Obeying God in a World of Compromise

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Watercolor landscape with a rocky trail beside a winding stream and distant hills

“Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people. He will give a longing for justice to their judges. He will give great courage to their warriors who stand at the gates. Now, however, Israel is led by drunks who reel with wine and stagger with alcohol. The priests and prophets stagger with alcohol and lose themselves in wine. They reel when they see visions and stagger as they render decisions. Their tables are covered with vomit; filth is everywhere. “Who does the Lord think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned?”
Isaiah 28:5-9 NLT

There will come a day, said Isaiah, when justice and courage will prevail, when the Lord Himself will be the raison d’etre for the Israelites, and “the pride and joy of the remnant of His people”. But Isaiah then shifts to his present day, seeing how widespread drunkenness is in Israelite society, even affecting the “priests and prophets“. As is often the case, people under the influence of alcohol lose all ability to function in a way that is self-respectful, and they wallow in their own vomit. What a terrible view of society in Samaria in those days. But is that any different to today? We may not see overt drunkenness in the behaviour of our political and religious leaders, but are their decisions any less rational than if they were in a state of inebriation? The jury is still out on that one as we look at the behaviour of Western governments. Oh, that God’s Kingdom would come and His will would be done in our generation! 

Isaiah mentioned that religious leaders were associated with drunkenness. God’s intention for religious leaders in Israel was to call His people back to putting trust in Him. They were to encourage the people to faithfully observe His covenant. At best, both priests and prophets have failed in their mission. At worst, they’ve falsely represented the Lord. Without spiritual direction, the people of Israel were even less likely to worship Him or follow His law. We pause again, this time to look at the behaviour of the established denominations in the UK today. Were there any parallels with the situation in 8th-century BC Israel? Many, I think, with an institutionalised, hierarchical, and unaccountable leadership unable to reconcile their behaviour with Jesus’ commands, should they even wish to. Mark 10:42-44, “So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world Lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else“”. There may not be drunkenness present, but the effect is the same. The religious leaders tasked with dispensing and applying God’s Word are instead caught up with issues such as abuse, slavery reparations, and corporate government. It is understandable that so many people haven’t abandoned God, but they have abandoned the church. Where is the spirit of servanthood?

We pilgrims have a responsibility to obey God and hear Him for ourselves. Through the blood of Jesus we have been set free from the need to receive forgiveness through the actions of a priest or minister. Jesus came to “seek and save the lost”, not the religious institutions. One account describes an occasion when Peter and the Apostles were preaching the Good News about Jesus in the temple. The previous day, they were arrested and jailed, but an angel foiled the religious leaders’ plans and opened the jail doors to set them free. While teaching the people, the High Council was convened, after which the guards were instructed to bring the Apostles before them. But they could not be found in the jail, and we read that “When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end” (Acts 5:24). But the guards found the Apostles anyway in the Temple and re-arrested them, bringing them before the Council. The accusation laid before them from the High Priest was: ““We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!”” (Acts 5:28). Then we read, in the next verse, a simple statement with eternal meaning, “But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority““.

Hopefully, in our lives today, we will not have to choose between what God has said through His Word and what is happening in our churches and society. But inevitably there will be a clash sometimes, and we may have to take a stand against worldliness, evil and sinful behaviour, instead upholding the Name of Jesus and God’s principles. Having said that, though, we must ensure that we are in fact obeying God, and not an erroneous interpretation of Scripture – human minds have a peculiar ability to twist things to suit their worldview. But in it all, we call upon the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us carefully and correctly. The way of righteousness and truth is the only way.

In Isaiah 28:9, the last of our verses today, the drunken priests and prophets seem to be resenting what the Lord was saying to them. Was that through Isaiah or someone else? But whoever it was, their attitude was, “How dare they attempt to correct them for their drinking habits and their dereliction of duty?” Those in the wrong, especially those protecting a cherished habit, often don’t receive correction well. We read in Proverbs 9:7, “Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt“.  Instead of honestly examining themselves to see whether the correction is worth listening to, they strike back with their own accusations. This pattern is especially true when alcohol is involved. But although alcohol was not banned for the religious leaders, there were restrictions on when it was allowed. Leviticus 10:9, “You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the Tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation“. The same rule applies today, but thankfully, to the best of my knowledge, I have never met a leader who was a drunkard. 

How do we pilgrims receive correction? We should receive correction with humility, listen carefully, and test the feedback against Scripture so we can grow in wisdom. We must avoid excuses and resist the temptation to counterattack with a repartee we will later regret. Proverbs 18:13, “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish“. If we find that the feedback we have received does stack up against Scripture, and has been delivered to us in a spirit of love with our own well-being at heart, then we must thank the person who has been speaking to us, and go away to get before God in prayer, asking Him to lead us to the place where we should be. I thank God for the men and women who had the courage to confront me over some issues, particularly in my early Christian days. In Psalm 25:8-10, we read, “The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them his way. The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness all who keep his covenant and obey his demands”. Humility is a key heart attitude, because as Paul wrote, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). With such a life principle within our hearts, we will avoid the traps that ensnare the proud and the arrogant.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your Word this morning. Help us to live our lives free from influences such as alcohol, bringing to our minds and spirits the truth of Your Word. We thank You for Jesus and His redeeming blood, that cleanses us from all sin. Amen.

Being Salt and Light: Overcoming Modern Challenges

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel— will be trampled beneath its enemies’ feet. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten. Then at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown. He will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people.”
Isaiah 28:3-6 NLT

Why do people sometimes fail to see serious problems and issues and carry on their lives regardless? The leaders in Samaria failed to see that their inebriation was badly affecting their ability to make rational decisions, including that of worshipping God. But Isaiah could see a time when the drunkards were no more, and “at last the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself be Israel’s glorious crown”. But verse 6 ends with the sobering thought that there will only be a remnant of the people left. The majority will have disappeared along with the bad leaders.

But returning to our initial question today, consider an alien from another planet observing the human beings on Planet Earth and the way they were conducting their lives. They would observe the same drunkenness affecting people’s behaviour, and they would wonder why they did it. Add into the mix the other drugs that seem to underpin so many lives, and they would be left scratching their heads in wonder. How could such an intelligent species fall into such strange and debilitating habits? must have been their question. In Samaria, drunkenness led to the collapse of a nation. Today, in 21st-century Britain, drugs destroy lives and lead to the rest of society having to mop up the after-effects. Ruined lives and families, and health care costs that reach eye-watering levels.

Of course, the drug community is small, compared with society as a whole, but it is still significant, affecting society negatively. But in another part of society we have the Christian believers, who are also small in number. They are also significant, but nevertheless have a positive impact on society because of Jesus’ exhortation to be “salt and light” in their generation, their families and amongst their friends and communities. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavour? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16). 

Salt adds flavour to the food we eat, and in times gone by, before refrigeration had been invented, salt was used to ensure food, particularly meat, didn’t spoil. In our societies, the analogy extends to believers, pilgrims such as us, who are meant to stop moral decay in our society by standing up for honesty, kindness, and justice. I support an organisation called the Christian Institute, and they do just that. They constantly lobby politicians and others in authority, trying to introduce or develop Godly influences into the very seat of our governments. Often the work that they do goes on under the radar and away from the public gaze. Only rarely does their work generate a media headline, but the “salt” in their activities achieves many good results. We pilgrims, too, have the same influence when we interact with our fellow citizens, and it is worth considering joining a community group, where our knowledge of God and His ways will counter the enemy’s disruptive activities. Believe it or not, this is also an important role in our churches because some congregations lose their way from time to time, building their spiritual activities on liturgies and jumble sales rather than the Word of God. But we remember that salt only works if it keeps its unique properties. If a believer acts just like those in the selfish world around them and forgets God’s teachings, they lose their spiritual impact and become useless to God’s mission. A sobering thought.

We pilgrims also remember that we are beacons of light in our communities. A question sometimes asked, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I ask this in a positive way, because unless those around us know about our faith, how can we ever hope to “give light to everyone in the house”? Our “house” will extend beyond our homes to anywhere we go, such as our places of work, or the supermarkets, the local park, care home or wherever. Jesus referred to “good deeds” in His analogy and how they can influence people so that they see God in all that we do. Evangelism is mostly not up-front Gospel preaching on a street corner, or the handing out of tracts outside a nightclub, but demonstrating that, in all that we do, we are doing it for God. People will then see from the quality of our work that we are of a different spirit. Colossians 3:23, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people”. Someone once said, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary use words”.

Samaria was facing destruction and exile in the years to come, but “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will himself … will be the pride and joy of the remnant of his people”. God always has a remnant of His people who carry the torch of His presence from generation to generation. As we pilgrims know, we are just such a people. Through our Godly lifestyles, we worship and praise the One who one day will bring to fruition a world full of remnants, gathered over the centuries. A people that the Apostle John could see, as we read in Revelation 21:7, “All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children“. We may be facing all sorts of challenges, but one day things will be different, as we dwell in God’s presence forever.

Dear Heavenly Father. We thank You for Your Word and Your Spirit, which assist us in every situation we find ourselves in. Drunkenness is not for us, and we pray today that You fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit, so that we can be effective for You wherever You have planted us. We praise and worship You today. Amen.

How Alcohol Impairs Spiritual Awareness: Insights from Isaiah

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Shattered clay vessel leaking liquid across a rustic stone floor

“What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.”
Isaiah 28:1-2 NLT

We will spend another day exploring the first two verses of Isaiah 28 and reflecting on the reputation of Israel’s leaders. They were known for their propensity for drinking excessively, and they had therefore acquired the name “drunks of Israel”. The problem is not simply that the people drank too much but that their drinking had become symptomatic of a deeper spiritual condition. Wine had displaced wisdom, self-control and dependence upon God. This is a spiritual warning that anything that controls us more than God does has become an idol. Alcohol may be the obvious example, but the principle is much wider. Wealth, entertainment, food, possessions, sport, social media or even work can become controlling influences. Paul wrote, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). So the question is not merely, “What, or how much, am I consuming?” but “What is consuming or controlling me?”

The leaders of Samaria were responsible for guiding the nation, yet Isaiah portrays them as intoxicated. Their physical drunkenness reflected a deeper inability to think and judge rightly. Alcohol can impair judgment, but we can also become absorbed in the things of this world and lose our spiritual perspective. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour“. We pilgrims want to walk closely with God, and this needs constant spiritual alertness. We cannot afford to let anything cloud our judgment about what is right and wrong. Any alcoholic drink can have a relaxing effect, and the devil will use it to soften our resolve over sin and situations that should be avoided by believers. The problem for Israel’s leaders probably lay with their drunkenness being used by the devil to divert them from God’s ways. Samaria appears to have been living in comfort and prosperity, yet beneath the surface was spiritual decay.

Wine itself is not presented in Scripture as inherently sinful. The Bible references wine in ordinary life, and Jesus Himself turned water into wine at Cana. The clear biblical condemnation is directed particularly towards drunkenness and the loss of self-control. The danger is that something legitimate can become something controlling. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything’—but not everything is good for you. And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything”. We pilgrims have freedom in Christ, but the danger is that such freedom can easily turn into licence. This can be a problem in our churches, where perhaps a new Christian, turning to Jesus after a life spent in alcohol addiction, might struggle if fellow believers do not have the same restraints and freely drink alcoholic beverages. In fact, I was once in a church where the leadership decided to become teetotal. Paul addressed this potential conflict with a few verses on food offered to idols, but the same principle can be applied to alcohol. 1 Corinthians 8:9-11, “But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed”.

Perhaps one reason people become dependent upon alcohol is the desire to escape anxiety, disappointment, loneliness, guilt or pain, and, for a while, alcohol can seem to provide relief, but it cannot deal with the underlying problem. But, as we know, we pilgrims have somewhere else to take life’s burdens. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you”. Instead of seeking escape through intoxication, we are invited to seek refuge in God. There is a particularly powerful contrast in Ephesians 5:18, “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit”. If alcohol is consumed to fill an aching hole in someone’s heart, then ruin is inevitable. Drunkenness diminishes self-control and spiritual alertness, but the Holy Spirit produces self-control as part of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Self-control can be eroded by alcohol, as I’m sure anyone who has been to a wedding celebration will know.

Isaiah’s criticism is especially serious because Samaria’s leaders were affected by drunkenness. Their personal behaviour had consequences for the people they were supposed to guide. This principle also applies to Christian leadership, parents, grandparents, pastors and anyone whose example influences others. Paul told Timothy: “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Remember, our private habits can eventually become public examples. There are many people out there who would be delighted if they could find some aspect of our behaviour that they could find fault with. Alcohol abuse can destroy health, marriages, families, finances, reputations and relationships. More importantly, addiction can gradually diminish a person’s capacity to live the abundant and purposeful life God intends. Proverbs 23:29-35, “Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don’t gaze at the wine, seeing how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For in the end it bites like a poisonous snake; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, “They hit me, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?””

We pigrims have an obligation to restore people gently rather than simply condemn them. Galatians 6:1, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.” Someone struggling with alcohol dependence needs truth, but they also need grace, prayer, practical help and Christian fellowship.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please fill us again today with the right Spirit, I pray, We don’t have to head for a bottle to find the answer to our problems because Your Spirit will lead and guide us, and, as we cast our cares on You, we know that You have the answers. Please lead us not into temptation and deliver us from all things evil, so that we can continue our spiritual journey in the knowledge that You are there walking with us. With deeply grateful hearts, we worship You today. Amen.

God’s Judgment: Lessons from Samaria’s Fall

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria— the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground.”
Isaiah 28:1-2 NLT

We leave the “Isaiah Apocalypse” and move on to Isaiah’s oracle concerning Samaria, which was the principal city of Israel in those days, the Northern Kingdom. Samaria was once a beautiful, sophisticated city overlooking a fruitful, productive valley. Isaiah describes it as the crown or pride of Israel’s drunkards. The leaders of Israel were apparently known for their drunkenness, and in their alcohol-induced fog, they failed to lead Israel in God’s ways. Thus, Isaiah declares that the beauty of Samaria and its valley is fading as quickly as the beauty of a wreath of flowers fades. The wreath does not last long, and neither will once-lovely Samaria.

The Lord’s judgment was about to fall upon Samaria, and there was an army waiting in the wings, able and willing to be the executors of God’s punishment for Israel’s wickedness. This mighty army was described as being like “a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain“, and Isaiah’s graphical eloquence described its demise – it would be “smash[ed] to the ground“. The Assyrian army brought death and destruction, and through them the remainder of the inhabitants of Israel were exiled in 722 BC. That God would use a foreign and evil army to do His bidding seemed inexplicable to His people, but the Assyrians would suffer their own judgment in the not too distant future. 

Does God bring judgment on evil nations today? There is no consensus about this, but some believers think God still punishes nations for great evil. They believe societies face a national breakdown when they reject basic moral laws. They view major crises, such as the fall of corrupt regimes or severe national disasters, as warnings or God’s discipline. So in this context, where is the Third Reich today? Or the Soviet Union, for that matter. There are also other more recent local world events such as the fall of Assad’s Syria. And the world news this morning records the death of the Bosnian Serb commander who was nicknamed the “Butcher of Bosnia”. What will he say when he stands before God, I wonder? But do these events point to God’s hand in judging evil nations and people? Other believers say God does not judge nations in a direct, supernatural way right now. They believe God’s final judgment will happen at the end of time, not through specific earthly disasters today, and so they view modern wars, poverty, and political collapse as the results of human free will and a broken and evil world rather than direct divine punishment. But regardless of how we view world events today, God will indeed judge the peoples one day. 

I had a conversation yesterday with a man who is very pro-Palestine and anti-Israel, and he used quite violent language to vent his feelings of hatred and frustration against Israel, its leaders, and the Israeli army. But I advised caution in his views because Israel is still God’s chosen people. The covenant that God made with them is still valid. He said to Abraham, “I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Genesis 17:7). The key word in this verses is “everlasting”, that is, it will last forever. The next verse in Genesis 17 warns all those who say Israel is wrong about the land it has and needs. “And I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God”. Derek Prince calculated that in 1948, the Jews only received 10% of the land that God promised to Abraham. But I did explain to the man I spoke with yesterday that Israel and its people will still face judgment. In Romans 2:9 we read, “There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile”. Sadly, in my conversation yesterday, I found that the man was an atheist, with no time for any talk about God, and he walked away, frustrated and a bit angry, because someone didn’t agree with his point of view.

What I have written today is all very well, but how does it affect us pilgrims today? We need to work backwards from the last verse of Revelation 20, where we read, “And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire“. The Great White Throne passage is frightening reading, especially for those who do evil and have rejected God in their lives. But having said that, we must not be afraid of the final Day of the Lord because God has provided a remedy for our sins. People ensure their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life by placing their faith in Jesus Christ and accepting His gift of salvation. Jesus came to this world with one specific mission, which we can read at the end of the Zaccheus account: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). Peter said in his Day of Pentecost sermon, “ … Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38), and Paul wrote, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10). By embracing these verses and all they mean (that’s the significant part), we will be assured of two things: our salvation and eternal life with God, and the entry of our name into the Lamb’s Book of Life. We pilgrims have nothing to fear from the Great White Throne, but we know many who do, and for their sake we must be always looking for an opportunity to share our testimonies about God’s saving grace.

Dear Wonderful and Amazing Lord Jesus. It is only through You that we can hear the words of eternal life, and I pray today for a fresh infilling of Your Spirit to empower and resource us for the day ahead. Please write our names in Your Book in indelible ink so that we can be assured of our salvation when You return to this world. In Your precious name. Amen.

The Great Trumpet Will Sound

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy. Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west. In that day the great trumpet will sound. Many who were dying in exile in Assyria and Egypt will return to Jerusalem to worship the Lord on his holy mountain.”
Isaiah 27:11-13 NLT

Isaiah chapters 24-27 form a prophecy some have called the “Isaiah Apocalypse”, and he wrote it around 700 BC. Isaiah is now bringing it to an end by prophesying the return of the exiles from captivity. This happened in three waves: the first with Zerubbabel in 538 BC, the second around 458 BC led by Ezra the Scribe, and the third and final return with Nehemiah in 445 BC. In a time of increasing national instability through the incursions of the Assyrian armies, it is extraordinary that Isaiah could see such an event in the future, but, of course, we know he was led in his writings by the Holy Spirit, as God revealed the future to him. 

In the first chapter of the Book of Ezra, we read how God used a heathen king to do His will. Ezra 1:1-2, “In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom: “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah“. He granted permission for any exiles who desired it to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple, and Ezra 2 lists all those who made the journey, and they numbered over 42,000. This was the first wave led initially by Sheshbazzar, and, once the exiles had returned, Zerubbabel continued with organising the rebuilding of the Temple.

God then used a second heathen king, Artaxerxes, to commission another return, this time led by Ezra. The king blessed the returning exiles with all sorts of donations, and in his letter of instructions, the king wrote, “Be careful to provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his Temple, for why should we risk bringing God’s anger against the realm of the king and his sons?” (Ezra 7:23). Around 5,000 men and their families returned at this time.

Artaxerxes was still on the throne when Nehemiah journeyed to Jerusalem a few years after Ezra, and it is believed others returned with him at the same time, although no records exist of who these were. But in the three waves, God’s prophecy through Isaiah, “Yet the time will come when the Lord will gather them together like handpicked grain. One by one he will gather them—from the Euphrates River in the east to the Brook of Egypt in the west” (Isaiah 27:12), was fulfilled. That is how much God loved His people, a love that went to extraordinary lengths to purge their sins. 

What key messages does Isaiah 27 offer us pilgrims? We started the chapter with a reference to Leviathan, a terrifying, uncontrollable sea monster representing chaos. We read more about this monster in the Book of Revelation, identifying the sea monster as a serpent or dragon, representing Satan. For us pilgrims today, this serves as a reminder that no matter how overwhelming or chaotic the world feels, evil operates on borrowed time. God’s final victory is already guaranteed. I am reminded this morning about the Apostle Paul, under house arrest, chained to Roman guards as he awaited his final fate. His world up until then had been anything but peaceful, and we can read the list of what he had to endure in 2 Corinthians 11. And yet, in Philippians 1, we read how he rejoiced over the preaching of the Gospel, and he wrote, “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better” (Philippians 1:21). The world around him was oppressed by evil. It was chaotic and unstable, but Paul lived in a haven of peace and joy. No sea monster would ever affect Paul. Nothing would disturb his joy and peace.

Back in Isaiah 27, we read about the vineyard, as an analogy for God’s people, and how the Lord watches over it, weeding out the briars and thorns. That took us to John 15, and the importance for us pilgrims to live our lives connected to the Vine, who is Jesus. And, more, we read how God’s people would “blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit”. Pilgrims who are connected to the Vine will inevitably produce the Galatians 5 fruit of the Holy Spirit. I can remember a preacher in the late 1970’s, at a Bible conference, pointing out to the people gathered that they were producing plenty of “leaves” but no “fruit”. In other words, all the froth and bubble, the excesses of the Charismatic Renewal, was pointless unless the Holy Spirit fruit of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”, could be found growing within them as well. 

Also in Isaiah 27, Isaiah pointed out that God’s disciplining His people is vastly different from His destruction of evil. When we pilgrims experience seasons of suffering or spiritual “pruning” (John 15), is it not a sign of God’s displeasure? Instead, like a wise gardener, God uses these moments to deconstruct any modern-day idols that we have allowed into our lives (” … all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing”), and prompt deep and genuine repentance. 

Finally, Isaiah 27 ends with a trumpet blast. What started as a localised promise to Israel ultimately points to the global body of believers filling the earth with the “fruit” of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel. Additionally, the chapter concludes with a “great trumpet” sounding to gather the outcasts and the perishing (Isaiah 27:13). This foreshadows the final, inclusive gathering of believers from every tribe and nation to worship God together.

Isaiah 27 offers much to guide us pilgrims, but the call is to remain connected to the Vine, Jesus Himself. There is no other way for His people, because Jesus is the Way. The only Way. Is that a trumpet I can hear? Probably not, but an angel will be holding one in his hands, ready and waiting.

Dear Lord Jesus. You are the Way, the Truth and Life, and this is the foundation of our lives as pilgrims in this evil world. Not for us the strange ideologies that have permeated our societies, leaving a people who have lost their God-given compass in life. Keep us near You, we pray. This day and forever. Amen.

Restoration Through Christ: From Useless to Fruitful

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Pink and white blossoms growing on a grafted tree in an orchard

“The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness, to take away all her sin. As a result, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing. The fortified towns will be silent and empty, the houses abandoned, the streets overgrown with weeds. Calves will graze there, chewing on twigs and branches. The people are like the dead branches of a tree, broken off and used for kindling beneath the cooking pots. Israel is a foolish and stupid nation, for its people have turned away from God. Therefore, the one who made them will show them no pity or mercy.”
Isaiah 27:9-11 NLT

The picture Isaiah painted from his thoughts was one of future desolation, an apocryphal scene of towns intact but with all inhabitants gone. Signs of neglect would be everywhere. There would be no people, only a few calves left wandering. They would have no proper food, so they would fare the best they could on what they could find, mainly twigs and branches. Their future would be uncertain. The Asherah poles and pagan shrines would all be demolished, a fitting end to the idolatry that brought Israel down. As he mused on the picture before him, Isaiah compared the people to branches found on a forest floor, branches that had died and, after falling off the tree, were left mouldering until they eventually disappeared, absorbed into the vegetable detritus below the trees. And all because they had “turned away from God“. God would have no pity or mercy for them because He would honour the choices they had made. He had to, because that was how He created them. In Deuteronomy 30:19-20, we read, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”. That same principle applies to all human beings who have the capacity to make the choices to which God referred.

As we read yesterday, Jesus is the true Vine, and He said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me” (John 15:4). He then said, “Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” It’s obvious, really. Any branch that loses the life-giving sap that runs through a tree will inevitably die and fall off, no longer useful for bearing fruit. It might be useful for heating cooking pots or fertilising the ground for future growth, but nothing else. In the same way, any Christian who ceases to be connected to Jesus by following His ways will end up in the same place as a useless branch, “gathered into a pile to be burned”.

Jesus’ analogy of His disciples as branches growing from a grapevine was one they would immediately relate to. Any gardener today will understand this analogy as well, because there are many bushes that consist of a decorative variety grafted onto a wild root and trunk. My wife and I had a cherry tree planted in our front garden, with the wild part so vigorous that it started to take over, and the impressive display of grafted blossom became smaller and smaller each year. Isaiah’s picture of desolated towns, empty of the people he described as dead branches, fits well with what Paul wrote in Romans 11:17: “But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree—some of the people of Israel—have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree“. As with my cherry tree, we pilgrims are new branches grafted into the original rootstock, Jesus Himself. 

The question for us pilgrims is about the fruit we are producing, if any. Jesus said, “[His Father] cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more” (John 15:2). The danger for disciples everywhere, even us pilgrims, is that we stop producing fruit. But what fruit are we supposed to be producing? We find a list in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” How can we test ourselves objectively to assess our fruit-bearing? As the Psalmist David wrote, we need to bear our souls before God and pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” (Psalm 139:23-24). What is God saying to us today about the condition of our hearts? 

But back to the question about the fruit we are producing. Here are some signs of slowly growing spiritual fruit in our lives: are we noticing that we react more calmly than we used to when facing times of stress and anxiety? Do we care deeply about the well-being of others, even when it requires sacrifice or the forgiveness of wrongs? Do we refuse to respond to harsh words, instead letting the Holy Spirit help us to hold our tongues? Are we consistently faithful to God rather than just visiting Him from time to time? Many more examples show the Holy Spirit producing the kinds of fruit God desires in our lives, and we don’t have to strive to produce them. Living a life pliable in God’s hand is all that is required.

Many questions remain for us pilgrims today, but no matter how difficult the answers may be, we need to reflect on them. Paul wrote, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). We need to trust Jesus in all that we do, not just in times of difficulty. We need to listen constantly to the voice of the Holy Spirit within us, allowing Him to guide us into all truth and help us produce the fruit that God desires. Paul wrote, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). God never intended us to become useless branches. Thankfully, God is in the recycling business. He takes the useless and transforms them into the useful through the blood of Jesus. A miracle, if there ever was one.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace and love, and for Jesus, who came at just the right time so that we might be restored and justified, no longer useless. We declare our faith and trust in You, and we invest our lives deeply in Your life-giving Spirit, so that we can produce the fruit You require. We ask this in Your precious name. Amen. 

The New Covenant: God’s Promise and Our Response

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Has the Lord struck Israel as he struck her enemies? Has he punished her as he punished them? No, but he exiled Israel to call her to account. She was exiled from her land as though blown away in a storm from the east. The Lord did this to purge Israel’s wickedness, to take away all her sin. As a result, all the pagan altars will be crushed to dust. No Asherah pole or pagan shrine will be left standing.”
Isaiah 27:7-9 NLT

In these verses from Isaiah, it is interesting that he wrote about the exile in the past tense. Isaiah lived between 740 and 681 BC, and the exile from Israel took place in 722 BC, so he must have been referring to the exile of Israel’s inhabitants. Israel was the Northern kingdom in Isaiah’s lifetime. The inhabitants of Judah, where Isaiah lived, were exiled between 605 and 586 BC, after he had died. But Isaiah asked the question, “Has the Lord struck Israel as he struck her enemies?” The answer is, of course, in the negative, because Israel’s enemies were defeated and destroyed. Where is the Assyrian empire today? Or any of the other nations and empires that treated Israel so badly, such as the Moabites or the Philistines? But the Jews today are still a distinct national group, with their own country restored to them, at least in part. They may be scattered throughout the world, and about 280,000 live in the UK, half of them in London, but they are distinct in their identity as God’s people. That has never changed.

In the 8th Century BC, the peoples of Israel and Judah were guilty of idolatry, having fallen into sin, committing idolatry with the foreign gods of the surrounding nations. Why would they have ever wanted to abandon the God who brought them out of Egypt, the God who fed them with manna for forty years, the God who drove out the nations from the lands He had given them? The terms of the covenant God made with them were clear, yet they abandoned Him to follow foreign gods. 

When they entered the land of Canaan, the Israelites found a culture that integrated idolatry with everyday life, and they possibly felt safer being a part of that. Pagan religions used physical idols like statues and images, but God was invisible and intangible, something that perhaps challenged their imaginations. To continue to worship God, and Him alone, required a disciplined life and one that required obedience to His laws and ways. The Canaanite idols like Baal and Asherah promised control over rain, crops, and livestock, and the Israelites, transitioning to an agricultural lifestyle, found these direct promises appealing. Worship of these foreign gods provided sensory rituals, feasts, and festivals that offered immediate emotional or physical experiences. So, in all, we see a people whose morals lapsed into a state God couldn’t ignore forever. He gave them time to repent, and He sent prophets like Isaiah to warn the people of the consequences of their wickedness and sin, but to no avail.

But the Lord couldn’t destroy His people, as He did when He dealt with the people’s wickedness in the time of Noah. Although the Israelites failed to keep their side of the covenant that God had made with them, God never did, because He was, and is, faithful. We read in Deuteronomy 7:9, “Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands“. Has the “thousand generations” numerically been achieved? If a generation is forty years, then there is a long way to go, but this cannot be taken as an exact figure, because the meaning in this verse is that God’s patience is extensive, but not unlimited. There will come a day when, as in the days of Isaiah, His patience will run out, and judgment will follow. The following verses in Deuteronomy 7 were a clear warning to the Israelites, “But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him. Therefore, you must obey all these commands, decrees, and regulations I am giving you today“. And that warning still hangs over the peoples of this world today.

The Israelites were punished for their sins by being exiled to a foreign land. The process involved the death of many, and with the remaining people, including those with particular skills or social standing, being taken to places like Babylon and the surrounding areas where they were involved in farming, or as craftsmen and merchants. God’s people have always been workers, and God has always granted them success, often much to the dismay of the societies in which they live; hence one reason for the antisemitism that is so rife. But in 538 BC the Israelites started to return from exile, but not all of them, because many had become absorbed into the societies where they settled, abandoning God forever. And so God purged His people of the sins that they had committed, leaving a nation, much reduced in numbers, but one that had chosen to follow the Lord.

We pilgrims are a people of the New Covenant. Jeremiah prophesised about this time coming in Jeremiah 31:31-33, ““The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people””. Jesus fulfilled this Covenant, as we read in Luke 22:20, “After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you”“. More clarity comes in Hebrews 9:15: “That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant“.

Dear Father God. I don’t know how we pilgrims would have survived had we only had the Old Covenant available to us. We are so grateful for Jesus, who came to set us free from sin by taking onto Himself the punishment we deserved. Please forgive us for the times when we have followed the Israelites of old into modern-day idolatry, replacing You with our gadgets and things that we value so highly. You are the only God and it is You we praise today. Amen.

Remaining in Jesus, the True Vine

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“My anger will be gone. If I find briers and thorns growing, I will attack them; I will burn them up— unless they turn to me for help. Let them make peace with me; yes, let them make peace with me.” The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit!”
Isaiah 27:4-6 NLT

The analogy of a fruitful vineyard continues, representing, as it does, the nation of Israel “In that day”, meaning the last days of this world. There will come such a time because God has decreed it, with numerous Biblical prophecies saying so. In the Book of Isaiah alone there are 57 such references, and we find more details about what is to come in Matthew 24 and Revelation. But in the vineyard, the Lord sings over His people, carefully nurturing them as He expressed His love for his people. Although Israel has experienced His wrath, the Lord still passionately loves His people. He is eager to defend them. He expresses this by describing how He would—and will—respond to the enemies that grow within the “vineyard” itself. These are not invaders, however. The Lord has already brought justice and peace to the earth at this future time. Israel’s enemies are all defeated and they live in peace with the Lord as their king.

Yet even in that peace, some will rebel against God, consequently facing His wrath. It is tragic that there will still be these rebellious people, impregnated by their sin and chasing after other “gods”. But God will know who they are and they will feel the full force of His attack. Jesus said, “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned” (John 15:5-6). God said through Ezekiel, “Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign Lord. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live” (Ezekiel 18:23). The sad thing is that those “wicked people” have a window of opportunity to turn to God before there comes the Day of Judgment, but even in the End Times there will still be a remnant of sinners. They will have seen Israel’s enemies eliminated and they will have enjoyed an unprecedented time of peace, but they have turned their backs on God nevertheless.

Moving on to the next of today’s verses, we find a reference to Jacob. We will know from our studies in Genesis that Jacob was renamed Israel. Genesis 32:28, ““Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won“”. And from the fruit produced by the nation of Jacob, or Israel, the whole world will benefit. In the language of the song, this will become possible because the Lord will protect Israel from her enemies and create the perfect conditions for the “vine” to grow and thrive. 

In terms of the future, the greatest fruit of Israel will be the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Lord Himself. Isaiah 11:1, “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root“. Through faith in the Messiah, believers from the entire world will come into relationship with the God of Israel. They will receive His protection and provision. As He promised Abraham, “all the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3b).

Since Jesus came to this earth two thousand years ago, the nations of the world have been blessed, and are continuing in that blessing. But the king of this world, the devil, is not giving up without a fight, and Christians, followers of Jesus, are being persecuted for their faith everywhere, even in the “Christian West”. However, we see the “fruit of Israel” permeating our society through the good works undertaken by Christians, God’s children, who work for charities or do simple acts of kindness to a neighbour. We pilgrims help many people, who otherwise have rejected God.

We pilgrims are on mission in our neighbourhoods and family groups, bring salt and light into unpalatable and dark places. We are part of “Israel’s fruit” in our generation. We look forward to the day when the new Heaven and Earth age is with us, an age when “[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4). But in the meantime, we are not a people who sit, huddled in a pew, keeping our heads down, waiting for the Day of the Lord to arrive. We boldly proclaim the Gospel, the Good News about Jesus, at every opportunity.

Dear Father God. We pilgrims have much fruit to grow, as we remain in Jesus, the true Vine. We pass on that Holy Spirit sustenance to our families and friends, and any others we meet, because that is what You have asked us to do. Help us to look with Your eyes at those in our communities with love and compassion, helping and serving them whenever we can, so that, by our good works, You will be praised. Lead us, we pray, in Your ways, day by day, as we live our lives of gratitude in the One who has done so much for us. Amen.

God’s Promises: A Fruitful Vineyard in Our Lives

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Wine bottles and a filled glass overlooking terraced vineyards at sunset

“In that day, sing about the fruitful vineyard. I, the Lord, will watch over it, watering it carefully. Day and night I will watch so no one can harm it. My anger will be gone. If I find briers and thorns growing, I will attack them; I will burn them up—”
Isaiah 27:2-4 NLT

There is that reference again to “In that day”, indicating that this is another End Times prophecy about what is to come at some time yet to happen in the future. It is a frustration to some people that they are neither able to control the present nor the future. Yes, they can put into place some personal steps to minimise their risks, but global events are well beyond them. Regarding their own lives and the reality that one day they will die, they don’t know when or how it will happen, and they choose to suppress any thoughts in that direction. But we pilgrims don’t have that concern, because we know that God has us in His hands and that one day we will be with Him forever. Prophecies such as Isaiah’s “In that day” provide a glimpse of what life will be like when the Lord returns. When the Lord reigns on earth, a restored Israel will be like a pleasant or fruitful vineyard, with some manuscripts describing it as a “vineyard of wine.” In Isaiah 5:2, Isaiah wrote of a vineyard prepared by the Lord. “He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks”. So far, so good. Everything was prepared and ready to produce a crop of the very best grapes. We read on in this verse, “Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter”. The vineyard represented Israel, and the “sweet grapes” that were supposed to grow there were the fruit of righteous lives, lived by God’s own people, the Jews. But sour and bitter grapes resulted from a lack of righteousness in a people who had abandoned God and His ways. They were growing the wrong fruit.

I suppose, as we pause here, we pilgrims can ask ourselves the question, “What fruit am I producing?” Grapes of righteousness, sweet and useful, productive in God’s hands, or something else? In Isaiah 5, as we read on, we find that the Lord removed the protective hedge and wall around the vineyard. This allowed wild animals to come and destroy it. He also sent a drought over the vineyard and allowed thorns and briers to grow and take over. But in the End Times, Israel will have been restored and will be a pleasant “vineyard of wine”. The Lord will be dwelling with His people, and He declared how He would look after them. It will be well-watered with His love and grace, and He will watch over it, day and night. In the wonderful picture of the Revelation 21 prophecy of God living with His people, He will no longer be angry with His wayward children, and in His presence, finally, they will produce the fruit He had always designed for them to produce. 

History records a different set of circumstances for the Israelites. Time and time again, their sinful lives led to consequences when God removed His hedge of protection around them. This took the form of oppression by the surrounding nations, which crescendoed with the conquest by the Assyrian army and exile for many of the remaining people. When they finally returned from Babylon, did their sinning stop? Unfortunately, not, and in Jesus’ day, the Romans had occupied Palestine, and there was a pseudo-religious council keeping a lid on the population. This was never the type of society that God had designed for His people. But throughout the ages, God’s people retained their Jewish identity, and received a glimmer of hope with the return of the Jewish state in 1948. Has their sinning stopped? A question that God Himself will answer one day.

Sin can be defined as rebellion against God and His ways, and this encompasses many behavioural traits that poison a person’s life and future. But there is a remedy, and that came in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul wrote, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation” (Romans 5:8-9). This must be wonderful news for all sinners, past, present, and future, and we will one day enjoy the fruits of God’s vineyard, living with Him forever. Paul continued in Romans 5, “For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God”. Are we pilgrims feeling a bit jaded and perhaps depressed this morning? After all, world events are not the most uplifting. But as we cast our eyes Heavenward, we will see God’s “vineyard”, the place where we want to be. And today, this very moment, we can feel the warm glow of God’s love and grace flowing over us, bringing peace to our souls. 

Whatever we are facing today, whatever challenge, whatever problem, God has an answer. God has a solution. We pilgrims pray, and keep on praying, bringing our lives and families under His fatherly and gracious spotlight. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 34:17, “The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles“. 1 John 5:14-15, “And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for“. Of course, we must pray prayers that align with God’s will, but He cares for us and always has an answer. In Philippians 4:6-7, we read again, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus“.

Father God. We bring to You our worries and cares, in the knowledge that You are concerned for us and desire to bring us firmly back into Your will. We are truly sorry for the times we have given up praying or failed to pray at all, and we thank You for the times You answered our prayers, spoken or unspoken, anyway. Today, we bring You our praises and petitions, trusting that You will hear our prayers and lead and guide us accordingly. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Leviathan, the Swiftly Moving Serpent

Posted on by Adrian Clark
A horned sea dragon roaring above stormy ocean waves

“Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see. In that day the Lord will take his terrible, swift sword and punish Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent, the coiling, writhing serpent. He will kill the dragon of the sea.”
Isaiah 26:21 – 27:1 NLT

“Leviathan, the swiftly moving serpent”. A reference to this “whatever it is” occurs five times in the Old Testament and on another occasion in Psalm 74:14, “You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him”. The Book of Job also refers to Leviathan but in a different context. But whatever it is, it has several heads and lives in the sea, which is where God despatches it with His “terrible swift sword”. It is, of course, quite conceivable that such a monster could have existed, and we have, potentially, such a beast dwelling in Loch Ness here in Scotland. There may also have been an influence from local folklore. Isaiah also referred to it as a “dragon”.

The obvious connection between Leviathan, the serpent and dragon of old, is with the devil, the fallen angel Lucifer or Satan. In Genesis 3:1 we find that “The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made..”. Paul referred to the serpent in 2 Corinthians 11:3, where we read, “But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent”. But the clearest connection between the devil and a serpent comes in Revelation 12:7-9, “Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels”. And then in Revelation 20:1-2, we read, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years”. The final destination of the devil is described in Revelation 20:10, “Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”. As an aside, I wonder sometimes about the attitude of people who would rather contemplate spending eternity in the company of the devil than with Jesus.

So there we have it. Leviathan will be destroyed by God’s sharp sword. However, we pilgrims have our own weapon of destruction, effective against the devil. We read in Ephesians 6:17, “ … take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. The “sword” we have is God’s Word, the Bible. This Word of God is the same Word that Jesus used to defeat the armies of the kings of the world at a place called Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Then in Revelation 19:19 we read, “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army”. But it didn’t end well for them, because two verses later we read, “Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies”. Who was the One riding the white horse? We find the answer earlier in Revelation 19: “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God”. 

But fascinating as the story in Revelation is, the only offensive weapon mentioned in Paul’s account of the armour of God is the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God”. Jesus effectively used God’s Word during His temptation in the wilderness, countering the devil’s temptations three times with verses quoted directly from Scripture. In that encounter between Jesus and the devil, we note one other thing – the devil knows the Bible as well. We pilgrims must be prepared for the battles we have with the devil and his forces of evil by knowing and, if necessary, memorising the Scriptures. We can do that only by reading the Word of God. As Paul said to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and … [He] uses it to prepare and equip His people…” (2 Timothy 3:17-17). What soldier ever picks up a rifle and runs into battle without first finding out how it works and how to shoot straight? 

Do you, dear fellow pilgrims, need a Word from God today? Well, there is a book full of them, and many helps to find the verses that apply to your situation or request. But nothing replaces studying the Bible. Jeremiah wrote, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies” (Jeremiah 15:16). The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:11, “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you”. And then we have another “3:16”, this time from Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God”. We must be equipped to face our Leviathan at any time he chooses to attack us. With the Word of God, “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), in our hands and in our hearts, we don’t have to wait until the End Times for God to do the job. We have the means here and now, today.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your Word because without it we are nothing. Thank You for the faithful men who wrote down what Your Spirit revealed to them, so that future generations could be informed and equipped for their lives. As we read, please reveal the Scripture to us so that we can respond to the pressures and temptations of the world around us with Your righteousness and truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.