Life Matters - December 6, 2023
God is always right because of who He is. So in the affairs between men (and women), a quest for truth may never be about who (as in people) is right, but must rather be about what is right. With the ‘’what’’ being connected to the only One worthy of being the One who is acknowledged to be always right, the One whose Word is always right; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, our Triune God. There is no point in arguing with Him. He will always have the final Word. Communication with Him must always be based on the foundation of His truth. He is truth. A quest for truth may then center upon Who is right.
In the struggles between men (and women) truth does not always appear so “cut and dried” so “set in stone” Literally as God Himself engraved ten commandments onto two tablets of stone which He gave to Moses on top of Mt. Sinai for Moses to then deliver to His people. These ten commandments are still “set in stone” with Jesus being the fulfillment of the Sabbath day rest. (For more on that subject see Divine Response to Fallen Mankind, Chapter 10, which is a study centered on the book of Hebrews)
In the year 2000, as I stood on the Mount of Olives above Jerusalem, gazing down on the solid gold-plated dome roof of the Dome of the Rock Mosque of Islam, my mind was drawn to and captivated by the wonder of this moment, of this place. A place of religious significance to both Jew and Arab. The religion of Islam was birthed, grew, and spread in and eventually out, of Arabia, from a people—as per custom and tradition—who are understood to be the descendants of Ishmael, the son of the bond woman in Abraham’s household. Hagar gave birth to Abraham’s first-born son, who, according to ancient custom, was to be heir to Abraham’s wealth. Ishmael was first in line to be blessed by his father and to receive what was considered rightfully his by birth. Abraham, however, had a second son, born to the wife of his youth, though both he and Sarah were now old. When Sarah gave birth to Isaac, Abraham and she both recognized this second son of Abraham to be the son whom God had promised. The son through whom Abraham’s seed would bless the whole world by being the linage through whom Jesus was born of Mary in the little town of Bethlehem in the hills of Judea. Having carried this baby full term in her womb after being impregnated when the Holy Ghost came upon her, the power of the Highest overshadowed her and therefore we call Jesus, the son of God.
My reverie was broken, overwhelmed, by the appearance of a donkey and rider between myself and yonder olive grove, silhouetted for a moment against the skies above Jerusalem, then disappearing on the descent toward the city. Very possibly I was standing at the very spot where Jesus looked out over Jerusalem and wept, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Luke 19:41, Matthew 23:37) How often might that be said of us? Oh, fickle human nature that would fain be rid of those that disquiet the spirit, who cause discomfort, those who “follow not us.” (Mark 9:38) Those negative prophets! Those argumentive people who disagree with us, conveniently disregarding that it takes two sides to argue. Being the first to break off arguing is the hard part, is it not? But break off we must if we would hear what God has to say. As quoth the sage, “An argument is to find out who is right, a discussion is to find out what is right.” May our discussions lead us to the One who is always right.
May the peace of Jesus come again to the Middle East and may His peace spread across this beleaguered globe.
Life Matters!