Charlie Kirk - a tribute

It was as I was preparing the post for my French-language blog that went out last Sunday, that I heard the news of the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Like so many more around the world, I was both shocked and saddened, and tears welled up in my eyes. Why? I had never met this young man - 31 one years of age when he was murdered. I had never been at one of the events that he had hosted in so many university campuses. However, I had often heard him speak as I watched YouTube videos taken at many of those events, and had been greatly impressed by his knowledge, his unapologetic testimony to Jesus as his Saviour and Lord, and his calm demeanour in the face of many attempts to rile him. He was known for his political debate, passion for sharing Christ, and support for Israel.

On the day following his assassination, I started to read, again, the book of the prophet Jeremiah. As is my custom, I lifted down a couple of commentaries from my bookshelves, that I might benefit from the words of those who understand much more than I. One of those was a Scripture Union book from many years ago, written by Rev A.E.Cundall. In the introduction to Jeremiah, I read these words: "The prophet Jeremiah ... was an exceedingly courageous man. Called to an extremely difficult task, that of proclaiming God's judgement upon an unresponsive,apostate Judah, he stuck to his task for forty years in spite of popular resentment, which sometimes took violent forms. A lesser man would have given in long before this. Jeremiah had an especial heartache, for he was every inch a patriot; he loved his people and it grieved him to see them inching towards the disaster which he foresaw so clearly, but to which they were so blind."

I would suggest that that description would, to a very large extent, fit Charlie Kirk. 

Last Sunday's French blog post was based on II Tim.2:24 - "And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher," (emphasis added). I had shared the road that I had been obliged to travel before entering the teaching profession, here in Scotland, and made the point that disciples of Jesus don't have to follow such a path, but that we should all be teachers in our own way - teaching the Gospel message by word and action.

Those words of Paul to Timothy applied to Charlie Kirk. He withdrew from university studies after one year because he had quickly recognised that he was not being educated, but indoctrinated. Yet, he had a wealth of information at his fingertips, including an apparently encyclopaedic knowledge of God's written Word, that I wish I could match. He was certainly "an apt teacher".

Let those of us who pray, seek to uphold his widow, Erika, and their two young children, before the throne of grace.

I want to write more, but that would make this post unacceptably long, so I'll leave that until next time. Be sure to read!

To Whom shall we turn?

Just a couple of weeks ago, dear friends of our, in Scotland, received the news that their 26-year-old daughter was in intensive care, as she had been diagnosed with DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis – nobody knew that she was diabetic!). Regretfully, she then developed Covid-19, and was put on a ventilator and into an induced coma. Praise God, she is now on her way to a full recovery, but my wife and I can understand a little of what those parents have gone, and are going, through as it is only a few years since we were informed by our younger daughter that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

I wonder if you have ever received news that was so alarming that it cut you to the core? News that so overwhelmed you to the point that you didn't know what to do? Almost certainly each of us has, at some time, received news that left us distressed, and even devastated, to the point that our world felt as if it had simply dropped out from under us. The questions we must answer in these moments are: "Where will we turn?" and "What will we do?" in the light of this news.

In II Kings 19:1-19 (please look up, and read!), we discover that king Hezekiah has just received horrific news from the officials whom he had dispatched to negotiate with Assyria. (v.1). However, instead of curling up into a ball, or reaching out to some of the other surrounding nations for help, Hezekiah turns to the only Person, and the only Source of strength that he can imagine might offer some form of aid in the light of the nation's bleak circumstances - Almighty God, and His prophet, Isaiah (vs. 2-7). 

Reading on, however, we begin to see how the prophecy from God will play out in undermining the king of Assyria (vs.8-9). We also see that Sennacherib is all the more determined to shake the faith of Hezekiah and the people of Judah, in their God (vs.10-13). Once again, Hezekiah's response is to turn to the only One Whom he knows might offer a way out of this situation - Almighty God.

Each of us will, undoubtedly, face overwhelming odds, and situations, at different times in our lives. Similarly, we will each be faced with answering the questions:  "Where will we turn?" and "What will we do?", in the light of our circumstances. The example of Hezekiah must surely serve as an illustration that no person can be there for us; nothing can save or deliver us; other than the Lord, our God.

He is our Certainty in uncertain times.

Only the best is good enough!

Throughout my increasingly long life, I have often been informed - in a negatively critical manner - that I am a "perfectionist"! I was reminded of that when I read these words, in a blog from David Robertson: "... please send us your best – no other sacrifice is good enough for the Lord."

The reason why those words resonated with me is that it is in that area that I willingly plead "Guilty", as charged. The Old Testament prophet, Malachi (he whose book is the final one in translations from the Hebrew), had something to say about the subject. The literal translation of his name is "my messenger", and his ministry consisted of calling God's people - the Children of Israel - back to their spiritual responsibilities, and to a fresh commitment.

Malachi wrote his prophetic message about 450 B.C., at the time when the Children of Israel had returned to the land of Judah, in Canaan, and had succeeded in rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. However, once this had been achieved the people, as had happened so often before in their long history, had become backslidden and idolatrous. Malachi is the prophet, chosen and called by YHWH (the LORD) to reawaken them, and to challenge them to live up to their God-given responsibilities as the Chosen People.

The prophet criticises the people in four main areas, the first of which was their failure to put God first in their list of priorities. They had begun to take Him for granted, and had lost their sense of spiritual need. Worst of all, it was the priests - those who should have been teaching the people and ensuring that they kept the Torah (which is much more than "Law" in our modern, Western, sense) - who were most guilty! Malachi's accusation is specific: "A son honours his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honour? And if I am a Master, where is My fear? says YHWH Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts) to you, O priests, who despise My Name." (1:6). He goes on to make the accusation even more specific by pointing out that the priests, instead of offering unblemished animals for sacrifice, were palming off, on the Almighty, cheap and worthless beasts. "You say, ‘How have we despised Thy Name?’  By offering polluted food upon My altar. And you say, ‘How have we polluted it?’ By thinking that YHWH's table may be despised.  When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that no evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that no evil? Present that to your governor; will he be pleased with you or show you favour? says YHWH Sabaoth." (1:6-8).

Today, of course, animal sacrifices are unnecessary - certainly for disciples of Jesus whose voluntary death has fully paid the penalty for our sin. We are still obliged, however, to honour Almighty God as Father and Master. If we fail to do so, and neglect to give Him His due - in time, money, energy, talents, concerns - then we are no different from those priests from 2,500 years ago. If we are, indeed, disciples of Jesus, this may be the very moment in which we should re-establish our priorities! 

At the end of this section - what we know as the first chapter of the prophecy - are these words of YHWH: "Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to YHWH what is blemished; ..." (v.14; emphasis added). A man who offered an unfit sacrifice in Old Testament times was referred to, by Almighty God, as a 'cheat'! We, too, fall into this category when we refuse, or fail, to give Him our best. As David Robertson said: "- no other sacrifice is good enough for the Lord."

Walking the walk, not just talking the talk!

It's been a while since I posted on the subject of marriage. It is, however, a very important subject - perhaps more than ever in these days when its God-ordained status is being increasingly downgraded - not least by the fact that, Biblically, it is used as a picture of the relationship between Almighty God and His people: El Shaddai and the Children of Israel under the Old Covenant; and the Lord Jesus and the Church under the New Covenant.

The 'Minor Prophets' are a group of Hebrew prophets whose writings are gathered together, in English-language versions of the Bible, at the end of the "Old Testament". However, this is not the case in the Hebrew Old Testament (the Tanakh). One of these men, whose book is at the beginning of the Minor Prophets, is named Hosea, and his message is more than interesting! The book that is named after him commences with these words:

"The word of the Lord that came to Hosea the son of Be-eri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. When YHWH first spoke through Hosea, YHWH said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry, for the land commits great harlotry by forsaking YHWH.” So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son." (Hos.1:1-3).

Read those words again - carefully! Did you catch on what Hosea was commanded to do? Not simply to get himself a wife - nothing unusual in that - but to be married to a prostitute!

Hosea came into prominence some 700 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus, during what was a period of stability in the northern kingdom of Israel (Ten tribes; Judah, to the south, was composed of the other two tribes). Indeed, it was known as the "Golden Age" because of Israel's military, political, and economic strength: the greatest since that of the united kingdom under Solomon. Morally, however, she was rotten to the core! She had turned her back on the one thing that made her unique - her faith in the Covenant God Who had redeemed her from bondage in Egypt.

I suspect that I was not unusual when I proposed to the young woman who became my wife. I had high expectations for our marriage, and anticipated that any problems we encountered would be met by the two of us together.  However, when God spoke to Hosea at this point in the nation's history, and commanded him to marry a woman who would be unfaithful to him, he "proposed" knowing that, right from the start, his marriage would be plagued with deep and disturbing problems. 

Why would God lead one of His chosen prophets into a marriage of such a kind?! The answer is provided in those opening words: "...  the land commits great harlotry by forsaking YHWH." or, as another translation puts it: "... for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord." (NIV). In Exodus 24:3, we read that, after the Children of Israel had been delivered from Egypt, they entered into a covenant relationship with YHWH (the Lord) that they would be faithful to Him. The vow that they made to Him was similar to a marriage vow. However, by 'flirting' with other gods, the nation was guilty of adultery. So, in effect, God is saying to Hosea: "I need your help! I have marriage problems. Stick to Gomer, no matter what happens, and perhaps the nation will understand, through you actions, something of my undying love."

Hosea faced an astonishing request from God - not only to preach His message, but also to live it!

"Words", the old adage has it, "are cheap!". A similar proverb reminds us that "Actions speak more loudly than words!". Personally, I have to be honest and confess that, if God had given me a challenge similar to the one He gave Hosea, I would have had great difficulty in meeting it! Yet Hosea's is the level of faith to which all who own the name of Jesus are called - a faith that trusts Him, even although it cannot see the way ahead. Indeed, that is the only true faith. William Barclay states, somewhere, that for the disciple of Jesus, "faith is spelled R.I.S.K."

Are you willing to stake your all on Him today? Are you willing to walk the walk - or merely talk the talk? 

A master potter.

Another video clip - but this one doesn't star 'yours truly'!  It takes me back to the days before 24/7, multi-channel, technicolour, television.  When I was a child, and my parents purchased their first television set, we had one channel (we didn't even use the word - it was just 'T.V.'!) that was broadcast only between certain hours of the day, and evening.  However, during the frequent interludes between some programmes, there were a number of film clips broadcast.  These included a great series (I wish I could find it on YouTube!) entitled 'Stranger than fiction' and, strangest of all, a tank of tropical fish - in monochrome (that's black and white!).  However, another favourite was the potter at his wheel.  Quite amazing - as you can see in this clip!



There is, of course, a clear spiritual message. 

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord:  'Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear My words.'  So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? says the Lord.  Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.  If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in My sight, not listening to My voice, then I will repent of the good which I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 'Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping evil against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.' " (Jer.18:1-11).

Those words may be applied to not only the contemporary nations, but to every nation throughout all of time.  It may also be applied to each one of us as an individual.   There are many, today, who need to hear, and heed, those words!