Pick your battles…the strategic retreat

There is a lot of wisdom in this passage.  The Pharisees were plotting against Jesus and even though He could have confronted them and defeated them, He chose the strategic retreat because now wasn't the time for confrontation. 

Matthew 12:9-16(NKJV)

Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 

And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him.

Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? 

Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 

Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 

Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.

But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 

Yet He warned them not to make Him known, 

Pick your battles….good lesson to learn!

Where is mercy in the law?

I find this statement by Jesus a bit puzzling. 

Matthew 23:23(NKJV)

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 

Where do we find mercy in the law?  I thought that was part of why Jesus came, to add mercy because that was missing from the law.  The law is pretty cut and dried the way I read it.  I don't really see mercy there. 

Hmm, another issue that bears more study. 

"….so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God. "

Hmm, I don't see a lot of Kumbaya here either!  Remember, God and Jesus are always in agreement.  This is what God says will happen to those who follow other gods. 

Deuteronomy 8:17-20(NKJV)

then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’  

“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 

Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 

As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.

I'm just not seeing a lot of "live and let live" here.  It always puzzles me how many seem to think that Jesus overrides God.  That Jesus replaces the law when Jesus Himself specifically says He didn't come to replace the law but to fulfill it. 

I just don't see that view supported by Scripture.

After the tribulation…..

Oh oh, looks like I got this wrong!  I had always thought that the Rapture came before the Tribulation.  Looks like I was wrong.  These are the words from Jesus. 

Matthew 24:29-31(NKJV)

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 

And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So we can see that Jesus says very clearly that He will come immediately after the tribulation.  My attitude had always been kind of who cares about the tribulation because it was my belief that the Rapture would take place before the Tribulation.  In other words the believers would be taken up before the Tribulation and wouldn't have to experience it.  

Based on these next verses I think I may have been wrong.

Matthew 24:36-44(NKJV)

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 

But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 

and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 

Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 

Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 

But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 

Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Now unless I am reading that wrong it is saying that the Rapture takes place right before Jesus returns.  Interesting.  Don't know why I hadn't noticed that before!

God is…Strength

My word study on strength has been much more interesting than the last couple of words that I studies.  I've included comments on a few of the verses and then I will give you a summary at the end.

Exodus 13:3(NKJV)

And Moses said to the people: “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 

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This "strength of hand" phrase was used 3 times in a very few verses.  I'm not sure about the "of hand" part but I do note that it was the strength of God, not the weakness of God, that brought them out of Egypt.

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Exodus 15:2(NKJV)

    The Lord is my strength and song,     And He has become my salvation;     He is my God, and I will praise Him;     My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

1 Samuel 2:9(NKJV)

    He will guard the feet of His saints,     But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.      “For by strength no man shall prevail.

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In other words no man's strength is a match for God's strength.

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1 Samuel 2:10(NKJV)

    The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces;     From heaven He will thunder against them.     The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.      “He will give strength to His king,     And exalt the horn of His anointed.”

2 Samuel 22:3(NKJV)

    The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;     My shield and the horn of my salvation,     My stronghold and my refuge;     My Savior, You save me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:33(NKJV)

    God is my strength and power,     And He makes my way perfect.

2 Samuel 22:40(NKJV)

    For You have armed me with strength for the battle;     You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

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For those who think Jesus (and by extension God) are pacifists; arming your people with strength for the battle would seem to be an odd thing for a pacifist to do wouldn't it? 

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Job 9:4(NKJV)

    God is wise in heart and mighty in strength.     Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?

Psalms 8:2(NKJV)

    Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants      You have ordained strength,     Because of Your enemies,     That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

Psalms 18:32(NKJV)

    It is God who arms me with strength,     And makes my way perfect.

Psalms 27:1(NKJV)

    The Lord is my light and my salvation;      Whom shall I fear?     The Lord is the strength of my life;     Of whom shall I be afraid?

Isaiah 26:4(NKJV)

    Trust in the Lord forever,     For in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

Isaiah 33:6(NKJV)

    Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,     And the strength of salvation;     The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

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This one is interesting.  We think of strength in the physical sense but look what this verse says.  What gives us the "strength of salvation"?  Wisdom and knowledge!

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Isaiah 40:9(NKJV)

    O Zion,      You who bring good tidings,     Get up into the high mountain;     O Jerusalem,     You who bring good tidings,     Lift up your voice with strength,     Lift it up, be not afraid;     Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

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Notice it doesn't say quietly whisper about God.  It says lift up your voice with strength.

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Isaiah 40:31(NKJV)

    But those who wait on the Lord     Shall renew their strength;     They shall mount up with wings like eagles,     They shall run and not be weary,      They shall walk and not faint.

Lamentations 1:14(NKJV)

    “The yoke of my transgressions was bound;      They were woven together by His hands,     And thrust upon my neck.     He made my strength fail;     The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand.

Joel 2:22(NKJV)

    Do not be afraid, you beasts of the field;     For the open pastures are springing up,     And the tree bears its fruit;     The fig tree and the vine yield their strength.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10(NKJV)

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 

Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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OK, here are some of my observations.  Man can get strength from two places.  He can draw upon his own strength or he can draw on God for his strength.

Man's strength can fail.  Think of the phrase "end of my rope".  God's strength on the other hand can be renewed.  Just when we think we have reached "the end of our rope" if we call upon God we can feel our strength being renewed.  What we thought was the end of our rope was actually just a quick rest before drawing on God's strength as we surge to victory.

And lastly it is important that we acknowledge that our strength comes from God and that we give Him all the credit for that strength and what we do with it.  As Paul said God's strength is made that much more impressive when we allow it to shine through our weaknesses.  

So draw on God for your strength and make sure you praise Him and give Him all the credit for your strength!

Do you see any kumbaya here?

Interesting parable with God being the King.  And remember, this is Jesus telling this parable.  What did the king do when his invitation was rejected?  Was it live and let live?  :)

Matthew 22:1-10(NKJV)

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 

and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 

Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’ 

But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 

And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 

But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 

Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 

Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 

So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

I love it when Jesus looks them in the eye and tells them to pound sand!

This is one of my favorite exchanges between Jesus and the Pharisees.  Once again we see the ministry style of Jesus.  He doesn't soften the message.  He doesn't try to talk them into believing.  He recognizes that they aren't sincere in their question and Jesus basically tells them to pound sand!  :)

Matthew 21:23-27(NKJV)

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: 

The baptism of John—where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 

But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet.” 

So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.” And He said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.