Our God is a covenant-keeping God. But what do all the covenants in Scripture mean for Christians today?

Having spent several weeks considering the separation of the Christian Church from its Jewish roots, we move on this week to look at the fruitfulness that becomes evident when we recover our rooting. In this study we consider the most important principle, handed down through the nation of Israel: the Covenant with the One True God.

One New Man

When it comes to connecting back into the true roots of our faith and bearing fruit as a consequence, where do we start? One of the starting points, as discussed in a previous study, has to be Romans 11 - the unifying metaphor of the olive tree wherein there is one body of believers - some grafted in, being unnatural branches. That's one starting point. Another is Ephesians 2:12-22:

...at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

In this brief passage of the Bible many themes intertwine. There is the principle of the one new man, which expresses the unity that God intends among the body of his people. Originally, that body was the nation Israel - called out from the world for God's purposes. Into that covenant body come Gentiles, by faith in Jesus.

This raises many new questions, especially where the passage talks about abolishing an enmity in the flesh of Jesus. What is that enmity? What was it that happened on the cross in order that there could be reconciliation within him of people from all nations? Did it take away the Old Testament and bring in the New? Did it take away teachings that had failed, in order to replace them with teachings that would succeed, or should we look more deeply behind the scenes of these challenging verses to see just what is happening?

Living Temple, United Body

God did not suddenly take away the scriptures of what we call the Old Testament - those precious scriptures that the Hebrew people call the Tanakh, the scriptures of the Covenant Nation even before Jesus came to this earth. He did not take them away but instead made them a foundation for what would follow. He did take away the division that was in the Temple whereby Gentiles could not enter in. He made himself the cornerstone of the new and living Temple – his people.

Jesus did not abolish the Old Testament scriptures but instead made them a foundation for what would follow.

The metaphors merge and interchange as we try to imagine the picture of a united body with Jesus at the centre, bringing in the New Covenant. We must understand what this means. Even though the word 'New' is used, it is still a part of one continuing plan of God. In fulfilment of all the covenant principles he is bringing together one family from all the nations – it is a family and a community. This is the one new man to whom he has given the Holy Spirit so that we might all come into that unity.

Identity Crisis

These are important principles for us to consider carefully, but which also shed light on an identity crisis in the Christian Church. Who are we? We must look beyond both the historical Jewish response and the historical Christian response to reassess this, whilst also restoring our understanding of the relationship between the Church and Israel. There is much to learn and relearn from the life and history of the Jewish people to be put into the context of our scriptures.

The 'New' Covenant is part of God's continuing plan to bring together one unified, Holy Spirit-filled family from all nations.

We are seeking an authentic, biblical response to who we are as the Covenant People of God – one that unites Jews who have accepted Yeshua as Messiah with believers from the Gentile world, into One New Man. Let us look for a biblical response for that unifying purpose of God in our day, and then we can begin perhaps to bear the fruit of which we are talking.

The Covenant Purpose of God

There are at least five main aspects of God's covenant purposes in Scripture. That may seem strange to those who think there is just an old covenant and a new covenant – a two-stage plan. That is a misconception. Indeed, the word covenant is not just used once or twice in Scripture - it is used over and over again. Just as God has many facets to his character, so different aspects of his covenant purposes were given at different times and with different emphases. Within these different emphases, there is one overriding purpose.

United Community

There is a sense in which the covenant purposes of God began before the creation of the world. God had covenant principles in his heart at the time of the creation of the universe, when he created people like you and me. Indeed, before Creation there was a family and a community of angels in heaven. The created order became an extension of God's kingdom, not an entity on its own.

We do not know all there is to know about angels and demons, nor do we know everything about the oneness of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There was a fall of angels – we know that from Scripture. Satan leads a legion of fallen angels – we know that too and feel its impact in the world today. There are also worshipping angels - a community in Heaven. The scriptures begin with what seems to be a plural word for the One God (Elohim is a Hebraic plural). Father, Son and Holy Spirit existed together in community - the most united community possible - before creation.

God's covenant purposes began before the creation of the world – the created order became an extension of his kingdom, not a separate entity.

We see in this sense of united community the deep purpose of God that transcends even the created universe and the time that it will exist. There is a greater purpose here - a greater end God has had in view since before creation – than most of us have realised. It is greater than the 'Old' covenant with Moses and greater than anything that we have experienced on this earth.

Covenant Principle 1: Life and Provision Until the End of Days

The first easily identifiable covenant references in the Bible come at the time of Noah. At the time of Adam and Eve there was a fall but God did not intend this to be permanent. All mankind came into this fallen situation and, indeed, men and women went further and further from God until, at the time of Noah, came the judgment of God. A catastrophic flood shows us what the consequences of sin really are, but all was not lost - even then. God made a covenant with Noah which appears in Genesis 6:18 and 9:9:

But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark - you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female...

God promised that there would never be a flood of this proportion again. Mankind should have changed after Noah - we might have expected Noah to start a new generation who would no longer sin. That is not the case; the case is that mankind's sins have equaled those of people before the flood, but God had made a covenant promise. He had promised that never again would he wipe out mankind with a flood. So, despite sin, the covenant remains.

Since the flood, mankind's sins have equaled those of people before – but God's covenant promise to never flood the earth again remains.

Perhaps we can begin to feel the sad heart of God as we consider these things. Here is God who is absolutely pure and holy - a holiness we have never experienced in our own lives, absolutely clean and pure - nevertheless, promising that he will overlook sin to a certain degree, preserving the earth, and for a certain purpose, namely to complete the whole covenant plan.

Later he told Noah and his family that there would be seed time and harvest, winter, spring and summer - all the seasons will come and go, and there will be food on the earth for all generations - it will be a place in which you can live until the end of time. There will be an end, and there is coming a new heaven and a new earth, but in the meanwhile - that promise is part of God's overall covenant plan.

Covenant Principle 2: God's Unconditional, Costly Commitment to Us

The next easily identifiable focus on the covenant is at the time of Abraham. In Genesis 17 we read:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly." Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.

As we study the covenant made with Abraham, we see cost. There is the cost of the animals - the covenant was cut and blood was shed. It was a great commitment done in a very dramatic way. God overshadowed Abraham who was in a deep sleep - it was an awesome time that we can picture from the description in the scriptures.

Something new happened in the mystery of God's purposes and Abraham became the central father figure for the covenant from then on. This covenant was unconditional. God swore with an oath as he bound himself to the promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations - not just of one nation, Israel. He gave a promise to Israel, the physical offspring, including a land promise to them.

God bound himself by costly, unconditional oath to make Abraham father of many nations.

This parallels, to some extent, aspects of the covenant with Noah, where there was to be a practical provision from God – a land to live in. Israel, the physical nation, had God's special call until, later, the call went out to all nations to add to those from Israel who lived by faith, making up one Covenant community in fulfilment of the eternal promise to Abraham.

Covenant Principle 3: Our Response and its Consequences

The covenant with Abraham best summarises God's overall covenant purposes - an unconditional, personal commitment from God. The Abrahamic Covenant came before the time of Moses and was set in place before all those further lessons that God taught through him. What God brought through Moses, therefore, is in the context of what he had already promised to Abraham. In Exodus 34 we read:

And He said: "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord. For it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day. Behold, I am driving out from before you the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst.

God was beginning to call for a response from his people. Already he had made an unconditional statement of what he would do, but now he was drawing forth a response from the Nation of Israel. He was to be their God, the one true God, and they were to have no other gods before him. The conditions of blessing and curse in the land of promise were also given. These conditions did not take away from the overall, unconditional promises of God given through Abraham, but there were now to be consequences for obedience and for disobedience for the nation.

The covenant God brought through Moses was in the context of that brought through Abraham. It did not take away from those unconditional promises, but added in consequences for obedience and disobedience.

We are all to learn from this, not just Israel. Through Israel we learn that we cannot achieve righteousness through our own efforts. That is why he called Israel – to be a representative nation, knowing God's righteous laws. Sin still needs a remedy. Laws will not be enough. Israel as a whole failed just as we would fail, but nevertheless, God has made Israel special and will not forsake them even though they failed.

Covenant Principle 4: Salvation from David's Line

A fourth stage in the outworking of the covenant plan comes at the time of David. Psalm 89 is a very relevant passage for this:

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, "Mercy shall be built up forever; Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David: 'Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations'.

Here we see the relevance of covenant again, a covenant made with the line of David, promising a future king. We later understand that the seed is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach.

It is not the first time we see this prophecy. Jacob prophesied over Judah and foresaw the coming of the Messiah. Other Messianic promises are scattered through Scripture. In fact, as we read Scripture we see that it all ultimately points to Jesus. Nevertheless, here, in very clear detail, a covenant is made with David. There will be a king who will come from the nation of Israel, the tribe of Judah and from the line of David.

Covenant Principle 5: A Covenant by Faith

The need of mankind was shown through Israel's reaction to God's covenant through Moses. The heart of mankind was shown - the heart of fallen man, studied through the history of this small nation Israel. God's purposes are stated clearly through Moses in the laws and principles by which a people should live.

Another way had to be revealed, because even when they know right from wrong, people will fail because of their sinful nature. Therefore, with the covenant promise to Abraham in mind, a better provision was made. It was promised through Jeremiah - in Jeremiah 31:

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

The term 'new covenant' is first written here, as a promise to Israel and Judah. The context of Ephesians 2 is Jeremiah 31. God centred the New Covenant on Israel, sealing his family as those who will live by faith in Jesus the Messiah. Those who came to faith from the Gentile world join an already-existing community of faith going back to Abraham. The word 'new' refers to a new way that God will make sure that he has a people according to the promise he made with Abraham and according to the provision for the ongoing lifespan of this earth he made through Noah.

The context of the 'New' Covenant is the fulfilment of the 'Old' Covenant: God is providing a new way to bring together his covenant people according to the promise made to Abraham.

One Overarching Plan

God is calling one people out. He did not give up on mankind when Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, but kept going with what he purposed - and because he purposes it he sealed it with a covenant and an oath made most profoundly to Abraham, which then overarches all of history, so that all who will can be gathered into this one covenant family.

In our day we need to look at this and rediscover who we are as we look back to where we separated from our roots – and as we look forward to the repair work to be done, as well as to our witness to a world that needs to know who God's people are.

We do not join the covenant family through the rituals of Judaism, but by faith. Indeed, the rituals of religion in and of themselves do not ensure membership of the community of God. Nevertheless, the root of our faith was manifest first in the faithful of Israel and we receive their heritage when we join the one family. In Isaiah 66 we read:

I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the Lord, "as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites," says the Lord.

Surely the sign referred to in this passage was the sign of Messiah's coming. After that came the gathering from all nations. Israel was still in the heart of God, central to the covenant community - without compromise to his principles - together with those from the nations who would come in by faith.

Every Tribe and Tongue

The final picture of the covenant is in Revelation 7 where we see some from every tribe and tongue - among them some from every tribe of Israel, and then some from all the tribes of the world. That is the end point of the covenant promise, when all are gathered into that one family.

All are gathered around the throne worshipping the Saviour, Jesus the Christ, Yeshua Ha-Mashiach. Through our studies we must understand that only in him is the unity that identifies who we are, the covenant people of God.

The final picture of covenant is the whole family of God, gathered around the throne worshipping the Saviour. Only in Jesus is true covenant unity to be found.

For Reflection and Comment

How is God's covenant with Abraham to be seen as one integrated whole into which Gentiles can also be called by faith?

How are we to see God's covenant with Israel in the light of his overarching covenant purposes that pre-date creation itself?

Next time: Torah Foundations

Series note: 'CIJ' (Christianity, Israel and the Jews) is a study series about the relationship between the Church and its Hebraic heritage.

What did the prophets do at a time when the nation had deserted God, "everyone did was right in his own eyes" and the church of the day had embraced the culture of the world?

The situation in Israel during the period of the Judges is summed up in the scriptural verdict, "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It was a time when standards of behaviour fell far short of what the law of God demanded, a time when Israel deserted the one true God for the gods of the heathen.

Towards the end of that period the wicked sons of the ageing high priest Eli exhibited their grabbing materialism and compromised their religious commitment by having intercourse with the female Temple workers. Eli's feeble protests against all this wrongdoing were totally ignored (1 Sam 2:22-25).

This was the time when God raised up Samuel to deal with Israel's moral degeneracy. Described by one writer as 'God's emergency man', Samuel combined within himself the three offices of judge, priest and prophet, and through these offices he transformed the situation in Israel.

During the period of the Judges, everyone did what was right in his own eyes and Israel deserted God, so God raised up Samuel to deal with the situation.

Samuel and the Prophetic Schools

Probably it was through Samuel that the 'schools of the prophets' came into existence at this time. Here, young men could help to call a halt to the national degeneration as they were instructed in the law of God and taught the message and practice of prophecy. From this time, around 1050 BC, right down to the time of Nehemiah c.445 BC, there is evidence in Scripture of prophets meeting and ministering together.

No-one can estimate the influence such groups of studious religious men had on the history of Israel, but we can see - at a time when Britain is turning against God's moral standards and is forsaking the one true God in a morass of syncretism - how much we need 'schools of prophets' today, where men and women can study the word and ways of our God and learn how to speak his life-changing words where they most need to be heard.

The 'Sons of the Prophets' and their Lifestyle

The Old Testament indicates that there were prophetic guilds or 'schools of the prophets' at a number of places, including Gibeah, the home-town of Saul, sometimes called the hill of God or the hill of Saul (1 Sam 10:5; Gibeah means 'hill').

There were companies of prophets at Bethel and Jericho (2 Ki 2:3,5) and probably also at the Jordan (2 Ki 2:7 and 6:1). There were others at Gilgal and in the hill country of Ephraim (2 Ki 4:38 and 5:22). One of the most important was at Ramah, Samuel's home-town, where he presided (1 Sam 19:18-24). Some scholars take the word 'Naioth' as a place-name. It is more likely to be the name given to the school of the prophets in Ramah. Naioth, which means a dwelling or residence, comes from a root word meaning 'to rest', as at home; a lovely thought!

There were prophetic guilds or schools in a number of places, including Bethel, Jericho and Samuel's home-town of Ramah.

The prophets living in their school buildings were called the 'sons' of the prophets, and they referred to their leaders as 'my father' (2 Ki 2:12 and 13:14). It is likely that they wore a prophet's garb, with a garment of hair, a leather belt and sandals (2 Ki 1:8, Is 20:2, Zech 13:4). They were self-supporting, a feature that persisted down the years to and beyond Paul's tent-making. They were not celibate, as we see by the mention of a widow of one of the prophets (this woman brought her problem to Elisha when she ran into financial difficulties after the death of her husband, one of the prophets, in 2 Ki 4:1-7).

They erected the buildings in which they were to live. One such school was bursting at the seams and needed an extension. Elisha approved of this, and helpfully recovered an axe-head used by one of the men so that their log-cabin could be enlarged (2 Ki 6:1-7).

It would appear that there were up to a hundred people at some of these schools (2 Ki 4:43). They were self-catering, and during a time of famine went round the fields to gather what herbs they could find. Unhappily, on one occasion they brought back a poisonous gourd, and only the intervention of Elisha (manifesting the saving power of God) prevented serious after-effects (2 Ki 4:38-41).

The prophets lived in school buildings and were self-supporting, erecting their own buildings and gathering their own food .

One day Elisha received a complaint from the Jericho school to the effect that the water was bad and the land was unproductive. Elisha threw salt into the spring and "the water has remained wholesome to this day". Some of the PWM Team who were in once in Israel can testify that that claim is still true, for we sampled its water and enjoyed its oranges! This was possible only because Elisha's spring still flows sweetly today (2 Ki 2:19-22).

Their Education

In these schools such figures as Samuel, Elijah and Elisha would share the things they had learned about God's dealings with men. They would recount the story of God's protective guidance to Israel. They would explain the reasons for the sad experience concerning the high priest Eli and his perverted sons. They would pass on their knowledge of God's law and the blessedness of obedience (1 Sam 15:22-23).

In helping their trainees to face current situations they would at times need to pray, "Lord, open his eyes that he may see" (2 Ki 6:17). They would learn how to listen to God and how to begin to prophesy.

As a background to these activities the leaders would draw their attention to the state of affairs in their country and in the home life of its people. They would realise that God's message is conveyed in two principal ways: by prophetic words and by mighty deeds, the two being bound indissolubly together (Heb 11:32-35).

Their Ministry

These were assistants to leaders such as Elijah and Elisha. Apart from a few instances (1 Ki 18:43-44, 2 Ki 5:20 and 6:15-17) most of their names are not recorded. They were sent as messengers (2 Ki 9:1-3). They were concerned with the welfare of people in need (2 Ki 8:1-6). Kings and people alike turned to them for guidance (1 Sam 9:7-8, 1 Ki 22:27). It appears that some of them developed a predictive ability (2 Ki 2: 3, 5).

In the schools, trainees would learn how to pray and prophesy, and would learn to understand the state of affairs in the country at large.

Undoubtedly some of them rose to become prophets whose pronouncements are familiar to us in the Old Testament. Amos appears to be an exception, for he says of himself, "I was neither a prophet nor a prophet's son..." (Amos 7:14), indicating that he had not been to any of the schools of the prophets.

The 'Sons of the Prophets' and the Spirit

The Spirit had come upon individuals such as Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah and Samson (Jud 3:10, 6:34, 11:29 and 13:25), but it was at the schools of the prophets that the first corporate stirrings of the Spirit came down upon the seventy elders during the time of Moses (Num 11:24-29).

The students at the school of the prophets in Jericho were concerned to receive confirmation that Elisha was the God-appointed successor to Elijah. They did not wait in vain, for as Elijah ascended to heaven his cloak fell upon his protege; and when Elisha struck the water with it and cried, "Where now is the God of Elijah?", the waters of the Jordan divided. This miracle confirmed to the prophets that he was their new leader and that the same fullness of the Spirit was now to be manifest through him (2 Ki 2:11-15).

The truth on which the schools of the prophets were established is this: no-one can prophesy unless the Spirit has come upon him (1 Sam 10:6 and 19:20-23). Even a false prophet recognised that men can prophesy only when the Spirit comes upon them (1 Ki 22:24).

The schools of the prophets were established on this truth: no-one can prophesy unless the Spirit has come upon them.

Their Music

As was still true a thousand years later, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the sons of the prophets caused them to break forth into sacred music and praise (1 Sam 10:5 and Eph 5:18-19). They did not restrict their praise just to within the four walls of their seminaries, but organised 'praise marches'. Taking with them an assortment of musical instruments, they went out into the open air, prophesying with inspired praise. What they sang and played was given to them spontaneously as they marched along.

By the time of King David the prophets, divided into music guilds, were responsible for the leading of praise and worship. "Some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun [were set apart] for the ministry of prophesying accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals" (1 Chron 25:1). Two hundred and fifty years later, after Hezekiah had purified it, "He stationed the Levites in the Temple of the Lord with cymbals, harps and lyres in the way prescribed by David and Gad the king's seer and Nathan the prophet; this was commanded by the Lord through his prophets" (2 Chron 29:25).

We must not make the mistake of imagining this singing arising from choirs commanding only small forces. Towards the end of David's reign he went on record as saying, "Four thousand are to praise the Lord with musical instruments I have provided for that purpose" (1 Chron 23:5).

Their Archives

When we study the historical books of the Old Testament we come across references to books that were written by the prophets. These were the result of careful recording of events by contemporaries and have been quoted by the writers of our Old Testament. We read of "the records of Nathan the prophet...the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite...the visions of Iddo the seer", also "the records of Shemaiah the prophet" and "the records of Samuel the seer...and the records of Gad the seer" (2 Chron 9:29, 12:15 and 1 Chron 29:29).

We are indebted to the 'schools of the prophets' for housing and protecting these records, also for adding to their collection by making contemporary records of the events of their day. Clearly it was a work of the Holy Spirit that moved them to archive this material for the benefit of others.

As was still true a thousand years later, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the sons of the prophets caused them to break forth into sacred music and praise.

Their Duration

There can be no doubt about the importance of these schools in the purposes of God, but we cannot be certain how long they continued. We know that they came into being, probably as we saw earlier under the influence of the prophet Samuel, around 1000 BC. They continued during the reign of David and most likely merged into the guilds that he instituted, especially the guild of prophetic musicians.

However, by the time of Amos (779-743 BC), under the leadership of Elijah and followed by that of Elisha, we find that they were still flourishing as centres of religious training and devotion. Some would claim that they continued throughout the period of the monarchy. The reference in Isaiah 8:16 suggests that there was a group of disciples associated with the prophet in his day, around 740 BC, but it is difficult to prove that schools continued as centres of worship, study, corporate life and proclamation after that time.

Living as we do at a time when prophecy has been ignored or devalued, it is surely time that provision be made for men and women filled with the Spirit to once more come together to study, to practice and to learn how to manifest prophecy and the other gifts of the Spirit.

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 5 No 5, September/October 1989.

Weekly Readings: Genesis 41:1-44:17; 1 Kings 3:15-4:1; Romans 10:1-13.

What Can Christians Learn From Joseph's Butler?

This week's Scripture passages cover the dramatic story of Joseph's time in Egypt, his interpretation of Pharoah's dreams and consequent rise to power over the whole nation, as well as the eventual reunion with his brothers who had previously sold him into slavery. As the chapters unfold, the reader becomes strongly aware of God's detailed orchestration of Joseph's life, as well as the deep emotions felt by Joseph as he is torn away from his family, forced into prison, then raised to the second-highest office in the land.

Years later, when his brothers come to Egypt to buy food but do not recognise Joseph in his new position of power, he sends them away with plentiful supplies and the request that they return bringing Benjamin. They later discover that their food money has also been mysteriously returned to their sacks. Fearing punishment for theft, when the brothers return with Benjamin they also bring rich gifts in the hope of sparing themselves Joseph's wrath.

Treasure in the Sacks

As they draw near to Joseph's house, a relatively unknown Bible character makes a brief appearance: Joseph's steward. Greeting them at the door, when they express their sense of trepidation he speaks comfort and reassurance to them, telling them that there is no need to fear: "'It's all right,' he said. 'Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.'"

Kindly saying that he had received their original food money and that God must have replaced it miraculously, the steward demonstrates the reality of grace – that that which they neither earned nor deserved had been given freely to them as a blessing. He then grounds his words in caring actions, providing them with water for washing their feet and fodder for their donkeys, and bringing their brother Simeon (kept in Egypt as collateral for Benjamin) out to them.

Ushering People Towards God

This world is full of people for who Christianity and God signify dread of punishment – people who dare not darken the doors of a church (have even learned to hate God) for fear of being judged and told they are not good enough. Of course the good news of the gospel is that God himself, in the person of his Son Jesus Christ, took on himself the judgment for sin that was rightfully ours so this burden could be lifted from our backs, and so we could be transformed with the treasure of the Holy Spirit (see also 2 Cor 4:7).

However, if people are to ever draw close enough to God to discover this abundant love, mercy and grace, they will need friendly faces and comforting voices to come alongside them, help them overcome their apprehensions and encourage them into his presence. They will need gentle, kind words of peace and assurance, backed up with actions that show genuine love and care.

Merciful Servants

Joseph's steward is not afforded many verses in Genesis – but he made a big difference to Joseph's brothers that day. We are all stewards of the good news, standing at the door of God's house to welcome people in. We can look disapprovingly upon those outside, or we can express warm welcome and words of peace. The choice is ours: will we seek to be servants who look so much like our Master that those around us taste his goodness and grace in our every word and deed?

Author: Frances Rabbitts

Weekly Readings: Genesis 37:1-40:23; Amos 2:6-3:8; Matthew 1:1-6, 16-25.

"This is the history of Jacob...Joseph..."

This is a surprising beginning to our study portion. We might expect either, "This is the history of Jacob. Jacob..." or "This is the history of Joseph. Joseph..." Yet, if we pause and reflect: this is not a mistake and there is something important here.

A Family is an Integrated Unit

Jacob is the head of his family. The family is a close-knit unit where everyone's life is influenced by each of the other family members. They share a life together and are not separate units. When Jacob became older and his sons were growing up, the family history (one might say the continuing story of Jacob's life) was manifest in his sons. The way he brought his children up had consequences for their lives.

Albeit that there is personal responsibility to be recognised in the life of each person, the family of God is also a unit, acting together, sharing a history. Here, in our study portion we have an account of the early days of the family of God. Jacob had a prominent position, so prominent that his new name Israel became the name of the entire family-nation.

All Involved When Things Go Wrong

In the account of Jacob's favouring Joseph, resulting in his near-murder and exile to Egypt, and of the behaviour of Judah and of the way things turned out in Egypt for Joseph, we remember that this is as much the story of Jacob as it is of Joseph and his other sons. Jacob would have known this and this is why he grieved so deeply when Joseph was thought to be dead.

We Continue the History

The history of Jacob (Israel) goes on today. We too enter this family by faith and are part of Jacob's history.

Paul has much to say on this theme. 1 Corinthians 12 speaks much of the unity of all believers. In 1 Corinthians 6:15 Paul asks, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?" In Ephesians 4:25 he emphasises, "We are members of one another."

Joseph's life has many parallels with the life of Jesus. In our portion this week, for example, his brothers sought to kill him and to put him away. Jesus, favoured by the Father, was also rejected by many of his own brethren. It is therefore no coincidence that we can extend the principle of family relationship in our study portion to the body of Jesus.

We, like Jacob, are tied in with the history of our physical family. We are also part of the ongoing history of Jacob. Those who follow us, whether physical or spiritual children, continue to live our own history.

This is the history of Jesus...

More important than anything is that we can say, "This is the history of Jesus. [Insert our name, our fellowship, our family here]" Let us learn from Jacob's family and build a good testimony of Jesus as those bearing his Name.

Author: Clifford Denton

What is God saying to Britain through the devastating floods that hit Cumbria and the North West?

In the Bible storms and floods and droughts are undoubtedly a sign from God. The Bible reveals God as the God of Creation. But he did not simply create the universe and then retire somewhere in the cosmos and take no further interest in his creation. Biblical teaching shows God actively involved in the world of nature.¹

So what is God saying to Britain through the devastating floods that hit Cumbria and the North West? First: I'm sure God is reaching out in love and compassion to those who have suffered the devastation of flood waters pouring into their homes and ruining their preparations for Christmas.

Jesus and Tragedies

We can learn a lot from the way Jesus dealt with tragedies. A tower block collapsed in the Siloam District of Jerusalem killing 18 people (Luke 13:4). Jesus was quick to say that those who died were no more wicked than all the rest of the citizens of Jerusalem but this was a sign that God was removing his cover of protection over the rebellious people of that city. This was a warning sign to the whole city that something far more devastating was going to happen unless there was a radical change in the moral and spiritual life of the people.

So what is God saying to Britain today? The plain fact is that as a nation we have turned our backs upon God and ignored many warning signs that the nation is in trouble. God is slowly removing his covering of protection over this land and far worse things will happen than the flooding of some houses. In the lifetime of the older generation we have passed one law after another that has slowly undermined the Judeo Christian foundations of our civilisation.

I'm sure God is reaching out in love and compassion to those who have been devastated by the floods. But as we have turned our backs upon him, he is slowly removing his covering of protection over this land.

The clear up begins in Carlisle. See Photo Credits.

Faith in the Public Square

The report from Baroness Butler-Sloss this week states that nearly half the population have no religion; but instead of recommending measures by which we may seek to restore truth into the public square and to renew the spiritual health and well-being of the nation it foolishly recommends measures that will increase the secular humanist influence.

Yet it is secularism that is responsible for the breakdown of family life which has led to so many ills, including the rise of child abuse. It has also precipitated a collapse of social morality evident in the greed and corruption of bankers, politicians and celebrities that provide such an ungodly model for the younger generation.

If anyone is in doubt that Britain is a nation that deserves to be under judgment, please read the list of unGodly laws that have been passed by our Parliament during the lifetime of the older generation (please note, in listing these laws we are not saying that everything about them has been unbiblical, but we are noting their general effects and the overall trend to which they contribute).

If this list would form the agenda for prayer in every church and prayer group in the country leading to repentance, even though Christians are now a minority in the land, God would respond in accordance with his promises to Israel (2 Chron 7:14) and to all nations (Jer 18:7-8).

UNGODLY LAWS PASSED IN BRITAIN SINCE 1950

1. 1951: The Fraudulent Mediums Act (Deut 18:10-13) which abolished The Witchcraft Act This legalised witchcraft in Britain which had previously been banned for centuries and made all occult arts legal. Through this Act Britain allowed all kinds of spiritual activities to be acceptable. Alien spirits and witchcraft activities are offensive to God and we are severely warned against them in Scripture. In Romans 1:23-29 Paul says that idolatry is the first step in the corruption of human civilisation which leads to "sexual impurity" and other "shameful lusts" and "every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity".
2. 1959: The Obscene Publications Act (Mark 7:21-23) was a very weak Act and had the effect of making it more difficult to prosecute pornographers, as lawyers had to prove that the publications had "a tendency to corrupt and deprave". Defence lawyers were able to ask the jury if they had been corrupted and depraved by exposure to a book, film or video. Most jurors did not want to say that they had been 'depraved'. The defence were able to claim that it was a 'public good' and an 'educational' value. The Act's Amendment in 1977 (Col 3:5-6) and The Broadcasting Act 1990 extended the law to cinema and television respectively, preparing the way for the Internet. This Act allowed all kinds of offences to be screened into our homes that certainly are an offence to God.
3. 1965: The Murder (Abolition of the Death Penalty) Act (Lev 24:17-22) removed the death penalty from the Statute Book for all kinds of murder and sent a message through the nation about the social acceptability of violence.
4. 1967: The Abortion Act (Gen 4:10-11). We had abolished the death penalty for murder but in 1967 we said it was acceptable to murder unborn babies. Doctors were now allowed to perform abortions if they complied with certain conditions. About 450 abortions take place daily in British hospitals, bringing to more than 6 million the number of unborn children killed since abortions became legal.
5. 1967: The Sexual Offences Act (Lev 18:22, Rom 1:22-27) was a further offence to God and directly against the Word of God where homosexual practices are said to be detestable to God. It decriminalised homosexual acts between consenting men over the age of 21, if done in private. (a) In 1994, the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act reduced to 18 the homosexual age of consent. (b) In 2000, the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act equalised the age of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sex at 16. This Amendment Act was brought in against the wish of the vast majority of the population and against the stern opposition of the House of Lords. The Government used the Parliament Act, which is only to be used for extreme measures of constitutional importance, to drive this through. This virtually abolished Clause 28 and allowed homosexual acts to take place between young people of sixteen years of age and upwards. Both boys and girls were thus allowed to be exposed to paedophiles and sexual predators and children in schools were taught that all forms of sexual intercourse were allowable according to each individual's wishes.
6. 1967: The Obscene Publications Act Amendment (Eph 5:4-6, Rom 13:13) further opened the way for all kinds of pornography and literature to be published of an explicit sexual nature.
7. 1968: The Theatres Act (Prov 15:26, 1 Thess 4:7) abolished 'censorship of the theatre', although the public performance of plays requires licensing, and obscene performances are prohibited. This Act allowed nudity and all kinds of explicit sexual acts on stage. The effects of this Act in removing censorship were long-lasting and soon began to have a wide effect upon the arts and media.
8. 1969: The Divorce Reform Act (Mark 10:2-12) introduced the principle of the irretrievable breakdown of marriage as the sole ground for divorce, to be proved by adultery, unreasonable behaviour, or desertion; or by two years separation with consent to a divorce, or five years separation without consent to a divorce. In other words, it opened the way for easy divorce – the floodgates were opened by this Act for widespread marriage breakdown.
9. 1972: The European Communities Act, the EC (Amendment Acts of 1986 and of 1993) (Ps 9:10,17) took Britain into the European Economic Community (EEC), and by which the Single Market and Maastricht Treaty both became law. All these measures contributed to increased political control over Britain by unelected non-nationals in Europe.
10. 1989: The Children Act (Ps 127:3-5). Despite the good intention of this Act to increase the protection of children, it had the fundamental effect of removing the traditional concept that parents are the best judges of their children's welfare. Grandparents were no longer recognised in the kin structure of the family that were reduced to 'significant others', thus promoting the breakdown of traditional family life.
11. 1990 Amendment to the Abortion Act (Jer 7:31, Ps 106:37-38) reduced the age at which an unborn baby could be aborted to twenty weeks and legalised the abortion of 'disabled' babies at a much later stage than that. King David spoke about God knitting him together in his mother's womb and Jeremiah speaks about being called into ministry from the time of his conception (Jer 1:5). This Act showed our society's total disregard for the principle that life is sacred as the gift of God.
12. 1990: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (Ecc 11:5) legalised the creation of embryos for experimentation or storage in laboratories. This Act also amended the Abortion Act 1967, resulting in abortion on demand for handicapped babies right up to the time of birth.
13. 1993: The Sunday Trading Act (Ex 20:8-11) allowed widespread trading on Sundays which was directly against God's command to observe a Sabbath day, a day of rest each week. There was a marked increase in the number of shops opening on Sunday (20% of all shops in October 1994, and 54% by July 1999). It produced an acceleration in the closure of neighbourhood shops, an expansion of Sunday work and general increase in traffic and pollution. Sunday became just another day like any other day which inevitably weakened family life and reduced church attendance.
14. 1994: The National Lottery Act (1 Tim 6:10) instituted a state national lottery. It pays out 50% of its taking to winners, but is an intrinsically regressive form of voluntary taxation, as the burden falls most heavily on the poor. Further, many of the 'good cause' recipients, who receive 28% of the takings, have agendas wholly opposed to Biblical values. The National Lottery has become an obsession for millions of people wanting to get rich quick and it encourages people to gamble, often with money they cannot afford.
15. 1995: Licensing Sunday Hours Act (Deut 12:5, Mark 2:17) virtually abolished Sunday observance and was another direct Act against the Word of God – more or less legalising anything to happen on Sundays, but with some restrictions on the number of hours that shops could open for business.
16. 1995: Removing Prohibitions on Advertisements (Rom 1:24) legalised sexually explicit images that had previously been regarded as obscene. It marked yet another stage in the corruption of society by exposing the nation to obscenities.
17. 1996: The Family Law Act (Mal 2:16) replaced the five grounds for divorce in the Divorce Reform Act 1969 with a so-called 'no-fault' divorce system. The Lord Chancellor announced in 2001 that this part of the Family Law Act would not be brought into effect and would be repealed in due course.
18. 1997: The Amsterdam Treaty (Ps 2:1-2) further eroded national sovereignty, bringing Britain increasingly under the rule of a humanist, anti-Christian code of law. This was one more step in Britain being ruled from Brussels rather than by our own elected Members of Parliament. It was selling our birthright for a mess of pottage.
19. 1999: The Finance Act (Is 61:8) scrapped the already low value of the Married Person's Allowance for the tax year 2000/2001, thereby signalling the government's lack of esteem for marriage. It was a further step towards the degradation of marriage and the breakup of family life in Britain.
20. 2001: Regulations to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (Ex 23:7) permitted embryo research for developing treatments for serious diseases. Effectively, this allows cloning of human embryos and experimenting with creating human life.
21. 2004: The Civil Partnership Act (Matt 19:5, Eph 5:3) granted civil partnerships in the United Kingdom rights and responsibilities very similar to that of civil marriage. Civil partners have the same property rights as married heterosexual couples with the same pension benefits and social security rights. They also have the rights of parental responsibility for partner's children as well as 'tenancy' and 'next of kin' rights with a formal process for dissolving partnerships which is similar to divorce in the case of marriage.
22. 2004: The Gender Recognition Act (Gen 2:23, Is 5:20) granted transsexual people legal recognition as members of the sex opposite to their birth gender, either male or female. This allowed them to acquire a new birth certificate recognising their new gender within the law and allowing them to marry a person of the opposite sex. The Act required applicants to have transitioned two years before the issue of a certificate but it made no requirement for sex reassignment surgery to have taken place. The act was a further assault on God's act of creation of human beings in his own image, both male and female.
23. 2013: The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act (Rom 1:6-27, 1 Cor 7) redefined traditional marriage which had always been between a man and a woman. It allowed two persons of the same gender to enter into legally recognised marriage. This Act crossed a red line in British parliamentary history. It passed a law that directly contradicted God's act of creation in creating men and women as complementary human beings to be united in a faithful marriage covenant through which the physical expression of love would produce the procreation of children to ensure the health and well-being of future generations of the human race. The passing of this Act was said to be under strong duress from the European Union upon British politicians.

This list of unGodly laws is published as a pamphlet by Issachar Ministries. It is available on application to www.issacharministries.co.uk - or ring (01767) 223270.

References

1 A fortnight ago Prophecy Today published a study article on this very theme.

Persecution for faith is nothing new. Here is a reminder of a festival birthed from persecution of God's people that Jesus himself celebrated in winter time - Hanukkah: festival of lights.

Origins of Hanukkah

Like Christmas, Hanukkah is not a biblical festival. Its roots lie in the period between the writing of the Old and New Testaments. The only reference to it in the Bible is in John 10, where we read that Jesus celebrated the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah in Hebrew) referring to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration.

About 200 BC, a Syrian king, Antiochus Epiphanes, ruled part of Alexander the Great's former empire, including Judea (modern day Israel). He outlawed Jewish practice and massacred Jews who refused to obey. He looted the Temple in Jerusalem and sacrificed pigs on the altar, an outrage to God's people since pigs are seen as unclean in the Law of Moses. In 167 BC, he ordered an altar to Zeus to be erected in the Temple, which Daniel the prophet described as the "abomination that causes desolation" (Dan 9:27).

Jesus also used this term (Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14), while predicting the later Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 AD (as biblical prophecy can have more than one fulfilment, this term may also apply to a future time).

Resistance to Persecution

One priestly family resisted this persecution, its most famous son being Judah Maccabee (a name derived from the Hebrew word for hammer). In 164 BC, the Maccabees reclaimed the desecrated Temple. However, priestly service could not resume until the Temple was cleansed and rededicated to God. One small jar of uncontaminated oil remained, but it was only enough to last for one day. They lit the menorah, the huge seven-branched golden Temple candelabra, and by a miracle it stayed alight for eight days, by which time a new supply of purified oil was ready.

To commemorate this miracle, Jewish people celebrate the Festival of Hanukkah for eight days. Each day, using a special candelabra called a Hanukiah with nine stems, they light the prominent shamash or servant candle and this is used to light the others in turn (going from right to left like Hebrew text), one candle on the first day, two on the second, and so on.

Light of the World

At Christmas we often read John 1, verse 9 of which says, "the true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world". Jesus is that light, the shamash or servant flame, laying down his life and lighting the lives of those who approach him humbly in repentance and faith. In Acts 2:47, we read of the young church that "the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."

Each day, new souls all over the world are lit up by the transforming light of Jesus the Messiah, just as each night of Hanukkah one more candle is set aflame on the Hanukiah. Once we have been set alight, we must guard that flame and turn to Jesus daily so that our lives are sustained by the blaze of his Spirit.

It's official! Well, that is, according to the report released by former senior judge, Baroness Butler-Sloss. The thin end of the wedge is getting thicker...

Baroness Butler-Sloss's two-year commission involving leading religious leaders from all faiths has concluded that Britain is no longer Christian and recommends that public life should be systematically de-Christianised.

Because of the rise of other faiths, including Islam, the report says that a "new settlement" is needed to give a public voice to those of all religious persuasions and none. This would gradually neutralise any Christian influence in our schools, taking overt Christian teaching from RE lessons and assemblies and challenging the existence of faith schools.

A case is also built for the reduction of the number of Church of England bishops in the House of Lords giving their places to a wide variety of input from other faiths and denominations.

There is also a recommendation for all national and civic events - including the next coronation – to be designed to reflect "the pluralist character of modern society".

The Thin End of the Wedge is Getting Thicker

For some time, we at Prophecy Today have realised that there is a 'thin end of the wedge' regarding subtle attacks on the Christian foundations of our society. All too quickly we are now down to the thicker part of the wedge that is being driven in by humanists and those with multi-faith persuasion.

Though this report does not have a direct impact on the laws of the UK it clearly demonstrates how far we have gone during just one generation. There will be many who have no concern for our nation's history and heritage who will draw strength from this report and the battle lines are being drawn up for the defence of the Faith in our nation.

This report clearly shows how far we have gone during just one generation – the thin end of the wedge has suddenly got much thicker.

Of course we ourselves have monitored with concern the declining numbers attending church and have noted the numbers of those of other religious persuasions increasing across the nation, but our use of the data must be quite different from that of Baroness Butler-Sloss's committee.

Is Britain a Christian Country?

In reality, Britain is not - and never was - a 'Christian country' in an absolute sense. The country has never been entirely full of born-again believers. Yet, when the leadership of the nation has upheld biblical truth and when our laws have been moulded to conform to biblical precepts, Almighty God has protected and prospered us so that the world around has recognised us as, at heart, a Christian country.

The basis of our constitutional position, as we have so often stated, is the central tenet of the 1953 Coronation Oath: the Queen's promise to "maintain the laws of God and true profession of the Gospel". Thank God that this promise and foundation stone remains in place during our Queen's reign. Not only is this Her Majesty's commitment, it is also the commitment of every member of the House of Commons and House of Lords, made through their own oath or affirmation on entering office.

Though a baroness can lead a committee to seek to erode this away, it is in accordance with our constitutional principles and laws that they themselves – including the baroness - have made this commitment. That far we are a Christian country – a backsliding Christian country perhaps, but nevertheless committed to the God of the Bible by strong personal oaths.

Britain is not and never has been a totally Christian country. But at the base of our monarchy and Government still lie strong personal oaths of commitment to the God of the Bible.

Who is Defending the Faith?

It is often said that the UK has an unwritten constitution, which gives the impression that our position is vague and therefore, to some degree, subject to matters of opinion. This is not true when studied from the viewpoint of the Coronation Oath and the many centuries of development of laws and customs that brought us to today. Yet it can be treated as vague if one has a mind to do so and if the nation is led by those who choose to ignore the central principles that were passed on.

Concerned by this, a few years ago I set about writing around to see if I could pin down who is responsible for the checks and balances of maintaining our constitutional position. Starting with the Palace I tried to ascertain how the Queen viewed her Oath and how she would seek to fulfil her vows especially when a new law came up that was against biblical principles. Many of her subjects have also urged her to lead the nation in prayer as did her father in the Second World War.

'There is No Mechanism...'

The answers I have received constantly refer questions back to the Government - most often to the Home Office. The Queen certainly takes her Oath seriously at a personal level but has assumed the role of a 'Constitutional Monarch' who defers to her ministers and signs without question whatever is passed into law through Parliament.

Finding the Home Office non-committal, the next point of enquiry was to try to find the governmental office responsible for constitutional issues, with the question as to whether there is any department in the government that specifically tests government decisions on their conformity to the Coronation Oath. This office has changed its name from time to time. Finally, I located the Constitutional Settlements Division at the Ministry of Justice at 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ. This is the reply that I received in full:

Dear Dr Denton,

Thank you for your letter of 17th January 2010. I apologise for the difficulties you have encountered in sending this letter to the appropriate department. We are the team responsible for Constitutional Policy and the relationship between Church and State, and have been asked to respond to your letter.

"The Government does not accept that The Queen has signed any Acts of Parliament which contradict the Coronation Oath. The Coronation Oath is a personal Oath, sworn by the Monarch during the Coronation, when she was asked 'Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the Laws of God and the true profession of the Gospel?' There is no mechanism or particular office in place to assist Her Majesty in upholding her Coronation Oath, nor would it be appropriate for such a mechanism or office to exist. (my emphasis)

The conclusion is that responsibility for maintaining the Oath and defending the Faith has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government and, despite the Oaths and Affirmations made on entering governmental office, no-one is designated to protect our sworn status before God that Britain will seek to be a Christian country.

Responsibility for maintaining our sworn national commitment to God has fallen into an imprecise place between Monarch and Government – there is no-one designated to protect it.

What to Do?

In reality, the only people who will be concerned for our Christian heritage are Christians. Baroness Butler-Sloss's committee has opened out an issue that will deepen even further in the coming days, raising many questions for Christians about faith in the public life of the nation. Should Christians still be defending the heritage that is being systematically attacked and dismantled, encouraging our national leaders to fulfil the solemn promise to God that was made on 2 June 1953? Or should we accept that the days of 'Christian Britain' are long over – and move on?

Should the Church fight for a voice and an influence in the public realm, or should we live quietly and seek to witness where we are placed? Should we defend the use of biblical laws and principles in civic life as what's best for the wellbeing of the nation, when the nation has forsaken God himself?

In my view, answers to these questions depend on whether they are tackled during or after the reign of Queen Elizabeth. A call to repentance across the entire nation has clear context whilst the present Coronation Oath is in force. Now is the time for the rallying cry to sound out to return to our national commitment to the God of the Bible. It may be different when this reign ends. Nevertheless, whether before or after, it remains the responsibility of Christians to seek God for what he is doing and what, by implication, we should be doing. At all times this is the bottom line.

Critical Years Ahead

This issue will not go away. I would suggest that the Lord God himself will not let it be ignored. If the day comes when the foolish recommendations of Baroness Butler-Sloss's Committee are adopted, then our decline as a nation will be under the Hand of God as much as our reaping the consequences of our foolishness. This is how critical the next few years will be at an escalating pace.

The Lord God will not let this issue go away. If the recommendations of this committee are adopted, our national decline will be under the Hand of God.

We know more about Jeremiah than about any other prophet – including about his emotional response to the labours of the prophetic ministry.

We know very little about the personal lives of the majority of the prophets of the Old Testament. Beyond being told their names, details of their families and the places from which they came, we know almost nothing about them.

This is not true of Jeremiah, whose prophecies contain a considerable amount of biographical material. It is from his writings that we are able to see the emotional reaction of a prophet to the state of the nation to which he was sent and to the word of God that he was called to proclaim. We know more about him than about any other prophet, and are able to share his feelings as he tells out God's message.

Judah's Decline and Fall

Jeremiah's ministry followed on the reign of three kings: Manasseh, 696-642 BC, the two year rulership of his successor Amon, and the thirty-one year term of Josiah from 641 BC to his death on the battlefield of Megiddo around 610 BC (2 Ki 23:30).

Jeremiah began his ministry about half¬way through Josiah's reign. He continued through the three-month rule of Jehoahaz, the ten-year reign of Jehoiakim, another three-month rule, this time under Jehoiakin, finishing up under Zedekiah, whose ten-year reign ended with the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BC.

We know more about Jeremiah than about any other prophet – including about his emotional response to the labours of the prophetic ministry.

Judah went through an all-time low during Manasseh's tenure of office, though things apparently took a turn for the better during the reign of Josiah, which included the discovery in the Temple of the Book of the Law. But taken overall, these were years that saw the decline and fall of the Judean kingdom. It was during this difficult and dangerous period that Jeremiah conducted his ministry.

Jeremiah the Man

Jeremiah was a sensitive man, capable of deep emotion, lacking self-confidence but yet courageous. He felt totally incompetent to be appointed God's prophet (Jer 1:5-10). We have a suggestion in his oft-repeated phrase 'rising up early and speaking', which occurs a number of times in his writings but nowhere else in Scripture, that he was a man with a disciplined life, able to keep his body under control (Jer 7:13, 25). The NIV translates this phrase as 'again and again'; the Hebrew word means 'to rise early'.

Jeremiah conducted his ministry during a difficult and dangerous period for Judah – and as a sensitive man, felt totally incompetent to be appointed God's prophet.

This Old Testament prophet was a loyal patriot who cared deeply about what happened to his nation. but had to face being branded as a traitor (Jer 37:13-14). He was clearly a man of the outdoors, observing almond blossom, the sirocco, the migration of storks and doves and the reproductive urge of wild asses (Jer 1:11-12; 4:11-12; 8:7; 2:23-24). How awful it must have been for him to be kept in prison or thrown into a cistern! But he was prepared to put up with all this unpleasantness rather than deny the word of God that was burning in his heart.

For his was no academic reaction to the letter of the law. He not only heard the word; he felt it (Jer 20:9). But sadly, as he records a dozen times or so, "They did not listen!" (Jer 6:19 and 13:11, for example). But despite their failure to respond to God's message, Jeremiah went on praying for them. He said to the Lord, "Remember that I stood before you and spoke on their behalf to turn your wrath away from them" (Jer 18:20). God invited Jeremiah's prayers (Jer 33:3), but the time came (Jer 7:16) when he was forbidden to pray for the people. It was too late. God said to him, "Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before me, my heart would not go out to this people!" (Jer 15:1).

We know that Jeremiah was a loyal patriot who prayed again and again for God to spare Judah his judgment.

Years later, after the fall of Jerusalem, the people asked Jeremiah to pray for them, "That the Lord will tell us where we should go and what we should do" (Jer 42:3). Jeremiah waited on the Lord for ten days before receiving an answer. But then, when he told them God's reply, they refused to do as he had said. How frustrating it must have been for this godly man to have had to prophesy to such disobedient people! It is still true today that many want to know his will, but refuse to obey when it is made known (Jer 42:7, 19-22).

By contrast Jeremiah stood firm, unmoved by either popular acclaim or princely threat. It is not surprising that he was highly critical of the false prophets, the 'windbags' (Jer 5:13) who prophesied lies and gave the people false hopes (Jer 23:16). Jeremiah quickly discerned their fatal weakness: they had not stood in the council of the Lord to 'see or hear his word' (Jer 23:18, 22). Regarding himself as a shepherd of God's people (Jer 17:6), Jeremiah was horrified at the failure of their shepherds to care for God's flock (Jer 10:21; 50:6).

Jeremiah was highly critical of false prophets and, as a shepherd of God's people, was horrified at the failure of shepherds to care for God's flock.

Jeremiah's 'Confessions'

In the so-called 'confessions' of Jeremiah we have a disclosure exposing the depths of the prophet's soul. These 'confessions' are to be found in the following verses: Jer 10:22-24; 11:18-12:6; 15:10-21; 17:9-11, 17:14-18; 18:18-23; 20:7-18. The use of the word 'confession' is best understood as referring to need rather than sin.

Here are some matters dealt with in the 'confessions':

• Jeremiah asks to be corrected (Jer 10:24).
• When God reveals to Jeremiah that wicked people are plotting to kill him, he cries out for vengeance (Jer 11:18-20).
• He then complains that it is the wicked who prosper (Jer 12:1).
• The prophet claims that God knows all about him (Jer 12:3).
• Then he appeals to the One who understands and cares, asking the Lord to avenge him (Jer 15:15).

Jeremiah then dares to question God's actions, saying "Your help is as uncertain as a seasonal mountain brook - sometimes a flood, sometimes as dry as a bone!" (Jer 15:18, Living Bible). To this complaint the Lord replies, "Stop this foolishness and talk some sense!" (Jer 15:19, Living Bible). He adds the stern warning, "Only if you return to trusting me will I let you continue as my spokesman". In a further warning to the prophet, God declares, "The heart is deceitful above all things...no-one can really know how bad it is" (Jer 17:9). Jeremiah then pleads with God, "Do not be a terror to me: you are my refuge in the day of disaster" (Jer 17:17).

Jeremiah dares to question God's actions and faithfulness, and the Lord rebukes him.

Jeremiah becomes really angry with his accusers and reminds the Lord that these are the very people he has prayed for (Jer 18:20). Now he demands. "Do not forgive their crimes or blot out their sins from your sight. Let them be overthrown" (Jer 18:23). In an astonishing accusation Jeremiah claims that the Lord has deceived, overpowered and prevailed against him and that he has suffered ridicule, reproach and insults (Jer 20:7-8), and that his friends are awaiting the moment when he will slip up (Jer 20:10). All this together brings him to the point where he curses the day he was born (Jer 20:14-15).

But better thoughts enter his mind before the 'confessions' come to an end. He says, "But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior, so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. Sing to the Lord! Give praise to the Lord! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked" (Jer 20:11-13).

Today's prophets can learn from Jeremiah's 'confessions'.

Jeremiah's Emotions

From his youth Jeremiah manifested the emotions associated with personal inadequacy. When he confessed, "I do not know how to speak; I am only a child", the Lord replied with the reassurance, "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you" (Jer 1:6-8). Later on came another reassurance that the Lord would be with him, and that he would make him like a bronze wall against the people (Jer 1:15-20).

Jeremiah experienced loneliness. Like Jesus, his brothers were unsupportive, and he was forbidden to marry (Jer 16:1-2). In the Jewish society of his day, to remain unmarried was almost unheard of. Jeremiah became the symbol of the message he proclaimed, for with the coming slaughter in Jerusalem this was neither the time nor the place to raise a family. He needed the sustaining comfort and sympathy of a wife and family, but they were denied him. This was the divine purpose for Jeremiah, and he had to learn how "blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him" (Jer 17:7).

Jeremiah had to face disappointment when the revival under King Josiah, which seemed so promising and in which Jeremiah had shared (2 Ki 23:19; Jer 11:6-7), gradually faded away.

Another emotional trauma that persistently dogged Jeremiah was the loss of credibility when there was no quick fulfilment of his predictions. He complained, "They keep saying to me, 'Where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled!'" (Jer 17:15). Jeremiah had to continue predicting the fall of Jerusalem for years before it finally fell.

Jeremiah experienced personal inadequacy, loneliness, disappointment and a loss of credibility, but learned the blessings of trusting in God alone.

He could proclaim the message, "I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future", but it would be seventy years before that promise was fulfilled (Jer 29:10-11).

Jeremiah experienced extreme frustration. After the fall of Jerusalem, the army officers and the people asked him to pray that God would show them where to go and what to do (Jer 42:3). For ten days, as we noted earlier, Jeremiah waited on the Lord for an answer; when it came they were told to stay in the land and not to go to Egypt. If they did this, all would be well. Imagine Jeremiah's frustration when he saw that they were determined to go to Egypt and refused the instructions he had given them from God!

Jeremiah had been encouraged by the actions of Josiah, who "did what was just and right" (Jer 22:15), but must have been filled with dismay when Shallum his son (otherwise known as Jehoahaz) came to the throne of Judah with the intention, in his own words, that "I will build myself a great palace" (Jer 22:14). The prophet experienced an increasing sense of horror with the realisation that he could do nothing to avert the disaster he saw approaching; it is just as difficult today to cope with a revelation of impending disaster. There were numerous threats on Jeremiah's life and he must have been conscious of his vulnerability. Some sentiments from one of the Servant songs in Isaiah 53:7 and from Jeremiah 11:19 surely describe his feelings.

Priests, prophets and people agreed that he must die as the penalty for daring to claim that "This house [the Temple] will be like Shiloh" (Jer 26:7-9). During the reign of Zedekiah, Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonians would capture Jerusalem and burn it down. Zedekiah's officials, angered at such an unpleasant message, affirmed that Jeremiah should die. When threats are made against someone's life the natural reaction is to run away. So thought the captain of the guard, who arrested Jeremiah as he was leaving Jerusalem, though in fact the prophet was merely on his way to visit the Benjamites to claim his share of some property there. But the suspicion was that Jeremiah was deserting to the Babylonians, and he was beaten and imprisoned. Later he was lowered into a cistern.

Jeremiah experienced extreme frustration when people did not accept God's word, and was conscious of his vulnerability as numerous threats were made to his life.

But Jeremiah stuck with the people of Judah, even choosing to stay with them on their travels to Egypt when he could have been set free (Jer 43:7-8). But God raised up men such as Ebed-Melech and Ahikam to help the man of God when he was ill-treated; their encouragement and support must have been a welcome change from the more general hostility that surrounded him.

Jeremiah and Jesus

Jeremiah was the most Christ-like of the prophets. One of the answers to Jesus' question, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" was Jeremiah! (Matt 16:13-14). Michaelangelo portrays Jeremiah in the Sistine Chapel 'With eyes cast down', brooding in thought. As we have seen, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah is as appropriate a description of Jeremiah as it is of Jesus. Both were despised and rejected by their contemporaries.

But it would not be right to brand them as pessimists. As with Jesus, the message proclaimed by Jeremiah was one of hope (Jer 25:11-13; 29:10-11; 3:15-18; 23:5-6; 32:14-15). Jeremiah's use of the word 'perhaps' (Jer 36:7) is paralleled in Jesus' story of the barren fig-tree, in which the man who took care of the vineyard said, "Leave it alone for another year...If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down" (Luke 13:8).

This is the right emotion for all who are called to the prophetic ministry.

First Published in Prophecy Today, Vol 5 No 4, July/August 1989.

Clifford Denton continues his series on 'Christianity, Israel and the Jews', taking a closer look at the beloved Jewish affirmation, the Shema: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One..."

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to lie upon your hearts. Impress them on your children: talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Among the literary sources of Judaism the Shema deserves its own study, because of its central place. In Our Father Abraham (Eerdmans 1991), Dr Marvin Wilson lists this as the 'Core Affirmation of Israel's Faith'. This week we explore the background and importance of the Shema.

Listen and Hear

Dr Wilson lists six issues for Christians to address in reconnecting with their Hebraic heritage. Out of the sixth (understanding the sources of Judaism) he gives special attention to the Shema, or Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord is one." According to Wilson, the Shema (p122):

...is one of the most crucial Old Testament texts for the foundational teachings of both Jesus and Judaism. A careful investigation of early sources suggests that Deuteronomy 6:4 must have been the first portion from the Hebrew Bible that Jesus committed to memory. According to the Babylonian Talmud (Sukkah 42a), Jewish boys were taught this biblical passage as soon as they could speak. Since the Talmud specifies that "the father must teach him" (i.e. the son), we may confidently assume that Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, was responsible for fulfilling this task.

When Moses was instructed to assemble Israel in the wilderness they were instructed to listen to God, or to hear him. The root meaning of Shema is 'hear'. The six words of instruction from Deuteronomy 6:4 are "Shema yisra'el adonai eloheynu adonai ehad", translated as "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."

This has remained the central core of Israel's faith. God requires that his people listen to him and expect to hear him. He brings them together for the family Sabbaths and for the feasts. He speaks to them through the prophets and as they study together, through signs and as his people approach him in prayer. To Israel was given the privilege of hearing God directly and the foundational truth that they heard was that God is one (Ehad).

The central core of Israel's faith is God's requirement that his people listen to him and expect to hear him.

All confusion about the many gods of the nations is taken away in the foundational thing that Israel must know. The God who revealed himself through creation, through the call of Abraham, through the covenants, through the prophets and through all the recorded teaching of the Bible is not many but one. The many aspects of his character, word and works are summed up in the multifaceted nature of one-ness expressed in the Hebrew word Ehad.

This central core to Israel's life and faith is contained in the profundity of the brief statement of the Shema, and so it is the core of Judaism throughout all generations.

Part of the Prayer Book

Among the Jewish sources that a Christian should understand is the Prayer Book. In Back to the Sources (p403), we read:

Judaism is a civilization of remarkable persistences; perhaps the most remarkable is the case of prayer. Bestir yourself on a Friday evening or a Saturday morning anywhere in the world where there are Jews and you will likely find a congregation reciting Hebrew prayers several thousand years old. Nor is this a quaint vestige. Gathering for prayer is the preeminently central activity of most branches of Jewish life today, and it is within the roomy framework of the synagogue service that much else takes place: Torah study, rites of passage, political commentary, and even fund raising.

This combination of antiquity and centrality enjoyed by Jewish prayer is the result of its distinctively composite nature: Jewish prayer is both a text and experience. As a text, Jewish prayer is a prayerbook, a classical written liturgy, a structure of words and ideas, which, like any text, is open to literary and theological analysis within the terms of the historical periods that produced it. As experience, Jewish prayer also incorporates the several means by which the text is brought to life: what takes place in the inner, subjective world of the worshipper during prayer; the communal arrangements and non-verbal techniques of the practice of prayer; and the contemporary interpretations of the meaning of the text of the liturgy.

The Prayer Book is a book of blessings (berakhot), or praising. For example, the morning service contains the praise or blessing to God: "Praised are You, Lord our God, King of the universe who creates lights."

All confusion about the many gods of the nations is taken away in the Shema's profound statement that God is one.

Jewish prayer is concerned with knowing God, the one to whom all praise is given. Closer examination of the Prayer Book shows the cycles of prayer. For example, in the daily morning service (shaharit lehol) there are two cycles, of which the first cycle is the Shema, and the second cycle the The Amidah ('Standing Prayer'), containing the Shemoneh Esreh (the 'Eighteen Berakhot'), also known simply as Hatefilah ('the Prayer').

The Shema itself is put among three Berakhot:

Berakhah One: Creation
Berakhah Two: Revelation
Shema
Berakhah Three: Redemption

"The sequence creation-revelation-redemption forms the essential theological drama of Judaism" (Back to the Sources, p410). This illustrates how the Shema is foundational to the life of prayer and praise of the Jewish world.

The principle of constant repetition and remembering is also key to Jewish life. Human beings need to focus constantly on the character and revelation of the One True God. Human beings are so prone to forget and to drift into error. The Shema is the central part of that remembrance.

The principle of constant repetition and remembering is key to Jewish life – human beings are so prone to forget and drift into error.

The Shema and Jewish Prayer

Kopciowski's Praying With the Jewish Tradition (Eeerdmans 1988) contains further insights on the Shema itself. In the introduction, Rabbi Lionel Blue writes:

...the Old Testament (or Tenach, to use the Jewish term) is not the best book for understanding the religion of modern Jews because it has a limitation which it shares with all Scriptures. Its text is closed...The text of the Talmud, too, is closed. It came to an abrupt halt in Babylon in the sixth century of the common era...

But the Jewish prayer book is different. Unlike other holy books, it is still open-ended and unfinished. It can absorb the faith, the longings, the triumphs and the failures of this generation and the generations that will succeed it, as it found room for all those that went before it.

It includes blocks of biblical faith that cluster round the affirmation of God's unity in Exodus. These are followed by rabbinic petitions, philosophical statements, medieval hymns, psalms, and modern prayers trying to assimilate and interpret the holocaust and the rise of Israel. The collection is too alive to be consistent. Each layer of faith lives alongside the others – they do not cancel each other out. Consistency is found in cemeteries; the untidiness of growth is the quality of life.

Jews have a long history – four thousand years of it – double the Christian length. During that time they have worshipped at mounds of stones, desert altars and moveable arks, in two solid temples, in synagogues, and in shtiebels. Patriarchs, priests, scribes, rabbis, rebbes, seers, mystics, and ordinary folk have been leading their little worship communities in prayer. Each phase has left its mark and its message in the liturgy. If a Christian therefore wishes to understand his fellow Jews, he should attend their prayers, and give attention to the holy book which is best known among them – their prayer book.

Why should he or she do so? There are many reasons. First, there has been a subtle but definite change in Christian-Jewish relations since the end of the last war, for reasons which we do not completely comprehend – the horror of the holocaust perhaps, or the Holy Spirit. But the medieval cold war seems to have died down, and a real desire to understand each other has replaced it.

For a Christian there is also another reason. Both Jesus and his early disciples lived in the world of rabbinic Judaism, when the modern prayer book took its present form. They prayed its prayers, in the synagogues of their time. They could not know the liturgy of the Church which would proceed from them but were familiar with the forms of worship still used by Jews today. Christianity therefore, for its own self-understanding, needs to know those forms. Otherwise Jesus is torn away from his historical and human background, and is limited to an icon...

The Shema is strictly only the verse from Deuteronomy 6:4. However, this has been expanded by the addition of two further verses which complement it, for the purposes of the liturgies of the Prayer Book. This combination is now generally known as the Shema. Kopciowski writes:

The Shema is the main part of the daily liturgy, recited morning and evening. The Shema is above all the solemn proclamation of the unity and uniqueness of God, entailing the duty to love him and obey his commandments and to instruct children in the holy doctrine, so that it may be handed down for ever. The Shema consists of three prayers from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41). (p26)

A prayer that follows the Shema at evening prayers, compiled from biblical verses is:

In the palm of your hand
You hold our souls
Which we entrust to you:
The souls of the living
And the souls of the dead.
In the palm of your hand
You lovingly hold
The divine spirit
Of all things living.
To you, O Lord,
O God of truth,
I commit now the spirit that is within me.
Heavenly Father,
Your name alone is holy,
You are unchanging
And your kingdom is eternal;
You will reign over us for ever.

Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God,
the Lord is One.
Love the Lord your God
With all your heart and with all your soul
And with all your strength.
These commandments that I give you today
Are to lie upon your hearts.
Impress them on your children:
Talk about them when you sit at home
And when you walk along the road,
When you lie down and when you get up.

Summary: Israel's Statement of Faith

The world of the first Christians was embedded in Judaism. Paul and the apostles would all have attended the prayers at the Temple and in the synagogues. Christians today would benefit from a fresh look at these ancient traditions and how they centred on knowledge of the One True God, who called Israel to hear him in the wilderness and know that he is Ehad.

Since the world of the first Christians was embedded in Judaism, Christians today would benefit from a fresh look at its ancient traditions and their focus on knowledge of the One True God.

The Shema is placed among the benedictions but is not a prayer itself. It is more to be seen as the core of Israel's statement of faith. Dr Wilson writes:

Of the 5,845 verses in the Pentateuch, "Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" sounds the historic keynote of all Judaism. This fundamental truth and leitmotif of God's uniqueness prompts one to respond by fulfilling the fundamental obligation to love God (Deut. 6:5). Accordingly, when Jesus was asked about the "most important commandment," his reply did not contradict this central theme of Judaism (Mark 12:28-34; cf. Matt. 22:34-40). With 613 individual statutes of the Torah from which to choose, Jesus cited the Shema, including the command to love God; but he also extended the definition of the "first" and "great" commandment to include love for ones neighbour (Lev. 19:18). (p124)

For Reflection and Comment

Should the Shema be as important to Christians as to Jews?

Next time: Covenant

Series note: 'CIJ' (Christianity, Israel and the Jews) is a study series about the relationship between the Church and its Hebraic heritage.

'The Mansion House of Liberty: The untold story of Christian Britain' by John Bradley (RP Publishing, 2015, 304 pages, available from the publisher for £12.99)

This book comes at just the right time to help us respond to a growing challenge concerning the relevance of Christianity in Britain. The author was for many years a professional businessman, before moving into leadership roles in the church in Britain and into missionary work in Asia.

The book took three years to write with additional preliminary research. This is reflected in its wide scope and excellent reference to key sources.

Britain's Christian History

The book surveys the growth and impact of Christianity in Britain from the early centuries through to the present day. The historical survey begins at the time of the Romans with reference to the period of the Celts, Anglo-Saxons and Normans through the reigns of key monarchs.

The impact of Christianity on the Monarchy, the bringing in of balance between Church and State, and the growth of law and government are all carefully charted. A serious reader is confronted with both challenge and reassurance of the many hundreds of years of British history and the history of the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland that have increasingly had impact by the gospel.

The book surveys Britain's Christian history from Roman times to the present day, confronting readers with both challenges and reassurances.

Centuries of Good Fruit

Later chapters of the book describe the fruit of Christianity through the lives of Christian businessmen, inventors, innovators and politicians, bringing order and prosperity in the nation.

The book considers key social and political issues, especially those influencing the status of the poor and deprived as well as the health and education of the nation. One cannot fail to consider the view that the stability and structure of the nation has been brought about through the impact of the Christian gospel.

Down-to-Earth Survey

A strength of the book is that it has no particular denominational bias. This makes it a more down-to-earth survey of social and political history, rather than a tool of evangelism or prophecy. It is therefore left to the reader as to how the information is applied in a range of current Christian ministries – it is a reference source that can be used in many ways.

One cannot fail to consider the view that Britain's stability and structure has been brought about through the impact of the Christian gospel.

A word of concern is expressed in the concluding chapters concerning the perceived decline of Christian belief in our present day and it is clear that a motivation behind the book was to bring a necessary call to remembrance at this critical time in the history of the nation.

The book's 300 plus pages are packed with reliable information that, nevertheless, can at best only be an overview of a huge issue. To support this a list of useful follow-up reading is supplied at the end. We highly recommend this as a foundational survey for those new to the study of our nation's Christian history. It is also a valuable reference for all who are in Christian ministry today.