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timewithgod.blog-city.com — August 2008
1 Chronicles 23-25 Stripping Down The Lists
These chapters seem to just be filled with tediously long lists of family leaders descended from Levi, showing how David divided up service for the soon-to-be-built Temple before his death.But God spoke to me wonderfully from it this morning. H
These chapters seem to just be filled with tediously long lists of family leaders descended from Levi, showing how David divided up service for the soon-to-be-built Temple before his death.
But God spoke to me wonderfully from it this morning. He seemed to be saying, "Strip out all of the titles people held, and remove the order in which they drew lots. Leave out which instruments they played, and just tell Me what you find."
"It's just a list of fathers and sons," I thought. Then I noticed: "Eleazar died without sons.... Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and they HAD no sons .... Eleazar did not have any sons.... Asaph directed his sons .... God promised to make Heman strong, so Heman had many sons .... Heman directed all his sons in making music for the Temple of the Lord....that was their way of serving...."
It may seem sexist to some who read the Old Testament and see the apparent pride of a family with sons and the grief or even shame of a family with no sons.
But I stopped and thought that, just five and a half years ago, I had not sons, and God, in His wonderful grace, has given me two. As I stopped to get lunch for my youngest son and myself yesterday, I walked in and there at the back booth, where middle school and high school guys will soon be congregating as school starts, sat my oldest, by himself, eating his personal pizza that he had ordered and paid for -- becoming more of a man every day that passes. I almost reached his booth before he noticed me, and our smiles said it all!
I know why men were so happy to have sons back then, and God reminded me again this morning not to take my time with them for granted. It won't be much longer than I've already had them before they'll be leaving home for college, and while other parents may actually be cheering when that day arrives, I will definitely feel a profound sense of loss, for I will have had them for only a season. How all the more important it therefore becomes that I do what Asaph and Heman did -- directing my sons in their service to God, in whatever their way of service becomes.
Father, I am so thankful that You redirected me and put me on the path that would draw me to You and lead me to them. I've been so very busy this week, working long hours, and I've missed my time with them terribly, with still one more long day to go. Watch over them as they grow into young men. Help me to make them men after Your own heart.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
1 Chronicles 26-29 Present Devotion Or Permanent Trait?
As David's reign and his life on this earth came to a close, he finished WELL as he prayed to God for his people. He displayed great insight and Godly wisdom when he prayed:"I know, my God, that You test people's hearts. You
As David's reign and his life on this earth came to a close, he finished WELL as he prayed to God for his people. He displayed great insight and Godly wisdom when he prayed:
"I know, my God, that You test people's hearts. You are happy when people do what is right."
My commentary says this speaks of their present devotion (also called an "upright heart"). But David wanted even more for them. He continued praying:
"Make Your people want to serve You always, and make them want to obey You."
My commentary added that here David was asking God for that present devotion to become a permanent trait (a heart fixed on God).
That last part doesn't go against free will, if each and every person will simply pray as David did much earlier in his life -- that God would place within his own heart the desires God would have him desire. We are simply yielding our hearts to Him.
Father, please do in my life, and the lives of my sons, what David prayed for Your people. Let my present devotion become a permanent trait. Fix my heart on You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 1 -- A Word To Someone Today
Father, did You have me go through what I went through yesterday so that I'd in some small way understand how You felt in what I'd read today?My oldest son (13 today) had failed to remove his cell phone from one of the leg pockets o
Father, did You have me go through what I went through yesterday so that I'd in some small way understand how You felt in what I'd read today?
My oldest son (13 today) had failed to remove his cell phone from one of the leg pockets of a pair of shorts. I checked all of the hip pockets. The cell phone is now clean but not functional after 40 minutes in the washer.
Then the cell phone bill arrived, and let's just say that Josh has a much fuller understanding of why we don't use the menu option "Shop For Games" that he discovered one year ago today when he got his cell phone and memorized every menu option the way no adult ever could. I'd explained to him then that, as enticing as that menu option sounds, it was off limits because it would cost money.
Josh has over the years been very frugal, and even last week suggested a much less expensive birthday party that he'd first been thinking of. I was really proud of him. But for some reason, on July 14th he literally must have loaned someone else either his phone or his brain. Not just one or two, but 29 downloaded games and/or songs. He couldn't really give me a good reason why he did it (probably something to do with that time of life all guys start going through around the age of 13), though I strongly suspect he may have had a cheering section.
My first reaction upon seeing the bill sounded a lot like what God says in verse 2: "I raised my children and helped them grow up, but they have turned against Me."
As I read more of Isaiah 1 this morning, I knew that Josh hadn't rebelled, as I knew yesterday. He'd simply been caught up in what the world offered, and like all of us, logic was overridden by emotion.
No, what God mentioned here was much more serious. These people had repeated their actions so much that the actions had become habits -- until it no longer bothered them at all. Their consciences had been seared.
I think of my own sins and my whole heart becomes sick, as verse 5 says. And that's a good thing. It means that the Holy Spirit is alive and well in me and causing me to see that I've grieved my Father. It's not just conscience talking.
God says: "They do not know me; My people do not understand.... a nation of sin.... loaded down with guilt...doing evil....full of evil.... They've left the Lord; they hate God ... and have turned away from Him as if He were a stranger... no medicine takes away the pain ... your enemies are stealing everything."
How strange it seems to hear God saying of church people: "I do not want all these sacrifices. I've had enough.... I'm not pleased ... Who asked you to do all this running in and out of my Temple? Don't continue.....I hate... I can't stand....I'm tired of it."
My commentary summed it up: "God despises ritual without reality, sacrifices without obedience, and gifts without the giver.... The mixing of iniquity with solemn assembly is hateful to Him."
As I did yesterday after getting my point across, God seems to take a deep breath and let it out, and then He invites them back to relationship with Him: "Come, let's talk about these things. Though your sins are bright red, they can be white as snow, If you become willing and obey Me...."
I noticed the word "become" in there. God is saying, "I'll take you right now, just as you are. you don't have to make a change before we talk. I'll help you to become willing to obey ... Just let me help."
If your whole heart is sick, and no medicine takes away the pain, then you're right where God wants you RIGHT NOW. And just as I told Josh it would cost him a hug to pay the bill, God will do the same. He wants you back. He's also calling to His child. All is forgiven.
Thank You for showing me yesterday in my heart what I would be reading today, Father. Continue to make me more like You.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 2-5 History Repeating Itself?
Isaiah listed eight "woes" in chapters 3 and 5. They are both conditions to be abhorred and signposts marking the coming of judgment. So many of them unfortunately are still among us today:1) shamelessness -- We live in a
Isaiah listed eight "woes" in chapters 3 and 5. They are both conditions to be abhorred and signposts marking the coming of judgment. So many of them unfortunately are still among us today:
1) shamelessness -- We live in a time when even governments and some religions are encouraging people to "just be themselves", and they call Christians "intolerant".
2) wickedness -- A time when it becomes normal to get into and stay in trouble.
3) land grabs -- People begin collecting houses and land (due to economic problems?) and a housing shortage occurs. Might this be just around the corner?
4) alcoholism -- Sales of alcoholic beverages rise and people can't get enough, in their attempts to drown their sorrows.
5) brazen liars and God defilers --People will say anything and the truth will be distorted. Christians will be mocked. Sounds like "liberal media" to me.
6) moral distinctions removed -- People will deny that anything is evil. Instead, it's touted as simply a matter of personal choice.
7) conceit -- There will be plenty of people who cannot be told anything because they believe they are so wise.
8) perverted justice -- Even judges will not judge fairly, making law from the bench rather than upholding the law as they have sworn to do.
There's not much here that doesn't sound just like a day's news in America right now. Should we be worried? It's well said that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Father, how tragic it is when we abandon Your moral compass in a pathetic effort to grant people ease from their guilty consciences. But nothing man can do will change Your absolute truths. Please right our country's path before we find ourselves going through the same problems that Israel once faced. It's a definition of insanity to expect to do things the same way yet achieve different results. Shine your light on our hearts and lift us out of the well we've thrown ourselves into.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 6 -- Have We Been Robbed Of The Wonder?
I feel like movies may have robbed me of some of the wonder that Isaiah experienced in this chapter. After all, the special effects people have become able to create just about anything the mind can imagine. As a result, I believe most of
I feel like movies may have robbed me of some of the wonder that Isaiah experienced in this chapter. After all, the special effects people have become able to create just about anything the mind can imagine. As a result, I believe most of us have become hard to impress and somewhat cynical. Case in point -- we went to see the new Mummy movie this week, and compared to the first two movies, I thought the special effects were lackluster. (You'd think that resurrecting two giant Chinese armies would be enough to impress anyone!)
Most of us cannot remember our first movie experience because we were too young to recall, but I can remember Josh's. We'd been home from Ukraine for probably 2 months and I took him to see "Finding Nemo". At 7.5 years old, he'd never been to see a movie in Ukraine. The size of the screen was amazing to him, but the animation really impressed him. His lack of English made it pretty impossible for him to follow the dialogue, but he understood from the action that a father had gone, against all odds, and found his son. He also knew that he had been like Nemo and I had found him. He hugged me and told me something like that in Russian.
Then there was Isaiah, who of course had never seen a movie or TV or any special effects ever in his life. God created a vision for him that was so lifelike that he felt he was there in the presence of God.
Was he ecstatic and thrilled by the sight, as Josh had been seeing "Nemo"? Quite the opposite. His first words were, "Oh no! I'll be destroyed!" His words sound like the sudden realization a man has who's just found out that he's handled highly radioactive material without wearing a protective suit! He's somewhere he shouldn't be in his condition with absolutely no protection! He knows that he isn't pure, and he's standing before a God who is. In his mind, it's too late for any help.
All he has done is realize his condition, and he knows that it's incompatible with God. He hasn't asked for anything, but what happens? One of the heavenly creatures of fire (we assume on orders from God) leaves his post, uses tongs to remove a coal from the altar fire, and he touched it to Isaiah's mouth.
What he says next to Isaiah has to be the most heartening, reassuring, and encouraging things a human can hear: "Look, your guilt is taken away .... Your sin is taken away."
At that very moment, it appears that Isaiah loses any fear of being destroyed. Through no action of his own -- solely by the grace of God -- he has been made worthy to stand before God.
It's only then that he hears God's calling, "Whom can I send?" I think it's a testimony to both Isaiah's willingness to be a part of whatever God is doing and the attractiveness of God's presence that causes Isaiah not to ask what every other human would by reflex action ask: "To where, God??"
Isaiah didn't care to where or for what he was being called! It was enough that 1) God had a plan and 2) Isaiah had a possibility of being a part of it.
I've had one moment in my life that I can definitely point to where I experienced something like this. No, I didn't see God or Jesus on a throne. But climbing onto a bus at a little backwater orphanage in Svir Stroy, Russia to begin our trip home, God filled my heart with that same kind of question. It wasn't like He was even saying, "Whom on this bus can I send? Instead, it was "I desire this for you, Gary!" I'm overwhelmed to even think of that moment right now, and tears well up as I recall it. Right then and there, in that incredible moment, God changed the entire direction of my life in a heartbeat. I wanted nothing else but to do what He had seen fit to ask of me -- to be a father to an orphan boy who spoke Russian, not English. There was no thought of not doing it. This encounter with Him was so overwhelming that I can't find words to describe it. For half of the four-hour bus ride back to St. Petersburg, I could do nothing but cry. Not just weeping, but great sobs somehow related to sorrow that I couldn't do exactly what He wanted right then. Any delay was too long. Thoroughly exhausted physically by all of this, I finally took something to make me sleep for the remainder of the bus ride. I remember that, despite the beauty of the buildings we were sightseeing in St. Petersburg, I just wanted to get home so that I could get started on this mission God had entrusted me with. And now, over five years later, I am still in awe of what God has done. "Lord, how long?" doesn't seem to be an impetuous question that Isaiah was asking. For me, it would even now be followed with "....will this get to last?" I'd like to think that Isaiah too saw his commissioning as a life's work -- not just a mission trip.
Father, thanks for helping me to rekindle what I felt six years ago this week in Russia. It will remain the highest point in my life up to now, right along with the day You first showed me the picture of the son You had chosen for me!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 7-8 Who Will Never Win In The Long Run
"Man plans but God wins" seems to be what I'm hearing today. Israel (the northern kingdom) and Aram had grand visions of destroying Judah and its capital city of Jerusalem. They saw no way that they would lose. But the
"Man plans but God wins" seems to be what I'm hearing today. Israel (the northern kingdom) and Aram had grand visions of destroying Judah and its capital city of Jerusalem. They saw no way that they would lose. But they simply forgot that God was involved.
How hard is it for God to disrupt plans of men and nations? He whistles and Egypt, a most unlikely partner with Israel, comes running. He calls and the Assyrians (can you say 'Iraq') swarm like bees to help. I'm sure in their minds they thought that they were making rational economically-based decisions, but God was really in control.
Israel was sure that it would last forever at this point in time, yet God gave them only 65 years. And this lesson causes me to laugh at the hubris of those in this country today who believe they have the right and the might to "make America GREEN". Some want us off of fossil fuels in just 10 years! Just today, the paper tells how a biased EPA has refused to roll back the mandated production quotas for ethanol, despite the fact that their once great idea to clean up greenhouse gases has totally backfired, causing food and agricultural prices to skyrocket and placing the American economy in jeopardy. They absolutely refuse to admit that they've made a mistake -- that their ideas have failed and wreaked havoc on the economy. Gasoline prices have gone through the roof as well, and yet their "green dream" deludes them into thinking that everything will still be okay -- that if we simply inflate our tires properly it will somehow all go away and there will be no need for drilling in areas they consider to be too pristine.
This was the same mentality that the leaders of Israel had at this time -- "We are gods and we make the plans!" They were so full of themselves that they had no room for God.
So what did God do back then? He promised that in a matter of years it wouldn't really be an issue, because their entire country would be desolate. Will we end up reaching that point before we return to our senses and put God first in our land again?
God is not simply ahead of the curve. He created it. He doesn't simply foretell the future -- He directs it to His ends and knows with absolute certainty what is to come.
Yes, the planet will be pristine once more, but not by our feeble efforts. Just by a simple command from God. To be able to enjoy it, however, people will have to make the conscious decision to believe in God AND His Son. We aren't gods. We're God's.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 9-10 A Little Stroll Through Time
I thought about everything Isaiah was being shown by God in these two chapters. Since God is not limited or restricted by time, it seems that what He showed Isaiah didn't reflect time at all. The events recorded here include many that
I thought about everything Isaiah was being shown by God in these two chapters. Since God is not limited or restricted by time, it seems that what He showed Isaiah didn't reflect time at all. The events recorded here include many that matched well with Isaiah's near future, some that would occur hundreds of years into his future, and quite a few that still have not yet occurred. Modern Israeli military commanders have probably already catalogued some of these marching orders and battle plans to better prepare for what they will facing!
My commentary told me something that I'd never before considered: Verses 6 & 7 of chapter 9, traditionally read at Christmas, are in fact split in time. Only the first part of verse 6 applies to our past: "Unto us a child is born. Unto us a Son is given." The rest is future. I'd always been taught that the phrase, "And the government shall be on His shoulder" referred to the part the Roman government played in Christ's death. But my commentary says this is instead a reference to the time after His Second Coming, when He will be the government. And "Counselor" speaks of His wisdom in governing. "Prince of Peace" means "The One who will at last BRING peace to this troubled world." Reading today's paper certainly proves we haven't seen this fulfilled yet.
Father, with every day that passes, we are one day nearer to Christ's return. I pray we're getting close. As John said, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!"
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 11-12 We Don't Know What We've Been Missing!
The descriptions in chapter 11 of what the world will be like once Christ returns seem so amazing! That a child will be able to put his hand into a poisonous snake's nest and not even fear getting bitten is incredible!I think that what many
The descriptions in chapter 11 of what the world will be like once Christ returns seem so amazing! That a child will be able to put his hand into a poisonous snake's nest and not even fear getting bitten is incredible!
I think that what many fail to realize is that this will be the second time that conditions such as these will have existed on earth. The first was in the Garden of Eden.
The damage done by man's "exploitation" of natural resources which is so decried today in the media is trivial and insignificant compared to the changes in nature brought about by man's sin. And yet the media steadfastly refuses to even acknowledge the existence of sin.
In Genesis 2, God brought every wild animal to Adam so he could name them. Adam probably petted a cobra! In Genesis 1, God gives all the green plants as food for every wild animal, bird, and crawling animal. There were no animals in the food chain back then, no death or rotting, and no scavenging. That would certainly make for a dull and boring Discovery Channel documentary!
So when Isaiah says that lions will eat hay as oxen do, we must understand in our hearts that God will have made a fundamental change in nature, for animals cannot "reason" that not eating other animals is the "right" thing to do.
Once Adam and Eve sinned, creation was changed at probably the molecular level. We can know this by reading Genesis 3:17-18, where God put a curse on the ground. The lushness of God's new creation was made possible because even the very molecules of the soil were tasked to give God glory through the thing they did best -- growing plants! The plants also grew at phenomenal rates as they declared God's majesty for bringing them into existence.
"The rocks crying out" was not just a poetic term, but instead an actual reality in original creation.
But then man's sin brought God's curse. Creation was silenced. Dirt was no longer allowed to give 110%. God may have dialed it back to only 30% for all we know. Mountains that were singing have been muted and have strained from that day to give God the glory due Him. Imagine the frustration the whole of creation has felt!
Romans 8:19 starts a narrative about all this. One part says, "Everything God made was CHANGED to become useless, not by its own wish but because God wanted it and because all along there was this hope: That everything God made would be set free from ruin to have the freedom and glory..."
Colossians 1:20 talks about how, through Christ, God is bringing all things BACK to Himself again -- things on earth and things in heaven.
Just imagine how you would feel, being prevented from doing the one thing you so desire to do for thousands of years and what it will be like to finally be released from that restriction! That's why creation is groaning. It is full of the knowledge of God and can't say anything! God gave Isaiah a glimpse of what once was and of what will be again someday when Jesus returns. It gives fresh meaning to "a new earth."
So long as the curse is still in place, our efforts to remedy the situation will be almost pointless, yet God will do it in the blink of an eye.
Father, these passages say so much about just how big a God You are -- that You are God even to every molecule on this planet. And each one obeys You. I can't wait to see what this place is really capable of becoming once You give permission for everything to glorify You again, as it once did. I'm so sorry for what our sin has done.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 13-14 News We Never Think We'll Hear
Just as we marveled at the implosion of the former USSR in 1990, something no one believed would ever occur, so too have I marveled this week at the Russian invasion of Georgia. The Bear raises its head again.So too will we marvel when the even
Just as we marveled at the implosion of the former USSR in 1990, something no one believed would ever occur, so too have I marveled this week at the Russian invasion of Georgia. The Bear raises its head again.
So too will we marvel when the events in these chapters occur. My commentary said, "Before the Second Advent of Christ, all the prophecies concerning the destruction of Babylon will be fulfilled." Remembering that Babylon is modern day Iraq, and that the ancient city of Babylon itself lies outside of Baghdad, we'll be hearing in the news that Iran has invaded Iraq and captured that city; that the old city will be destroyed in a manner similar to Sodom and Gomorrah, leaving it forever uninhabitable. At the same time, we'll be hearing about a flood of people entering Israel. You'd think that with Iran on the warpath, the opposite would be occurring!
Father, I know that each day that passes puts us one day closer to the day we'll get to see Your Son coming in the clouds. Help us to keep our eyes on You when the world seems to be turning upside down.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
Isaiah 15-20 Is America Mentioned Here?
More eye-popping news that will blow our minds someday!"Government In Damascus ENDS""Israel Expands Borders Beyond West Bank""Christ Appears In Israel""Christ Appears In Egypt!""Autobahn Opens From Cairo T
More eye-popping news that will blow our minds someday!
"Government In Damascus ENDS"
"Israel Expands Borders Beyond West Bank"
"Christ Appears In Israel"
"Christ Appears In Egypt!"
"Autobahn Opens From Cairo To Turkey"
"Syria, Israel, And Egypt Sign Defense Pact"
In spite of all this, God's heart will ache with sorrow for those who would not bow to Him. He says, "You have forgotten the God who saves You; You have not remembered that God is your place of safety." Of course, that implies that they once knew this to be true!
I wonder if our country is being discussed in chapter 18: "... a people who are tall and smooth-skinned (Native American Indians at that time) who are feared everywhere. They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations. Their land is divided by rivers.... At that time, a gift will be brought to the Lord All-Powerful from [them]. These gifts will be brought to the place of the Lord All-Powerful, to Mount Zion."
What an amazing time is ahead, Father. What an awesome God You are for being able to control nations and have them do Your bidding. May we BE the nation who brings You that gift!
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Gary Ford
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