The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they paid no attention. So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. 2^nd Chronicles 33:10-11 (NIV)

King Hezikiah had been a good king during his rule over Judah, a righteous man who insisted the Jews follow the Law of the LORD. God blessed and prospered his righteous reign. His son and kingly heir, Manasseh, came to the throne at 12 years old at the death of his father.

Manasseh was given to a defiant nature and rebelled against God and his father’s spiritual leadership and values. His rebellious streak lasted years and he did great evil in the eyes of the LORD, undoing everything good his father had done. He led the nation into the most egregious apostasies from witchcraft, sorcery, and setting up an idol in the temple, to sacrificing by fire his children to a heathen god (2^nd Kings 21:7, 2^nd Chronicles 33:6). He brought unmatched defilement to the kingdom of Judah.

Even though God in His grace allowed Manasseh’s rebellion to go on for a time even when His warnings were ignored, the floodwaters of his choices finally closed over his head. The LORD allowed the king of Assyria to conquer him, and the once grand king was taken prisoner and led into captivity like an ox, with a nose-chain, and bound by bronze shackles (2^nd Chron. 33:11).

While a story like this can usually end in justification, accusations, and bitterness toward God and others, this story has a positive ending. Solomon’s wisdom of raising up a young child in the way they should go in the Lord is spot on (Prov. 22:6). It is altogether possible the memory and teaching of Manasseh’s godly father was the major catalyst to his later repentance.

For parents who have children who have moved away from what they were first taught in Christ, may this be an encouragement. If God could touch the heart of a Manasseh, He certainly can touch the heart of any wayward child. God says of His power and will, “so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Is. 55:11).

Manasseh cried out to the LORD in true repentance, not just because he wanted to be brought out of his bondage but because he got honest with God in wanting to serve and honor Him. It was a jailhouse conversion to be sure, but there have been many men and women who recognized and embraced the light they had been running from when it broke upon them in a prison cell. God not only forgave Manasseh but restored his throne and rule of Judah’s kingdom to him.

I am not teaching that God restores every penitent soul back to their former lifestyles and privileges. While that can happen, it is not always the case. We are dependent on God’s grace and plan for our lives. Whatever prison and brokenness He brings anyone out of, He will craft their life to His own purposes, designs, and glory. That is where the greatest blessing for anyone ultimately lies.

I once had a little maple tree that had been broken off close to the ground in a thunderstorm. I at first thought it was broken beyond saving and I was going to dig it up, but decided to wait and see what would happen. I pruned it and within three weeks it had amazingly sprouted new growth!

That was over twelve years ago, and at this writing that tree is around 20’ tall, healthy, and verdant. One would never know that at one time it had been so utterly broken and looked beyond saving. That life is not what it once was, but it is beautiful in its recovery now. So will we be in Christ’s care, no matter the pasts prison we have done time in.

Manasseh certainly did make a mess of things, but in His brokenness and contrite heart God in His grace picked up the pieces (Psalm 51:17). Manasseh did not need to clean himself up, before God would have him back, he just needed to come to Him as he was. When the Master Arborist finished pruning his life, He cleaned up the mess. A broken tree began to grow and budded into a life of beauty and strength that blessed a nation through which the Messiah would come. When life lets us down, that same Messiah, Jesus Christ, will lift us up, every time.

Maranatha,

Ken

No Less in God's Hope

“And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the LORD of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap” Josh. 3:13 (NIV)

As the children of Israel faced their final step into the promised land, they stood on the banks of a river flowing at its highest level. Years of desert wandering had brought them to what seemed an odd and impassable barrier. The Jordan was at the height of its harvest flood stage. God’s command seemed equally impossible; Possessing the land meant crossing that river.

OK, but how?

The LORD chose a way that would bring them safely across while demonstrating His glorious power and care for His chosen people.

With God the necessary can be done immediately and the impossible in the next second. The priests were instructed to carry the ark of the covenant on their shoulders and step into the river. As soon as their feet would touch the water, God would cause the river to part. The priests were commanded to stand in the middle of the riverbed while all Israel moved across.

The Israelis were warned not to come any closer to the ark than 2000 cubits or approximately 3000 feet (Josh. 3:4). Why? Probably as a reminder of the sacredness of the ark and to protect them from the power of God’s pure and consuming holy presence. One may wonder why the priests were not slain carrying the ark? The priests were of the Levitical tribe, appointed by the LORD through Aaron to minister to the people in His name and the only ones who were allowed to work in the presence of God.

When Israel put their best foot forward in faith, they crossed over into what was their land of possession sworn to them through Abraham’s promised son, Isaac (Gen. 35:12). God would later reaffirm that covenant to Moses at Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:4).

The land belongs to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all their offspring, given on the promise of Jehovah over 4000 years ago! That covenant promise with Israel is still in effect. It will continue, when Jesus Christ shall rule the earth in righteousness from Jerusalem (Ps. 2:6-9, Rev. 2:26-27). God does not lie nor renege on His promises (Ps. 89:34, Heb. 6:18).

In my walk with Christ, I have stood on the banks of a few Jordans and even experienced some panicky Red Sea scenarios. At the outset they all seemed hopeless, that is until the Lord bid me trust Him and put my foot in the waters. Christ was faithful to show me there is no “less” in His hope, only a hope that is filled with His righteous power and care.

Pharaohs’ dash to reclaim his slaves was brought to a standstill as the waters of the Red Sea closed in on his plan. The walls of Jericho were later breached at God’s command because of one remarkable day at the floodwaters of the Jordan (Josh. 6:20, Heb. 11:30). The same God had no problem doing either. He is already aware of your needs as you are contending at your own Jordan. He knows where and how He will take you safely across.

When Israel was terrified by the Egyptians at the Red Sea Moses encouraged the people when he said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Ex.14:13-14). Being still means being firm and quiet in confidence.

Jesus Christ not only parts the waters but makes the ground we will walk on dry (Josh. 4:22-23). At these times all we need to do is trust the Lord of all the earth and just put our feet in the water. He who spoke the river into existence can also part it. He will always be faithful to take care of the rest. “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Maranatha,

Ken

Oh, You're Still There!

Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me. Psalm 86:6-7 (NIV)

When my grandson was around four years old, I had been on the phone talking to him when he suddenly stopped talking, turned away and began speaking to his mother about something that came to mind. I remember that in that moment I got to share in the experience of the innocence and wonder in his life. It was such a beautiful moment. When he had finished speaking to her he came back on the line and listened. He said, “Pepa isn‘t there. He hung up.” I chuckled and said, “No, I’m still here.” He giggled in happy surprise and said, “Oh, you’re still there!”

Most of us have experienced moments, or even seasons, in our lives where it felt like God had hung up on us. We wonder, "God, are you listening?" When He is quiet it can be very discouraging, and we can even wonder at times if there is something wrong with us. Why would the Lord ignore us? Has the line between us been severed? Has He stopped caring?

Jesus said He would never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). Both words, leave and forsake, can carry meanings of desertion and rejection. Neither define God for He always remains and accepts. As I remained with my grandson in my silence, my presence was still with him. Silence does not necessarily mean abandonment. In times when God is silent on my line, I take it as His commendation that He sees I have come far enough in my faith to rest in His Strength when He just wants to listen. His plan for my life always remains strong and in effect.

His love for us is much greater than any love we can hold for a precious child. Just because we do not hear Him does not mean He is not there. His ear is always open to our cry. For you personally, He has always known every word you will ever speak in your lifetime and hears every cry of your heart. His plan and work in your life is always current, up to date, and sound. It is still happening in the quiet times. David speaks to this saying, “You know when I sit and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways” (Psalms 139:2-3).

We may at times take His silence as absence, rejection, or even disapproval and believe our thoughts and prayers are thudding into impenetrable ceilings of disregard. It is just the opposite.

This is when He makes us giggle with delight in those golden moments as we hear His tender voice say, “No, I’m still here and I am listening.” Silence does not mean He is not there; it means He is hearing us. The very God who holds the power of Creation in His hands (Col. 1:16-17) has your name written on His palms (Is. 49:16). He hears and sees your need. Jesus promised, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). Trust in that dear child. Trust in that.

Maranatha,

Ken

 

The Stone That Will Not Be Moved

It will come about on that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it will injure themselves severely. And all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it. Zechariah 12:4 (NASB)

When Satan realized that salvation would come through the Jews (Jn. 4:22) it became his mission to destroy them completely. This appetite for slaughter was present in him from the start for Jesus said he was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). No Jews mean there will be no group over which the Messiah can reign. The destruction of the Jews would be a great victory over God.

If you are following current events, you are aware that after a vicious and unprovoked attack on the state of Israel by the terrorist group Hamas, Israel has declared all-out war on the groups attacking it. Those who wanted complete annelation of the Jewish state initially achieved an attack of total surprise at the end of the 2023 Jewish feast of Sukkot.

The breaching of Israeli defenses was followed by savage and bloody rampages. At this writing, close to 1,400 Israeli deaths, mostly civilians, with perhaps 4,000 wounded have been accounted for so far. Many of the dead were women and children.

At the Hamas-attacked kibbutz at Kfar Aza, outside Gaza, 40 babies were discovered brutally murdered, with some having been decapitated. The dismembered bodies of adult Jewish citizens have also been found with whole Jewish families bound and tortured in their homes before being murdered. This entire outbreak has all the signs of an unrestrained and vicious demonic attack fueled by Satan himself. Not since the European holocaust by the Nazis have so many Jews been killed at one time.

How is it that a capital city in a nation the approximate size of New Jersey, became such a heavy and immovable stone of contention among the nations? The prophet Zechariah predicted this some 2,500 years ago. Armies throughout the millennia have tried to destroy this city and yet it returns, thrives, and grows heavier by the year.

When God opened the graves of European Jewry after the Holocaust and commanded their dry bones to return to the land given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He fulfilled His promise to restore the nation (Ezekiel 37:1-14). Suddenly the small stone of this lowly city began to grow. The war between the Arab Ishmael and the Jew Isaac (Gen. 21:9) that had smoldered for years reignited. The weight of this stone is messianic and grows year-by-year. It can no longer be ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. Those who come against it will be severely judged.

Throughout the ages, God’s hand has caused the children of Abraham to triumph through dire situations and impossible odds. Looking back, we marvel at how His miraculous power kept the identity of the Jewish people separate and undiluted for nearly 1900 years, restoring them back as a national presence, with the same language and moral values. That has not happened to this extent to any nation in the history of the world. The LORD declares if there is sun, moon, stars, and waves that roar Israel will exist (Jer. 31:35-36). His prophetic word to His city and nation has stood the test of time.

Israel has begun its first phase of neutralizing and destroying all the terrorist cells and proxies aligned on all its borders. Israel needs our prayers now more than ever as it begins its military infiltration into the Gaza Strip to permanently destroy these vicious entities. Hamas was surprised that Israel declared war and now understands their total destruction will be the only outcome. Posting videos of their own atrocities has only tarnished their image before the nations. Those things are in the public domain forever and once seen can never be unseen. These terrorists have documented the intent of their hearts to the world and are their own hostile witnesses. The greatest worry is the Iranian proxy Hezbollah's current involvement and the very real threat of an intervention by the Iran/Russia/Turkey triumvirate from Syria's southern border.   

I encourage all of us to continue to pray for the nation of Israel and to support it in any way possible. Let us also remember while the terrorists must stand accountable for their barbarous acts, that Christ’s blood was shed for them, too. Pray for a Christ-given moral clarity for them and that the convicting and life-changing work of the Holy Spirit will be evident in their lives.

For those worried and anxious over all this, do not fear. God is faithful to those He chooses. He will be faithful to you; He will be faithful to His people Israel, and Satan’s power is being brought to nothing. As Jerusalem stands so stands the nation. This stone will never be broken.

To Israel I offer the words the LORD gave to Joshua,

“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” Joshua 1:5

Amen. As we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13), we pray, even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Maranatha,

Ken

 

If You're Discouraged in Your Faith

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:15-16 (NIV)

Are you discouraged with your faith right now and ready to quit? Before giving up consider Saul of Tarsus. If anybody had a good excuse for walking away it was this man.

After Saul’s Damascus Road conversion (Acts 9:3-8) Jesus sent a believer named Ananias to him to encourage and pray for him and commission him to ministry to both Jew and Gentile. Christ Himself would tell him what his calling to serve Him would cost. There is no account of Saul’s response to that conversation with the Lord, outside of the historical evidence of his faithful commitment to it. Saul became Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God (Eph. 1:1).

Paul made three missionary journeys during his lifetime, traveling through the Middle East, Asia Minor (currently Turkey) and Europe. From AD 46 to AD 63 it is estimated he traveled 10,000 miles preaching Christ and planting churches and giving the witness of Christ before kings and emperors. It is amazing to think in those years of ministry Paul and his companions covered those miles mostly on foot with some by sea, but all under great hardship.

Paul gives an account of the things he endured in his obedience to Christ’s call. He was whipped five times by the Jews receiving 195 lashes (40 lashes x 5, save 1 for mercy), beaten three times with rods, stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19), shipwrecked three times, and spent a night and a day in the open sea. He was constantly on the move being in danger from rivers, Jews, and Gentiles, and in danger in both city and country. In addition, he was in danger from false believers.

He recounted times of intensive labor and toil, going long periods without sleep, and suffering without food or drink and being cold and naked. Besides everything else there was the pressure of his concern for all the churches (2^nd Cor. 11:24-28).

He would eventually be beheaded for his faith at the command of Nero. Paul realized what was coming and said he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith. He had the assurance that Christ, the righteous judge, had a crown of righteousness in store for him and all who longed for His appearing (2^nd Tim. 4:6-8). He was ready to lay down his life in the service and calling of Christ.

Paul was the person for the job and Jesus knew he would do it. Paul emphasized that faith is dependent not on human wisdom but on the Power of Christ (1^st Cor.2:4-5). Everyone has a calling, whether it is a bully pulpit with thousands of people or a weekly blog of only a few. Stresses and doubts will come and we might be tempted to throw in the towel, yet in service He exalts the humble (Matt. 23:11-12).

Sometimes the results of simple obedience are not readily seen, or ever in our lifetime, but as we receive our rewards from the hand of Christ perhaps the people our obedience touched will be the witness of the power that was evident in our work. How wonderful it would be to hear our Lord say to us on that day, “These witnesses are here because of the encouragement you gave them when they needed it. Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Whatever His call on your life, His strength will sustain you, whether it is walking 10,000 miles or giving a person a cup of cold water (Matt. 10:42). Whatever it is, be faithful. Grow and be fragrant where Christ plants you.

Paul’s encouragement to the Christians in the Galatian church is appropriate to our day: “And let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9). Hold fast to your faith. No matter if He asks a little or a lot, all He asks is all He requires. He is faithful, too.

Maranatha,

Ken

Who Will Deliver Us?

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Romans 7:22-23 (ESV)

When I was a youngster, I accidently spilled a glob of black oil paint on one of my mom’s pink throw rugs. The spot was only the size of a quarter, but no amount of cleaning could remove it. The spot was set, and the rug was permanently marred.

Sin left a permanent stain on the human soul when Adam sinned. Its source was the highest created cherub of God, Lucifer (Satan), who allowed his beauty to corrupt his wisdom and righteousness so that he rebelled against the LORD, moving to unseat Him from His throne (Is. 14:13-14, Ezk. 28:12-19). After losing his holy position, Lucifer brought sin with him into the world, bringing mankind into his long war against God.

The continual warring of my inborn sin nature with the righteousness of Christ frustrates me. The Apostle Paul was frustrated by the sin in his own life, too. Like myself he wanted to do right but sin always tripped him up. In his frustration he cried out, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (Rom. 7:18-19).

The Bible does not teach that our sin nature is eradicated at salvation. I wish that were so but like that oil stain in that rug, it is permanently set on our souls. We will not be free of it except through death or Rapture. Paul expresses what kind of man sin had made him when he cries out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Rom. 7:24).

When Christ gave His life on the cross, He broke the power of sin to enslave us. Even though the curse of sin was not fully removed, there was still a great victory won at the cross. If sin remains a problem, it no longer has the legal right to force its mastery and control on us.

The good news is God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4) empowers us to stand against sin in its war against the mind. When temptation comes to us with its chains of seduction that once held us, we now have the freedom and the right in Christ to refuse to put those chains back on. The Word of God is our Document of Emancipation. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:1).

God has for reasons of His own chosen not to explain why He did not take the stain of sin completely from us when we believed on Christ. However, since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for nearly 2,000 years His loving power and saving grace have been extended to billions of the sons and daughters of Adam making them into new creations in Christ (1st Cor. 15:45, 17).

After Paul’s question of who will rescue him, he states in the emphatic, “Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25). It is Christ and the powerful working of the Spirit of Truth who delivers us, for He will be with us and in us (Jn. 14:17, 16:13).

Sin will certainly be eradicated one day, and we have the King of Kings’ true and faithful promise that He will make all things new and perfect again (Rev. 21:5). Until then sin remains that oily smudge we cannot be rid of. Who will save us from this body of sin and death?

We can all gratefully say with Paul, “Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Amen. Let it be so, Lord Jesus, for in Your strength is our power to accomplish all things in righteousness (Phil 4:13).

Maranatha,

Ken

Yom Kippur 2023

But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people committed in ignorance. Hebrews 9:7 (NIV)

Today, Monday, September 25, 2023, is Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement, the holiest day within Judaism. It began yesterday, September 24, at sundown and will end at sundown today. This day was commanded by the LORD to be observed on the tenth day after the beginning of the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah, to allow Israel to atone for its sins (Lev.23:26-27).

In the tent of the meeting in the wilderness and in the temples that stood in Jerusalem were two rooms, the Holy Place where the priests ministered and the inner sanctum (aka the Holy of Holies). In this second room was the ark of the covenant which according to the writer of the Book of Hebrews held the rod of Aaron, a container of manna, and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments (Heb. 9:4). The lid of the ark was crafted out of solid gold with cherubim, angelic beings, hammered in gold, on each side with wings outstretched over its top (Ex. 25:10-22).

It was here where the presence of God resided and where the high priest would yearly twice sprinkle the blood of an innocent animal sacrifice upon the lid, once for his sins, and once for the sins of the nation. The cover of the ark came to be known as the mercy seat because that was where God’s merciful forgiveness for the year’s past transgressions was granted to the nation. When done as God commanded it became an acceptable atonement for the sins of the people.

The atonement offered only a temporary relief of the sins of the people and was a covering of their sin. There would always need to be an offering made year-to-year. There was no sacrifice righteous enough that could be made once and for all, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls or goats to take away sins (Heb. 9:4).

Because Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18) and not through an earthly father He was the Son of God, born without sin. He was that perfect sacrifice that just did not cover sin but fully forgave it. When Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering you [God] did not desire but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings you were not pleased (Heb. 10:4-6).  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God (2^nd Cor. 5:21).

Yeshua was rejected as Israel’s messiah for various reasons, probably the most cited being He never established an everlasting reign on the throne of His ancestor David. Before His ascension the establishment of Christ’s kingdom was even on the minds of His own disciples and was their final question to Him. “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Messiah’s eternal kingdom will be restored as Scripture says and with Yeshua legally and lawfully seated on the eternal throne in the lineage of David (2^nd Sam. 7:16, Matt. 1:6, Lk. 3:31). It will be a kingdom that will be glorious and everlasting, however, at the time of Christ’s first advent the establishment of a physical kingdom was not God’s priority. Destroying Satan’s slavery of sin and restoring the human heart into full fellowship with Him was. A happy and healthy kingdom can only come out of a whole and healthy people.

The second temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by Rome over 1900 years ago. Since there is no Holy of Holies or ark now where a high priest can make atonement, our Jewish friends are encouraged to take this solemn and holy day to pray, reflect, and seek God.

As believers, our own day of atonement happened when we confessed faith in the full power of the sacrificial Lamb God offered in Christ Jesus. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the will of God even to death on the cross to see it finished (Philippians 2:8). Because of that He can rightfully say there is no other way to God except through Him (Jn. 14:6).

God was pleased to hear from the mouth of His perfect Lamb that His plan to break the slavery of sin was successfully finished on the cross (Jn. 19:30). As our Great High Priest, He brought us to the Seat of Mercy when we believed, sprinkling our hearts with His own blood, making us holy and His own, once and for all time (Heb. 10:10). All glory and honor to our Great High Priest and risen King on this Day of Atonement. Shalom.

Maranatha,

Ken