Digging Trenches

There is an interesting piece of history recorded in 2 Kings 3. It caught my attention this week because of the Iranian-backed Hamas bombings of Israel that are dominating international news. I am reminded that the “unrest” that plagues the Middle East has its roots far back in the region’s history. The conflict began when God sent Abraham to what became known as the promised land but told him he could not possess it yet because, “the guilt of the Amorites is not yet complete.” Reading between the lines leads me to think that God was going to use Israel to punish the Amorites for their sins.

The term “Amorites” may be unfamiliar; it is synonymous with Canaanites, referring to the inhabitants of Canaan which God promised to give to Abraham. The area was called Canaan because it was originally the land occupied by Noah’s grandson, the fourth son of Ham, Canaan. God’s apparent displeasure with all the sons of Ham is better understood when you take a global/cosmic view of things. Faithlife Study Bible explains it: “While the idea of divinely sanctioned warfare involving the wholesale destruction of towns and cities appears troublesome, Yahweh authorizes the invasion as judgment on the Canaanites for their wickedness (Dt 9:4–6; Ge 15:16). The wickedness of the Canaanite nations is partly rooted in the idea that all of these nations had rejected Yahweh and were under the authority of other divine beings—so-called “sons of god” who rule unjustly (compare Deut 32:8; Psa 82:1–2, 6–7). Israel is under the authority of Yahweh alone (Deut 4:19–20). Over and against these other divine beings, Yahweh is laying claim to what is rightfully His (Deut 32:9). This is a war against the people and the nations that worship other gods (compare Num 13:32–33).”

Now to the record in 2 Kings. The bad guys in this instance are the Moabites, one of the nations falling under the Canaanite/Amorite curse. The nation was founded by the descendants of the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters. They were never particularly kind to God’s chosen people. In 2 Kings 3, Moab refuses to continue the tribute it had been giving to King Ahab of Israel, inciting his son, Joram, who had ascended to the throne, to attack Moab. Joram enlisted Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and the unnamed ruler of Edom in the effort.

In a questionable stratagem, they chose to approach Moab through the desert of Edom. Not surprisingly, they ran out of water for their men and animals. Jehoshaphat sought to know God’s will in the endeavor, calling for a prophet of Yahweh. Elisha answered the call but asked sarcastically why Joram didn’t get one of his gods to help. Ultimately, Elisha cooperated because Jehoshaphat, a mostly faithful servant of Yahweh, was involved.

As Elisha directed, they dug trenches or cisterns in the valley, and God filled them with water. Thus fortified, the three armies proceeded to defeat Moab with the exception of one city. When the king of Moab stood on the wall during the siege and sacrificed his firstborn son to his patron god, Chemosh, the three armies apparently ran for fear of the pagan god’s wrath despite the demonstration of Yahweh in the trenches of water. According to the Faithlife Study Bible, “This account does not portray a defeat of Yahweh by Chemosh; instead it depicts a defeat of God’s people after they lost faith in Yahweh’s ability. The [Old Testament] portrays the Israelites as believing that the gods of other nations were real. Those gods were originally assigned to the nations by Yahweh (Deut 32:8–9). Given this worldview, which presumes the superiority of Yahweh, it seems that the Israelites were frightened by the human sacrifice, believed that the Moabites’ god was angry, and retreated.”

There are lessons in this account for us today. First, the miracle of God required the humans to participate. Had they not dug trenches, there would not have been a miraculous filling with water. This reminds me of the miracle Jesus performed in Cana. Had the servants not filled the jugs with water, Jesus could not have produced the miraculous wine. Moses had to keep his staff raised to insure the victory of the Israelites against the Amalakites. It’s not uncommon for God to ask for an act of faith before He moves.

The second lesson I see is more cosmic in nature. Since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, God has been calling a people to Himself. At first He dealt solely with Israel; now through Jesus He calls people of every nation, tribe and tongue. Reading the closing chapters of the history of redemption, it appears that the nations surrounding physical Israel, the descendants of the Amorites, are still heading for final judgment. When, “the guilt of the Amorites is complete,” God will exterminate every nation that rebels against Him and establish His people as rulers over the new earth.

Opinions differ whether that will take place immediately upon Christ’s second coming, or if there will be a period of 1,000 years before the final act plays out. It matters little. The thing to know is that the unrest in the Middle East is not new nor surprising if you take the cosmic view. I also know that God’s people are going to play a role in the final drama. I don’t know exactly what part I will have to play, but I want to be ready to dig those trenches if I am asked. I recommend you keep your shovels handy.

The God of Demonstrations

Sharing the gospel with unbelievers seems to be getting harder. The relative wealth and prosperity of most Americans leaves little room for the message of salvation when people don’t see their need to be saved. The post-modern conviction that there is no such thing as truth, let alone absolute truth hinders the presentation of God’s Word as ultimate truth. Add to this the increasingly pervasive teaching of critical race theory which insists all white people are racist xenophobes, and many formerly innocent believers suddenly become the enemy.

Several years ago I wrote that Christians must come to terms with some hard truth contained in Scripture: the God presented in the Bible does not always look inviting (See Daily Bible Reading). Despite our reluctance to begin talking to the lost abut God, it is something we must do. In my book, Lead a Horse to Water, I suggested several ways to open the door to spiritual conversations with unbelievers. Our love for the lost, commanded by Scripture, should drive us to find ways to engage our neighbors. A full understanding of who God is remains an essential resource.

Because the message of the Cross is one of punishment and atonement, the twin concepts of morality and responsibility must be dealt with. There are few people, even among so-called atheists who completely reject all facets of morality. The most hardened atheist will not agree that you have the right to kill him if your moral system allows murder. Everyone knows some things are right and some things are wrong. One way to bring God into the discussion is to present Him as one option (among many) who can suggest what’s right and what’s wrong. A logical, historical argument can be made that God’s system of justice has worked exceptionally well for thousands of years. In fact, many competing moral systems either draw from the Judeo-Christian tradition or else mirror it closely.

Many people today are repulsed by the judgmental character of the God of the Bible. “Love,” as defined loosely by each person, is the supreme principle for many moderns. They have difficulty aligning love and justice in one motion. However, this is precisely what the Bible reveals.  A personal, loving God made rules that benefit humans universally. That same personal, loving God expects moral character to be present in those He loves, although He loves unconditionally. There’s the kicker. God loves me whether I do right or don’t, but if I claim to love this God, claim to want Him as a positive influence in my life, I must make the effort to live according to the rules He prescribes.

Because God has demonstrated how love and judgment can go hand in hand, the Bible can be used as a historical proof-text for the premise. Although there are others, the prime example of this principle is found in the Cross of Calvary. Adam was kicked out of the Garden of Eden for his transgression, but God proved His love for him by providing a path to redemption. That path ended at Calvary when the God/Man, Jesus, paid the price for Adam’s sin. Wonder of wonders, that payment can be appropriated by anyone who expresses belief in the act and trusts God for the forgiveness. That believer must also trust that God’s rules for living are in his best interest and try to follow them.

Psychiatrists report that guilt is one of the most prevalent causes for their patients’ unrest. This makes sense. People know intuitively that rules exist, and they have failed to follow them perfectly. The Bible believer can present a set of well-established rules and the way to remedy a failure to follow those rules. The ugliness and horror of the Cross of Calvary demonstrates how much God hates sin. Judgment. The gift of grace for believers demonstrates the culmination of the long-running pursuit by God to redeem His creation. Love.

I purposely crafted this argument using as few “religious” words as possible. Most moderns no longer have a vocabulary of terms drawn from Scripture or preaching. They don’t read the Bible and they don’t attend church. They do feel the universal human need Solomon spoke of when he identified the God-sourced longing he called, “eternity in the human heart.” If you can show that God demonstrated how to meet that longing, you have presented the gospel in a way anyone can understand if they are willing. Pray that God will put people in your way that need to hear the message. You will be surprised what happens.

Related posts: God Was Pleased; Bringing the Kingdom; The Goodness of Wrath; I Don’t Believe in God; Rolling Thunder; Apologies to Rahm Emmanuel

Sanctify Them

I think there are multitudes of people who love the idea of being Christian. I am reminded of a line in the movie, Freedom Writers. When Erin Grewell’s husband says he is leaving her because she is working so much, she protests that she loves him. His response: you love the idea of me. Wanting to be married to the right man was a noble desire; unfortunately, Erin’s zeal for her career left no time for what a real marriage required. In like manner, Christians who are so wrapped up in worldly pursuits often spend little time nurturing the things that evidence true Christianity.

There was a time when being a Christian was admirable. Being a Christian meant being nice. Being a Christian meant being a moral person. Being a Christian meant having the Bible in public schools and “under God” in the pledge of allegiance. Being Christian elevated one from being pagan, a state once thought to be sub-human. “Christian” became an adjective having little to do with a religion and being more about a certain quality as in “Christian charity.” To be American was to be Christian, according to much popular thinking, as if it were a national distinction. All that has changed.

The divisive political climate in America has made being Christian less popular. Many on the left see Christianity as a scourge to be removed. Christians are now blamed for many of our perceived social ills. First Amendment freedom of religion is not extended to Christian practitioners who hold to doctrine that contradicts leftist ideology. With dwindling church attendance, especially among young people, and the absence of the Bible from the public square, people are left with a warped notion of what it means to be a Christian. This is the perfect ground in which to sow the seeds of distrust and even hate for what it means to be a Christian.

Belief in God is, naturally, a corollary of being Christian. Because the Bible is now absent from what has been called “general knowledge” in America, people are creating their own image of who God is. I agree with the apologist who once said that even he didn’t believe in the God that the atheist claims does not exist. The not-god of modern atheism does not exist. Sadly, knowledge of the true God does not exist broadly either. Many opponents of Christianity are opposed to an idea that is not at all Christian.

In this situation, it is more important than ever that Bible believers who follow Jesus Christ live truly Christian lives. In Jesus’ prayer for His disciples in John 17, He prayed that they might be sanctified in the truth of the Word of God. (John 17:17) Rather than praying that we might be removed from the world, Jesus prayed that we would become beacons of truth in the world. The core meaning of being sanctified is to be set apart. Christians more than ever now need to be set apart from the world. We must re-establish what the idea of being Christian means.

This means loving more than the idea of being Christian; this means being light and salt. This means speaking and living the truth as written in God’s Word. This means following the advice of Matthew Henry’s commentary on John 17:17: “The real holiness [sanctification] of all true Christians is the fruit of Christ’s death…. he gave himself for his church, to sanctify it. If our views have not this effect on us, they are not Divine truth, or we do not receive them by a living and a working faith, but as mere notions [the idea of being Christian]."

I will close with the words of Charles Spurgeon: “What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, he adds priestly sanctity [sanctification] to royal dignity. The king’s royalty often lieth only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into his inmost nature. He is as much above his fellows through his new birth, as a man is above the beast that perisheth. Surely he ought to carry himself, in all his dealings, as one who is not of the multitude, but chosen out of the world, distinguished by sovereign grace, written among “the peculiar people” and who therefore cannot grovel in the dust as others, nor live after the manner of the world’s citizens. Let the dignity of your nature, and the brightness of your prospects, O believers in Christ, constrain you to cleave unto holiness [sanctification], and to avoid the very appearance of evil.” We have to correct the world’s idea of what it means to be a Christian.

Related posts: Bringing the Kingdom; Truth Dysphoria; Truth Matters