Words of Wisdom #273: Jealousies Lead to Unsuccessful Conspiracies
This took place during the reign of Ahaz, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah king of Judah: Rezin king of Aram, along with Pekah, son of Remaliah, king of Israel, waged war against Jerusalem, but he could not succeed. When it became known to the house of David that Aram had occupied Ephraim, the heart of Ahaz and the hearts of his people trembled like trees of a forest shaking in a wind. Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out with your son Shear-jashub to meet Ahaz at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, by the road to the Fuller’s Field. Say to him: Calm down and be quiet. Don’t be afraid or fainthearted because of these two smoldering stubs of firebrands, Rezin of Aram, and the son of Remaliah. For Aram, along with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has plotted harm against you. They say: Let us go up against Judah, terrorize it, and conquer it for ourselves. Then we can install Tabeel’s son as king in it.” This is what the Lord God says: It will not happen; it will not occur. The head of Aram is Damascus, the head of Damascus is Rezin (within 65 years Ephraim will be shattered to be a people), the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all. Isaiah 7:1-9 (HCSB)
Even in the Lord’s House there can be dissension and controversy that brings conflict and division. Rival groups can rise up a challenge against the legitimacy of a church. However, if the faithful core group remains steadfast and trusts in the Lord, the rival groups will reveal their intentions and they will fail. Competition in the church never has pleasing results, but the Lord’s Kingdom will prevail in the end.
In this historical setting, an allegiance was struck between the northern tribes of Israel, known here as Ephraim or simply Israel, and the Syrian tribes or Aram. In ancient times it was common for kings to form an allegiance for protective purposes, and in this case the Assyrians were the real enemy, but Israel was jealous of Judah and the glory of the temple found in Jerusalem. Aram and Israel were going to bring their armies for selfish reasons against Judah, but they did not count on the Lord breaking up this conspiracy. The Lord sent Isaiah as His messenger to warn Israel of their folly if they continue to pursue their evil plot against Judah. His warning said clearly this: “Remain steadfast in your faith that the Lord is your God and be content in your own land or you will face My wrath and no longer be My people under My protection, and you will suffer.” And history revealed that both Aram and Israel were attacked by the Assyrians and their people exiled into oblivion.
For us, the relevance is this: jealous has no place in God’s Kingdom. The Lord has promised to protect and preserve His faithful people, and if we wander away from that covenant by devising our own conspiracies for selfish reasons, the Lord will intervene to protect and preserve His faithful people. In churches everyday there are struggles for power and control, and people cause dissensions and division among the Lord’s kingdom. However, in the end the Lord does intervene to preserve and protect the faithful from the selfish people. That may not mean that the church remains in the right hands initially. Sometimes the church building becomes the possession of the wrong people, but a building is not God’s church – His people comprise His Church. In God’s timing the righteous remnant will be blessed by the Lord to continue His Kingdom work, while the other faction finds no peace and not the Lord’s presence in their building they call their church. The only owner of a church, no matter who paid for it or built it in their minds, is the Lord, if it is to be the Lord’s House.
Think twice before taking sides in a conflict in God’s House, because the Lord is a jealous God and He will preserve and protect His righteous and faithful people through the jealousies and conspiracies that will come from time to time in His House. God will prevail and a remnant will be preserved.
Coach
www.coachbrown.org
Knowing their thoughts, He told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, who is it your sons drive them out by? For this reason they will be your judges. If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he takes from him all his weapons he trusted in, and divides up his plunder. Anyone who is not with Me is against Me, and anyone who does not gather with Me scatters. Luke 11:17-23 (HCSB)