flesh together with Ishmael, his 1st-born, and all his house, but the covenant was spiritual through promise so when Isaac, the promised seed, was born, Ishmael was cast out. Natural flesh can neither satisfy God's heart nor inherit the kingdom. His choice is spiritual Seed.
Generations passed, and Abraham's seed migrated to Egypt with Jacob and Joseph. But God's promise stood and when it was time, approximately 400 years later, their covenant-keeping God raised up Moses to not only free a people from slavery, but birth Israel as a nation and destroy Egypt. Furthermore, he led Israel to Sinai to receive the Covenant, specifically 10 Commandments embodied in The Ark of The Covenant, housed in the Tabernacle's Holy of Holies, God's very dwelling in the centre of their camp. God desired fellowship with His people and gave them laws to teach them His ways so they might approach, worship and dwell with Him in holiness. But right from its inception, the law was unable to bridge this separation: even before Moses had come down from Sinai, Israel had already broken it! Consequently, Israel's history can be best understood in terms of their obedience or disobedience to this conditional covenant. Obedience brought blessing; disobedience yielded cursing and destruction. They were delivered from bondage, but unfortunately continually faltered through unbelief and never really enjoyed a sustained, free, covenant walk with God. Their first generation perished in the wilderness; Moses renewed the covenant with the next on the plains of Moab, but Deuteronomy's final song prophesied their eventual disobedience and destruction.
Joshua led them into the Promised Land, won many battles, and faithfully established them in God's ways, but Israel fell into a repeated cycle of blessing, sin, disobedience, idolatry, bondage, repentance and deliverance throughout the next 400 years of Judges. They cried for a leader: a king who would unite them and defeat their enemies so they might live in peace and prosperity. God and Samuel gave them their heart's desire. Saul, their first king, was unfaithful; but David was a man after God’s own heart and His Promised Seed narrowed from an entire nation to this man and his posterity.
God covenanted with David that he would not lack one to sit on the throne forever. His kingdom would be God's kingdom here on earth. Ultimately, the Messiah would come through David’s line to rule over not only Israel, but the entire world! David was not the Messiah; he was not even able to build the Temple, a permanent place for God's dwelling in Jerusalem. Nor was his natural son, Solomon. Nor any of his natural seed. The nation even divided into two. Israel proved themselves unwilling and unable to walk in God's covenant law. The covenant was broken and many times it appeared as if all hope was lost. But even at its darkest hour, as Jerusalem was besieged by Babylon, Jeremiah prophesied forgiveness: a New Covenant in the people's heart. (Jer 31:31-34)
Simultaneously, from among those already captive in Babylon, Ezekiel promised 'one heart and a new spirit within them, not a stony heart, but a heart of flesh.' (Ezek 11:19)
Then Daniel prophesied not only an end to exile, but God's supernatural kingdom to come in 70 Weeks (490 years) after 4 Gentile kingdoms – Babylon, Medes + Persians, Greece and Rome – had run their course. God never deviated from His Covenant and promised His Messiah would bring the long-awaited Covenant Kingdom into reality.
However, even with restoration to their land, city and temple, Israel again forsook their God! Freed from worshiping physical idols, they now re-fashioned His image with traditions and misinterpretations of God's Word. Malachi, the final Old Testament prophet, called them back to their God and His covenant, but then further promised,
'I will send you Elijah the prophet... he will turn the hearts of the fathers
to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.' (Mal 4:5-6)
The New Covenant reveals this promise fulfilled 400 years later when John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us: Jesus the Lamb + Son of God, the true King of Israel, Her Messiah! He alone was able to heal the past wrongs and wounds of both Israel and all mankind!
He alone is the Answer to the questions and cries from men's hearts over all the centuries. What the Law could never do, nor was ever meant to do, Jesus did!
The Law, our Old Testament and Covenant is also our schoolmaster to bring us: to Christ, the end of any trust in religious works and self-sufficiency; to Calvary's blood-soaked Cross, a new and living way; to Jesus, The Mediator of the new and better Covenant. (Heb 11:24)
IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS!
Isaiah writes, 'Your ways are not my ways,' and continuing with the jigsaw puzzle metaphor, God's approach to life is also amazingly different from our natural ways. Rather than begin by joining edge and corner pieces first, His revelation of the mystery in life and the Bible can only be solved by starting right at the center:
the 1st piece is JESUS!
He is the Alpha + Omega! Jesus doesn't just finally show up 4000 years into the story, in the New Testament. He is present throughout the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. It’s all about Him! He alone has the pre-eminence: the first place!
When He came to His own people, the Jews' spiritual leaders did not receive Him as their Messiah; they rather rejected Him. In effect they said, 'We have our doctrine of Messiah all figured out. Our box says the true Messiah would never heal on the Sabbath nor call God His Father. You do not fit our box and so you are not him!' Jesus' replied to these religious Pharisees: 'You search the Scriptures and in them you think you have life: but they testify of ME!' (Jn 5:39)
On Resurrection Day, Jesus joined two of His disciples on the Emmaus road. They were discouraged, walking in the wrong direction. When they should have been rejoicing, they were rather troubled and saddened by the day's events. Their misinterpretations (like ours today) led them to totally misunderstand the events, miss God’s way and arrive at negative conclusions. Jesus countered their doubts with the Old Testament Scripture:
'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things? And then he expounded to
them in all the Law + Prophets the things concerning Himself.' (Luke 24:27,44)
It’s all about JESUS! He alone is our Beginning + Ending and challenges and changes everything in between! He is Genesis’ singular Tree of Life and Revelation’s forest on both sides of the river. He is all their Root, Fruit and Leaves for the healing of all nations! Revelation testifies Jesus is on the Throne and Ephesians teaches we are seated together with Him. When we truly walk 'looking unto Jesus, the Author + Finisher of Our Faith', life flows and the mystery becomes a revelation! What formerly didn’t fit, now finds its complement and fulfillment in Him, without our trying to force our way. It is finished! This is the New Beginning! Our lengthy struggle becomes a living Revelation of Jesus Christ: who He is and what He’s done, to us and through us, who we are and what we are called to be + do! He is our Content and we are his context for even greater works!
The key to The Bible is Covenant. God is Covenant-making + Covenant-keeping.
Man, however, is Covenant-breaking. This is the chief underlying factor in all that transpires throughout this historic chronicle. The Old Covenant records approximately 4000 years of man's futile attempts to make his own way, while simultaneously outlining God's singular path of true restoration. It not only exposes man's separation and inability to keep covenant, but reveals God's heart of faithful love to fulfill His part regardless of our failures and promises an unconditional New Covenant in His Messiah.
Man has instinctively perceived his separation as 2-fold: between himself + God and among men themselves. His search for reconciliation brought him to understand he could not effect this by himself and somehow blood was required to restore these severed relationships. Leviticus 17:11 reveals: 'the life is in the blood'. In Hebrew, 'bereeth' means 'to cut, compact, confederate; a league made by passing between pieces of flesh'. Something had to die to restore the life man had once possessed. Blood had to be shed to re-establish trust between God and men. As sin had turned Adam + Eve from life to death, so man instinctively understood he now required a life-substitute sacrifice to effectively turn his separation to restoration. His very life depended on right relationship: both with God + other men. 'Covenant' was essential in securing this confidence.
Adam broke God's original covenant and lost not only his relationship with God, but also his authority over all creation. When Adam fell, so all creation fell with him and the way was barred to The Tree of Life. Following generations manifested the evil fruit of their separation from God and reaped a Deluge with total destruction of all but 8 souls. But God spared Noah and his family and gave them a further covenant, signed with His rainbow, promising that He would never again destroy the earth in such manner.
Later, in the face of idolatry, God called Abram, himself a former idol-worshiper, to walk with Him. He promised him the land of Canaan, an heir and descendants from his own body, innumerable as the sand of the sea and stars of heaven. Abram 'believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.' (Gen 15:6)
God then 'cut covenant' with him, changed his name to Abraham (father of many nations) and made him a blessing to all the earth. Abraham was circumcised in his flesh together with Ishmael, his 1st-born, and all his house, but the covenant was spiritual through promise so when Isaac, the promised seed, was born, Ishmael was cast out. Natural flesh can neither satisfy God's heart nor inherit the kingdom. His choice is spiritual Seed.
Generations passed, and Abraham's seed migrated to Egypt with Jacob and Joseph. But God's promise stood and when it was time, approximately 400 years later, their covenant-keeping God raised up Moses to not only free a people from slavery, but birth Israel as a nation and destroy Egypt. Furthermore, he led Israel to Sinai to receive the Covenant, specifically 10 Commandments embodied in The Ark of The Covenant, housed in the Tabernacle's Holy of Holies, God's very dwelling in the centre of their camp. God desired fellowship with His people and gave them laws to teach them His ways so they might approach, worship and dwell with Him in holiness. But right from its inception, the law was unable to bridge this separation: even before Moses had come down from Sinai, Israel had already broken it! Consequently, Israel's history can be best understood in terms of their obedience or disobedience to this conditional covenant. Obedience brought blessing; disobedience yielded cursing and destruction. They were delivered from bondage, but unfortunately continually faltered through unbelief and never really enjoyed a sustained, free, covenant walk with God. Their first generation perished in the wilderness; Moses renewed the covenant with the next on the plains of Moab, but Deuteronomy's final song prophesied their eventual disobedience and destruction.
Joshua led them into the Promised Land, won many battles, and faithfully established them in God's ways, but Israel fell into a repeated cycle of blessing, sin, disobedience, idolatry, bondage, repentance and deliverance throughout the next 400 years of Judges. They cried for a leader: a king who would unite them and defeat their enemies so they might live in peace and prosperity. God and Samuel gave them their heart's desire. Saul, their first king, was unfaithful; but David was a man after God’s own heart and His Promised Seed narrowed from an entire nation to this man and his posterity.
God covenanted with David that he would not lack one to sit on the throne forever. His kingdom would be God's kingdom here on earth. Ultimately, the Messiah would come through David’s line to rule over not only Israel, but the entire world! David was not the Messiah; he was not even able to build the Temple, a permanent place for God's dwelling in Jerusalem. Nor was his natural son, Solomon. Nor any of his natural seed. The nation even divided into two. Israel proved themselves unwilling and unable to walk in God's covenant law. The covenant was broken and many times it appeared as if all hope was lost. But even at its darkest hour, as Jerusalem was besieged by Babylon, Jeremiah prophesied forgiveness: a New Covenant in the people's heart. (Jer 31:31-34)
Simultaneously, from among those already captive in Babylon, Ezekiel promised 'one heart and a new spirit within them, not a stony heart, but a heart of flesh.' (Ezek 11:19)
Then Daniel prophesied not only an end to exile, but God's supernatural kingdom to come in 70 Weeks (490 years) after 4 Gentile kingdoms – Babylon, Medes + Persians, Greece and Rome – had run their course. God never deviated from His Covenant and promised His Messiah would bring the long-awaited Covenant Kingdom into reality.
However, even with restoration to their land, city and temple, Israel again forsook their God! Freed from worshiping physical idols, they now re-fashioned His image with traditions and misinterpretations of God's Word. Malachi, the final Old Testament prophet, called them back to their God and His covenant, but then further promised,
'I will send you Elijah the prophet... he will turn the hearts of the fathers
to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.' (Mal 4:5-6)
The New Covenant reveals this promise fulfilled 400 years later when John the Baptist prepared the way for the Messiah, Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us: Jesus the Lamb + Son of God, the true King of Israel, Her Messiah! He alone was able to heal the past wrongs and wounds of both Israel and all mankind!
He alone is the Answer to the questions and cries from men's hearts over all the centuries. What the Law could never do, nor was ever meant to do, Jesus did!
The Law, our Old Testament and Covenant is also our schoolmaster to bring us: to Christ, the end of any trust in religious works and self-sufficiency; to Calvary's blood-soaked Cross, a new and living way; to Jesus, The Mediator of the new and better Covenant. (Heb 11:24)
IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS!
Isaiah writes, 'Your ways are not my ways,' and continuing with the jigsaw puzzle metaphor, God's approach to life is also amazingly different from our natural ways. Rather than begin by joining edge and corner pieces first, His revelation of the mystery in life and the Bible can only be solved by starting right at the center:
the 1st piece is JESUS!
He is the Alpha + Omega! Jesus doesn't just finally show up 4000 years into the story, in the New Testament. He is present throughout the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. It’s all about Him! He alone has the pre-eminence: the first place!
When He came to His own people, the Jews' spiritual leaders did not receive Him as their Messiah; they rather rejected Him. In effect they said, 'We have our doctrine of Messiah all figured out. Our box says the true Messiah would never heal on the Sabbath nor call God His Father. You do not fit our box and so you are not him!' Jesus' replied to these religious Pharisees: 'You search the Scriptures and in them you think you have life: but they testify of ME!' (Jn 5:39)
On Resurrection Day, Jesus joined two of His disciples on the Emmaus road. They were discouraged, walking in the wrong direction. When they should have been rejoicing, they were rather troubled and saddened by the day's events. Their misinterpretations (like ours today) led them to totally misunderstand the events, miss God’s way and arrive at negative conclusions. Jesus countered their doubts with the Old Testament Scripture:
'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things? And then he expounded to
them in all the Law + Prophets the things concerning Himself.' (Luke 24:27,44)
It’s all about JESUS! He alone is our Beginning + Ending and challenges and changes everything in between! He is Genesis’ singular Tree of Life and Revelation’s forest on both sides of the river. He is all their Root, Fruit and Leaves for the healing of all nations! Revelation testifies Jesus is on the Throne and Ephesians teaches we are seated together with Him. When we truly walk 'looking unto Jesus, the Author + Finisher of Our Faith', life flows and the mystery becomes a revelation! What formerly didn’t fit, now finds its complement and fulfillment in Him, without our trying to force our way. It is finished! This is the New Beginning! Our lengthy struggle becomes a living Revelation of Jesus Christ: who He is and what He’s done, to us and through us, who we are and what we are called to be + do! He is our Content and we are his context for even greater works!
Friday, May 27, 2011
THE BIG PICTURE 2 - OVERVIEW OF OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY
The Bible presents the story of divine-human relationship throughout all time: a grand tapestry which humans often view only from the reverse perspective as a mere tangle of loose thread-ends. But... it is history woven from God's perspective: His-Story from Genesis' origins to Malachi's final promises, working all things together for good!
Its grand scope reveals God – eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent; relating with man – finite, remarkably ignorant at times, especially when professing wisdom, limited, and very weak when confronted with the truth of who he truly is. How can these two possibly dwell and walk together? The Bible presents this God-man story: Creator and Creation and both their efforts to restore their broken relationship.
However, man perceives this historical journey and its events very differently from God. Frightened, driven by fear, greed, lust and power, history reveals man has constantly fallen short of all God has offered him. He initiates, we react. He builds, we destroy. He loves, we retaliate. How such differences can be overcome for restoration to truly take place is His-Story. God has never been frustrated. He has always steadfastly stuck to Plan A and never reverted to Plan B, although He might well have been justified to abandon this pitiful dust that we are. Such is God’s Love that He never gives up on mankind, but continues always with His Original Plan, regardless of our failures.
Old Testament history in particular outlines His-Story from The Beginning to one of the darkest times in human history: the 400 years just before the dawn of His Messiah! Right from the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, God's plan to save, reconcile and restore us to Himself was set in motion. However, man has not always understood God's ways and resisted His attempts to draw us close. We have been rebellious chicks, quite unwilling to be gathered under His wings! But His Genesis 3:15 Promise stood firm: the seed of woman would one day crush the head of the serpent’s seed and all the devil’s work would be undone!
First, mankind had to see his need for broken relationship to be restored with God. All man-made substitutes needed to be exposed as poor counterfeits indeed. Man cannot make God in his image; God made man in His! Nor could man advise God about how to fix this broken trust; that is God's part. Man fell from the inside when they ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The corrupt seed took root, defiled their heart and bore not only shame, guilt and fear in Adam and Eve's generation, but murder in the next: Cain slew his brother Abel. But Cain's further lineage reaped a fuller harvest of 'only evil continually'.
Until God intervened. The Flood destroyed the entire human race, except Noah and his family. However, even with this destruction, man continued in his own devices and built Babel to 'make a name for ourselves'. Again God intervened, broke their proud schemes and scattered them as 70 nations over all the earth.
Then the process of re-gathering by faith began. God chose Abram, a former idolator, called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and promised to bless him and make him a blessing to all nations. Abraham (father of many nations), became a pilgrim model of what it means to be a true worshiper and 'friend of God' here on earth. He
'went out, not knowing where he was going...
looking for a city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.'
He walked with God, looking for life beyond himself. Then followed Isaac, the promised son, and after him, Jacob who became Israel (prince with God) and, through his 12 sons fathered 12 tribes. However, this dysfunctional family eventually ended up in bondage in Egypt, slaves for the next 400 years.
Seemingly forgotten, but not by God, Israel was persecuted in Egypt until God answered their cry for deliverance and raised up Moses to miraculously free His people. Israel now became a nation, birthed through a series of 10 Plagues that totally decimated Egypt, destroyed every one of its 1st-born males and ultimately drowned its armies in the Red Sea. The Law-Giver then led them to Sinai to receive the Old Covenant, specifically embodied in The 10 Commandments, to teach them how to approach, dwell with and worship their God.
From the Exodus, Israel's history chronicles the nation's inconsistent walk with their God. It is the oldest and most detailed record of any people's history. The Greeks and Egyptians have their mythologies. However, the Bible records Israel's history in often minute detail, outlining not only the nation's triumphs, but also its many failures. God does not spare even His heroes from the whole truth. In not always literal or chronologically-ordered themes, we find God patiently pouring out His heart to His people, seeking their heart repentance and reconciliation. But to no avail. Rather than believe God's good report and enter The Promised Land, they wandered 40 years in the wilderness. A generation passed. Joshua eventually finally led in a new generation, but their unbelief persisted. It was easier to get Israel out of Egypt than Egypt out of Israel.
Israel stumbled through the next 850 years in cycles of sin-addiction: sometimes walking in faith + blessing, then recurrent sin + idolatry, subsequent conquest + servitude, followed by repentance + restoration. But neither judges, prophets, priests nor kings were able to save Israel from themselves. A zenith of power under kings David and Solomon was short-lived and Israel fragmented in two.
10 tribes led by Ephraim separated to form the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capital at Samaria, while 2 tribes remained with David's dynasty in the Kingdom of Judah, still centred in Jerusalem. The two kingdoms often warred against one another, sometimes allied against their neighbouring kingdoms of Syria, Moab or Edom, but rarely repented and served the God of their fathers with all their hearts. Both peoples eventually lost their focus on God and ultimately their kingdoms. God Himself put an end to their unfortunate cycle.
First, Israel: the Northern Kingdom, after 9 dynasties of ungodly kings, was defeated and its 10 tribes scattered among the nations by Assyria in 709BC. Just over a century later, in 586BC, Jerusalem and its temple were also destroyed and its people led captive to Babylon for 70 years. The land would finally have its Sabbaths.
Empires pass, but God’s Promise always stands faithful. In 539BC, the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon under Darius and shortly thereafter, Cyrus decreed the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple! Beginning in 536BC, true to Jeremiah's prophecy of 70 Years' Captivity, 3 remnant waves of exiles returned to the land under Joshua + Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Together with the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, they rallied the nation in rebuilding and revival, but the people soon became disheartened, discouraged and addicted to dead religious forms. Idolatry had been broken, but a more formal legalism now took its place. Malachi trumpeted a final prophetic message: hearts needed to turn back to the Father. God spoke again, but his people apparently had no ears to hear and 400 years of silence followed!
Its grand scope reveals God – eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent; relating with man – finite, remarkably ignorant at times, especially when professing wisdom, limited, and very weak when confronted with the truth of who he truly is. How can these two possibly dwell and walk together? The Bible presents this God-man story: Creator and Creation and both their efforts to restore their broken relationship.
However, man perceives this historical journey and its events very differently from God. Frightened, driven by fear, greed, lust and power, history reveals man has constantly fallen short of all God has offered him. He initiates, we react. He builds, we destroy. He loves, we retaliate. How such differences can be overcome for restoration to truly take place is His-Story. God has never been frustrated. He has always steadfastly stuck to Plan A and never reverted to Plan B, although He might well have been justified to abandon this pitiful dust that we are. Such is God’s Love that He never gives up on mankind, but continues always with His Original Plan, regardless of our failures.
Old Testament history in particular outlines His-Story from The Beginning to one of the darkest times in human history: the 400 years just before the dawn of His Messiah! Right from the moment Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, God's plan to save, reconcile and restore us to Himself was set in motion. However, man has not always understood God's ways and resisted His attempts to draw us close. We have been rebellious chicks, quite unwilling to be gathered under His wings! But His Genesis 3:15 Promise stood firm: the seed of woman would one day crush the head of the serpent’s seed and all the devil’s work would be undone!
First, mankind had to see his need for broken relationship to be restored with God. All man-made substitutes needed to be exposed as poor counterfeits indeed. Man cannot make God in his image; God made man in His! Nor could man advise God about how to fix this broken trust; that is God's part. Man fell from the inside when they ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The corrupt seed took root, defiled their heart and bore not only shame, guilt and fear in Adam and Eve's generation, but murder in the next: Cain slew his brother Abel. But Cain's further lineage reaped a fuller harvest of 'only evil continually'.
Until God intervened. The Flood destroyed the entire human race, except Noah and his family. However, even with this destruction, man continued in his own devices and built Babel to 'make a name for ourselves'. Again God intervened, broke their proud schemes and scattered them as 70 nations over all the earth.
Then the process of re-gathering by faith began. God chose Abram, a former idolator, called him out of Ur of the Chaldees, and promised to bless him and make him a blessing to all nations. Abraham (father of many nations), became a pilgrim model of what it means to be a true worshiper and 'friend of God' here on earth. He
'went out, not knowing where he was going...
looking for a city which has foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.'
He walked with God, looking for life beyond himself. Then followed Isaac, the promised son, and after him, Jacob who became Israel (prince with God) and, through his 12 sons fathered 12 tribes. However, this dysfunctional family eventually ended up in bondage in Egypt, slaves for the next 400 years.
Seemingly forgotten, but not by God, Israel was persecuted in Egypt until God answered their cry for deliverance and raised up Moses to miraculously free His people. Israel now became a nation, birthed through a series of 10 Plagues that totally decimated Egypt, destroyed every one of its 1st-born males and ultimately drowned its armies in the Red Sea. The Law-Giver then led them to Sinai to receive the Old Covenant, specifically embodied in The 10 Commandments, to teach them how to approach, dwell with and worship their God.
From the Exodus, Israel's history chronicles the nation's inconsistent walk with their God. It is the oldest and most detailed record of any people's history. The Greeks and Egyptians have their mythologies. However, the Bible records Israel's history in often minute detail, outlining not only the nation's triumphs, but also its many failures. God does not spare even His heroes from the whole truth. In not always literal or chronologically-ordered themes, we find God patiently pouring out His heart to His people, seeking their heart repentance and reconciliation. But to no avail. Rather than believe God's good report and enter The Promised Land, they wandered 40 years in the wilderness. A generation passed. Joshua eventually finally led in a new generation, but their unbelief persisted. It was easier to get Israel out of Egypt than Egypt out of Israel.
Israel stumbled through the next 850 years in cycles of sin-addiction: sometimes walking in faith + blessing, then recurrent sin + idolatry, subsequent conquest + servitude, followed by repentance + restoration. But neither judges, prophets, priests nor kings were able to save Israel from themselves. A zenith of power under kings David and Solomon was short-lived and Israel fragmented in two.
10 tribes led by Ephraim separated to form the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capital at Samaria, while 2 tribes remained with David's dynasty in the Kingdom of Judah, still centred in Jerusalem. The two kingdoms often warred against one another, sometimes allied against their neighbouring kingdoms of Syria, Moab or Edom, but rarely repented and served the God of their fathers with all their hearts. Both peoples eventually lost their focus on God and ultimately their kingdoms. God Himself put an end to their unfortunate cycle.
First, Israel: the Northern Kingdom, after 9 dynasties of ungodly kings, was defeated and its 10 tribes scattered among the nations by Assyria in 709BC. Just over a century later, in 586BC, Jerusalem and its temple were also destroyed and its people led captive to Babylon for 70 years. The land would finally have its Sabbaths.
Empires pass, but God’s Promise always stands faithful. In 539BC, the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon under Darius and shortly thereafter, Cyrus decreed the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its Temple! Beginning in 536BC, true to Jeremiah's prophecy of 70 Years' Captivity, 3 remnant waves of exiles returned to the land under Joshua + Zerubbabel, Ezra and Nehemiah. Together with the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, they rallied the nation in rebuilding and revival, but the people soon became disheartened, discouraged and addicted to dead religious forms. Idolatry had been broken, but a more formal legalism now took its place. Malachi trumpeted a final prophetic message: hearts needed to turn back to the Father. God spoke again, but his people apparently had no ears to hear and 400 years of silence followed!
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