Hosting God Week 9, 2017

God is no terrorist. No He isn’t. When David met His uncompromising holiness he became terrified. And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, "How can I bring the ark of God home to me?" 1Chr 13:12  and he thrust the responsibility of hosting His presence upon Obed-Edom. So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite 1Chr 13:13. That happens to quite a few people. They flee; and thrust the visitation of God to another. Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?" So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, "The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up to you." 1Sam6:20-21 the same response as the Philistines when God dealt with them. 1Sam5:1-12. It’s strange that faced with clear evidence of a more powerful deity they chose to get rid of Jehovah rather than seek to serve and please Him. And many of us want to do that instead of yielding to His demands, but that’s not for today.

It is not clear what the evidence of God’s blessing to the house of Obed-edom was, but it was abundantly clear he was blessed. He with his entire house and all he had; and the evidence was clear in 3 months! The chest stayed there for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom, his family, and everything he owned 1Chr 13:14  can you beat that?

When the Abrahams hosted God unawares, God’s decades’ long promise to give them a son had a definite date pronounced. One of the guests was the LORD, and he said, "I'll come back about this time next year, and when I do, Sarah will already have a son." Gen 18:10.  When Lot hosted God’s messengers he was blessed with salvation from the wrath upon Sodom. Hosting Elijah saved the widow from famine, and got her son back from death; just as hosting Elisha got the Shunem woman a son and many other blessings besides that. Jesus has truly said “I am telling you the truth: whoever receives anyone I send receives me also; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me” Jn 13:20 . Even unbelievers get blessed when they host God’s people. Remember Potiphar? From the time he appointed Joseph to be overseer over his entire household and everything that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph Gen 39:5.

So what are we waiting for? Give Jesus a permanent place in your heart, invite Him in today. And invite his messengers in too to your home for a meal and a visit. Is it only cold water you have to offer? God will bless it Mt10:42. As with the time of David your testimony will move others to follow suit: And it was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God with shouting 2Sam 6:12 

God and praise Week 8, 2017

Does praise move God? I mean when we praise Him from our hearts in all sincerity is He intoxicated with the worship and beyond a certain threshold begin to pour out blessings, abundance, and healings?

“Now what are you up to with those questions?”

Don’t get me wrong. Someone in teaching the power of praise mentioned that David being a man after God’s heart though he would sin would praise and praise and God in sheer delight would not punish him but instead look away from his sins and pour out blessings on him. Does high praise intoxicate God?

“Well let’s find out from the scripture. You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel Ps 22:3(ISV).So praise has a way of drawing God’s presence. When we praise Him from the heart the trigger is set for the enthroned King to manifest in blessings and deliverance to His people. And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed2Chr 20:22(ESV). ”

But we must never forget praise cannot manipulate God. David and all of Israel were dancing in the presence of God with all of their might with songs, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets 1Chr 13:8(ESV) yet when Uzzah touched the ark God slew him there and then. Praise can’t replace repentance or obeying the instructions of God. If we persist in disobedience the singing becomes irritating to Him. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream Amos5:23-24 (ESV). There are those who when in trouble flatter God with their mouths. It doesn’t deceive Him. They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer. But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues Ps 78:35, 36(ESV).

“Could it be that praise attracts the manifestations of Jehovah, be it blessings and judgement: blessings on the faithful, and judgement on the disobedient? Sincere praise and deliberately living in iniquity are incompatible.”

Well when the upright praise Him. Praise is fitting for the upright, and God blesses us for simple acts of love and obedience. Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright Ps 33:1(ESV). It’s not only the singing of praise that attracted God in the passage.

“What are you referring to?”

Obed-edom. And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household2Sam 6:11(ESV)  . He is not looking for a way to deal with you but to bless you. Just hosting the ark got him and the entire household blessings; God is no terrorist.

David's mistake Week 7, 2017

It was a time of celebration. The Ark of the Covenant was being moved to Jerusalem where the King had a special place prepared. Did you notice the steps he took before this movement? David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader 1Ch 13:1(ESV).  This is truly commendable and a model to follow in grassroots mobilisation. It was a move motivated by love for God and zeal for His service. 1Chr 13:3(ESV) captures the mindset: “Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul." It was done with democratic unanimity. All consented and the matter got underway. This act was not done mournfully mark you. It was done with much celebration - David and all of Israel were dancing in the presence of God with all of their might with songs, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets 1Chr 13:8(ESV)  - but one mistake was apparently unnoticed: the ark was being carried wrongly. They mounted the Ark of God on a new cart, bringing it from Abinadab's home, with Uzzah and Ahio driving the cart 1Chron 13:7(ISV). It was being carried the way the Philistines, the unbelievers had sent it 1Sam6:6-12. Inevitably disaster struck. Just then, the anger of the LORD blazed against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark, and he died right there in the presence of God1Chr 13:10(ISV).

Why was God angry? Because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule1Chr 15:13(ESV) . So the democracy, grassroots mobilisation, zealous rejoicing etc mean nothing if we don’t seek Him according to His rule, i.e. His word. And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD 1Chr 15:15 (ESV) And you know His unambiguous final word: Jesus Christ. God, having spoken in former times in fragmentary and varied fashion to our forefathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by a Son whom he appointed Heb 1:1-2(ISV) 

How does this apply to us today? Since these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come 1Cor 10:11(ESV) we need to take this seriously. Today’s Christian is faced with many a challenge: building lives, raising funds for ministry, tackling opposition, changing leadership, and a lot more. We need to consult with men, we need to act as one, but over and above all we must ask “What is written on this matter? What has Jesus the pattern Son spoken about this issue?” Joshua made a huge mistake in deciding a course of action that seemed reasonable at that time without asking God. So the leaders of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not ask the LORD about it Jos 9:14(ESV). Was it because the men told them what they loved to hear? When all believers with one accord joyfully and zealously do that which runs contrary to God’s word, disaster looms. So let’s take heed.

This god does not exist Week 6, 2017

Our child once confessed to repeatedly eavesdropping on us in the bedroom waiting to hear when the identity of the real parents would be revealed. Our behaviour, especially in the aspect of discipline, didn’t add up to the childhood picture of what real parents are. We must have been the adoptive parents to be meting out such judgements was the reasoning. I know of many children who doubted their parents really bore them, sired them, all for this same reasoning: “My real parents couldn’t treat me this way!” Children have a childish concept of parents. When they grow and mature, the realisation dawns on them and genuine appreciation kicks in. One of them recently said to one of us, “I now know it was love though it didn’t seem like it then.” Thanks be to the Most High God.

Is it strange then when so many “reason it out” that God doesn’t exist? If He did why then are all these evils happening? Some argue that God is no longer in control if He ever really was, else our prayers are meeting with some strange answers. God will not allow accidents to happen, cancer to ravage loving mothers; hurricanes and earthquakes to kill good people if He is in charge and loving we say. But God is good, infinitely so, and His ways are past finding out. Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The LORD is the eternal God, Creator of the earth. He never gets weary or tired; his wisdom cannot be measured. Is 40:28(CEV) 

Do you remember Gideon’s response to the angel’s salutation “The Lord is with you”? "If I may ask, sir, why has all this happened to us if the LORD is with us? What happened to all the wonderful things that our fathers told us the LORD used to do---how he brought them out of Egypt? The LORD has abandoned us and left us to the mercy of the Midianites." Jdg 6:13 (GNB)  Does this sound like modern day response and reasoning? I think so too. The angel never argued with him then. Don’t be amazed if God and angels don’t engage you in an argument now. Well these conclusions about God (like that of many a child about their parents) are because God doesn’t fit into our mould, our concept of what the good, almighty, loving God should be like. That god doesn’t exist- the god of our imaginations. "My thoughts," says the LORD, "are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours”. Is55:8 (GNB) Remember that God is light, and in him there is no darkness—none at all!1Jn1:5(ISV) and He warns “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways” Is55:8(ESV) Do you know how high the heavens are above the earth? How far is furtherest reach of the cosmos?

So do we have all the answers? Certainly not. Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don't know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 1Cor 13:12(CEV). We don’t have all the answers but we have the Answer: Jesus who died and arose for us. If when children grow up they appreciate and thank their parents and know what real love means, why won’t I hold on to my trust?