Divine Intervention: Lessons from Esther 8-10

 

DIVINE INTERVENTION: LESSONS FROM ESTHER 8-10

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Esther 8-10 is the concluding section of this captivating historical narrative that reveals God's intervention for the exiled Jewish community in Persia.

God used Esther and Mordecai to lobby the royal corridors of Persia and rescue the Jewish people from imminent extermination by wicked Haman and his agents. 

Haman was earlier executed in Esther 7 when his evil plot was discovered by the king. 

In Esther 8-9, God touched the king and he reversed the edict against the Jewish people and permitted them to avenge against their enemies. The extermination orders sought by wicked Haman were reversed under a new royal decree and Mordecai was elevated to the second highest position in Persia. 

The Jews celebrated their victory and the day Purim was commemorated in Jewish religious calendar as a memorial to God's rescue and preservation of His people. 

MORAL LESSONS 

Here are some of the moral lessons that we can collate from the text:

1. Time is of essence to God. He works through seen and unseen timelines of history to fulfill His purposes for His people. Nothing can be concealed from His divine omniscience no matter what evil prevails in the corridors of power. At God's time, His divine purposes shall be accomplished. 

2. We should never hesitate in presenting or submitting our petitions to God no matter how perilous the circumstances may be. Esther and Mordecai demonstrated outstanding courage, fortitude, and resilience in this context. They stood out for the Jewish people under great risk to their lives. God is prepared to use those who are willing to trust His leading even in the most difficult circumstances in the life of a people, community or nation. 

3. God desires that we exercise moral restraint in our pursuit of justice. The writer of Scripture reveals that the Jews refrained from taking the plunder from their enemies even though they were permitted to do so under a royal decree. This reminds us that there is a limit to our vengeance beyond which God should have His way. We ought therefore to moderate our anger and allow God to tamper it with His healing grace. God has divine ways of dealing with our enemies. He proclaims in Deuteronomy 32:41: "I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me." (cf. Hebrews 10:30). 

4. No matter how wicked a state system or organization may be, God can influence its affairs through the corridors of power to fulfill His divine purposes for His people. No nation or community is beyond God's divine influence. Joseph was a stranger in Egypt yet God's divine hand weaved through the royal courts and lift him from a dungeon to state power and privilege. 

5. Believers are God's divine agents in this evil world. God seeks to use us to influence the affairs of our societies of context. Esther and Mordecai are examples of ordinary folk that God used to bring divine relief to His people. Daniel and his three friends were also used by God to convey His moral standards in a heathen society. They were subjected to unspeakable pain and affliction but God rescued them through glorious intervention (Daniel 3, 6). 

Are you prepared to stand out for God's divine standards in a dark evil world that is steeped in moral apostasy? 

6. The wicked will be punished at God's appointed time. No matter how long it takes, God's justice will be finally served on the wicked (cf. Revelation 20:11-15). 

7. Our battles are God's. Our victory celebrations or commemorations should glorify God, not us. 2 Chronicles 20:17 says in part, "...stand still and see the salvation of the LORD...". 

We should celebrate God's interventions in our lives, no matter how great or small they may appear before the eyes of men. The Jews celebrated God's faithfulness in Persia (Esther 9:18-32). The Feast of Purim is a reminder of God's faithfulness in rescuing the Jews from racial genocide. It also marked the decimation of the enemies of God's people. It is a constant reminder of God's intervention in our lives when the chains of darkness were broken in Christ and we received our redemption from sinful condemnation.  

8. Even though God is not directly mentioned in the entire Book of Esther, His divine influence is profoundly asserted at every stage of the narrative. Do you sense the presence and leading of God in your life? 

CONCLUSION 

Have you witnessed God's miraculous intervention in a perilous situation in your life? What was your response to God's gracious intervention at the time? 

Are you possibly going though a trying moment in your life? Do you feel overwhelmed and that God is far from you? Are you afraid of the unknown future because of the difficult circumstances you are undergoing? Take courage and wait upon Him. Our God, the God of Esther and Mordecai is faithful. He will surely come for you at His appointed time. Our help comes from the LORD (Psalm 121). 

Shalom.

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

What Does it Mean to Fight the Good Fight, Run the Race and Keep the Faith?

 

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT, RUN THE RACE AND KEEP THE FAITH?  

By Ezekiel Kimosop

In concluding his exhortation to Timothy, Paul states in 2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (NKJV)

Paul had just given Timothy a compelling exhortation in vv.1-6 where he charged the young minister to preach the word with boldness. He was to “convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and teaching (v.2) and to be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist and fulfil his ministry (v.5). In short, Paul was exhorting Timothy to be diligent, persistent, and focused on his primary duty of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to which he had been called.

Bible scholars say that 2 Timothy was Paul’s final epistle and his message to Timothy recorded in 2 Timothy 4:1-8 served as his concluding charge to a young minister that he had raised and mentored in ministry. It was of profound significance in its timing. Paul was about to depart this world having faithfully served Christ as an apostle and Christian missionary.

How should the Bible reader interpret the statement in its passage context? I will proceed to outline the statement in three segments for clarity.

I HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

Paul understood the ministry task as a battle. How was it so? He fought to defend the faith from heretics and false teachers (cf. 1 Timothy 1:18-20 where the quest for authentic defense of the truths of God’s word was most profoundly demonstrated. Paul confronted two heretics and excommunicated them from the fellowship of the church of Ephesus). Timothy was already aware of this fact, having previously received Paul’s First Letter addressed to him. Another set of heretics is mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:17-18. These were just a few of many false teachers that Paul had to contend with in his Gentile ministry. On some occasions, Paul confronted a radical Jewish group that introduced cultural syncretism into the Christian faith. They demanded that Gentile believers should observe Jewish ritual circumcision. Paul defended our Christian liberty from the demands of cultural exigencies (cf. Galatians 1-5). 

How did Paul fight the “good fight”? He stood on God’s side and proclaimed Christ crucified! He never compromised on his doctrine. 

Paul suffered many afflictions in his defense of the gospel and finally paid the cost with his life. He was once publicly beaten and humiliated; was locked up in prison; suffered hunger; endured three shipwrecks, among many other painful afflictions, all for Christ’s sake. He counted his life worth nothing apart from Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:22-33). 

What fights are you fighting in your Christian life? 

Have you placed your focus on the exigency of the battle for proclaiming Christ or are you busy with the struggles of this passing world? God is calling us to fight the good fight that Paul and his associates fought. Circumstances and seasons may have changed since the first century Christian topology, but the battle for the preservation of the faith that was once for all given us remains an enduring fight (Jude 1:3). 

Fight the good fight of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I HAVE RUN THE RACE

Paul employs a second set of figures of speech to illustrate his ministry journey. He metaphorically describes his service to God as a race that he successfully ran. In 1^st Century Greco-Roman world, athletics was a defining and highly cherished community activity and Olympic athletes would race for a crown of wreaths that was placed on the head. Paul meant to say that he had put in the determination and endurance required of a winning athlete in serving God. He was determined to complete with honour his assignment that Christ had bestowed on him as an apostle to the Gentiles. 

Bible scholars believe that Paul was aware of the imminence of his martyrdom which is believed to have occurred under Nero in circa 62-64 AD. Timothy would perhaps come to appreciate the import of Paul’s statement when he learns of his martyrdom shortly thereafter.

Earlier in v.6, Paul hints at his coming departure saying “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.” Adam Clarke makes the following observation about Paul’s imprisonment and imminent martyrdom saying, “He considers himself as on the eve of being sacrificed, and looks upon his blood as the libation which was poured on the sacrificial offering. He could not have spoken thus positively had not the sentence of death been already passed upon him”[1]

Those who serve God should be conscious of the onerous task that God has placed before them. They should be determined to complete the task with utmost commitment and enduring faithfulness. Paul’s passionate statement in Philippians 3:12-17 reveals his unquenchable desire to press on and complete his ministry race with honour. He admitted that he was pressing on to the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Are you pressing on the upward way? Are you conscious of the race that Christ has set out for those He has called to His ministry? We ought to run the race, the pilgrimage journey in Christ even as we look forward to His soon coming.

Run the race.

I HAVE KEPT THE FAITH

Paul closes his statement in 2 Timothy 4:7 by stating that he had kept the faith. What did he possibly mean by these words? To keep the faith is to stand firm in the calling of God in Christ. Paul was a faithful Christian missionary whose faith and commitment to Christ was above reproach. He had sacrificed so much in order to serve God. His statement is an affirmation of his moral commitment to the principles of God’s word as pertains to Christian obedience. 

Paul refused to compromise on the convictions of his faith even where his life was in danger. He was faithful to Jesus, his Master, at all times and was prepared to die for his faith. He knew that his martyrdom was coming yet he remained unmoved! Notice the import of his statement in v.8. He longed to meet Christ and to receive his crown of faithfulness. This is the longing that every child of God should possess and profess. We should long for Christ’s soon return or our dying in Christian faithfulness, whichever be the earlier, so that we shall be joined to Him forever and abide in His glorious presence (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

How is your walk with Christ? Have you resolved to keep the faith at all times even if this comes at the cost of suffering and persecution? Are your prepared to take a stand for Christ in a world where evil is the order of the day?

The story is told of a courageous Christian woman who refused to take the blood oath of allegiance during the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s in Central Kenya. The young woman openly proclaimed that she would rather die than take the oath, saying Christ's blood cannot be polluted. One evening, some Mau Mau vigilantes came for her and she was forcibly captured and taken away into the forest. She never returned. It is believed that she was martyred and her body secretly buried in the forest. The courageous commitment of this heroine of Christ and many others who chose the way of the cross under difficult circumstances stood out as a source of encouragement to many.

Keeping the faith is not a mechanical or knee jerk procedure or an act of passive convenience. It is a lifestyle commitment. It is an ever-standing call to Christian commitment that consistently speaks for itself through our faith and actions. It is founded on our unflinching submission to the revelation and authority of Scripture. Paul and many other faithful believers in his day suffered for the faith. Some among them including Paul himself faced martyrdom. Their enduring legacy should encourage us to stand firm in our Christian faith knowing that He who called us is faithful.

Keep the faith.

 

---

                [1] Clarke, Adam "Clarke's Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments with a Commentary and Critical Notes" Volume 6 (Romans-Revelation) (New York: Eaton and Mains, 1832)

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

A Theological Reflection on the Hamas Israeli War

A THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON THE HAMAS - ISRAELI WAR IN GAZA

By Ezekiel Kimosop

The Arab Israeli war currently epitomized by the war in Gaza is perhaps one of the leading global conflicts today. This war can be traced to the Hamas invasion of southern Israel on 7 October 2023 during which more than 1,400 Israelis were heinously butchered by Hamas terrorists while hundreds others were taken captive. Hundreds of southern Israel people have been displaced from their Kibbutzim or local community dwellings. It is estimated that more than 23,000 Palestinians have so far been killed and thousands more injured. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Sections of Gaza City have been reduced to rubble thanks to the exchange of rockets and missiles by Hamas and Israeli military. 

At the time of writing this article, the Hamas Israeli war had raged on for 100 days and there's no sign that the war is about to end soon. Worse even, sections of Arab militia groups backed by Iran such as Hezbollah of southern Lebanon and the Yemeni Houthis have been sucked into the war. 

America and other western powers are backing Israel and have stationed war ships on the Mediterranean sea to defend Israel. The Palestinians are supported by leading Arab nations led by Iran. Neighboring Arab nations such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Djibouti have kept a low profile because of their close relationship with America and other western powers on the one hand and their vulnerability to Israeli precision air strikes. 

The war in Gaza has meanwhile spilled into the international waters along the Red Sea with the Yemeni Houthis indiscriminately firing missiles at commercial liner ships plying sections of the Red Sea. 

America and Great Britain last night led a joint strategic air bombing attack targeting sections of Yemen from where the Shia leaning Houthis are believed to fire rockets into the Red Sea. The regional and global ramifications of this move are yet to be felt. Political and security experts fear that the war might escalate into a regional military conflict and cause global trade disruptions and sharp rise in crude oil prices, hence impacting on global maritime trade and regional security. Pundits fear that this conflict may precipitate into a third world war if it is not contained. 

At the global political scene, South Africa, a sworn ally of Hamas and the PLO, has filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice at the Hague, alleging that Israel has committed ethnic genocide against the Palestinians. The case is currently being heard. Political observers believe that the case has little political consequences and is likely to be vetoed by Western powers. 

Is Israel justified in their massive bombardment of Gaza? Is she guilty of genocide against the Palestinians as alleged by its critics? 

The answers to these two critical questions depend on which side of the global political divide that the respondents stand. Hamas is classified in Western quarters as a radical terrorist group that is committed to the destruction of Israel! It rejects any claims to Israel's legitimacy in Palestine, arguing that the reconstitution of the State of Israel in 1948 was part of a Western conspiracy to defraud the Arabs of their land. 

Israel on its part claims historical right to its territory including sections currently occupied by Arabs such as the Temple Mount, East Jerusalem and the West Bank. It has refused to cede the Golan Heights to Syria since its capture in 1967.

Israel argues that it is fighting a difficult and unconventional war since Hamas uses civilians as human shields and fires rockets from hospitals, civilian locations and secret tunnels. Israel blames Hamas for the large numbers in Palestinian casualties. It also claims that Hamas has laid booby traps and often misfires rockets resulting in civilian deaths and injuries. Israel is determined to destroy Hamas and considerably weaken its military capacity. Besides, Israel has a strict military policy against terrorist groups. It aggressively avenges any Israeli lives killed by terrorists. 

CONCLUSION 

So who is fooling who in this conflict? My view is that it is difficult to tell the chaff from the wheat in a delicate war situation of this sort. Each side has their story and sets of arguments and its support base. 

Theologically speaking, Israel is sovereignly entitled to retaliate and to defend itself against the scale of the unprovoked heinous attacks of the kind witnessed on October 7. The Bible affirms Israel's historical claim to the promised land which, at the height of Israel's glory, stretched as far as the Euphrates in Persia [present day Iraq] and the Sinai peninsula to the west and the Red Sea to the south. Israel controlled the region currently claimed by the Palestinians until they went into Assyrian and Babylonian captivity in 722BC and 586BC, respectively.

Genesis 15:18-21 says, "On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— 19 the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites” (NKJV). 

The Centre for Middle East Studies at Harvard University estimates that Israel occupies a mere 8,355 square miles of this vast territory, and another 444 square miles on the Golan heights, thanks to historical Arab occupation stretching more than two millenniums. It is therefore difficult to historically corroborate the Arab claims to the land that they currently occupy. Besides, Palestinians were settled in the present Gaza City location under a UN convention resolution following the declaration of independence by Israel in 1948. The Arabs called this event the Nakhba, an Arab word that translates as calamity or horror. 

Four major Arab-Israeli wars were fought in 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 and Israel defeated the combined Arab forces under each battle. America and Western powers have historically backed Israel in each war. 

Israel's support by global Christianity is sharply divided. The common view held by Dispensationalism theology groups, especially Evangelical Christian traditions in America, is that Israel has a special place in God's eschatological calendar and that Israel's future is tied to Christ's messianic coming. The non Dispensationalism groups reject this view, insisting that ethnic Israel has no relationship with the church. They argue that God's redemption in Christ Jesus is not informed by racial distinctions. They insist that the church is the Israel of God, a term rejected by Dispensationalists.  

Some scholars have argued that the present Hamas-Israeli war is part of the eschatological sets of conflicts that will precipitate the war of Armageddon contemplated in Scripture and would pit the State of Israel against a constellation of Arab nations. This, in their view, will usher in the final global apocalypse ahead of Christ's coming. They consider the escalation of the Middle East conflict as a sign of the end-times. 

Notwithstanding which side of the theological divide that one subscribes to, these global conflicts should remind God's people about their pilgrim status on earth. They should cause us to evaluate our relationship with God. We should watch and pray and proclaim Christ to the lost world around us as we look forward to Christ's soon return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2024

Should Christians Engage in Gambling?

SHOULD CHRISTIANS ENGAGE IN GAMBLING? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Gambling goes with several related acronyms and synonyms such as betting, gaming, lottery or wagering. My response to the above question is informed by two primary questions as follows:-

1. What is the primary objective that drives people to addictive gambling?

2. Who is the ultimate owner of the resources that addicted gamblers apply in their gambling activities?

In my view, the answer to the first question is thus: the addicted gambler covets big money which they hope to make in a quick and easy way by sheer luck! They yearn to strike it rich without any economic imput or effort! Gambling is not an economic activity. It is a delusion laced with a hook. 

Now turning to the second question, my view is that since all resources at our disposal ultimately belong to God (Psalm 24:1-2; 50:10), we are merely stewards and custodians of any material resources that God has graciously provided to us, including our incomes and returns on our investments. We ought therefore to apply these resources in a manner that glorifies God. 

This then begs the next question: is gambling evidence of responsible stewardship in the eyes of God? Can a Bible believing Christian gamble from a clear conscience? 

My answer to these two questions is in the negative! 

I will back my theological arguement with the following relevant texts of Scripture which, in my view, should inform our moral prudence on this controversial issue: 

Exodus 20:17 proclaims "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s" (NKJV). 

A covetous person is one that is driven by raw envy and consuming jealousy. They cannot imagine that the neighbour can surpass them in material prosperity and will expend all their energies in attempting to outwit them. 

A gambler cannot legitimately deny that they are seeking cheap and disingenuous means of getting rich! These quick jackpot riches must be drained from someone else, another source. It is a plus and a minus, in simple arithmetics. 

What has the gambler done to deserve a jackpot prize? What investment have they expended in the process? How can his material gain, if any, be explained? Who lost the millions that fell to him? 

Ecclesiastes 5:10 says "He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; Nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity." (NKJV). There is no end to the burning desire for the accumulation of millions of dollars in a person given to avarice and insatiable greed for material riches. 

When should a gambler stop playing lottery? Will they stop at a million dollar jackpot heist? Is there true satisfaction in gambling? 

1 Timothy 6:10 says "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (NKJV) This text of Scripture is a timely advisory to God's people to refrain from ungodly love for material riches.  

Gambling is driven by unbridled greed for quick riches. Millions of gamblers have sold their family fortunes under their compulsive addiction to gambling and driven their families to economic ruin. Is this truly what God desires of believers? 

Think again... 

Hebrews 13:5 says" Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you." (NKJV). 

What example or testimony does a Christian gambler convey inside that dark gambling room where he spends hours trying his luck or when hooked on his phone doing game lotteries? Would one truly bear faithful witness to Christ when spinning that roulette wheel? Does gambling require a prayerful strategy? Is God in the picture? 

CONCLUSION 

I am persuaded that it is immoral for a believer to employ their resources and time in gambling and wagering. We should earn our keep by legitimate and godly means. This is God's ordained method for raising a living for ourselves and our families. 

Let me now close with what I consider as a befitting exhortation and caution from Scripture that aptly speaks to this issue:

The Bible says "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread." (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, NKJV). 

The above Scripture passage celebrates hard work and condemns laziness in the Christian community. Gambling belongs to the religion of Mammon where luck rather than skill and talent rules. Believers should refrain from the allure of gambling. We should be contented with what we can, by God's enabling grace, earn by meaningfully engaging our skills, talents, and abilities. 

There are no two ways about it, in my view. 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Nine Divine Truths About Jesus Christ - Lessons from Hebrews 1:5-14

NINE DIVINE TRUTHS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST - LESSONS FROM A DEVOTIONAL STUDY OF HEBREWS 1:5-14

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

The following divine truths about Jesus Christ can be distilled from a devotional study of the passage of Hebrews 1:1-14 in regard to His incarnation, redemption works and ascension to heaven:

A). Jesus Christ was begotten of the Father in His incarnation (v. 5; cf. Luke 1:35).

B). Jesus Christ voluntarily submitted Himself to God the Father in His incarnation (v. 5). He voluntarily forsook His divine glory in Heaven and came to offer Himself as God's sacrificial Lamb for our redemption (Philippians 2:1-11).

C). Jesus Christ was and is divine in every essence and is worthy of worship (v. 6, cf. Matthew 28:17; Revelation 5:8-10). He never lost a speck of His divine nature in His incarnation. 

D). Angels are not divine. They are ministering spirits in heaven that are subordinate to Jesus Christ (vv. 7, 14). 

E). Jesus Christ eternally reigns with full divine authority in heaven as God (v. 8; cf. John 10:30). He and God the Father are united in every conceivable divine essence. 

F). Jesus Christ was anointed and sanctified by God the Father with the oil of gladness (v.9). This confirms that Jesus deserved the divine authority vested in Him by God the Father after accomplishing His redemption works and upon His ascension to heaven. The triumphant Jesus took on His full divine glory in Heaven.

G). Jesus Christ is the creator God who in His divine essence and unity with God the Father created the heavens and the earth (v. 10; cf. Genesis 1:1-2; John 1:1-3). 

H). Jesus Christ is eternally omnipotent and immutable as God. He cannot change (vv. 11-12; cf. Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17). 

I). God the Father actively seeks to destroy the enemies of Jesus Christ and to enthrone Him as King over the earth. This speaks to His coming messianic reign (vv. 13-14; cf. Rev. 20:4-6). 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, we can affirm from the revelation and authority of Scripture that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the eternal God; the One who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Rev. 1:8). He is Emmanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23). He is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). 

He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and the Good shepherd (John 10:11-16); He is God, eternally immutable, the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4-8); He is the Lion of Judah, the Root of David (Rev. 5:5), the Lamb of God who was slain for our redemption (John 1:29). He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). Hallelujah!!! 

Who can compare with Jesus? No matter what circumstances we face in life, let us remember that we are connected to the most powerful force that we can ever contemplate, our Lord Jesus Christ!

Shalom and Merry Christmas!

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

How Should Christians Resolve Conflicts?

 

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS RESOLVE CONFLICTS? 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Conflict resolution is a critical issue of concern for the body of Christ. Conflicts vary from leadership related to congregational or interpersonal conflicts. The Bible provides a number of exhortations and guidelines on conflict resolution. Matthew 18 outlines steps for the resolution of interpersonal offences within the Christian community. 

In Acts 15, a major conflict between the Jewish and Gentile churches was resolved under the historical Jerusalem Council. The two church communions came together to discuss and address issues that stood between the Jewish church and the Gentile church. 

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that Paul and Barnabas sharply disagreed over John Mark accompanying them in a missionary journey in view of his conduct in a previous missionary assignment and this saw the two temporarily splitting up (Acts 15:36-41). It appears that the two ministers subsequently reconciled because Barnabas and John Mark are later mentioned as being in the company of Paul (Galatians 2:9, 13; 4:10). We are not privy to how this conflict was resolved. 

1 Corinthians 5 reveals that moral conflicts involving believers should be mediated by the congregational leaders. The Corinthians were apparently unable to resolve this conflict and Paul was compelled to pronounce himself on the matter. The responsibility of church leadership in resolving congregational conflicts is also implied in 1 Timothy 5:19 that relates to accusations of sinful conduct touching on a Christian elder. The Bible provides a higher threshold of two or three witnesses in this context. This is perhaps intended to avoid malicious accusations against elders given the sensitivity of their roles. 

A conflict of opinion appears to be contemplated in the case involving two women leaders in the church of Philippi (Philippians 4:2-3). The issues behind the conflict are not disclosed in this context but Paul asks the unnamed Philippi elder or overseer to reconcile the two women. We can only conclude that the matter was brought to Paul's attention perhaps because of its gravity and the fact that it may have been overlooked by the leadership. 

The Corinthian church conflict was partly precipitated by divided loyalties in the congregation. Sections of the congregation were reportedly allied to Paul, Peter, and Apollos, respectively. Those allied to Peter perhaps consisted of radical Jews that questioned Paul's apostolic authority (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:5-33). Paul defended his apostolic authority on a number of occasions. He was commissioned by Jesus as an apostle to the Gentiles while Peter, John and James were in charge of the Jerusalem church. 

Apollos was a visiting evangelist who was instructed in the way of Christ by a faithful Jewish couple, Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus (Acts 18:24-28). He later left Corinth in circumstances that appear to be linked to the Corinthian conflict. The fact that he was reluctant to return to Corinth despite Paul imploring him to do so is perhaps instructive of this (1 Corinthians 16:12). 

It took Paul's apostolic intervention to contain the Corinthian conflict. He wrote two New Testament Letters to the Corinthians. Paul reminded the Corinthians about the preeminence of Christ in the church and the fact that church ministers were merely stewards of God's grace (1 Corinthians 3:1-17; 4:1-2). This exhortation is amplified by Peter when addressing Christian elders (1 Peter 5:2-4).

Paul's second Letter to the Corinthians reveals that the conflict had yet to fully dissipate even though it had been considerably buttressed. Some emotional wounds were yet to heal. Paul was conciliatory in his tone and this could be evidence that his first Letter was fairly harsh (cf. 2 Corinthians 7:2-12). 

As regards doctrinal conflicts, Scripture reveals that they are to be resolved within the authority of Biblical doctrine. Christian doctrine should be exclusively developed from the revelation and authority of Scripture. No matter how finely they may be written, non Biblical writings cannot inform Christian doctrine. Similarly, no Christian leader can speak the mind of God outside the authority of Scripture.

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that Paul excommunicated two heretics in Ephesus in the hope that they would cease to blaspheme (1 Timothy 1:20). Other passages of Scripture reveal that heresy and apostasy would be a defining feature in the last days (2 Timothy 3:1-9; 4:1-5; Jude 1:1-19). Christian communities should therefore guard their doctrine and should refute false teaching at the earliest opportunity (Jude 1:3).

CONCLUSION 

Scripture requires that Christian conflicts should be resolved for the sake of the unity of the body of Christ. We are to forgive one another and to mind one another's welfare. God reconciled us in Christ Jesus. He took the initiative in providing the atonement for our sin such that "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). 

We too should seek to be reconciled to our brethren whenever we offend them and forgive those that offend us. In all circumstances, the authority of Scripture remains paramount in Christian conflict resolution.

Colossians 3:12-13 says "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do (NKJV). 

Shalom 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023

Four Dimensions of the Gilgal Experience

FOUR DIMENSIONS OF THE GILGAL EXPERIENCE 

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

Gilgal is geographically located in the Jordan Valley not far from Bethel. It is a location that bears great historical significance to God's covenant people. This article seeks to outline a biblical reflection on four dimensions of Gilgal that can be distilled from the study of the relevant passages of Scripture. 

First, Gilgal is the place where the passover was first celebrated after God's people crossed the Jordan River into the promised land (Joshua 4). This celebration marked a significant historical phase since the redemption of Israel from Egyptian slavery. It brought to a resounding close their 40 year wilderness journey. The children of Israel were therefore ushered into a new dispensation of their covenant relationship with God in the promised land. 

Secondly, Gilgal is the location where the covenant renewal for Israel was done through ritual circumcision. This was done immediately God's people crossed the Jordan River (Joshua 5:2-9). The new generation of God's people was initiated through physical circumcision as a reminder of their covenant relationship with God that was first made with Abraham (Genesis 15, 17).

This physical rite symbolizes the admission of God's people into their Abrahamic covenant. It was punctuated by a powerful divine system. God proclaimed that He had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from His people (Joshua 5:9). The pain and shamed of sinful bondage is rolled away when we turn to Christ and abide in a covenant relationship with Him. 

On the flip side, this rite symbolizes our unmerited access to the bountufulnes of the covenant life in Christ Jesus through our admission to God's household (1 John 1:12; Ephesians 2). It is a reflection of our covenant maturity, where the believer matures to spiritual adulthood. It is equally symbolic of how the Gentile people who had been separated from God were crafted into God's covenant community through the atonement in Christ. It mirrors the transformative power of the gospel in the heart of a repentant sinner that turns to Christ upon conviction of sin (Romans 2:29; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 2:11). 

Thirdly, Gilgal is where God's supply of manna ceased and the people began to eat of the fruit of the promised land (Exodus 16:35; Joshua 5:10-12). Manna was provided to Israel to sustain them through the wilderness journey. It was a temporary provision whose divine purposes were served during the wilderness experience. 

The cessation of manna symbolizes our maturity in Christ, the point at which we wax strong in the faith and defy the cunningness of Satan (Ephesians 4:12-16). It marks our transition from the investiture of basic or elementary truths to the assimilation of core Christian doctrines; from milk to meat (1 Corinthians 3:3-4). 

Finally, Gilgal metaphorically represents the point in our Christian journey where we are compelled to look back to the milestones that we have achieved and where we glorify God for His covenant faithfulness. This is significant step for a covenant community before moving forward into the new dispensation. It is a commemorative moment that is informed by the alertness and prudence in our knowledge of Christ. 

Gilgal therefore reminds us of the greatness of God in the past even as we face the future with confidence and hope. We should never ever forget where God brought us from even during the most trying afflictions of life. 

Whenever we are reminded of the greatness of God, we are strengthened in our resolve to face every obstacle that stands in our way. His immeasurable grace abides with us. We should therefore never forget His great hand through the struggles and afflictions of life. 

Samuel placed a commemenrative stone between Shen and Mizpah in order to remind the generations of God's people about God's covenant faithfulness to Israel when the Philistines were resoundingly defeated (1 Samuel 7:12). Samuel's exhortation was informed by the Gilgal experience. He led Israel to the restoration and renewal of their covenant relationship with God (cf. 1 Samuel 7:12-14).

Psalm 20:7 proclaims that some trust in chariots, others in horses but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 

Have you tested the Gilgal experience? 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2023