Jeremiah 2:31-32 And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’? Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
Hosea 2:6-7 Therefore I will hedge up her way with thorns, and I will build a wall against her, so that she cannot find her paths. She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’
"I wish to submit to His sovereign will,
nay, to cordially acquiesce therein,
and to examine myself rightly to see what in me has contributed to this evil."
~ William Carey ~
THE THORNY HEDGE
Ho! You hungry, thirsty covenant child
In days of famine and of drought,
Be sure My grace will find you out!
Merciful pursuit – the thorny hedge
Proves My everlasting blood-bought pledge
In the Valley of Achor, O! troubled bride
Drink of My consolations, draw near My side
The wall erected, your paths unfound
My chast'ning love to turn thee around
Remember thy espousals and repent
Feast on choicest wine, bread heaven-sent
To My sovereign will cordially acquiesce
Have I ever been a wilderness?
How can the Fount of Life be darkness?
Escape the ephah, enjoy My rest!
Ho! You hungry, thirsty covenant child
In nights of famine and of drought
Come and sup, be satisfied in My house!
Job 5:17-18 Behold, BLESSED is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
Isaiah 55:1-3 Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? 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.
Psalm 65:4 BLESSED is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
Zechariah 5:1 Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. 2 And he said unto me, What seest thou? And I answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. 3 Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. 4 I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.
5 Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. 6 And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth. 7 And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah. 8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof. 9 Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven. 10 Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah? 11 And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. (KJV)
The following is an excerpt from Lecture VI. of Ralph Wardlaw's "Lectures on the Prophecies of Zechariah" (Second Edition 1869, ed. by The Rev. J. S. Wardlaw; (Stoke-on-Trent: Tentmaker Publications, reprinted 2002 & 2007), 114-188, 121-122 (italics original, boldface mine).
"An ephah."
This was a common Jewish measure, the same as a "bath;" containing ten "homers," or about an English bushel. . . .
1. Who, or what, is represented by the woman? — . . . There is nothing else that can well be supposed to be represented by the symbol, but the Jewish people — the nation of Israel, — the ancient Church of God — " the daughter of Zion." I acquiesce, then, in this interpretation; which is the one most commonly received. . .
2. But why is this woman represented as seated in an ephah? — As to what the ephah is, there exists of course no difficulty. But to the question just put. Why in an ephah? . . . I am disposed, then, to understand the ephah as the apt emblem of traffic, or merchandise. It was one of the most common measures in use among the Jews. In proof of this it may be noticed, that it is selected as the representative of measures in general. . . The ephah, then, is a sufficiently appropriate symbol of the merchandise, or business, of this world; and the woman seated in the ephah, of the Jewish people immersed in worldliness.
This worldliness — this eager thirst after earthly things — mingled with a large amount of dishonesty and deceit in their acquisition, was a ground of divine complaint and expostulation by the prophets, previously to the captivity. Their idolatries might then be the chief theme of censure and remonstrance; but it was far from being the only one. . . [Wardlaw references Amos viii. 4 — 6.] . . .
We have further to notice, that the same worldly disposition had manifested itself after the return from the captivity, as well as before. [Wardlaw references Neh. xiii. 10, 15 — 18.] . . . Here is the very same evil. There was now no idolatry: but there was still "the love of this present world," setting aside the commands of God and the obligations of godliness. And the same spirit is complained of by Jehovah, through the prophet Haggai (see Hag. i. 3-11; and chap. ii. 10-14). And, although by the remonstrances of Nehemiah and Ezra, and Haggai and Zechariah, this worldly propensity had been so far corrected, that they had set to in greater earnest to the building of the temple, yet still there was a large amount of it. . . Though there was no direct defection to idolatry, — the world had full possession of them; they abode in the "ephah." . . .
3. The ephah was covered: the heavy lid of lead was carefully put down upon the mouth of it. This appears a sufficiently significant emblem of the impossibility of escape from the execution of God's merited judgments. The woman is shut up securely in the ephah, when it is about to be borne away. So the Jewish people, considered conditionally as retaining their character, should be carried away in their worldliness. There would be no escape, and no power to rescue. As the very "ephah," the instrument of their merchandise and wealth, is represented as becoming the means of confinement; so does the earthliness, the worldly-mindedness, the ambition and covetousness, of the Jewish people, shut them up to retributive vengeance. It was a species of idolatry — spiritual idolatry; alienating their hearts from God ; making them devotees of mammon. With equal truth might it be said of this as of idolatry — "This is wickedness." It is, I conceive, too readily and confidently taken for granted, that this can mean nothing else than idolatry. Worldliness is ungodliness; and ungodliness is "wickedness." You will have seen that I agree with those who interpret the carrying away of the ephah from the land of Judah of the then future and more lasting banishment of Israel from that land, if, through the power of worldliness they persisted in their unbelief and rebellion against Jehovah and his Anointed. . .
Worldliness is the ruin of thousands and tens of thousands. It is not at all necessary to insure a man's perdition, that he either "steal" or "swear falsely." A man may be a thorough worldling, without the practice of these or any gross iniquities. Whatever shuts God out from His place in the heart as the object of fear and love, and from His place in the conscience as the authoritative regulator of the life, — that, be it what it may, is the ruin of the man. In the parable of the marriage feast, the men who declined the invitation, and "went away to their farms and to their merchandise," are not charged with any selfish and fraudulent dealing in the management of their farms or the prosecution of their merchandise. What was their sin? WORLDLINESS. They preferred the world to God. They declined the blessings of the Gospel for something more to their taste. Instead of "seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness," they "neglected the great salvation." They chose the world and the things of the world — no matter in how innocent a form — even the sweets of domestic life itself — to God and the things of God. And in the enjoyment of these, as their chosen portion, they "had their reward." Thus it was of old; thus it is still. Let no man deceive himself by fancying it necessary to his forfeiture of the blessings of God's salvation, that he give himself up to the practice of dishonesty and of open vice. If his heart is in the world, with the world he must have his portion. If he is "in the Ephah," he must be carried away with it.
And let Christians be on their guard against "the love of this present world." It is an insinuating and perilous principle. In proportion as it gains upon the heart, it tends to enfeeble the energies, and deaden the sensibilities, of the divine life in the soul. God will not have a divided heart. "YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON."
Are you currently sitting in the midst of the ephah?
Are you declining the blessing of the Gospel for something more to your taste?
Are you preferring the world and the things of the world to God?
Are you choosing the world and the things of the world to God and the things of God?
The Hebrew word translated "sitteth" in verse 7 is yashab, which means to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry:--(make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, X fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, X marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(- tle), (down-)sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry. ~ From Strong's Concordance
Implied there, this is more than just a quick stop, so Wardlaw's use of the word "abode" is definitely appropriate. And it ought to give us great pause, since these things are written to us as an example: – each and every one of us is prone to sitting in, abiding in, dwelling in, settling in, tarrying in the ephah.
And, as Wardlaw alluded, this sitting in the midst of the ephah can be a subtle thing. Remember: the devil himself specializes in subtlety – he is crafty and scheming, he is a liar and the father of lies – he manifests himself as an angel of light. Good and innocent desires can be twisted and corrupted, our hearts can be divided, and our affections can lapse – and before we know it, we find ourselves in the sad and sorry position of the Ephesian Church, to whom Jesus gave this rebuke:
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Remember this: you may possibly be fooling others by putting on a good show, and you may even be fooling yourself, but Jesus Himself knows each of our hearts:
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Let's consider those gifts of work, marriage, and family, to which Wardlaw alluded as he spoke of the parable of the great supper.
Luke 14:15 When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. 17 And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ 20 And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.’”
Now, don't get me wrong –– there's nothing wrong with work, and there's nothing wrong with marriage and family –– except when our affections for those things keep us away from the great supper and prevent us from tasting and savoring and enjoying and being satisfied at the banquet of the Lord Jesus Christ! In that case, that's a pathetic, frightful, and downright deadly exchange –– similar to Esau's selling the birthright for a bowl of stew! For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.
God Himself gave Adam and Eve work to do before the fall. And certainly the gifts of marriage and parenthood are high and holy callings. But how many Christians become sinfully obsessed with career and finances? How many become sinfully obsessed with getting married and having children? How many get into that ephah and then sit there –– and languish there –– mesmerized, consumed, and controlled by worldliness – unholy thoughts and selfish ambitions revolving around career, marriage, and family –– to the exclusion of Christ? Remember this: the LORD our God is a consuming fire and He is jealous; His name is jealous (Deut. 4:24, Ex. 34:14).
Days slip away into weeks, and weeks slip away into months, and months slip away into years . . . and what have you done all that time? Have you supped with Christ? Have you savored your Bridegroom? There you are: abiding in the midst of the ephah –– instead of abiding in Christ. Sitting in the midst of the ephah and oblivious to the free gift of God: the heavenly banquet set before you. Your heart has been hardening, your ears are closing to Christ's knocking at the door –– all because you are too consumed, captivated, and enamored by the worldly to smell the aroma of the celestial feast and to hear His call. All the while, the Father was proclaiming: "All that I have is yours!" – and the only begotten Son was pleading: "Would that you knew the things that made for your peace. O, come and take up My yoke! Come and eat! Come and drink!" –– but you would not! And there you sit in the midst of the ephah year after year, after year, perhaps even gaining the world, but your heart hardening, and your soul growing ever more worldly, sicker, and increasingly unsatisfied.
In I Samuel 8, the Israelites showed their desires were worldly as they rejected God as their King, and as they lusted after and demanded from God a king LIKE ALL THE NATIONS. Let us take heed, lest we fall, for the very same thing can all too quickly happen to any of us...
Now give me a career LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
Now give me possessions LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
Now give me property LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
Now give me a portfolio LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
Now give me a husband (wife) LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
Now give me a child(children) LIKE ALL THE NATIONS.
Know this: much as God did give the Israelites a king in answer to their request at that time, and much as God did give the Israelites meat in answer to their request –– and quail came out their nostrils and it became loathesome to them (Numbers 11) –– you may indeed get what you are asking for . . . but at what cost? At the loss of enjoyment of Jesus Christ in this life – and perhaps even at the loss of your very own soul for eternity.
As you continue to sit in the ephah, as you continue to eat and drink of the world, you are robbing yourself! You are depriving yourself of the True Bread and the Living Water – and in the process you will continue to become hungrier and thirstier and emptier; you will wither as you become more and more discontent, more and more restless, and less and less satisfied.
Proverbs 27:20 (KJV) Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Ezekiel 16:28 You played the whore also with the Assyrians, because you were not satisfied; yes, you played the whore with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 You multiplied your whoring also with the trading land of Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied.
The only true contentment, genuine happiness, pure joy, and full satisfaction is found outside the ephah – in the courts of the LORD:
Psalm 36
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
8 They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
Psalm 65 4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
Can any of us continue to sit in the midst of the ephah – to be immersed in worldliness – and rightly claim to have fellowship with God?
I John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
I John 2:5 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
James 4:4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Psalm 5 4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
Malachi 1:13a (KJV) Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:
II Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
One reason the apostle John wrote the book of First John was to exhort God's people to examine themselves, to call them to repentance, to call them to confess their sins, to call them out of darkness, out of lies, out of wickedness, out of unrighteousness, out of worldliness – out of the ephah – so they might once again enter into and experience the all-surpassing joy of fellowship with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and all the saints:
I John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Are you abiding in the midst of the ephah?
Does the world or does Christ currently have full possession of you? Are you preferring the world to God, are you continuing to decline Christ's request to sup with you?
Have you ever tasted and seen that He is good?
Christian, show yourself to be born of incorruptible seed, show yourself to be Christ's bride, show yourself to be sons and daughters of the Holy One of Israel! Linger no more in the ephah! Leap forth from the ephah! Tarry no more in the ephah! If you are Christ's, He has made you a new creation with new desires –– a mind, heart, and soul that are no longer pleased or satisfied with earthly offerings or worldly fare. Show yourself to be His new creation with transformed desires and high affections, spring up with quickened footsteps, arise from out from the midst of the ephah. Don't presume upon God's grace, don't think you can rest or recline in the ephah a single moment longer. The Son of Man is coming as a thief in the night, the time at which all worldliness and all worldly joys will be consumed:
Isaiah 24
7 The wine mourns,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted sigh.
8 The mirth of the tambourines is stilled,
the noise of the jubilant has ceased,
the mirth of the lyre is stilled.
9 No more do they drink wine with singing;
strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10 The wasted city is broken down;
every house is shut up so that none can enter.
11 There is an outcry in the streets for lack of wine;
all joy has grown dark;
the gladness of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city;
the gates are battered into ruins.
13 For thus it shall be in the midst of the earth
among the nations,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
as at the gleaning when the grape harvest is done.
All who sit in the midst of the ephah, all who abide in wickedness at the end of the age will be taken away to outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, where the worm will not die and the fire is not quenched.
"If his heart is in the world, with the world he must have his portion. If he is "in the Ephah," he must be carried away with it."
As we reread familiar portions of Scripture, it's a real danger for us to pass over words quickly and not to meditate on them as we ought, not to sink our roots down into them (Psalm 1) and not to gnaw on them. At the 2009 Gospel Coalition Conference, Don Carson explained that John Piper took Scripture and gnawed on it like a bone. A couple years ago, based on that, I exhorted my readers to Get gnawing, put your nose down in the Book to feed the white-hot flame of God's gift. Here's a little excerpt from that post:
Do we ever take the Scripture like a bone and chew on it and gnaw at it? ...
Put your nose down in the Book!... every precious word... We need to linger over words, like lozenges...wait on God... it's not quick...linger, stay there... stay close until the meaning is on fire...
I had recently read through Isaiah 50 and 51, and part of Isaiah 52. The fourth Servant Song, that portion of Isaiah 52 beginning in verse 13 and continuing through all of chapter 53, is all too familiar to many of us, myself included. As I sat in the library, and began reading, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me the word MANY in verse 15:
So shall he sprinkle many nations...
According to Strong's Concordance, the word many is the Greek word rabrab – abundant (in quantity, size, age, number, rank, quality):--(in) abound(-undance, -ant, -antly), captain, elder, enough, exceedingly, full, great(-ly, man, one), increase, long (enough, (time)), (do, have) many(-ifold, things, a time), ((ship-))master, mighty, more, (too, very) much, multiply(-tude), officer, often(-times), plenteous, populous, prince, process (of time), suffice(-lent).
Solomon expresses it this way:
Psalm 72:17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. 19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
And Isaac Watts like this:
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun Does his successive journeys run; His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, Till moons shall wax and wane no more...
People and realms of every tongue Dwell on His love with sweetest song; And infant voices shall proclaim Their early blessings on His Name.
At the time, I wrote the verse in my journal, capitalizing, circling, and double underlining the word many. (I can't do exactly the same here, but I think you get the idea.)
So shall he sprinkle MANY nations...
And then I wrote beneath the verse:
Can we say, "God bless America" to the exclusion of others?
Can we say, "God shed His grace on thee" without praying He would shed His grace on many nations?
My dear Christian brothers and sisters who live along with me in the United States, as we celebrate our country's 236th birthday today, let us beware of becoming hard-hearted and spiritually blinded, so we succumb to the sin of spiritual pride, much as what happened to the Old Testament nation of Israel. God's plan is not first and foremost for our political nation, the United States of America, but rather, His plan is and has always been to gather a holy nation out of all the nations (ethnic groups) scattered throughout all the earth.
For example...
On several occasions, the LORD Himself declared to Abraham that he was being blessed to be a blessing to many nations, including these words in Genesis 22:17-18:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
And again to Isaac in Genesis 26:4:
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed...
Throughout the Old Testament, we see that truth that the Gentiles (all the nations) were going to be brought in to God's Kingdom, yet until the coming of Christ, it was a hidden mystery (Eph. 3:7-11). I'd encourage you to do a search for the word "nations" in the book of Isaiah (as well as throughout the whole of the Old Testament); you'll find a treasure trove there. For example:
Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. (You'll find a similar passage in Micah 4:1ff).
Isaiah 25:6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
And, please indulge me, a little plug for the wonderfully rich and full, but often-overlooked book of Zechariah:
2:10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. 13 Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD: for he is raised up out of his holy habitation.
8:20 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21 And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
If this doesn't thrill you, if it doesn't humble you that we are involved in God's grand scheme Gospel proclamation to bring dead souls to life, to pluck firebrands from the fire, and to bring glory to His holy name, if it doesn't make you long for the day that all the ransomed will be gathered around the throne in worship to the Lamb to the glory of God the Father – then pray that God's Spirit might baptize you afresh with His reviving fire, so it might exhilarate you! (I am saddened to say I had very little passion for missions for many years, and only in the past few years, but all praise, glory and thanksgiving to God, God Himself has begun growing that in me.)
Revelation 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 9 And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
In stark contrast to that gathering described in the book of Revelation, according to the Joshua Project, at the current time, there remain billions of souls who have not yet been reached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Total People Groups: 16,652 Unreached People Groups: 7,009 % People Groups Unreached: 42.1 %
World Population: 6.90 Billion Population in Unreached Groups: 2.83 Billion % Population in Unreached: 41.0 %
As John Piper has said, "Missions exists because worship doesn't."
God is all about Himself being worshiped and adored! That's our chief purpose as Christians.
Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him... 21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
I Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
For the Christian, our true citizenship is in heaven. Yes, we are all citizens in nations on the earth; however, we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and we have been born again of incorruptible seed by the Holy Spirit into a holy nation, the family of God. Our primary prayer ought to be that our Father's Kingdom might come, that the glory of the LORD would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea – not that our form of democratic government might cover the earth. We have been entrusted with the everlasting gospel, the power of God unto salvation to all nations; therefore our commission is to export the Good News of great joy to all the nations, so they might join us in worshiping our God, to the glory of God.
In John 10, Jesus Himself declared:
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
That phrase "I must" is known as the divine imperative, meaning Jesus had a holy compulsion to bring others to Himself who were not of this fold. By "this fold," Jesus meant the Jews. So, Jesus was emphatically saying, "I must bring sheep from all the nations because I am the Good Shepherd not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles."
Do you have such a holy zeal, compulsion, and jealousy for all the nations to be brought into Christ's fold? If you have the Spirit of Christ indwelling you, if you are being conformed into the image of Christ, you ought to.
Question: How then does Jesus fulfill that divine imperative, how does He gather and bring sheep from all the nations since He has ascended and now dwells in heaven at the right hand of His Father?
Answer: Jesus commissions His disciples, and He equips them with His Holy Spirit to do that work.
Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Earlier in Isaiah 52, we read this commendation of those who take the good news to the ends of the earth:
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
And the apostle Paul references that verse in Romans 10:
6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
"God's purpose for your life is that you engage in His being known and praised and enjoyed and feared among peoples where He is scarcely, if at all, known at all. He wants you to be engaged. You've got three options: Go, Send, or Disobey. That's all. Are you an engaged sender?"
God forbid we put ourselves in the position of Jonah, and balk at going to our "Ninevehs," and instead we get on our boats to go to "Tarshish."
God forbid we stay at home and waste our lives and our energy and our resources day after day after, year after year after year, on matters that have no impact on eternity.
God's commandments are not burdensome. He has promised to give us all we need to serve Him. As we ask our Father in heaven, will He not give us His Holy Spirit? (Luke 11:13). As we ask, we will be given a zeal for the glory of God; a desire to embrace the cause of Christ in the world; God's compassionate heart of mercy to love and long for souls from all nations, including our enemies – so we might pray for all the nations, and go and preach to them, or else to be engaged in sending others to preach to them – with an eye to the glorious day that we will be gathered around the throne with all the saints from all the nations whom the Lord Jesus Christ has sprinkled!
Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
Christian hedonist in training. Pressing on to know more and more of the joy of the LORD. Pleading with God to rend the heavens and revive and refresh my own soul, as well as His Church, to His praise, honor and glory.
Thank God. He can make men and women in middle life sing again
with a joy that has been chastened by a memory of their past failures. ~ Alan Redpath
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