There is a battle that has raged since the days of creation. It's battle of good versus evil, light versus darkness more epic than any battle ever conceived in the mind of man. But it is a battle that we humans, generally, are rarely even aware of.

Paul accurately describes it this way:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. --Ephesians 6:12.

These rulers, powers and world forces are not politicians or evil governments. They are demons and Satan's angels! These are behind all the wicked rulers of the world.

With this in mind, there is a scene from the Old Testament that gives us a glimpse into who fights for the believer. It's the scene where Elisha prays and asks God to show his servant that there is nothing to fear one early morning.

The king of Aram sent out a large dispatch of horses and chariots to go and arrest Elisha and bring him back. They surrounded the village he was in during the night.

Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" So he answered, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." --2 Kings 6:15-16.

This poor servant gets up and the first thing he sees is an army amassing on their position. He panics and asks Elisha what they should do. You get the feeling from Elisha's response that he might have still been lying in bed peacefully without a care in the world.

He then says something really provocative: "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Who or what is he talking about?

Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. --2 Kings 6:17.

Elisha was surrounded by the angels of God! Whether Elisha saw the horses and chariots before he asked God to reveal them to his servant isn't clear. But that really isn't the point. The fact is Elisha knew that it was God who watched over them and would fight this battle for them, in faith.

Paul also reminds us:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? --Romans 8:31.

I don't mean to minimize the power of the demons and satanic angels. They are powerful. On your own, you are no match for them. But they are created beings and they are no match for the power of God.

I take great comfort in knowing that there are angels watching over my children. They stand guard over my family in the battle that I cannot see with my human eyes.

May He Increase!

We previously looked at Jesus' third letter he wrote to the church at Pergamum, "the pagan church." Pergamum resumed the theme of the first letter to Ephesus, with both words of commendation and condemnation.

The fourth letter to the church of Thyatira has both words, with some additional stipulations. We look at this letter today.

Thyatira: The Church of Romanism

About 35 miles SE of Pergamum was the city of Thyatira. It was a city known for its numerous trade guilds and its wool and dyeing industry. In fact, Thyatira was the center of the dyeing industry at that time.

In the Greek, the name of the city is "Θυάτειρα," transliterated it is "Thyateira." The name means "odour of affliction." Another picturesque name given what Jesus has to say to this church.

Thyatira is representative of church history between the Dark Ages of A.D. 590 to approximately A.D. 1000.

Jesus' Letter to the Church at Thyatira

"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this." --Revelation 2:18.

We now see a fourth description of Jesus, in His role as the Son of God in judgment. Jesus says His eyes are like "a flame of fire." These are eyes that see everything; nothing is hidden from Him.

He also says His feet are like "burnished bronze." Whenever you see the element of bronze in the Bible, it's figurative of judgment.

The word used in the Greek is "χαλκολίβανον." Transliterated it is "chalkolibanon." The King James version translated the word as "brass." The New American Standard is "bronze." Either way, the word is indicative of a highly precious metal. And that's God's judgment: it's pure, undefiled, precious, and highly valuable. Moreover, it isn't malleable. It's unchangeable.

The Good News

"'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.'" --Revelation 2:19.

Jesus has six specific commendations for Thyatira:

1. Deeds or Works
2. Love
3. Faith
4. Service or Ministry
5. Perseverance or Patience
6. "Deeds of late are greater than at first."

These are similar to the "fruits of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

The key to the commendation is the last one. Jesus' praises the Thyatiran church for the increase in good works! Would Jesus say the same to your church? Would He write this letter to you personally?

The Bad News

"'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.'" --Revelation 2:20.

The character of "Jezebel" here hearkens back to the Jezebel of old, found in 1 Kings 16-21 and 2 Kings 9:30-37. Here in Revelation, the usage of the word "Jezebel" may not no much refer to it being a woman's name, rather a title. In other words, it could be more like calling someone a "Judas" who is a traitor or "Hitler" of someone who is evil. Even today, calling a woman a "Jezebel" isn't a term of endearment.

Either way, this woman is a prophetess in her own estimation. Jesus warned us of such a one as this:

"Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many." --Matthew 24:11.

"I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him." --John 5:43.

J. Vernon McGee has this to say about the historical implications of this "Jezebel" as it relates to church history:

Concerning the historical period of the Dark Ages which the church at Thyatira represents, pagan practices and idolatry were mingled with Christian works and worship. The papacy was elevated to a place of secular power under under Gregory I (A.D. 590), and later by Gregory VII, better known as Hildebrand, (A.D. 1073-1085). The introduction of rituals and church doctrine supplanted personal faith in Jesus Christ. Worship of the Virgin and Child and the Mass were made a definite part of the church service. Purgatory became a positive doctrine, and Mass was said for the dead. The spurious documents labeled Donation of Constantine and Decretals of Isidore were circulated to give power and rulership to the pope.

As Jezebel killed Naboth and persecuted God's prophets, so the Roman church instituted the Inquisition during this period.

More Bad News

"'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.'" --Revelation 2:21.

It's interesting that Jesus specifically calls out the Roman church and still to this day, that church refuses to repent, even to the point of supplanting the Bible with "tradition" as being the authority.

"'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.'" --Revelation 2:22-23.

The imagery here reminds me of what God said in Hosea:

Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone. Their liquor gone, they play the harlot continually; their rulers dearly love shame. The wind wraps them in its wings, and they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices. --Hosea 4:17-19.

Jesus says in Revelation that he will throw the Thyatiran church on a "bed of sickness." In other words, He will let them live out the consequences of their choices unless they repent.

"The minds and hearts" means that Jesus can see the thoughts, the feelings, and the purposes of the people.

A Little More Good News

"'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them--I place no other burden on you.'" --Revelation 2:23.

Another way of saying this is: "To those who have not been seduced by these false doctrines, these deep things of Satan, I will place no other burden upon you."

"'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.'" --Revelation 2:25.

A short verse, but oh how we can see the fulfillment of this drawing nigh.

The Promise to the Overcomer

"'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken into pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" --Revelation 2:26-29.

Verses 26 and 27 are taken from Psalm 2:

"'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.'" --Psalm 2:8-9.

Here Jesus says that the overcomer will rule the nations with Him! We will share the millennial rule with Christ! But beware: this is during the Millennium: not now!

Jesus Himself is the "bright morning star" (Revelation 22:16). It is in this appearance that the believer's hope rests:

Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. --Titus 2:13.

This is Roman church: the church at Thyatira.

Next time we will look at the Protestant church, the church at Sardis.

May He Increase!

When I think back on my relationship with God, I can see that for years I tried running away from Him. I can see this oftentimes in the lives of friends and family members as well and I want so much to tell them that you cannot run away from God. There is no where you can go to get away from Him.

The prophet Jonah had to learn this the hard way.

Many know about Jonah as the guy that got swallowed by a whale. For many years that's about all I got from the story as well. The book of Jonah is surprisingly short, only four chapters. It's one of my favorite books and I'd like to do a little series on it for the next the next week or so. Don't let the brevity of the book fool you. Like many things, great things can be found in small packages!

The word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." --Jonah 1:1-2.

Many dismiss Jonah as strictly an allegory. In other words, the man didn't exist, it's all a fable. There are several issues you will have to deal with if you believe that:

1. Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25:

[Jeroboam II] restored the border of Israel from from the entrance of Hamath . . . according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher. (Emphasis mine.)

Jeroboam II was the king in the northern kingdom of Israel and he reigned forty-one years. This has been established through historical records. Jeroboam was a real man, Israel a real people and nation, and Hamath a true historical location.

2. Jesus acknowledged that Jonah was a real person and He even went so far as to establish that He spent time in the belly of a great fish.

"An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." --Matthew 12:39-40.

If you have a problem with the historicity of Jonah, then you have a problem with Jesus. And if you have a problem with Jesus, then there is little hope for your destiny with eternity.

Nineveh, at the time of Jonah, was the world power. But it was also a place of great wickedness, cruelty and evil, also historical facts.

God tells Jonah to get up and go to speak to the inhabitants of Nineveh for repentance. In spite of its evil, God has a message of forgiveness for them. Jonah, however, wants no part of that.

But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. --Jonah 1:3.

Ninevah was 500 miles northeast of where Jonah was located in Israel. God's prophet so hates the Ninevites that he refuses to listen to God and instead travels southwest to the port city of Joppa to get on a boat and travel 2,500 miles due west to Tarshish, a coastal city off modern day Spain, near Gibraltar! He thinks that a boat can carry him far away from God. He has no idea the lengths to which God will go to ensure that His will is done.

The Lord hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Then the sailors became very afraid and every man cried to his god, and they threw the cargo which was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, lain down and fallen sound asleep. --Jonah 1:4-5.

We can glean a few basic truths out of these verses. First, God is all-powerful. It is God who is in control of the situation. God commands the great storm to buffet the ship.

Second, these poor sailors are innocently unaware of the cargo they are carrying (Jonah) that is causing them so much harm. They don't know the God of Israel, so they instead pray to their pagan gods who cannot save them. I wonder how many times we, when faced with a huge storm in life, go to our "gods": a job, our own skills or knowledge, money, etc., which ultimately cannot save you. We need to take this as an reminder that only God is our sole source of rescue for what ails us.

So the captain approached him and said, "How is it that you are sleeping? Get up, call on your god. Perhaps your god will be concerned about us so that we will not perish." --Jonah 1:6.

Imagine you are on a ship and there is a raging storm outside (especially if you aren't an experienced sailor). Would you be able to sleep soundly? And yet we see Jonah sleeping below all the calamity on deck.

Each man said to his mate, "Come let us cast lots so we may learn on whose account this calamity has struck us." So they cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, "Tell us, now! On whose account has this calamity struck us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" --Jonah 1:7-8.

Casting lots was a common form of divination at this time and was used by the people of Israel to determine God's will. The lot, obviously by the hand of God, fell to Jonah. So now all the sailors are looking at him and wondering "Who the heck are you, and who have you ticked off!"

He said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." --Jonah 1:9.

This is the first honest witness Jonah has given to this point.

Then the men became extremely frightened and they said to him, "How could you do this?" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. --Jonah 1:10.

In modern vernacular, the sailors probably told him, "You idiot! Why'd you tick Him off!"

So they said to him, "What should we do to you that the sea may become calm for us?"--for the sea was becoming increasingly stormy. He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will become calm for you, for I know that on account of me this great storm has come upon you." --Jonah 1:11-12.

The question was most likely asked in terms of placating an angry God. The question was something akin to what kind of sacrifice will appease the god you made so angry. Jonah, in another example of latent wisdom, tells them what they can do to get out of this mess that he got them into.

However, the men rowed desperately to return to land but they could not, for the sea was becoming even stormier against them. Then they called on the Lord and said, "We earnestly pray, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man's life and do not put innocent blood on us; for You, O Lord, have done as You have pleased." --Jonah 1:13-14.

What a picture! Jonah tells the sailors how to get out of this mess, but they already can see what happens when you make God Almighty angry! They don't want to unnecessarily anger God anymore by throwing Jonah overboard. And who can blame them? Jonah, in their estimation, doesn't seem to have a good handle on what God wants in the first place! Why risk making Him any angrier? And yet, these pagan sailors pray to God! Has Jonah done so yet?

So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging. Then the men feared the Lord greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows. --Jonah 1:16.

In spite of Jonah clearly being out of God's will, these sailors became believers in the true God!

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. --Jonah 1:17.

And here begins Jonah's frightful lesson about refusing to do what God commands you to do. In the next post, we'll look at Jonah's prayer in the belly of the fish.

May He Increase!

As an act of complete reliance on God's provision, yesterday I formally chose to take a layoff--effective this Friday--rather than going part-time.

Neither option was good. Going part-time means no guarantee in hours if there is no work. So in my estimation, I chose the lesser of two evils. Part of me isn't overly concerned (Matthew 6:34) but then there is the other half waging war against my spirit.

God is either in complete control of my life, or He's not. Period. End of story.

He that created the universe, loves me!

He that parted the Red Sea for Israel, loves me!

He that brought down the walls of Jericho, loves me!

He that came down and dwelt among us as a man, loves me!

He that turned water into wine, loves me!

He that called the storm at sea, loves me!

He that casts out demons, made the blind see, and the lame walk, loves me!

He that died for my sins and rose on the third day, loves me!

He that is coming again in glory, according to all that is written of Him in the Bible, loves me!

Why, then ... how then ... should I fear?

I was lead to 2 Kings, chapter 3. The passage is about Jehoram's battle against Moab. (As a side note into the historicity of the tale, in 1868, the Moabite Stone was discovered. It describes the revolt talked about in 2 Kings 3.) The three kings going to battle against Moab go to the prophet Elisha to inquire of the Lord. Elisha is somewhat distracted and irritable at the occasion so he calls for a musician to calm his nerves, as it where.

"But now bring me a minstrel." And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. --2 Kings 3:15.

This simple, unnamed minstrel was used by God to accomplish a military victory for Israel. A musician! I missed this detail for so long. I took great comfort in this passage being a guitar player myself. For far too long I have dismissed that talent as something that God really can't use. How foolish of me!

He said, "Thus says the Lord, 'Make this valley full of trenches.' For thus says the Lord, 'You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts. This is but a slight thing in the sight of the Lord; He shall also give the Moabites in to your hand.'" --2 Kings 3:16-18.

These passages completely blew me away. For starters, I love how God doesn't just make it easy on them. They have to prepare for the blessing of God. God makes them dig trenches in the desert. Can you imagine that? You're in a desert land, you're tired, hot, and thirsty, but God asks you to dig trenches before He will make it rain! How I'm going through this right now in my life! God isn't going to just rain down blessings, He's asking me to prepare for them by seeking new employment in faith that He will provide. This follows right in line with Jesus' words in Matthew 6:26. We aren't going to starve or die just because I'm losing a job. God will supernaturally take care of us through normal means by being faithful in looking for work.

Moreover, my favorite part of this passage is: "this is but a slight thing in the sight of the Lord." Our problems--though they appear insurmountable to us--are but slight things to God. It's no big deal. He created the universe! He rose from the dead! That's not to say He doesn't care, but they are nowhere near insurmountable to Him!

Digging the ditches are necessary for God to rain down blessing. Otherwise we'd think we could snap our fingers and God would act. Digging ditches teach us to wait on the Lord in faith. Otherwise we'd think that we could do everything ourselves and not depend upon Him. Digging ditches gets us lower to the ground and causes us to humble ourselves. Otherwise pride enters the picture and God hates a proud heart. Digging ditches makes God's blessings that much sweeter because we value them more.

But there is one blessing that you don't need to dig a ditch for. That's His love for you. That's a love so deep that He went to the cross to pay the debt that you cannot work yourself out of. That's the love everyone needs and I invite you to experience that love right now! Don't wait another moment.

May He Increase!

On Wednesday, we talked about the two elements that make up the Ark of the Covenant: the Ark or the box, and the lid or the Mercy Seat.

Today we'll discuss a little of the background of the kings that were in place around the time the ark left Israel.

Kings Hezekiah and Manasseh

Hezekiah was one of the good kings of Israel. One of the things that characterizes the accounts of the different kings is that the Bible says whether they did evil or right in the sight of the Lord. Hezekiah was one that did right. We know that the ark and the mercy seat were in the Temple during Hezekiah's reign. We can glean this from Hezekiah's prayer to God:

Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God,  You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." --2 Kings 19:15.

The key phrase here is "above the cherubim." Yesterday we described the mercy seat as having cherubim at each end and God would meet with the people from between the two cherubim.

Unfortunately, Hezekiah's son, Manasseh--who succeeded him--was not like his father.

He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before the sons of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. He made his son pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and used divination, and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking Him to anger. Manasseh seduced them to do evil more than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel. --2 Kings 21:2-3, 6, 9. (Emphasis mine.)

Manasseh eventually repented of his sin. However, the Bible still records him as doing evil and does not look at him favorably. The bottom line, Manasseh was a very wicked king. Interesting to note, that when Manasseh became king, he was only twelve years old! He ruled until he was 67. For 55 years Israel lived through this wickedness.

King Josiah

Josiah was even younger than Manasseh when he became king: eight years old! He reigned until he was 39. The Bible says he did right in the sight of the Lord.

For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images and the molten images. --2 Chronicles 34:3.

This verse gives me much hope in teenagers. Josiah was 16 years old when he began to seek God. Four years later, when he was 20, he began to clean up the kingdom and rid it of all the evil of Manasseh. Parents of teenagers: there is hope!

Six years later, after clearing out everything, they started repairing the Temple. Josiah sends messengers to Hilkiah the high priest and delivers funds that had been collected to repair the Temple. In the process, Hilkiah finds the book of the law of the Lord that was given by Moses. He gives it to one of the messengers--Shaphan--who brings it back to Josiah. He gives Josiah a report of everything that's being done at the Temple and then reads from the book of the law to Josiah.

It came about when the king heard the words of the law that he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found." --2 Chronicles 34:19-21.

Josiah sends a dispatch of Hilkiah the high priest, Shaphan the scribe and his son Ahikam, Abdon, and Asaiah who is Josiah's servant, to go and meet with God to inquire of what he is supposed to do now that Moses' book of the law has been found. A good king will always send his priest--in this case, Hilkiah--to speak to God for counsel. Only the high priest had access to the Holy of Holies where the ark and mercy seat are. Remember, this is where God said he would meet with his people.

But watch what happens next!

Huldah the prophetess

So Hilkiah and those whom the king had told went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her regarding this. --2 Chronicles 34:22.

Where did this group go? Did they go to the ark and the mercy seat? No, they didn't. Why?

She said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to Me, thus says the Lord, "Behold, I am bringing evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the curses written in the book which they have read in the presence of the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place and it shall not be quenched. But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the Lord. "Behold, I will gather you to your fathers and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, so your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring on this place and on its inhabitants."'" And they brought back word to the king. --2 Chronicles 34:23-28.

It's a long passage, but it's important to read it all for several reasons. The question was posed: why is the high priest and his group going to a prophetess and not the ark and mercy to speak to God? Is it possible that the ark and mercy seat are not around or not readily available to them? You might also say that they should not have gone to the prophetess. That is the reason for reading this very long passage. It's clear that God is sending a message to Josiah through this prophetess. It also adds further evidence that the ark and mercy seat are not in the Temple at this point.

Still not convinced? Let's look at what Josiah says a little later, after he receives the message.

He also said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, "Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel built; it will be a burden on your shoulders no longer." --2 Chronicles 35:3.

Why would Josiah give the command to put the ark in Temple? Because it wasn't there up to this point! Where was it? You can glean from the last part of the verse that the Levites--the only group authorized by God to carry the ark--had been carrying it around for a while. Is it possible that the Levites--during the terrible reign of Manasseh--took the ark from the temple and hid it somewhere far away to protect it from Manasseh? What the text does not indicate is that the Levites followed Josiah's order. It does not say that they actually returned the ark to the temple.

The death of Josiah

Josiah and all the people then celebrated a very special Passover. It was the first Passover celebrated according to what God commanded since the days of the Judges.

After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to engage him. --2 Chronicles 35:20.

This is an odd passage if you are paying attention. It says that right after Josiah prepares the temple, he's suddenly going out to make war with king Neco. Why?

But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, "What have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, that He may not destroy you." --2 Chronicles 35:21.

Stunning! How many times have I read that passage before and never "got it." King Neco is telling Josiah that he's going to war with the Assyrians on God's order!

However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make way on the plain of Megiddo. --2 Chronicles 35:22.

Josiah did not "listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God." Is it possible that the ark had been hidden in Egypt by the Levites and in Neco's possession? How else can you explain the Bible clearly saying that King Neco had orders "from the mouth of God?" Is Josiah going to battle with Neco because he knows Neco has the ark! How else do you explain Josiah going to war without apparent cause?

Good king Josiah is shot and killed by archers during the battle. I can't help but think back on prophecy given by God to Huldah where God says that Josiah will be gathered to his fathers and "gathered to [his] grave in peace" so that he will not see God's wrath poured out on his people. It was all part of God's plan. You'd have assumed that Josiah would live to a ripe old age. Instead he was killed by an arrow at 39 years old.

What's next?

The next post we'll look at intriging passages from the Bible about Jesus' Throne.

May He Increase!

We've talked previously about seemingly strange passages in the Old Testament and wonder why that story, etc., was in there. The Cities of Refuge was one of those.

Another strange passage is in Numbers 21. It starts off by describing how the people of Israel were complaining about the journey out of Egypt to the Promised Land. There was a lot of complaining during that trip!

Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey." --Numbers 21:4.

Scripture always has practical lessons for us if we just look hard enough. How often do we complain about our life's journey? "God, you're taking too long to get me out of this financial mess I'm in." "God, why am I in this crummy job? Can't you get me out of here?" You get the picture. Yes, God wants to hear about problems we're having. He tells us to cast our burdens upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). But it's the lack of faith that I believe makes God angry with us.

The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food." --Numbers 21:5.

Wow. Did you get that? Not only were they complaining to Moses, but they were speaking against God! Remember, these are the people who witnessed God's divine intervention in getting them out of the miserable conditions they were in for years. They saw the parting of the Red Sea! They saw the Egyptians get swallowed up by the Red Sea after they passed through safely! And they think that God did all that to bring them out into the desert and abandon them?

What is also key here is that they were tired of the "miserable food." The miserable food here is the manna that God sustained them with. The manna is symbolic of Christ, the Bread of Life. If you understand this, then God's reaction makes sense.

The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and you; intercede with the Lord, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people. --Numbers 21:6-7.

The word serpent is defined as "to creep." It can also mean "a noxious creature that creeps...or stings." Or "a treacherous person." In some cases, this is how sin works in our lives: it creeps in. Just like in the Garden of Eden, Eve was there, minding her own business, and before she knew it, sin--through the serpent--just crept in and brought her and Adam down (and all of humanity). I believe that the serpents in this passage are symbolic of sin. Indeed, the "wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The people sinned, they were bitten by serpents, and they died.

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Israel reacted like anyone would who suffers the consequences of sin: you ask for forgiveness. God hears the intercessional prayer of Moses and,

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live." And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, then if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived. --Numbers 21:8-9.

Strange solution don't you think? Let's dig into it a little deeper. First for the material: bronze. Bronze is a metal alloy made primarily of copper but also has other elements. It is not a "pure" metal. God doesn't have a high regard for the metal bronze.

All of them are stubbornly rebellious, going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; they, all of them, are corrupt. --Jeremiah 6:28.

In other words, the people are not like pure gold, they are defiled, ignoble and impure. This is what is going on in Numbers.

As for the standard, this is something lifted up like a signal, signal pole, ensign, banner, sign, rallying point, or a warning.

Lastly, the text implies that one must have faith to be healed. It says in verse 9 that when anyone "looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." The word "looked" is the Hebrew word "nabat," which means to look or to regard, to pay attention to. This isn't a quick glance, it's a meaningful consideration of the object.

So this is an interesting story in the Old Testament. But it's strange. Ah! But let's put Christ in the midst of it. Jesus Himself referred to this passage!

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life." --John 3:14-15.

So, as we suggested, the serpents were symbolic of sin. Moses symbolically puts "sin" on the standard so that whomever looks upon it, they lived. Jesus, in this passage of John, is telling Nicodemus that He will be lifted up on the cross soon, and that who ever believes in His sacrifice, will have eternal life, i.e., he lives!

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. --2 Corinthians 5:21

Christ took our sins (our serpents) upon Himself so that we may live.

A word of caution that is sometimes overlooked when talking about Moses and the serpent. There is a epilogue to this found in 2 Kings, talking about King Hezekiah.

He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces, the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan. --2 Kings 18:4.

"Nehushtan" means "a mere piece of bronze." 700 years after the people were saved by looking at the bronze serpent, it had become an idol. Instead of the people realizing that it was God who healed them through their obedience, they fell into idol worship. Anything that takes worship away from God can be considered an idol. Even good things--the bronze serpent was a good thing--can become idols.

May He Increase!