A Time for Everything

 

Ecclesiastic 3:1-8

 

A Time for Everything

“For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

 

A season for everything, and a time for every matter.  The first 8 verses of chapter 3 tell us God’s plan, not always man’s.  Often parents have not planned to have a child, very rare would be the young man who tells the girl in the back seat of a car that he loves her, and she allows him to talk her into having sex or have any expectation of a child coming from the encounter.  But God does and He has a plan for that child, you do not know the plan nor does anyone else but God.  God desires good for that child.

 

Now in the USA, we call it a blob or mass of cells, but not a human.  Let me ask a question, if nothing is done to remove that mass of cells, something wonderful happens in nine months, a child is born, and it has been designed by God and He has a plan for their life.  We will never know what God’s plan was for 60 million, but before you talk about Hitler or Stalin being mass murders, they were choir boys compared to the abortion industry in the United States of America.  

 

And do you understand, that before you were, God saw you, that’s right, and He numbered your days on planet earth, each day is a gift, use them wisely.

As one who enjoys gardening, one of the hardest things is to pull up those summer tomato plants so you can prepare the soil to receive new plants for the fall season.  Often, we are well established in a good job, the family is happy in the home and enjoys the neighbors, and God opens a new door, and that is not an easy time for a man, I’ve lived it and I see others do so, but after a time of prayer, one must do what they believe God is leading them to do.  I’ve also seen God giving a man more than one option, and to understand God’s will often comes down to where your heart is.

 

Now let me get really personal, all of the above are part of God’s plan for you and me, but it is this one; “a time to keep silence, and a time to speak” that my flesh wrestles with.  The great news is there is no condemnation for those in Christ, but just because you or I have the right answer or opinion does not mean it is appropriate to state at that time.

 

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Vanity of Toil

 

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

 

The Vanity of Toil

I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.   So, I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.   What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?   For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night, his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him^[ who can eat or who can have enjoyment?  For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

I’ve had to watch in my own life the results of building and leaving it to a person who did not manage what was given to them and lost all of my many years of work and investment in a few short years.  I had worked very hard to earn the trust and respect of many large corporations in my years at 3M in the industrial business in the Houston market, and yet the ones that followed me did not manage the gift of my toils and much of it has vanished, and I must agree with Solomon, that it was vanity.

Now let me be clear, I received the blessing of my hard work but the one it was left to is a younger generation that had not been instructed in the value of getting their hands dirty, in maintaining a working relationship with the plant engineers or the people who installed those great products.  It did not happen overnight but over time someone else got to spent time with them and took much of the business away.

Once more we see Solomon using the word vexation, he is angry or irritated over the thought of what might happen.

“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.”  I was blessed to have a dad that lived that out, that a job worth doing was worth doing well.  My dad never griped about his job, but I do believe he also never found enjoyment in it, his real desire was to coach young men in the game of football.

I was blessed to not only work for a great company but to have some great people invest in me to teach this uneducated person how to be good at the task, and I enjoyed my work.  I enjoyed the praise of my managers and to have upper management know that I was dependable, but I always knew that it was God who was the real source of my accomplishment.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Vanity of Living Wisely

 

 

Ecclesiastic 2:12-17 

 

The Vanity of Living Wisely

So, I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.  Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness.   The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.   Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.   For of the wise as of the fool, there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!  So, I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

 

Is there anything new under the sun?  Solomon has discovered that knowledge and wisdom are of some value and that madness and folly have no value, he is not saying wisdom is not something one should seek, but that it does not answer these questions; (Why are we here?  What is the purpose of life?  Where are we going?)  Only God can teach a man this type of wisdom.  

 

Solomon comes away thinking both wisdom and folly were vanity, but wisdom did have some value, whereas folly had none.

 

Solomon seems to be consumed with life, a fear that he would not be remembered, and that life had a timeline, for both the fool and the man of wisdom.  He could not understand how both the fool and the wise man had died as their end.  He made it clear that the pursuit of wisdom was vain and like chasing the wind.

 

When we attempt to replace a void, that only God can fill in a person, we end up in futility and chasing after the wind.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

 

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11

 

 

The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”   I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.   I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.   I made myself gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.   I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.   I bought male and female slaves and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.   I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

So, I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem.  Also, my wisdom remained with me.  And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.   Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

 

The question has still not been answered, “Why are we here?  What is the purpose of life?  Where are we going?”  Solomon with all his wisdom and knowledge, was searching for these truths, and the best he can share is that being a seeker of pleasure did not have the answer, it was vanity.  He tried wine to make him not give thought to the question, but wine could not shut down his mind from seeking wisdom.

Now we find Solomon the builder and the acquirer of slaves and silver and gold greater wealth than any king before him in Jerusalem.  He also got whatever he desired, and none of this brought peace, it was like striving after the wind.

 

No one knows the power or wealth of Solomon, and none have been given his wisdom, but what good are knowledge and wisdom, if one cannot find the answer to the questions above?  You may be thinking if I can just do this, learn this, or acquire this, I will find true peace and joy in this life.  

 

One problem, the latter is on the wrong wall, Jesus Christ is the giver of real life, and He is the only one that has ever successfully lived the Christian life.  He will live it in you if you seek Him with all your heart, mind, and soul.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Is History doing a Repeat?

 

July 21, 2021

 

1 Kings 20:1-6

 

Ahab's Wars with Syria

Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it.  And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad:  ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your best wives and children also are mine.’”  And the king of Israel answered, “As you say, my lord, O king, I am yours, and all that I have.”  The messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I sent to you, saying, “Deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children.”   Nevertheless, I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants and lay hands on whatever pleases you and take it away.’”

 

As I pondered over what I had read, this thought came into my mind, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9

King Ahab you might say was not working with all his mental ability, he was a double-minded man, and Scripture tells us that such a man is unstable in all his ways.  You will find that in James 1:8.  I am a man of the Word, I believe it is clear that the Scriptures are 100% true and correct, and that man is evil and only Jesus can change a sinful person into a saint.  You do know God refers to us as Saints, not because of our works but because of what Jesus did on a Cross, His blood covers our sins.

As I have shared with you many times, my dad often said we do not learn from history, so we are doomed to repeat it.  Let me pose a question; could the United States be on the edge of repeating the history of Israel? 

 

We had many weak men as President of this nation, but to my knowledge, the man who now has that title meets and foresees King Ahab.  If you love your children and grandchildren, you and I need to first confess our sins, and then cry for mercy for our nation, it is an evil place with evil people who's father is the devil in charge of the affairs, in business, in medicine, in the education of our children, in the FBI, and other agencies of law enforcement, and yes government at all levels.  We have become a nation where good is spoken of as evil and evil as good.  We kill children in the womb and are surprised that people kill others with no thought of the evil of taking a life, it will get worse unless we repent and turn back to the ways of our God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Vanity of Wisdom

 

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

The Vanity of Wisdom

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.   And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.  I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.   What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”   And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.   For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

 

Solomon is not stating that he is no longer the king but as king, he set his heart on seeking wisdom, and we know God blessed him with more wisdom and understanding than any other man born of an earthly dad and mom.   With all that searching he still searched for the answer to life; why am I here, where am I going.

 

Solomon, let us in on some important insights, gaining knowledge is not an easy task, and with all learning and knowledge, he never got the whole picture.  Solomon tells us that in his vast search for knowledge and wisdom, it was like chasing after the wind.  Many problems had no solution because he was working with insufficient information.  Also, many of the challenges of our human existence are beyond explaining.

 

Solomon by far was the smartest guy in the room, but each of us has known that person, and without being under the authority of God, that person becomes proud and arrogant.  True wisdom it would seem to this writer, is humbling yourself under the authority of a Holy God, who has shared the knowledge and wisdom with you.  It would also require seeking God’s approval before going after what your heart is desiring.  The Prophet Jeremiah shares a great insight in chapter 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”  No telling how different Solomon's life would have been if he had done that.  For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.  Vexation, not a word used that often, it means anger or irritation.

From the Back Porch, 

Bob Rice

The Earth Remains Forever

 

 

Ecclesiastes 1:4-11

 

A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down and hastens to the place where it rises.  The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits, the wind returns.   All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.  Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”?  It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.

 

The younger people that have believed the lies of global warming, are now it is called Climate Change,  that man will destroy the earth in a matter of a few years.  Read, Chapter 1:4, “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.”  Now turn to revelation 20:4-10 and read about Jesus returning as King of KINGS and Lord of LORDS to the earth for 1000 years reign. 

 

The writer also uses the sun, the wind, and the streams as examples of doing the same thing over and over but no new results.  Such is the fate of man!  A generation comes and a generation goes but it does not change the world in any major way.

 

When the author tells us and there is nothing new under the sun, what is God letting us in on?  Nothing mankind can do changes the heart of people, only Jesus Christ can do so.  The condition of mankind has not changed, yes we see changes in technology, and art, and literature, and many other things some good and many are very bad, but God has set a day for your life on planet earth, and all will die and will stand in judgment before a Holy God.

 

Verse 11 does not state that anyone is remembered in history, but that fame and glory have no lasting significance.  An example is how the statues of great men in our history are being torn down, and a big push to rewrite our history since Obama tried to tell us how much Muslims had to do with our founding as a nation.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Lord Will Save His People

 

 

 

Zachariah 9:14-17

 

The Lord Will Save His People

Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the Lord God will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south.
The Lord of hosts will protect them, and they shall devour, and tread down the sling stones, and they shall drink and roar as if drunk with wine, and be full like a bowl,
drenched like the corners of the altar.  On that day the Lord their God will save them,
as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.  For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty!  Grain shall make the young men flourish, and new wine the young women.

 

The O.T.  is often referring to God as a Divine Warrior, as seen in the book of Exodus 15:3-8, The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.  “Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.  The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.  Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.  In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.   At the blast of your nostrils, the waters piled the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.  What about Joshua 5:13-15,  ^“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”  “Neither” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”   The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

 

Could the takeaway be this question, Are you still fighting your battles, how is that going?  Are maybe you have entered into a battle without the correct weapons, for our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil.  You and I must run to Jesus and let Him teach us how to fight spiritual battles.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Coming King of Zion

 

 

Zachariah 9:9-13

 

The Coming King of Zion

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.  I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.   As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.  Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.  For I have bent Judah as my bow; I have made Ephraim its arrow.
I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior's sword.

 

Jerusalem has had many kings since David and Solomon and though the people longed for another like them, none had shown up.  But now Zachariah is proclaiming a King that is coming who is righteous and victorious.  An instead of riding on a mule as was the custom for a king, he would be on a colt of a donkey, a sign of humility.  Zachariah's writing took place sometime between 640 – 612 B.C.

 

Shall we see when this prophecy took place, turn in your Bibles to Matthew 21:1-5, “As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her? Untie them and bring them to me.   If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”   This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

 

Two areas a wise person will pay heed to, all prophecy that is from God will be acted on in His timeline, and the second is a wise person will believe it and await it’s happening.

 

 

From the Back Porch, 

 

Bob Rice

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

 

Zachariah 9:1-8

 

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

A prophecy:

The word of the Lord is against the land of Hadrak and will come to rest on Damascus—for the eyes of all people and all the tribes of Israel are on the Lord— and on Hamath too, which borders on it, and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful.  Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets.  But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire.  Ashkelon will see it and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, and Ekron too, for her hope will wither.  Gaza will lose her king and Ashkelon will be deserted.   A mongrel people will occupy Ashdod, and I will put an end to the pride of the Philistines.  I will take the blood from their mouths, the forbidden food from between their teeth. Those who are left will belong to our God and become a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.  But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces.  Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now, I am keeping watch.

 

If you have been reading my blog for any time, you understand that I attempt to give credit to others when I use their materials or thoughts.  With that stated, I am at a total loss on what the Lord is saying to you and me or what I should be taking away from this, so I’m going to give some thoughts from the Holman Christian Study Bible.

 

“The third section of Zechariah is different in many ways from the first and second sections.  Leading many Commentators to conclude that it was written by a different person (see introduction).  It is an extended poem, beginning with a description of God as victorious Conqueror and King, which follows the pattern of oracles against the nations (see notes at Amos 1:3-2:16).  Since poetry is often characterized by piling on images to emphasize a point it is not surprising to find God’s overpowering strength expressed in numerous ways and against many different enemies.  The poet included obscure cities and regions not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible (Zechariah 9:1-2), with little archaeological or literary data preserved about them.  The intent was to underscore the contrast between the enemies who would be consumed by God’s power and the new king ruling from Jerusalem.”

 

They also believe that God is proclaiming that the eyes of the nations will be on Him and that the 12 tribes and Israel would be united along with the Gentiles. Tyre the great and powerful Island nations would come under attack by Alexander the Great, and he and his army would take seven months destroying the part on the mainland and building a causeway to the island of Tyre.  This was the prophetic judgment of prophets like (Isaiah 23, Jeremiah 25:17-22, and Amos 1:9-10).  The HCSB also tells us that Alexander the Great, also came to Jerusalem but did not conquer it but chose to spare it.  Some used the statement that no oppressor will march against them again, but it is clear that the Romans A.D. 70 totally destroyed Jerusalem, suggests that it is better to understand the statement as the poetic language for God’s general protection.

 

Let me be clear these are not my thoughts and both you and I should ask the author of the Bible to give us understanding.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

 

 

Zechariah 8:1-8

 

The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion

And the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.   Thus, says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.   Thus, says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age.   And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.   Thus, says the Lord of hosts: If it is marvelous in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my sight, declares the Lord of hosts?   Thus, says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

 

This is a dramatic change from Judgement to restoration.  God has spoken to Zechariah in this manner, I’m no longer going to bring judgment on my people, for I long for a relationship with them, l long to have fellowship with my people, so I’m going to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, my Spirit will dwell with the people.  

 

Most of these Jewish people had spent 70 years in pagan lands with pagan gods made of wood and stone, made by the hand of a craftsman, they had eyes but could not see, mouths but could not speak, and now Zechariah is telling them the God who is, wants to bless them and have fellowship with them.  That He was angry with their fathers but will show mercy to them, for He desires to have a relationship with them.

 

So many in the church have gods that cannot see, nor hear, yet they keep returning to them.  What is the problem, could it be ignorance of God’s written word, or that we have become too proud to agree with God’s written word?  All things have a beginning, at first, a person must agree that God is true, and all people are lawbreakers.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  God designed us to need to be loved but many are not looking to God, but as the song goes; “looking for love in all the wrong places.”  Many very religious people are trying to earn God’s acceptance by doing good acts, yet God’s written word is very clear that is not the way to the Father.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

 Our God, He is a Promise Keeper, and this was how verse eight ended; And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Call for Justice and Mercy

 

 

Zechariah 7

 

 

A Call for Justice and Mercy

In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev.   Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-Melech and their men to entreat the favor of the Lord, saying to the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I weep and abstain in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?”

 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted?   And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?   We’re not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and prosperous, with her cities around her, and the South and the lowland were inhabited?’”

And the word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”   But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear.  They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore, great anger came from the Lord of hosts.  “As I called, and they would not hear, so they called, and I would not hear,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus, the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro and the pleasant land was made desolate.”

 

In our culture today, it seems many are trying to remove the past history of this nation, and the reason may be many, but this I know, unless a people or nation know their past, they will repeat the problems of the past.  The seventh chapter is looking back at the past sins of the Jewish people and how they refused to hear what God was saying to them from His prophets.  They are returning to the land some have been there for about two years, and they are being reminded of what happens to people who do not listen to God.  The question to them and to us, have we learned anything from the time in bondage?  It may be to sex outside of marriage, it may be to alcohol, or pornography, sports, etc.  They were returning slaves of a pagan nation, have they, have you learned to look to and listen to God’s written word?  

 

The world has experienced a lockdown from the China virus, and in the USA, we have seen the results of mayors and doctors and governors and politicians use the authority that has not been given to them by our constitution to close the places of worship even in private homes while allowing riots and protests to gather in the thousands, and destroy and take lives, yet we say that faith and worship are guaranteed in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.  Do you know what it promises?

 

Amendment One

 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievance.

 

But God promises something better; “Come near to God and He will come near to you.  (James 4:9)

 

What if we who go by the title of Christian did the following six things:

1. Trust in His Timing

2. Rely on His promises

3. Wait for His answers

4. Believe in His miracles

5. Rejoice in His goodness

6. Relax in His presence

 

We all know my opinions by now, I’ve been very clear about my thoughts on China Virus, if calling it what it is, bothers you, get over it.  Folks, it’s time not to fight, but to pray, ask the Father to forgive you for trying to fight a Spiritual Battle that you need Him to fight for you.  Ask Him to forgive those who have put trust in man, for the heart of man is evil who can discern it?  

 

As a nation, we are living in darkness, and we are looking to men to fix the problem of sin.  God handled that two thousand years ago for all who would believe and bow their knee to Jesus Christ.  It is time for repentance and seeking forgiveness.  The question is no different than those returning to Jerusalem, what will we worship, who will we look to?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

A Vision of Four Chariots

 

 

Zechariah 6:1-15

 

A Vision of Four Chariots

Again, I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four chariots came out from between two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of bronze.   The first chariot had red horses, the second black horses, the third white horses, and the fourth chariot dappled horses—all of them strong.  Then I answered and said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”   And the angel answered and said to me, “These are going out to the four winds of heaven, after presenting themselves before the Lord of all the earth.   The chariot with the black horses goes toward the north country, the white ones go after them, and the dappled ones go toward the south country.”   When the strong horses came out, they were impatient to go and patrol the earth. And he said, “Go, patrol the earth.” So, they patrolled the earth.   Then he cried to me, “Behold, those who go toward the north country have set my Spirit at rest in the north country.”

The Crown and the Temple

And the word of the Lord came to me: “Take from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah, and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon, and go the same day to the house of Josiah, the son of Zephaniah.  Take from them silver and gold, and make a crown, and set it on the head of Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, the high priest.   And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord.  It is he who shall build the temple of the Lord and shall bear royal honor and shall sit and rule on his throne. And there shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.”’  And the crown shall be in the temple of the Lord as a reminder to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah.

 “And those who are far off shall come and help to build the temple of the Lord. And you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. And this shall come to pass if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God.”

 

Chapter 1 began the first of Zechariah’s visions from God, it was about God being sovereign over the heavens and the earth.  In chapter 6 we have the eighth vision, and it also is all about God being sovereign.  Until a man understands this truth and submits to God's authority over all things, he will never lead his family into righteousness.

 

You and I may not be seminarians but that is why we buy Study Bibles, to help us when it talks about mountains made of bronze.  My notes HCSB say it may be referring to heaven or the gates of heaven, in that the chariots came out of them.  The Bible identified them and the horses as the four spirits of heaven or the four winds.

 

God did not pick His prophet to lead in the building of the temple, but to encourage and pick the one that would be in charge of getting the job done.  Leadership always requires a person who will hear from God and obey His orders and put the right people around them to get the job done.  In this case, it was the high priest's son Joshua.

 

It was important for Joshua to understand the big job the Lord had assigned to him; in that, he would need the people returning to feel part of all that God was up to in Jerusalem.  It was also important to get the people to return and fully obey God’s commandments.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Vision of a Flying Scroll

  

Zechariah 5

 

A Vision of a Flying Scroll

Again, I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a flying scroll!   And he said to me, “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits, and its width ten cubits.”  Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land. For everyone who steals shall be cleaned out according to what is on one side, and everyone who swears falsely shall be cleaned out according to what is on the other side.   I will send it out, declares the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter the house of the thief, and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. And it shall remain in his house and consume it, both timber and stones.”

 

As I’ve often stated I’m an uneducated man, and like many of you, do not have insight into the message or vision.   But this I know each person is held accountable because God has given all people knowledge of Him.  Romans 1:18-23, ^“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.   For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them.   For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse.   Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.   Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

 

The Jews had the first five books of the Torah, the Law and it was not a recommendation but the Commands of their God and yours.  So, Zechariah is telling them that God’s judgment is coming on the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name.

 

It is a very dangerous thing to be a prophet like Hananiah who said he had a message from God.  “And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie.   Therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will remove you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die because you have uttered rebellion against the Lord.’”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

 

Bob Rice

I’m Woke or You?

 

I’m Woke or You?

 

I am so thankful for the Woke movement, for it turned the light on the problem that all of us have in this upside-down world.  It made me ask the question, what do Blacks have in common with Whites, or Indians, or Asian, or Mexican’s and even what do women have in common with men? 

 

I did not stop at all races of people no I began to wonder what a peddler like myself has in common with the CEO of the great Company I worked for?  Thanks to the Woke movement, I did not stop there, no one must ask what does a leader like the President of the United States, or a Senator or Congressperson have in common with the ones they lord over?  What does a Dictator have in common with you and me?  

 

Thanks to the Woke movement, I have the answer to what all people have in Common.  We have this in common, maybe we have other things also in common: “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” (Romans 3:21-25

 

How about that we all share this, we are sinners, are as my Pastor often says we are all a mess, but God, I love those two words, “but God.”

 

Did you know we also have this in common; all of us have been created equal, and that is not from man but from God, you will find it in Geneses 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

 

I must confess at the age of 27, in a hotel room in Victoria, Texas, around 10:30 p.m. a fear came over me that God was giving me one last chance and I open the hotel Bible to Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.   For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”  That night I agree with God I was not only a mess, but a sinner, and needed God’s forgiveness, I ask Jesus to set me free from the fear of man and death, and He did, but I also must confess, now I have a relationship with God, that is out of this world.  I've been Woke for 52 years, and I am a mess, but my only fear is that I will not finish strong.  If you are redeemed, are you acting like a Child of the King?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice