Specific Things Not Trivial Ones

"We were made like Him, because He would be made like us."

IN THE beginning was the Word, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1,14). God knows every detail of anything in existence. From scientific theory to the thoughts of men and even those of animals and birds. He has an accurate count of all things, even the strange ideas that might float up in your head. He knows the history of all the earth and speaks every language, even the dead ones. WHAT He knows is specific and precise.

In the creation of man, we have Truth that blows our mind. For the Word says Jesus’ body was created before the earth’s foundation (1 Peter 1:20), but He “was manifested unto us (1 John 1:2).” It also tells us the plan of salvation was made with the “foreknowledge” of God (Acts 2:23) Yet, in Genesis we learn man was created in the IMAGE and the LIKENESS of God (Genesis 1:26). What a beautiful look at the specificity of God. We were made like Him, because He would be made like us.

“Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,” (1 Peter 1:20)

But this image expands from there because if all things were made BY HIM and FOR HIM, Colossians 1:16, then the entirety of this earth was created to function as it does and all of mankind was set in motion to reproduce like we do and for each of us to be known by Him by name, so that Jesus could live for 33 1/3 years and save us all. God is that specific.

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17)

Jesus did not die for mankind as a general idea, no more than God picked a random old man in the city of Ur to become the father of Israel. No, he chose Abraham, then Abram, because He saw his heart and knew he would believe what was an impossible dream. God knew him, and He knew Sarah, and He knew Isaac and the generations which would follow. Jesus died for us by name. He knew your name, your birthdate, your generations, if not physically with His physical mind, He knew you in the Spirit. He had the Spirit without measure (John 3:34). This bears meditation because it opens up the heart of God, just how great – high and deep and wide – is His love (Ephesians 3:18).

There are Truths He longs to teach us which require a mature, submissive heart. The Spirit will not simply spit out facts. Jesus being the Christ still had to learn who He was and what He’d come to earth to do (Luke 2:40). From a boy, we find Him in the temple amazing the scholars (Luke 2:48-49). He knew God was His Father, a Truth many did not accept when He spoke of it during His three years of ministry (John 5:18).

“And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Luke 5:21)

“That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” (John 5:23)

He had to walk in the Spirit and not trust His own understanding. Though the Father and the Holy Spirit know all things, Jesus was using His human brain to function on the earth, He was a man who thought like a human, and He was listening with His spiritual ears, knowing the Spirit’s instructions just as we have been given to do. He sets our example. But my point is, His life was WHEN IT WAS and AS IT WAS because of how specific God is. How specific He is now as Resurrected King.

We see God’s design of the earth as one example, but we also see God’s designs of Noah’s ark, of the mercy seat inside the tabernacle, of the tabernacle itself, and later, the temple. We see God’s specific instructions of how Israel was to worship Him and the intricacy it required. God’s heart was for holiness, for nothing they offered Him to be out of their selfishness and from any desire for idolatry. God was also specific in His victories over their enemies. What He spoke through Moses to Pharaoh was precise. What He spoke to Joshua to conquer Jericho was precise. We can say the same of Gideon and the Spirit’s words to Daniel and prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel.

But what we can also see is God is not going to satisfy man’s selfish personal desires for those things that are trivial and really don’t matter. Prophecy interpretation is one of our biggest modern-day topics along this line. There are those so dedicated to it that they have missed what the Spirit wanted them to know of His gospel. They’ve taken John’s Revelation and made it into doctrine, desiring to unveil every part of it. But looking at the words of the Old Testament prophets, most of what they said was known by the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ day, yet they did not see it correctly. When Herod asked where the Christ child was to be born, the Jewish religious leaders told him the Scriptures said “Bethlehem” without believing Jesus was that child and, when He was mature and speaking the gospel, even remembering He’d been born there (Matthew 2:5;John 7:27).

Prophecy is best see when looking behind, and this is a huge part of John’s Revelation. What all the symbolism means is debated by many and 100% correct by no one. In most any light, it is trivial to what God is asking of the church. We get hung up on Jesus’ return, and I look for it as much as anyone else, but we’re so caught up in it that we’re not doing what He’s asking of us while we’re on the earth. We know all the Scriptures that promise He will descend from heaven with the shout of the archangel but can’t quote one that speaks of healing of the body and the mind, nor know how to walk fully in the love of God so that people see Him in us. These are far more important.

God is specific to you. He will tell you what you need to know to overcome anything you face. He will guide you in your travel so that you avoid dangers. He will reveal Truth to you about your medical problems, so you can walk free of them. He will reunite relationships that have fallen apart and heal your heart of those things that are painful. His desire is for your everyday life to be its very best. Romans 8:26 says He helps us in our weaknesses. He knows every detail of our lives, every word that’s been spoken, down to even our finest thoughts. He needs no explanation from us, for He completely “gets” us. But for where we run amok, creating paths not of His doing, not in His desire for us, His loving correction will not answer things that aid sin, confusion, and strife.

We have been told to do the same for others. We are not to do what causes others to suffer, to make wrong choices, and to fall (Romans 14:19,21). We know this from the Word of God, but we must see it in our loving Savior. He walked the plan of salvation set in place before time, down to His own crucifixion in a specific era of history, and He spoke the words of the Spirit, the words of the Father, to many who were hurting and in need. He knew of the Samaritan woman’s husbands and current living situation. He knew how long the lame man had sat at the pool, waiting to be healed. And He knew sin had caused him to be in that state. But He didn’t perform signs and wonders just to impress the Pharisees. They asked simply to make Him be arrogant and look foolish. What they desired was trivial and unimportant. He’d done miracles all around them already.

Instead, He pointed them to Jonah’s three days and nights in the belly of the whale (Matthew 12:40). Then He kept walking forward to the hour of His death and the moment of His Resurrection, in a specific tomb, prophesied by Isaiah thousands of years before. And no one witnessed it. No one greeted Him afterward, except the angels who rolled the stone away.

“And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:9)

“And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” (Matthew 28:2)

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash


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