Fear not, it's just stuff

Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work.  --Isaiah 54:16(a)

The men's group I attend at church was watching a video.  A graphic of this verse, Isaiah 54:16, appeared on the screen.  As the music swelled, the scene shifted to a swordsmith heating the metal, then beating the white-hot molten mass with a hammer, shaping it into an instrument of war.  The voice-over was saying something about God taking us and molding us into His will, so that we can be used mightily (like a sword) in His hand.  It finished with an image of the white-hot metal being plunged into a barrel of water, while the voice-over artist said something about us being immersed in God's mercy and grace.

Powerful stuff.  Very inspiring.  Gets the blood pumping.  Makes a roomful of men want to stand up and with one voice shout, "HOO-RAH!"

It inspired me to go home and look up the verse, to study it and apply it.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that's not what the verse says at all.  Here is the full text of verse 16 of Isaiah chapter 54:

Behold, I Myself have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and brings out a weapon for its work; and I have created the destroyer to ruin.

Oh.  My.  That last phrase puts the verse in a whole different light.

You see, that's not something that gets preached from very many pulpits on very many Sundays.  I have heard preachers dance around this subject.  They say that God did not create evil, but that He gave men free will to do evil if they choose.  According to my reading of this verse, that is only half the story.  When people consider the problem of evil, they want to leave God out of it, because God is good all the time, and He cannot possibly be connected with evil, can He?  Social justice warriors decry war and the means of war, as if it came from the depths of hell itself.

But look at the verse closely.  What did God say He created?  He created the smith who fashions the sword.  To what end?  Last time I checked, the purpose of a weapon was to kill, maim, or destroy.  Yes, you say you would only use it in self defense, but the outcome is the same--if you had to use a weapon against an enemy or an intruder, that enemy would be either dead or injured.  That last phrase in the verse sums it up nicely.  "I have created the destroyer."  To what end?  To destroy, or to bring to ruin.

People forget that Satan is a created being.  Who created him?  Why, God did, of course.  Did God create the devil not knowing that he would fall from heaven and take a third of the angels with him?  Was God not aware that Satan would turn against Him, to fight Him tooth and nail?  Did God overlook the fact that Satan, once fallen from Heaven, would make Earth his domain?  That's not the God I know.  The God I know is omniscient.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He knows all things, sees all things, understands all things.  God made Satan, just like He made you and me.  The difference is that we are made for a better purpose.

Fear not, friends.  This is a lesson in context.  Unlike the producers of that men's video that took the first part of the verse out of context, I want to show you what comes before and after that verse.  Let's look at verse 17:

No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me, declares the Lord.  --Isaiah 54:17

So while "every thought in the heart of man is evil all of the time" (Genesis 6:5), God will uphold the righteous.  This is how the Church has survived for two centuries, when governments, religions, laws, armies and even the gates of hell have arrayed against it.

I want us to do a little word study here. I think this is fascinating.  Follow me here.  The same Hebrew word is used in both these verses, the word that my NASB translates "weapon."  The KJV translates the word "instrument" in verse 16, as in "I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work."  In context, I believe that this would be an instrument of war, as the very same word is translated "weapon" in verse 17.

The Hebrew word is keliy, and it is used a number of times in the Old Testament.  Sometimes it is translated "vessel", as in something used to hold your stuff.  In Genesis 42 we read the story of how Joseph, who was prime minister of Egypt, saw his brothers come to buy food.  He commanded that the men's money be put into their sacks of grain; the word "sacks" is this same word keliy.  In other places this same word is translated "weapons" or "armor", "furniture" or "thing", and my favorite, "stuff."   In Genesis 45:20, Joseph brings his whole family to Egypt, and tells them "also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours." (KJV).

Why is this important?  I think it puts it all into perspective.  God created men, who make the stuff of war.  Are the creations of men more powerful than God?  Of course not.  God made the men, the men made the stuff.  The same God who can snuff out the men can crush the stuff that men make.  Look at it another way:  God made Satan, Satan makes trouble.  Is the trouble that Satan makes more powerful than God?  Of course not.  God is greater than the trouble Satan brings into our lives.

Want more context clues?  Back up one verse, to Isaiah 54:15: "If anyone fiercely assails you it will not be from Me.  Whoever assails you will fall because of you."  Remain faithful, and God's got your back. Even if you know of someone who was martyred for the sake of the Gospel, do not be discouraged--they are in a better place, and you still have a story to tell.  "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper."  It's just stuff.

I love the song Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies) by Chris Tomlin, but I especially love it when he comes to the bridge, and says "Nothing formed against me will stand, You hold the whole world in Your hands."

Whom Shall I Fear

Chris Tomlin

You hear me when I call
You are my morning song
Though darkness fills the night
It cannot hide the light

Whom shall I fear

You crush the enemy
Underneath my feet
You are my sword and shield
Though troubles linger still

Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

My strength is in your name
For you alone can save
You will deliver me
Yours is the victory

Whom shall I fear
Whom shall I fear

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

And nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I'm holding on to your promises

You are faithful
You are faithful

Nothing formed against me shall stand
You hold the whole world in your hands
I'm holding on to your promises

You are faithful
You are faithful
You are faithful

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The one who reigns forever
He is a friend of mine

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

The God of angel armies
Is always by my side

Songwriters: Chris Tomlin / Ed Cash / Scott Cash

Whom Shall I Fear lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group, Music Services, Inc

Famous Last Words

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and  power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be abolished is death.  --1 Corinthians 15:22-26

When Groucho Marx was dying, he let out one last quip:  "This is no way to live!"  As Benjamin Franklin lay dying at the age of 84, his daughter told him to change positions in bed so he could breathe more easily, to which Franklin responded, "A dying man can do nothing easy."  When convicted murderer James Rodgers was put in front of a firing squad in Utah, he was asked if he had a last request.  He replied, "Bring me a bullet-proof vest."

No one can control events as their life ebbs away.  Whatever control they had in their lifetime is lost at the end.  Marie Antoinette stepped on the executioner's foot on the way to the guillotine.  Her last words were, "Pardonnez-moi, Monsieur."

One can try to put his or her affairs in order, but how can you truly prepare for the unknown?  You can have faith, but you can't rely on first-hand testimony of others who have gone before you, because "No one has seen God and lived."

Over the last few weeks I have read the story of David, king of Israel.  Yesterday I read 2 Samuel chapter 23, and these words caught my eye:  "Now these are the last words of David." (2 Samuel 23:1a).   David is one whose life had seen a lot of victories.  From slaying Goliath to evading Saul to wiping out the Philistines, David seemed to always come out on top.

At the end of his life, however, things had started spiraling out of control.  From the time of Bathsheba onward, the sword never left his household:  his son Amnon raped David's daughter Tamar; another son Absalom took vengeance on his sister, and killed Amnon; after spending some years in exile, Absalom returned to Jerusalem with the goal of killing his father and taking hold of the throne by force.  When Absalom died, David was inconsolable--his general Joab had to yell at him to straighten up, to congratulate the army that had but down Absalom's rebellion, lest they lose face.  David gave no thought to the morale of his fighting men.  His favorite son, whose name means "his father is peace" was caught in a thicket by his long, flowing hair, and was run through by the sword.

This man recorded these final words:

Now these are the last words of David.  David the son of Jesse declares, the man who was raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.  The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me, 'He who rules over men righteously, who rules in the fear of God, is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, when the tender grass springs out of the earth, through sunshine after rain.'  Truly is not my house so with God?  For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things, and secured; for all my salvation and all my desire, will He not indeed make it grow?"  --2 Samuel 23:1-5.

Indeed, David had sung the very words of God.  The Psalms include admonitions to morality, praise to God for all good things, vows to bring enemies to justice, and prophecies that even included a prophecy about the death of Jesus Christ (see Psalm 22).  He had been a spokesman for God.  He had been set up by God as the ruler of all the people.  As king, David had expanded the borders of Israel.  He had been very blessed.

Still, I can't help but think about the way his life had gone there toward the end.  Everything he had worked for all his life seemed to be spiraling out of control.  Have you ever felt that way?  I know I have. Yet look again at verse 5.  "Truly is not my house so with God?"  What does he mean, "so"?  He compared it in verse 4 to the light of a sunrise on a cloudless morning in springtime, when little grass shoots pop out of the earth after an evening shower.  In his God there is life.  With all the death and blood and muck of the battlefields David had led his armies through, God brought him peace.

Not only peace, but order.  The word "order" means "to arrange, set or put or lay in order, set in array (as in a battle), prepare, order, ordain,  handle, furnish, esteem."  Remember how David's life was spiraling out of control?  His faith remained grounded in God.  It was God who made the everlasting covenant.  It was God who ordered all things, and made them secure.  That secure covenant would nourish and protect his longing and desire to see God, to know His salvation.  The salvation of God, in turn, would spring forth as a sprout or young plant.  Rooted in that covenant relationship, David felt secure.

Friend, no matter how bad your circumstances are, or how much your life seems to be spiraling out of control, remember God's promise.  He is our hope and our salvation.  He is our shield and defender.  When we are grounded in him, our lives can take root and grow, and our hearts' desires will bear fruit to abundant and everlasting life in Him.

All My Hope

Hillsong Worship

Light in my darkness
Peace for my soul
You are my rescue
You never let go

Light in my darkness
Peace for my soul
You are my rescue
You never let go

All my hope is in You
All my strength is in You
With every breath
My soul will rest in You

Here in my weakness
Always the same
Your love is my shelter
Your life is my way

All my hope is in You
All my strength is in You
With every breath
My soul will rest in You

Constant Savior
Friend forever
Lord You have my heart
Sure foundation
Never failing
Lord You have my heart

All my hope is in You
All my strength is in You
With every breath
My soul will rest in You

All the earth beneath You
All my life before You
With every breath
My soul will rest in You
With every breath
My soul will rest in You

Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Reuben Morgan

All My Hope lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Essential Music Publishing, Capitol Christian Music Group

 

Flash Drought

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. --Psalm 63:1

I heard a meteorological term this week that I have not heard before.  The term is "flash drought", and it apparently was popularized (if not actually coined) during the rapid onset of the central US drought in May and early June, 2012.   These events are described as decreases in soil moisture associated with unusually high temperatures coupled with increases in evaporation in a relatively short period of time.

The air temperature rises so rapidly that the moisture in the soil evaporates.  The soil is so dry that the vegetation dries out or dies completely.  It is so dry that any spark, such as that caused by a horseshoe striking a rock, can lead to a major fire, covering thousands of acres.

I have heard meteorologists before speak of "fire season", where wildfires will start in the Western United States.  Firefighters during the summer months may be called to help fight local fires in California, Nevada, and Arizona.  Some of these fires could have been caused by careless campers not dousing their campfires completely.  Some of them could have been started by lightning strikes.  More recently, however, wildfires have sprung up in less arid places, such as Montana and Wyoming.  It is these recent fires that have been attributed to flash droughts.

Apparently, there are two different kinds of flash droughts.  The first is caused by a heat wave.  High temperatures cause an increase in evaporation, and lead to decreases in soil moisture.  Heat Wave flash droughts have nothing to do with lack of precipitation.  The second kind of flash drought is called Precipitation Deficit flash drought.  This type is caused by a lack of rain, which in turn causes the soil to dry out.  The dry soil causes temperatures to rise.

The effect is the same for both kinds.  Both involve heat, evaporation, and lack of moisture.  One dries out the moisture stored in the ground.  The other is caused by lack of precipitation feeding moisture to the ground.  One is caused by heat in the environment; the other causes heat in the environment.

I don't mean to get so technical, but there is a point I'm driving to.  Be patient with me.

The Bible speaks of cataclysmic events in the end times.  Revelation 9 describes the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse:

And this is how I saw in the vision the horses and those who sat on them: the riders had breastplates the color of fire and of hyacinth and of brimstone; and the heads of the horses are like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths proceed fire and smoke and brimstone.  A third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which proceeded out of their mouths.  --Revelation 9:17-18

Many modern Bible scholars have theorized that the cataclysm that would cause the death of one third of mankind would have to be a nuclear war or something similar.  Thoughts like this are fresh in our minds with current events such as the saber rattling of North Korea, a fledgling nuclear power, and the fierce response by the United States, the only country to have used nuclear weapons in war.  Indeed, the major deterrent for the use of nuclear warheads over the last fifty years has been something called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

I don't know much about eschatology (the study of the End Times), or about nuclear war.  I believe that if there was an all-out nuclear war, much more than one-third of all mankind would die.  Much more than one-third of the fish in the sea would perish, as was prophesied in Revelation 8:9--besides, this prophecy about the sea appears to be a separate event.  I think it could be just as likely that there could be widespread flash droughts, causing multiple wildfires, that could set off a chain of events resulting in cataclysmic death rates.  If the wildfires are near major metropolitan areas, the flames and the smoke could cause the deaths of millions, even a couple billion.  God could use a discarded cigarette butt here, a lightning strike there, a few unattended campfires and even a horseman riding over a rock causing a spark--all of these could be used by God to bring about His will and the fulfillment of His Word.

Unfortunately, I am all too familiar with times of drought closer to home.  No, I don't mean a lack of precipitation.  I am talking about a spiritual drought.  There have been too many times when I have neglected prayer and Bible study.  The lack of communion with God through my speaking with Him (through prayer) and Him speaking to me (through His word) has often caused me to wander in a spiritual wasteland.  Other times, the worries of the world and the pressure Satan builds up against us has worn me down, causing a deep thirst for God.

In the Old Testament, there are two different words for "drought".  One is the Hebrew word choreb, which is translated heat, dry, drought, waste, and desolation.  This is the word used in Genesis 31:40: "Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes."  This use of the word "drought" can be thought of as environmental.  It is like the heat wave flash drought--it has nothing to do with precipitation; that is, it doesn't matter how much we pray or study Scripture, the devil brings this drought to bear on us.  And if we don't hydrate, if we don't continually be subject to "the washing of the water and of the word" (Ephesians 5:26), then we can become parched, desolate, and laid waste.

God's mercy covers this possibility.  Isaiah 4:6 says, "There will be a shelter (or Tabernacle) to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain." Later, that same writer said, "For You have been a defense for the helpless, a defense for the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall." (Isaiah 25:4).

The second term used in the Old Testament for "drought" is the word tsiyah, translated dry land, wilderness, dry places, solitary place.  It is the word used in Job 30:3, "For want and famine they were solitary, fleeing into the wilderness in former time desolate and waste." (KJV).  I think of this kind of drought as more self-inflicted or voluntary.  If we isolate ourselves from God and from His provision for us, it is like the flash drought caused by a lack of precipitation.  Without water, the soil of our soul evaporates what little moisture is left, and it causes life to heat up around us.  "But they sinned even more against Him by rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness." (Psalm 78:17).

Even then, the solution is by the grace of God.  If you are a Christian, you can see Him strike the rock and see Living Water flow out and fill the dry places.  If you have not  yet accepted Him, you can come out of the wilderness and accept His free gift of eternal life.  "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3:5).

We can wallow in sin and reap destruction, or we can come to the Fountain.  "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:11).  Hebrews 10:22 says, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."

I hope you are seeing a pattern here.  The key to avoiding spiritual drought is hydration.  When the heat is on, or a heat wave comes in out of nowhere, realize that evaporation will follow.  If that water is not replenished, you could be consumed.  Alternately, if we fail to tap the Source and partake of the Living Water frequently, then our reservoir will run dry and we will be in danger of faltering in our faith, or wandering in a desolate death spiral.  The time of testing is coming.  The prophet Zechariah said this:

And it shall come to pass in all the land, says the Lord, that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it;  I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.  They will call on My name and I will answer them.  I will say, "This is My people," and each one will say, "The Lord is my God."  --Zechariah 13:8-9

Bring on the heat--just don't forget where the water is.


I KNOW WHERE THERE'S WATER
by Ponder, Sykes & Wright

In a dry and thirsty land I know where there's water,
In the burning desert sand I know where there's water;
There's a place where I can go where the living waters flow,
To refresh my weary soul I know there's water.

I know I can't live my life based on how I feel,
But at times there is a famine across the land in which I dwell;
But I know there's a mountain where blood from His side fell,
And the blood became a fountain, the fountain a living well.

In a dry and thirsty land I know where there's water,
In the burning desert sand I know where there's water;
There's a place where I can go where the living waters flow,
To refresh my weary soul I know there's water.

This world takes my strength until there's nothing left,
And it's a hopeless battle to fight it by myself;
So when the times I'm weak from this journey I am on,
There's a wellspring that I drink from flowing from the Cornerstone.

In a dry and thirsty land I know where there's water,
In the burning desert sand I know where there's water;
There's a place where I can go where the living waters flow,
To refresh my weary soul I know there's water.

To refresh my weary soul I know there's water.
I know where there's water;Yes, I know where there's water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVUJbSfZTAc

The Battle is the Lord's

If you are a Christian, you are a theologian.  You have no choice.  Theology is simply knowing about God.  In fact, since Christians are called to grow in their knowledge of God, part of the very goal of the Christian life is theology.  Theology is a normal part of the Christian life--a part that gives rise to everything else.  --James White, The Forgotten Trinity.

I have had the day from you-know-where today.  If not for the grace of God, well, all kinds of things--let's not go there.

On second thought, let's.

Last night in my quiet time, I was reading in 2 Samuel 10.  The enemies of Israel were arrayed against David and his kingdom.  More importantly, they were arrayed against the Kingdom of God.  The Ammonites hired mercenaries from Aramea.  20,000 battle-tested soldiers were joined by 12,000 men of Tob, and a thousand more from the king of Maacah.  Don't worry, I don't know who these people were, either.  That's the point--only the victors are remembered in history.

Aw, nuts!  I've gone and spoiled it already.  Let's start again.  Thirty-three thousand battle-tested soldiers and mercenaries storming the gates of Jerusalem.  Half were standing at the main gates in front, and half stationed in the fields behind the city.  Joab, David's general, knew this was a good battle plan, a wise war tactic.  If David's army fought against those at the front gates, the enemy would come in from behind.  If the Israeli army fled out of the back of the city, those at the front would storm the gates while the Lord's army was engaged with those in the fields.  Brilliant!

Joab's solution was to set half of the King's Guard at the front gates, led by himself.  The other half would fight in the rear under the direction of Joab's brother Abishai.  His plan was simple--if Joab's forces were having trouble, Abishai's troops would help them; but if Abishai's warriors were overwhelmed, then Joab's men would come to their aid.

Joab left them with this rallying cry:  "Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight."  (2 Samuel 10:12, emphasis added.)

He did not give them false hope.  They were outnumbered and outflanked.  There was no, "We've got the power!"  No "This is OUR HOUSE!"  He didn't say, "This is where we fight; this is where they die."  An honest assessment meant that they were not entirely sure of victory that day.  Yet they gave it to God.  "May the Lord do what is good in His sight."

I like that.  We are engaged in a spiritual battle. By ourselves we are out-manned and out-maneuvered.  Our trust is not in ourselves, it is in God alone.  You find this sentiment echoed in many Old Testament scriptures.  One of them is Esther 4:16: "If I perish, I perish."  The thought is that if I live or if I die, the name of the Lord is to be praised.

Even today, we trust not in ourselves.  Our trust is in God alone.  This is the very meaning behind grace.  After this riveting Old Testament story in my quiet time last night, I read the New Testament story of the birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1.  In my Bible I highlighted the prophetic word John's father Zacharias spoke over his new-born son.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant--as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old--"Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;" --Luke 1:68-71

Now that sounds more like a battle cry, doesn't it?  He goes on to describe what we are saved to, or saved for:

To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.  --Luke 1:73b-75

Now, most of us are not soldiers, airmen, or marines.  We are civilians, engaged in commerce, not commando raids.  We are more used to the sound of idyllic banter than to the noise of intense battle. However, just beyond the realm of what is seen is an enemy who "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8).

In light of the spiritual battle before us, let's read further the prophetic word that Zacharias spoke over his son John.  "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways." (Luke 1:76).  Jesus Himself verified this statement, and validated John's mission when He said in Luke 7:28, "Among those born of women there is no one greater than John."  Jesus made this statement even while John was in prison, awaiting execution at the hand of Herod.  Think about that.

Zecharias went on to prophesy what his progeny's purpose would be:  "To give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins."  (Luke 1:77).  The Greek word for "salvation" is the word soteria, which can mean deliverance, preservation, and safety.  How can we be delivered, preserved, and safe from Satan and the effects of sin?  By the forgiveness of our sins.  John's message was "repent", but it was a message of grace.  Sin separates us from a holy God.  The only antidote to sin is God's forgiveness.  We cannot be good enough on our own--we are always stained with sin.  Only the covering of the righteousness of Christ through His blood shed on the cross can cover our sin. God Himself saves us from Himself, unto Himself, for Himself.  Who knew the doctrine of soteriology could be so simple and yet so deep?

The prophecy of Zecharias goes on to say, "Because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us." (Luke 1:78).  The word translated "mercy" can mean "Kindness or goodwill towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them."  Charitable men and women can exhibit this godly quality, but at the end of the day we humans are only in it for ourselves.  We do charity to feel good about ourselves, or to be seen as good to other people.  God's mercy is not for our applause but for our need.  He doesn't show mercy so we will think better of Him; He shows mercy because it is His very nature.  It can be counted upon as surely as the sun rises in the East every morning.

As if to underscore the mercy of God, Zecharias's prophecy over his son John the Baptist ends this way: "To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."  This is the gospel, the good news.  No matter how bad your day has gone or is going, we have the promise of peace.  Not peace like the world gives, but the peace of God, which passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).  Strong's concordance (the major study aid of this entire post) defines peace in this way:

1. Exemption from the rage and havoc of war.
2. Peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord.
3. Security, safety, prosperity, and felicity. (Because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous.)
4. Of the Messiah's peace, the way that leads to salvation.
5. Of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is.

Are you having a bad day?  The worst day on earth is better than the best day in hell. Peace be with you.  Are you facing and enemy that has you overwhelmed? Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart: I have overcome the world."  Peace be with you.  Are you facing certain death? "May the Lord do what is good in His sight."  God's peace be with you.

We have a sure defender
A strong and mighty captain
Leading us in battle
His Name is Lord of all

Celebrate His conquering raise his banner
Lift him high, lift Him high

Not with a sword to destroy
Not with a shield to defend
Not with a spear to kill
But in the name of Lord
The battle is the Lord's

Not with a sword to destroy
Not with a shield to defend
Not with a spear to kill
But in the name of Lord
The battle is the Lord's

His Name is Our salvation
A strong and mighty tower
We will exalt Him
The Son of Righteousness
Worthy of Glory, sing His praises
Lift Him high, lift Him high

Not with a sword to destroy
Not with a shield to defend
Not with a spear to kill
But in the name of Lord
The battle is the Lord's

I will lift up the Name
The Name above all names
All Heaven and earth must bow
Before the Name almighty, God (all mighty)

Not with a sword to destroy
Not with a shield to defend
Not with a spear to kill
But in the name of Lord
The battle is

Not with a sword to destroy
Not with a shield to defend
Not with a spear to kill
But in the name of Lord
In the name of Lord
The battle is the Lord's 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJb6PY_U8S8

Lord of the Breakthrough

So David came to Baal-perazim and defeated them there; and he said, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters."  Therefore he named that placed Baal-perazim.  --2 Samuel 5:20

I did business today with a new client.  He is Hispanic, and his first name is Melquisedec.  I asked him if he knew that this was a Bible name.  He said I was the first person to notice that fact.  All of his friends and co-workers call him "Mel".  Most of the gringos he knows can't even pronounce it correctly:  mehl KEE seh dehk.  On a whim, I looked up the name in an online baby names app.  On the one hand, the name is listed there.  On the other hand, there was no meaning listed.  In fact, it said "Meaning: unknown."

I can tell you what it means.  It comes from the Hebrew name Melchizedek, and it means "King of Righteousness", and by extension, Priest of the Most High God.  The name is found in Genesis 14:18 in the story of Abraham being blessed by God.  You remember that Abraham obeyed God, left his home and his family, and went to a land that God would show him.  When he got there, Melchizedek was king of Jerusalem.  Abraham paid him a tithe, or a tenth, of everything he had.  In the New Testament, the name is associated with Jesus.  Hebrews 5:9-10 says this:

And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Yesterday in my daily Bible reading, I read 2 Samuel 5 about David unifying the country under his leadership once Saul died.  At first, David ruled over Judah from a town called Hebron.  It took him seven years to be recognized as king over all of Israel.  During this time, David marched on Jerusalem.  It was held by the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe that had been there from before the time of Moses.  Remember in Joshua, chapters 10 and 11, the Lord commanded the people to drive out the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites.  Joshua apportioned the area around Jerusalem to the tribe of Benjamin, but they were unable (or unwilling) to utterly destroy the Jebusites as God had commanded.  Therefore they were still around when Saul was king.  Saul had tolerated them; David would not.

There was a little taunting going on between David and the Jebusites.  Jerusalem was built on a hill, and was very easy to defend.  It had been nearly impossible for any army to overcome Jerusalem before David's time. Lamentations 4:12 says, "The kings of the earth did not believe, nor did any of the inhabitants of the world, that the adversary and the enemy could enter the gates of Jerusalem."

David knew that God was on his side; the Jebusites trusted in their idols, which have "eyes, but they cannot see....they have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but they cannot walk." (Psalm 115:5b, 7).  The men of Jebus taunted David.  "We can send out our blind and our lame and they will defeat you."  There is kind of a double-meaning here.  If David said that the idols were blind and lame, then the Canaanites were stating outright that their gods would defend them.  On the other hand, the city was so well positioned that the generals were confident that they didn't need to send their best soldiers, and even the weakest among them could defend the city.

David shot back a similar retort, one that could be taken two ways.  He said, "Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul, through the water tunnel."  In essence, the commander-in-chief was telling his generals to gather up all the idols, which David hated, and dump them in the river. They would watch the false gods float out the water tunnel of through the city walls.  In another vein, David was basically telling them to leave no quarter: kill them all, including the weakest men among them, just as God had commanded Joshua 400 years earlier.

Later in the same chapter, after David had set up his headquarters in Jerusalem, the Philistine army came to fight.  They set up camp in the Valley of Rephaim, west of Jerusalem.  They brought their idols with them.  David sought counsel from the Lord his God.  God promised victory.  So David went out and defeated the Philistine army, who fled, leaving their idols behind.  David and his men carried the idols away, either to destroy them completely, or to melt them down and put the silver and gold into the treasury.

Upon defeating the Philistine army, David said, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters."  Remember when he captured Jerusalem, and had instructed the army to "reach the lame and blind" at the place where the water broke through?  I think David remembered it.  He re-named the Valley of Rephaim, and called it Baal-perazim, which means "Master (or Lord) of the Breakthrough."

Friend, do you need a breakthrough today?  Take a lesson from David.

1. Seek the Lord's counsel.  You don't want to go against His will.
2. Destroy anything that could stand between you and God.  He will not abide where there is idolatry.
3. Be obedient. Even if it is an uphill battle, be strong and courageous.  The Lord our God will be with you.

It won't be easy.  You will have to fight for it.  You may have to break generational curses, i.e. take ground that has been held by the enemy for centuries.  Keep the faith.  "For without faith it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6).

Remember whose you are.  Be led by Jesus, the High Priest forever of the Most High God.  You are ruled by the King of Righteousness.  He has prophesied over you, the Prophet, Priest and King.