WHEN GOD’S EARS ARE CLOSED TO OUR PRAYERS

Proverbs 1:24–31 “Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”

This section of verses reads like it could be a declaration from God against the United States and the rest of the world on the front pages of today’s newspapers .  The Lord has always ensured that the message of the gospel be declared to the peoples of the world by His prophets, messengers and others who love Him.  In spite of His faithful diligence and the prophetic proofs that support the truth of that message, the nations as a whole have rejected Him.  I believe that America, a nation founded on scriptural principles, is held to a higher accountability than many of the other nations because of the following biblical principle.

Luke 12:48  “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.”

Many of America’s most prestigious universities were originally established with the purpose of educating young people from a biblical foundation.  We have been blessed to benefit from the teaching of many great men of God.  I think we have been blessed like no other nation on earth except maybe Israel during the days of Solomon.  I personally believe that our prosperity has contributed to our downfall because, like Israel, we began to credit ourselves for attaining such wealth and influence rather than recognizing our blessings as coming from God.  We began to think that we were wiser than God and that the principles of His word were outdated and couldn’t possibly be right for the times in which we live.    We then allowed the enemies of God to lead us in declaring God no longer welcome in the public arena and His word irrelevant.  We have a culture in which few know how to discern between good and evil any more.  In fact, we have declared evil to be good in light of biblical truth.  Isaiah warned the people of Israel against this very thing.

Isaiah 5:20–23 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink: Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!”

Though God is very patient and longsuffering in His desire to see as many come to repentance as possible…

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

…His patience does have an end and He then declares judgment.  Once His judgment begins, His ears are closed to prayers seeking His deliverance.  In fact, He declares that He will laugh at our calamity and mock at our fear.  I can’t help but connect this thought with another thought recorded by the Apostle Paul concerning those who will follow the Antichrist.

2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Yes, God is love, full of mercy and ready to forgive—but His patience has limits and His righteousness demands the judgment of sin.  When we continue to reject God, there comes a time when He will give us over to reap the consequences of our sin.  This truth was also proclaimed by Paul in his letter to the Romans; in context it follows the description of those who had rejected God to embrace a homosexual lifestyle.

Romans 1:28–32 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Personally, I believe the United States as a whole is under judgment.  I believe the final nail was put in the coffin when our President, our chosen leader, struck down the biblical marriage mandate.  I can only pray that the rapture occurs before the worst happens.  Whatever He chooses to allow or cause as His hand of judgment falls, I pray that true believers will stand strong in their faith and take advantage of every opportunity to declare His love to others through their actions while proclaiming the gospel message of salvation.

(to be continued…)

FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION

This next section in Proverbs begins with an important admonition—one which is not given much credence in the world today:  “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”

Proverbs 1:7–16 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.  My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.”

In the Hebrew the word “beginning” makes reference to “the principal thing.”  Most of the intellectual elite in this world consider this to be a foolish statement; that is because they are wise in their own eyes.  The prophet Isaiah warns against this mindset.

Isaiah 5:20–21 “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Later in Proverbs Solomon warns that this attitude is fatal.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

Knowledge can only be rightly applied with wisdom when one understands that God our Creator is the source of all knowledge and the only One with authority to determine how to use it for good.  When men choose to ignore His authority and His will as revealed in His word, they inevitably end up using it for wicked purposes; Solomon calls them fools.

Another observation from this passage, children should be able to depend upon the instruction of their parents.  Solomon was obviously referencing parents who recognized God as Lord.  Sadly, in this day and age that is a group greatly in the minority.  The news is full of reports of crimes being committed by children, especially those that align themselves with gangs.  Disrespect of authority figures both at home and in school is in evidence throughout our nation because we have turned away from God and from teaching according to biblical principles.

The next section of verses seems to be a significant commentary on the gang culture in our nation.  The members use peer pressure to encourage others to join them.  They lure them with the thought of getting rich at the expense of others.  They have no respect for life and are motivated solely by their own selfish desires.  Solomon warns (my paraphrase):  Their actions are evil, and they are quick to kill to get what they want.   

Sin as defined by God’s word is becoming more and more acceptable in our culture and people are drawing further and further away from embracing the love of God and living a life defined by that love.   Jesus foretold that this would be descriptive of the times before His return.

Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

Paul warned Timothy that this type of mindset would be characteristic of the last days.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

(to be continued…)

Nuggets of Wisdom from Proverbs

I just returned from a time of vacation with my daughter’s family.  During that time I was privileged to sit in on devotions and enjoy the insight provided by the girls as Dad read from verses in Proverbs.  I had been wondering what kind of series I could do next on the blog and sense that this would be a good direction to take.  Our world lives according to the wisdom of man, and we followers of Jesus desperately need to understand the wisdom of God’s word and live accordingly.

I am not going to comment on every verse—only those that especially speak to my heart concerning the time in which we live.  As usual, I will quote from the King James Version of scripture. 

Reminder—These words are a record of the word of God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to Solomon.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness…..”

Solomon explains the reason he recorded these proverbs in the very first words of his book. 

Proverbs 1:2–6 “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.”

Solomon declares that he desires to teach people wisdom, instruction, and understanding.  Wisdom is the ability to use what you know and apply it to how you live; it’s choosing the right way to do the right things.  The Hebrew for “instruction” includes the idea of chastisement, warning and discipline.  Understanding is the ability to discern meaning and intention. 

Already, the plate is full.  Knowledge abounds and is readily available in this age of information and technology.  The understanding needed to use that knowledge in the right way for the right purposes is greatly lacking.  Often that lack is due to lack of discernment and/or the refusal to exercise discipline in light of the warnings provided by history and experience.

Subtilty makes reference to discretion and prudence.  I think Solomon is saying that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand the wisdom of God.  This wisdom is available to those who are young and on the journey of gaining knowledge.  Discretion is another word for discernment, and the implication is that discernment is attained through instruction just as surely as is knowledge.  This speaks to the importance of the instructor.  As we continue on our journey, Solomon will be clear in declaring that our instruction should be rooted in the knowledge of God.  Only those so rooted will be able to provide the right type of instruction.

I like the wording of the NLT for verses 5-6: “Let those who are wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. And let those who understand receive guidance by exploring the depth of meaning in these proverbs, parables, wise sayings, and riddles.”

(to be continued…)

Followup on review of “The Harbinger”

After perusing some of the newsletters and websites I normally keep an eye on, I am appalled at the lack of discernment among so-called discerning Christians.  I am truly amazed how the professing body of believers is unable to understand the position of Israel as the means through whom God reveals His heart and character to the nations of the world.  Without that understanding, you might as well throw out most of the Old Testament as having any relevance whatsoever to the person of faith today.

Though we cannot apply specific promises to Israel to America or any other nation for that matter, God reveals through His words and actions toward Israel a blueprint that can be applied to His people of any time or generation.  

Yes, 2Chronicles 7:14 was stated in context as a response to Solomon regarding the people of Israel; however, the promise is applicable to “my people who are called by my name.”  I am one of those people; and if you are a believer, so are you.  Can the general populace of our nation pray that prayer and expect a response from God?  No.  Can true believers in America as a whole pray that prayer and expect a response from God?  I believe, Yes.  The sad truth is that the body of believers in our nation and throughout the world is a composition of diverse groups who are intent on taking a stand based on differences of understanding of scripture rather than seeking unity of spirit based on the leading of the Holy Spirit and a literal interpretation of the word of God.  

Scripture is clear in declaring that the Lord is the same today as yesterday; He never changes.

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not.”

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

It is based on His character that Christians can look at God’s actions toward the nation of Israel and gain an understanding of how He deals with His people of all times.  I am also reminded of a verse in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

It is certainly not beyond reason to expect to see parallels between the rebellion of “God’s” people throughout the years and God’s actions towards them in light of that rebellion.  It is also not surprising to me that God would provide a special word of prophecy to Israel in Isaiah that would also be applicable to America and meant to serve as a modern day prophetic warning to the people of this nation.  

I’ll be the first to admit that I get confused when “Christian leaders” cannot agree on what Scripture has to say----especially when it seems clear to a “normal” believer like me.  In my study of scripture, I have often gained points of illumination through the writings of people with whom I can agree very little or with whom I agree only in part.  I choose to take the nuggets of revelation that contribute to my understanding as coming from the Holy Spirit.  I am careful on my website and this blog to declare that what I write is according to my understanding.  Scripture is very clear in stating that every believer is to be accountable to search God’s word for confirmation of any teaching.

Acts 17:11 “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

I’ve read the criticism that Mr. Cahn has appeared on shows with those who are identified as false teachers.  If that is the case, you better stay away from Hal Lindsay, Chuck Smith, Ray Comfort and others who appear on TBN.  I have personally benefitted from some quality programming on that station; but overall, in my opinion, it is a station that primarily promotes false teachers. 

I am also reminded of these words from the Apostle Paul.

Philippians 1:15–18 “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.”

Jonathan Cahn very clearly presents the gospel; and I, for one, pray that many will read his book and turn to the word of God as Bereans to ascertain whether or not his message is biblical.  I believe it is.

The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn

Several months ago I listened to Mr. Cahn’s teaching connecting the events of 9/11 to Isaiah 9:10.  I thought it very interesting and was delighted to learn that he had written about this teaching in novel form since I knew it would provide an interesting format to better analyze the teaching in the form of a hard copy for future reference.  

Personally, I think Mr. Cahn did a wonderful job with his first novel.  Although I have read what I believe to be some unfair criticism of his work, I don’t think anyone with an open mind can ignore or make light of the parallels outlined in his teaching.  He carefully differentiates between America and Israel and continually makes note of the fact that Isaiah 9 was a message regarding ancient Israel.  He also states, correctly so in my opinion, that Israel provides a pattern for the nations to understand how God deals with His people.  Though there are varying opinions concerning the “Christian” foundations of our nation, the fact is that our identification as a Christian nation was widely accepted both in this country and throughout the world until the last half century.  The quotations he uses from the historical record speak for themselves in establishing the foundation for the astonishing parallels he identifies.

Frankly, I don’t see how Mr. Cahn could have developed this teaching without the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  I think God has raised him up as a modern day prophet to the people of America just as surely as He raised up Isaiah to sound out a warning to the people of Israel.  Mr. Cahn’s focus throughout is to turn the thoughts of the reader to the word of God with an emphasis on God’s love and mercy.  He also necessarily declares that in light of a pervading culture of sin righteous judgment becomes necessary to produce repentance and salvation.  In no way did I ever get the feeling that he was trying to promote himself; he sincerely seems concerned about getting out the message of warning that America so desperately needs to hear at this time.

I would encourage anyone who hasn’t read the book to read it with an open heart.  I have already shared this book with some in my family and hope to share it with many more.   I think it could serve to open up channels of communication with some who would never choose to discuss scripture but just might be drawn into discussion about a book on the NYTimes bestseller list.