The Heaton File

Then Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying: “O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now, therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord, You alone.” (Isaiah 37:15-20)

Hezekiah’s Prayer

The Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem and the situation looked very dire. It seemed impossible for any hope against such an avenging army that had annihilated the northern tribes into oblivion and now they stood at the gates of Jerusalem. Sennacherib, king of the Assyrian Empire sent envoys to persuade the people of Jerusalem to give up and surrender. There was great fear and consternation. King Hezekiah, king of Judah, sought the advice of Isaiah the prophet who assured the king no harm would come to the city. The Assyrians sent a letter to Hezekiah warning him not to trust in his God to deliver the city because the might of the Assyrian army was more powerful than the people of Judah. Hezekiah took the letter to the temple and spread it before Lord. The king pleaded for the Lord to deliver the city.

Hezekiah’s prayer revered the name of God recognizing that only God could save the people. Referring to the Ark of the Covenant where the Lord communed with the people, Hezekiah recognized the authority of the Lord God as the one who dwelt between the cherubim. There was only one true God and He was the one who created the heavens and earth. Prayer begins with knowing that God is the only one to worship and only through His divine power would deliverance be granted. The kingdoms of the earth are at the mercy of the Lord God and that included the boasting of the Assyrians.

Prayer is seeking the favor of God upon His terms. Asking the Lord to incline His ear and open His eyes to the words of Sennacherib was seeking the will of God to be done without the favor of man. Hezekiah knew the king of Assyria was nothing more than a man much like himself. All men must know there is one true God and that only through the divine will of the one who made heaven and earth will the affairs of men be ordered. Sennacherib boasted that no one could stop him but he had not come face to face with the true God. Hezekiah sought the favor of God whom the Assyrians had brought reproach. The gods of men were dead but the God of Hezekiah was the living God.

There was no doubt the Assyrians were a devastating army and they had laid waste to many nations including the brethren of Judah and Benjamin. The northern tribes would never recover as they faded away into the dust of Israel’s history emerging as the hated Samaritans. All of the gods Israel of the north had served did not deliver them. Baal and Ashtoreth were no match for the army of the Assyrians because they were nothing more than the work of men’s hands – wood and stone. The Assyrians defeated all the gods of the wicked northern tribes because they were useless and powerless. What Sennacherib would soon discover is the God of Judah was not like the gods of their brethren.

Hezekiah pleaded with the Lord to show His power against the Assyrians. The king said, “O Lord our God.” It was personal with the king. He knew the value of prayer was the relationship he had with the Lord and through his pleadings God would deliver them. Hezekiah believed the Lord God of Israel was greater than the immense army surrounding Jerusalem and that as hopeless as the situation seemed, God was greater. Pleading with God to deliver them, the king recognized that all the earth would come to know the one true God. That night, the angel of the Lord came to the camp of the Assyrians and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand men of war. The Assyrian army was broken. Sennacherib returned home and was murdered by two of his sons. The God of Judah was unlike the gods of Israel.

Hezekiah’s prayer is a lesson on how the people of God face overwhelming pandemics, economic distress, a crisis of health, and the many challenges of life. Possessing a deep belief in the authority of God over the heavens and earth will bring the soul of God’s people to spread their worries and fears before His throne. Asking the blessings of the Lord and seeking His intervention is the power of prayer. Hezekiah asked the Lord to hear and for the Lord to open His eyes to see. Prayer is asking and seeking the favor of the only true God. The greatest blessing of prayer is the privilege of God’s children to beseech the blessings of the Father and He will answer. Sometimes the challenges of life will seem impossible but with prayer and faith in the only true God, the impossible can be done. Let the earth know that God is the Lord. Tell the world there is only one true God. Let the light of Christ shine bright in this time of concern. God is greater than a virus. He still rules. Praise God.

Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise, greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ. (Romans 16:3-5)

Roman Greetings

The letter of Paul to the saints in Rome is filled with doctrinal and theological arguments that can sometimes be difficult to understand. Paul is trying to impress upon his readers the meaning of God’s grace and how faith, law, and baptism are essential ingredients to salvation. It can be a daunting book to read as he unfolds the gospel of salvation by grace, justification by faith and the divine plan of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ seen in the waters of baptism. Near the end of his letter, he exhorts the saints to present their bodies as living sacrifices to God and explains the application of the law of grace in the lives of the Christians. While the book is heavy on doctrine, Paul concludes his letter with some very personal exhortations.

After telling about his plan to visit Rome, Paul sends greetings to and from thirty-five named individuals and a host of brethren in the churches of Christ. He commends Phoebe for her untiring labors in the kingdom and sends greetings twenty times to various brethren who are his fellow countrymen, fellow prisoners, fellow workers, beloved, approved, and chosen in the Lord. The word the apostle uses is a deeply endearing term of personal connection with the brethren. He sends greetings or salutations to the brethren with a word that means to enfold in the arms, salute, and embrace. Paul knew the value of a personal relationship with his brethren and showed in writing how much he loved and appreciated all those who were in the church of Christ.

One of the most important parts of the COVID-19 crisis is where assembled worship has been interrupted. It is doubtful many realized how important gathering as saints would become as the world turned upside down with churches unable to meet together. The reason many churches temporarily closed their doors was because of their love for one another. The response of the contagions of the virus demanded a responsible action on the part of church leaders. As time progressed it became clear what was lost was more precious than first realized. The inability to greet one another has become paramount in the struggle to regain a normal pattern of worship. As the conditions of the virus subside churches will begin to have measured responses to assemble. It is at these moments the reality of not assembling will be felt.

Paul’s Roman greeting shows the importance that each member of the church has to the other. He names people because they are important to him. There are many more he refers to as simply the church in someone’s home or greeting one another with a holy kiss as was customary. How often have we realized in the past months how important it is to shake the hand of a brother or sister in Christ, to hug with compassion our fellow Christians, to hear the sound of glorious singing of saints worshiping God together and the noise of brethren visiting with one another? We have missed the opportunity to embrace our brethren.

The experience of the past few months should serve to impress upon our hearts two vital lessons: first, God designed the church to be a gathering body of saints who need one another. Many assemble with the saints on an infrequent basis only coming once in a while. They may come sporadically as the mood fits them. Could it be that God is telling us that if that is all you are interested in serving Him that He will take it completely away? The church is made up of souls who need to embrace one another and that cannot be done by proxy. Jesus died so that His people would wash one another’s feet and that cannot be accomplished via a correspondence course or Facebook or staying home. These past few months should awaken the souls of the weak to be strong in the Lord.

A second lesson we learn is how much we need one another. The wise man said, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Paul sent specific greetings because he knew how important those greetings and salutations were for him and to those in Rome. We should greet one another. Never allow worship to go without greeting everyone – not just those in your special group. Absence does not make the heart grow fonder; it hurts. Greet the saints of God with joy and happiness. The day will come when the conditions of social distancing will end and we can enjoy the blessings of greeting our brethren. May we never take for granted the simple words of greeting one another.

Then the Rabshakeh said to them, “Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?” ‘ Now, therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Have I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.'” (2 Kings 18:19-25)

Boasting Against The Lord

One of the amusing views of the angels is the pride of man and his incessant boasting. The scriptures remind humanity the highest he can get is lower than angels. All men are restricted in the boundaries of their habitation because God has established the line of his existence and regardless of what men can do, they will never be able to cross that line. When God created man He gave Him dominion over the earth but that is all. The universe is beyond his grasp as early man discovered when they tried to build a tower in their arrogance. God confused their language effectively creating a divided world inhibiting the will of man.

During the turbulent times of the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah, the king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. The king of Judah, Hezekiah, tried to dissuade the Assyrian king with gold stripped from the temple of the Lord and other gifts but to no avail. Sennacherib sent a great army against Jerusalem demanding the king submit to his rule. It was a dire situation with great fear among the people. The king of Assyria sent a spokesman to negotiate with the inhabitants of Jerusalem demanding their surrender. Trying to break the will of the people, the Rabshakeh sought to compromise their trust in God. He boasted their victories over the other “gods” of the nations and lands they conquered. The king of Assyria boasted that no god could stand against him. This included the Lord of Israel.

Boasting against the one who created the world is an exercise in fatality. Sennacherib was a great military leader and made Assyria a powerful and terrible army that conquered many nations. Coming up against Jerusalem was not unlike any of the other nations they had conquered but the Lord God of Israel was not to be trifled with. Isaiah the prophet gave assurance to the king and the people of Jerusalem that God would deliver them. It came to pass on a certain night the angel of God killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. When the surviving Assyrians woke up the next morning, they found corpses everywhere. Then King Sennacherib broke camp and returned to his own land. One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords.

The Lord God will not be trifled with by the pride and arrogance of men. There has never been a time in history that God’s will has not been accomplished over those who tried to enforce their pride against Him. Pharaoh learned many hard lessons that destroyed his country when he sought to defy God. The children of Israel became an object lesson of the cost of rebellion. In the early days of the church, King Herod was struck down by an angel of God for his pride. All of the Khans, Caesar’s, Hitler’s, Stalin’s, and despot of power are struck down. If there is one lesson from the present distress of COVID-19 is that no nation on earth is as powerful as they thought. Economies are in shambles, health concerns are real and confusion rules the hearts of those who boasted many months ago of their power and might.

Boast against God at your own peril. Great and powerful men (and women) will shake their fists against the knowledge of God until death separates their spirit from their body. As eternity dawns, their clenched fists of rebellion will open to hands pleading for a mercy that will not be granted. It is then they will meet face to face the Creator, Ruler, Sovereign, and Lawgiver of the world. Sadly, in their arrogance, they will face an eternity of eternal fire and condemnation. Sennacherib boasted against the Lord God while he was alive but learned in death that God rules.

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matthew 28:16-20)

A Message For The Doubters

The eleven apostles were men of faith but struggled with understanding the full measure of the death and resurrection of Jesus. They were crushed when they saw the Lord crucified and then amazed beyond wonder to see Him alive three days later followed by another appearance a week later when Jesus manifested Himself to Thomas. Jesus would spend forty days with the chosen eleven along with more than five hundred disciples as He taught them and prepared them for the coming of the Kingdom.

Matthew’s account of the days following the resurrection is very brief. His post-resurrection account focuses only on the meeting on the mountain where some of the eleven doubted and Jesus gives final instructions. Like the beginning of his gospel, Matthew establishes the authority of Jesus and the purpose of the coming of God’s Son. Writing to a largely Jewish crowd, the former tax-collector ends the story of Jesus’ life with a declaration of authority, obedience, and admonition to help dissuade all those who disbelieved.

The gospel of Matthew shows that Jesus is the son of David and the son of Abraham. This fulfilled the prophecies of the coming Messiah clearly showing that Mary gave birth to a child called Jesus who would save His people from their sins. Establishing authority was paramount to the message of Jesus. Matthew ends his book by showing that Jesus has all authority given to Him by the Father. This rule is given to Jesus by the Father with authority in heaven and on earth. If there are any among the eleven who doubted, they must accept the divine authority of Jesus as the word of God.

Second, Matthew shows the need for obedience. Jesus tells the eleven to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Obedience is heeding the voice of the one who has all authority. The brief account of Matthew to the words of Jesus shows the power of God’s word. Jesus tells the eleven their work will require them to go and make disciples of all nations. Being busy in the work of the kingdom will drive away any doubts. Their message was a simple yet profound doctrine: salvation comes through the grace of God as men immerse themselves in water by the authority of the Godhead. This was the authority of Jesus. To be a faithful follower of Christ, an obedient heart would readily accept baptism as a means of salvation.

Third, Jesus directs the eleven that when a man becomes a child of God, there is much work to be done in teaching and admonishing the faithful to remain true to the word of God. Children of God obey all the commands of the Father without reservation. Faith is the assurance that drives away doubt. Hearing the word of God and obeying the commands of the Father leads a man to seek more knowledge to grow in the grace of Christ. All authority comes from Jesus Christ, salvation is found in the waters of baptism and eternal life assured in keeping the commands of the Lord.

If any man doubts the authority of Jesus they will refuse to obey the word of God. Refusing to obey the word of God will hinder their obedience to the cleansing blood of Christ. A doubter is someone who is divided in mind. Among the eleven some doubted but the authority of Jesus, command of God, and instructions of the Holy Spirit will drive those doubts away. Many in the religious world view the final words of Matthew with skepticism and reject the authority of Christ as merited works salvation. Like some of the eleven, their minds are divided. Matthew ended his gospel in a clear and definitive message: accept the authority of Jesus, obey the command of God to be baptized for the remission of sins and follow the teachings of the word of God. There will be no doubt when this pattern is followed.

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

Preach The Word

It is hard to imagine that in an educated world where many people are literate that for a vast portion of history, most people could not read or write. Before the modern age of education, news and notices would be carried throughout a community by people called town criers. This was the means of communicating important news to the populace.

When Paul told Timothy to preach the word, the apostle used a Greek word that suggests a proclaimer or crier of news. Timothy’s task was as simple as bearing the news of Jesus Christ to the world much like a town crier would spread the news throughout a community. But his task was serious in the manner he was to carry out preaching the word. It would take preparation and choose the time of the season to impress the message of grace upon the hearers. Preaching the word is not using sentences together to be heard. Paul did not tell Timothy to talk; he told him to preach. Without preparation, there can be no preaching.

Preaching the word requires the courage to speak the word of God without partiality. God’s word is written to comfort the afflicted and it is written to afflict the comfortable. If a man preaches the word of God without the elements of correction, he is not preaching the counsel of God. Jesus taught the word of His Father often coming in conflict with the accepted norms of Jewish teaching but the Son of God was not dissuaded to patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage the people. Good teaching comes from the willingness to preach only the word of God without fear of contradiction or recourse from others.

The nature of the word of God is that it is divine in its origin and has remained unchanged from the days of Moses until the final blot of ink dried on the Revelation as written by John. Men have preached a different gospel than the pure word once delivered to the saints but they have not changed the word of God, they have only corrupted the view of God’s word for their fallacious teachings of apostasy.

Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would not want to hear the word of God. It would become too demanding and restrictive to the carnal desires of men’s hearts. Preaching the word of God is sound doctrine and the demonstrative teaching of one truth from one Lord and one God makes many feel uneasy. Shortly after the church began, false doctrines began to rise up among the brethren and many were led away by hearts unwilling to follow the pure word of God. Following their own desires of human wisdom, men began to draw around them those who would tickle their ears with words that seek to justify their false beliefs. Truth was rejected and men followed after preaching that was nothing more than myths.

Preaching the word is not a complicated endeavor. There are many churches today calling themselves by different names, teaching different ways of salvation, and following their own desires for identity as followers of God. Paul exhorted Timothy to remember there is only one truth and that is defined by sound doctrine. The Bible is very clear in its message and no one is excused to allow false teachings to permeate the teaching of men. What is declared in the Bible is plain, open, easy to understand, and powerful.

The litmus test for a believer is to challenge any and everything that is said and done by an examination of the word of God. Paul warned Timothy to preach the word in season and out of season because the eternal question is answered in the Book. There will be no second chances or rewrites when all stand before the Lord. If truth is not established on earth, it will be secured by the foundations of judgment when all men stand before God. Preaching the word is proving what you believe by what God says, not what men say – including what this writer says. Let God be true but every man a liar.

Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Treasured Highly By God

Many things please the heart of the Lord when He sees His creation obeying His will and following His wisdom. As Creator, God formed man and woman to give Him glory and to find happiness within themselves as His creation. Every problem men face comes from their rejection of the law of God. Sin is at the root of the misery of humanity. As a consequence of disobedience, the human race has suffered disease, war, hatred, strife, and death. This has not been what the Lord planned but men sought their own wisdom and suffered because of it.

In a world filled with disappointment, the Lord finds something that is very precious in His sight. He considers this quality of great value, immense value, and eternal worth. Peter describes a character that is unique to pleasing the Father so much it is said to be very precious in the sight of the Lord. It is not the external manifestations of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. God looks into the heart of man and when He sees the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, He is very pleased.

The fundamental difference between God and man is what measuring rule is used to ascribe praise. Men will adorn the outward appearance with youthful vitality, wealth, and beauty as a sign of prosperity. More often than not, this kind of beauty is only skin deep as the heart is corrupt, vile, and full of wickedness. Judging from the outside, praise and honor are bestowed in great measure by the voice of society that accepts the lie of Satan that life is about the carnal. Ironically, the steps of time mar the beauty of youth and nothing will stop it save death. Older men and women will take great strides to look younger while making themselves look more ridiculous in a futile attempt to return to a time long passed. When men judge one another by the outward appearance they use a failed measuring stick that will fade away.

God looks at the hidden heart for the truth of the character. He is not impressed with the adornment of arranging the hair, the wearing of precious stones, or wearing fine apparel. What men use to judge is rejected by the Lord as vain. When God sees the heart of a woman that is godly, humble, kind, and filled with love for the Divine, this is what is very precious and true. The Lord treasures most highly the heart of a man that is wholly devoted to Him, prayerful, filled with the Holy Spirit, and seeking to guide others to Christ. As the body decays, the inner spirit of the person grows younger in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Nothing pleases God more than to see that spirit manifests a greater sense of spiritual devotion to Him.

Ultimately, the one thing that is precious in the sight of God is that which will never be taken away. The adorning of the hair, wearing gold, and putting on fine apparel may fill a coffin but the body is dead and of no value. That which is precious in the sight of God will live on after death as the redeemed find the eternal precious reward of salvation. A gentle and quiet spirit will bring the soul to paradise. God sees the heart of the blessed as one who seeks a higher nobility found in Jesus Christ and not in the trappings of the world. What God sees as the most precious thing will be the reward of the words most precious to be heard by man: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter in.”

Also, he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron. (1 Kings 15:13)

Grandmother Is Wrong

After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel fell into a civil war that divided the northern ten tribes from Judah and Benjamin in the south. All of the kings of the north were evil and Israel would be destroyed by the Assyrians two hundred years later. In the southern kingdom of Judah, some of the kings were able to restore the worship of the one true God. The first two kings, Rehoboam and Abijah, walked in the ways of evil and did not serve the Lord. Asa, great-grandson of Solomon, became king following the short reign of his father Abijah and would rule forty-one years.

The reforms of Asa were sweeping in their designs to return Judah to the Law of Moses and to turn the hearts of the people back to the Lord. He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines, smashing the sacred pillars and cutting down the wooden images. The king banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the idols his ancestors had made. A major reform came when Asa removed his grandmother Maachah from her position as queen mother. The reason was that Maachah had made an obscene Asherah pole. Asherah was a Phoenician goddess, closely connected with Ashtoreth and her worship. This idol was a sensual Canaanite goddess Astarte.

When Israel entered Canaan, the Lord warned them to destroy the altars of the gods, break their images, and cut down their groves. Maachah had become enamored with Asherah and worshiped the forbidden gods. Asa took her image, crushed and burned it by the brook Kidron. He did not allow the family ties of his grandmother or parents to dissuade his decision to serve the Lord with all his heart. The reforms of Asa were established as a covenant between the people and the Lord to seek God with all their hearts and with all their souls. Refusing to worship the one true God was punishable with death. This law included the grandmother of Asa.

Family is a strong tie that binds the hearts of children and grandchildren to a lineage of blood. It has been said that grandmothers are the old ladies who keep mothers from spanking their children. An Italian proverb sums it up: If nothing is going well, call your grandmother. Few forces in the world can move heaven and earth like a grandmother looking after her grandchildren. She is revered, treasured, and respected with great reverence. But grandmother can be wrong and sometimes she can be so wrong it has eternal consequences.

Asa took a brave step to remove his grandmother from being queen mother and to crush and destroy her idols. The king was fully devoted to serving the Lord and he did not allow the love and influence of his grandmother to change his mind. Jesus taught His disciples that if a man loved his father or mother more than they loved Him, they were not worthy to be His disciple. He also said if a man loved his son or daughter more than Him, they were not worthy of Him. Asa knew the importance of serving God above his love for his grandmother.

It is sad to talk with people in the religious world about the gospel of Jesus Christ and hear them say they are unwilling to give up what their parents or grandparents believed. When the faith of a person is based on what grandmother believes instead of the word of God, there is a judgment that is brought by the Lord of condemnation. They refuse to say that grandmother was wrong or to suggest she followed a system of error. Their feelings of familial allegiance prohibit them from changing the family religion. If this was the case with King Asa, he would not have challenged his grandmother and her idol worship. Maachah was wrong. There was no doubt. Asa had to make a difficult choice. It was hard. His decision would cause a lot of problems in the family. Because his heart was wholly devoted to God, he chose to serve God and destroyed the idols of his grandmother.

Grandparents are nearly perfect (that is my story). Parents are pretty special and somewhat perfect. Grandchildren are wholly perfect. But when it comes to the word of God all grandparents and parents are sinful creatures struggling to seek the Lord. As much admiration and love one can have for their grandparents and parents, the will of the Lord is singular and without respect to the person. Grandparents can be wrong about what they believe as well as their parents. A child must make their faith their own according to what the Bible says. When judgment comes, no one will be able to answer for the individual. No grandparents will be brought to the bar of justice, no parents, no teachers, preachers, friends, or neighbors. Asa knew his allegiance was a personal choice. He made the right decision.

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. (Luke 4:40)

The Touch Of His Hand

There was little time for rest in the life of Jesus. His schedule was an exhaustive work of traveling, teaching, and healing. When the Lord came to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, He went to the synagogue and began teaching. During the day, He healed a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. The news about Jesus spread through every village in the area. Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Peter for the night. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever and the family asked the Lord to heal her. Standing at her bedside, Jesus rebuked the fever, and it left her. A meal was prepared and Jesus along with His disciples enjoyed a momentary respite.

As the sun went down, people throughout the village brought sick people to Jesus begging Him to heal them. Word of His power filled the streets and crowds thronged to the man from Nazareth to be healed. It had been a busy day for the Lord and He could have turned them away or the Lord could have prayed to the Father to blanket the area with the power of the Holy Spirit to heal everyone who came. When Jesus healed the daughter of Jairus, He was not present to touch her. It was within the power of the Lord to heal the multitude in any other fashion but Jesus laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. No one left that day without feeling the hand of Jesus on them to heal them. They left released from the burden of disease because of the touch of Jesus.

It is remarkable at the physical stamina of Jesus. Some days were nonstop activities of walking, teaching, healing, persuading the religious rulers, instructing His disciples, and the many hours Jesus spent in prayer. He had the power of Heaven at His beckoning call and yet He takes the time to touch every single person to heal them. Every person felt the power of God flow through their bodies as the disease immediately left them but they could never forget what it felt like to have the hand of Jesus touch them. The disease was gone but not the touch of the Master’s hand.

When man was created, the Lord said it was not good for him to be alone. There is something innate in man that requires touch. One of the basic needs of a man is the need to be connected with another. Why do cultures have different ways of saying hello like shaking hands or the European kiss? There is something about the joy of touching that connects people. Jesus understood the need of touching everyone He healed to show them He cared for them – in a very personal way. It would have been exhausting to touch every person that came to the house that night but the love of Jesus flowed throughout the hearts of the healed when they walked away with the fingerprints of Jesus upon them. They would enjoy life being cured of their disease but how could they forget His touch?

Jesus returned to the Father two thousand years ago and will not return to earth to walk among men. The Lord is not restricted by the frailties of the human body that would tire over time. He still touches lives today. The age of miraculous healing ended many centuries ago but the power of the touch of Jesus is what changes lives still. When a person came to Peter’s home that night, they saw Jesus take time for them and lay His hand on them. He will touch your life and change your life because He cares for you as if you were the only person on the face of the earth.

There may be nearly seven billion people on this planet but Jesus has time to touch you and heal you. Like that night after teaching in the synagogue, you must come to Jesus seeking healing. It does not matter what sin you have done, Jesus can touch you and heal you. He is willing to cleanse you of the greatest disease (sin) if you are willing to repent and change your life. When you rise from the waters of obedience you can know that Jesus touched you – especially you – to heal you. The touch of His hand awaits your open heart.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

Healthful Teaching

One of the goals of life is to enjoy a measure of health allowing for the enjoyment of the good things found in the world. Good health is not always easy and can be compromised from genetic dispositions, harmful diets, and physical abuse. Billions of dollars are spent every year in the pursuit of health whether in gyms, diets, and fads but the single goal in mind is to remain young and full of vitality. The discipline of medical science has opened up incredible gains in understanding human anatomy helping people live longer and fuller lives. Having a sound body is highly prized.

Spiritually, there is a body of truth that is described as healthy and unhealthy. Paul explains to Timothy the need to follow after sound doctrine suggesting there is a form of teaching that is good and one that is destructive. The Holy Spirit warns of a time when men will no longer accept the pure word of truth once for all delivered to the saints. Sound doctrine comes from teaching that is pure, undefiled and uncorrupted. After the apostolic times, the church would enter into a time of transformation when the gospel of Christ would be corrupted, teaching doctrines that were unsound or unhealthy. This became a reality not long after Paul penned his final letters.

Apostasy is the renunciation of a pattern of truth. Jesus came to bring the eternal truth of His Father to the world and they killed Him. When the disciples of Christ began to teach the doctrines of Christ, many would accept and follow the Word but many would deny Christ. The early church went through persecutions because of those who rejected the teachings of Christ. One of the most insidious parts of persecution came when men began to change the teachings of Christ. Paul said men would not be satisfied with the doctrine of Christ and like itching ears, they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. Sound doctrine would not be enough for them. They would change the word of God to fit their wisdom.

When a man does not endure sound doctrine, he will turn his heart away from the truth and accept myths or doctrines God has not taught. The Holy Spirit warned of the apostasy and Paul wrote about the coming apostasy. It would do well for devoted people of God to examine the doctrines they follow and see if they have become victims of the myths of men who have taught things that are not in the Bible. Sound doctrine can only come from one book and sound doctrine will the same for all men. The idea of choosing a church of personal choice is following after the myths of men. Teaching doctrines not found in the Bible is following a false doctrine. Sound doctrine is a healthy doctrine based upon the word of God.

The word of the Lord came again to me, saying: “Son of man, when a land sins against Me by persistent unfaithfulness, I will stretch out My hand against it; I will cut off its supply of bread, send famine on it, and cut off man and beast from it. Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord God. (Ezekiel 14:12-14)

It Should Be A Lesson

The COVID-19 pandemic that has swept across the face of the earth is nothing new. There have been many catastrophes that have enveloped the world with disease, wars and natural disasters. Without a reference to history, many believe the present distress as unique. Much has been compared with the pandemic of 1918 that killed millions. The reasons behind these global events are difficult to measure within the scope of whether by the direct hand of God or the natural order of the world that is made up of disease, hatred and the natural occurrences of tragedy.

Trying to understand the scope of the present distress, many have called it an act of God upon an evil world. Observations are made at how sinful the world has become and the Lord is reaping the whirlwind of His wrath upon the wickedness of men. This could be the case but it must also be understood the world has been much more wicked in times past than now. Indeed during the days of Noah, the world was so wicked it was destroyed by a global flood that left only eight souls alive. Throughout the history of Israel, many lost their lives to plague, fire, war, and pestilence because the Lord brought these pandemics upon those who rebelled against Him. The Assyrian army lost 180,000 soldiers in one night by the hand of God. Many examples are affirmed to be by the will of the Lord through the Bible.

Trying to establish God as the author of the present distress as a reason to punish the wickedness of man has some merit but misses the point that is needed more than trying to determine a cause. Whenever a pandemic is found in history, the prognosticators of doom want to paint a picture of divine wrath. Without the Lord revealing if He directly has caused the distress it would seem improbable for the wisdom of man to make such a conclusion. Again, what men fail to see is the lesson of the distress is what must be learned rather than attributing an author.

During the days of the captivity when Israel found itself enslaved by the Babylonians, Ezekiel was sent to preach to the people of God. He reminded Israel idolatry had been their downfall and the reason for their destruction. The picture he paints is a vivid telling of how wickedness had destroyed a nation. Using the language of prophetic pronouncements of doom, the prophet reminds the people what God had done to them. The nation had become so corrupt and evil it was time for judgment and the hand of the Lord brought the Assyrians and Babylonians against His own people.

Ezekiel describes how the Lord cut off Israel’s supply of bread with famine, allowed the wild beasts to roam freely, brought wars against His nation, and sent pestilence among the people as His four severe judgments on Jerusalem. In remarkable contrast, the prophet uses Noah, Daniel, and Job as examples of the wrath of God. He said that if these three men were in the world at the time, the wickedness was so great only these three men would have been saved. Each of these men lived in a time of great judgment. It is clear from scripture the reasons behind the judgments against the world of Noah, the family of Job and the nation of Israel during the days of Daniel came from the mouth of God.

The lesson of COVID-19 is not whether one can speculate that God has brought this pandemic against the world because of wickedness; which is an important lesson to learn. When this distress is gone and the world returns to whatever level of normality it can live with the real purpose of the pandemic is going to be what has been learned. Everything held dear has been taken away. This insidious virus reminds men they are not as smart as they believe themselves to be. There are many things in this world that man cannot control. While the virus is a complex organism it is a simple microbe that has brought the world to its knees.

Ezekiel was not telling the people of Israel anything they did not know. What he was trying to tell them was to learn from the lesson and become better people because of it. COVID-19 will have a greater impact for good if lessons are learned to turn hearts to God. People who do not change their lives after the pandemic is over have wasted the greatest opportunity to become stronger individuals with a greater view of life. Greater faith must come from this distress. More devotion is the message that must be seen when the end comes. Churches must be more convicted of their purpose, saints must realize the joy of salvation and lost souls must come to see the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Sadly, when trials are over, people return to the empty lives they had before. That will be the case when COVID-19 is gone. The world will continue to fall back into the practice of evil and disregard for God. Let it not be the case with your life. Many people have died from this virus and many were not prepared to die. Death will come in one form or another. Preparation for death begins with acknowledging the will of God. Surviving COVID-19 should prepare the soul to prepare for eternity. Let the lessons be learned.