GOD's GRACE Exekiel 36:25-28

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

“God's promises must drive us to his precepts as our rule, and then his precepts must send us back to his promises for strength, for without his grace we can do nothing.” – Mathew Henry Commentary -- Eze 36: 25-27

Breaking it down

That is a very powerful statement. It begs you to read it multiple times, slowing down and taking in every point of the thought. It is a concise rendering of the physicality, the emotionality, the mentality and Spirituality of our relationship with GOD.

Many adults have prospered in their lives because from infancy they had a structured relationship with their parents. To some degree they had rules, some promises but often the promises were contingent on some sort of responsibility, chore, duty expected from the child. In these cases, parenting is modeled after the relationship GOD has fostered with mankind as a whole as well as individually. Whether we personally give mental assent or belief in GOD or we do not, should we break nature’s law, should we break laws of common decency, or, should we break civil laws, the consequences are rarely uncomfortable at some level. 

However, if we do utter and profess faith in GOD then we are bound to certain accepted precepts and from obedience the benefits are NEVER inconsequential! In fact, each time we bear the consequence of full faith reliance on GOD the GRACE of GOD absolutely strengthens re-asserting over and over the promises of GOD are fact.

To that last statement there is this timeless statement: “it is good to give thanks to Jehovah And to sing praises to your name, O Most High, 2 To declare your loyal love in the morning And your faithfulness during the nights,” – [Psa 92:1-2] Notice, verse two signifies that GOD is ‘faithful during the nights’. In Psalm 91 HE itemizes all the ways HE will protect us if we dwell in HIM, stay in HIS shadow and make HIM our stronghold. One of those ways is via this promise: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;” Psa 91:11 The compound evidence of HIS promises and HIS faithfulness just in the 150 Psalms is phenomenal.

Back to Ezekiel 36:25-28

²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ²⁸ Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. –Ezekiel 36

To be sure, the entirety of Ezekiel 36 is tied to the whole of the book of Ezekiel regarding the ‘whys and wherefores’ of their predicament. However, this little nugget in verses 25-28 is the point of this article: GOD’S GRACE. Just prior to these verses GOD explains ‘why’ HE is taking this wholly unexpected action: ““Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. ²³ I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.” 

HIS single reason through compound results! HIS grace to the people of Israel [us as well] in this instance is not for Israel’s or our sake though we benefit immensely, but for HIS sake. It will be established by how we give WITNESS to HIM through HIS holiness present in HIS people as seen through the eyes of those who look on.

Clearing this up historically

Make no mistake. Historicity reflects a troubled past for the Nation of Israel from its inception to post Jesus era. As a whole, they established a record of not understanding segregation from the cultural and practical living styles of foreign nations. They understood from their time meandering about in the desert wilderness -- after deliverance from Egypt via the Red Sea -- that there was a conditional agreement. They said 'yes' to be the people of GOD with benefits of living and living well so long as they would abide by certain rules.

This premise is not difficult to understand if you were raised in a house where your parents helped you to grasp facts: They worked, they made money, they paid the bills which would include but not be limited to a roof over our head and food in our bellies. From time to time we would have recreation, festivals [we call them holidays] and these times would be wholesome and family centered. If we failed to obey the rules of the house there would be consequences that we would not like and vice-versa, if we were obedient it would be in our best interest. We grew up, we got jobs, we had families and understood that principles we were raised to observe all the more. 

Children push the limits and it is not uncommon for a child to come home and announce that a friend is not required to obey the same rules or any rules at all. It seemed acceptable to the child to adopt that philosophy though it was foreign to the family’s culture. The child may have given an ear to parental cautions and reasons why it would not be wise nor tolerated to adopt such ‘foreign’ behavior but the child decided to exercise their free will and began to disregard the rules of the house to their own peril. It is not unique to any one generation; any one culture or any one family. Pushing the limits, wanting more personal freedom with less constraints, is a common character of humans from the first two. It was dealt with by GOD and HIS people with a systematic laying out of the rules to which they agreed. When they began to falter GOD sent individuals to remind them ad nauseum of their lapse of memory and judgment. HE worked with them even as they decided on a form of self-governance that effectively put an intermediary between themselves and GOD.

Those folks over a long span of time eventually wind up losing everything in the end. Lesson learned? NO! It broke down a few times. The last time was a few decades after Jesus died when the nation, the temple and the people were either destroyed or dispersed completely out of their own country.

So? The lesson? Let’s rewind back to Ezekiel, himself, one of those individuals sent to ‘remind’ the people they had not only strayed from their agreed upon relationship with all its binding rules but found themselves actually taken captive and held against their will by one of the many cultures they sought to adopt in their lifestyles while living freely in their own land. To what end? Their place of worship was decimated. Ancient artifacts held as holy were taken and held by a foreign government manifesting no respect for their holiness. They themselves were subject to yet a DIFFERENT set of rules which were not friendly to them. Their culture was mostly disregarded. But, individuals GOD raised up even while held captive managed to act as emissaries between the ruling government and the captives giving the captives a viable and tangible link between the GOD they grossly offended and who put them in time out and themselves. GRACE comes in so many ways! Hence verses 25-28: “²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. ²⁸ Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.”

Now is the time for every person to take a long hard look at their choices, actions, thoughts, motivations and history. Where are we in time? Where does it look like we are headed in time? If we are blessed to be aware of GOD’s GRACE are we appreciative or abusive of it. Only we can know. In closing there is this thought expressed by a 17^th century Welshman whose relationship with GOD and HIS WORD/Word was extraordinary.

Note: “The promise of God's grace to enable us for our duty should engage and quicken our constant care and endeavor to do our duty.” Mathew Henry Commentary on Ezekiel 36

AMEN! 

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

The Wonderful Things from YOUR Law -- Psalm 119:18

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

Open my eyes so that I may see clearly

The wonderful things from your law.

This next thought may be controversial among those who read but are not of the same mind.

Many think in terms of ‘rules and regulations’ when they see the word law especially in the context of the Bible. And, correctly so. However, there is another ‘law’ from which ‘wonderful things’ come. It is this author’s opinion that the laws of nature are also from the same GOD from which the ‘rules and regulations’ laws are based. I believe GOD is the CREATOR including laws of nature -- gravity, weather phenomena, mountains, forests, oceans, flowers, animals, avian world, aquatic world, the macro and micro biology that keeps everything working, the planetary systems, the phases of the Moon, the dance of the Sun, Earth and Moon and way more! Surely, there is something of nature that is appealing to the senses and can be seen as ‘wonderful.

It seems clear from context of Psalm 119, the writer is more focused on the literal rules, regulations, customs, culture, worship, character and so forth. He even refers in verse 24 to GOD’s expressed thoughts as reminders, testimonies, statutes, etc. It can also be taken in verse 18 the ‘wonderful things from your law’ could include natural law.

About the wonders of natural law; try to defy natural law -- you fail. You can jump off a tall building and gravity will not break your fall and you will not land unscathed lest you take certain precautions to soften the descent, the impact and the way your body disseminates the effects of your speed and impact. You can go to the Moon and you can survive on the Moon so long as you bring everything you need to breathe, eat and drink because none of that is provided on the Moon. Through faith, you can mitigate the impact of weather, it has been done, but if faith is not employed little can be done to stop the weather that will wreak havoc on the place on earth it is destined to fall inclusive of all vulnerable living organisms in its path. Yet, as an observer of gravity you can appreciate a balloon floating up because of gas; of people who experience ‘zero gravity’ chambers floating in midair. Who isn’t entranced or in awe or shock as they see their first lightning storm, watch video of a tidal wave and its power, see a tornado form in the air grow and touch the earth and then sweep up everything in its path? Can the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stop a Tornado? A Hurricane? Can the Federal Emergency Management Agency stop an Earthquake or a Volcano? Can man stop the advent and forward motion of a Saharan Dust Storm? Or stop a massive tidal wave generated from an undersea quake? These works of natural law, besides being destructive, are a wonder in their formation, movement and effect on earth/nature. Though science has explained them they cannot impede them once they have been generated.

Sometimes when we read the Bible we come upon scripture that may cause us pause because we cannot necessarily grasp what may be uncomfortable truth. When we focus on the ‘legalese’ of GOD’s law our feathers can be ruffled because we do not see things as they are presented in print or the purpose behind why the words are there. But, if we open our spirit and mind to seeing a grander picture seeing those same words in a different prismatic light we can immediately appreciate both the presentation and purpose for the placement of the words in print but perhaps even how awesome it is that those words, though read perhaps often in your life, grabbed your attention in a very different way. And so, as we read these words: “Open my eyes so that I may see clearly The wonderful things from your law.” we may now see both the wonderful things of HIS law as in Natural law but even in the idea those words also carry with them a reminder to appreciate GOD’s rules and regulations because by doing so we are promised to experience wonders ‘eye has not seen; ear has not heard nor heart conceived’!

Blessed are those poor in spirit, those that mourn, the meek, those who HUNGER AND THIRST after righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemaker, those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. May your Spirit find peace in the manifold Blessings from GOD. 

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

A Watchman THEN and NOW -- Ezekiel 33

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015

The Watchman – Then and Now

Remember when you were little and you played hide and seek perhaps with a little subterfuge via a friend. Your friend knew where you were hidden and they were the look out to redirect the one who was seeking…saying ‘warm or hot’ if they were close or ‘cold’ if they were off? From early in life, we are taught the value of responsibility. We are asked to ‘look out’ for someone or something. Asked to ‘watch your brother’ or ‘watch for the mailman’ or don’t let some item out of your site. Later in life we may rise to some management position responsible for personnel, goods, services, financials. Responsibility comes with varying degrees of severity and culpability. Watching for the Ice Cream truck may not be severe but for a child anticipating a treat it may seem like the end of his/her world if they should find it passed them by without their knowledge.

What about an obligation uttered millennia ago? The Bible indicates many times when someone was appointed to a role of responsibility.

·   Adam was responsible for watching over the garden, the animals, later his wife, kids and of course obedience to GOD.

·   Noah was responsible for not only building the Ark but for preaching to people about something they’d never before experienced. Let’s face it, the people had already been identified as more interested in wicked and evil acts making Noah’s task more about responsibility to a task than conversion. Simultaneous to the building of the Ark he was personally responsible for his wife, his 3 sons and their wives. Later for receiving the myriad of animal species brought to the Ark.

·   GOD appointed Judges, Prophets and Kings who bore responsibility of oversight for their areas of duty; for their traditions; for their families and for their people and ultimately for the preservation of an entire race of people specifically saved out for salvation by GOD. Some of those who had the responsibilities were conscientious and did well; others, not so much. By the time a consistent record of poor oversight of the ‘worship’ GOD wanted had been made he began sending prophets to warn them. From here, we begin our study. Please bear in mind: We have been taught through a life of practice that we have responsibilities and should we shirk them consequences are pleasant or sometimes most unpleasant depending on our commitment to a responsibility. But, does life of training prepare us for being responsible [Watchmen] for the life and/or death of virtual strangers if need be?

Let’s start with way back when Ezekiel, unquestionably a prophet of immense patience and strong conviction, was advised by God…

Then – Who?

Identifying who in Ezekiel’s time.

“Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: ³ If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blows the trumpet, and warn the people; ⁴ Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. ⁵ He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. ⁶ But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand. – [Ezekiel 33:1-6]

There is a whole chapter in those 6 verses that could be written but suffice it to say, if you are obligated to warn people there are consequences [pro and con] to you dependent on your choice. The prophet, the leadership of the people of GOD, they all had a responsibility to ‘alert/warn’ folks of extreme danger; deadly encounters coming.  

Then Again – Who?

Identifying who of Jesus’ time

^“18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. ¹⁹ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” – [Matt 28:18-20]

Here we have a wonderful generational transition with posterity to follow. Jesus, who had spent the last few years of his life as the quintessential ‘watchman’ shared so many of things to come some imminent, some later in time and finally some so far in the future it would be an entirely different world that inherited the responsibilities of ‘watchmen’. Jesus was resurrected and had been preparing his core group of followers for his departure but at the very moment of his departure he uttered the words above. Thus, the transition from HIS hands to the next generation. Apostle John would write later quoting famous prayer by Jesus: “I do not request that you take them out of the world, but that you watch over them because of the wicked one.  16 They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.  17 Sanctify them by means of the truth; your word is truth.  18 Just as you sent me into the world, I also sent them into the world.  19 And I am sanctifying myself in their behalf, so that they also may be sanctified by means of truth. 20 “I make request, not concerning these only, but also concerning those putting faith in me through their word, 21 so that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in union with me and I am in union with you, that they also may be in union with us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.” – [John 17:15-21]

Clearly, the baton had been passed from Jesus to his followers and as Jesus foreknew the future he also identified future believers who believe because of the faith of those who would be gathered the day of Christ’s ascension and later Pentecost.

Now – What do we warn?

An entirely different world later and it is us!

For eons of generations the ‘gospel’ has been taught. The watchmen through time have sounded the warning, the solution for survival of the storm to come and how to identify the very characteristic of the culture who would be the final generation to serve as Watchmen before the storm actually hits.

Today, all life has one thing in common on this planet: Weather! Depending on where you live there is a ‘wind’ that blows. The season for the worst of the wind storms may vary but most places have life threatening winds periodically. Science and history have come together to devise a way to ‘forecast’ when the worst of these winds might arrive and the damage they may do. The forecast does not end with the weather watchmen merely warning people -- who usually can tell the signs a storm is coming. More has been done by innovating creative ways to get the attention of the folks about peril posing certain life threatening danger. Here in the U.S. we have available weather radios, weather forecasts on television, weather reports from the agency of the Government [NOAA] responsible for monitoring weather available on the internet. Lastly, for those times when something develops quickly there are ‘sirens’ that announce the warning. If you hear any of the warnings it is on you to take the necessary precautions to survive. It may include warning people you have in your family, friends or neighbors. If you fail to take shelter and die it is on you. But if the systems in place to warn us fail and we die guilt may be on both of us if we could see the warning ourselves and did nothing but definitely on those responsible for monitoring such phenomena if they knew and failed to meet their obligation as watchmen.

Like the weather, over time, cultures change. There seems to be an historic record of the process by which cultures, even civilizations, erode into oblivion to be found only in print in a book. Jesus allowed for this as he answered his disciples’ inquiry about HIS return. In Matthew 24 they asked him for a ‘sign’ of his coming and end of the world. Though he answered their questions he let them know there would be common things that were bad but were not part of the sign the world was to end. Such things as wars and reports of wars. There would be pseudo Christs who are deceptive. However, he gets into the meat of the sign which includes some things unique to the end that would not be present in other times.

Continuing with the weather example: We have winds but not always life threatening winds. We do have seasons when the winds do take that turn. We have entered a season [time] when many are focused on the two signs that would not apply throughout time all over the earth but would only happen at the very end. For instance, a sign that had not come near to completion really until the last century but is still being fine-tuned. Jesus said the Good News would be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations.  Later in Revelation 14:6 it was specified as: ‘every nation and tribe and tongue and people.’ Of course, there are multiple challenges to this global task because the people of the Gospel or ‘Good News’ are not welcome and are even despised in some nations, tribes, tongues and people. Still it gets done. So as a sign, GOD knows when this task is completed. But, for us, this ‘sign’ surely must be near to completion as most major religions can provide statistics as to the works and results of their various gospel related ministries worldwide.

The other sign in Matthew 24 is this: “15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”ßMore will be written on this at a later date.

Additionally, other supporting scriptures specify they relate to the last days. The Apostle Paul actually wrote a bit about that time. Does this collection of characteristics of cultures in the last days sound or read as a familiar tone to you? “But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.  2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, self-assuming, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement,  slanderers,   without self-control, fierce,  without love of goodness, 4 betrayers,  headstrong, puffed up [with pride],  lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God,  5 having a form of godly devotion  but proving false to its power;  and from these turn away.  6 For from these arise those men who slyly work their way into households and lead as their captives weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, 7 always learning and yet never able to come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” – [2 Tim 3]

Who are we, the current Watchmen?

Who is responsible?

We are aware of bureaucracies, levels of authority and responsibility. So let’s return to the ‘weather’ example.

What levels or responsibility are laid out in many countries?

·   The specific national department/ministry responsible for oversight and relief from Natural Disasters.

·   The specific national dept./ministry responsible for Weather related disasters

·   The individual state/province/etc., dept./ministry for the two above.

·   The individual county/municipality/tribe/etc., for the two above

·   The local authorities be it city/township/community/neighborhood for the two above.

·   YOU

The various governmental authorities to some degree train and plan to handle what nature throws their way. But do YOU?

Bringing the point away from weather but to the ‘gospel’ or ‘good news’. Governments may vary how they visualize their role in the Gospel activity be it facilitating freedoms to that end or prohibitions to the same and everything in between. But nowhere is it stated in scripture we are exempt from responsibility if the government fails to uphold their self-appointed authority respecting the proclamation and teaching of the ‘Gospel of Christ’. It is you, the reader, a person of faith, who believes the Gospel and the idea there will be an end to life as we know it and a time of great peril with mass loss of people and nature before utter destruction. You have only one mandate: Teach/Warn everyone trouble is coming and give them the training/education [Gospel] they need to assist you in warning others. Jesus began the preaching of this gospel but before HE actually suffered and died HE began to send out his disciples in groups to bring their knowledge and training to others. After HIS resurrection and just prior to HIS ascension HE gave those gathered a last commandment and it was to be continued until the ‘end of the world’. So, as stated, if you are a faith filled believer in Christ Jesus, as a disciple of HIS -- YOU are a ‘watchman’! Frankly, we are much closer to the time of the ‘end of the world’ now than when Jesus uttered that command.

Do with the thoughts contained herein as you wish. Sometimes, it is merely a reminder our work is never done and acts as its own ‘warning’ to that fact. The end of the world has not come; the world has not all converted and there is no scripture that teaches it will. According to the Apostle Peter, we are still living in the time of GOD’s patience not wanting any to die but all to come to repentance – but ‘the day’ WILL COME! – 2 Peter 3:9-10  

^©Lightwritingmatters 2015