July 1, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Be still before the Lord, all humankind, because He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.” (Zechariah 2.13)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

From David’s psalm (numbered 46 among collections of Psalms) we hear “God is our strength and our refuge, a very present help in times of trouble. Be still and know that I AM is God; I shall be exalted on the earth.” We have heard that similar word here in Zechariah 2.13. Without question Zechariah was familiar with the works of King David. He was the King of all Israel whose reign brought the two kingdoms into reconciliation to be as one. There was the southern Kingdom consisting of the two tribes named Judah and Benjamin. The northern Kingdom consisted of the remaining ten tribes and was called Israel. This split was evidence of the division of the House of Jacob who had sons between two wives: Leah, the older, and Rachel, the younger. We know that Jacob loved Rachel at first sight. However, his soon-to-be father-in-law demanded that Jacob marry Leah first. Fulfilling his obligation and contract with Laban, Jacob was then allowed to marry Leah whom he truly loved and favored. That tension continued to exist. We are not unfamiliar with such tension. It existed between Adam and Eve’s sons, Cain and Abel. We know of it between Abraham’s two sons Isaac (born out of faith in God) and Ishmael (born according to the law of the land in which they lived.) We heard of it between Jacob and Esau who battled over the birthright which would be bestowed by their father Isaac. Such tension is sadly familiar in most of our families, communities and nations. While some may call it human nature and seen as normal and natural, it is the by-product of living in sin. Sin has deformed the human nature to be separate of that which is of God. It is far more than a stain or a blemish. It is a spiritual infection transforming normal into abnormal where evil is seen as good and the lie is embraced as truth. Sadly, while the gospel of Jesus as the Christ tells us that the burden of sin is removed from the believer’s life, the battle within remains. We see this battle even today in our own homes, communities (even in churches) and nations. It is the wedge which Satan wields to pit one person against another even to divide them internally in a battle of self-will between good and evil, right and wrong. To be consumed by such a battle is the hope of Satan to separate humankind from God; as if such a thing could ever take place. It is this sad reality which the Apostle Paul addresses when he claims, “Nothing can separate us from the love of God; not death or life; not angels or demons, not past or present or future, not anything above earth to its greatest height nor below the earth in its greatest depth; nor anything in all of creation.” (Romans 8.38-39) The objective of Satan is to so engage humanity into believing its will can exist apart from the will of God. What is the goal of Satan in such an endeavor? Ultimately it is to satisfy the belief that God is merely an equal or lesser being than himself. In such a state then God could be defeated where in the rebellion beforehand, the hosts of heaven loyal to God outnumbered those committed to Lucifer’s hope. One fifth of heaven’s angels aligned themselves with Lucifer and were thus defeated, cast out and thrown down from the “height of heaven.” The rebellion continues in futility, as we know as mighty ones of God, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus who is the Christ of God who conquered death, sin and the grave to lead the way to being one with God in spirit and in truth.

But the throes of death still quiver among human beings. While the battle is seemingly waged on the face of the earth between persons and groups of people, the true battlefield is of the heart, mind and soul of each person. So, in the days of David a battle was fought between the tribes of half-brothers. First it was the tribe of Judah, to which David belonged, and the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul belonged. Saul was the first king of Israel. He, however, lost the battle of wills within himself and thus fell from favor with God early on. David literally fought battle between these half-brother tribes until they were conquered and brought into a confederation. It was a loose confederation exacerbated by the battles within his own family where his own sons fought against him. For a time, under the leadership of Solomon, the confederation became truly united (though there was much political wrangling to do it), the Temple was completed and the nation of “Israel” was at peace. That is, as I said, for a time. Old habits die hard and generally not at all. We do battle with them ourselves even now. When Solomon died, the schism again raised its head. The northern Kingdom had its capital in Samaria while the southern Kingdom had its capital in Jerusalem. From this quick glance of history, we can see why “Samaritans” were looked down upon by “the Jews” of Jerusalem and Judea. Still, it was the promise of God to bring the tribes together, saving that which was lost (i.e. the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel). The hope of unity remains with the love of God “going out into all the world with the gospel of Jesus the Christ.” In the prophetic revelation given to Zechariah, we hear again of the only hope which can resolve the disunification of brother against brother and will against will. The only hope is in God’s promise to heal the land and establish peace. David captured that hope in his psalm (46) to “Be still and know that I AM is God.” In Zechariah’s remembrance of God’s will echoing down centuries later out of the house of David it says “Be still before the Lord as He has roused Himself from His holy habitation.” Out of Heaven and out of Jerusalem will the reconciling work of God be revealed and authentic peace will claim the land and its people. Not, however, without conflict in a battle to submit our human will to that of God. Not so that we would lose our will and it be gone forever is this call to submission. Rather, it is putting our will in its proper priority being discipled in the way, the truth and the life of the Son who loves the Father and those who are their people in the spirit of truth. The dynamic of bride, marriage and eternal bliss become real and the two shall be as one.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.