Category Archives: Repenting from Sin

Discerning / Judging, Grace / Patience, Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Share the Good News

Do Not Throw Pearls Before Swine

Our last article focused on Matthew 7:1-5 about judging others. We saved verse 6 to breakout in a separate article. Verses 1-5 are included again because they help set the right context for us as we read verse 6.

Matthew 7:1-6

  Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

      6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

We discussed last time that we are to use righteous judgment and discern good from evil. That is a consistent message throughout the Bible. How can we engage people to repent if we are silent on sin. Sin is defined by that which someone is doing wrong which does not line up with guidance from Yahweh. Matthew 18:15-18 even shows us how to rebuke our brothers or sisters, which would make no sense if we are not to judge others at all. Matthew 7:1-5 is more about how we approach someone, including our attitudes and our own walk with God before we approach others as hypocrites.

Verse 6 should be understood in the context of the preceding verses. When we have addressed sin in our life and we can see more clearly to help others remove the speck from their eye, we should seek to help them. However, there is a distinction being made between rebuking brethren and those who are referred to as swine or dogs. (This is not a compliment in the Hebrew culture of the time, quite the opposite.) There are some people, or perhaps in some situations, where our effort to help someone address sin in their life will be not only rejected outright, but they will turn against us and “trample” us. We actually see this quite clearly in our society today, in particular when we try to correct some who are truly lost. They do not want to hear it. They will take our “pearls” of wisdom and guidance (from God, not from us) and get angry or at times even violent. I believe that verse 6 is a warning to use discernment before correcting all people for all their sin.

Perhaps one well known example involving Paul is recorded in Acts.

Acts 17:22-23

      22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

I suppose Paul could have started with “You are all pagans and going to hell if you don’t repent and accept Jesus.”, but that likely would have triggered the violent response warned about where the swine turn and trample the pearls underfoot. At the least, they probably would not have listened.  Paul used wisdom in approaching them.

Of course, we can always ask Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in this discernment. There are times where the LORD may ask us to boldly address a situation that we may not think wise. In those cases, obey the LORD. In fact, the example above seems to be just that.  Acts 17:16 tells us Paul’s spirit was being provoked to take action. So even in this case Paul did not just act on his own but was following prompting from Holy Spirit (Ruach Chodesh in Hebrew).

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Repenting from Sin, Share the Good News

What Does It Mean That We Should Not Judge Others?

When Yeshua speaks about judging others, many misunderstand the context and it can lead to bad results.

Matthew 7:1-5

Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

If we take this to mean we should not form an opinion on what is right and wrong and that we should not rebuke what appears to be wrong behavior, then we contradict much of what has been spoken through scripture. One such example to consider is in Matthew 18.

Matthew 18:15-17

      15“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. 16“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. 17“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.

Clearly we can confirm that Matthew 7 is not saying we should not use wisdom to discern what is right and wrong and rebuke what is wrong. That would be directly in conflict with Matthew 18.

Matthew 7:5 shows us an important key. We must repent and walk righteously with Yahweh in order that we will be better able to help others turn from their sin. If we condemn others for their sin, while accepting our own, we are certainly hypocrites.  (This does not mean that if we struggle with the sin of anger that we should not help others to recognize that unrighteous anger is a sin. However, we will not have much credibility if we come across as if our sin is not there and they are horrible because of the same sin in their life. In this case we would want to acknowledge our own struggle with the issue and invite them to seek Christ together on affecting change.)

We must make judgments on what is good and evil to obey Yahweh. Yeshua lived out this example in His earthly ministry, rebuking those who needed to be rebuked. However, we should judge how we want to be judged. Do not judge rashly and quickly. Seek first to view the situation through the lenses of grace and mercy. Remember the one who is sinning is not the enemy. Satan is the enemy. We can also refer to Matthew 18:15-17 (above) to remind ourselves how to approach someone who may be in need of rebuke. Let us approach them privately first, and then escalate as needed. Even if they refuse to repent, it does not mean we cast them off entirely. It means they no longer walk in our close circles and we keep them a bit more distant. Remember that Yeshua ate with tax collectors and Gentiles. He just did not have them in His closest circle of friends.  For Jews at this time, it was clear that Gentiles were to be interacted with at a distance in some regards. However, clearly we see that throughout the history of God’s people, there are mixed multitudes, implying that there was enough interaction with Gentiles that some accepted Yahweh as God and joined the Jews in following Him.  We see this also in the ministry of Paul and Peter after the resurrection of Christ.

So, should we judge others? Yes. But we need to judge fairly and with mercy and grace. We need to judge as we want to be judged. We are called to rebuke appropriately.

For some additional thoughts regarding the guidance not to judge in Matthew 7, consider reading the Barnes commentary.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Government, Idols / False Gods, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil

Pursue the Father Wholeheartedly

After the death of Solomon, the kingdom was split into Judah and Israel. Both Jeroboam, king of Israel, and Rehoboam, king of Judah, were wicked and did not follow YHWH wholeheartedly as David did. We see in 1 Kings 15 a chain of kings summarized in quick succession.  There is a lot to unpack and reflect on.

To sum it up, we see things get really messy when our leaders, or individuals, do not pursue the Father wholeheartedly, but instead mix and mingle what He tells us with the beliefs of false gods. Leadership matters because it influences the minds of the people in their walk with the LORD!

1 Kings 15

Abijam Reigns over Judah

      1Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. 2He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 3He walked in all the sins of his father which he had committed before him; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, like the heart of his father David. 4But for David’s sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him and to establish Jerusalem; 5because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. 6There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.

      7Now the rest of the acts of Abijam and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

Asa Succeeds Abijam

      8And Abijam slept with his fathers and they buried him in the city of David; and Asa his son became king in his place.

      9So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. 10He reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11Asa did what was right in the sight of the LORD, like David his father. 12He also put away the male cult prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols which his fathers had made. 13He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah; and Asa cut down her horrid image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14But the high places were not taken away; nevertheless the heart of Asa was wholly devoted to the LORD all his days. 15He brought into the house of the LORD the dedicated things of his father and his own dedicated things: silver and gold and utensils.

      16Now there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days. 17Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. 18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold which were left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and the treasuries of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, 19“Let there be a treaty between you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you a present of silver and gold; go, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” 20So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah and all Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali. 21When Baasha heard of it, he ceased fortifying Ramah and remained in Tirzah. 22Then King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah—none was exempt—and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had built. And King Asa built with them Geba of Benjamin and Mizpah.

Jehoshaphat Succeeds Asa

      23Now the rest of all the acts of Asa and all his might and all that he did and the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? But in the time of his old age he was diseased in his feet. 24And Asa slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father; and Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place.

Nadab, then Baasha, Rules over Israel

      25Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. 26He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin. 27Then Baasha the son of Ahijah of the house of Issachar conspired against him, and Baasha struck him down at Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines, while Nadab and all Israel were laying siege to Gibbethon.

      28So Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa king of Judah and reigned in his place. 29It came about as soon as he was king, he struck down all the household of Jeroboam. He did not leave to Jeroboam any persons alive, until he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Ahijah the Shilonite, 30and because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and which he made Israel sin, because of his provocation with which he provoked the LORD God of Israel to anger.

      31Now the rest of the acts of Nadab and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

War with Judah

      32There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.

      33In the third year of Asa king of Judah, Baasha the son of Ahijah became king over all Israel at Tirzah, and reigned twenty-four years. 34He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.

A key theme we can see is that our Father cares deeply about the leadership of His people and whether or not they follow Him wholeheartedly. He is not pleased to simply be one of several “gods” they worship. This is idolatry and wickedness.

We see that to come out of wickedness, as Asa did, is hard. He had to stand against his own mother, who had embraced false gods. He had a heart for Yahweh and did much good to pull down the idols. Despite the fact that he did not get them all, he is praised for pursuing Yahweh wholeheartedly. He did not have to be perfect to be pleasing. We don’t either, though we should not let that serve as an excuse to leave some sin in our lives.

We can also see a theme that when God’s people fight among themselves, neither one wins. Both are divided and made weaker. It is sad to see that Asa had to go pay to have another nation come against the attacks from Israel. We can apply the same thoughts to how we act as brothers and sisters in Christ. Do we unite around the truth of Messiah and debate the full understanding of scripture? or do we come against one another, one denomination against another, undermining the unity of His people? Keep in mind, there is some doctrine which must be thrown out and we can not stand in unity with those who hold fast to it. One extreme example would be those who claim Yeshua was not Messiah or not God, but only a teacher. We can not stand in unity with this. Similarly, there are many other controversial topics today in which people who claim the name of Yeshua also stand against what His word and teaching proclaim. Abortion and homosexuality come to mind as examples. We can engage and debate with these individuals, but we can not accept what they teach in unity.

To make a point on this matter… reflect back on what caused the division. It started with Solomon turning away from wholeheartedly pursuing Yahweh. Sin and idolatry divided God’s people. As they pursue other gods and other beliefs, while still claiming to follow Yahweh! This is what largely divides our body of believers still today. Much bad teaching had been mixed and mingled with the good. People are now confused and lost as the people were under the kings like Jeroboam. Pray for our Father to remove the spiritual darkness and let the scales fall from the eyes of believers that they would see truth clearly and pursue it, even if they have to stand firm for God and against their own family, as Asa did.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant, Teachable

Yeshua Proclaimed the Gospel of the Kingdom

We continue to break down Matthew 4 to try to fully digest each important element. The last few verses in this chapter tell us about His teaching and healing people widely. He went to the people of YHWH, to the Israelites. He brought the message of repentance (Matthew 4:17), calling people to change. Large crowds gathered. Clearly people could see that YHWH was with Him. I also want to note that He taught in synagogues and taught the gospel of the kingdom.

This is worth reflecting on. So often Christians today take the “gospel” to mean the news of Jesus as Messiah, but this is not what He was revealing at this time. The message of the gospel, or good news, is throughout all of the Old Testament writings of Moses and the prophets as well. The gospel of the kingdom did not start or change with Yeshua’s death on the cross. The gospel is one unbroken, unchanged message of hope and restoration in our relationship with our Father from Genesis through Revelation.

I suppose one additional minor observation… if we wish to hear from Yeshua. Even if He were to be here in person, we would still need to chose to go and listen to Him and change our lives. We would need to seek Him out. It is the same now. We must seek Him out and pursue Him. He does not force us to submit to Him. He does not make us follow Him. Ask our Father to give you a hunger for pursuing righteousness through Yeshua and then go and pursue Him. Study. Pray. Praise. Share with others.

Matthew 4:23-25

Ministry in Galilee

      23Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

      24The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 25Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Prophecy, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant, Teachable, Through Prophets

The Message of Christ, “Repent”

Yeshua was clearly a fulfillment of prophecy that was signaled since the time of Adam and Eve in the garden. We see some brief highlights in Matthew 4 as he begins His ministry.

Perhaps the bigger message not to miss is in verse 17. Repent. This means changing our attitudes and actions to be more like Christ, more like what YHWH has commanded. This was the message of John the Baptist a few chapters earlier. This is the message of Christ as He started His ministry. This continued to be His message throughout His ministry.

We should genuinely take heed and prayerfully reflect on what seems to be such a simple message, but is truly transformative in our lives if we live it out.

Matthew 4:12-17

Jesus Begins His Ministry

      12Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; 13and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet:

      15“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI,
BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—

      16“THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING IN DARKNESS SAW A GREAT LIGHT,
AND THOSE WHO WERE SITTING IN THE LAND AND SHADOW OF DEATH,
UPON THEM A LIGHT DAWNED.”

      17From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

What are some specific things that you should address in your life? What is stopping you? Time to stop rationalizing and accepting it and ask YHWH for help and repent. We are to be fully submitted to YHWH. Yeshua shows us the way.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Baptism, Repenting from Sin, Submitted / Servant

The Baptism of Yeshua Is Worth Reflecting On

While in earthly form, Yeshua set an example for us. The fact that He chose to be baptized, and that it occurred as an adult and not an infant, shows us the way. Infants do not understand. They can not choose to follow YHWH. Those who are more mature can make that decision and it means something. He was already pleasing to the Father before baptism, but the Father reaffirmed it to all. The baptism took place before Yeshua began His ministry. It took place before Satan tempted Him in the wilderness. It is a milestone where we affirm publicly that we submit to and follow our Father and Creator.

We can also reflect that it reminds us to die to our old selves and rise again in new life, as a new person. This is important for us to do if we are to fully serve Him. It must be more than going through the motions, but clearly by Yeshua’s example we see that the physical act also has significance, or why would He have done it and recorded it in multiple gospels. Keep in mind that baptism was not the end goal or the defining step. It was one step taken before devoting His life in service to the LORD.

If we get baptized but do not change our behaviors and attitudes to seek after Yeshua, then we have missed the point entirely and it is simply a “check box” religious action. Yeshua wants so much more from us and for us!

Matthew 3:13-17

The Baptism of Jesus

      13Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. 16After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, 17and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Have you made a decision to fully submit to the Father? Have you publicly affirmed your decision through baptism? If a child has been baptized young, but wants to do it again as they mature to reaffirm their commitment, I would encourage you to support them. Seek out godly counsel if you want to learn more about baptism or desire to be baptized. Godly counsel may or may not be inside of a traditional church setting, so don’t constrain yourself. Look around for those that are living submitted to the LORD where you can see their fruit and start there. Of course you can also contact us via our website Contact Us page. We love to hear from you.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Prophecy, Repenting from Sin, Through Prophets

YHWH Uses People We Don’t Expect

The first twelve verses of Matthew 3 really tell a powerful history about John the Baptist. There are some key points we should all reflect on and take home I will address after the scripture.

Matthew 3:1-12

The Preaching of John the Baptist

      1Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, 2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

3For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT!’”

4Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan; 6and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

      7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8“Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; 9and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 10“The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

      11“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

There are several key points to reflect on, and probably more that I am not highlighting.

  • Our relationship with YHWH requires us to repent, to turn away from, our sins. Sin is defined as missing the mark or falling short of YHWH’s standard. We all sin. Thus, we must all repent.
  • YHWH always fulfills the prophecy which He provides, even if we don’t understand it when we first receive it. If a prophecy is proven false, it is not from YHWH.
  • We should not always look for the “obvious” choice in whom we should listen to to learn God’s ways and come to relationship with Him. John was very much the unexpected source, in the wilderness eating locusts and honey and not in the temple with the established religious “leaders”.
  • The majority was wrong. The majority was following the Pharisees and Sadducees in established religion. However, YHWH was growing John’s ministry reach.
  • To the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, John had harsh rebuke for them to focus on repentance and not be comfortable thinking that just being related to Abraham or of Israel by birth would make a difference. It does not. There is a quirky statement… God has many children, but no grandchildren. We each must repent and establish Him as LORD of our lives individually.
  • John pointed not to himself but to YHWH and to Yeshua and the Holy Spirit. He was not the focus of his ministry. God was.
  • John understood it was important to talk about the coming judgment and highlight that there would be many who suffer for not choosing the LORD now. Many preachers avoid this today to try to to offend people or make them uncomfortable. There is kindness in sharing this truth with people now. It is cruel to not tell them and have them only find out when it is too late.

YHWH uses people we least expect. Be wary of assuming someone is teaching correctly just because they are a pastor or part of an established church. Test everything against he Bible and challenge yourself to be willing to listen to others who YHWH may be using.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

If You Will Do as I Have Commanded…

The Bible is very clear, over and over again, New Testament and Old Testament… our relationship with our Father is not a one way, do as you like relationship. There is a blessing of obedience and a curse of disobedience, a promise and a warning.  How we live matters. There is much more to following YHWH through Yeshua than simply a two minute prayer at an altar call, even if it is totally genuine. If we truly submit to YHWH than our lives start to change as we learn more about His laws, statutes, and ordinances. He wants us to change to follow His instructions… all of them, as best we can. To bring the point further, following them as best we can means we continue to seek to learn more and then continue changing. It does not mean we simply obey the few items our church talks about or what we learned growing up. We seek Him in all of the Bible and apply it to our lives. We will have a richer and more joyful life and relationship with our Father.

Remember, it is not simply about “going to heaven”. It is about having relationship with Him even now in this life. If all you are interested in is “getting to heaven”, then that is very selfish and, ironically, you will likely not make it. We must genuinely seek relationship with our LORD.

1 Kings 9:1-9

God’s Promise and Warning

1Now it came about when Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all that Solomon desired to do, 2that the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. 3The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, which you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built by putting My name there forever, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 4“As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, 5then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

6“But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, 7then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. 8“And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ 9“And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the LORD has brought all this adversity on them.’”

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Children, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Interceding for Others, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Justice / Judgment, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Parenting, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Solomon’s Dedication Captures Timeless Principles We Should Study

It is worth reading and reflecting prayerfully on the prayer of dedication Solomon delivered for the temple. There is a lot of truth about our relationship YHWH that today people seem to have forgotten in mainstream Christianity. Our relationship with YHWH is not simply that He gives us all we want no matter what we do because of grace. It is a covenant. Both sides have a commitment. If we are His people and walk in His ways, then He will be our God.

Solomon recognizes that there will be sin. He further recognizes that there will be consequences for sin. He focuses then on the importance of repentance and turning away from sin and wholeheartedly back to YHWH as a key step in forgiveness.

These are timeless principles. The main change is that now we know who Messiah is in the person of Yeshua. We can accept forgiveness through His payment for our sins. However, we still need to repent genuinely and fully and come humbly before our God asking forgiveness in Yeshua’s name.

Incidentally, our relationship with our Father serves as a model for our earthly relationships as parents and children. Sin and disobedience has consequences. Full reconciliation requires repentance to a godly standard.  We do not do our children favors by accepting them fully and cheerfully in their rebellion as if there is no issue for them to change. It sets the stage for them to live in rebellion to YHWH throughout their lives.

1 Kings 8: 22-53

The Prayer of Dedication

      22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 23He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day. 25“Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26“Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

      27“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28“Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 29that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 30“Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.

      31“If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

      33“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

      35“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.

      37“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house; 39then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

      41“Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake 42(for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, 43hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

      44“When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

      46“When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace), 52that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53“For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Merciful, Mercy, Offering Sacrifices, Pride, Repenting from Sin, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation/Tempting, Through Prophets

Dealing With Sin and Restoring Relationship with the Father

There is a lot going on in the last chapter of 2 Samuel. David sins against the LORD despite Joab trying to persuade him not to take a census.  When it is complete, David recognizes his sin and asks for forgiveness. The LORD gives David a choice for punishment. David’s punishment affects his people, not just him. (Others often share in consequences of our sin.) David throws himself on the mercy of the LORD, and receives it. He then gets closure by building an altar.

David does ask the LORD to let the punishment fall on him rather than others. I deeply respect this request. I also respect that David did not take for free the property and sacrifice offered to him, but rather paid a fair price for it. He did not take advantage of his position as king.

This chapter basically sums up David’s relationship with YHWH. What made him different from so many others? What made David a man after God’s own heart? I believe it was that when David sinned, he sought forgiveness and turned to YHWH and accepted consequences and changed his behavior.  That is something for us all to model.

We also see YHWH’s mercy at play as he stops the pestilence before it if fully rolled out.

Of course, we could also ask…”why is it a sin to take a census?”  “Was it YHWH who was angry that caused David to sin?”

If we cross reference with 1 Chronicles 21, we learn that it was Satan who rose up and incited David to conduct the census. It is likely that the sin here is not counting the people. There are other examples where the people were counted. Perhaps the sin here was pride growing within David and the people about their own might and power as a nation. Let us take care to avoid that trap (pride) that Satan sets for many of us.

Remember also that when sin occurs, and we repent, that does not mean we will not still experience consequences.

As perhaps a last thought, when David sinned with Bathsheba, there is no mention of Satan. That was just a sin motivated by David’s own sin nature. This event is different. This is an example of spiritual warfare in which Satan tempted or incited David to sin. We must be on guard for both.

2 Samuel 24

The Census Taken

      1Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3But Joab said to the king, “Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to register the people of Israel. 5They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward Jazer. 6Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon, 7and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba. 8So when they had gone about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9And Joab gave the number of the registration of the people to the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

      10Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 11When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12“Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the LORD says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’” 13So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 14Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Pestilence Sent

      15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

David Builds an Altar

      18So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. 20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. 21Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.” 22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23“Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.