Shrub or tree?

 

Jeremiah 17:6 He is like a shrub in the desert…

This morning I was reading Jeremiah 17 and was captured by the contrasts I found between the person described in verses 5-6 and the one in verses 7-8,

5-6 says, Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength,  whose heart turns away from the Lord.  He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come.  He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.

Then notice the contrast in 7-8: Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.  He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

Verses 7-8 have long been some of my favorites in their description of the person who trusts in the Lord, likening them to a tree beside a body of water.  I had never before noticed that this description is in contrast to verses 5-6, which describe the opposite – a person who trusts in the strength of their flesh, in themselves.  Notice the contrasts in the two scenarios:

1. One trusts in man, the other in the Lord;

2. One is like a shrub, the other like a tree;

3. One is planted in a desert, the other by water;

4. One experiences no good, the other remains green all the time;

5. One has a parched wilderness for living, the other has refreshing space;

6. One lives in an uninhabited (lonely) place, the other has no anxiety;

7. One lives in salt land, the other reaches water with its roots.

There is no doubt left as to the value of living close to God!

Be steadfast

Steadfast:

1. fixed in direction; steadily directed;

2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc.;

3. unwavering;

4. firmly established;

5. firmly fixed in place or position.

 

I've been noticing that God is giving me messages about persevering, or steadfastness, multiple times as this year draws to a close.  I am convinced this is His special message to me for the new year!  Today is another example of how the Spirit of God is reminding me of this important characteristic. 

James 5:11 Consider those blessed who remained steadfast.

I have noticed how much is said in the book of James about being steadfast, or perseverant.  It seems to be a key element of a “successful” Christian life.  In James 1:3 we are reminded that perseverance, or steadfastness, comes from testing and trials, so we need testing to obtain strong steadfastness … staying the course, so to speak.  Then in 1:12 we are told that the crown of life, a choice heavenly reward, is reserved for those who remain steadfast in trials.  Steadfastness is a quality high on God’s list of admirable qualities to have.  Finally, in 5:11 we see that those who remain steadfast will be blessed.  Steadfastness is not easily come by, nor easily kept, but the reward of doing so is a great heavenly reward to look forward to.  In these last days of my life, I want to become stronger, more firmly established, more unwavering, in my steadfast faith even though the way to get that way may not be an easy route.

Be careful

Luke 21:34 Be careful or your heart will be weighed down with the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.

It is so easy to get caught up in the cares and concerns of the present.  This verse reminds me that there Is more than just my current life that must be kept in perspective.  When I expend all my energy and interest on my present life, two things happen to me.  First, I become self-centered, which never brings about a good of wholesome outcome.  Even more importantly, second, I forget to live “with eternity’s values in view,” as the old song goes.  The result of this second effect is that the coming of Christ will surprise me and I will not be living ready for meeting Him.

Contrast

Mark 10:32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid.

The contrasting reaction to events leading up to this verse stood out to me as I read this.  Those around Jesus, His disciples and those who were following out of interest and/or curiosity, reacted so differently to seeing and hearing the exact same things.  My mind immediately went to what I see in my own lifetime – the contrasts of response to God’s principles of living found in Scripture.  Things that I find amazing, astonishing, or invigorating are the source of fear and anger and mockery by those who do not believe.  What I find encouraging and empowering, spiritual nay-sayers find limiting and backward.  I am learning to understand that the reason is based in the contrast of our relationship to Jesus, just as it was in this verse in Mark.  I am a committed disciple whereas the unbelievers around me are followers, interested from a distance, so their interpretation of what they see and hear will be skewed.

Just do it afraid

Ezra 3:3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord …

I suppose that as long as we live on this earth there will always be someone or something around to cause us to be afraid, or to feel fear or feel threatened.  That should not, it cannot, be allowed to keep us from doing the right thing.  We should do what is right even if we feel afraid.  That is what the Jews did when they rebuilt the altar in Jerusalem.  Fear can paralyze us but only if we allow it to do so.  If our desire to please God and to honor Him is strong enough it will give us the extra courage we need to overcome our fear and do what needs to be done.  I remember reading the story of what a mother told her little girl who was afraid of doing something (I can’t remember what it was).  She said to the child, “Just do it afraid.”   It happened that way for those Jews in Ezra’s time and it can happen that way for us the 21^st century if we are as determined as they were.  The passage does not say why they were afraid of the people around them, but it does not really matter.  The important thing is that they went ahead in spite of their fear and did the right thing, the thing they should do.  They did it because of “what is written” (v.4).  After they took that initial step, they presented regular burnt offerings (v.5), so the first step was the hardest but it got them going on the right track and in the right direction.

The fiery furnace

Daniel 3:26b-27a So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them.

The three men had been through a terrible ordeal, almost losing their lives, yet when God saved them from death in the fire, it created quite a sensational and earth-shattering, life-changing effect on everyone, not just on themselves.  I cannot help but think about how rewarding it must have been for those three to see the turn around in attitude by all of those officials.  It was part of the spiritual reward of the faithful three for their willingness to stay true to God and stand up for what was right, and I suspect it was perhaps the most meaningful part of their reward even though they also received a “human” reward by being promoted in the province.  Would that I would remember this valuable lesson when my trials come.

My possession

Ezekiel 44:28 I am to be the only inheritance the priests have.  You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession.

The priests were God’s representatives to the children of Israel as well as the people’s representatives to God so theirs was a very important task.  They needed to be able to be fully attentive to their responsibilities and for this reason God wanted them unfettered, unhampered, by things that could distract them.  Possessions have a way of doing that to us.  Possessions and inheritances have a way of taking us over if we are not careful.  For me, this is my reminder that God wants to be my number one “possession” with everything else taking second place.  It is only then that I am able to honor and serve the Lord in my own life, even though I am not a full-time priest as those priests in this verse were.  The principle is the same for me as a member of the “royal priesthood” (I Peter 2:5).

Get ready for battle

Jeremiah 46:3-4 Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle!  Harness the horses, mount the steeds!  Take your positions with helmets on!  Polish your spears, put on your armor!

I love how picturesque these words are.  You feel as though you are ready to join this army preparing for battle!  As I read and thought about this verse, I was reminded almost immediately of the passage in Ephesians6:11-17 in which we are told to put on all the armor of God so we can be ready to do battle with our enemy.  Here in Jeremiah, he says to prepare our shields, in Ephesians it is our shield of faith.  Here in Jeremiah we are to prepare our shields, both large and small, and that reminds me that even if my shield of faith is small, I should prepare it for use.  Then I take my position for battle with my helmet (of salvation) on.  I cannot battle sin and evil without salvation.  That is why all our armies and governments are so unsuccessful against crime and terrorism.  Finally, I am to polish my spear.  In Ephesians that is the Word of God.  So if I am not getting all the time more acquainted with God’s Word, my spear is not getting polished and I cannot fight this battle effectively.

My promise, God's promise

Jeremiah 32:39-40 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them.  I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.

Once again, from these verses I am reminded that I rely on God for everything.  All I do is to decide to live for God and to honor Him in my life, then God Himself takes over.  According to these verses, He gives me even my ability to have no other focus.  He gives me the inspiration I need to love, honor and obey Him above all else.  He gives me the courage to stay close to Him and never turn away from Him.  Then He adds His promises of well-being and constant care, not only for me but for those who come after me.  In modern jargon, it is a win-win situation for me!  That is why, every morning, I ask God to honor my trust in Him to help me stay focused on Him that day.

From the belly of the whale

Jonah 1:16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

As much as we do not want to admit it, and as much as we may want to avoid it, there are times when God takes drastic measures in order to show His glory to people, especially unbelievers and wayward Christians.  Jonah is a case in point.  He was a prophet who was trying to avoid obedience.  God had to use drastic measures to obtain his willing obedience but in the meantime, along the way to his submission to God’s will, Jonah’s situation brought a revelation of God’s power and authority to the sailors on the ship who needed to know God as something other than just one god among many.  I want to be quicker to obey and easier for God to use, but if there is a time when I am not, God will be ready to do what He needs to in order to get me ready to obey and serve.  If that ever has to happen, my prayer is that my response to the adverse circumstances He allows will be like Jonah’s as seen in his prayer from the belly of the great fish: “When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.” (2:7, ESV)

However ... yet

II Kings 10:31 Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.  He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Jehu was chosen by God and anointed by Elisha’s servant to be king and to do away with King Ahab and his wife Jezebel and the wickedness they had brought to Israel.  He accomplished that, and he destroyed the servants of Baal as a part of that cleansing of Israel.  For that obedience, God blessed him with the promise that four generations of his would be succeeding him as kings.  One has to wonder what other blessings Jehu missed out on because of the “howevers” and the “yets” in this story: 1) HOWEVER, Jehu did not turn away from the worship of the golden calves, and 2) YET he was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, two things I am pretty sure Jehu saw as “minor issues,” but they were enough to keep God’s full blessing of prosperity at bay.  Israel decreased and was eventually overtaken by an enemy.  That disastrous future might have been avoided had Jehu completely and carefully followed God. 

Burning my plow

I Kings 19:21 [Elisha] took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them.  He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat… Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

This seems like such a drastic measure for Elisha to take when he decided to follow God’s calling to work with Elijah as an assistant prophet.  As a farmer by trade, the oxen and plowing equipment represented a valuable part of life.  So why take such a drastic measure?  Someone else could have used them, even if Elisha did not.  This has always puzzled me until today as I thought more about this incident, and realized that perhaps Elisha needed to make a “clean break” with what constituted security for himself in order to help him remember his commitment to Elijah and to God.  He had to burn that plow.  When things would become difficult the temptation to return to the easier ways can become overpowering.  But there were no oxen nor was there any plowing equipment to go back to.  This act was Elisha helping himself remain committed to his new calling.  He was convinced that this was God’s calling on his life and he was doing everything in his power to keep himself true to that commitment.  When he burned the plow he also sacrificed the oxen as an outward sign of his commitment to follow God’s leading, and this act of worship and commitment I am sure was a significant event for him to look back on when the going got tough and the temptation came to quit.  I have seen some of that same principle working in my own life, thinking particularly of the day I had to leave Lebanon due to the civil war and settle into a new life and new ministry in Jordan with nothing of the old life to carry with me except that suitcase of clothing and books.  It was a difficult act at the time, but God was in it, as I was able to see later.  I did not realize it at the time, but leaving everything (including the people I had been working with and the work that was so meaningful to me, not to speak of my earthly belongings) behind in Beirut was my burning of my plow.  It has turned out to have been one of the most significant events of my life, so I can understand how significant this may have been for Elisha not just at the time, but also perhaps throughout the remainder of his life.