A Kingdom not made by human hands

The book of Judges is ‘bookended’ by similar situations, apathy in Israel, and its destructive power.

The third Judge Shamgar could not get the nobles or the people to follow him (see earlier blog). At the end of the 400 years of the Judges period we have a succession of Judges, with whom, in every case there is no mention of a time of peace. In fact there was internal warfare between the major tribes. After this internal strife the Philistines held Israel in captivity up to the time of Samson. His Judgeship was far from edifying and it is only in his death that there was anything good to come from his life.

After Samson the nation is again in internal apostasy and strife culminating in the virtual extinction of the Benjaminites. These last chapters are anything but edifying, and so the door is left open for the beginning of the time of the Kings.

The 400 years of theocratic government ends up as being a failure because of the fallen heart of mankind. There were periods during this time when God’s rule was recognised and honoured, but overall the people and nobles were unwilling to allow God to rule.

The lesson here is very clear. The Kingdom of God can not be brought into fulfilment while the heart of man is unredeemed. The truth of God’s word to Jeremiah is worked out in graphic detail in Judges.

Jeremiah 17:9 NIV
[9] The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

The Kingdom of God is, by definition, the complete rule of God, the place where he is obeyed. We are shown in Judges that even when God supplies all their needs, shows his power by miracles galore, and speaks clearly to them and their nobles, mankind, even the chosen ones, are incapable of bringing in the Kingdom with their own power and decision making.

 A redeemer is needed who will change the very basis of their being. One who will change the very nature of their heart. One who can bring mankind to a new birth.

This had to wait until God himself invaded this world with the power of real love and began a new creation.

1 Corinthians 15:22 NIV
[22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV
[17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Galatians 6:15 NIV
[15] Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

If anyone, individual or group, could have brought in the Kingdom of God by their own strength then it would have been the Israelites, especially those closest to the miraculous power of God being seen in their midst again and again. But it was shown to not be possible.

We need a redeemer and Jesus is that redeemer. He alone can change the human heart, not by a process of self improvement, but by the only possible way, DEATH & RESURRECTION. Our old nature must die and we must be born again into the new creation in Jesus.

Time is money - or is it?

You hear it all the time. “Time is money.” But is it right?

Certainly in our rationalist economic society it is the way to maximise your profit, but does it reflect the life of Jesus?

We have come to a point in our society that we take for granted the our living standards have to keep on increasing. This, despite the fact that that the bulk of the world struggles just to live at some degree of dignity. Money and economics govern our lives on a way that I could not have imagined as I was growing up in the 50s and 60s. Our TV news broadcasts often have more coverage than crucial news items. People seem obsessed with the state of the stock market.

“Time is money”. There are so many people now who are so time poor that families are under threat. Children are asleep when one or other parent leaves for work, and again asleep when they get home. I can still remember the effect on my family life of my long days when I was in business before going to theological college. It has continued to get worse for many people today. I was fortunate in being able to have a very fruitful family life with time to spend with my wife and children once I left the business community.

Where are we headed? I can see no other answer but a return to the reality of the life of the Kingdom of God. This sounds like a utopian comment but I firmly believe it is not only possible but eminently achievable. What is needed is for followers of the Lord Jesus to live the live they claim to possess. Thos who have embarked on this path will testify that it is a completely different path from the rest of the community, but it works!

Jesus is always faithful. We know that, but struggle to put His life into practice. It does not mean becoming a hermit or a Luddite. It just means to truly believe and act on that belief. It doesn’t mean that you cannot do well in business. I does mean that your business practices and lifestyle will be in alignment with the ways of the kingdom.

Time is not money for the the citizen of the Kingdom. Time is in the Lord’s hands and He makes it clear how we are to allocate it. Money is a means of exchange, and not a commodity in its own right, despite what we see in the market. Money is the reward for our labour, but it does not mean that we have to sell our souls to maximise our bank balance.

These issues become very clear when we re totally committed to the Lord. Life in the Kingdom of God is for now, not just for the future. We may not see the fullness yet, but we still live in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus since the Holy Spirit now lives in us.