Historical
Within the historical books, I see three primary meanings come through. These, I would like to consider each in their turn, and finally, I will look at the larger example of Nehemiah, in which the concept recurs quite frequently.
Warning (with power)
The earliest reference, in terms of the order in which we have the books in our Old Testament is in Genesis 43:3. There, Judah is relating events from the first trip he and his brothers took to Egypt. He speaks of Joseph's warning that the brothers would not be admitted into his presence unless they brought Benjamin with them upon their return. Our word appears twice in this verse, first with Joseph as the deliverer and Judah as the receiver of the message; then with Joseph delivering, and Israel receiving. In both cases, there is a sense of warning and a sense of solemnity to the message. The idea of warning is foremost in both cases: Joseph is warning the brothers of the futility of any attempt to seek his benefits without having met his condition, and Judah is in his turn seeking to convey that same warning to his father. In the delivering of that warning, there is a certain solemnity, especially in Judah's recapitulation of the message. The stakes are high, it's a matter of life and death, and time is short. He knows that his father will not willingly comply, but he also knows the necessity of complying. Thus, I am certain he was using every power of speech at his disposal to make plain the earnestness with which the requirement of Benjamin's presence had been conveyed to him.
One thing more I see in this, and this sense I see repeating itself in the other examples we have of this sense of warning: that is that the warning always seems to carry behind it an idea of the power to enforce. When Joseph made his declaration regarding Benjamin, it was clear that he had the authority to enforce his requirements. What he said, he meant, and what he said was law in the land of Egypt. There would be no getting around his decision.
That same message of power behind the warning is seen in God's dealings with Israel at Mount Sinai. He instructed Moses to warn the people to stay off the consecrated grounds of that mountain so that they wouldn't be tempted to look upon the LORD (Ex 19:21-23). Along with this warning came another to the priests who would be allowed near Him, that they must also consecrate themselves as the ground near which the LORD would draw had been consecrated. They must be made separate, cleaned of all defilement, stripped of all that is worldly, so that He can tolerate their presence in the vicinity of His perfection. Note, though, the power that lies behind the warning. If the priests are not properly prepared for His presence, He might 'break out against them.' The message is more clearly stated for the general populace: If they succumb to the temptation to take a peek at His holiness, they will die. It is a consecrated area, and defiling it with our imperfections will not be tolerate. He who delivered the warning is assuredly empowered to deliver on the warning. If God says you will die, you will die. If He removes His life-supporting breath, His sustaining hand, then surely we are left without hope of continuing.
This same sense of warning with assurance of power to force compliance is seen in Moses' restatement of the Law, as well. In Deuteronomy 32:46, Moses warns the people to give heed to all he has commanded, and to command their children to likewise observe and obey the whole of the Law with utmost care. It is not because of Moses that they will find need to comply, though. It is because of the LORD for Whom Moses speaks. The same Power which held sway at Mount Sinai when the Law was delivered is very much present wherever His people may be found. Nothing escapes His notice, nor does anything escape His justice. The so-called gods of the surrounding peoples were thought to occupy particular regions, or to have power over particular areas of existence; one god for the rain, one for the sun, one god for fertility, another for death, and so on. The God of Israel, though, the One true God, is another matter entirely. He is not bound by anything, but is Lord over all. There is no escaping His presence, there is no escaping His realm of authority. He is the I AM, and when He says 'thou shalt,' thou had best comply!
In the detailing of the Law, warning and power to bring compliance are seen once again. As Moses gets into the particulars, the applications of what we are given in general terms in the Decalogue, he comes to issues of our possessions, specifically to livestock (Ex 21:29). We are to be responsible for all that God entrusts to us. We are to be responsible to uphold the sanctity of human life in all regards. This is the general context for what Moses addresses here. The subject: an ox with a known tendency to attack people. If it were the first offense, a surprise to both victim and owner, it would be one thing, but here, it is quite another. The owner has been warned before in regards to what his animal has done. He is not unaware of its tendencies. Having been told, he had a responsibility to keep the animal confined such that it could not harm another. If, then, he has failed to do so, and another is killed by his ox, not only shall the ox be killed, but also the owner. Human life is holy because man is made in the image of God and for this alone ought to be held in utmost respect. The price for the willful taking of a man's life is life. That is God's holy determination, delivered for the upholding of His own glory and justice. The force behind this warning is once more far greater than the power of man. It is more than the power of the family whose member has been lost. It is more than the power of the government of the nation of Israel. It is the power of God that such a scofflaw is dealing with, and He will not bear such affront. The warning that is delivered is delivered with teeth!
In other cases, the power of the warning lies in explanation of the consequences. It is an appeal to reason, that those who hear fully, and think fully upon what they have been told will understand that the only reasonable course is to heed the warning. In 1Samuel 8:9¸ Samuel is seeking the Lord in regard to the people's demand for a king 'like the other nations have.' To his surprise, no doubt, God tells him to let them have this king, but not without making absolutely clear to them what the consequences will be. They shall be left no excuse to complain when their request has been granted them. If they will insist upon this king, they will do so with full knowledge of the ways of kings, of the cost of kings, of the impact a king will inevitably have on their own person and possessions. Kings are an expensive commodity, requiring extensive upkeep. Nor are kings to be denied their slightest whim. They will hold power to force their desires, and there will not be any found amongst the people who may oppose the king's purpose, however foolish and vain it may be. This is what kings are like. Consider this well, and if you still desire to have one so be it. When it all begins to sour, though, don't think to complain to Me, for you knew what you were getting into. Isn't this just like a father dealing with his children?
That same parental care and concern comes through in the message of 2Kings 17:13-15. There, we also begin to pick up the sense of repeated warning. Before we look at that, though, think about this idea of repetition with regard to the previous examples. Repetition, even in writing, is done to bring greater emphasis to the point. What might be ignored as a passing remark when said once demands our attention insistently with the repeating. Notice that the Law delivered in Exodus is repeated in detail in Deuteronomy! Same reason. This is important! Pay attention! It's a matter of life and death. Indeed, you who have heard this Law delivered, repeat it constantly not only to yourself, but to your children. You need that constant reminding!
Now, turn back to Judah. The warning Joseph had given him was not one spur of the moment judgment. It was given to Judah repeatedly to make certain that he was clear on the fact that the decision was not going to change. It was not whim, it was law. Now, Judah stood before his father, knowing how dearly his father loved Benjamin, and how jealously he guarded this last reminder of his beloved wife. Judah knew it would take every power of persuasion to convince Israel to allow what must be to be. It would take more, even, then the best appeal to reason. It would take the threat of death to that which Israel sought so much to protect. Only when it became clear that Benjamin would most certainly die of starvation were he not sent along with the others to Egypt, only when the risk of the trip to Egypt was less than the risk of refusing, would Israel agree. But throughout the time of his deliberations, Judah was constantly in his face, reminding him of what must be done, pointing out what was happening while he delayed, making every appeal he knew to make, offering every assurance in his power to make, in hopes of showing the certainty of the warning he had relayed.
The same idea is lying just beneath the surface of Samuel's instructions. In telling people what to expect from having a king, he was to deliver the message repeatedly, in detail. He was to keep pounding it into the peoples' heads until no possibility of misunderstanding remained. He was to use every power of persuasion he had. He was to make it plain to them what they were signing up for, and restate it every which way to make sure there was no mistaking the message.
Now, let's turn to 2Kings, and look upon our Father dealing with His children. If ever there was one who repeatedly spoke to his children, warning them of the dangers they placed themselves in, God is that one. We are told that the LORD warned Israel, admonished them, sought to show them where they had gone wrong and how to get back, through every prophet and seer. There was no place His children could go that they were not hearing the warning being pronounced. There was no escaping the voice of Truth accusing their consciences. Over and over, He bore witness to what was going on amongst His children, warning them to cease and desist, and to keep His law. That Law had been made abundantly clear through the very same means, the repeated declarations of God's words through His servants the prophets.
Yet, in spite of His great efforts, the people refused to hear. Indeed, so far had they strayed from God that they did not even believe in Him, did not believe in their own God! They rejected every prophet and seer, rejected His Law, and pursued instead the vanity of the nations, in direct opposition to God's explicit command.
In some ways, the whole record of the books of Kings and Chronicles are one long record of God's patient repetition of instruction and rebuke. In periods of rebellion in Israel, the rebuke comes, pointing the way back to righteousness. In periods of righteousness, the instruction comes, reinforcing the prevailing sense. But, never do we find God just giving up. Never. To this day, He has not given up on Israel. Nor has He given up on us. Be clear, though, that God is clear on this: He will not contend with man forever. There will come an end of His patience, an end of His warnings.
With that in mind, I think we should look again at 2Kings 17:14. We are shocked to consider that Israel had wandered so far as to not believe in their own God. Yet I wonder how many of us are in that same condition. We sit in our churches once, twice a week, perhaps more often, and we hear the word of God declared to us. More than that, we have it explained to us in words simple yet profound just what that word of God has to do with our daily lives. The application is made clear, as well as the Authority. So what do we do with it? Do we stop at nodding our heads, and then go home to do as we please? One might presume that everybody in the church knows God and believes in Him, or else, why would they be there. Yet I know from experience that this is not necessarily the case. There are unbelieving spouses who attend only for the peace of their household. There are those who come simply to be amused by the antics. There may even be those who come only for the music.
There is another class within the church with which I am far more concerned, though: those who attend thinking that their attendance will be enough. Years of establishment churching have led to this perception. Certainly, there are any number of 'social Catholics,' folks who attend their masses religiously, but that is where their religion stops. It's not only in the Catholic church. The Protestant church has the same folks, folks who show up for service every Sunday, sing the hymns, recite the various creeds and rites, but are stabbing folks in the back before they even clear the steps of the building. These people are hearing the warnings of God repeatedly but, in spite of the appearances they seek to project, they don't even believe in Him.
This same attitude is in the repentance that lasts only as long as the prayer. We are so often like willful children in the face of our Father in heaven. We know we have done wrong. We have been confronted with the error of our ways, and we are truly sorry. We are truly sorry we've been caught at it. Like any child of man, we promise to try and do better, we'll doubtless promise whatever it takes to be free of the painfulness of this present encounter. We've been well-trained in our Christian duties, so we will surely pray for forgiveness. The question is, what happens once we've prayed? Perhaps we've been in church and heard the voice of conviction come upon us. The alter call comes, and we respond from our emotions, going forward in tears of repentance. But what happens when we go home? What happens when we reach the car? Was the repentance real? Have we truly turned from our wicked ways, or are we simply counting on His continued patience with us?
There's an old phrase that says actions speak louder than words. Our words may well say that we believe in God, that we love Him most dearly. But, what do our actions say? Do we heed His words of warning? He's been telling us for years now what we need to let go of, and what we need to pursue. When will we act upon His words? When will we show by our lives that we believe not only what He says, but that He is? If we truly know it is the I AM who has pointed out the way, how dare we delay in going! With Israel, there was a time in the desert where His direction was so manifest that every eye could see His intent for His people. Where the pillar was, there His people were to be. If it stayed, they stayed, if it moved on, they moved on. We need that same sense of His presence today. The Holy Spirit is with us, just as the pillar of His presence was with Israel then. We need our spiritual eyes wide open to the Spirit of Truth, that He may point us to our present task at every moment. Where He says stay, we must train ourselves to stay, however anxious we may be to take action. Where He says to take action, we must take action, however much we may want to hole up and stay safe.
Lord, tune me. I know I am speaking to myself, no You are speaking to me, in what I've just written here. Too many times, I have allowed my sense of wrong to stop with the immediacy of prayer. Too often, I've said I was sorry and then returned to the same old things. This must cease, Lord! Indeed, I know even now a fear that the same will hold true again. God! I don't want to continue going where You tell me not to go. I don't want to keep shying away from the things You ask me to do. Yet, the flesh seems ever to be weak. Were it only so weak that the spirit that yearns to walks with You could actually control it!
Holy Father, You and I have been looking at this matter of usefulness in doctrine and teaching. I fear at times that this studying I have pursued for the last several years may be doing no more than stimulating my mind. Is it bearing fruit, Lord? Is it doing Your work in me? Is it doing anything other than occupying my time? Oh God! I pray that it is! I would not have our time together wasted. I would not have You frustrated with me, nor me frustrated with me for that matter. Lord, I pray that somewhere in the course of this day You would show me. I pray that I would see in my day some sign that we have been together this morning, that I have not merely been amusing myself with my own thoughts.
Covenantal sense
In Moses' delivery of the Law to Israel, another sense of this word admonish comes out. Now, the solemn warning of our previous examples is strengthened to take on legal connotations. These are matters of covenant, as is the whole of the Law, really. The whole of the book of Deuteronomy could, in its own way be viewed as one lengthy admonition, as it is a repetition of warning and instruction as to how to live as God's people. Through the course of this book, we come across four occurrences of this legal usage of `uwd. In every one of these cases, it is worded as 'calling as witness against you,' in our translations.
Now, it ought to be noted that in none of these cases is this testimony being given for events already done. Rather, the testimony is that the consequences of future failures in regard to the Law had been fully explained, the ramifications both of compliance to the Law and rebellion against the Law had both been laid out in detail and repeated examples had made it clear to one and all.
The first of these witnesses to covenant occurs in Deuteronomy 4:26. Were that verse seen in isolation, it would seem that the violation had already come, and the sentence was now being declared. However, this is not the case. If we look back to v25, we see that it is a matter of when. When you provoke the LORD with your idols and your corruption, then you will be destroyed utterly from the land. And lest you seek to claim ignorance of the consequences in your dismay, heaven and earth are witness that you were warned in my words today. You knew what would happen, yet you did it.
What's interesting in this is that there is no 'if.' It is not if you do these things, it's when. Consider that Moses is delivering God's message here, he is speaking for God. Consider also that God dwells outside of the bounds of time, all is immediate to Him. In delivering this message, He already knew that offense would come. For Him, it had already come, had come before Creation got started. Yet, He does not cease to warn His people in strongest possible terms of the consequences. When they choose their idols, it will have been an informed decision - a foolish decision, but an informed one. Indeed, their hearts ought to have been shaken by that 'when.' If ever there was a call to fall down in repentance before a holy God, this was it! If ever there was a clear declaration that a Savior was needed, this was it!
Nearer to the end of this book, there are two more occasions for this sealing witness. It is not unlike the various contracts we sign indicating that we have been informed of the details of a particular contractual agreement. We are indicating by that signature that the material has been made clear to us, that if the wording of the contract itself is not straightforward, then it has been sufficiently explained. It is our obligation to be certain of the significance before we sign. What Moses is relaying to Israel in these two instances is similar in nature. Israel is being called on to sign a contract with God to be His people. It is a most solemn covenant, indissoluble by man or God, for it is founded upon God, who does not change.
The first of these two instances is quite familiar to us. It is part of the well-known summary of all that has been detailed in the preceding discussion. That this is indeed a covenant issue is made clear back in Deuteronomy 29:10-12: "You are all standing before the LORD your God today, from your youngest children to your most respected elders, from the alien in your camp to the highest official, in order to enter into covenant with the LORD your God." The delivery of this message had opened with reminders of just who this God is and how greatly He had displayed His power on behalf of Israel in the past. The All Powerful One, God of all Creation, was making covenant with this people, to be their God, and He was calling upon them to join in this covenant as His people. Surely, there was joy in Israel to think that such an omnipotent God as God has shown Himself to be would even offer such a covenant to them! In those who were able to make honest assessment of themselves, surely there was also great fear.
These people understood what it meant to enter covenant, just as Abraham knew the awful significance of the covenant He had made with God. Perhaps Abraham was more clear on the fact that there was not the slightest possibility that he could uphold his end of the obligations. Yet, he had sealed the pact. Truly, his only hope was in God upholding both ends of the bargain, and in this hope, he was never ashamed! Now, that same covenant was being brought to the whole of his descendents in that time. God was in the process of honoring the very covenant He had made with Abraham. Sadly, among Abraham's descendents, there was not the same comprehension. Even with all Moses had laid out before them; the listing out of their prior failures, the power of the One with Whom they had to deal, the consequences of their failure to do so; even with all this, pride clouded the senses of many in that crowd and they saw only the blessing, ignoring the curse.
Life and death had been laid out before their eyes and ears. Now it was time for an act of free will. Nobody was being forced to sign on to this covenant. The terms were explained in full, and now, what would this people do? Would they have God as their God? Would they join themselves to the contractual obligation to heed His every command? Was God to be their king? Comes the summary: You have been shown the choices: life and blessing, or death and curses. Heaven and earth stand as witness that this is so. Now, you must choose. Oh! That you would choose life so that you and your descendants after you might live!
But a little further in the text, we find Moses adding one more seal to the agreement. The general assembly of the people has indicated their choice of life. Now, Moses turns to the issue of the leadership. He knows his own time is short. He has been told already that he will not go into the land with Israel, new leadership will have to carry on the task he has borne so long. So, Moses calls together the elders and the officers, the officialdom of this nascent nation of Israel. "Call together your leaders," he says, "so that I can repeat these words in their hearing." Once again, heaven and earth are brought in as witnesses that all has been explained to the satisfaction of those who will put their seal on this covenant (Dt 31:28). This is critical! These are the leaders, and as such, the responsibility laid upon them by this agreement is greater. "To whom much is entrusted, much is required." If the leadership is not of one accord, and committed to pursuing the terms of covenant, the people will surely fail to do so.
Sadly, the text makes clear that Moses already knows the outcome. How he labors to see the inevitable turned aside! Jonah, in his time, was willing to see his message delivered in vain, indeed, rather hoped that those who heard him would ignore him and feel the wrath of God in full. Moses is not this way. His heart is breaking within him because he knows what will come. He has been with the people of Israel long enough to know them all too well. He has also, we must recall, been looking through the God outside of time, delivering His words, and declaring His thoughts. Following on this call to the leadership sealing, he adds this sad commentary: "I know that you will turn away from what has been commanded you today. I will die soon, and it will not take you long to turn to away to corrupt actions. I know, also, that in the day you do so, evil will come to you, as your evil has come to the sight of the LORD. You will undoubtedly put your hands to things which will provoke His wrath, even though you have understood by this message what the consequences will be" (Dt 31:29).
How many pastors must feel this same heartbreak each week, as they take to the pulpit. They are compelled to deliver the truth to those in their charge. Their hearts long for nothing more than that their words might be heeded in the minds of those who hear them. Yet, they, like Moses before them, have walked with the people long enough to know. They have known their own flesh well enough to recognize that for the greater part, their words will be in vain. Oh, there will be those amongst the congregation in whom the message will catch. There will assuredly be a remnant, and in this, the pastors rejoice. In this, they are given the strength to continue with the task they cannot set aside. But, how much heartbreak they must suffer along the way! How they sorrow when some among their charge walk away from the church. What days of tears they must go through when they see so many continuing as if nothing was wrong, knowing what an end must come upon them. How this must inflame their concern, leading them to redouble their efforts to get through to the obstinate.
Oh, Lord! Would You, in Your mercy, give our pastors strength to continue! Work, Sovereign King, upon the hearts of this people that they would truly hear, and hearing, take action. Father God, I long to see in this local body the remnant in majority. I know that You more often work with the impossibly small, that Your strength may be the more evident, yet I would dare to seek that You would allow the numbers in this congregation - the numbers of those truly faithful to Your ways - to be great indeed. What, my God, shall You accomplish with such a people! You desired a nation of those who would faithfully pursue Your agenda. You desire that still. Oh, may we be that nation! May I be of that nation!
Father, I know without doubt that I have failed You in this calling. Perhaps, as with Israel before me, it has been inevitable that this would be the case. But perhaps not. God! I don't want to be found unworthy of the trust You have placed in me. I don't want to be found shirking the duties You call me to. But, I know that I am incapable in myself of being holy as You are holy. It just isn't in me! I know that more often than not I am amongst those who hear, but refuse to change. Soften this heart, God! I need that change. I cannot continue as I am.
Oh, how shall I praise You sufficiently for providing for me a way of salvation? What could ever suffice to express my gratitude for the Son You gladly gave for me? How can I ever cease to love You who have loved me so perfectly! As I look forward to service today I pray that You would keep this sense of You in my heart. May the notes that come from my horns today be full expression of the joy of my salvation, a full and earnest offering of my love and thankfulness! May all I do today be not in service of myself, nor in service of man, but wholly done in service to You and You alone.
Holy One, give strength to my pastors, as well as hope. May the words You give the pastor to speak to us find rich soil in which to be planted. May lives be changed by Your work in my pastor today, may it be my life that changes! Let him see the good growth from the work of his hands, that his heart may rejoice in serving You! May You find cause to rejoice in us, today, my King! This above all, may You find cause to rejoice!
One further example of this covenantal context occurs in Deuteronomy, which I should like to consider in detail. I include it here as it is given in the NASB.
Dt 8:11-14
11 "Beware lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today; 12 lest, when you have eaten and are satisfied, and have built good houses and lived in them, 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and gold multiply, and all that you have multiplies, 14 then your heart becomes proud, and you forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."
Dt 8:18-19
18 "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And it shall come about if you ever forget the LORD your God, and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish."
This strikes me in particular today, in that in many ways it describes my current state of affairs. We, my family and I, have just taken possession of a new home, far larger than our previous home. I spent the last week with my beloved wife, settling in, and searching out things to make the house look nice. I generally don't consider myself a rich man, but in many ways, I suppose perhaps I am. Indeed, I am able to eat until well satisfied. My wife is particular about her groceries, and prepares wonderful meals for us. We do indeed have a good house in which we are living. In so many ways, in spite of the times, it seems that all we have is multiplied.
Thus, when I come across this passage, I feel its warning. There is a danger in such a blessing as this. It has destroyed many, ruining their faith, such as it was. God very kindly states the problem most clearly here. Seeing how well you are doing, he says, I know how you are. You will become proud, thinking you have done these things for yourself by your own wit and wisdom, and you will forget your God, the one who took you from the slavery of your youth to where you are now! May it never be! Yet, the danger we are warned against is made less a danger for the warning. The enemy is in plain sight. If I let down my guard, now, I have none to blame but myself, for the danger has been pointed out, and stares me in the face every moment. Will I fall for it? God knows the possibility is latent within me. How often He has had to show me pride hiding below the surface of my actions, and surely, with all that is new in my life right now, there is plenty for pride to get excited about. But it's all misdirected, and I must recall God's instruction, that I may enjoy the blessings He has so lavishly bestowed upon this family.
The antidote is elegant in its simplicity, as it is given in v18. The cure for such pride of possession is to remember God. Remember that if I have become something, if I have become well off, it is because He has given me the ability to do so. Nothing here for me to boast of but Him! How I am reminded of this daily! I work in a trade for which I barely trained, coming to it with but a year and a half of college where four years is considered mandatory, and five, six, or even more years of college is not uncommon. The particular tasks I have been fulfilling for the last year or so I came to with almost no prior experience, and yet amongst those I work with I'm considered more than competent, but have become more or less the local expert on that job. Shall I boast of this? Only insomuch as boasting of this reminds me of the God who has empowered me to do this! Yet, how often that slips my mind in my talking!
God, forgive me if in any way I - no, when in any way - I take Your glory out of my recounting of what You do in this life You gave me. I know I do so, and it is to my shame. I should know better, and indeed I do know better. Your reminder in this text has been before me for a couple of days now, and even then, I have forgotten, I have somehow tried to twist it around to being my glory that is on display. But, God, how can I? All my glory is You. All that is good in me is You. I shall not, Holy Father, cease from rejoicing in the gifts You give to me, but I plead with You that You would break off this pride from me once and for all! If I rejoice in Your gifts, let it be by rejoicing in Your name!
I sense, Lord, that in some ways the gifts You give are a test for man. What will we do with the blessings You bestow? Do we, do I, ever get it right, Father? Will I ever learn to declare Your goodness first and last? God, show me the way to express my thankfulness for Your hand in my life more fully. Show me the way to rejoice in Your blessings without trying to steal Your glory. Show me, Holy One, how to walk humbly amidst the gifts You have given me. Help me to learn from this test You give me, lest it take sterner measures to bring me around to the path of righteousness!
There is one other matter in v18 that I think deserves attention. Notice the reason God gives for this wealth that is so in danger of becoming a trap to us. What He has done, the rich blessings He has bestowed, He has done to confirm the covenant already sworn! Is this amazing? All that He has given, from the material blessings of sustenance and satisfaction in this life, to salvation, to faith itself, it is all given to magnify His glory in that it shows Him faithful still to the covenant He made with man! If riches are to be anything other than a trap to us, this is the thought we must bear in mind: They are given to us to confirm His covenant, to show forth His glory. Let us, then, with everything that is within us declare the glory that is shown in what He has given us!
Here, I see something I first heard from the Jewish congregation whose building we share. The concept is this: God has given us these things to enjoy. To refuse to enjoy them, then, is to reject God. It is as though we declared that we thought Him wrong in giving us these things. If God is good, goodness incarnate, how dare we treat His gifts as though they were somehow bad! Our Father in heaven knows how to give good gifts. Indeed, they are the only kind of gifts He knows how to give. If they become evil to us, it is by our misuse of what He has given in His goodness. Like the Law, the sin lies not in what was given but in the corruption of those to whom it is given. Sin is so thoroughly corrupt that it will gladly take advantage of what is good to make of it something vile. Riches are no more or less blessed than want. Paul made that clear enough. Indeed, we need to learn this lesson from the Jews: if God glorifies Himself in pouring out these things upon us, how dare we seek to cover over the display of His glory by insisting on being poor! Allow me to say, though, that the reverse holds equally true. If God has chosen to manifest His glory in how He sustains us in our poorness, if He has chosen to give us no more than our daily bread, how dare we question His goodness and wisdom by insisting on riches! "I have learned to be satisfied with much or with little," Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12. May we all attain to the maturity of that same lesson!
Now, it is with this recognition of God's working out of His covenant promises that Moses comes to the covenant warning. "If you ever go off after other gods, and forget the LORD," he says, "heaven and earth will stand up in testimony against you that you were warned." You will surely perish, even as it has been declared to you this day, and you will perish in full knowledge that it is no more than what you deserved. If you try to plead ignorance, if you try to excuse yourself because of the weakness of your flesh, it will avail you nothing. All creation will testify that God is in His right, and acts with perfect justice in bringing upon you the sentence declared before you today.
There is the state of every sinner. There is the answer to those who charge God with unfairness inasmuch as He does not save every man. There, also, is the desperate need we have of a Savior, and this great Gift, God has also freely given to His children! As was seen in other passages, it's not really an 'if.' We are corrupt and fallible beings, and we will most assuredly fall into the foolish ways that we have been warned against. Not many - I suspect not any - will come to His throne having never experienced the failures which God has declared before us. None will arrive saying that they have walked in perfect righteousness before Him. Every one of us who stands before His throne will have sufficient cause and more to plead the redemption procured for us by our Savior, Jesus Christ.
In Table Talk, the ongoing study of 2Samuel has reached the sad story of David's great fall with Bathsheba. Here was the man God declared as 'after My own heart,' taking the dive like the worst of sinners. Here is a clear picture of us. If we cover our mouths in horror at what David has done we have, I think, missed the point. For we are being shown, in the record of David's error, the real picture of our own daily failures. What he did is no more vile than we are capable of. There's an old song by Phil Keaggy titled "It Could Have Been Me." That's what we ought to see in David's story. It could have been me. I could very easily fall into that very same trap. I could very easily bring that very same sorrow to my God and to myself. If I haven't, it probably has more to do with a lack of opportunity than with any strength of character. If that be the case, praise God for the lack of opportunity!
You, Jesus, are surely all my righteousness! If I were left to my own devices, I know all too well what I would do. I am keenly aware of the sad thoughts that come to harass me, and I can only praise You that You have come to abide in me, that You, Holy Spirit, are there to strengthen me to resist and reject those thoughts lest they become actions. May I become even more consistent in casting down such imaginations! May I depend ever more thoroughly on Your strength in me so that I can be more consistent!
When we hit those times of failure, may we ever recall the repeated warnings, may we find our ears opened to the testimony of heaven and earth, and turn from our wicked ways! While we are still in His good graces, may we be faithful to repeat those same warnings to our children, for we are a forgetful people. We need that constant reminding of what is right and what is wrong. We need that constant reminding of how we can avoid falling, as well as what to do when we do fall. We have been admonished to be constant in the admonishing of our own charges, lest they be destroyed for the lack of our efforts.
Lord help us all to take this mission most seriously! Give us a diligence unparalleled in pursuing the training up of the children You have entrusted us with, a most precious gift among the many precious gifts You have given us. Help me, Holy One, to see this gift of Yours as a gift rather than a burden. God! I am so challenged to discipline in loving fashion. I am so challenged to be anything other than frustrated by what I see. How, oh Lord, do I bring correction? How shall I straighten what seems such a crooked path? How can I, my God, who have been - and in too many ways still am - much the same, bring credible correction? Is it pride, yet again? It is, isn't it? Agh! Will I never know the end of it? Rip it out of me, Father. Destroy that pride once and for all, lest it be my undoing! Replace it with Your own good purposes, that I may be, as the ordained head of this household, the leader You desire.
Negative testimony
In the covenantal usage that we have been considering we have seen the admonition of the Lord as a warning against future misdeeds. For the God who stands outside of time, it may as well have been a judgment upon past wrongs, though, for in His sight these things had already come to pass. In the workings of man, we find this idea of admonition as official accusation more clearly displayed, though in sad form. Two examples of this usage are to be found in the histories of Israel. The first such usage occurs in a subterfuge being worked out by Jezebel. Naboth has refused to give her husband the king a property which the king desired, so she has determined to make that land available by any means. She chooses the means of God's own law, a visible proof of sin corrupting that which is good to serve its own evil ends. The Law lays down the reasons for which the death penalty might be called for, and the Law lays down the weight of evidence required before that penalty may be invoked. Jezebel perverts both of these portions of Holy Law to satisfy her evil desire. In 1Kings 21:10, we see the plan laid bare. She instructs her accomplice to find a few men of the sort who will cheerfully do whatever is asked for a fee, men who know no fear of God even as she herself knows not such cleansing fear. These men are to be sworn by the very name of this God they don't accept to bear witness in regards to Naboth. They will be paid to lie, but to lie in full concurrence with one another, and they will declare that Naboth - a man wholly innocent - cursed not only the king, but God Himself. In the eyes of a more godly judge, this last charge must be answered by the Law of God. He has lain out the causes for which a man must be stoned, and such cause has been presented. He has lain out the requirements for witness to be accepted, and such requirements have been met by the prosecution. None, apparently, dares stand against this evil to defend Naboth. The admonition has come, false though it be. But, unlike the rebuke of a holy God, there is no place given to repentance. There is no opportunity for Naboth to be restored. There is only the certainty of the sentence being carried out.
We turn to the book of 2Chronicles for the second example of this usage. Here, the situation is reversed somewhat, for the testimony in this case is true; it is the thinking of those testified against which has been so thoroughly corrupted as not to see its own failures. Judah had been led for many years now by a godly king, we are told. But now that king, Jehoiada, is dead and another has taken the throne. It takes the writer some time to tell us who that new king was, indeed, not until the charges against his people are clear does he mention who this king is, and proceed to make his own guilt equally clear. The fall of Judah, in this instance, seems to be almost immediate. No sooner is the godly leader taken from them than they toss all that he represented to the wind and come to bow down before this new king.
The text (2Ch 24:15-22) indicates that the officials bowed down to the king, but does not appear to make clear what exactly was meant by this action. It may simply have been an expression of their loyalty to the throne. It may have been far more insidious. Indeed, the list of wrongs which follow suggest to me that this bowing down to the king may have been declaring the king a god in his own right. "And the king listened to them." What makes this seem to me a possibility is the following verse (v18), "they abandoned the house of the LORD, [] and served the Asherim and the idols." Now, it could be that these leaders of God's people simply counseled a change of allegiance for the nation, but I think it may have been more than that. I don't see how, the new king being the son of a godly leader who had led the nation through a period of blessing, would be tempted to go serve the apparent losers in the battles of the gods simply because of these worthless fellows. But nothing obscures reason better than flattery, and what greater flattery could they offer this new king than to declare him a god! Here was a youth flush with the newness of power. Already, he was perhaps a bit beyond himself. It would take but a small push to accept this novel proposal. I wonder if this was not something that was also to be found amongst the surrounding nations, although I could not say.
At any rate, the opportunity is laid for God to show forth both His justice and His mercy, which ever seem to come hand in hand from His throne of grace. His wrath came upon the nation. It came as punishment, yes, but more importantly, it came in hopes of bringing His people back to their senses. Even as judgment was meted out, He was also sending word to His people, calling them back to Himself. He sent in His prophets to declare His word to His people, to speak of the one possible hope amidst this visitation of God's wrath (v19). But, although the prophets testified against the nation, the people would not hear it. Finally, in this chain of warnings, God sends the son of a priest, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, to speak to the king and to the nation, making certain that they understand that the troubles they are in are the byproduct of their turning from God. They have chosen not to be in His hand, and He has, in His justice removed His hand from them. They are but reaping the fruit of their own choices. By the king's own command, this final messenger was stoned, and that in the very courts of the Temple, the Temple of the God who declared the life of man sacrosanct as man was made in His own image and stood as His own representatives on the earth! Only now, when the king's crime and the complicity of the people has been made clear, are we told who this vile king was, one Joash. It is interesting to note that both Joash and Zechariah whom he had killed were sons of fathers of one common name: Jehoiada; the one was descended in the line of kings, the other in the line of priests. Perhaps there is significance in that, but that's another thought for another time.
Right now, there are a few points I would like to focus on in this story of a nation's downfall. First, let me turn back to the word being pursued in this study: the admonition, the testimony. Remember that `uwd has at the forefront this sense of repetition. The message was delivered over and over and over again. It was not as though Zechariah alone had been sent. He came only as the last of many, repeating the same warnings to the people of Israel. Indeed, we saw Naboth stoned on the testimony of two witnesses, and them false. Doubtless the testimony of both had been delivered in the hearing of each other, allowing them to make more certain the agreement of their words.
God, on the other hand, had sent numerous witnesses, at separate times and speaking in separate places, yet delivering one unchanging message. What Naboth had been falsely accused of, the whole people of Israel now stood guilty of. They had cursed God, rejecting His rule over His own people, and turning to the worship of trees and idols of stone, the works of man's hands, and no more powerful to save than man's vain imaginations. Now, what Jezebel's conspirators had testified by their lies was being truly testified against the nation and the king. Indeed, the king, by his hand in the matter showed that he, too, was cursing God, and in doing so, was cursing the king as well, though this was surely not in his thoughts to do.
The other aspect of this that I see this morning is the parallel to the parable Jesus spoke regarding the owner of the vineyard and the faithless tenants. That parable can be found in Matthew 21:33-44. He tells of how the owner of that vineyard sent repeatedly to those who rented his lands, to receive his portion from the crop. Repeatedly the tenants, thus reminded of their obligation, abused and even killed those sent by the lord of that land. Finally, still displaying a basic trust, the owner sent his own son, thinking that even among men of dishonor the son, at least, would be respected. But greed had cloaked their senses, they decided that if they would but kill this last messenger the land would be theirs. It did not occur to them in the heat of that moment that the owner would certainly come himself, and come with the force to assert his right to justice in the matter. In v43, Jesus delivers a terrible message to Israel: "I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you, you who have behaved in just such a fashion as these tenants whom you rightly condemn, and that kingdom will be given to a nation which will produce its fruits." Here is the passing of the kingdom from Israel to the Gentiles.
In this section from the Chronicles, then, are we not seeing that same tale being played out? So many warnings. And yet, the tenants, those who were upon the land only by the will of Him who owns the land, Him who determines the course of all the nations of the earth, refused to give the Owner of all things His due. So little He asked in return for His goodness towards them, but they would not have it. Indeed, they killed His messengers upon the very floor of His own house. How much more of an affront could they possible offer to Him?
Yet, even with this, His mercy did not cease. His punishment came, and came most horribly, as we know from the record of history. But, He did not come with annihilation. There remained a surviving remnant. It's worth noting, I think, that in this case the remnant was not necessarily a holy remnant, not necessarily the 'church within the Church' which remained faithful to Him. It was as much an admixture of the righteous and the sinful as ever the nation had been. His mercy, then, was shown in His unwillingness to utterly destroy this rebellious people from before Him. It was also shown in the continuation of His efforts to restore them to Himself. That effort was still ongoing in Jesus' ministry, though the reaction still hadn't changed. Indeed, at last He sent His own Son to plead with them, but they tossed Him out of the holy city and killed Him. Still, God's mercy has not ceased, although it seems His judgment is ever upon that nation. The people of Israel have indeed suffered most horribly throughout the centuries, at the hands of both enemy and friend. They have been persecuted by Edom, persecuted by Christendom, persecuted by all the powers of the evil one. Still, by the mercy of God's ever-present hand upon His favorite nation, they continue to stand. Still, they in large part reject Him, and go off after the most current idols. Yet the attempts to bring reconciliation continue as long as the judgments continue. Scripture speaks with confidence of a day when Israel will finally heed the message. Eventually, the 'over and over again' of God's words will break through the stone of their heart, even as the continual gentle stream will eventually wear away the stone of the greatest mountain. The breakthrough will come, and oh! What rejoicing there will be in heaven and on the earth! What an explosion of faith shall flood the nations when the dams of their stubborn rebellion have finally been washed out by the love of the Father!
Compassionate Instruction
Coming finally to Nehemiah, another most wonderful aspect of this idea of admonition is seen, saved for the end of this section on the historical books because it is a reasonably extensive example. What a time this was in Israel's history! The warnings that were delivered over and over again had come upon them. Seventy years they had been taken from their lands, and only now were they being allowed to return. They returned with a mission - a mission, oddly enough, given them through the authority of a pagan king. That mission was to rebuild the temple of the living God, and to serve Him as He ought to be served! Truly, His ways are not our ways! We would never choose such a path towards service, but He is glorified when even those who are not His own honor Him.
Now, Israel is returned to Jerusalem, and the feast of Tabernacles is upon them. But, through the years of their captivity they have lost some of their immediate connection with the Law of Moses, so they call upon the Levites to read from that Law, to explain to them once more what is required of them if they are to faithfully serve this God. With understanding has come the weeping of repentance, but Nehemiah will not have it so. This is a joyous day in the Lord's sight, and His joy is your strength. Rejoice! Rejoice that He has made Himself known to you once more! Rejoice that He has so opened your hearts that you can hear Him, see your own condition, and be restored by His merciful hand!
Then comes the day of Atonement, and the people, freshly aware of the holiness of the Lord come with earnest repentance, to fast and weep before the Lord. As the people are gathered, the Levites begin to pray. Through this prayer, which begins in Nehemiah 9:5, the Levites are recounting the history of God's working in Israel as they speak to God. Does God need to be reminded of what He has done? No, the people of Israel need to recall it to mind. They also need to be reminded, in spite of their present spirit of repentance, just how longstanding have been their wrongs. They need to understand that God was absolutely just in bringing upon His own children the exile which was only now ending. This whole prayer, then, which continues to the end of the chapter, is one lengthy example of the admonition of the Lord. It is, as occurs so often through the pages of Scripture, a recounting in brief of the whole history of the nation. In recounting that history, the Levites make certain that those listening this prayer recognize that it is the LORD who has done it, both the blessings of the past, and the curses of recent times, even as His word had so often said He would do. This is but a reinforcing of the same message, a reuttering of the same choice for every man: life or death!
In v26, we come to the first usage of this word, 'admonish.' The Levites have just finished recounting the Lord's blessings upon Israel as they took the promised land, how abundantly that land had yielded for His people, because He had commanded it to do so. Now, they turn to the reaction of His people to His blessings. Did they come to Him rejoicing in His goodness? Did they increase in their faith? No! The became disobedient, rebelling against God and rejecting His law. When God saw what was happening, in His mercy He did not immediately bring destruction upon this thankless lot, He sent prophets to bear His word before the people, as we saw recorded in the annals of the kings. But these prophets, sent to admonish the people, to instruct them so that they might be restored to God, were killed by those they came to help. Notice that this message is being delivered by one doing precisely the same thing. It comes amidst the words of one inspired by God even as he is speaking to God, to declare to this people what has been their way since the start. But this time, the peoples' hearts are open to understand.
Coming to v28, then, the Levite is still recounting the record of Israel's wrongs. He summarizes the whole time of their possession of the land quite succinctly. They strayed and punishment came. They repented and God was gracious to save. "But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again." Still, God repeatedly rescued them because of His compassion. God repeatedly admonished them, warned them to come back to His law because of His compassion. They would not listen in their arrogance, but continued to sin in His sight, rejecting the word of life in their stubbornness. Still (v30) God was patient, putting up with their nonsense for many years, and continuing the repeated warnings through the prophets who spoke as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance. "Yet they would not listen." Here, then, was the cause for exile. But even in that exile, God showed Himself compassionate, for Israel was not destroyed utterly, nor did He forsake His people even in punishment!
The only conclusion that can be drawn from this history is that God was absolutely just in all that had happened to Israel (v33), faithful in all He did even though His children were behaving so wickedly. None had kept His Law, neither king, nor elder, nor priest. Not one among the ancestors of those present that day had been faithful to keep His rule. To a man they had ignored His law, and the admonitions by which He had sought to warn them, to reconcile them to Himself.
What was true for Israel returning from exile remains true for us today. We still need to have constant reminders of what we have been, of just how prone to wandering we are. We, too, need to call upon the Lord in His mercy, need to repent almost constantly, it seems. In our prayers, we would do well to follow the course of this prayer the Levite prayed. As we speak to our loving Father, let us bring to mind all that He has done for us, let us review the history of His many blessings upon us. In this, we will strengthen our own belief, will build up our faith. Let us also bring to mind the list of our failures, that repentance can also be strengthened in us. For, if we feel that we have nothing to repent of, we are blinded to our own condition once more. Let us, with equal assurance, recognize that, in whatever adversities we may have to come through, God has never for a moment been unjust in His dealings with us, nor has His mercy ever departed from us. Lo! He is with us even to the end of the age. He who is Faithful and True will never forsake us!
Somewhat later in the records of Nehemiah, we find the same old cycles of life beginning to reemerge. Fortunately, there are godly men at the helm of the remnant of Israel, and they will not allow that cycle to continue unopposed. Things are going pretty well in Jerusalem by that point. The city is defensible once more, and trade is apparently picking up. As ever seems to be the case, in the good times, the people of God have forgotten Him in favor of pursuing their own business. Nehemiah will not stand for this! Haven't they just undergone the correction of God's wrath? Haven't they just now emerged from a time of judgment for just such disregard for His Law? How can it be allowed to happen again, and so soon?
He is inspecting the city upon returning from Persia, having been there for some time. He is shocked to see the condition of the people, the disregard for God that has already spread through Jerusalem. Swiftly, he moves to correct the situation. He has dealt with issues in the Temple itself, where corrupting influences have been allowed to enter in. Indeed, the Levitical staff was being neglected, their support not being given them. This, too, Nehemiah moves to swiftly correct. Now, in Nehemiah 13:15, he tells us of what he saw going on in the region on the Sabbath, the appointed day of rest, the day when every child of God ought to have been spending time with his Father.
He found that, rather than obeying the rest God had decreed as a blessing to them and their workers, they had opted to be out working the wine presses on the Sabbath. Then, they were also loading their product up, and bringing it into the city of Jerusalem. In this they had broken the Sabbath themselves, and had required their laborers to likewise break the Sabbath. This exactly opposed not only the letter of the commandment for a Sabbath rest, but also the Spirit. Indeed, the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. This was not an issue of slavish legalism on Nehemiah's part, for these men, in refusing to accept the Sabbath rest for themselves, were also refusing rest to their workers and their animals. It was for these very reasons that God had instituted the Sabbath, ensuring that man's greed could not totally oppress those in his influence. Not satisfied with this, these Sabbath breakers also bore their goods in to the holy city, spreading their temptations out before one and all, and causing many more to fall into the same trap they themselves had chosen to occupy.
Nehemiah informs us that he admonished them that very day. What did his admonition consist of? He does not tell us precisely, but, as these were the people of God, I think we can be sure that they were reminded of God, of His Law in regard to these rebellious actions, and doubtless, he also reminded them of the exile that had so recently ended. We might be inclined to think that he delivered a quick rebuke and then moved swiftly to bring civil authority to bear on the matter. But, we must remember that this matter of admonition is a matter of repetition. Over and over and over he made clear to them just how wrong their actions were, just what danger they were putting themselves and indeed the whole nation in.
He noticed that it was not only the Israelites who were bringing their trade to Jerusalem on the day of rest, though this was bad enough. Foreigners were also pouring through the gates with their goods to be displayed and sold. In this, the complicity of the city officials in the problem is made clear, and it is these city officials that Nehemiah takes to task for the offense, not the foreigners. Strangers to the covenant, they could not be expected to hold to its rules. It was the responsibility of the city officials to enforce those rules, and it is these leaders Nehemiah addresses. "How dare you! How can you allow such evil to profane God's holy day? Can't you see, don't you recall what we just went through? Have you learned nothing from the history of your people? Your fathers did this same thing, and that's exactly what brought God's wrath upon us, and here you are doing it again!"
In the final occurrence of this word of warning in this book, we return once more to the warning with power. As the next Sabbath approaches, Nehemiah commands that the gates of Jerusalem be shut. He stations some of his own servants at the gates to ensure that they remain shut. The traders are not fully deterred by this, but spend the night outside the walls. Perhaps they feel certain that whatever is happening in the city, it will pass, and business as usual can resume. Again, we can sense the repetition of the warnings. Picking up at v20, Nehemiah tells us that more than once these traders opted to camp outside the walls, but he warned them: If you continue to do this, I will use force to remove you from the area. With that, they began to sense that change had come. It wasn't just some holiday they weren't aware of, it was to be a basic rule. Don't come here on the Sabbath, or you will be forcibly removed. It may have taken a few repetitions of Nehemiah's message, but eventually they got it, and stopped coming.
It seems as though this example from Nehemiah has combined almost every usage of this term `uwd. It shows, as in this last example, the warning delivered with indication of the power to enforce compliance. There have been numerous cases of the covenantal sense of the word, the people being reminded by the repeated warnings of the God of covenant, and their obligations as part of that covenant. Indeed, the people have been shown clear indications of the seriousness of the covenant warnings we looked at in Deuteronomy, in that their recent experience is shown to be the working out of those very warnings upon the people that refused to heed them. And, in all this, we have seen the compassionate instruction of these warnings, the concern for the wellbeing of those warned.
Prophets
The prophetic writings touch on all the same shades of meaning that were found amongst the historical books. Jeremiah, in particular seems to be fond of this word. However, it seems the usage of the word has shifted a bit between the chroniclers and the prophets. In the historical texts, the sense was that of warning, more often than not. Only in Moses' restating of the Law which was bound by covenant did the covenantal meaning come to the fore. In the prophetic writings, the covenantal sense present in the word almost as often as all the other meanings combined. So, I'll take them in the same order as in the historical section.
Warning
In the sense of warning, we have Jeremiah asking God who he can talk to that will heed his warnings in Jeremiah 6:10. The experience of the repeated warnings he has delivered already lead him to the conclusion that the men of Israel dislike the word of God.
The other example we have is also from Jeremiah, but in this case it is God who is speaking. While the clear sense of the word is that of warning in this passage, there are also overtones of the predominant sense of covenant. The other thing that is made more apparent in this case is the idea of repetition. "I warned your fathers in the days when I took them out of Egypt," says God. "I warned them most solemnly" (Jer 11:7). There, we see the covenant being brought in. He continues. "I continue to warn them even to this very day. I am persistently warning them to heed My words."
This could, perhaps, stand as the single, defining verse as far as understanding this word goes. It all seems to be wrapped up in this one passage. There is the solemnity of the message, the warning with clear intimations of the power of him who warns. There is the sense of covenant responsibility, as God reminds them of the occasion which all His subsequent warnings have echoed. When your parents entered into covenant with Me, I warned them of the requirements, and I warned them of the price of failure. Fully informed, they sealed the covenant with Me, and it is that same covenant which binds you to Me today. There is the clear sense of repeated delivery of the message, in this case stretching across centuries. There is the sense of negative testimony, in that such repeated warnings over such a great expanse of time had been made necessary.
Finally, in His persistence in trying to remind Israel of her duties, there is a clear display of God's compassion. He is all powerful. Is there, then, something He really needs from His people? Are they somehow necessary to Him? In the strict philosophical sense of the word, they cannot be, for He is the sole necessity, the only One without originating cause. All else is dependant upon Him from the start. The God of all is not in need of any. But His heart yearns for the wellbeing of His children. Like any good father, He yearns to see the best for them, yearns to see them pursuing courses which will bless their lives, and not bring them into heartbreak. Like any good father, He does all He can to train up His children in the way they should go, and when they insist on pursuing another course, He makes certain to warn them of the dangers inherent in such undertakings. He seeks to save them the pain by the benefit of His wisdom, and hard as His children may treat Him, He will not give up.
To this day, He has not given up on the nation of Israel, nor have they ceased to be His chosen people. His purpose and plan has passed to the Gentiles, but a clear reading of Scripture indicates that this was always in His plan. This was not some Plan B that God put into action when Israel proved disappointing. The only thing that was in any way a change of course was that, when Israel in her pride refused to share their God with the surrounding nations as was intended, God determined to share Himself with them on His own. God will make a way, even if we are most obstinate in frustrating His intent for us. His will will be done. We are free to join Him in pursuit of His will or not, I suppose, but His will will be done.
Covenant
As I noted, the majority of the uses of this word in the prophetic writings involves the issue of covenant. In every case, there is this idea of bringing in witnesses. The covenant pact was never sealed without there being those to bear witness to the event. We see this concern carried over today, when important contractual matters are to be witnessed by a Notary Public, an impartial witness to the commitment being made, serving to hold the contracted parties to their agreement.
In this sense, we see God speaking of having taken witnesses for Himself (Isa 8:2). Then, there are three occasions in Jeremiah 32 where we see the calling of witnesses to confirm transactions involving land. In v10, Jeremiah calls witnesses for the sealing of the deed for a plot of land he had redeemed. In v25, he speaks to God of His instruction to pursue this purchase. Then, in v44, he explains the meaning of the whole thing to the people of Israel. In speaking to God, Jeremiah points out that this land purchase is being carried out even as the nation is on the verge of being overrun by the Chaldeans, indeed is already overrun in large part. One can hear the unspoken question in Jeremiah's prayer. Why, God? Your punishment is upon the land, Your people are to be exiled for their sins against You, and now You tell me to buy? What's up with that?
God is gracious to answer. The very life of His prophet is to be a declaration of His word and His purpose. It is not only the tongue that speaks, but His spokesman walks as a living parable to explain to His people what is coming upon them. In this case, Jeremiah is living out a message of hope before the nation. Though you are indeed to be punished, and that most severely, do not lose faith because of it. Though God is severe with you now, it is but the discipline you have brought upon yourself. Though you have been faithless, He remains faithful to you. Here His promise, O Israel! The time will come again when men sign deeds to procure their lands in this place. Once again, they shall call witnesses to their contracts, for I, the LORD, will restore their fortunes. That is the meaning of Jeremiah's odd timing. That is the reason for his instruction that the contract he has signed be stored in a fashion that will preserve it for a long time. It will be a while before the land he has purchased can be possessed. But, the time will come. God has said it, and this is more certain than any contract.
A quick side note upon this side note: Looking at this section of Jeremiah, one gets a glimpse into aspects of the covenant process that are not perhaps seen elsewhere. Notice that the contract has two copies. One is sealed, and it is the sealing of this one to which the witnesses are to swear. They are called upon to validate that the sealed copy agrees with the copy which remains, that those entering into contract have agreed to the terms which the sealed copy declares. There remains the open copy, which those bound by the contract can refer to should there be a need to resolve some issue or another. That contract spells out, as did the covenant of God with Israel, both the responsibilities of both parties, and the penalties for either party should they break with the terms agreed to.
Notice, then, that the sealed copy is given into the keeping of another. If ever there is a dispute, if one of the parties somehow contrives to modify the open copy, then the other party still has recourse to honest solution. He can appeal to the sealed copy, and to the witnesses to that copy, to show what the true terms were.
Two things in particular become interesting in light of this understanding. The first is something that I have heard explained before, but without necessarily seeing the record of how contracts were made in that time. When Moses and God met upon Mount Sinai, God was inscribing the terms of His covenant with Israel upon the tablets. It was this covenant which Moses labored so hard to make plain to the people, and it was this covenant to which the people swore. Again, the sealing of covenant required witnesses, but all who were present were already party to that covenant, and so could not serve as witness. Thus, heaven and earth, the very creation itself, was called in as witness, and as Romans reminds us, they have been testifying ever since! However, the truly intriguing thing about these events in the desert is that both copies of the covenant were delivered to the people. God did not hold one in reserve to be the reference should the people seek to change the wording. It was not, I suppose necessary, for He was in Himself the sealed copy. To whom would God make appeal, after all? He can not appeal to a higher authority, for He is Himself the ultimate Authority. Thus, when He swears, He swears by Himself, making His oath doubly sure, for He cannot lie!
The other thought that came to me is this: who stood as witness when God made His covenant with Abraham? In the case of Israel, we saw a specific declaration of who would so stand, but in the story of Abraham, I don't recall there being such a statement made. Indeed, the story shows that Abraham was just barely witness to the covenant. This must, perhaps, remain in mystery, but it is an interesting question nonetheless.
The final usage of `uwd in this covenant sense is plainly stated, and comes very near the end of the Old Covenant. In Malachi 2:14, God addresses two areas where it seems man is forever taking His law lightly: the area of divorce, and the area of bringing in unholy influences. This latter is signified in the marriage to 'daughters of foreign gods.' Malachi speaks God's warnings to the priesthood who still claim to serve Him. Your offerings are no longer acceptable, though you weep and groan with such seeming earnestness at My altar. If you don't understand why, it is because of this: you have broken covenant with your wife, and the LORD Himself stands as witness both to the covenant and to your breach of it!
It must be said that, though there was indeed a physical reality to the problem - the people of Israel had been marrying into the families of the surrounding nations, and they had been allowing divorce for little to no reason - the primary significance here is a spiritual one. Israel was called to stand as the witness of God. They were called to be holy as He is holy, set apart from the nations around them, pure in their dedication to the One True God. In what they had allowed to happen to themselves, they were declaring to the surrounding nations that their God was, in their minds, no different from any of the other gods. Rather than testifying to His unique status, rather than shouting out with their very lives that the LORD was One, they were giving those who looked upon them to understand that God was not so very different from whatever other gods they may have held to.
I see in this a great warning to the Church at large. Much as the wedding of foreign women into the family of God was a pollution in that family, so attempts to somehow bring in elements of foreign worship into the pure worship of God are a severe pollution in the Church. We are wed to our Beloved. Though only betrothed in this life, the terms of holy covenant already bind us to our Groom. We may give ourselves to no other. If we allow the belief that all faiths are somehow equal, that those who worship other gods are somehow acceptable in His sight, we are giving ourselves to those other gods. We are rejecting the One who has called us His own. We are defiling the wedding bed, and trampling upon the Holy covenant of matrimony! God has ordained the terms. We have signed the covenant, and accepted those terms. All the host of heaven stand as witness to what we have agreed to. If we, then, insist on worshiping Him as we please, if we insist on doing it our own way, we have broken faith with that very covenant. If we are so treacherous in our treatment of our Betrothed, will He be pleased to accept our gifts? Will His family be pleased to hear our calls? We've heard so often, in recent years, the question: what would Jesus do? I suggest that in this instance we ask, what would I do? How would I react, if it were my son?
Negative Testimony
OK. One quick example of the aspect of negative testimony: In Jeremiah 42:19, God is once again speaking to His people. "I told you not to go to Egypt, yet you are headed there. It was in the covenant instruction that you are to put your trust in Me, but you are turning to horses and chariots and the untrustworthy strength of man. Let Me state it plainly: I am testifying against you today, declaring to you, the remnant, that you have strayed!" I find it significant that this is addressed to the remnant.
Can we hear this delivered to the church within the Church today? Where is your trust? What and who are you counting on? Are numbers your comfort? Do you think to find strength and validation in how many attend your services? Do you think to impress Me with how many you attract? Where is your trust? Is it truly in Me? If you have allowed it to be placed in anything else: in programs, in technology, in buildings, in personalities, then you have taken a wrong turn! Come back to Me! Put your trust in Me! Allow Me to pursue My purposes in you, in your church. Is there great danger? I am your strength and your shield! All else will fail you. Don't be fooled by appearances, for I am faithful, and I will do it!
Can we hear this delivered to us personally? Jeff, where is your trust? Are you truly trusting in Me? Is it your effort which has bought for you this house? Is it your desire that is to be satisfied in worship? Are you pursuing Me and My ways, or are you chasing after false hopes by insisting on your own course?
Father God, I know I cannot claim to be totally innocent in the face of such questions. Indeed, my focus has been too much on the accounts as I have gone through the purchase of this new home, and yes, it has been cause for some concern. Teach me, my Lord, the proper balance. I know You seek for me to be a good steward, but let me be a good steward and not a nervous miser. Remind me constantly, my King, that You are Lord over my accounts. Let me never allow them to rise higher in my thoughts than You.
Is my worship always pure in Your sight? Is it all about You? This is the most painful question for me. The place in which I seek to serve You, the place it seems You have called me to serve most constantly, is the place of my greatest vulnerability, as well. Oh, God! You know my heart, and I pray that if my view of it is wrong, You will bring Your gentle correction to my understanding. For years, now, I have been able to pour my heart through the instrument You have chosen for me to play. For years, You have been providing me with abilities in other places within the realm of music, as well. These are clearly not my doing. Yet, how often have I taken credit? How often have I looked and listened to what is coming out of me and been impressed with myself rather than You? Forgive me. Train these eyes and ears to behold Your wonder in all You allow this poor life to accomplish!
I pray, also, my Lord, that You would fill me with the grace I need to accept the new discipline that has come to our worship. Though it hurts to feel my freedom impinged by this new order, if it is pleasing to You, find me willing to accept it. If, though, we have wandered, if we have made the quality and perfection of our sound more important than You, then move swiftly to correct us, for above all, I would that the hearts from which our worship flows would be pleasing in Your sight, whether or not the sound of that flow is pleasing in the ears of man.
God, You know also the troubles upon the employer You have chosen to provide my needs in this time. You know equally well what lies ahead for this life You have given me. Clearly, if I have placed my trust in the men that lead this small place, I have chosen poorly. You have taught me so often that it is not the company, nor the leaders of the company, who provide for me, but it is You and You alone. Ever have I found You to be faithful in that provision, my Father. In this time, when things seem challenging, when the difficulties of the present economy seem to persist, let my attention remain on You, let my trust remain in You.
Truly, it has been a scary thing seeing what is happening in this present source of Your providence while at the same time You have led this family to a larger place, with larger financial obligations. But, I have known for some time now, that in all this You are bringing us out of a place of far greater danger, the danger of becoming comfortable. Lord, You know the ways of man, even of this man. If we are allowed to be secure in our blessings, we are all too swift to forget You from Whom all blessings flow. We are entirely too willing to consider ourselves the cause of all that is right in our world, and to forget You. May it never be! If our times are somewhat tighter, if our future seems a little less certain to my limited vision, then all praise be to You, and may my trust be found in You. Though the waves crash down around me, though the flames burn high, may I be found still trusting You!
Oh God! If, in any way, I have gone off after things You desired not for me, show me! Point out the path You intended, and be there both to will and to work in this weak flesh, that I might turn from all the wickedness of my own ways onto the pure paths of Your kingdom.
Compassionate Instruction
Finally, in this overview of Old Testament admonition, we look at the compassionate instruction of the prophet. We have a rather strange and distorted view of what the prophets of old were like. We look upon them with a certain awe and respect, we thrill at these representatives of holiness. Yet, in their day, they were more often feared than welcomed. It was a scary thing for the average man to find a prophet at his door. The tidings were rarely of great joy. Generally, the message was one of admonition. We may find our opinions of these men equally incorrect in the opposite direction, perhaps. We may think them stern and stoic men, the scolding school teacher, forever berating his students. We tend, I think, to rob them of all but their words, and to think of their words as representing who and what they were. In this, we forget whose words they spoke.
If we would also hear the cries of anguish that such men spoke out, knowing the message they must bear, we would sense more of their own hearts even in the delivery of the message. If we will remember always that it was God's words they delivered, if we will remember who and what our God is as we read those words, we will hear not only the compassion of the prophet in that message, but also the deep and abiding compassion of our Lord and Savior. If there were no compassion in God, what a different matter we would have before us! Justice does not require of Him that He instruct us in our errors. Instruction comes that we might have a second chance, and Justice does not require such a second chance in order to be just. Indeed, we've already had a second chance and more!
Holiness does not require of the Holy One that He tolerate our unholy ways. The Creator of all things cannot be called to task if He chooses to eliminate something of His own creating. It is an expression of His great compassion and His mercy that He bothers to instruct us at all. It is even greater evidence of His ways that He does so repeatedly, that He doesn't simply give up, and start over again. Why does He do these things? Why does He put up with us? I cannot answer that, but I can thank my God that in His compassion and mercy He does put up with me!
So, let us hear the compassion of our Lord and the compassion of His servants the prophets in these few, most obvious examples. First, Lamentations 2:13. Here, there is a certain parallelism in the message which brings out the compassion most clearly. How shall I admonish you, cries Jeremiah, how can I comfort you? He has a bit of a dilemma in this, for in what he tells them he must remain true, and as he says, the ruin of his people is 'vast as the sea.' The wounds upon the nation are, to the eyes of man, beyond healing. Yet, in his words, he would instruct them in a compassionate fashion, in his instructions, in pointing out why these things have come upon the nation, and what the people must do to bring about restoration to the good graces of God, he is not intent on destroying all hope. He seeks to comfort.
Let us be very clear on this point. When God brings accusations against His own - and He does do so - He brings them not to destroy our hope, not as a means of condemnation. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Ro 8:1)! That is the great good news of the Gospel! God has pointed out in incontrovertible fashion how thoroughly we have violated His Law and His Covenant with man. He has declared in most certain terms just how unfaithful we have been to Him. Yet, in this, He does not declare that He has given up on us. Never! For He is Faithful and True, though all men be liars, which indeed we are - even in our honesty. No, God's message is one of admonition, not condemnation. He points out the errors, and at the same time, rather than insisting on our punishment, He gives us instruction. He shows us not only where we went wrong, but how to go right, and He gives us every encouragement to do so. With God's conviction comes hope of restoration, not certainty of wrath. Indeed, our ruin is great, and our wounds beyond the art of man to heal. But what is impossible for man is possible for God. Indeed, with God all things are possible (Mt 19:26).
The message of Christ is no different than the message of Jeremiah. He has told Israel the truth of their foolishness. He has declared faithfully and accurately the punishment that is coming upon them. But, he has been complete in his faithfulness to deliver the message of the Lord. Hope is not destroyed, however bleak the picture may be. In the question 'who can heal you?' there is an answer. It is the same answer Paul gives in his anguished consideration of his own human condition. "Wretched man that I am [when I see the honest assessment of my ways]! Who will set me free from the body of this death? [I see clearly that I am guilty, and worthy of the death penalty pronounced by the Law. To my eyes, there is no hope of reprieve.] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! [This is impossible for man, but to God all things are possible!]" Who can heal you? There is only One, and His name is Jesus.
The final example we will consider is the heavenly scene which Zechariah plays out before our eyes, as he recounts what the LORD laid before his eyes. We are in the courts of heaven, and Joshua is on trial. Satan reads out the charges, and gives his evidence. It is incontrovertible. There can be no doubt that Joshua has broken the law of the LORD. And yet… The Holy One, the Just One, the Righteous One does not strike Joshua down in His great wrath at this offense. The Almighty, Omnipotent, Lord of all turns instead to the prosecutor, and it is upon him that the Judge's wrath is poured out! In light of the charges presented, the ruling of the court is that Joshua is to have his iniquities removed from him, he is to be robed in purity as befits an officer of the heavenly government! Then, the angel of the LORD admonishes Joshua, and through this message, admonishes us as well. The promise given Joshua may not be ours in full, but the premise behind the promise most assuredly is!
What, then, is the lesson given to Joshua? What is the instruction we are to heed? "If you will walk in My ways, if you will do as I say, then come the blessings." For Joshua, the promise was governance of God's own house, charge of His own courts! High honors indeed! Were this not enough, Joshua is also promised "free access among those who are standing here." Who was present? We are in the eternal courts of heaven. Angels, cherubim, seraphim, the four and twenty elders, all these surround the throne of the Holy One, and to all these Joshua is promised free access! Has he any questions? Here is counsel indeed! Is the weight of office heavy upon him? Here is help to surmount every difficulty! But, even this is not the end of the blessing for Joshua. There remains one standing in the court room of Whom we have not spoken - the Lamb of God, the only begotten Son, the Word made flesh. Joshua is in the place of God's dwelling, he is outside the bounds of time which reign in our present. The One for Whom all Israel waited was already present, the great work of Atonement, the fulfilling of all the types and shadows of Levitical worship, are accomplished fact. The Messiah stands in the throne room, and to Him also, Joshua has free access.
Now then, every word of Scripture, we know, was written for our instruction. What are we to learn from this heavenly lesson delivered to Joshua, then to Zechariah, and through Zechariah, to us? Are we to assume from this that all of us are to govern in God's house? I think not. How many governors can a kingdom have? Will we have office in this heavenly kingdom? There are other passages that would seem to imply such, but I don't think this is the primary point of the instruction. The point, as I see it, is twofold. First, there is laid before us the way we are to face our failures in God's Law. The accuser will assuredly come, and in the presentation of his evidence he will display accurate facts. The only lies the father of lies will need to use in his prosecution are lies of omission. It is not our good deeds he will seek to omit from the record. Indeed, these are more likely to be part of his case, as our best deeds are still but filthy and offensive in the sight of perfect Holiness. No, what he will seek to omit from the record is that the crimes have already been dealt with, the penalty due the court for our actions has already been paid in full. Indeed, the very One who paid that penalty stands as our Attorney in the case, and He is well known to the Judge. The prosecution may seek to omit this small fact, but that fact does not escape our Judge. No fact escapes Him. His knowledge is perfect! When we are faced with the enormity of our sins, we must learn from this instruction. We must learn to rely wholly and solely upon the redeeming work of Christ, and we must learn to know beyond all doubt that His work is sufficient!
There is one portion of the promise to Joshua that I think we can accept as applying to every believer, whether or not the rest apply. That is that we shall have free access among all those standing in that court. Indeed, we already have this access in some degree. We are welcome in the throne room of God whenever we may choose to come before our loving Father, whether it be to seek His help, or simply to rejoice in His presence, to bask in His glory. We are welcome. Further, we are empowered to call upon our Brother, our Advocate, to seek His advice and ask Him our questions. And, beyond that, we have the Holy Spirit present with us to be our constant friend, our instructor in the ways of the kingdom, our earnest advisor, quick to show us the right way when we have gone wrong.
Rest assured, we will continue to need that instruction and correction repeatedly! Our need for His very present help will continue so long as there is breath in us, and praises be to God, we have the promise of the living God that He will indeed be with us throughout the time of our need! Rejoice, O daughter of Zion! To you has been granted free access in the courts of heaven! For you, the Redeemer has come! For you, He has declared, 'It is finished!' Your days of longing are over, for He is here! Come, then, and enter in to the joy of your Beloved! Let Him wipe away your tears and your sorrow. No more fear and pain, My child, the days of waiting are over, and your Redemption has drawn near. Never again will He leave you. Your sun, your shield, your strong tower, He will ever be with you, lo! Even to the end of the age!
