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Hello my good “Walking with Jesus” friends,
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “RETALIATION”? Perhaps a bully on the school playground intimidating smaller kids? Or gang or drug killings in dark alleys? Or maybe terrorist attacks? Or perhaps some of the riots in American cities over the past several months? Or most recently, perhaps threats from liberals to ‘pack the Supreme Court’?
As the world prepares for tomorrow, November 3rd, election day in the USA, many are fearful of ‘retaliation’ in various forms, if certain people lose in these elections. Once again I invite you to the Bible, and God’s truth. Of course law and order in any society are vital, and God’s laws for His people made it very clear, there should be justice punishment for criminal actions. The innocent, especially children and elderly, are to be protected from the violent, the law breakers, the wicked, in every society.
But there’s a big difference between justice and retaliation, isn’t there? Real, honest, justice is based on TRUTH, and all solid truth is built on God’s Truth, right?
I have not spoken in secret…
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.
(Isaiah 45:19)
Justice also depends on an agreed upon standard of right and wrong behavior, and all moral right/wrong is built on God’s standard of holiness, right? But, what happens when a society rejects God, and rejects God’s truth, and rejects God’s standard of right & wrong? How can there be justice when the laws, or what is considered right and wrong, change all the time, or when public or political opinion take priority over the law? That is the world you and I live in, no matter where you live in 2020, isn’t that true?
Here is an important word from God. . .“…abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your souls. Live such good lives among the pagans, that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they will glorify God, on the day He visits us.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor [president], as supreme authority, or to governors [local authorities] who are sent to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s servants. Show proper respect to everyone, love other Christians, fear God, honor the authorities.” (1 Peter 2:11-17)
Over the past several days, I’ve been leading us on an investigative journey, through the Biblical record of the history of Israel, in the times of the Kings. We’ve been searching for PRINCIPLES which we can apply to our time, 2020, no matter where you live in the world. Did you get that? My friends, God’s truth, God’s standard of right and wrong, God’s foundational life principles, apply equally to every society around the world!!
In all societies, all cultures, all political systems, all socio-economic systems, and watch this… through all generations; God’s truth, God’s standard of ‘right and wrong’ must prevail and do not change!! Now ponder that a moment, it is a very powerful statement which should guide our search for truth in a confusing, chaotic world.
Yesterday we saw in 1 Kings 18, that God’s prophet Elijah called king Ahab and the prophets of Baal to a showdown on Mount Carmel. Ahab, as supreme leader of the people, had been joined by the deceiving prophets of an idol called Baal. They had led the people of Israel far away from God. God had responded by sending a 3 year drought. Not a drop of rain had fallen, and the landscape was barren, people and animals were dying. Still Ahab and those deceiving prophets remained hard hearted, immovable, unrepentant. Until fire fell from heaven in response to Elijah’s call upon the one true and living God!
Justice was done according to God’s law (Deut. 13) and those prophets of Baal who had turned the people of Israel away from God, were put to death. Moses had instructed the Hebrews… “If a prophet…says among you, ‘let us follow other gods and let us worship them’, you must not listen to them…That prophet must be put to death for inciting rebellion against the LORD your God…you must purge the evil from among you.” (Deut. 13: 1-5)
Now, let’s be careful, I’m not advocating that we take these measures today in America, or other places in our world, where freedom of speech and freedom of religion permit people to pursue or encourage worship of anything, other than the one true God. But I want you to understand that what Elijah did was justice in that time and that place, according to God’s law for Israel. So today let’s look at what happened next in 1 Kings 19.
Wicked queen Jezebel was a passionate worshipper of the idol Baal, and these prophets were her hand selected, spiritual leaders for God’s people, Israel. She had a special banquet prepared for them each day, and they were afforded special honors by all the people, at king Ahab and queen Jezebel’s commands. So when word reached queen Jezebel of what happened on Mount Carmel, RETALIATION was the only thing she could think of, and Elijah ran for his life, out into the desert!
Now before we blast old Elijah for his lack of courage or lack of faith in God, let’s imagine the authorities, wherever you live in the world, put out the word that you are to be found, arrested and killed within 24 hours! There is no place for you to hide and no hope of survival. What would you do? Where would you go? For Elijah, first he ‘ran’ from Mount Carmel all the way to the southern extreme end of the land of Israel, Beersheba. Then after refreshment from an angel, he traveled 40 more days all the way to Mount Horeb, down in the deserts of modern day Saudi Arabia. That would have been over 300 miles! Did you know Horeb is another name for Sinai? The very mountain where Moses met with God so many times!
What do you see here friends? Do you see God’s powerful response to the courageous act and prayer of one man standing nose to nose with king Ahab and 450 evil prophets, and calling on God to prove Himself to be the only true and living God and send fire from heaven? Do you see God sending an angel into the desert to encourage, and nourish with a meal, and then give directions to one man, frightened, fleeing old Elijah? Do you see God giving Elijah almost superhuman strength to travel, on foot, over 300 miles, to a safe place where he and God could meet? Meanwhile, did you notice God sent RAIN, lots of rain, after He sent the fireball from heaven, in response to the people declaring “The LORD He is God”? (1 Kings 18:45)
Finally, please notice God’s message to His faithful, old prophet Elijah, when they meet at the entrance to a cave on Mount Sinai? I’ve often wondered…, how far was that cave from the places God and Moses met… a few yards, maybe even the exact same spot?? “The LORD said to Elijah, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by…“ (1 Kings 19:11)
Let’s stand right there with Elijah for a moment, and turn back in your Bible to Exodus 34. There you’ll find almost exactly the very same experience with God and Moses about 600 years before, in the same place!! Have you ever wondered WHY it was these two men, Elijah and Moses, who appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in full view of Peter, James and John? It’s recorded in Matthew 17? Perhaps it was because of these two encounters with God on Sinai? Look closely at what happened with Elijah… “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. Then came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And finally came a gentle whisper…” (1 Kings 19:11,12)
Both Moses and Elijah personally experienced God unleashing some of His almighty power here on earth. Both had a deeply personal, intimate encounter with God which changed their lives. Both lived courageous lives in which they fearlessly proclaimed God’s truth in the face of deceitfulness and rebellion against God. Both were significantly used by God in times when the people desperately needed courageous, God anointed leaders, who would lead them back to God and teach them how to follow God and resist the spiritual drift. Both were then given instructions by God to pass their leadership mantle to the next generation… Moses to Joshua and Elijah to Elisha, so God could continue leading His people through them.
My friends, I urge you today, whatever your country of citizenship, wherever you are in the world, I call us all to a significant time of prayer on this, the eve of what may turn out to be the most significant election day in recent history. It is my hope each of us can have a powerful, personal encounter with the one, true, living, Almighty God. Reaffirm your allegiance to Him, and thank Him for the salvation Jesus earned for you. And then ask the Holy Spirit of God to speak God’s wisdom into your soul for how you could be most honoring to God over these next few days, in all you say and do.
Oh LORD God Almighty… we desperately need Your help in these historic days. Challenge and guide us, Your people, to Godly thinking, speech and behavior. Empower us to be wise and courageous like Elijah in these days.
Here’s a worship video which may help you in this special, historic moment. . .
Click to read today’s chapter: 1 Kings 19; Exodus 34. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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