Why We Don’t Want to Hear God’s Word—and Why We Must

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Isaiah 30:8-11 NLT

8 Now go and write down these words.
    Write them in a book.
They will stand until the end of time
    as a witness
9 that these people are stubborn rebels
    who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions.
10 They tell the seers,
    “Stop seeing visions!”
They tell the prophets,
    “Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things.
    Tell us lies.
11 Forget all this gloom.
    Get off your narrow path.
Stop telling us about your
    ‘Holy One of Israel.’”

It is a human trait to avoid bad news, especially about ourselves. We want to hear compliments and kind things that boost our self-worth and make us feel good. In my working life, as a manager, I can remember two people who were opposites in this respect. With one, I had great difficulty in bringing a different idea or alternative method, even gently, because at the slightest hint that they were not doing things the right way, they would dissolve into floods of tears. The other was so thick-skinned that no amount of correction would change their thinking. A manager can only do so much to change their team members’ thinking. Good news can boost productivity and build the right work environment, but bad news is hard to deliver because people don’t want to hear it.

But there is a world of a difference between a working environment and the relationship of a nation with the God who created them, and who chose them to be His special people. The Lord asked Isaiah to write a book containing some bad news about the behaviour of the Judeans. And this book was to stand as a witness that they had been told the error of their ways, and had ignored it. So in the event that dire consequences followed, they could never say that they had not been warned and knew nothing about their problems. This list of problems was damning in its scope. The Judeans were “stubborn rebels” who refused “to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions”. In a schoolroom, home, office, or factory, instructions are there for a number of purposes. They could be for safety reasons, with children being told not to do something because if they did it then they were endangering themselves and their fellow students. A worker might be required to use goggles to protect their eyes if they were fabricating a metal object that required the use of a grinder. Workers in an abattoir are required to use metal mesh gloves if cutting meat. In the office, fire regulations are instructions that must be followed. To the Judeans, the Lord’s instructions were clear, and they started with a principle that Jesus explained to a Jewish religious lawyer. The lawyer’s question was, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” (Matthew 22:36). We then read Jesus’ response: “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). But Jesus didn’t just make up His response; He quoted Scriptures that were available from the Book of Deuteronomy, a Book that was also available to the Judeans. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 reads, “Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength“. And Jesus then quoted Leviticus 19:18, “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD”. After Jesus answered the religious lawyer, Mark’s account records that the lawyer said, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbour as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law” (Mark 12:32-33). The next verse is interesting. We read, “Realising how much the man understood, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions”. 

Jesus knew what God required of His people, and so did the religious lawyer, but the Judeans in Isaiah’s day apparently didn’t want to know. Whenever the prophets and seers had visions or sayings that were supposed to draw them back to God and His instructions, the people told them “Stop seeing visions!” and “Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies“. And they concluded, “Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ‘Holy One of Israel’“. Isaiah wrote all this down in his book, and it is still before us today to remind us of a people who were “stubborn rebels”. 

There is a Book today that also records the acts of God towards His created people throughout time. Mankind’s rebellion started in a Garden when sin disrupted and destroyed the relationship between God and His creation. It was a creation that God loved, and we read all about it in Genesis 1:27, 31: “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. … Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! … ”. Sin developed, destroyed and corrupted mankind, and human wickedness on the earth became so prevalent that everything human beings thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. In response, one of the saddest verses in the Bible can be found in Genesis 6:6, where we read, “So the LORD was sorry he had ever made [human beings] and put them on the earth. It broke his heart“. In relational terms we hear how the bad behaviour of a spouse destroys a relationship, breaking the other party’s heart, meaning that the wronged person has been deeply affected by the other. But how much more was God’s heart broken by the behaviour of “stubborn rebels who refuse to pay attention to the Lord’s instructions”? Instructions, I should add, that were there for the people’s benefit, not God’s. 

The Bible is still with us today, and it has become the best-selling book of all time. But as well as being a handbook of God’s love for His people, and containing the instructions that lead to life for those who read it and obey it, it is also a book that I suspect will be opened at the end of time, as a witness in the final trial in a Heavenly court. I love the Bible, and I will keep on loving it until I can read it no longer, instead being with God in a new and wonderful Heavenly home. But it will still be there I suspect, until what Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 is accomplished, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved“. I deeply regret the time when I have disobeyed the instructions contained therein, and pray for God’s grace to hear my prayers of repentance, bringing my redemption. 

We pilgrims neglect reading God’s Word at our peril. We may squirm in discomfort at the words we read, but they are there for a reason, as Paul reminded Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). And so we pray together …

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your Word and all it contains for our lives. The devil may try and confuse us and introduce doubts into our minds about its authenticity, but we stand firm and praise and worship You today and every day, thanking You for all that You have done for us. Please forgive us for all our sins, and lead us in Your ways forevermore. Amen.

Hardened Hearts (1)

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“For the Scriptures say that God told Pharaoh, “I have appointed you for the very purpose of displaying my power in you and to spread my fame throughout the earth.” So you see, God chooses to show mercy to some, and he chooses to harden the hearts of others so they refuse to listen.”
Romans 9:17-18 NLT

In Romans 9:17, Paul quoted a verse from Exodus 9. The context was a conversation between Moses and Pharaoh, taking place in the middle of the plagues that God had sent to the Egyptian nation, plagues that attempted to change Pharaoh’s mind about allowing the Israelites to leave Egypt. And in the middle of this conversation we read what Moses said to him. “But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth” (Exodus 9:16). Pharaoh wasn’t at all keen in allowing the Israelite slaves to leave Egypt. They were the power house driving his economy, building his public buildings, probably the pyramids as well. But God wanted to demonstrate for all posterity His power and to make sure that all the peoples of that age and in the vicinity of Egypt would know what He was capable of. Perhaps God was setting the scene for what was going to happen a few years later when the Israelites started to take over their promised land. Before Moses even returned to Egypt, following the burning bush experience, he was warned about God’s plan. We read in Exodus 4:21, “And the Lord told Moses, “When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go”. God exercised a divine choice, as Paul wrote in today’s verses from Romans 9.

It is a trait of human beings, that we can “harden our hearts” when faced with a situation that perhaps demands a more compassionate response. In the Uk we are bombarded, particularly on daytime TV, with heart-wringing adverts promoting one good cause after another. It is humanly impossible to respond to all of them, though there are reports of some that try, but most people “harden their hearts” in response by looking away, or selecting another channel. Sadly, people “harden their hearts’ when it comes to the things of God. We read what Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:17-19, “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity”. In the walks around my neighbourhood I sometimes find an opportunity to talk about God and His message of hope. But mostly I receive a negative response, from people who have “hardened their hearts” against anything to do with God. 

Another group of hard-hearted people are the scientists and medics who believe in evolutionary theories that try and explain the world around us, because they have “hardened their hearts” against any alternative. They develop all sorts of implausible responses to the anomalies in their beliefs, so that they can avoid the consequences of having to admit that God exists.

But the important consideration for us pilgrims is about whether or not we have “hardened our hearts” against anything God wants us to do. And we will only find an answer to that in His presence. In Isaiah 6, the prophet had a vision of God in the temple. It was so real and profound that he volunteered to do God’s work becoming a voice to his people, the Israelites. But he had an uphill struggle. We read in Isaiah 6:9-10, “And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’ Harden the hearts of these people. Plug their ears and shut their eyes. That way, they will not see with their eyes, nor hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts and turn to me for healing””. It was time for God’s chosen people to be disciplined for their stubborn rebellion and sin. But Isaiah was faithful to his call. There are men and women declaring God’s message to this generation, in our communities and nations. We may be amongst them. But I think we can all agree that there are many “hardened hearts” around us.

We pilgrims need to ensure that our hearts are soft, so that God’s message is received and acted upon in our lives. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 139:23-24, “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”. It’s a prayer that all pilgrims must regularly pray.

Dear Father God. We pray for hearts, softened by Your love and grace, Your kindness and mercy. We worship You today. Amen.

Seven Spotless Angels

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“The seven angels who were holding the seven plagues came out of the Temple. They were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests. Then one of the four living beings handed each of the seven angels a gold bowl filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever and ever. The Temple was filled with smoke from God’s glory and power. No one could enter the Temple until the seven angels had completed pouring out the seven plagues.”
Revelation‬ ‭15:6-8‬ ‭NLT

As John’s eyes remained fixed on the Temple vision, he noticed seven angels appear. They were holding the seven plagues. He didn’t elaborate on how this would be possible. How do you hold a plague? But the origins of plagues aren’t visible to human eyes without optical or similar assistance. Viruses and bacteria are incredibly small living organisms, so John, perhaps through his spirit, knew the angels had something terrible to unleash on the earth. As we know, a small glass phial would have been sufficient.

The seven angels “were clothed in spotless white linen with gold sashes across their chests”. In other translations, there is a hint that these angels were clothed in a precious stone, but we get the picture that the clothes represent purity and righteousness. Back in Revelation 1:13, John recorded, “And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest.” Perhaps the gold sashes were a badge of honour for those belonging to Christ.

In John’s vision, one of the “living beings” enters his field of view. This time he appears to be a messenger, carrying seven bowls, one for each of the angels. These bowls contained God’s anger, ready to be poured out on the earth and all those remaining in it. And the scene finishes with the picture of the seven beautifully dressed angels, carrying golden bowls and glass phials containing the plagues, and the Temple full of smoke from God’s glory and power.

Back in Isaiah 6, the earthly Temple was filled with the smoke of God’s presence. Isaiah wrote, referring to the seraphim flying around in God’s presence, “They were calling out to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭6:3-4‬ ‭NLT). This wasn’t your ordinary smoke, pouring out of a chimney or from a burning trash can. This was the glory and power of God, so tangible that it appeared to natural eyes as smoke. But surely the original “Holy Smoke”?

The seven bowls contained “the wrath of God“. An angry amalgam of God’s anger, that had been building up for ages, anger with the stubbornness of mankind, who were still unrepentant until, literally, the last minute of time. And before them was the stubbornness of previous generations, who had died in their sins. There was no more opportunity to repent now. The Gospel had been declared. God’s grace and patience had finally ended. The seven plagues were the final judgement, completing the End Times and allowing new beginnings to be established.

To us pilgrims, it is inexplicable that so many people in our families and communities have stubbornly resisted all contact with God. But we keep trying anyhow, with our appeals, our sharing, our love and grace. We never give up sharing the Good News about God, making opportunity of every moment. But just to let these people face the consequences of their reluctance to embrace the One who created them is not in God’s plan. Not yet anyway. As long as we have breath we will share our faith in the One who deserves all the glory, all the honour, all the praise, all the worship.

Dear Father God. We don’t know when the clock will finally click over into the ultimate End of Time. But we do know the Clockmaker. And we praise and worship You today. Amen.