"You get'em God!"

Pain, fear and rejection welled up within Jeremiah as he prayed bitterly against his enemies:

"...Forgive not their iniquity, nor blot out their sin from your sight...deal with them in the time of your anger." -Jeremiah 18:23 

It's not a particularly gracious prayer, but the sentiment is one that most of us have probably felt ourselves at some point. I'm guessing you have either seen or experienced one of the following:

• She is left holding the fragments of a broken marriage while he plays the fool, leaving town with another woman.
• A faithful employee is given the "pink slip" just months before he is vested in his retirement.
• A bride is left at the altar while her cold footed groom runs for the door.
• A pastor pours his heart and soul into a congregation, only to be betrayed and run out of town in humiliation.

And on and on it goes. Embarrassment. Anger. Humiliation. Fear of the future. Powerlessness. Then, in desperation, the aggrieved party prays, "God get'em." 

Certainly God doesn't give any sin a pass. All sins will be judged in time, but what He really wants is repentance on the part of the offender, not the administration of justice. Fortunately for all of us, God's patience far exceeds ours. In fact, a few chapters later in the Book of Jeremiah, God is describing the coming "New Covenant" that is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Using Jeremiah's own words from the prayer we just read (note the underlined words), God says,

"Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ... And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." -Jeremiah 31:31, 34 

So if you've been hurt, embarrassed or otherwise mistreated by some rotten jerk, I get it. I really do. You'd like to strike back, or better yet, you'd like for God to administer a bit of justice on your behalf.

Here's the thing, the "New Covenant" that Jesus purchased with his death and resurrection make equal provision for anyone who will turn to Him. It's even available to the dirty rotten jerk who did you wrong. 

I know. I know. It's not an easy thing to do, but rather than pray a "God get'em" prayer the way Jeremiah did, it's better to ask God to bring the offender to a place of repentance. Jesus said, 

"...Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." [Luke 6:27 ESV]

So, you may ask, how am I supposed to "love...do good...bless...pray for" that rotten crummy person? Honestly, it usually takes a little time. Ultimately Christians do the right thing because that is what Jesus told them to do, not because they feel like doing it. 

So if you are still experiencing the sting of a bad event in your life, please, let me give you a little direction on how to pray. Ask the Lord to bring your offender to a place of repentance. God is still a God of miracles and your prayer for that person just might make an eternal difference in their life.

Go ahead. Do the right thing.

LESSON, Radical Teachings of Jesus Lesson #5 Blessed are the Merciful

In Matthew 5 Jesus gives us a list of personal “attitudes” that will cause us to be “blessed” or “happy”. These are directly counter the usual humanistic way of thinking. 

Radical Concept #5
"Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." [Matthew 5:7 KJV]

At first glance, this statement may not seem to be that radical of a concept. After all we have all heard (and used) the phrase “what goes around comes around”. It is a concept based in the Biblical principle of sowing and reaping.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." [Galatians 6:7 KJV]

Thankfully, this is still a foundational principal of our American society. However, if we remove ourselves from our Western/American ideals a little, we will see that the concept of mercy is not nearly as pervasive on a global scale or in overall historical context.

1. Definition of “Mercy”: Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

2. What condition must be met before a person is in a position to show mercy?

3. Does a position of authority give you the ability to show mercy?

4. Does being a victim give you the ability to show mercy?

5. What are three spheres of authority that a crime/sin such as murder violates?

 6. The Old Testament context of the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” laws.

Exodus 21:24: This passage is concerning a scenario in which two men are fighting and injure a pregnant woman, causing her to go into premature labor. If the child and mother survive without further injury, the guilty party is to pay a fine, but if “mischief follows” (further injury or death) the injury for injury principle is to be enacted up to the death penalty.

Leviticus 24:20: This scenario involves a fight between a man of Egyptian/Israeli descent who was in a fight with a Jewish man. The first man, in the course of the fight, blasphemes the God of Israel. This is a fight apparently fueled by religious hatred. In this scenario God orders the injury for injury principle is to be enacted up to the death penalty.

Deuteronomy 19:21: The third scenario occurs when a person has deliberately offered up false testimony to knowingly accuse someone who is innocent. In this example God specifically forbids the showing of mercy. Whatever the penalty of which the falsely accused was in danger, must be inflicted on the accuser.

7. Is the promise that the merciful will obtain mercy referring to Divine mercy or human mercy? Explain.

8. When we are in a position to show mercy, what is our basis for doing so?

 ""You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." [Matthew 5:38-48 ESV]

9. In the Tabernacle of Israel what covered the stone tablets of the Law of God?

"And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which [are] upon the ark of the testimony, of all [things] which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." [Exodus 25:21-22 KJV]

10. How does this contrast with the future event spoken of in Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10?

To go to the next lesson, click HERE.

What goes around comes around...

I want to show you a story about kindness that you may have never seen before. It is from the life of the great king of Israel, King David.


David is an interesting guy. We first start following his story when he is a shepherd boy in the Judean pastures. In the Bible we read about his triumphs, his trials, his failures and his comebacks. This story of kindness spans a great portion of his life.


In 2 Samuel 17:27-29 (esv) we read:

"When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, 'The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.'"

Here is the setting for these verses. David had a son (one of many) named Absalom. Absalom staged a coup against his father, and David and his household fled into the wilderness, running for their lives.

Now David (and company) left Jerusalem with little more than the clothes on their backs. There were women and children in the group, and David himself was now advancing in years. They had no food and no bedding. The situation was serious and getting worse.

As they were running they came to a place called Mahanaim. Word of the coup was spreading. They were met there by three men; Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai. These men helped David and his family in a time of desperation by bringing them bedding and some high calorie, high protein food.

Now remember, there was a coup underway, and these guys were sticking their necks out by picking sides. Why would they do such a thing? Why not hang back and see who was going to come out on top first?

There is an interesting story for each of these guys, but I want us to look at this fellow known as “Machir…of Lo-debar” for a minute.
  
Machir's back story

If we scroll back through the life of David to 2 Samuel chapter 9 we will find him as a much younger man. At this point in his life he is on top of the world. He has finally succeeded in defeating his enemies and the Kingdom of Israel has been consolidated under him.

Then he does a very classy, non-typical thing, especially for monarchs of that period in history. He sent for the crippled, orphaned grandson of the previous king, King Saul. The boy's name was Mephibosheth.  David brought the boy to sit continually at the royal table and restored to him his grandfather's property.

In this event, David sowed seeds of kindness in the way he treated this unfortunate child.  He had no way of knowing that some day those seeds would come to fruition in his own life.

How can we draw such a connection? Well, let's take a look at where they had to go to get Mephibosheth so they could bring him to the kings house:

"The king [David] said … 'Where is he?' And Ziba said to the king, 'He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.'" [2 Samuel 9:4 esv]

 Yes, that's right. It is the same guy. Many years before he had watched as David went out of his way to show kindness to this crippled orphan boy.  Now David was in need and it was payback time.  Funny how that turned out.

What goes around does come back around after all…