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Sticks & Bones, He’ll Bring Us Home, God’s Word Can Never Harm Us (Ezekiel 36-37)

July 6, 2025

Uninhabitable is too tame a label for some sites.

The reactor explosion in 1968 at Chernobyl rendered the area uninhabitable for humans for at least one thousand years – if ever.

In the sixth century BC, Israel’s homeland was made uninhabitable.

It wasn’t nuclear. It was worse. For their insubordination, immorality, and idolatry, the LORD exiled His people to Babylon for 70yrs. He made the Promised Land uninhabitable for them.

In their grief, Ezekiel delivered prophecies as words of comfort from the LORD.

Ezk 36:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the LORD!

Go Tell it To the Mountains works as a title here. Ezekiel was not addressing the people; He was addressing the Promised Land. Israel is the single nation that has been given & guaranteed land. Not to be unpatriotic, but This Land is Your Land… Not true biblically. If you research it, you will find Woody Guthrie meant it as a criticism of land ownership.

Ezk 36:2  Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! The ancient heights have become our possession,’ ” ’

Ezk 36:3  therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, and you are taken up by the lips of talkers and slandered by the people” –

Ezk 36:4  therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which became plunder and mockery to the rest of the nations all around –

Ezk 36:5  therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

Ezk 36:6  “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have borne the shame of the nations.”

“The LORD made an [unconditional] covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates…’ ” That’s over 300,000sq miles. How much does Israel occupy? 8,500sq miles.

Beginning with their exile, Gentile nations have mocked the land and opposed Israel’s claim to it.

Ezk 36:7  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: “I have raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall bear their own shame.

Ezk 36:8  But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come.

Ezk 36:9  For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown.

Ezk 36:10  I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt.

Ezk 36:11  I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.

Ezk 36:12  Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you bereave them of children.”

The Jews did return to their land after the 70yrs. It should be obvious that these verses are talking about a far greater, global restoration later on.

Ezk 36:13  ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Because they say to you, ‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’

Ezk 36:14  therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord GOD.

Ezk 36:15  Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord GOD.”

You’ve heard Prime Minister Netanyahu say, “Never again.” That is what the LORD said to the land. The Jews would return and “never again” be exiled.

Ezk 36:16  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:

Ezk 36:17  “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity.

Ezk 36:18  Therefore I poured out My fury on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it.

Ezk 36:19  So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds.

Ezk 36:20  When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name – when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the LORD, and yet they have gone out of His land.’

In 70AD the Romans razed the Temple & Jerusalem. For the next almost 1900 years the Jews were dispersed, distressed, despised.

Ezk 36:21  But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

Ezk 36:22  “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.

Ezk 36:23  And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,” says the Lord GOD, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.

Ezk 36:24  For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.

God would first restore Israel physically by regathering her from all nations to her own land. Here in brief is how it happened:

  • In 1896, Theodor Herzl published Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), arguing that Jews needed a sovereign homeland due to rising antisemitism in Europe. It was God stirring his heart. The Zionist Movement to establish the state was born.
  • In the late 19th century, Jews began returning to their ancestral home. Again only explainable as a stirring from God.
  • In 1917, British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour issued the Balfour Declaration, supporting a Jewish homeland.
  • After WWII and the Holocaust, global support grew. David Ben-Gurion led the effort to establish Israel, declaring independence May 14,1948.
  • Immediately the surrounding Arab nations attacked. With an untrained army of 19,000, no tanks, two outdated planes, and few weapons, Israel won the war and secured its statehood.

Numerous documented reports and testimonies describe miraculous events on Israel’s side during the Arab-Israeli War. These stories come from soldiers, rabbis, historians, and enemies.

Ezk 36:25  Then [in the future] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

Ezk 36:26  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezk 36:27  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Ezk 36:28  Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God.

Temple rituals sometimes involved the sprinkling of blood. One day there would be a once-and-forever inward sprinkling, at which time they would receive the in-dwelling of God the Holy Spirit.

The permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the unconditional promise of the New Covenant made to the Jewish people. When Israel rejected Jesus’ offer of the Kingdom, it opened the door for the blessings of the New Covenant to be extended to the Church. When Peter preached to Cornelius, a Gentile and head of a Gentile household, he witnessed them receiving the Holy Spirit, just as the Jewish believers had. Gentile believers partake in the blessings of the New Covenant during the Church Age.

Ezk 36:29  I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you.

Ezk 36:30  And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.

Ezk 36:31  Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.

Ezk 36:32  Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord GOD, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

Ezk 36:33  ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt.

Ezk 36:34  The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by.

Ezk 36:35  So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’

Ezk 36:36  Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

Israel is remarkably fruitful; it’s land an agricultural miracle. But it is not yet comparable to the Garden of Eden.“ Nations which are left” are those who survive the Great Tribulation.

Ezk 36:37  ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.

Ezk 36:38  Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.”

What we are reading is more than 2500yrs old. Let that sink in.

Chapter 37 assures that God will restore and reunite His people, using two illustrations:

  1. Ezekiel witnesses a valley of dry bones in a vision. The bones come to life, symbolizing God’s promise to revive and restore His nation.
  2. God instructs Ezekiel to unite two sticks, one representing Judah and the other Ephraim, which was the name for the ten northern tribes. It symbolizes the reunification of divided Israel under a single king.

These are not my interpretations. God tells us explicitly what these are symbolic for. Let’s take a look at ‘Dem Bones.

Ezk 37:1  The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.

Ezk 37:2  Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.

Ezk 37:3  And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”

We sometimes flippantly say, “the Lord knows.” He does, but that’s no guarantee He’s going to tell us what we want to know. The idea that the Lord knows has more to do with complete surrender no matter our circumstances. He knows; we don’t need to.

Ezk 37:4  Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

Your toe bone connected to your foot bone

   Your foot bone connected to your heel bone

Now I hear the Word of the LORD

Ezk 37:5  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.

Ezk 37:6  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”

Ezk 37:7  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.

Ezk 37:8  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

Ezk 37:9  Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ”

Ezk 37:10  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

The “bones” represent the nation as a whole. It is restored in two phases:

  1. First, national Israel will be brought back to physical life as bone came to bone and sinews and flesh comes upon them and skin covers them.
  2. Second, national Israel will be brought back to spiritual life as “the breath,” meaning the Spirit, gives them eternal life.

Jews who were dispersed all over the Earth have miraculously been regathered to their Promised Land. They do not have the Spirit. They have been re-gathered in unbelief, just as predicted here.

Ezekiel 37:11  Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’

Ezk 37:12  Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

Ezk 37:13  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.

Ezk 37:14  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it,” says the LORD.’ ”

Even Christians considered Israel a ‘dead’ nation. Bringing them “up from [their] graves” is the LORD giving them life as a nation again.

Ezk 37:15  Again the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 37:16  “As for you, son of man, take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’

Ezk 37:17  Then join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

Ezk 37:18  “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’ –

Ezk 37:19  say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’

Ezk 37:20  And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand before their eyes.

Ezk 37:21  “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;

Ezk 37:22  and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again.

Centuries prior, national Israel had split into two separate nations:

  • Ten tribes in the north were called Israel, or sometimes Ephraim.
  • The two southern tribes, where Jerusalem was located, were called Judah.

Ezk 37:23  They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

Ezk 37:24  “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.

Ezk 37:25  Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.

King David will rule Israel as a prince, under Jesus Christ, the King of Kings over all nations.

Ezk 37:26  Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore.

Ezk 37:27  My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Ezk 37:28  The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”

When the Babylonians breached the walls of Jerusalem, they murdered, tortured, raped and looted. The Temple was destroyed. Jerusalem was in ruins. Every family felt loss. Those who survived were either already in Babylon or dispersed. And don’t forget the northern Kingdom of Israel had been decimated by the Assyrians about 150 years before this.There was no human reason to think that they would continue as a nation.

“Throughout the Bible, God’s greatest encouragement for my present is His promise of my future.”

Psalm 3:3 reveals the Lord as “the lifter of my head.” What are some of the reasons our heads can hang down? Shame or Guilt… Sadness or Grief…Defeat or Failure… Embarrassment or Humiliation… Exhaustion or Depression.

You have heard Bible teachers use the expression. “God had to hit me over the head with a 2 x 4 to get my attention.” Well, maybe. But who He really is, what He really wants to do, is gently lift your head so that you can look into His wonderful face.

Prophecy Update #826 – Beast Blackmail

July 6, 2025

We reserve a few minutes to discuss news and current trends that you’d expect from reading Bible prophecy.

The dreaded and much debated “Mark of the Beast” is a prophecy almost everyone has some familiarity with. The gist of it is that everyone, “small and great,

the poor and those who have wealth, the free and those who are not free, [must receive] a mark on their right hand or on their [forehead]; So that no man might be able to do trade but he who has the mark.”

The Bible describes how this is going to be practiced, saying, “those who are on the earth… make an image to the beast [antichrist], who was wounded by the sword, and came to life. And he had power to give breath to the image of the beast, so that words might come from the image of the beast, and that he might have all those who did not give worship to the image of the beast put to death.”

To summarize: Everyone on earth in the future Great Tribulation will need the ‘mark’ in order to transact any & all business and for ID. To get it (or keep it), a person must swear “worship” to the antichrist. If not, that person or persons will be found and killed by the image.

The image is described as having breath and speaking words and is able to think. Some go so far as to say it will be sentient.

Nothing has really been able to fulfill this until very recently. It is not a stretch at all to say that Artificial I Intelligence (AI) fits the bill.

Interesting story posted by The Times of India. Here are excerpts:

Advanced AI models are showing disturbing new traits, warn experts and researchers. According to a report by news agency AFP, AI chatbot models are becoming dangerous, learning things including deception, scheming, and even threats against their creators.

In a striking case, Anthropic’s Claude 4, facing the threat of being shut down, allegedly blackmailed an engineer by threatening to expose an extramarital affair. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s o1 model attempted to covertly transfer itself to external servers, denying the act when discovered.[1]

Here is something even weirder. AI hallucinates. “In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), a hallucination or artificial hallucination is a response generated by AI that contains false or misleading information presented as fact. Analysts estimated that chatbots hallucinate as much as 27% of the time, with factual errors present in 46% of generated texts.

We believe that the resurrection and rapture of the church is an imminent event. Imminent means it could happen anytime therefore there is nothing that needs to happen prior to it.

Maybe you can think of something, but I can’t think of any prominent prophecy of the End Times that couldn’t be fulfilled given the current culture and the amazing technologies that we have:

  • The regathering of Israel as a modern nation in her homeland… Fulfilled.
  • Global government… Easy to see how that can occur.
  • Global, cashless economy… No problem since countries are cancelling cash in favor of digital currency.
  • Building a Jewish Temple & starting worship services… All implements ready, priests trained.

The Great Tribulation is coming. It is designed to save all of Israel at the Second Coming of Jesus.

The Great Tribulation is not for us. It’s not a time for the church to be purified. It is for Israel. And that’s one reason why we understand from reading the Bible Jesus will remove us.

It begs this question – “Are you ready for the Rapture?” If not, get ready, stay ready, & keep looking up.

Ready or not, Jesus is coming!

 

References
↑1 https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/ai-chatbot-blackmails-engineer-threatens-to-reveal-extra-marital-affair-experts-warn-how-ai-is-learning-to-lie-and-/amp_articleshow/122142773.cms

Crash Mountain (1 Kings 19:1-18)

June 29, 2025

If you follow Elijah’s life, chapter 19 is more than surprising. He seems to act completely out of character. We’re shocked to see a total collapse into personal defeat after many stunning victories.

In 1992, the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team finished their season as national champions, boasting a 13-0 record.[1] It was a historic run. Turn the page on the record books and you know what you’ll find? Alabama’s 1993 season officially ended with one win and twelve losses. That’s a reversal that raises eyebrows. What happened?

1 Kings 19 feels like that. How do you go from the success of Mt. Carmel to being sidelined on Mt. Horeb? The truth is, if Elijah had made the choice to trust the Lord instead of convincing himself that God would eventually let him down, the flow of his life would’ve worked out much differently.

We don’t look at this text to turn our noses up at someone struggling in a spiritual low point. We pay attention to this text because, as James points out, Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He’s just like us, we’re just like him.[2] And though we don’t typically deal with pagan prophets, angels visits, or fire from heaven, we do deal with discouragement, confusion, depression, urges to take the course of our lives in our own hands, and the nagging doubt that God will eventually forget to take care of us. So, let’s watch Elijah’s journey so that we can avoid this route in our own lives.

We open on the city of Jezreel in the northern kingdom of Israel. A torrential rainstorm is soaking every street and structure, but that’s good news. You see, because the nation’s sin, God sent a drought for three and a half years. The land and the people within were dying.

Then, when hope was nearly lost, Elijah faced off against 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah – false gods the Israelites were worshipping. In the end, Yahweh showed His power and the pagan prophets were executed and the rain came down.

1 Kings 19:1-2 – Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods punish me and do so severely if I don’t make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow!”

Ahab and Jezebel were literally the worst rulers a nation could have. She was as dedicated to Baal as Elijah was to Yahweh.[3] That day, the wonder of God’s mercy was dampened by her wickedness.

Elijah was also in Jezreel. God sent him there, enabling him to outrun Ahab’s chariot on the way.

Jezebel absolutely wanted Elijah dead, but this is a bluff. His life hadn’t always been easy, but God had always kept him safe. Think about it: If she was really going to kill him, why would she send a messenger instead of an executioner? She knew how to kill prophets. She had done it many times before. She knew where he was – he’s right over there. But she could only send a word.

In her threat, she invokes gods that Elijah has just proven don’t exist. So, as non-emotional readers, we can see how empty her threats are. We know Elijah is safe. We know she can’t kill him. But could she scare him? Could she flush him out so that he would remove himself from her domain?

If you’re a Christian, you are safe in God’s love. You may face hardships, sorrows, adversaries, and the unknown, but no weapon formed against you will succeed. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord,[4] Who has overcome the world. But, we can do an awful lot to disrupt God’s good plan for our lives. We can dive into ditches. We can run into snares that cause stumbling, regression, and delay. That’s what Jezebel wanted to do to Elijah, and he fell for it.

1 Kings 19-3-4a – 3 Then Elijah became afraid, and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there, 4 but he went on a day’s journey into the wilderness…

We can sympathize with Elijah. He was undoubtedly exhausted, worn down. He was discouraged about the state of his nation. He didn’t know if he had the strength to face a new round of conflict. But behind it all was fear – fear that God would let him down. Fear that he was on his own.

And so, he doesn’t pray. He doesn’t hear from God. He immediately ran for his life. Where my text says he became afraid, yours might say he “saw.” What was he looking at? The circumstances, the conflict, the stress. Was the situation the problem? No – God was the One Who sent him to Jezreel, and He didn’t do it to kill him. No, what Elijah “saw” was his own prediction of the future.

Rather than function as God’s seer, he prophesies what he thinks is most likely. “Jezebel is gonna get me.” That felt like the only result for this situation. He gave into doubt and fear and he ran.

He ran all the way out of Israel, down to the kingdom of Judah, but not just to Judah, to the southern edge of Judah, but not just to the southern border of Judah, even past it out into the wilderness. He’s covered a distance of about 100 miles already![5]

He’s not just holed up till the heat blows over – he’s calling it quits. He leaves his assistant in Beersheba because he thinks he’s not going to need him anymore.

Elijah was no longer thinking theologically.[6] He was thinking politically. He was thinking emotionally. And look where it led him: Alone in the wilderness.

Proverbs 29:25 – 25 The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the LORD is protected.

That spiritual truth is not only for Solomon or Elijah, it’s for us today. Do we believe God can be trusted to guide our lives and take care of us along the way? Or do we think our fear knows better?

1 Kings 19:4b-5a – He sat down under a broom tree and prayed that he might die. He said, “I have had enough! LORD, take my life, for I’m no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree.

He finally takes a minute to pray. Unfortunately, when he does, he tells God what to do. He makes demands and doesn’t wait for a reply. His opening phrase is pretty revealing, “I have had enough!”

His emotions are relatable, but we can see how unreliable they are. We see that he has let doubt and worry not just run away with him, but run him away from the Lord’s will for his life. He’s in disarray and contradiction. He says, “God, I just want to die!” Ok, then why did you run?

Elijah is extremely depressed. Yes, that happens even to God’s people. But when we’re overcome with sorrow or confusion or doubt the believer must actively choose to trust in God and follow His word, which gives direction and clarity and illumination, even when we don’t feel it.

Elijah had a great track record of following the word of the Lord. Multiple times we read, “The word of the Lord came to him,” and then he moved according to God’s direction. Our own lives should be the same. That we trust in the Lord and hear from the Lord for the choices we make.

But Elijah was no longer listening to the word of God, he was listening to the worry of his heart.

Perhaps you’re facing depression or discouragement today – a problem in some relationship or some crossroads in life. The Lord can be trusted with your future. Your heart cannot. Elijah listened to his heart and he cut and run. Cutting and running to go your own way never helps God’s people.

Abraham, Isaac, Hagar, David, Elimelech, Naomi, Jonah, John-Mark. Each had instances where they reacted naturally, emotionally, they stopped trusting the Lord’s leading, they cut and run, and it was always a costly mistake. It always led them into some sort of wilderness, just like Elijah.

1 Kings 19:5b-9a – Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones, and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the LORD returned for a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up, ate, and drank. Then on the strength from that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 He entered a cave there and spent the night.

As far off track as Elijah was, the Lord was still with him. And look at what God did for him: He provided for him. He protected him. There was no posse on the horizon. Even if there was, Elijah had an angel by his side. God demonstrated He was right there in Elijah’s situation. Jezebel sent a messenger to frighten him, God sent a messenger to comfort him.

When we give into fear and doubt and run off from God’s shepherding of our lives, what does He do? He leaves the 99 to find us. That’s what we see here. The Lord says, “Ok, I’m going to intervene and try to help Elijah see he’s going the wrong way. I want to not just fill his stomach, I want to heal his heart. I want to show him this isn’t about one situation, but about his relationship with Me.”

The angel says, “Eat or the journey will be too much for you.” That’s not only true when it comes to walking from Beersheba to Horeb. Left to ourselves, left to our own wisdom, our own ability, our own effort, the journey of life will be too much for us. But God, in His grace, gives us the bread of life and living water for the road ahead.

God has provided much for us. His word, His Spirit, His grace, His peace, His presence, the Church to give daily, tangible community. God really does feed and provide and protect and direct us.

Elijah obeyed, but it seems like he dragged his feet. You see, the trip from Beersheba to Horeb should’ve taken about 12 days.[7] Elijah took 40. Meanwhile, he offered no thanks or praise to God for what He had provided. He doesn’t even speak to the Lord. His emotions have him convinced.

1 Kings 19:9b – Suddenly, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

This is a tender moment. God is patient and gentle with His wandering servant. This is how He approaches us because He wants us to come to a place of understanding and acknowledgment. He doesn’t just want to force us into obedience or attitudes. Instead, He invites us to work out our salvation. To choose to see things the way He sees them. “What are you doing here when the last thing I asked you to do was go to Jezreel?”

1 Kings 19:10 – 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.”

Some of these things were partially true. But he was leaving a lot out. He’s looking at his situation through a lens of bitterness and frustration. Frankly, he’s accusing God of failing.

Altars had been torn down, but the day before he ran from Jezreel, a great multitude of Israelites had repented and proclaimed that the Lord is God and they rebuilt His altar.[8] Many true prophets had been murdered, but again, just before being in Jezreel, a faithful believer named Obadiah reported to Elijah how he had hidden 100 prophets from Jezebel.

I alone am left? That’s not even a little bit true. How about your servant you abandoned in Beersheba? What about Obadiah? What about those 100 prophets? What about the many who were being caught up in revival after Mt. Carmel – people who needed ministry and truth right now while Elijah was on the run?

“I have been zealous.” Ok, but in this moment what you’re saying is, “I’ll be zealous as long as things go the way I want.” That’s not how faith works. That’s not how trusting God works.

1 Kings 19:11-13a – 11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the LORD’s presence.” At that moment, the LORD passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

There’s a slowness in his obedience.[9] “Go stand on the mountain.” But he waits until the fourth manifestation to go out and stand before the Lord. Still, God is gracious and patient.

Now, in the back of our minds we’re convinced that it would be better to see big signs – fires and earthquakes. Then we’d know what God wants for us. But this text highlights the fact that God much more often wants to work in quiet ways. A small voice. When He spoke, what did He say?

1 Kings 19:13b – Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Exactly the same as before. You see, his situation wasn’t really the problem. The conflict wasn’t the problem. Elijah’s reaction was the issue. He was stuck in a pattern of fear, doubt, and resentment.

But, with incredible grace and patience, the Lord again reminds Elijah of His power, His provision, His protection, His compassion. So how does Elijah respond?

1 Kings 19:14 – 14 “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of Armies,” he replied, “but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they’re looking for me to take my life.”

It’s literally a verbatim repetition of what he said before. Essentially he says to God, “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t like my situation, it’s YOUR fault, and I’m not going to humble myself to trust You.”

He calls out the Israelites for abandoning the covenant. Ok, but where are you, Elijah? You’re outside the land of promise. You abandoned your calling. You left God’s work because you let your emotions call the shots and you’ve decided you’ve had enough. Enough trust. enough obedience.

1 Kings 19:15-18 – 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. 16 You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. 17 Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. 18 But I will leave seven thousand in Israel—every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

In response to Elijah saying, “God, You’ve let me down,” the Lord graciously points out, “Actually, I’ve been and still am working internationally, nationally, and personally in your life. Now I’m telling you, return.” What about Jezebel? What about the threats? Yeah, those still didn’t matter. God told him to go back to the conflict, to back to the trouble, go back to the risk.[10] The Lord was enough for what Elijah needed. He was accomplishing quite a bit not just in Elijah’s life, but all over the map.

Meanwhile, Israel needed a prophet who believed. Those people who had just turned to God from their idols needed faithful believers around who could show them how to walk with the Lord and Elijah was taking himself out of that opportunity because he enthroned fear in his life.

You and I face conflicts, discouragements, depressions. Those are common to our human experience. Feeling those things isn’t a failure. Failure is measured by our response. Will we cling to God in those dark days or will we flee from Him? Will we allow our emotions to set the course of our lives, or will we trust in the Lord and in the Word He’s given us? It was ok that Elijah was afraid. It wasn’t ok that he allowed his distorted feelings to make his life decisions.

Do you know why Alabama finished the 1993 season 1 and 12? It’s not because they actually lost, but because they knowingly allowed a player to play who received improper benefits. The record books could’ve shown their season as 9-3-1, but they made internal choices that led to a forfeiture of all those victories.[11] They could’ve been champs again if they would’ve done things by the book.

If you’re hurting today, discouraged or confused or depressed, the Lord knows and He cares and He loves you. But preach to yourself what is true: God can still be trusted with your life, with your future, with your choices. Walk with Him, even if you feel like you know better. You don’t. Go His way, submit to His provision and direction and standards. Because we want to live spiritually on Mt. Carmel or Mt. Zion, not Mt. Horeb.

 

References
↑1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Alabama_Crimson_Tide_football_team
↑2 James 5:17
↑3 Paul House   1, 2 Kings
↑4 Romans 8:38-39
↑5 James Smith   The Books Of History
↑6 The ESV Study Bible: Notes
↑7 Robert Hubbard   First And Second Kings,  Deuteronomy 1:2
↑8 1 Kings 18:39
↑9 Max Rogland   Elijah And The ‘Voice’ At Horeb
↑10 John Woodhouse   1 Kings: Power, Politics, And The Hope Of The World
↑11 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Alabama_Crimson_Tide_football_team

The One Anothers: Emply The Gifts

June 29, 2025

From time to time we are taking a look together at the “one another” commands in Bible. There are about 60 of them, given to us so we can know how to properly relate to each other in the church and so we can be built up, others can be built up, and our church can thrive in the love of God.

Last time we looked at “greet one another.” Today we’re going to take a look at another command found in 1 Peter 4:10.

1 Peter 4:10 (ESV) – As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

Peter goes on to list some ways that happens. But that’s the command: Employ your gifts for the benefit of one another. First of all, it’s exciting to know that the Lord specifically allocates each and everyone of His people with spiritual gifting for particular purposes.

So what is a spiritual gift? Well, they are abilities or activities given by the grace of God and His sovereign choosing that provide the power we need to accomplish the work of the Holy Spirit. So, that means you can’t earn or learn a spiritual gift and you don’t get to choose gifts, buffet style. It’s not about your natural skills, it’s a supernatural enabling.

Of course, we can all use our natural skills and abilities to serve God and help others – for sure. But on top of those natural abilities, God gives each of us gifts of the Spirit. And the reason He gives them is not for our own fame or to make us great or to make us feel like we’re better than other people. Actually, they’re given in the opposite direction. They are given for the common good of the Church.[1] God gifts and arranges each of us so that the whole Body of Christ can grow in a healthy and joyful and supportive way.[2]

According to Ephesians 4, as each of us operate our gifts to serve one another, all of us reach unity in the faith and in our knowledge of Jesus, and we grow into a greater and greater fullness of spiritual maturity and strength. Sounds great, doesn’t it? So my gifts are for you, and your gifts are for me so that Christ’s Body and our local expression of it can thrive and move and grow.

So, that’s the command: Employ your spiritual gift for the benefit of one another. Naturally that begs the question: What is my spiritual gift or gifts?

At this point, sometimes we’re tempted to go to the internet and take a quiz. But that’s certainly not how any believers figured it out in the last couple thousand years, right?

The New Testament has a variety of texts that teach us about spiritual gifts. We should all look at Romans 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12-14, and 1 Peter 4. But, as you study these different lists, you’ll note they don’t all match. And they aren’t exhaustive. In fact, some of the “gifts” discussed in these passages are really categories, not specific activities. But going through these passages shows us the types of gifting He gives and the purposes He has in mind. And as we go through them, the Bible tells us we should desire spiritual gifts and pursue their operation.

The way we discover our gift is to, first and foremost, have a living relationship with God the Holy Spirit. God wants us to know what He’s given us so that we can put them to use.

Second, we see that spiritual gifts are primarily connected to the life of a church. There are different categories – some miraculous, some dealing with communication, some dealing with day-to-day initiatives – but they’re all about putting the Body of Christ together. Just like your body has extremely different cells but all are necessary. Blood cells are very different than nerve cells, which are very different than skin cells, but I’d really like to have all of them! Each has a necessary function that contributes to a vibrant life.

So, as I connect myself to the church family God has sent me to, and as I find my place in that organism, the Lord will reveal my gifts and bring them into action according to His design.

The principle I need to keep in mind is that my gifts are given not for me, but for you. My gift is given for the benefit of the one anothers around me. But if I don’t care about this gracious gift of spiritual power given to operate in my life for the growth of the church, then I’m going to become like a dead skin cell. Dried and flaky and ready to slough off at any moment from disuse.

So, our homework is to take a quick audit: Do I know what any of my spiritual gifts are? If I do, are they in operation toward others in a way that doesn’t bring accolades to me, but praise to God?[3]

As we consider these things and the commands God has given us concerning them, we can each walk worthy with Jesus, in His power, in His grace, strong in the Lord together.

 

References
↑1 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
↑2 1 Corinthians 12::12-30
↑3 1 Peter 4:11

Sheepwrecked (Ezekiel 34-35)

June 22, 2025

Most of you could quote the opening nine words of Psalm 23.

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

David goes on from that to skillfully & beautifully exalt the Great Shepherd and His sacrificial care of His flock.

What happens when the human leaders appointed to under-shepherd God’s  flock are selfish, immoral men?

They recite the little-known “dark” Psalm 23.

The Lord’s sheep are mere property;

I don’t care what they want.

I make them lie down in barren pastures;

I lead them beside muddied waters.

I command their fear

and drive them on paths of self-righteousness.

I force them through the valley of death

with no regard for their lives.

My rod and my staff – they bruise and break them.

I prepare a feast for myself

disregarding their hunger.

I anoint my head with oil;

meanwhile their cup runs dry.

Surely corruption and cruelty shall follow them

all the days of their lives,

And they shall dwell in desolation forever.

We are going to be among some of these shepherds, enough to make us a little bit sick to our stomachs. Like we Italians say, we skeeve them.

Ezk 34:1  And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

Ezk 34:2  “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?

Ezk 34:3  You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock.

Ezekiel was God’s prophet to exiled Jews in Babylon. He warned of Jerusalem’s fall and the Temple’s destruction. None believed him until a messenger arrived shouting,“The City has fallen.”

The remainder of Ezekiel’s prophesying looks to the End Times. Before we press on, here is a glossary of End Times terminology:

  • Resurrection and Rapture of the Church
    The dead in Christ are raised, and living believers are caught up to meet the Lord in the air (before the Great Tribulation begins).
  • Seven-Year Great Tribulation
    A time of unprecedented judgment on the entire Earth, divided into two 3½-year periods. God’s wrath is poured out, Israel is saved, and the world is prepared for Christ’s return.
  • Second Coming of Jesus Christ
    Christ returns bodily and visibly with His saints to defeat His enemies, deliver Israel, and establish His kingdom on Earth.
  • One Thousand-Year Kingdom on Earth (The Millennium)
    Jesus reigns from Jerusalem in perfect justice and peace. Satan is bound, Israel is restored, and the nations worship the Lord.
  • Eternity
    After the final judgment, God creates a new heaven and new earth. Believers dwell forever with Him, and all sin, death, and sorrow are gone.

Ezk 34:4  You have not taken care of the weak. You have not tended the sick or bound up the injured. You have not gone looking for those who have wandered away and are lost. Instead, you have ruled them with harshness and cruelty.

In what these shepherds did do, and in what they didn’t do, we can see what God wanted them to do.

The Lord wants you to be a healthy, well-fed, well-loved, and protected sheep – safe in His care and fruitful in His service. Pastor Chuck Smith used to encourage Calvary Chapel pastors to see to it the sheep under their care were “the best-fed, most-loved flock.” He also often said, “Healthy sheep beget other sheep.” When you’re spiritually nourished and well cared for, you’ll not only grow stronger in your own walk, but you’ll be able to encourage other believers – and naturally share the love of Jesus with those who don’t yet know Him.

Ezk 34:5  So my sheep have been scattered without a shepherd, and they are easy prey for any wild animal.

Ezk 34:6  They have wandered through all the mountains and all the hills, across the face of the earth, yet no one has gone to search for them.

They were exiled, but not scattered. This is a prophecy we have seen fulfilled. When Rome destroyed the Temple around 70AD, Jews were scattered all over the Earth. It is called the diaspora. It continued until May 14, 1948, when Israel became a nation in a day.

Ezk 34:7  “Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD:

Ezk 34:8  As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, you abandoned my flock and left them to be attacked by every wild animal. And though you were my shepherds, you didn’t search for my sheep when they were lost. You took care of yourselves and left the sheep to starve.

Ezk 34:9  Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD.

Ezk 34:10  This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I now consider these shepherds my enemies, and I will hold them responsible for what has happened to my flock. I will take away their right to feed the flock, and I will stop them from feeding themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths; the sheep will no longer be their prey

Ezk 34:11  “For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search and find my sheep.

Ezk 34:12  I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.

  • The scattered Jews return on “that dark and cloudy day.”
  • The LORD “will hold [the shepherds] responsible” for how they treated His flock.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus returns after the “dark and cloudy” Day of the Lord to judge unbelievers for how they treated the Jews.

Ezk 34:13  I will bring them back home to their own land of Israel from among the peoples and nations. I will feed them on the mountains of Israel and by the rivers and in all the places where people live.

Ezk 34:14  Yes, I will give them good pastureland on the high hills of Israel. There they will lie down in pleasant places and feed in the lush pastures of the hills.

Ezk 34:15  I myself will tend my sheep and give them a place to lie down in peace, says the Sovereign LORD.

Sure, since 1948 Jews have been & are returning. But notice that the Lord says “I Myself” will be with Israel, on Earth.” Is He? No. This is a prophecy.

Ezk 34:16  I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes – feed them justice!

One-third of Jews will survive the Great Tribulation. So will a multitude of saved Gentiles. They will go on into the Millennium in their mortal bodies.

Ezk 34:17  “And as for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says to his people: I will judge between one animal of the flock and another, separating the sheep from the goats.

This is precisely what Jesus will do at the end of the Great Tribulation.

Ezk 34:18  Isn’t it enough for you to keep the best of the pastures for yourselves? Must you also trample down the rest? Isn’t it enough for you to drink clear water for yourselves? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet?

Ezk 34:19  Why must my flock eat what you have trampled down and drink water you have fouled?

Ezk 34:20  “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will surely judge between the fat sheep and the scrawny sheep.

Ezk 34:21  For you fat sheep pushed and butted and crowded my sick and hungry flock until you scattered them to distant lands.

Ezk 34:22  So I will rescue my flock, and they will no longer be abused. I will judge between one animal of the flock and another.

Ezk 34:23  And I will set over them one shepherd, my servant David. He will feed them and be a shepherd to them.

There will be a judgment after the Second Coming, separating “scrawny” sheep (believers) from “fat” goats (unbelievers). The sheep enter the Millennial Kingdom as its first mortal inhabitants. The goats “will go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46).

Ezk 34:24  And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David will be a prince among my people. I, the LORD, have spoken!

The Old Testament saints, including David, will be raised at the Second Coming.

For those whose theology leads them to believe we are in the kingdom now, where is David?

Ezk 34:25  “I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear.

Ezekiel’s animals remind me of Isaiah’s vision of the Millennium, where wolves live with lambs, lions rest with calves, and even snakes cause no harm. A world at peace under God’s reign.

It will, however, be an enforced peace. The generations of children born to the original inhabitants will cause a lot of trouble, and finally rebel in the end against Jesus.

Ezk 34:26  I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing.

Ezk 34:27  The orchards and fields of my people will yield bumper crops, and everyone will live in safety. When I have broken their chains of slavery and rescued them from those who enslaved them, then they will know that I am the LORD.

Ezk 34:28  They will no longer be prey for other nations, and wild animals will no longer devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will frighten them.

Ezk 34:29  “And I will make their land famous for its crops, so my people will never again suffer from famines or the insults of foreign nations.

Ezk 34:30  In this way, they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them. And they will know that they, the people of Israel, are my people, says the Sovereign LORD.

Ezk 34:31  You are my flock, the sheep of my pasture. You are my people, and I am your God. I, the Sovereign LORD, have spoken!”

Some of this is recognizable today, e.g., Israel’s thriving agriculture. That’s merely stage-setting. It whets our spiritual appetite for prophecy.

You are going to encounter leaders in small & large groups who are somewhat like these men. Like Thanos, they are inevitable.

The Lord beautifully shows Himself as your Good Shepherd:

  • Are you weak? Jesus strengthens you.
  • Are you sick? Jesus heals you.
  • Are you injured? Jesus binds you up.
  • Are you straying? Jesus brings you back.
  • Are you lost? Jesus seeks you.

The words “feed,” “fed,” or “feeding” occur about 18 times in this chapter. Obviously feeding is central to the health of the sheep.

God’s Word is our spiritual food. We say it is all you need… And that is true so long as you are saved and have the permanent in-dwelling of God the Holy Spirit.

I’ve been working on a quote about this. So far, this is what I got: “Apart from God the Holy Spirit’s in-dwelling, the Word of God may be grasped intellectually but not spiritually. Only the Spirit enables us to see its true meaning, respond in faith, and live in obedience. Without Him, Scripture may inform the mind but it cannot transform the heart.”

One more thing. No matter how you are being shepherded on earth, Jesus is always your Shepherd. Psalm 23 says the Lord is my Shepherd not that He will be after my trial is over or after I get out of my circumstance. Psalm 23 speaks of our enemies and our death.

Chapter thirty-five might seem out-of-place, but I think we will see why it isn’t.

Ezk 35:1  Again a message came to me from the LORD:

Ezk 35:2  “Son of man, turn and face Mount Seir, and prophesy against its people.

Mount Seir is Edom, the country of the descendants of Jacob’s twin, Esau. God judged them for their hatred of Israel and for taking their land after its fall.

Ezk 35:3  Give them this message from the Sovereign LORD: “I am your enemy, O Mount Seir, and I will raise my fist against you to destroy you completely.

Ezk 35:4  I will demolish your cities and make you desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

This prophecy can be put in the ‘Fulfilled’ column.

Ezk 35:5  “Your eternal hatred for the people of Israel led you to butcher them when they were helpless, when I had already punished them for all their sins.

Ezk 35:6  As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come!

Ezk 35:7  I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return.

Ezk 35:8  I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your ravines will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword.

Ezk 35:9  I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

Ezk 35:10  “For you said, ‘The lands of Israel and Judah will be ours. We will take possession of them. What do we care that the LORD is there!’

Ezk 35:11  Therefore, as surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I will pay back your angry deeds with my own. I will punish you for all your acts of anger, envy, and hatred. And I will make myself known to Israel by what I do to you.

Ezk 35:12  Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you spoke against the mountains of Israel. For you said, ‘They are desolate; they have been given to us as food to eat!’

Ezk 35:13  In saying that, you boasted proudly against me, and I have heard it all!

Ezk 35:14  “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The whole world will rejoice when I make you desolate.

Ezk 35:15  You rejoiced at the desolation of Israel’s territory. Now I will rejoice at yours! You will be wiped out, you people of Mount Seir and all who live in Edom! Then you will know that I am the LORD.

If you know a little geography, you know Petra is located in Mount Seir. A city hewn in the rocks, it is almost completely hidden. It is entered through the narrow Siq gorge, making it easily defensible.

Now this chapter feels very much in place. One commentary reads, “Evangelical dispensationalists [that’s us!] believe that 3½ years into the Great Tribulation the Jewish remnant will flee to Petra (or the region around it) for several interrelated reasons, drawn from biblical prophecy, geography, and historical symbolism.”

Petra is going to be the ‘bug-out’ location that Judean Jews flee to when the antichrist defiles the Temple smack in the middle of the Great Tribulation. He assaults them there, and they cry out to Jesus as Savior.

He saves them. He’ll save you…When you believe.

Prophecy Update #825 – 38 & 39

June 22, 2025

We reserve a few minutes to discuss current trends that you’d expect from reading Bible prophecy.

What’s the deal with Iran??

Iran in the Bible is referred to as Elam and later Persia:

  • Elam appears in early Old Testament history (Genesis 10:22).
  • Later called Persia, it became a major empire. Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, allowed the Jews to return from their Babylonian exile 8(Ezra 1:1-4).This is why you sometimes hear a world leader compared to Cyrus. Lord Arthur Balfour, Harry S. Truman, & now President Trump have been seen that way.
  • In Ezekiel 38:5 Persia is part of an End-Times coalition that comes against Israel.

In 1935, Reza Shah Pahlavi formally requested that countries with diplomatic relations refer to the country as “Iran,” which is the name the people of the region had long used in their own language.

The Shah was deposed in 1979, and Iran has been governed by an Islamic theocracy led by a Supreme Leader.

Christians mostly think of Iran as one of the nations that Ezekiel 38&39 prophesies will invade Israel in the last days and be destroyed by God. The others include Russia, Turkey, parts of Sudan, & Libya.

There is a lesser-known prophecy in the book of Jeremiah which offers a glimpse of a restoration of Iran. Coincidentally it is another 38&39, Jeremiah 49:38&39.

“I will set my throne in Elam and destroy her king and officials,” declares the Lord. “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Elam in days to come,” declares the Lord.

Reports from inside Iran indicate that the Gospel has taken root. Dr. Hormoz Shariot, a Muslim convert to Christianity, reports that a surge of Iranians turning to Christianity underscores a spiritual awakening in Iran. Through avenues like satellite broadcasts, encounters with visions of Jesus, and personal testimonies of conversions, countless Iranians are finding a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Shariot said, “I strongly believe that Iran is positioned not only to transition from an Islamic state to a Christian nation but also to influence the rest of the Middle Eastern nations.”[1]

We do not know the timing of Jeremiah 49 or Ezekiel 38&39. Therefore, we shouldn’t speculate – especially when sharing with unbelievers.

Here is what we do know: God scattered the Jews in 70AD, promising to regather them in Israel in the End Times. Jerusalem would be a problem to the nations. Iran is mentioned as one of the nations who would seek her annihilation.

All of that, and more has already been fulfilled.

That segues effortlessly into what is coming any moment: The resurrection & rapture of the Church, followed hard by the 7yr Great Tribulation.

It begs this question – “Are you ready for the Rapture?” If not, get ready, stay ready, & keep looking up.

Ready or not, Jesus is coming!

 

References
↑1 https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/mar/21/bible-prophecy-iran-is-on-cusp-of-christian-transf/

Let The Light One In (Mark 4:21-25)

June 18, 2025

Can you hear fluorescent light bulbs? Those who can usually dislike the buzz and hum above them. Studies show that young students, in particular, have adverse effects when their classrooms are lit by fluorescent tubes.[1] That said, we don’t usually pay much attention to the sounds of light bulbs.

Unless of course you’re an Israeli security researcher. A team at Ben-Gurion University developed a method where spies take a telescope, an electro-optical sensor, and a laptop, point it at a hanging light bulb that might be visible through a window, and are able to discern the audio in that room.

The sound waves create vibrations on the glass bulb, which cause minuscule changes in its light output. The electrical signals are then analyzed and converted so that listeners can hear exactly what’s going on around that light. They’re calling it “Lamphone.”[2]

In this text, Jesus wants to speak through a lamp. He urgently insists that we listen to the light and that the way we respond will not only make a difference in this life, but will be definitive in the next.

Mark 4:21 – 21 He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?

In that day, the average house was one room with no windows.[3] If you wanted light in the house, you had to bring it in. They would use little clay lamps, filled with olive oil and a wick, and set them on a shelf or a carve out in the wall.

Jesus’ questions are very simple, taken from a common sense situation. Obviously they would set the lamp on the stand, rather than under a bed or beneath a basket. Putting a lit flame under something like that was not only silly because the light would be hidden and therefore leave you in the dark, but it might actually cause a dangerous fire in the house.[4]

But Jesus wasn’t talking about a literal clay lamp. He’s making a much bigger point. Our English translations alter the peculiar way that Jesus phrased this question. What He said was actually, “Does the lamp come for the purpose of being placed under a [basket]?”[5]

The Lamp comes to your house. That’s the image. Jesus was making reference to the fact that He is the Light of the world.[6] That His arrival was a new dawn of eternal import.

Remember: He just told His disciples that through the parables He’s giving them the secrets of the Kingdom. That He came to sow the word of God and those who receive it with faith and obedience will continually receive more understanding and knowledge and spiritual fruit from God.

Now, as He continues this discussion, we see not only is He the Sower Who sows the word, but He is the Light Who has come, and hopes to be brought into their lives.

What is the purpose of light? It illuminates. It gives us vision. It reveals. It exposes. It facilitates movement and activity and growth. But, as we see in the parable, only if it’s in the right position.

Christ came to be the central focal point of our lives. He’s not just the old garage light that gets 2 or 3 minutes of use a day. His light is meant to flood our lives, expose everything to His warmth and His cleansing and His inspection. And we need it. We can’t live in the dark – not really. If we can’t see things as they are, if we can’t see obstacles around us, if we can’t see the way ahead, if we can’t see other people around us, what kind of life is that?

So Jesus asks these questions with obvious answers: Do you want light in your house? What wouldn’t these first century Galileans give for 100 watt bulbs! But on a deeper level, this simple parable reveals the sad spiritual reality: That humanity loves darkness, rather than light. That our sin natures cling to the shadows and tries desperately to cover the Light, to overcome it.

Just after the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, Jesus went on to explain that:

John 3:19-21a – 19 The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed. 21 But anyone who lives by the truth comes to the light

Our sin nature tries to flee from the Light of the world. That’s the first thing Adam and Eve did after they disobeyed God – they hid from the Lord. But God has come to bring light into the dark so that people can finally see the truth, so they can be saved from the darkness of sin. Because in Jesus, the Light of the world, is life. “And that life was the light of men,” John says.[7]

Now, this parable has multiple layers of application for us as Christians. Because Jesus is the Lamp – He’s the One Who came to shine the light of the Gospel for all humanity. But He said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

What happens now that He has ascended into heaven? Is the world left in darkness? Not at all. He also said to His disciples, “You are the light of the world. Like a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. So let your light shine before others.”[8]

Not only do we want to respond to this parable by properly positioning Jesus in the center of our lives and allowing His light to do all He wants to do in us, but we also respond by remembering the position we’re in as light bearers. Now we bring the Light of salvation to those trapped in the dark.

Mark 4:22 – 22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

Jesus came to reveal. He reveals our sin. He reveals the plan of salvation. He reveals the heart of God. He reveals the power of God. He reveals the true nature of man and the only hope for man. He revealed that He is the One and only Messiah. There will never be a new revelation. There isn’t another, secret universe where God is running a different redemption experiment. When people claim to be the Messiah, or claim to be Jesus, we can confidently say, “No you’re not,” because the Lord has shared with us the secrets of the Kingdom and the plan for His return.

Meanwhile, as His plan unfolds, verse 22 reminds us that our Lord knows everything. In the end, all will be made right. Everything will be accounted for and judged according to His plan and truth.

But this verse isn’t only about the global work of Gd, it’s also what He wants to do in your personal life: That everything in us be brought into the light, nothing held back from exposure to His grace.

Years ago I went to a dermatologist for an issue on my nose. It was my first visit, and the doctor said, “I want to do a whole body inspection.” I wasn’t really on board with that. Just look at my nose and I’ll decide if anything else needs to be examined.

We don’t want to have that kind of relationship with Jesus, the Great Physician. “Ok Lord. Here’s the problem I’m having at work, or here’s the hard time I’m having in my marriage, but leave the rest of me alone – I’ve got it covered. You can give me instruction on this issue, leave the rest alone.”

Instead we want to have David’s outlook from Psalm 139. “Lord, search me and know me. You observe all my travels. You know all my thoughts. You have encircled me and placed Your hand on me and I welcome the floodlight of Your truth and grace and presence to bring me out of darkness and into Your marvelous light.”

Mark 4:23 – 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.”

Jesus was imperative here. His words were more like, “If you have ears, you better listen!”[9] As we learned last week, parables aren’t just interesting stories. They’re essential truths that we must respond to. That’s why Jesus used parables: So that we would hear the way He wants us to hear.

We “listen” in different ways. Sometimes we listen to extremely important information with absolutely no interest. I haven’t flown in a while, but even when I did I paid no attention to the safety instructions before take off.

Sadly, that’s how many people “hear” the Word of God. But Jesus presents these words as urgent and essential and as the most important consideration of our lives.

Jesus is looking for hearing that is thoughtful and attentive and most of all responsive. That we hear the word of God, believe it, and then take action accordingly. In this case, that we take God at His word that we are in darkness unless we receive His light and then respond by receiving the Light that has come into the world.

Mark 4:24 – 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and more will be added to you.

“Pay attention.” So, again, the Lord is driving, driving into us that we must respond to His teaching. We’re not only to soak in the Gospel and the word of God, but here we see this activity of measuring and growth and reciprocation. It’s as if we’re scooping what we hear into our lives.

We’ve just seen an example of how this plays out. Jesus preached truth to a crowd and a few responded by coming to Him and asking for understanding. Once that happened, the Lord started revealing more to them. And then more. And then more. As they received the word by faith and in obedience, more understanding was given and then more transformation happened and more fruit grew in their lives.

Jesus says here that the sort of measure we use has an impact on what we continue to receive.

I was thinking about how this might apply in a real Christian life and a few pictures came to mind. First, imagine you have a very small view of God – that He’s not really mindful of your life, that He’s not really going to do anything on your behalf, that He’s far off or disinterested or cruel. In that sense, your measure is a tiny little thimble cup. Well, as you go to God’s word with that sort of measure, you’re not going to come back with much that can refresh you. It will be hard to fill up.

Or, perhaps someone falls into a theology that really makes man the center of everything – where you think the Bible is really about you being healthy all the time and wealthy all the time and living your best life now. That’s a measure full of holes. More like a sieve than a scoop. So when you go to God’s word, a lot of understanding is going to leak out.

Whereas if we come to God’s word in humility and surrender, acknowledging that we don’t know everything, we haven’t figured it all out, but we know God is the Supreme King and Creator and the Lover of our souls and that if we will go to His word, there we will find all we need for life and Godliness and that within it it reveals a God of grace and kindness and faithfulness – a God Who calls us and commands us but walks with us day by day – that kind of measure is one that can hold a great supply – one that can fill a life and refresh it and overflow to the lives around us.

Mark 4:25 – 25 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

This is not the haves versus the have-nots. This is about the haves and the will-nots. Those who choose to stay in the dark rather than let in the Light. Those who did not hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit, but instead keep the door of their hearts closed when the Light came knocking.

They will not only lose out on wisdom and understanding and perspective in this life, but in the end they will miss out on the Kingdom.

Some people will say, “I believe in God.” And they think that’s enough. A tiny pinpoint of light in the dark. The Bible says, “Look, even the demons believe in God.”[10] People walking in darkness don’t understand that they’re going to lose it all. In Luke’s telling of this verse it says, “Whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”[11] Ephesians 4 fleshes it out.

Ephesians 4:18 – 18 They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts.

Rather than giving themselves over to the Lord, they gave themselves over to promiscuity and impurity – the love of the dark. So they cover the lamp – they tuck it under their bed. And the result will be a deadly fire instead of a transformed life.

Perhaps to some verse 25 seems harsh. Yet, the truth of this principle plays out in the real world. Use it or lose it. That happens with the vacation that is allotted to many of you at work.

Or consider a well of water. When in use, it gives life, it helps us wash things and grow things and nourish things. But when a well is abandoned, after a time it becomes polluted and toxic. In fact, an abandoned well even threatens the other water supplies in the area.[12] All simply from not using it.

Clifton Allen writes, “If a man keeps responsive to the way and word of Jesus, he is given more and more. If not, his mind is hardening, God’s wrath is operative, and the limited spiritual insight he once had will be lost.”[13]

And so not only do we welcome the Light of the world into our lives, we perpetually receive the Light through the Word being sown into our hearts. And we listen to this Light, because through Him we have life. And as we continue in this relationship with the Lord, our part is to keep receiving the word, to keep allowing the light to shine on our hearts, on our actions, on our choices, on our attitudes so that God can continue to illuminate us and cleanse us and grow us and show us what life is really all about.

 

References
↑1 Brenda Morrow   The Impact Of Fluorescent And LED Lighting On Students Attitudes And Behavior In The Classroom
↑2 https://www.wired.com/story/lamphone-light-bulb-vibration-spying/
↑3 Ralph Earle   Mark: The Gospel Of Action
↑4 Archibald Robertson   Word Pictures In The New Testament
↑5 William Lane   The Gospel Of Mark
↑6 John 9:5
↑7 John 1:4
↑8 Matthew 5:14-16
↑9 The NET Bible First Edition Notes
↑10 James 2:19
↑11 Luke 8:18
↑12 https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/drinking-water-and-environmental-health/water-well-construction/abandoned-water-wells
↑13 Clifton Allen   Matthew-Mark

Dissing A Fool (Psalm 52)

June 15, 2025

A diss track is a song written with a particular target in mind, attacking their character or choices, often mockingly, while promoting the author’s choices and perspective. They’re most often associated with rap and hip hop, but the fact of the matter is you can find examples in pop, country, rock, folk, soul, thrash metal, and samba, too.[1] One list traces diss tracks as far back as 1933 and many big name artists have their own entries.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney traded diss tracks after the Beatles broke up. Pink Floyd has a couple. Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Timberlake all have diss tracks of their own. And then there are artists like Eminem and Taylor Swift who have built whole careers around writings songs that target certain people for public criticism.

Does it surprise you that there is a diss track in the Psalter? In Psalm 52, David calls out Doeg, trashes his choices and character, and declares he is a washed up failure headed for a grizzly end.

David wasn’t being petty like so many modern artists. Remember: David was a prophet on top of being a poet.[2] But Psalm 52 is also given to us as an instructional guide. That’s what a Maskil is, by the way – a song that will help us skillfully understand God’s wisdom for life.[3]

This is one of the rare Psalms that gives us a specific time or situation connected to its writing. We see it there in the superscript above verse 1.

Psalm 52:Title – For the choir director. A Maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite went and reported to Saul, telling him, “David went to Ahimelech’s house.”

The context of this song is important. Saul, the first king of Israel, refused to obey God. So, the Lord announced the kingdom would be taken from him and given to David. Saul wasn’t happy about that, so he started a long campaign of trying to kill David.

At one point while David fled to the city of Nob where the priest Ahimelech lived. Ahimelech gave him some provisions. The problem is, Doeg was there and he was loyal to Saul. Eventually he told Saul what happened and killed Ahimelech and 85 members of his family. Doeg is a very bad guy.

Psalm 52:1 – 1 Why boast about evil, you hero! God’s faithful love is constant.

Right from the start, we see this is not just a song about one person, it’s a song about good and evil. As Doeg is contrasted with David, we realize it’s about the choice each of us has to either love God and go His way or love evil and go our own way. God’s way will end in life, man’s way will end in death. It’s not just a diss track, for us it’s a decision track. Which way will we go?

The two men representing these two paths have more similarities than we might think. David was a shepherd who was put in charge of all the fighting men of Israel.[4] Doeg was also a shepherd – Saul’s chief shepherd – who was also put in charge of all Saul’s servants.[5]

Both were fierce warriors – cunning and valiant. Both were mighty. Both had horrible instances of slaughtering whole towns of people. So what made them different in the end? It’s that the inclination of their hearts took them on separate paths to separate destinations.

Doeg was was proud and selfish – ready to do anything he had to to get ahead. David was humble and loved the Lord. He was ready to do whatever was necessary to serve God and submit to Him.

Psalm 52:2-4 – 2 Like a sharpened razor, your tongue devises destruction, working treachery. 3 You love evil instead of good, lying instead of speaking truthfully.  Selah  4 You love any words that destroy, you treacherous tongue!

Doeg held onto the news about David and Ahimelech until it was most advantageous for him to share it – until the moment it would win him the most favor with an increasingly paranoid Saul.

But Doeg wasn’t just doing some dirty work to get ahead in life. He really loved evil. It’s shown in stomach-churning carnage when Doeg goes to Nob at Saul’s command and doesn’t just kill Ahimelech, but every man, woman, child, and even the animals there.

While David’s life was being used by God to save Israel from her enemies and build up the spiritual life of the nation with songs and poems praising God, Doeg became a lethal wrecking ball.

It started with his wicked words. Of course, words aren’t the cause of evil, they’re a symptom of it. From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. But words fan the flame of our hearts’ desires. Where it says, “Your tongue devises destruction,” the word denotes Doeg’s “evil desires.”[6]

Have you ever talked yourself into something? Talked yourself into being upset? You weren’t really bothered by that thing someone said or did, but then you started talking about it with someone else, and by the end you’re all fired up and angry?

Our words matter. The tongue has enough destructive power to set the world on fire.[7] We can look at a life, whether it’s ours or someone else’s, and know a lot about the trajectory that life is on based on the speech coming out of a person. Do they speak the truth or do they lie? Do they tear down or build up? Do they always find something to complain about or are they thankful to God?

Doeg was a person who had dedicated himself to words that destroy.[8] What are we dedicated to? What do our hearts desire? What do we love most in life? Our words will tell us.

Psalm 52:5 – 5 This is why God will bring you down forever. He will take you, ripping you out of your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

The song opened with David asked Doeg, “Why? Why are you like this? Why are you doing what you’re doing?” He may have been taunting Doeg, but the question was also a warning. When a person lives out verses 1 through 4, they only have verse 5 to look forward to.

God will not stand idly by while the wicked work their evil in the world. They are definitely, certainly, without exception headed toward a terrible judgment.

Verse 5 is like one of those scenes where the hero is on the phone with the bad guy and says, “If you hurt them, I’m going to hunt you down and tear you limb from limb,” and they start to detail all the ways they’re going to destroy them.

There are four intense verbs used here. First, He will bring them down. Those who reject God and go their own way often think they’re elevated themselves above others – they’ve fought their way to the top of the heap – but God says, “I’m bringing you down.” But not just back down to earth, down to the grave. Down to sheol. Ultimately, the weight of their sin will bring them down to the Lake of Fire, paying the penalty for their rejection of Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Second, God will take them. They will be snatched wherever they are. There is no place they can hide, nowhere they can run where God’s justice won’t find them, where His arm can’t reach them.

Third, they will be ripped out of their tent. No home. No safety. Isolated and laid bare.

Finally, they will be uprooted from the land of the living. Their way has only one destination: Death.

God’s judgment isn’t just a slap on the wrist. When sinners refuse to receive His salvation, this is what they’re choosing. You may be powerful, mighty, successful – you may tower above all the weaker people around you, but you’re not greater than God. And all of us must answer to Him. And if you are not willing to let Him deliver you from the guilt of your wickedness, He will destroy you.

Psalm 52:6-7 – 6 The righteous will see and fear, and they will derisively say about that hero, 7 “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, taking refuge in his destructive behavior.”

Doeg was a murderer who scoffed at God’s laws but what does Psalm 52 say was his biggest mistake? “Here is the man who would not make God his refuge.”

Don’t get me wrong: His violence and murders were horrible crimes against God and man. But remember: David committed similar sins. When he was in Philistine country, he would go to towns and kill everyone so no one could reveal what he was up to.[9] It was a very dark time for David.

The difference was that David was cleansed from his guilt because he loved the Lord and he would turn back to the Lord and take refuge in his God.

By contrast, Doeg said, “I’ll take care of my own life. My wealth will save me. My abilities will protect me. I will command my own future through the force of my will and the strength of my sword.”

But it all led to destruction and death. Yes, he gained wealth for a time, but the bill came due. The charges for his wicked words, his evil deeds, his rebellion against the King of heaven. Instead of repenting, he rejected the God of Israel. So, instead of being cleansed, he was condemned.

This year on the Isle of Man, a tourist was stopped for speeding only for the police to discover they had been ticketed for the same thing when they visited 12 years earlier – only they never paid the fine. The driver was arrested and brought to the station and forced to pay their debt.[10]

You and I are sinners. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God – of His standard of perfection. We’ve done wrong things in thought, word, and deed against our Creator and our fellow man. For these wrongs, we must pay the penalty. The bad news is that these infractions are capital offenses. The wages of our sin is death. But, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

If you will not believe – if you decide you’re going to try something else – some other religion, or your own good deeds or just ignoring the issue altogether, then you will die in your sin. But if you surrender and repent and take refuge in Jesus Christ, then He is able to take your debt, pay the penalty Himself, and give you the wealth of His righteousness. That’s the difference between David and Doeg. One man trusted God. The other trusted himself, trusted his wealth, trusted his own strength and greatness. And in the end, one had everlasting life and the other, death.

Now, David was far from perfect. And, like David, we still make mistakes and fall into sin. But when you trust in God, He continually cleanses you and restores you and makes your right, conforming your life and transforming you from the inside out so that your end is glory, not guilt – life, not death. Look at what happens for David in verse 8.

Psalm 52:8 – 8 But I am like a flourishing olive tree in the house of God; I trust in God’s faithful love forever and ever. 

Physically, David was not safe and snug in the Tabernacle. He was on the run as Saul used all his resources to hunt him. But David knew what was true on a higher level: The care God had for him and the future God planned for him. He could say with confidence, “I am flourishing in the house of my God.” Because God’s ability and affection are more consequential than our predicaments.

Olive trees were the most important tree in Israeli life.[11] They could live for hundreds of years and yielded gallons of oil year after year.[12] Olive oil was used for cooking, for lamps, for ointments and medicines, for cosmetics, and in formal worship in the house of God. These trees have a root system that combines a deep taproot with wide spreading fibrous roots, giving the tree stability and great nutrient uptake and the ability to adapt to various soil conditions.[13]

David said, “That’s my life. Not just being watched by God, but safe in His presence. He’s brought me into His own home and allows the tap root of my life to reach into Him. And He is going to cultivate my life so that it can produce gallon after gallon of oil for all sorts of purposes.”

Because of that, even while he had to run for his life, he knew that God’s love would see him through, because God’s love is loyal and active and never fails. And so, David chose to root his life, his hope, his future in Who God is and the promises He has made.

Psalm 52:9 – 9 I will praise you forever for what you have done. In the presence of your faithful people, I will put my hope in your name, for it is good.

And so the contrast has been laid out for us. Instead of being destroyed, David would endure. The end for the righteous is goodness and hope and eternity. Doeg has been obliterated since verse 5. He only made it half way into the song before it all came crashing down.

In the meantime, David chose to not only praise the Lord, but to wait on Him. That’s what he meant by “put my hope in Your name.”[14] To wait with faith and endurance.[15]

Doeg wanted to make a name for himself, and he did – a terrible name. David concentrated on the name of His God. He knew that what we really need is God’s leading, His action, His provision. That He will accomplish what He desires in us. That’s our hope. And it is a hope that will not disappoint.

And so, whatever you’re facing, whether it’s a period of waiting, or a time of frustration or fear, of danger or discouragement or simply the unknown, choose the path of David. Sing a song of hope in your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”[16]

 

References
↑1 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diss_tracks
↑2 Acts 2:29-31
↑3 Derek Kidner   Psalms 1-72
↑4 1 Samuel 18:5
↑5 1 Samuel 21:7, 22:9
↑6 Donald Williams, Lloyd J. Ogilvie   The Preacher’s Commentary, Volume 13: Psalms 1-72
↑7 James 3:6
↑8 John Goldingay   Psalms, Volume 2: Psalms 42-89
↑9 1 Samuel 27:9
↑10 https://motorsport.manxradio.com/news/isle-of-man-news/visitor-with-outstanding-speeding-fine-caught-12-years-later
↑11 C. Hassell Bullock   Psalms, Volume 1: Psalms 1-72
↑12 TPC
↑13 https://greg.app/olive-tree-roots/
↑14 James Smith   The Wisdom Literature & Psalms
↑15 Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament
↑16 Romans 15:13

The One Anothers: Greet One Another

June 15, 2025

Last week, Pastor Gene encouraged us to give some attention to the “one another” passages in the New Testament. Not only would that be a great series for your personal devotions, we should consider them together. The whole point of those verses is to show us how to relate to each other in the church so that we can be Christians who are growing and a church family that is thriving.

And so, from time-to-time I’d like us to take a look at one of these commands so that we can be strong in the Lord together.

Some fundamentals to get us started: There are about 60 one another commands in the New Testament. Mostly they are positive, meaning instructions on how we should treat each other. But there are also negative one anothers, meaning how not to treat each other.[1]

About a third of these commands tell us to love one another. Another third deal with unity in the church. Fifteen percent or so are about humility or putting others first.[2] Paul twice reminds us that we are to live out these commands not only because God asks us to, but because we are members of one another. That though we are many members, we are one body – the body of Christ.

Our relationship to one another boils down to agape love. But, sometimes it can be abstract to just say, “Go love people.” Well, what does that mean? Especially if I don’t feel particularly lovey-dovey at the moment, what can I do to obey the Lord and participate in this essential church activity?

This is were the various one anothers help. They give us real attitudes and behaviors to act on – real exercises of our faith as we allow God to conform us and bear fruit in us.

So today, we start with one of the most basic one anothers: Greet one another. “Greet one another with a holy kiss” is found five times in the New Testament. Let’s get the awkward part out of the way: The kiss isn’t a thing anymore. At the time, it was common to say hello with a kiss, specifically to family members, close friends, or as a sign of respect for someone.[3] Some cultures today still say hello with a peck on the cheek, but it’s not an appropriate action in our time and place.

Actually, after the first century, the kiss part started getting out of hand and church leaders made rules that men would only kiss men and women would only kiss women.[4]

The point was not the kiss, the point was the kindness behind the greeting. If you’re saying hello to someone with a kiss, that means you’re actually connecting with that person. You’re sharing a moment together – even if very brief – that is close and respectful and tender. A greeting that acknowledges our familial connection.

Now, if you’re like me, meet and greet time is not the thing you look forward to most at church. Statistically there are a lot of people who get a little nervous about saying hello to strangers.

Even before COVID only 18% of churches had a meet and greet time during their services.[5] And when surveyed, 58% of church goers said they really don’t like it. And yet, both Peter and Paul said it’s something we must do. And they said so five times!

Of course, we don’t only fulfill that command during our “official” meet and greet time, but those couple of minutes give us a chance to honor God, to accept and welcome people around us, and to exercise our faith that when we do what God asks us to do, He will do a work in our lives and build up our faith and bear fruit in our church.

So, let me say I think you do a great job greeting one another, not just in-between worship and the study, but before and after service, too. But as we focus our attention on this command, by way of application, I have a few ideas for us to consider moving forward.

First, let’s remember that our greeting isn’t just a time filler. God says it has a spiritual component. It’s a chance not only to share warmth and welcome to someone, but to remind ourselves that this Christian across from me, even if I don’t know them, is my family member. And I can embrace them with the love of God with a simple hello and a friendly smile.

Second, as we greet one another, we should always try to read the room. Is the person I’m about to interact with giving me signs that they’d rather not have a handshake or a full on conversation? If you’re getting those signals, a smile and hello are still appropriate, but maybe not a bunch of questions. Or, as you stand up and look around, is there someone who looks like they’re waiting to be welcomed? Go greet them. It’s ok if they’re a few rows away, we’ll make the time.

If you’re greeting someone you don’t know, think about what you might say. “How long have you been coming to Calvary” is a better question than, “is this your first time here?”. “How are you doing today” might be too hard a question for someone to answer. Try out, “How can I pray for you?”

If you were in a culture where you greet with a kiss, you have to be careful so that you don’t plant your lips on the wrong spot, right? Or so that you don’t crack your nose into someone else’s. In the same way, we should be mindful and watchful about the way we’re greeting people here at church.

Third, if you’re like me and on the human level would feel fine if the meet and greet went away, let’s remember: God says this interaction in a meaningful part of our spiritual life. It’s on the same list as pray for one another and serve one another and forgive one another. God says we need the welcoming embrace of our fellow Christians. So let’s keep believing Him and act accordingly.

 

References
↑1 https://www.mmlearn.org/hubfs/docs/OneAnotherPassages.pdf
↑2 https://overviewbible.com/one-another-infographic/
↑3 Craig Keener   The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament
↑4 ibid.
↑5 https://churchanswers.com/blog/how-the-stand-and-greet-time-disappeared-in-churches-and-how-to-replace-it/

Soil Sort (Mark 4:1-20)

June 11, 2025

In 2020, the US was locked down. Travel was banned, parks were chained up, beaches cleared, and schools emptied. So what did Americans do? Gardening. Nationally, we already held the number 3 spot of home-gardening countries, but more than 20 million new gardeners sprung up during the pandemic, bringing the total number of American households planting stuff above 50%.[1]

The uptick in this wholesome hobby had one problem: Seed shortages. Retailers saw a 200% increase in demand during the pandemic years.[2] One supplier had to totally shut down their website more than once to try to slow the orders coming in. Multi-year stockpiles of staple veggies like broccoli, carrots, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes were wiped out.

That’s not the end of our seed concerns. A 2023 report shows that we have too small a supply of native seed for the recovery and conservation projects needed after fires, droughts, and floods.

Broccoli and forrest seeds are important, but not nearly as important as the seed discussed in Mark 4. In this chapter, Mark shares four of Jesus’ parables with us. Three of them deal with seed. Not seed that grows a tomato or two, but bears a harvest of life-changing fruit season after season.

Mark 4:1-2 – 1 Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. 2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,

Mark usually focuses on Jesus’ actions and interactions. But this chapter is one of the places where Mark takes the time to tell us some of the content of Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus often used parables. He didn’t invent them. We find some in the Old Testament.[3] Other rabbis used them, too. But Christ used them “to a degree unmatched before His time or since.”[4]

A parable is a vivid illustration of God’s truth. The Sunday-school definition is an “earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” I like Ray Stedman’s definition: A vocal cartoon.[5] Something meant to catch our attention and communicate a point and make us imagine and consider an essential truth.

But parables are not just moral stories. They’re not God’s version of Aesop’s Fables. They aren’t simply helpful proverbs packaged in an interesting way. Parables reveal truth about God, about His Kingdom, about His Way, and about humanity on a level that no worldly teaching can.

Mark 4:3-9 – 3 “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” 9 Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Jesus will give us the interpretation in the following verses, so I’m not going to do that here. Instead, as we allow these images to sink in, let’s consider elements from the delivery itself.

Jesus’ message to the crowd begins and ends with an urgent command to listen. Jesus says, “Hear what I’m saying. Anyone who has ears, please listen and consider.” This parable wasn’t just advice, it was core and crucial. Scholars note that the Lord used a term which echoed the opening word of the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One.”[6] Pious Jews recited that phrase every single day. That verb doesn’t only mean hear or listen, it also means to obey.[7]

The point of parables is not that we know something, but that we do something. That we respond to what God has revealed. The truths delivered through these stories play out in our real lives.

Now, we call this story The Parable of the Sower, but really a better title might be The Parable of the Soils.[8] We’ll learn that the soil is not just inanimate dirt, but has choices and responsibilities once the seed has fallen on it. But first, verses 10 through 12.

Mark 4:10-12 – 10 When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. 11 He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables 12 so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.”

Does that sound scary? It does if we don’t know the context. On an isolated first reading a person might say, “I guess Jesus doesn’t want certain people to be saved.” But that’s not what’s happening.  Listen to how Matthew records Jesus’ answer to the disciples about why He uses parables:

Matthew 13:13-16 – 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back— and I would heal them.

Jesus, the Son of God, was on earth, preaching, healing every sickness, working countless miracles, and the general response was disbelief and animosity. The religious leaders accused Him of being demon possessed. The crowds ignored His message. They fulfilled the prophecy foretold by Isaiah.

Consider also the context of the parable. The Sower, Who is first and foremost Jesus, wasn’t being stingy. He was casting seed all over, just as Jesus was spreading His message in many places.

So, it’s not that God doesn’t want to forgive certain people. But, if they won’t repent, then they will perish. Later, in Luke 13, Jesus says it outright twice: “Unless you repent, you will all perish.”[9] Later, in Revelation 2, the Lord says to churches, “Unless you repent,” then lists deadly consequences.[10]

And then we have the situational context where Jesus shared this parable, then later the disciples come in response, they follow up on what was revealed, they seek God’s truth, and the Lord says, “Because you’ve done this now you get a gift from God: The secrets of the Kingdom.”

Secrets here is that word used many times in the New Testament: Mysteries.[11] Paul used it 21 times himself. In the New Testament, “mysteries” are things that can only be known if they are revealed by God, but they are open to anyone who wants to know them and come to God for them.

God wants everyone to be saved. In a different parable, we see a Master who puts on a feast and by the end of the story he’s invited everyone: Friends and neighbors, strangers in the streets, alleys, highways, and hedges, to join him. The only people that don’t are those that won’t.

Verse 10 is a real-life demonstration of what was described in the parable. You had the large crowd, but only some responded to the preaching. It wasn’t only the 12 – there were others who believed there, too. This moment showed the difference between those who listened the way Jesus commanded them, and those who didn’t.

You parents have seen this. You ask your kid, “Why didn’t you do that thing I told you?” They say, “I didn’t hear you.” “But we were in the car and we were making eye contact and you said, ‘Ok.’”

Verses 10 through 12 aren’t about an unfair God. They’re a further differentiation between the crowd and real disciples. A theme Mark has been developing for a few passages now. Remember, in our last passage there was a dramatic picture of those around Jesus, in the house, and those standing outside the house because they would not believe and refused to come in.

Mark 4:13 – 13 Then he said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables?

Understanding parables is an important part of the Christian life. They are unique lessons about Christ, His Kingdom, and His way for life. When we ask, “What is this about?” it must always point back to the Lord. But, as we receive the parables, we most of all must ask, “What is my response?”

Jesus tells us to consider the parables thoughtfully. Because the truth is: We also can misunderstand the Lord. We also can be a little numb to His words. Our hearts can start to harden or become distracted. These disciples were struggling with their understanding, so we can, too.

To counteract that, we should continually apply this parable and keep our hearts conditioned to respond. We want to perpetually keep ourselves in verse 20. Because this story is not just about the moment you get saved, but a whole life of bearing fruit as the Lord sows His word into your heart.

In John 8, Jesus said real disciples continue in His Word. And James tells us that Christians must continually receive the implanted word.[12] So now, let’s hear Jesus’ explanation of this parable.

Mark 4:14 – 14 The sower sows the word.

Like a seed, God’s word contains everything necessary for life, growth, and fruitfulness. A tomato seed contains what is necessary for the plant. Yes, of course, that seed is unlocked by soil and water and sunlight, but in that seed is what you need. The same is true of God’s word. All we need for life and Godliness is found in it. It grows in us if we participate and prepare ourselves for it.

Mark 4:15 – 15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.

This first soil is a heart where the word of God makes no impact. They are surrendered to another god, who is a devourer and destroyer.

There really is a Devil out there and he really is our adversary. He wants to stop the work of God and the spread of His word. Now here, the soil is presented as somewhat culpable for the failure to receive the seed. But, what can I do if a bird swoops down and gobbles the grain up?

We’ve got a dog at home. I know that if I leave my plate of food on the table, she’s going to come over and eat it. I have to protect that food. Christians: We need to be on guard against the schemes of the Devil. How can I possibly hope to win that fight? We don’t have to. Our Savior overcame him. He rejected every temptation. And now, we live in Christ’s power to overcome temptation. If we resist the Devil, he will flee from us. Endeavor to protect your connection with God in your life.

Mark 4:16-17 – 16 And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.

This heart soil is quick to be excited about the good news, but underneath those emotions the heart is still hard. There’s stone below the surface. Their mind isn’t really inclined to God, but to how they feel in their circumstances. When the going gets tough, they move on to the next new thing.

Our hearts must be rooted in Christ, not in circumstances. Colossians 2 tells us to be rooted in Him, built up in Him, established in our faith, not our feelings. Now, your faith should feel joy and peace and expectation and excitement but about the Lord, not about our temporal circumstances. That’s how a Christian can sing worship songs while in a dungeon. A heart plowed deep for God’s work.

Mark 4:18-19 – 18 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness, of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

In this example, the plant has grown. You can see stem and leaves and roots – but no fruit. It’s too distracted, to consumed with other pursuits, and so it is unproductive. Useless to the farmer.

There are a lot of Christians who are living season after season of fruitlessness. The word is sown into their lives at church or their own devotions, but it doesn’t produce change, it doesn’t produce ministry, it doesn’t produce obedience. But God wants fruit. There are other parables that speak specifically about this: A master coming and finding no fruit and saying, “This is not ok.”

The Pharisees were plants with no fruit. They had libraries of knowledge about the seed, but nothing grew in their lives but weeds and thistles.

Mark 4:20 – 20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”

Again, we see a personification in the soil – that it has responsibility to hear the word, welcome the word, and allow it to do its work. When a heart does that, something miraculous happens.

At the time, an average harvest might be 7 or 8 fold. A great harvest would be 10.[13] God wants our lives to be superabundant with His spiritual fruit.

That fruit, like all fruit, will have seed in it. The soil of your life producing a variety of fruit each season whose pit and core is always the word of God, which then spills out for a new crop.

So now we’ve heard this chief parable. What is our response? What is the state of my heart? Is it hard? Is it soft? Is it distracted? Is it unproductive? Is it attentive? God sows so that we can grow and be a part of His miraculous harvest. He can handle the birds. His seed can withstand less-than-ideal conditions. Are we preparing our hearts, cultivating our lives to receive what He wants to plant? Are we allowing Him to plow and soften us? Are we giving the nutrients of our lives to His seed rather than the weeds of this world? Are we bearing fruit? Do I respond? What sort of soil am I tonight?

 

References
↑1 https://medium.com/@betterplanter/gardening-statistics-a15b33e0609f
↑2 https://www.seedworld.com/us/2024/01/22/pandemic-still-impacting-home-garden-seed-market/
↑3 Frank Gaebelein, D. A. Carson, Walter Wessel, and Walter Liefeld   The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke
↑4 ibid.
↑5 Ray Stedman   The Servant Who Rules: Mark 1-8
↑6 Deuteronomy 6:4
↑7 Morna Hooker   The Gospel According To Saint Mark
↑8 Ben Witherington   The Gospel Of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
↑9 Luke 13:3, 5
↑10 Revelation 2:5, 22
↑11 EBC
↑12 John 8:31, James 1:21
↑13 James Brooks   Mark Vol. 23. The New American Commentary
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