The Heaton File

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. (Colossians 4:5)

Christians Walking In Wisdom

The world is a dark place spiritually. Jesus taught the majority of people in the world are unrighteous, with only a few that will be saved. This speaks to the appealing nature of sin and the desire for the pleasures of life. Obedience to the will of God has always been the least desirable trait in the heart of humanity. Satan easily lures the heart to look at life as a time of fun and frolic with no eternal consequence. Noah lived in a world where only eight people were righteous. Abraham’s world was filled with the pagan gods of polytheism, and yet he remained righteous. Moses chose to reject the religion of ancient Egypt to serve the one true God. The early Christians faced persecution from the government, religion, and a harsh society to worship the gods of the Romans, including Caesar as a god.

Colossae was a small town in Asia Minor, not far from Ephesus. Like many Roman towns, Colossae was a mixture of nationalities and pagan religions. A faithful church had begun there at some time, and Paul wrote to the brethren as they faced those who challenged their faith in Christ. Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote his letter to Colossae, but the spirit of the letter was to encourage the saints to walk as lights of Christ in a dark world. The gospel was the means of salvation for Jews and Greek. Colossae was where the gospel had taken root, with a local congregation of saints showing the light of Christ to a city filled with darkness. Among the apostle’s exhortations, Paul reminds the Christians to live with wisdom among their Colossae neighbors, using every opportunity to share the good news of Christ with them. A pattern of evangelism is given that the word of salvation could be spread throughout Colossae.

The example of a Christian’s life carries a powerful testimony to the gospel of Christ. There is a need to preach the word and to be constant in establishing the authority of Christ as the framework for the one true church. The example of faithful Christians carries great weight in a community, whether the gospel of Christ has changed their lives or not. Paul’s exhortation is a simple reminder to the saints to live wisely with their neighbors to show how Christ has changed their lives. Insincerity is always a sign of doubt when a man professes allegiance to Christ and lives like the world. People of the world will judge a local church by the veracity of its members. The daily walk of the Colossian Christians carried greater weight in many cases than a sermon. Paul reminds the Christians of the power of their influence. Walking wisely among those outside the church is one of the greatest evangelistic conversion tools.

A higher value is placed on day-to-day living than the lengthy sermons of the preacher. Paul exhorts the Christians to remember the powerful influence they have on their neighbors in the manner of their lives. The example of a Christian’s life carries great weight in converting the lost. It is very difficult for a worldly saint to convince an unsaintly person in the world to follow Christ when they refuse to follow Him themselves. Walking with wisdom to those in the world is seeking opportunities to be a light for Christ. Paul did not only want the saints to consider how they walked before those in the world but to seek opportunities to share the gospel.

Looking for opportunities in a dark world is letting the light of Christ shine before others. Evangelism is where saints share their love for God with others. Walking with wisdom in the world and seeking opportunities is connecting with the person at the grocery store, the auto store, the neighbor, the friend, and the coworker. Unless a person lives a hermit life, opportunities abound. Paul wanted the saints to walk in such a way they could open a discussion with someone about the saving grace of God. This task is easier for Christians when they walk in God’s wisdom. Walk in wisdom. Look for open doors. Knock on some doors spiritually. Seek opportunity. Be the light of Christ in a dark world, a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.

According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection. I the Lord have spoken this. I will surely do so to all this evil congregation who are gathered together against Me. In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die. (Numbers 14:34-35)

Forty-One Funerals A Day

No single group of people in the history of mankind witnessed the power of God, as did the nation of Israel. By a mighty hand, the Lord brought the Hebrews out of Egypt. Through the plagues upon the Egyptian nation, God turned the water into blood and infested the land with frogs, lice, and flies. The hand of the Lord was against the cattle in the field, on the horses, donkeys, camel, oxen, and sheep (a severe pestilence). Boils spread throughout the Egyptian community with a great plague. Hail rained down, destroying crops, followed by the scourge of locusts. The ninth plague of darkness was the prelude to man’s greatest night of terror. On the night of the Passover, the Lord God killed every firstborn of every household in Egypt, including killing the firstborn of the animals. The Hebrews were spared the plagues, but they saw the destruction. When the Hebrews left Egypt, they saw the power of God divide the Red Sea and then destroy the greatest army on earth.

Miracles continued to impress themselves upon the people as bitter water was turned sweet, bread from heaven called manna fed the people, followed by quail. Water came from a rock. The Amalekites were soundly defeated. Standing at the foot of Sinai, the Hebrews witnessed the awesome presence of God as the Lord descended upon it with fire, blackness, darkness, and tempests, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of God. So great was the power of God, Moses was exceedingly afraid and trembled. When the people turned to the golden calf in unrestrained worship, more than three thousand Hebrews died. Two sons of Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, were destroyed by fire for offering profane fire before the Lord.

After leaving Sinai, the people came to Kadesh-Barnea. God instructed Moses to send men into the land to spy the land which He was giving them. Leaders for every tribe were assembled, and the twelve leaders went up and spied out the land. After forty days, the spies returned to tell the people what they had found. The land flowed with milk and honey, but powerful enemies with fortified and well-secured cities also possessed it. Ten of the spies did not believe the Israelites could win the war. Joshua and Caleb believed in the power of God to do the impossible. Hearing the discouraging news of the ten spies, the people refused to enter the land. The decision by the people dishonored the promise of God. He had told them the land was theirs. He would give them the land, but they did not believe it.

For the past few months, the Hebrews had seen the greatest miracles of God work in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, against the Amalekites, and the continual provisions given by God. Refusing to trust in God was an affront to the name of God. As punishment for their rebellion, the Lord declared the nation would wander through the wilderness for forty years. Everyone twenty years and above would die and never see the promised land. The nation numbered 603,550 fighting men when they were at Sinai. When the forty years were completed, the number was 601,730. Everyone twenty years and above died. Using a common denominator factoring on the average per day that would die shows that there were at least forty-one burials daily. In reality, there were probably not that many every day, but the illustration shows the immense number of burials that took place constantly for forty years.

Four decades passed as the people were reminded of their rebellion. When families buried their loved ones, who could they blame? The constant funerals became a reminder of the righteousness of a holy God whose name must be revered and the consequence of sin. Joshua and Caleb were spared because they were faithful. The ten spies died immediately, and then a forty-year funeral dirge occurred as no nation on earth experienced. Israel had seen the power of God with their eyes, and it did not move them to obey Him. They would spend forty years wishing they had believed in the power of God.

God is a wrathful God against all unrighteousness. The power of God is found in the word of God. All the evidence a person needs to obey is found within the pages of holy writ. Rejecting the Bible as the word of God will not bring a forty-year sentence – it will be an eternal day. Forty funerals a day for forty years would be an incredible experience. Israel stands as a monument to the folly of men who fail to learn lessons from the power of God. Do you believe in the power of God? Are you willing to trust in the Lord and obey Him? If not, get your shovel out. There will be a lot of holes to dig.

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this adversity that had come upon him, each one came from his own place—Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. For they had made an appointment together to come and mourn with him, and to comfort him. And when they raised their eyes from afar, and did not recognize him, they lifted their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and sprinkled dust on his head toward heaven. So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great. (Job 2:11-13)

The Value Of Friendship

Few stories strike at the heart of suffering than the Old Testament story of Job. He lived in the land of Uz and was blameless, upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. He and his wife were blessed with seven sons and three daughters whom they loved very much. Job was a blessed man with great wealth, making him one of the greatest men of his time. He never took for granted the blessings received by the hand of God. His place was prominent among the heavenly hosts when Satan challenged God for the hedge around Job. Allowing Satan to bring tragedy to the family of Job, everything the man from Uz possessed was taken in one day. His children were killed, all of his possessions taken, and servants killed, and finally, Job was afflicted with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. In all of this, he never cursed God.

The story of Job was told by his family, friends, and everyone who knew him. They were shocked and amazed at the incredible tragedy that had befallen the family of Job. Nothing like this had happened to any man. How could Job maintain his integrity faced with such insurmountable suffering? There were many who talked about Job’s plight. The talk of society was filled with sadness at the house of Job. Many would wring their hands in unbelief. Hearing of the misfortune of Job, three men made an appointment to go to the home of Job and comfort him. Their names were Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. They each came from their own homes to visit Job.

Nothing is known of Job’s friends before the story’s telling. Whatever it was, Job’s three friends had their own lives to be concerned with. They could mourn the loss of their friend, but what of their homes and at what cost to their livelihood? Hearing how their friend had suffered greatly, the three friends decided to visit Job together. Preparations were made, and plans finalized. They left home and began the journey to the home of Job. The purpose of their visit was to mourn with Job and to find ways to comfort their friend. Their hearts of sympathy overflowed for Job and his wife. Visiting with Job would bring some consolation to their friend. The nobility of their cause was singular. Their lives were put on hold to spend time with Job.

They could not have expected what they found when they arrived at the home of Job. As they drew near the house of Job, they could barely distinguish their friend. He was in such an incapacitated way they immediately began to weep. It tore their hearts deeply to see Job under such suffering. Their hearts were filled with love and sympathy. How could such a thing happen to their dear friend, and why? Tearing their robes, the three friends poured dust upon themselves as a sign of mourning and deep grief. They could barely look at their dear friend in all his misery. Their hearts were broken. Approaching Job, they remained speechless. They sat for seven days and said nothing. Each day they looked upon their friend with love and compassion. There was nothing they could do to bring his children back or restore his possession. None of them could relieve him from his painful boils. But when Job looked through his blurred eyes filled with misery and pain, he saw three friends sitting with him and not leaving. It brought some comfort.

The bulk of the book of Job is about the speeches made by Job and his three friends as they try to understand what happened. Job speaks first, and his friends try to find words to comfort him. They said more when they remained silent than when they tried to explain the plight of Job. It must be noted before the debate that three friends came and sat with Job. There is value in friendship. They missed the mark trying to explain the suffering, but the lesson cannot be lost that three friends came to stay with Job. It would have been easier to send a card, mail a letter, send a messenger, or let the family know their concerns. The three friends of Job came to visit him. They wanted to comfort their friend with their presence. And they did. Their friendship was based on being there for one another. We must see the same value of friendship. Sometimes it calls for action on our part—more than a text, telephone, card, or Facebook post. Real people were visiting with real people in need. That is the value of friendship.

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25)

Concern For The Body

The beauty industry responsible for selling cosmetics and body imaging is worth around $532 billion. In the United States alone, the fashion industry is valued at approximately $343.70 billion, with store sales in 2019 totaling $195.85 billion. Tattoos and body art has soared from years past to be worth nearly $3 billion. Jewelry worldwide is an industry of well over $300 billion, with the United States earning an annual revenue of almost $61 billion. Health foods globally will increase to an industry worth nearly 1 trillion U. S. dollars by 2026. Fitness and wellness companies make up $100 billion globally. It is clear to see that billions of dollars are spent on body appearance every year.

There is great emphasis placed on body appearance. This takes the form of the types of clothing, hairstyles, makeup, and body image. Body art has no age limit or boundaries. The bold at heart will tattoo most of the body with images and statements and add as much piercing of jewelry as possible to the body language. The world is consumed with a “me, me, me” attitude of focus on the body and everything attached. Supermodels parade with glamour, portraying wealth, beauty, and power. Athletes boast of their physique as indestructible. The peer pressure to conform to the styles of the world are immense in every form. There is pressure to fill life with all the trappings of the carnal world of beauty, glamour, physical prowess, and the glorification of the body.

Jesus warned against the emphasis on the body. There is a need to provide those things necessary for the demands of life but dwelling on and worrying over the matters of the body and clothing destroys the spiritual eye of the child of God. Life is more than all the billions of dollars spent on cosmetics, jewelry, tattoos, body piercings, health foods, and health clubs for one single reason: the body will die. People of all ages die. It will not matter whether a person is rich or poor. The funeral director can only put one set of clothes on the body. Some jewelry may be placed on the body, but then it is buried in the ground. All the money spent on tattoos and body art will be food for the worms. A life consumed is wasted.

The challenge of life is to understand the real value of living. Solomon had fame, fortune, pleasure, and knowledge, and his wives turned his heart away from God. He summed up pursuing the carnal life as nothing more than vanity. There is no profit to the worldly pursuits because the end of the road is death. The end of life should be the awareness of the purpose of life. Having good things in life is not wrong but not to the exclusion of the preparation for the moment after death. Dwelling on all the worldly things is useless. People grow old and die. Get ready for that reality. Nothing in this world is real because it is not tangible. The billions of dollars spent for the glorification of the body are a waste of money, time, energy, and focus. Place your treasure in the heavenly matters where the thief will not break in and steal, and nothing will rust. Then, and only then, will you find true peace, happiness, joy, and contentment.

“Then let thistles grow instead of wheat and weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended. (Job 31:40)

The Cockles Of Life

As a penalty for taking of the forbidden fruit, Adam was not only expelled from the paradise of Eden, where he tended the garden’s trees; he would now have to work by the sweat of his brow to sustain life. The Lord cursed the ground with thorns and thistles. After the flood, the Lord assured Noah that there would be seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summers, and day and night as long as the earth remained. What the Lord did not do was take away the weeds, thorns, and thistles. It would be a challenge for men to grow their food. In the Garden of Eden, food was provided by the hand of God, but now the man had to work by the sweat of his brow to produce a crop. Part of this curse was the introduction of weeds.

Weeds are amazing but undesirable plants. They are odious, useless, troublesome, and damaging to good crops. The life cycle of weeds moves very quickly compared to a healthy crop. Jesus illustrated in the story of the four soils where the seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns sprang up, choking the seed. Explaining the parable to the disciples, Jesus shows how the word of God is sown in the hearts of men, but the cares, riches, and pleasures of life choke the word, and there is no maturity. The contrast between receiving the word of God and the life cycle of weeds is understood as how worrying about the cares of life consumes the hearts of men to make them unproductive in the kingdom of God. Riches are weeds because they are useless and troublesome. When the heart spends its life on pleasures, it finds the experience an empty and vain existence.

When Job finished defending his character, he summed it up by pleading for the thistles to grow instead of wheat and cockles (weeds) instead of barley if he was guilty. While he tried to justify himself before his three friends and ultimately God, he did know the frustration of the cockles of life. A good crop takes time to grow with great effort to remove the thorns. Weeds have no trouble growing. Great amounts of money are spent on fertilizer to help the crops grow healthy, but there is no fertilizer for weeds. They grow profusely without it. If left unattended, the weeds, thorns, vines, and thistles will overtake and choke the healthy plant. Without removing the thorns, the plant will die.

Removing weeds is arduous and exhausting work. The tender plant has tender roots, but weeds have vicious foundations. Culling through the undergrowth of overgrown thorns and thistles will leave the body bloody and wounded. Ignoring the overgrowth will lead to certain destruction. Weeds are easily identifiable. Removing them is imperative to a healthy and productive crop. The cockles of life have the same resemblance. Eliminating the things in life that drain the energy and purpose of life is difficult. Rooted with deep resources, the cares of life can overwhelm the soul to worry about what to eat, what to drink, and how to provide the necessary needs. Jesus warned about placing the treasures of life too heavily on the needs of the body when the soul needed more care. It takes time to nurture a healthy spirit to serve the Lord. Growing the weeds of life is the easy way, the broad way, and the way that leads to destruction.

A good gardener will recognize the need for weeding the flower bed, plowing the ground to remove weeds, and putting every effort into preventing the growth of thorns. The soul who loves the Lord will daily remove the temptations of life’s cares, pleasures, and riches to overtake the soul. Many cockles of life damage the fertile ground of righteousness. It takes a discerning heart to identify those things that hinder growth. When a farmer plants a crop, he expects a bountiful harvest. No harvest can come without effort. Life is not about the here and now but about the life to come. The small amount of farming done in this life will bring about the bounty of an eternal harvest with God. Failing to weed the garden here will only bring death in the life to come. It’s time to get rid of the cockles. Put your gloves on. It’s hard work but worth it.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Living For Christ

Freedom and democracy are the patriotic sounding board for those who want to choose how they live, where they live, and how they live their lives. Throughout the ages, nations have established realms allowing citizens to choose and decide how to live. Inalienable rights supersede governmental laws and cultural norms. These natural rights include the right to think for oneself, the right to life, and the right to self-defense, and they remain throughout every human’s lifetime. Thomas Jefferson, one of the main creators of the Declaration of Independence, explained the unalienable rights of each citizen were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The democratic republic of the United States was founded upon the principles of rights for every citizen.

Democracy is a powerful platform to build a nation but contrary to the foundation of the kingdom of God. There is no democracy in the kingdom belonging to Jesus Christ. A theocracy of the sovereign rule of God alone characterizes the kingdom Jesus established. The subjects of the kingdom are to obey the word of God. When someone obeys the gospel of Jesus Christ, they turn their lives totally over to the will of the Father. The church is not a democracy where the individual can vote for or against the law of God. There is no choice. God establishes law and expects the citizens of the kingdom to obey the word without reservation.

Obedience to God is not forced as if the Lord ruled as a dictator. The love of Christ compels the Christian to honor God in his life by giving his whole spirit to the will of the Father. This is based on the realization that Jesus died for the individual. It is easy to view the death of Christ as a global event, but in reality, the death of Jesus must be considered in a personal and singular manner. If a man cannot take into his heart the personal sacrifice Jesus made for him, he cannot and will not willingly subject himself to the will of God. The love of Christ compels a man, controls his will, and constrains the spirit to obey. When a man learns to subject himself to Christ, he empties his will for the one truth, one way, and life.

Jesus died for the individual. When the individual accepts the sacrifice of Jesus as a personal testimony of divine love, he is willing to give his life entirely to God. The decision must be made that when a man becomes a Christian, he no longer lives for himself. That is a hard decision to make. The spirit of freedom resides deep in the heart of all men, but that spirit cannot be in the heart of the Christian. Freedom can only be found in Christ measured by completely removing self and subjecting the soul to God’s will. Those who live for Christ should live no longer for themselves. They must put Christ first in everything. Are you compelled to live for Christ? Subject yourself to His will, and He will lift you up. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Bow in the presence of the I AM, and He will raise you up. Live no longer for self but for Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Living for Christ is the only way to die in Christ to gain eternal life.

And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. (1 Kings 21:1)

Naboth The Jezreelite

The city of Jezreel was located in the tribal lands of Issachar. It was of little importance until the days of Ahab and Jezebel when they made Jezreel a place for one of the palaces. On the eastern slope of the hill of Jezreel, a man named Naboth owned a parcel of ground given to him through ancestorial rights by his fathers. Naboth tended a vineyard on his land, which was close to the house of king Ahab. The king wanted to put a garden next to his house and offered Naboth money to buy the land. He also offered to barter the land for a better vineyard if Naboth agreed.

Under the Law of Moses, it was forbidden to sell a paternal inheritance. Naboth refused the offer by the king not for personal reasons but because to sell the land would go against the command of God. Ahab had no right to ask Naboth to sell or barter his land. The king was bound by the Law of Moses as much as Naboth. When the king inquired about the parcel of land, Naboth reminded the king the Lord forbade selling the land of inheritance. This displeased Ahab, and he went into his bedroom, where he lay down on his bed and turned his face to the wall. He was so upset he refused to eat. Ahab knew Naboth was right.

Jezebel heard that Naboth had refused to sell the land, but she reassured Ahab she would make sure the land was his. She writes letters to the elders and nobles of Jezreel bearing false witness against Naboth. In a cunning ruse of deceit, the men of the city proclaim a fast and seated Naboth with high honor among the people. Two evil men came and sat across from Naboth, accusing the good man of cursing God and the king. This was an offense worthy of death. Naboth and his sons were dragged out of the city and stoned to death without recourse. The wicked leaders of the city sent word to Jezebel that Naboth was dead. Ahab took possession of the vineyard to make his garden.

While the king basked in the success of obtaining the vineyard of Naboth, Elijah, the prophet, came to Ahab and told him because he had murdered an innocent man, his blood would fill the place where the dogs would lick up his blood. Further, the dogs would eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel, whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field. Ahab and Jezebel had taken an innocent man who, by right of the Law of Moses, refused to sell his land; and was murdered by the king. The sons of Naboth were also killed to remove any inheritance rights.

Nothing is known of Naboth except he was a man who owned a parcel of land coveted by the king. He was an ordinary man who worked hard in his vineyard to provide for his family. His sons worked alongside their father. The family of Naboth was like any other family living around Jezreel. They were honest people who lived in a kingdom filled with wickedness. In order to frame Naboth, false witnesses had to be brought in to accuse him of blasphemy, suggesting Naboth was a man of good character. The leaders of the city were corrupt and evil to put the plan of Jezebel into action to murder a man and his sons. They were also accountable. The sad part of the story of Naboth is the injustice of evil against the righteous. A man and his sons were falsely accused and stoned to death.

The prophet Elijah made it clear to Ahab and Jezebel that God was fully aware of their evil. No one like Ahab sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord because Jezebel, his wife, stirred him up. Naboth and his sons were murdered, and God would bring recompense to the family through divine justice. Ahab would die in battle, and the dogs licked his blood when his chariot was rinsed of his blood. Jezebel was killed when she was thrown from the window of her palace by her eunuchs. She was trampled underfoot by Jehu’s horse. After Jehu had eaten a meal, he sent servants to bury Jezebel, but all they found was her skull and the feet and palms of her hands. The dogs had fulfilled the word of the Lord.

There are many injustices brought upon people by evil men and women. As they stoned Naboth and his sons to death, the condemned wondered why God allowed the travesty to happen. God could have stopped the stoning, but He did not. Naboth and his sons died, but the judgment of God came true. Ahab and Jezebel died, and they will remain in the fires of hell without end. Life can be unfair, but eternity is just. Men will commit injustices in this life, and God will settle accounts in the world to come. Serve God today. You can hide nothing from God. Nothing.

Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord will plead their cause and plunder the soul of those who plunder them. (Proverbs 22:22-23)

God Pleads The Case Of The Poor

There has always been injustice in the world since sin began to dominate the hearts of men. The persecuted come from the ranks of the feeble, helpless, and poor among humanity. They are defenseless against the bullies of the world who seek to abuse them, take their possessions, and use them for their own gain. Poor people are abundant in the world. Because of circumstances often beyond their control, they cannot rise above their station in life. A cycle of continual misery accompanies their meager existence as they try to live above the poverty level.

God has always been mindful of the unfortunate. Under the Law of Moses, the corners of the fields were not to be harvested. The Lord forbade harvesting the grain along the edges of the field. Whatever the harvesters dropped was to be left for the poor. This was also the case with the harvest of grapes. The people were not to strip all the grapes from the vines nor pick up the grapes that fell to the ground. They were to be left to the poor and the foreigners living among them. This was a command with as much force as not to kill or commit adultery. God’s law prohibited the abuse and neglect of the poor.

A stern warning is given in the wisdom literature concerning the abuse of the poor. Taking advantage of the poor because he is impoverished is a sin. Robbing the poor because he is poor is an abomination before the Lord. All men were created in the image of God and bear His mark. Robbing the poor is robbing God. Mistreating another human being based on economic status is mistreating the creation of God. Courts of law were often held at the city gates, and another stern warning was given against the miscarriage of justice against the poor. Powerful men could easily abuse a man of lowly rank who has not have the means or funds to defend himself. Abuse of the poor was common in the courts of men. Without a proper defense, there was nothing the poor could do.

The nation of Israel represented the family of God’s people. They lived under the Law of Moses, which protected the poor against maltreatment. The wisdom literature was written for the people of God to treat the poor with respect and honor. God warned His people against the abuse of the poor and offered hope for those treated poorly. A court of law may rule against the poor man and take away all his possessions, but a day will come with God will settle all accounts. The men who testified against Naboth so that Ahab could steal his land were innocent in the courts of men, but when they died, they stood before the One who knew all they did. The Lord pleaded the case of Naboth, and the false witnesses, Ahab and Jezebel, all received their reward for abusing the poor.

When men plunder the goods of the poor in this life, they find that God will plunder their souls in judgment. Nothing escapes the eyes of the Lord. The poor can suffer in this life and find joy in the life to come. Those who oppress the poor now will enjoy the bounty of their possessions and then face the wrath of God in judgment. The lesson of accountability is to show love and compassion to the oppressed because eternity depends on it. Jesus told about the gathering of all humanity before the throne of God was likened to separating the sheep from the goats. The basis of this judgment was how the child of God treated others. If the heart showed benevolence, the soul was rewarded. When the heart showed cruelty and neglect to the unfortunate, they were cast into the everlasting fire with the devil and his angels. God looks after the poor. Mistreat the poor, and you will have God to deal with.

“And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.” Then Isaiah said, “Take a lump of figs.” So they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered. (2 Kings 20:6-7)

Figs And Faith

Hezekiah was the thirteenth king of the southern kingdom of Judah. In contrast to his father, Ahaz, Hezekiah was a king who loved the Lord and did what was right in the sight of God. He inherited the throne at age twenty-five, ruling for twenty-nine years. At thirty-nine, Hezekiah developed a boil that made him sick nigh unto death. Isaiah went to Hezekiah and told him to set his house in order, for he would die and not live. Hezekiah prayed fervently to the Lord with bitter tears pleading for his life. Before Isaiah could leave the palace, the Lord told the prophet that Hezekiah’s prayer had been heard. Through the mercy of God, the king would enjoy fifteen years of life.

The power of God to heal is instantaneous in many cases. Jesus healed the multitudes of all diseases and infirmities. Many of those the Lord healed experienced the cure immediately. The paralytic man delivered to Jesus through the roof was told to rise from his bed and go to his house. He immediately stood up, took his bed, and went out in the presence of them all. Jesus healed a blind man by spitting on the ground and making clay from the saliva. He then anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. The blind man was not healed immediately. Jesus told him to go to the pool of Siloam (still blind) and wash. The blind man went to the pool and washed and was made whole.

When Isaiah told Hezekiah he would not die, the king rejoiced in his heart. Hearing that he had fifteen more years to live would have given him a more profound love for the God he served. However, the boil had not been removed at the word of Isaiah, and the king remained near death’s door. Isaiah told the servants of Hezekiah to take a lump of figs and press it on the boil. When the cake of figs was placed on the boil, the king recovered. God could have removed the boil immediately, but He chose not to do so. If the king had rejected the fig remedy, he would have died. God promised to give Hezekiah fifteen years, but the king had to obey the word of the Lord. Without his faith in the promises of God and placing the figs on the boil, the king would have died. Like Abraham, Hezekiah found faith working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect. The king was justified by works when he placed the fig remedy on the boil. You see then that a man is justified by placing the cake of figs on the boil and not by faith only.

In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands. (2 Corinthians 11:32-33)

The Great Escape

Paul’s defense to the Corinthians of his suffering as a disciple of Christ included one of the earlier trials he faced when he became a Christian. The early life of Paul was very different than what happened that day when he approached the city of Damascus. Paul’s early life was robust with training in Jewish law, learning from the esteemed teacher Gamaliel, and becoming one of the most powerful men in Jewish leadership. When the followers of Jesus banded together and began to increase in number, the leaders of Israel became alarmed. They arrested Peter and John and warned them not to teach in Jesus’ name. Then they arrested the twelve apostles and, after beating them, warned them again. When Stephen withstood the Jewish council (which included Saul of Tarsus), they took him out and stoned him. Saul consented to his death.

Following the death of Stephen, Saul launched a furious attack on those who were of the Way. He gained authority from the high priests in Jerusalem to arrest the disciples of Jesus in Damascus and bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he approached the city, a bright light shone around him from heaven. The Lord told Saul to go into Damascus and wait. Three days later, Ananias came to Saul and baptized him for the remission of his sins. Saul of Tarsus was now a Christian. His enemies had become his brethren, and his former brethren had become his enemies.

After Paul became a Christian, he remained in Damascus and immediately began preaching about Jesus in the synagogues. Everyone was amazed at the transformation that took place in the man from Tarsus. Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and no one could refute his proof that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. His preaching also brought a renewed source of enemies. His former Jewish brethren wanted Paul dead. Watching the gates day and night, the Jews plotted to kill Saul and solicited the governor’s help under Aretas, the king, to arrest him. Neither plan would succeed. Being told of the plot to kill Saul, the disciples of Christ lowered Paul down in a basket through a window in the wall. He escaped and made his way to Jerusalem, nearly 150 miles away.

Paul’s escape was an inglorious end to his trip to Damascus. He had arrived with the authority of the high priests and left in a basket, being let down in the dark of night. God’s providence overshadowed his escape, for there was much work for the new apostle to carry out for the kingdom of God. As Paul bumped along the Damascus wall, he must have reflected on the irony of his plight. A man with great authority and privilege in the world escaping for his life in a basket down the city wall. But he now served the King of Kings, and his escape would further the cause of Christ in years to come. God had a plan for the apostle, and he never let the persecutions and humiliations of life cause him to waver.

Suffering for Christ was a common thing for Paul. He had been beaten, locked in prisons, threatened, persecuted, stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked and in perils often. His best days were being let down in a basket to escape the watching eye of the guards seeking to arrest him. Paul knew how often God had blessed him with those baskets in life. The apostle took his suffering in the stride of an eternity-bound man. If Paul had anything to boast about, his boasting concerned his trials that made him stronger. The great escape. Down a wall in a basket. Incredible.