Debate

We are currently in the season of the last of the fall feasts of the LORD, as He commanded Israel. It is the Feast of Tabernacles. It is the feast that joyously celebrates the harvest, and recalls the time in the wilderness when God's people dwelled in tents, and God dwelled among them. This feast also includes the promise of God that He will dwell again in the midst of men.
We have an account of this feast, and Jesus' attendance of it, in the New Testament:
"On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."   Jn. 7:37-39
Many in the crowd who heard Jesus that day thought that He surely was the Prophet, and the Messiah. There was, however, a great division among the people because of Him (v. 43). Even at the time of this feast, which was months before the Passover feast during which Jesus would be crucified, the leaders of the Temple had dispatched the Temple officers to arrest Jesus. The officers came back empty handed because they also were divided when they heard Jesus speak. The chief priests and the Pharisees asked them why they had not brought Jesus back with them, and the officers replied, "No man ever spoke like this Man!"
The Pharisees scolded them saying, "Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?"  The leaders also pointed out that the crowd believed Jesus because they were ignorant of scripture (v. 32, 45-48).
Their argument was that if none of the rulers or Torah experts believed in Him, then it couldn't be so, and Jesus must be a charlatan.
The people's own ears and hearts were telling them, "He must be", but the Torah experts were saying, "He couldn't be."
One of the issues that the Torah experts clung to in denying that Jesus was the Messiah, and an issue that also divided the people, was the fact that Jesus was from Galilee. According to their knowledge of scripture, none of the prophets had said that the Messiah was to come from Galilee. Instead, the Messiah was to be from Bethlehem (v. 42, 52).
We know from the Gospels, that Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem as the result of an order from the Roman emperor to take a census of the people. Joseph, as a descendant of David, had to return to the birth town of his family, Bethlehem, in order to be accounted for and registered. He had to bring his very pregnant wife, Mary, with him. Thus Jesus did fulfill that Messianic prophecy, and many others.
As far as Galilee is concerned, the very great prophet Isaiah gave us a subtle hint regarding the mystery of Galilee:
"...In Galilee of the Gentiles...The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined."
And just a handful of verses later, we read:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace..."    Isa. 9:1-2, 6
The verses around Isaiah's prophecy regarding Galilee is a promise that the yokes of burdens will be broken. The staff and rod of the oppressor will be removed. Though Galilee was held in low esteem in Jesus' day, even the meaning of its name has a connection to the One whom we know as our Messiah, Jesus. In Hebrew, Galilee refers to a circle, or ring shape. Its root meaning includes "to roll (away) a stone". Those who know the details of the resurrection of Christ, will recognize the rolling of the stone away from the opening of the grave in which He had been buried (Mk. 16:1-4).
Though the Torah experts of Jesus' day could not find Him in the scriptures, He is present from Genesis through Revelation. Jesus told those who made scripture their study:
"You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." 
                                                                                                               Jn. 5:39-40
However, many of those who were unlearned in the scriptures, whom the religious leaders scorned for their ignorance (Jn. 7:49), were able to identify Jesus as the Messiah because of what they heard Him say, and what they witnessed Him do. Their souls identified Him, and knew Him. When the disciples came in contact with Jesus after His resurrection, but did not recognize His form, they realized that Jesus had been with them, and they exclaimed.
"Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the scriptures to us?"   Lk. 24:32
The Messiah is also discerned in the heart.
The Feast of Tabernacles that Jesus attended was a time of division and debate, much like today. God the Son, the Messiah, the Savior, was in tabernacle with them in their midst, but the most scripturally trained could not, or would not discern it.
There's a lesson in that for all of us. As I was reading this account of the Feast of Tabernacles in scripture, and the tragically wrong opinions of those scriptural experts during that great feast, the thought occurred to me that just when we think we know the scriptures, we find out how little we really do know. That's the way it should be, I think.

Our Father fills our hearts, as well as the scriptures, with the knowledge of His Son.

Revolution!

More and more lately, I am thinking about prayer. I know most of us have learned a certain format for prayer, or maybe "pattern" would be a better word. Some are even given the exact words they must pray. I keep feeling the urge to "break out" of the pattern, though. 
Jesus' disciples, born, raised and living within the Jewish faith, felt they had to ask Jesus how to pray. They had heard and, most likely, prayed all of their lives, yet they were asking to be taught how to pray. They knew that Jesus in prayer was different than anything they had ever witnessed in their religion and tradition. Jesus, going off by Himself, had unspeakably powerful and intimate prayer experiences with the Father. The disciples wanted this incredible spiritual experience that they witnessed placed into a learnable format. It seems strange, though, for prayer to have a format, when we consider how personal and interpersonal it should be with our Creator. Maybe our Lord is looking for a "prayer revolution"!
Scripture contains examples of some really strange "pray-ers" and prayers- prayer revolutionaries for their time. It is very likely that the people who prayed in these examples, and the manner in which they prayed, were considered unacceptable in their day, and possibly would not be considered acceptable in many churches, synagogues, or prayer groups today either. Yet these "inappropriate" people, and their "unacceptable" prayers, wrought the miracle power of God.
Jesus described prayer this way: He said to go into our innermost room, to shut the door, and "to pray to your Father who is in the secret place." Again, this was a departure from the usual prayer formula of the day, and from the example that was set by the religious authorities (Mt. 6:5-6).
Hannah is an example from scripture of someone who unknowingly ventured into a different realm of prayer. The LORD had shut her womb, so she could not bear children. Desperate, she went to the tabernacle in Shiloh to pray for a child. She prayed from a soul burdened with bitterness, and she wept in anguish. In praying for a child, Hannah made an oath to the LORD that if He would give her a son, she would dedicate that son back to the LORD for service to Him all the days of his life. The priest, Eli, seated at the doorpost of the tabernacle, watched Hannah as she was praying. Eli thought Hannah had been drinking because she prayed silently in her heart, with only her lips moving, and he scolded her for being drunk (1 Sam. 1:13-14). She answered Eli's accusation:
"No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine, nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked (daughter of Belial) woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now."  v. 15-16
The religious of her day would have considered Hannah to have been a judged and cursed woman, since the LORD was the One Who shut her womb in the first place. She was also a woman coming by herself to the tabernacle of the LORD without a male, specifically her husband, Elkanah, to accompany her. Her manner of prayer was unacceptable. All of these assumptions might have been made by people because of the outward appearance and circumstances that Hannah presented that day. They would have been wrong.
God heard Hannah's prayer that day, and her son, Samuel was born. He became a prophet, a judge, and a minister to the LORD under Eli, the priest. He anointed kings, including David, who would establish the royal line of the coming Messiah. Samuel, who heard and obeyed the voice of the LORD, served the LORD in the tabernacle under the priest, even though he was not a Levite. Samuel was an Ephraimite - another pattern broken.
Hannah, after the birth of her miracle son, prayed a prayer that is one of the most powerful prayers of spiritual warfare and revelation, even the revelation of life from the grave, seen in scripture (1 Sam. 2:1-10). Hannah's very name means "grace, entreaty, prayer". The root meaning is "show favor, have mercy, seek favor, implore favor". The root also contains the meaning "to be loathsome". There's the paradox of Hannah: she is considered loathsome because of her circumstances, but from the misery of that condition, her soul poured out miraculous prayer that moved the hand of God. It could be said that God closed Hannah's womb for the purpose of bringing her to the very spiritual place and to the exact moment, in order to birth a Samuel (meaning "His name is EL", "Heard of God") in the earth. This Samuel was one who heard and obeyed God, but "Samuel" was also about God "hearing, listening to, obeying, granting requests to, agreeing with, yielding to, consenting with, hearing with attention to" man.
Another great prayer revolutionary in scripture was at the opposite end of the spectrum from our little Hannah. However, he was also one whom others would consider least likely to forge a prayer revolution because he was a king. David created prayer songs from his most personal experiences. Some of the prayers are of the most intimate nature-between himself and God, revealing his private heart, even though he knew that they would be sung in public. Out of David's personal circumstances of fear, victory, betrayal, shameful sin and deepest personal repentance, utmost joy, personal worship and reverence, came miracle prayers of deliverance, victory, healing, provision, salvation and more. Each psalm is different with no set pattern, beginning or ending. Of course, we have taken his prayers, and have included them into some of our prayer "format"! Maybe there is a greater lesson to be learned from those precious prayers of David than a formula.
Prayer is the eternal hope of man that he may speak to God. It is a personal, spiritual blessing given by the Almighty to man, which can never be silenced except by man himself. All creation depends upon the prayers of man. It is too big to be confined within the structure that we assigned for it. Eli would have sent Hannah away based upon his perceptions of who should pray, and how one should pray, and if he had done that, a moment and a miracle would have been lost.
God does not see as man sees. Men judge by the outward appearance, but the LORD looks upon the heart (1 Sa, 16:7). The LORD had to make this very correction to our miracle son, Samuel, when he would have anointed the wrong man to be king. Sometimes the most unlikely person may carry a miracle prayer in their heart.
I know that somewhere out there there are prayer revolutionaries. They are probably unknown and unrecognized, but they are in their prayer closets exposing their deepest heart to God. That's where I want to be also.

Don't be afraid to break out of the prayer box. Don't feel that you are insignificant in prayer, or that your prayer is not as valuable as others'. As with Hannah, each of us has been brought through personal circumstances, to a moment before God. We have carried this precious seed of prayer that is unique to each one. No one else can bring this same seed to birth like you can, or like I can, as a unique individual. We have been brought to these prayer moments with that seed, in order to birth a Samuel in the earth. Like Hannah and David, the "Samuel" we birth at any given moment of a day, might be a Samuel of thanks and gratitude, provision, healing, peace, life, hope, rest, salvation, repentance, forgiveness, resurrection, reconciliation, revival, revelation, justice, love, faith, renewal, restoration, mercy, grace, truth, holiness, righteousness - the possibilities are as limitless as a life, or as God, Himself.

Our Father is calling us to a prayer revolution!

Cover

"...You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty...You were the anointed (outspread wings, to smear, to rub with oil, to draw the hand over anything, to spread over anything) cherub (angelic guardians- flanking the throne of God, hovering over the ark of the covenant, chariot of Jehovah, angelic representations in the innermost part of the holy tabernacle and temple of Solomon) who covers (covering, defense, hedge in, join together, stop the approach, weave together, interweave); I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones (stones of fire) (precious stones, building stones, altar fire of God, splendor and brightness, wrath)."     Ez. 28:11, 14
These verses above are, to me, some of the most pathetic in all scripture. Although it is written to the king of Tyre (rock used as a knife), these verses in Ezekiel 28 are directed toward Lucifer. It is a picture of wasted privilege, wasted gifting, calling and purpose, wasted glory, and position of trust and honor. The very one who had been created to be a covering, became the remover of covering, the accuser of the brethren, the accuser of the world. The one who was to be the defender, became the adversary. He had the privilege to be a covering to God, to the covenant of God, to the blood of sacrifice poured out upon the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies. The one who was the "light-bearer" of God, Lucifer, now only uses his light to masquerade and deceive (2 Cor. 11:14).
He is described as "anointed", the anointing being like spread out wings, and his purpose was to cover. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One, covers with His blood. Many of the anointed ones in scripture were priests and kings, again, those who "cover" the people, and the land. To be priests and kings, as you know, is also our calling (1 Pet. 2:9, Rev. 1:6, 5:10). This calling is not for the purpose of being exalted over others, but in order to cover.
Satan moved King David to number the people of Israel (1 Chron. 21:1). Instead of being a covering as king, David removed the covering over his people. We don't want to be likewise moved by Satan.
Remember, "anointed" here means to cover with spread out wings, to spread or cover with oil. Often, I think, as we consider ourselves "anointed" by God, we forget this meaning, being impressed instead by the privilege of anointing. The name Lucifer, is a lesson to us in itself, as well as being a prophetic decree of his own end. While his name in Hebrew means, "light-bearer, shining one, morning star, to be clear, to be brilliant", in the root meaning of this name, we see a descent from the heights to the depths. His name becomes "to boast, to make into a fool, to act like a madman". We see this similar descent in an earthly king who abused his charge to be a covering over God's people, Judah, while they were in exile. This was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (see Dan. 4). He fell from glory into insanity. As he humbled himself under heaven, God was able to restore him to his kingdom.
As God describes the glory and promise of this creature, the anointed cherub, through His prophet, Ezekiel above, we also hear the pathos and sorrow of a purpose thrown away. Iniquity caused this turning away from his glorious covering purpose (Ezek. 28:15). Iniquity means "injustice, violent deeds of injustice, injustice of speech, wickedness, depravity, iniquity as of a judge, (root) to deal unjustly, distort morally, turn away, turn aside". This is about judging gone wrong. It was not Lucifer's job to judge as the anointed cherub who covers. It was his job to cover. Lucifer judged men (Job 1:11, 2:4-5), and he judged God (Job 1:9). Lucifer's covering was to be a defense, a hedging about, according to the Hebrew meaning. Yet he mocked the hedging about of men by God:
"Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? But now, stretch out Your hand...and he will surely curse You to Your face!"   Job 1:9-10
In all of these things, Satan judged falsely (Job 2:10).
In contrast is the life of Noah. He saw judgment coming, and built a covering by the instruction of God. Even as he covered, he was also covered. Those meant to find the covering, found it (Noah, his family, the animals chosen). Those who mocked and rejected the covering that Noah provided, remained uncovered in the judgment.
At the darkest, emptiest condition of creation, the Holy Spirit covered (Gen. 1:2).
Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, came to cover, although that covering was rejected (Mt. 23:37, Lk. 13:34).
The secret place of the Most High is found under the covering of His wings:
"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty...He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge."
                                                                                                              Ps. 91:1-4
This secret place of the Most High is a place that I covet dearly. Yet, I cast others out of this precious place by carelessly exposing them and removing their covering. If I remove their covering, I will also be uncovered. I don't want to live all my life only to discover too late that I had turned away from the purpose for which God had anointed me as a priest and a king. I would rather err on the side of covering too much, if there is such a thing, than to be one who uncovers.
Noah, our hero of covering, fell into shame through drunkenness. He had three sons. One of his sons saw his father's shameful condition, and told his two brothers. Those two brothers, however, together backed into their father's tent, and covered their father's disgrace with a garment. God blessed the two sons who covered their father. The son who spoke of his father's disgrace was cursed, and his descendants lost the habitation of the land, Canaan. The covering action of the two sons may even have lengthened Noah's life, because we are told that Noah lived an additional 150 years (Gen. 9:20-29). We can choose to cover, or to uncover.
Part of the work of the anointing that covers, as we see in the verses from Ezekiel at the top of the page, is a "joining together, a weaving together, and interweaving".  We see a beautiful illustration of this in Psalm 133. The unity of the brethren was like the oil of anointing that completely covered  the high priest Aaron ("light bringer") from head, over beard, or covering of the chin, over garments, a covering of the body, to the feet and beyond. So even his covering was covered! This covering and joining together of the brethren is equated to the blessing of life forevermore. The anointing, the covering, the joining together, the blessing. One cannot be removed from the other. 
However, often we uncover our spouses, our parents, even our own children, our spiritual brothers and sisters who are fellow members of the body of Christ. We uncover those who have been given spiritual responsibility for us. I try not to uncover, because I instinctively know the harm in it, but it comes out of my mouth sometimes anyway. Often, we uncover others in order to justify ourselves. There will always be those who rip away the covering. We need more of those who will rush in to cover.
God said that He found His chosen, Jerusalem, in a naked condition, and He covered her:
"...so I spread My wing over you, and covered your nakedness...Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. I clothed you in embroidered cloth and gave you sandals of badger skin; I clothed you with fine linen and covered you with silk..."   Ezek. 16:8-9
I want to be one who covers.

Our Father anoints us to cover.


    Noah covered by his sons

Worms

Any gardener will tell you that worms are a valuable asset in soil. We don't give worms much thought, but they work diligently eating and digesting the decaying organic matter in the dirt, their castings enriching the soil and benefitting plants. Worms by their activity, also aerate the soil, breaking up the hardened dirt, increasing its oxygen content. Both soil, and the thriving plants that grow in it, are helped by the presence of worms.
God has a use for spiritual worms as well. Like the natural worm, these spiritual worms consume decaying organic matter. They feed on the carnal, or fleshly activities of man. We will see the details of that later on. First, we can look at an interesting account in Jonah:
In the fourth chapter of Jonah, the prophet has become very angry and exceedingly displeased. The LORD had compelled him to go to the city of Nineveh to warn of God's impending judgment for their wickedness. It turned out that the king and citizens of Nineveh listened to and believed the prophet, and sincerely repented of their wickedness before God. Therefore, "God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it." (Jonah 3:10). Jonah was so angry that God did not carry out the judgment of which he had prophesied, that he even wished for death. He said it was better for him to die than to live. As Jonah sat on a hill to see what God would do with Nineveh, God caused a plant, or a gourd, to grow over Jonah to give him shade, and deliver him from his misery. Jonah was thankful for that miraculous plant. However, God prepared (appointed, ordained) a worm that so damaged the plant that it withered and died. As the plant died, and the sun and wind beat upon Jonah's head, Jonah again wished that he might die. God asked Jonah if it was right for Jonah to be angry about the plant, and Jonah answered, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!" (Jonah 4:9). God declared to him that even as Jonah was able to pity the loss of a plant that he had not labored to grow, shouldn't God pity Nineveh with its many people, even for its lowly animals?
The word "worm" in Jonah's account has a Hebrew root ("towla/yala") meaning of "to speak rashly, talk wildly, to blurt or utter inconsiderately, devour". This particular "worm" appointed by God is connected to dangerously careless speech. Jonah's reckless words came from the anger in his heart towards God, because Jonah's prophetic warning to Nineveh did not come to pass. Jonah's spiritual pride was wounded, and it generated extreme anger and bitterness. This is all carnal thought, words and behavior. The Word says:
"The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble."  Prov. 12:13
This worm, with its roots in reckless speech, is the same Hebrew word used for the worm that Isaiah speaks of when he prophesies, "And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh."  (Isa. 66:24). Jesus also referred to the worms of this prophecy of Isaiah in Mark 9:44-48 when describing hell. Natural worms feed upon decaying organic matter. Spiritual worms feed upon decaying matter of fleshly words and attitudes.
There is another kind of worm appointed by God. An example is used in Isa. 14, as the prophet describes what will happen to the oppressive king of Babylon, but even more so, to his spiritual counterpart, Lucifer himself:
"Hell from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up the dead for you...They all shall speak and say to you: "Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us?" Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, and the sound of your stringed instruments (sound made by empty skin-bag used to hold liquids); The worm* is spread under you, and worms** cover you. How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!"  Isa. 14:9-12
The second mention of "worms"**, in the above verses from Isaiah, that will be under this king in hell, refer to the same worms that were mentioned in Jonah-the worms ("towla/yala") connected to rash and dangerously careless speech. The first "worm"** mentioned above, that will cover this king in hell, is a different kind of worm in Hebrew ("rimmah/ramam"). This worm is bred from the putrification of self-exaltation, self-magnification. We can see why this second worm was appointed as this king/Lucifer declared in his heart, "I will ascend into heaven...I will exalt my throne above...I will sit on the mount...I will ascend above the heights...I will be like the Most High" (v. 13-14). We can see how God has appointed this worm to devour the rotting flesh of gross pride, and arrogant, destructive spiritual ambition. Hannah, in her warning to the so-called mighty, prayed:
"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth. for the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed."  1 Sam. 2:3
The third different Hebrew word for "worm" is found in Isa. 51:7-8, as the LORD says to the righteous:
"...Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation."
The worm mentioned in these verses, is appointed by God to devour decaying temporary things that the world relies upon and puts faith in as a covering. This is a warning to those who hold the opinions of men higher than the thoughts of God. Doing so, they trust in coverings that will be consumed into dust, rather than the everlasting nature of the covering of the salvation of God. This worm, by its meaning in Hebrew ("cac/cuc"), swallows up what it has been appointed to devour in the same manner that a leaping horse joyfully swallows up great distances over the ground. The root meaning for this worm also represents a chariot horse, or an outer appearance of great military strength, upon which man falsely relies:
"It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."  Ps. 118:8
These different worms that we have looked at have been appointed by God to devour the dead and decaying, the works of those who have chosen the carnal and the dying over the eternal things of God. Even God's people, like the prophet Jonah, can be impacted by the spiritual worms of God's garden. The worms in His garden reveal our flesh to us, the flesh upon which we have foolishly relied, correcting us and helping us to grow in the things of the Spirit instead. By the work of the worms, we can easily see the end result of flesh and carnality. We are meant to walk not after the ways of the decaying flesh, but by the life quickening Spirit of God, and the work of God's spiritual worms helps us in these things. As we do walk in the Spirit, we are the sons of God:
"He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace...For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God..."  Rom. 8:3-5, 13-14 (Gal. 6:8, Phil. 2:15, 3:3)

Our Father has prepared worms to benefit His beautiful garden of life and peace.

Complicated

It's complicated. But is it supposed to be complicated? Does it have to be complicated?
I love the Word of God. It is so rich and deep. I can discover new things in it every time I look into it. One of my favorite moments in the Word is when something is revealed to me that I hadn't seen before, that makes me aware again of the awesomeness of God. I say to myself in these precious moments, "Wow!"
There are also moments in the Word when I get caught up in what I am supposed to be, but I'm not, what I'm not supposed to be, but I am, what I have yet to do, what I shouldn't do, what I need to get done, there's what Paul says, and what Peter says - well it gets so complicated. It's all true, it's all wisdom, it is all transforming and washing Word, but as I try to understand and apply in my life, mostly unsuccessfully, all of the righteous standards, warnings, and expectations of the scriptures, I find myself leaving behind, leaving out, forgetting, the most important part of the equation- the Lord, Himself. Paul said that he prayed this for us:
"...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (the fullness of all things in every way being fulfilled-Pure Word)."
                                                                                                        Eph. 1:17-23
To me, the above is an example of one of those "Wow!" moments. In another place, Paul describes us in the following manner:
"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."                                       Eph. 2:10
Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the details, that I lose the Big Picture, and I lose my relationship with the One who painted the Big Picture.
When I pray, I often come with my spiritual shopping list, instead of sinking into the One Who has already fulfilled all of the items on my shopping list. I don't mean to make light of prayer needs and requests, many of which are dire, by comparing them to a shopping list. However, if that is how I am handling them, then I am indeed trivializing them. "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." (Mt. 6:7-8, 31-32). What was Jesus trying to tell us about prayer? Jesus would go off by Himself to pray all night, often to the top of a mountain, where He would just sink into His Father's presence, fulfilling and being fulfilled.
The Israelites got caught up in the system of burnt offerings, which they were given by God under the Law. In Psalm 50, the LORD asks them to "hear" Him. He doesn't rebuke them for their offerings, but they left Him behind. What He really desired from them was their thanksgiving, and to "call upon Him" (call or cry out by name (of God), encounter a person, to be made to meet a person, to cause to happen by an encounter). The LORD was trying to take them back to the Person, trying to get them to connect with Him. He told them, "I am God, your God!"
Jesus told the Pharisees, and the scribes of the temple that they didn't know Him, because they didn't know the One who sent Him (Jn. 5:37-38, Jn. 8:19, Jn. 15:21). They spent so much time searching and learning the scriptures to try to find eternal life, but they didn't understand that those scriptures are a Person, and are embodied in a Person, Jesus, Who is the eternal life for which they were searching so hard (Jn. 5:39-40, Jn. 11:25).
You may wonder why this topic came up: what "put this bee in my bonnet"? A visitor came knocking on my door the other day. It was a very hot day, and I had just brought a family member home from the hospital. I was in no mood for callers. My unexpected visitor was a little old lady. She had pamphlets, and wanted to tell me that the Kingdom was coming. I told her that I was a Christian, and she said, "That's OK, we'll talk to everybody." (?!). I had a short discussion with her, and no, I was not recruited! However, after she left, I was left to think about some things. She is looking for a kingdom, but she does not know The King- for where the King is, there you will find His Kingdom. As Jesus said, "...the kingdom of God is within you (in your midst)." She has her eyes on the 144,000 spoken of in Revelation 7 and 14, and she is trying to earn a place among them. However, those 144,000 have their eyes on The Lamb, because "These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes..."
I suddenly wondered to myself, "The Lamb goes somewhere? Where does the Lamb go, and what does He do when He gets there, and why don't I know about it?" It is evidently the Lamb slain who is doing the going, not the King of kings in all of His majesty. I thought that the Lamb must go to some of the most horrible and desperate places on the earth, and lays Himself down over them.
I wondered if I was like that little old lady, who had her eyes and efforts caught up in a lot of things, but was missing the very thing for which she should be looking: like Martha rushing and preparing in the kitchen, when she should have been sitting at the feet of Jesus, like her sister. Martha was doing and concerned with many things, but she was missing Jesus! (Lk. 10:38-42). I don't want to be like the ones who counted their steps in order to keep the Sabbath, yet did not know the Lord of the Sabbath. I don't want to be like one who continually searches the scriptures, but leaves out the Living Word, the Son of God, Who fulfills all scripture! I don't want to be one trying to attain the unity of the faith, the perfect man, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, in every way except in Christ! Those who have been given to the church to build us into that fuIlness, point us to the Person Who called them to begin with: apostles, who have been with, and show us the Person of Christ; prophets, who prophesy by the spirit of prophecy, Who is Christ; pastors, who shepherd by the example they have been shown by, and lead us to, the Good Shepherd, Christ; evangelists (root-messenger, angel, bringer or instructor in the good news of salvation in Christ), who bring us the good news of the One from Whom they have received it, Christ; teachers, who have been taught and teach by the Rabbi, Himself, Christ. All of those gifts to the church have been given in order to impart the Person of Christ to us in some aspect.
Paul said that men and nations should "seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being..." (Acts 17:27-28)
All of those very complicated things that I am occupied with, could really become very simple. They are all found and fulfilled in a Person. I need to find, and become one with that Person. I want to resemble one of those who follows the Lamb wherever He goes. I want to be one who encounters the holy One of Israel Who has said, "I am God, your God!", becoming changed myself by that encounter, and in turn causing change as a result of that encounter. I should have figured this out a long time ago. Thanks little old lady for knocking on my door on a hot summer day. I will carry you with me in my heart as I call upon (encounter), and abide in Jesus. I will take you to The King!

Our Father has created me in Christ, and I will abide in Him (Jn. 15:4, 7).

Judging

Judges and courtrooms are serious business, not to be taken lightly. When looking at the history of the use of the gavel by a judge, the beginnings are murky. It is suggested that the word "gavel" comes from the old English word, gafol, meaning the demand by the lord of the land for the rent due, or the tribute owed by the tenant for the use of his land. The law makes a demand, and the demand must be satisfied.
It used to be that if a debt was owed and not paid, the debtor would be placed in the debtor's prison until someone was willing to come forward to pay the debt for him, or until he or she earned enough while living in the prison to pay the debt themselves-an almost impossible task. Some debtors spent the rest of their lives in debtor's prison. Charles Dickens wrote a novel about such a situation called, "Little Dorrit". The story is about a little girl, born and raised in a debtor's prison, where her family had been sentenced. Charles Dickens' own father was sentenced to debtor's prison, and he wrote the story to bring attention to the injustice of the system.
Some who owed a debt became indentured servants to the one who held the debt. The one who held the debt could "sell" the debt of the indentured servant to a third party, and then the indentured servant would have to work for the new debt holder until the debt was paid. The system was called debt bondage. This debt bondage system was banned by the United Nations in 1948 in its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but that declaration is not legally binding, of course. Some countries have included the principles of the Declaration in their treaties and trade agreements with other nations, but it is not compulsory.
Even though we have been trying for thousands of years, with input from the greatest legal minds past and present, our system of justice is still far from perfect today, perhaps because man is imperfect.
All of these facts are mentioned to illustrate the point that judgment, while meant to establish justice, is always joined to consequence or punishment. For every guilty verdict, the judge must also impose a sentence. Sometimes a judge has leeway in what kind of sentence is imposed, but he or she is bound by law to sentence the guilty according to the parameters dictated by the law.
When the judges are corrupt, so are their judgments, and then also the resulting punishments. For the judges must not forget that they are subject to the same law by which they judge others.
Scripture brings us deeper into the subject of judging and judgments. The godly king Jehoshaphat ("Jehovah has judged"), one of the most pious and prosperous kings of Judah, appointed judges to all the cities of Judah. When he appointed them, the king instructed them:
"Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge (shaphat-judge, govern, vindicate, punish, execute judgment, condemning and punishing, plead, defend, deliver) for man but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, no partiality, no taking of bribes."  2 Chron. 19:6-7
The responsibility of the judge is very great. As good king Jehoshaphat decreed, whatever judgment the one who judges makes, the LORD is in the judgment. How the matter is judged brings either execution of punishment, and/or achieves vindication, defense, and deliverance. Remember, a person judged guilty of the law, must suffer the penalty of the law, also, because the law is a covenant that has an "if/then" foundation. The judge, himself, must be without iniquity (injustice, unrighteousness, violent deeds of injustice, injustice of speech, deal unjustly), because iniquity will corrupt judgment. Those judging must treat self, friends, enemies, strangers, family members, rich, or poor the same under the law. Judges cannot be influenced by benevolent and advantageous acts towards himself by the one being judged.
Good king Jehoshaphat's father, Asa, was also a good king of Judah. Because the LORD had delivered him and his army from the hands of an overwhelming enemy (2 Chron. 14:8-13), he and his people entered into a covenant promise. They took an oath that they would seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul (2 Chron. 15:12). That sounds awesome! However, they also vowed that whoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. Here is where King Asa goes wrong. His own mother, Maachah (oppression, emasculation, castration), the dowager queen, established a particularly obscene image (NKJV) of a blood-thirsty goddess (Asherah/grove). While the king destroyed the idol, he did not kill his mother in accordance with the oath sworn, but deposed her from her position (v. 16). He showed partiality. I'm sure he was partial because she was his mother, but also because she was royal, and that was hitting too close to home!
Asa did not hold himself to the oath either, relying on foreign alliances rather than the LORD, for his security. As a result of not seeking the LORD, his kingdom would suffer wars. Asa oppressed the prophet who brought him this sentence of the LORD, putting the prophet in prison. Out of this anger, Asa also began oppressing some of the people (2 Chron. 16:7-10). By this behavior, he was acting in the definition of iniquity. Asa also did not seek the LORD when he became dangerously ill, but relied upon men, instead. Therefore, this illness resulted in his death (v. 12-13). The judge is also subject to the law by which he judges others.
Asa's name means "healer, physician", but it can also mean "injurious, harming". How he established law, and carried out the consequences that were to follow the law, made all the difference as to whether he would be a healer, or harming. I can see why his son, Jehoshaphat, made it a point to establish righteous judges. Judging can be a v-e-r-y tricky business.
We can easily fall into the same trap. We can be very quick to judge others, but when doing so, we may just as easily fall into the mouth of judgment ourselves.
Jesus, as usual, had very deep wisdom and advice concerning judging. In light of some of the above information, that advice sounds even wiser than ever:
"Judge (to esteem, approve, prefer, deem, think, determine, resolve, decree, pronounce, opinion regarding right or wrong, pronounce judgment, to subject to censure, condemn, punish, avenge, conclude, damn, decree, ordain, sentence to) not that you be not judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you...Condemn (to give judgment against, to pronounce guilty, sentence of condemnation) not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you...A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye", when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? First, remove the plank from your own eye...For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit...A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks."   Mt. 7:1-2, Lk. 6:37-45 (excerpt)
Do these words of Christ's mean that we are not to teach, or stand for righteousness? I don't think it means that. Jesus brought the truth about the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mt. 6:33). Jesus corrected His own disciples when they were in error, so His statements were not about correcting error. Paul taught about the connection between the kingdom of God and righteousness (Rom. 14:17). The righteousness we stand for is the gift of righteousness to us through Christ, and not of our own making. Scripture says that if we will confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn. 1:9). As Jesus said, however, that conviction and confession of sin begins with ourselves. To do otherwise, I am thinking, causes us to be partial in judging like King Asa, and like him, doing harm instead of producing healing (2 Chron. 7:14). 

Our Father is a King Who is looking for just judges.
 

Panel entitled "The Just Judges", part of the group of panels called, "Adoration of the Mystical Lamb" by Jan van Eyck, painted 1430-32. "The Just Judges" panel was stolen in 1934, and has never been recovered, even though the thief was known. In 1945, a copy was commissioned to fill the empty space.

When??

Jacob was in a tight spot. His brother, Esau, was angry with him, even threatening to kill him, because Jacob, pretending to be his older brother Esau, had tricked the blessing from their blind father, Isaac (Gen. 27:1-29). Their mother, Rebekah, overhearing Esau's murderous threats, told Jacob to go to her family in the east, to the house of his uncle, Laban in Haran:
"Surely your brother Esau, comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you." 
                                                                                          Gen. 27:42 (Ps. 64:5)
Jacob was running for his life, because if there was one thing Esau knew how to do, it was how to hunt and kill. His mother assured Jacob that his exile would only be for a few days, until Esau's anger had cooled, however, Jacob would not return for twenty years. Their father, Isaac, was told that Jacob was going back to the old country to find a wife from their own people, and he gave Jacob another blessing:
"May God Almighty bless you...and give you the blessing of Abraham."  Gen. 28:3-4
After Jacob began his journey, he slept and dreamed. In his dream, God appeared to him. The LORD identified Himself as the God of Abraham, and the God of Jacob's father, Isaac. God promised that He would give the land, and many descendants to Jacob. It was very similar to the promise that God had given to Abraham, like the blessing that Isaac had prayed over Jacob. God concluded by promising:
"Behold, I am with you, and will keep you (shamar, root word of "Samaria", meaning to keep, watch, protect, to keep covenant and Sabbath, be a watchman) wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."  Gen. 28:15
Jacob was in awe, and called this place Bethel, meaning "House of God (El-root:the ram of sacrifice)". Jacob vowed that if God did as He promised, then He would be Jacob's God, and Jacob would give the LORD a tenth of all that he would possess (Gen. 28:20-22). Jacob only knew God as the God of Abraham, and the God of his father, Isaac. Jacob did not know the LORD as God for himself at this point in his life and journey, but God was not done with Jacob yet.
As Jacob came to the place of his mother's family at Haran, he immediately saw and fell in love with Rachel, when she came to the well. He even kissed her right there, and wept (Gen. 29:11). She had come to the well with her family's sheep at the beginning of the day, well before the accustomed time for bringing the flocks (v. 7-8). Jacob discovered that this beautiful girl was the daughter of his mother's brother, Laban.
Because of the trickery of his uncle, Rachel's father, Laban, Jacob ended up agreeing to work for his uncle for fourteen years, in order to receive Rachel as his wife. After the seven years of the previous agreement, Laban had deceived Jacob and substituted his older daughter, Leah (weary, impatient, grieved, offended, faint, tired, disgusted), to be Jacob's wife instead. Though angry, Jacob agreed to work an additional seven years, if he could have Rachel as well (Gen. 29:27). Jacob must have wondered "When will I finish working this off, and when will I be able to finally return home? How much longer?" As it happened, Jacob also worked an additional six years for Laban to receive his own flocks and herds. Along the way, Laban continued to trick and deceive Jacob to try to get the better of their bargain. Jacob had indeed met his match with his father-in-law, as far as trickery was concerned. However, at each instance of deception, Jacob was still able to prosper out of the situation. He prospered in children, and in flocks and herds, so much so, that Laban became fed up, and, after twenty years, the LORD told Jacob that it was time to take his household and go back to the land of his fathers (Gen. 31:1-7). The LORD again promised to be with Jacob. Although Jacob admitted that it was only because of the LORD that he was able to prosper so under a very crafty Laban, Jacob still referred to God as "the God of my father".
After some contention during Jacob's departure, he and Laban eventually made a covenant of a kind of peace treaty, designated by a heap of stones. Jacob even received a blessing from Laban:
"May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another." 
                                                                                                      Gen. 31:49
Now Jacob, arriving back in his homeland, would once again have to face his brother, Esau. How would Esau receive him? He found out that Esau had heard of his coming, and was coming out to meet him with four hundred men. Accompanied with so many men, it was doubtful that Esau had forgotten any of his anger against Jacob. Jacob had three separate gifts of flocks and herds sent to Esau ahead of his own arrival. These flocks and herds cost him six years of his life, now to be given to appease his maniacal brother. Would the gifts turn away Esau's anger, and his plan to go to war with Jacob? Jacob considered the loss well worth the benefit of safety. Esau's name means "hairy", but the hairiness refers to the shaggy hair of the he-goat (see Gen. 27:16). The he-goat has been an age-old symbol for Satan, as the Concordance mentions.
That night, Jacob had another awesome encounter with the LORD. Jacob wrestled with a Man until daybreak, and demanded a blessing from Him. The only way the Man could break Jacob's hold was to dislocate Jacob's hip. The blessing the Man gave to Jacob was to change his name to "Israel" (God Prevails: contend, have power (as a prince), persist, exert oneself, persevere, contend with), "for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Gen. 32:24-28). King James Version says, "...for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "I have seen God face to face. Many say and believe that Jacob wrestled with an angel, but it was not an angel in scripture- it was a Man, the God-as-Man, Jesus.
Esau, like Satan, turned his back on his Godly purpose and future because he coveted the satisfying of his hunger and desires of the now. Jacob instead coveted the blessing at every opportunity. It is the blessing that fills both the now, and the tomorrow, into eternity. The blessing is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
As Jacob then prepared to meet Esau face to face, he placed both wives, two concubines, and all of his many children ahead of himself, and the remainder of his flocks. In the face of the previous gifts, and with the sight of all of the children, including eleven sons at the time, and the repeated prostration of Jacob, Esau met Jacob with a hug, and kisses, asking, "Who are these with you?" Though the initial meeting went well, Jacob had to use the excuse of the slower pace of the suckling animals in his remaining flock and herd, and the  slow travel needed for the women and children, in order to avoid travelling with a still volatile Esau and his men.
While Jacob must have asked himself many times, "When?", all of the 20 years spent laboring for his crafty, deceitful father-in-law were needed to produce the fruitfulness that saved his life, and secured his future. 
Most of us in our walk with Christ have asked the same question, "When, God?", as we seem to have to wait through fear, discomfort, contention, injustice and trial for the promise of God to manifest. However, even as God kept His promise that He would be with Jacob, and would not leave him until He had done all that He had promised, so He is with us until He has kept all that He has promised us. And, as with Jacob, all that we go through on the journey, even if meant by others for evil, God produces from those very things abundant fruitfulness in our lives. We trust in that. It is the strength of our faith.
Upon his arrival at Shalem (peace, covenant of peace, whole, perfect, safe, to be requited), Jacob built an altar in this place of his purchase in Shechem (back or shoulders, place of burden), and called the altar, "El Elohe Israel", meaning God, the God of Israel (Gen. 33:18-20). Jacob no longer knew God only as the God of Abraham, and his father, Isaac, but Jacob now knew God as the God of Israel, himself (and his posterity).
As a final thought, let me tell you what the name Laban means. It means "white". Looking deeper to the roots, it means, "to make white, become white, purify, to purge, to cleanse from the filthiness of sins", and finally, "to make bricks". Through the "Laban experience", while we are asking, "When God, how long?", God is doing a cleansing, purging and purifying work in us, building something with us as living bricks or stones. He reveals who He is to us, personally, through this journey. And as promised, He is with us to the end.

Our Father is with us, and keeps us until He accomplishes all that He has said.