Half Measures

Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows. And he took unto him bow and arrows. And he said to the king of Israel, Put thine hand upon the bow. And he put his hand upon it: and Elisha put his hands upon the king's hands. And he said, Open the window eastward. And he opened it. Then Elisha said, Shoot. And he shot. And he said, The arrow of the LORD'S deliverance, and the arrow of deliverance from Syria: for thou shalt smite the Syrians in Aphek, till thou have consumed them. And he said, Take the arrows. And he took them. And he said unto the king of Israel, Smite upon the ground. And he smote thrice, and stayed. And the man of God was wroth with him, and said, Thou shouldest have smitten five or six times; then hadst thou smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed it: whereas now thou shalt smite Syria but thrice.

II Kings 13:14-19

What was the problem? Joash had done what he had been told, hadn't he? Of course he had! But then he stopped. He continued with what he had been told until he felt he had beaten the ground enough times. The results were not what he would have hoped for. Instead of ending when he felt he had done enough, he should have continued until the Lord felt he had done enough. Other kings had a similar problem. They may have served the Lord, but not wholeheartedly. In II Chronicles 25:2, Amaziah is described this way. In the days of Moses, the Israelites are described this way (Numbers 32:11), and it is for this reason that they wandered the wilderness for forty years.

The question for us is this: are we serving God wholeheartedly? Or do we stop when we feel we have done enough? We can see the example set for us in study of God's word (Acts 17:11), but do we only study a couple times a week? Or do we study on a regular, constant basis, focusing on God's word? We know we are to assemble (Hebrews 10:25), but do we stop when we have assembled once a week? Or do we wholeheartedly assemble at every opportunity? We know we are to pray (I Thessalonians 5:17), but do we stop after praying only at the beginning of meals, and perhaps before we go to bed? Or do we endeavor to pray constantly throughout our day? The same questions apply for all things that we are to do in service to God: helping others, contributing on the Lord's Day, teaching, and so on.

Are we serving wholeheartedly. We should be. When Christ was asked what the most important commandment was, it was this answer He gave:
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38

Anything less is not enough. Anything less is halfhearted service and love. Anything less is unacceptable. We cannot approach our worship and walk with God with a “eh, that's good enough,” sort of attitude. We must be zealous and fervent in wholeheartedly following the Lord. If we are, we can be like Joshua and Caleb, who were commended for their wholehearted service (Numbers 32:12) and were allowed to enter the promised land.

The Gift of Salvation

It is often taught that once a person is saved, it is impossible to lose that salvation. Often John 10:28 and Romans 8:39 are cited as proof that God will not allow man to lose salvation. Both of these passages speak truly: there is no force, person, or thing that can forcibly strip us from God. And it is true that God does not whimsically take away salvation from His followers. What these verses do not address, however, is that each one of us can choose to give up our salvation.

Salvation is not a “right,” it is an undeserved gift (Ephesians 2:8). And there are essentially three things you can do with a gift:

1. You can choose to accept it and keep it. When we faithfully obey the gospel of Christ, we accept the gift: salvation and eternal life. When we continue to walk with Christ, we keep the gift He has given us (Jude 1:21). And if we remain faithful throughout our life, that hope of eternal life is realized and the reward is given (Matthew 24:13).

2. You can choose to reject it. It's easy in scripture to find individuals who chose, for whatever reason, to reject the gift of salvation that was offered to them. The rich young ruler in Matthew 19, those that heard Stephen in Acts 7, Felix in Acts 24, and Agrippa in Acts 26 are all examples of people who chose to reject the gift that had been offered.

3. You can choose to at first accept the gift, and then later get rid of it. Just as we often do when given a gift for a holiday or birthday that we do not like, we can choose to throw away the gift that has been given by God. And we can see in scripture some men and women who chose to at first accept what God offered, and then later chose to throw it away. Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, Demas in II Timothy 4:10, and of course Judas Iscariot are all people who made this decision.

That we can make any of these choices is apparent from the word of God. Besides the examples seen above, we are encouraged to not throw away our salvation, and admonished to remain faithful that we may receive the reward.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
(Luke 8:13)

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame
(Hebrews 6:4-6)

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
(Galatians 5:4)

For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
(II Peter 2:20-22)

So what will you do with the gift that has been offered? Will you have faith and obey the Lord's commands, remaining faithful all your life, holding on to your salvation? Will you reject the Lord outright? Or will you at first accept salvation, and then turn away from the Lord and give up the precious gift you have received? It's your choice, so choose wisely.

Caleb

When we think of Caleb in the Bible, we usually think of “Joshua and Caleb,” and Joshua usually takes precedence in our minds, largely because Joshua was the one to whom was given leadership of Israel after the death of Moses. Let us take a few moments and consider the figure of Caleb.

When we first see Caleb in Numbers 13-14, he is one of the twelve spies sent to spy out the land of Canaan. When he returns with the others, he and Joshua are in the minority. While all admit to the greatness of the land, ten of the spies convince the people that the residents of the land are too difficult and enemy to fight. Joshua and Caleb alone put their faith in God and stand with the Lord, convinced that they can take what the Lord has given them. It nearly ends with them being stoned by the children of Israel.

Think about this for a moment: it wasn't enemies that Caleb was standing against. It was his friends, his family, his neighbors, and nearly everyone he knew that he stood in opposition against. It was against others who claimed to follow God. Yet, knowing the will of the Lord, he was willing to stand firm in his faith. This a lesson for us: to stand firm with God, regardless of who may oppose us. Caleb, and Joshua, was rewarded for their faithfulness: they alone of those over the age of 20 were allowed to enter the promised land.

And there is a lesson or two in this for as well. The first is the more obvious one: God rewards those who willingly follow and trust in Him. Just as Caleb was rewarded for his faithfulness, we too are guaranteed an entry to a promised land if we are faithful; a promised land far greater than that of Canaan. The other lesson I would like to consider is this: think about how much Caleb would have stood out among the people of Israel. We learn that he was 40 at the time the spies went into the land. After wandering for 40 years, he would have been 80 at the time of entering the promised land. Only he and Joshua would have been that old, with the nearest in age being around 60. He would have stood out. Sometimes doing what the Lord requires means we will be obviously different. We should be willing to stand firm.

In Joshua 14 and 15 we again see Caleb, this time at the age 85. At age 85, he requests the land that had been promised to him, and it is granted. To receive it, he attacks the city of Hebron. Hebron was a fortified city on a hill, difficult to attack. And it was there that the sons of Anak, who caused the other ten spies so much fear, dwelt. At age 85, Caleb, still putting his faith in the Lord, attacks and defeats the city of Hebron.

You are never too old to serve the Lord. You are never too old to lose faith. You are never too old to be of value in God's service. It's easy to make excuses on age, lack of experience, cost, or any number of other things. Instead, we should have the attitude of Caleb: that all things are possible with the Lord.

Caleb was not a sidekick to Joshua. He was a man of faith that we can all emulate.

Same Name, Different People

A number of people in the Bible have identical names, and it can make it easy to get them confused and mixed up. In particular, the names of Herod, John, and James are easy to confuse, as there are a number of people of these names. Hopefully this will help keep them separate, and help in understanding the scriptures more clearly.

The Name of Herod
Herod the Great – He was the ruler of Judea at the time Christ was born into this world. He is responsible for the “murder of the innocents,” building the temple (and other buildings), and died while Jesus, Joseph, and Mary were in Egypt. He primarily appears in the Matthew 2.

Herod Antipas – Son of Herod the great, he became tetrarch of Galilee. It was this Herod who married his brother's wife, and upon whose order John the baptizer was beheaded. It was also this Herod which makes an appearance at the trial of Christ. This is the Herod mentioned throughout most of the gospel accounts.

Herod Agrippa I – A grandson of Herod the Great, but not son of Herod Antipas. This Herod is primarily known for the gruesome way in which he died, being eaten by worms as punishment for his pride (Acts 12).

The Name of John
John the baptist – So named for his practice of baptizing those who were willing. He was Jesus' cousin. He is spoken of in prophecy as the messenger who was to come before the Messiah and prepare the way. Based on Luke 1:15 is reasonable to think that he was under the Nazarite vow for his entire life. He is also notable for his bold teaching in the wilderness and for his death at hands of Heord Antipas by the wishes of Herodias. He is found in scripture towards the beginning of the gospel accounts, with his death coming in the 14th chapter of Matthew. It is also to this John that the reference “the baptism which John preached” is made.

John, the disciple Jesus loved – One of the twelve apostles, son of Zebedee, brother of James. In the gospel of John, he is often referred to as the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” indicating that John was particularly close to Jesus. The apostle John wrote the gospel of John, I, II, and II John, and the Revelation. Although early on he was given the name “boanerges,” meaning “son of thunder,” his growth as a Christian has led to him often being referred to as “the apostle of love,” although he is not addressed that way in scripture. He is found throughout the New Testament.

John Mark – In Acts 12, we see this man accompanying Barnabas and Paul for a while, before departing and turning back. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas divide because of him. This John is better known to us as Mark, who wrote the gospel of Mark.

The Name of James
James, son of Zebedee – One of the twelve apostles, the brother of the apostle John, and also given the name “boanerges.” He was executed by Herod Agrippa in Acts 12.

James the Less – One of the twelve apostles, the son of Alphaeus.

James, brother of Jesus – The brother of Jesus, who while at first unbelieving, came to faith and obedience. The epistle of James is attributed to him.

The Question of Cyrus

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;

Isaiah 44:28-25:1

Isaiah wrote of Cyrus in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, around the years of about 780-730BC. Cyrus was king of the Medo-Persian Empire about 200 years later, and was the one who allowed the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4). The fact that Isaiah names Cyrus by name is astonishing, and has led people to three different conclusions.

The first conclusion that some people reach is that the book of Isaiah is a forgery. Those who believe this say that since Isaiah, being a man, could not have known the future that clearly, that the book must have been written by someone else, several hundred years later. The biggest problem with this is that Christ, the Son of God, referred to passages in Isaiah and identified Isaiah as the author. (Matthew 13:14, etc.). Being God, He would know accurately who wrote the book of Isaiah. Likewise, the apostles and inspired writers referred to Isaiah's writings as being authored by Isaiah (Luke 3:4, Acts 28:25-26, Romans 15:12, etc.). Clearly, this conclusion is wrong.

The second conclusion that some people reach is that Isaiah was tampered with years after Isaiah died. This view is that Isaiah wrote the book, but that someone else came in several hundred years later and made changes to the text. The problem with this conclusion is that it allows for God's word to be corrupted and changed through time. In I Peter 1:24-25, Peter states that the word of the Lord endures forever. David also made this statement (Psalm 12:6-7). As we have two inspired writers stating that God will preserve His word, this conclusion stands as false.

The third conclusion that can be reached is that Isaiah did write this passage, that is has been preserved by the Lord, and that the Lord gave Isaiah a true prophecy. While the other two conclusions assumes a lack of God's direction, the third conclusion realizes the nature of prophecy and that all scripture does indeed come from God (II Timothy 3:16-17).

So there's several lessons that we can take from realizing that God indeed gave the prophecy through Isaiah and that He has preserved His word.
1.We can trust God's word.
2.We can trust that God has a plan and can carry out that plan.
3.We can trust that God's power and ability is far greater than man's.