Peculiar People

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9 KJV)

Peculiar People (introduction)

Who likes to be called peculiar?

The King James Version is almost alone calling God’s people, peculiar.  Other translations of this verse opted to use English words such as unique, special, treasured, unusual, or even weird. 

Perhaps those other words feel more comfortable, Bbut for the next months, we will be examining what it means to be one of God’s peculiar people.

Peculiar is actually a pretty good word.

Peculiar refers to how God treats His people… differently than how He treats the rest of the world.

Peculiar refers to how we, God’s people, think about Him, respond to Him, learn about Him, and live in His light.

Peculiar refers to the fact that there is something strange about us.  Yes, it is wonderfully strange, but it IS strange.

Peculiar refers to God’s desire that His people do not try to fit in with the world, be like the world, be loyal to the world, or desire what the world desires.

Perhaps today our culture, even our Christian culture, yearns to be like everyone else.  But we are not.  God does not want us to be.  And after we contemplate His word a bit on the subject, I hope that we will find that we ourselves no longer want to be.

We are a peculiar people!  And that is a grand thing!

Fear Not... Then Worry Better

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:3,4 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Worry Better

While in high school, I spent a week driving my grandparents back home to Michigan from Florida.  It should have been a time of learning, or mentorship, and of listening.  But I was focused on the wrong things.  I wanted to actually drive the car.  I wanted to eat out at exotic restaurants.  I wanted to read in the back seat.  I was worried about the wrong things.

We worry, yes?  But the things we worry about are windows into our souls.  Do we worry more about having enough time to finish our chores, or about having enough time to study God’s Word?  Do we worry more about our declining checkbook balance, or about our declining Biblical knowledge?  Do we worry more about our friendships, or about our relationship with the One True Living God?  Do we worry more about the taste of our next meal, or about the quality of our prayer time?

Jesus, hungry in the desert, tired from the heat, sore from too much walking, knew the food was not the main concern of His humanity.  Even for Him, God’s Word was more important. 

Fear not, then worry better.

Fear Not... THen Keep Doing the Right Thing

After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. (II Chronicles 32:1 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Keep Doing the Right Thing

Many years ago, I decided to branch out and pick up some extra money with my father’s lawnmower.  The whole experience was dreadful.  I hated mowing lawns.   My father’s lawn mower was electronic, with a long, often entangled, cord.  The summer heat was almost unbearable.  I underestimated the time required.  Bees were involved.

But worst of all… the homeowner never paid me.  For days I visited him, but he was always busy, without cash, or absent. 

I worked for nothing.

Hezekiah might have felt like I did that summer.  We’ve got to have some sympathy for King Hezekiah.  He could have felt like he worked for God, without payment.  He was faithful to God, but still Sennacherib came.  Hezekiah overcome opposition to his good policies, but still Assyria attacked.  Hezekiah faced unpopularity, near-rebellion, and nay-sayers, still sticking to God’s revealed way, but still, out of the blue, destruction was knocking at Jerusalem’s door.

We see from Hezekiah that faithfulness to God is actually its own rich reward.  Hezekiah was not faithful because he profited from it.  Hezekiah was not faithful because faithfulness caused great results.  Hezekiah was not faithful because it led to geo-political, economic, or international success.  Hezekiah was not faithful because, ‘it works.’

He was faithful because he was faithful.  Knowing God, knowing grace, knowing truth left Hezekiah no real choice.

God, for Hezekiah, was so great that Hezekiah had to keep serving.  God, for Hezekiah, was so great that Hezekiah got to keep serving.  God, for Hezekiah, was so great that Hezekiah just kept serving.

Christ Jesus might have felt God was unfair, too.  He, perfectly obedient, was killed.  He, perfectly righteous, was left alone by His Father.  He, perfectly holy, was never paid.  But Jesus lived, suffered, and died anyway.

Be like Hezekiah.  Serving God is what God deserves.  Loving God is what God deserves.  Believing God is what God deserves.  Living for God is what God deserves.

Even if the Assyrians come knocking.

Fear not, then keep doing the right thing.

Fear Not... Then Behold

How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! (Song of Songs 4:10 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Behold

When my mom looked at my barely recognizable stick figure portrait, she smiled and declared that it was beautiful.  I knew better.  When I brought home a bust of the prophet Jeremiah, my family praised me for my artistry in sculpting what they assumed was either my father or my dog.  They said how beautiful it was.  I knew better.  The first song I wrote was praised by my high school easy listening band.  They said it brought tears to their eyes from the beauty of the music.  But I knew the real reason they cried.

We say, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  But it seems to me that we misunderstand that quote.  Beauty is not defined by our flip-flopping likes and dislikes.  Beauty has real objective truth, defined by God and God alone.

But in this verse, we see a connection between our eyes and the thing being considered.

It is not merely eyes that declare beauty… it is love that gives rise to beauty.

The love of the speaker inserts the beauty into the beautiful.  The love of the speaker makes the beautiful, beautiful.  The love of the speaker is more than naïve niceness, or expressed loyalty to the beloved, or willingness to overlook faults.

Love transforms the ugly into the beautiful.  Love transforms the mundane into the exciting.  Love transforms the boring into the exhilarating.

When we look at each other with love, we do not simply ‘see’ things other than what we first thought.  Our loving look changes the thing itself. 

We do not have that power in and of ourselves.  But Christ does.  He created, and He now makes new.  He formed the dust, and now He makes glorious.  He changes, through His love, everything broken into everything made new.

And we, if we love unconditionally, whole-heartedly, and well… lovingly… make beauty, too.

Once we are past the fears of the ugly, broken, shattered, dead world, drenched in the power of sin… we can see things as He has made them.

Fear not, then behold.

Fear Not... Then Give God Credit

(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (Hebrews 3:4-6 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Give God Credit

After a concert, I had the chance to examine the artist’s guitar.  I will not bore you with brand names, but THIS was a guitar’s guitar.  It was well crafted, well seasoned, and had been well protected.  In the hands of the artist, this guitar sang deeply into every observer’s heart.

I, too, know how to play the guitar.

But somehow, when I attempted a strum, it did not sound as rich.  When I attempted an arpeggio, it did not sound as magical.  When I attempted a tune, it was technically correct… but something was missing. The artist’s touch made the music’s beauty… not merely the guitar itself.

Tools are great, but greater credit goes to the craftsman.  Tools are great, but greater credit goes to the artistry of the artist.  Tools are great, but the wielder of the tool is the greater part of the performance.

For us, too, beyond music, art, and creativity, the wielder of the tool deserves more credit, acknowledgement, and praise than is often our habit.

And these verses remind us that behind every good thing is Christ.  The author points out that as admirable as Moses was, Christ is more.  As wonderful as the House of God is, its wonderfulness is birthed in the builder, Christ.  We are His house, but He is the builder.

That idea can be helpful when we see the cracks in our “building’s” foundations.  That idea can be comforting when we become aware of faulty plumbing.  That idea can be useful when we, in honest moments, realize that the parts of our house that our US, are faulty.

Fear not, then give God credit

Fear Not... Then Attack

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. (Luke 22:39  ESV)

Fear Not… Then Attack!

The last supper was over, and Jesus did not hide.  He knew what was coming.  And He went to face it.  The Mount of Olives was not just a random place for Jesus to go.  It was a familiar, symbolic, and necessary place.

The Mount of Olives was a place Jesus frequently prayed.  In fact, Luke tells us that He often went there.  As Jesus moves ahead towards His death, He chooses a familiar place, where He did a familiar activity.  He prayed.   This is no hidden closet of prayer… this is Jesus praying in the face of His enemies.

The Mount of Olives was a symbolic place.  Here, David experienced failure with his son, Absalom. (II Samuel 15)  Here, Solomon worshiped idols. (I Kings 11)  Here, Zechariah (Zechariah 14:) foretold that the Messiah would stand.  The Mount of Olives was a gospely place… and Jesus went there knowing that the gospel path required His presence there.

The Mount of Olives was a necessary place.  Judas, perhaps knowing Jesus’ usual presence there, was bringing the Jewish leaders to arrest Him.  While we despair, thinking of Judas’s decision and action, Jesus knew that it was necessary. 

The Mount of Olives was the path to our salvation.

And Jesus did not avoid that path, sneak along the path, or hide along the way.

He knew what was ahead, and heroically jumped into the face of His combined enemies.

Because He knew His Father was with Him.  He knew that He acted in obedience.  He knew that He was doing, living, acting in the gospel.

We do not need to hide, either.  We can speak loudly of our need for our Savior… and His salvation!  We can act boldly in obedience, even when it causes us embarrassment, opposition, and problems.  Jesus showed us how to attack.

Fear not, then attack like Jesus.

Fear Not... Then Laugh

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:6 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Laugh

I realize that there is nothing funny about the plagues.  They were God’s finger of judgment against Egypt.  God’s wrath is not a laughing matter.

Yet the picture of this plague usually makes me smile.  A horde of lions do not descend on Egypt, only frogs.  Children rarely tell their parents of a nightmare that involved a frog.  Frogs in fairy tales are pitiable, unimportant, and mundane. 

On the one hand, God’s choice of plague here should induce awe.  God even turns FRONGS into instruments of His wrath.  There is nothing so small or so large that God does not take into His mighty hand.  Jesus turns water into wine at a minor wedding feast.  God uses a donkey to speak.  Jesus expects roadside stones to sing and shout His Name.

But on the other hand, maybe this is an example of God laughing at His enemies.  God is pre-fulfilling these words from Psalm 2, “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

This is a key difference between the way God deals with His beloved people and His enemies.

He laughs at them… He laughs WITH us.

Fear not, then laugh.

Fear Not.. Then Do Not Be Surprised

And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another,

every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. (Isaiah 3:4,5 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Do Not Be Surprised

It was obvious that I was going to get punched in the face.  The drunk man had moved from car to car ahead of me, demanding windows be rolled down.  I could not hear or clearly see what was occurring, but the general idea was right there.  He asked for something, did not receive it, and so tried to attack the driver, being blocked by the windows being rolled back up.

When he arrived at my car, the process began the same.  He asked… I refused… He reached… but I somehow thought he would not try to hit ME.  I was so nice, so pleasant, so likeable, so polite. 

So, I got punched in the face.

I was disappointed.  I was angry.  I was vengeful.  I was disgusted.  And I had every right to react in those ways.

But I was not surprised.

And I should not have been.

Throughout history societies, cultures, and civilization that reject God have run into trouble.  Babylon fell, Rome fell, France fell, Britain fell, and even now…

And as disappointed, concerned, and righteously angry as we might be… we have no reason or right to be surprised.  It has happened before.  It will happen again.

Not because of a cyclical nature of governments, not because of any practical results of poor decisions, not because of anything, in fact but God’s promises.

Rejection of God will equal disaster.  It should surprise no one.

It might be what is happening today.  But today it is not merely a nation that is rejecting God, it is God’s people themselves.  We turn to our favorite news to understand events, rather than turning to God’s word.  We rely medicine rather than look to the Great Healer.  We trust in the security of the US Armed Forces rather than trust in the Almighty God.  We ignore or even praise the reigning false religions of humanism, equality, capitalism (or any economic theory,) or knowledge.

Isaiah describes what God imposes on such societies.   Immature leadership… human cruelty… and disrespect of authority.   Does that sound familiar?

We can be disappointed in our observation.  We can be disgusted at those who participate.  We can be dismayed at the downward slide of obedience to God…

But we have no reason to be surprised.  It’s what God does.  It’s what God promises.

But do not despair.  Because that same God ALSO promises to always retain a remnant… to rebuilt His people… to bring us to the happy ending.

That should not surprise us either!

Fear not, then do not be surprised.

Fear Not... Then Reason

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Reason

I had to throw away one of my favorite shirts.  I carelessly stained it with tomato sauce, and probably a few other ingredients.  DeAnne graciously tried to clean it.  But sometimes a stain is a stain is a stain.

No amount of elbow grease, powerful chemicals, or soaking could get rid of it.

God’s people in Isaiah’s time were trying so very hard.   Their souls were stained.  They (as God’s people always do!) know how much trouble they were in.  And so, they tried (read about it in the earlier verses of Isaiah’s book) ceremonies, sacrifices performed with mathematical precision, national laws, and condemnation of other people’s sinfulness.  But the stain, in God’s eyes, was still there.

And now God offers them a deal.

That is what reasoning together refers to.

Changing scarlet cloth into white cloth is so very difficult.  Once white wool is no longer white wool, it won’t be white wool again.

Other than when God is involved.  Other than when grace is involved.  Other than when Jesus is involved.

The deal is so good that it seems too good to be true.

Jesus takes our stains on His pure robes, and gives us HIS pure robes to wear instead of our stained set.

Stop trying other things.  Reason with God.

Fear not, then reason

Fear Not... Then Fix Something

The people of Judah then took Uzziah, who was only sixteen years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah. The first thing he did after his father was dead and buried was to recover Elath for Judah and rebuild it. (II Chronicles 26:1,2 The Message)

Fear Not… Then Fix Something

The kingdom of Israel had been in turmoil.  For many years, the crown had been coveted by aspirants, conspired about, and fought over. Young Uzziah ascended the thrown with insecurity and perhaps low expectations.

But he got right to work.

Scripture does not divulge Uzziah’s motivation for rebuilding the city of Elath.  But some of his reasons are deductible.

First, he rebuilt Elath to reinvigorate Israel’s knowledge of the past.  Elath was a key city in the wanderings of God’s people on the way to the promised land. (Deuteronomy 2:8) In a way, it formed a border between wilderness and home.  Elath was the sort of city that might have held a monument or two.  On the southern border of the Promised Land, Elath was rebuilt to rebuild Judah’s memories of who they had once been, despite how far they had slipped in recent years.

Second, he rebuilt Elath to reinvigorate Judah’s hope for the future.  Elath was King Solomon’s shipbuilding port.  (I Kings 9:26) Solomon’s world-stretching empire centered in Elath.  As Uzziah began his reign, he hoped Judah would be profitable, successful, and notable again.

Uzziah followed God, as King of Judah.  Admittedly, he erred.  But he gives a good example at the beginning of his rule.

We have things worth fixing, too.

When fear has been overcome, or even diminished, we can repair our relationships, commitments, and dreams. Consider God’s love for us in our past.   Remember His blessings with fondness, joy, and excitement.  Rebuild some of those broken things from yesteryear.  As we begin each day like Uzziah, starting fresh, reclaim our broken past.

When fear has been overcome, or even diminished, we can repair our future. Consider what our intentions were, our plans entailed, and our hopes described.  Trust God’s promises enough to know that tomorrow is a good place.  Hope for heaven manifested here today.  Hope for blessings that are sure.  Hope for the increase of God’s kingdom, found among the actions of God’s people.

Fear not, then fix something.

Fear Not... Then Be an Optimist

Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days. (Hosea 3:5 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Be an Optimist

Is the glass half full?  Or half empty?  It feels like cautious wisdom to declare it half empty.  Lately, we seem to cling to pessimism and call it wisdom. 

But really, it is just fear.  Pessimism is not realism, it is fear.  Pessimism does not come from experience, but from fear.  Pessimism is not low expectations to avoid disappointment, it is fear.  Pessimism is not a good understanding of current events and trends, it is fear.  Pessimism is not merely our personality, our choice, or our nature.  It is fear.

God Himself gives an optimistic view of His people’s future in the book of Hosea.

Astonishingly, to our pessimistic ears, God says that things are going to turn out fine.  Great, even.  Grand, even.  Good, even.

He does not promise that we will have a good day tomorrow.  But He promises that we, if we are His people, will know our King, David’s heir, Jesus, and gladly cling to Him.  He promises that we will be in a perfect relationship with God.  He promises that we will know His goodness.

Optimism IS realism. 

Fear not, then be an optimist.

Fear Not... Then Disagree

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. (Romans 14:1 The Message)

Fear Not… Then Disagree

My first best friend, Dan, was so wrong about Star Trek.  He thought Captain Kirk was best, but I knew Mr. Spock was best.  But we did not stop playing together, eating together, or watching together.  But lately, it seems that such disagreements, even about minor things (which Star Trek is NOT) lead to division, separation, and hate.

We have forgotten Paul’s words, even in the church.  We divide, seriously divide, over everything.  Your view of Baptism is incorrect, so I won’t worship with you.  My view of church government is wrong, so you won’t worship with me.  Our views of end times differ, so we stop listening to each other. 

But every one of those disagreements are among believers.  Rather than let disagreements divide us, Paul says we should welcome them!  We fear, perhaps, disagreement because we are insecure in our particulars… but maybe disagreeing discussions will help us understand our view more fully.  We avoid, perhaps, disagreement because we have been buying into our culture’s declaration that different causes hatred… but maybe disagreeing discussions will help us find where agreement ties us together.  We avoid, perhaps, disagreement because we are scared that we are wrong… but if we are wrong, don’t we want to be right?

Paul does not say that our disagreements are about ‘nothing.’  But He says that common faith in the necessary salvific work of Christ Jesus overwhelmingly unites us over every possible disagreement under that umbrella.

Fear not, then disagree.

Fear Not... Then Enjoy

Bread is made for laughter. (Ecclesiastes 10:19 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Enjoy

Once, when teaching, I decided to provide snacks for the students.  As I stood in the grocery store, eyeing the prices of delicious food, my plans diminished.  Too many children!  Not enough cash!  Eventually, I decided on something a little bit lower than Saltine crackers, and a little bit higher than celery.

I bought, and gave, those cute little tiny carrots.

One per student.

God takes care of His people.  One of His names, in fact, means The Great Provider.  But thankfully, He is not like me.  He does not skimp.  He does not minimize His gifts.  He does not provide simply to provide.

He gives us bread, and everything, to push us towards laughter.

This is a part of what Jesus meant by saying that He has come not simply to give life, but to give ABUNDANT life.  (John 10:10)

Smile more often, laugh more often, relax more often, notice more often, embrace more often, be in wonder more often, be amazed more often.

Fear not, then enjoy.

Fear Not... Then Be Ready

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24: 37-39 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Be Ready

Yesterday, a warning light came on my dashboard.  It was yellow, and had the shape of a flat tire.  My wonderfully advanced electronic sensing system was telling me that I needed to check the air in at least one of my tires.  I stopped at one service station, but their air pump was damaged. 

So, I drove on.

After all, the warning light was not red… or flashing… or getting brighter.

As it happened, everything was fine.  I expect it was the cold air of the morning that slightly deflated my tire, and a few miles on the highway took care of the air pressure. 

Jesus is giving a warning in Matthew 24 to be ready.  We usually read these particular verses and assume that Jesus is warning us to be ready to meet Him in person when things get really, really bad.  And as bad as you think things are, a part of you realizes that things could easily get worse.  So, like me, we see the yellow light, and drive on.

But that is not what Jesus really says here.  When mentioning the times of Noah, Jesus does not draw our attention to how wild and lawless things were during Noah’s time, although He could have.  Instead, Jesus points out that people were simply living lives in mundane normalcy.  There is nothing shocking or evil about eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.  Those activities indicate that society was just going on about society’s business. 

Even though a flood was coming.

Like those ancient folk, we live pretty casually.  We eat and drink.  We merrily marry and give in marriage.  We focus on today, and we make plans for tomorrow.  We ignore the absolute warnings that we are going to encounter Jesus… at any time.  And I am not writing about some sort of end of time encounter.  I am writing about closing our eyes in death, and opening them in The King’s presence.

Being ready for that is both easy and necessary.

All it takes to be ready, is to know that you need Him, know why you need Him, and cling to Him as the only hope today and tomorrow. 

Fear not, then be ready.

Fear Not... No Excuses

Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. (Exodus 7:7 ESV)

Fear Not… No Excuses

It wasn’t just that Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh… they spoke to Pharaoh even though they were afraid.  Moses had a bad history with Pharaoh and the Egyptians.  Knocking on the Palace door with expensive demands would cause anyone’s stomach to knot up.  But they did it, they obeyed God.

It wasn’t just that Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh… they spoke to Pharaoh even though they were inexperienced.  They did not have the Pentateuch to study and understand how God works.  They did not know God as well as we do, He was new to them, unknown to them, unproven to them.  But they did it, they obeyed God.

It wasn’t just that Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh… they spoke to Pharaoh even though they were old.  Do not confuse their advanced age with the advanced years of the Patriarchs.  Moses and Aaron were in the same physical condition that men of eighty or eighty-three years old would be today, but without modern technology.  But they did it, they obeyed God.

What’s your excuse?

Fear not, no excuses.

Fear Not... Then Stop Complaining

And here’s a second offense: You fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don’t get what you want from God. (Malachi 2:13 The Message)

Fear Not… Then Stop Complaining

I had a ‘friend’ in college who sat behind me in Sociology.  He approached me after class one evening because he had noticed that mostly all I did in class was sigh and shake my head.  We began a tradition of grabbing coffee sometimes and complaining about how bad the class, and the premise behind the class was.

When the class ended, so did our coffee time.  We had nothing even resembling a relationship… all we did was complain together.

Do our prayers sound like that to God at times?  The emphasis of Biblical prayers is giving thanks.  (Insert here TOO many verses to list!) But when we pray it is easy for us, like Malachi’s flock, to mostly complain.  We complain about the weather by couching it in a request.  We complain about our health by couching it in a request.  We complain about politics by couching it in a request.  We complain about the apparent success of God’s enemies by couching it in a request.  We complain about the past by couching it in a request.  We complain about the present by couching it in a request.  We complain about the future by couching it in a request.

Try praying for a few days emphasizing thanks. 

Fear not, then stop complaining.

Fear Not... Then Watch

But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” (Exodus 6:1 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Watch

It has been common in our American history for both sides of an argument to claim God’s support.  While it is important, even necessary, for us to evaluate our issues according to GOD’S Word, sometimes we are too quick to claim God’s support of our perspective.

Not so for Moses in Egypt.  God told Moses that when God acted in Pharaoh’s life it would be obvious.  And it was.  Each plague worse than the previous, with a grand finale of horror on the tribe’s last night in Goshen.

Moses could state unequivocally that God was acting… and acting in a particular way.  God describes His actions with a repeat of the adjective, “strong.”  God was acting at that point without subtlety, without nuance, without interpretation options.

When reading Scripture God’s actions are clearly seen.  There is no room for doubt, so God’s people can, and should, speak of God’s hand clearly and loudly.  But when reading the newspaper, it is not usually so clear.  And at times, we have been wrong about what God is doing.  We have claimed political victory where the winning was actually losing… and vice versa.  We have claimed social success where our success was much closer to failure.  

And when we have claimed in that way, we actually weaken our witness for Christ.  We lose credibility.

There is one way to interpret events that is guaranteed, scripturally.  Every current event, every present crisis, every news article is sent to us by the One True Living God for one purpose:  To point the eyes and hearts of every human towards Christ.

It is all about Him… not about our rights, our profit, our success, our failures, our agonies, our worries, our fears, or us at all.

Fear not, then watch.

Fear Not.... Then Do

Pharaoh’s daughter said, “Yes. Go.” The girl went and called the child’s mother. (Exodus 2:8 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Do

Moses’ parents made a difficult decision.  The Egyptians had instructed the slave-Israelites to kill all male babies the moment they were born.  It was difficult because they risked punishment, even death, from the Egyptians.  But they chose life, instead.  Note, that they did not have the Written or Spoken Law of God at this point in history.  But as Romans 1 intimates, they knew in their hearts enough of God’s Law to know good from evil.

And murder, even when commanded by authorities, is evil.

So, they put their baby in a basket, and hoped that God knew what He was doing.

God, of course, had the risk in hand.  Not only was baby Moses kept safe in that basket, but Miriam, Moses’ sister was sharp of mind and quick of wit, and when Pharaoh’s daughter fell in love with Moses, Moses’ mother ended up appointed as initial caregiver for the baby.

There was no risk in doing ‘right.’  There was no risk in defending life.  There was no risk in disobeying evil.

And that is true for us, too.  We think too much, I think.  We wonder about effects and results of our Biblical choices.  But God has the risk in hand.  We hesitate to act righteously in unpopular ways.  But God has the risk in hand.  We box our choices in with risk assessment and avoidance.  But God has the risk in hand.

You apply this to your life.  Where do you hesitate to obey, fearing opposition?  Where do you comply with evil, worried about results?  Where do you wait to do the right, Biblical, thing… because common sense says it is dangerous?

Sabbath keeping, even when it is costly to your business?  Voting for righteous candidates, even if they ‘can not’ win? Opposing abortion, even when society mocks you?  Neglecting to mention scriptural evidence for your decisions, because the world will laugh?

Fear Not, then do.

Fear Not... Then Find God's Plans

But it was ordained by God that the downfall of Ahaziah should come about through his going to visit Joram. (II Chronicles 22:7 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Find God’s Plans

It has been said, “He who fails to plan, plans to fail.”  And that is true as far as it goes.  But I suggest an addendum to that saying.  “He who fails to follow God’s plans, fails.”

Ahaziah came to power in Judah through a series of unfortunate and fortunate events.  The youngest son of King Jehoram, he was selected as king only because all of his brothers had been captured in a raid by the Arabians.   He seems indecisive, letting his mother,  Athalia, make policy decisions… poor ones.  In his brief reign, he wandered, and led Judah away from God.

But God’s plans were still running the show.  God had even planned Ahaziah’s end, even though Ahaziah sort of slipped into a friendly visit of the evil Israelite king, Joram.  God found no difficulty in using Ahaziah’s chaotic looseness to accomplish His plans… eventually leading to the ascension of Joash, Judah’s great king who restored God’s people to God’s Word.

Chaos feels frightening.  It feels unrooted.  It feels insecure.

But in God’s plans, there really is no chaos.  He has every detail worked out.

It is clear that the chaos of Judean history could have been avoided if Ahaziah and others had found God’s Word, like Joash eventually did.  But God’s plan was carried out. 

We see this happening often in scripture’s description of history.  Noah’s ark, Jacob’s marriages, and David’s anointing are good examples.  Bethlehem, Golgotha, and the empty tomb are even better.

Fear not, then find God’s plans.

Fear Not... Then Set Your Face

Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, (II Chronicles 20:3 ESV)

Fear Not… Then Set Your Face

Few of us are proud of our Driver’s License photos.  Those faces do not look anything like our imagined visage.  We either look surprised, asleep, lost, or possessed.  If we had the ability to alter those faces, what exactly would we change?  Would we choose to look noble?  Would we nuance our expression to appear alert?  Would we want our photo to be attractive, manly, or cute?

Jehoshaphat set his face to seek the Lord.  What does that mean?

We might think it had little to do with his facial features.  But I am not so sure.  While certainly, the idiom of the Bible here describes a purposeful mix of character, Godly desire, and noble intention.  Simply, Jehoshaphat aimed his entire being on the solution to his fear, God Himself.

But idiom usually has roots in reality.

If you could see Jehoshaphat, you would not have seen a man with a goofy grin.  You would not have seen him displaying a facial expression of terror, horror, or fear.  He would not have appeared sullen, self-pitying, or sad.

He was seeking the Lord… and I expect he looked like it.  His external skin mirrored his internal state.  He probably set his face with seriousness, with hope, with awe, with humility, with an impatient patience.

I am not sure what that looked like.

But Jehoshaphat’s face mattered.  Because it showed what he felt, what he sought, what he needed, what he depended on, what he lived for.  His face showed his heart to the world.  His face showed his God to the world.

Our faces are yet another one of those things that we claim is our own, and no one else’s business.  Our pride of self-expression, self-feeling, self-planning, and self-intentions is still simply that… pride.  Jehoshaphat instead set even his face to seek the Lord.  Jehoshaphat instead submitted even his own personal face to the Lord.  Jehoshaphat instead seems to be saying, my all is his.

Fear not, then set your face.