Goodness

 

As you know, the LORD has revealed His names throughout scripture, Those holy names  give us an understanding of who He is, His character. I would like to study an unusual example of one of these revelations.
Moses made a request of God. He asked God if he could see His glory. The LORD allowed all His goodness ("tuv/tove"- to be beautiful, pleasant, to do good to someone, to confer benefits, be favorable, joyful, good, pleasing, delightful, act rightly) to pass before Moses. The LORD told Moses that His goodness would pass before him while the LORD proclaimed His name, saying to Moses, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion" * (Ex. 33:18-23). There was a three-fold covering to protect Moses from the consuming glory of God as He passed by: He placed Moses in the cleft of the Rock, covered him with His hand, and proclaimed His name of His goodness as He passed by. On another occasion, the LORD again passed by Moses, proclaiming the name of the LORD (Ex. 34:5-8). This is what the LORD proclaimed as He passed:

"And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity (perversity, depravity, guilt, to bend, twist, distort, make crooked) of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." So Moses made haste  and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped." Ex. 34:6-8

As we can see above, the character of all the goodness of God includes the readiness to forgive in the face of sincere repentance (Rom. 2:4), freely applying grace and mercy, but never allowing unrepentant guilt to go unanswered in order to insure justice. However, part of the quality of His goodness is "longsuffering". He will wait for as long as possible to judge. Peter puts it this way:

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise (judgment, see v. 3-7))...but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."  
                                                                                                      2 Pet. 3:9

Throughout scripture, in the fullness of all His goodness, longsuffering, mercy, and grace, the LORD witnessed His name (as proclaimed above) to the greatest "villains" in the Bible. As the Just Judge, He sent His witnesses to these people before the moment of their destruction to present them a choice. Here are some examples:

When the time of the fulfillment of the prophetic promise made generations before to Abraham was at hand to deliver His people out of slavery, The name of all the goodness of God in the person of Moses, passed repeatedly before Pharaoh. Moses was not only the prophet of God, but he was someone with whom Pharaoh was acquainted, having grown up in the same royal household. Pharaoh disregarded Moses even in the face of many confirming signs and wonders.

King Saul, full of fear and disobedience, was given to pass before him both Samuel and David to witness the truth of God's name of all His goodness. David was an example before the king of one who trusted in the name of the LORD (1 Sam. 17:45). David did not have fear in the face of men (even big ones!), and even ministered to King Saul in anointed music to relieve him from the torment of evil spirits. Saul did not receive the testimony of these witnesses.

King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel ("Ba'al exalts, Ba'al is husband to, unchaste") who commanded the worship of the blood thirsty, abominable false-god Ba'al in Israel, and persecuted to death the prophets of God, had the witness of all the goodness of name of the LORD before them in the person of the great prophet Elijah ("My God is Jehovah"). They did not heed the witness of Elijah that God had passed before them.

Haman, the great villain in the Book of Esther, who planned genocide against all of the Jews, was given a witness in the goodness and truth of God's name. These witnesses were his wife, Zeresh ("gold"), whose advice he often sought and trusted, and his counsel of wise men. They told Haman:

"...If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him but will surely fall before him."  Est. 6:13

However, Haman by this point, had become consumed by his hatred and resentment of Mordecai and the Jews, and did not heed all God's goodness as it passed by.
Herod the Great was already a murderer of his father-in-law, several of his wives, and two of his sons. God sent witnesses before him, in the form of wise men, to tell Herod of the birth of a new King of the Jews (Jesus). These wise men revealed to Herod that the appropriate response to this birth was to seek out and worship this child, in the same manner as Moses bowed and worshipped before "all My Goodness". Herod, immediately connected the birth of this child with the coming of the Messiah, and sought the child out, not to worship Him, but to murder Him. He murdered the children of Bethlehem and the surrounding area in this plan (Mt. 2:1-18). The opportunity was given to Herod to come before the Messiah, but he refused it. One of Herod's successors, Herod Antipas, was given the same opportunity to know the goodness of God through John the Baptist, who bore witness to the Light, the Messiah, and called Herod to repentance. Herod killed John as a present for his beguiling step-daughter (Mk. 6:17-28). Shortly thereafter, Herod Antipas was allowed to meet and speak to the Goodness of God, Jesus. However, as the Goodness "passed by", He was abused and mocked in Herod's court (Lk. 23:6-11).
The son of perdition, Judas Iscariot (consider oneself equal to, to claim for oneself the rank, nature, authority which belongs to God), heading towards his own terrible destruction, was given the gift of all God's goodness in the opportunity to walk with Jesus for three years during the time of Jesus' ministry. Judas betrayed the Person of the Goodness of God, and chose coins and death instead.
Pontius Pilate was about to become notorious in history. Before that however, he was given the opportunity to come face to face, and share a conversation with Jesus. After meeting all God's goodness, he still consented to His death for political expediency, symbolically washing his hands of any guilt for Christ's crucifixion. However, after "all My goodness" passes by, but is rejected, iniquity is not so easily washed away as with ordinary soap and water.
Not all of the reactions to God's goodness were negative in scripture. Many lives, even the lives of foreign pagan kings, were changed dramatically because of the witness of the goodness of God that the LORD placed before them. One example is the extreme effort that the LORD expended, including the sign of the resurrection of the dead, to show His goodness to the evil people of Nineveh, which brought them all to repentance. Even His prophet had trouble dealing with all of the goodness that God had extended to these sinful people. God said to him:
"And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left-and much livestock?"  Jonah 4:11
The Just Judge of Israel, in order to perform perfect justice, extends all His goodness, with His mercy, grace, truth, forgiveness and longsuffering to man, including evil men. In some cases, it may be their last opportunity to be rescued from the destruction racing towards them. God told Moses that it is His omnipotent character to decide to offer His goodness, even to the most evil of men*. It is up to man whether or not he will accept it. Psalm 107 says:
"He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!" (v. 20-21).

Our Father, in His perfect justice, causes all His goodness to pass by each of us.

 

 



Seven

Every word of every line in scripture is full of a wealth of wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and prudence. Every letter of every word of every line is full of life and salvation. Every word of God packs a "wallop" of truth. Searching out the richness and depth contained in His word is always exciting to me. Let's do some digging into some verses from the Book of Proverbs:
"These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination (disgusting thing, abhorrent, utterly detested) to Him (His soul):
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren."    Prov. 6:16-19
In the verses right before these above (v. 12-15), the LORD, through King Solomon, describes the character of a wicked or worthless man (idolator, Belial/Baalial: Satan, devil). He describes the end of such a man as sudden (in the blink of an eye, in an instant), and without remedy (incurable, without mending/healing).
The seven characteristics listed as an abomination to God seem to be a disparate group. Lying, mischief, and sowing discord are given the same weight as murder in this abomination. Why are these different things grouped together, and why are some of these things part of an "abomination", the worst kind of evil in God's eyes? The number seven is also pointedly used. The number seven ("swear, take an oath") in scripture is often associated with the Sabbath. The LORD created for six days and rested on the seventh. The Sabbath is one of those things in the word of God that we need to contemplate and consider more seriously. The LORD declared the Sabbath to be holy, and commanded His people to keep the Sabbath in that holiness. The meanings incorporated into Sabbath include "rest, cease, restrain, to make an end of an enemy or war or contention, day of atonement, to celebrate, the exultation of having a redeemer". The Sabbath is not just a religious rule and observance, but a power gift from God to man, an invaluable weapon in our spiritual warfare against evil. Jesus put it this way:
"And He said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."   Mk. 2:27-28
Looking at the seven things comprising the abomination mentioned in Proverbs, and the context in which it was discussed, I believe these seven things represent a kind of satanic seven, or in other words, a perversion of the LORD's perfect seven, His Sabbath. Those who join in the practice of this behavior are certainly joining in the doctrine of devils.
As we look at the items one by one, we can see a revealing of Satan, and his opposition and rebellious confrontation to the character of God, and the Person of Christ imbedded in the LORD's Sabbath, and his attempt to derail the knowledge of salvation:
1.  a proud (to exalt oneself, magnify oneself, to be rotten, to be wormy) look (of mental and spiritual faculties, the eye, spring, fountain):
Satan is the embodiment of rebellious, destructive, wormy spiritual pride (Isa. 14:11-15). The same pride in men is the source of many destructive sorrows. Ultimately pride will destroy the one who embraces it.
2.  a lying (deception, including that which leads to betrayal, fraud, deceit, trick, cheat, sham, deal falsely, self-deceived, break a covenant, deceive in a covenant) tongue (language, slander, accuse, flame):
Satan, in the form of a serpent, deceived man, and represented God and His word falsely. He is described as one "who deceives the whole world" (Rev. 12:9), and as the father of lies (Jn. 8:44). Jesus said that those who deny Him and God's truth have Satan as a father. Satan is also the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) . Judas, who betrayed Christ for coin, is described as "the son of perdition" (Jn. 17:12), which would associate him with Satan and hell. Jesus, in an opposite manner, came as truth, and was full of truth (Jn. 1:14, Jn. 14:6, Jn. 8:32,36). Jesus said the word of God is truth, and has the power to sanctify (Jn. 17:17). No wonder Satan and those who submit to his ways work so hard against the truth.
3.  Hands that shed (pour out, gush out, heap up) innocent blood (guiltless, blameless, die, cause to be silent): 
Jesus said that Satan was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). Satanic worship through the idol and false god, Ba'al (see above mention of Belial), included the murder of children for centuries, which we still see in practice today through unlimited abortion. We have caused millions of lives to be silenced before they ever had the opportunity to speak. I wonder what they would have had to say that made them such a threat? Murder of the born and the unborn has become so wide-spread that one pope characterized the time in which we live as "a culture of death". God cries out about His people who "make haste to shed innocent blood" (Isa. 59:7). In contrast, Jesus is the force of life in man (Jn. 1:3-4). His power of life is so great, that death cannot hold Him. He IS resurrection life (Jn. 11:25).
4.  a heart (inner most part, conscience, knowledge, determination of will) that devises (cut in, engrave, plough, inscribe letters on a tablet) wicked plans/imaginations (cunning thoughts invented for idolatry, affliction, sorrow, evil, and trouble):
Man doesn't realize that even his thoughts are like engravings in stone. They are not hidden, nor are they constrained to remain as invisible substance. Our thoughts "become" (Gen. 6:5, 11-12).Our thoughts and self-will are a powerful playground for Satan because of our unawareness. Paul said that our spiritual warfare against evil powers begins in the taking captive of our own imaginations (2 Cor. 10:4-5). The LORD speaks of those among His people whose thoughts are full of iniquity (Isa. 59:7). The betrayal of Christ had its beginning when Judas allowed Satan to enter his heart (Jn. 13:2). God has provided armor to stand against the devil (Eph. 6:11-18), and part of the armor is the helmet of salvation, and the breastplate of righteousness to protect the heart and mind. Scripture teaches us to fill our minds and hearts, to wash them, with God's word instead (Ps. 1:1-2).
5.  feet (journey, way, slander, tale-bearer) that are swift (hasty, do quickly) in running to evil/mischief (evil, unkind, vicious, injury, misery, calamity, distress, broken asunder): 
Jesus said that He is the way ((Jn. 14:6), and it is following Him that man's feet and path are meant to go. The feet that are blessed are the feet that bring the good news of peace, glad tidings and salvation (Isa. 52:7). The LORD speaks sadly about His own people who are swift to do evil, and whose crooked paths are full of wasting and destruction (Isa. 59:7-8). Jesus told His betrayer, the son of perdition, to go quickly to do the evil that was in his mind to do (Jn. 13:27).
6.  a false witness (testimony, prince, recorder, evidence of a thing, say again and again, bear witness to the truth, to restore and relieve) who speaks (bring into a snare, kindle a fire, scoff, to breathe, to blow) lies (thing that deceives, false hope of an idol):
This witness above is the opposite of the witness of truth. John the Baptist came to bear witness to the Light and Truth, who was Christ, so that others could believe (Jn. 1:7-8, Jn. 5:33). The Father bore witness to His Son (Jn. 5:37, Mt. 3:17), Jesus' works bore witness to who He is (Jn. 5:36), all of the scriptures bear witness to Jesus as the Son, and Savior (Jn. 5:39). This holy witness is not to snare, but to free and save, not to give deceiving false promises as an idol does, but to give the unbreakable, eternal promises of the Almighty. The power of only two or three witnesses is so great that their every word will be established (2 Cor. 13:1, Deut. 19:15). No wonder Satan has a false witness on his seven list. The evil of the false witness is so great that when they are discovered the LORD ordered them to be "put away... from among you", and the evil they intended to create through their false witness against another would come upon them instead (Deut. 19:19).
7.  one who sows (send, let loose, show forth) discord (strife, contention, quarrel) among the brethren (confederates, resemblance, kinship, any other man):
The seven, or Sabbath, of God ends strife and contention, according to its meaning. The seven of Satan fosters it (Prov. 6:14). The anointed people of God walk in unity with the brethren (Ps. 133). The end or completion of the work of Christ in us, in part, is the unity of the faith (Eph. 4:13). We can see that Satan has much to gain if he can keep the Church, and the brethren from this unity, and foment strife in its place. He cuts off the full stature image of, or resemblance to Christ in the believer, and the Church, and consequently in the world. A Church divided by strife and contention serves Satan's agenda of seven very well.
While these seven abominable characteristics from Proverbs would appear to be Satan's countermeasure against the word and will of God, and the knowledge of Christ, they are not foregone conclusions by any means. Destruction is their sudden end. The people of God are called to resist these things (James 4:7), and bear witness to the truth of God (Rev. 12:11).
We can see the importance of this calling to truth and life as we meditate on these things this Sabbath day. Shabbat Shalom.

Our Father has delivered us out of the abomination, and into His Sabbath.

Unwalled

    

Above is a photo of the church in which I grew up. It contains the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen, some of which are pictured above also. The windows were produced by the Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios. Other than the beautiful windows, and the large built-in organ, the inside of the church was rather plain. It fills one's idea of a conventional church. That church holds many fond memories for me, and I love it still.
After I came to know Christ as an adult, I have attended another wonderful church for many years, and enjoyed it thoroughly. I love that church also. Now that church is a church without walls. It doesn't have a roof, beautiful stained glass windows, pews, an organ, or any other of the usual things one associates with a church building. Some may think, "but that's not a church", but to me, it is the greatest church I have known. Looking at us from the outside, many would think that we no longer exist as a church, but they would be wrong.
Churches with walls are wonderful, but experiencing the church I know now, my church without walls, is in a way like slipping free of your physical body, unencumbered, and soaring as spirit with the Spirit of God. The Presence, praise, prayer, teaching, and fellowship are higher and more awesome than anything I have ever known. In a way, Jesus described a church without walls when a woman was discussing the "acceptable" place and manner of worship with Him:
"Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father...But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
                                                                                                       Jn. 4:21-24
When the walls were removed, first and foremost, I found the church within myself. I am amazed everyday by the experience within this internal church, and I am thankful for having had this opened to me. Having found that church, when I look on the church walls I have known in the past, even though it is with great affection, I can't say that I am missing anything now. On the contrary, I have gained. Secondly, the church I have now, though it has no walls, is still also a fellowship with my pastors and fellow believers. Those of us who understand have not forsaken (abandoned, deserted) the assembling of ourselves together (Heb. 10:24-25) with those who say, "Walls or no walls: we are the church."
This church without walls is not something that I decided for myself. I did not "leave" any walled church, nor am I recommending that anyone else leave a walled church where the Lord is feeding them. On the contrary, what I am experiencing now is the opposite result that one would have from deciding to leave a church. This, in my life, was a sovereign act of God, solely determined by Him, and not my choice at all. At first, the loss of walls felt like a terrible thing, but now I see that it was really an incredible opportunity not experienced by many, to learn things that I might not have learned within the security, comfort, and "normalcy" of walls.
The LORD tried to describe to the struggling remnant who were given the overwhelming task of rebuilding Jerusalem after exile and destruction, the vision He had for their city. The LORD allowed His prophet to witness His angels measuring out the city of Jerusalem in the Spirit, a vision-city so great, the human imagination caught in those challenging natural circumstances couldn't hardly grasp it. This is what the LORD commanded His angels regarding the prophet, and the city:
"Run, speak to this young man, saying: "Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I", says the LORD, "will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst."  Zech. 2:4-5
The prophecy of the LORD for Jerusalem certainly has already proven true in the natural, as Jerusalem now sprawls way beyond the previous perimeter of the wall of the old City of David. I know the prophecy will prove true spiritually, as salvation and the peace of God will fill that city to overflowing as well.
Like the vision-city Jerusalem, I believe there is a church that is so great in multitude, that walls cannot be built big enough to contain it. The only wall that will be around it is a wall of the LORD's fire. This is my vision for my current church without walls:
"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore."   Ezek. 37:26
If, through no choice of your own but by the will of God, you are also part of a church without walls, don't be discouraged, nor look back in mourning for the walls that once contained you. Instead, view this as a rich opportunity to experience the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a way and in a freedom that you have never had before. We are in this unwalled place for a reason and a season, for a purpose and a gain. Grasp that gain and explore it with all your might!
My church may one day be a walled church again, but even if it is, I will bring within those walls, the wonderful things I have learned in Christ, and with Christ while in my unwalled church.

Our Father's Church does not have to be contained within walls.