Psalm 1 and its natural setting

Even in a time of drought, those whose confidence is in the Lord will survive.

Jeremiah's first public prophetic word.

The word of the Lord came to me: “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown. Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of his harvest; all who devoured her were held guilty, and disaster overtook them,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 2:2-3)

This is the first word that Jeremiah was given to declare publicly in his ministry. Previously in his communication with God, the words he heard were for him personally. This first message to the nation was highly significant. Although Jeremiah knew that he was going to have to say some very hard things that would not be well received, this first word was a message of love which would have been easy for him to declare publicly. It was just what the young prophet needed to begin his ministry.

All the prophets of Israel constantly referred back to the history of the nation and what God had done for them. Here, Jeremiah is reminding the people of the amazing way God had cared for them, provided for them and protected them throughout their 40 years’ journey between leaving Egypt and entering the Promised Land.

Israel’s Spiritual Sojourn

For most of that period, Israel travelled through the desert. It was an exacting time for the tribal leaders and a time of enormous strain for Moses in maintaining order, discipline and unity among the tribes. But it was also a formative time when the Children of Israel became a nation.

There is nothing so powerful as shared hardship and danger in bringing unity to a disparate group of people. This is what happened to Israel in the desert. They were a group of nomadic tribes living in tents with no homeland, but the shared experience of facing the dangers and privations of the wilderness welded them together. They learned the value of community, co-operating in the gathering of manna, and caring for each other - especially the weak and the elderly.

The first word that Jeremiah was given to declare publicly was a message of love.

Above all, the sojourn in the desert was a spiritual experience that established them as a covenant people under God. They were his bride, newly brought into a sweet covenant relationship with him: a relationship of growing love and trust, as he practically demonstrated his love and his power in one miracle after another.

The first miracle was in persuading Pharaoh to let the people go. The deliverance from slavery was followed by the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and the disaster that overtook the Egyptian army who were closely following with the intention of once again reducing them to slavery. But God had amazingly delivered Israel and thereby demonstrated his love and his power to protect his soon-to-be covenant people in fulfilment of his promises.

This love and power was demonstrated numerous times by the Lord’s provision of food and water in the desert. Many times the Israelites would have starved or died of thirst if he had not provided for them. But the desert was not only a time for the people of Israel to learn about the very nature of God, it was a time for sealing their bond with God and learning to trust him completely.

Separation unto God

The desert was not a place of separation from God. It was a place of separation from the world and from foreign gods: for leaving behind the fleshpots of Egypt, for ridding themselves of the pariah mentality of a people in slavery. It was a time of separation unto God, where there were no worldly attractions to compete for their attention. The conditions of the covenant relationship could be fulfilled – “I will be your God and you will be my people”.

The great silence of the desert was filled with the presence of the Living God. It was here that Israel learned holiness – separation – as they learned to love and to trust the Lord. In this first message given to the young Jeremiah, God remembered the devotion of Israel, her dependence upon him and her love for him.

This was to set the scene for all the dramatic warnings of danger that Jeremiah later had to pronounce – none of which were intended to be declarations of judgment so much as loving calls to recognise the folly of breaking the covenant with God by running after false gods. Israel’s worshipping of bits of wood and stone had tragically put them outside the protection of Almighty God and at the mercy of cruel enemy armies.

Israel’s sojourn in the desert was a profoundly spiritual experience that established them as a covenant people under God.

God’s Suffering

This first message reminding the people of God’s great love and care for their fathers in the desert was followed by a plea that was full of pathos:

This is what the Lord says, “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves. They did not ask ‘Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and rifts, a land of drought and darkness, a land where no-one travels and no-one lives?’

I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled my land and made my inheritance detestable. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who deal with the law did not know me; the leaders rebelled against me. The prophets prophesied by Baal following worthless idols.”

God’s question, “What fault did your fathers find in me?” shows the pathos in God’s heart when his people are faithless and turn away from him. It is as though God was saying, ‘After all I have done for you, how could you possibly deny me and turn your back upon me?’

It is almost inconceivable in human relationships that someone would turn against you if you had spent your whole life caring for them. And yet, it does happen! The sense of rejection and personal suffering is intense in such circumstances. But this should enable us to understand the suffering in God’s heart when those whom he has loved and cared for turn against him and no longer trust him.

Foundational Teaching

This is the truth about the nature of God that was revealed to the prophets of Israel, that laid the foundation for the revelation of God as our Father which was at the heart of the ministry of Jesus. The Gospel Jesus gave to his disciples to take to all nations can never be fully understood and embraced without the foundation laid by the prophets of Israel.

God’s question, “What fault did your fathers find in me?” shows the pathos in God’s heart when his people are faithless and turn away from him.

Sadly, this is missing in so many churches today, where the preachers do not bother to preach the whole word of God – because they rarely study the life and teaching of the prophets of Israel.

If we do not learn from the history of Israel, that disaster struck them when they departed from the word of the Lord, we will make the same mistake again!

Surely, the preachers in Britain and all the Western nations should be declaring with all the energy and power of the Holy Spirit that, like the people of Israel in Jeremiah’s day, we too have turned our backs upon truth and embraced powers of darkness that are leading us to destruction.

We too worship bits of wood and stone in our consumerist society where we compete with one another to show off our possessions which are worthless. In so doing we make ourselves worthless to God in working out his purposes of communicating his love, his faithfulness and his good purposes to the nations. We become, like Israel in Jeremiah’s day, useless servants!

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

Discovering a common thread linking revival, Israel and President Trump

South Africans will tomorrow be praying for rain from Heaven.

On the back of a prayer meeting that drew 1.7 million Christians to intercede for their nation last April, a similar event is now being held in Cape Town.

Led by farmer/evangelist Angus Buchan, It’s Time will again petition God – not only for physical rain to end a crippling three-year drought, but for a Holy Spirit outpouring to end a famine of God’s Word in the land.

And God has promised to answer such a plea. Speaking to Israel, his chosen, he says: “I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground…” (Isa 44:3).

First to the Jews

It is well to remember that this pledge was originally addressed to, and still specifically applies to, the nation of Israel. And it’s no secret that the Jewish state has been transformed from a barren wilderness to a fertile garden since its re-birth 70 years ago. And, yes, the promise for Israel can indeed be appropriated for Gentile nations who honour the God of Israel along with his special people, the Jews.

But pleas for rain from Heaven will otherwise go unheeded as such blessing is dependent upon South Africa first blessing his people (Gen 12:3; Num 24:9). Belatedly accepting Israeli offers of help with water technology will not help; it’s the ultimate water supplier South Africans need to call upon in prayer and repentance.

Pleas for rain from Heaven will go unheeded as long as South Africa refuses to bless God’s people.

Outpouring of the Spirit

“I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground…” (Isa 44:3). A refreshing scene at Ein Gedi in the Judean desert, on the shores of the Dead Sea. Picture: Charles Gardner

The above Scripture (Isa 44:3) promising heavenly outpouring on a thirsty land once provided the inspiration to pray for revival in the Hebrides¹ for two elderly ladies, who just happen to be grand-aunts of US President Donald Trump.2 And I believe this has a direct bearing on the way the President has led the way in honouring Israel by recognising Jerusalem as its capital.

Blind 84-year-old Peggy Smith and her 82-year-old sister Christine, who was almost bent double with arthritis, pleaded day and night for God to fulfil his word, and the ripples of the subsequent revival of 1949-52 went all around the world.

Note that the Scripture verse quoted does not stop with the promise of water (both physical and spiritual), but continues: “I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.”

Not surprisingly, President Trump is proud of his Scottish heritage and has visited the Isle of Lewis where his ancestors helped to change the world for Christ.

God truly honours his word, and responds to faith in his promises. But please note the Zionist connection!

Saved by the Blood

As I contemplate tomorrow’s gathering in Cape Town, city of my birth, I picture the majestic mountainous landscape surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic and Indian oceans – all that sea and yet no rain – and imagine the waves piled high to make way for the faithful to walk through in prayer and petition, rather like the Israelites of old passing through the waters of the Red Sea as Moses led them out of slavery towards the Promised Land.

Jews everywhere will be celebrating Passover this coming week, recalling how the angel of death ‘passed over’ their firstborns, but did not spare Egypt’s sons, paving the way for their exodus as Pharaoh had his fill of plagues.

God truly honours his word, and responds to faith in his promises.

The Jews were saved, however, not just by the water that subsequently drowned the Egyptian army, but by the blood of the sacrificial lamb daubed on the lintels and doorposts of their homes.

The Only Way

Has South Africa – and its leadership in particular – not had its fill of plagues – of sin, corruption, poverty, violence, unemployment, disease and drought?

The way out of this trap is the blood of the ultimate Passover Lamb, Jesus the Messiah, sacrificed on a hill outside Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, who said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no-one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Fellow South Africans: mark your hearts with the blood of the Lamb, and He will send water on a thirsty land!

References

1 A group of islands off the west coast of Scotland.

2 World Tribune, 18 October 2017, and sapphirethroneministries.com, 20 October 2017.

Paul Luckraft reviews 'Into The Land' by Mike Dwight (2016, RoperPenberthy)

This is another challenging and forthright book by Mike Dwight who draws once again on his extensive personal experience in the mission field and leadership training ministry. As in his first book, Out of the Desert (reviewed here), he combines this practical knowledge with insights into God's character and purposes as revealed in Scripture.

Previously Dwight explained how the desert can be regarded as training ground and a place where it is possible to have a fresh encounter with God. Now he emphasises that the desert cannot be a permanent residence. There must be a moment when the decision is taken to go 'into the land'.

The key questions will always be, 'Will we recognise such moments?' and 'Are we ready?'

God's Time vs Our Time

Dwight provides an excellent appraisal of the two different Greek words for 'time', chronos and kairos. We tend to be followers of chronos - watchers of the clock, counters of days, hours and minutes.

But this can make us oblivious to God's kairos moments, to the immediate 'now' opportunities that are on God's heart.

Dwight emphasises that the desert, though a training ground, cannot be a permanent residence. We must at some point 'go into the land'.

Regarding time from God's perspective rather than ours will make us more in sync with him. Kairos is that 'time' when God advances his purposes, when he moves. We need to be more aware of this than of any human time or timetable. These are moments when it is essential to heed God's commands and directives immediately, whether it is convenient or not.

God's Complete Renewal

We often talk of God doing 'a new thing' or of God's 'new day', but Dwight wants us to understand that 'new' can mean two different things: new in quality (kainos) - in contrast with the old - and new in time (neos) - that which is more recent. He asserts that "The God who loves to do new things will combine both of these" (p79). As such we should be looking for a complete newness or renewal rather than just the next thing on a list. He gives plenty of scriptural examples to back this up.

Dwight's main argument throughout is that God must change us before he can use us, though we might prefer this not to be so! To be ready to enter the land requires us to take a good look at our spiritual lives. Dwight has not been afraid to do this for himself and he is willing to share what he has learnt, especially from his personal trials when starting out as a missionary.

We need to be more aware of God's timing than any human timetable.

Being prepared to present ourselves to God regularly (in fact whenever he requires it) is a pre-requisite of entering the land. It is essential if we are to re-align our heart to his and serve him effectively within a spiritually dark and threatening environment. As Dwight states, "The temptation to breeze in and out of God's presence with little sense of His majesty is very much part of our microwave society" (p65), but we must do better than this.

Defining the Walk of Faith

How are our lives defined - desert wandering or entering new land? We settle too easily, seeking the comfortable middle ground rather than "living on the edge of impossibility" (p29). This is not just for the eccentric few. It should be normal Christianity, as defined by a walk of faith. But in addition to this challenge, Dwight reflects on those central qualities of God which make all this possible – his grace and mercy. If we sense God is moving, and if we desire to go with him, then we need these more than anything else. But they are readily available.

Dwight declares "I have been in awe of Moses and his leadership" (p98). That much is very clear in this book! For some time, God had been challenging Dwight to focus on Moses and Israel's preparation to leave the desert and enter into the land of Canaan. His book looks at the challenges and lessons of this journey. Its aim is both to encourage and sharpen us as we prepare for the coming of God's new day. We may have been in the desert a long time but we can leave it behind.

If we sense God moving and desire to go with him, we need his grace and mercy more than anything else.

This relatively short book has a potential impact far greater than its length might suggest. It can be read in a single sitting but will also reward being dipped into again and again in order to keep its message fresh and its readers ready for moving on. To this end, the book concludes with a useful recap in the form of bullet points to help us with the question 'What do we do, then?' One of the strengths of this book is that we are left in no doubt about this.

'Into the Land' (100 pages) is available from the publisher for £6.99 + P&P.

'Out of the Desert' by Mike Dwight (New Wine Press, 2015, 79 pages, £5.99, available from Roperpenberthy for £5)

Mike has served as a missionary with WEC International for over 35 years in Europe and Asia. His ministry has involved church planting and leadership training, most recently with WEC Betel International. This book, his first, is based on the talks he gave at their 2013 conference, which centred on Exodus 33 and God's planned journey for Moses and the people of Israel. Drawing lessons from this passage, Mike brings a powerful encouragement to all involved in mission or ministry: to get closer to God in order to serve him more effectively.

Personal Witness

It is soon apparent that God has been speaking to Mike very powerfully in recent times, showing him new things that would change his ministry even after years of experience and success. As the author tells us towards the end, "What I have shared in this book is not the product of study so much as an opening of my heart to what God has personally been doing in me over these last few years" (p77).

Stories and testimonies from Mike's life and ministry flow naturally and regularly as he takes us through the scriptural passages and key points. But these are not mere anecdotes; they enhance his message like lights on an airport runway, guiding us along the path he wants us to share. As his own personal pilgrimage unfolds, his integrity and honesty encourage us to reflect on our own journeys and where we are with God at present. Do we hear the call, as Moses did, to "leave this place" and "go up to the land I promised" (Ex 33:1)?

Mike testifies through his own journey that God is more important than any ministry or calling: we cannot go out of the desert without him."

A Fresh Revelation

But as Mike explains clearly and passionately, you cannot begin this new journey without a fresh encounter with God and revelation of him, otherwise "I will not go with you" (Ex 33:2). Mere gifting and experience is not enough. God himself needs to be at the centre of any ministry and in the heart of anyone desiring to serve him.

We are repeatedly warned that "we cannot drift casually into the purposes, calling and future plans of God, no matter how able and capable we think we may be." (p22). Time has to be spent in God's presence, listening and seeing before speaking and doing. We must rest in God before we can journey with him, allowing him to move our hearts before we move our lips or feet. This is what makes a ministry truly prophetic, one which is alive to the next stage of the journey and aware of what the world most needs from God. It is no surprise that Mike's Biblical hero is Enoch, more renowned for walking with God than doing anything else!

We must rest in God before we can journey with him, allowing him to move our hearts before we move our lips or feet."

New Impetus

The book is both hard-hitting and gently persuasive, a sure sign of being Spirit-inspired. In his foreword, Jim Graham sums it up as "not so much a book to be enjoyed as to be experienced" (p.ix). Yet, it is also an enjoyable read. The spoken word has been expertly transferred into the written word, and the resulting volume, although slim, is packed with help for those setting out in ministry as well as for those who have been in ministry for years but seeking a fresh impetus and greater fulfilment.

Here is a message from someone with a clear call on his life and who has resolutely followed it, but who has also discovered that God himself is more important than any ministry or calling. We cannot go out of the desert without him.