If My People

2nd Chronicles 7:14 ... "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

I just finished reading a book by a Christian author who made the statement that, if believers in America claim this Old Testament verse and repent ... that God will not bring judgment upon America for it's national sin. Well, I'm open to that thought. It sounds good to me. But truthfully ... I really don't know exactly where I stand on that belief. You see ... America isn't mentioned in Scripture.

I have always thought that the first meaning of this verse was directed to the nation of Israel concerning God's promise to Solomon that if Israel turns away, forsakes God, and even worships false gods ... that the people could repent and God would withhold His judgment from them. I assumed it was speaking of a national repentance ... or is it?

In the above scripture, God is speaking to Solomon in answer to the dedication prayer over God's Temple that Solomon gave in the preceding chapter. Below is part of that prayer, and Solomon's plea on behalf of the nation of Israel, knowing they will later sin against God ...

2nd Chronicles 6:26-31 ... "When the heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against thee; yet if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name, and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them; Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance.  If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be ... locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities ... Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel ... Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive ..."

In Chapter 7, God answers Solomon's prayer ... which includes our key verse ...

2nd Chronicles 7:12-14 ... "And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.  If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Even though the words repent or repentance is not used in either portion of scripture, I assume that is what it is referring to when it says to pray and God will forgive their sin.

Notice Solomon asks the Lord to forgive, whether it happens to be "any man" or "all of thy people Israel" that prays. So, may I conclude that when God said to Solomon the words ... "If my people" ... He wasn't referring only to a national repentance, but any of His people, even one person by himself could lay hold of the promise.

Notice also ... God is saying it will be Him that stops the rain, and sends the pestilence upon Israel because of national sin. So in essence, God uses "perceived evil" to turn the hearts of His people back to Him. So I ask ... could He not do the same with America?

Now, to the question ... "Does America or any other nation qualify to receive this same promise from God?" In other words, if you and I start praying a prayer of repentance for America, will God honor our prayer based on 2nd Chronicles 7:14?

Honestly ... I really don't know. I do believe this though ... if enough believing Christians start asking God to bring revival to our land; to bring repentance to His people who have grown lukewarm, even cold or indifferent to the leading of His Spirit, then ... "yes" ... God can change the heart of America.

But here is where I may be different than some. I have no idea what God's end time plans for America are. What I am about to say has "nothing" to do with scripture or doctrine. It's just a feeling that stays with me and has for about the last twenty years or so, ever since our leaders began systematically and methodically taking God out of our nation ... from our laws, schools, city halls, town squares and lately even Christmas.

As a nation, we have told God to get out of our lives so that we can kill millions of healthy babies, calling it "women's health." It has now become acceptable and politically correct to do what is unnatural by nature, perverted and vile ... same sex marriage by homosexuals and lesbians. It's still an abomination to God. So how can He bless and heal our land until we repent?

These are just some of the changes I have seen in America over my life time. So I ask ... has God given us over to judgment as He did with other nations in the past history of this planet? It's still true you know ... sin has it's own reward. We just don't know when it will come.

My second uneasy feeling (if that's the right term) is that America "must fall" from it's super power status to fulfill and bring about the final deception of Israel concerning the so called anti-christ and the 7 years of Tribulation spoken of in both, the Old Testament Book of Daniel and the New Testament Book of Revelation. I believe God raises nations up and also brings nations down at His will and for His purpose.

Dr. David Yeagley once stated ... "The rise and fall of nations is something God tends to. Nations are on probation."

I wonder if America has failed it's probation?

In conclusion ... yes, God can bring revival and repentance to America. I'm just unsure if that's all within His plans for America.

One other thing I know and am sure of ... it won't do any harm to begin asking God to return America to it's roots ... which is, trusting in the providence and love of God.

Comments welcome.

You Should Be Married to Another

Has anyone ever made that statement to you, that … "You should be married to another?" That's exactly what the Apostle Paul said to the Jews in Rome. He said it's time. Why? Because you're living with a corpse, a dead empty shell of what used to be. So move on.

That's what I want to look at today in Romans 7:1-4. In this epistle, although directed to the Roman Church in general, the majority of which were of Gentile origin, there was a large Jewish element in the church to which Paul was writing.

In this letter directed to Roman believers, the point to be presented by Paul was to bring the Jewish Christian converts to the understanding that the Gentile believers were on equal standing with the Jews without being obligated to keep the Law of Moses. There was an element within the Jewish converts that were still trying to live under the Law even though they were saved by grace. Old traditions die hard.

To these Paul writes … they were to consider the law as now dead, and themselves as married to another … namely Jesus Christ. So to make his point, the Apostle Paul uses the example of how a woman, married to a man, is married to him only as long as he is alive.

Romans 7:1 … "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?"

 

With this question Paul speaks to the Jewish members of the Roman church, who were really the only ones qualified to understand the nature of the Law, having lived under it and therefore could appreciate the argument he is about to make. And so he starts with … the law has power over a man as long as he lives, but no longer. 

Romans 7:2 … "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband."

A married woman is bound to her husband while he lives … but no longer. When her husband is dead she is set free from the law by which she was bound to only him.

Romans 7:3 … "So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man."

In other words, Paul is saying, you Jewish believers are no more bound to the Law than a woman is to a deceased husband … you are as free to receive Jesus Christ without fear of judgment, as a woman in such circumstances would be to remarry.

Romans 7:4 … "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

Paul is speaking to them as one Jew to another when he calls them … my brethren. A little later he says in Romans 11:1 … "I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin."

To put it my own words, Paul is saying … "I know what I am talking about. I am from the same stock, the same Jewish heritage, and as such lived under the law. No one can say they are more Jewish than me."

He speaks of those qualifications of knowing the law in Philippians 3:4-5 … "If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee."

Paul is saying that God has determined that the law shall no longer be in force … so that now, just as a woman whose husband is dead, is legally set free from her husband and from her vows … Jews may now legally be married to another. And so it is with all believers. 

What an inspired argument Paul gives.

1.) You are dead to the law. If you have died to yourself, it's no longer you that lives but Christ living in you; the law can no longer have dominion over you … as he says in verse 1.

2.) The law, which was once your husband, is dead. Therefore you are free to marry another … as he states in verse 3.

God, who gave the law which the Christian Jews at Rome have lived under till now … designed that law to be in force only until Jesus fulfilled and completed the law. So now, the law has consequently ceased; and it has in essence died. Paul is now telling them they are freed from the law and … should be married to another.

They should now be obligated to be … "married to Him who is raised from the dead" … Jesus; married to the one who set them free from the law … "to bring forth fruit unto God."

As in most marriages, the fruit love produces … is children.

Comments welcome.

Hashem

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In this short discourse, I want to discuss the fundamental differences between the English names of God that Christians use and the sacred Hebrew names of God.

I have a wonderful Jewish lady friend named "Chana" who I correspond with once in a while when I have a question about anything Jewish, such as Hebrew law or traditions. I noticed in her replies back to me she never spelled the word "God" as I did. Instead, she wrote God as "G - d" leaving out the middle letter. So, with a little research I came up with the reason.

The words "God" and "Lord" (used for the Hebrew title of Adonai) are often written by many Jews as "G-d" and "L-rd" as a way of avoiding writing the name of God, so as to avoid the risk of sinning by erasing or defacing His name. In the fifth book of the Torah, (Deuteronomy 12:3-4) it exhorts one to destroy idolatry, but adding ... "you shall not do such to the LORD your God."

From this verse it is understood that one should not erase the name of God. Not being an expert on Judaism, it is my understanding that the general rabbinic opinion is that this only applies to the sacred Hebrew names of God ... but not to the word "God" in English or any other language. But even among Jews who consider it unnecessary, many nonetheless write the name "God" in this way out of respect, and also to avoid erasing God's name even in a non-forbidden way. My friend Chana, in respect for her Holy God follows this old tradition. And I respect her in doing so.

In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people. To show the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for them, the scribes of sacred texts used terms of reverence so as to keep the true name of God concealed. The various names of God in Judaism represent God as he is known, as well as the divine attributes and distinct personalities which He has.

It is also held in the Tanakh … (the canon of the Hebrew Bible) … that the only "name of God" is YHWH.

In English it is Yahweh; whereas words such as Elohim (God), El (mighty one), El Shaddai (almighty God), Adonai (my Lord, master), El Elyon (most high God), Avinu (our Father), etc. are not names but titles, highlighting different aspects of YHWH, and the various roles He has undertaken.

In the Tanakh, YHWH is the personal name of the God of Israel, whereas the other words are titles which are ascribed to Him.

Concerning the Hebrew name of God, YHWH … the English pronunciation "Yahweh" ... is not considered a legitimate name of God by most Jewish scholars.

(Halakha or Halakhah) … often translated "Jewish Law" … is the collective body of Jewish religious laws. It requires that secondary rules be placed around the primary law, to reduce the chance that the main law will be broken. As such, it is a common Jewish practice to restrict the use of the word Adonai (my Lord, master), to prayer only.

In conversation, many Jewish people, even when not speaking Hebrew, will call God … "Hashem" … which is Hebrew for "the Name." Many Jews extend this prohibition to some of the other names and will add additional sounds to alter the pronunciation of a name when using it outside of a liturgical context, such as replacing the "h" with a "k" in names of God such as "kel" and "elokim."

Probably the most recognizable Jewish name of God to Christians is ... Jehovah, sometimes translated in the King James Bible as LORD, meaning ... the self existent or eternal one. Most Christians, wrongly perceive the Jewish national name of God to be Jehovah, but rightly understand this name is declaring Him as ... "the most high, eternal one."

Repeating myself ... Jehovah is not the name of God, but rather it is a title representing who He is. In Judaism, the only "name of God" is YHWH.

Many so called Christians do something that true Jewish believers would never do ... and that is, to take the name of God in vain ... and make His name or title a meaningless swear word.

I think it has something to do with the fact that some people who call themselves Christians, (whether born again or not) believe in "grace," and must think that this grace will cover all sin ... which it does ... but as Paul said, "What, should we keep on sinning so that grace can more abound? God forbid." Life and death is in the power of the tongue.

Using the Lord's Name in vain. I believe this means ... unless you are talking to Him, talking about Him or praising Him and you invoke His Name, you are using it in vain.

It's useless to use His name without a reason and it shows a lack of respect for Him. Besides, it is one of the ten commandments ... not ten suggestions. God's name is Holy. So what if you believe that God's name is "Yahweh" as the Jews do; or "Jesus" the Son of God as Christians believe. Either way ... His name is Holy and it should not become a swear word.

It is to be respected and held in the highest esteem and regard ... especially so if you are a believer in Jesus. Why especially so as a Christian? Because there is "no other name given" whereby men must be saved except in and through the name of Jesus.

So my Christian friends, honor and respect God's name as "Yahweh" just as much as the name of Jesus ... because we are speaking of one God, one Lord and one Spirit. It's just that we believe Yahweh, Jehovah, Elohim, Adonai, El Shaddai and all the other titles of God are represented in the one person of Jesus, called Emmanuel ... which means, "God with us."

As I said earlier, not being an expert concerning all things Jewish, I pray I have not done any harm, disrespect or injustice to the Word of God or His name.

May "Hashem" ... (His Name) ... be praised.

Comments welcome.

Why Do We Feel Guilty

The simple answer to that question is ... because we are guilty.

The Bible states in Romans 3:23 ... "all have sinned" ... all of us, every single one of us who ever lived have broken God's laws in one way or another. (Except of course Jesus, who was God in the flesh.) It doesn't matter what it was ... sin is sin ... therefore we are guilty of whatever we have committed against God, against someone else or even against ourselves.

The reason we feel guilty is because of something God put in each of us called a conscience ... the inner feeling or voice viewed as an acting guide to the rightness or wrongness of one's behavior. This conscience causes us to be aware of or feel that we have missed the true mark God desires for our lives.

Knowing that we are guilty of wrongdoing causes us to have guilty feelings. In this short discourse, I want to speak about how you can get rid of one of these two, but not the other.

Because it is a fact that you and I have sinned ... we are guilty of that sin. It is something that we cannot change. It happened. It will always be part of our past history. It may be that only you and God may know about it ... but the fact that you know about it is problem enough. Guilty feelings come back whenever you think about that past behavior.

So what should we do about this problem? Well, I believe the first thing one should do after committing a sin, (and I am speaking now to Christian believers as well as non-Christians) is to repent and ask God for forgiveness of that sin.

Now right here, I want to say that even though God can and will forgive any sin ... and even though God has promised to never remember it anymore, and He won't ... but in truth, (now stay with me here) you are still guilty of committing that sin, because you did commit it. It"s just that God no longer holds you accountable for that sin. It's called God's grace and mercy. Your sin is expunged from your record.

Psalms 103:10-12 states very plainly how God deals with us and our sin ... "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." 

Even though God has removed the sin, never to remember it anymore ... the sin was committed ... a fact that can never be changed.

This fact is what I meant when I stated that you can only get rid of one of the two items, your guilt or the guilty feelings produced from sin. So therefore, I conclude that we are guilty of sin, because the act of sin can never be undone, (just forgiven) so the other item ... the guilty feelings ... is the only one we can and should get rid of.

So now, let's deal with the remaining guilty feelings that torment us about certain sins. Do we really believe what God's Word says about forgiveness? Look at 1st John 1:9 ... "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Let's examine this Scripture in detail.

"If we confess our sins" ... forgiveness of sin in Scripture, always supposes that there is a confession, acknowledging and owning up to that sin.

"He is faithful" ... to his promises. God will do what He has assured us He will do in remitting and forgetting our sin. You can trust Him. What other choice do we have?

"And just to forgive us our sins" ... The word "just" is not used as justice, as in (giving us what we deserve,) but it is used meaning ... as an act of mercy. Therefore we may have the fullest assurance that God is ready to pardon and forgive us if we exercise true repentance and faith in Him.

"And to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" ... He cleanses us by forgiving all that is in the past, and treating us as if we have always been sinless and righteous.

This act of confession and being forgiven should remove all the guilty feelings of our past sin from our heart and mind. But what if it doesn't? Why are we still troubled with guilty feeling from past, forgiven sins?

There may be more reasons, but here are what I believe are the two main ones. The first one is, "the accuser of the brethren." That's Satan and his fallen spirits. He will try and convince you that God hasn't forgiven your sin, that you aren't worthy enough, that God has given up on you, or that your sin is too great. He will bring it back up and say ... "How could you have done that? What is wrong with you?"

So, how do you fight the devil's argument? This just happens to be the second reason for those remaining guilty feelings. You simply haven't believed God.

For whatever reason ... could it be your own shame over the past sin, or could it be your arrogance? That's right ... your arrogance. Do you think that your sin is so great or special that the blood of Jesus can't wash it away? Are you worse then King David who had a woman's husband killed so he could have the man's wife that he lusted after? God was able to forgive David when he repented. Is your sin greater than the Apostle Paul’s? He said he was the chief of sinners. God forgave him. What makes your sin so great that it causes you to mistakenly believe you can't trust God to forgive you completely?

That's actually what you are doing when you dwell on your guilty feelings from past sins. You are not trusting or believing God. It's that simple. Here's a thought that should help you.

If God has forgiven me ... then there is hope for anyone.

Quit bringing them back up. Yes, they happened ... deal with it. You failed ... who hasn't. If you have asked God to forgive you, then legally ... in God's court of judgment ... they are not there. No charges will ever be brought against you. How do I know that?

The Apostle Paul said this in Romans 8:1 ... "There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus ..."

Don't condemn yourself, and don't let anyone else, including guilty feelings condemn you anymore. Jesus has set you free.

Stay free.



Comments welcome.