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Contents On This Page

- Job Part 67
- In Praise Of Humility
- Job Part 66
- Job Part 65
- A Matter Of Trust
- Job Part 64
- Job Part 63
- Malak Elohim (Angel Of the Lord)
- Job Part 62
- The Fearlessness Of Faith
- Summer-21 Notes
- Lawfare And Spiritual Warfare
- A Curse

Job Part LXVII

Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,
Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
(Job 34:12 - ASV)

Elihu continues his speech stating what is generally known among the wise. This was as a retort to Job's assertion that God had taken away his right and his incorrect insinuation that Job may have been keeping company with wicked men because he did not think it profitable to serve God. It is notable that this is the second time he says this in this speech (vs 10). Elihu's idea's are correct, but like Job's other friends he has accused Job of wrongs that he has not committed, believing they are the cause of his suffering. Oh what harm friends can do us with their false accusations and rude, ill-informed insinuations!!

One of the fastest way to lose a friend is to offer him or her some unsolicited advice. I rarely offer my advice or opinions to others unless asked and even then, these days they often have to drag it out of me. I almost never do it even then. To those who offer unsolicited advice I, as tactfully as I can, make them aware that unsolicited advice is usually worth every penny a person paid for it (i.e., worthless) and even then, they are almost always overcharged. This rule goes particularly for unsaved/godless associates. Who do I take advice from? Older, wiser saints who have walked many a mile with Christ; in worldly affairs, a professional who knows his business or a friend who has a long history of trustworthiness and I know really does care about my well-being. It's a very short list. 

Let us keep in mind that Elihu is not one of the original friends who came to see Job and he inserted himself into the conversation, when it does not appear he was asked. I say this not so much to rebuke Elihu and while many of his words are wise, he again is, like all of these so called 'wise men', utterly clueless as to why Job is suffering and only adds to Job burden with their verbal slings and arrows thrown at a suffering and dying man.

Who gave him a charge over the earth?
Or who hath disposed the whole world?
If he set his heart upon himself,
If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
(Job 34:13-14 - ASV)

Elihu here is speaking of God's power and that no one has authority over him. He is the final arbiter of all things done both on earth and in heaven. He is answerable to no one, certainly not a man who was made out of the very dirt he walks on. God has total dominion over all things and this Elihu correctly describes.

All flesh shall perish together,
And man shall turn again unto dust.
(Job 34:15 - ASV)

This passage shows that God's power over man, if he should consider a person, either to do him well or ill. If God wanted, he could crush a man like a bug, he could do away with the whole human race, should it please him to do so. Our very lives and sustenance are in God's hands.

Again, Elihu - this young man shows remarkable wisdom for his age and time. He understands God's power and that in God's case it is the only case where it applies, might makes right, not merely because he is mighty, but because it is in his power to bring great evil upon all of us. This he could do very easily if that were part of his character. There would be no court of appeal. But that is not and never been part of his nature. As Elihu said, "...God will not do wickedly..."

If now thou hast understanding, hear this:
Hearken to the voice of my words.
Shall even one that hateth justice govern?
And wilt thou condemn him that is righteous and mighty?-
Him that saith to a king, Thou art vile,
 Or to nobles, Ye are wicked;
(Job 34:16-18 - ASV)

Elihu then appeals to Job again to listen to what he has to say. Elihu's arguments are interesting and well considered. His point is that it is not possible to govern without justice. Such a thought would be a universe of total chaos. Job's words in Elihu's view, seem to condemn God and threw dirt on his just rulership.

Moreover, it is not for a subject of a king or ruler to call the king wicked, or to mock a judge and say he is unrighteous. Even if such things appear to have some basis in fact, it is hardly going to win a person 'points' with them. It was folly for Job to make such statements or have such a sentiment about God. This appears to be the crux of his argument here. Elihu is clearly taken aback at Job's words and justly rebukes him, though I think without due consideration to what Job had been through and his deeply troubled mental state. Too often I think, Job's friends are kicking Job when he is down and at his most vulnerable. The way I see it, Job needed more words like those of these his friends about as much as he needed another patch of boils to appear on his body.

That respecteth not the persons of princes,
Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor;
For they all are the work of his hands.
In a moment they die, even at midnight;
The people are shaken and pass away,
And the mighty are taken away without hand.
(Job 34:19-20 - ASV)

Elihu compares such foolishness as accusing a king of evil with what Job has done to God. God is not swayed by mankind's inducements to change his rulings. He cannot be bribed by a rich man. All stand before him and get a righteous judgment. Both the rich man and the poor, he made them both and both are mortal, both get sick, both die - without regard to person, station in life or wealth. The last part of the above passages seem to mean some sudden calamity that strikes without warning. They may see the danger but perish from it when they least expect it. This kind of end can come to the rich or the poor.

Clearly Elihu wants to impress on Job our mortal nature, our frailty, the uncertainty of our lives and how Job's ill chosen words about God were most unwise.

We will continue our look at Job next week, God willing!!


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In Praise of Humility

Today, let's talk very briefly about being humble.

Let us always be humble. Mankind? Brothers and sisters, not one of us has any right to be proud and lifted up about who we are or what we do. Not the rich and famous, not the powerful, not the beautiful and not the mighty. Humility, true humility comes from knowing who we are in the overall scheme of things - in God's eyes, but also in light of the great expanse of the universe and eternity. When one looks at the sons of men from this perspective, we are little more than a puff of smoke, which exists for a very short time and then disappears.

As Christians, humility - true humility must always be a key part of our walk. When we come to God in prayer, we have to do it humbly, not with any kind of pride and certainly not spiritual pride. We must come to God even as King Josiah did, when he inquired of the Lord. God had determined to bring evil upon his people for forsaking him. But the king found favor in God's eyes. Why?

But unto the king of Judah,
who sent you to inquire of Jehovah,
thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah,
the God of Israel: As touching the words
which thou hast heard, because thy heart
was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God,
when thou heardest his words against this place,
and against the inhabitants thereof,
and hast humbled thyself before me,
 and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me;
I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah.
Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers,
and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace,
neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that
I will bring upon this place, and upon the
 inhabitants thereof. And they brought
back word to the king.
(2 Chronicles 34:26-28 - ASV)

The King pleased God and this is how we have to behave when we come to the Lord. We have to be humble and totally honest with God, knowing that we are made from the very dirt that our feet walk upon.

I tend to think that some of the greatest obstacles to personal happiness and contentment are pride, arrogance and worldly ambition. It's also a key obstacle to any kind of relationship with God. Humility - deep and sincere humility on our part is a key part of that relationship.

But he giveth more grace.
Wherefore the scripture saith,
God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace to the humble.
(James 4:6 - ASV)

And whosoever shall exalt himself
shall be humbled;
and whosoever shall humble himself
shall be exalted.
(Matthew 23:12 - ASV)

We have all heard these versus before, but let us always keep them in our minds as we walk our daily walks with Christ. To be humble, kind, unassuming and helpful when appropriate. We should spend less time trying to be attention getters to a lost world and rather becoming an attention getter in God's eyes.

The way to get God's attention is 180 degree's different than the world's way. With the world you have to have money, fame, good looks, be 'popular' with the 'in crowd', say and do popular and trendy things. People do it to be acceptable to onlookers. But with God, he is looking for that quiet, faithful soul who is noted for his humility towards God and his righteous life. The person who has a quiet, holy and humble life in faithful service to God... this is the person that gets God's attention. God will set his hand over that person and watch over him and guide him in the paths that lead to life.

But we must be humble enough to receive the Lord's instruction and learn from him. God will set those whom he loves often on a very different life path than that of others. Often this is a quieter and humbler path, the one that does not have so many people on it. It may be a path that leads one from the Corporate Board room to a quiet place in the country and drives that person into the prayer closet instead of a steady stream of corporate merger negotiations. Or perhaps to the mission field, instead of performing in front of the theatrical footlights.

Too many men and women expect that God is going to put them on some pedestal and make them some new Christian celebrity or some 'great man of God' in the eyes of the the world or Christendom. Somehow deep down inside, I suspect many think that God should be honored to have them serving him and expect to be rewarded appropriately with importance, fame and fortune.

Before God can use, really use such a person such thinking has to be done away with and they must learn to take the back seat and an unrecognized part in things. This humbler mindset must become second nature to them. In short, they have to be broken of that kind of me first or I'm important kind of thinking.

In our times particularly, we should not be seeking great things for ourselves. I think of Jeremiah's faithful scribe and how the Lord set him straight about seeking great things for himself.

And seekest thou great things for thyself?
seek them not; for, behold,
I will bring evil upon all flesh,
saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee
for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
(Jeremiah 45:5 - ASV)

Now Baruch had connections to the Royal Court as his brother was the King's chamberlain. So he may have had some secret aspirations. What they were we are not privy to, but clearly God saw something in them and wanted to gently correct Jeremiah's faithful scribe. If he was looking for a place at court, God here dismisses that clearly in Jeremiah 45:4 where he tells him he was going to break down and pluck up his people. Getting a high position in a court that was going to go into exile wasn't a very practical aspiration, considering the plans God had in store.

This is why we should always find out what God wants us to do and be where he wants us to be. It's better to live a humble life in a quiet cottage with God's love and protection than in a million dollar penthouse suite in a huge metropolis that God has marked down for destruction.

So it should be with us. In a world heading for God's holy judgment, how valuable do you really think being 'important' is in this increasingly wicked world? Who wants to fight and claw their way to the top of a dung heap that is about to be cast into the fires? That is how I view those people who are ambitious in the things of this world. The real issue I think is that deep down inside, they are still very much in love with this world and the pomp, glory and wealth that the system has to offer. More in love with those things, than with God.

Brothers, it behooves us to always be humble in all we say and do. God really does not like pride; but rather a humble, thankful and obedient heart.

Before destruction the heart of man is haughty;
And before honor goeth humility.
(Proverbs 18:12 - ASV)

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Job Part LXVI

Elihu begins the next part of this speech with a respectful introduction, acknowledging the wisdom of his elders and asks that they hear what he has to say and judge it accordingly. Here, Elihu shows remarkable wisdom and humility in that he wants to hear what the others think about what he has to say. It is a wise man will want to be corrected by men of understanding and wisdom, however few and far between such men are. These words of Elihu may have been spoken after a short interlude to see how Job would reply to the first part of Elihu's speech in the previous chapter.

Since he did not reply or they were not recorded, Elihu continues his argument. Elihu may not be referring to Job's friends when he refers to wise men, but rather, perhaps to other bystanders who are not mentioned.

Elihu now calls upon these wise men to work with him and try and determine this matter and how to judge it properly. The idea here may be to choose what is right and good rather than what is popular and commonly held beliefs.

In our times, this is such a lacking quality. Men more and more don't seem to be interested in truth or justice or getting to the heart of any matter. They seek the applause of men, to be praised and loved by them, they seek money or as we more and more see, to put forward a narrative in order to deceive. They are not the least bit interested in what is right or true. Rather, they have an agenda and if the truth or justice gets in the way, they will push it aside. This clearly is not what Elihu wants. He wants them to hear what he has to say and judge it according to right and Godly standards.

For Job hath said, I am righteous,
And God hath taken away my right:
Notwithstanding my right I am accounted a liar;
My wound is incurable,
though I am without transgression.
(Job 34:5-6 - ASV)

Elihu goes on to throw Job's words right back at him. However verse five, where he claims Job says he is righteous, is not really found in exactness in his words, but can be reasonably implied by some of his statements. Job did say that God took away his judgment (Job 27:2), his 'right' if you will. These are things that Job has argued, says Elihu. The implication here was that Job saw himself as being just and God was mistaken and wrong, thus making Job a 'judge' of God and his ways. It is this thinking that has Elihu calling out Job on.

What man is like Job,
Who drinketh up scoffing like water,
Who goeth in company with the workers of iniquity,
And walketh with wicked men? For he hath said,
 It profiteth a man nothing
That he should delight himself with God.
(Job 34:7-9 - ASV)

Now here, Elihu goes off the rails and begins to accuse Job directly of very great evil. The Hebrew word for scoffing is H3933 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary. Elihu is falsely accusing Job of being a mocker, a scoffer, someone who holds God in derision.

Then he goes on to accuse job of being the companion of wicked men. This is the inevitable result of those who hold the opinion of those who mock God. This is a very harsh accusation and one that certainly did not line up with God's opinion of Job. The way I see this passage is that Elihu is starting to rail at Job because of some statements Job made that were not as judicious as they might have been and were born out of his extreme physical pain, despair and emotional distress.

Therefore hearken unto me,
ye men of understanding: Far be it from God,
 that he should do wickedness, And from the Almighty,
that he should commit iniquity.
For the work of a man will he render unto him,
And cause every man to find according to his ways.
(Job 34:10-11 - ASV)

Here Elihu continues on with his wisdom speech and here, his words are correct, God is not going to do wickedness. He hates it. There is little new or original however in what he is saying. But like his predecessors, he again closely correlates God's justice with how well a man does in life. No, Elihu does not directly accuse Job of falling under God's judgment, but one look at Job's situation and one could hardly ignore it. But he is correct insofar as Job came perilously close to accusing God of gross injustice and tries to justify himself before him and this so-called friends. Let us remember, God was not the source of Job's woe's, but rather Satan.

One cannot fault Elihu much here. What is has said is mostly correct. It is folly to accuse God of doing wrong. But I think he, like Job's friend are much too hard on Job, a man who is under such intense suffering should be given a lot more leeway and mercy by these wise men. Instead, the pointing accusing finger, high minded and often false theology are all they had to offer him.

We will continue our look at Job next week, God willing!!

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During the holidays, I do like to take my downtime from the computer, the internet, the news, etc. So look for the next update in the first week of 2022!

God bless all who come by the site and may it continue to be a blessing to those who have been edified by it! - MSW

Job Part LXV

Yea, his soul draweth near unto the pit,
And his life to the destroyers.
If there be with him an angel,
An interpreter, one among a thousand,
 To show unto man what is right for him;
Then God is gracious unto him, and saith,
Deliver him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom.
(Job 33:22-24 - ASV)

We left off last time and Elihu was describing how God often speaks to man in ways he does not always comprehend, particularly through chastisement. The word 'destroyers' has the connotation of 'those causing death' (H4191) - Albert Barnes's comments on this passage are interesting. The idea is that the soul draws nigh unto death under the Lord's chastisement.

Verse 23 regarding this messenger (Malak H4397 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary) is a difficult one because there are so many different ways people have interpreted the meaning of it. Many see this as being a heavenly angel, who like Gabriel did for Daniel when he chastised himself came and interpreted a vision for him.

The interpretation of who this messenger or angel is is a matter of debate.The passage is most interesting in light of verse 24 where a ransom is found and keeps the soul from descending into the pit or destruction/corruption (H7845 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary). Such a ransom we have in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. While certainly this is not exactly what was meant by Elihu unless he was speaking under a prophetic anointing, the idea follows, that the chastised soul would find an intercessor and would pay any 'fine' that was due.

His flesh shall be fresher than a child's;
He returneth to the days of his youth.
He prayeth unto God,
and he is favorable unto him,
So that he seeth his face with joy:
And he restoreth unto man
his righteousness.
(Job 33:25-26 - ASV)

Here Elihu describes the state of the man who has found such a ransom, such salvation from destruction's edge. His youth and beauty return to him and when he prays, he gets an answer from his God. God would no more hide his face from the chastised man. The last stanza of verse 26 is perhaps a bit difficult, but the meaning is plain, that God will deal with such a man justly and in righteousness, and restore it to the chastised soul. That God will no more treat him like an 'enemy' or a judged soul but would show mercy and kindness to him. 

He singeth before men, and saith,
I have sinned, and perverted
that which was right,
And it profited me not:
He hath redeemed my soul
from going into the pit,
 And my life shall behold the light.
(Job 33:27-28 - ASV)

Here, Elihu praises the simple act of confession. That God will forgive and restore the man who recognizes his faults, sins and wrongs to God. He will be delivered from the aforementioned pit/destruction. Here the purpose of these kinds of afflictions are clear, to drive a man to repentance. Yet here again, Elihu, like his elders seems to assume that there is some great sin in Job's life and this is why he is now suffering. So far, nothing in his speech alludes to some deeper reason for Job's trials that are hidden from men but were shown to the reader of the book in the opening chapters.

In short, Elihu, like his predecessors did not give Job the benefit of any doubt - they all appear to 'know' God would never afflict or allow to be afflicted a man who was living right.

Lo, all these things doth God work,
Twice, yea thrice, with a man,
To bring back his soul from the pit,
That he may be enlightened
with the light of the living.
Mark well, O Job, hearken unto me:
 Hold thy peace, and I will speak.
If thou hast anything to say, answer me:
Speak, for I desire to justify thee.
If not, hearken thou unto me:
Hold thy peace,
and I will teach thee wisdom.
(Job 33:29-33 - ASV)

Here, the younger Elihu takes on the role of teacher to his elder and explains how God works things with mankind. Elihu seems to think what he is saying is some great revelation and tells Job to listen well to his words and to sit silent while he expounds his wisdom to the elder Job. Now I sense a bit of haughtiness in the way his words are phrased, but other commentators do not see it. They see a young man, not without his own intelligent views that are worthy of Job's consideration. It should also be noted that Elihu does not really sound all that harsh with Job for he makes it clear that he wants to justify Job (vs 32). The word justify is H6663 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary and can be used to clear, clean or make right.

Elihu seems most sincere in wanting to help Job out. While at times he takes on the role of teacher to an elder (and a man highly regarded by God), it does not appear to be from any impure or imperious motivation. The idea of justifying him must be understood so as not to mean to justify him in his cause and complaint against God, but for any false accusation or to misunderstand or misinterpret some of the things Job has said.

We will continue out look at Job next week, God willing.


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A Matter of Trust

This brothers and sisters is going to be one of the most important things for each of us in the last days - who do you trust? In these days of false prophets, controversial pastors and questionable politicians, it is often going to be a serious choice for many of us. This matter of trust may be one that causes us to leave our jobs, move, change churches or even the country we live in. Who do you trust? Officials in government? Bureaucrats with long titles? Pastors with many university degree's? Public Health officials? Hollywood Stars? Who should you trust? In times of crisis who should you believe?

You see when one gets to belief systems, you are hitting at the root and target of any propaganda campaign because almost all propaganda is targeting those core belief systems. The MSM wants you to believe and trust them, alternative media wants you to believe and trust them, the government wants you to believe and trust them, etc. They are all trying to gain your trust when many of them simply don't deserve that trust. How many times have officials lied to us?

Liars are real. Hitler lied his way to power and then used his lies to kill millions. But many Germans trusted him. They really believed him and in his party. I think the real problem is not so much that people believed him, but that it was convenient to believe him, or at least pretend you did - and with others, they wanted to believe him even though deep down inside, they had their doubts. But with many in both groups, I think fear and cowardice were at the root of their 'belief'.

In these days of massive propaganda, fake news, lying narratives put forward by corrupted governments, we just have to be careful about whom we believe. A government with a long and often negative track record... I think it wise to be most reticent before we put much faith in such a system. Why not? Simple. Believing a lie, any lie, no matter how small is the first step on a long road to the city of deception. It may be paved with the most beautiful lies, layered in gold and platinum, with beautiful people smiling at you giving you gifts as you head down that road, but in the end you will only find you have been fooled, surrounded by people who took the same wrong turn you did when they listened to the lie and continued down the path of deception.

I can remember one time I had a conversation with someone who was struggling with their faith. They asked me why did God demand faith. I suspect they seemed to think it was a 'cop out' for God not coming down and performing some magic tricks to get people to believe in him. I said, you have to go back to the Garden of Eden.

They looked at me kind of funny and with a high degree of incredulity, but I just said, Yes, because that is where it all began. They wanted me to continue, so I did.

I told them, that when God put man and his woman in the garden, he gave them a specific commandment.

And Jehovah God commanded
the man, saying, Of every tree
of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,
thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day
that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
(Genesis 2:16-17 - ASV)

This is basic Christianity 101, but I think it key. God gave Adam a commandment and the man (and later his woman) had to obey the commandment, but at the root of that obedience is the idea of belief. They had to believe God was sincere in what he said would happen. It is the same today, if God gives us a commandment we have to believe God about that commandment and the consequences for disobedience. It comes down to a matter of faith... do you believe God, will you trust him or will you disobey and show unbelief in what he just told you to do? This was a test for Adam that God was giving him - Do you believe and will you obey the Lord, your God?

This I think is a key aspect of a rather enigmatic statement Christ made in the Gospel of John about spiritual blindness to the Pharisee's. One has to know what God commands and once one does, there comes spiritual responsibility.

Jesus said unto them,
If ye were blind, ye would have no sin:
but now ye say, We see:
your sin remaineth.
(John 9:41 - ASV)

One has to hear what God has to say, believe in what he says, and then do as he commanded. This is the essence of that key ingredient in the Gospel, faith.

Faith was broken in the Garden as you all know. How? By the devil planting the seeds of both doubt and deception in what God had commanded.

Now the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field
which Jehovah God had made.
And he said unto the woman,
Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat
of any tree of the garden?
And the woman said unto the serpent,
Of the fruit of the trees of the garden
we may eat: but of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden,
God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
And the serpent said unto the woman,
Ye shall not surely die: for God doth
know that in the day ye eat thereof,
then your eyes shall be opened,
and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
And when the woman saw that
the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes,
and that the tree was to be desired
to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof,
and did eat; and she gave also
unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
(Genesis 3:1-6 - ASV)

The devil had a plan and he executed it with his usual demonic skill. He found the weak point, exploited it, caused doubt to arise, and then sprung his trap with the lie - Ye shall not surely die.

The key? The woman ceased to believe God and chose instead to listen to and believe the devil. Again it was a question of whom to believe. Eve and later Adam made the wrong choice and ceased to believe God. But God was indeed true to his word and every human who lives has died since then. God does not forget his word and always carries it out.

I really wanted to get to belief systems today and the whole idea of faith because of the vicious and pervasive information war that is being waged all over the planet on a whole range of key issues today. Who and what we believe will invariably dictate how we behave and the choices we make. If you believe you can cross a bridge without incident and need to, chances are you are going to go across, but if you believe that if you cross it, it's not going to hold up, you probably won't. This is a basic and yes, an oversimplification of a most important aspect of human behavior - belief.

Taking hold of Christ and his work on the cross requires faith. We have to hear the word of God, believe it and then obey it. Christ's work restores the faith-trust relationship with God that was destroyed in the garden and why God demands it from all of us.

This is how I explained the need for faith to this person some 25 years ago. In our times, we must always examine and reexamine our belief systems and make sure they are on and remain on the firm foundation of God's word and keep faith with God. I can tell you this brothers and sisters from my personal experience - God honors faith. Put your trust, your whole being in God's hands - and this can often entails some degree of risk or even danger - and God will honor it. That has been my experience.

So in our times, let us always be skeptical of anything and anyone before we believe what they tell us. Trust is a good thing, but it can be a most dangerous one, even suicidal if it is placed in the wrong person, group or system. To me, trust is one of the most precious gifts one can give to another and it should not be given away to just anyone... not if you want to live a long and happy life (!).

God bless and keep you all in Christ!


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Job Part LXIV

When we left off last time, Elihu was basically throwing Job's words back into his teeth. Repeating some of his statements and calling him out on what he saw as his error. Elihu continues on, accusing Job of being unjust and noting that God is greater than we are. Elihu's accusation that Job was not just, is not mean to say that Job was an unjust man, but rather to expound that his words about God were not correct. 

Then he accuses Job of striving with God. This is a bit of an overreach, but not a totally unjustified accusation. Elihu essentially is saying in the last stanza that God is not answerable to Job. He does not have to give account to us, but rather we to him. It is folly to attempt to win a 'legal' a case against God, as Job said he wanted. God is not answerable to any man. Job cried out to God and he seemed deaf to his cries (see Job 19:7, 30:20). Simply put, God is not obligated to give an answer as to what he is doing or why.

For God speaketh once,
Yea twice, though man regardeth it not.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falleth upon men,
In slumberings upon the bed;
(Job 33:14-15 - ASV)

Elihu displays wisdom here in pointing out that God does speak to man, even though he is not obligated to. He does so, not as a man speaks to a man (except in rare instances like with Moses) but in dreams and visions. We have seen many such examples of dreams and visions in our Bibles (think of Joseph's dream, or Daniels interpretation of the King of Babylon's dream, etc.). Visions? Many prophets have had them. And then there is the still small voice (1Kings 19:12). Verse one shows us that God often does this more than once. God often repeats warnings and directions to us. The problem is, we don't always pick up on it. We often don't get what he may be trying to tell us. But if we earnestly seek God's face, he will explain it to us. I cannot begin to tell you the times God has spoken to me on personal matters and on prophetic matters. Many times. But sometimes he does so in a way that takes some effort to decipher. Other times, he is quite direct. The important thing for us to do is to make sure that we know when God is speaking and to make sure we pay full attention to what he is revealing to us. Sometimes it may not seem important, but if God is telling us something, you can be sure that it is.

Then he openeth the ears of men,
And sealeth their instruction,
(Job 33:16 - ASV)

It is through these dreams and visions that God instructs his people. He 'opens their ears'. The idea seems to be that of a deaf man who can suddenly hear. He then completes (sealeth - H2856 in Strong's dictionary) their instruction. I think it can mean any kind of instruction, direction, guidance, teaching or correction depending on the kind of message God wants to pass on. But because of Job's suffering, Elihu's words are probably meant along the lines of rebuke and correction, as the following passages seem to make clear.

That he may withdraw man from his purpose,
And hide pride from man;
He keepeth back his soul from the pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.
He is chastened also with pain upon his bed,
And with continual strife in his bones;
(Job 33:17-19 - ASV)

Here Elihu expounds more upon the kind of instruction that God lays on mankind, clearly having Job's situation in mind. His point is a simple one, That God's instruction is for man's benefit, it is to keep us from being proud, from winding up in the 'pit'. The word for pit is H7845 in Strong's dictionary and it can also mean grave or destruction.

He also makes mention of the sword as being something that God wants to protect us from. Something that, probably not coincidentally in relation to the narrative, happened to Job's children. Verse 19 is again, probably another swipe at Job's physical condition, which was indeed quite painful.

So that his life abhorreth bread,
And his soul dainty food.
His flesh is consumed away,
that it cannot be seen;
And his bones that were not seen stick out.
(Job 33:20-21 - ASV)

These passages are self explanatory. The soul that is being chastised takes little pleasure in the simplest things, like eating.

Elihu so far seems to be making the argument that God is speaking to Job in ways that he has not perceived (vs14) - the chastisement he is now undergoing.

We will continue our look at Job next week, God willing!!

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Job Part LXIII

Elihu here is merely saying he has his own opinion, his own view on the discourse of these older men. The words were boiling within him and he simply could not sit silent any longer.

I will speak, that I may be refreshed;
I will open my lips and answer. Let me not,
 I pray you, respect any man's person;
Neither will I give flattering titles unto any man.
For I know not to give flattering titles;
Else would my Maker soon take me away.
(Job 32:20-22 - ASV)

Elihu is basically saying that the 'steam' that was building up within him had to have a vent, a release and this was the reason for his boldness. But he is careful before he continues to let them all know that he is not going to be a flatterer or take sides between the two camps. He knows that God does not like empty flattery and would hold him to account.

Howbeit, Job, I pray thee,
hear my speech, And hearken to all my words.
Behold now, I have opened my mouth;
My tongue hath spoken in my mouth.
My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart;
And that which my lips know
they shall speak sincerely. The Spirit of God
hath made me, And the breath of the Almighty
giveth me life.
(Job 33:1-4 - ASV)

Elihu starts off by directing his words at Job himself, now that he has ventured to speak. The words utter the uprightness of my heart is probably less a declaration of self-righteousness than it is a continuation of the theme in verse 22, he is going to speak sincerely and honestly without respect of persons.

Verse four follows along the same lines as Job 32:8 whereby man has a natural ability to determine right from wrong by virtue of him being made by God and in his image. What Elihu may also be alluding to is that he too is a man like Job, not unwise in the ways of God or the world and thus begs that Job is attentive to what he has to say.

If thou canst, answer thou me;
Set thy words in order before me, stand forth.
Behold, I am toward God even as thou art:
I also am formed out of the clay.
Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid,
Neither shall my pressure
be heavy upon thee.
(Job 33:5-7 - ASV)

In short what Elihu is doing is 'calling him out' not to a fight, but to a battle of wisdom. His words denote a kind of challenge to Job, he tells him to stand up.

Elihu gets bolder and bolder with these, his elders. He too was made in God's image and has God given wisdom (common sense). Here he seems to allude to Job's desire to bring his case directly to God.

Verse seven shows that Elihu will not be afraid (his boldness shows this) and neither should Job be afraid of Elihu's words. He was not like God and could not confound Job with his majesty and power, rather he appears to entreat Job and essentially he would not add to his burdens and make matter for him worse as frankly, his friends had done with their constant insinuations.

Elihu continues...

Surely thou hast spoken in my hearing,
And I have heard the voice of thy words,
saying, I am clean, without transgression;
I am innocent, neither is there iniquity in me:
 Behold, he findeth occasions against me,
He counteth me for his enemy:
He putteth my feet in the stocks,
He marketh all my paths.
Behold, I will answer thee,
in this thou art not just;
For God is greater than man.
(Job 33:8-12 - ASV)

Now despite what he just said in verse 7 about not adding to Job's burden, he lays into Job with a new accusation. "I heard you say you were without sin..." is the gist of his charge. "Don't deny it! I heard you clearly..." is how I think some would say it today.

Then he reminds Job of some of the things he said that were not correct, but were spoken in the depth of the bitterness and sorrow of his soul, that God counts him as an enemy (13:24) and puts his feet in the stocks (13:27). Job here probably deserves some rebuke for these words for they simply were not correct and did not reflect properly on a God who in realty held Job in the highest of esteem and whose works are always righteous and true despite what we mortals may think of what he does or how he does it. God is sovereign.

Elihu here wants to correct Job on a point of doctrine, but I think fails to take into consideration Job's physical and emotional state. But Job at times does let is emotional depression get the better of him and says somethings he probably should not have. Job felt confused and confounded by the way he was treated by the God he loved and served so faithfully. Now this young man starts to go after Job by throwing these unwise words back at Job like a boomerang. Yes, the young man is essentially correct - but let some of the evils that befell Job happen to him (or Job's Friends) and I wonder what their words and reaction would be? Hopefully not like that of Job's wife who said - '...renounce God, and die!' (Job 2:9b).

It's easy to judge another man, but most unwise until you have walked a few miles in his shoes.

We will continue our look at Job next week, God willing!

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Malak Elohim (Angel Of The Lord)

These words in Hebrew mean Angel or Messenger (H4397 in Strong's Hebrew Dictionary) of the Lord. Other times in scripture the phrase Angel of Jehovah is used. These are beings created by God who serve him in the spiritual and temporal realm. Their job for the most part is to execute the will of God. They are 'deputized' by the Lord to carry out specific tasks for which they are both commanded and empowered.

These beings can bring comfort to the despised (as Hagar was when Sarai pushed her out of the house), they can bring in powerful messages to God's servants (as with Joseph in the NT - Matthew 1:20) or they can bring interpretive messages to prophecies as with Daniel, Zechariah and John the Revelator. They can also prepare a lowly person to become a great warrior or servant of the Lord, as with Gideon. If there is an important task for one of God's people to do, you can be pretty sure there is an angel around to help that person carry out that task.

Brothers, I honestly don't think I would be alive today were it not for the angel's that God sent to protect me. If we serve the Lord and fear him, he will indeed send his angels to look out for us.

The angel of Jehovah encampeth
round about them that fear him,
And delivereth them.
(Psalms 34:7 - ASV)

If you serve God, you have powerful protection. Protection that has probably protected you many times in the past in ways you were never aware of. These angels can be powerful spirits. God has in the past shown me (in the spirit) both the demons that were arrayed against me and the angel that was sent to protect me.

God I think wanted me to understand what was happening from another perspective; the real battle lines that were not seen by the naked eye or natural mind. Sometimes we have to see things in this other way in order to get a resolution to our own particular woes and know how to pray and approach a problem.

These angels can warn us of impending danger. (Matthew 2:13) They can also bring words of encouragement (Zechariah 1:13).

These angels that protect us and those who obey the commandments of the Lord, some of them are very, very powerful. Remember when Hezekiah was afraid when he heard the King of Assyria was coming against him? The Lord had other plans.

For I will defend this city to save it,
for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.
And the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote
in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred
and fourscore and five thousand; and when men
arose early in the morning, behold,
these were all dead bodies.
So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed,
and went and returned,
and dwelt at Nineveh.
(Isaiah 37:35-37 - ASV)

While Hezekiah may have been afraid, in reality there was nothing to worry about. God had his angel at the ready to deal with Sennacherib, whose army was no match for one single, solitary angel of the Lord.

I write this brief piece for each of you today so that no matter what you are facing, God knows about it. If you belong to him, God can set his angel about you and if it is necessary, God can send that angel reinforcements.

Brothers, I know many of you are worried about what is happening in our world. Some of you are worried about your jobs, your livelihoods, your kids, the price of necessities and your future.

Just know that what you are facing is something that God knew about long ago. Do you serve the Lord? Chances are excellent that your angel knows of your situation and is either busy at work on your behalf or standing by awaiting orders from the Most High God.

You are not alone.

And when the servant of the man of God
was risen early, and gone forth, behold,
a host with horses and chariots was
round about the city. And his servant said unto him,
Alas, my master! how shall we do?
 And he answered, Fear not; for they that are
with us are more than they that are with them.
And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah,
I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.
And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man;
and he saw: and, behold, the mountain
was full of horses and chariots of fire
round about Elisha.
(2 Kings 6:15-17 - ASV)

Whatever your situation, I just wanted to remind each of you the powerful angelic protection that you have as a 'fringe benefit' of serving God and placing your faith in his Messiah, Jesus Christ.

You are not alone in what you are facing, today or in the future.

Keep faith with God. I have found that he can always be depended on, not necessarily to do what we want, but to bring a situation to a resolution that is best. We may think we know what is best, but in reality it is God that knows what is best for us, those around us and his Church.

So if it seems as though God is about to throw you into the fiery furnace like the three young men in the book of Daniel, just remember there was another person in that flame that protected them who had the appearance of one of the son of the gods (Daniel 3:25). Despite any fears those three had, there was never any real reason to be afraid. God had their backs!

...for he that toucheth you
toucheth the apple of his eye.
Zechariah 2:8b - ASV)

In closing know this - God has not gone to sleep. He knows about you and your situations. I believe it best to fret not yourself, but trust in God in all things, obey his voice, even when it sometimes does not seem to make sense to your natural mind. What? Do you think it made sense for Naaman to go and wash in Jordan to be cured (see 2Kings 5:10ff)? It didn't. He could have missed his blessing if he had chosen to listen to his natural reasoning rather than the words of the Lord and his prophet.

So brothers, be encouraged, have faith and stand strong!!

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Job Part LXII

Fearlessness of Faith

Grace and peace to each of you and may God bless and keep you all in these troubling, confusing and disconcerting ties.

Today's update is not about current events. Its about how we all must deal with the troubles that come our way and the strangeness of our times.

As you all know, I read a lot of things from a wide variety of sources. Left, Right, Christian, secular, US and foreign. I often get information overload reading so much. But one thing I have noted in the past year and a half since the 2020 election and Covid's spread across the globe. It is the incredible amount of fear-mongering and half-truths being spread not just by the 'unofficial', the dissenters and others, but by officialdom and semi-officialdom as well. The fear, misdirections, half-truths and disinformation are real. They are not a figment of yours or my imagination. A lot of money is being spent to influence opinion and the government has hardly been innocent in this battleground, duly spreading fear and contributing significantly to the deep and troubling divisions in the country.

Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear and hate are two powerful tools an adept propagandist and liar uses when he wants to spread his poison into your mind. The tentacles of this kind of propaganda, when it is run by governments and their secretive agencies can be very significant. These forces have 'influence' in many of top line establishment news and even in many alternative news sites. With some of these sites and sources, I see them as kind of a 'fake opposition', designed specifically to control forces; racial, social or political groups who they know will have problems with some policies at some time in the future. These state run or state connected forces operate on all sides of the political spectrum. They deal in social, racial and gender based news sources and blogs. In the US they use these tools often ostensibly to counter foreign propaganda. I want to stress the word ostensibly because today, it appears that there is little real control over these forces and their efforts to ride roughshod over the basic rights of ordinary, hard working, law abiding Americans who have more than a few inconvenient questions about some of the things going down in the country today. 

My point here today is to school you in the university of faith. When the demons of fear and hate start to preach their horror and brimstone driven sermons, we must not take the bait. Many Christians and their sites are just dripping with fear based stories. Horror, dread and scary stuff just oozes from the computer screen once the proper URL is entered in. Let us be careful of such sites, forces and people. They may or may not be operating from the best of intentions but the key to remember is that fear is not faith. We must not allow ourselves to be inundated with all of the stuff on the net, the scary, the wacky, the hateful or the deceitful.

Some of you are worried about Covid. Some of you were worried about Biden becoming President, the left is worried that Trump might return to the White House. My question is - where is the faith of God's people and of those who constantly spread fear and dread into cyberspace?

You see, I think many of these so called Christians have lost sight of some important truths. That the devil is running this planet for he is the prince of this world. Why should we be shocked when he shows his true colors? Authoritarianism? Yes, this is what the devil is working towards and his servants in this world are helping - some knowingly, most not. One of the first things the devil wants to do is to destroy truth tellers so that the big lie can be told unchallenged. This is why we have seen so much censorship in this world. The official lie must never be challenged. This is the first rule in any authoritarian, non-free, political system. I think we can all smell the stench of such a system in the west, however faintly.

This is why we must always be on our guard for the devil will certainly throw his darts at us in the form of various falsehoods and in these times, we can all see just how dangerous such lies can be. Ask the Jews of Nazi Germany how the lies spread about them by the party about their very membership in the human race put millions in the gas chambers. The devil knows how to lie and he knows how to get people to believe them. If you don't think you can be fooled, you have been already.

But we who know the truth need not fear such lies. We must remember our place. Then we must remember the place of those who have rejected God's truth. Brothers, this is just going to be hard for a lot of you. You are just going to have to toughen up and realize that many of them are just going to go walking blithely into a multitude of traps that you and I can see, but they cannot and in most cases, simply refuse to.

We cannot save the world. We must not try. We can only preach the gospel, live our lives in love and hope and let the world do what the world does best - rebel against God; sometimes in lesser ways, other times in greater. When God wants to warn the world of what it is doing, he will raise up a or many prophets.

With many Christians particularly a lot of blogs and news sites, I think they get frustrated because they are trying to do the impossible. They are trying to 'teach the dead to sing'. No matter how hard you try, with the best of intentions you will only get silence out of a corpse. So it is with the world. This world is lost. It will always be lost. Those who are part of this world are and will be lost. You cannot teach it to be a Christian because it knows not Christ. The corpse must cease to be a one if it is ever to learn to sing. When we are born again, we come out of this world and are alive to Christ, we have the potential to 'sing', though with many this never develops into anything but a failed potentiality. We are no longer of this world, but have been given the power to become sons of God.

I realize that many are deeply concerned about the trends in the nation and world. Don't be. These things must needs be. Cease to do the 'freak out' thing and worrying yourself and others half to death. We as Christians must walk in this world; we must traverse the land of Sodom, the valley of Gomorrah, the high places of idolatry and false religion and the minefields of lies. We cannot get distracted by the sins of others nor be enticed by the temptations the devil will put in our path to divert us from our steady course. Nor can we live in fear and dread for what may or may not happen. If you serve God, I mean truly serve him, you are in his hands. If not, you are going to be cannon fodder for the devil, who hates mankind only a little less than he hates God.

Are you walking with God? Is your pathway directed by him? Have you dedicated the rest of your life here on this earth to his service? Then these words should encourage you.

After these things
the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward.
(Genesis 15:1 - ASV)

What were the first two words the Lord spoke to Abram here? Fear not! This vision took place right after a major battle where the King of Sodom was involved and Abram would not take so much as a shoe lace from him. He did not want it said that the King of Sodom made him rich. Abram knew that some gifts have too high a price. There are some things that are better not taken. In today's world there are some jobs we just should not do. They may be perfectly legal and even somewhat respected by the world, but that does not mean we should take them.

For Christians - ever thought about taking a job as a check out clerk at the local grocery store at $20k a year rather than a job at some big corporation that censors Christians, finds ways to harass believers, pushes things on society that they know God hates for a salary of $100k a year? It is not an easy decision, but one that may in the long run, spiritually speaking, turn out to be by far the best. All that glitters isn't gold and even if it is, what lies underneath all that flash may be dangerous or even lethal, spiritually speaking. This is one of those things you must truly seek the Lord about in prayer before making such decisions.

Remember Lot? When there was strife between Lot's herdsmen and Abram's the two separated. Lot chose what looked good on the surface (Gen 13:10) to move to. But this was where Sodom was before it was destroyed. While it may have looked good on the surface, let us never forget that Lot only eventually escaped that place with his life, and even then only after Abraham interceded for him. His wife didn't make it. Lot saw something that glittered but later, it turned into brimstone when the Lord got finished with it.

Then God tells Abram that he is his shield, that being his protection. God will protect you if you are his and serve him honestly and honorably. God had a mission for Abraham. In order for him to get that protection, he like we do, have to stay the course on what God wanted him to do. He was on his way to the promised land - a land that God would show him. We too are on our way to the promised land. If we stay the course, God will help keep us on course and protect us. God protected Abraham and he will protect you and me as well.

So to those of you who serve God, I write this brief piece today so that you cease to worry and wonder about the lost world. There are some things you can fix and there are things you cannot. A wise man knows the difference and concentrates on what he can change rather than getting worry lines in his forehead about things he cannot.

Our jobs are simple - to live the gospel. Most people are not going to believe or accept it and in time, we will be badly persecuted here in the west for our faith. But some will come to the cross, but only some of those will do what the scriptures command - endure to the end.

Brothers hear me out on this - most souls will not make it. They are just going to be lost. Many of your families, friends and loved ones... they are going to be lost. They chose it and remember this - no one deserves heaven. God has granted us this great salvation by his grace and love. As a race, mankind is lost, reprobate and vile. We don't see ourselves that way... while we commit unspeakable crimes one upon another. We wallow in our moral filth and claim to be righteous; our hands stained with the blood of our brother, lips dripping hate and lies and pockets holding dishonest gain.

No brothers, every soul that is lost will be lost because of his own choosing. Every soul that is saved is there because of God's grace.

I have always looked at this salvation thing like this. There is the divine harvester. He is looking only for the choicest parts of the harvest. Only the very best gets into his barn. He gets rid of the rest. It simply is not good enough to meet his standards. He sells off the refuse and the devil is more than willing to take it.

So it is with salvation. We are special to God, very special and he has taken a lot of time and effort to build us up into what he wants us to be.

Let us remember that and that we have no part in this world, its ways or its fate. He who remembers this on a daily basis will find he is less likely to make key mistakes in these troubling times.

and I will bless them that bless thee,
and him that curseth thee will I curse:
and in thee shall all the families
of the earth be blessed.
(Genesis 12:3 - ASV)

May the blessing of Abram (Abraham) be upon each of you who truly and faithfully serve the Lord and have kept the faith in good times and in bad and not denied the name of the Lord Jesus Christ nor are ashamed of the Gospel.

Amen.

Note: This piece is not any kind of professional financial or career advice and should not be construed as or acted upon as such. This is merely personal commentary and a 'food for thought' piece for Christians as we navigate these troubling and difficult times. This site's full disclaimer policy can be found at the bottom of this page.

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Summer-21 Notes

Blessings to all who genuinely serve the Lord.

Over these past few months many of you wonder why there are no posts on so many of the key issues of the day. There are many such posts, but as you all know they have been reserved for insiders and key prayer warriors. Material here has been seriously abused by some seriously 'bad' people in the past. I will work very hard to make sure that does not happen again.

But posts do continue on all the key issues of our times; Russia, hacking, China, Covid-19, Afghanistan, Haiti, Persecution, the drought, the economy, other plagues and diseases and many more issues of our times. Many of these issues are placed into a biblical and or prophetic perspective. I am still watching on the wall, but only for a select few and with a specific purpose in mind. To equip a few for the times coming and get them ready for when God calls some of them to some kind of ministry.

I have all kinds of readers who are insiders and most I know do appreciate what I do, though they don't fully understand why I don't put more material up on the public page. I was and have been given specific instructions from the Lord on this. When those instructions change, I will be the first to change them. Until then, things have to remain as they are.

But as time has passed I realized one thing. There is just not that much really good, rock solid biblical teaching out there. A lot of ranting and raving; religions politicization of events but very little real teaching and even less anointed prophetic writings. Lots of wannabe prophets and watchmen, but very few I see as being truly anointed by God to carry that rare and precious prophetic message that comes from the Holy Spirit and God's holy throne room.

So to those of you who may think I have fallen down on my job, I have not. I am under divine orders. When God has a word for me to put up here, be assured, I will not be slack nor will I hesitate.

I know the penalty for disobedience.

To those of you who seek to be a watchmen or prophet, let me give you a tip - it may not be wise to seek such a job out. It's a very rough job and most will wither and fade when the going gets tough and tough it will get if you are truly speaking for the Lord. God himself will call you out if you are to be a prophet or watchman - a true one in these times. You will hardly be able to resist the call if it comes and most, when they figure out what is expected will not want the job... at all. What can you expect?

To be lambasted, hated, mocked, censored, stalked, physically attacked, hacked, have your home broken into, attempts to set you up for prison on charges designed to destroy your credibility, have family pull away from you, friends disown you, your employer look for ways to get rid of you...

Still want the job?

Being a prophet or watchman? You had better know what you are asking for before you ask for it because you just might get the job and find that you can't quit and God help you if you try. Ask Jonah!

No brothers and sisters, God usually calls his own prophets and often, they are most reluctant. But they are men and sometimes women who are specially cut out for the job. People with thick skin, hardened faith, a close walk with God and a no-nonsense personality. Men with a rare combination of both love and hardness that cares for those whom he speaks to, but is not afraid of them nor what they can do. A prophet is a man with that rare combination of both grit and love in his soul.

But most importantly he has to know when to speak, when to listen and when to keep his mouth shut. To speak only those things that God wants said, when speaking as a prophet.

Too many so called watchmen and prophets are speaking a word of their own making and imagination. Often with the best of intentions, but still their words are not truly anointed and prophetic. Such true words are rare in these times, but there are a precious few folks out there who do have such an anointing.

So to those of you who are upset with me because I have not spent a lot of time here on the public site on vaccines, Biden, the 'social war', the economy, the election and a host of other issues facing the nation, for the time being these issues are given their proper place and perspective only for a select few until such time as God changes things and this too is fully within the realm of possibility.

Yes, God has and continues to give me some 'words' and no, he would not allow me to post most of them. They were for my benefit and edification to let me know what was coming, why and to not panic myself or others when they do happen, as happen they did and will. One time he just nudged me and said that these things must 'play out' and left it at that.

If God seems silent in these troubled times it is for a reason. What could that reason be? He wants men to come to him of their own volition. Prophets and watchmen have their place, but for a nation and world veering so far off track as it is today, the real prophetic word has already been given. Turn from your sins, seek the Lord while he may be found, and call out to him while he is still listening. For there will come a time when he will simply stop listening and won't hear you when your sins find you out and the punishment for your crimes is at hand. Your prayers will bounce off the ceiling and your tears will go unnoticed by a God whom you chose time and time again to ignore, mock and rebel against. He will ignore you in your day of deep distress and utter perplexity.

So if there is a prophetic word for all who are reading this now, be he a trash collector, a banker, a janitor or a taxi-driver; a Senator or federal prisoner; a gangster or housewife - it is this - get right with God, reject sins and abominations, and seek the Lord and do your utmost to please him with deeds of righteousness, holiness; words of truth and deeds that bespeak of love and peace rather than hate, lies, violence and your own petty selfishness. To seek purity - morally, spiritually and sexually, for this God demands of those who serve him.

Let those who seek to be prophets seek not their own glory nor their own 'big name' but to humbly and genuinely serve God knowing that the prophet's mantle often doubles as a burial shroud if they are a true prophet of the Lord - ask John the Baptist and a whole host of those who prophesied in the name of the Lord.

Christ came to save men, not damn them. He is calling out to the sons of men so that they may be saved. He is calling out to those inside and outside of the Church.

As many as I love, I reprove and chasten:
 be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock:
if any man hear my voice and open the door,
I will come in to him,
and will sup with him, and he with me.
He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down
with me in my throne, as I also overcame,
and sat down with my Father in his throne.
He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit
saith to the churches.
(Revelation 3:19-22 - ASV)

Finally, don't belittle my little study on Job.

Dear readers in times of seeming relative prosperity, it may not seem relevant now, but keep the lesson of Job in mind for the times I think could be coming. Considering his travails and how God ultimately dealt with him will be a source of encouragement to many a godly soul who may wonder what everyone wonders when calamity strikes them....

Why me?

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Lawfare And Spiritual Warfare

Navigating the future in the west I don't think is going to be easy. When Churches are not allowed by law to congregate while others are is a problem. One that needs to be explored.

During this pandemic, Churches have done right I think so far by obeying authorities during the pandemic but also by using the courts to deal with authorities edicts restricting worship. But what about when perhaps some future edict goes directly against our great commission or the commands of scripture? What then? This is no little matter, because such days may not be so very far away, given the political landscape and some of the other things being slowly moved legally and administratively against Christians in the west. 

Are there any examples in scripture about this? Are there examples of 'lawfare' in our Bibles? Men who used the law subtly to entrap God's servants? Yes. I will just use one today, because I think it most apt.

Daniel was a man greatly beloved of God and who served the Emperor Darius. He was very good at his job and no one could find any occasion against him. He was wise, most efficient and the emperor had a lot of respect for him. So much so that he was to be the number two man in the Kingdom, above all the other administrators.

Then this Daniel was distinguished
above the presidents and the satraps,
because an excellent spirit was in him;
and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
Then the presidents and the satraps
sought to find occasion against Daniel
as touching the kingdom;
but they could find no occasion nor fault,
forasmuch as he was faithful,
neither was there any
 error or fault found in him.
(Daniel 6:3-4 - ASV)

Daniels' enemies were looking for something... anything they could use against him. But could not find anything. Man, do I personally know what that is like! Well, if they can't find anything - create something against them. Here is what went down with God's servant, Daniel

Then said these men,
We shall not find any
occasion against this Daniel,
except we find it against him
concerning the law of his God.
(Daniel 6:5 - ASV)

This is lawfare in the age of the Medes and the Persians. Lawfare based on religion. And not unlike today, the deeper ramifications are spiritual in nature. Perhaps it would help to look at this like the spiritual stronghold of Babylon was coming against a man of God. What was the 'hook' this stronghold used to entice these men to come against God's man? Jealousy. In order for the devil to get people to act he has to have some kind of 'hook' to pull them in the direction he wants them to go. So these princes of Babylon were hatching a plot against Daniel. They realized it had to be against his religion and his God after having looked everywhere else.

Then these presidents and satraps
assembled together to the king,
and said thus unto him, King Darius,
live for ever. All the presidents of the kingdom,
the deputies and the satraps,
the counsellors and the governors,
have consulted together to establish
a royal statute, and to make a strong interdict,
that whosoever shall ask a petition
of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee,
O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Now, O king, establish the interdict,
and sign the writing, that it be not changed,
according to the law of the Medes and Persians,
which altereth not.
(Daniel 6:6-8 - ASV)

Like most good administrators, they were clever. They created this law, which only had temporary effect (30 days) and during this time, no one could could come to any God and pray... except of course to the emperor himself. Here they show that they understood a few things. First that such a law if for an extended period could cause social unrest; second, it was OK to come to the King. Here they appealed to the Kings vanity, who now would be the exclusive 'god' to whom the people could come to in order to make any petition. This was a firm law and one that could not be revoked. The penalty for breaking it was death by lions den.

Now this is one crazy law, but one cannot think for a second that men in power in any age are not capable of putting such laws into action. Here the motive was for one reason alone, to kill Daniel. They shifted the whole religious and legal landscape of the empire to kill one godly man. Make no mistake, a truly Godly man who yields himself to God is someone that the devil will take the greatest pains to try and destroy.

Wherefore king Darius
signed the writing and the interdict.
(Daniel 6:9 - ASV)

This is rather sad. Why in the world did Darius sign this?  He had to realize this would effect Daniel, his most trusted servant? We don't know. But it is not impossible that Daniel was 'out of the office' that day, perhaps out tallying the grain supply or inspecting the royal armory. These administrators probably waited until an ideal time to spring this on the king. Perhaps after the emperor had a few glasses of the special Persian vintage of wine and some Persian dancing beauty did her little performance for the court (this is not unheard of in scripture - see Mark 6:22ff). However they did it, they were able to get the king to sign this stupid law.

And when Daniel knew
that the writing was signed,
he went into his house (now his windows
were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem);
and he kneeled upon his knees
three times a day, and prayed,
and gave thanks before his God,
as he did aforetime.
(Daniel 6:10 - ASV)

Here is the thing, once he knew it was signed Daniel did not change a thing. Knowing the danger and certainly knowing his enemies had arranged this trap, he continued to serve the Lord and prayed like he did before - even though it had become a crime, punishable by death.

Daniel had to navigate this legal and administrative jungle with all of these administrative and legal snakes, crocodiles and piranha out to devour him. How did he do it? In this instance, it was a head-on approach. he was not going to be frightened out of serving God. He was not going to be scared out of praying to the Lord. He went in his room turned towards Jerusalem, got on his knee's and prayed. In short, Daniel, with his actions was saying 'pass all the laws you want, I am going to serve the Lord'. This was faith for Daniel knew that he moment he got on his knees he was according to the law, a dead man.

These days, many Christians are relying on political parties, non-profit legal organizations and others to protect their rights from bad laws that attack Christians. Certainly these organization are for the most part, doing excellent work and have done much to protect us. But we must never forget that this is ultimately, not a political or legal battle, but a spiritual one. This was the secret that Daniel knew and his enemies did not.

Then these men assembled
together unto the king,
and said unto the king, Know, O king,
that it is a law of the Medes and Persians,
that no interdict nor statute
which the king establisheth
may be changed.
(Daniel 6:15 - ASV)

On the surface, it looked like Daniel's enemies had won a major victory. They run to the king like a group of tattle-tale school children, probably unable to contain their joy in their news that Daniel was now committing a capital offense.

But the king realized that he made a major error in signing that decree and did what he could to fix things. But his administrators were adamant, they wanted Daniel, or what was left of him after the lions were finished, under six feet of dirt... no if's, no and's and no but's. They had the King as well as Daniel in a trap.

The King did not appreciate this as we see and administrators and lawyers often do make big mistakes. This was a major political mistake they made - tricking and entrapping the king. They probably thought they were indispensable.

We know the rest of the story. God sent an angel to protect Daniel from this unwise and unrighteous edict and the wicked men behind it. Daniel came out of the den unharmed.

This is not what happened to Daniel's enemies.

And the king commanded,
and they brought those men that
had accused Daniel, and they cast them
into the den of lions, them, their children,
and their wives; and the lions had
the mastery of them, and brake
all their bones in pieces,
before they came to the
bottom of the den.
(Daniel 6:24 - ASV)

Despite all that his enemies had planned against God's man, Daniel prospered (Dan 6:28).

I have gone over this passage for a reason. As we watch the generational shift in the country as well as attacks on religious liberty, we must understand that we are indeed in a kind of jungle. We have enemies who are lying in wait for us as we traverse the dangerous landscape. They want to do us harm, even kill us. But we who know our God can depend on him to look out for us. To protect us from the wickedness of those who would do us harm. Sometimes God has to let our enemies get so far, so he can beat them back. Let them do their wickedness so they have no excuse when they are thrown into the lions den, as they would do to God's people.

This is the boomerang effect and at times, I have seen it at work. What people try and throw at God's people can sometimes comes right back around at them. The key is to never take vengeance yourself, keep faith with God and keep your eyes and ears open to what is going on and more importantly to what God wants you to do.

Also remember that Daniel was willing to pour out his life for his God and such a call may be made upon us one day.

And they overcame him
because of the blood of the Lamb,
and because of the word of their testimony;
and they loved not their life
even unto death.
(Revelation 12:11 - ASV)

For one day, all hell will break loose and that great dragon, Satan will be given enormous authority here on earth. He will make war on we who follow Christ Jesus.

And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman,
and went away to make war
with the rest of her seed,
that keep the commandments of God,
and hold the testimony of Jesus:
(Revelation 12:17 - ASV)

I beheld, and the same horn
made war with the saints,
and prevailed against them;
(Daniel 7:21 - ASV)

And it was given unto him
to make war with the saints,
and to overcome them:
and there was given to him authority
over every tribe and people
and tongue and nation.
(Revelation 13:7 - ASV)

The war will certainly start off with legal aspects to it. You can't worship, you can't congregate, you can't witness, you must bow down before the emperor, etc. The devil will make sure that in such a war, laws are passed to do just that - attack Christians for that is his primary purpose, to make war against the saints. This is clearly what happens with the Mark of the Beast. A law is passed making taking the mark compulsory along with the worship of an image. The penalty will be death. It will be lawfare but with a specific spiritual or rather, demonic purpose in mind. But God as well will be working his own purpose in this - he is going to allow it. It will test the whole world as well as his saints. Those saints who are here will have to go through it but God will spare others of this great trial which will come upon the whole world (Revelation 3:10).

There will be different ways for different people on how to navigate the coming jungle. Paul when being questioned used his wisdom to confound his interrogators by asserting a resurrection when the council was divided about that issue (Acts 23:6ff). God will show us what to do if we put our trust in him fully. He has done that with me and at times he is very specific about what I am to do. He will do this with you if you are truly walking with him and have chosen to be in his service. But for many, if not most of us who are alive when the mark is instituted, we must steel ourselves for death. The spirit distinctly says that this spirit of anti-Christ will have power to overcome us (in the body). But we ultimately do overcome by the blood of Christ and the word of our testimony.

In conclusion, I see lawfare as intensifying as anti-God forces move more and more into the corridors of power all over the world. False religion, anti-religion and others will work on behalf of the devil and in nine cases out of ten, won't know who their ultimate employer is. We must prepare our hearts for it. The devil is deadly serious about his attacks on we who are of Christ. It is only when he is given authority that he can come after us in full.

Today as we can see, persecution is more a regional phenomenon. We in the west are harassed, but rarely feel the brunt of the kinds of persecution that is felt in many parts of the world. That one day is going to change. When and how I cannot say, but you can be certain that if God warned us about persecution, we must be prepared for it and not try and kid ourselves that persecution only means for someone else.

So as we move through the jungle of our times let us recognize that there are many predators out there who will seek our harm and even our lives and when possible and practicable, let us avoid the traps the devil and his imps will lay for us in the days ahead.


God bless and keep you all in Christ!

Amen!!

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A Curse

This is one of those subjects that are often best avoided in polite 'Christian' society. But the idea of a curse is a very serious affair and frankly, I am not so sure many 'generic' Christians really believe in and or understand just how serious it is.

In the above passage, God had called out Abraham for a very specific purpose. He was going to use Abraham's obedience and faith as a key instrument to bring salvation to mankind. Obedience because Abraham (at that time Abram) had to do something, he had to get out of his native land and away from his family and go to a place that God did not specify exactly but would reveal at the proper time.

Then he gives him a powerful promise. Anyone who blesses Abraham will be blessed and anyone who curses him will be cursed. As we noted in the last part of Samuel, we see how God does indeed protect his people when they are on a divinely appointed mission. God was going to protect his servant and that he did many times in his long journey.

A curse brothers is a horrible thing. It can entail all manner of evils, illnesses, pain, or poverty. It's something that is a sign of great divine displeasure. The reality of a curse is clearly maintained all through the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses) and there are many blessings and cursing within those pages. A curse is almost always based on a person's behavior.

And it shall come to pass,
when all these things are come upon thee,
the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee,
and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations,
whither Jehovah thy God hath driven thee,
and shalt return unto Jehovah thy God,
and shalt obey his voice according
to all that I command thee this day,
thou and thy children, with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul; that then Jehovah
thy God will turn thy captivity,
and have compassion upon thee,
and will return and gather
thee from all the peoples,
whither Jehovah thy God
hath scattered thee.
(Deuteronomy 30:1-3 - ASV)

I think of the long history of the people of Israel. I think of their first exile to Babylon, but also what I consider the far more important exile which took place after the Romans came in 70 AD. Israel was scattered all through the world. For centuries they wandered and lived as foreigners and 'outsiders' in just about every place they went. Some European nations had periods of time where they expelled the Jews, hated them and treated them with deep contempt. This went on for nearly two millennia. How did Moses prophecy what would happen to the Jews if they did not do as God had commanded them, the God who did all manner of miracles for them and freed them from their slave chains in Egypt?

And thou shalt become an astonishment,
a proverb, and a byword,
among all the peoples
whither Jehovah
shall lead thee away.
(Deuteronomy 28:37 - ASV)

The whole chapter of Deuteronomy chapter 28 describes the blessings and curses that will befall Israel, wholly dependent in on their obedience to or rebellion against God's commandments. When Israel entered into the covenant with the Lord, I just am not so certain they took the Lord at his word and that God has a long memory... the longest in the universe. It is not a mistake that we Christians should repeat. Let Israel's travails be a clear example to us. God will keep his word and deal quite harshly with those who reject him, his word and his ways. Particularly those who entered into covenant with him. Once we have been born into the Kingdom of God by the work of the Holy Spirit, we have entered into a new covenant; a new 'contract' signed, if you will, in the blood of Christ.

We must also remember that God will do his part in the work of salvation, or in any divinely appointed task he has assigned us, but that we must do ours as well. One thing we must do is to keep our faith - mental belief coupled with actual obedience.

It's not talked about much but the NT does have a curse mentioned for those who turn away from God.

For as touching those
who were once enlightened
and tasted of the heavenly gift,
and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
and tasted the good word of God,
and the powers of the age to come,
and then fell away, it is impossible
to renew them again unto repentance;
 seeing they crucify to themselves
the Son of God afresh, and put him
to an open shame. For the land which
hath drunk the rain that cometh oft upon it,
and bringeth forth herbs meet for them
for whose sake it is also tilled,
receiveth blessing from God:
 but if it beareth thorns and thistles,
it is rejected and nigh unto a curse;
whose end is to be burned.
(Hebrews 6:4-8 - ASV)

The principle is not at all dissimilar to what we saw in Deuteronomy 28; there is the blessings that comes from God and then there is the clear prospect of a curse. All depending on the 'fruit' that the 'ground' bears.

By their fruits ye shall know them.
Do men gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree
bringeth forth good fruit;
but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit
is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Therefore by their fruits
ye shall know them.
(Matthew 7:16-20 - ASV)

We must lay these things to heart and not ignore them or think them of little account - the divine 'accountant' is coming and he is a most exacting fellow, he expects a spiritual profit; a basket of good fruit for all the investment he has made and brothers, he had better get it! See the parable of the fig tree in a vineyard (Luke 13:6ff).

How is it that the prophet Malachi talked about the Priests in his time? God was sore upset with his religious representatives. The men who were supposed be guiding Israel. You will see below what God thought about them.

And now, O ye priests,
this commandment is for you.
If ye will not hear,
and if ye will not lay it to heart,
to give glory unto my name,
saith Jehovah of hosts,
then will I send the curse upon you,
and I will curse your blessings; yea,
I have cursed them already,
because ye do not lay it to heart. Behold,
I will rebuke your seed,
and will spread dung upon your faces,
even the dung of your feasts;
and ye shall be taken away with it.
And ye shall know that I have sent
this commandment unto you,
that my covenant may be with Levi,
saith Jehovah of hosts.
(Malachi 2:1-4 - ASV)

Some of you may say that is only meant for the priests under the old law. You would be mostly correct. This is not a generalized threat to all of Israel, only to the priests, the House of Levi.

However...

But ye are an elect race,
a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for God's own possession,
that ye may show forth the
excellencies of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light:
who in time past were no people,
but now are the people of God:
who had not obtained mercy,
but now have obtained mercy.
(1Peter 2:9-10 - ASV)

Yes, we true Christians are a priesthood as well. Again, representatives of God. So let us take such words as we find in Malachi with seriousness. The old Levitical priesthood was one that was not eternal, it was passed on from generation to generation. We are part of something much more permanent and yes, important. Therefore, our responsibility is also that much greater. We must not spurn God's word or hold his words and commandments in light regard. That is the way to very great error. We must not pollute the gospel message any more than the priests were not to pollute the offerings to the Lord (see Galatians 1:8-9).

We who serve God, let us keep faith with him in all things so that we may obtain the blessing and not anger the Lord and incur his displeasure. Or worse, his curse.

***

These times? Brothers I see a nation and world heading into a curse. Right now I think God is trying to get our attention but that phase is not going to last forever. I look at our nation and the things going on and I am shocked at the trends in it.

America is changing and its spiritual moorings with God are being slowly unhinged as the nation continues its spiritual drift. Sex-sin is in, God is out; drugs are in, Church is out; false narratives and fake news are in and God's truth is out. I suspect we are a nation that if it does not change its ways, will receive from the hand of the Lord one thing in particular... a curse. I hope and pray that does not occur. Americans have certainly received a great many blessings from God's hand and have been in a great many ways, the envy of the world. But how has the country repaid him?

I hate to write on such a negative subject, but this morning I kind of got a most troubling word from the Lord that I am not going to share, but it did have to do with the whole idea of the curse.

[Note: This piece should not under ANY circumstances be construed (or deliberately misconstrued) to be against Israel or the Jewish people. Too many men in Church history have abused the scriptures and twisted them to incite hatred of the Jewish people. This site is absolutely against any form of hate, including and especially anti-Semitism. Jesus Christ was a Jew and I am and will continue to be one of his followers and maintain a love for the Jewish people as I am commanded to love all men.]

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