Part 3 of a series we began on Monday, Oct 17, by guest writer Lucas Ward.
 
Why does God care so much about His name?  Why is there such emphasis here, and such dire consequences?  In part, it’s a matter of respect.  Have you ever heard a sassy child yell to his/her friends “that’s my name, don’t wear it out”?  There is some of that here, in a much more serious way.  God doesn’t want us flippantly using His name.  If we do use it, it should be with the respect He and His name deserves.  I’ve read that the Mongols wouldn’t speak Genghis Khan’s name out of respect.  If people would so revere another person’s name, shouldn’t we give God’s name proper respect?
 
But there is far more to it that just giving God the proper respect.  His name is used to represent more than just His renown.  For one thing, His name represents the Covenant between Him and His people.
Ex. 6:6-8  “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am Jehovah, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments:  and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah your God, who bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  And I will bring you in unto the land which I sware to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am Jehovah.”
 
In this rather short passage we see God’s name tied to the idea of covenant in at least three ways.  His name is connected to the promise of freedom from Egyptian bondage. Notice that they will know that He is Jehovah when He releases them from the burden of bondage.  His name is also connected to the promise of a covenant relationship between them and Himself.  Finally, He connects His name to the promises made to their Patriarchs.  So, in three different ways His name is attached to promises or covenants.  Then, looking throughout the Pentateuch, we see His name routinely connected to mentions of the commandments from Sinai (the covenant), the blessings and the cursings (of the covenant), and to the Patriarchal covenant.  So His name is attached to and represents the covenant between His people and Himself.  That attachment is the guarantor of the covenant relationship.  So, when we profane His name, we cheapen the very covenantal relationship with Him that we so rely upon for our hope of Heaven.  
 
But that’s not all.  God often uses His name to stand in for Himself.  I could probably write a book on this, but I’ll try to be brief. 
 
Worshipping God is referred to as calling upon His name in innumerable passages.  E.g. Gen. 4:26 “. . . Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.”  Also, Acts 22:16  “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name.”  Notice, not calling upon Him, but upon His name.
 
Praying is also referred to as calling upon His name.  E.g.  1 Kings 18:24 “And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Jehovah; and the God that answers by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.”  Also Eph. 5:20 “giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”  Here, thanks is given in His name.  Not calling on God or giving thanks to God, but calling upon His name and giving thanks in His name.
 
His name was personified as if it were Him in at least one passage.  Isa. 30:27 “Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire.”  Notice that it is the name of Jehovah that is burning with His anger, rather than Jehovah Himself.  The Name seems to stand in as substitute for God in this passage.  Sticking with the theme of anger, His name was also used to curse His enemies:  2Ki 2:24 “And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah.”
 
More pleasantly, His name also brought blessings.  Exo 20:24 “. . . in every place where I record my name I will come unto thee and I will bless thee.”  Also Num. 6:23-27 “Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel: ye shall say unto them, Jehovah bless thee, and keep thee:  Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:  Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.  So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”  The very presence of His name brought blessing.  And John 20:31 “but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.”  In His name we have life.  Surely, that counts as a blessing.
 
Finally, note that God’s own glory is said to be partly due to His glorious name.  Ex. 33:18-19 “And he said, Show me, I pray thee, thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”  Notice that part of showing Moses God’s glory was proclaiming His name to Moses.  In Ex. 34:5-7, this takes place with the Name being proclaimed before Moses repeatedly. Also Ps. 48:10 “As is thy name, O God, So is thy praise unto the ends of the earth: Thy right hand is full of righteousness.”  His praise is attached to His name. 
 
So, it should be clear from all these things that God’s name represents Him in a way much more closely and more fully than a simple designation.  His name almost IS Him.  So, to profane God’s name is to profane God Himself. 
 
This almost seems silly to mention after the weighty matters just discussed, but if we wear His name as His followers, then to profane His name is to profane ourselves.  We make ourselves smaller when we diminish His name, and as His agents and representatives on this earth, how much more harm can we do to His cause? 
 
And, finally, lest someone claim that the commands against taking His name in vain or profaning His name are just Mosaic Law and do not apply to those of us under the Perfect Law of Liberty, let me make clear that this command was brought forward to the New Testament era.  First note that in the Lord’s sample prayer, the first thing He mentions, His highest priority, was the state of God’s name:  Matt. 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”  As mentioned earlier, to hallow is to make holy and is the exact opposite of profaning.  So Jesus taught that care was to be taken with God’s name.  Then there is this, referring to Jesus:  Heb. 1:4 “having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they.”   As the Son, He would naturally inherit from His Father.  Part of that inheritance was the Name.  Which I’ve already shown is to be honored.  So, that Name is brought out of the Old Testament Era and given to our Lord who instituted the New Testament.  Finally, His earthly name was also elevated – because of that inherited Name – to heavenly status:  Phil. 2:9-11 “Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  So, maybe I need to be more careful about using “Jesus!” as an expletive when I hit my finger with a hammer, hmmm? 
 
God’s name is to be honored, not profaned or used falsely.  As Christians, we should wince every time we hear people fouling His name.  We should be examples of proper respect in our speech.  We should always be careful not to allow such blasphemies to enter our own speech.  Frankly, I’d much rather know that a brother uses curses and profanities regularly than to know he peppers his speech with misuses of the Name.  I’m in no way condoning such speech, but from what I’ve studied, cursing is safer for your soul!
 
            “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed by thy Name.”
 
Lucas Ward

Part 2 in a three part series by guest writer Lucas Ward. 
 
So the (11th?) commandment is to not profane His name.  How might I do that?  What we normally think of is using His name as a common expletive, as discussed in the intro.  The stereotypical teenaged girl for whom everything is OMG this and OMG that is profaning His name by treating it as a common interjection.  Worse is using it as a common profanity or curse. 
 
I once worked with a guy at Publix who used “Jesus” as a curse every time something went wrong.  I finally said to him, “You know, one of these days He’s going to answer you.”  He gave me a wry look, but didn’t slow up a bit.  Another example that comes to mind is the lyrics to “Freebird” by Lynard Skynard.  They use “Lord” (another designation for God) throughout the song as aural space filler.  Listen to the song and in place of Lord, just hum or sing “OOOh” and it doesn’t change the semantic meaning of the song one bit.  They’ve literally taken a designation for God from its exalted position and turned it into background noise!  That is profaning (making common) the name of the Lord. 
 
But we can also profane His name by how we live our lives.  Bear with me for a moment.  Start with the idea that a name isn’t just the designation of an individual.  It is also the reputation or renown that is attached to the name.  What do you think of when you hear the name Donald Trump?  Or Douglas MacArthur?  Or Babe Ruth?  The reputation/renown that is conjured at the mention of those men is part of their Names.  In fact, Hebrew uses the same word for both name and renown. 
 
And God worked to ensure that His name carried a certain renown with it.  Ex. 9:16  “but in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand, to show thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.”  Is. 63:12-14  “that caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses? that divided the waters before them, to make himself an everlasting name? . . . so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.”  In the first passage, He made Pharaoh to stand so He could work great plagues against Egypt and make a name for Himself.  In the second, His power is displayed to make a great name.  In fact, in my study of the use of His name throughout the Bible, I discovered that almost every time we read of God doing something “for His name’s sake,” He is either fulfilling the covenant that His name is attached to or He is doing something to enhance His reputation.  To increase His renown.  So, God cares greatly for the reputation conveyed with His name.
 
Now, remember that God’s followers wear His name.  There are multiple passages which point this out.  Dan 9:19  “. . .because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.”  Doesn’t get much clearer, does it?  How about Matt 28:19?  “. . .baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  Notice, it doesn’t say “in the name of”, which would imply ‘by the authority of’, but rather “into the name of” which shows that believers have been brought into the family of God, into His name.  Finally, in John’s heavenly visions at the end of Revelation, God’s people literally wear His name:  Rev. 22:4  “and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads.” 
 
So we, as Christians, wear His name, literally, since “Christian” comes from “Christ”.  If we do not live according to His way while wearing His name, we profane His name.  His renown is damaged by his putative followers.  Lev. 18:21  “And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through the fire to Molech; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.”  Here we see it clearly stated that the actions of God’s followers can profane His name.  By sacrificing children to an idol-god, they would be harming God’s renown.
 
Another instance is after David’s sin with Bathsheba.  He had been forgiven, but Nathan told David that one of the punishments for that sin would be that his child with Bathsheba would die.  Here is the explanation:  2 Sam. 12:14  “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”  David was known as a man after God’s own heart.  When a man linked to God in such a close way sinned like he did, it naturally heaped shame on God, too.  It gave occasion to God’s enemies. 
 
This idea exists in the New Testament too.  Rom. 2:23  “thou who glories in the law, through thy transgression of the law dishonors thou God?  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written.”  Paul sums up the idea:  2 Tim. 2:19  “. . . Let everyone that names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.”  
 
So, Mr. Christian who would never take the Lord’s name in vain, are you profaning His name by the way you live your life?  (That question steps on my toes!)  We will finish our discussion tomorrow.

Lucas Ward

Part 1 in a three day series going through Wednesday this week by guest writer Lucas Ward.
 
In 1939 a little known (*ahem*) movie called “Gone With the Wind” came out.    It was noteworthy for several reasons not least of which was Rhett Butler’s famous last line, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a d**n.”  This was the first time that profanity was permitted in the movies.  Even boundary-pushing Hollywood, however, knew better than to take the Lord’s name in vain.  As late as 1956, the MPAA’s censorship codes were updated to ban such use of the name and in 1963 Lenny Bruce was repeatedly arrested for such talk in his stand-up acts.  Twenty-four years after basic profanity first entered the movie business.  As wicked as Hollywood is, even they knew that taking the Lord’s name in vain was far worse than mere cursing. 
 
Boy, have the times changed!  The Lord’s name is thrown around like a common expletive or interjection.  Surprise someone and it’s “Oh my God, you scared me!”  Someone hits their finger with a hammer and it’s “Jesus, that hurt!”  Etc, etc.  [I hope the Lord will forgive me for some examples.]   Texters and tweeters have abbreviated it OMG.  It is around us all the time.  Even members of fairly conservative denominations think nothing of peppering their conversations with the frequent use of His name in various empty (“vain”) ways.  It is so ubiquitous that it can start to seep into our brains, and if we aren’t careful, even Christians may casually blaspheme in this manner.  So, I want to take a few moments to look at the seriousness of the third command.
 
Ex. 20:7  “Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” 
 
This is the command from God on Mount Sinai.   Forty years later, when Moses re-gave the Law to the second generation of Israelites, we see this repeated almost word for word:
 
Deut. 5:11  “Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain: for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
 
This seems a fairly straightforward command, but first notice the warning attached:  “Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain”.  Just what does this mean?  How serious is God taking this?  Well, check out Lev. 24:15-16  “And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curses his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemes the name of Jehovah, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the sojourner, as the home-born, when he blasphemes the name of Jehovah, shall be put to death.”  Blaspheming the Name of God was a capital offense.  The penalty was the same as the penalty of murder:  death.  So, apparently God takes this seriously.  Maybe we do need to spend some more time trying to understand the issues.
 
My first question is what does it mean to take His name in vain?  There are several different Hebrew words which are translated as vain or vanity.  Nabab means to be hollow.  Riq means to be empty.   These are the meanings we normally think of for vain/vanity.  Neither of these is the word used in Exodus 20, however.  Shav is the word used for taking His name in vain and it means falsehood.  So, literally, we are told not to take His name in falsehood.  This seems odd unless until we realize that God instructed the Israelites to swear only in His name.  For instance, Deut. 10:20  “Thou shalt fear Jehovah thy God; him shalt thou serve; and to him shalt thou cleave, and by his name shalt thou swear.” 
 
People have a tendency to strengthen their statements by swearing by all manner of things.  “By the moon and the stars” and “upon my mother’s grave” are two common modern examples.  The various gods were popularly used in Moses’ day and Jehovah didn’t want His people swearing by other gods.  If they needed to swear, they were to swear by Him.  Such oaths were not to be taken lightly, however:  Lev. 19:11-12  “Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.”  If they swore by His name, they had best do what they said they’d do.  In fact, God lists a failure in this regard as one of the reasons Israel had to be punished and wound up in captivity:  Jer. 5:2  “And though they say, As Jehovah liveth; surely they swear falsely.”  So, when God says “Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain (or falsely)” this is what is in view.  Don’t fraudulently swear by His name.  Given what Jesus says in Matt. 5:37, most of us don’t commonly swear anyway.  So we are safe on this issue, right?  And lesson over.
 
Hold on, not so fast.  There is another commandment regarding the name of God.  Lev. 22:32  “And ye shall not profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am Jehovah who hallows you.”  Now this is closer to what we normally mean when we think about taking God’s name in vain, because to profane something means to pollute it or make it common.  This doesn’t describe God’s name:  Ps. 106:47  “Save us, O Jehovah our God, And gather us from among the nations, To give thanks unto thy holy name, And to triumph in thy praise.”  And Ps. 111:9  “He hath sent redemption unto his people; He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name.”  His name is holy, which means set apart for special use, rather than common and profane. 
 
And we will discuss this tomorrow.
 
Lucas Ward

Today’s post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
I wrote this for a friend I have never met. We thought it might help others also….Keith

You are so busy with so many things
Each is good & right & needs to be done
Who would you leave to fend alone?

“Martha, one thing is needful,” Jesus warned.
It seems certain from the issues of your life
That no matter the stress & strife
You first gave yourself to the life of the reborn.

It is so easy to see only our failings,
The things that went wrong,
Things that robbed us of our song.
The blind focused, “One thing I know” He heals hearts that are ailing.

We forgive others, but our failings are always before us,
So hard to forget the things behind
And do the one thing and press on as Paul reminds.
Yet, this “one thing” will make us joyous.

“One thing you lack”
How often we have wished the number to be so low;
Satan tempts us so sorely, I just don’t know.
But the “one things” will lead you back.

But one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42
He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, Phil 3:13
And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Mark 10:21

 
Today’s posts is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Prov 22:1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.”

I’ve been doing some study on names and how they were used in the Bible. The word for name is also the word for renown. A name wasn’t just a person’s designation; it was his reputation. It represented to others all the important facts about a person. One got this name by how he had lived his life. He could win a great name or earn a worthless one. His name depended upon who he was and then it represented him from that time on. Solomon says that to get or keep a good name, one should be willing to sacrifice wealth. For some reason, that immediately reminded me of two more passages.

John 1:1-5, 14 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

So, He who was to become Jesus was in all ways God. In all points equal to the Father. He gave up that equality (Philp. 2:6-7) to become flesh and dwell with us for the purpose of saving us from our sins. If ever anyone sacrificed wealth, this was the occasion. And what did He receive for this sacrifice?

Philp. 2:9-11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

He earned a good name. The best name. The name that is universally known and to which all will bow. He is the proof of the truth behind the proverb.

Now, it should come as no surprise that the Messiah is the epitome of this proverb. Doesn’t He epitomize them all? Yet there is more here. He is the example to us all. In Isaiah 62 there is a prophecy that God would give His people a new name to go with the new covenant. That is fulfilled in Acts 11 where the name Christians was bestowed upon the disciples. Just as God gave His Son a “name that is above every name” because of the sacrifices Jesus was willing to make for that name, Jesus has offered to us a good name which is much greater than riches. Just as the Lord had to sacrifice for His name, though, we must be willing to sacrifice to keep our good name. The Lord says that any who want to be a disciple must “take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matt. 16:24). So, the question is what “wealth” are you willing to sacrifice for the good name God is offering? The Lord gave up equality with God for His name, will you miss NCIS one Tuesday night to teach a friend the Gospel? Would you miss a Gator game to visit the sick? Or cut back on the fishing? Or give up your rights to keep peace in the Church? Or gladly defer your opinion to the elders? Do we really value the good name God offers, or do we hold tightly to our wealth? One thing I know: on that day, I want the Lord to know my name.

Isa 62:2 “. . . and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give.”
Act 11:26 “. . . And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.”

Lucas Ward

Today’s post is by guest writer Keith Ward.
 
A dear senior widow was our first volunteer to care for all the church’s class materials.  She saw to the filing and organizing, she ordered supplies, she found things for you and did errands.  But, “Woe unto thee” if you did not put things back where they belonged!  More than a year after she passed an elder found a note stuck up under a podium in the foyer that was used for visitor greeting supplies.  It simply asked, “Do you remember me?” with her name.  Of course we did and missed her greatly.  I thought of her again when I re-read the following and wonder, “Do you remember?”
 
Is Ephraim my dear son?  Is he my darling child?  For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still.  Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the LORD. (Jer 31:20).

God penned these words by the hands of Jeremiah a hundred years after He brought the Assyrians upon Israel (Ephraim) in a final judgment—a captivity wherein they were scattered and lost their identity as a people.  We can read Hosea 11 to see God’s attitude toward the sinner He must punish.  But, 100 years after judgment day, God still remembered and wished and promised mercy.

When someone leaves the Lord, whether it is the child of a member sowing wild oats or one who must be withdrawn from, or one who just drifts away into immorality, how do we feel a year later?  Do we still petition God for mercy and to bring such a one to repentance?  Or, have we forgotten all about him/her?  Do we feel they brought it upon themselves and it is sort of sad, but that is just the way it is, or do we imitate our heavenly father with yearning to have these lost ones back and just how ready are we to offer mercy?

The prodigal father is not the only picture of God seeking the sinners and mourning their recalcitrance and offering mercy to the indifferent.


Repent. God is waiting for you.
 
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezek 33:11
 
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 2Pet 3:9
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

I read through Isaiah last year, rather more slowly than I’d like to admit. I began to notice something, a repeated phrase. God kept referring to Himself as “The Holy One of Israel”. I saw it so many times I became intrigued and looked it up. Turns out that “The Holy One of Israel” is used as a designation for God 30 times in the Old Testament and 25 of those 30 are in Isaiah. It is used once in Kings, twice in the Psalms, and twice in Jeremiah, but the overwhelming majority of instances are in Isaiah. It seems that God had a point to make in His message through Isaiah. So I skimmed over the book again and noticed a major theme of the book: His holiness, and His people’s lack thereof.

To be holy means to be set aside for a specific use or purpose, and to be used only for that purpose. God didn’t find this in His people, Israel. In regards to Jerusalem, where His Temple was situated, God says in Isa. 1:21 “How is the faithful city become a harlot! she that was full of justice! righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.” A harlot! Can you imagine anything less “set apart”? The people as a whole are mentioned in the next chapter: Isa 2:6 “. . . they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.” Instead of remaining holy, they have adopted other customs and accept as friends anyone. Pretty much all of Isaiah’s preaching against Judah addresses this issue. (Isaiah prophesied in Jerusalem/Judah before, during, and just after the time that the northern kingdom of Israel was taken away captive by the Assyrians, which took place in 722 B.C.) A quick perusal:

In chapter three God rebukes the nation’s leaders, who should be setting an example, for instead oppressing the poor. Isa. 3:14-15 “Jehovah will enter into judgment with the elders of his people, and the princes thereof: It is ye that have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses: what mean ye that ye crush my people, and grind the face of the poor? saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts.” He then turns to the women, as a class: 3:16 “Moreover Jehovah said, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet”. Adultery is in the land. Even Isaiah himself was not all he should have been. If you think of the throne scene in chapter six you will remember that Isaiah’s fear was that he was a “man of unclean lips”. The angel burned his uncleanness away with a coal.

After spending several chapters prophesying the fates of the various nations, God returns to Judah’s failings and in chapter 28 He complains that the land is filled with drunkards. But it is not just the commoners: 28:7-8 “And even these reel with wine, and stagger with strong drink; the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they stagger with strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.” The priests and prophets were perpetually drunk! If anybody should have been keeping themselves holy for God it would be the priests and prophets. After all, the priests were consecrated to God and His service and were charged with teaching the people the Law when not serving in the Temple and the prophets brought the people new messages from God. And they were drunk! Apparently blind drunk (“they err in vision”). Finally God takes them to task for relying on treaties with other countries instead of trusting in Him. 30:1-2 “Woe to the rebellious children, saith Jehovah, that take counsel, but not of me; and that make a league, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin, that set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to take refuge in the shadow of Egypt!” Sound like a people set apart for Him?

After detailing their failings, God gives some hope. He is going to send His servant, who would make the people holy again. 49:5-6 And now saith Jehovah that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, and that Israel be gathered unto him (for I am honorable in the eyes of Jehovah, and my God is become my strength); yea, he saith, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” What is the servant (Jesus) going to do? Bring Jacob again and gather Israel to God. They have erred. They are less than holy. He is going to bring them back. (And, by the way, be a light to the Gentiles and salvation to the world.) Then God begins to describe the new kingdom He is going to set up, at about chapter 60. Guess what? It will be a holy nation of holy people. And because of that it will be radiant and glorious. And that is fulfilled in the Church. And that is Isaiah in a nutshell. Or at least a thin sketch of one of the major themes of the book.

What is worrisome to me, however, is how familiar that verse from chapter two sounded. Recall: 2:6 “. . . they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.” They began to be influenced by the nations around them. They used other customs. They took up astrology/omen reading like their former enemies the Philistines. They were overly friendly with those who didn’t share their faith. Gradually, they became less and less holy. They weren’t set apart at all. Is this me? I watch the world’s TV and movies. I read their novels and magazines. I have many friendly acquaintances and some close friends from the world. Am I becoming filled with their customs? Are my core beliefs and basic evaluations being affected? Am I set apart to God and His service or not? We each need to ask ourselves these questions and examine ourselves closely. Remember Peter’s warning “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first.” 2 Pet. 2:20

Lucas Ward

Today’s post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Concerning EZEKIEL 3:17-21:
"Fourth, this text affirms above all else that with the privilege of wearing the prophet's mantle comes an awesome responsibility for the life and death of the people in one's charge. To be negligent in the fulfillment of one's prophetic duty is a capital crime. The prophet is to sound the horn not only WHEN God sends the signal but AS God dictates [emphasis his]. His message may not be of his own imagination OR ACCORDING TO HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE [emphasis mine]. It is ultimately God's evaluation of their situation that the doomed need to hear, not the myopic opinions and panaceas of fellow human travelers. The message of God is that sin and wickedness require a radical prescription: repentance and casting oneself totally on the mercy of God. That God speaks in this situation is in itself an act of Grace."  Block, Daniel Vol 1 p 150

Seems that some preachers and elders need to apply this, especially the phrase I emphasized. Way too much thought is given to the needs of the people and not upsetting them and too little to sounding the alarm that a day is coming, "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus." (2Thess 1:7-8, ESV2011) Yes, the sweet and loving Jesus whose yoke is easy and burden is light and who loved so much he died.....

Too much unpleasant truth is soft-pedaled or not preached at all, or seldom preached, or apologized for when it is preached.

If I am too harsh in the way that I do it, then someone else step up and do it nicely, but we must do it.

By the bye--God's prophets and apostles never found that nice way.

That bears repeating: By the bye--God's prophets and apostles never found that nice way.

Many that might have repented at plain preaching will go to hell because they were lulled by the nice.
 
And, according to Ezekiel, they will meet all those nice preachers again:
 "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, `You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you will have saved your life. Again, if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you have not warned him, he shall die for his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man not to sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and you will have saved your life." Ezek 3:17-21
 
Keith Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Lucas Ward.

Sometimes I hate my parents.

They taught me to be self-analytical, self-critical, and brutally self-honest. And being that way when I’ve just taught a two sermon series on anger is painful. Something at work doesn’t go quite right and I’ll let everyone know that I’m not exactly happy about it. Then I’ll remember “A fool's vexation is presently known; But a prudent man conceals shame.” (Prov. 12:16); and I’ll think to myself “Well, fool, everyone has seen your shameful vexation now, haven’t they?”

The lesson I taught on love isn’t any kinder to me. The old phrase ‘He doesn’t suffer fools gladly’ could probably apply to me. There are a few of my co-workers who could be lumped into the category of fools. Know-it-all teens who don’t know anything and can’t even recognize a logical argument because they don’t know what clear reasoning is. I’ll get so frustrated that I’ll stop trying to help them and let them fall on their faces. Then I’ll think “Love suffers long and is kind. . . is not provoked. . . bears all things. . . endures all things.” When those thoughts run through my head I shout back at myself, “Yeah, but I don’t love this person, I don’t even like this person. He’s never done anything for me and usually is against me.” Then I sigh as I remember “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43)

It’s really easy to “Amen” the preacher on Sunday mornings or nod my head as I read the Bible. Maybe I even think “That’s something I can work on and get better at.” But recognizing the moments in my life when there's a chance to do better is harder. Actually living the Christian life as taught in the Bible on a day-to-day basis is hardest yet. Changing from a hot-headed fool whose vexation is known into a wise man who conceals his shame isn’t something that’s going to happen just because I read those passages or even taught them at Church. It takes daily effort and awareness. It may become more natural in a few years, but I doubt it will ever be easy. The same is true of showing love (as taught in 1 Cor. 13) to people I don’t like. Sometimes acting that way towards people I claim to love isn’t easy! I have to make a decision and then follow-through, with constant self-analysis.

Amen-ing the preacher on Sunday morning is easy. Living the Christian life day-to-day is hard. It requires me to change who I am, to grow into a new (and better) person. It takes a lot of effort. Luckily, God has promised to give me all the strength I need.

Eph. 1:19-20 “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places”

So, God has promised to help with the same power He used to raise the Lord. Which is good because the more I read the Bible, the more things I find that I need to change. Self-analysis can be painful. Yeah, thanks Mom and Dad.

No, really, thanks.

Lucas Ward

Today's post is by guest writer Keith Ward.

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD” (Jer 9:23-24)

Perhaps even the knowledge of many facts about God can sometimes be described as a thing to be boasted of in wisdom and might in the scriptures and we still fall short of understanding and knowing God.  We probably grasp “justice” and “righteousness” pretty well, but the word translated “steadfast love” can be a bit more difficult.  In the ASV it is “lovingkindness.”  In the KJV it is variously “mercy” (137), “kindness” (40), “lovingkindness” (26) and “goodness”, “mercies”, kind” and variations a few times each. A biography of Jeremiah I recently read translates it “constancy.” This aspect leads to the “steadfast” of most recent translations.

Though the love of men varies from hot to cold, God is constant. We can count on him to be on our side. It is not insignificant that this trait is listed first: His justice and righteousness cannot be denied or ignored in his actions, but the constancy of His love sent Christ and the gospel.

Right after God judges that the animals follow the rules of the Creator, He laments, “But my people know not the rules of the Lord,” and then adds the reason, ““How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie” (Jer 8:8). In other words, the commentaries and preachers have explained the law away until it no longer reflects the reality of God.

So, then, when can one honestly declare that he knows God?
“Do you think you are a king because you compete in cedar?  Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness?  Then it was well with him. ​ He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well.  Is not this to know me? declares the LORD” (Jer 22:15-16).

Josiah was the righteous father.  It is not bad to enjoy life--he did “eat and drink”--but more significantly, he did “justice and righteousness.”
Maybe our focus is career, or house or recreation instead of cedar.  We may go to the same temple (church) our father did and practice the same religion and compete with recited knowledge and still be far from God.  God declares that knowing him consists of judging the cause of the poor and needy.  Our religion is meaningless unless we walk the streets with the steadfast love that God lists first in his character. Yes, the poor and needy often bring it on themselves – just as we did with our sins.  Lovingkindness reflects the love of God in Christ.  We know God when we actively help the worthless in a way that is truer than Sunday worship.  Jeremiah’s people did the equivalent of our worship and still did not know God.

Sort of puts a new perspective on “They shall all know the Lord from the least to the greatest” does it not?
 
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
 and I will remember their sins no more.”
(Heb 8:8-12 quoting Jer 31:31-34)

Keith Ward