Response to God's Revival Call: Lessons from Ezra 1:1-6

RESPONSE TO GOD'S REVIVAL CALL: LESSONS FROM EZRA 1:1-6

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

We learn from the opening statement of this passage that God first stirred up the heart of King Cyrus in fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah and laid in his heart the vision for rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem. Cyrus proclaimed a royal decree for the reconstruction of the Jerusalem temple in Judah (Ezra 1:1-4).

Cyrus was instrumental as God's divine agent for the preservation of His people and for the restoration of the Jerusalem temple. God used him to inspire religious revival among His people. 

Notice further that Cyrus acknowledged that God had given him the dominion he held. His inspiration that came five years into his reign is historically critical. God allowed Cyrus to first settle down in his kingdom before touching his heart to proclaim the restoration of the Jerusalem temple. Everything has its time and space in God's divine calendar and no royal or ruler on earth is immune from divine influence! 

Proverbs 21:1 proclaims that "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord,

Like the rivers of water;

He turns it wherever He wishes."

God is in the business of influencing religious and secular leadership so that His divine purposes for His covenant people are fulfilled. He used Cyrus, Darius, Nebuchadnezzar and many other heathen kings to minister to His people under exceptional circumstances during the captivity. 

No matter what circumstances prevail in our contemporary society today, God still influences the affairs of people around us, including the nobility and civil authorities for our purposes in Christ. We should therefore not shy away from standing out for God wherever we are. We should be agents of God's transformation in our secular society. 

The vision to rebuilt the temple at Jerusalem mirrors our responsibility as God's people who have been charged with the noble task of proclaiming Christ and growing church ministry today. 

The Jerusalem temple lay in ruins for nearly 50 years following the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC. Despite these unpleasant circumstances, God was not done with His people. He sought to raise men to prepare the way for the return of His people to the holy land and for the reinstitution of religious worship in Israel. 

Bible scholars say that the first set of Jewish returnees set foot in Judah at around 538BC. This community settled down and soon forgot their true calling from God. They continued to worship at the altar of the collapsed ruins of the temple until God spoke through prophet Haggai in about 520BC and rebuked them for their dereliction (see Haggai 1-2). When the people arose and set out to rebuild the temple, God was pleased with them and He blessed them (Haggai 2:18-19). 

We learn from the Book of Nehemiah that the reconstruction work received great opposition from the enemies of God's people, notably identified with Sanballat and Tobiah, who had been settled by the Babylonians during the captivity period but this work was finally completed. Sanballat is mentioned in negative light seven times in Nehemiah (see Nehemiah 2:10,19, 4:1, 13:28). 

God is today calling men and women to arise and serve Him in ministry using the skills, resources and opportunities at their disposal. The prevailing conditions may never be ideal for us but the call to serve still stands out. It takes courage and fortitude to stand out and be counted in the same manner that some among the captivity arose in response to God's call for ministry through Cyrus. 

Could you be procrastinating over God's calling in a particular area of service? Is it possible that God's work could be slipping away through your feeble hands? It is time to arise and respond to God's calling in Christ Jesus. The Macedonian call is beckoning... 

Isaiah 60:1-2 says "arise, shine;

For your light has come!

And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,

And deep darkness the people;

But the Lord will arise over you,

And His glory will be seen upon you." (NKJV). 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

 

Did the Leaders of Israel See God?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL SAW GOD AND ATE AND DRANK IN HIS PRESENCE? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop

When the Bible says in Exodus 24:9-11 that the leaders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel and that they ate and drank in His presence, my interpretation is that God invited them into His divine presence. No one simply walks into the presence of God uninvited! 

These leaders were earlier chosen by God Himself for His service and the Bible records in another section of Scripture that all of the seventy elders were filled with the Holy Spirit and they prophesied in the presence of God. 

My view is that God permitted these leaders to see a portion of His divine glory as a memorial to them that they were in God's presence. My view is that we cannot explain the experience further than that without the risk of drifting into error! 

Once again I wish to state that our previous rules of interpretation which we earlier established regarding God speaking to Moses face to face, will still apply in this context. 

Now, the Hebrew language carries a range of synonyms or variants for a single word or phrase and we need to be careful when interpreting certain words or phrases. It also contains it's range of idioms and figures of speech. 

Let me mention some examples here. The Hebrew word "shalom" is translated "peace" in English, yet most Bible scholars would agree that this translation is inappropriate and limiting!

The word "Shalom" means much more than peace. It means wholesomeness or completeness in every conceivable dimension! Shalom speaks to our entire journey of life, the peace of God and the divine blessings of God in their various descriptions. 

The Hebrew word for "saw" or "seen" also means to perceive or to experience. 

For example, Jesus is quoted in the New Testament saying "whoever has seen the Me has seen the Father." 

Obviously, this statement cannot be understood in its literal sense without some degree of absurdity! 

What Jesus meant by "seeing" Him or the Father is really about experiencing or knowing Him in a personal way through the revelation of His truth concerning the nature of His divine Person and the divine purpose of His coming as God incarnate. 

Many people claim to know Christ today but in truth, some have no idea about who He truly is! They have no practical encounter with the resurrection power of Christ! These are mere religious folk who attend church each Sunday as a matter of religious order. 

Now back to the Old Testament... 

In Genesis 22, God provided Abraham a ram to sacrifice in the place of Isaac whom God had earlier commanded him to sacrifice under one of the most difficult tests in Scripture. 

Abraham called the mountain, Jehovajireh which translated in Hebrew meant "in the mountain of God, the LORD will be seen" (Gen. 22:14).

Now we know from our reading of the story Abraham's test that Abraham did not literally see God on that mountain! However, there is no iota of doubt here that Abraham experienced God in new refreshing divine sense. 

He learnt that God was testing him and that he passed the test by God's grace! He was grateful to God for sparing his son! 

The idea of seeing God in this context is metaphoric or a figure of speech, suggesting that it was more about discovering and knowing God under a new revelation than about seeing Him with naked human eyes, a fact that was impossible. 

Now let's return back to our passage of context of Exodus 24:9-11.

My concluding view is as follows:

1) God graciously permitted these leaders to draw closer to Him than was ordinarily possible. Usually, only priests and prophets could come close to God's presence. 

This is true of us today. When we draw close to God in obedience and service, He gets intimately closer to us and our experience of His divine presence will never be the same! 

2) The leaders never saw God physically or face to face. We had already ruled out such possibility under our previous case regarding Moses. No man can see God and live! 

3) God graciously preserved rather than destroy these leaders for coming into His holy presence. 

Normally, people who crossed the red line between the holy of holies or who attempted to touch the Ark of the covenant while they were ritually unclean were instantly struck dead by God. God is a consuming fire and if His wrath is kindled, nothing can stand in His way! 

While we know from the teaching of New Testament Scriptures that Christ has opened for us access to the Father so that we may walk boldly to His throne of grace to obtain mercy (Hebrews 4:14-16), the above passage serves as a warning to us never to take the presence of God for granted! It was inconceivable in Hebrew thought that one can simply walk into the presence of God, let alone His throne! 

The Jewish leaders were graciously exempted from the ritual requirements when they walked into the presence of God. This confirms that they were approved of God. We also learn the value of spiritual confidence as God's children. 

Do you recall that David ate of the shrew bread at the tent of the LORD at wilderness of Nob yet God spared him from instant judgment! Jesus recognized and spoke of this unusual  event when defending Himself against false accusations of defiling the Sabbath. 

David was just an ordinary mortal yet God honored him for his faithful walk in His presence. How much does God honor Christ! 

4) The leaders were in spiritual communion and harmony with God. Eating and drinking in God's presence mirrors the partaking of the Holy Communion without any burden of guilt. Of course we are never perfect in God's presence! 

However, when we walk close to God in obedience, God preserves us in special ways (cf. Psalm 23).

I have decided to juxtapose the answer to the question with additional teachings which I consider relevant to the passage in question. 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2017

Should Christians Participate in African Traditional Ritual Worship?

SHOULD CHRISTIANS PARTICIPATE IN AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RITUAL WORSHIP?

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

I was recently invited by a friend into a forum hosting a group of Kalenjin people mainly from the Tugen community of Baringo County, Kenya. Upon joining the group, I shortly discovered that it was formed for the purpose of organizing some series of traditional cultural peace prayers for the nation during which animals will be sacrificed under the supervision of selected traditional elders from several Nilotic communities in Kenya. 

The group is led by, among others, a retired senior military officer from Baringo County and a leading clergyman from Mt Elgon area of Bungoma County. Some of the group members openly expressed their rejection of the Christian faith. They branded the African church as a colonial tool started by European missionaries in collaboration with colonialists for the purpose of oppressing African people.

Other members, including key group leaders were however accommodative and encouraged Christian believers and clergymen to join them during the upcoming prayers. 

I gathered from the conversation in the group that the organizers planned to raise funds towards a religious worship coming up in a month's time. The worship ceremonies would include animal sacrifices and the invocation of the spirits of departed ancestors! The clamour for a return to traditional African religious worship is an increasingly growing phenomenon in Kenya today. Several cultural religious groups have been revived in a number of regions of Kenya, especially within the Mt Kenya region. 

Should Christians participate in these traditional cultural prayers and ritual sacrifices? This is the million dollar question for which I will attempt to file a response below. 

There are three practical ways in which this question can be approached, in my view. 

First, is the universalist or accommodative approach. In this context, some would argue that African Christians are primarily African in their cultural orientation before they are Christian. They would say that observing the traditional cultural way of life is a natural thing for the African people and their participation in cultural religious worship should not offend one's secondary faith.

A second school of thought would approach the issue strictly from a biblical standpoint. They would insist that any religious worship outside the provisions of Scripture and Christian tradition amounts to religious syncretism, a concoction of two or more religious doctrines and practices. On that basis, they would refrain from participating in the traditional worship ceremonies.

The third approach is identified with a section of Christians who are not sure about which direction to take. They will hang in the middle. This group can fall into either side depending on the persuasion they receive at a given time but would still remain hesitant and unconvinced. 

I am persuaded by the second approach. After much reflection and soul-searching, I opted to sign out of the group forum. This was after I raised a spirited defense of the validity of the Christian faith among African people in particular and the historical roots of the African Church that can be traced to the advent of European missionaries who were distinct from European colonizers. 

My objections were greeted with ferocious fangs! A number of people in the forum engaged me in a theological battle. The rest went silent. Is Christianity a vector of Western imperialism? Musawenkosi Ntinga, a Lesotho pastor observes that the word of God should become our dominant identity and the lens through which we view and assess all our other identities and cultures that we fall under. [1]. I concur with the view advanced by this African clergyman. 

In as much as I appreciate the historical and educative significance of African cultural platforms, I was unable to reconcile my Christian convictions with the religious beliefs and objects of the above group. I am aware that my decision to exit the forum did not go down well with some of my friends and associates in the forum who would perhaps consider my approach to be radical. I was however compelled by the convictions of my Christian faith in departing from the group.

Upon leaving the forum, I took up the issue with a senior clergyman and personal mentor whom I consult on critical faith issues. After a long telephone conversation, we both arrived at the conclusion that whereas we should not cut ties with our cultural community people, there is a snapping limit on matters touching on the fundamental doctrines and practices of our Christian faith. Beyond this limit, a believer should exercise moral restraint and keep their focus on the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:24). 

I truly sympathize with our Christian brothers who have chosen to take the cultural option on matters religion but I cannot join them in walking that direction. My considered view is that Christians should refrain from participating in religious worship and practices advanced by any sect or group whose doctrines are not founded on the revelation and authority of Scripture. 

I am persuaded that Christ's sacrifice on the cross of Calvary was final and sufficient. No other sacrifice or system of worship is required of believers except to worship and obey God in accordance with the teaching of Scripture. Besides, Jesus Christ must remain the person of interest in our worship. His atoning death and His shed blood marked the final offering for our redemption and reconciliation with God (see Hebrews 10:1-18). In His own words, Jesus proclaims "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). 

Scripture further proclaims in 1 Peter 2:9-10: "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy." (cf. 1 Peter 1:17-19). 

The Bible warns believers against religious syncretism and moral pollution, saying, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?... " (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, NKJV)

It would therefore be sacrilegious and blasphemous, in my view, for born again or professing Christians to knowingly participate in traditional cultural worship rituals of any sorts while affirming the Christian faith at the same time. This approach would offend our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, who purchased our liberty from sinful condemnation with His sinless blood (John 3:16-17; Acts 20:28-29).

Believers are holy people of God. They are His special community and a remnant in a fallen world that constitute His Church. They constitute His Bride that is betrothed to Him (John 3;29; Ephesians 5:22-29; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 22:17). Christians are the salt and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). We cannot afford to lose our saltiness or dim the gospel light at the altar of cultural expediency. We should remain faithful to our calling in Christ Jesus and look forward to His soon coming to take us to be with Him. 

Our prayers and worship should therefore be consistent with the revelation and authority of Scripture and our established Christian tradition. Any other doctrines and practices should be discarded. 

Keep it Christ!

Shalom

REFERENCES

[1] Musawenkosi Ntinga, "Is Christianity Compatible with African Traditional Religion?" in acts29.com, https://www.acts29.com/is-christianity-compatible-with-african-traditional-religion/ accessed 19 May 2023. 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Compelling Compassion: Lessons from David's Encounter with Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9

 

COMPELLING COMPASSION: LESSONS FROM DAVID'S ENCOUNTER WITH MEPHIBOSHETH IN 2 SAMUEL 9 

By Emmanuel Kipkemboi 

Text: 2 Samuel 9

INTRODUCTION 

This passage appears in the middle of chaotic historical scenes. 2 Samuel 8 records David's victories against his enemies. It is a bloody record. The succeeding passages of 2 Samuel 10-11 speak about David's defeat of the Ammonites and his sin with Bathsheba, respectively.

David was a man of war but he was also a man of compassion and sincerity. King Saul was until his death David's arch enemy. David could have eliminated the entire family of Saul since this was the practice among Middle Eastern kingdoms. The reigning monarch completely liquidated real or perceived rivals in order to secure his royal authority. Instead, David sought to fulfill his covenant commitment to Jonathan despite the evil that Saul, Jonathan's father, brought upon him during his fugitive days. 

Mephibosheth was Saul's grandson by Jonathan and was undoubtedly a crown prince who could potentially lay claim to Israel's throne, given opportunity. David's love for Jonathan was by any standards both extraordinary and perplexing. It overshadowed David's royal conflict with Saul. It is instructive to note that Jonathan and his father Saul were killed during the battle recorded in 1 Samuel 29-31 following God's decree by Samuel in 1 Samuel 28. 

1. THE CONDITION OF MEPHIBOSHETH 

Mephibosheth was a crippled son of Jonathan. He was a vulnerable person living with disability. When he appeared before David, Mephibosheth possibly feared for the worst. He demonstrated great humility, revealing his helpless and destitute condition following the loss of royal privilege. He tactfully debased himself, referring to himself as a dead dog. 

The writer reveals that Mephibosheth lived in Lo Debar, a place whose Hebrew meaning translates "not worth mentioning". This is perhaps evidence of the insignificance of his lowly life as a remnant of a royal nobility gone by. The Hebrew meaning of his name is "from the mouth of shame", perhaps reflecting his fate after the fall of his father and grandfather. 

Mephibosheth was completely at the mercy of David.

2. THE COMPASSION OF DAVID 

David's compassion for Mephibosheth reminds us about God's incomprehensible grace in Christ Jesus. Scripture elsewhere teaches that we [believers] were dead in our trespasses before God reached out to us in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:8). Mephibosheth's life mirrors our state of helplessness in sinful depravity outside Christ. David's rescue of the helpless cripple mirrors on the compassion of God in Christ's that led to our redemption. 

David elevated Mephibosheth instead of condemning him to die under his royal authority. He was an outsider brought into the inner circles of royalty solely by reason of David's compassion. 

David's kindness was extraordinary. He was committed both in attitude and action to honoring Jonathan posthumously following his  covenant with Jonathan that is recorded in 1 Samuel 18. 

David therefore went beyond his covenant obligations and issued royal orders for the restoration of Saul's estate for Jonathan's sake. His actions of kindness were not governed by any prior obligations on his part. He could simply have taken over Saul's royal estate as the custom then was! 

3. THE CONTOURS OF THE GOSPEL

God has invited us to join Him at His kingly table and to an inheritance that we did not deserve. This is purely because of His immeasurable grace in Christ Jesus. Scripture says "For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21, NKJV). 

We are not good enough but Christ is. Mephibosheth was treated with royal honor yet he was undeserving of this special grace. God has extended His unmerited compassion to us in Jesus Christ. 

MORAL LESSONS 

We can draw three moral lessons from the passage of 2 Samuel 9:

1. God's compassion is radical in nature. His compassion for us in Christ Jesus is incomprehensible. It breaks the confines of divinity, culture and social class. This is the reason that Scripture attests that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think... (Ephesians 3:20).

2. God's compassion is transformational. Mephibosheth's status was completely changed in one stroke drawn from royal privilege. He rose from a nobody to somebody; from obscurity to royalty, from bondage to liberty. This is what God does for those who respond to His saving in Jesus Christ. His grace finds us where we are but it never leaves us as we are! The Bible says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (1 Corinthians 5:17). 

Have you experienced this transformation? 

3. God's compassion brings communion and community. In Christ Jesus, we are no longer lonely and isolated. We are drawn into the company of multitudes of people from the whole Earth who all belong to Christ, having been purchased by His sinless blood (Acts 20:28-29). Believers are privileged to sit around the table of the heavenly King. We learn from Revelation 19:6-8 that multitudes from diverse nations and tongues will gather in the great celebration of the wedding feast in heaven. Yes, are not alone in Christ. We belong. 

CONCLUSION 

Are you part of God's covenant people or are you like Mephibosheth crippled and rendered destitute by the power and bondage of sin? Do you feel worthless and hopeless in this passing evil world?

Here's good news for you... 

God has extended His saving grace to any sinner who repents and turns to Christ. No matter what race, gender, ethnicity or social class you belong, you too can reach out to God today and He will redeem you through Jesus' cleansing blood. God is not a respecter of persons! 

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power? 

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[These notes were distilled and modestly expanded from a sermon delivered by Pastor Emmanuel Kipkemboi at AIC Milimani on 7th May 2023 during the second service.  Pastor Kipkemboi is the Teens pastor at AIC Milimani, Nairobi Kenya]

The Prophetic and Apostolic Authority of Scripture

 

THE PROPHETIC AND APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

In Evangelical Christian tradition, we hold that the New Testament Scriptures collectively speak the mind of Christ to the Church, being God's revelation to us in His Son. These Scriptures fulfill the Old Testament Scriptures which pointed to the coming of Christ. Each cannon of Scripture is an essential part of the revelation of God in Christ Jesus to the Church. When the Scriptures were sealed by the church fathers in the Council of Carthage in 397 AD, the canonization of Scripture was concluded and closed. 

The revelation of Jesus Christ is therefore encapsulated in the entire text of Scripture which itself attests to its sufficiency and finality, neither to be expanded or reduced (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Revelation 22:28-19). Jesus Christ therefore fulfilled the office of prophecy through His final attestation in the sealed Scriptures. The New Testament apostles, being agents and servants of Jesus Christ concluded the revelation of God in Christ Jesus through their apostolic writings. 

The offices of prophet and apostle effectively ceased after the New Testament church period. They cannot be reopened today because their divine purposes were served. Besides, Scripture itself affirms that a person who is eligible for appointment to apostolic office must have seen Jesus Christ and must be a witness of His resurrection (Acts 1:21-22).

Now concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit, my view is that these gifts served God's purposes in the unveiling and institution of the New Testament church. Some of these gifts have ceased, having served their purposes in the New Testament church period while others have been modified for the purpose of advancing God's kingdom through the ministry of the church. 

Notice also that during the New Testament church period, the foretelling prophetic ministry was extremely limited. We can only identify a few instances when predictive prophecy was made (cf. Acts 11:27-30; 13:1-3; 21:8-11). 

In Acts 15:30-34, Judas and Silas are identified as prophets. The Bible does not however offer addition information on the nature of prophetic mandate that they held in their context.

Some have argued that the prophetic gift continues in the church but that it is unrelated to inspiration or new revelation. They also insist that the exercise of the gift was not restricted to pastors or church leaders. They cite the example of the daughters of Philip the Evangelist mentioned in Acts 21:9. These observations are historically valid but the gifts are no longer required. 

Conservative Evangelical tradition however holds that the gift of prophecy was only meant for the authentication of the ministry of the early church since the complete cannon of Scripture was not available at that point in time. It was therefore a foundational gift whose purposes were served once the canonization of Scripture was concluded. 

My view is that the gift of prophecy is only exercised in the church through forth-telling rather foretelling or predictive prophecy. This concerns the proclamation of the mind of God in Scripture to God's people. The gift cannot bring new inspiration because the sealing of Scripture has been concluded and Biblical prophecy is exclusively identified in the writings of Scripture. 

The passage of Ephesians 4:11-16 is both comprehensive and collective in essence and speaks to the institution of the church as attested in the Book of Acts and its advancement beyond the New Testament church period. Jesus gave some specific offices for His divine purposes. The purposes for the offices of prophet and apostle were fulfilled in the New Testament church period. Other offices are meant for the proclamation of the gospel and for nurturing and edifying the church in order to attain spiritual maturity. The apostolic and ecclesiological foundations that were laid for us by the New Testament apostles their works and writings are sufficient for our obedience. 

The sealed cannon of Scripture is undoubtedly the exclusive instrument for the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the instruction and edification of the church in Christ. It conveys the prophetic and apostolic authority to the church of Jesus Christ. Its canonical authority is final. 

My concluding view is that no believer or teacher of Scripture can purport to exercise the functions of the offices of prophet or apostle without violating the revelation and authority of the sealed Scriptures. This effectively implies that no prophet or apostle was raised by God after the New Testament church period. This view is attested by church history. Any claim to prophetic or apostolic authority in the church today is, in my opinion, false, misleading and inconsistent with Scripture. 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023