October 30, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“’[On that Day] then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle. His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel.’” (Zechariah 14.3-5a)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

“On that Day” there will be deliverance. No, I am not speaking of the 1972 movie featuring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds, among others. But even then, it is hard for those who have heard it to forget the soundtrack of “Dueling Banjos.” The antiphonal call to a rugged wilderness filled with danger is haunting. Perhaps it inspired Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” a few years later featuring dueling fiddles instead of banjos. I never asked and never heard. That song, too, speaks to a deliverance of sorts. Our lives seem to be cast daily on a path of deliverance following after David’s “23rd Psalm,” perhaps. We know it well to say, “And though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil for You, o Lord, are with me; Your rod and your staff are a comfort to me.” There is another biblical story of deliverance which gives itself to a straight path in the midst of an episode of “dueling” forces. I am speaking, of course, of Moses and the Red Sea which God parted for the Hebrew people to cross through and escape Pharaoh’s army of soldiers and chariots. In that story, the walls [of water] come tumbling down upon the enemy as God created that “valley” from west to east. You might think upon hearing “tumbling walls” the story of Jericho as Joshua lead his army around that citadel guarding the way into the Promised Land. For six days, the army came out in full force marching voicelessly around the tel (a fortified hill or mountain) of Jericho lead by the priests who were the armed guards of the Ark of the Covenant. On the seventh day, they marched seven times. With a signal from Joshua the commander and conductor, the shofars of the priests exploded into a cacophony of sound indicating deliverance. The Hebrew army returned the call with a mighty shout to God. I have little doubt there was a collective leap of confident joy at the sound of the shofars along with the “rattling of swords and shields.” At that sound, like an earthquake, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The city fell into the hands of the Hebrews and the gateway to the Promised Land was open to them.

Seems like a lot of drama, doesn’t it. Well, the Bible is filled with such dramatic stories reaching its conclusion with the drama of “The Revelation Given to John.” We are led to such a moment as that in the book of Zechariah. In the 14th chapter, we read today’s verses for reflection as to the mighty power of God to deliver. Yesterday, we considered how God allows us to exercise the gift of freewill with the caveat of consequences. Sometimes, regardless of how intelligent and cogent we think we are, we ignore “consequences” in order to have our own way. Paul spoke of such a thing in the opening chapter of Romans declaring “God turned them over to a depraved mind….” It most certainly was not His will that His people, any people, would make bad choices and choose to suffer bad consequences. Of course, at least in the beginning, we never think bad consequences will follow our choices. [A political aside: It seems to be the truth leading up to every election, especially national elections! A people become so focused on the promises of candidates for good consequences due to their election they ignore the truth “no one is perfect and most of us are far from perfect. I can say that without choosing sides!] While God, as a good shepherd, sees the path of trouble ahead and would choose a different course for the sake of the flock, He never envisioned [or desired, designed] such a negative scenario. In God’s infinite imagination, He had already travelled down the many roads which humanity will blaze. He has passed through every “death valley.” He does so without losing sight of the singular path which ends up in the Promised Land. Yes, there may be many roads which lead toward Heaven but there is but one gate, one doorway, one final path which must be traversed such as Jesus alluded to in the teaching of “The Eye of the Needle.” (Matthew 19.24) With that, I remember the scene from the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” In order to find the Holy Grail and bring life to his father, Indiana Jones must take a step of faith. From where he stood there was no path, no bridge, no means of crossing over. Determined by the severity of the situation, Indy takes the only step left to him. His foot lands on a narrow rock bridge. Casting gravel across the face of it, Indy finds his way into the place where the chalice could be found. We, too, mighty ones of God, are called to take such steps of faith.

Such steps are revealed to Zechariah in the deliverance of the people of Jerusalem and Judea. God allowed nations to rise up against them because it was their choice to not follow God or put their trust in Him. The consequences were severe and traumatic. Just in that moment when you would think it couldn’t get any worse, the climatic apex of high anxiety, God in His sovereignty steps in. In this case, God steps across. He steps across from the Mount of Olives opposite Mount Zion, or Mount Moriah as some would call it, to Jerusalem. The weight of His presence creates a valley from east to west as the land separates. Consider the parting of the Red Sea in the days of Moses [some say it was the Reed Sea] and that safe passage which was created from west to east. Joshua led the Hebrews into the Promised Land from east to west into Jericho across the Jordan River where the waters were parted as the Ark of the Covenant carried by the priests entered into it. The evidence continues to point to “what God has done.” Its impact falls upon “those who are listening.” In all these situations, the people were given safe passage from the evil that stood between themselves and the promise. It was God who did it. It is only God who can do it. The story of the resurrection is the evidence of our need for God. In all that Jesus could do, resurrection of Himself was not ability. He, like us, must trust fully and completely on God to deliver on His promise. As Jesus did, the stone was rolled away and the valley opened up between Hell and Heaven. Those who would follow the Good Shepherd will find the singular way. There may be many roads which lead to “that gate,” but there is only one path which leads through it. Hear again the teaching of Jesus, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction. Many will enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life. Only a few find it.” (Matthew 7.13-14) What is at the end of that road beyond the gate? In Zechariah, the destination of deliverance and safety was called Azel. It means proximity or reserved. In that we can hear two words that would make sense in application to our spiritual journey. Proximity, or nearness, speaks to Immanuel, God with us. Reserved, set aside or set apart, speaks to sanctification, made holy for God. This is indeed what is promised by God and made evident in Jesus the Christ. This is the thrust of the gospel as we believe that God has drawn near to us and draws us near. His presence is so perfect that only the “holy” may be in His presence. On our own, because of our own devices, we are not holy. We are in constant battle between “good and evil.” The reality is, as Paul declared, “We all are sinners and have fallen short.” In other words, we are not “holy.” But thanks be to God who loves us that He has made a way for us to draw near to Him. Sadly not everyone will avail themselves of this opportunity and deny themselves of the privilege of God’s holiness. It was be a remnant, a group reserved by their choice to trust in God, who will grasp the reality and be grasped by it. It is not really of God’s choosing but of our own. It is the fruit of our desire to “choose wisely.” Let us do so.

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 in order that others 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 so we would know we are Your people and 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.