Warning signs and cautious grace

Today: Jeremiah 38-41

I will admit--I am one of those people who will tell you when you have broccoli in your teeth (as discretely as possible, of course!). I will step on the toilet paper that's stuck to the bottom of your shoe so that you stop dragging it along. I will give these warning signs because I would want you to do the same for me.

Broccoli and TP are relatively simple things to warn people about. Others aren't so straightforward.

In today's passage, I noticed that there were a few people who gave and received warning signs. Throughout much of this book, Jeremiah has been warning God's people about coming consequences for their desertion of God's ways. In this passage, Jeremiah is literally taken from the dungeon to the palace...and ended up in both places because of forewarning God's people. He felt compelled to deliver the truth, when it was despised--and eventually, telling the truth was rewarded.

In another part of the passage, a man named Gedaliah was given a warning that a guy named Ishmael was out to kill him. Instead of killing Ishmael prematurely--when given the opportunity--Gedaliah didn't do anything. After another man gave him a warning sign and offered to kill Ishmael, Gedaliah said, "Don't do it. I forbid it. You're spreading a false rumor about Ishmael." He was a foreigner placed in charge of the poorest of the poor in Israel. And he treated them well, giving them the freedom to care for their land.

These stories and their implications about warning signs are interesting to me. The moral of Jeremiah's story seems clear-cut: Tell the truth no matter what. When you're compelled by God to speak, do it.

The moral of Gedaliah's story? To be honest, it wasn't clear to me at first. Should Gedaliah have heeded the warning? Should he have fortfied the city or gone into hiding? Perhaps. However, I admire his heart--Gedaliah seems like a guy who tried to believe the best about others. He didn't want to kill someone based on a rumor. And in my book, it's better to be a little hope-filled and naive than a judgmental murderer.

Perhaps I'm raising more questions than providing answers in this post. The implications for giving warning signs seem relatively clear from Jeremiah's example, but the implications for receiving warning signs may be a bit muddy. Here are some questions that have helped me accept and reject warning signs...or heed them with cautious grace:

• Is the warning sign you're getting consistent with God's Word?
  
• Is the warning sign consistent with the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart? (I realize that may seem like an odd question for some readers, but it's a very important one for those who will get it.)
  
• Is the warning sign consistent with the gut check of your conscience?
  
• Do you have an option to proceed with a "cautious grace" approach? (For example, in the case of Gedaliah, a cautious grace solution could have been to prepare for an attack, but not to proactively kill Ishmael.)
  
• Is the warning sign based on solid facts or evidence--not just rumors or feelings?

At any time--whether you're giving or receiving some warning signs--prayer is the best first choice. God promises to give wisdom to those who honestly ask for it. Sometimes we just need to request wisdom and then actually look for answers.

Tomorrow: Jeremiah 42-45

Here's your sign...

Today: Judges 6-7

Signs. They're all around us--everything from "STOP" to "Do not disturb" and "Yield." Some people won't do anything without a sign--they have to read the directions or a goofy horoscope to plan their lives. Some people are in constant state of waiting for signs from God. To be totally honest, I wouldn't care if God smacked my Mr. Right in the face and said, "Dude! Wake up! Don't you get that she's pretty stinkin' amazing inside and out?!?" (Yeah, sometimes God talks surfer-style.) :)

Signs can definitely be helpful. However, I think sometimes we totally miss them...or use them as an excuse to avoid action. (Case in point: If my Mr. Right is waiting for an actual smackdown and surfer chat with God, then he may never get the chance to even date me.)

In today's passage, we read about Gideon. (Sigh.) Gideon was an amazing guy...but he was definitely sign-dependent. Let's review Gideon's first conversation with God:

The angel of God appeared to him and said,
"God is with you, O mighty warrior!"

Gideon replied, "With me, my master?
If God is with us, why has all this happened to us?
Where are all the miracle-wonders
our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us,
'Didn't God deliver us from Egypt?'
The fact is, God has nothing to do with us—
he has turned us over to Midian."

But God faced him directly:
"Go in this strength that is yours.
Save Israel from Midian. Haven't I just sent you?"

Gideon said to him,

"Me, my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel?
Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."

God said to him, "I'll be with you.
Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."

Gideon said, "If you're serious about this, do me a favor:
Give me a sign to back up what you're telling me..."

Interesting stuff. Gideon kept talking to God and asking Him for signs and wonders...without acknowledging the amazing fact that God was talking to him and promising to be with him! Wasn't that a sign in itself? Shouldn't it have inspired Gideon's wonder?

It's a good thing for Gideon that I'm not God. I might have given him a smackdown (and surfer talk to top it off!). The real God was amazingly patient and loving. I love His words to Gideon, "Go in the strength that is yours." God didn't want Gideon to downplay his own strength--or the fact that God would be with him. (Sound familiar? Check out yesterday's passage and post about another warrior named Barak.) God in His amazing grace also gave Gideon all the signs he asked for...and an extra bonus sign he didn't even request (Judges 7:13-15).

It's almost as if God was saying to Gideon (and to us), "Here's your sign...are you paying attention?"

P.S. BONUS! I found this old blog post I wrote a few years ago that also touches on Gideon's story...and thought you might enjoy. (See: "Hi. It's me--God. Are you listening?")

Tomorrow: Judges 8-9

Seeing signs of God's presence

Today: Exodus 39-40

Sometimes I wish that God's direction and messages to me were a bit more obvious. It would be amazing to hear the audible voice of God say things like, "You should live here" or "You should be friends with this person" or "You should pursue this career." That would be cool, wouldn't it?

In this passage, we read about how God provided visible signs of His presence and guidance for His people through a cloud and pillar of fire:

The Cloud covered the Tent of Meeting,

and the Glory of God filled The Dwelling.

Moses couldn't enter the Tent of Meeting

because the Cloud was upon it,

and the Glory of God filled The Dwelling.
Whenever the Cloud lifted from The Dwelling,

the People of Israel set out on their travels,

but if the Cloud did not lift,

they wouldn't set out until it did lift.

The Cloud of God was over The Dwelling during the day

and the fire was in it at night,

visible to all the Israelites in all their travels.

You'd think that seeing visible signs of God's presence would make it very easy for people to follow His guidance. You'd think that it would be easy for them to trust Him.

And you'd be wrong. Even with obvious signs, the Israelites doubted God and often struggled to follow Him.

I don't know about you, but I don't have many visible signs of God's presence. And I think it's even rarer for Him to give obvious signs pf His presence to big groups of people (for example, I haven't heard reports of the big visible cloud or pillar of fire showing up at a church lately).

This could be my own theory, but I wonder if it's because God wants us to really trust Him. By definition, you don't need faith in something you can see plainly. However, I still believe that God provides signs of His presence and guidance...you just have to look for them.

Yesterday stood out to me for several reasons, but one being that I felt like I was getting the same repeated message (in a few different ways). At church, I saw clips from "The Family Man" and our pastor talked about the power we have to choose what's important to us. We choose how we spend our time and money. We choose what we think about. And at pivotal moments, we make destiny-altering decisions (like Nicolas Cage in the movie who chose to leave on a plane for a London internship at an investment firm versus staying with the woman he loved). At lunch, I had conversations with friends about career and life choices leading to the question, "What's really important to you?" Later, we saw "Up in the Air" with George Clooney--a movie about a guy whose views of life and work are challenged. It was as if God was saying (or shouting?) to me, "Your work is not your life. Choose what's important. Choose Me and what I'm calling you to." Even the fact that I read this passage today (one I've thought of or heard at previous life-altering moments) seems like another sign that God is promising His guidance.

I'm not suggesting that you (or I) read too much into things. It's entirely possible to do so. But I am saying that sometimes God speaks through things that may not seem obvious. His signs today are not always visible--but that's where your faith and trust in Him comes into play. Or in the words of one of my favorite questions (from The Truth Project): Do you believe that what you believe is really real?

Tomorrow: Leviticus 1-4

Signs and the wonder...of a stubborn heart

Today: Exodus 7-9

"There is a stubbornness about me

that cannot bear to be frightened by the will of others,

my courage rises with every attempt to intimidate me."
- Elizabeth Bennett, Pride and Prejudice

Stubbornness is an interesting characteristic--it's one that can be used for good or evil. Some stubborn people have this determination to beat the odds, fight for causes they believe in and stand up for themselves and others. That's admirable.

My sister has that kind of stubborn in her, I think. She has this compassionate nature and desire for justice that often puts her in a place of saying things like, "That's just not right!" The good kind of stubborn can be developed into courage, like what is described in the quote from Elizabeth Bennett above.

But stubbornness can also be problematic.

My parents tell this story about disciplining one of my sisters and I when we were little. When I misbehaved as a preschooler, all they had to do was put a frowny-faced sticker on the fridge. I would burst into tears--absolutely devastated--and admit my wrongdoing. When I was older, it morphed into conversations where words like "I'm really disappointed in you..." would do the trick (one of the worst possible things anyone could ever say to me!).

But my sister was different. Mom and Dad could threaten to spank her or ground her for life and she would look at them with sarcastic determination as if to say, "Is that all you've got?!?" When she was older, the girl debated and stood her ground...even when she was totally wrong. Luckily, as she's matured, the bad stubborn traits have dissipated (and on the flip side, I've developed more of the good kind of stubbornness, too).

In today's passage, we read about a guy with a seriously stubborn heart (in the worst possible way!)--Pharaoh. What's amazing to me is that even when the miraculous signs and wonders of God are right in front of his face, Pharaoh's heart remained stubborn. It was almost as if he was like an obnoxious little kid in the back of a minivan on a long road trip, covering his ears and shouting in an annoying, sing-song voice, "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Ugh.

But in all fairness, how many people are like Pharaoh? I think most of us have had moments where we've messed up--and instead of admitting we were wrong or asking for forgiveness (from God or people), we are like that obnoxious kid. We'd rather continue on in our own stupidity than listen to reason from wise people or the Word of God. Instead of opening our eyes to see the facts or even miraculous signs from God Himself, we pretend to be content in our blindness.

Many times, our stubbornness turns us into obnoxious children or cold, hard-hearted people like Pharaoh. Instead, let's be stubborn in a different way--by courageously choosing to live in child-like wonder of wisdom and miracles.

Tomorrow: Exodus 10-12