Stepping in the Light

“And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah. Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests. And they taught in Judah, and had the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people.” II Chronicles 17:6-9

When Jehoshaphat became the king of the southern kingdom of Judah, he decided that he wanted to follow God wholeheartedly and that he wanted his subjects to do so as well. In the third year of his reign, he gathered some of his most powerful leaders and gave them the task of teaching the people the law of God. He also enlisted a group of Levites to go with them. These teams were to travel throughout all of the cities of Judah teaching God’s commandments to the people. As a result, there was a resurgence of obedience to God’s law throughout the kingdom. The success of Jehoshaphat’s method is a great example for Christians today. Most people in our society are aware that the Bible exists, but they are largely ignorant of what it says. If we want to see people obeying God’s Word, we must be constantly and consistently teaching its message to the people around us.

“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:32

Jesus spoke in descriptive terms of the death that He would die. The people who were listening understood that Jesus was referring to crucifixion when He used the phrase, “lifted up from the earth.” The Romans commonly crucified people as a means of execution, and the Israelites believed that the Messiah would rise up and cast off the Roman occupation, so Jesus’ statement must have been more than a little confusing for them. Though the repulsive specter of a crucifixion may have normally drawn a crowd of onlookers, Jesus was not referring to this base sort of curiosity and fear. He was not talking about the crowd that would gather around His cross and mock Him on the day that He was crucified. Jesus was speaking of a phenomenon that would affect all people everywhere. Jesus said His cross would “draw all men” unto Him. The cross of Calvary possesses a universal appeal. Everyone who hears of the cross is drawn to Christ; not because of the gruesomeness of His death, but because of the greatness of His sacrifice. Jesus left His rightful place on the right hand of God the Father in heaven to come to this earth and live as a man for thirty-three years. He willingly took the sins of the world upon Himself and died on the cross as the sacrifice for those sins. His love for us compels us to His cross. Once we have partaken of His great forgiveness, we must lift Him up in our lives so that others will be drawn to Him as well.

“And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.” II Chronicles 14:11

Asa was a good king who loved the Lord with all his heart. When he became king, he took away the altars to false gods, broke the images, and cut down the groves. The king of Ethiopia came against him with an army of one million soldiers and three hundred chariots. This was a severe test of Asa’s faith in God. The invading force was roughly double the size of Asa’s entire army, but Asa did not consider surrender an option. Asa mustered his army and went out against the Ethiopians. As they went forth to battle, Asa prayed to God. In his prayer and in his actions, we can see a great deal of faith. Asa told the Lord that it would be nothing to Him to deliver them. He prayed, “Help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee.”

Are you resting on God today? Asa was not speaking of resting in terms of sitting on a sofa doing nothing. Asa and his army were going forth to battle, but he told the Lord that he was resting on Him. We can take that same approach to the battles we face in life. We can face the foe and fight the fight while we are resting completely on the power and might of our God.

“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” John 11:41-44

Jesus wanted the people to believe that He was the Christ, the Son of God. He prayed a prayer out loud just before He raised Lazarus from the dead. He said in His prayer that He prayed those words out loud for the benefit of the people who were listening. Jesus knew that He and God the Father were one and that God the Father was always listening to His prayers while He was here on this earth; but Jesus wanted the people to know that He had that confidence in His relationship with God the Father. He wanted the people to believe that He was the Messiah. Some said that Lazarus had died because Jesus did not come and heal him as soon as He heard that Lazarus was sick. We can see in the prayer that Jesus prayed that it was definitely a part of His plan for Lazarus to die so that Jesus could raise him from the dead. This great miracle is powerful evidence of the deity of Christ. Jesus wanted the people there that day to believe in Him, but He also wants us to believe Him.

“Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’S house. And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.” II Chronicles 7:1-3

Many years after the temple dedication, Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and prayed for fire to fall from heaven and consume the sacrifice that he had prepared. Elijah’s life and the spiritual condition of the people of Israel depended upon the answer to that prayer. At the dedication of the temple, fire falling from heaven was not part of the script. Solomon prayed that God would honor and bless this new temple. He prayed that God would hear and answer the prayers of the people who prayed in the temple and toward the temple. He prayed that God’s name would be honored because of the temple and that people around the world would know that it was the temple to the one true God. Solomon prayed for many things, but he never asked for fire to fall from heaven to consume the sacrifice. God sent the fire to let His people know that He was pleased with the way that they had turned their hearts toward Him. How long has it been since you have felt the fire of God in your heart?

“It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.” II Chronicles 5:13-14

The dedication of the temple was a spectacular occasion. The temple itself was ornate, and much of it was overlaid with gold. Hundreds of priests and Levites were prepared to begin the sacrificial offerings and ceremonial cleansings required in the Old Testament law. A large choir began to sing praises to God accompanied by an orchestra that included one hundred twenty trumpets. As the choir sang and the orchestra played, the glory of the Lord filled the temple. When God’s glory filled the house, all of the money and time that had been invested in the building of the temple and all of the preparations that had been made for the dedication service were made worthwhile. The purpose of the temple was to provide a place where the people could worship God, and His presence was what validated the building. The king had procured the materials, the workmen had followed the plans, the priests had prepared the sacrifices, and the musicians sang praises to God; but all of this would have been in vain if the glory of God had not filled the house.

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” John 10:14-18

Jesus likened himself unto a shepherd and his followers to sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep and they know Him. Jesus gave His life for the sheep. Sheep need a shepherd. The shepherd protects them, feeds them, and cares for their every need. Not every shepherd is a good shepherd. Jesus said that the hireling (someone who is hired to watch the sheep) sees the wolf coming and runs away. The wolf then comes and catches the sheep. Down through the ages, many spiritual leaders have arisen and drawn followers to themselves. They made beautiful speeches, drew great crowds, and built impressive buildings. They became the founders of religions with thousands of followers spreading around the globe. Statues were erected in their honor and books were written about them, but they could not protect their followers from the devil. Jesus gave His life for us. How thankful we should be that He was willing to suffer in our place!

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.” I Chronicles 28:9-10

David charged his son Solomon to serve the Lord with a perfect heart and a willing mind. The word perfect has come to be used in the sense of sinless perfection, but in this passage it conveys the idea of being complete. When David told Solomon to serve the Lord with a perfect heart, he was saying that Solomon should serve God with his whole heart. This would require Solomon to remain focused on the Lord and put His law first in his life. But David did not stop there. He said that Solomon needed to have a willing mind. In other words, Solomon should be pleased to serve the Lord.

Solomon was facing a task that none of us will ever face. He was to build the temple, the place where the Ark of the Covenant would be housed and where God’s glory would reside. Though we live in a different age and we have different responsibilities, we would do well to take King David’s advice. We ought to serve the Lord with our whole hearts and a willing mind. Are you happily following God’s Word in your life?

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” John 9:1-3

As Jesus and His disciples passed by a blind man, the disciples made an assumption that the reason he was born blind was because someone had sinned. They asked, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents?” Jesus immediately corrected them by giving them a third option that they had never considered. Jesus said that neither the man nor his parents had sinned, but that it happened so that the works of God could be manifested (clearly seen) in his life. Have you ever had something uncomfortable, unpleasant, or painful in your life or in the life of someone you love and wondered why it was there? Sometimes God allows us to suffer through difficult circumstances so that He can show Himself strong and receive the glory from our lives. I’m sure this man did not enjoy being blind. Undoubtedly, this handicap was difficult for him. During all of the years that he experienced hardship growing up and learning to function the best that he could without sight, he never knew that God had a purpose. But when Jesus healed him, he suddenly had an obvious purpose for his trial. If he had not been born blind, he would never have experienced being healed by Jesus, and God would not have been glorified in his life.

“And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.” I Chronicles 22:5

King David’s deep love for God is obvious as we read the psalms that he penned. As David was coming to the end of his life, he had a desire to express his love by building a house for the Lord that would replace the tent under which the furnishings of the tabernacle sat. God sent a prophet to David with the message that he should not be the one the build the temple. God had chosen David’s son Solomon to be the next king, and he would be the one who would build the temple for the glory of God. David had reigned for many years. He had built buildings and cities. He had built a palace for himself. He knew that Solomon would need help. David called the people together and charged them to help Solomon. David announced to them that the house for the Lord should be exceedingly magnificent. David’s last great accomplishment was preparing for the building of God’s house. David gave it his best. He set aside all of the wealth that he could. He made alliances with other kings from whom he knew that they would need building materials. He held meetings and organized people to help prepare for the new temple. David believed that it was proper to give our best to God. It is certainly true that we give our best to the ones we love the most. Are you giving God your best?