In A Heavenly Place

"As we'd say, His reputation was on the line."

WHEN ISRAEL BEGAN to look like the other, sinful nations around them, God was forced to move. What do I mean by this? He is longsuffering and kind and of Infinite mercy. His heart is to forgive, and His desire is to shower His love upon people. This is His nature, His character. But He is holy, a word meaning of a purity that is set apart from that around it. In His holiness, we see His beauty as there is no sin or corruption in Him. In His holiness, we see His power. There is nothing of the enemy or temptation to sin to adulterate it and make it weaker.

Daniel interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, in this manner. For every change in structure of the statue in the dream, the succeeding (following) generations would be less strong and not of his same mettle. Until, at the statue’s feet, was a mix of clay and iron which substances do not mix at all. Oil and water, we might say. God’s power is not mixed (mingled) with anything to weaken it. His power cannot be dimmed or lessened, but instead, whoever uses it is lifted to His height, to His strength. It always, always works this way. We must be cleansed and strengthened to be like Him in order to be near Him. But Israel took the goodness and glory of their Almighty God, the only God who is alive and present, and turned Him into a snake.

As we’d say, His reputation was on the line. This seems like an odd way to put it except we find these words throughout the Old Testament, the most known example in the Davidic psalm, Psalm 23. There, we are placed on paths of righteousness “for his name’s sake.” This means that those who are in His care and walking with Him (verse 5) on the path of righteousness reflect His goodness, His beauty, and His glory. We are made righteous to look like Him. Israel looked like all the sin that they were sent into Canaan, the Promised Land, to remove.

“Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions: but I will save them out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 37:23)

In Deuteronomy, it must be noted that God never curses His people. They were HIS PEOPLE because He had covenanted with them to be their God and Protector. It never says in the Scriptures He is placing destruction upon them or ahead of them in their future. But instead, it is that God knows the future, and He knew to what depths they would fall. He knew what they would sink into and what He would do pull them out of it. Because that is His heart, again. He didn’t want to harm them, but other nations who His Son would die to save in their near future were denigrating, thinking less of, who Israel served. What kind of God is this that they can just do as they wish?

Our heavenly Father wanted men to look at Israel and see grace. From them were prophets, who spoke the words of God, who foretold the goodness of God and expressed His grief. This is the meaning of the second beatitude in Matthew 5. Blessed are they who mourn. The Father mourns the losses of people. Every day (though He is outside of days) He weeps for those who refuse to believe. No one else can carry this weight for Him, but we are to exclaim it, to stand with Him and mourn over the losses of nations, the torments of war, and the destruction of children. Especially the children. Yet in our mourning, we are told there will be comfort, and here we see the Spirit’s emollient (oil of comfort). For what we mourn, we are to see God’s hand in rescue and deliverance. We are to experience His peace.

The people were destroyed. Many died because of sin. But others, like Daniel, were spared as promised in the minor prophets. The just SHALL LIVE because they are faithful to their God (Habakkuk 2:4), because they trust His nature to protect, as He had done for them as the cloud by day and the fire by night. As He had performed in the crossing of the Red Sea. Nothing is truly impossible for Him. We continuously fall into this mindset, that God cannot do what is completely possible for Him. Our thinking is limited. Our spirit man, our inner person, is not. But we can live in Him in a place while on this earth that shows us spiritual things. He will take you as far as you wish to go, as deep as you desire to be, into His presence. Fear and timidity become an issue, hindrances to His goodness. We do not believe He will provide our daily needs, much less that He would speak of heavenly things. When the truth is, if you will just ask Him to show you what you desire, He will move within you and upon you. He can be trusted.

The enemy is a fake, as my mother would say. He is that painted picture of a tunnel that Wile E. Coyote smacks right into. We need not fear him. So you mistook something as God that was in the flesh. Forgive yourself and push on into the Spirit. So a person prophesied words you do not feel were God speaking. Forgive them and love them anyway and push forward. Our missteps should not be permanent mistakes. We are told to love because God is love, and we see in Him a glorious pattern, every step done in love, Israel’s mistakes, their sins, forgiven because of love, and our redemption provided because He SO LOVED the world.

That is His reputation. It is what He protected, so that as He spoke to Ezekiel, men would see Him and know He is God. The prophet Ezekiel pictures a river coming from the throne of God, one which widens and captures the landscape. Eventually, it pours into the Dead Sea and the waters become alive again. There are fishermen there and trees of life along the river’s bank whose leaves heal the nations. This picture is seen here on earth, but these trees are also described in Revelation as being on the river of heaven. What are the words of Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6? On earth as it is in heaven. In heaven, there is no sickness, no heartache, no pain. No mental stress nor anxiety nor fear. God is to be to us here on earth ALL THAT HE IS IN HEAVEN. Nothing is missing from it. His reputation is on the line among men, and we are the ones who reflect it.

Like Israel, who ran after foreign gods, after false images made by men’s hands, we either lift Him up and people run to Him, or we make Him look foolish and they run away. Which one are you? Are you the King of Babylon who was content to allow the descendants of His kingdom to become less and less pure? Or are you holding to the standard just as Daniel did, who despised the king’s ruling and bowed down to His God, the only God, in full view of those who watched him? Would you die for your faith as the three friends of Daniel said they would? Not that God might or might not rescue them. That was not their words. But instead, that their God would rescue them whether the Babylonian king, a foreign king holding authority over their lives, threw them in the fire or not. Regardless, their God was truth and deliverance would come.

I have seen His deliverance and can tell you that He is so much more than the “church world” has any concept of. Until you’ve been in the fire and felt the flames, you cannot truly appreciate the wind that He blows into you. Across you. He is so very gentle and kind, and that is the image I wish you to retain. Kick sovereignty in the teeth if it tells you He is out to harm you. James 1 tells us unequivocally otherwise. God is good and doeth good, it says in Psalm 119. No other words describe Him. Anywhere. If you believe otherwise, then you need to seek the Spirit because He delights in opening up the Word of God to you. Never think you have dived deep enough nor understand it all.

That is the majesty of it. He is so specific and precise and yet self-controlled and able to hold back or dispense what He has that’s needed to the benefit of all. My “God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8).” Here is the Scripture to hang onto in these troubled times, or in these good times. It depends on our chosen perspective. Where I see good, another sees sorrow. I choose the good and to live by faith as those in Israel did who loved Him and saw, in the midst of great destruction, His gentle, loving power.

“Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!” (Ephesians 1:3 TPT)

“When you are tempted don’t ever say, ‘God is tempting me,’ for God is incapable of being tempted by evil and he is never the source of temptation.” (James 1:13 TPT)

Image by Monika from Pixabay


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com