Messy God

 

"If I say, 'I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,' there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot."

Jeremiah 20:9

For a long time, the English were kept from knowing what the Bible said in their own words. For a long while, it was law, in England, that the Bible only be read by clergy who knew Latin. It was law that clergy be the only ones to read and give messages from the Bible.

But thank God, that's not the way. Thank Heaven that members of Jesus' spiritual body, were each meant to read, to reason together, to pray, and to find discernment, through studying (even prayerfully questioning and honestly expecting answers about) Heaven's first ministry to mankind — the Bible word.

I remember my first weeks and months of Bible discovery, my first heartfelt steps of drawing near to Heaven, closer to my salvation. I drew closer to the Lord through sincere, intuitive prayer for release from my sins, and through trustingly attending studies, and ultimately worship, by myself, then under pastoral counsel, then with a friend, then with another friend.

And I remember that seeds of faith I was given as a young child, began to grow up in me at that time. Lessons and names I had been introduced to, through hearing as a child, began to have meaning, when I finally received salvation, as an adult.

I could understand, firsthand, the Holy Spirit taking over one's awareness. I could understand, firsthand, the "fire" that was shut up in Jeremiah's soul. And nothing could stop me from crying out to the Lord. Where Jeremiah cried out to Yahweh, my prayers cried out to Jesus, that only Son of Heaven meant to save us from a world of sin.

Now, some men — some believing themselves to be gods! — mock our salvation in the most godless of ways: apparently deciding for themselves to make sacrificial lambs of some, and to spare others.

One result is that we who remain of Jesus' body, feel nearly helpless: distanced from the power of knowing God's word, and almost prayerless — almost unable to find refuge in the name of Jesus, and almost unable to continue ministering heartfelt, heavenly messages to everyone: almost unable to say, anymore, to "repent."

We feel at the mercy, not of Heaven, but of men who don't understand: people who don't know that only a light sprinkling of blood from one cross, at Calvary, became a spiritual, cleansing flood for anyone, anyplace on earth, at any time in history, to be saved through only believing.

We also feel helpless to say, anymore, that, for Heaven's sake, not everyone is meant to marry, and that marriage isn't as wicked men believe. New Covenant marriage (marriage in Jesus) should never be messy; but those New Testament marital relations (and even sisterly-brotherly church relations!) are mature, forgiving, and — in marriage! — consenting and pure.

Old Testament relations were much different from those we should feel free to work on in Christ. In Old Testament times, man was mostly trying to make his own way, without Christ.

King David was a rare exception, in that he heeded the messianic prophets, trusting, with all his heart, that the promised Messiah is who his life belonged to.

That being the case, David was a rare Old Testament figure who knew, instinctively, to repent and trust in God, who he knew would one day come to us in earth. And, because of David's eventual strong faith, God chastened him (as scriptures promise that God disciplines those He loves, those He always knew would follow Him in heart).

So, where King Saul and David's companion, Jonathan, perished in Old Testament times, David lived to see some of the results of his sins. David lost his first child (and he understood why). And, later, one of David's adult sons sinned against David's daughter. In the aftermath of that, another son turned against David, so that David had to make the choice to flee his own kingdom, to avoid himself having to kill a son.

Another troubling Old Testament relationship may shed light on Jesus' saying that false prophets would be revealed during the end times or "last days." The relationship I have in mind, was between Elijah and Elisha, who was Elijah's servant.

In the past, each time I read of Elisha, I was creeped out by those scriptures that are about him. Elisha seemed to be a man who wanted, not wisdom from Heaven, but who wanted a "double portion" of the prophet Elijah's "power" to do seemingly miraculous things that probably were more works of physics or science than true spiritual miracles.

Elisha wanted to do the kinds of things he saw Elijah do. Elisha coveted the things he saw Elijah do, but never seemed to speak any messianic hope or ministry. In fact, when Elijah called Elisha as a follower, Elisha did the exact opposite of those who later followed Jesus.

Elisha asked Elijah whether he could go kiss his parents goodby before accepting the call to follow — and Elijah basically told him that was his personal business. Remarkably, Elijah read Elisha correctly; because Elisha not only went to his parents — Elisha also slew about 24 work oxes and gave the meat to people in town, before taking his first journey with Elijah. That's in contrast to those who immediately followed Jesus.

To make that ever more poignant, God imparted to Elijah, His true prophet, that Elisha's purpose would be to put to death those who bowed and kissed the false god Ba-al (1 Kings 19:17-18). Unlike the disciples' three-year journey with Jesus, Elisha's journey with Elijah was maybe like that of an earthly father and son.

Elisha served Elijah, as if following an earthly father; but Jesus' later instructions to disciples were to consider no man as heavenly Father.

Another contrast: Jesus' disciples were so intent on spiritually saving souls, that they fretted at not being able to pray and break demonic strongholds off of people's lives; but Elisha never had such a focus. Unlike David, Elisha didn't seem to be very aware of man's spiritual need, and, unlike David, Elisha never prophesied of Jesus.

It may be fair to say Elisha was not a minister or true prophet, but was "anointed" only in the sense that King Saul was anointed — only to fulfill an earthly purpose (Jeremiah 23:11, Judges 9:22-57, Deuteronomy 32:43).

Often, especially in Old Testament times, God used those who foolishly were perishing, not to prevent others from perishing but to cause those who would perish, to perish. ... But thank Heaven for the love of Jesus, a love many of us first knew through grandparents and Sunday school.