Kneel Day 5 Faithful God Who Fills

January 7, 2022 by Sara Cissell Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Nehemiah 1:4-11
Nehemiah 4:11-14
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5
Psalm 145

Kneel, Day 5

What is the difference between faithful and faith-filled? Prior to pondering Nehemiah and the confidence with which he prayed, I may have described them as two sides of the same coin: faithful and full of faith.

However, as I continued to think about those two concepts, I began to see parallels with the scientific terms potential and kinetic energy.

Yes, I am taking us back to science class for a moment.
Kinetic energy is the energy of an object in motion.
Whereas, potential energy’s origin is found in the location of said object or the nature of its construction, not in movement.

For instance, think about pushing a snowball off a mountain top (can you tell I grew up in Wyoming?). The snowball itself has great potential energy when it sits, motionless, at the top of the mountain, although it’s not actually demonstrating any of that energy. However, once the snowball begins migrating down the mountain, rapidly picking up speed and growing in size, anyone living in the valley below may discover the power of its kinetic energy.

This analogy demonstrates the difference between faithful and faith-filled, which we will see applies to Nehemiah and his prayer life. Approximately 100 years before we meet Nehemiah, Israel’s time of exile in Babylon had ceased and they had been given freedom to return home. However, not all exiles chose to return. A new generation had been born and raised in exile, and Babylon had become home. Hence, why Nehemiah was still hanging out in Babylon when we read his biography. The previous troupe who had returned home were tasked with rebuilding a ransacked Jerusalem, but a century later, Nehemiah learned that the Israelites continued to walk a razor-thin line of survival:

“The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.” (Nehemiah 1:3)

As he led Israel to rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah prayed intensely faith-filled prayers. He cried out to the Lord and entrusted the outcome to the faithfulness of God. He understood the “potential energy” of a heart beseeching the Lord. Nehemiah was positioned to experience the miracle of the Lord working through him, but the ability to accomplish the tasks before him did not reside within Nehemiah himself.

The Lord, however, carried the capability to see Nehemiah’s mission come to pass, and Nehemiah prayed with expectation the Lord would remain true to the promises He’d given the people of Israel. (Deuteronomy 30:1-5) Nehemiah understood the concept of faithfulness and recognized it as a demonstration of God’s character. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Faithful is defined as:

Firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty,
given with strong assurance, and
true to the facts, to a standard, or to an original.

All three of these definitions apply to the character of God.
Consider generations earlier, when God cut a covenant with His servant, Abram (later renamed to Abraham), regarding the establishment of an entire nation through Abraham’s lineage. God alone assumed the weight of the promises’ fulfillment. (Genesis 15)
The covenant would be upheld by God’s faithfulness.

The Lord demonstrated His faithfulness to Abraham and His people throughout the Old Testament. In pondering His faithfulness to those in the New Testament, the apostle Paul comes to mind. After his profound conversion experience (Acts 9:1-25), Paul sought to spread the Gospel with the same energy he once used to persecute Christians, which cost him dearly. Shipwrecks, beatings, and imprisonments filled Paul’s missionary journeys. In 2 Thessalonians 3, he encourages believers to remember the Lord is faithful, a truth I believe helped guide Paul into the incredible obedience he displayed throughout his life.

The truth of the Lord’s faithfulness is for us, as well. In fact, today I am choosing to believe in His faithfulness as I navigate some unexpected scenarios in my current season.

Maybe, like me, you wonder, “What is the practical application?”.
For me, it looked like the following three steps today, ones I will probably need to repeat often.

Pray like Nehemiah. He laid out the elements troubling his heart and directed his prayer to the Lord. This was an active conversation with Him, not simply thinking through details. I am often guilty of equating thinking about something with praying about it.
Believe the Lord will respond in His faithfulness. The Lord’s character is consistent. Once I spent time praying through the details of life, I thanked the Lord for Who He is and the promises He has given in Scripture. I reminded myself of the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Surrender the outcome to the Lord. This step is crucial and is sometimes the most difficult. The Lord will faithfully listen to my prayers and respond to them, but His answers may not be what I hope or expect. He may not remove the circumstances, provide insights immediately, or even seem to acknowledge my prayers. However, my role is to pray in faith, trust the Lord will reply in His faithfulness and timing, and obey as He leads me. The rest is up to Him.

Nehemiah and the Israelites rebuilt the great wall surrounding Jerusalem–an undertaking the Hebrew remnant previously believed impossible!– in 52 days. Paul brought the Gospel to innumerable people throughout his life. Regardless of the mission the Lord has appointed for each of us, the same faithful One Who led Nehemiah and Paul leads us as well, and His activity makes all the difference.

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Kneel Day 1 Restored Relationship

January 3, 2022 by Joyce Lomangaya Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Esther 4
Ezra 8:21-23
Matthew 4:1-11

Kneel, Day 1

“Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me [. . .] After that, I will go to the king[.]’” (Esther 4:15-16)

Caught between the impending genocide of her people and a potentially deadly reception by the king should she speak on their behalf, Queen Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, desperately need a miracle. And so, before Esther approaches the king, they fast and pray.

Yet, prayer and fasting don’t necessitate a miracle. We don’t manipulate God when we pray; instead, we rely on His good heart for us and declare our belief in His power.

So why do we keep praying and fasting?

The ultimate purpose of prayer and fasting is the restoration of our relationship with God. Prayer is an essential part of our spiritual lives. Just as none of us are exempt from the troubles of this world, none of us are exempt from the need to connect with, and hear from, the only One who has overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Though the struggles that draw us to prayer and fasting may differ, we can all embrace these practices with a desire to empty our hearts of earthly things so the Lord will pour out His Spirit and satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Throughout the Bible, God’s people pray and fast together because they are seeking God’s help and direction. In the opening vignette of our study, we met Mordecai, who, together with other Jews in the land, “fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay in sackcloth and ashes” (Esther 4:3) as an expression of their anguish over the order to kill every Jew. Their actions signified both their grief and their cries to the Lord to protect them from execution.

Again, we don’t manipulate God with prayer and fasting, but we allow Him to work in and around us as we surrender through humble prayer. Esther’s response to Mordecai’s plea for intervention demonstrated her belief that the will of the Lord would come to pass. Esther clearly understands that fasting will not guarantee her safety in her final words to her cousin, “I will go to the king even if it is against the law. If I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16) Her words hold equally strong conviction to do what is right and to trust the Lord for her fate.

The Lord is good and just indeed! He responds to prayer and fasting! He promises if His people will seek Him, they will find Him. (2 Chronicles 7:14-15, Jeremiah 29:13) When we fast and pray, we encounter Him in a different, higher way.

This truth resonates in the continuation of Esther’s story. After seeking God’s heart through prayer and fasting, Esther enacted a careful, thoughtful plan to approach King Xerxes and plead for her people. (Esther 5) By the Lord’s grace, she found favor with the king, and she and her people were spared. Through God’s intervention, the Jews were saved and not forsaken. How beautiful is the aroma of prayer and fasting to the Lord!

Similarly, in Ezra 8:21-23, the priest Ezra led Israelites returning home from exile into prayer and fasting to seek God’s presence and protection. “So we fasted and pleaded with our God about this, and He was receptive to our prayer.” (Ezra 8:23)

And finally, as an epitome of humility and faith before the Lord, Jesus fasted. He acknowledged God’s power and strength alone would enable Him to carry out the Father’s will. Matthew 4 describes how Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. He was also tested by evil, but He overcame the temptation by the power of God dwelling within Him and relying on Scripture.

Jesus’ example demonstrates how prayer and fasting are powerful preparations for experiencing God deeply and outrageously!

From Jesus, we learn temptation and struggle may come, but if we are filled with God’s words and presence, we will overcome, just as Jesus did! Prayer and fasting are vital, as they bring us closer to God and remind us to trust Him.

From Mordecai, we learn we should not hesitate to engage in prayer and fasting.
When we see cries, pain, and injustice around us that are impossible for humans to resolve and only God can manage, we can turn to the One who is full of compassion and always capable! The Lord sees our faith, is delighted to hear from us, and is moving when we pray.

Let’s pray that the Lord will help us lead our people into prayer and fasting just as Mordecai did. Faith can rescue people when we come together!

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Pause V Day 3 Generosity

October 27, 2021 by Marietta Taylor Leave a Comment

Pause Five, Day 3

Hospitality provides the opportunity to be generous with resources, time and one’s presence. It happens to be one of my spiritual gifts and I thoroughly enjoy exercising it while also delighting in seeing others use this gift. In the second chapter of John we are present at a wedding feast where some generosity is needed because they’d run out of wine.

Unlike today, you couldn’t just run to the store and buy wine.
But Jesus.
He was fully present that day and had vast resources at His disposal as the Lord of All. Would He be generous to help?

Indeed, Jesus was quite generous in not only providing wine, but fine wine. He didn’t advertise what His power was capable of doing, just provided instructions to the waitstaff, who were obedient to do as He instructed.
His generosity saved the day, and wooed others to glimpse God’s glory.

In the same way, He is generous to us as Messiah. He offers us the opportunity to be transformed from condemned in our sin to saved and redeemed into a new life. From powerless in sin and shame to empowered by His Spirit within us to live for Him. What needs we have, He can supply in ways we could never imagine. Jesus is still in the habit of being generous. He still saves the day as a good and generous Savior while pointing our hearts to His glory. Have you allowed His power to work in your life?

Today's Challenge

1) Be a scribe and copy the precious words of Scripture down word for word. Make space in your journal to write down every word of John 2:1-12 today. As you copy, look up a cross reference or two as you come to them (they are the small letters next to certain words in your study Bible or online at www.biblia.com). As you write, think of the incredible gift it is to be invited into God’s presence through His word!

2) Choose one of these options to answer the invitation of going deeper into biblical community!
a) Take a photo of your journal time this week and share it, or share a quote from it.
b) Do a Facebook Live on the GT Community group and share how God has been working in you.
c) Leave a comment here about it.
d) Share something God has been showing you in a comment at the GT Community Group
e) Plan a coffee or lunch date with a friend and share what you’ve been learning and soaking in as you have hit Pause.
f) Write a note of encouragement to a sister who has been through the nitty-gritty of real life with you. Let her know how deeply she has impacted your walk with Christ.
g) For some of us, having a “2am friend” to build biblical community with is a new concept. If that’s you, this is an exciting, fresh place to be! Connect with our Facebook Community, send us an email, reach out to your local church body, seek out a small group and plug in!

3) Memorize John 3:20-21

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John 2:1-12

On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’s mother was there, 2 and Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding as well. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told Him, “They don’t have any wine.”

4 “What has this concern of yours to do with Me, woman?” Jesus asked.
“My hour has not yet come.”

5 “Do whatever he tells you,” His mother told the servants.

6 Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons. 7 “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then He said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did.

9 When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from—though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom 10 and told him, “Everyone sets out the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.”

11 Jesus did this, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee.
He revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

12 After this, He went down to Capernaum, together with His mother, His brothers, and His disciples, and they stayed there only a few days.

How Does “Pause” Work?
1. Each day, Monday through Friday, for 3 weeks, we will provide you with a simple challenge. Each challenge is designed for you to engage with the Almighty in a deeper way and perhaps in a new way than you have been recently.

2. Having a journal is a must! You’ll want to take notes as you walk this special Journey of Pause.

3. Each week focuses on one or two passage of Scripture and we walk with you as you study and flesh these out for yourself. As you write your thoughts, read His Word, and pray, questions might come up. That’s Perfect! Ask a trusted fellow believer, a pastor, or send us an email as you work through them!

4. Jumping in at the middle? No problem! Here is the entire Journey Theme.

5. Connect with others on Facebook by visiting our GT Community Group!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Pause Five Week One!
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in Pause Five!

Ready Day 9 Living Ready: Digging Deeper

June 10, 2021 by Mandy Farmer Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
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The Questions

1) What does “God’s will, your sanctification” mean in verse 3?

2) Of all the sins that he could speak of, why does Paul cite sexual sin as the way to have holy lives?

3) Why is loving others so important in living a godly life?

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12

Additionally, then, brothers and sisters, we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus, that as you have received instruction from us on how you should live and please God–as you are doing–do this even more. For you know what commands we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

3 For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality,4 that each of you knows how to control his own body in holiness and honor,5 not with lustful passions, like the Gentiles, who don’t know God.6 This means one must not transgress against and take advantage of a brother or sister in this manner, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you.7 For God has not called us to impurity but to live in holiness. 8 Consequently, anyone who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

9 About brotherly love: You don’t need me to write you because you yourselves are taught by God to love one another. 10 In fact, you are doing this toward all the brothers and sisters in the entire region of Macedonia. But we encourage you, brothers and sisters, to do this even more,11 to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,12 so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.

Original Intent

1) What does “God’s will, your sanctification” mean in verse 3?
God’s desire, His will, for us is more than just forgiveness of sin so we can be restored to a right relationship with Him. He wants to restore us to flawless His image, completely unmarked by sinful desires. God created us in His image. (Genesis 1:27) While that was ruined by the fall of man when Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3), God still instructed us to “be holy as He is holy” (1 Peter 1:15-16); God’s will is to perfectly restore His image in each of us and He offers this to all who have trusted Him for salvation from the condemnation of sin. (Colossians 3:9-10) Sanctification is a big, confusing word. It can also be translated as “holiness” or “set apart.” Thus, God’s will for us is to live holy lives. When we live holy lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, we become more and more like Him. (2 Corinthians 3:18) His Holy Spirit enables us to “participate in the divine nature” of God. (2 Peter 1:3-4) Peter urges us in the following verses to do our part in coordination with God’s Spirit working inside every believer, “make every effort to add to your faith (…) godliness with brotherly (…) love”. (2 Peter 1:5-9) Again, Peter urges us, “make every effort to confirm your calling and election.” (2 Peter 1:10-11) When we participate in His work, we are READY to enter His Kingdom. “For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.” (2 Peter 1:11)

2) Of all the sins he could speak of, why does Paul cite sexual sin as the way to have holy lives?
The church in Thessalonica was amid an amoral society. The ancient writer, Demosthenes, described the view of sex in the ancient Roman Empire like this, “We keep prostitutes for pleasure; we keep mistresses for the day to day needs of the body; we keep wives for the faithful guardianship of our homes.” (Enduring Word Bible Commentary 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4) Sexual sin was rampant and grossly distorted God’s design! Paul exhorted the church because they were called to live set apart lives. He encouraged them to live more and more like children of God, taking on the image of Christ as the Holy Spirit shaped it in them. His will was for believers to live different lives from unbelievers, so their good works would be seen and draw all men to glorify God and receive salvation also. (Matthew 5:16) God, through His Holy Spirit, is directing us to work for His good purpose. In his book, “Holiness”, J. C. Ryle stated, “if we are not obeying Him and living more like Him, we are not shining lights. And if not, perhaps we have not truly given our lives to God in the first place. Certainly, we are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us.” (Philippians 2:12-15)

3) Why is loving others so important in living a godly life?
Love is the cornerstone to holy living. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6, “Love the Lord and love your neighbor.” (Matthew 22:37-40) It all boils down to LOVE. All the law rests upon loving God and loving others. In his letter, the disciple John encouraged us to love each other. This kind of divine, selfless love proves we are born of God because we are becoming like Him. (John 13:34-35; 1 John 4:7-8) He even said, if we aren’t loving each other, we don’t know God! (1 John 4:8) If we struggle with this, we may need to consider whether we genuinely love Christ. J.C. Ryle wrote, “Let it never be said that we cannot know whether a Christian really loves Christ.” He continues, if not “perhaps you have no sense of debt to Him”. The only way to genuinely love Christ and realize our indebtedness to Him is to study the Bible fervently. Learn the attributes of Kingdom living in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Get a grasp on our sinfulness in Romans 1 and 2. Additionally, pray. Plead with God earnestly, asking for His light and understanding. Seek Him with all your heart, soul, and mind until you see your need of Him. “To see your need of Christ and the debt to Christ is the first step toward loving Him.” (J. C. Ryle)

Everyday Application

1) What does “God’s will, your sanctification” mean in verse 3?
We receive many graces when we are saved from the consequence of our sin, which is eternal death and separation from God. The first of these is justification, which is the forgiveness of all our personal sin past, present, and future. I like to explain it this way, God’s grace makes me “Just as if I’d never sinned”. (Romans 5:9-18) But grace does not stop there! The next thing God gives is new life! We call this regeneration. Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains regeneration as a change of heart (Titus 3:4-8); becoming a new creature in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17); a renewal of the mind (Romans 12:1-2). This is nothing man does on our own strength, but rather it is the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Thirdly, God adopts us as His child! (John 1:12-13) We are His heirs! Finally, we are given the Holy Spirit, who teaches us to live more and more like Jesus. As we grow in Him, this holiness (sanctification) becomes the doing and living of our salvation. Dr. David Jeremiah says, “it is the proof of our faith… the example of our faith… and the action of our faith.” (Crosswalk)

2) Of all the sins he could speak of, why does Paul cite sexual sin as the way to have holy lives?
Much like Thessalonica, sexual immorality is rampant today, even within the church. Sexual passion is a wonderful, God-given gift, but God designed it to be enjoyed only within the bounds of marriage. (Hebrews 13:4) The desire of the flesh is likely the strongest desire we have and is incredibly hard to resist. Even King David, a man after God’s own heart, failed to resist sexual desires. (2 Samuel 11:1-5) It must be fought on two sides, body and soul. We must take care to “guard our hearts” (Proverbs 4:20-23) to keep our desires at bay. We can only remain pure through our humble search of God’s Word (Psalm 119:9-11), hiding it deep in our hearts. [Bishop Kastor, The Philokalia, Vol. 1] It takes diligence on our part along with constant submission to the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Anne Graham Lotz stated in her book, Jesus in Me, “While you have the power of the Holy Spirit within you, the cooperation of your full surrender, obedience and faith is required to activate it.” It takes self-control and humble constant repentance to quench the fires of the flesh. But be encouraged, with His Power, we CAN resist and flee temptation! (1 Corinthians 10:13) We CAN live holy lives. (2 Peter 1:3-4)

3) Why is loving others so important in living a godly life?
Today, we hear it said that we cannot love others unless we love ourselves. This idea would essentially be saying Jesus gave us a third commandment (actually, loving ourselves would become the second commandment.) God has instructed us to put others before ourselves (Philippians 2:2-4). Scripture tell us many times to love others without saying anything about loving ourselves. (1 Corinthians 16:14, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 3:11, 18) (Doug Britton, Marriage and Family Therapist) Loving others is not always easy. There was a time in my life when there was a person whom I did not want to love. Until a preacher said, “Ask God to make you willing, to be willing to love her.” I put it to the test. God gave me several tasks to complete including giving her gifts and praying for her. Before I knew it, I loved her dearly. God’s love is not like ours, and to love like Him, we must be willing to surrender our dingy definition for the divine pathways of God’s love to be manifest in us. C.S. Lewis confirmed this idea in Mere Christianity, “Do not waste time bothering whether you love your neighbor, act as if you did. As soon as you do this, we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Enough Day 5 Prophet & Priest

April 2, 2021 by Bri Bailey Leave a Comment

Read His Words Before Ours!

Isaiah 28:7-8
Jeremiah 5:21-31
Ecclesiastes 7:20
Romans 3:10-12
Ephesians 2:1-3

Enough, Day 5

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

At the moment of choosing self over God in the Garden of Eden, mankind’s sweet and intimate communion with God was shredded to tatters. Rebellious thought became disobedient action, and instantly, horrifyingly, a gulf of sin yawned eternity-wide between Father and children.

But God.

In His unbroken love and unending mercy, He designed a way to remain in relationship with His children, a system that left His justice undefiled.

The sins of the people required payment, and so He established the priesthood, a lineage set apart to approach a holy God on behalf of a sin-riddled nation.

Descendants of Aaron (Moses’ brother) would dedicate themselves to upholding meticulously stringent rules for offering countless sacrifices to cover countless sins.

Aside from sin offerings, priests would oversee
burnt offerings,
grain offerings,
guilt offerings,
and fellowship offerings, to name a few.
The people of Israel would now relate to their God at a distance, through ritual.

Sin would separate their spirits.

The tabernacle, maintained by the tribe of Levi, would separate their physical presences. The people would remain outside, while God’s presence resided within the Holy of Holies, the tabernacle’s innermost sanctuary. Only the high priest, after strenuous cleansing rituals and offerings to cover every possible sin, was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies as a shadowed, hollow mediator between God and man.

“You must distinguish between the holy and the common,” God directed the priests, “and the clean and the unclean, and teach the Israelites all the statues that the Lord has given to them through Moses”. (Leviticus 10:10-11)

But the priests were not immune to mankind’s legacy of sin, and almost immediately, they became corrupt, continuing in their sinful nature of grubbing around in darkness rather than living holy before the Lord God.

Leadership roles, including that of high priest, were sold to the highest bidder or, later, appointed at the whim of foreign political leaders. Priests either taught from their own wisdom or put their authority up for sale (Micah 3:11), leading the people astray and violating their covenant work. (Malachi 2:8)

Finally, even before the dust of Egypt could fall from their shoes, Aaron commanded the Israelites to fashion and worship a golden calf as their one, true God. Again and again, priests sanctioned the casting of idols and the worship of false and foreign gods over the One True God. (2 Kings 17:16-17)

The cycle was unbroken, endless, despairing. No sacrifice made by man could provide permanent absolution; no spilled blood of an animal could transform the people’s sinful nature. (Hebrews 10:4)

God’s judgement was unequivocal, His words condemning their sin as a tragic echo of His commission:

“Her priests do violence to my instructions and profane my holy things. They make no distinction between the holy and the common, and they do not explain the difference between the clean and the unclean. They close their eyes to my Sabbath, and I am profaned among them.” (Ezekiel 22:26)

Moved to action by a generation of priests who stole offerings meant for the Lord, threatened violence against the people they were meant to lead, and sexually abused women who served in the tabernacle (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22), God called a young boy to serve as His voice to Israel.

Thus began the age of prophets in Israel’s history, men and women who were called to approach a sin-riddled nation on behalf of a holy God. Some were people of incredible faithfulness, honor, and endurance, whose own words foreshadowed the Word made flesh.

In fact, much of the Old Testament has been dedicated to prophets’ exhortations.

But even prophets were not immune to the gnarled fingers of sin curling around their spirits.

Like the Israelites all the way back to Adam and Eve,
like the priests before and alongside them,
like every single human after them, some began to choose self over God.

What “prophetic” message would garner the most political favor?
What message would bring financial gain, or community stature?
What message would bring physical satisfaction, pleasure, or ease?
Then surely, that message was intended for God’s children . . . regardless of whether it bore any resemblance to His words.

As with the priests, God spoke out against false prophets:
“Because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (when I intended no distress), and because you have supported the wicked person so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life, therefore you will no longer see false visions or practice divination. I will rescue my people from your hands. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Ezekiel 13:22-23)

. . . and eventually, the true prophets fell silent. For hundreds of years, Israel heard nothing from God. Never before had He seemed so distant, so separate.

No man, hopelessly bound in the sticky, spidery web of sin and death could free himself, save his people, and stand blameless before God (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Not priests.
Not judges, or kings, or elders.
Not prophets.
Not you, or me.

Where, then, does our hope lie? What sacrifice, what true High Priest, could be enough to break, once and for all, sin’s death-grip on our spirits?

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