Uncategorized – Page 7 – The Words Of David C. Frampton

A Proper Response to Correction from the Lord

2 Chronicles 19:4-11

People usually do not respond well to correction. This failure stems from our self-will, pride, and laziness, as well as other sources. A child might be intent on doing the same wrong action, even when mom and dad strive to set them on a proper path. Who of us as teenagers did not think that we knew more or understood our life better than our parents and teachers. We all can be very lazy, especially when it comes to reading the word. I try to encourage people to read the word together. For example, this week our assignment is to read Galatians three times. In the Bible in front of me, Galatians is only eight pages long. Eight pages times three equals 24 pages. Yet this can seem like climbing Mt. Everest to those that are, to put it bluntly, spiritually lazy and self-indulgent. All right, perhaps that bordered on being rough, but we all need some encouragement to become spiritually active, and not only in reading God’s word.

Jehoshaphat did respond well to the correction he received from the Lord through the prophet. Let’s look at two core components of his response. Jehoshaphat response flowed from God’s corrective encouragement to him.

He turned from helping the wicked to restraining them through building up an effective legal system. To put this in biblical counseling lingo, Jehoshaphat did his homework. God gave him an idea, and he worked it out in his way of life.
The values he built into them agreed with those of his heart that sought the Lord. Observe how he told the judges that they “are not judging for man but for the Lord” (19:6). He wanted the fear of the Lord to be on them (19:7), and he wanted them to “serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord” (19:9). Here was a good desire of Jehoshaphat: to reproduce godly values in his people. He wisely began with the leaders of the people, who in turn would be able to more directly influence the people. Most people are not convinced by broad public statements, but through private discussions with people committed to the right values.

We must seek constantly to build core biblical values into the spiritual DNA of everyone in our local gatherings of believers in Christ. Then when you leave your gathering, you should seek to reproduce those core biblical values in other people. Therefore, go out every week with the gospel, living it, telling it, and building groups or networks of people through the gospel. Picture your local body of Christ meeting on Sunday morning. At the end of the meeting, your gathering “sneezes”. We all go out carrying the message of the gospel to see it reproduced in the lives of others.

What attitudes and actions did Jehoshaphat desire to see develop in his people? He acted to build some core values into their spiritual DNA.

He wanted them to judge carefully (19:6-7). Now a cynic might say, “How dare Jehoshaphat even say this, because of his careless alliance with Ahab? How dare he talk about judging carefully?” My friends, by God’s grace people can repent; that is, they can change their minds and then live in conformity with God’s truth. Jehoshaphat’s correction by the Lord provided him with a renewed perspective on life.
He wanted them to serve as judges “for the Lord” (19:6). He desired them to think of God as their boss and final authority. This is essential for the way we live on our mission in the world (Colossians 3:17, 23). Whatever your job, you are Christ’s ambassador. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV).
He wanted them to judge in conformity with God’s holy character (19:7). To do so is to be godly, or to use another New Testament idea, Christ-like. We go into the world to show the glory or surpassing worth of God. By not being unjust, partial, and by avoiding bribes, those judges would be godly; they would be acting like God.
He wanted them to sense their accountability to God (19:7-10). They must serve in the fear of the Lord. Jehoshaphat had learned that God corrects those he loves. He wanted his officials to be mindful of this reality. God does correct, and we will give an account to him one day (Romans 14:11-12; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10). The Lord intends for the reality of judgment to spur us on in godly attitudes and actions.
He wanted them to act with courage (19:11). Here Jehoshaphat drew on a rich stream of biblical exhortation (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:6-9; 1 Chronicles 28:20). Boldness is essential in serving the Lord (Acts 4:29, 31; cf. Ephesians 6:19-20; Philippians 1:20).

Here are five biblical values to build into your spiritual DNA and so see them reproduced in others. As you live a gospel-focused life, serve the Lord wisely, as an ambassador, godly, as one who must give account to God, and boldly.

What clashing desires are ripping you apart? Please take action today to come clean before the Lord. Be “your own Jehu” and write down what you know about yourself as you sit quietly in the presence of God. Though you have clashing desires and need to get them resolved in a godly way, where can you serve the Lord? You see, we really believe that we all have some messes in our lives, and that it is people in need of change that God uses to help people in need of change.

Grace and peace, David

An Example of Discipline

2 Chronicles 19:1-11

“This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.” Yes, I heard those words too many times from my dad when I was a boy. I would think, “Yeah, right. I’m the one who is getting spanked!” I also thought that teachers received some special pleasure from putting red marks on my papers. But now through long experience I know this: One of the tough parts of being a parent or teacher is the need to correct one’s children or students. Yet we must do it out of love. This is the reason that God disciplines his dearly loved children. And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son” (Hebrews 12:5-6 NIV). Let’s think together about the substance of the correction that the Lord gave to Jehoshaphat.

But first, here is a brief analysis of his sin. Notice the parallel structure in the prophet’s charge. Jehoshaphat had helped the wicked, meaning his multi-level alliance with Ahab. Perhaps the term “wicked” would expose the evil of his action to Jehoshaphat. But in typical Hebrew communication pattern, Jehu restates the matter to bring out what Jehoshaphat had done. He had loved those who hated the Lord. Consider the words of Jesus (Matthew 6:24). The Lord expects the full devotion of our love; his holy jealousy is aroused when we give it to others. Now was Jehoshaphat completely “gone” at this point? Far from it, as the next statement by Jehu the prophet makes clear (19:3). Jehoshaphat had yielded to clashing desires that wreaked havoc on his life. Yes, he loved the Lord, but his heart was on a wild chase to fulfill other desires, and he had to face up to how this was ripping him apart.

The prophet announced corrective action by the Lord. Jehu did not give details, but as we see from the next chapter, a vast army would come against him. Jehoshaphat had been fighting the wrong battle, and so now he would have to fight a battle he didn’t want. The fact that the Lord mercifully bails you out of some consequences does not mean that he will get you out of all consequences. God disciplines the children he loves (Hebrews 12:4-11).

The prophet acknowledged what Jehoshaphat had been doing well (19:3). The Lord knew that Jehoshaphat would need encouragement, especially as he went through discipline. It is amazing to me that evangelical Christians have not been very good at showing mercy, though they claim to love mercy. If someone sins or fails, we have been too quick to write them off, instead of working with them through their struggles. However, the Lord commended him though he had seriously sinned. He encouraged his faltering child about two good things he had done.

He had rid the land of Judah of Asherah poles. In doing this Jehoshaphat was keeping the first and second commands of the law covenant (Deuteronomy 5:7-10). He had done right actions.
He had set his heart on seeking the Lord. In doing this, he was living in conformity with the first great commandment (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). He had shown right attitudes.

Point: The Lord used the good in Jehoshaphat in order to restore him and to build better things into his life. The course of our lives should be on a trajectory toward the better. To help do this, plug Psalm 27:8 into your way of life. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek (NIV).

The Lord is the God who delights in mercy (Micah 7:18). You may experience God’s mercy in Jesus Christ. He died and rose from the dead in order to be very merciful to sinners like you and me. Right where you are at this moment, you may forsake the wrong desire that has been wreaking havoc in your life and return to the Lord. Do not delay.

Grace and peace, David

No Replay Button

2 Chronicles 19:1-11

As you might know, I am a pro football fan, especially of the Eagles. I also root for the Browns, since I grew up near Cleveland. I like to watch the games, but I rarely have time or opportunity to watch a whole game, especially live. NFL Network has a handy program series in which they replay the best games of the previous week sometimes with all the extraneous stuff cut out. But I have noticed an utterly amazing fact. Regardless of how many times they replay the games, the team that won on Sunday still wins throughout the week! Every touchdown or fumble recurs in the same way with the same result. So, though it is being replayed, the game always ends with the same score.

In life, there is no replay. You live, and you can’t go back and relive the same experience, and you surely can’t change the past. It’s just there, frozen in history. Yet its effects continue. This can be either a cause for sorrow or joy. Although the past can never change, God is able in Christ to make changes in us for his glory and our good. Though I don’t know what sorrows and regrets you might be carrying around today, I do know that the Lord’s power and love can rebuild your life, to make it shine brightly for his praise. Let’s learn about this from Jehoshaphat, as we continue to consider the subject of “When Desires Clash”. He couldn’t hit the replay button, so that he could make better choices. But God was able to give him something different.

So, Jehoshaphat received correction (19:1-3). That does not sound very dramatic. It doesn’t sound like exciting stuff for the Christian media to trumpet. But the correction of his people is important to the Lord God. God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness (Hebrews 12:10b NIV). It came after he had returned safely from the battle, in which God rescued him from death (cf. 18:30-32). Jehoshaphat had escaped from human hands, but he was still in God’s hands. The dangerous events of life can strip away the illusion of being in control. Now God will confront Jehoshaphat about his control over his life. Let us stop and think about what the Lord is doing in our lives.

The correction came through a seer or prophet, Jehu the son of Hanani. We first read of Jehu the prophet in 1 Kings 16:1-7, when God spoke to Baasha, king of Israel, about 886 BC. This incident occurs during 853 BC, about thirty-one years later. In other words, Jehu was an older man at this point. When Elijah complained to the Lord, “I’m the only one left,” he forgot about other good men like Jehu. The Lord sent Jehu into a doubtful situation, from a human point of view. Jehoshaphat had days before failed to listen to Micaiah, another of the Lord’s prophets, and his father Asa had put this same Jehu into prison, because Asa had not liked the message from the Lord that Jehu had delivered (16:7-10).

My friends, Jehu was just as much the Lord’s prophet as Elijah and Micaiah, but Jehu and Micaiah both spent time in prison for their faithfulness to the Lord, while the Lord delivered Elijah in amazing ways. All three lived at the same time in history, and served the same Lord. Not everyone gets to stop rain from falling or to call fire down heaven. Jehu was faithful to the Lord over a long time period, yet, unlike Elijah, we don’t sing, “These are the days of old Jehu, declaring the word of the Lord.” Jehu declared God’s word, and we don’t sing about him. Your service for the Lord might go unnoticed and be very plain. Remember that you are serving the Lord, as he wills.

Let us build our theology properly. Some read the life of Elijah and decide to rewrite their systematic theology to include something about “power ministries” or whatever words they use. But exegetical and biblical theology must inform and develop our systematic theology to keep it from going astray. Based on our time period, it would be just as plausible to over-concentrate on Jehu and Micaiah and write about “suffering ministries”. We have too many trashy books following that kind of selective methodology today.

Listening to the message of the Bible can require hard work. We must know the meaning of words and the context of verses in the Biblical narrative. However, this effort yields spiritual benefits when the Holy Spirit applies what we have learned to our hearts. For example, we can accept joyfully our place in God’s mission in Christ. This gives us new, godly desires to serve God and others, instead of the old desires of wondering “how can I have a happy life now.” God does not raise up many to serve like Elijah. Most of the time he will use people like Micaiah and Jehu, invisible to the watching world, but very precious to God and loved by him.

Grace and peace, David

Road Closed

2 Chronicles 18:8-27

Recently, we have encountered many “road closed” signs in our area. If we’re honest, we all feel ambivalent about these signs. On the one hand, we want the roads we travel to be in good repair. Admittedly, we even complain when they are not! On the other hand, a closed road can be an inconvenience, at times involving frustrating, time-consuming detours. And so we complain about the detours. Recently, the road we live off of was being repaired, which sent us onto detours. I reminded myself that I had very much desired to have the road fixed. The potholes had to go!

God our Father can wisely put “road closed” signs in our paths to develop godly character in us and/or to prevent sinful activity by us. He metaphorically puts roadblocks in our ways in order to help us to live with his ways and to speak with his tone. So, the Lord gave a final warning to both kings, Jehoshaphat and Ahab.

Micaiah the prophet entered an unpleasant situation with the deck stacked against him (18:9-15). God calls his people to walk through fiery trials, but praise his name, he walks through them with us (Isaiah 43:2-3). When nobody likes you, you might be in the exact place the Lord wants you to be for his glory.

Micaiah entered a situation where the kings were dressed in royal splendor rather than in sackcloth. This was intimidating.
Micaiah entered a situation where four hundred other prophets were saying what Ahab and Jehoshaphat wanted to hear. They even used drama! Zedekiah played his line skillfully, running around with iron horns.
Micaiah entered a situation where he was advised to agree with the false prophets. He was being pressured to say what the kings wanted to hear. People like to tell preachers what to say! Watch out that you don’t destroy your soul by seeking those who will tell you what you want to hear. You might hear lies from the pit of hell!
Micaiah spoke sarcastically in that situation, and Ahab could tell that it was not the truth. Do you see this? Both Micaiah and Ahab knew that it was sarcastic. Micaiah could only speak the message of the Lord (18:13).

My friends, be aware that unbelievers will try to gang up on you. But keep a firm hold on the word of the Lord.

Micaiah responded with two prophetic messages (18:16-27). The first pronounced doom on Ahab; if he went to war at Ramoth Gilead, he would surely die there. Notice that Ahab did not repent because of this message; he merely complained. Having “roast preacher” for Sunday dinner can be fatal; we’re not a good meal.

The second explained why the four hundred prophets were giving their message. The Lord had sent a lying spirit to entice Ahab to destruction. Satan is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). His lies are easy to listen to. But the devil pats you on the back with a knife in his hand. Satan says, “Don’t listen to that crazy preacher! He doesn’t want you to have fun, because he doesn’t like you. Listen to me; I want you to succeed; really, I do. In fact, I want you to be like God. Go ahead; prove yourself. Make your own choices! Show everyone that you’re a man (or woman). You don’t need to listen to God. Go ahead; reach for the stars! You are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul. You can have anything you want! Visualize it and its yours. Take the fruit off that tree. You won’t really die.”

Now surely, Jehoshaphat listened to the Lord and abandoned his alliance with Ahab, right? He had heard the word from the Lord that he claimed to long for! So then he would listen to it, believe and obey, wouldn’t he? My brothers and sisters, this is where we should weep! If it were only so simple: share God’s word and people will change. Absolutely not! Apart from grace, no sinner, saved or unsaved, is able to change. Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing!”

God brought the consequences (18:28-34). You can choose unbelief and disobedience, but you cannot choose the consequences of your choice. God controls consequences. The Lord rescued Jehoshaphat, though he permitted him to suffer the scare of his life. When Jehoshaphat chose to go into battle, he found himself in deadly peril. He only escaped with his life, because the Lord helped him and drew the enemy away. But the Lord refused to help Ahab. Someone drew his bow at random, but God’s judgment guided the arrow to its fatal mark.

Do not play games with God! He will always win and you will always lose. Listen to the word of the Lord. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7). And remember: wrong desires wreak havoc, with our character and our lives.

Grace and peace, David

Wrong Desires Wreak Havoc

dscn3380 2 Chronicles 18:2-7

Wrong desires do not always bear their evil fruit immediately. They might require time to corrupt a person’s character, but they are present, slowly working to make it easy for a very bad choice to occur. Jehoshaphat gradually walked deeper into the mire. Notice that the events of this chapter happened “some years later”. But the wrong desire was at last given an opportunity to express itself. It came when wicked King Ahab decided to take advantage of his “most favored nation” status with Jehoshaphat.

Ahab wined and dined Jehoshaphat at a great party (18:2-4). Can you picture Ahab schmoozing everyone at the big state dinner? Ahab had his own agenda. We know from secular history that Ahab had just been in a military alliance with Aram (who owned Ramoth Gilead) and others against Assyria, and in battle had held Assyria to a draw. But Ahab sensed that Aram had been weakened in that struggle, and in cutthroat fashion he desired to pick off Ramoth Gilead, which sat on a lucrative trade route. Yes, money may not be the most important thing in the world, but it’s way ahead of whatever is in second place.

Jehoshaphat yielded to Ahab’s persuasions and agreed to a joint military operation. (Hello, Jehoshaphat? Are you aware of how Ahab had just knifed one of his former partners in the back? Sometimes we do stupid things!) But suddenly, Jehoshaphat had second thoughts and added a condition. “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” My friends, this was doing things backwards. Jehoshaphat should have sought the Lord before he made any promises. Now, it will be difficult to get out of the trap, and in fact he didn’t.

Parents, please listen to this. Don’t quickly agree to your children’s requests. Invest some time in thinking and praying about their requests before the Lord. This will help you accomplish two things. First, it will save you empty regrets from giving permission when you should not have. Second, it will teach your children patience, a quality sadly lacking in our day.

Next, it seems that Jehoshaphat desired correction, since he had asked for the Lord’s counsel. Actually, he walked deeper into spiritual compromise (18:5-7). Many people do this by seeking counsel from people they know will agree with them. They really are not interested to hear the undiluted message of the Scriptures. They look for those who will talk spiritual, use some Bible verses, and mix in a large dose of worldly wisdom that will agree with what they sense in their hearts is wrong.

Ahab gathered four hundred prophets to give Jehoshaphat the message from the Lord that he wanted. Many times when people seek counseling, they don’t really want to change. They merely want to vent or to hear someone say they understand or that they’re doing the right thing. To seek correction is humbling, because you have to admit that you’re wrong and you don’t have all the answers. So most won’t even seek counsel, but vaguely ask for prayer. “Oh, about what do you want me to pray with you?” And the answer comes, “I’m going through some tough times; just pray.” And then the person can whitewash their conscience, because someone has “prayed for them”.

The prophets are not identified, but they are probably not prophets of Baal, since Jehoshaphat had asked for the counsel of the Lord. They are probably prophets associated with the false worship of the Lord invented by Jeroboam I, king of Israel (cf. 1 Kings 12:26-33). So, Jehoshaphat was forced into listening to prophets pretend to be giving a message from the Lord. He could tell that they were not speaking the Lord’s message. You would think he would have pulled out of the promised alliance immediately. But he didn’t; he desired to hear a message that would confirm his unwise decision to get involved with Ahab. Plus, he had made his promises to Ahab! He couldn’t just walk away now, could he? He could have, if he had desired.

Many times we complicate our lives needlessly by failing to take the exit ramp the Holy Spirit creates (1 Corinthians 10:13). Don’t pretend that you can’t get out when the truth is you don’t want to get out. Face the evils of your own heart and repent. By the way, let’s stop playing around with “easily entangling sins” (cf. Hebrews 12:1-2). One reason they easily entangle is because we fondle them.

So Jehoshaphat, who still loved the Lord in his heart, ran through one roadblock and asked for a real prophet of the Lord. “Yeah,” Ahab said, “there is, but the dude scares me. He always says that God is going to get me, and I don’t like him!” So now, Jehoshaphat decided to leave, right? No way, he ran through another roadblock and gave a namby-pamby response. “Oh dear, you shouldn’t say that about one of the Lord’s prophets.” What he should have said is, “I’m outta here!”

It is too easy to see our failures here, isn’t it? But that is insufficient. We must see them and cry out for God’s grace to change! Wrong desires can wreak havoc in our decision making process.

Grace and peace, David

A Godly Person with Wrong Desires

dscn1857 2 Chronicles 18:1-34

We are currently thinking about the subject of when desires clash using the ‘window’ of the life of Jehoshaphat. You and I struggle with choices to follow good and evil desires; we always will. In this life we will never progress beyond the necessity of making choices in which the alternatives allure us. For this reason, I hope you are part of a gathering of Christ followers who accept that believers have to struggle with temptation and sin. It’s okay not to be okay, but it’s not okay to remain not okay. If we can grasp that idea, we might be able to see spiritual progress in our local gatherings of believers. God gives grace to change through Jesus Christ, the Lord. In previous articles, we looked at the reality of conflicting desires in everyone and at three good desires of Jehoshaphat: to strengthen his kingdom, to seek the Lord, and to teach his people the ways of the Lord. In this section, we will concentrate mainly on Jehoshaphat rather than Ahab, since this is the interest of the Chronicler.

How did Jehoshaphat’s problems start (18:1)? First, he wandered from a position of great blessing. We need to remain where God is blessing us, rather than to roam after other things. As we have seen in previous articles, he started well by walking in God’s ways and by seeking to establish God’s supremacy in the worship of Judah, the southern kingdom (cf. 17:3-4, 6). The Lord had honored Jehoshaphat good desires and actions, had caused him to prosper, and had caused the nations to fear the Lord to protect Judah (17:5, 10). There was no external reason for Jehoshaphat to wander. The Lord had already been working visibly for his good. The sad truth is that we don’t need external reasons to wander! Consider what Jesus said. “What comes out of a person—that defiles him. For from within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immoralities, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, evil actions, deceit, promiscuity, stinginess, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a person” (Mark 7:20-23 HCSB). Consider also Hebrews 3:12; 1 Peter 2:11.

So then, what happened to Jehoshaphat that he desired to ally himself, his family, and his kingdom with wicked Ahab? Why would a believer like Jehoshaphat do this? The Bible does not answer that question. Oh, it is easy to speculate, and Christians like to guess when the Spirit does not reveal. So, it is easy to suggest plausible desires like the desire for protection from the growing threat of Assyria, the desire for peace with Israel after years of war, or even some desire to gain the throne of Israel for his son Jehoram by having him marry Ahab’s daughter Athaliah, and so reunify the divided kingdoms. But the Scriptures are silent about such conjectures. Please don’t waste your time in the Bible trying to “discover” what the Holy Spirit hasn’t revealed. You have enough to do in learning what God has clearly declared.

The important fact is that Jehoshaphat gave in to some desire that led him astray for a time, and it was nearly a fatal error! This alliance was going to cost many lives, wreak havoc in the kingdom of Judah, and put the line of the Messiah in jeopardy, from a human point of view. At times, the Spirit doesn’t answer our questions about why people did things. He wants us to look at our lives through the narrative that we might realize that we can be led astray for many reasons. More important than wondering why Jehoshaphat might do what he did is to examine our hearts about what might be leading us astray from the ways of the Lord.

If Jehoshaphat could wander, then we should not proudly suppose our firm loyalty to the Lord. This story is a warning sign to us all. What sinful desires are you struggling with? How is the struggle going? Do you keep godly friends near you when you know that you will be in places where temptations easily arise?

Grace and peace, David

P.S. The picture at the top of this article shows smoke arising up out of the ground. Any guesses where that picture was taken?

Good Desires (Part Three)

2 Chronicles 17:1-19

Jehoshaphat had a desire to teach his people (17:7-9). This desire caused him to take action. He did not simply have a dream, but he took practical steps to see it become a reality. A lot of local churches have dreams to reach people with the gospel. But they rarely see much accomplished. There are many reasons for this failure, but one is that there far more talk (in board meetings, committee meetings, and business meetings – I think there is a recurring noun there) than action. And if something doesn’t immediately “work”, they have more meetings to discuss the need for a new plan! Jehoshaphat did not fall into a swamp of inactivity. He acted.

He sent a team of teachers (five officials, nine Levites, and two priests) on an extensive tour throughout Judah. At least part of this plan came from the Torah (Leviticus 10:11). Ezra later followed this plan. Priests were to be the source of spiritual instruction (cf. Malachi 2:7). Who are the priests today? Believers in Jesus Christ are priests (1 Peter 2:5; etc.) under Jesus our Great High Priest. So then, you and I need to be the source of wisdom and knowledge of God and the gospel to those around us. Don’t try to wiggle out of this. Yes, you can do it. You have the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, the Bible. Most of you reading this blog have heard many messages and Bible lessons. You ought to be able to open the Gospel of Mark or the letter to the Romans and explain Christ and the good news to others. If you think you can’t, contact me and we’ll talk about this, okay?
Jehoshaphat knew that people need to have God’s message explained to them. People usually really learn through some kind of conversation, and I’m not downplaying the formal teaching and preaching of the Word. I’m teaching now. We all need general, public instruction. Every local assembly needs this to keep a unified vision. But we also need a place to ask questions and bounce our ideas about what we’re hearing off of others. His team of teachers would be able to meet that practical, spiritual need. They could gather people together in a circle around a fire or a basket of bread and so teach and answer their questions.

Comment: Your small group ought to function this way. The purpose of a small group is not to be a “Bible study” doing a mad dash through a book or topic, just to say that they finished the material. The time you cover just one question or one verse, discussing it together in love, might be the most effective learning situation you have ever had. If people are asking good, meaningful questions and receiving the same kind of answers, not just yakking or gossiping about something, then keep in step with what the Spirit is doing. Everyone in a gospel community must have a sense of spiritual flexibility.

They took the word with them. The Book of the Law means at least Deuteronomy or the entire Torah, and perhaps other Scripture then available. From God’s Word, they could present the central story of God’s glory, the need for a Redeemer, and his amazing grace for sinners who repent and believe. Learn the main story line of the Bible, and be able to apply it to the walk of faith. Remember it is about Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44-47).

God honored Jehoshaphat for his devotion (17:5, 10). God sticks to his purposes, or as is usually said, he keeps his promises. Consider 1 Samuel 2:30. God has revealed that about himself. He honors those who honor him. Jehoshaphat did, and so God honored him. Jehoshaphat sought to keep the law covenant, so the Lord protected him and his people during his reign (Deuteronomy 28). At this point, we must understand that we relate to God through the new covenant. During this life, he does not promise his adult sons and daughters physical prosperity, but he does promise his presence and the help of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our heavenly calling. This is one reason the new covenant is the better covenant!

Remember that Jehoshaphat could not do it alone (17:7-9). He formed a team to help him in the work. Each of us in our local assemblies must work together in gospel partnership in the areas God has placed us. Followers of Christ do mission together. How can you join with others to expand the ministry of the word where you live?

The most important factor was that the Lord was with Jehoshaphat (17:3). Anything accomplished that is truly godly and lasting comes from the action of the Spirit of the Lord. The Holy Spirit lives in God’s people today. Those who know the Lord can say, “the Lord is with us”. That is something to rejoice about! We have what the early church had: The Spirit and the Word. Let’s seek out new opportunities to act for the Lord this week!

Grace and peace, David

Good Desires (Part Two)

2 Chronicles 17:1-19

The Lord God has given people desires or longings. As we live in this world, we develop other desires according to our circumstances, abilities, etc. These desires can be either holy or wicked. In this article, we think again about the good desires that Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, had.

Jehoshaphat had a desire to seek the Lord (17:3-6). Notice how this godly desire worked out in his life.

He followed the good example of David. It is not clear if the text should be translated like the NIV does to refer to Jehoshaphat, or as the ESV does to refer to David (“because he walked in the earlier ways of David”). Regardless, Jehoshaphat sought the Lord like David did (cf. Psalm 27:8; etc.), and so he rejected the Baals. There were many false gods worshiped in Palestine with the title of Baal (“Master”). Each one was believed to be in control of some part of nature or some place. Baal worship was the attempt to gain the favor of these so-called gods, so that a person could have a happy, prosperous life. (Hopefully, that does not describe your motivation for worshiping the living God!) Worship of the Lord emphasizes his glory and goodness in redeeming his people from sin to eternal salvation. In true worship, we are not trying to buy something from God, but we are celebrating what he freely does. We need to remember Jehoshaphat’s rejection of Baal worship when we come to the next chapter.
His heart was devoted or “lifted up” to the Lord. In contrast, others might lift their hearts up to other gods, human wisdom or selfish ambition. But Jehoshaphat gave his heart or inner person to the Lord and his ways. (You simply can’t give your heart to the Lord and not to the Lord’s ways. True spirituality is according to God’s word.) The principle of the first great command was operating in his heart (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). When he realized that God was his covenant Lord, he gave himself to the Lord’s lordship over him. For Jehoshaphat, this required him to structure his life around the reality of God and his relationship to him, as mediated through the law covenant (Deuteronomy 4:23-24). For us, it means confessing that “Jesus is Lord”. Christ is the ultimate loyalty for the Christian, because God the Father has made him the ultimate Lord over everything. By his death and resurrection, Christ earned absolute lordship, and he exercises it (Romans 14:9-10; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:19b-23). Sip on that strong coffee for a while! Yes, that is spiritual caffeine that will really wake you up!

Comment: Some people might say that evangelical Christians are professional liars, because we say, “Jesus is Lord,” while we live contradictory to our confession. My friends, we should not try to answer that accusation with words but with lives that are devoted to Christ’s lordship. How are our lives saying that Jesus has set us free to live for God? But first, do you confess that “Jesus is Lord”? Listen to Romans 10:8-13. But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

His devoted heart produced godly action. He worshiped according to the law covenant, and not according to the ways of false religion, like the practices of Israel invented by Jeroboam I (cf. 1 Ki 12), or the polytheistic practices of the Canaanites. He did his best to remove the religious perversions of Asherah (the goddess associated with Baal or even with God in false religious practice). The high places had sacred stones that were supposed to contain the Baals. We must worship the Lord in his way, which he has clearly revealed in the Bible.

This weekend, think about the way you worshiped. First, did you gather with other believers? Second, did your worship conform to the pattern set forth in the New Testament Scriptures? How do you know that it did? Third, what good results came from your worship? Did it transform you and others?

Grace and peace, David

Good Desires (Part One)

dscn0803 2 Chronicles 17:1-19

Today we start a series of articles about “When Desires Clash”. We can see a serious clash of desires in the life of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. Jehoshaphat was one of the better kings of the southern kingdom of Judah. (There were no godly kings in the northern kingdom of Israel.) He did many things that were pleasing to the Lord, because he loved the Lord. His good actions came from a good heart, since all our words and actions spring from the inner person of our hearts. But his life was also marred by various failures that occurred when he gave in to evil desires. In other words, Jehoshaphat was a lot like you and me. At times I imagine what it would be like if churches advertised that they were not perfect. The slogan could be: “Welcome to Messy Community Church, where it’s okay to admit that you are having spiritual and personal problems. But here by God’s grace, we also want you to see real change – to become increasingly like the Lord Jesus.”

All of us have desires. We have good, God-given desires, such as hunger, thirst, sex, dominion, safety, and comfort. We also have desires such as longings for wealth, prestige, and so forth. All our desires seek satisfaction, and our lives are formed very much by what wants we pursue. In the story of Jehoshaphat, we encounter a good man, who struggled with evil desires, like we all do. Most of his life, he gave himself to the good desire to love the Lord God. But there were other times, when evil desires worked against the ruling desire of his heart. In other words, his life was messy, and we can learn from the messiness of his life.

The Chronicler records the story of Jehoshaphat more extensively than the writer of Kings, and he presents it in four parts: his early reforms, his near fatal alliance with Ahab, his correction and recommitment, and his leadership in a time of national crisis. May God give us grace to really learn and change, as we read about God’s work in Jehoshaphat’s life. Today we will look at one of Jehoshaphat’s good desires. He had a good desire to strengthen his kingdom (17:1-2, 12-19).

Jehoshaphat understood his situation and what needed to be done. His kingdom had weakened during the later years of his father Asa, while the northern kingdom of Israel had been strengthening under Omri and Ahab. He made best use of his resources to counteract the growing threat from Ahab. As a national leader, he had to use do this by building up his military.

In a similar way, what do you do in spiritual warfare (cf. Ephesians 6:11; 1 Peter 2:11)? Fleshly means are ineffectual and misconstrue the enemy. Yet the problem of the American church for forty years has been that of trying to win a spiritual struggle with this-worldly methods. The result has been a poor imitation of the world that hasn’t helped but seriously complicated the crisis. We need to return to the gospel, which is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16-17).

Jehoshaphat continued with his plan, as the Lord prospered it. When we read history in the Bible, we must maintain a proper sense of time. From a literary perspective, time is compressed to present key points. But in actual life, what Jehoshaphat did occurred over many years. He could not build a strong military force with adequate defensive capabilities in weeks or months. It was a long-term program.

In our culture, we expect and demand instant results. If something doesn’t work quickly, we wrongly assume that it will not work at all. Oh, someone might tritely say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” But the attitude of perseverance to accomplish spiritual goals is strangely lacking. Christ’s plan is clearly, concisely stated in places like Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:44-47. We need to persevere in his plan. There is no other way to build a local church, and it requires huge investments of our time into the lives of people in order for them to become followers of Christ. Only rarely do we see anyone turn from sin to trust in Christ quickly, and even in those times, God was already at work in their lives. Jesus has sent us into the world, so we ought to seek to make disciples where he has placed us. You and I must maintain a constant missional perspective. Let’s pray and reach out to people that they might become fully committed followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace, David

Following a Good Example (Part Two)

2 Timothy 3:10

You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness… (ESV).

In this verse, the apostle Paul encouraged his friend and coworker Timothy to keep on following the example or pattern that he had lived before Timothy. As we have said, Paul stressed the importance of each item. It has been too easy for Christians to concentrate on either teaching or conduct, while ignoring the others. Many churches have focused on teaching, which is important, so much that they have created the impression that what a church exists for is to cram everyone’s heads full of ideas. Perhaps this has been in overreaction to the neglect of doctrine by others. Many other churches have overemphasized conduct, perhaps again in overreaction against the “teaching” churches. The result has been a group that grades everyone by the rules or “standards” they keep. However, as we realize that both teaching and conduct are important, let us not forget five other examples that Paul set for his friend and for all other believers to whom he ministered.

“My aim in life” – Paul reminded Timothy about his purpose. The apostle lived according to the purpose to which God called him. This affected how he lived in many ways. It infused him with a missionary attitude (Romans 15:20-21), helped him live with a clear conscience (Acts 24:16), and caused him to be devoted to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:12-14). When Paul discovered God’s purpose for him, it helped him to simplify his life by pursuing what the Lord wanted him to do.
“My faith” – This probably refers to his life of faith, the example he set by trusting God for what was needed for his life and ministry. The Christian way of life is a life of dependence on God. This can become difficult when God’s ways fail to match up with our opinions about how God should act for us. It helps us to remember God’s purposes (Romans 8:28-30), but it still is hard for us to humble ourselves before God and to wait upon him and so to cast all our anxieties upon him, because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:6-7).
“My patience” – Paul spoke of his pattern of patience. He had to learn to wait calmly for God to act. His patience developed from his earliest days as a Christian, when he went away to think from the Scriptures about what he had learned from meeting the Risen Jesus on the Damascus road. It developed when he had to leave Jerusalem to spend a few years in Tarsus. It grew when he and Barnabas were thrown out of town after town on their first missionary journey. His patience increased as the Holy Spirit took time to lead him to Europe on his second missionary journey. And what can we say about the many years that Paul was a prisoner? His life was a pattern of waiting calmly.
“My love” – Paul taught and modeled love. Two of the greatest passages about love in the Bible (Romans 12:9-21; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13) were written by Paul. His love for God and his people caused him to press on through many difficulties. He loved people like the Corinthian and Galatian believers who frustrated him. He loved his own people of Israel and was willing to give himself for him that they might be saved (Romans 9;1-3; 10:1). He demonstrated love by constantly praying for people and remembering them in his letters. Timothy had seen that Paul was a man who loved God and others.
“My steadfastness” – His friend also knew about the example of endurance that Paul set. All we need to do is to read Luke’s account of Paul in Acts to know that Paul persisted in the face of the greatest difficulties. His own words about his sufferings for Jesus the Messiah (2 Corinthians 6:3-10; 11:16-12:10) provide us a model of perseverance in suffering for Christ. Please don’t complain about your problems until after you seriously reflect on Paul’s faithfulness to the Lord in the most trying circumstances.

The point of his pattern is not to shame us, but to motivate us to live for the glory of the Lord. Paul did all of these things by trusting God the Father to help him by the Holy Spirit, who made Christ’s power known in him. We are to live in conformity with this pattern.

Grace and peace, David