Grace Moment by Moment-monthly column
Restoration: God’s Promise for His People Today
Accountability is a key ingredient when it comes to the difference between regret and true repentance. Without Holy Spirit-empowered people who are available and ready to obey God, hope for restoration is extinguished. These Holy Spirit-empowered people, like the prophets of old, must be willing to confront those who veer off the track He has set before them, no matter what it costs personally or professionally. As we’ve seen, sin narrows the vision of God’s plan for redemption, but God’s Grace expands its scope internationally to include redemption for everyone. Walter Kaiser, in his book Toward an Old Testament Theology, had this to say on God’s promise for everyone:
Israel’s sonship expressed a familial relationship: a people who made up the family of God. Israel was not a family in an adopted sense or mere ethnic, political or social unity. Rather, it was a family formed, saved and guarded by God the “Father” of this family (Kaiser, Theology, 102).
We see clearly as we move through the theology of the Bible, that God’s promise plan was not only to address sin and its consequences even to the exile of the nation of Israel. Rather, it was to provide hope for Israel’s restoration and the eventual restoration of the human race through the repentance of sin. That redemption can only be provided by Jesus Christ, to all who believe. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13, NASB). God and Satan’s battle will not be fully resolved until Christ comes back (Revelation 20: 7-10). Then the promised hope for eventual restoration of Israel and humanity will be complete (Revelation 21: 1-22: 21).
Conclusion
When the deceptively false sense of security Satan pushes, drives them to the comfort of the familiar through the illusion of the past, Israel and humanity need to know that God is ever faithful, and willing to answer the heart cry of His people, even in exile. Hope exists. Because God’s Grace flowed through Christ’s blood at Calvary, Israel and humanity today are reminded that God has provided a way for restoration (Matthew 27: 33-54; Mark 15:22-39; Luke 23:33-46; John 19: 17-30). The Prophet Joel’s prophecy as to the coming Day of the Lord is a promise to those still lost in sin (Joel 2:28-32). People can, individually and nationally, receive restoration if they repent (1 John 1:9). The temporal consequences may still have to be paid, but the eternal consequences may be absolved through forgiveness.
However, it is important, we, as the people of God, realize the seriousness of sin and its consequences. Living in these turbulent times, any action taken without doing so is an invitation to disaster.
It is the choices people make, for good or ill, whether or not to trust God, that determines the direction their life will take. On the one hand, will we, individually and nationally, choose to follow God’s leading? On the other hand, if we determine to do things ourselves, we may instead, give lip service only to what God wants.
Works Cited
The Holy Bible: New Century Version. Dallas: Word, 1993.
The Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984.
The Holy Bible: New American Standard Version. The Lockman Foundation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.
Hawkins, Dr. Ralph K. “The Historical Books: Sin and Exile.” Biblical Theology 2008. Bethel College, Mishawaka. 14 February 2008.
Kaiser, Jr. Walter C. Studies in Old Testament Biblical Theology: The Messiah in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.
---. Toward an Old Testament Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991.
Mc Arthur, John. The Mc Arthur Bible Commentary. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005. 299-386.
---. “First and Second Samuel: Qualifications for a King and the Establishment of David’s Line.” The Mc Arthur Bible Handbook. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003. 85-98.
---. “Esther: A Queen Who Served God.” The Mc Arthur Bible Handbook. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2003. 137-42.
About Me
- Belle Anne Leslie
- I love to write poetry, fiction, non-fiction and feature articles!
Friday, April 04, 2008
God's Promise for His People Today, Part Two
Grace Moment by Moment-monthly column
Samuel: The Voice of God Calling Sinners to Repentance
Samuel, an answer to prayer (1 Samuel 1:8-20), was born to be a prophet of God. Samuel, like the prophesied Anointed One from his mother Hannah’s prayer (Kaiser, Messiah, 66-72), was destined to be used of God to call sinners to repentance (1 Samuel 2:9-10, 35ff). It cannot have been easier then, any more than it is today to speak the Word of God to unrepentant ears or to people one comes to care about deeply (1 Samuel 3:8-21). The task so designated by God, is to call people to repentance of sin, out of exile, back into a restored relationship with Him. However, Satan, knowing this, hardens peoples’ hearts to the awareness or recognition of sin and its effects (Psalms 95: 7-11; Hebrews 3: 7-11). That is why Israel, over the course of her existence, has fallen so far that being held accountable for her sins seems difficult at best, disastrous at worst. Yet, God is faithful, gracious even when His people are not, either to each other or to Him.
Samuel, like the prophets who came before and after him, is used by God to confront in a spirit of gentleness, Israel and her kings. He is sent to convict them, lovingly, for their flagrant violations of covenant law, just as the prophet Joel does for humanity and its sinful nature today (2:28-32). In 1 Samuel 15: 10-22, we get a sense of the frustration the prophets must have experienced when it seemed as if God’s Word fell on deaf ears. For Samuel, the difficulty lies in Saul’s inability to recognize the seriousness of what he did wrong. Samuel loves and obeys God unquestionably, but from the tone of 1 Samuel 15: 22-23 we can almost hear him reasoning in his mind ‘why does not Saul feel the same way?’
It is only when Saul realizes that he has been caught, in verses 24-25, that he confesses his sin which is “generated more by a concern over consequences (regret) rather than by sorrow over having offended his holy God (repentance)” (McArthur, Commentary, 326). However, we see in verses 26ff, that the consequences for his disobedience must still be answered for. It is clear that God is a loving God, able to pardon and forgive graciously, but it is also evident that sin does cost. It is a cost that must be paid in blood, according to the covenant laws for atonement and repentance (Leviticus 1:3-7; 5:14-6:7; 6:8-13; 7:1-10). By allowing even one Amalekite to live (Agag), Saul’s disobedience marks the gradual decline of Israel’s fall and leads to a blood feud that continues through the Monarchial period and beyond, into exile. The blood of innocents caught in the crossfire of the feud, cried out to God to be heard, for justice to be done, and forgiveness to be sought in the midst of Israel’s consequences for sin, exile.
Esther: Faithfulness and Obedience in the Midst of Exile
Therefore, exile simply stated, is a separation of a person or a nation from total awareness of sin’s impact on life. It can be sin-imposed, a growing estrangement from God and friends developed through an inability to be accountable for the actions done and words said. Alternately, it can be a failure to follow through on commitments demonstrated through “the personal and national effects of sin” (McArthur, Commentary, 301). Lastly, it can also be self-imposed, a period of separation from friends, family, or business associates for the purpose of conducting self-evaluation due to circumstances in life.
In the Book of Esther, we see the impact of all types of exile through the eyes of Mordecai, Haman, Esther and King Xerxes. God providentially intercedes behind the scenes, orchestrating events and people. It is possible to see through the treachery of sin’s effects to the glimpses of God’s grace and the promised hope of Restoration for Israel then and God’s people today.
The “time of Esther arrived 550 years after the death of Agag,” but, despite the “passage of time,” the memory of King Saul’s disobedience to God’s command to kill all the Amalekites “still smoldered in [the souls of the people]” (McArthur, Handbook, 139). The judgment pronounced on Saul and his descendants (1 Samuel 15:17-29) was about to come true. However, unless true repentance was shown, redemption and restoration would not occur. Israel, at this time, was living out the penalty (exile) for sinful acts of disobedience as prophesied by prophets such as Jeremiah, Amos, etc. Quietly orchestrated behind the scenes comes another battle, this one of divine wills clashing, played out through the lens of Esther, Mordecai, Haman and King Xerxes. This confrontation scratched only the surface of the true battle being fought. The two truly main characters in this book are God and Satan. The stakes are high: the total redemption or annihilation of humanity, not just of Israel.
Some evidence of Satan’s attempts to do everything to thwart God’s plan to redeem humanity include “the fall of man (Genesis 3:1-19) and Christ’s line through the tribe of Judah [which] had been murderously reduced to Joash alone. [He was providentially] rescued and preserved (2 Chronicles 22:10-12)” (McArthur, Handbook, 139-140). In contrast, we clearly see evidence of God’s continued faithfulness when we look at the events unfolding in Esther. These circumstances are national in scope, but the battle between God and Satan is not new. However, the promised hope that is offered is. It is being played out on a personal, individual level through the choices Esther, Mordecai, and King Xerxes make.
Esther chooses to obey Mordecai, her uncle, and not tell anyone who she is or who her people are (Esther 2:10). Mordecai lets go of the still smoldering anger over the choice his ancestor, King Saul, made, rather than let it cloud the future of his people (Esther 4:1). What about King Xerxes? While he did not surrender his pride completely, he did eventually choose to right a terrible wrong about to be committed to people under his authority as a sovereign ruler (Esther 3:1-15; 7:1-8:14).
While all of this is speculation up to a point it does present a valid argument. It has been argued by Bethel College professor, Dr. Ralph Hawkins, that “the book of Esther does not belong in the canon of the Bible because God’s name is not mentioned, and there is no evidence that it reflects anything theological other than the nationalism of Israel” (Hawkins, Class Lecture, 2/14/08). However, it is a proven fact that God’s wisdom is not limited or confined to one type of literature. Each book of the Biblical canon gives a glimpse into the many facets of God’s character. Thus, the diversity of the Bible (including Esther, Ruth, etc) reflects the diversity God craves for Christians today, as part of Israel’s extended family by adoption. So the morality play enacted through Esther, Haman, Mordecai, and King Xerxes mirrors the spiritual battle that exists at humanity’s core.
By the time this story plays out, Israel has been in exile at least 100 years (since Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C.) though the specific length may be uncertain. As a nation in exile, the Jewish people are subject to the laws and protocol of the host nation. As such, it is possible many male Jewish traditions, i.e. the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Tabernacles could not be practiced nor could the people gather together in large numbers, as that would attract undue attention to them (McArthur, Handbook, 142). The Empire of Persia was so great, its reach so far, and diverse that anyone working near or within the palace would not wish to draw attention to themselves or their ethnic group for fear of swift reprisal. For a Jewish woman within the palace court, the penalty for drawing attention to one’s self could incur a swift death for the woman’s family. Because Daniel and his friends did not face the same familial consequences for their actions they showed no fear of death or concern for themselves in their desire to honor God. So it is understandable, that Mordecai would caution Esther not to say or do anything to reveal herself, given the brooding threat of Haman and his kindred and other unknown enemies (Esther 2:10-11).
The tug of wills between God and Satan increased in danger, starting in Esther 2: 19ff, for by this time Esther had become Queen and Mordecai assumed a prominent place in the environs of the king’s gate. While there, Mordecai overhears a plot against King Xerxes, and alerts Esther. She in turn alerts the king, and the assassination plot is thwarted. Satan throws an obstacle in God’s way when he uses Haman to instigate a confrontation between Mordecai and Haman (Esther 3:1-15). However, God was not fooled: “As expected God’s prophecy to extinguish the Amalekites (Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 25:17-19) and God’s promise to save the Jews (Genesis 17:1-8) prevailed” (McArthur, Handbook, 139). This leads to the most famous portion of Scripture found in this book:
Then Mordecai sent back word to Esther: “Just because you live in the king’s palace, don’t think that out of all the Jewish people you alone will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people, but you and your father’s family will all die. And who knows, you may have been chosen queen for such a time as this.” Then Esther sent this answer to Mordecai: “Go and get all the Jewish people in Susa together. For my sake, give up eating; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my servant girls will also give up eating. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I die, I die.” So Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had told him to do. (Esther 4: 13-17, NCV)
What the story then comes down to is freedom of choice. We can, like Esther, Mordecai, and Abraham choose the right path, the one that is straight and narrow and difficult to climb but leads to life. Alternately, we can choose like King Saul and Haman, the way that is broad, smooth and seemingly easy to ascend but whose end is death. Chapters 5 and following of Esther demonstrate the power of God to work providentially behind the scenes. They also illustrate how a Gentile king, Xerxes—who was not the first person to do so—chose to honor God by redressing a wrong committed in his name against the people of God.
Samuel: The Voice of God Calling Sinners to Repentance
Samuel, an answer to prayer (1 Samuel 1:8-20), was born to be a prophet of God. Samuel, like the prophesied Anointed One from his mother Hannah’s prayer (Kaiser, Messiah, 66-72), was destined to be used of God to call sinners to repentance (1 Samuel 2:9-10, 35ff). It cannot have been easier then, any more than it is today to speak the Word of God to unrepentant ears or to people one comes to care about deeply (1 Samuel 3:8-21). The task so designated by God, is to call people to repentance of sin, out of exile, back into a restored relationship with Him. However, Satan, knowing this, hardens peoples’ hearts to the awareness or recognition of sin and its effects (Psalms 95: 7-11; Hebrews 3: 7-11). That is why Israel, over the course of her existence, has fallen so far that being held accountable for her sins seems difficult at best, disastrous at worst. Yet, God is faithful, gracious even when His people are not, either to each other or to Him.
Samuel, like the prophets who came before and after him, is used by God to confront in a spirit of gentleness, Israel and her kings. He is sent to convict them, lovingly, for their flagrant violations of covenant law, just as the prophet Joel does for humanity and its sinful nature today (2:28-32). In 1 Samuel 15: 10-22, we get a sense of the frustration the prophets must have experienced when it seemed as if God’s Word fell on deaf ears. For Samuel, the difficulty lies in Saul’s inability to recognize the seriousness of what he did wrong. Samuel loves and obeys God unquestionably, but from the tone of 1 Samuel 15: 22-23 we can almost hear him reasoning in his mind ‘why does not Saul feel the same way?’
It is only when Saul realizes that he has been caught, in verses 24-25, that he confesses his sin which is “generated more by a concern over consequences (regret) rather than by sorrow over having offended his holy God (repentance)” (McArthur, Commentary, 326). However, we see in verses 26ff, that the consequences for his disobedience must still be answered for. It is clear that God is a loving God, able to pardon and forgive graciously, but it is also evident that sin does cost. It is a cost that must be paid in blood, according to the covenant laws for atonement and repentance (Leviticus 1:3-7; 5:14-6:7; 6:8-13; 7:1-10). By allowing even one Amalekite to live (Agag), Saul’s disobedience marks the gradual decline of Israel’s fall and leads to a blood feud that continues through the Monarchial period and beyond, into exile. The blood of innocents caught in the crossfire of the feud, cried out to God to be heard, for justice to be done, and forgiveness to be sought in the midst of Israel’s consequences for sin, exile.
Esther: Faithfulness and Obedience in the Midst of Exile
Therefore, exile simply stated, is a separation of a person or a nation from total awareness of sin’s impact on life. It can be sin-imposed, a growing estrangement from God and friends developed through an inability to be accountable for the actions done and words said. Alternately, it can be a failure to follow through on commitments demonstrated through “the personal and national effects of sin” (McArthur, Commentary, 301). Lastly, it can also be self-imposed, a period of separation from friends, family, or business associates for the purpose of conducting self-evaluation due to circumstances in life.
In the Book of Esther, we see the impact of all types of exile through the eyes of Mordecai, Haman, Esther and King Xerxes. God providentially intercedes behind the scenes, orchestrating events and people. It is possible to see through the treachery of sin’s effects to the glimpses of God’s grace and the promised hope of Restoration for Israel then and God’s people today.
The “time of Esther arrived 550 years after the death of Agag,” but, despite the “passage of time,” the memory of King Saul’s disobedience to God’s command to kill all the Amalekites “still smoldered in [the souls of the people]” (McArthur, Handbook, 139). The judgment pronounced on Saul and his descendants (1 Samuel 15:17-29) was about to come true. However, unless true repentance was shown, redemption and restoration would not occur. Israel, at this time, was living out the penalty (exile) for sinful acts of disobedience as prophesied by prophets such as Jeremiah, Amos, etc. Quietly orchestrated behind the scenes comes another battle, this one of divine wills clashing, played out through the lens of Esther, Mordecai, Haman and King Xerxes. This confrontation scratched only the surface of the true battle being fought. The two truly main characters in this book are God and Satan. The stakes are high: the total redemption or annihilation of humanity, not just of Israel.
Some evidence of Satan’s attempts to do everything to thwart God’s plan to redeem humanity include “the fall of man (Genesis 3:1-19) and Christ’s line through the tribe of Judah [which] had been murderously reduced to Joash alone. [He was providentially] rescued and preserved (2 Chronicles 22:10-12)” (McArthur, Handbook, 139-140). In contrast, we clearly see evidence of God’s continued faithfulness when we look at the events unfolding in Esther. These circumstances are national in scope, but the battle between God and Satan is not new. However, the promised hope that is offered is. It is being played out on a personal, individual level through the choices Esther, Mordecai, and King Xerxes make.
Esther chooses to obey Mordecai, her uncle, and not tell anyone who she is or who her people are (Esther 2:10). Mordecai lets go of the still smoldering anger over the choice his ancestor, King Saul, made, rather than let it cloud the future of his people (Esther 4:1). What about King Xerxes? While he did not surrender his pride completely, he did eventually choose to right a terrible wrong about to be committed to people under his authority as a sovereign ruler (Esther 3:1-15; 7:1-8:14).
While all of this is speculation up to a point it does present a valid argument. It has been argued by Bethel College professor, Dr. Ralph Hawkins, that “the book of Esther does not belong in the canon of the Bible because God’s name is not mentioned, and there is no evidence that it reflects anything theological other than the nationalism of Israel” (Hawkins, Class Lecture, 2/14/08). However, it is a proven fact that God’s wisdom is not limited or confined to one type of literature. Each book of the Biblical canon gives a glimpse into the many facets of God’s character. Thus, the diversity of the Bible (including Esther, Ruth, etc) reflects the diversity God craves for Christians today, as part of Israel’s extended family by adoption. So the morality play enacted through Esther, Haman, Mordecai, and King Xerxes mirrors the spiritual battle that exists at humanity’s core.
By the time this story plays out, Israel has been in exile at least 100 years (since Jerusalem fell in 586 B.C.) though the specific length may be uncertain. As a nation in exile, the Jewish people are subject to the laws and protocol of the host nation. As such, it is possible many male Jewish traditions, i.e. the Feasts of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Tabernacles could not be practiced nor could the people gather together in large numbers, as that would attract undue attention to them (McArthur, Handbook, 142). The Empire of Persia was so great, its reach so far, and diverse that anyone working near or within the palace would not wish to draw attention to themselves or their ethnic group for fear of swift reprisal. For a Jewish woman within the palace court, the penalty for drawing attention to one’s self could incur a swift death for the woman’s family. Because Daniel and his friends did not face the same familial consequences for their actions they showed no fear of death or concern for themselves in their desire to honor God. So it is understandable, that Mordecai would caution Esther not to say or do anything to reveal herself, given the brooding threat of Haman and his kindred and other unknown enemies (Esther 2:10-11).
The tug of wills between God and Satan increased in danger, starting in Esther 2: 19ff, for by this time Esther had become Queen and Mordecai assumed a prominent place in the environs of the king’s gate. While there, Mordecai overhears a plot against King Xerxes, and alerts Esther. She in turn alerts the king, and the assassination plot is thwarted. Satan throws an obstacle in God’s way when he uses Haman to instigate a confrontation between Mordecai and Haman (Esther 3:1-15). However, God was not fooled: “As expected God’s prophecy to extinguish the Amalekites (Exodus 17:14; Deuteronomy 25:17-19) and God’s promise to save the Jews (Genesis 17:1-8) prevailed” (McArthur, Handbook, 139). This leads to the most famous portion of Scripture found in this book:
Then Mordecai sent back word to Esther: “Just because you live in the king’s palace, don’t think that out of all the Jewish people you alone will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people, but you and your father’s family will all die. And who knows, you may have been chosen queen for such a time as this.” Then Esther sent this answer to Mordecai: “Go and get all the Jewish people in Susa together. For my sake, give up eating; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my servant girls will also give up eating. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law, and if I die, I die.” So Mordecai went away and did everything Esther had told him to do. (Esther 4: 13-17, NCV)
What the story then comes down to is freedom of choice. We can, like Esther, Mordecai, and Abraham choose the right path, the one that is straight and narrow and difficult to climb but leads to life. Alternately, we can choose like King Saul and Haman, the way that is broad, smooth and seemingly easy to ascend but whose end is death. Chapters 5 and following of Esther demonstrate the power of God to work providentially behind the scenes. They also illustrate how a Gentile king, Xerxes—who was not the first person to do so—chose to honor God by redressing a wrong committed in his name against the people of God.
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