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Arthur Pigdon Seeds of the Spirit (2001) |
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The story of Job is one of the oldest literary works to deal with the problem of the suffering of good people. Job is depicted as a righteous man who is tested by Satan, who strips him of his wealth, his children and his health to test his trust in God. His wife, seeing his suffering, admonishes him to curse God and die, but he maintains his faith. His friends say that his suffering must be the result of his sins. He rejects this. Job justified himself before God and finally God answered him by reminding him that there were many features of his creation that were beyond human reason and understanding. Physical calamities are accidental and understandable. Suffering caused by the evil of others' actions is the result of our human freedom. You cannot have freedom of action without the possibility of evil. But neither of these sources of suffering can do us ultimate harm. It is only the evil that comes from within us that can do that. Why then should we think it strange that the suffering of the righteous remains an unsolved mystery? The book of Job does not give us the answer to why the innocent and the righteous suffer. It reminds us that we must find rest for our souls in trusting the goodness of God whatever the circumstances. |
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These opening words of the Psalms introduce us to a different kind of Biblical writing. Till now we have been dealing with historical material. The Psalms are prayers and worship poems intended for private and public worship. Most were chanted or sung. The Psalms constituted the Jewish hymn book. Many, such as Psalm 119, place great emphasis on God's law. They link meditation on God's law with righteousness and obedience. They exalt the righteous and denounce the wicked, who seem to be ever present and threatening. They are very personal, expressing all the moods of the heart, especially its fears and dependence on God. God's law is not seen as a duty to be observed but a delight to be performed joyously. 'Blessed' is a biblical word meaning happy because of God's favour. The religion of Israel was not a ritual to be observed and forgotten; it was one's total life. Day and night God was to be in their thoughts. They were to love God. He was to fill their thoughts just as a person in love finds their thoughts turning constantly to the one they love. They worshipped with joy. Every generation of godly people has found help, comfort and blessing in these poetic books. They speak to our hearts. |
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These statements show us that there is a prophetic element in the Psalms. Jesus, quoting verse 1 on the cross, shows that he recognised that this Psalm applied to his crucifixion. The other passages fit this event so perfectly that it was obviously written with divine prophetic foresight. As we read other Psalms we will find many prophetic passages that have not yet been fulfilled. Verses 27-31 of this Psalm are yet to be fulfilled. Psalm 89:19-37 is presented as the voice of God declaring the permanence of David's line to rule over Israel. This is a prophecy that looks forward to the day when one of David's descendants will become the promised Messiah. So the Psalms contain prophetic utterances. In this sense they are not merely humanly composed hymns but inspired literature. After his resurrection Jesus said to his disciples, 'Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' (Luke 24:44) We have only been able to include a few of the Psalms in these readings but they are a rich source of devotional literature. |
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The historical books of the Bible record facts but the Psalms record feelings. They are windows that look into the heart, not to the outside world. The writers speak of their fears and hopes and appeal to God for his protection. Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm, is one of the most popular passages in the Bible. Here the Psalmist is struggling to hold on to his faith in the presence of unbelievers. It speaks of God's provision meeting our feelings of insecurity, of God's protection in the face of danger and death, and of God's permanence assuring us that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We are made in the image and likeness of God and the human spirit yearns for spiritual union with the Eternal Spirit, our Creator. Christians find an inner peace of spirit when they open their lives in faith to God. They know that they have found what they had previously felt was missing from their lives. The Psalms are the love letters of God's people that speak of all the everyday things that we tell only to someone we love and trust completely. They find an echo in all our hearts. |
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The book of Proverbs was written by a father to his son. It contains the wisdom gained by experience. It is neither prose nor poetry. Mostly it consists of brief, two-line statements of wise comments on a great variety of subjects. Many of the proverbs are ascribed to Solomon. Youth needs to learn from the experience of elders, especially parents. Great stress is placed on the importance of wisdom. We are told, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.' (1:7) One famous passage is, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.' (3:5-6) Other typically helpful verses are, 'Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.' (4:23) The fool is often referred to as one who rejects wisdom and discipline. 'The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.' (12:15) This is not a book to be read through just once. To get the best out of it, short passages of, say, ten verses or a single chapter could be read together with some other reading. It is a book for young people, and for all other ages as well. |
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Ecclesiastes is another distinct style of literature best described as philosophy. Solomon, the author, is designated a teacher in the sense that he proclaims the truth about life as he understands it. He declares life to be vanity (meaningless). The Oxford dictionary says vanity means 'futility and emptiness'. Solomon has come to this conclusion because all our achievements are negated by death, therefore 'a man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work'. (2:24) He sought fulfilment in wisdom, riches, pleasure, building, gardens and sensuality but because of death it was all like striving after wind. We come into the world naked, having nothing and we leave naked, taking nothing with us. (5:15) This book shows what a radical change the hope of eternal life through Christ has made. Faith and hope have replaced this philosophy of despair by one of the wisest men before Christ. He concludes, 'Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.' (12:13) |
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This is the last of the five books the Jews called ketuvim ('the Writings'). It is a love poem. It celebrates the secret intimacies of married life without being obscene. Some understand it to be a literal description in poetic language of the feelings of two lovers as they contemplate the joy of being alone together. The Jews regard it as an allegorical poem representing the love of God for his people. Since God intended us to have the pleasure of sexual intimacy in marriage there is no reason why a book of this nature should not be part of the Bible for such a relationship has the blessing of God. Romantic love might occupy only a short phase of life but it is a God-given phase that deserves a place in scripture. In recent times sex has been lifted out of the privacy and conspiracy of silence that once made it taboo. Today's society has gone to the other extreme and made woman a sex object, often separating the pleasure of sex from the love that should always accompany it. This love poem helps to restore the balance, especially if we also view it as an allegory of the intimate and loving relationship between God and his people. |
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Isaiah is the first of the seventeen prophetic books of the Old Testament. Prophecy is a very important feature of the Bible. A prophet is one who receives and proclaims a message from God. His message comes by revelation, sometimes by means of visions, sometimes by word. The prophet speaks more to the present than to the future and his message always involves a call to repentance and a challenge to righteous living. The outstanding characteristic of the religion of Israel was that, unlike the surrounding pagan religions, it associated religion with morality. God was holy and he demanded holiness, righteousness, justice and love in those who worshipped him. God's message to Israel is, 'I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.' (verse 13, RSV) 'Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.' (verse 17) The prophets were passionate reformers. They were not the initiators of new insights. Their role was to call the people back to the revelation of God's will contained in the law of Moses and to warn of the consequences of disobedience. We need strong prophetic voices today. |
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This famous passage represents the other feature of prophecy--predicting the future. By this means God gives his people hope so that they do not despair because of the wickedness or affliction of their times. God always assures us that the righteous will triumph and evil men will be destroyed. The Bible is a book of hope. It is significant that the Jews who have suffered so much throughout their history should call their national anthem 'The Hope'. Note that this promise of peace is not just for Israel; it is for all the nations. The word of the Lord will go out to the nations from Jerusalem. The greatest scourge of humanity, war, will be abolished at the end of history. The phrase 'the latter days' is a synonym for the rule of Messiah. This same passage is found in Micah 4:1-3. These two prophets were contemporary but Isaiah was the older and Micah probably repeated it because of its importance. These messages of hope for the future are interspersed with the denunciation of their sins and the call to repentance. God uses the carrot as well as the stick. |
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Isaiah uses the metaphor of a vineyard for Israel. The Lord had done everything needed to establish a successful vineyard but it produced useless, wild grapes. Jesus used the same figure in his parable in Matthew 21:33-46. Isaiah predicts that because Israel had failed to produce the fruit of righteousness God would neglect his vineyard, Israel, and it would be trampled down by wild beasts and overgrown with weeds and brambles. This is a prediction of the defeat, deportation and exile by the Babylonians. God withdrew his protection and blessing but he did not actively punish Israel--he merely allowed Israel to be invaded. All the prophets have a strong emphasis on social justice. God's chief concern is for caring human relationships. He looks for justice and he finds bloodshed and a cry. The Lord asks, 'What more could have been done for my vineyard . . . why did it yield only bad [grapes]? 'Even though God chose Israel to be his covenant people he would not tolerate their wickedness and he stood aside and took no protective action to save them. |
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Here we have an illustration of one of the methods God uses to communicate--the vision. In our age there are still those who have visions in which God communicates with them. Paul was converted by a vision of Jesus. Cornelius was led to Christ by a vision and Peter was given a vision to prepare him to proclaim the gospel to non-Jews. Isaiah had his vision in the temple. He was made aware of the holiness of God and his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of his nation. It was this experience that prepared Isaiah for his prophetic ministry. Every great religious reformer has been prepared for his work by a transforming personal experience of God. We do not become aware of the extent of our own sinfulness until we have a vision of the holiness of God. Isaiah offered himself as God's messenger. Even though God sent him to warn the nation God knew they would not repent and he predicted their subsequent exile. Yet God gave them hope beyond the exile in the hint of the holy seed, the Messiah. As the book develops so does the concept of the Messiah (anointed one) who would bring salvation to Israel and the nations. |
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The two key words in this passage are 'virgin' (or 'young woman') and 'Immanuel'. The Hebrew word for virgin used here can mean simply 'young woman' but according to Jewish law all unmarried young women were virgins so the terms were synonymous. Matthew quoted this verse in his gospel (1:23) and used the Greek word for virgin. He applied it to Mary. The other word 'Immanuel' means 'God with us' and is perfectly suited to the Christian doctrine of incarnation and the idea of a triune God manifest in the flesh as Jesus Christ. In chapter 9 this idea is further amplified (verses 2-9). A child is to be born who will rule and he is called 'Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'. He will be of the lineage of King David and justice and righteousness will characterise his reign. It was by these successive prophecies that the concept of a coming Messiah was built up and became the great hope of the Jewish people. Matthew quotes Isaiah 9:2 and in chapter 4:16 applies it to the Messiah. Isaiah developed his twin themes of judgment and hope together throughout his prophecy. God disciplines his people but never permits them to live without hope. |
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Jesse was the father of King David, the founder of the royal line. The kings of Judah were cut off from their kingly rule at the Babylonian captivity and Israel has never had a king since. But although the royal line was cut down like a tree Isaiah predicts that the stump will send forth a shoot and a new king of David's lineage will arise--this will be the Messiah. In this passage Isaiah's prophecy looks far into the future and speaks of the justice, righteousness, faithfulness and universal peace that will be marks of Messiah's rule. In verses 6-9 Isaiah uses poetic, symbolic language to picture a time of total security and peace. 'They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.' The Spirit of the Lord will rest on the shoot from Jesse's line. We recall how the Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism. His miraculous healing power, his knowledge of the secrets of men, and his superior wisdom were proofs that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. Messiah's rule will include all nations. 'The nations will rally to him'. Today only a small minority from the nations of earth have rallied to Messiah's banner. This prophecy is still unfulfilled. |
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'On this mountain' is a reference to Jerusalem, whose site was originally chosen for a mountain fortress. Death will be destroyed on Mount Zion. The Jewish people, especially the Pharisees of Jesus' day, believed in the resurrection of the godly dead but a veil covered the future. Here is a promise that one day in the future God will demonstrate that he has conquered death and there will no longer be tears for mourning. People will say, 'Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us . . . let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.' (25:7-9) Isaiah 24 is a graphic prophecy of doom and destruction for the whole earth but immediately following we have this prophecy of the victory over man's greatest enemy--death. This is the typical warp and woof of the fabric of prophecy where God's judgments against evil are intermixed with his promises of times of blessing culminating in a future state where God's people live in peace and victory. Many prophecies have an immediate fulfilment and also a long-term application of a more spiritual nature. |
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After four chapters of historical narrative Isaiah returns to the poetic form with the words made famous by Handel's Messiah, 'Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.' He then announces the words of today's text, which Matthew applied to John the Baptist's ministry. (Matthew 3:3) Verse 6 asks, 'What shall I cry?' and verse 9 replies, 'Lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"' Isaiah then goes on to describe the role of the coming one, 'He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms,' a contrast to earthly rulers who pride themselves on their strength and who rule by fear. The Messiah will be like a caring shepherd who comforts his people and cares for the weak. In chapters 36-39 Isaiah deals with the events of his own day and describes how God delivered king Hezekiah and Judah from the Assyrians, then he immediately reverts to his foretelling role and in beautiful poetic language predicts the coming of Messiah. It would seem that God always meant his people to take the long view. Whatever the present problems there is hope in the future. |
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God continues to unfold to Isaiah the role of the Messiah. Here he is introduced in the role of a servant. Matthew identifies Jesus as the one Isaiah predicted in this passage. (Matthew 12:17-21) In Isaiah 42:6 he is given as a covenant to the people and a light to the nations [Gentiles]. His role described here is to establish justice on the earth (verse 4). He will not do this by force or the exercise of his authority. He will not lead a rebellion in the street, and his gentleness is pictured in the words 'a bruised reed he will not break and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out'. He is not only Israel's Messiah, he will also bring God's light to the nations of earth. Israel, as a nation, had always been God's servant, but now one of Israel's sons was to be God's servant in a special way. God will empower his servant. 'I will put my Spirit on him.' Messiah's ministry is given in detail in verse 7. It is a ministry of liberation. He will free the oppressed from their bondage and help them to be made whole. Jesus' sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth made this same emphasis. The mission of the church is to continue this divinely given mission. |
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This is addressed to the one called 'my servant'. Again, as in 42:1, this servant of the Lord has a mission to the nations. Light indicates the coming of new knowledge and implies guidance. The servant of the Lord also brings salvation to the end of the earth. He will raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel. It is surprising that the leaders of Israel should have omitted to include these prophecies in their concept of a Messiah who continued to be seen only as one who would restore the fortunes of the Jewish people. In verse 15 the Lord asks, 'Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?' He answers his own question. 'Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.' Many see this as prophetic foreknowledge of the crucifixion of Jesus. These prophecies of Isaiah and the events of the life and death of Jesus are increasingly merging to identify Jesus as the Messiah. Just prior to his ascension Jesus specifically commissioned his disciples to go to the Gentile nations with the offer of salvation. |
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Isaiah 52:13 commences another 'my servant' passage. The similarity with the crucifixion of Jesus is so striking that Christian scholars have always linked this passage with Jesus' death. Although the passage is cast in the past tense this is probably because Isaiah's vision was so real that he records it as if it had already happened. We have to ask who 'was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering' (verse 3). Of whom could it be said that 'he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows', that 'he was pierced for our transgressions' and 'crushed for our iniquities' and that 'by his wounds we are healed' (verses 4-5)? Of whom else could it be said, 'The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all' (verse 6)? Jesus did not die as a martyr. His death was vicarious, that is he died in place of, and on behalf of, all sinners. Peter says, 'He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree.' (1 Peter 2:24) But the greatest wonder is that in Christ God himself suffered on our behalf. This is the ultimate proof of the love of God for sinful people. |
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The thirst and hunger mentioned here is not physical but spiritual. The emphasis is on God's ability to satisfy the hunger of our hearts. It is without price and without money It is a universal offer. It is an offer of life. 'Come to me . . . that your soul may live.' (verse 3) But although Messiah has borne our sins and now offers salvation to all without price, we do not experience that salvation unless we respond. Verse 6 admonishes us to seek the Lord, to call on him, to forsake all sin and return to the Lord. The Lord reminds Isaiah and the people that his thoughts and ways are different from our thoughts and ways. God is confident that Messiah's sacrifice will not be in vain. 'So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.' (verse 11) God assures Isaiah that 'my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'. (Isaiah 56:7) But in extending his salvation to all nations God has not forgotten his covenant with Israel. Note his beautiful declaration of love for Israel in Isaiah 54:7-10. |
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This passage is typical of the moral challenge of the prophets. They emphasised the ethical and moral requirements of the Mosaic law in contrast to Leviticus, which emphasised the ritual observances. Similarly, Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they carefully tithed their herbs but neglected the more important matters of justice, mercy and faithfulness. He graphically illustrated the relative merits he placed on ritual and ethics by saying, 'You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.' (Matthew 23:24) Both Jesus and the prophets stressed that people's welfare matters most. Throughout the Bible great stress is placed on human relationships and our obligation to others. No one can be right with God unless they are first right with their fellows. The Old Testament command to love our neighbour as ourselves is the underlying principle. Apparently the religious people were observing the ritual of fasting but this was unacceptable to the Lord unless it was accompanied with a caring that involved sharing one's food, clothes and even their home with those who lacked. God made welfare not a state obligation but an individual one. |
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This was the passage Jesus took as his text when he preached his first sermon in the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth. He said, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' (Luke 4:21) By this he implied that he was the one spoken of in Isaiah's prophecy. This was the mission God had ordained for him. It was the consistent principle of his ministry. It placed the emphasis on human need. He said that he did not come for the righteous but to call sinners to repentance. He spoke kindly to social outcasts, he taught and fed the poor and healed their sick. He restated this mission in his policy speech, the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus disregarded public opinion by his association with the poor, the needy and sinful members of society. Isaiah lived some 600 years before Jesus was born yet here his ministry is prophetically stated. God is never in a hurry but he reveals his plans beforehand and we can each share in them by emulating the mission of Jesus. Notice how different the message of the prophets is to the laws and ritual of the first five books of the Bible. The prophets and, later, Jesus showed great concern for people who had unmet needs. They show God to be caring and compassionate. |
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In chapters 65 and 66 of his prophecy Isaiah shares his vision of the end of history. It is a vision of judgment and salvation. Much of it is poetic and figurative rather than literal. It is the earliest prediction of a new heaven and new earth, a theme that was taken up again by Jesus and continued by Peter and by John in Revelation. Isaiah's vision is worldwide in its scope. The Lord says he will gather all nations and languages and they will come to see his glory. He will select some of them to be priests and Levites to minister in his name. In poetic terms he describes the peace and security of his reign. (See Isaiah 11:6-9.) This will not be possible until wickedness has been banished from the earth. God will not tolerate rebellion forever. Like disobedient children, when he spoke they did not listen and when he called they did not answer but chose to do evil. (Isaiah 65:11-12) Therefore Isaiah predicts the judgment of the wicked. 'For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.' (Isaiah 66:16) May God hasten the day of judgment and salvation and bring to an end the injustice and suffering on our earth. |
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We should not imply from God's election of Jeremiah to the prophetic role that God elects everybody for their role in life. Scripture does not support the view that our lives are controlled by God without our consent. But it is equally clear that God raises up individual leaders whose influence channels their society in the direction God has predetermined. Examples are Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jesus and Paul. But in every case, the one chosen by God must confirm the selection by their own choice. Jeremiah, like Moses, complained, 'I do not know how to speak: I am only a child.' The Lord touched his mouth and said, 'Now, I have put my words in your mouth.' God predicted that Jeremiah would be met by rejection and strong opposition but he promised to be with him and strengthen him. When God calls he enables. Whoever is called to be a prophetic voice for God will encounter opposition and conflict. God has his messengers in every generation and they proclaim the word of the Lord whether people will hear them or not. They are not required to be successful, only faithful. Preachers must renounce success as a valid measure of their ministry. |
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When those who claim to be spiritual leaders fail to denounce evil but give soothing sermons because that is what the people want, the whole nation has reached a point where God's judgment must fall before they will repent. Jeremiah's call to repentance was a final attempt by God to save the nation from this coming catastrophe. Christian leaders are in a position of responsibility and God expects them to deliver his message; if they fail to do so their guilt is greater than that of the people they represent. God uses strong words here, calling it an appalling and horrible state of affairs. No one should become a spiritual leader unless they feel the constraint of God's Spirit on their life and have a sense of an inner call to Christian ministry. They need not feel equal to the task--neither Moses nor Jeremiah felt adequate--but they must have a total reliance on the Lord. Above all they must speak the message God gives through his word and not preach to the gallery for people's approval. Greed, exploitation and neglect of the poor were the sins of Jeremiah's day and they are still the main sins that must be denounced today. |
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Jeremiah stood outside the temple and preached to the worshippers as they entered. Sometimes a person has to stand outside the 'establishment' to speak God's word to their generation. Luther, Wesley and many others had to do this. If the official prophets and priests have departed from the revealed word of God this is the only way. Whenever we can work and proclaim God's word through the established channels we should do so. In the twentieth century the evangelist Billy Graham was able to work from within the mainstream churches. The people of Jeremiah's day were putting their faith in their ritual observances in the temple (verse 4). They were trusting in the temple, but God will not listen or accept our worship if our lives are disobedient. God hates hypocrisy. His call is always to repentance. Jeremiah was a fearless and powerful preacher. Take the time to read the whole of his sermon on this occasion. It covers chapters 7, 8 and 9 and has much relevance for today. In verses 6 and 9 the people's sins are listed. Note that God said that because they did not listen to him he would not listen to them. |
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Jeremiah has been called the weeping prophet. He was a true patriot. He calls Israel 'my people' but he can no longer stand their godless ways, their idol worship and their failure to repent and turn to the Lord. All Christian leaders who take their mission seriously have felt the same way at times. In fact, at such a time the best thing they can do is to get away to a 'wayfarers' lodging place' somewhere for physical and spiritual refreshment. We cannot give out all the time without our spiritual resources being renewed by quietness and communion with God. Jesus found it necessary to withdraw from the crowds to a desert place or to the mountain top. We need periods of silence and quietness if we are to continue to exercise an effective ministry We also need some time and place every day where we can quietly wait before the Lord. The role of the prophet is not an easy one, yet God needs prophets in every generation and still calls some to this ofttimes lonely and demanding role. If the people will not heed the prophet's voice disaster is inevitable. (See verse 11.) |
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This wonderful statement was the concluding part of Jeremiah's sermon. After denouncing Israel's sins he presents God's positive requirements. This passage was chosen by David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of the State of Israel as his text. It sets out God's priorities. Wisdom, strength and riches are the things people seek and that make them proud. But there is something more important than these and that is to understand and know God who stands for three other qualities that are superior to wisdom, might and riches. They are kindness, justice and righteousness and God says, 'In these I delight.' We are to delight in these selfless qualities also. They are all social qualities that have to do with the way we relate to other people. God is not interested in selfish personal aims but in the welfare of all people. These qualities are within the reach of all, even the poorest and least talented. If we would be great in God's eyes we should make these qualities our aim. It was failure to exercise these qualities that led to the nation's downfall and the terrible judgment of its exile and suffering foretold in verse 16. |
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God sent Jeremiah to the potter's house, where Jeremiah saw that the potter, after making a mistake and spoiling the vessel, reworked it into another. The Lord said to Jeremiah, 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? . . . Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.' The generation of God's people in Jeremiah's day had been marred and made useless for God by their pagan worship and unrighteous way of life. So the nation would be broken up and God would begin again with a new generation. God's promise of blessing is always conditional on keeping our side of the covenant by loving him and observing his commands. We do not cease to be God's people but we cease to enjoy his protection and blessing. This passage shows us that God can take a marred and broken life and remake it into a vessel that is both useful and beautiful. All that is needed is for us to put our life into the hands of the Master Potter. He does the reshaping, not us. God does not only deal with people as individuals, he also deals with nations where the righteous suffer because of the wicked majority. In verses 7-10 God shows that the destiny of a nation lies in its own hands. |
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The history of Israel teaches us plainly that there is a direct and inescapable relationship between behaviour and blessing for God's people. Some thought that because they were God's covenant people worshipping the one true God in his temple and observing the given rituals that they were immune from the wrath and judgment of God against sin. This was not so. God did not slay the people and destroy their city, but, as we saw yesterday, he withdrew his blessing and protection--he turned his back on them and did nothing to save them from the cruelty of the Babylonian invasion and captivity. It was not only Israel that learned a lesson from this experience. The other nations who observed it asked why and were told that it was because of Israel's rejection of God's standards. God will not bless, protect or prosper Christians today unless they honour him by living a life of goodness and holiness that commends him to unbelievers. Neither will he protect or bless a nation that has drifted into unbelief and fails to live up to the righteousness that he requires. |
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God always leaves a place for repentance and restoration. His judgments in this life are never forever. God stood by his covenant and his promises to Israel. He had plans for Israel's future. There is hope for the nation even in its devastating captivity. But this restoration was dependent on Israel's return to the Lord. People are often incapable of change so God has to wait for that generation to die and a new generation to arise. In this case it took four generations, or seventy years, to cleanse the people. Those seventy years in Babylon proved to be very valuable years in the life of Israel. It was there that the Talmud was written, which has shaped the nation's life ever since. God told the Israelites that when they turned to him out of the misery of their exile and captivity and prayed to him he would hear them. But they had to seek him with all their heart. This is a principle that is valid for all time. God does not coerce us, he waits patiently for us to seek him, but we must be serious and determined and seek him with all our heart. God gave us the precious gift of freedom and self-determination and he never violates our right to choose. God waits on our decision. |
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Arthur Pigdon Seeds of the Spirit (2001) |
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