The Heaton File

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

And they went to the king, into the court; but they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the hearing of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king. Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them. Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written at the instruction of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: “Take yet another scroll, and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and cause man and beast to cease from here?’ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: ‘He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. I will punish him, his family, and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the doom that I have pronounced against them; but they did not heed.’ Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the instruction of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And besides, there were added to them many similar words. (Jeremiah 36:20-32)

Jehoiakim’s Folly

It was the beginning of the end for God’s people. Their disobedience and willful rejection of the warnings from the prophets had brought them to the point of utter destruction from the Lord. Jeremiah had been instructed by the Lord to write a scroll containing all the words spoken against Israel, Judah and all the nations in a final effort to bring the people to repentance. The scribe of Jeremiah was Baruch. He took the scroll and read it before the people at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house in the hearing of all the people. When the princes of the king’s palace heard what Baruch had done they commanded he bring the scroll to them so they may hear what had been written. Hearing the words of the scroll the princes were fearful and told Baruch to take Jeremiah and go into hiding as they reported to king Jehoiakim. Jehudi began reading the words of the scroll to king Jehoiakim and had not gotten as far as a few columns before the king took the scroll from his hand, cut it with the scribe’s knife and threw the scroll into the fire. Some of the king’s advisors implored him not to burn the scroll but the king was defiant. He then ordered the arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah (but God had hidden them).

The scroll was the last hope for the king and his people. It was a blistering charge of rebellion as the people fell deeper into idol worship. Prophets unnumbered had pleaded with Israel and Judah to return to the Lord. Israel had been decimated by the Assyrians and yet Judah would not learn her lessons. The people of God were on a collision course of destruction if they did not repent. Jehoiakim’s attitude summed up the spirit of the nation. He did not care what the word of God said. His contempt for the Lord was evident by his destruction of the scroll. Jeremiah also notes that no one grew fearful at the reading of the scroll. The word of God was nothing to them.

Jeremiah shows his courage by writing another scroll as directed by God. The Babylonians were still going to come and destroy the nation and Jehoiakim would be deposed. At the age of thirty-six Jehoiakim lost his throne. It seems Nebuchadnezzar intended to take the king to Babylon in chains but changed his mind. Jeremiah had prophesied earlier that Jehoiakim would be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem. Burning the scroll did not change the word of the Lord. It did not change the will of the Lord. Rejecting the words of the scroll did not move the will of God from its purpose.

The Bible is viewed in much the same way today. Most people look at the word of God with disdain. Burning the Bible is of no consequence but rejecting the words will bring an eternity of misery. King Jehoiakim could not change the word of God by cutting it with a knife or burning it. The problem was the heart. There was no fear at the words of judgment. Fear would come later when in his last moments of life the arrogant king realized the word of God was true. Sadly all those who reject the message of Jesus Christ will learn too late the word of the Lord is true. It has remained unchanged since God first spoke to Adam and Eve. Jehoiakim should be a lesson but who listens? Now that is a great story.

Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89)

Friday Morning Reflections – The Prophets

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s demand.” (Daniel 2:17-23)

The Power Of Collective Prayer

It was the worst of times. Daniel and his friends had been taken captive by a heathen nation and forced to serve in the courts of the king. Their names were changed; education forced upon them from the oppressors and challenged to eat delicacies they had to refuse. Through faith they were able to overcome being forced to eat food that would defile them but more battles remained. Their lives were danger as the king had a dream and because no wise man could tell the dream and its meaning a command was given to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. Word came to Daniel his fellow wise men were being slaughtered. Imploring Nebuchadnezzar to give him time Daniel knew the answer could only come from the Lord.

Normally a king would have a dream and ask his wise men to explain the dream. A good charlatan could easily give the king an interpretation that would soothe his troubled mind. However Nebuchadnezzar demanded the wise men tell him his dream and the interpretation. No one could do it. The faith of Daniel was exemplified when he tells the king to give him time to discover the dream and its meaning. How could this be done? Whom did Daniel think would give him that power? He knew this could only be the work of Jehovah God.

What Daniel did is a powerful testimony to the purpose of collective prayer. He did not pray alone. The need was great. This was something that needed the power of communal prayer. Returning to his home he found his three companions and the four of them prayed earnestly for their deliverance. The dream and its meaning is revealed through their faith and trust in God. They understood how great the Lord was ruling in the affairs of men. Their dependence was not on man’s wisdom but from the word of God. They also understood they needed each other. Prayer is a powerful testimony to the faith of the individual but when prayer is combined in a collective action of faith it can move mountains in a massive way.

The days of the prophets were days of turmoil. There were many needs on an individual level and especially on a national level. Daniel shows a pattern of prayer that is often untapped in the church today. This is something beyond the individual prayer and beyond the scope of the “normal prayers” during an assembly. The need of the hour is specific and urgent. They gathered together as four men to prayer fervently for an answer that seemed impossible. Because of their faith deliverance was granted. The power of collective prayer by individuals may have lost its popularity but it has not lost its influence on the Lord. There is a need of restoration within the body of God’s people to realize the power of joining hearts together in prayer for a common cause. Daniel went home to pray with his friends. This Babylonian prayer meeting changed the course of history.

Prayer pleads the promises of God and from those promises rise the need to share our faith with others in asking His favor. There is strength in praying people and increasing their number in a union of prayer exalts the power of God. When specific needs arise our heartfelt concern should also include the action of collective prayer. It can change the world.

Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for power equal to your tasks. (Phillips Brooks, Perennials, 1898)

Thursday Morning Thankfulness – New Testament Epistles

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. (1 Timothy 1:5-7)

Three Pillars Of Love

The heart, the conscience and faith are the fundamental elements of man’s character. Seated in these three parts of life are the building blocks of truth. Love is the motivation that drives the spirit of man but love must be governed by the right things. Unguarded love or misplaced love will allow a spirit of darkness to destroy the soul. The commandments of the Lord are the guides put in place to perfect the heart, conscience and faith of a man leading him to truth. This was true in the garden of Eden and remains true today.

A pure heart is one that receives openly the will of God. When a heart is free from the pollutions of man’s wisdom it is easier to accept the commandments of the Lord. So often men cannot understand nor desire to follow the truth because the heart is not pure. The idea of purity suggests a heart free from contamination. Whenever someone obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ it comes from a heart that is pure. Love comes from a pure heart. On the day of Pentecost three thousand hearts were pure in accepting the bold preaching of the apostles. Many thousand more did not obey because their hearts were tainted with prejudice, tradition, immorality and a stubborn spirit. It takes a pure heart for the love of Christ to enter.

The conscience is the seat of the mind establishing life principles. A moral character is formed in the conscience and love for God comes from determining what is right and wrong by His word. Ethics must come from some source and obedience to the will of the Lord derives its nature from the word of God. A good conscience is true to the convictions of truth willing to fulfill every moral obligation in accordance with what God wants not man. Love springs from hearts that bow before the great I AM and say, “Thy will be done not mine.”

Faith is not just faith but a sincere faith. It is not passive but active. Sincerity of faith shows the level of our trust deeply rooted in our love for God. This is a daily activity. The kind of faith that becomes sincere is experienced constantly in life by trusting in His word, following His will, living by His law and looking for the blessed hope of His coming. Sincerity is unfeigned. Faith does not become a prosthetic that is worn periodically but rather faith is who we are. Our identity is measured by our faithfulness. In speech we are faithful; in dress we show faithfulness; in action we exhibit a faithful spirit. Faith is the core of our life and is not hypocritical.

True love comes from heart that is pure, a conscience deriving its character from God and a faith that shines forth as the glory of God. This kind of love will keep one from straying from the truth. Without these three pillars of love apostasy comes. The wisdom of man exalts itself against God and faith is lost. Perfection in Christ is found in establishing life upon the three pillars of love: a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith.

While we inherit our temperament, we must build our character. (William L. Sullivan, Worry! Fear! Loneliness! 1950)

Tuesday Morning Early Start – Important Doctrines

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:13-20)

The Unbroken Promise

Abraham believed in the impossible. The promises God made to him were beyond his understanding. He is a powerful testimony to what abiding faith and trust can do to a man’s life. First the Lord told him to leave his country and family traveling to a place he did not know. Abraham obeyed. Remarkably he was promised a son. It did not matter that he was seventy-five years old when the promise was made and the promise of an heir would come when he turned a century old but Abraham believed. His faith was tested severely when this same God of promise told him to kill his only beloved son in a blood sacrifice. He never wavered nor hesitated. There was in the mind of Abraham an understanding of how great God was. Whether he understood the promises of the Lord fully was not the important thing for Abraham. He trusted the word of the Lord. A promise was made by God and he knew that God would never lie. Time and again he saw the promises of God come true and every time Abraham gave his life in trust to the Lord he was securely held within the word of the promise. God never failed him once.

These stories of old are preserved to show all men today the promises of God are real. Every time the Lord made a promise He held to His word as immutable. Unchanging was the word of God because He would fulfill all the promises He made to man. The Hebrew writer is extoling the virtues of God that it is impossible for Him to lie. Think about that very deeply. There are many honest men today who seldom ever lie. This is not the same. When we speak of the character of the Heavenly Father we are describing a God whom it is impossible to lie. When a promise is made there is an absolute assurance the word will be fulfilled. What God says will come to pass. What a joy to know a God that is a God of promise.

Having the promises of the Lord before us we can rest assured that what He says will come to pass. Salvation is not a ‘maybe doctrine’ but a real promise given by the One that cannot lie. Often a child of God will hope that maybe they will be saved. The character of the Lord assures the salvation of the believer because He cannot lie. Redemption is not a wayward anchor but one fastened firmly to the rock of promise. It is sure and it is steadfast. Embracing the promises of the Lord is accepting our need for His grace, His mercy and His love to allow us to abide with Him in eternal glory. He does not want his children to think that Heaven is only a one in ten chance but a 100% promise given by a God that does not lie. Our strong comfort is found in the knowledge that we are saved. The unbroken promise of God is given to all those who obey Him and who walk in the steps of His Son, Jesus Christ. There is a crown that has my name on it. Thank you God.

God never draws anyone to Himself by force and violence. He wishes all men to be saved, but forces no one. (John Chrysostom, Sermon, c388)

Monday Morning Coffee Break – Life With Jesus

And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (Luke 21:1-4)

Jesus Cares For The Impoverished

The temple was a very busy place. People were constantly flowing in and around to offer worship to the Lord, make sacrifices in accordance to the Law and bring their gifts for the treasury. Jesus spent a lot of time in the Temple teaching. The chief priests, scribes and elders debated Him, challenging Him to trap Him in His words. The Sadducees debated the resurrection with the Lord. In all of this busy activity of teaching Jesus took notice of a certain poor widow. For most people she did not exist. When she came to the Temple few if any would take notice. Her clothing would be unkempt as she quietly moved among the crowd. Some would she her only as a bother for being in their way. The religious elite never knew she existed.

Jesus saw how the rich put their gifts in the Temple box. There was an air of superiority with the abundance of these gifts. Men dressed in splendid clothing brought great sums of money to deposit with lavish flair into the treasury. These were the nobles of the day. Their gifts were fully recognized by one and all. No one took notice of the poor widow but Jesus. While the rich lauded their self-righteous lives a quiet figure approached the box and from tattered clothing drew out two mites. The mite was the ‘penny’ of her day. She did not have a ‘dollar’ to her name but she gave all she had and that was only ‘two cents.’ Jesus said her gift was of greater value than all the abundance of those who had so much to give. He noticed the poor widow.

We live in a world that can be harsh. Like the days of Jesus those with an abundance of things can be noticed and those with little forgotten. The story of the widow’s mites goes beyond the amount of her gift. It shows the Lord notices the downtrodden, the afflicted, and the poor. He sees what they have and what they do. The world sees a picture very different from what the Lord sees. He is not interested in the abundance of man’s possessions but the abundance of a man’s heart. The rich of His day relied upon transient things for their happiness. The widow just loved God and wanted to give Him something she really needed more than Him. Yet her heart was willing to give all she had. Jesus saw her in a crowd. He took notice. He loved her.

There is nothing today that Jesus will not take notice of. He sees us for who we are. He understands all our needs and wants. His heart is touched by our sorrow. The hand of the Lord reaches forth for those who are troubled. Our poverty of spirit is revealed to Him and He blesses us with His presence. Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury but He really noticed the poor widow. He takes notice of me and that is such a comfort. Thank you Lord for seeing me.

We do not usually learn that Christ is all we need until we reach that place where He is all we have. (Vance Havner; 1901-1986)

Sunday Morning Starters – Our Father In Heaven

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, (1 Chronicles 16:8-12)

There Is Nothing Like Singing Praises To God

One of the greatest gifts given to man is the ability to communicate. With the tongue man is able to share knowledge, express love in a deeper way, recount stories of courage and talk of the wonderful blessings of his Creator. Speech is the central character of man as it expresses the meanings of the heart. The power of the tongue is evident by the manner the Lord dispersed man across the earth when He confused their language at Babel. Throughout the generations of worship the voice is lifted to God in praise. He wants us to talk to him. His desire is to hear the words of His children. Singing is the magnificent tool of God’s creation that makes the heart fill with the grace of the Lord.

What a joy singing is. Much is made about the way we sing with timing, tempo, and tune. While these elements are important we should never leave the impression the Lord is impressed by grandiose voices of operatic proficiency. It may be that many people do not sing because they “do not have a good voice” and so become timid in their worship. This is sad. The Lord’s ear wants to hear hearts singing praise – not mouths singing in perfect pitch. Joy is found in singing praises to God from lives that are moved with the bounty of God’s grace in hymns, His love in the psalms of praise and voices that fill the air with spiritual songs. Blending voices together with fellow saints is a most exhilarating experience.

Songs are written to move the heart. The book of Psalms is a wonderful example of how much the people of God loved to praise Him. Modern day hymn writers place words and music together bringing harmony with the word of God in a joyful expression of praise. When we gather and sing together it is a true foretaste of the eternal joy of singing around the throne of the Almighty. We should all sing no matter how we sound. Our Lord wants to hear us. He wants to know what is in our hearts. We need to desire spending time with one another in song. How beautiful the voices of the saved blending together in wonderful praise to our God who loves us. What a joy it is to sing.

Music is a tonic for the saddened soul, a roaring meg (cannon) against melancholy, to rear and revive the languishing soul. (Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1621)

Saturday Morning Promises – Great Stories

Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, ‘Here lies Jezebel.’” (2 Kings 9:30-37)

Evil Tyrants Will Not Last

History is filled with the horror of war as nations plunge the world into chaos, death and destruction. The generation of the Second World War is quickly passing away. These brave people lived in a time when the world was literally at war with one another. In America there was great fear as to the outcome. Hindsight does not give the sense of fear that pervaded the nation when battle fields were drawn all around the world. Reports coming in from the fighting listed tens of thousands of young men and women dying. This was death on a global scale. The threat of the Third Reich to the east and the horror of the Japanese Empire to the west were incomprehensible. There was never a time in the history of man that so much death ruled the world.

The end of the European conflict came on May 8, 1945 and with the final surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945. Since then the world has plunged into war repeatedly with fear today of ISIS and terrorist. Despots have risen in our life time that brings fear. America has been rocked with the events of 911. Through the media we have witnessed beheadings, massacres and war again on a global scale. Is there hope? Can we find an answer to this terrible feeling of doom?

Turning to the stories of the Old Testament an eternal principle is repeated over and over. During the reign of Ahab and Jezebel the people of Israel suffered terribly. There were few people who were as wicked as Ahab and Jezebel. Filling the land with the worship of idols they murdered any who stood in their way. In Jezreel a man named Naboth was murdered so the king could have a vegetable garden. This did not go unnoticed by the Lord and through the prophet Elijah Ahab and Jezebel were warned that punishment would come. Ahab died by the hand of an unknown archer who shot an arrow at random striking Ahab between the joints of his armor. Later Jehu, newly anointed king of Israel, came to Jezreel and had Jezebel thrown from an upper window where he trampled her under foot. When they came to bury her there was little left to find. Justice had found its mark. Ahab and Jezebel came to an end.

The judgment of the Lord is unchanged for our modern world. We see the threat of doom all around us wondering how long it will endure. There has always been the plague of wickedness but righteousness always triumphs. Darkness can never overtake light. Sin will grow worse and worse but judgment will come. It always comes. The evil that men do today will take the lives of many people but judgment will come. It will last for a time but then it will be destroyed. It always has been and it always will. The hope for the Christian is not to live in the fear of what man will do. It is the joy of knowing that even in death there is joy for those who live for the King of Kings. The people of God should not look upon the chaos of the world with eyes of fear but rather hearts of sorrow. Evil brings misery. The gospel brings hope and joy. Evil men will be punished. Man will never dominate the world with the supremacy of evil. God will never allow that. For that I am so very thankful. Now that is a great story.

The judgment of God is executed not only at the end of history, it is executed periodically in history. (Reinhold Niebuhr, Beyond Tragedy, 1937)