STAYING PUT (Nehemiah 2)

The king, with the queen sitting alongside  him, said, "How long will your work take and when would you expect to return?"  I gave him a time, and the king gave his approval to send me.  (Nehemiah 2:5, MSG)

Some time ago I discussed the times that God asks us to move on and start something new.

Today we look at the times God asks us to stay put.

Think about it. Of the three post-exile history books, only Ezra returned to Jerusalem permanently. Esther was queen of the Persian empire. Nehemiah held an important position in the Persian court. When the king gave him permission to go to Jerusalem, he also asked "when are you coming back?" He received a leave of absence for in modern parlance we might call a short term mission trip.

His actual work was much like that which church groups today have taken in helping Haiti and Indonesia and the Gulf Coast get back on their feet after natural disasters. Except for Jerusalem's extraordinary position as the city where God chose to dwell, in His Temple.

Nehemiah clearly loved his homeland. He longed to help. I bet he longed to live there. But God's plan for him involved service in a faraway land.

Sometimes we want to leave a difficult situation--and God says no.

I talked earlier about God pushing us out of our comfortable spot and making us move.  This is a time when God locks the door and makes us stay.

Kind of makes me think how, as a writer, I want to write longer, "trade" books. But to date, God has largely kept me locked in the Heartsong, short novel and novella length books. Don't misunderstand. I'm proud of  my Heartsongs and novellas. And if I exercise a Nehemiah-like influence through Heartsong, that's where I want to be!

And of course, God gave Nehemiah his heart's desire for a specified period. We learn later in Nehemiah that he stayed there for twelve years before he was recalled by the king.  (I wonder if he expected to be gone for such a long time!)

So, if you are in need of a decision--stay or go?  Listen to God and keep an eye on open and closed doors.  (This passage continues that wonderful verse, "I prayed to God and said to the king.")  God will speak to a listening heart.

MARRIAGE VOWS

Agreeing to get rid of all these wives and their children. Ezra 9:2-3

Ezra faced a huge problem with the returning exiles: many of them intermarried with local women (we're not told that Jewish women married local men.)  Ezra ripped his clothes and tore his beard out in repentance and led the exiles in a renewal of the covenant.  What that meant was divorcing the foreign women--getting rid of those wives and their children.

The God who hates divorce demanded it.

I have been impressed in reading the Old Testament with new eyes this year, to see how much the message stays the same, even those laws that I find boring as I read them.

This one is different. Paul outlined the principles governing "mixed marriages" between believers and non-believers. The nonbeliever held the key. As long as they wanted to remain in the marriage, they should stay. If the nonbeliever wanted to leave, they should release.  Both men and women were given the same instructions.

The reason? The unbelieving spouse "shares" in the holiness of the believer.  If they let the unbeliever go, s/he might return. Also, their children benefit. They are included in God's "spiritual purposes."

The very reason why Jews were to only marry other Jews: to maintain the holiness of a people obedient to God's covenant.

Is the difference as simple as genetics?  No one is born a Christian but children of a Jewish mother are considered Jews.

Of course, old covenant or new, God was our hearts to be circumcised and devoted to God. It's always been about relationship.  But two different routes to reach that relationship.

Of course, the old covenant relies a great deal on the imagery and meaning of the routines of everyday life.  In the opening scene of Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye talks about "Tradition."  I can't find the exact words, but he says something along the lines "what we eat, how we wear clothes, where we sleep." Only a wife committed to maintaining those traditions could successfully pass them on to her children. Not keeping the covenant meant separating not only the unbelieving wife, but also the husband and children, from the full blessing of the covenant.

But aren't those same things present in the marriage of a Christian and an unbeliever? Not in the same way, of course, but . . .

Or does the question even exist anywhere except in my mind? Ezra was fighting the first step in a slippery slope that led to the exile in the first place. Paul was addressing the subject of marriage in general. Married or single? Married to an unbeliever? How about the children?

Again, one of those puzzling questions.  Pray for our children, that they will marry someone who shares their faith!

THE CALL (Ezra 6-7)

Wow, there's a lot in these chapters. For instance, how about this verse about the importance of teaching?  Ezra had committed himself to studying the Revelation of God, to living it, and to teaching Israel to live its truths and ways. (Ezra 7:8-10 MSG) (Yup, I have the spiritual gift teaching/encouragement, always has been my strongest gift on those self-assessments.)

But two verses made me think of a question commonly asked writers? "What happened when you received 'the call'?"

"The call" refers to the phone from an editor or agent, wanting to contract with you for your book--especially the first one.  Now, I have contracted 30 books and never received a phone call.  What I did get, back in 2003, was an email from Tracie Peterson, wanting to contract Romanian Rhapsody. I received the message on Thanksgiving Eve, so you can begin to imagine the kind of celebration I had!

Today's description of the first Passover celebrated after the temple was rebuilt and of Era's revival both express that impossible, laugh out loud, incredible, unbelievable joy.

God had plunged them into a sea of joy. Ezra 6:21  Oh, we only get to swim in that sea a few times in our lifetimes, but those occasions are memorable, even more rare than the mountain tops..

And the way Ezra expressed his joy tickled me. He thanked God for the opportunity to do what he wanted to do:  Blessed be God . . .who put it in the mind of the king to beautify the Temple of God. Writers without publishers and readers are sad people indeed.

Then comes the tickle part: Not only that, he caused the king . . . actually to like me and back me.  (Ezra 7:27-28)

They like me! They like my "baby," my book! They actually are going to back me by taking on the expense of printing it, editing it, creating a cover and a marketing plan--and paying me!

For those of you not yet published: take heart in what else Ezra had to say. My God was on my side and I was ready to go. (Ezra 7:27-28) The time you've spent learning your craft has not been wasted. You will be ready to go, when your call comes.

I am sure this applies across any work of heart and soul and hard work.

So rejoice in that sea of joy when God sends that publisher or agent actually likes you, your work, and will back it up!

WHERE FAITH MEETS DOUBT

I believe faith is acting in spite of doubt (and fear).

So when I read Even though they were afraid. . .they went ahead anyway. (Ezra 3:3)

As I read the account of those handful of refugees, and how they responded in difficult circumstances, my heart was stirred. God had brought them back to their land, a miracle in itself; but it took a second miracle--of faith, determination, and hard work--to see their beloved city and Temple rebuilt.

Here's a few principles I saw in action, which I can apply to whatever problems I am having, or when I am seeking God's will for my future. things I saw:

• Faith is acting in the face of doubt and fear.

Even though they were afraid. . .they went ahead anyway (Ezra 3:3)

• Get your priorities right. Don't put off serving God until you get your life together.

They began offering Whole-Burnt-Offerings to God from the very first day. . .even though The Temple of God's foundation had not yet been laid. (Ezra 3:6)

• Grief and joy exist side by side; we may grieve the mistakes we made in the past and wonder "what if?" but past mistakes shouldn't keep us from doing what we can today.

People couldn't distinguish the shouting from the weeping. (Era 3:13)

• When we get serious about God's work, we will face opposition. 

In June, I turned in a manuscript to my editor. I have a new book coming out. I'm working on new book proposals, and I'm teaching a course on brainstorming to ACFW (american Christian Fiction Writers.)  After I battled pain, bedrest, and depression for several days, I realized, Of course! This almost always happens when I'm doing something new for God, like teaching ACFW.

Rehum and Shim shai . . . went to the Jews in Jerusalem and made them quit work. (Ezra 4:23)

• When we are uncertain of God's will, we can proceed even without a definite yes or no. 
• Corollary: We are blessed when He puts a spiritual mentor working by your side.

This happened after they sent a letter to Xerxes the king, but before they heard back. 

Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak started again, rebuilding the Temple of God in Jerusalem. The prophets of God were right there helping them. (Ezra 6:1-2)

• God will protect His work, so that the door remains open as long as He wills.

God had his eye on the leader of the Jews, and the work wasn't stopped until a report could reach Darius and an official reply be returned. (Ezra 6:5) 

The bottom line is: Once God tells us to do something--get started! And don't stop until He turns on the stop light.

Don't worry about the doubts and roadblocks--they're to be expected.

FAMILY (Ezra 2)

70 years after the end of 2 Chronicles, God did exactly what He promised: Cyrus of Persia allowed Jews to return to their home land.

What is sad that only a little over 42,000 people took  him up on the offer.  They were defined by "families," but those families included some non-traditional groupings.

As someone whose family unit has shrunk dramatically, the thought intrigued me.

Families of Origin. This is our traditional family unit. My grandchildren, if they find the sheets I've created with what I know about my family, will know back to when my greatgrandparents arrived on Ellis Island in the 1890s. Families with mothers and fathers, great grandparents, and children, four or five generations together.

Place of origin.  All Sooners, raise your hands. Texans, may your flag wave forever brave. I'm both a New England Yankee and a devoted Coloradoan. Talk with someone who went to the same summer camp. You are from the same place of origin.

Inherited positions: Priests and levites  Something along the line of guilds, where one generation teaches the next. Blood family or not, one generation teaches the next.

Same occupations: Musicians, security guards, support staff

"Downstairs" occupations: Solomon's servants

Outsiders: Israelites who couldn't prove their family origin.

Anyone who is part of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) has had opportunity to discover the "family" of the same occupation. We are passionate for the Lord and for the written word.

I also know the feeling of being an outsider. New England born and bred, I'm still not quite a native because I wasn't born there. Out west, it doesn't matter you were born. They welcome you with open arms, part of the reason I love living west of the Mississippi..

How good God is. He gave the returning Israelites families. David said, "he sets the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:6.) That's as true today as it was all those thousands of years ago.

THE END IS NOT THE END (2 CHRONICLES 36)

 Today's passage took me through the closing chapters of 2 Chronicles, through King Josiah (one of my favorite kings) to his son and grandsons (all evil) to the exile to Babylon.  The end had been decreed during King Josiah's reign (he changed the fate of his nation during his  life time, one of the reasons he's my hero.)

But God . . .didn't let it end there.

Thank God for the "But God"s in our lives!

God moved the heart of a pagan king to fulfill His promise. He attributed his success to the "God of the heavens" and reversed the exile.  God. . .has also assigned me to build him a Temple of worship at Jerusalem in Judah. All who belong to God's people are urged to return--and may your God be with you! Move forward!  (2 Chronicles 36:22-23) 

God may use an unexpected means to relay His plans. 
God may move at an unexpected time.
God won't always move when we would like him to. 

But when God makes a promise, we can be certain it will happen!

With God, the end is just the beginning of the next chapter. 

EXTRA EDITION

I sang a hymn this morning which resonated with what God has been teaching me through the lives of the kings.  Hum it along with me as a prayer to the Lord:

Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole; 
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Chorus:
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, look down from thy throne in the skies,
And help me to make a complete sacrifice.
I give up myself and whatever I know,
Now wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I perfectly wait,
Come now, within me a new heart create.
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst no.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
                         --Written by James L. Nicholson, 1872

TELL, DON'T SHOW (2 Chronicles 32)

I write my nibbles from the standpoint of a writer, thinking how I would write the stories instead of the way they're written. No respect to the inspired word of God; but it makes me sit up, listen, take note of the way things are written, and think about why.

As an editor, I definitely would have sent back today's passage for rewriting. It breaks the cardinal rule of all writers: Show, Don't Tell.

Some time later Hezekiah became deathly sick. He prayed to God and was given a reassuring sign. But the sign, instead of making Hezekiah grateful made him arrogant. This made God angry, and his anger spilled over on Judah and Jerusalem. But then Hezekiah, and Jerusalem with him, repented of his arrogance, and God withdrew his anger while Hezekiah lived. (2 Chronicles 32:24-26, MSG)

Wow, if I were writing a book about this incident, I would spend at least a chapter describing the illness, Hezekiah's arrogance, God's anger unleashed, and his repentance and restoration. Even the writer of 2 Kings spent most of chapter 20 describing the event.

But not here.

Let's look at 1 Kings 20 for the answers:

• Hezekiah was "deathly" ill. Isaiah the prophet came for a visit, warning Hezekiah that he would die.
• Hezekiah pleaded that God would spare his life, because he had lived for God. (By the way, here again we see the principle of God allowing, perhaps even planning, trials to beleager believers. Hezekiah joins a long line including Job and Joseph.)
• God gave Hezekiah a sign of his choice: the sun dial went back ten degrees.
• Hezekiah was healed. 
• A some point after that, Hezekiah showed an emissary from Babylon all of Judah's riches. 
• Isaiah warned him that Babylon would conquer Judah.
• The record in 2 Kings doesn't reflect Hezekiah's repentance, but relief that the punishment wouldn't happen during his lifetime.

Why did the writer leave out such an exciting story? It can't be because it reflects poorly on Hezekiah. God doesn't shy away from showing us Bible heroes' weak spots.  

Perhaps precisely because we would focus on the story, and not on the moral of the story. 

The lesson God wants us to take away: When God gives me a sign, do I respond with arrogance or with gratitude?

Every time recently when I have severely whether or not I should continue writing (my continued poor health raises a lot of questions), God has responded with what I call "neon writing in the sky" kinds of affirmations.  

This week, after a troubling phone call from my son, I wondered if all the sacrifices I have made along the road to becoming a writer were worth the price I paid. It was a painful feeling, especially coming on top of bed rest.

God  knew I needed encouragement. I received word that I would get another 3-book contract; and an editor requested a proposal from me based on a 100-word blurb that I submitted to her.

Also, I've had four books released in May-June. I've done a lot of interviews about the new books, and all kinds of people are saying "Oh, I love this author! Can't wait to get this book!" 

And have heard from fellow authors that I am an inspiration to them. 

I face the same choice that Hezekiah did: do I thank God for His continued hand of blessing? Or do I become arrogant and claim it's all my own talent?

If God wrote the account of my life using the tell, don't show, method, how would the description read? Well done, thou good and faithful servant or "I know her not"?