Author: kezha1

It’s human nature to want to get even, to pay others back for what they’ve done to us, to even take the law into our own hands…but all it shows is our loss of control and self-restraint. The Greek word in this verse for God’s wrath – Orge – it’s an angry state of mind, but completely in control with rational and calculated desired results. Both Proverbs 20:22 and Proverbs 24:29 say the same thing…don’t repay evil with evil, but rather wait patiently for the Lord to take vengeance on your behalf.

This Chapter in II Samuel is a song of praise from David’s heart when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies. Now David was Israel’s most famous king, considered to be the ideal ruler and prototype for the promised coming Messiah…he was called “a man after God’s own heart”…but he was also a man with many failings. Probably the worst being his sordid affair with Bathsheba and the wrongful death of her husband Uriah. But despite his shortcomings, David’s heart was steadfastly in the Lord’s hands. And as we read through this passage we can see the Lord’s faithfulness and deliverance on David’s behalf…starting with David praising God as his “savior”, followed by him pouring out his distress and petitioning God for relief…and finally to praising God for his personal rescue. We are all like David in a way…wanting to do the right thing, but still allowing sin to creep in occasionally. But Praise God, even when we are faithless, God is faithful and willing to deliver us from evil.

The Thessalonian Church was a persecuted Church, and Paul’s second letter to them reinforced the need to remain faithful to the cause…living a life worthy of God, filled with patience and joyful discipleship even in the face of abuse from those hostile to the faith. It’s interesting that when Paul wrote, “That He may fulfill every good purpose of yours.” he used the Greek word Agathosyne rather than Chrestotes. Both describe bringing about good, but Chrestotes uses softness and tenderness where Agathosyne does not spare sharpness and rebuke. God’s plan and purpose for our lives is perfect and He will do what it takes to effectively shape right desires and intentions within us. For true saving faith bears fruit in obedience to the Lord… no matter what we’re going through and Paul wanted to encourage the persecuted Church that it was all worth it… “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” I Thessalonians 1:3)

Diligence and self-sufficiency can easily be broken by oppression and injustice of another. Verse 11 in this Chapter of Proverbs tells us that the wisdom of honest hard work is the opposite of the folly of dishonest gain by those who violate other’s personal rights. But what are we to do when we see such wrongdoing…when fairness and moral and legal correctness for a person is being denied? Elsewhere in Proverbs it exhorts us to, “He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.” (Proverbs 28:27) In other words, when we see oppression and injustice and turn a blind eye to it, we are silently condoning and making excuses why we shouldn’t get involved…but meanwhile, it goes on and people suffer because of it. Oppression and injustice is here to stay, consequently, the only way to change it is to change how we do or don’t get involved.

After a very painful visit to the Corinthian Church, Paul wrote what was called a “severe letter”…rebuking them for their conduct while he was there. These verses show clearly that as a loving Christian we must sometimes cause sorrow to those we care for in order to lead them into the light. You may call it Tough Love, or Speaking the Truth in Love…or in some cases, an Intervention. The focus is to not inflict pain and condemnation, but to show you are genuinely seeking their best interest in order that they might confess their sin and repent. Paul called this “Godly Sorrow” which brings repentance that leads to salvation, and that should be what we all want for each other.

This theme is echoed in Psalm 27:14 when it says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” But let’s just admit it, waiting is hard…and waiting in the middle of sickness, devastation, or loss is very difficult to do. And now it tells us here we are to wait in confidence and hopeful expectation while our whole world is falling down around us…how!? Well, as we read here, it all starts with praise. We praise God for what He’s done in the past, how faithful He’s been in our life, and how He will never leave nor forsake us. We praise Him for all the blessings in our life and we remember all the times He has rescued, restored, healed, and encouraged us. And when we praise God like this, it leads us closer to Him… and we then can fully and with confidence place our hope in Him… as we wait.

Our level of knowledge may have grown from Biblical times, but there are still enormous areas of our world and universe that we have no cue about…even the simple idea of a seed sprouting in the dirt. Sure, we may have the agronomy bit down…but why a seed does what it does, do we really know why and how for sure? And as this verse points out, we have nothing to do with it after its planted…it’s totally up to God to bring about the harvest. In another Parable to illustrate the Kingdom of God, Jesus told of a field that had been planted with good seed, but during the night the enemy had scattered weed seed among them…so both grew up together. Again we see that there is no way anyone can truly understand God’s workings. In explaining this Parable to His disciples, Jesus showed that the field was the world, the righteous were the wheat, and the wicked were the weeds…with God for now with-holding His judgment for the sake of the elect living among the unrighteous. Yes, there is so much we don’t understand about our world and the Kingdom of God. That’s because His Kingdom is both within our hearts and an everlasting Messianic Kingdom of glory to come…and our small minds don’t know how this can be. So what we do is trust and believe in the things we cannot understand.

Amaziah picked and chose when and where he would obey God. If it served his purpose and was beneficial, he would listen to Godly counsel, but if he thought he knew better, he’d either turn a blind eye or refuse to listen at all. When a Believer’s heart and conscience aren’t completely devoted to God…and when they want their own way…Revelation 3:16 calls them lukewarm Christians. We can’t play games with God, feigning an undivided commitment to Him, when in reality, we have no real desire to do so. We may think we’re fooling God…but we’re only fooling ourselves. And for our fellow Believers around us, we may think we’re pulling the wool over their eyes…but they can see the inconsistencies, lack of accountability, and refusal to take responsibility for our sins…so in the end the only person being fooled is us.

To just look at a tree in the orchard, the untrained eye may see nothing wrong….but come harvest-time, anyone will be able to see the empty branches and barrenness. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 7:15-16 when He warned, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.” Outwardly, a person may seem honorable, and with good character…their message may be attractive and on face value ring true. But with time, the words they speak will reveal the true condition of their heart…whether good and healthy, or bad and diseased. For just as a blind guide can only lead others astray, a false teacher can only produce false disciples.

If you never use the gifts God has given you, you are like an empty manger…a food trough, or life, that contains nothing or is full of uneaten grain…either way, meaning your oxen are not working. Our strength is found in our giftings, but for many of us we falter out of fear in actually using them in God’s service. But remember, these God-given gifts were not given to us to hoard or hide, but they were given for the common good of all and to build up the Church. (I Corinthians 12:7 & 14:12) Your manger will remain empty if you never accept the cost… for if anything is to be accomplished in your life for God, you need to work your oxen.