Tag: Israel

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The Allure of Cheap Substitutes

Jeremiah 2

1The LORD gave me another message. He said, 2“Go and shout in Jerusalem’s streets: ‘This is what the LORD says: I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness. 3In those days Israel was holy to the LORD, the first of my children. All who harmed my people were considered guilty, and disaster fell upon them. I, the LORD, have spoken!’”

4Listen to the word of the LORD, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! 5This is what the LORD says: “What sin did your ancestors find in me that led them to stray so far? They worshiped foolish idols, only to become foolish themselves. 6They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness—a land of deserts and pits, of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?’

7“And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the inheritance I had promised you. 8The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ The judges ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on nonsense. 9Therefore, I will bring my case against you and will keep on accusing you, even against your children’s children in the years to come. I, the LORD, have spoken!

10“Go west to the land of Cyprus; go east to the land of Kedar. Think about what you see there. See if anyone has ever heard of anything as strange as this. 11Has any nation ever exchanged its gods for another god, even though its gods are nothing? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! 12The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay, says the LORD. 13For my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! (Jeremiah 2:1-13, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

Jeremiah was a prophet of Judah who prophesied from about 627 B.C. to 587 B.C. He is known as the “weeping prophet” because he expressed deep sorrow in his writings over the sins of his people toward God.

You may remember that the Jewish nation was divided in two after Solomon’s reign. The northern kingdom, known as Israel in the Old Testament historical books, was conquered by the Assyrians in about 722 B.C. and many of it’s inhabitants were exiled.

The southern kingdom was known as Judah. This was the royal line of David and Solomon. The southern kingdom was invaded by Babylon in 605 BC at which time they became a vassal state, though the kings of Judah continued to resist Babylonian control. It was during this period that Jeremiah prophesied to the kings of Judah with a message that they should concede to Babylonian rule as their punishment for their continued sins of rebellion and rejection of God.

And just what did they do to sin against and reject God? Verse 11 demonstrates that the major sin was that they exchanged their allegiance to the one true God, the God who delivered them from the Egyptians and brought them into the promised land, for “worthless gods” who are “nothing.”

God’s people were guilty of idol worship. This was a recurring issue with God’s people that happened over, and over and over again. They were constantly forsaking God in order to worship idols in the form of regional gods of the people they had displaced as well as the gods of people who lived in proximity to them.

I’ve written many times about the problem of idol worship within the Israelite communities, including here, and here.

Jeremiah gives an illustration to demonstrate just how foolish the people of Judah had been. In verse 13, he states,

For my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

The climate in Israel was hot and arid and they depended on rainfall for drinking water and the development of their crops.

A cistern was used as a way of collecting water during the rainy season to use later when it was dry.

A cistern is not a well. It’s more like an underground storage tank. While there were different methods for constructing a cistern, a common cistern was a masonry cistern which allowed for more versatility in terms of the shape and size of the storage area.

Basically a large cavity or hole was unearthed and then quarried stones or bricks were used with mortar to create the structure – the walls and the floor. The structure was then sealed with plaster to prevent leaks.

So now that you know what a cistern is, let’s look at what the charge is against God’s people.

God says HIs people have rejected Him, the fountain of living water.

This right here is key. It’s easy to overlook the importance of water to the people in ancient Israel. Water represents life. You cannot live without water. You will die of thirst or of starvation if there is no water to drink and grow your crops.

In our modern society, we just go into the bathroom or kitchen and we turn on the faucet, and out comes the water – as much as we want. Most of us haven’t had to think at all about where our water will come from for that day.

But in the Ancient Near East, water was vital, and thinking about water was paramount. Water had to be retrieved on a daily basis for life’s needs – whether it was for drinking, cooking, cleaning or growing crops.

Retrieving water was not as easy as turning on a faucet and streaming water out of a hose into a bucket or cooking pot. One had to walk to wherever the well was located or wherever there was a cistern. Water had to painstakingly be lifted up out of the well or cistern. If you did happen to live near a river, you would have to walk to retrieve it and whatever you retrieved you’d have to carry back. The larger the bucket, the heavier the load. The smaller the bucket, the more times you had to visit the water source to retrieve the amount of water you needed.

To us, we can easily take water for granted. In that culture, nobody took water for granted. It was everything.

God says that He is like a fountain of living water. Since water is essential for life, God is saying that He is like a fountain of life. He is the one who sustains life.

Instead of coming to this source of pure living water, God’s people have chosen to retrieve their water from cisterns that are cracked. A cracked cistern not only would leak its water, which made for an unreliable source, but it would also allow earth sediment to leak in via the cracks so that whatever water remained would be dirty and impure.

This is what we tend to do as humans. On the one hand, there exists a fountain of pure water that never runs dry. On the other hand, there’s a cracked cistern that may have some water in it. It’s unreliable because it leaks. If there is water in it, it’s dirty and stagnant.

Now imagine you’re really thirsty. From which source do you choose to retrieve water to satisfy your thirst?

You’d think that we would choose the fountain of pure living water every time. But we don’t. We consistently choose cheap substitutes that we think will give us life but ultimately, doesn’t quench our thirst.

The Israelites were constantly worshiping false gods and idols that they created out of wood, stone and various metals. These idols could not save them, nor could they protect them, nor could they provide for them. Only God could do that.

We may not be carving idols out of wood, clay, stone and metal and then worshiping them. But we do make this same exchange that Jeremiah warns about. Anything in our life that we turn to in order to provide for us can be an idol.

What is it that you have exchanged for God in your life? What is it that you turn to in order to provide joy, happiness or contentment? Where do you go when you’re sad, anxious or lonely? If you don’t turn to God and trust Him for these things, it’s possible that you are settling for a cheap substitute that cannot quench your real thirst or satisfy your deepest need. Only God can do that.

 

Did you enjoy this post? I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to like, leave a comment below, and share it with your friends or on social media if you found it helpful or interesting. Your support keeps the conversation going!

Reflection

How do you see people in today’s culture forsaking God? What does forsaking God look like today?

What are some typical things people today tend to turn to for fulfillment, joy and satisfaction in life?

What would you say is your deepest need? How can God help you meet that need?

How can you safeguard your life to ensure you don’t exchange God for some cheap substitute that cannot ultimately provide for your deepest needs?

 

Photo by Seval Torun on Unsplash

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A Divine Wrestling Match

Genesis 32

22But during the night Jacob got up and sent his two wives, two concubines, and eleven sons across the Jabbok River. 23After they were on the other side, he sent over all his possessions. 24This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. 25When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. 26Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.”

But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

27“What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

28“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “It is now Israel, [Israel means “God struggles” or “one who struggles with God.”] because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.”

29“What is your name?” Jacob asked him.

“Why do you ask?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.

30Jacob named the place Peniel—“face of God”—for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 31The sun rose as he left Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32That is why even today the people of Israel don’t eat meat from near the hip, in memory of what happened that night. (Genesis 32:22-32, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

The book of Genesis is a rich collection of narrative stories that outline the rise and birth of the Jewish nation.

In this segment of Scripture, Jacob has just fled from his Uncle Laban, with whom he had spent 20 years serving. Their relationship had cooled considerably and Jacob ends up making a quick, hasty and unannounced departure because he fears Laban and what he might do once he learns Jacob is intent on leaving.

With Laban in his rear-view mirror, Jacob is now about to face his brother Esau, whom he had fled 20 years prior. The last time he saw his brother, Jacob had tricked his father into blessing him with the blessing that was supposed to go to Esau. As a result, Esau was intent on killing Jacob, which was the primary reason Jacob ended up with his uncle Laban in the first place.

As you can imagine, Jacob is experiencing a lot of uncertainty and anxiety in his life, with close personal relatives who don’t exactly like him threatening him with physical, bodily harm.

Jacob has done all he can do to try to strategically disarm the situation with Esau but he still doesn’t know if it will be enough. Jacob has sent his loved ones across the river and he is now all alone in the camp. It’s at this point that he has a physical encounter with the angel of the Lord.

One has to wonder what this encounter is all about and what it means. Why would the angel of the Lord come and physically wrestle with Jacob?

I think the encounter Jacob had, though real, is also symbolic of the encounter we all have. For Jacob, his struggle was not really with Laban, nor was it with Esau. His struggle was with God and this encounter essentially brought Jacob to the end of himself.

I was a wrestler in high school so I know a bit about the sport. High school, collegiate and Olympic wrestling is NOTHING like the wrestling you see on TV, which is mostly staged entertainment. By contrast, olympic style wrestling is a grueling and physically demanding sport that is all about control. Each participant seeks to control his or her opponent and is awarded points based on the different levels of control that occur.

If you think about it in this context, one can imagine that this wrestling match Jacob had with the angel of the Lord was a struggle for CONTROL. Jacob had had encounters with God before, but this encounter essentially was a wrestling match for Jacob’s personal identity and destiny.

As Jacob struggles with God, the encounter is essentially a stale-mate, signifying Jacob’s stubborn refusal to relent and submit. However, the man (the angel of the Lord) disables Jacob at the hip, showing that as much as we might resist God, He is ultimately superior to us and at any time, He can disable us. He is sovereign.

Finally, Jacob asks the man to bless him. I think this demonstrates Jacob’s ultimate desire to know and be known by God – to finally submit to God’s desires and plans.

What’s interesting about this is that God’s blessing of Jacob is a demarcation point in the identity and destiny of Jacob. God tells Jacob that He is changing his name. No longer will he be known as Jacob, which literally means “grasper of the heal” or figuratively, “deceiver”. Instead, Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, which means “God’s Warrior”.

Jacob ends up in an all-night wrestling match with God for control of his life. The struggle ends the following morning with Jacob’s identity and his destiny literally changed forever.

It’s doubtful that any of us will have a physical wrestling match with the angel of the Lord. But our struggle for meaning, purpose, direction and identity is real nonetheless.

We each struggle with who we are going to become and whom we are going to serve. God has plans and desires for us and He promises that if we follow Him and His ways, we can experience fullness of life spiritually.

But the struggle for control is real. Our sinful nature prompts us to rebel against God and go our own way, seeking to carve our own path. This often leads to brokenness and heartache as sin often does. And it ultimately separates us from the one who desires to bless us, just as He blessed Jacob.

Reflection

When have you struggled for control of your life with God? What were the circumstances? What was the outcome?

What are some areas in your life that you struggle to yield control to the Lord?

Jacob was given a new identity and a new destiny. As followers of Christ, the Bible says that we have a new identity and a new spiritual destiny. What is your understanding of the identity and destiny that we have as followers of Christ?

What keeps you or hinders you from fully experiencing and living out of the identity and destiny that God wants for you as a follower of Christ?

God gave Jacob a limp, I think, to remind him of his frailty and need to depend on God instead of himself. What are some ways God reminds you of your limitations and need to trust God instead of depending on yourself?

 

Photo by Aqib Shahid: https://www.pexels.com/photo/men-wrestling-in-mud-5217427/

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A Tale of Two Sisters

Ezekiel 23

1This message came to me from the LORD: 2“Son of man, once there were two sisters who were daughters of the same mother. 3They became prostitutes in Egypt. Even as young girls, they allowed themselves to be fondled and caressed. 4The older girl was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. I married them, and they bore me sons and daughters. I am speaking of Samaria and Jerusalem, for Oholah is Samaria and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

5“Then Oholah lusted after other lovers instead of me, and she gave her love to the Assyrians, her neighbors. 6They were all attractive young men, captains and commanders dressed in handsome blue, dashing about on their horses. 7And so she prostituted herself with the most desirable men of Assyria, worshiping their idols and defiling herself. 8For when she left Egypt, she did not leave her spirit of prostitution behind. She was still as lewd as in her youth, when the Egyptians satisfied their lusts with her and robbed her of her virginity. 9And so I handed her over to her Assyrian lovers, whom she desired so much. 10They stripped her and killed her and took away her children as their slaves. Her name was known to every woman in the land as a sinner who had received what she deserved.

11“Yet even though Oholibah saw what had happened to Oholah, her sister, she followed right in her footsteps. And she was even more depraved, abandoning herself to her lust and prostitution. 12She fawned over her Assyrian neighbors, those handsome young men on fine horses, those captains and commanders in handsome uniforms—all of them desirable. 13I saw the way she was going, defiling herself just like her older sister.

14“Then she carried her prostitution even further. She fell in love with pictures that were painted on a wall—pictures of Babylonian*[Or Chaldean.] military officers, outfitted in striking red uniforms. 15Handsome belts encircled their waists, and flowing turbans crowned their heads. They were dressed like chariot officers from the land of Babylonia.*[Or Chaldea; also in 23:16.] 16When she saw these paintings, she longed to give herself to them, so she sent messengers to Babylonia to invite them to come to her. 17So they came and committed adultery with her, defiling her in the bed of love. But later, she became disgusted with them and broke off their relationship.

18“So I became disgusted with Oholibah, just as I was with her sister, because she flaunted herself before them and gave herself to satisfy their lusts. 19But that didn’t bother her. She turned to even greater prostitution, remembering her youth when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20She lusted after lovers whose attentions were gross and bestial. 21And so, Oholibah, you celebrated your former days as a young girl in Egypt, when you first allowed yourself to be fondled and caressed.  (Ezekiel 23: 1-21, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

The prophet Ezekiel is one of the major prophets of the Old Testament. He was exiled to Babylon along with other Jews living in the nation of Judah. His ministry was primarily to those living in Babylonian exile and his message was a reminder of the sins that the nation and people had committed that led to them being conquered by the Babylonians and taken into exiled captivity.

In this chapter, Ezekiel receives a message from the Lord in the form of a parable. Two sisters (from the same mother) both become prostitutes in Egypt and then later marry the same man (God, in the parable). We’re told clearly that the two sisters represent Samaria, the northern kingdom of Israel, and Judah, the southern kingdom. The parable serves as an illustration of the unfaithfulness of these two related kingdoms, which resulted in the conquering and captivity of its people.

There are a number of interesting things to note from this parable.

First of all, the relationship between God and His people (the separate kingdoms of Samaria and Judah) is likened to a marriage. This was true of His people in the Old Testament and it’s true of His people now. I wrote about God’s desire that we would essentially enter into a marriage covenant with Him here.

Secondly, the imagery of prostitution or adultery is often used to depict the unfaithfulness of God’s people to their covenant relationship with Him. The unfaithfulness of God’s people is often demonstrated through their worship of idols and false gods. This was a recurring problem amongst the Israelites and it became a constant theme in many Old Testament writings, some of which I’ve written about here and here.

The parable mentions early prostitution in Egypt, “allowing themselves to be fondled and caressed.” This is clearly a reference to Exodus 32, when Aaron, with the help of the people, made a calf of gold, which the people promptly began worshiping as God.

However, prostitution in this parable refers more to the two nations’ desires to align themselves politically with these foreign powers rather than rely on God alone for protection and provision. Oholah (Samaria) was enamored with Assyria and was eventually overrun and conquered by the very nation with whom they sought an alliance. Likewise, Oholibah (Judah) was enamored politically by both Assyria, by whom they avoided conquest, and later Babylon, who eventually conquered them and took many of their citizens into exile. It is many of these exiles who Ezekiel is addressing with his prophetic messages.

Third, Oholoh, which represents Samaria, is listed as the older sister. Why is that? If you don’t know anything about the history of Samaria and Judah, here are some relevant bullet points:

    • Israel was one unified kingdom through the reign of Solomon. But because Solomon was unfaithful to the Lord at the end of his life, the Lord, as a consequence, promised to divide his kingdom.
    • Rehoboam was Solomon’s son. He decided he would rule as an iron-fisted tyrant and that ticked off all of the northern tribes, who revolted and elected their own king. Rehoboam remained the king over the Southern kingdom, which included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. All the other tribes became loyal to Jeroboam, who was anointed as the king of Israel (the northern kingdom).
    • The Northern kingdom became associated with Samaria when King Omri made Samaria the capital of the northern kingdom.

If royal succession were being used as a determining factor, Judah would be considered older, since Samaria represents a splintering or off-shoot of the royal dynasty.

However, in the parable, it appears that Oholah (Samaria) is considered the older sister since she was the first to be taken into captivity.

Fourth, Judah, who avoided captivity by the Assyrians only to later be conquered and exiled by the Babylonians, is considered in the parable as the greater offender, largely because she did not learn from the fate of her older sister (Samaria) when she was taken into captivity by the Assyrians.

The message of the Lord in this parable is that Judah saw what happened to Samaria and should have learned from her mistakes. Instead, Judah followed down the same path of destruction by committing the same sins of idolatry and political unfaithfulness that Samaria had committed.

I think there’s a relevant lesson here for us today. There’s a danger in life when people take the attitude “that can’t happen to me”, which seems to be the posture that Judah took when Samaria was being overrun by the Assyrians. But, as Judah soon found out, it can happen, especially if we forsake the Lord’s protection and provision to pursue the affection of others.

Reflection

What do you think unfaithfulness to the Lord looks like in our culture today?

What are the idols or potential idols in your life that might draw you away from worshiping God alone?

One of the messages of the parable is that unfaithfulness is not just worshiping idols or false gods. In the case of Samaria and Judah, it was also seeking protection and provision from others besides the Lord via political alliances instead of depending on the Lord alone. Who or what are you prone to seek for protection, provision and security instead of the Lord?

What are some practical ways you can ensure that you are less likely be unfaithful to the Lord?

 

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An Old Testament Echo Chamber

We create an echo chamber when we manipulate our environment in such a way that we avoid any opposing views while engaging only with those who agree with us.

1 Kings 22

1For three years there was no war between Aram and Israel. 2Then during the third year, King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to visit King Ahab of Israel. 3During the visit, Ahab said to his officials, “Do you realize that the Arameans are still occupying our city of Ramoth-gilead? And we haven’t done a thing about it!” 4Then he turned to Jehoshaphat and asked, “Will you join me in fighting against Ramoth-gilead?”

And Jehoshaphat replied to King Ahab, “Why, of course! You and I are brothers, and my troops are yours to command. Even my horses are at your service.” 5Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.”

6So King Ahab summoned his prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?”

They all replied, “Go right ahead! The Lord will give you a glorious victory!”

7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the LORD around, too? I would like to ask him the same question.”

8King Ahab replied, “There is still one prophet of the LORD, but I hate him. He never prophesies anything but bad news for me! His name is Micaiah son of Imlah.”

“You shouldn’t talk like that,” Jehoshaphat said. “Let’s hear what he has to say.”

9So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Quick! Go and get Micaiah son of Imlah.”

10King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on thrones at the threshing floor near the gate of Samaria. All of Ahab’s prophets were prophesying there in front of them. 11One of them, Zedekiah son of Kenaanah, made some iron horns and proclaimed, “This is what the LORD says: With these horns you will gore the Arameans to death!”

12All the other prophets agreed. “Yes,” they said, “go up to Ramoth-gilead and be victorious, for the LORD will give you victory!”

13Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”

14But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will say only what the LORD tells me to say.”

15When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead or not?”

And Micaiah replied, “Go right ahead! The LORD will give the king a glorious victory!”

16But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth when you speak for the LORD?”

17So Micaiah told him, “In a vision I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘Their master has been killed. Send them home in peace.’”

18“Didn’t I tell you?” the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat. “He does it every time. He never prophesies anything but bad news for me.”

19Then Micaiah continued, “Listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the armies of heaven around him, on his right and on his left. 20And the LORD said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so that he can be killed there?’ There were many suggestions, 21until finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, ‘I can do it!’

22“‘How will you do this?’ the LORD asked.

“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’

“‘You will succeed,’ said the LORD. ‘Go ahead and do it.’

23“So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of your prophets. For the LORD has determined disaster for you.”

24Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked up to Micaiah and slapped him across the face. “When did the Spirit of the LORD leave me to speak to you?” he demanded.

25And Micaiah replied, “You will find out soon enough when you find yourself hiding in some secret room!”

26King Ahab of Israel then ordered, “Arrest Micaiah and take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash. 27Give them this order from the king: ‘Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I return safely from the battle!’”

28But Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me!” Then he added to those standing around, “Take note of what I have said.” (1 Kings 22:1-28, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

In this digital age of social media and misinformation, the term “echo chamber” has become popularized. It refers to the scenario where a person only encounters information and only engages with opinions that reinforce their own views.

In this chapter of 1 Kings, we see an ancient example of the echo chamber. The nation of Israel had become divided after the reign of Solomon, resulting in two kingdoms – the southern kingdom consisting of the tribe of Judah, and the northern kingdom that consisted of the rest of the tribes of Israel.

Though these two related nations were often at odds, at this point in time, there is peace between them. Ahab, the king of Israel (the northern kingdom) asks Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah (the southern kingdom) if he will join him in going to war against the Arameans.

Jehoshaphat agrees but first asks if they could hear from the Lord on the matter.

Ahab summons 400 of his prophets to come and tell them if the Lord will give them victory over the Arameans. All of the prophets concur that the Lord will give them a “glorious victory.”

Jehoshaphat must realize that these prophets are not spokesmen for the true God because he asks Ahab if there is not a prophet of the Lord available that they could consult.

Ahab says there is one guy, Micaiah, but since he never gives good news, Ahab doesn’t listen to him.

This is an ancient example of the modern phenomenon we call the “echo chamber.” Ahab had already decided what he wanted to do and he was going to do it no matter what. His prophets had learned to tell him what he wanted to hear. This is obvious as Micaiah enters the scene and Ahab’s messenger tells him:

“Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”

Ahab is not really interested in knowing what the Lord thinks or says about the matter. Instead, he surrounded himself with so-called prophets who simply validated the plans he was going to implement anyway.

Unfortunately, we do the same thing today that Ahab does in this passage. Whether it’s our social media feeds, our network of facebook friends, the books we read, the news we consume or the people we choose to actively connect with, we often shield ourselves from people and opinions that might contradict or challenge our views, while at the same time, listening only to those people who will put a rubber stamp of approval on anything we might say or do.

This method of manipulating the counsel we receive is an indication of a proud spirit and a stubborn heart.  It demonstrates that the person’s will is not inclined to the Lord and is not open to truth.

And when a person is not open to the truth, Jesus says that person is actually evil (see John 8)!

Reflection

What are some current issues or topics where you might be susceptible to living in an echo chamber instead of engaging with opposing views?

Describe a time when someone asked for your advice but ignored it, doing what they wanted to do anyway. How did that make you feel?

Why do you think people tend to ask for advice from only those people they know will agree with them?

What are some steps you can take to avoid living in an echo chamber? How can you ensure that your heart doesn’t become hardened and resistant to truth? How can you cultivate a heart and spirit that is open to the Lord?

 

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Did Jesus Need a Snickers Bar When He Cursed the Fig Tree?

Mark 11

12The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus felt hungry. 13He noticed a fig tree a little way off that was in full leaf, so he went over to see if he could find any figs on it. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.

15When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the merchants and their customers. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the stalls of those selling doves, 16and he stopped everyone from bringing in merchandise. 17He taught them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

18When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so enthusiastic about Jesus’ teaching. 19That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city.

20The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it was withered from the roots. 21Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Teacher! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

22Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23I assure you that you can say to this mountain, ‘May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,’ and your command will be obeyed. All that’s required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. 24Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. 25But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too. ”
(Mark 11:12-25, NLT)

The Daily DAVEotional

Mark 11 gives two different stories in which Jesus seems to go off for no good reason. The chapter begins with Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem on a donkey as the crowds praised Him. Everything seems to be going great, which makes the two stories that follow all the more difficult to comprehend.

The next morning, after the triumphal entry, Jesus is hungry. He sees a fig tree and since there’s no fruit on it, He curses it. The author makes a point of telling the reader that the tree only had leaves on it because it was too early in the season for fruit. In other words, the fig tree didn’t have fruit on it because it shouldn’t have had fruit on it. The fruit wouldn’t arrive until several months later.

Jesus had to know this, and yet He curses the fig tree anyway.

What’s going on with Jesus? I imagine one of those Snickers commercials in which the person who’s hungry takes on a completely different persona until a friend gives them a Snickers bar. After taking a bite, the person returns to their normal self. The commercial ends with the tag line, “You aren’t YOU when you’re hungry.”

The text says that Jesus was hungry. Did He just go temporarily crazy because He was hungry?

After cursing the fig tree, they returned to Jerusalem where Jesus went to the temple and began driving out the merchants. He’s knocking over tables and though the text doesn’t say this, I sort of imagine Him with a whip, driving out the money changers from the temple area in Indiana Jones fashion!

Will someone please get this man a Snickers Bar?

After Jesus’ episode at the temple, He and the disciples leave the city and the next morning, they see the fig tree. It’s withered from the roots. The disciples make mention of the tree to Jesus, who responds by telling them to have faith in God and they will be able to move mountains.

If you’re like me, you’re probably scratching your head while squinting your left eye and thinking, “what?”

We can probably dismiss the idea that Jesus was just raging because He was hungry. After all, He spent 40 days without food in the desert being tempted by Satan and He was able to withstand all of Satan’s efforts, so there’s no reason to believe that Jesus went into an uncontrollable rage due to some minor hunger pangs.

Remember that much of what Jesus did was for the sake of His disciples. He was always teaching them, often through object lessons. This is certainly the case here too as the text says, with regard to Jesus cursing the fig tree, that “the disciples heard Him say it.” The author makes a point of letting the reader know that when Jesus cursed the fig tree, the disciples heard Him. That seems like an important detail, otherwise there would be no need for the author to mention it.

Look too at the text and notice that the story of the temple is sandwiched in between the details of the fig tree – the fig tree is cursed, Jesus drives out the merchants at the temple and then the fig tree is withered. Certainly, this is not coincidental story telling by the writer, but intentionally written in order to make a point.

Yes, but what’s the point?

Let’s look at the details of the temple passage to see if we can make sense of it. After Jesus drives out the merchants, He says:

“The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a place of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

Jesus is angry because the temple is supposed to be “a place of prayer for the nations”, but it has been turned into “a den of thieves”.

The temple was a massive structure that had different sections for different purposes (Click here to read more about the different areas of the temple). Outside the temple was a courtyard that was divided into different areas, one of which was “the Court of the Gentiles”. This was the only place where non-Jews could come and worship the Lord at the temple, and yet it had been converted into a farmer’s market and mobile banking exchange center.

Imagine you are a Jew who wants to come to Jerusalem to make a sacrifice. You can take the long journey and bring your animals with you (doable but inconvenient) OR you can come without your animals and you can purchase your sacrificial animal when you arrive in the city (much more convenient). This is how business works – you figure out what people need, you provide that need for them and you make a profit off the sale.

This is what was happening here. The idea of providing animals for people was not what made Jesus angry. What was objectionable was the fact that their profits were exorbitant, hence, Jesus calls them thieves. Additionally, they were conducting business in the only place that Gentiles could access the temple for worship, thus negating the temple’s purpose as a “place of prayer for the nations.”

Jesus was not reacting to hunger pangs but to a pattern of unrighteousness and greed exhibited by the religious rulers and business leaders.

So what does this have to do with the fig tree?

Most commentators agree that the fig tree is representative of the nation of Israel. Jesus doesn’t curse the tree because He’s hungry and there is no fruit on it. He curses it as an object lesson for His disciples. The tree illustrates the nation of Israel, which was fruitless and had been for some time.

The curse illustrates that because of Israel’s fruitlessness, God’s judgment on Israel would be forthcoming. The temple was the center of religious life and what was happening at the temple was an example of the fruitlessness that existed and the fact that Israel had neglected their role in God’s greater purposes to be a light to the Gentile world.

The temple was destroyed in AD 70 and it has never been rebuilt. Thus, Jesus’ foreshadowing of impending judgment on the nation of Israel was fulfilled.

All this writing is making me hungry. I think I need a Snickers!

Reflection

How have you understood these stories in the past? What was your explanation for why Jesus cursed the fig tree and drove out the temple merchants?

It is clear that Jesus was angry when He drove out the merchants. How do you reconcile Jesus’ anger with the Biblical truth that He was sinless?

In what situations do you think it’s ok to be angry? What factors cause anger to be sinful?

What do you think are some effective and appropriate ways for dealing with anger?

While we are not under a curse like the nation of Israel was, it is clear from Scripture that God desires for His followers to bear fruit? What would bearing fruit look like for you and what steps can you take to ensure that you are not a fruitless Christian?

 

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