Fellowship – Changing Ecclesia
Lesson 10: Changing Ecclesia
There are of course many reasons why we might have to change Ecclesia, maybe there is no work nearby and we have to move location to find work, maybe we are getting education in a city. Maybe the dwindling numbers in our Ecclesia mean that our current Ecclesia has to close. Maybe there is virus pandemic. There are so many many reasons why we might have to change Ecclesia. Possibly the worst reason for having to move Ecclesia is because we simply cannot get on with members in our current Ecclesia, but sometimes this happens and for now it might just be the correct thing to do. No matter what our reasons for changing Ecclesia moving will be a hard choice and it can be quite daunting, therefore we must do so with much prayer and mediation upon Gods Word.
There are plenty of examples in the Bible of people who had to move. Most notable is the move that Abram had to make.
Abram and Lot had travelled through the land of Canaan but because of famine they continued on to Egypt in the south. There they lived for a time (Genesis 12:10). On their return, they pitched their tents between Bethel and Hai. Both were now very rich in "cattle, silver and gold”. Genesis 13; 19:1-30 and 21; 2 Peter 2:6-8.
ABRAM AND LOT DECIDE TO PART: Genesis 13:3-10
When Abram and Lot returned from Egypt, they faced real problems. Their herds and flock had increased and they needed more pasture but "the land was not able to bear them that they might dwell together " (v. 6). It was not long before the herdsmen of Abram and Lot quarreled. Abram could see that the only thing for them to do was to go their separate ways. God had promised the land as a possession to Abram's children - "unto thy seed will I give this land" (12:7) - but he would not use this promise as a cause of quarreling between him and Lot. So Abram gave Lot the opportunity to choose whichever part of the land he wanted to dwell in saying: "Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself I pray thee from me... And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere" (vv. 9-10). He saw the beautiful stretch of country before him and he was impressed. So Lot made his choice. It seemed so obvious to choose the green pastures near the Jordan. Life would surely be much easier down there. He said goodbye to Abram and set off to the east.
Abram was content. As a true pilgrim looking for the glorious Kingdom of God, he was satisfied with whatever God gave him. Everyday he called upon "the name of Yahweh" (v. 4), knowing that He would provide for him.
Note how different Abram's attitude was from Lot's. Lot desired the things that appealed to the eyes, but Abram put his trust in God, who blessed him greatly. The Lord Jesus teaches us this lesson plainly: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).
GENESIS 13 VERSE 8
"And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee" — Perhaps Lot had voiced a protest, or, at least, had indicated his dissatisfaction with the prevailing circumstances. In any case, Abram sought to pacify him, and appealed to him to avoid "strife" or argument. This evil is listed among the things of the flesh to be avoided (Gal. 5:20; Jas. 3:16; 1 Cor. 3:3). Paul instructed: "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the Truth" (2 Tim. 2:24). Among the apostles there "was a strife, which of them should be accounted the greatest". The Lord declared that if one desired to be great he need only apply one single rule: "He that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve" (Luke 22:24-26). How beautifully Abram fulfilled those requirements. He refused to enter into argument, and he submitted to Lot though he had the advantage of him in age and status. Actually when Abram and Lot stood on the heights of Bethel and pondered the small problem that faced them, one of the great decisive moments of history had come; for the whole course of human relationships was to be governed by its outcome. How important then, to be careful in the smallest of matters! Who knows whether or not God is behind the seemingly unimportant outcome of a personal quarrel.
"Between me and thee" — Perhaps Lot had revealed a bad attitude. He must have been taken aback by the appeasement offered by Abram, who evidently acknowledged: "it is an honour for a man to cease from strife;" and "a soft answer turneth away wrath" (Prov. 20:3; 15:1).
"And between my herdmen and thy herdmen" — The responsibilities of peace rest with the principals, both in a situation such as faced Abram and Lot, as well as within Ecclesias (cp. Rom. 14:19; 1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11; 1 Pet. 3:8; Matt. 5:9).
"For we be brethren" — The Hebrew is as the margin, "men brethren". This is the same conciliatory form of address, as was used by Peter on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:29). As "brethren" it is good "to dwell together in unity" (Psa. 133:1), and to co-operate to the aid of each other. There is such a thing as the "brotherly covenant" (Amos 1:9), in which brethren should go to the aid of each other. Abram's use of the term "brother" to his nephew, Lot, implied all that.
VERSE 9
"Is not the whole land before thee?" — The heights of Bethel command an extensive view of the Land, and particularly the Jordan valley.
"Separate thyself I pray thee, from me, if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left" — Abram graciously deferred to Lot for the sake of peace. In view of the lack of pasture, there was a need to divide up their flocks and herds, and Abram waived his right of choice. Lot should have refused this, and commanded his herdsmen to defer to the recommendation of Abram.
VERSE 10
"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan" — Like Eve before him, Lot filled his vision with that which his flesh craved, and in doing so, he lost sight of that which was due to Abram. The word "plain" is kikkar in Hebrew and signifies circle, or circuit. His eyes roved around all the circuit of Jordan, observing its fertility and evidence of prosperity. He did not trouble to look behind him for he was familiar with that uninviting scene: the harsh hinterland of Canaan, the rugged hills, the steep climb to Bethel, the difficulties associated with the house of God. No, he turned to the lush Jordan valley, with its promise of easy existence, its spiritual ruin which he felt sure he could successfully resist, and its promise of easy life and pleasant companionship. He left Abram to the virtue of isolation in the rugged hill country, and to the loneliness of Bethel, the house of God.
"That it was well watered everywhere" — This is the first reference to the river Jordan in Scripture.
Jordan is compounded of two words, Yar from Yarad, to descend; and Dan, judgment; and therefore signifies The Descender Through Judgment. As such, it is symbolic of humanity as a whole, all of whom have inherited the effects of the judgment passed on Adam. Its waters actually passed through the town of Adam (Josh. 3:16) descending to the Dead Sea, which is four times as large as the Sea of Life (the Sea of Galilee). Geographically, the source of the Jordan is at the foot of Hebron. Four streams unite to form the river: Bareighit, Habani, Dan, and Banias. The river pours its water into the Huleh swamps (the waters of Merom) and from thence to the Sea of Galilee some twelve miles long. From the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea is 65 miles (105km); and the Dead Sea itself is some 53 miles (85km) long. From Huleh to just before the river reaches the Sea of Galilee it drops some 680ft (207m) in less than 9 miles (14.5km). By the time it has reached the Dead Sea, the land has dropped away to some 1292 feet (394m) below sea level, the lowest such point on earth; whilst the deepest point of the Dead Sea is some 1300 feet (396m) deeper still. Because of the steep drop, and winding bed, the Jordan itself is rapid and muddy, a good symbol of human existence. The Jordan valley rift is more than 160 miles long from below Lake Huleh to the Arabah south of the Dead Sea where it rises again to sea level. According to geologists this was once a great inland fresh-water lake. Adam Smith in Historical Geology states: "Geologists claim this valley is due to volcanic action forcing up two long folds of limestone, running north and south, with a diagonal ridge shutting off the Dead Sea from the Red Sea, and enclosing part of the old ocean bed". The description of the Jordan valley in Genesis 14 answers to this statement.
"Before Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah" — Implying vast geographical changes. Today, this once fertile area is an arid waste. Modern Sodom, on the southern portion of the Dead Sea adjacent to what is called its "tongue" is today harshly white, salt-encrusted, and arid. It is crevassed by deep ravines, reminiscent of some stark lunar scene. Yet there are evidences of growth in this area. In places where the salt water has been drained, trees that have never been planted in modern times have commenced to grow, thus indicating that it was once fertile as required by the verse before us. This sterile area is to be "healed" in the future when Messiah reigns (Ezek. 47:8). Meanwhile archaeologists acknowledge that this area was once exceedingly fertile and well populated, but that through some catastrophe it was dramatically changed. Young's Analytical Concordance quotes the finding of the archaeologist, W.Albright: "The great site of Babed-Dra on the Dead Sea probably belongs to the age of Sodom and Gomorrah; its remains date from about the last third of the third millennium, when occupation here came to an abrupt close".
"Even as the garden of Yahweh" — This was watered by four rivers of water that combined into one (Gen. 2:10-11); the Jordan also has a four-fold source, that combines into one stream.
"Like the land of Egypt" — The Jordan originally overflowed its banks fertilizing the soil like the Nile.
"As thou comest unto Zoar" — Zoar was a small city at the southeast corner of the Dead Sea (Gen. 14:2-3). All that area, today so arid and bleak, was once fertile and flourishing.
VERSE 11
"Then Lot chose him" — What fateful words are these; and how unwise is the choice so frequently made by people governed by the flesh. At that time, Lot was prosperous and self-satisfied; and his "choice" marked a further decline in his condition before Yahweh.
"All the plain of Jordan" — Not the "plain" but the circuit. See note v. 10. He chose the area where the cities of the circuit were located.
"And Lot journeyed east" — From the heights of Bethel, he travelled east to Jericho, from whence he turned south for Sodom and Gomorrah.
"And they separated themselves the one from the other" — Here, again, are words of doom. Lot moved out from under the care of his guardian, Abram. His name signifies Veiled, and it is obvious that his spiritual vision was similar. He was in that "barren and unfruitful" state referred to by Peter, who adds: "But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (2 Pet. 1:9). There was much that Lot had chosen to forget at that moment. His eyes were filled with the prospects of an easy existence in the circuit of cities below, and dazzled by the materialism that beckoned, he became blind to the spiritual vision. Lot was foolish in separating himself from Abram: "Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not... for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off" (Prov. 27:10). It is a command today to "forsake not the assembling of ourselves together" (Heb. 10:25) which, actually is what Lot did.
VERSE 12
"Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom" — He moved down into the area of the circuit of cities, but showed a distinct preference for Sodom. This was the fourth step in his decline. But though, for the moment, he was attracted towards the more sophisticated and liberated city of Sodom, he still recalled his state as a "stranger and pilgrim", and, for the moment, remained outside of its bounds. He doubtless warned his family against its evil environment; but if so, it was to no avail, for ultimately they entered the city itself, and some of his family intermarried with the Sodomites. Compare "toward" Sodom of this verse with "in" Sodom of Ch. 14:12. How easy and regular are the downward steps to destruction!
VERSE 13
"But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before Yahweh exceedingly" — These two verbs sum up the spiritual state of this vile city. Raim ("wicked") from ra'a, signifies to break in pieces, destroy, afflict, suggesting a class of people who broke in pieces the established law and order of things, destroyed and confounded that which is right, and afflicted themselves by so doing. Chattaim, ("sinners") from chatta, signifies to miss the mark, and can include a lack of regard for righteousness, as well as their own happiness. At this stage, the narrative temporarily leaves Lot as he is drawn towards the evil environment of the worst of the evil cities of the circuit.
THE CHOICE OF LOT AND THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM:
Genesis 13:11-13; 19:1-29
Lot made his choice and finally went to live in the city of Sodom. "But the men of Sodom were sinners before Yahweh exceedingly" (v. 13). It was unwise of him to choose to live among such evil people. No doubt he thought he could live separately from them and we know that he always hated their evil ways (2 Peter 2:7-8). But although Lot himself never behaved like the people of Sodom, they were a bad influence on his family. His wife and children soon became friendly with the people of Sodom. Some of his daughters even married men of Sodom. When, later on, the angels of God came to bring them out before God destroyed the whole place, none of Lot's family wanted to leave. They had grown to love the people and the way of life and had quite forgotten the great promises that Abram trusted in. w
But God did punish all the wicked people in Sodom by destroying the city and its inhabitants with earthquake and fire. God "rained... brimstone and fire from heaven" and the cities were "turned into ashes" (2 Peter 2:6). Two angels visited Abram and told him what God was going to do to Sodom. Abram was fearful for Lot and prayed for him and God was merciful. Lot's wife could also have been saved but they had been told not to look behind them as they ran from Sodom and she disobeyed. She found it hard to leave the worldly life of Sodom and the friends she had made there and she was punished by being turned into a pillar of salt. It is a very foolish thing to disregard what God says we ought to do. Those who treat God's Word lightly always end up being unhappy, but great happiness comes to those who obey.
THE CHOICE OF ABRAM: Genesis 13:14-17
God was pleased with the unselfishness and faith shown by Abram. Now He made a further wonderful promise to him. Read Genesis 13:14-17 "Lift up now thine eyes," said God, "and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the land which thou seest to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever." Remember that Abram did not inherit any of this land while he lived. However the promise of God still stands. The land belongs to Abram and his seed for an everlasting possession (Romans 4:13). Abram is now dead. But Jesus (who is the seed of Abram) will return, and will raise the dead and reward the faithful. At that time Abram will receive his inheritance, together with all those who have shown the same faith as Abram (Galatians 3:29).
THE SON OF PROMISE - ISAAC: Genesis 17:15-22; 21:1-5
When Abram received this promise, he did not have any children. Both he and Sarai were growing old and because it seemed to Sarai that she was not going to have any children, she thought Abram might have a son if he married Hagar, her bondmaid. So Hagar was given to Abram as his wife, and eventually gave birth to a son, called Ishmael. He was not to be the promised seed of Abram, however, for God said Sarai would bear Abram a son, named Isaac, (which means "laughter", or "joy") (v. 19). Sarai's name would be changed to Sarah and Abram's name to Abraham - "for a father of many nations have I made thee" (w. 5,15). Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah ten years younger when at long last she gave birth to the promised son.
Many years had passed since leaving Ur before the promised son was born. The faith of Abraham and Sarah brushed aside the problems they met. To them God was real and He did not disappoint them. In the son born to them, they could see another step in the fulfillment of God's promise.
They knew that from Isaac would come the promised seed through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed (v.18).
Decisions decisions
“I pray and talk to God, but I must be doing something wrong. I can’t seem to make wise decisions, and I have trouble knowing what God wants me to do in various situations.”
Can you relate to this thought process? We can find ourselves stuck in holding patterns because we can’t decide what to do. I am reminded of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s comment about decision-making: “Standing in the middle of the road is very dangerous; you get knocked down by the traffic from both sides.”
1. Your Best Decisions Reflect Your Values
Think of every decision as a big decision. Oh, I don’t mean whether to have lettuce or tomatoes at the market; but most decisions reflect, in one way or another, our unseen values. If I am a Christadelphian, my every decision should be a Christadelphian decision—what entertainment I’ll enjoy, how I’ll invest an extra hundred shillings, what I’ll do on my day off. These are all big decisions because they reflect my desire to glorify God in everything I do and say.
“Every time you make a choice,” said C. S. Lewis, “you are turning the central part of you, the part that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all of your innumerable decisions, you are slowly turning the central thing either into a heavenly creature, or into an evil creature by simply making the decisions that you make.”
Learn to consider every decision as an opportunity to honor God by keeping your unseen, biblical values as the underpinning for all life’s choices. Particularly when it comes to a decision as big as which Ecclesia you attend.
2. Your Best Decisions Are Birthed in an Atmosphere of Prayer
Big decisions are birthed in an atmosphere of prayer—and I don’t mean muttering a quick prayer just before a decision is made. I’m talking about living in an atmosphere of prayer so that our hearts are constantly pondering the choices that represent God’s will for our lives.
Big-decision thinking recognizes God as a partner in the decision-making process, and prayer is our way of acknowledging our Heavenly Father in all our ways. Prayer is our way of asking God for His proffered wisdom, given liberally and willingly to those who ask for it. Prayer is the incubator of our best ideas and the source of our freshest creativity. Prayer is our lifeline to finding and fulfilling God’s perfect will in all we say and do.
Think back to Israel’s first king—King Saul. When Saul was faced with a crisis, he invariably made the wrong decision. Why? He was alert, intelligent, and charismatic, but he lacked internal character and intimacy with Yahweh. He didn’t make His decisions in prayer or with a view toward God’s glory. His successor, King David, was just the opposite, earnestly seeking God and inquiring of Yahweh before every decision. The best Ecclesia to chose will be the one that we are led to in prayer. The one where we will be able to commune with God in Prayer, “Psalms and hymns and Spirit songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).
3. Your Best Decisions Heed Wisdom From Others
We also need the wisdom of those we trust. The book of Proverbs repeatedly reminds us to seek godly counsel before deciding what to do. For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers (Proverbs 11:14, NIV). The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise (Proverbs 12:15). Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise (Proverbs 13:10, NLT). Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established (Proverbs 15:22). Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days (Proverbs 19:20). By wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety (Proverbs 24:6). The best Ecclesia for you is the one where there is wisdom and those who you can trust in the Lord.
4. Your Best Decisions Take Time
Speaking of Proverbs, it teaches us another lesson about big-decision thinking: Whenever possible, take your time so you can mull over issues long enough to understand them. Proverbs 14:8 says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way.”And Proverbs 14:15 says, “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps” (NIV). Proverbs 13:16 adds, “A wise man thinks ahead; a fool doesn’t”(TLB)
Peter Drucker, an esteemed leadership guru, wrote that effective executives are not overly impressed by speed in decision-making. In one of his books on leadership, Ted Engstrom advised:
“Don’t make snap decisions. The spur-of-the-moment decisions are merely guesses... Before announcing a decision, it’s best to take a little time, sleep on it first. God may have other plans.”
We must allow time for God to direct us to the correct Ecclesia that will help us change for our betterment.
5. Your Best Decisions Are Committed to God
Finally, big decisions must be committed to God. You and I have a lot of decisions to make every day. We’re fallible people, and we’ll make mistakes along the way. But when we earnestly base our decisions on our unseen values, pray over them, make them thoughtfully, base them on wise counsel, and commit them to God, He can bless them. If we make a wrong decision, He knows how to correct our paths or redeem our mistakes.
At this critical moment in history, the Lord needs men and women who know how to make wise choices, who are growing more mature day by day, and who can then commit their decision to the Lord and press on.
Think big, be decisive, and partner with God for every choice you make.
God’s Purpose
Crucial to our understanding of the entirety of Gods purpose with mankind is verse 8 of Isaiah chapter 55. Isaiah 55:8 reads - “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Yahweh”. Underline it, highlight it – but more importantly get that verse into your head and act upon it. You see, the whole purpose of God in creation is that we might make our thoughts like His. The whole purpose of God is that we might make our ways like unto His. God wants a people, like He Himself. Numbers 14: 21 says - “But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Yahweh.” That is the Logos – the intention that was with God at the very beginning. 1 John 3:2 adds - “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” We will be like Him. We will have His character. We will be in His image, but also in His likeness.
Isaiah 55:1 announces - “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Water is a common thing, and indeed maiyn is a common word, it occurs some 582 times in our Bibles. Our planet is covered in water. The scientists look for water on other worlds, because without it there is no possibility of life. Such a common substance, yet life-giving. The sense in which water is used in this verse is also life-giving. Water is being used here as a symbolic description of the logos as revealed in Yahwehs Word. Psalm 1 asserts - “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly… he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season”.
To be blessed, we must be that man, planted satal – transplanted as Abram was transplanted from Ur into Canaan. We must cross over, and become Hebrews. We must have been displaced, so that we might be near to the rivers of water - such that our minds might be transformed to be like the minds of God, and that our actions might bring forth fruit - our actions might be like the actions of God. In alternate symbols we see the Bread, and the Wine. Ephesians 4:22 suggests - “put off concerning the former conversation (way of life) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” We are to be created after God. We are to be righteous, and truly holy.
Israel whilst in the wilderness journeyed to a place called Jotbath. It is recorded for us in Deuteronomy 10:7. Jotbath is a place in the wilderness, it’s name means pleasantness, it’s mentioned three times in Scripture and only in connection with this incident. Deut 10:7 mentions - “From thence they journeyed unto Gudgodah; and from Gudgodah to Jotbath, a land of rivers of waters (notice that phrase ‘rivers of waters’). At that time Yahweh separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.” Moses had broken the two tables of stone bearing the Ten Commandments, when he returned from the Mount as he saw the wickedness of Israel. In this chapter we see these tables restored at the invitation of Yahweh. Throughout Deuteronomy 10 we see Yahweh’s mercy, Yahweh’s forgiveness and Yahweh’s provision for restoration. It is here at Jotbath that God provides the Levites, and it is at Jotbath that we first meet this phrase the rivers of waters. The primary purpose of the Levites is to “to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh”. We might have just skimmed over that; but let us read carefully. Why did God choose that as the primary purpose for the Levites? There are so many things that the Levites were to do, but this in God’s mind was number one. You see, the Levites were to be those rivers of waters – they were the ones who would teach Israel God’s Mind, God’s ways – they were to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh.
The word thirsteth in Isaiah 55 is same (strongs number 6771) – it means to be dehydrated, or parched. It is a rare word that is first found in Deuteronomy 29 – the context of Deuteronomy 29 is that of the blessings and curses upon Israel. Deuteronomy 29:19-20 challenges - “And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst: (there is our word same), Yahweh will not spare him, but then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and Yahweh shall blot out his name from under heaven. And Yahweh shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the law”. We are Brethren and Sisters in a dry barren wilderness. And there is no water! We need our Jotbath.
We don’t just need our Jotbath we are desperate for it. I don’t know if you have ever been in a dessert, I have. It’s not a nice environment. Imagine if you will that you have been in a hot, dry, parched dessert for let’s say 40 days; with no water. You are dehydrated, you are desperate. Now you can say that you are thirsty. And that’s what our word means. Our Lord was in that state. And what does he say when tempted? Deut 8:3 is his answer - “he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of Yahweh doth man live”. And that is our condition.
The grace won for us by the servant of Yahweh is not a theory. It’s an experience. And God wants us to enjoy that experience freely. His invitation is too good to refuse, too urgent even to delay. Isaiah 55:1 lies so close to the heart of God, it reappears at the very end of the Bible as God’s final word to us all until Christ returns. Revelation 22:17 encourages with - “the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” This is the message God wants every member of the human race to hear. What is he saying? “Don’t just sit there thinking about this, theorizing, hesitating, making excuses. Giving up. Get up. Come over here. I have rich spiritual privilege prepared for you. Buy in—though Someone Else has already paid your bill.”
Jesus said, (John 6:35) “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst”. He said, (John 7:37) “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink”. The Lord Jesus Christ overflows with water. All comes from what he provides, not what we provide. But knowing that isn’t enough. We must dive into that endless ocean. All that stands between us and God right now is our own unbelief. We don’t have to deserve his blessing. We can’t earn it. How can we buy what isn’t for sale?
But God has told us what to do: “Come... come... come.”
Isaiah 55:2 questions - "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy?" Isaiah presses us: “Endless vitality can be yours for nothing. Why don’t you run there? Why? Where’s the payoff you keep sacrificing for here in this worldly system?” We have no reason to refuse God, and we have no reason to cling to our idolatries. That which is not bread cannot satisfy, no matter how expensive it is or how hard we try to make it work. Our world is a vast marketplace of unsatisfying but costly remedies for our God-shaped longings. But we’re not very smart shoppers. Our self-chosen disillusionment can even turn against God. We think he’s against us. When we suffer and our self-pity rages at God and we snuggle up to our most comforting lies, how do we find our way back? Seeing through our lies isn’t enough. The only way back is to look again at the servant of the Lord. We despised him and rejected him as he suffered. But he was bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows. Yahweh laid on him the iniquity of us all. But he didn’t open his mouth against us or against God. In fact, he makes blasphemers to be accounted righteous. Looking again at him can calm our shrieking hatred and restore us to sanity. God is calling us back to himself. He explains his metaphor of buying and eating and how much the reality is worth to us
Isaiah 55:2-3 - "Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David." God is serving rich food, the best in the world. How do we taste his delights? By listening diligently to his Word—patient, open-minded, careful poring over his truth in the Scriptures, thinking it through again and again. That is the essential ingredient to the life that is truly life. Jesus said, John 6:63 - “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life”. Eager listening to God’s Word is the same as coming to him: “Incline your ear, and come to me.”
To all whose hearts leap at the privilege, this is what God gives: 2 Samuel 7 - “...an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.” What is he saying? God made a pledge to David. King Saul had failed; so God replaced him with David. But God promised David that his dynasty would rule forever. Human failure couldn’t destroy the covenant; it was factored into the covenant. How does this benefit us? The Lord Jesus Christ is the heir of the Davidic crown and our true King, if we will have him. And God is committed to the eternal triumph of the throne of Jesus. Not even death could stop him. He cannot fail. He covers the failings of his subjects. And God will never back out on this arrangement. He calls it “an eternal covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.”
The voice from Heaven said of Jesus in Matthew 3:17 - “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. God’s love for us sinners is guaranteed by his love for his Son, who has his full and eternal approval. Our salvation is more than a decision we made in time. It flows from a covenant made in eternity. And the Father delights to keep his covenant with his beloved Son by drawing us into the everlasting love of God. In the prayer of John 17:24-26 our Lord prays - “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
He now directs our attention away from ourselves to the messianic figure ordained for our salvation: Isaiah 55:4, 5 - "Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of Yahweh your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you." (Isaiah 55:4, 5) The “him” in the first line refers back to “David” in verse 3, and the “you” in the third line is not the reader but “David” again. The David of ancient history represented the role of God to the nations from his throne in Israel. They were to rally around him. But only the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of David, can play the role of Saviour of the world. God has decreed it so. The fact of verse 4 has implications in verse 5. Isaiah’s second “Behold” shows us the certainty of God’s victory through Christ. The prophet sees the nations, even those beyond the known world, eagerly running to Christ. What draws them in? The glory of God: “... he has glorified you.” Ultimate beauty is revealed through the birth, teachings, miracles, humility, authority, sufferings, death, resurrection, and reign of Jesus Christ. Christ’s cause will be the only finally successful cause in human history. It’s backed up by all the authority of the will of God. That generates urgency.
Isaiah 55:6, 7 -"Seek Yahweh while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to Yahweh, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon." The banquet of God’s grace is free and abundant, but it’s also conditional. The reason why we’re thirsty (55:1) is that we’re wicked (55:7). We have some adjusting to do, and our opportunity is limited. The door is wide-open now, but it will close. What do we need to get busy doing?
To “seek” Yahweh is to stop dawdling and to become intentional about him, setting highest value on him, removing everything that keeps us from him, hearing His Word without back-talk, opening up to his will with no preconditions, budgeting our money for his cause first—the ever-widening circle is endless. Seeking Yahweh is a whole-life realignment with Christ. We stop treating him as a religious garnish on the side. He becomes our continual feast, our defining center. And the time to move in his direction is now. He is near to us, not far off, not aloof and unavailable. He invites us to call upon him to come still nearer. Our part is to reject ourselves. Revelation 3:17 suggests - “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. How could it be otherwise?
Our ways and thoughts trivialize God and exalt ourselves, our status quo, our adequacy, our okay-ness. But the truth is, we’re wrong. And what’s wrong with us is everything we are, right down to our thoughts. We are so tolerant of our sins, especially if we maintain a superficial, technical righteousness. But we’ve lost the radical edge of real belief. I hope we’re not beyond recovery. I may be. Maybe we’ve forgotten that the Truth is so contrary to our ingrained likes and dislikes, it requires nothing less than a transformation. A transplant, a crossing over. We can’t just tweak our Tanzanian ways and Tanzanian thoughts. We can’t just “make a decision for Christ” be baptized and leave it at that. Being nice, harmless, churchgoing people, with no repentance, no submission, no forsaking of self, no pursuit of Christ—but all that covered over with a glaze of sentimental religion on Sunday mornings—this is not at all what God has in mind for us. We can be so filled with certainty about ourselves that there’s no room for openness to God. Have we drifted from the gospel? We don’t have forever to get back. If we want to feast at the eternal banquet, God is showing us the way. Could he state it more plainly than in Isaiah 55:6, 7? Our only path forward is as obvious as it is radical. I am like one of my railway renovation projects. God is calling me in for a complete overhaul. God is calling us to place ourselves under his scrutiny, welcoming ways and thoughts completely unfamiliar to us but clearly stated in his Word. God is calling us to reform our lives and our Ecclesias with unprecedented newness, because we are not yet living proof of the power of his all-claiming grace.
Humbly accepting his call and courageously following through is nothing less than repentance: “Let me return to the Lord.” God is worth it. If we submit to the power of repentance, God will not meet our trust with abusive scoldings. He will show us his compassion and generous pardon. And here’s our key verse - (vv. 8, 9) - "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares Yahweh. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Why do we need repentance so urgently? Because God’s thoughts and ways are as high above ours as the heavens are above the earth. The gap is wide. We may not see much wrong in our lives, but what matters is how God sees us. Our intuitive feelings and well-established habits can’t be defended; they need to be reexamined. Jesus said, in Matthew 18:3 - “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”. Our expectations of God are small. The logic of grace doesn’t compute with us. We may never actually understand it. God wants us to be like Him. But realizing that humbles us, which is the beginning, the middle, and the end of our salvation. If we’ll keep listening humbly to his Word, God will surprise us with what He can do.
Isaiah 55:10, 11 - "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." God’s people living in the Promised Land were forced to look in faith to a life-source beyond their surroundings. Egypt had the Nile to keep them alive. Mesopotamia had the Tigris and the Euphrates. But Canaan had only the rain—not a constant flow, but a seasonal intervention. If the rains didn’t come, people starved. That’s how important, life-giving water is. God located his people where they had to live by faith in him not once for all but continually. Even the Jewish exiles in Babylon carried a memory of this. They understood that rain was the difference between life and death. God’s word is like the rain, Isaiah says. How so? First: true life comes from beyond us. We can’t control it; we receive it. Secondly: true life overcomes death. And thirdly: true life fulfills the purpose of God. We can’t defeat his delight; his delight makes us more than conquerors. “My word” - verse 11 - sums up all of God’s gracious promises in the book of Isaiah thus far. The prophet comes full circle from chapter 40:8, where he declared, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” Now we know that God’s promises not only last, they give us life. We don’t keep the hope of the gospel alive; this hope keeps us alive. Like the rain, it may take time for the new life fully to burst forth, but rain never fails. Neither does the promise of God to save sinners. In fact, in the end it will be better than we dreamed.
Isaiah 55:12, 13 - "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to Yahweh for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. " Isaiah concludes chapters 40—55 by lighting this fireworks display of bright hope. Two things stand out to me.
First: the sheer objectivity of the gospel. However you and I may respond to God’s promises, the creation will respond. It will explode with joyful freedom when God brings his saving purpose to fulfillment. This objectivity doesn’t mean to shut us out; it means to urge us in. The gospel is not a little psychological uplift; it’s tomorrow’s world headlines today. Let’s believe it.
Secondly: the magnitude of the gospel. Our salvation includes within its scope the whole created order. That’s how big it is. That’s what it’s worth. Our salvation is not ours alone. God promises to renew everything. Ours is a salvation worthy of no one less than God. Let’s respect it. In fact, that magnitude is the point. “It shall make a name for Yahweh.”
The renewed creation, enjoyed by a renewed humanity, ruled by the unchanging Christ—the whole point of this massive salvation is to display forever what kind of person God is. The curse will be reversed. And never again will there be another human fall like Adam’s. Our salvation will be “an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off,” to the eternal glory of God.
Our Jotbath is here in our hands. Our Levites are here in our Brothers and Sisters in the Ecclesia that we choose. How are we doing in our wilderness? “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Yahweh.” Well, what are we going to do about that? Let us, whilst the day is ours, be like the trees that draw up the living rivers of waters, so that we might be like Him.
LESSON FOR US
What a wonderful promise God has made! He has promised that people can become heirs with Abraham of eternal life upon this earth. Let us look forward to the great change which will take place upon the earth when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Then Abraham and all those who have been baptized into Christ and have lived faithfully will inherit the world together with them.
Remember too Lot's mistake in choosing what looked easy and good to him, but was very evil, and nearly cost him his life. Evil companions turn us from the ways of God and make us evil (see Psalm 119:63). Rather let us be like Abraham, who trusted in God to care for him and provide what was necessary.
Our Ecclesia needs to be like Jotbath. Our Levites are the Brothers and Sisters in the Ecclesia that we choose. We need to be planted by the rivers of water - such that our minds might be transformed to be like the minds of God, and that our actions might bring forth fruit.
We must allow God into the decisions that we make. Our lives may depend upon it; certainly our futures do.