Genesis 41:28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
Deuteronomy 4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
Joshua 2:11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
II Chronicles 20:6 And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?
Daniel 2:28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;
God created man to be under His authority. Adam was nothing without God. God formed Adam from the dust of the ground. However, at that moment, Adam was just a pile of dust. We read that God breathed into man the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Until then there was no human being on this earth.
After God created man, he instructed man. He gave man meaningful work to do. Adam needed to name all the animals. As Adam named the animals, he noticed that every male animal had its female counterpart. However, Adam noticed he had no female counterpart.
Today we live in a very confused world, where the “woke” people refuse to define a woman. They sometimes talk of the woman as a ‘birthing person’. With the wilful ignorance, they will even suggest that some people who identify as male are able to give birth. Of course that would be a woman who has rejected God and thinks she should be a man. This supposed ‘liberated’ society is certainly not happier than previous generations have been. We can read the account of Sodom and Gomorrah and see that they were vile people because they chose to act in defiance of the truth. We know that in our time, there are sodomites who will kill their ‘partner’ out of frustration and confusion in their own life.
Man does not gain anything by defying God. My wife and I have been married now for over 52 years. That is not because I have been such an exceptional husband. It is because we both have an understanding of the importance of the fear of the LORD in our lives. We can disagree without looking for an exit from our marriage. The difference is that we know the LORD as our personal God and Saviour. We are at least somewhat submissive to His rule in our lives.
There is a stigma attached to a divorce and remarriage. That is not man’s doing. That is what happens when couples choose a path contrary to the will of God. The couple that chooses divorce and remarriage may try hard to make it work, and they may even convince themselves that it is working well. However, if they have not seared their conscience, they know things are not as they should be.
On another note, as we look at the situation in Iran, we see that there is no good solution to what is happening there. I believe God put Mr. Trump in the place of president of the U.S. for this present time. Mr. Trump is a very proud man who makes big promises. He lies to make it seem that his negotiations bring good results. That seems to have worked in many areas, but he cannot get that to work between Russia and Ukraine. He is also unable to get that to work with Iran. He needs to tiptoe around somewhat because he wants to keep an open relationship with Israel as well. Under Mr. Netanyahu, Israel will not settle for a peace deal with Iran or Hamas or Hezbollah that does not disarm those groups. Israel wants some real peace. They have not known that since they came back into their land in 1948. They have had some more peaceful times, but they have never had real peace.
Mr. Trump was threatening to bomb Iran if they did not agree to his terms by yesterday. However, he has extended the ceasefire because his negotiators are telling him to do so. He is also listening to the leaders in Pakistan, a strong Muslim nation. Muslims do not know how to tell the truth. They are very sly. They will do what they think will gain them further control. Their goal is world dominance.
Iran is a powder keg waiting to blow. God will not allow it to blow until His timing is right. We cannot say for sure how far Mr. Trump will get with his current plans. God is in charge. He sets up kings/rulers and He removes kings/rulers according to His plan. When He sets up a king, He also gives that king the opportunity to get to know the true God.
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. They hated him and thought they would be rid of him by selling him to slave traders. They had no idea that God would use Joseph to save his entire family, and in fact a nation, from starvation.
Moses needed to be reminded that there is a God in heaven who chooses a nation and Who develops that nation into a great nation. He does so for His own purposes, not because they are such a great people.
The people of Jericho had heard of the mighty deeds of God. They understood they were up against something they could not understand, nor defend against. They had the opportunity to turn to this true God but only Rahab and her family did so.
In II Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat needed to be reminded that there is a God in heaven who is able to protect His people. It does not matter what the odds are, from man’s perspective. God, by Himself, is greater than all. He did great things in Israel in the past and He is still doing great things in Israel today. He is also doing great things among the Gentiles. His salvation is a great thing that exceeds all other things that man might think he can do.
Then of course Daniel was not afraid nor ashamed to identify this true God before a pagan king who also needed to know he was not nearly as great as he assumed he was. He was given a dream by God, but it terrified him. He could not understand it at all. His “wise men” were of no help to him. Their enchantments were worthless. What God was showing Nebuchadnezzar was something the devil did not know about. The devil sometimes helps lost people to see things. but the devil is limited in what he knows. Nebuchadnezzar needed a true man of God to show him what God wanted him to know. Nebuchadnezzar needed to know the true God. He needed to put his confidence in God, not in his riches and his assumed power. Nebuchadnezzar would be nothing without God’s intervention. The only reason he could conquer Judah and plunder Jerusalem, was because God opened the door for him to succeed in that matter.
As we look at life today, it is important to look at life from God’s perspective. When we get it wrong, we need to acknowledge we are wrong and we need to turn to God to fix the mess we have jumped into. God has the answer to everything we need and everything we will face. His way is always right. It is important to look to His Word and seek out His men to help us to understand things properly. He wants to help us to see there is a God in heaven that has all power and all wisdom.
There are some people today, as in any generation, who have crossed the line of no return. We do not know who those people are, but God does. He will help us, those who are truly born again, to know where He wants us to spend our time and with whom. We need to keep in mind that God’s clock is ticking. God’s clock keeps perfect time. Nothing interferes with His timetable. It is important to submit to His will and know His peace in your heart. Don’t slam the door on Him. There is no other door to go through to find hope and peace. He provides great blessings to all His children.
Pastor Bartel