“The children of Dan went up to fight against Leshem and took it.” Josh 19:47

My natural disposition is of one who avoids conflict. When our family took a personality profile test together and the result was I was a “Peacemaker”, my kids all echoed “that’s you, dad!”.

This does not give me an excuse for being passive or refusing to take up a matter that requires attention any more than being poor is an excuse for stealing. I cannot negotiate or rationalize away my responsibilities because they are inconvenient or intimidating. Sometimes, we just have to “take up the sword, and fight”.

When Joshua led the children of Israel across the River Jordan, each tribe was given an allotted inheritance for which they would need to confront corrupt and entrenched native inhabitants. Only by displacing these nations could God establish Israel under His rule and execute His Divine plan. During the rollout, tribes responded differently. Some obeyed; some did not. Some took risks; others shrunk back and justified their tepid responses.

The responses of two tribes in particular recently caught my attention. Joseph’s tribe (split up into Ephraim and Manasseh) claimed to be a “great people” (Jos 18:14ff) who proved to be wimps. They came to Joshua to complain that the inheritance they were given was too small. Their mentality was classic entitlement. They felt they deserved more. They believed they had been given the short end of the stick. The Canaanites they faced were obviously more powerful than the other tribes’ enemies; theirs had chariots of iron!

Joshua’s response was masterful. He basically says, “well, if you are such a great people, why don’t you get up there and clear that forest and make a wonderful district for more of you to live in?” They wanted everything to be handed to them on a silver platter, so they did nothing. Sadly, many Christians have exactly this kind of mindset today.

A chapter later (Jos 19:40-48) the tribe of Dan exhibits a totally different spirit. Far from passive or entitled, after Dan had settled into its allotted territory west of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean coast, they organized for battle 250 kilometers north, determined to take the city of Laish (or Leshem), a region originally given to Manasseh. Jos 19:47 says: “they struck it with the edge of the sword, took possession of it, and dwelt in it.” They then proceeded to change its name to Dan, in honor of their forefather, as if to make a further declaration: This region is now ours. We fought for it, and God has made it our inheritance forever.

Leshem was in fact a gateway city and transportation hub on Israel’s northern border with the hostile Assyrians, and later the Babylonians. Manasseh had refused to claim their inheritance, but Dan would not be intimidated. Old Jacob had prophesied over Dan nearly 500 years earlier that he would: “be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heals so that its rider tumbles backwards”(Gen 49:17). This act, then, was the tribe of Dan taking hold of its prophetic destiny. How many of Israel’s enemies would be turned back at the border because of this courageous act? How many would get bit and “tumble backwards”?

God is speaking to us today through this story. We must know who we are. We must take bold steps to walk in our prophetic calling. We must resist the temptation to follow in the way of Ephraim and Manasseh, expecting things to be handed to us without having to work for them. Instead, may we be like Dan, a people who were not content to simply occupy, but were willing to contend for the more, and the best, of what God has ordained for them.

“There was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days…but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Ex 10:22-23

We underestimate the power of the covenant God has sealed with us through the shed blood of the Lamb to our own hurt. During this holy week, as we reflect upon the events surrounding the single most profound act in all history, I am compelled to recount the glorious benefits of the cross revealed in the very first Passover. In particular, I will highlight the concept of separation that was a major theme then and will once again play a central role in the days before Jesus’ return (cf. IS 60:1-3). 

In the leadup to that fateful night, we find God was honoring His covenant in numerous ways. Despite intense affliction, the population of God’s people multiplied dramatically. Remarkably, “the Hebrew women [were] not like the Egyptian women”, giving birth “vigorously”, quickly, and safely even before the midwives could get there (Ex 1:19). 

As judgment fell on Egypt, as plague after plague bombarded the land, the mercy of God prevented the swarms of gnats and locusts, the curses of the frogs and boils, and the pelting of the hail from marauding God’s favored ones. He vowed: “I will deal differently with the land of Goshen where my people live…so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people…” (Ex 8:22-23). 

Although the covenant was freely available to all of Jacob’s seed, and yet “every man shall take for himself a lamb” (Ex 12:3). Appropriating the blessings was not automatic. Each man had to select and slaughter an unblemished lamb and apply the blood to the doorposts and lintel of his home in order to be afforded defense from the destroyer who came to strike all the firstborn in the land. While piercing screams of grief echoed from street to square as the angel of death passed over Egypt, the Hebrews slept peacefully in preparation for their long-awaited escape from bondage at the break of dawn. 

The flight would have been short-lived if God had not intervened yet again with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. As Pharaoh’s chariot-borne army hotly pursued the fleeing Israelites, God erected an impregnable hedge around them. Scripture records: “The cloud gave light to the Israelites, but made it dark for the Egyptians, and during the night they could not come any closer” (Ex 14:20). Hours later, when the army attempted to pursue Moses’ horde into the parted Sea, the final and most dramatic separation occurs when the waters which had walled up for the Hebrews collapsed to annihilate every soldier and beast not divinely garrisoned by the great I AM. 

The exodus saga convincingly reveals God as a Master in the art of separation. So much more than a grand Sunday school tale, we who are wise are brought face to face with one of the timeless truths that will keep us–His children, the benefactors of His covenant–confident and courageous as thick darkness once again covers the earth in the Last Days. 

Beloved, we are like 21^st century Goshenites. As adversity pummelled and perplexed the Egyptians, the region where the Israelites lived was under a huge canopy of protection. As Pharaoh’s heart grew harder and resistance intensified, God “multiplied [His] signs and wonders in the land” (Ex 7:3) through the faith and persistence of His servant Moses. As sin and wickedness abounded in Egypt, grace was magnified upon Goshen all the more. Plagues, pestilences, disasters all wreaked havoc on the shadowless homes of those who did not believe while the lamps continued to burn brightly inside the dwellings of those whose doorframes were sprinkled with redemption blood. As darkness thickened into gross darkness, as it had been for the Hebrew children standing at the brink on the Sea’s shore, so shall it be for us who have fortuitously been grafted into God’s covenant with Abraham. The Sun of Righteousness shall arise upon us. 

There is restoration and refreshment in His wings. Our church is a sign of this separation promise: not a single case of COVID has been recorded among our more than five thousand members. God had marked His people throughout their legendary sojourn out of bondage and into their destiny. Now, as this sanctified people looked back at bodies strewn next to swords, armor, and broken chariots upon the shores of the Red Sea, an outline of a seventy-palm-tree-oasis came into focus on the horizon before them. As the blood of the Passover Lamb had purchased their salvation, God affirmed one last covenant by-His-stripes benefit as they dipped their tired feet in pools of water underneath sunset painted skies at the end of that very long day. He said:

            “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight…I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” Ex 15:26

Have a Joyous Passover, and Happy Easter. 

“Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah…has prevailed…And I looked, and behold…stood a Lamb as though it has just been slain.” Rev 5:5,6

In verse 5 John the Revelator describes a vision of Jesus as a powerful, fearful yet majestic Lion. As his knocking knees buckled, verse 6 says he lifted his eyes and the One in the vision has been mystically transformed into a gentle, mercy-filled, irresistibly approachable Lamb. So which is Jesus, a Lion or a Lamb? How you answer this question is much more than a theological matter. Our perception of Who Jesus is and how He interacts with us has far-reaching implications for how we live. It can also have a direct impact on our ability to stand firm in our faith as the darkness around us increases in these days.

In truth, our finite, natural minds tend to latch on to Jesus as either a Lamb, or a Lion. Understandably, we struggle to comprehend how He could be both; and in our ambivalence, we gravitate towards Him, and join others in forming camps, around one depiction or the other. Though we may give mental assent that scripture describes God as an extravagant and open-armed Father as well as a fire-eyed Warrior who exacts vengeance, like a magnet we tend to be strongly pulled towards one and repelled by the other.

Throughout Church history trends have varied. Whole generations passed when the roar of the Lion is what echoed from pulpits. People were brought to conviction, were vigilant to obey, had a keen sense of Christian duty and a vocal intolerance of sin. Believers raised in these times spoke of the fear of the Lord not as some ancient, Old Testament and inferior understanding. The posture of the worshiper was reverence, of bowing before the One who is holy. This actually is the way that many Christians around the world still approach their God and King.

The messages in our churches today, especially in the West, have shifted and reflect our clear preference to exalt not just a Father, but a “Dad”, One who is ever-accepting, non-condemning, and full of grace. Those in the “Lamb Camp” don’t talk much about God as Judge, or as holy. When is the last time you heard someone talk about the fear of the Lord? Some would even cringe at the suggestion God is to be feared; they have a list of scriptures to prove that such talk is very old fashioned!

The irony of this contradiction can be seen in our chatter about revival. While it is true that some revivals have been characterized by healing and laughter, a reflection of the Lamb’s character, it is also true that many others have been very Lion-like. People in these moves of God spoke of being “undone”, of coming under deep conviction of sin, even being led to public confession of transgressions. Those coming out of the great revival of China in the 80’s wrote songs of war, of radical obedience, even dying for the cause of Christ. If we are only oriented around our one-sided Lamb perspective, we may miss, reject, even criticize what we see when God answers our prayers to pour out His Spirit!

Consequences of clinging to our preferred concept of Jesus as Lion or Lamb can be as “harmless” as a missed opportunity and as grave as our faith becoming shipwrecked. A total buy-in of Jesus as a Lamb, or embracing His comforting, advocating qualities, can leave believers storm-tossed and confused when harsh trials such as outbreaks of disease and wars, or persecution, pummel us. But people who are singly bent on seeing Jesus through a Lion prism also face dangers. They tend towards expressions of faith that are rigid, ritualistic and law-bound…lifeless. They can fall short in accessing the grace of God to heal and refresh. They may find themselves struggling to live with contentment. This too may lead to a falling away when times get really tough.

Frankly, sometimes we need to fall at His feet as though dead. At other times, we need to, in childlike hilarity, run as fast as we can and jump as high as we can only to be caught in His pillowed and liberating embrace. Jesus is not either a Lion or a Lamb. He is both a Lamb and a Lion. To truly know Him is to grow to appreciate and worship these two incredible though opposite aspects of His nature. My prayer is each one of us would press on to know God exactly as He is*, not tinged or tainted by the prevailing, culture- and time-bound images of our Savior.

“Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord…” Hos 6:3

*Hosea 6:1-3 nicely juxtaposes these two dialectical notions, as do many other scriptures. May this article whet your appetite to mine for more of these treasures from the wonders of His Word. If you have some, I’d love to hear from you!

“Sing, O barren,
You who have not borne!
Break forth into singing and cry aloud,
You who have not labored with child!
For more are the children of the desolate
Than the children of the married women,
says the Lord.” IS 54:1

Scripture is full of paradoxes. The poor are made rich, the weak strong, the humble lifted up. In reading the Word, we are continually confronted with real life stories of situations which are downright shocking. Seas and rivers part. City Walls fall flat. Donkeys talk. Magi from distant lands travel for months following a star representing the arrival of a long awaited Lord and King, only to find him wrapped in strips of cloth, a baby bedded in an animal’s feeding trough.

Likewise, we see outcomes to stories which are phenomenal, seemingly scripted; and yet they are as real as any of the stories ever written. We see a man, a foreigner, imprisoned in a dungeon who, in the short span of a day, rose to become the Prime Minister over a powerful Kingdom. We see a man who faced hanging on a massive, 25 meter high gallows only to have the tables turn on the very man plotting his execution hung upon it instead. We see an “army” of 300 men without any weapons, each blowing a trumpet and holding a torch, defeating an entire nation’s army who were arrayed against them. We see a man stripped naked, crucified and buried only to rise again from the dead on the third day. We must be careful not to read these things as fiction—fanciful stories made for entertainment and embellished to attract more readers or forward a narrative to give people false hope.

These things really happened. They are 100% true, and trustworthy. God would not allow even the smell of a lie to be recorded in His Word. Our God did these things. He is altogether awesome, and these stories are on full display to convince us that He is incomparably wonderful, capable, and faithful. Amen.

And so we come to the words of the prophet Isaiah. A barren woman is told to sing. A lady who has unsuccessfully attempted to get pregnant for years is told she is going to have more children than a woman who has already conceived—that in fact she is going to have such a tribe of them that she better get busy adding numerous rooms and gathering a lot of furnishings to accommodate an abundance of boys and girls. If we didn’t have all these other stories to look back on, we might think he is just being a masterful poet, using hyperbole and metaphor to concoct a message to dazzle his readers. But Isaiah did not play his prophetic fiddle to make the children of Israel dance. His words so angered them that they conclusively sawed him in two! This was not about being creative or politically correct. He was stating something startlingly TRUE, yet paradoxical, that situations which appear impossibly bleak and depressing are routinely recreated to brilliantly billboard God’s redemption, power, and love. Promises long shredded and filed away in the dustbin by this desperate woman were about to be recovered, restored, and fulfilled.

Naturally speaking, the progressive realization one was barren was a most painful, disheartening and pandemic-sized diagnoses. More than a physical malady, being unable to bear children meant that Shame, Rejection, Guilt, Fear, and Dashed Dreams would be one’s lifelong companions. The flood of negative emotions that oppressed a woman in ancient times as she faced this bitter truth would reverberate condemnation like the blow of a Judge’s gavel. The woman is the mirror was bereft, stricken, cursed. Family gatherings became a cacophony of whispers from kinfolk. The shifting eyes or passer-bys, the huddled women in the markets, the ever more frequent pointing of a crooked, careless finger. The awareness that her husband was on the lookout for her replacement, someone to give him pleasure, empowering him to produce offspring and build a legacy.

And yet the Lord says, “Sing!” Lift up your song of praise. Cry aloud your hymns of thanksgiving and adoration. This simple yet profound act of of faith is the first and most crucial step in unlocking Hope’s promises. Once one is pregnant with Heaven’s implanted Word, babies are not far behind. Out of intolerable travail a holy assurance is fantastically birthed and a confession sired: my season of barrenness has been preparing me for barn-filled years of bounty. God never answers us with a period. He surrounds his delivered ones with shouts of joy!!! Whatever He touches is healed and prospers. Whatsoever He blesses multiplies. His Spirit never comes in drops; He is poured.

“More are the children of the desolate”. As the scourge of your own season of barrenness sunsets, kiss Shame and her companions good-bye. It’s time streeeetch your curtains wide and expand your tent aggressively to the right and to the left. Those who overcome desolation are the very ones God assigns to “make the desolate cities inhabited” (v.3). Such is the power of your redemption you will “forget the shame of our youth and will not remember the reproach of our widowhood anymore” (v.4) Such is beautiful stories the world witnesses whenever barren ones begin to sing.

“For a mere moment I have forsaken you,
But with great mercies I will gather you.
With a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment
But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you.
Says the Lord, your Redeemer.” IS 54:7,8

“There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon…and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple…” Luke 2:25-26

There were some four million Jews spread throughout the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus’ birth. There were sects and schools that had arisen within Judaism that memorized huge portions of scripture. Until this time period, no generation had had a greater expectancy that the time of the Messiah’s visitation was at hand. Prophecies were diligently studied. Theories and timelines were drawn up. Groups formed isolated communities to wait for the Christ. And yet the first person to recognize Jesus did not study under any famous rabbi or join any of the elite schools. Simeon was an old man, a commoner. What qualified him for such a high honor? Simeon was a man of the Spirit.

Nothing qualifies us more for service in God’s kingdom than being filled with the Spirit. As amazing as the Word of God is, its nuggets of truth have to be discerned by the Spirit. Sitting at the feet of great teachers is also a great privilege. But 1 John 2:26-27 reminds us that there is an anointing that comes by the Holy Spirit that “teaches you concerning all things.” Knowing something is good or right is super, but the boldness to do it at any cost is the mark of a man or woman whose heart is set ablaze by the Spirit of the living God.

Simeon was a God-seeker. You get the feeling that if he was alive today, he would not borrow his next bright idea from social media. The conventional and the popular are not the things that tugged on his heart. He went straight to the throne room; there, he heard what the Spirit was saying. The second-hand news people of Jesus’ day were looking for a captain, a man of great stature, genius, and might. They expected a man to appear who could stand up to Caesar as Moses had done to Pharaoh and his army, thus delivering the Jews from their oppressors. Only a man who walked in the Spirit could have recognized the Messiah in a baby, held in the arms of his poor, teenage mother.

Simeon was a man upon whom the Holy Spirit rested. What a way to be identified! Princes were known by their raiment, holy men by their beards and turbans, but Simeon was remembered as a man who had the Spirit of God all over him. Mary and Joseph felt so comfortable with this grandpa, as he approached them they passed Jesus right into his loving arms. Simeon proceeded to publicly declare in the midst of the crowded temple that this baby was the very One that Jews everywhere had been yearning for. In fact, more than that, Simeon announced He was going to bring light and salvation to people from all nations–every tribe, every tongue. He then proceeded to prophesy over Jesus and the blessed couple, every word of which came to pass.

Simeon’s testimony has inspired me. As we enter the new year, I don’t want to live as I have in years past. I don’t want be moved by trends. I don’t want to follow the crowds. I don’t want to base my decisions on what has the appearance of being good or wise. I want to be free from the need to impress. What if, this year, we make a conscious choice to set all these things aside and really—sincerely and diligently—seek the face of God? What if we get so filled with the Spirit that, if someone happens to write an article or post about us, the first thing that comes to mind was that the Spirit of the living God is all over us? What if we could be so led by the Spirit that we are able to recognize the exact times and places the Spirit of God is working? What if it means praise and even prophecy flow out of our lips as naturally as waters from a fountain?

Simeon was not just the first man to see the Messiah. He is a type of those who have set their hopes squarely on the return of the Consolation and Refresher of His people, who will be among the first to see Jesus when He comes again. As God raised up a Simeon when He sent His son two thousand years ago, so too He is raising up a host in our Day who, like Simeon, will truly be men and women of the Spirit.

“Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6

Politics is “powerful”. Its ability to excite or incite, stir up or depress, exhilarate or exacerbate, is as old as the tower of Babel. Wherever mankind congregates, rivalries and factions lurk in the shadows. Parties are formed. Egos and selfish ambitions raise their ugly heads to squelch wholesome and righteous ideals. Things get dirty. Corruption festers.

God saw through the innocence of Babel’s “let us build” slogan, exacting quick and decisive judgment upon their misguided pursuit. Jesus, too, sidestepped the impulse of the masses to make him king after he had just fed them to utter satisfaction with five loaves and two fish. Think of the movement He could have started! But His way was higher, and He kept His eyes on the prize. When pressed to reveal His motives, Jesus’ answer was clear: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight…” (John 18:36)

Sometimes we find ourselves voting for eternal things and fighting for temporal; when, of course, it should be exactly the other way around. The irony of this predicament is nowhere more clearly illustrated than in those pristine weeks between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to Heaven. For forty days, Jesus spoke to His disciples of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. I sure wish we could access those meetings on YouTube! Despite constantly whetting their appetites for eternity, the fact that they could still ask Him if He was finally ready to become king of Israel is quite a head-scratcher. Really? The Son of God— risen and all-glorious—is about to sit on the throne over all authorities in the seen and unseen universe and you want still want to crown Him king over the tiny nation of Israel?

Though the disciples had spent three years sitting at his feet, he had in fact given them no prescription for political solutions. The fact that this was still foremost on their minds reveals how difficult it is for fallen man to lay down his dreams of reformation. Such is the magnetism of politics. Its noble causes and lofty aspirations dangle like scrumptious carrots of justice, equality, prosperity, and liberty before us. It can be intoxicating; and that is exactly the point. If we are finding ourselves reeling and rocking right now, we probably had too much to drink these past few months!

I’m not saying I didn’t pull up to the counter and order some “shots” myself! Who could blame us? We had been losing so many battles. Finally there was some momentum. Finally an advocate, a voice, a fighter in our corner! So much was within our grasp!

Or was it? Jesus did not acquiesce to their cry then; and it seems He has not heeded all of our cries either. His silence may be a quintessential act of mercy! His response to “will you at this time restore” in the first century was actually to give them something better, which is the very thing I am hoping He will do for us two thousand years later. Let me paraphrase His answer:

Guys, don’t get yourselves all worked up, and don’t grow discouraged because things aren’t turning out the way you were hoping. Dad knows what’s best, and this ain’t it! That’s because His timing is perfect and His best is so much better. He is preparing to release earth shaking power and authority by the Holy Spirit to all of you who will make it a priority to move only after I have clothed you with extraordinary ability and favor from on high. When it comes upon you, there is no place and no people anywhere on my whole planet who won’t be transformed by its impact! (see Acts 1:7-8)

The prescription Jesus had in mind was not going to proceed from halls of power, nor be borne on the back of any man. Man builds towers. Men devise structures to rule and execute decisions. Jesus said, “I will build My church”, the pillar and bulwark of the truth, the agent by which even the the angels will be awestruck when she puts on her beautiful garments.

We have yet to see the full manifestation of the “greater works” Jesus spoke of. If our hope is not completely set on the promises of even richer spiritual empowerment, if we lower our gaze onto any other and lesser source, we may find ourselves horribly disappointed. Beloved, this is a great time to proverbially prepare a pot of black coffee and quickly get ourselves sober. Neither donkeys, nor even elephants can save us. But the One who walks in the midst of the seven lampstands, whose eyes are flames of fire and whose voice is like the sound of many waters—the King of kings, He is worthy of all our adoration and devotion. I will gladly and faithfully vote for the best and most qualified people to serve in public office. His government, His rule, His everlasting Kingdom…well, this is truly worth fighting, and even dying for.


PS My intention here is not to downplay the importance of righteous rule and the election of people who will be catalysts for justice, human rights, or Kingdom values. While we should hope for these things, our hope is not in them. The manifold wisdom of God—His power, righteousness, and glory—will be made known through the Church, His Bride (Ep 3:10). He is jealous only for her. The answer to our pressing need is now as it was then: that awesome power—real power—would be poured out upon us by His Spirit to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth.

“You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor” Dt 5:20

I learned the Ten Commandments when I was very young. The image of Moses angrily demolishing the tablets when he discovered Israel had grievously sinned against the Lord—worshiping the golden calf while Moses lingered upon the mountain—left a deep, restraining impression on me.

The Commandments written by the very Finger of God were daunting: Thou shalt not murder, steal, commit adultery. But I didn’t understand how the command not to bear false witness against my neighbor could be put into the same category with these “weighty” sin. Time and many life experiences, and most notably this US presidential election cycle, have taught me just how ignorant I was!

Several years ago I was shocked by a revelation of just how chilling breaking the ninth commandment can be. False rumors were being spread about one of my closest ministry partners. His work, that was impacting tens of thousands of people, nearly ground to a halt as a result. The risk, expense, and effort to advocate for his protection and then recovery was an intense battle. He had even contemplated giving up, but by the grace of God he was restored and the Lord proved Himself a Redeemer to him through it all. Looking back, I can see how these attempts to destroy him only made him stronger.

This week I read these clearly prophetic verses from Proverbs:

“There is a generation rising that uses their words like swords
to cut and slash those who are different.
They devour the poor, the needy, and the afflicted
from off the face of the earth” v. 30:14 TPT

By the Spirit, Solomon may have been given a peek into our present. For there has very likely never been a time in the history of the world when this proverb was more true than it is today. Social media has been weaponized (often abetted by traditional media) to “cut and slash” people’s reputations to pieces. Often people’s worlds are turned upside down overnight when they are shamed and cancelled by the mobs who fight in Twitter’s trenches, who type FaceBook posts like grenades to destroy the careers of “those who are different”, resulting in countless lives being torched upon the hungry ash-heaps of our fractured generation. We must be vigilant. The force of this evil is an out-of-the-bottle genie in our day. To be ignorant or passive as it carnivorously lurks for prey is to be vulnerable.

The unleashing of these tools of destruction should not only warn us to defend ourselves from becoming targets of aggressive word-bombs. Some have unwittingly joined the mob. How, you ask? By crossing precariously over onto the side of those who are “devouring” the weak. Beloved, it is not only the progenitor of these cruel, virtual takedowns whose hands are bloodied. The one who carelessly forwards lies, rumors, slander—fake news—in the form of emails, posts, or tweets is also liable before God. This commandment is not directed only to those who initiate false testimonies against another; it implicates those who pass them along as well. Jesus spoke ominously that we would be held to account for every “idle word” (Mt 12:36). The days when this sin was confined to the habitat of gossiping ladies at quilting clubs are long spent. The fake news that now floods and pollutes our airwaves have dire consequences right now, during the perverse days in which we live, and for the Day when all their murderous effects will be “laid open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb 4:13).

If Moses came down from the Mount of God in 2020, the commandment that would most vehemently incite his fury may not be the prohibition against graven images, but the dissemination of baseless and scandalous tales being spread to destroy our neighbors.

“May the words of my mouth and
the texts of my fingers
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and My Redeemer.”
PS 19:14

“When the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon…it took her breath away.” I KG 10:4-5

When David raised Solomon to succeed him to the throne, he knew what his most critical asset would be, so he grilled it into him from his youth. Not mincing words, he exhorted him:
“Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget my words or turn from them…
Wisdom is supreme! So acquire wisdom.
And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding!” PR 4:5,7

Therefore, when the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him, “What shall I give you?”, he knew exactly what to ask for. I’d love to think that I wouldn’t ask for wealth or power or fame. How about you?

Truth is, God’s impartation of supernatural wisdom to Solomon was not a historical one-off. The Father is quite willing to do it again, and again, and again. That he gifted Solomon with this depths of understanding merely shows that God can, and will; it also shows He waits for those who will pursue it lock, stock, and barrel, in the same way Solomon was reared to. The testimony of Solomon’s wisdom is not meant to enamor us; rather, it is meant to stir us—to make us hungry, vigilant, tenacious.

The liberal outpouring of wisdom is also on God’s End Time Agenda (ETA). If it was not so, he would not have spoken of a day when He would “turn the hearts of the…disobedient to the wisdom of the just” (LK 1:17), an omen He places alongside of the Last Days turning of the children of Israel back to the Lord their God. These are striking words. The wisdom that God is about to release to His people will be so attractive, so compelling, that even rebellious people will be cranked open like a can. If self-absorbed, power-struck men in the mold of King Nebuchadnezzar could be convicted to “praise and honor Him who lives forever” (Dan 4:34) due to Daniel’s ability to unlock mysteries, so shall people we consider the least likely candidates in our day bow the knee to Jesus, the Fountain of wisdom. If the mighty Pharaoh could promote Joseph to the role of Prime Minister after witnessing the Spirit of God on full display in his wise counsel, so shall God raise up Spirit-empowered people like unto Joseph to solve complex and destructive crises which inflict our world in these dark times.

When Sheba heard about the wisdom of Solomon, it’s estimated she walked two thousand miles, laden with gold, spices, and other gifts to present to the son of David in return for nuggets of wisdom she could absorb sitting at his feet. Scripture says, what she heard and saw took her breath away. Beloved, these are all prophetic pictures of what God has prepared for us in this generation. How many Queen Shebas are desperate to acquire the kind of answers we are uniquely anointed to give? So you know what I say? Let’s get wisdom! It’s supreme! Whatever we may acquire in this hour, let us press in, and get understanding.

In our schools, workplaces, and communities, in times of emergencies and conflict, may we—the people of God—access pure, heaven-born wisdom, and lead the hearts of a crooked, perverse, and confused generation back to the Lord our God. Amen.

Does the Bible address the issue of bullies and mobs such as we are seeing on full display in our day? Was there ever a time when these two evil forces worked in tandem to strike targets who would not conform to their demands?

This morning I read the story of Naboth from 1 Kings 21. We know very little about Naboth, though we know he was a responsible farmer whose vineyard must have been something to behold. Oh yes, we also know that he had the misfortune of being the neighbor of the wicked king Ahab, who cast his greedy eyes on his vineyard often enough to decide he wanted it for himself.

Naboth would not deal. Yes, vineyards require a lot of work. From planting your vineyard until you are able to get your first bottles of wine, it is a four to five year wait on average. The Father compares Himself to a Vinedresser as a way to illustrate the personal attention that a man in this profession gives to each and every plant, each and every branch, in order that they might bear as much fruit as possible.

But more than the vineyard, it is that plot of land for which Naboth was willing to contend at all cost. Ahab had offered him good money, and an even better vineyard (if you can believe him). But Ahab was an unprincipled rascal. A man with his complete lack of moral background could never understand the real reason why Naboth would not even consider to give up his piece of land. For the last and most important thing we know about Naboth is based upon the only words that scripture ascribe to him. 1 Kings 21:3 says:

“But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!’”

It took a lot of courage to stand up to this bully, Ahab! I suppose most would have just thrown in the towel, content to be a conformer and a coward. Bullies, after all, almost always get their way. If pressure doesn’t work, they threaten. If threatening doesn’t yield results, they resort to violence. Sound familiar?

Indeed, Ahab did resort to violence. Since he could not get his way through legal channels, he rounded up a mob. He gets some of the “men of his city” (v. 21:11), a few of them leaders, and then either pays off or convinces “scoundrels” to bear false witness against Naboth, saying he had “blasphemed God and the king!” (v. 21:13) By this time the core of committed rabble rousers has incited a crowd into blind rage. Stones are lifted and hurled at this innocent and righteous man, burying him under a large pile and silencing his voice of dissent forever.

Or did it?

You may be wondering why—given the fact that Ahab reigned as king in Israel for twenty-two years—such a random story was selected and highlighted by the Holy Spirit out of all the treachery that may have been alluded to from Ahab’s life? I believe it is because God loved Naboth, and wanted this act of courage in the face of bullies and the mob to be remembered from generation to generation.

Indeed, I see people caving and cowering all the time to the lunacy that is being advocated across our nation in this hour. Have you asked yourself, what if my restaurant was surrounded by an angry mob demanding me to raise my fist? What would I do? How about all those 280 pound muscle-ripped athletes, how could it be that they plow down the opposing team’s players but have, in just a matter of months, found fear in the face of the Almighty Twitter? I cannot help but wonder, where are the Naboth’s?!

Naboth was not just courageous. We have to see the parallel to our day of what he was taking a stand for: the inheritance of my fathers. This, friends, was a battle that was worth fighting. Naboth not only considered his own loss; he was going to stick his neck out because this land was not his alone. His ancestors had taken possession of it at great cost, and loss of life. Blood had been spilt. And if that was not enough, Naboth’s acknowledgement that it would be forbidden by God Himself reveals yet another thing about him that we would be foolish to overlook: Naboth feared the Lord His God. It is Jehovah, after all, Who had determined the boundaries of each tribe in Israel. The land was not just nice, it was holy.

Ahab the bully thought that he had silenced this man who had dared to defy him. The mob surely imagined Naboth’s voice would never be heard again buried under their rocks of judgment. But they were all wrong. Naboth is still speaking today, and I am hearing his voice loud and clear. Don’t give in to their threats, and don’t shrink back when they come at you with violence. For God Himself will honor the man who will never surrender the ground, the traditions and sacrifices, that have been bequeathed to us by our fathers. Yes, Naboth’s voice can still be heard; I can hear him say, “The Lord forbid that we should give over the inheritance, history, traditions, and values of our great land to bullies and an angry mob”.

“I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.” Acts 13:22

I can think of no greater epitaph than to be known as a man after God’s own heart. This was God’s accolade of David, not just man’s. Wow! There are many reasons why David fits this description, but the one I would like to share with you is this: David lived by a Code of Honor. Let me explain.

Perhaps the first thing that came to your mind was the fact that David had refused to exact retribution on King Saul. After all, this is the very person who had attempted to skewer him with a spear and who had relentlessly pursued David in order to snuff out his life. David felt horrible just for cutting off the skirt of Saul’s robe! Because of honor, he dared not stretch forth his hand against God’s anointed.

Or perhaps you thought of 1 Samuel 30 when David’s family and all his possessions had been taken away by the marauding Amelikites. David’s men found a sickly Egyptian slave in the field as they were in hot pursuit. These same men knew David honored outcasts, for he had taken them into his cave when they were a mess (in debt, in distress, and discontented, 1 Sam 22:2) and had turned them into true warriors. So they “brought him to David” (v.11). David took the time to stop for this foreigner, giving an unvalued man bread, water, a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. What was David’s reward for showing this slave honor? The Egyptian showed David the way so that he was able to recover every member of his family and his army’s as well, not to mention all that had been plundered.

The story continues. David originally had 600 soldiers, but 200 of them were too exhausted to fight. The 400 strong ones felt justified in demanding full rights to the spoil. They had, after all, risked their lives while the others probably had a grand picnic and a nice long snooze. David would hear none of it. The strong and the weak would share alike in the spoils. Sounds to me like the same spirit which inspired the Apostle Paul to write these poignant words about the Body of Christ:

“Those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think are less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor.” 1 Cor 12:22,23

David, like Paul, knew that showing honor to everyone is the heart of God.

This morning I read two successive stories from David’s life that magnify his honoring ethic. In 2 Samuel 9, David woke up one day, then probably after a sweet time of worship in the presence of God, decided he wanted to show the kindness of God to a survivor from the household of Saul. Remember, this is the man who had sought David like a flea and hunted for him like a partridge (1 Sam 26:21). He found one. Mephibosheth was crippled. He had been five years old when he father and grandfather had died in battle on the same day. This was also when the accident that left him disabled occurred—his nurse dropping him as they fled upon hearing the crushing news. So what does David do to this one at a time when disabled people were stigmatized, and kept secret? He brought Mephibosheth to the palace and gave him a permanent seat at his own table, next to the princes and princesses of the Kingdom. David showered him with honor.

Even the rulers of rival nations could qualify as objects of honor in David’s eyes. In the next chapter, 2 Samuel 10, David recalls a time when the King of Ammon had been gracious to him. So he sends an entourage to show kindness to his son Hanum after his dad died. Though the show of honor was repelled, David did not show honor only when honor was appreciated, rewarded, or returned. He honored because he was a man after God’s own heart. It was natural, spontaneous for David. I pray it would be so for me!

Beloved, we live at a time and in an hour when honor is under pernicious attack. Honor for our institutions, honor for our leaders, honor for our traditions and for our laws. Honor is a part of the everlasting song of heaven (Rev 4:11). Honor is the way of the Kingdom. Let it be the code by which we, His subjects, live our lives and bring Him glory…and honor. Amen.