The Heaton File

And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” (1 Samuel 6:20)

Killed For Looking In The Wrong Box

The Ark of the Covenant was an oblong chest overlaid with gold the size of 51 inches long and 31 inches wide and 31 inches tall. Constructed while Israel camped at Sinai and ordained by God as the vessel to carry the commandments of God, the ark was the place of the covenant between Himself and the nation. There were strict laws concerning its care and purpose. Placed in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle, it became the seat of mercy as the Lord communed with the people. Aaron’s rod and a bowl of manna would also be kept with the Ark as the people wandered in the wilderness for forty years. When the priest bore the ark through the River Jordan, the waters parted as they did at the Red Sea allowing Israel to cross into Canaan on dry land. The Ark of the Covenant would eventually be housed in the splendid Temple of Solomon behind the veil until the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Its final disposition is unknown and in all likelihood taken by the Babylonians and destroyed. Contrary to the popular myth, there are no raiders of the lost ark. When Samuel began his ministry as a prophet to Israel, the Philistines captured the ark from Israel in a remarkable turn of events. After a battle where four thousand Israelite’s were killed by the Philistines, the people of God sent to Shiloh for the Ark to deliver them and save them from the hand of their enemies. At first, the Philistines were terrified at the noise of Israel when the ark came into camp as they shouted so loudly the earth shook. So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated in this historical battle killing the sons of Eli the priest and the Lord allowing the Philistines to capture His Ark. Things did not go well with the Philistines for seven months as the Lord plagued the people who possessed the Ark. Finally, the Philistines called for their priests and diviners telling them to send the Ark back to the people of Israel. They made a new cart and hitched two milk cows which had never been yoked and removed their calves away from them. Letting the cows loose the people waited to see where the cows would take the Ark. They headed straight for the road to Beth-Shemesh which was a city of priests in Israel. When the people saw the Ark coming down the road they rejoiced the Lord had returned His glory to Israel. Sacrificing the cows at the place they stood, the people glorified the Lord with a burnt offering of praise. All was well until someone had the mistaken notion to look inside the Ark. As a result, the Lord struck down a great number of men for their sin.

When the men looked into the Ark of the Covenant, they disobeyed a fundamental law of God. The Ark of the Covenant was a holy emblem of God’s presence with the people of Israel. Only the priests were allowed to come in contact with the Ark and that was with certain restrictions. It was to be covered with a veil when transported. The contents were not to be handled or examined by men. This mercy seat was the place of God’s communion with the people and was to be kept as a holy convocation before the Lord. What the men of Beth-Shemesh did was a flagrant disregard for the holiness of God. As a city of priests, these men would know above all others the requirements of the Ark yet they dismissed the law for their own curiosity. A great slaughter came upon the people not through ignorance but willful disobedience of the will of the Lord. God had plagued the Philistines without mercy but they were not as accountable as the people of Israel. Whether Israelite or Philistine, the wrath of God came upon men because He was to be glorified and revered. The men of Beth-Shemesh should have covered the veil immediately upon its arrival because the law prescribed it. Prying open the Ark was a greater evil as men were looking into a forbidden place of the Lord. Joy was turned to sorrow as the Lord struck the city with a deadly plague. The people of Beth-Shemesh realized too late that God is holy and He demanded His people honor Him as Lord. So the people of Beth-Shemesh sent to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim to come to take the Ark where it remained for twenty years.

Throughout the history of Israel, God reminds the people that He is holy and He demands the people worship Him as holy. What is remarkable is how easy it comes for man to forget this fundamental yet vital part of the character of God. The Ark of the Covenant had been with Israel for more than half a century and the people had become casual in their respect of the Ark. It would seem that what the men of Beth-Shemesh had done would never be considered by the people that gathered at Sinai or marched through the wilderness. Did anyone think they could walk into the Tabernacle and go behind the veil into the Holy of Holies and look into the Ark? God told Moses to remind the priest what mortal danger they were in if they trifled with the Ark. There were clear warnings and yet the men of Beth-Shemesh looked inside a box they knew they should not touch or disrespect. There is a great lesson of reverence to be gleaned from a story such as a plague at Beth-Shemesh. Time means nothing to the Lord God and what he demanded of Moses at Sinai did not change many years later when a group of men decided to defile the Ark. Worship to the Lord can become a casual matter of disregard without giving the honor due the Lord. In the early days of the New Testament church, apathy had come to the saints at Corinth when they took of the Lord’s Supper with disinterest and dishonor. The apostle Paul uses very strict commands showing the penalty of failing to honor God by looking into the spiritual box of the Lord without giving Him the honor due His name. Jesus died to free men from the bondage of sin and worship must signify that glory. A casual and carefree disregard for worship will endanger the soul. The church is filled with hearts that have no concern for the holiness of the worship of song, prayer, communion, and preaching. It becomes a carefree bring your refreshments and lax attitudes of dress and attitudes to give honor to the Lord God Almighty. He will not accept such worship. Ask the men of Beth-Shemesh for the meaning of true worship and they will tell the story of looking in the wrong box.

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience. (Titus 2:1-2)

Older Men

Age is relative to the person speaking making it difficult to suggest when a man becomes an old man and when a woman is considered an old woman. The Holy Spirit does not use the language of the old man or woman but rather the idea of the older man and older woman. As aged men, the apostle Paul writes to Titus to exhort these men to put a proper example before those younger than themselves. A great principle is given in this letter as Paul wants to show the older men how to conduct their lives as good examples of sound faith before those who were younger. Six qualities suggest the character of older men so they can be proper examples to young men and women. Temperance is a virtue of older men who have a sober mind about them. Age is often viewed as a time of greater wisdom as life has taught the individual the frivolity of seeking after things of little or no value. Sobriety is a character that brings seriousness to the view of life. Maturity is to mold the heart of older men to know the value of life and how to impress upon the young the need for guidance and direction. Sadly, many a man has entered into a second childhood in his older days and gives way to excesses of youth. He shows by his lack of self-control he has not learned the important lesson of life that must be focused on the reality of a full life. Paul’s admonition to Titus is especially needful to see the maturity of faith that should characterize the hearts of older men. There should be a deeper appreciation for spiritual matters in the hearts of older men. Young men need guidance from those spiritually mature. Older men should be sober in their understanding of the word of God. Reverence, gravity and possessing a dignified example is how older men lead the way for young men to be good husbands and fathers. Having a sober example of speech seasoned by the word of God, dressing with a modest spirit and presenting a character of holiness is the kind of example young people must see in the lives of older men. This is especially seen as an older man is sound in the faith. There is a confidence in the heart of the older man that shows a trust in the will of the Father. Through years of study, the older man has found a way of righteousness to be true and the answer to life’s challenging questions. God’s word is the foundation of his life in everything he does. As an older man, he paves the way for the young man to establish his steps in the grace of the Lord knowing there is more to life than what appeals to youth. Further, the older man is an example of love and patience. There is no bitterness or sour spirit in the heart of a man who has learned to love the Lord. Through advancing age the soul of an older man shows to youth the beauty of love for God and love for others. This love is more than words but shows itself in action, duty, responsibility, and example with a patient and steadfast devotion to the will of God. Perseverance is one of the most important traits older men must teach to the next generation. Life is not a sprint but a marathon reaching toward an eternal home.

The six qualities of older men are given to lead the younger men and women to be better individuals in the world. Leadership is helping others achieve the goals that will make them successful in life and the example of older men leading the youth of the world will do more to stem the tide of wickedness than any other measure. What the world needs desperately is older men leading as examples of spiritual conviction that God’s word is true, His ways are right and life is short with eternity hanging in the balance. Success in life is not measured by ledger books, academic degrees or finding a place in history but finding the love of God and the heart of righteousness that can face life with resolve and a spirit of understanding for what is important in life. Older men need to be teaching younger men and women the spiritual values of godliness. This must begin first in their own lives as they have learned the truth. No greater truth can a man share with others than a life lived wholly in the protection and care of the word of God and the love the Father. What young people must see in the hearts of older men is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Young husbands learn from older men how to love their wives. Young fathers will know the joy of teaching their children about God when older men show them the example of guiding their own children in the way of truth. Sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, full of love, and steadfastness older men will leave an indelible impression on youth.

A final observation about youth. Oftentimes it is said that youth is filled with wastefulness and there exists a great lack of spirituality. This can be attributed to many things as young people are tempted to follow the ways of the world and are easily led into temptation. One reason that may be overlooked is the reason young people act the way they do is because this is what they see in older people who do not act their age. If you look at the six qualities listed by the apostle Paul and consider where some of the attitudes of young people come from, it is not hard to see that men who are not sober, lacking spiritual minds, frivolous and have little faith in the word of God would lead the youth in the same pattern. When men fail to take leadership roles in the church they teach the young men the work of the church is not important. Fathers who fail to show the proper example to their children of spiritual growth will only teach their children to seek worldly things rather than spiritual. Older men who spend their years devoted to the cares of the world teach young men that life is full of carnal pleasures. The church is in desperate need of men to serve as elders yet the body of Christ is filled with older men who have not prepared themselves and their families to shepherd the church of God. Sound doctrine must the foundation of the church and this kind of sound doctrine comes from the examples of older men teaching younger men and women the spiritual values of eternity.

Therefore the showers have been withheld, and the spring rain has not come; yet you have the forehead of a whore; you refuse to be ashamed. (Jeremiah 3:3)

The Forehead Of A Prostitute

Language is a powerful tool God uses to impact the message of His righteousness and the depravity of sinful man. Sometimes the words are straightforward and demonstrative, and no time is this ever-present than the final days of Israel through the voice of the prophets. It was a period of rebellion as the chosen seed of Abraham immersed itself in the whoredom of the nations around them, refusing to change and listen to the voice of the prophets. Men like Jeremiah pleaded with the leaders, priests, and common man to return to the Lord before the final judgment of wrath would come. There was little repentance in the heart of the people. Jeremiah was one of the last great prophets who witnessed the final forty years of the once exalted nation of Israel. His message was simple and defined by the people’s attitudes: Jerusalem, the holy city of God, was doomed.

King Josiah would bring a breath of spiritual renewal to the nation, but this was short-lived as the nation plunged into moral disintegration until the city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. Jeremiah saw the fall of God’s people and the disgrace of a sinful nation carried to the land of Babylon. No one could blame the Lord for their plight because He had repeatedly warned them what would happen if they refused to repent. Moses had inscribed in the law the penalties for disobeying the word of the Lord, such as drought, famine, pestilence, and invading armies coming in among the people of God. Elijah, the prophet, had prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. God had withheld the rain in the days of Jeremiah, but this did nothing to change the people’s hearts. Jeremiah concluded the nation had the forehead of a prostitute who refused to be ashamed of their rebellion.

The language was not lost on Israel. As the Beloved of God, Israel had played the harlot with other nations. Through the prophet Hosea, God demonstrated his love for Israel. Yet, the people’s propensity to continue to make its bed with the nations around them continued unabated. The Assyrians destroyed the northern ten tribes of Israel and should have served as a further warning of what was coming for the remaining tribes, but again the message fell on deaf ears. There was no sorrow, guilt, shame, or repentance from rebellious Israel. Jeremiah described the nation as a harlot’s forehead with no shame for her actions’ putridity.

Blushing is one of the emotions instilled by the hand of the Creator to impress the hearts of the humble with the seriousness of sinful actions. When Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, the immediate reaction was shame at their nakedness accompanied by fear as they hid from the presence of God. Soon, men would learn not to fear God, and their shame would turn to pleasure. In the days of Noah, there was no blushing at sin because the hearts of men were hardened through the deceitfulness of fleshly passions, evil desire, and corrupt spirits. In the final days of Israel, men like Jeremiah boldly preached the word of repentance to hearts that were callused with unrighteousness and ungodliness. The word of the Lord was just as powerful as it had been in times past but what changed was the reaction of the people to ignore the message of God’s judgment.

Israel had become hard-hearted and refused to listen to the word of judgment. Like the forehead of a prostitute who brazenly continues on her path of sin without shame, remorse, or guilt, the people of God refused to listen to the preaching of the prophets. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, and others preached a message of judgment to deaf ears that would not hear and would not obey. The preaching did not fail – the people failed. Like a harlot’s forehead, the hearts of the people would not listen and pay the final penalty. Many years later, the apostle Paul would remind the saints in Rome that what was written in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms were given to admonish, exhort and rebuke the hearts of the rebellious. The cycle of rebellion had come full circle, and its path of destruction continues in every generation.

Preaching the gospel of Christ is not unlike the preaching of the prophets and men like Jeremiah. Each generation is afforded the grace of God to hear the words of salvation, and like Israel of old, so often, the hearts are turned away from the hard preaching of repentance. Sadly, among the people of God, there is no shame and modesty. Living in a world that worships the body, children of God parade themselves in less and less clothing without any embarrassment. Sin is no longer viewed as something to disdain as the acceptance of the works of the flesh is embraced with greater frequency. Sexual sins like fornication and adultery are approved as part of the social fabric.

Lying, cheating, dishonesty, and fraud describe the business practices and personal accounts of those who profess a belief in the Son of God. Pornography is rampant throughout the church as more and more hearts are turned into ways of sexual pleasure. Marriages are not happy as men and women fight, scream, abuse, and neglect one another. Divorce is common. Obedience to the will of the Lord is ignored. Preachers will preach hard lessons that are disregarded. Shepherds of the flock admonish, rebuke, and encourage souls who refuse to submit to the role of spiritual leaders. Churches are filled with worldliness and pleasure, refusing to tolerate preaching and teaching that challenge the norms. There are many foreheads of harlots that refuse to be ashamed. The cycle continues, and men like Jeremiah preach the message of repentance in the face of those who refuse to repent.

What we learn from the history of Israel is the principle of man’s repeated failure to learn from his past. God has remained unchanged since the beginning of time and will not tolerate a rebellious spirit. If the Lord warned and punished the nation of Israel as described in the Old Testament, what would make anyone believe He has changed His mind on dealing with sin today? The foreheads of harlots will discover too late the longsuffering of God will come to an end, and judgment will take place. Have the mind of Christ instead of the harlot’s forehead.

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Preach Christ Crucified

One single event in the entire human history is the only thing that matters to all men to have walked upon the face of the earth. There have been monumental achievements by men through the centuries that have changed the course of history but none as profound as the death of a man born in a small village outside of Jerusalem. Jesus of Nazareth changed the world He created in a way that has eternal consequences. His teaching astonished the world of His day and continues to mold the minds of men for good in every generation. Remarkably, as powerful as His life was manifested two thousand years ago, most people do not understand His teachings or His purpose for coming to earth. An essential part of the story of Jesus is to believe that He was God and that God manifested Himself in the flesh where He suffered at the hands of His creation in the death of the cross. Few men see the meaning of the cross as the apostle Paul explained to the saints at Corinth. There was only one thing that was the driving force behind the life of Paul and that was preaching a message of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. At first he had persecuted all those who followed the Way and sought to destroy anything and anyone who claimed Jesus was the Messiah. By God’s providential kindness Saul of Tarsus believed Jesus was the Christ and had his sins washed away in baptism as he became a child of God. From that moment forth, the former persecutor and insolent man became the firebrand of zeal to proclaim throughout the Roman Empire a single message: Jesus Christ and Him crucified. There was nothing more essential for a man to understand than to know that Jesus was delivered up by the determined counsel of the Father and slain as a lamb led to the slaughter so that all men could find life in the death of God’s Son. The cross was the crucible of the eternal love of God demonstrated by allowing man to kill His only begotten Son and deliver the fall of sinful man from the wrath awaiting him. Paul preached a message of love, the counsel of grace, a picture of suffering and the only hope man can find for his salvation. His message was the cross of Jesus Christ.

Like every generation, the wisdom of man touted itself in carnal wisdom with words of excellence in the world of the early church. The Greeks were still influencing the world with their philosophies as the Romans found wisdom in their gods and the Jews held tightly to the Law of Moses as salvation. Men struggled to find lasting answers with little hope and it was only in the message of Christ crucified that true wisdom gave man the vision of why he was created and what purpose his life would serve. Paul’s preaching was not filled with the wisdom of men to impress the human heart with vain repetitions or trite and whimsical tales of a health and wealth dogmas scratching the ears of empty hearts. The cross of Christ was a bold and direct testimony of sacrifice demanding an allegiance unmatched by any teaching man had heard before. God’s will was straightforward requiring obedience without shadow or turning. There would be no acceptance of human philosophy in the teachings of Paul. His preaching was not to impress the minds of his followers but to brand upon their hearts the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. His work was not to console the comfortable souls of the unlearned. The message of Paul was to convict, convert and confirm the only hope man had: the cross of Jesus Christ. Faith had to be found in the power of God, not the wisdom of men for man to be saved. The only message that came out of the mouth of Paul was the message of the cross. This would not be received by most but for those few that would believe in the cross and its message salvation would be granted. There was no place for the wisdom of men.

Preaching in the modern world has taken more the image of human wisdom than the powerful testimony of men like Paul in the First Century. The appeal is to allow the hearts of the listener to hear a message of consolation in the wisdom of men rather than the message of the cross. At one time the cross was viewed with disdain and horror. Now it glistens with gold and costly jewels as an image to appeal to all men. There is no cost in serving the Lord. The cross is a padded, air-conditioned luxury cruise with little obligation or sacrifice. It does not matter how a person is saved and it matters little whether a person lives with devotion to the word of God. There is no such thing as Hell, the wrath of God is dismissed and the sacrifice of Jesus on a cross was no worse than a toothache for most religious folk. Paul would be horrified at the manner of preaching done by many who profess a belief in Jesus. They have turned the faith of God into the faith of men with food, fun, and frolic built upon allowance of the profane to be accepted as religion. Few churches preach Christ anymore much less Christ crucified. On a hill outside Jerusalem, a man hung on a tree who was the Son of God. He had never sinned, never compromised, never failed and never changed the doctrine of His Father. His life was a message of sacrifice in praise of God and He refused to change the message of the Divine for the whims of men. They killed Jesus but Jesus destroyed their wisdom at the cross. If men do not preach Christ crucified they deny the word of God and there is no hope. Determine not to know anything except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. Otherwise, he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself. ‘They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy. The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire. (Leviticus 21:1-9)

Understanding The Will Of The Lord

The Law of Moses was very specific in the regulations concerning those who would serve as priests before the Lord. These were not suggestions or matters to be ignored. Moses was to instruct those who were the sons of Aaron of the regulations required by the word of the Lord and that all who served as a priest were to adhere to every part of the law. A priest could not defile himself by being in contact with a dead body except it was a relative like his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother and virgin sister. The Lord allowed a man to mourn for his immediate family and to care for them without defiling himself. He was forbidden to come in contact with anyone else who had died that was not part of his immediate family. It must be pointed out that biologically speaking there is no difference between the body of a dead relative and a dead stranger. A distinction is made by the Lord to allow a priest to mourn for his immediate family but could not come in contact with the body of an uncle, friend, neighbor or fellow priest. If he did he would be unclean and disobey the word of the Lord. Why did God allow the priest to touch the dead body of his father but not his neighbor? That is in the mind of God but that is the word of the Lord which man could not argue with or decide to disobey. Whether a man understands the reasons God allowed the priest to touch the dead body of one person and not touch the body of another person is a test to understand the will of the Lord.

Moses was further instructed to tell the sons of Aaron they could not make any bald places on their heads as those who followed idols would do. In addition, they were not to shave the edges of their beards and the priests were forbidden to make any cuttings in their flesh including tattooing the flesh. These injunctions were practiced by heathens in their mourning of the dead and the priests were forbidden to follow such practices. As a priest of God, the men were to be set apart and to be an example of holiness before the Lord and before the people. They were to be holy in their service to God and not profane the name of the Lord. Refusing to follow these instructions would bring the wrath of God because they did not honor the will of the Lord. Is there something immoral in making bald places on the head, trimming the beard or tattooing the skin? In truth, these matters are not immoral but they are prohibited because the word of the Lord said the priest was not to engage in such matters. Priests were allowed to marry but they could not marry just any woman. The law forbade the priest from marrying a woman who was a prostitute or a woman who had been defiled. If a woman had been divorced she could not marry a priest. The priest was holy to the Lord and the law required the priest to take a wife in her virginity (not a widow, divorced woman, defiled woman or a harlot) and the woman must be a Hebrew. These requirements were handed down by the Lord to Moses for the sons of Aaron. A final note in this portion of the law declared that if the daughter of a priest plays the harlot, she profanes her father and she would be burned to death with fire. These are only a few of the regulations regarding the conduct of the priest and his obedience to the will of the Lord.

The Law of Moses has been taken out of the way and nothing in the old covenant is binding today such as the laws concerning priests. There are great lessons gleaned from understanding the nature of the laws given by God to the sons of Aaron. They were allowed to touch the dead bodies of their immediate family yet forbidden to touch the bodies of others. There were certain things the priest was forbidden to do with his body. He was not allowed to marry certain women and the law regarding a rebellious daughter was very strict and harsh. The will of the Lord remains as constant as it was in the days of Moses. God expects men to obey His word whether they agree, understand or see the value in the law. There is nothing lacking for man to know the complete will of God as the Bible has given all things that pertain to life and godliness. Everything man needs to know to find salvation is contained within the pages of holy writ. The problem lies in the refusal of man to follow the teachings of God. If the law regarding priests was in force today (and it is not) there would be many religious people that would disregard the law of defilement and say a man could touch any dead body they wanted because they love all men and they wanted to help all men. There is nothing to suggest an immoral act is done by shaving the head, trimming the beard or putting tattoos all over the body and the modern man would teach salvation by grace and churches would be filled with balding, beard trimmed, tattooed men and women praising the Lord. Marriage is viewed today as if there is no law of marriage and marrying anyone is accepted because God is love and love makes the world go round and two people in love (sometimes the same sex) is not wrong. The church would be filled with religious folk who believe they are worshiping the Lord God in truth and yet profaning the name of the Lord because of their rebellion against the word of the Lord. If the word of angels proved steadfast in the Law of Moses how can we neglect the word of God as true today? Not everyone who proclaims faith in Jesus Christ will be saved. Only those who do the will of the Father will be saved and this includes all the words of the Father.

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-22)

A Battle Plan For The Local Church

Paul had a genuine concern for the church at Thessalonica and was pleased with the great faith the church exhibited as they grew in the knowledge of Christ. At first glance, the brethren in Thessalonica had a long way to go as Luke records in his acts of the apostles the difference between the people of Thessalonica and the city of Berea. The Bereans were nobler than those at Thessalonica because they searched the scriptures daily to verify what was being preached by Paul and Silas. Arriving at Thessalonica on his second missionary journey, Paul had met opposition from the Jews and had to leave town. The Bereans were more receptive to the message of Paul and Silas. Later when Paul is in Corinth and Silas and Timothy return from Macedonia, the apostle pens a letter to the church at Thessalonica to commend their stalwart dedication to Christ and to one another. He implores them to excel more in their faith and love. While the Bereans were noted as being “more noble” it is only the letters to Thessalonica that are preserved in scripture as a pattern for the New Testament church. While controversy filled the early days of the church, Paul outlines a fifteen point battle plan for the church to continue to grow in their love for God and their love for one another. It would be well for the church of the modern century to model the work of the local congregation to the pattern given by the Holy Spirit in Paul’s letter to Thessalonica.

First and foremost in making a congregation strong is to establish the pattern of leadership ordained by the Lord. The modern church has become too comfortable in trying to do the work of the Lord without shepherds to guide the flock. As elders, bishops, and overseers, these men labor in the matters of caring for the flock of God and the church of the Lord as ordained by the Holy Spirit. A measure of success can be achieved without elders as men must fall under the guidelines of holy writ to serve as overseers but until the local congregation is fully formed with the leadership of men who lead the work of the Lord admonishing and exhorting the brethren and working diligently to instill a love for the Lord; the local congregation falters. It will never achieve the level of growth without men to serve as bishops. These men are laborers in the kingdom of Christ and not merely serving as figureheads. Paul exhorts the brethren to recognize those who labor among them showing the pattern of work expected of its leaders. The work of elders is to admonish and work for the good of the congregation and to bring peace among the brethren. The second part of growth is the keep peace in the diligent work as prescribed by God. This is not an easy job and will task the efforts of the elders to ensure the work is being done and the peace is kept. Third, the work of the church is to warn the unruly or to admonish the disorderly and idle of heart. There are some brethren who are challenged in keeping the unity of the spirit and they must be warned by the word of the Lord. Next, all efforts must be made to comfort and encourage the hearts of those who are weak and fainthearted. All congregations are made up of those who are strong and those who are weak. Those who are challenged in the faith need as much to encourage and exhort them as any among the flock. A growing church does not ignore the weak but rather expends the energy to cheer the hearts of the weak. This will take the sixth admonition of learning to be patient with all. It is a difficult task to see where people need to be and helping them achieve the goals of going where they need to find their faith. It will take a great deal of patience to learn how to exhort and admonish others to grow in the knowledge of Christ to find their fulfillment in the word of God. Being patient with all is a mark of a strong and growing congregation.

Coming in at number seven on the battle plan for the local church, Paul reminds the brethren at Thessalonica to care for the affairs of one another not allowing for petty emotions of revenge to mar the character of the brethren. There will be problems in any family and the children of God have a nature to want to get back at others but the apostle reminds the church to not render evil for evil. This is not the way God’s family behaves. Instead, brethren should always pursue peace and what is good for everyone. The two positives of a growing church are to rejoice always and to pray without ceasing. This will help to mold the character of God’s love with each member to care and love others with a thankful heart. Paul reminds the brethren this is the will of God in Christ for them and the church today can do no less. The final five admonitions are to fill the heart of the church with the word of God. Let the Spirit of God reign in the work of the church and not to despise the teaching of the Lord as members grow one with another in the knowledge of Christ. Informed members are growing members. Doctrines should be tested against the word of God and the spirit of holding fast to truth should characterize the will of the church. A strong and vibrant church is a well-educated body of saints proficient in the word of God. In conclusion, Paul exhorts the brethren to keep themselves unspotted from the world and to abstain from every form of evil. Here is the positive of the negative: do not let anything pollute the hearts, minds, and souls of the saints as they strive to keep themselves pure from the pollution’s of the world. A growing church is filled with disciples who do not allow the influences of the world to fill their minds. Purity is the goal of each member whether in speech, dress, manner of conduct and attitude. This fifteen point battle plan will bring success to any congregation to the glory of God and His Son Jesus Christ.

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (Genesis 6:5-6)

The Grief In God’s Heart

It is impossible for humanity to understand the vast emotions of compassion, love, mercy, grace, and longsuffering of the eternal Father; who created the world, formed the human frame and set in motion the universe; and to experience the grief that fills His heart when He sees how man fills his existence with wickedness. When the world was completed and the first day of the earth’s days began, there was a freshness of a new creation that is beyond the imagination. The sun shone brightly on a world that was as untouched by the pollution of hatred, prejudice, murder, immorality, and rebellion. Two people stood in the midst of the most incredible garden man would never know and they felt no sorrow, no pain, and no shame. Adam and Eve enjoyed the paradise of Eden but for a short time and then because of their disobedience lost the communion of God as He cast them out. Cain and Abel would never know Eden or men like Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David would experience the joy of walking with God in the cool of the day. In the millennia that followed the final days of Eden, men multiplied on the face of the earth and terrible darkness overwhelmed their hearts. They turned away from God and became animals who abused themselves and others with the pleasures of the flesh, arrogance of pride and lust of the eye. In time the whole of humanity was so corrupt it would take a cataclysmic flood to cleanse the earth of all humanity save eight souls. As God looked upon His creation it grieved His heart to see what man had done. There was no joy, no happiness and no fulfillment in the things men sought. Their lives were ruined with the lust of the flesh and all they gained in life was left behind in death. The Lord God watched as His creation imploded with depravity, sensual immorality, hatred and wrath to no purpose. Humanity was a waste of carnal pleasures. This was not the reason God created man.

The language of the Holy Spirit as Moses penned Genesis is limited to fully express what it means when God was grieved in His heart. Fathers can feel a great loss or tragedy when their children rebel and turn their hearts away but how does man begin to fathom the incredible depth of God’s eternal love as He watches man over the centuries fight and kill one another, murder, rape and pillage His creation against one another? What does the Lord feel when He sees America murder more than sixty million babies in less than fifty years? How does the heart of God bear to see men and women exchange the natural use of what is against creation burning in their lust for one another committing what is shameful? The heart of God is grieved beyond imagination as humanity fills its heart with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, drunkenness and the debauchery of human fleshly pleasure. Homosexuality is an accepted norm which precedes the acceptance of pedophilia, bestiality and all perversions of sexuality. Mass shootings come in the decades of accepting the child in the womb as a ‘nothing being’ making the man more an animal than anything else as evolutionist would have the world believe. If man is just a creature that came out of the primeval ooze of millions of years of slime then human life is not sanctified as unique. To make matters worse, men point a bloody finger at God and blame Him for the miseries of the world. How does the heart of God take the abuse by the creation formed to show the glory of the eternal Father?

In the days of Noah, it grieved the heart of God that He had made man and He destroyed all but eight souls in the flood. As each voice cried out in fear when the waters covered the face of the earth, the grave resounded with an incredible noise as millions of lives were taken by the mighty hand of the Lord. It must not be forgotten that when the souls died on earth their spirits were received again by the hand of God who gave it. Every time a man dies his breath returns to God. How does the heart of the Lord take the sounds of man’s misery in death when there is no hope, no promise and no joy in their death? Save the eight souls who were saved that day, all of those spirits that returned to God were cast into a place of perdition. Another day is coming when the love of God will have to perform that same judgment. The Lord is not willing that any man should perish because it grieves His heart but His justice and wrath demands it. As God looks down on earth today and He sees the putridity of man’s desire for sin it breaks the heart of a loving Father who sent His only begotten Son as a sacrifice for the wretched creature called man. It does not matter whether we can ever understand how much God loves us but to accept His love we must know. His grace is so immense because sin is so great. Yes, the world is a dark place to live. Yet the light of God’s love beaming from His heart tells us there is hope. He loves me. He loves you. That is the part of God’s heart that warms my soul.

And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24)

The Final Word Of Isaiah

There is a remarkable resemblance of the book of Isaiah and the division of the Bible as produced by man in the last five hundred years. In the original text, the Old Testament was not divided by chapters and verses and when the New Testament was penned the authors did not divide the text with chapters and verses. It was not until the year 1228 that chapter divisions were introduced to the Bible and the entire Bible was first produced with chapters and verses in the Geneva Bible of 1560. What makes the book of Isaiah remarkable to this division of man is that while the Bible is made up of sixty-six books with thirty-nine in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament, Isaiah’s book contains sixty-six chapters with a natural division of the first thirty-nine chapters warning against the judgment of the Lord with the final twenty-seven chapters showing the hope in the coming Messiah. The ending of Isaiah is much like the Revelation given to John showing the hope and promise of the Lord overcoming and bringing vindication against those who would stand against Him. Concluding his book, Isaiah proclaims the final victory over the rebellious hearts refusing to obey the will of God by those who were righteous and saved of Israel. The figure is very plain and demonstrative. It is not written to show the graphic nature of the destruction although the picture is clearly one of corpses and rotting flesh as would be found in the valley of Hinnom where the filth of the city of Jerusalem would be thrown. This would be an image Jesus used to describe the horrors of eternal hell. The final words of Isaiah were to reassure the righteous that God was in control, what happens to the nation of Israel is by the will of the Lord and regardless of the travesties of life that would fall upon the people; the Lord was faithful to keep His eternal promise of salvation. There is a reality to the final words of Isaiah like there is finality in the final words of John’s revelation. The love and the wrath of God will be evident to everyone as all nations are gathered before the throne of the Lord and judgment is meted out. For many, this judgment will be a terrible eternal fire where the worm does not die. On the other hand, not in a gloating or are manner, the righteous will see the justification of the Lord against evil by experiencing the mercy and love of God in their promise of eternal life.

Israel had been warned about their rebellion to the words of the Lord spoken through the prophets and for the most part, ignored the pleas of God to repent and turn away from their idols. There were many who were righteous who lived among the nation of Israel who was faithful to God. They did not allow the pollution’s of the idolatrous world to change their hearts away from the Lord. Sadly, judgment came to both classes of people as the Assyrians and Babylonians punished the nation of Israel. The righteous suffered along with the unrighteous because they were all taken to captivity but the hope and promise of the righteous helped them endure the cruel conditions of their captives. Isaiah assured the righteous God was aware of their plight and that salvation would be found in eternal life. They would see a day when the unrighteous would be brought to justice for denying the Lord and as victors over the forces of evil, the righteous would look upon the slain bodies of those who did not trust in the Lord and see the judgment of God upon them. The love and wrath of God are demonstrated throughout the book of Isaiah as the warnings to repent are given followed by the hope of the Coming One. In the final message of the Bible, the love and wrath of God are seen warning those who would trifle with His commands and instill hope in the hearts of the faithful to endure to the end.

The final words of Isaiah are representative of the final expression of all humanity. A day will come when the unrighteous will be punished and the righteous exalted. That is the will of the Father. There is no clearer message than seeing the goodness and severity of the Lord evidenced throughout the pages of holy writ. God is full of love and compassion but He is a Lord of judgment that will bring His wrath upon those who do not give Him glory. Isaiah said that man was created for the glory of God and those who call on His name will be saved. The Lord formed man in His image to live in His presence and to abide in His love. It was man who rebelled against the word of God and it was man who refused to repent. Like Israel of old, humanity is filled with a spirit of rebellion. They refuse to follow the words spoken by the prophets, teachers, and guides of His word. The Bible is cast aside as a book of myths that is out of date, out of time and completely useless. This does not change the word of the Lord as centuries of abuse have not changed the Bible. It remains intact as it was when first penned and continues to show all men the saving grace of God. In the final day of man’s existence when the world is destroyed and humanity has come to an end, there will be the witnessing of the righteous victorious over the unrighteous by the power of God. All flesh will come and worship the Lord. What makes a difference is what happens to all those who come before the Lord when the book of life is opened. Blessed are those who keep His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into eternal life. But outside are the bodies of the slain and those who refused to worship the true and living God. Isaiah’s final words are the final words of God.

Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!” Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die because He made Himself the Son of God.” (John 19:5-7)

The Case Against Jesus

There is no doubt the legal case against Jesus was a travesty of justice and mockery of Roman law. The Jews and the Romans accused, tried, convicted and executed Jesus in a manner that was illegal from beginning to end. It was not because Jesus was the Son of God and had committed no sin that made the case against Jesus so heinous in the legal sense. Showcased before all humanity the trial of the man from Nazareth was fraught with a frenzied, misguided zeal bent on hatred, envy, and fear. Pontius Pilate, the procurator of Judea, became the central figure in the trials of Jesus. Tried by the Jewish courts and Roman law, Jesus would ultimately be condemned by Pilate for crucifixion. After standing before Annas and Caiaphas in the Jewish courts, Jesus was brought before Pilate for the final decision on the disposition of his case. Pilate could find no fault in the man and tried to release Him to the people. To placate the crowd, Jesus had been scourged which was a severe beating leading a person close to death but this did not satisfy the Jews. Again Pilate sought to release Jesus but then the Jews cried out that Jesus must be killed because He had made Himself to be the Son of God. They told the governor they had a law, and according to that law, Jesus should die. The Law of Moses condemned those who would blaspheme the name of the Lord. Ironically, the law called for the person to be stoned but the Jews wanted the cruelest of punishments for Jesus when requesting crucifixion. The Mosaical law warned against those who would rise up and call themselves prophets who were not prophets. In the language of the law, God had said for the people not to listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord their God would test them to know whether they loved the Lord their God with all their hearts and with all their souls. One of the evidence of whether a man was a prophet of the Lord was whether what he said came to pass. The people were warned to not listen to a man who would entice them from the way in which the Lord commanded them to walk. It was this law the Jews appealed to Pilate to deliver Jesus to be crucified. What makes the death of Jesus so horrific was the law used to condemn Him was the same law that should have exonerated Him of guilt. Time and again Jesus proved He was the Son of God because the words that He taught were from the Father and His miracles proved He was the Son of God. The Law of Moses proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the Christ the Son of God as Peter would later prove a few months later at Pentecost.

The second travesty of the trial of Jesus was how easily the Jews manipulated Pilate. After Jesus had been scourged, Pilate delivered Jesus and declared Him innocent. The Jews cried out the Law of Moses demanded Jesus to be put to death and charged Jesus with blasphemy. However, the charge they now presented for executing Jesus was changed from their original charge that brought Jesus before the Roman court earlier. They had arraigned the man from Nazareth for blasphemy and condemned Him to die which would lead to the death of Jesus. When they had brought Jesus before Pilate, in the beginning, they accused Jesus of sedition against the Roman government and Caesar. There could be no reason Pilate would have listened to the Jews in the beginning if they were charging Jesus with breaking Jewish law as Pilate would not have accepted the charge. After arresting Jesus in the garden and taking Him before the Sanhedrin, the whole multitude arose and led Him to Pilate and began to accuse Jesus as a fellow perverting the nation, forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar and calling himself a king. These were very serious charges in the Roman courts. When Pilate found no basis for the charge the Jews further insisted that Jesus stirred up the people to sedition. This also was proven false. The trials of Jesus took place over a few hours without legal representation or due process of law. When the Jews brought Jesus, in the beginning, their charge was sedition but finding Pilate unwilling to accept the charge the Jewish leaders changed in midstream and charged Jesus with blasphemy. To charge a man as a rebel was a serious crime but had failed in proving Jesus guilty. Pilate knew the Jews were bringing Jesus up on charges for envy. The cowardly heart of Pilate could see what the Jews were doing and he allowed an innocent man to be executed. In the final attempt to kill Jesus, the Jews accuse Him of blasphemy, which was the very proof of His innocence. He was the Son of God and His miracles proved what the Law of Moses demanded.

Beyond the legal ramifications of the trials of Jesus, humanity exhibited its worst character in the death of Jesus. There have been many cases throughout history where justice was mocked and innocent people have suffered but none as completely as a man who had no sin. Jesus was a man who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. He always sought the good and welfare of others and often took away their pain physically and spiritually. His power was manifested through His miracles as a testimony to who He was and the elders, scribes and Jewish leaders could never deny a miracle of Jesus. They tried to attack His teachings and failed on every point. The hatred of the Jews before Pilate as they screamed for the death of Jesus was the model for the impact of sin on the heart of men and the reason Jesus died. Pilate knew Jesus was innocent but was more concerned for himself than the man who stood before him. The Son of God willingly allowed what was wrong to be done to Him so that what was right in the mind of His Father would save the creatures that cried out for His death. Jesus prayed to the Father to forgive His accusers. What more could be said and what more could be done? Praise God for His love. Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice.

It came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat before me. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel, and say to them, thus says the Lord God: ‘Have you come to inquire of Me? As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I will not be inquired of by you.’” (Ezekiel 20:1-3)

Coming To God With The Wrong Attitude

Israel had been taken captive to Babylon and would spend seventy years in bondage before being allowed by the Lord to return to the homeland of their fathers. Their rebellion and refusal to obey the Lord had brought the wrath of God against them. In the fifth year of the captivity of King Jehoiachin, God had come to Ezekiel the priest to prophecy to the captive people the word of the Lord. A few years later certain elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord seeking the counsel through Ezekiel. The response of God was not what they expected and instead became a severe rebuke of the attitudes that were still being manifested by the people against the Lord and the plight of their captivity. Although prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea had warned the people of the impending doom if they did not repent, Israel became a stiff-necked people refusing to change their ways. Incredibly they still wanted to argue with the Lord after their captivity. The elders of Israel wanted to blame their fathers for their plight and refused to acknowledge any guilt on their part. A proverb that was common at the time was told again and again that the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge. The Lord told Ezekiel to tell the people He did not want to hear the proverb anymore. Sin had put the people in Babylon and they would have to accept their punishment. What made the visit by the elder’s anger God was they came with no remorse for their sins. It was easy to blame their fathers but they remained vigilant in their refusal to accept accountability for their own actions. They expected God to forgive them as if they could tell the Lord what to do. Their hearts of pride and arrogance delivered them into the hands of the heathen nation of Babylon because the Lord had allowed it. They dared come before the Lord God demanding answers. He refused.

David, the psalmist of Israel, said that repentance comes from a broken and contrite spirit. To dare come before God with a haughty heart will bring nothing but the fierce anger of the Lord. The elders of Israel were reminded of the abominations they had committed against the Lord and how throughout the history of Israel God had dealt with the people with mercy, grace, love, and longsuffering but to no avail. There was nothing more the God of Israel could do for His people and so they were banished to captivity. It seemed incredulous that now the elders came before Ezekiel seeking an audience with the Lord with unrepentant hearts demanding answers. The word of the Lord was clear and demonstrative. They would not be going back to Israel. The captivity would last the full seventy years and those who came into the captivity would never go home. Those who returned as the remnant were a new generation. Coming to God with the wrong attitude did not help their cause. If anything, it confirmed the reason God punished them in the beginning. Refusal to see one’s own sin is greater blindness than those who cannot see. Israel rejected God and He rejected them. Their attitude was that God owed them everything and they came to collect. The problem was their failure to appreciate how great the ocean of God’s mercy was and how small their boat.

The problem of sin and the failure to recognize the need for repentance still brings men to the Father seeking what they will never find. God will not hear the prayers of the unrepentant. Without a broken heart and a contrite spirit, the ears of the Divine will not be inclined to listen. Godly sorrow comes from a penitent heart begging for the mercy and grace of a loving Father. When the prodigal son returned to his father he did not come with demands but with tears. Jesus told of two men who went to pray and the result was one came to brag and the other to petition. God does not ignore sin. He is a righteous God who demands the penitent come to Him with a spirit of love understanding the measure of mercy allowed to even to be ushered into the presence of the throne room. No man can demand of God and God will not tolerate a haughty spirit of unrepentant pride. The elders of Israel mistakenly believed the Lord owed them an explanation and reason for their plight. If they would have heeded the words of the prophets they would not be in Babylon. Their stubborn hearts, rebellious spirits, and immoral minds brought them to destruction and they deserved every measure of God’s wrath. How could they dare approach God demanding answers? The Lord said He would not be inquired of by them. No man can come to the Father without first emptying self and coming to the Creator of the world on their knees. The humility of man is the exaltation of a righteous God who requires His name be glorified among men. Every knee will bow one day and no man will stand arrogant in the final day. Praise God for He is great.