Have You Been Pardoned?
It is believed by scholars that Nahum lived around the time of Isaiah, about 100 to 150 years after Jonah. The book of Nahum is a prophecy concerning the destruction of Nineveh. If you will remember Jonah was sent by God to Nineveh to call them to repentance. Jonah viewed Nineveh as an enemy and refused to go at first. After a little godly discipline he relented and preached the message of repentance to which the Ninevites responded by repenting and avoiding destruction.
I did not realize this until I did a little reading on the subject but evidently Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Now I get where Jonah was coming from! Jonah didn’t want this arch rival of Israel to be saved; he wanted them punished! God eventually used the Assyrian Empire to punish Israel by taking them into exile. Clearly Nineveh did not remain repentant as Nahum now, 100 years later, prophesizes their coming destruction, which we know from history came to pass.
This judgment on Nineveh is a judgment on the Assyrian Empire as a whole. They were used by God to discipline the Northern Kingdom but that doesn’t mean that they were in good standing with Him. They too would be disciplined and more painfully and completely so. It is interesting to note that God sent Jonah to Nineveh to call them to the One True God and every last person in that city responded and turned to Him. As far as we can tell God did not send Nahum to Nineveh. It is believed that Nahum wrote his prophecy from the Southern Kingdom after the Northern Kingdom had been taken into exile by Assyria. Why would God send the first prophet to Nineveh but not the second?
In the first instance the people of Nineveh did not know God. In the second instance they already knew God and had subsequently rejected Him. These people knew God and slowly turned their back on Him. Kind of reminds you of America doesn’t it? Do you know that the bestselling book in the history of this country is the Bible? It is the bestselling, but least read, book in our nation’s history. We have the light. We have had revivals. Still we, as a nation, have turned our back on God. Is Nahum relevant to the world today? I think so.
We begin and end Nahum today. One thing really jumped out at me as I read this book.
Nahum 1:2-3
“The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.
The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.”
When God says He will by no means clear the guilty what does He mean? Does this only apply to Nineveh, the Assyrians? It could be but I doubt it. My challenge, however, is that we know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God so if God doesn’t clear the guilty then we are all dead. Jesus, however, came that we might have life. How then can this concept of not clearing the guilty be universal?
I’m afraid I’m going to play a game of semantics with you. To be cleared of guilt either means that one is not guilty or that one has been “pardoned”. Obviously all humans are guilty of sin so this verse must refer to being pardoned. But wait! Those who have submitted to Christ and accepted His sacrifice on the Cross have been pardoned haven’t they? I have used the phrase “pardoned for our sins” many times myself but have come to realize that this isn’t actually accurate.
When someone is pardoned what happens? Punishment is removed. Now when we accept Christ we are no longer subject to punishment right? That is true, we do not have to experience punishment but God is just and the penalty or punishment, must be paid. We aren’t pardoned for our sins. Jesus stands in our place and takes the punishment to which we have been sentenced. Were a similar thing to happen in our justice system it wouldn’t be that you as sentenced criminal are simply set free but that someone else goes into jail to serve your sentence. That is not a pardon because someone is paying the penalty.
I did a word search of the ESV translation of the Bible and found that while the word “pardon” appears in the Old Testament several times it does not appear in the New Testament at all. I went further and found that most translations do not use that word in the New Testament as well. I did find a few translations that use the word pardon in one or two verses in the book of Luke but when I looked at the original Greek words used it seemed to me that in only one of those instances could the word “pardon” be used accurately.
This may seem like splitting hairs to say that we are not pardoned for our sins but that someone else has taken our place, but I think the distinction is important. God is just and He will not clear the guilty. That means that our sinful behavior absolutely requires punishment. If I am simply pardoned I am thankful. If someone actually has to suffer a painful death sentence because of what I did I am thankful and devastated. I deserve the punishment, the other guys doesn’t. If I got a pardon once I can get another one right? A pardon is simply a decision by the one in power to forgive me. If someone else has to painfully suffer for my sin shouldn’t I be motivated to “go and sin no more”?
Brothers, you weren’t pardoned. Jesus went to the cross in your place. Does that not motivate you to keep your back turned to sin? If you thought that every time you sin Jesus is crucified, would that motivate you to cease and desist? I hope so.
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
The Heart Of The Matter
We read again today about Hezekiah. Our chronological reading plan has been hovering over a period ranging over the reign of the last three or four kings of Judah for the last few days. While much of what we will read today we have already read in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles gives us a slightly different view. We read in 2 Kings and Isaiah of Hezekiah getting sick and the miracle that was performed in his healing. We also read of the Babylonian emissaries that came with gifts upon his recuperation and to whom Hezekiah revealed all of Judah’s wealth.
God had blessed Hezekiah because Hezekiah attempted to be faithful to God. I say attempted because, like all human beings, he sometimes failed in his attempt. When God blesses us we sometimes start to forget about the source of our blessings and can even begin to believe that we have somehow earned the blessings we have received through our own brilliance and hard work. Of course, if you don’t belong to God you can achieve “success” as man defines it through your own brilliance and hard work, but if you do belong to Him then success has a different definition.
When God blesses His children they must acknowledge the source of their blessings for to do so is to be in right relationship with the one bestowing those blessings, and that is the true definition of success. Hezekiah forgot the source of his blessings.
2 Chronicles 32:24-26
“In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death, and he prayed to the Lord, and he answered him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah did not make return according to the benefit done to him, for his heart was proud. Therefore wrath came upon him and Judah and Jerusalem. But Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the Lord did not come upon them in the days of Hezekiah.”
So Hezekiah was near death, God healed him, and Hezekiah went on with his life as if nothing miraculous had happened. As the Bible tells us, his heart was proud. The cure for this horrible disease was to humble himself before God. You see the heart is what it is all about. God is not fooled by your words or even your deeds. It is your heart that matters and He knows exactly the condition of your heart. In fact, He will test you from time to time to know the condition of your heart.
2 Chronicles 32:31
“And so in the matter of the envoys of the princes of Babylon, who had been sent to him to inquire about the sign that had been done in the land, God left him to himself, in order to test him and to know all that was in his heart.”
This concept of God testing to know what is in one’s heart is a little misleading. God already knows what is in your heart. The problem is that we often don’t know what is in our own hearts so God will test us from time to time so we can discover and face what is in our hearts. Jesus said that it wasn’t what we put into our mouths that defiled us but what came out of our mouths. What comes out of our mouth proceeds from the heart and that is what defiles us.
Matthew 15:17-19
“Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
Be grateful brothers that God will test you so that you may see the condition of your heart. He does so that you may continue down the road of sanctification, becoming more like Christ every day. Your heart is where the action is. The heart is where we must look when we feel distant from God. Changing the heart is road to true success.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Heaven Or Hell
Isaiah 64-66
We finish the book of Isaiah today. Isaiah has told us of the coming Christ as well as the Day of Judgment. How wonderful it will be on that day Christ returns! Well, it will be wonderful for those who belong to Him. It won’t be so nice for those who don’t. Here Isaiah shows us the difference between those who belonging to God and those who do not.
Isaiah 65:13-15
“Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be put to shame; behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart, but you shall cry out for pain of heart and shall wail for breaking of spirit. You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse, and the Lord God will put you to death, but his servants he will call by another name.”
Hunger, thirst, shame, pain, wailing, cursed, dead – this is Hell, separation from God. We like to think the world is not black and white but rather shades of grey. This is not true. There is right and wrong, not some kind of sliding scale. There is Heaven and there is Hell and there is no in-between. I’ve watched the folks from “The Way of The Master” do “man-in-the-street” interviews and the interviewer will often ask what they think it takes to get to Heaven. I’ve asked this very question of lost people myself and the typical answer is that one only needs to do more good than bad to get into Heaven. Even people who don’t believe in God will sometimes believe there is a Heaven and that they get to go.
You have to wonder where people get these crazy ideas. What they seem to believe is a hodge podge of religious thought. They have walked down the religious buffet filling their plate with whatever suites their personal religious appetite. “I’ll take a little Buddhism, a little Kabala, a little Shinto, a little Christianity and I’ll top it all off with a little New Age hocus-pocus.” Can you say “man-made religion”?
Only those who submit their appetites and will to the authority of Christ will experience what His servant will receive. Hell is a place the lost have chosen for themselves. It is a horrible fate awaiting those that think they can create their own religion and land in Heaven. How awful it will be for them. How wonderful it will be for you and me. Is that good enough for you or would you like to join your Lord and Savior in calling as many of the Lost as will respond? You are in but what about them?
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
You Are A Shining Light
Isaiah 59-63
I think we often forget that much of what the Apostles had to say in the New Testament was built upon that which was said in the Old Testament. Isaiah was much quoted by the New Testament since he foretold of Christ’s coming. In today’s reading a portion of a verse reminded me of something the Apostle Paul said.
Isaiah 59:17
“He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;…”
This breastplate of righteousness and helmet of salvation are mentioned by Paul in Ephesians where he speaks of putting on the whole armor of God.
Ephesians 6:13-18
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.”
It is important to remember that the New Testament is not a new theology, it is a continuation of Old Testament theology. The Apostles are not making up new ideas and new rules; they are proclaiming the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Those promises include us gentiles who submit to the authority of Christ. How great and wonderful it is to be adopted into this eternal family. As children of God Almighty the glory of the Lord has risen upon us.
Isaiah 60:1-3
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
God’s glory is upon you in the form of His Holy Spirit. His light shines within you. You are to be a light to the lost who are covered in darkness. Are you letting your light shine before men? I hope so brothers. I hope so.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
Israel’s Friend
Isaiah 54-58
I am an unqualified supporter of the physical descendants of Jacob. I am also a solid supporter of the state of Israel. God said in His Holy Word that He would bring His chosen people back to the land He gave them. That happened back in 1948. Arabs attacked Israel almost immediately and several times thereafter with devastating results for the attackers. This tiny nation, only slightly bigger than the state of New Jersey, heavily out gunned and out manned repeatedly and dramatically defeated multiple nations allied against it. These battles are reruns of Biblical battles where Israel was victorious against overwhelming odds. Of course they won because God was on their side.
(Above you can see the tiny size of Israel when laid over the state of California.)
I rebel against the notion that God no longer favors Israel. It is strongly believed by many of my brothers in Christ that the promises made to the Jewish people no longer apply because they rejected the Christ, Jesus. They believe that because of this rejection, God has transferred the blessing to Christians and abandon the Jews. Today’s reading, in my opinion states otherwise. Today we read that foreign nations will also be blessed as they are joined to the Jewish people.
Isaiah 56:3-5
“Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.”
Do not get me wrong, one must accept Christ to be saved from eternal separation from God but our reading today shows that God will not give up on His chosen people.
Isaiah 54:9-10
“This is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
God is still calling Israel back to Him. He is still protecting Israel. He said that He will bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel. The modern age bears witness that God is still keeping His promises. I am proud that America was the first nation to recognize the revived state of Israel. I like to think that the following passage refers to America.
Isaiah 55:5
“Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.”
We have, in the past run to Israel’s aid. Today most of the world stands against this tiny little country. It is less than 2% of the land mass that the Romans once called “Palestine”. 98% of Palestine is in Arab Palestinian hands. Israel does not even possess all of the land God gave them and yet the world views them as the source of trouble in the world. The current regime in Washington shares this view. It is no friend to Israel. As a Christian this upsets me greatly. While America was founded on Judeo/Christian values, by men who knew the importance of the nation’s right relationship with God, it is today a pagan nation. God has been banned from the public square and our nation has taken positions in opposition to God’s will. That has never ended well for any nation.
It is my hope that America will return to its roots and return to its friendship with Israel. The only way I can influence this nation in that direction is to continue to share the Gospel with my fellow Americans. As more Americans get right with God, this nation will change for the better. I hope you will do your part.
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
The Family Business
Isaiah 49-53
I often ask my fellow Christians, “Why are you here?” It usually causes a puzzled look. My point in asking the question is that as Christians we have been saved, we have been cleansed of our sin and made right before a Holy God. Why then are we still on earth? Why are we not in Heaven the moment we submit to God’s authority and receive His forgiveness? I see two reasons. One is that we have some spiritual maturing to do. Being born again we are spiritual infants and we need to grow into spiritual adults so we can enjoy God’s presence to the fullest.
The second reason is He has work for us to do. Having been born again into God’s family we are to learn and work the family business. That business is glorifying God and saving the lost. In fact, I think the way we glorify God is by telling the lost about Him. Take a look at the following verse from today’s reading.
Isaiah 49:3
“And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
Is God talking about Isaiah, Israel, or Christians here? Yes. The text is clearly speaking about Isaiah here. Isaiah is God’s servant in whom God will be glorified. Of course the very reason God has a relationship with the nation of Israel is because He was to be glorified through them. Christians, as the spiritual descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are also chosen to be His servants through whom He will be glorified.
And what does it mean to glorify God?
Isaiah 49:6
“he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
It is not enough to bring light to the darkness of your own people. We are called as Isaiah was to bring light to the dark lives of all peoples. As husbands and fathers our first task is to ensure the spiritual wellbeing and growth of our family but our job does not end there. We must be involved in the family business – preaching the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Are you involved?
Have a blessed day!
Your brother and servant in Christ,
Bill
Dying to self, living to serve!
