It is interesting to note how closely connected heaven is to earth. Some say that heaven and Jesus are so far away and that Jesus takes little notice as to what is happening on this earth.
If you read the Bible carefully, though, you will find over 1100 verses where the two words, “Lord said”, appear in the same Bible verse together. Then there are over 800 verses that mention, “saith the Lord. . . .” Not to mention the over 500 times the words “God said. . . .” appear in the same verse together. Some of these phrases overlap since some verses say, “And the Lord God said. . .”
This clearly shows how carefully the Lord cares for, and is directing the affairs of life on earth, and more specifically how He is directing the lives of His faithful followers.
Regarding creation we read, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . . . When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:4, 7. There was much rejoicing in heaven when this world was created.
The very first instance we find of the Lord speaking after creation, is before the fall of man in Genesis 2:18, “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” The Lord was speaking in heaven, not to man, but about man. After Eve was created, the Lord spoke personally to Adam and Eve. He often visited them on earth and spoke with them face to face as to friends. He gave them instructions regarding the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2:16–17). After this the next time we see the Lord speaking to mankind was telling Adam and Even the results of their sin. Things changed now. The Lord no longer spoke so openly, face to face, with man.
“Adam, in his innocence, had enjoyed open communion with his Maker; but sin brought separation between God and man, and the atonement of Christ alone could span the abyss and make possible the communication of blessing or salvation from heaven to earth. Man was still cut off from direct approach to his Creator, but God would communicate with him through Christ and angels.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 67
The name, “Christ” does not appear until the New Testament. Although, the Lord did communicate with fallen mankind in Old Testament times through various means such as dreams and visions, and as weary travellers (to Abraham and Lot). In the New Testament times, after His sojourn on earth, Christ at that time became a partaker of humanity, and His communication can now be more empathetic rather than just sympathetic.
Did the unfallen worlds care what happened here on this earth? “The plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man. It was not for this alone that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 68. Yes, they did care and they do care today. The Plan of Redemption is for their benefit also.
Yet, even though His physical presence and glory is no longer fully seen and known, He still has such loving care for the children that He created that He directs, counsels, and controls the affairs on this earth as He sees best. Sometimes it seems that He is a God that is far away, when things go wrong, but the reality is that He is ever close by, and is testing and preparing our characters in the furnace of affliction, for a home in paradise.
We read from the earliest of times, “And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, . . .” Genesis 12:7
To Isaac, “And the LORD appeared unto him, . . .” Genesis 26:2
When Jacob was returning to Canaan with his family, “And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.” Genesis 32:1
We know that to Moses He appeared in a burning bush (Exodus 3:2). But how did He appear to Abraham and Isaac? He is a God close by, and very interested in what is going on here, and giving instructions and guidance. There is no record as to how He appeared. Was it in a dream or a vision? We know that to Jacob He appeared in the vision of the ladder that reached to heaven (Genesis 28:12).
And when Jacob was about to go to Egypt to meet Joseph, the Lord came to him again. “And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. And He said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.” Genesis 46:2–3. This was clearly in vision, but Jacob had a conversation with the Lord while in vision.
The Lord spoke many times throughout history through His prophets, as recorded in the Bible, giving instructions and directions. He continued to communicate throughout history after the Bible was written. Through Ellen G. White He communicated many messages to His people. Has His voice silenced today? No, He still directs and guides His children today if they would seek His advice.
There are times when it makes clear sense why the “Lord said. . . .” what He did. Other times, we do not understand why He would say, or ask of us, what He did.
Sometimes it clearly seems out of character for the Lord to ask what He is asking, but we only have to trust.
We read from earliest history: “It came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham.” Genesis 22:1. What was the temptation? “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Genesis 22:2. I am sure Abraham was not understanding why the Lord requested that he go sacrifice his beloved son. How could he be asked to commit murder? Here he was upholding the law of God, and trying to witness to his neighbours while living in a heathen land—a land where human sacrifices were sometimes performed. He possibly could have even told them that this specifically was a wrong practice, and now he was going to do the same? Clearly it made no sense, but Abraham was obedient. He trusted. In the end he did not have to follow through and he was tremendously blessed, as were his posterity and the entire universe.
“It had been difficult even for the angels to grasp the mystery of redemption–to comprehend that the Commander of heaven, the Son of God, must die for guilty man. When the command was given to Abraham to offer up his son, the interest of all heavenly beings was enlisted. With intense earnestness they watched each step in the fulfillment of this command. . . . then light was shed upon the mystery of redemption, and even the angels understood more clearly the wonderful provision that God had made for man’s salvation.” –Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 155
What at first seems strange, if we are patient, we shall see the beauty of what the Lord has said and asked. We may never understand on this earth, but all will be revealed to us when we get to heaven.
However, I ask, does the Bible contradict itself? It is interesting that Moses used the word “tempt” here in describing this direction from the Lord. Does the Lord tempt? “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” James 1:13–14
Here is clarification: “God Permitted Circumstances to Test.–What is temptation? –It is the means by which those who claim to be the children of God are tested and tried. We read that God tempted Abraham, that He tempted the children of Israel. This means that He permitted circumstances to occur to test their faith, and lead them to look to Him for help. God permits temptation to come to His people today, that they may realize that He is their helper. If they draw nigh to Him when they are tempted, He strengthens them to meet the temptation. But if they yield to the enemy, neglecting to place themselves close to their Almighty Helper, they are overcome. They separate themselves from God. They do not give evidence that they walk in God’s way.
“This act of faith in Abraham is recorded for our benefit. It teaches us the great lesson of confidence in the requirements of God, however close and cutting they may be.” –The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1094
Another group of people who were “tempted” of the Lord are the Rechabites. It is interesting how this all came about. The Lord came to Jeremiah with the following instructions. The Lord said. . . “The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, Go unto the house of the Rechabites, and speak unto them, and bring them into the house of the LORD, into one of the chambers, and give them wine to drink.” Jeremiah 35:1–2
How many half-converted youth would be happy if they were told by the Minister or Church leader, that the Lord told them to offer these youth a glass of wine? Not only the fact that the prophet offered them wine
to drink, but where was the setting? It was in the temple. So a Minister in the church takes a young person into the church office and offers him wine, on commission from the Lord. What is the youth to think? How did the Rechabites respond? “But they said, We will drink no wine: for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons for ever: Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters.” Jeremiah 35:6, 8. Their forefather, Jonadab, had instructed them on the folly of drinking wine, so they refused. Who was Jonadab? He was a descendent of Jethro, a righteous man, whose ancestors lived a nomadic life, sometimes in and around Israel. It is a different time in which we live, is it not? Is not this what youth sometimes say? Times have changed—the older generation is so old-fashioned. It may not be on the issue of drinking wine, but it could be various other issues such as fashion, appropriate dating, social media, and time squandered. There is a generation gap between the older generation and the new rising generation. Times, “social rules” have changed. However, here we see a group of people holding onto the “old paths” (Jeremiah 6:16). They held on to the words and the counsel of one of their forefathers who had long departed from this world.
The Rechabites stood firm. Why did the Lord ask Jeremiah to do this? The Lord knew their hearts. He knew they would not succumb to the temptation. They were an excellent example for the children of Israel who had become quite complacent and worldly in their lives. Does this mean it is ok to drink wine because it came ordered from the Lord? No, far from it. Sometimes we just have to try to understand the tests we are going through and be faithful.
What about the vision that Peter saw regarding the unclean animals? “Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.” Acts 10: 12–13. Did Peter immediately respond by saying, “Yes, Lord I will eat. You said it, I will do it?” No, he refused. And rightly so. “But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.” Acts 10:14
The Lord knew Peter’s heart and that Peter would not eat such unclean foods. It would be repulsive to Peter. This was not a directive from the Lord, stating that it was now permissive to eat foods that were previously forbidden in the ceremonial law. The Lord had another lesson to teach Peter here. A lesson that Peter took to heart. This was a clear lesson for him to never call any man common or unclean. The gospel is available to every living person on the earth—Jew or Gentile. There is no partiality.
We have the promise that, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
The Lord knew that the Rechabites would not drink wine. He also knew that Peter would refuse to eat the unclean foods. He reads the hearts of men. These men did not resist in their own strength. They were very connected to the Lord and had a keen understanding of what is true and right, and would not deviate. We, too, can overcome every sin that comes our way. The Lord only allows the temptations that we can, with His strength, overcome. Take heart. God is good and fair.
Other times the Lord has asked His prophets to do something unusual to teach His people a lesson. Something that would make the lesson stick in their minds easier. For example: to Ezekiel He said, “Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Ezekiel 4:4–6
Did Ezekiel really have to lay on his left side for over a year (390 days) and then another 40 days on his right side? And why? It is not clear as to whether he laid on his left side for all those days continuously, 24 hours a day, or only certain portions of the day that were devoted to preaching. Samaria lay to the north of Jerusalem, to the left as man faced east. There was a lesson to be learned through this. If this manner of preaching seemed odd to his listeners, then also, they would see that the Lord would find their behaviours odd; their rebellion against His government was not normal behaviour. As for the dates mentioned here—that is a different study. We mainly want to focus on the seemingly odd request that the Lord made.
In the next chapter of Ezekiel, he was told to shave his head. “And thou, son of man, take thee a sharp knife, take thee a barber’s razor, and cause it to pass upon thine head and upon thy beard: then take thee balances to weigh, and divide the hair. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.” Ezekiel 5:1–2
What is wrong with this scenario? Remember, Ezekiel was a priest and it was forbidden for priests to shave their heads or beards (“They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard.” Leviticus 21:5). However, Ezekiel is told to perform this forbidden act as a symbolic representation. Ezekiel knew he had to render unquestioning obedience even though it was contrary to what had been instructed through Moses. This is what the nation of Israel had done. They had performed many forbidden acts in rebellion against the government of God.
These lessons came home to the people in a more stark manner than merely preaching would. People fall asleep during sermons and Bible Studies, their minds wander to other themes, but seeing Ezekiel perform these tasks, with a shaven head or preaching lying on his side, would make them wake up and take more notice.
To Jeremiah the Lord said, “Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.” Jeremiah 13:4–5. How far is the Euphrates from Jerusalem? Its nearest point is about 350 miles or approximately 560 km.
And then after many days, the Lord came to Jeremiah again. “And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there. Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.” v. 6–7
Why travel so far for this object lesson? Could it be that the importance of the prophecy justified the journey? We cannot question God. When He wants to make a point and teach a lesson, He does it in a manner that would make the greatest impact on His audience. We do know that one day the nation was carried captive over the River Euphrates.
What lesson did the Lord intend? “Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.” v. 9. And, why a girdle? “For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.” v. 11
There have been times when people questioned the Lord’s requests as they seemed unreasonable or inappropriate. Jonah thought the Lord was unreasonable when He told him to go to Nineveh. He did not think it the best course of action, so he ran the other way. But, no, the Lord was serious when He said to Jonah to go to Nineveh, and He set him on the right path again.
Ananias thought the Lord was making a mistake when He told him to go and open the eyes of the man Saul of Tarsus who had been blind for three days (Acts 9:10–17). He questioned the Lord, but again, the Lord told him, that yes, he must go and perform this duty. There was no mistake. He obeyed.
Although we do not understand all the requests of the Lord, we must believe and obey all the key doctrinal truths that have been revealed through His church (having made study ourselves, also). The Apostle Paul aptly stated, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8
Aside from the key doctrinal truths that the Lord has spoken, there is personal instructions that the Lord gives to individuals. He does speak to His children today through His word. All we have to do is study and search the Bible daily, and the Lord will speak to us.
What is the Lord asking of, or saying to you, today? Does it seem that His requests are sometimes unusual? Does it seem like it is impossible for you to do them? Do not hesitate to obey. The Lord, however, is willing to reason and communicate. We just need to take the time to listen to Him and He is willing to listen to us in return as we share our thoughts and feelings.
There is a song in English entitled, I have a Friend so Precious. And the third verse renders: “I tell Him all my sorrows, I tell Him all my joys, I tell Him all that pleases me, I tell Him what annoys; He tells me what I ought to do, He tells me how to try, And so we talk together, My Lord and I.”
I ask again, How interested is the entire universe in what is happening here on earth?
“In the presence of the unfallen worlds, in the presence of the universe of heaven, in the presence of the angry adversary who has painted them in robes of blackness and moral defilement, urging that they be given into his hands, Jesus answered Satan’s malignant charge whereby he accused them before God day and night. To those who stood before Him, earnestly watching the controversy and marking the determination of Satan to destroy the righteous, Jesus spoke, saying, ‘Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him He said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.’” –Christ Triumphant, p. 186
The whole universe is waiting and watching you and I, to see if we will be faithful to every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. Only as we obey every word that the Lord says to us, will we have courage and strength to face the fiery darts of the enemy. If we do not understand the requests of the Lord, we must not give up but pray as did Jesus, “nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done.” Luke 22:42. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5. May we prove faithful, listening to what the Lord has to say to us, gladly obeying all His instructions. Amen.
Wendy Eaton