Friday, August 27, 2010

DID ELIJAH FAIL GOD AND LOSE HIS ANOINTING?

When we last visited Elijah, he had been so empowered by the “hand of God” that he was outrunning a team of horses. When he arrived at Jezreel, the wicked Jezebel threatened him, saying he would be dead within twenty-four hours (1 Kings 19:1-2).

A part of the spiritual DNA of prophets is that they are people of tremendous courage, so what happens next is uncharacteristic of Elijah. Hearing Jezebel’s threat, Elijah reacted in fear and ran for his life. Out in the desert alone he prayed, “I have had enough, Lord, take my life…” (1 Kings 19:4) and then he lay down and went to sleep. Sometime later an angel awakened him and said, “Get up and eat” and there was fresh baked bread and a pitcher of water for him. After eating, Elijah slept some more and a second time the angel awakened him and instructed him to eat, as he would need strength for his journey.

This is the picture of an emotionally and spiritually exhausted man. I believe Elijah’s fearful reaction was the result of extreme weariness, coupled with his sensitivity as a prophet. Prophets are those who “hear from the Lord,” which means they are sensitive, sometimes too much so, and are vulnerable to criticism and threats.

Over the next forty days Elijah traveled hard to get to Mount Horeb, sometimes known as Mount Sinai, the same mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. When he arrived at the mountain, God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9). Elijah complained about being the only one left who was devoted to the Lord and then he had a powerful experience with God. But before God spoke directly to him, a tornado-like wind tore up the mountains, followed by an earthquake, and then fire from heaven. But the Bible says that God was not in any of those demonstrations; and again Elijah heard a gentle whisper, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:13).

I have heard many sermons and teachings over the years declaring that Elijah’s response to God’s question sealed his doom and God declared him to be unfit to be a prophet. The assertion is that Elijah failed and God replaced him—but these teachings are completely wrong. We know that Elijah didn’t do the right thing after Jezebel’s threat but God did not declare him a failure and replace him—no! A hundred times—no!

God listened to Elijah’s complaint but did not chide him. God simply stated that there were 7000 who had not bowed their knees to Baal and then He proceeded to give Elijah a new set of marching orders. One of the things God told Elijah to do was to “anoint Elisha…to succeed you” (1 Kings 19:16). Please note the wording: it is not replacement, it is successor, and if Elijah had really failed, God would not have been sending him on this mission. In fact, this story gives us a wonderful picture of God’s longsuffering and grace.

Elijah followed through on what God told him to do and finally called his successor, Elisha. Elisha was a farmer when “the call” came to him through the prophet. He was not in Bible school or in one of the schools of the prophets…he was a working man, a farmer (1 Kings 19:21).

After Elijah and Elisha teamed up, the Bible is silent on them. The best records available indicate that the time from Elisha’s call to ministry to Elijah’s last appearance is about ten years and perhaps longer. What were they doing during this period of silence? We don’t know for sure but we can surmise from the powerful ministry of Elisha after Elijah was gone that the silent years had been well spent with Elijah mentoring his successor.

In 2 Kings 2, Elijah and Elisha reappear after the years of silence. The narrative tells us that the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah tried to talk Elisha out of traveling with him during his last days: “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel” (2:1). But I believe Elisha knew what was about to happen and he would have nothing to do with Elijah’s suggestion. He made it plain that he would not leave his mentor’s side (2:2). Twice more Elijah tried to get Elisha to stay, but Elisha refused (2:4, 6).

Coming to the Jordan River, Elijah took his cloak and struck the water with it. The waters parted and the two crossed over on dry ground. Elijah then turned to his protégé and asked, “What can I do for you before I am taken from you?” Elisha quickly replied, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit” (2 Kings 2:9).

“‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise not’” (v. 10).

Suddenly a chariot and horses of fire appeared and separated the two prophets as Elijah was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind. As Elijah was being taken up, his cloak fell on the ground (please note this carefully). The cloak did not fall on Elisha but on the ground, and Elisha picked up the cloak of Elijah. The mantle of God’s anointing does not fall on people, it is a gift of God that is received by faith.

Elijah was not a failure—he finished strong! Yes, he made a mistake in running from Jezebel, but he took his correction and his new marching orders and went on. He trained his successor and then went into the presence of God in a spectacular display of God’s love for him. Enoch is the only other Old Testament character to be caught into God’s presence like this.

Elisha began his ministry at the point that Elijah finished his. Elisha picked up the cloak of Elijah, struck the Jordan River with it, the waters parted, and he crossed over into his destiny!

Friday, August 20, 2010

WHEN GOD SAYS NO!

David was the greatest warrior king ever to lead the nation of Israel. Under his leadership Israel’s enemies were subdued and its borders were expanded. 2 Samuel 7:1 tells us that a period of peace came to the nation: “The Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies.” In this period of tranquility David wanted to build God a house. “I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains” (2 Samuel 7:2). David was uncomfortable with living in a beautiful house while the presence of the Lord dwelt in a tent!

David submitted his idea to the prophet Nathan who agreed, saying, “Go, do whatever is in your heart, for the Lord is with you” (2 Samuel 7:3). Later that night, as Nathan was trying to sleep, the Lord came to him and sternly said, “Go and tell David My servant, Thus says the Lord: You shall not build Me a house to dwell in” (1 Chronicles 17:3-4).

Both Nathan and David had been wrong. To Nathan, God said, “You go and correct what you said” and to David the word of the Lord was, “No!” There was nothing unrighteous in what David wanted to do but God still said, “No!”

Paul, Silas and Timothy were travelling together preaching the gospel and in Acts 16: 6-7 we read that Paul wanted to go into one of the provinces of Asia but the Lord would not allow it. God said “no” to Paul preaching the gospel in these areas! It’s hard to believe that God would say “no” to the preaching of the gospel to the lost—but He did!

Why would God say “no” to David who wanted to honor Him by building a temple? Why would God tell Paul “no” to preaching the gospel in an area that had not yet heard the message? Why did God tell Jesus “no” in the Garden of Gethsemane, and why did God tell Paul “no” three times as he prayed for his own healing? Why does God sometimes say “no” to us? And how are we supposed to handle it?

I am fully aware that what I am about to say runs counter to some popular teaching. Some teach that if there is a promise in the Bible, then we have the right to claim it and demand that God fulfill it on our behalf. I know that Hebrews says that we are to come boldly into His presence and make our requests known—and I know that’s our privilege. But please understand that this does not mean God will give us everything we ask for. He will answer your prayer, have no doubt about that, but sometimes He will tell you “no.”

Why would God do that?

I want to suggest there are at least three reasons why God says “no.” Perhaps in trying to understand these, we will understand better how to process the answer when it is “no.”

1. God has the whole picture in view. Our ability to see the full picture is extremely limited because we live fixed in time. God doesn’t dwell in time, He lives in eternity and sees the past, the present and the future as one. God knew that both David and Paul had pure hearts and only wanted to please Him but He had other things for them to do; He had other plans and other times in mind and so He said “no.”

2. God will say “no” because He has our best interests at heart: “When you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure” (James 4:3). Asking, knocking, seeking—and God says “no.” God understands why we ask for what we do and to the impure motive He will answer in the negative. God constantly watches out for us. Sometimes the answer doesn’t come because He knows that it would take us in the wrong direction…so grow up and get over it!

3. Sometimes God will say “no” because He is a loving and good parent. “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11). This passage is a comparison between us, the natural parent, and God, the perfect parent. Good parents will not say “yes” to everything their child asks for. That kind of thinking produces spoiled and immature adults who treat God as if He is a slot machine and they are going to win a prize every time they put money in the slot. God is very much into helping people mature, and mature believers have learned how to respond with grace when the answer is “no.”

God loves us so deeply and cares for us so much that sometimes He will say “no.” How we respond is indicative of how spiritually grown-up we are.

Friday, August 13, 2010

WHAT IS THAT IN YOUR HAND?

God caught Moses’ attention with the bush that would not burn up!
When Moses went to look at this “strange sight,” God spoke to him right out of the bush (Exodus 3:3-4). Hearing my name being spoken out of a burning bush would certainly get my attention, as it did with Moses.

God immediately instructed Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing in a holy place. In many cultures, guests take off their shoes when entering a home as a sign of respect. God’s request was not because Moses’ sandals were dirty and his feet were clean (socks were not in vogue yet and Moses was wandering in the desert, dirty feet and all). And the ground itself was not sacred. The gesture was a sign of respect because Moses was in the presence of the Lord.

The Jews in Egypt were crying out because of their suffering and oppression and God began to talk to Moses about their plight: “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10 NIV).

Does the term “a boatload of excuses” mean anything to you? Moses brought out his boatload of pitiful reasons why he could not go. I call them pitiful because they sound just like me when I’m trying to convince God that I can’t do something right away. I tend to say things like, “I’m really busy, and perhaps you are not fully aware of how difficult it is down here.” Moses said things like the following:

• “Who am I that I should do this important thing?” (v. 11)
• “What if I do this and somebody asks me who sent me? What do I tell them—I don’t even know your name.” (v. 13)
• “What if I go and do what you ask but the people don’t believe me? They might say, ‘This is not the Lord’ and what then?” (4:1)

Sometimes these passages make me feel a little uncomfortable because they are so close to the excuses I use. Pathetic excuses are what they are and sadly we are still guilty of using them, at least I am.

As the conversation between Moses and God unfolded, God suddenly broke the pattern of conversation and asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2). No, it wasn’t a cell phone, it was a walking stick, a shepherd’s staff. God told Moses, “Throw it on the ground.” Moses threw it down and the stick turned into a snake (4:3). “Moses, pick up the snake by the tail,” and when he did, it turned back into a walking stick.

God had one more demonstration for Moses. He instructed him to put his hand inside his cloak and then quickly pull it out. Moses obeyed and when he looked at his hand, it was white with leprosy. The moment he put the leprous hand back into the cloak and pulled it out again, it was fully recovered and clean. Leprosy doesn’t mean that much to us today because medicine has largely eradicated it, but in Moses’ day, leprosy was a sentence of death. It was the AIDS of the day, with no cure.

So what was the Lord trying to teach Moses? How would these supernatural demonstrations help him move past his boatload of excuses? I don’t think it’s that complicated or deep.

1. “What is in your hand?” There are at least two things to understand in this.

• The snake was the symbol that Pharaoh had on his crown and, of course, Moses knew this. He had been Pharaoh’s adopted grandson, in line for his throne. But God was telling him that not even Pharaoh and his might could stand against the mission He was sending him on.

• This was the Lord’s way of showing Moses that He was going to use his gifts and talents. God had prepared Moses over the forty years he had spent in the desert and He wanted him to understand that he was ready! God would use what was in his hand.

2. The disappearing leprosy was a demonstration to Moses that God’s power would be with him and God would handle even the seemingly impossible problems he would confront.

After some additional dialogue and a couple more pitiful excuses, Moses agreed and prepared to leave the backside of the desert and begin the journey to Egypt.

One final insight for your consideration: When God first asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” Moses replied, “It is a staff.” As Moses prepared to leave for Egypt with his wife and sons, we read that “he took the staff of God in his hand” (Exodus 4:20).

Moses had made himself available to be used by God, and his staff became an instrument of usefulness for God’s eternal purposes. When we make ourselves available to Him and dedicate our giftings and talents to Him and His service, they turn into “the staff of God” and, as such, become useful, blessable instruments for His work.

Friday, August 6, 2010

SOME TRUST IN HORSES

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20:7 NIV).

Many of the nations surrounding Israel were far more advanced in their uses of military weapons and tactics than Israel. Israel’s military had no cavalry and no chariots even though most of the nations around them did. This seems to be such an obvious need that one wonders why a warrior king like David did not develop a large mounted cavalry.

The answer is found in the instructions God gave to guide the developing nation. In Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we see the specific directions given for the time when the Israelites would want to have a king as the other nations did.

Included in the list for the king were three prohibitions:

1. Do not acquire large amounts of gold and silver for himself
2. Do not acquire multiple wives
3. Do not acquire a large number of horses

“The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, You are not to go back that way again" (Deuteronomy 17:16 NIV).

Sadly, beginning with King David, there was a gradual degradation on all of these prohibited items. David was the first king to have multiple wives and there is some indication that he also began to add horses to his personal stables.

Israel’s army was to be comprised largely of infantry and would be significantly weaker than an enemy army with chariots and cavalry. This was precisely the point of God’s instructions. God did not want the army to have an overabundant confidence in its own strength—He wanted His people to trust Him to bring them to victory.

The first part of verse 16 says, “The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses…” so it was not a complete prohibition against there being any horses in Israel. There could be some but not enough for them to become a significant part of the military force.

It is interesting to note that those instructions went beyond a prohibition of horses; they also included a similar restriction on going back to Egypt. As Israel discovered itself as a nation and found its destiny in God, Egypt at that time was the primary source of the best horses. In order for Israel to add a significant number of horses, they would be forced to go back and do business with Egypt, and God said “You are not to go back that way again."

In the spiritual realm, Egypt is often seen as a type of the carnal, sinful world; it is thought of as our life before we came to faith in Christ. Spiritually, God did not want the newly delivered and developing nation to go back to the world that it knew as oppression and bondage. He did not want His people to step out of the journey of faith and step back into the life of the flesh.

Walking in faith/trust has always been a struggle for God’s people. It was a struggle for the children of Israel in their journey to the Promised Land. Over the centuries, trust in the Lord has often been a defining struggle for God’s people and it continues to be so today. We have thousands of contemporary fellowships that have essentially said, “This is a different time and our struggles and needs are different from any generation before us.” The complexity of the hour has led many to reject what they have considered “old fashioned.” Frankly, I don’t disagree with them. Much of the methodology and style that was appropriate fifty or more years ago in church circles is no longer viable and needs to be discarded. Sadly, in the rush to find solutions, some (although not all) didn’t feel they could wait and instead of trusting the Lord our God and seeking His face, they went back to Egypt.

What I mean by that is they bought too many horses! Instead of waiting on the Lord and letting Him guide, which He would have done, they put Him over to the side and brought too much of the world system into the church. They went back to Egypt—they stepped out of faith and into the flesh.

Some of our contemporary megachurches are monuments to the flesh. Several months ago I read a powerful testimony of a Lutheran pastor from Glendale, AZ. The article was entitled “Showtime!” No More. I’m not going to try to tell his story but below is a link that will take you to the article.

The Community Church of Joy had grown to about 12,000 members. The pastor, considered one of the stars of the contemporary church world, regularly spoke at conferences with big-name contemporary pastors. In 2002 the pastor had heart surgery and needed to take a lengthy time off. While he was recuperating, he and his wife visited a number of churches to see how they did things. The sabbatical became a time of renewal and restoration and he returned to his home several weeks earlier than expected. On a Sunday morning he slipped into the back of his own church without notice and he wept as he…well, I’ll let him tell the story.

Here’s the link (simply copy and paste it into your browser if the link doesn’t connect you):
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/fall/13.39.html