Reaping The Whirlwind
Jesus calms the storms of our lives that we might see how He is the fulfillment of scripture and Savior of the world.
"Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord...Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over...the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
Joshua 4:4-7, 10, 14, 18, 22-24
Have you ever stood beside a mighty river whether locally like the Columbia, regionally like the Colorado, domestically like the Mississippi, or globally like the Amazon or Nile? Picture stepping into any of those rivers and having the water part so you were able to walk through on dry ground. Could you imagine such a thing was possible? Mankind could build a dam to stop or divert a river, but God speaks a word and it rivers listen.
We like to play the comparison game. Not necessarily in a bad way, but we almost cannot help but compare ourselves when we scan social media or see how others are doing. Why do we compare ourselves to God? Reading the trues stories of ways in which God has moved in a way beyond the might of mankind should inspire us to trust Him with our lives and it often does temporarily. When we see signs of God's grace or blessing, we do often respond with gratitude. The challenge we can face is that we can easily forget and succumb to the whirlwind of fears that inevitably come.
God knows we will face headwinds and hardships so He gives a simple command. Create stones in your life to help you remember how I have moved. God tells the Israelites to grab large stones from the middle of the Jordan river, stones that they would never have lifted apart from the miraculous movement of God, and set them up as signs to remember the power of God so that they keep the right perspective of God. What signs could you create? How could you look back at how God has helped you through a difficult season or an overwhelming storm and use a symbol of that time yesterday to set up a daily reminder to trust God today?
“Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the Lord delivers them in times of trouble. The Lord protects and preserves them they are counted among the blessed in the land he does not give them over to the desire of their foes. The Lord sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness.”
Psalms 41:1-3, 13
David sings of an insight that speaks to a much deeper truth revealed in scripture. Proverbs 11 says the generous will prosper and those who refresh others will be refreshed. Would it be fair to say that we are all in search of meaning and purpose in our lives? Would it be fair to say that we want to be refreshed and full of the Spirit?
God flips the script on how to find refreshment. In our world if you are thirsty you go and get yourself a cup of water. In the kingdom of God, you quench your own thirst as your give water to the thirsty. David says the same thing in this psalm. He says you will receive the rescue you seek as you help rescue others who cannot rescue themselves. Perhaps we should step back and recognize that God is calling us to be like Him. He knows that none of us can save ourselves and we are all weak compared to God. He calls us to be holy as He is holy. He calls us to be generous as He is generous. What if instead of praying for what you need, you asked the Lord how you could become an answered prayer to meet someone else's need?
“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. Frustration is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it. Do not be over-righteous, neither be overwise ...It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes. Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.”
Ecclesiastes 7:1-4, 8-14, 16, 18, 20
Solomon went in search of wisdom and found answers that were opposite what one would expect. Is this any surprise? God's ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts. If you are honest, do you believe that the death of death is better than the day of birth? Would you rather go to a funeral or a wedding? Would you rather laugh or process through a frustrating struggle? Would you rather have patience or speak your prideful mind? Which of these hard truths is hardest for you? Solomon shares how God has changed his perspective. Solomon says the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom starts when we learn to change our perspective and seek to see how God sees.
This is why setting up stones are so important. Remembering how God has changed our lives is what we need to daily renew our spirit and trust in Him. It is like putting on glasses when you cannot see. If you forget your glasses, you know right away that you are going to struggle to read life correctly.
Solomon says wisdom is a shelter and money is a shelter, but wisdom is the only one of the two that preserves your soul. Solomon says life has balance. He says do not be over righteous or over wise. Doesn't that seem counterintuitive? Can you ever be too wise or too righteous? The truth is you can be if your wisdom or righteousness causes you to trust in your own understanding and not lean on the Lord. Is there anywhere in your life where you feel out of balance?
“Put the trumpet to your lips! An eagle is over the house of the Lord because the people have broken my covenant and rebelled against my law. Israel cries out to me, ‘Our God, we acknowledge you!’ But Israel has rejected what is good...They set up kings without my consent; they choose princes without my approval. With their silver and gold they make idols for themselves to their own destruction...They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour. Were it to yield grain, foreigners would swallow it up. Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me, and though they eat the meat, the Lord is not pleased with them."
Hosea 8:1-4, 7, 13
God speaks through Hosea and tells the people were they went astray. If you look within the text you can see that the people actually did many of the religious rituals. They cried out to God, but they did not live by faith. They set up kings, but they did so without God's consent. How easy is it to go through life without bringing God into the decision making? Don't we do this all the time? Aren't there times where you think you know all you need to know to do a task in your own strength? Is that not being over wise?
God says you sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind. The law of reaping and sowing will never be broken apart from the saving grace of Jesus Christ who allows us to reap salvation even though we have sown sin. If you evaluate the patterns of your life, are there any places you are chasing wind? Reaping whirlwind? Why?
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:1-6
In the book of Kings, Elijah was seeking to hear God's voice. He did not hear God in the mighty roar or the earthquake. He heard God in the whisper. Paul saw the lives of the people all around him and he sees how loud life has gotten. He saw how busy people are. He sees how distracted and disrupted their lives were. Can you relate? We live in a world with constant notifications and endless distractions where we hurry from one thing to the next at such a pace that we miss the Stones of the Jordan. Where does that leave us? Are there times where you feel worn out? Needing a weekend from your weekend or a vacation from your vacation? We are a people who have abandoned rest and don't keep the Sabbath Holy nor see the River Rock. Why?
Paul says it is because we are on the wrong path and moving at the wrong pace. He knows our struggles. He felt those same struggles as he had to change the patterns of his life from angry Saul to servant Paul. The wisdom Paul gives is this. Pursue peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness in a way pleasing to God. What does that mean to you? Did you put peace and quiet on your Costco list? If you have young children, you might have if the shopping trip was the only quiet part of your day. How about godliness and holiness? Did those two make your daily to do list?
The word godliness refers to living in such a way that honors God. It is living centered in Christ. Godliness maintains a posture of reverence where your lifestyle visibly reflects your faith. It is embracing washing the feet of others before getting another pair of new shoes that you do not need. It is humility expressed with an eager hand to help others when they are weak. It requires training and practice, but produces a harvest of righteousness. It is the opposite of chasing wind. It is choosing meaning out of a heart that remembers the grace you have received.
The word holiness begins in your heart. It is your heart that moves you. It is your heart that God wants to set apart for His purposes. It is inward transformation that reflects love received. Holiness is not perfection. It is living a life pleasing to God that listens to the Mediator. Holiness slows down and builds margin so Jesus can speak. How could you simplify your life so you can hear Jesus speak to you today? What stones could you set up to remind you to see the world through God's eyes? Remember you reap what you sow. If you sow seeds of wind, you will reap the whirlwind. If you sow seeds of faith, you will reap the harvest of salvation and find rest for your soul.