The Heaton File

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)

There Is No Other God But One

Idolatry is the height of foolishness for anyone to engage in. For all the wisdom of man, he makes himself a fool to take an inanimate object and make it his totem to worship. The prophet Isaiah wrote about the foolishness of human reasoning in cutting down a tree, using some of the wood to cook his food, and then fashioning the rest into an idol. He then bows down to the idol seeking deliverance and guidance. Idols never speak. They never move on their own. The difference between the one true God and an idol is that God created man, but man creates his own god in idolatry. How does something created by the fashion of a man’s hand become a god to rely on or deliver from trouble?

The early church faced a world dominated by idolatry. In every Roman city, idols flourished and temples abounded in great numbers. Some cities, like Laodicea, were centers of imperial worship with the coveted recognition of temple-wardenship. Philadelphia was known as the “Little Athens” because it had numerous temples and festivals dedicated to pagan deities. Idolatry was woven into every fabric of society in the Roman world of the early Christian era. The Christians faced a daily barrage of idolatry, facing persecution for not being part of the worship of idols or emperors. John addressed these challenges in the Revelation. Pressure from the idol worshippers would bring a heavy price against the saints of God.

Idolatry is the reason Israel was rejected as the people of God. When Israel conquered Canaan, the Lord warned them against adopting the ways of the nations around them. They did not listen. During the days of the Judges, idolatry plagued the hearts of God’s people with a vicious cycle of rebellion, relief, and restoration. After the death of Solomon, Israel fell headlong into idolatry, leading to the destruction of the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom taken into captivity by Babylon. In principle, the captivity was meant to cure Israel of idolatry. The early church faced a pagan world filled with idolatry. One of the trials for the saints was the influence of idolatry. It was a challenge for those who once served idols to see the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul would write extensively, helping the young Christians learn that idols were nothing and that there was only one God and one Lord, Jesus Christ.

For those who have never lived under the influence of idolatry, the experiences of the early disciples are hard to see. Eating meat offered to idols bothered some of the saints who once worshipped idols. Paul wanted the Corinthian disciples to make the distinction that there was but one God, and He is the only true God. There is no other God but the one God. The concept of “one God” was a foreign idea to the pagan world, accustomed to the multitude of gods and lords. Jesus was the Son of God, and there was only one Father. There is only one God. He is the Father of the saved. All things consist in Him, and the Christian must live for the one true God. There is only one Lord Jesus Christ. The pagan world accepted many lords. In the church of Christ, there was only one Savior and Lord. All blessings are in Christ Jesus. Life is found only in Jesus Christ.

The radical doctrine on only one true God rattled the theocracy of the pagan world. Believing there was only one God and one Lord flew in the face of emperor worship, idolatry, where the worship of many, many gods was accepted. The first-century Christians proclaimed that there was only one God, rejecting gods like Diana, Roma, Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and thousands more. If a man stood on the street corner and pronounced there was one God, he would be assaulted. The Roman world embraced idolatry, with its multitude of gods and lords. Paul reminded the saints that there is only one true God.

The message of monotheism (belief in one God) is not accepted in many parts of the world. Buddhists follow the god Buddha, among others. Hindu followers worship the gods Ganesha, Shiva, Krishna, and many others. In Shinto (Japanese), the gods are referred to as “kami.” Many religions and their offspring worship one form of a god or another. In Christ, there is but one God. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. No man can take the role (like the Catholic Pope). Revering the Pope as “God on earth” is idolatry at its core. The Bible teaches only one God. There is only one God. Whatever men create is false gods with no power. Eternity is not filled with the gods of this world but the one true God who made all things.

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. (Colossians 3:8-10)

Do Not Lie

A little girl came very early one morning to her mother, saying, “Which is worse, mama, to tell a lie or to steal?” The mother replied that both were so sinful she could not tell which was worse. “Well, mama,” replied the little one, “I have been thinking a good deal about it, and I think it is ever so much worse to lie than steal.” “Why, my child?” asked the mother. “Well, you see, mama, it is like this,” said the little girl: “If you steal a thing, you can take it back, unless you have eaten it, and if you have eaten it, you can pay for it; but a lie is forever.”

Lying is one of the most prolific sins known to men. Business deals justify the art of the lie. Relationships are destroyed when lies are revealed. Almost every part of life can find people telling small, socially acceptable, inconsequential lies and believing nothing is wrong. To tell a lie is nearly an accepted norm in society. For the most part, lying is something done once in a while, but there is a percentage of the world that are habitual liars. Someone has suggested that the majority of lies are told by a minority of liars. Some people lie because they believe they are better at creating lies than telling the truth. They will embed a lie in a body of truth, and no one knows the difference.

Lying is a sin. God detests liars. Ananias and Sapphira lied to God in the early days of the church, and God struck them dead. The reason for such swift judgment against them is only in the mind of God but it serves as a warning to the view of God against those who tell lies. God knows when men lie with their lips. No lie will go unpunished. Lying is a corrupt heart that refuses to embrace truth. Jesus never told a lie and demands that those who follow Him seek to keep their hearts filled with truth. “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.” (O. W. Holmes, 1858)

The little child in the above story learned a valuable lesson. God looks at lying and stealing as the same because they are both transgressions of His law. But the consequence of a lie has so many far-reaching consequences that it can become a greater tragedy than stealing. Lies break down trust, destroy faith, and create a spirit of jealousy that can be hard to mend. Sometimes lies will impact someone for as long as they live. The only solution to lying is to tell the truth. Speaking the truth makes the pillow easier to lie on at night. God is pleased when we tell the truth. Lying can jeopardize our soul because God does not take lightly those who lie. God’s grace will forgive lying but it is best not to lie.

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” (Mark 10:35)

Expecting God To Do As I Ask

Zebedee was a man who had two sons who were impetuous and zealous of spirit. Jesus chose the two sons of Zebedee to be in His inner circle of disciples to take the gospel to the whole world. On one occasion, when Jesus entered a village of the Samaritans and the people did not receive Jesus, James and John implored the Lord to command fire to come down from heaven and consume the people. They cited the case of Elijah as justification for this rash act. Jesus rebuked them for their evil spirit to destroy precious lives. The Lord came to save men, not wipe them off the map with fire from heaven.

Jesus called James and John the “sons of thunder.” There is no indication why Jesus chose to label them as He did. There was a hotheaded spirit about the two brothers that caused problems within the twelve. A few weeks before Jesus was crucified, James and John (and their mother) came to Jesus asking for a special favor. They asked Jesus to grant them what they wanted. It was a bold move to demand something from Jesus. The apostles were unclear about the mission of Jesus, still hanging on to the mistaken idea that God would restore the kingdom of David, and Jesus would reign in Jerusalem. James and John asked to serve as co-rulers with Jesus, one on His right, and one on his left.

Whenever a man decides to seek a high office of importance, hungry piranhas circle around the campaign to place themselves at strategic positions of power within the government. It seems incredible that after nearly three years, James and John are still frivolously missing the purpose of the work of Jesus. They demanded that Jesus grant them what they wanted. When challenged about bearing the “cup” of responsibility that came with that request, the two brothers arrogantly affirm they can bear any challenge that comes along. Little did they know the extent of the suffering Jesus would endure. They had no idea how much their lives would change after the death of Jesus.

James and John came to Jesus demanding something they had no right to suggest. They were not asking but expecting. Even when Jesus chided them for their question, their arrogance led them to tell Jesus they could handle anything that would come. Could James have known that his death would come from Herod when the apostle was killed with a sword? He preached at Pentecost and witnessed three thousand people obey the gospel of Christ in baptism. James was instrumental in spreading the gospel of Christ throughout the world. His death would come early in the church.

John would live to be an old man who watched his fellow apostles martyred for the word of Christ. The beloved apostle cared for Mary, the mother of Jesus. His writings would show the glory of the divine nature of Jesus and the power of God’s love. The John of the gospels is not the same John who wrote the gospel and the letters of love. James and John changed from being the sons of thunder to the sons of the Most High King who bore the cup of suffering promised by Jesus. They would never again demand anything from the Lord.

There is a spirit among men that demands things from God. The arrogance of human pride uses God like a vending machine, expecting God to perform whatever desire the human heart has. Men have recreated God in their own image to serve them as their totem of religion. They have changed the message of salvation, rejecting the plain teaching of scripture. The reason there are so many churches today who claim to follow Jesus is that they have demanded that the Lord change His will to fit their desires. Preachers preach a gospel not found in scripture. They expect God to whimper to their demands, teaching doctrines like the sinner’s prayer, salvation by grace alone or faith alone, carnal worship, or, as some suppose, there is a new gospel, whether as a watchtower lie or message from the angel Moroni. God rejects these demands. He will not bow to man or accept the demands of the human heart. How dare a man make such a claim against the Lord.

Jesus is the only truth, and His word is sealed in Heaven. Men can boast against Him, but He remains unchanged. There is one church, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit, and only one hope. Jesus is the only Lord. God is the only Father. Man is made a little lower than the angels. Only when the hearts of men subject themselves to the will of the Father and submit totally to His will can salvation be found. Are you demanding of God, or are you subjecting your life to Him? Your answer has eternity written all over it.

Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” (Luke 9:46-48)

Arguing About Greatness

The angels smile when men are filled with pride. God made man a little lower than the angels, and the angels know their place. Pride is one of the greatest sins of men who believe themselves to be greater than what they are. How could anyone believe they are the greatest of any man when they are made in the same image as other men? There are differences in intellect, as the minds of some are extraordinary, while many are simply ordinary. Some have greater talents than others in multiple fields of accomplishment. If a man reaches the zenith of greatness in his time, to what end does he find satisfaction? Generations removed from his accomplishments will never know his name.

One of the most ironic stories in scripture is when the apostles of Jesus argue about who will be greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Imagine how silly that discussion would be standing in the presence of the Son of God. How can grown men argue about who will be the greatest when the greatest man who has ever lived stands before them? Jesus looks around and finds a little child and sets the child next to Him. Here is the Son of God with twelve stout men standing before Him and a child sitting next to Him, and Jesus tells them to be great in the kingdom of God: a man must have the heart of a little child. Children are not born to be proud; they learn it from adults. There is very little pride in the heart of a little child. They are fully trusting, innocent, forgiving, and pure in their thoughts. On more than one occasion, Jesus uses little children to remind the adults what the true nature of the kingdom is all about.

Disputing about greatness is a folly among men. Children are naturally innocent of ambition, pride, and arrogance. They are characteristically humble and teachable. The disciples failed to understand the nature of the work of Jesus, believing He had come to establish a physical kingdom. The attempt to throw off the shackles of the Roman government had failed for generations, but somehow, they thought the man from Nazareth was going to succeed. Jesus did not come to set up an earthly kingdom like the days of David and Solomon. Greatness in the kingdom of heaven would be found in the hearts of the people who made the spiritual kingdom of Christ a reality. Arguing about who would be greater defeated the purpose of the ministry of Jesus. Men were looking to themselves for greatness rather than finding greatness in the presence of Jesus.

True greatness is found in a man who lowers himself to a place where he can see how small he is and how great God is. When men elevate themselves above the will of the Father, they fill their hearts with arrogant pride that will destroy them. Eleven of the men who argued about greatness would find a humble spirit as they spread the gospel of Christ to the world, where ten of those men would die a martyr’s death. The Bible shows man what he is. God made man a little lower than the angels, but Jesus did not die for the angels – he died for the world. To be great in the kingdom of Heaven is to find the love and mercy of a forgiving Father who washes away all sin in the blood of Jesus Christ. When a man rises from the waters of baptism, he has become great because the grace of God has saved him.

To measure one’s greatness by another is to measure another as less than how God measures them. Pride and arrogance make a man think he is better than his neighbor, but Jesus died for everyone. Did Jesus die just for a select group? How could anyone allow pride to make them believe they are greater than another? Like the man who went to pray, saying, “God be merciful to me, a sinner,” God forgives us all because we are all sinners. Who does not need the blood of Jesus? The twelve who argued about greatness in the presence of Jesus Christ failed to appreciate the amazing blessing of standing in the presence of the greatest servant the world would ever know. Jesus became a servant to show men who is great. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. (Leviticus 18:20-24)

How A Nation Is Defiled

The Law of Moses was given to the Hebrews after God delivered them from Egypt. Moses received the law from the Finger of God as a covenant between the Lord and Israel to establish them as the greatest nation on earth. With more than six hundred laws, Israel would be blessed by God if it obeyed the law and punished if it refused to keep it. The history of Israel lasted for less than nine hundred years when the Babylonians entered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple of Solomon. God repeatedly warned the people not to become like the nations around them, but they could not resist. What brought the downfall of Israel was their desire to be like the people of the land, rather than righteous people of God.

To understand how Israel failed, one has but to look into the law given by God to find the reasons for the moral decay and final destruction. God warned the people about sexual immorality. Adultery was a sin, and accepting sexual immorality defiled the people and the land. Engaging in sex with someone outside of marriage was an abomination before the Lord God. Marriage was an institution in which a man and a woman were bound to one another for life. God created the law of marriage, established it, and demanded that it be kept. Israel refused. Fornication, adultery, and divorce became common in Israel.

Homosexuality was a sin because God created the man and woman as the sole proprietary institution of the sexual union. It is an abomination before God for same sex relations. The nations of the world (godless) accepted and made common homosexuality. They had their own LGBT-whatever list of abominations, including pedophilia, bestiality, and transvestitism. Israel was warned against accepting the perversions of the sexual union. Sexual immorality is the perversion, distortion, and falsification of the purpose of creation. There is no basic difference between a man being unfaithful to his wife with another woman than there is for a man to engage in sex with another man. God condemns them both.

Israel, as a nation of God, was destroyed because it became like the perverted world around them. God blessed them with His love and poured upon them all the divine blessings of a benevolent Father, but they desired the flesh more than the spirit. Israel became a godless nation. When any country accepts the agenda of a godless people, the nation becomes a godless nation. History shows time and again what happens to godless nations. Democracy is a wonderful institution of government, but the law of God is not a democracy. God has a will, and that will (His word) is established in Heaven. Man tries to change the law of God, but he only becomes a fool in the process. America is making a great fool of itself, walking in the footsteps of Israel.

The Law of Moses prescribed the death penalty for those who engaged in sexual immorality. While that law has been done away with and Christ has brought the law of grace into the world, the mind of God is clear about what He thinks of sexual immorality. Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, and sodomites will not inherit eternal life. Sexual immorality destroyed Israel, and it is destroying America. God will not long tolerate a nation that forgets Him and accepts the agenda of the godless world, engaging in the religion of Molech. A nation that forgets God profanes God.

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. (Hebrews 5:7-8)

What Jesus Learned

Moses begins the book of Genesis by declaring that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. As the creation story unfolds, the text describes the work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus in speaking the world into existence and creating man and woman. The apostle Paul wrote to the saints in Colosse that all things were created by Jesus and for Jesus. There is no doubt that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, the incarnate divine nature that gave up being in the form of God to be made in the likeness of men. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit confirmed Jesus as being the Son of God. The miracles attested to the divine nature, showing His power over nature, time, disease, death, and the demon world. Jesus never failed in showing the world His divine power.

Trying to understand the nature of Jesus as divine and human is beyond the mind of human reasoning. Jesus was one hundred percent divine and one hundred percent human. Everything about Him was the image of the Creator, and yet He held to the natural man in the likeness of human flesh. The conception of Jesus was through divine power, but His birth was in the same manner as all men. As a little boy, the Son of God had to learn to walk, talk, feed himself, and know right from wrong. Luke writes that Jesus was subject to Joseph and Mary, growing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

Jesus, God’s Son, had to learn things in life, and there was no greater lesson than when He faced the ultimate challenge of the cross. The Hebrew writer describes the anguish of heart Jesus felt as the burden of the cross fell heavy upon Him. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus shared a final meal with the twelve. That night, the Lord knew that Judas had made plans to betray Him. It grieved the heart of Jesus as He washed the feet of His betrayer, knowing what he was about to do would set in motion the final act of the divine plan to redeem mankind. After Judas left the group, Jesus took the eleven to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He prayed fervently to His Father for relief.

During those final hours, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to His Father. The only one who could rescue Jesus was the Father. Only His Father could find another way to save mankind. Jesus begged His Father to take away the cup of wrath He was having to bear, but the Father refused because the salvation of man demanded the suffering of the Savior. God could save Jesus from death. The Father heard the anguished cries of His beloved Son. Sin had brought an eternal weight of debt that could only be satisfied with the death of the Son of God. Jesus learned the greatest lesson from the things that He suffered.

The Son of God learned obedience by the things which He suffered, so that the world could learn obedience by the things God commands. There is no understanding of the level of suffering endured by Jesus Christ that can justify anything a man can do. God’s grace is so immense that it is unfathomable to the human spirit to understand. The purpose of the suffering of Jesus was to bring the world to God. Sin separates God and man, and only through the blood of Jesus can mercy be found. The death of Jesus was the highest price. Rejecting the blood of Jesus is to refuse to see the love of Jesus, to learn through His incredible suffering, His love for all men. Jesus is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. The wrath of God is against all who do not obey Him. Why? Jesus suffered so that no man had to suffer. Rejecting this grace is trampling the Son of God underfoot as an unworthy thing. God will not endure those who do not honor what His Son learned by the things which He suffered.

Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 5:16)

Giving Honor To Parents

Ancient history records that a certain city was besieged and, at length, was obliged to surrender. In the city, there were two brothers who had, in some way, obliged the conquering general; and, in consequence of this, received permission to leave the city before it was set on fire, taking with them as much of their property as each could carry about his person. Accordingly, the two generous youths appeared at the city gates, one of them carrying their father, and the other their mother.

Parental respect is one of the fundamental principles of society. God created the home to be a place of safety, love, knowledge, and respect, based on His divine laws. When a home follows the Lord’s guidelines, there will be peace and harmony. The laws of nature are in place to benefit all the needs of man. Each day the sun rises and sets, the rains wash the earth, oxygen is created to sustain life, the body is formed as a precise machine that can live for many years, and the stars and planets fill the void of space in an eternal movement of divine patterns. The home is a place to create happiness and joy. Husbands and wives love one another as God planned. Children are a blessing and a heritage from the Lord.

God created the home with a man and a woman. Anything beyond that design is a perversion of the divine pattern. Sexual immorality in any form denies the creative pattern established by God. Parental authority is also established by God. The Jews were taught in the Law of Moses to honor their parents. If a child were rebellious, they were to be stoned to death. Cursing a parent brought the death penalty. In the covenant of Christ, rebellion against parents is considered a sin. Children are taught to be respectful to parents. Parents who fail to teach their children about God show them a path of destruction. Disobedient children bring shame to the home and dishonor God.

The home is where children first learn about God. Knowledge comes from parents spending time learning about the word of God to share with the children. You cannot teach what you do not know. Fathers are given first place in teaching their children. They are not to provoke their children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Parents spending time with their children are nurturing a future not only in this world, but also in the world to come. The home should be the first place of knowledge. God should be the center of the home, and the Bible should be the altar where knowledge is gained.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Freedom Is Found In Christ

July 4 marks the day the Declaration of Independence was adopted (July 4, 1776) and the United States officially became its own nation. Tensions between the Colonies and Great Britain had been strained for more than ten years after legislation such as the Stamp Act in 1765 and the Tea Act of 1773 forced British subjects in America to pay higher taxes. This led to an outcry of “taxation without representation.” The Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773 escalated the rift between Britain and the American colonists. In 1775, war broke out, and the American Revolutionary War began. A “Declaration of Independence” was drafted and adopted in 1776, and the battle for independence would continue for seven more years.

Freedom is at the core of the American soul. There is a national pride in the spirit of independence and rule through a democratic process. These principles have made America one of the greatest nations in history. Sadly, after nearly 250 years, many of those foundational teachings of the early fathers have been rejected by a carnal and immoral world. Primary to the freedoms of today is the rejection of the Bible, the word of God. A spirit of freedom has led the world to walk after its own desires and wisdom, and in the name of freedom, declare independence from the authority of God’s word. History repeats itself with every generation of those who believe that freedom can be found apart from the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Jesus addressed the Jews who believed Him to be the promised Messiah. The faith of these new believers would be tested by a world militant against the teachings of Christ. Freedom for the believers would only come from the word of God – truth! The knowledge of the truth as found in the word of God is where the heart can find true happiness, fulfillment, and hope. Jesus said only the truth of the Father can set a man free. To be a disciple of Christ, a man must abide in His word. Belief alone cannot save. Even the demons believe, and they tremble. Faith alone cannot save. Freedom comes from the knowledge of the world of God.

Those who believe in Jesus will find freedom in His word. For those who do not believe in Jesus, freedom cannot be found apart from the divine truth of God. Since the beginning of time, God has revealed truth to mankind to show the path to eternal life. There is only one way, one truth, and one life. Jesus Christ is the only Savior. There is only one Lord. Paul demonstrated in his letter to the Ephesians that there is only one faith, one church, and one baptism. Truth resides in the word of God, where the only freedom man can hope for is found. The word of God is not a document for a democratic process. Freedom in Christ comes from those who submit themselves to the autocratic rule of one King and one Lord. Ironically, freedom in Christ is not democratic – it is authoritarian. There is only one book that shows eternal life – the Bible.

Freedom is a wonderful feeling of liberty and independence. Living in America has afforded the gospel of Christ the freedom to spread the message of hope throughout the world. Enjoying the freedom to serve the Lord according to the truth has been a bastion of faith for the people of God. Those freedoms are slowly being eroded, and most likely, due to the nature of history, they will be taken away one day. There will come a day when the church of Christ will no longer be allowed to preach the teachings of King Jesus. Freedom will be lost in the world, but freedom in Christ will never be lost. The early saints who were martyred on the altars of their faith did not have the freedom to worship the truth. They died to be free in Christ. As we celebrate the spirit of freedom in our country, may our hearts resolve to celebrate the freedom in Christ no matter what the world does. We shall know the truth, and the truth will set us free.

If you should say in your heart, “These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?”— you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the Lord your God brought you out. So shall the Lord your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. (Deuteronomy 7:17-19)

You Shall Remember Well

At the end of the forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Moses challenges the new generation of God’s people to remember the stories of their fathers before them and the great and awesome power of the Lord God, as demonstrated against the Egyptians. A new generation had arisen from the rebellious nation that tried the patience of God with their murmuring, stubbornness, and rebellion against His word. The Lord was prepared to give the promised land to Israel, but they were fearful of the giants in the land. They forgot all that God did to the Egyptians. As a penalty for their unbelief, they died in the wilderness.

On the eastern side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses declared the word of the Lord to the people as they prepared to enter Canaan and conquer the inhabitants of the land. Canaan was composed of many nations, including the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cities were strong and fortified, and the descendants of Anak still lived there. Unlike the spirit of rebellion when Israel sent spies into the land at Kadesh-Barnea, the new generation of the faithful were ready to fulfill the will of the Lord. To reassure the people, Moses reminds them of the great things God did in Egypt.

There is reason to be afraid of the nations in Canaan. The people could have worried about how they would be able to dispossess them. Moses tells them not to be fearful because of how the Lord destroyed Egypt forty years earlier. If God could destroy the greatest nation on earth, He could destroy the nations that stood before them in Canaan. All the plagues the Lord brought against Egypt demonstrated His power to do anything against any nation. There was no place for the enemies of God to hide. They did not need to be terrified of the Canaanite nations. The Lord God is a great and awesome God, and He was among them. There is no reason to fear anyone because the Lord God Himself fights for them.

During the forty years of wilderness wanderings, Israel fought against the Amalekites, Canaanites, people of Arad, the Amorites, and the people of Bashan and Midian. They only lost one battle because of their unbelief. During the conquest of Canaan, the Israelite army lost only one battle – at the city of Ai. This defeat came because of the sin of Achan. During the period of the Judges, more than fifteen battles took place, and God delivered Israel every time. King Saul fought seven major battles and lost only one. During the reign of David, at least eleven major battles took place, with Israel emerging victorious in every one. The battle belongs to the Lord!

The days of fighting carnal battles ended when Christ came into the world. God’s people fight the spiritual battles against every high thing that exalts itself against the will of the Lord. The promise of victory remains the same. God fights our battles, and when we trust in Him and allow His word to live in our lives, we can make Satan run away like a frightened animal. The power of the gospel destroys the wiles of the devil. Through the fruits of the Spirit, the works of the flesh are dominated. Adding the virtues of righteousness to faith increases the power against temptation. Remember well who fights for you when you are in covenant with the heavenly Father. Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and His army marches to victory – always. Remember well.

And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. (2 Kings 19:14)

Take It To The Lord In Prayer

During the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah, the king of Assyria surrounded Jerusalem with an army of over 185,000 soldiers. Sennacherib the king sent his envoy, Rabshakeh, to discuss the terms of surrender with the leaders of the city. Rabshakeh argued there was no hope as the Assyrian army had destroyed all the nations before them. Egypt would not be able to save them. Isaiah the prophet had promised that God would deliver them, but the Assyrians had seen that Hezekiah had taken away all the idols of the land, commanding worship only in Jerusalem. The Assyrians had destroyed the cities of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah, all of whom had trusted in their gods. Samaria had fallen to the Assyrians, and their gods were powerless to stop them.

The Assyrian army was the greatest fighting machine on earth, and it threatened to destroy Jerusalem. When the people looked beyond the walls of Jerusalem, all they could see was a vast army hungry to plunder and kill. They had heard of the destruction of the Assyrians in the cities surrounding them, and hope seemed dim. The heart of Hezekiah and the people was filled with despair and trouble at the sight of the Assyrians. There was no strength left in them. When Hezekiah heard the news, he went into the house of the Lord and sent word to Isaiah.

Isaiah assured Hezekiah the city would not fall to the Assyrians. The prophet tells the king that Sennacherib will hear a rumor and return to his own land, where he will be killed. Rabshakeh sends another letter to Hezekiah, warning him against not submitting to the Assyrians. When Hezekiah received the letter from Rabshakeh, he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it before the Lord. Then Hezekiah prayed earnestly, seeking the favor of the Lord. Isaiah assures the king that no harm will come to Jerusalem. On a certain night, an angel of the Lord went out and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers. Sennacherib king of Assyria fled back to Nineveh and was killed by two of his sons when he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god.

Hezekiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord. He trusted in the Lord God of Israel. The son of Ahaz was the greatest king since Solomon for his faith and trust in the will of the Lord. Hezekiah held fast to the Lord and did not depart from obeying the commandments of the Lord. His faith was tested when the Assyrians surrounded Jerusalem, but he took his problem to the Lord, and the Lord answered in a mighty way. The king trusted in Isaiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. Faced with a letter seeking the destruction of the city, Hezekiah took the letter to the house of God and spread it before the Lord. God delivered His people through His love, grace, and power.

Prayer is taking things to the Lord, small and great. Hezekiah had a prepared heart to do what he did as a natural outgrowth of his faith. When he received the troubling letter from Rabshakeh, he did not attempt to devise a strategy to defeat the Assyrians through his wisdom. He took it to the Lord in prayer. Spreading the letter before the Lord in the house of the Lord was how Hezekiah looked at his problem. God answered according to divine will. Prayer is understanding the need to take things to the Lord and let Him decide how to respond. There would come a day when an army surrounds Jerusalem, and there is no deliverance. The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and burned the Temple of Solomon to the ground. Righteous men and women were praying and taking it to the Lord, but the will of God determined that the answer was captivity.

Hezekiah shows the lesson of trusting in the Lord. He believed God could deliver them and was assured by the prophet Isaiah. Not all the kings believed the prophets of God. Jeremiah was treated with contempt, but his words were true because they were the words of the Lord. Prayer is learning to take matters to the house of God and spreading forth the petitions and supplications to a merciful and righteous God. It must begin with trust. If there is no trust or faith, there is no prayer. Hezekiah had faith, and God answered his prayer. Take it to the Lord in prayer.