Down an Unfamiliar Road

WHICH GOD DO YOU TRUST –

Heman the Ezrahite, who wrote the Psalm 88, had a fellow musician in the temple named Ethan the Ezrahite. He may have read Heman’s piece and decided to pen a psalm of his own in response to what was going on at the time. This same Ethan later became better known as Jeduthun, the chief music director in God’s house of worship. No doubt he was also confused as to why God would allow these heathen kings to threaten His people without retribution. So Ethan wanted to remind God of what everyone thought of Him, perhaps in hopes of getting God to have mercy on His people out of a sense of guilt or responsibility. It’s obvious he felt let down by his heavenly Father, but what Ethan didn’t realize was that it was his own lack of trust in God that he describes, that was letting him down. His psalm teaches us never to take our eyes off God and be blinded by our problem.

“O LORD Eternal, Your undying love will forever be my theme song. Whenever I speak to young people I constantly brag about what a friend I have in You. I’ve told everyone: Your undying love is what makes the world go around. It didn’t happen all at once, You had it planned from the very beginning; it’s part of a promise You made to our ancestors, that You would be available to our children and our grandchildren for ages to come. The stars in the sky sparkle in agreement with what You said, and Your saints below lift You up in praise because of Your faithfulness to Your word. There’s no other being in heaven that even comes close to You, O LORD Eternal; can any heavenly creature be found that is Your equal? There’s only one Sovereign Being for whom the saints have such holy reverence when they gather; and there is none other that the angels who stand around You, hold in such awe. O LORD Eternal and One True God whom millions worship, there is no one who has Your power; not one who embodies Your faithfulness. Yet You have rejected, spurned, and angrily pushed away those You anointed. Yes, You voided Your covenant with the one who serves You, and took what prestige Your anointed had and threw it to the ground. I’m sure You know how short my lifespan is, and You know the purpose for which You created all mankind. There is no one who can outlive death, and no one who can keep his soul from the clutches of the grave. So I ask You, O Divine Master, where is Your undying love?” Psalm 89:1-8, 38-39, 47-49a

Reflection: On a chilly Wednesday afternoon, December 14, 1825, a group of Russian patriots gathered to spark and motivate an uprising against Czar Nicholas I. However, their efforts were crushed, and the Czar’s supporters put out the word that this group had been defeated and over 80 of these misfits were killed. Nonetheless, one of those patriots, Russian poet Kondraty Ryleyev, went around bragging that by some miracle he and others had been spared, and accused the monarchy of exaggerating the numbers that were killed. One of Kondraty’s fellow patriots, Alexander Bestezhev, shook his head in amazement and wondered why people like Kondraty would proudly go around rejoicing over the fact they got away without giving their all for the cause they espoused. Alexander commented, “They are so twisted in their logic that they count their failure as a glorious success. What fools!” No wonder then that Kondraty was arrested two weeks later and charged with planning the Czar’s assassination. He was found guilty and sentenced to hang. A noose was tied around his neck and the executioner pulled the lever, but the rope broke and Kondraty fell to the ground. Such circumstances were often interpreted as divine intervention and the person was let go. But as Kondraty pulled himself bruised and battered off the ground he joked, “In Russia they can’t do anything right, they can’t even make a good rope!” A report of the incident was sent to Czar Nicholas at his winter palace for approval to let Kondraty go because the rope broke. But when the Czar heard what Kondraty said about Russians not knowing how to make a good rope, he decided to prove Kondraty wrong. He was executed on Tuesday, July 25, 1826. While Ethan the Ezrahite does not come across as brazen and lacking in gratitude as Kondraty, they both were complaining that things were not working out in their favor. Kondraty mocked the Czar, and Ethan suggested that God was not as good as He had promoted Himself to be. Sometimes it’s easy to let this type of spiritual blindness that keeps the truth of who God really is from gaining access to our hearts and minds, leading us into the trap of unbelief. We should not allow the illusion that God is not acting the way we think He should from clouding our thinking. In other words, don’t rely on the god of our own creation, but on the God who created us.

God will not accept our excuse for doing nothing just because we don’t have what we wish we had in order to begin. We must use what we already have in order for Him to then supply what we need. So stop dallying, and start doing. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

The man who in 1881 almost single-handedly established, developed, and ran what would become known as the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers, now a prestigious university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Booker T. Washington, in his personal odyssey, Up From Slavery, tells an interesting story of an incident that occurred when the Honorable Frederick Douglass, a well-known social reformer, orator, writer, and statesman, who after escaping from slavery, became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing, was on a train ride through the state of Pennsylvania. The train conductor forced Mr. Douglass, because of his color, to ride in the baggage-car in spite of the fact that he had paid the same price for his passage that the other passengers had paid. Some of the white passengers found out and went into the baggage-car to console Mr. Douglass. One of them said to him: “I am sorry, Mr. Douglass, that you have been degraded in this manner,” Mr. Douglass straightened himself up on the box upon which he was sitting, and replied: “They cannot degrade Frederick Douglass. The soul that is within me no man can degrade. I am not the one that is being degraded on account of this treatment, but those who are inflicting it upon me.” How true this is, and something we oft forget. What people do to others says more about them than it does the person they are doing it to. That applies both to those who do good and those who do bad. Booker Washington goes on to tell another story about the man from whom he chose to take his own last name, George Washington. It seems that General Washington was on the road when he encountered a black man coming from the other direction. The black man politely lifted his hat to General Washington, who lifted his own hat in a return gesture. Some of his white friends who saw the incident criticized Washington for his action. In reply to their criticism George Washington said: “Do you suppose that I am going to permit a poor, uneducated, colored man to be more polite than I am?” Said Booker, “My experience has been that the time to test a true gentleman is to observe him when he is in contact with individuals less fortunate than he is.” We all know how to be civil and polite to those who outrank us, but what do people see when we encounter someone that other’s generally regard as not worth anyone’s time or attention? We may not know who is watching. But we can know for sure that God is watching us, but are we sure He is pleased with what He hears and sees?

THE REST OF THE STORY –

Heman is thought to be the son of Joel and grandson of the prophet Samuel. He was known as a man of wisdom, and chief cantor of the temple choir ensemble. No wonder he felt rejected when Solomon’s son Rehoboam shunned his advice after taking over the throne. Most of his life Heman suffered from ill health, yet it did not keep him from advancing in the temple music ministry. But when Israel revolted due to Rehoboam’s heavy-handedness, many like Heman had to relocate from the north back into Judah; abandoning their pasture lands and property; leaving old friends and neighbors; going from the open spaces of Israel to the crowded confines of Jerusalem. He expresses his frustration in this psalm.

“O LORD Eternal, the One True God my deliverer; each day I beg You to send help. I don’t know if my prayers have reached You yet, or if You’re just not listening. I’m fed up with my misery and want to die; to some people I’m as good as dead anyway; they treat me like a terminally ill patient; suggesting that someone comfort me until I die. I feel like a corpse just waiting to be buried, and You don’t seem to be concerned or even care what happens to me. I know You are upset with me and are constantly reminding me of my shortcomings, but it is driving me crazy and I feel completely demoralized. All of this has caused even my best friends to stay away from me; they don’t want to see me or even talk to me; I’ve become a shut-in with nowhere to go and nobody to see. Yet, in spite of my eyes being swollen with tears of grief and misery, each day I still call out to You and lift my hands to You in prayer, O LORD Eternal, because You don’t perform miracles after someone is dead and gone; people can’t worship You after their spirit has left their body. What good is Your steadfast love after I’m lying in the grave? What meaning does Your faithfulness have after I’ve started to decay in the ground? There is no record of Your miracles being performed in the dark underworld, nor has anyone benefited from Your gracious deeds once they are gone and long forgotten. That’s why I cry out to You now, O LORD Eternal; yes, every morning as day breaks, I want my prayer to greet You.” Psalm 88:1-13

Reflection: Susie Brown loved to compete when making holiday meals. She decided one 4^th of July to outdo everyone. So she decided to put thick mushroom-smothered steaks on her menu. However, she found out that the mushrooms at the store were too expensive. When she told her husband, he suggested she go down by the creek behind the house and pick some wild mushrooms. But Susie balked staying they might be poisonous. So he recommended that she watch and see which ones the animals ate, and pick those. So Susie decided to take a chance. She picked some mushrooms, sliced them up with bacon grease and feed them to the neighbor’s dog. He wagged his tail and ran off licking his chops, happy to get such a treat. She kept her eye on him the rest of the day and he was just fine.  So Susie opted to go ahead with her plans and served a fantastic meal to her family and guests, they said it was first class. After the meal they all relaxed and sat around chatting. Suddenly her daughter came running through the door to report that the neighbor’s dog had just died. Susie immediately went into hysterics. She called the doctor and he had everyone meet him at the emergency room; there he ordered everyone’s stomach pumped out after she told him what happened. Once the uproar died down and everyone straggled back to the house, Susie’s daughter came up to her to tell her the rest of the story: the dog was hit by a car and the driver who ran over him didn’t even stop or slow down! You talk about overreaction!  Susie’s mother didn’t wait for all the facts before she went into panic mode and brought on even more misery and grief, besides having her fantastic cuisine flushed down the hospital disposal. We should all learn from Heman and Susie not to rush to judgment. First we need to ask the LORD how He sees the problem before we judge it to be an emergency or a hopeless situation. At least Heman had the good sense of approaching the LORD after giving his bleak assessment, to see what God would do. He knew that if he let it drive him to the grave, he’d never find out what God intended or had in store, since he’d already be gone before the answer came.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT GOING HOME –

After the break-up of Israel and Judah; and after invasions by heathen kings who scattered God’s people, with many being carried off into captivity; and after famine and other hardships caused many children of God to move in order to find help; and after many Jews sought to expand their business acumen to other countries; it was a joy for them to make a pilgrimage back to Jerusalem and the Holy Mountain of Zion to reconnect with God. The Korahites wrote a musical ode describing the scene on such occasions when people mixed together before God’s house and expressed how blessed they were to be called children of God.

“There’s no place on earth that the LORD Eternal loves any more than His holy sanctuary and the beautiful gates to enter there. No matter where you go, you hear people talking about how beautiful the holy sanctuary of our One True God is. You can talk about world renowned cities where people were born, but the same can be said of God’s holy sanctuary. In fact, anyone who can claim having been born there will be looked up to as very special. For the LORD Eternal keeps record of people from every nation and where they were born; identifying those born in His holy sanctuary. That’s why when the singers began to sing and the dancers begin to dance, they will shout with joy, ‘Everything I am or ever will be I owe to this place!’” Psalm 87:1-6

Reflection: At Passover Jewish people use a special guide called the Haggadah, to help them through the Seder meal and the special occasion it celebrates. When they reach the end of the meal and drink from the final cup, they end with this blessing: “Concluded is the Passover Seder, according to its law and custom. As we have lived to celebrate it now so may we live to celebrate it again. Holy One, who dwells in His habitation restore the myriad congregation. Speedily lead the offshoots of thy stock redeemed to Zion in joyous song.” Then, everyone living outside Israel joins in and shouts “Next year in Jerusalem!” while Jewish people living in Israel say “Next year in Jerusalem rebuilt!” One day the psalmist will be joined by a myriad of true believers from all over the world as they stream into Jerusalem to welcome the returning Messiah. Likewise, just as this thought brings joy and excitement to the psalmist, it will do the same for everyone who believes and awaits that glorious day. What if Christian congregations in churches around the world ended their Sunday services with this shout: “Next Sunday in the New Jerusalem!” My, what hope that would bring to those who feel exiled in this world. But remember, your name must first be in the record God keeps in order to be freely admitted there.

IS GOD SMILING –

The compilers of the Psalter put together this section of the Psalter about trusting in God and not in oneself to help believers to be who, where, and what God wants them to be. So they included this prayer of David that tells of his dependency on his heavenly Father in times of stress and distress. David did not try to hide his emotions and the dilemma he was dealing with. No doubt he did so to encourage others to get things out in the open; not so much to inform God, because He already knows, but to examine their own words and feelings to see if they were being open, honest, and sincere.

“O LORD Eternal, I need Your answer now, I’m at the end of my rope. You know I love You and I need You right now; there’s no one I trust more than You, O One True God. I’ve been crying all day long, Heavenly Master, is there anything You can do? I want to be happy again, and any chance I have depends entirely on You. I know how good and forgiving You are, and You never deny anyone who trusts in Your undying love. I need You to listen, O LORD Eternal. There’s no one else I’d rather turn to when I’m in trouble because You always listen. There’s no other god like You, Heavenly Master, and no other reputation like Yours of reaching out to those in need. One day every person on earth will come and bow down before you, O Heavenly Master, and acknowledge You for who You are. For the awesome miracles You do, lifts You above all others, O One True God. Teach me what I need to know, O LORD Eternal, so I can be what You want me to be. I don’t want any doubts about my dedication to You. That way I can worship You with my mind made up, and heap on You the honor You deserve. Your undying love is amazing; it’s what has kept me from giving up and not caring anymore what happens to me. Because, O One True God, people who don’t care what happens to me have pushed me aside, they are ruthless in their attitude no matter what it may do to me, and they have little interest in what You’ve done in my life. But I know that You, O Divine Lord, are the compassionate and merciful Lord of my life, and that You are extremely patient and overflowing with a love that will last to the end. So I ask that You give me my turn to be the victor by endowing me with special strength as one of Your liberated sons. All I want is some sign that You are on my side so that those who have tried to hinder my progress will see it and be embarrassed because they recognize now that You, O LORD Eternal, are the one who took my side to ensure that I would come out the winner.” Psalm 86:1-17

Reflection: Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous writer of such well-known works as “Treasure Island” and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” told of a sailing vessel caught in a storm just off a rocky coast that threatened to smash it on the rocks and send its passengers to a watery grave. However, in the midst of the terror one daring young man, contrary to advice, went up on deck and completed a risky passage over to the pilot house. There he saw the pilot standing firmly at his post, steadily holding the wheel, and inch by inch steering the ship back out to sea away from the rocks. The pilot saw the young man and gave him a knowing smile. With that the daring passenger returned below deck and cheerily exclaimed to the passengers, “I saw a smile on the pilot’s face, all is well!” David felt a similar sense of relief each time he found himself in troubled waters; with possible hurt and ruin dangerously close by. But after he went to God in prayer, the Holy Pilot gave him a signal that calmed his heart. David and that young passenger both teach us that we often need to take our eyes off the storm, away from the foaming waves and look at who is guiding our ship. As long as God doesn’t get scared, neither should we. Ask yourself, when was the last time you took a look at who is piloting your life? Did you see Him smile? If so, then you may shortly hear Him say, “Peace, be still.”

REVIVAL IS FOR SAINTS NOT SINNERS –

The Korahites not only wanted to return to being ministers in the house of the LORD, but they also wanted to see the Spirit of the LORD active among His people, and demonstrated in the Holy Place when worship was going on. They were tired of dealing with stories of what use to be and how great things were, they wanted to feel His presence and experience His power now, with the same intensity that often caused His people to spontaneously break out in praise and worship. This caused the desire for revival to burn within their souls. This is something sinners cannot feel until they are born again, because the spirit within them must first be alive before it can be revived.

“O LORD Eternal, there were times You blessed our land; times when You gave us prosperity; times You forgave our immoral conduct, and times You overlooked our mistakes. You didn’t get mad or vengeful; You didn’t let Your anger get out of control. The time has come for us to be reconciled with You, O One True God our Helper; please cancel any punishment You had planned. It’s not like You to hold this against us forever, or against our children, or their children. I believe You will send a revival O LORD Eternal; let Your power set us free to rejoice once more. Now I’m interested in how the Sovereign LORD Eternal will respond to my prayer. I’m sure He will calm the fears of His people, the ones He loves, so they won’t go back to living foolishly like they did before. Salvation is available to all those who respect and revere Him so they can return to where they used to be. That’s when steadfast love and truth will embrace; justice and honesty will kiss. Yes, love and loyalty will sprout and mushroom throughout the land, as we are led from above to make honesty a part of everything we do. For the LORD Eternal will see to it that our good works will be rewarded with a great harvest. Yes, I’m sure that being honest will make it possible for Him to move in a mighty way.” Psalm 85:1-13

Reflection: In Chapter XXI of his autobiography, Charles Finney tells of the fantastic results of an 1830 evangelistic crusade in Rochester, New York. Many members of high society were born again; taverns closed because people stopped drinking; one lawyer reported that visitors increased the city’s population threefold during that time while prosecution for crime went down two thirds. One well-known citizen, who boasted of being an infidel, fell under conviction while shopping, fell to his knees and gave his heart to God. Later this same infidel became a trustee of a local Bible College. In effect it turned the city upside down. Some may read this and say, “That was back then, things are different now.” The Psalmist must have heard the same negative comments. He knew that any hope of restoration; any dream of getting back to the level of high morality in society; any hope for peace and security; and any hope of returning to spirit-filled worship of the One True God depended on how God would answer his plea. It was his prayer that God would send revival throughout the land; that He would spark the fire of repentance and restoration of what was righteous and holy. But he also knew that there must first be a hunger for such a move of God’s Spirit in the hearts of His children.

If that was true then it’s true today. O how wonderful if the Psalmist’s prayer would become the prayer of every believer today, and their willingness to wait for the Lord to respond. If Christians want to change society, they must first be changed themselves, and this will take an old fashion revival.

GOING BACK IS NOT THAT HARD –

Levi’s second son was named Kohath, and he had a son named Korah. David appointed one of Korah’s sons named Heman to be head of the music ministry, after the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. The Korahites were in charge as door-keepers for the tent David built to house this holy and sacred object. Over time, many of these Korahites were scattered and displaced because of invasions and changes in leadership in the kingdom. One of these door-keepers found himself far from Jerusalem and longed to get back so he could once again see and experience God’s presence in the holy sanctuary of the Almighty.

“For the millions who magnify You O LORD Eternal, Your sanctuary is awesome. I can hardly wait to get there to worship You; because my heart and mind long to be in the presence of our Heavenly King. I’ve watched as a sparrow found a home and made a nest for itself in the spire of Your sanctuary, where it can hatch its young, O LORD Eternal of millions, my King and my One True God. So how much more blessed are those who tarry there, because they enjoy celebrating You. There they receive strength to continue on toward their heavenly goal. Along life’s journey there are times we find ourselves in tears, but we let those tears turn into fountains of joy; we let our weeping become pools of refreshing. As such, we’ll find ourselves getting stronger and stronger as we continue our journey to be with You, O LORD. So answer our prayers, my One One True God and Defender; let us continue to enjoy Your anointing and favor. For I would rather stand at the entrance of Your sanctuary for just one day as a doorkeeper, than to relax in the mansions of godless millionaires for a thousand. For You are the sunshine of my life; making me feel favored and honored. You do not withhold Your approval from those who live the way they should. So the millions who magnify You O LORD Eternal can count their blessings when they put their full trust in You.” Psalm 84:1-12

Reflection: A young man named William Kirkpatrick, son of a school teacher and musician, came from a small town in Pennsylvania, USA. His interest in music caused him to move to Philadelphia where he worked as a carpenter while going to school. Every spare moment he spent learning music. During this time he met a church soloist who, unfortunately, did not share his enthusiastic love for God. He became burdened for his new friend, and wanted to inspire him to rededicate his life to Jesus. So Kirkpatrick wrote a song and gave it to his friend. After learning the song, the soloist decided to sing it one night at a revival meeting. He had a wonderful voice, and began to sing so beautifully: “I’ve wandered far away from God, now I’m coming home; the paths of sin too long I’ve trod, Lord, I’m coming home.” As he went on, the soloist became so convicted by the words of the song, that when he finished he went straight to the altar and repented of his waywardness. The Psalmist felt a similar desire to return to the place where he first felt God’s presence and Spirit. Some are taught it’s best to cancel out the past and start all over. But that’s like a runaway child asking to come home and start all over again like a baby. Rather, it is coming home, asking forgiveness, and picking up the torch where it was dropped, but this time going off in the right direction. It is good to know that God is so forgiving, so caring, and so understanding, that He will not wait until you decide to return, but will go to great lengths to send you a message that He wants you to come home.

In his famous work, “Guide for the Perplexed,” written between 1186-1190 AD, Jewish philosopher and theologian Moses Maimonides writes in Chapter 50 how by faith we cannot only understand what we hear spoken by another person’s lips but also comprehend that which is apprehended by the soul. Thereby we are convinced that the object of our belief is real. He then compares the monotheistic belief of Judaism that there is but one God, and He alone is God, with the Christian belief that there is one God with three attributes. In other words, that He is three in one. However, since God is Spirit and has no corporeality, He cannot reveal Himself in any form. So Christians, says Maimonides, declare His unity with their lips, but assume plurality in their thoughts. He goes on, “For belief is only possible after the apprehension of a thing; it consists in the conviction that the thing apprehended has its existence beyond the mind exactly as it is conceived in the mind.” So we can see, that the concept of the Trinity was already known in Jewish circles over a thousand years ago. But we also see that while Maimonides gives the definition of faith, he rejects it as plausible when matched with human logic. This should help us understand why so many Jews missed the Anointed One when He came. They believed in the Messiah with their lips, but just couldn’t accept Him with their hearts. But they are not alone, there are many people today who accept what they’ve heard that there once was a man named Jesus of Nazareth, but cannot bring themselves to accept the message with their hearts that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. But their lack of faith does not change who God is, He will always be the same: yesterday, today and forever! – Dr. Robert R. Seyda

Sometimes our best intentions result in unintentional discord and disharmony. Abraham is well-known for his devotion to God and his willingness to be obedient to God’s call. But there are several instances where his human faculties got in the way of his spiritual faith and it brought humiliation and heartbreak. For instance, when he lied to Pharaoh in Egypt about Sarah being his sister. Even though she was his half sister, his intention was to pass her off as being unmarried and was blessed with many livestock and servants because Pharaoh thought he was her brother (Gen. 12:10-20). But unbeknownst to Abraham at the time, an even bigger mistake was made earlier. When his father Terah left Chaldea, he also brought his son Nahor and his other son Haran’s orphaned child, Lot. Apparently there were a few things that concerned Abram about leaving Lot with his father, so when God called him to move on, without asking God he took his nephew Lot with him as he headed out for Canaan and Egypt. This would turn out to be a big error. No sooner had they returned to Canaan from Egypt, when Lot and his herdsmen begin to quarrel and fight with Abram’s herdsmen. So Abram had to step in and offer Lot the opportunity of choosing the best grazing land and he’d take the more sparse area. After Lot left, Abram thought his nephew was now out of his hair. But then he got word that Lot and his family had been carried off into captivity by the king of Babylon. So Abram had to round up a 318 volunteer army and go rescue his nephew. Things when well for awhile, until three visitors told Abram that the city where Lot and his family chose to live was so wicked, that God was planning to destroy it. So again Abraham has to rise to the occasion and tried to save Lot and his family through prayer. He bargained with God to save the city, but was unsuccessful because not even 10 righteous men, enough to start a synagogue, could be found among its citizens. But these same visitors went to Sodom and warned Lot to get out, which he did just in the nick of time. But it was not without cost, because Lot lost his disobedient wife in the process. Then in desperation while camping out in a cave, Lot’s two daughters decided that since their mother was gone, the only way to continue the legacy of their father was to get pregnant with him through incest. They were successful in that regard, but their idea was a bad one. One daughter gave birth to a son named Moab, and the other daughter to a son who became known as Ammon. They eventually became the heads of the Moabites and Ammonites, which ended up being enemies of their grand uncle Abraham’s descendants through Jacob. Had Abraham left his nephew back in Haran with his father Terah, he may have saved himself and Israel all the trouble that followed. Sometimes we may do things that sound good or look good, but no doubt it will always be best if we ask God first for guidance. No pun intended, but that may end up saving us a Lot of trouble.