I recently read a story of a woman who for years was married to a harsh husband. Each day he would leave her a list of chores to complete before he returned at the end of the day. " Clean the yard, stack the firewood, wash the windows..."
If she didn't complete the tasks, she would be greeted with his explosive anger. But even if she did complete the list, he was never satisfied; he would always find inadequacies in her work. After several years, the husband passed away. Some time later she remarried, this time to a man who lavished her with tenderness and adoration.
One day while going through a box of old papers, the wife discovered one of her first husband's lists. As she read the sheet, a realization caused a tear of joy to splash on the paper.
"I'm still doing all these things, and no one has to tell me. I do it because I love him."
That is the unique characteristic of the new kingdom. Its subjects don't work in order to go to heaven; they work because they are going to heaven. Arrogance and fear are replaced with gratitude and joy.}
(story taken from The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado)
The law is an external dictate and doesn't win the will of the heart; a dictator forces submission on you from without, but someone you love captures your heart and will from within. Paul writes, " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Rom. 8:14-16 KJV "Wherefore thou art no more a servant (slave), but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Gal. 4:7
We've gone from dictator to Father, from slave to son. Bondage to lusts and additive habits are the results of a deceptive lure and enticement to turn back to sin (Egypt, or the yoke of bondage which is the law-a cruel task master) but perhaps the most deceptive is religious bondage (legalism), a striving to earn your acceptance with God. Our rest is in knowing we are accepted and approved (righteous or in right-standing with God) all through the finished work of the cross, a complete work of grace. " For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His." Heb. 4:10 KJV It's His righteousness we adorn.
When we rehearse the righteous acts of God, we willingly submit. This truth is found in the song of Deborah. (Read Judges 5:1-31 for the entire account) "Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves." Judg. 5:2 KJV "The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord. Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way. they that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates." Judg. 5:7-11 KJV
Lets examine two scripture verses that really bring the song of Deborah to life. The first is found in the 28th chapter of Isaiah, as follows, "In that day the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown, a beautiful wreath for the remnant of His people. He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate." (Isaiah 28:5-6 NIV, emphasis mine) The second verse is found in the 12th chapter of Isaiah: "And in THAT day you will say: "OH LORD, I will praise You; Though you were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song, He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." (Isa. 12:1-3 NKJV, emphasis mine)
God's anger is turned away. Deborah states at the beginning of her song that when the people of Israel chose new gods, war was at the gates and the people of Israel were unwilling to fight, but when they rehearsed the righteous acts of the LORD the people willingly went and contended with the war at the gates.
There is a parallel from the Old Testament to be seen which brings to light our surrendered heart to God's will and our worship as New Testament believers. It's interesting to note that perhaps the greatest threats to Israel in the times of the Kings came from within rather than without, for after all a divided kingdom cannot stand. (ref. Mark 3:24-26) What's often referred to in the Old Testament as the "sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat" plagued basically all of the Kings of the northern ten tribes which started shortly after Solomon's death and the succession of his son Rehoboam. The people soon rebelled under the heavy hand of the cruel young ruler (Rehoboam) and ten tribes choose to follow Jeroboam as their king while the remaining two tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to king Rehoboam, also being loyal to the house of David, thus the kingdom was divided.
Scripture tells us,
"And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of his people turn again unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one even unto Dan." 1 Kings 12: 26-30 KJV
Jeroboam also inserted false priests not of God's order as he replaced the proper worship of God with the worship of idols and images, he also created and ordained his own feasts and times of feasts which were not of God.
The house of the Lord at Jerusalem was the designated place of God to worship, this was where God's temple was that king Solomon had built under King David's instructions. God had said through out Israel's journey after leaving Egypt that I am bringing you to a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, a place where you will have rest from your enemies round about, a place where you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. King Solomon was known as a man of peace and the kingdom for the most part had rest from its enemies during his reign, the kingdom was not divided at this time. (ref. Deut. 12:7-12)
It was God who stated under their conditional Covenant that if certain stipulations were met, he would cause it so no man would desire their land, thus giving safety to their borders. God commanded " Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year. (ref. Ex. 34:20-24)
With time, they fell prey to many things that drew them away from their faithfulness to God and the agreement they had made. The dividing of the kingdom of Israel and Jeroboam's false worship created an open door for the enemy to eventually invade.
Scripture records in John's gospel concerning Jesus' conversation with the woman at the well "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:21-24 KJV
Also we find " Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21 KJV
As born again believers when we receive Christ we become indwelled by the Spirit of God and the Kingdom of God resides within us. The truth of the gospel which is the message of His unconditional love declares the love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts. (ref. Rom. 5:5)
As Christians we can lose site of this love which is implanted in our hearts if we in our thinking go back and place ourselves under the stipulations and regulations of the law which we have been delivered from. (ref. Rom.7:6) We don't lose our salvation but we become carnal in our thinking. Paul writes in the book of Romans, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. for therein is the righteousness of God (our right standing with God) revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH. Rom. 1:16-17 KJV The law is not of faith. (ref. Gal. 3:12-13) Also we read, " For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. Gal. 5:6 KJV This is speaking of the love of God towards us. (ref. 1 John 4:16) Scripture also states, " We love Him, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 KJV Also found in scripture, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NIV You could not clean yourself up to be saved, it was His unconditional love that compelled Him to go to the cross. Now the Apostle Paul tells us not to go back under the law which we have been delivered from. (ref. Gal. 5:1-4, Rom. 7:6) The law is anything we try to merit with our own human effort or performance to earn salvation or our acceptance with God.
So this brings us back to the story of the woman who lost her first husband who was cruel. Her first husband died and she remarried a second time to a kind and loving husband who won her heart. She surrendered her love to his love and willingly served him from the heart. Her first, cruel husband and the lists he demanded she do represented the law which can only force submission from without. Paul writes, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God." Romans 7:4
Many of the Israelites during the time of Deborah as their Judge rehearsed the righteousness acts of God and were able to take their places of authority and man or go down to the gates and victoriously defend themselves against the invading enemy.
During the time of the kings written in 1st and 2nd Kings the "sin of Jeroboam son of Nebat" caused a great disunity for the nation of Israel because of the failure of the nation as a whole to worship the True God of Israel as the northern ten tribes worshiped false gods. Again, theirs was a conditional covenant as they were under the Old Testament and we are now under the New Testament.
There is "the subjective will of God," which is perhaps praying about things such as cars, jobs, even missionary ventures, etc. and there is "the objective will of God," which is things that are clearly defined in the Word of God. Such things as to know we are loved and accepted by God and at peace with Him because of Christs' finished work put forth in the gospel. You could have a true calling of God to serve a certain people group and be in the subjective will of God, but not understand God's unconditional love towards you and not be at peace. Many missionaries get frustrated and leave their calling for this reason.
A surrendered heart, a person who is willingly serving from the heart is one who is doing it out of gratitude for the love our Savior has shown to us.
I end this writing with these verses found in the book of Romans. "I beseech you therefore brethern, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Rom. 12:1 KJV And because of Jesus that's how God sees us as born again Christians. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Rom. 12:2 KJV
