Jesus

Jehovah Tsidkenu

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Standing outside courthouses across the globe is a lady as old as time. Her appearance differs depending on the cultural context, but her name is the same on every continent. Justice.

“Lady Justice” has personified judicial law for millennia, dating back to Roman mythology. In most architectural renderings she stands tall, blindfolded, and wielding a sword in one hand with a scale set in the other. Stoic and beautiful, she welcomes people into her courthouses where, theoretically, they will be met with justice as balanced as the scales she holds.

It takes one look past those magnificent statues to see that Lady Justice is only a figment of man’s imagination. Justice is perverted as the guilty are set free and the innocent prosecuted. We bicker over policy in an effort to rectify the system but fail to see the injustice in our own proposals. While our best attempts at justice do sometimes bring a temporal satisfaction and give us a glimpse of the real thing, everyone can agree that the scales Lady Justice holds, and the scales of the real world are two different things.

We rightly lament over this disparity and how it affects us, but we must place ourselves on the scale to see that amidst our own efforts, we also maintain an egregiously unbalanced scale.

This is the case even if we place our “own” moral code and rules to live by on the other side of the scale. We can’t live up even to that, so we begin to place “worse” people on the other side. Think the scum of society, be it a criminal or member of an opposing political party. If we can’t balance the scale, might as well come out on top, right? What we miss is the fact that the other side of the scale isn’t something we determine, but as evidenced by the conscience and a universal assent to moral responsibility, is a reality grander than human intuition.

Righteousness, or conformity with what is ethically and morally acceptable or “right” sits on the other side of the scale. We’re all aware we must one day step on the platform to see if the scales slowly bob up and down only to come to rest in perfect equilibrium. Why else would we care about justice in the here and now? If there is no scale of justice we must face, why attempt to do justly to others? Without the presence of moral obligation, there is no logical place for justice and order in society. Only chaotic depravity.

Recognizing this, we seek to build a resume of righteousness. We start with all those years we didn’t murder, rape, or rob somebody. Then, we bullet out the things we did for our community and those in need. Next, we include our spotless legal record. Finally, we place the cherry on top by pointing to the years we have spent with our families. Surely an unrighteous person couldn’t sacrifice what we did for loved ones, right? We submit our resume confident the scales will balance even if we had some slip ups along the way, which we don’t mind minimizing. What meets us, however, is the horrifying reality that the other side of the scale is far weightier than we ever perceived.

Our so-called “righteous” acts lay on the scale as the density of true righteousness suspends them high in the air, a laughable sight akin to a toddler’s best attempt at drawing a self-portrait. That’s really what we came up with? That’s what we consider to be righteous?

The righteousness on the other side is ethereal, a law of the universe only the Creator can fully behold. For it is His very identity, that which He shaped His creation after, that sits upon the scale. Holiness, justice, and righteousness are here defined. These are not merely characteristics of Almighty God; He is the essence of their being.

Only a righteousness of equal weight will balance the scales, and only a balanced scale will deliver the subject from the cost of true justice. This justice requires two deaths, first one’s body and secondly one’s soul. Just one broken statute or failure to mirror our divine Creator in holiness results in the same punishment as the one who’s record is stained with iniquity. His law is too perfect for sinners to comply satisfactorily.

Any deviation from the scales in His deliberation mirror our broken justice systems, and simultaneously corrupt not only true justice, but the Lord from whom it derives its life. It is an impossibility.

What then, is mortal man to do? All are guilty in this courthouse. Nobody can balance their scale. An eternal sentence awaits our dead souls with torment and wrath, our just reward.

It is here where another individual stands. The crumbles of our earthly Lady Justice lie scattered in the shadow of another, but He is no Roman mythological creature. He is not an idea personified. He is not made of marble and clay but of flesh and blood.

His name is Jehovah Tsidkenu.

It’s in His days that true justice meets full mercy. As tears pour down our faces and we cry out in agony while the scales sway lopsided, He cuts in front of us. He casts Himself into the pit as our verdict is announced by the Judge. He dies our death and puts His own righteousness on the scales.

It balances.

Both the punishment earned by our crimes against the Creator and the hope of personal righteousness are fulfilled in His kingship. As we stand naked before God crying out to Him, He rises from the depths and places His royal robes onto our backs. The case has been closed and our sentence fully served.

His name is an unfamiliar one to us in later generations, but it was clear to those who He first chose to reveal Himself. He made clear to His prophets that this name is not simply a title, but a promise. A promise to all who recognize their righteousness is equivalent to rags in the sight of our perfect Creator and ask Him to balance the scales for them. Its meaning is not trenched in mystery but beautifully simple.

“The LORD our righteousness.”

Only the God man offers you the righteousness needed to balance the scales and be acceptable to God Almighty. Toss your resume of righteousness in the trash, for that’s all it is in the LORD’s sight. Trust in such a resume will leave your scales unbalanced and notarize your death sentence.

Jehovah Tsidkenu offers to impart to you righteousness. His own. He has already served your sentence; you need only cry out to Him in trusting dependence. Then you’ll call Him, “The LORD my righteousness.”

Scripture references:

Jeremiah 23:6 & Jeremiah 33:14-16 – Jehovah Tsidkenu, The LORD our righteousness

1 Corinthians 1:30 – Christ Jesus became for us righteousness, sanctification, and redemption

Philippians 3:8b-9 – A righteousness extended to us through faith in Christ

2 Corinthians 5:21 – In Christ, we become the righteousness of God

Victory

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The heat of battle melts many souls

Death is almost certain – who will be among the toll?

Warfare wages onward as the enemy rolls

A rubble city smolders like coal

The white flag lures us since it’s easier to fold

Our eyes water from the smoke

Visibility flees as we begin to choke

All we can see is the absence of hope

The enemy mocks and laughs at his jokes

Surely, we’re at the end of our rope

It’s in the midst of the fight of our lives

That the heart of the battle we can no longer deny

Our course is far from “easy as pie”

In fact, it sometimes feels easier to just die

As the battle rages, does anyone hear our cries?

Many settle for quick illusions

Which are never a substitution

For joining the revolution

By embracing our destitution

And accepting the King’s solution

He lays His life down

While wearing His crown

The opposition celebrates looking around

“The battle is won!” they say, “He is in the ground!”

“This self-proclaimed King will never again utter a sound”

The moment they thought they had won

Was the moment they longed would never come

The war was over long before it begun

The plan was fixed and the King’s will done

Even in the midst of their victory song

Our King rose and overcame

Death itself has been slain

“Believe in me,” “Give me your shame”

“Freed are those who trust my name.”

Grace falls like summer rains

His saints follow Him

Which means war on sin

Our road isn’t easy and often we feel pinned

Cry to King Jesus, our overcoming kin

Through faith in the victory for us He did win

What’s temporary doesn’t compare to that which is eternal

Battle horns may sound, but we aren’t without our Colonel

Listen to His instructions, don’t go in circles

Even now, you’re clothed in purple

Already your head is donned with the laurel

Scripture References:

1 John 5:4

1 Corinthians 15:56-57

Romans 8:18

Romans 8:37

Patience

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Every spring, the naked trees that endured winter’s blusters clothe themselves in a spectacular array of colors and fragrances. It’s as if they are preparing for a special occasion, taking extra measures to exhibit their beauty.

One of the earliest arrivals to the spring banquet is the Magnolia tree. Her pinkish white petals and bright yellow carpels seem to signal to the rest of the trees that it is indeed time once again to blossom.

I’ve long adored the large Magnolia that stands outside the front of our house. As a young kid, I would climb it and hang on its branches. As I’ve grown older, I find myself admiring the beauty of its presence in the springtime and all that means.

Spring is my favorite season. When I see that Magnolia in the front bloom, I know that warm weather, sunshine, and rounds of golf are right around the corner. I’ve come to notice over the past several years however, that in terms of Magnolias, ours seems to be a late bloomer.

Along our road are several homes with Magnolias that bloom at least a week or even two before ours. Could they be a different type of Magnolia?  Sure. I’m no arborist! But in this discrepancy, I find myself awaiting the buds’ transformation into flowers with a frustrated sense of urgency. In something so seemingly inconsequential, I quickly grow impatient, and the once eloquent banquet scene is ruined by an unruly rush of the moment.

Sound ridiculous? I’m not actually staring out the window angry because the tree didn’t bloom fast enough, but I might as well be when I examine other areas of my life.

Take driving. I’m not sure of many things I dislike more than driving behind someone going less than the speed limit. It infuriates me. I start to tap the steering wheel. I huff and puff. I consider passing even though I know it’s a stupid idea. One day after this began happening more frequently, I began to think, “why do people around here drive so slow?!” Then, like a smack in the face, a thought popped into my mind.

“Why do you drive so fast?”

I began to thank God that I was getting stuck behind “slow” drivers after that. I still don’t enjoy going less than the speed limit, but these scenarios have elevated a desire in my heart that is so much more valuable than being able to do things quickly.

I used to understand patience as waiting. If I was having a good day, patience would be waiting with a positive attitude. If I was having a bad day, patience would be waiting angry that it wasn’t time yet. But most of the time, patience for me has been an enemy I try my best to defeat quickly and often.

I think that’s probably the case for most people. We’d rather not wait so we do everything we can, so we don’t have to. But perhaps you have come to see with me that impatience almost always produces negative results. It ruins good things. It actually capsizes the desire it claims to expedite delivery on.

For years I’ve been praying that God would make me a patient person. So much so, that I’ve grown quite impatient that I’m not as patient as I’d like to be yet. It’s kind of hilarious when you think about it. Growing impatient about having patience!

As I’ve searched God’s Word trying to learn what He says about patience, it often seems like the word is presented as an exhortation but seldom with a definition. But upon closer study, you’ll find that patience is defined much differently than simply waiting or trying not to reduce your wait time.

Most of the references to patience I see in scripture are describing the character of God. Take Peter’s words as an example.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:8

This oft-quoted verse is remarkable. This statement is made during a reminder about the return of Jesus Christ to earth and the subsequent judgement of those who don’t know Him. We learn that God doesn’t see time in the same way that we do, sure. But more than that, we see that God is patient.

What does that mean? Patience is one thing for fallible human beings who can’t really control much of anything. But for the God of the universe for whom nothing is impossible? We see here that His patience is not merely waiting because He can’t do anything else. It’s part of His nature and a reflection of His love for the world that He’d rather delay His wrath on those who don’t know Him as much as possible so that they might come to repentance.

While He’s been mocked through the centuries by those who laugh at the idea of His existence, He’s waited patiently for them to receive His gift of salvation in Jesus Christ through faith.

The thing that’s so incredible to me about that is the fact that He never has to be patient. He is God. He can do as He pleases when He pleases. Yet He chooses in love to be patient with sinners, as He simultaneously adorns the finishing preparation touches for the true banquet awaiting the redeemed in Heaven.

Patience isn’t something that we can impatiently produce within ourselves. It’s something God works into our hearts as He brings forth the blossoming of His kingdom in its time. As He has been and is incredibly patient with us, then we can be patient with one another and even ourselves.

But much more than that, God’s patience is one of the avenues of His love towards us, culminating with salvation by offering up His Son as the atoning sacrifice for your sins and mine. Yet, patience is appointed for a time. We would be fools to mistake His patience for silence as many have done throughout the centuries. Just as those Magnolia buds pop every spring, so will Christ return. Those who have received His Son by faith will be “caught up in the air” with Him. Those who have rejected Him will fall into the His hands and face the judgement they once mocked.

Patience is something we all need. Sure, for the things in our lives that can drive us crazy, but more so, we need God to be patient with us. The good news is He has been! Listen to Paul’s words.

“But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”  – 1 Timothy 1:16

No matter what you’ve done or where you are right now, God has been patient with you. Receive His Son Jesus by faith. Seek Him. Wait upon Him. The result is much more beautiful than any Magnolia tree.

The Empty Cup

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There stands a cup

Brimming with wrath

A bitter, foaming wine

Fills the glass

A concoction so strong

One sip is deadly

Yet down to the dregs

Will the wicked drink this medley

We pour the cup

Swirling it under our noses

When we worship ourselves

And reject the God of Moses

“Wake up! Wake up!”

God’s servant Isaiah cried

“This drunkenness is not of wine

But judgement of the Divine”

“Hear the Word of the LORD,”

Jeremiah wept

“To drink is not a choice

It is your very debt”

These warnings to Israel

Extend to all mankind

For there are none righteous

All must drink this wine

Yahweh Almighty,

Perfect, holy, and true

No sin will He leave unpunished

All receive rebuke

He is the God of justice

alone defining its terms

All who reject Him

He will also spurn

This is the cup of staggering

Of fire, sulfur, and wind

No man can drink and live

Unless He be without sin

This leaves only one

Jesus, the Son of Man

Who lived a blameless life

And became our spotless lamb

The Father handed Him the cup

The one that stood before each of us

The weight of the world’s sin

Upon Messiah thrust

In agony he prayed

That the cup be taken from Him

Yet surrendered to His Father’s will

As He was beaten limb from limb

The one who raised the dead

The one who healed the blind

The one who freed the possessed

Was mocked and criminally maligned

He heard every word

And read every thought

Still, He pleaded their case

“Forgive them! What they do, they know not”

Each sip brought more misery

God’s just punishment of iniquity

And with one big swig

Cried “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

His lips trembled

As they released from the cup

He said “It is finished”

Every last drop

Darkness covered the land

Rocks split and crumbled

The temple curtain tore in two

As the city rumbled

His lifeless body hung

From the bloody splintered wood

Those watching beat their chests

And departed from where they stood

Some followers buried His corpse

And tightly wrapped it in linen

But then after three days

Heard reports that He had risen

The Marys and Salome

Visited the tomb

And the words of an angel

Made joy out of their gloom

“Why do you look for the living

The living among the dead?

For your LORD has risen

He’s risen just as He said!”

Christ appeared to many

Even those who doubted

“See my hands, touch my side”

He mercifully propounded

He explained the cup of wrath

Had been consumed once for all

When He died and rose again

And answered His Father’s call

Now a cup of blessing replaces

That which brought condemnation

For those who believe in Him

And come to Jesus for salvation

For their new cup is His blood

His body, their bread

Christ is now the very life

Of those who believe what He’s said

Judgement replaced with blessing

Guilt replaced with peace

Grace instead of wrath

Alive instead of deceased

Come to Jesus Christ

Who drank the cup for you

Repent and receive

The one who makes you new

Your heart is His prize

The soul He Himself made

The price of His blood

Was one for you He paid

Rebel from your rebellion

Lift your cross, take it up

Come and worship the one

Who emptied your cup

Scripture References:

Thus the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.” Jeremiah 25:15

“And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: You must drink!” Jeremiah 25:28

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs. Psalm 75:8

Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. Psalm 11:6


Wake yourself, wake yourself, stand up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of his wrath, who have drunk to the dregs the bowl, the cup of staggering. Isaiah 51:17

Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: “Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more; and I will put it into the hand of your tormentors, who have said to you, ‘Bow down, that we may pass over’; and you have made your back like the ground and like the street for them to pass over.” Isaiah 51:22-23

For as you have drunk on my holy mountain, so all the nations shall drink continually; they shall drink and swallow, and shall be as though they had never been. Obadiah 16

Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” Matthew 20:22-23

And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Matthew 26:42

Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized, but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:38-40

And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Mark 14:36

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Mark 14:23-25

“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Luke 22:42-44

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” John 18:11

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 1 Corinthians 10:21

If, Then

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I’ve written before that math has never been my thing.

That’s why I was shocked when I was sitting in a college math class and it dawned on me that I was actually enjoying what I was learning.

It was a feeling I never experienced in my 12-year academic career. I was well acquainted with dread, confusion, apathy, and frustration. Joy? It felt…wrong.

But that’s exactly what I felt sitting in that lecture hall in late October one fall semester. I’m pretty sure it was called “Introduction to Mathematics” or something. It was probably the lowest level course I was allowed to take. All I know is as a communication major, I only was required to take one math course. One! It was bliss. So, I chose the most basic course hoping it would be a glorified curriculum of addition and subtraction.

Somehow, someway the little old man professor who boasted a sub 1-star RateMyProfessor score won my attention and for the first time in my life, math made sense. I remember thinking “if I had only taken this class in kindergarten…”

Rather than math itself, we discussed the why of math. Logic. It was super interesting and something I realized wasn’t just observable in a textbook or on a whiteboard, but in my life. Perhaps more astonishingly, I began to see math in the Bible.

Conditional statements, or “if, then” statements aren’t something on which we spend a whole lot of time. It’s one of the building of logic. Effects have a cause, and a cause has effects. We understand this every time we make decisions. Our decisions are causes that have effects, some intentional and others unintentional. It’s a simple truth of our existence.

It should be no surprise then that the Bible, authored by supreme Creator God, is chock full of “if, then” statements. One of my favorite questions when reading the Bible is to ask, “what’s the ‘therefore’ there for?’ It’s a great question because there are a LOT of uses of the word “therefore” or it’s variations in scripture. It also aims to go deeper and gain a whole picture of the causal relationship being described.

The apostle Paul knew logic well. The content in his letters compound like interest. His premise leads to an implication which then points to another truth which then reveals a deep fact of life to his audience. The identity of God is almost always his cause.

The same goes for the Old Testament. I’ve been particularly struck by the book of Ezekiel when God uses the phrase “that they may know that I am the LORD” almost every single chapter. The word “that” naturally points to a cause as knowing God to be the LORD or, YAHWEH – the name of God Most High.

Tragically, the context of Ezekiel and this discovery of who God is comes through an outpouring of punishment of sin. Israel had been entrenched in wicked behavior for centuries and continued to rebel against God’s gracious calls to return to Him, their first love, their bride. Yet the people continued in wickedness, choosing to construct material alternatives to the unseen God who revealed Himself to them daily in creation, provision, and protection.

So, where God previously announced that His chosen people would know who He was through blessing and miraculous displays of His power on their behalf – like parting the Red Sea- He now spoke through Ezekiel, and others, that the people would know who He was because of their destruction. They were to discover who really holds the power when their semblance of control was stripped from them and their world fell apart.

And that’s exactly what happened. Famine broke out and the people starved. Swords were unsheathed as God rose up nations like Assyria and Babylon to destroy Israel. Pestilence filled the land and drove a desperate people to long for death to bring a release.

As I continue to read through the prophets, I sense God asking His people – “What’s it gonna take? What’s it gonna take for you to wake up and smell the roses – or should I say decaying bodies? When are you stubborn people going to realize who I am and come back to me?” Thankfully, God is much more gentle and more gracious than I.

So often, the misplaced questions we present to God could be effortlessly flipped back on us. We say to Him “if only you did this, then I would believe.” A simple cause, effect relationship, right? Wrong. Turns out logic can be observed in nature, but our arrogance leads us down a dangerously illogical path.

One of my favorite examples of this is when a group of people who likely had just witnessed Jesus feed thousands of people with two fish and five loaves of bread have the audacity to ask Jesus, “what sign do you do that we may see and believe you?” It’s ludicrous when reading through in context. I mean, what is it going to take if they see that happen and still don’t believe?

There are signs a plenty for us to know God. He has revealed Himself in creation, His Word, and His people just to name a few things. As we see in Ezekiel, God does things that we may know that He is who He says He is.

Perhaps the ultimate example of this is the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the only sinless one to ever live yet was crushed on the cross with the weight of the sins of the world. After being dead three days, He walked out of His grave and appeared to His disciples and hundreds of others. He then ascended into Heaven, and His angels explained He would return in the same way that he left.  

Prior to these events, Jesus gave us the most important “if, then” statement. He says that the one who believes in Him will live, even though they die. What does this mean? He again says that he who believes in Him, has eternal life. That is, the required payment for our sin is death, yet Christ paid that debt. So, when one believes in Jesus, they agree with Him about their sin and need for Him. They accept what He did on the cross for them, and they’ll be with Him for all eternity because of what He did.

To know who God is because of mercy and not judgement is a gift of grace open to all who read this today! May the hard-heartedness of previous generations not continue in us. May we know that He is the LORD and place all our trust in Jesus!

Scripture References:

Ezekiel 6:7 – One of many examples of  “and you shall know that I am the LORD.”

Exodus 14 – The parting of the Red Sea

John 6:30 – “What sign do you do, that we may see and believe you?”

Matthew 27 & 28 – The crucifixion & resurrection of Jesus

Acts 1:11 – “Jesus…will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

No More, No Less

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I had a bad habit as a kid of embellishing things.

My parents would graciously respond to all of my exaggerated hyperboles the same way.

“Okay. What really happened?”

Part of it might be because I’ve always loved a good story. Or maybe it’s because I wanted to influence their view on something rather than just present the facts. Either way, my family quickly learned to take what I said with a grain of salt.

Even today when I recount something, I have to fight the strong urge to add in or enlarge certain details. It’s quite easy to do and (sometimes) hard for the listener to detect. After all, can they really disprove the size of the fish I caught last summer? Or can they see my bank account to verify I make as much as I said I did? We perceive an easy benefit without a likely cost. This is not reality.

This simple equation is the principle behind lying or manipulating the truth. We place a premium value on a fabrication while setting the truth aside as if it were an old orange peel. Of course, such a scenario manifests in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most staggering is in the dissemination of God’s words.

Recently, I have been reading through the book of the Biblical prophet Jeremiah. The ancient nation of Judah, God’s chosen people, rebelled against their God in pursuit of false gods which resulted in all kinds of appalling behavior – such as sacrificing their own children. God speaks through His anointed prophet Jeremiah announcing the land He gave Israel will be invaded by Babylon as He judges the land for its sin. The people had many chances to return to God and receive mercy, but at the time of much of Jeremiah’s writing, the Babylonian exile is set in stone after numerous rejections of His merciful offers.

Jeremiah is tasked with bringing this terrible news to his fellow countrymen. So much so, that I’ve started to think that the phrase “don’t shoot the messenger” comes from this account. There are many attempts on his life, even by his own family. Everybody hated this dude.

Why? He spoke just what God told him to say. Words of defeat, death, and desolation. He urged the people to relent of their wicked ways and return to the God who made them to avoid the impending destruction. They didn’t like that message. So, they tried to silence him. Rather, they tried to silence God.

Alternatives to Jeremiah’s words began to sprout up like weeds in a garden. The first was by a guy named Hananiah. Jeremiah had prophesied that the Israelites would be in exile 70 years, Judah’s old king named Jeconiah would die in Babylon, and that those who brought their necks under the “yoke” of Babylon would survive. Hananiah announces later that same year that the exile would only last two years as the yoke of Babylon was broken and that Jeconiah would be brought back into Judah. Hananiah’s prophesy contradicted Jeremiah’s at every point. Obviously, Hananiah’s message was a little more palatable than Jeremiah’s and required no remediation of behavior.

While Jeremiah ironically hoped Hananiah’s message was true, he wisely reminded the people to examine a true prophet by seeing which actually happens. After 37 years of Babylonian captivity, Jeconiah aka Jehoiachin was freed – but he did not return to Judah. He lived in Babylon till his death, well cared for by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar’s son and successor, Evil-merodach. Hananiah didn’t see the end of that same year he made the false prophecy. He died because he turned the people from God and made them trust in a lie he created.

Even after, more weeds arose. Two men named Ahab and Zedekiah (not to be confused with the kings of Judah with the same names) spoke lies claiming to be from God while sleeping with their neighbors’ wives. In judgement, God consigns them to be “roasted in the fire” by Nebuchadnezzar. A so-called prophet named Shemaiah rebukes the priest Zephaniah for not chiding Jeremiah with stocks and neck irons for telling the people that their exile will be long, and they should settle in Babylon by building houses and planting gardens. Just like Hananiah, Ahab, and Zedekiah, God judges Shemaiah for making His people trust in a lie. Shemaiah’s family line is ended, and he is forbidden from seeing the redemption of the land that comes after the exile.

We see many here with a position of religious standing and influence proclaim something different than what God has actually spoken. The result is that people are ALWAYS driven AWAY from God. Had they listened to God’s words through Jeremiah, they would have repented of their sin, returned to God, and been saved from God’s wrath imposed through Babylon.

While those reading aren’t citizens of Judah and the nation of Babylon no longer exists, God’s words still do. He tells us that though all things will pass away, His words never will. His true word ALWAYS leads us TOWARDS Him. To change His words or claim He said something he hasn’t may not always be obvious, but it always results in death. Yours and those listening to you.

So, this begs the question– what is God’s word? What does it say?

The central message is one of His glory and our salvation through belief in the death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son Jesus Christ. Open it up to see true justice, amazing grace, and eternal hope. Sin is not justified. Instead it is explained in great detail and always exposed as leading to death. Judgement is promised, yet so is a way out for those who humble themselves before the Lord.

God’s word. It always points us to Jesus Christ. It always points us to our desperate need and His gracious supplication. It’s my prayer that you hear and see it in every post, action, and word I speak. No more, no less.

Scripture References:

Jeremiah 22:24-27 – Jeconiah won’t return to Judah but will die in Babylon

Jeremiah 25:12 – Babylonian exile will be for 70 years

Jeremiah 27 – Yoke of Babylon, death for those who rebel, life for those who submit and obey God

Jeremiah 28 & 29 – Hananiah, Ahab, Zedekiah, and Shemaiah’s false prophecies

2 Kings 25:27-30 – Jehoiachin dies in Babylon, but thrives under Babylonian captivity after surrender

Isaiah 13:9, Jeremiah 51 – Babylon destroyed (539 B.C.)

Matthew 24:35 – All will pass away, except for God’s words

Flow

/ brianhilton9 / 1 Comment

As clouds drift through the sky
So the river of God flows
Waters of peace
Satiate once parched souls

From Eden’s garden
To the Lamb on the throne
His living water springs
In those fully known

Why go to the dry riverbeds?
Why fill your pail with dust?
When the Almighty God calls
It’s His well or bust

Draw from the reservoir of Jesus
Believe, trust, obey
The suffering servant who ascended
After the third day

It’s his blood that flowed
For the blood guilt we carry
Judgement passes over my door
To Christ I am married

Dive in and swim
To the One who is faithful
Bring your questions, bring your skepticism
He is more than capable

Leave your pride at the bank
And with it your “righteousness”
Those will sink you
And keep you from his Highness

Come to Him now
While the river flows
Judgement is real
Don’t be lulled into comatose

Aphthartos, Amiantos, Amarantos

/ brianhilton9 / 1 Comment

What do you truly have?

It’s a question concerned with possession or affiliation. We frequently use the word “have” to describe our relationship to something. There are a variety of subjects in which we kick off our discourse with the words “I have.” Family. Employment. Romantic relationships. Material possessions. Wealth. The list goes on.

But do you truly have any of these things? This is a question that’s been heavily on my mind of late. I am not questioning the basic fact of relation or possession. I am more concerned with the longevity of that relationship. The things we comfortably say are ours – will they always be?

Shockingly, the answer is no for everything listed above. Think about it. A tree limb may fall on your car and total it in a matter of seconds. Your 401k account could be depleted in a single day of trading. You can lose your job at any time. Most tragically, those you love the most could perish in the blink of an eye. Every one of these things in a literal sense, are perishable.

Consider your very life. You can and will “lose” your possession of it.

This certainly isn’t a pleasant thought. Just the idea of losing these things breed our most paralyzing fears. This can drive us to several different places. To remedy the thought of losing something near and dear to us we may hold on to it so tightly so that it can’t conceivably be taken from us. Or maybe to save ourselves from any hurt, we don’t get attached to things and keep our distance. I think many of us fall somewhere in the middle, however. We try to “live life to the fullest” and go with the flow. But, if we’re honest, the fact that all things are temporary is a source of agony deep within our hearts.

It is here that we can begin to see the majesty of God’s promises in Jesus Christ. Through some simple comparing and contrasting, we see that there is something different about God’s promise of salvation and restoration in Jesus. I find the words of Peter in his first letter particularly encouraging:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – 1 Peter 1: 3-5

Peter uses three adjectives to describe the “inheritance” a believer in Jesus is given through His death and resurrection. The first is imperishable or aphthartos in Greek. This word is often used to describe something that is not liable to decay or corruption. The next is undefiled or amiantos which often speaks to being free from natural deformation or the impairment of power. The last is unfading or amarantos. The main idea is something that is not simply long lasting but a thing that can’t cease to exist in any capacity. This word is also used to describe a certain type of flower that blooms every year. We know them as perennials!

The hope believers in Jesus have is alive as Peter states because it is in the one who rose from the dead after offering Himself as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. He lives and so does our hope. We have this hope not because we toiled long and hard to take possession of it. Rather, we have this because it has been given to us. A gift from God. It anchors the soul of the born-again believer.

Woefully, the hope those who reject Jesus have is dead and false. It is in things that perish. While they may be visible, they are not eternal. They are not sworn on by the Most High as He has His promised salvation through Christ’s blood. We were made to need the true, living, everlasting God. Anything that falls short of Him is no possession at all.

Imperishable, undefiled, unfading. Is there anything we know that can be described in such ways? To the praise of God alone, the only one thing I have to my name qualifies. That is the promise of salvation through Jesus Christ, my living hope. This promise is for you too. Come to Him.

Scripture References:

1 Peter 1: 3-5 – Imperishable, undefiled, unfading

1 Peter 1:18-19 – Redemption with the imperishable & precious blood of Christ

Hebrews 6:13-20 – The highest oath, an anchor for our souls.

Matthew 24:35 – God’s words will never pass away

Romans 8:35,38-39 – What shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Truth Seeker

/ brianhilton9 / 1 Comment

Why do you believe what you believe?

It’s a question that regularly crosses my mind as I scroll through my social media feeds. Housed in these digital courthouses, a plethora of issues are discussed daily. Sometimes in civil, respectful ways. Sometimes with toxic abhorrence.

There are times that logging onto Facebook feels like I’m walking into a 5th grade science fair where the majority of students have chosen to make one of those baking soda and vinegar “volcanoes.” Instead of these two common household items, insert any opposing commonly held belief system – whether political, religious, social, or even just about sports! Pressure builds, bubbles, and finally releases in an explosive decision. Maybe in the form of harmful language typed the person would never say to another’s face. Or possibly with the unfriending or eliminating someone from your virtual friend pool.

The contentious climate our nation finds itself in has created more of this than ever. Whether it concerns the COVID-19 pandemic, race relations and societal injustice, or the upcoming election, there’s a lengthy buffet of arguments to dish out onto your plate each day.

The upheaval of society and a recent study in the book of Jeremiah has me asking myself amidst this chaos,

“Are you looking for truth?”

I find it easier to speak my thoughts on something rather than listen to another’s. I find it easier to point out other’s flaws rather than my own. I find it easier to dismiss someone because I disagree with them than building a relationship while acknowledging differences. None of these instinctual pulls jive with truth seeking. In fact, I believe these tendencies lead us to an echo chamber where we only listen to people we agree with, which is a breeding ground for deception.

In the days of Jeremiah, his homeland of Judah was in peril. God had rescued the nation of Israel from Egyptian oppression and provided them with the land He promised to their forefather Abraham. Yet they were unfaithful to God and cheated on Him with false gods. They disobeyed God and lived double lives, surrendering their hearts to idols yet claimed to still be God’s faithful “spouse.”

For their sin, God promised judgement and appointed Jeremiah to relay this message to the people that they might repent, return to God, and once again enjoy His blessing on their land. They didn’t listen.

“Run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note! Search her squares to see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her. Though they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’ yet they swear falsely. O LORD, do not your eyes look for the truth? You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.” Jeremiah 5:1-3

Despite the discipline they received, the people were too blind and hardened to be convinced of the truth. They chose a lie instead. What did they do to one who told them something they didn’t want to hear? They persecuted Jeremiah. They sought his life, mocked, and berated him and regarded him as a laughingstock. However, the people of Judah weren’t laughing when the prophesied “disaster from the north…a destroyer of nations” or Babylon, came and conquered Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Truth and justice, as mentioned in the text, was not sought by anyone in the streets of Jerusalem. If it had been, they undoubtedly would have returned to God who is truth and is justice, and God in His grace would have spared the whole city. The evidence didn’t matter to them and neither did truth. They sought what they wanted to seek, and it earned them desolation.

I want to be careful here. I’m not saying America is Judah. But I do see many modern parallels that are addressed by this text when examined in its context. Truth is impartial, as is its creator. It doesn’t have a political affiliation or skin color. Man is not the author of it, no matter how bad we might want to be. Nobody is immune to ignoring the truth and seeking a lie. As one deals with God, so they deal with truth.

I’m also reminded as I write of the maddening refusal of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day to accept the fact that He raised a man named Lazarus from the dead. Instead of considering that Jesus may be who He claimed to be with this miracle as proof, they conspired on how to kill Lazarus. They would rather destroy the evidence, than accept the conclusion to which it pointed.

This tragic rejection of truth would be outdone when Jesus rose from the dead after laying His life down that the sins of mankind may be forgiven. When the guards standing outside the tomb told the religious leaders what had happened, once again, they denied the undeniable and circulated a theory that the disciples had come and stolen Jesus’ dead body. They didn’t want the truth, so they didn’t want Jesus.

As we navigate the complex issues of our time, may we run to God who is the truth. Not a political talk show, not social media, not what we’ve always heard, and especially not ourselves. May we seek truth and examine the source of our beliefs. May this practice drive us to “the way, the truth and the life,” Jesus Christ.

Scripture References:

Jeremiah 2:26-28 – Judah’s condition during Jeremiah’s time.

Jeremiah 4:6-7 – A “destroyer of nations” is their punishment.

Jeremiah 4:14 – God calls Jerusalem (and all of Judah) to repent.

Jeremiah 5:1-3 – They refuse to repent.

John 12:9-11 – They would rather kill Lazarus than believe in Jesus who raised him from the dead.

Matthew 27:62-28:15 – Jesus rises from the dead before their eyes, they try and cover up the evidence.

John 14:1-7 – Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

For Him

/ brianhilton9 / Leave a comment

Sometimes the smooth gradient of everyday life is confronted with a question.

These questions are rarely the sort that demand an answer in the moment, making them easy to limbo underneath. These sorts of questions threaten to rattle our comfortable way of life. So, we naturally avoid contemplation because it often brings friction.

Eventually though, the questions become unavoidable. Life circumstances have a way of continually bringing us back to the same questions no matter how good we are at avoiding them.

This is especially the case with one question that has resided in my mind since my early adolescence.

“Why do I exist?”

This is a question that I am confident most ask at some point in their life.

Some try to do the most good they can in hopes that it will somehow positively benefit them in whatever happens after death. Others see pleasure as the ultimate goal of their existence and reject any notion of an afterlife. Many even believe there is no reason for their existence, they just exist.

These are only several of the many explanations we come up with for the “why” of our existence.

How often do we say “why” to that why?

What I mean is, are you truly satisfied with the understanding of your existence? Do you ever question it, even if you are confident you have it figured out? One genuinely seeking truth questions and is not afraid to place their own preconceived notions under the microscope.

I have found great comfort in what the Bible teaches regarding our existence and the more I live, the more I see its truth. Rather than existing simply for our own sake, our existence is not ultimately about us. As Colossians 1:16-17 states:

“For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.”

Not only are we told how we exist in this verse – which is a whole other conversation – we are taught that it is not only us, but all things that exist for Him. “Him” refers to Jesus Christ, who is called “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” just a verse prior to the ones above.

Essentially, we are shown here that the entire package of our existence is wrapped up in God Himself. It is He that is our significance, security and purpose. In other words, when He is receiving glory, then we are fulfilling our purpose.

I find it ironic that often the biggest names of the Bible are people who actually did very little when all is said and done. It is common knowledge to our culture that Moses parted the Red Sea. But did He really hold up the two banks of water? No, God did! He simply walked across dry land.

We can reflexively admire and revere the men and women of the Bible who God used to carry out His purposes. Naturally, we do the same with ourselves, regardless of our view of God. We want the glory of God. We want to be revered. We want to have influence. We want to be admired. We are duped thinking its why we exist.

When we believe we exist for anything but God himself, we are attempting to walk upstream as a raging rapid flushes against our legs. It results in hopes that produce nothing but empty accomplishments. Yet when we agree with what God says about us – that we are His creation in existence for His glory – we flow with the current. Things are as they should be.

This does not mean that your existence suddenly becomes a cake walk when you submit it to the will of God. It does mean that you can walk with true purpose that exists outside of yourself. You can walk in works the God has prepared in advance for you to do, that HE might receive glory.

Everything is already set-up – we just need to ask Him to help us to follow Him.

I hope that the words of God will penetrate your heart and soul and you will give your answer to the question of “why do I exist” a serious second or third look.

Scripture references:

Colossians 1:15-17 – All things exist through Him and for Him.

Exodus 14 – The Israelites cross the Red Sea.

Philippians 2:13 – It is God who works in us to glorify Him through good works.

Galatians 2:10 – God prepared these good works in advance for us to do.