When God doesn't seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

—God’s Words and His Works (O.T. pt.51)

Andrew Fountain – May 15, 2022

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Goal

Sometimes we can feel God was leading us, but end up in a bad place.
How should we understand this if this happens?
and guard against it happening to us?

The Gap of Faith

image: traingap.png

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

The Difficulties we get into
What did God Actually Promise?
Walking in Wisdom

“Spiritual Bypass”

Just don’t get too attached, let go and find your inner peace
“All things work together…”
“This too shall pass” (not in the Bible)
instead: “Weep with those who weep” (in the Bible)

1 Kings 22

Then [the King of Israel] said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.”
Then Jehoshaphat added, “First seek a word from the LORD.”
So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?”
They said, “Attack! The sovereign one will hand it over to the king.”

1 Kings 22 cont’d

Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the LORD says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’ ”
All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king.”
The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead.

1 Kings 22 cont’d

Now an archer shot an arrow at random, and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, because I’m wounded.”
While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.
As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.”

Job 10

I am weary of my life;
I will complain without restraint;
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
tell me why you are contending with me.’

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

The Difficulties we get into
What did God Actually Promise?
Walking in Wisdom

2. What did God Actually Promise?

First we have to understand what we mean by God’s Words.
Many years ago, back in England, I attended a church that taught that God only speaks through the Bible
But I was constantly challenged by stories that I read or heard, like these:

The Old Charcoal Burner and his Wife

Back 150 years ago, there was an old charcoal burner called John Barry who lived with his wife in a mountainous part of the USA.
In December 1874 he was sick and had not been able to buy provisions for the winter.
The snow came very severely, utterly cutting them off from the outside world. Not have enough food to survive.
John was a godly man and he and his wife gave themselves to prayer through the night.
Ten miles away a deacon of the church woke suddenly with a strong feeling that he must take food to John.
The next day he took a sledge and a team of horses and after a five-hour battle with the weather, reached John’s hut with a large supply of food.
- Was God speaking through those feelings the deacon had? —Most of us would say yes

Prayer for God’s direction

Back in 1990 my father, David Fountain, was given 6 months sabbatical leave by his church.
One idea he had was to go to New Zealand where he had been blessed on a previous visit.
He decided to spend Saturday morning in prayer specifically about this question.
At lunch time, after his time of prayer, the phone rang.
It was a man from New Zealand saying, “if ever you want to visit us, we have a cottage you can live in and a car for your use”. The man knew nothing about my Dad’s plans, but was calling out of the blue.
I was able to verify this story with my Mum just this last week, and she said yes, I remember it clearly!
- Was God speaking to my Dad? or was it just a coincidence?
Of course God was speaking, but we mustn’t confused between the different ways in which he speaks…

General and Special Revelation

There are two kinds of ways that God speaks to us or reveals himself to us,
and these are called by theologians: General and Special revelation.
Good rule of thumb: The name of Jesus only comes by Special Revelation

Revelation:

Special	General
The Bible Principles & wisdom derived from the Bible God speaking through Dreams, visions, prophecies	Creation Conscience & innate knowledge of morals Wisdom & feelings The events of life

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveals his greatness.
There is no actual speech or word,
nor is its voice literally heard.
Yet its voice echoes throughout the earth;
its words carry to the distant horizon.

Romans 1:20
Innate knowledge of right and wrong

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Psalm 29 – a thunderstorm

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The LORD is over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The LORD’s shout breaks the cedars,
the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

Deuteronomy 3:24

O Lord God,
you have begun to show your servant
your greatness and your mighty hand,
for what god is there in heaven or on earth
who can do anything like your works
and your mighty deeds?

Revelation:

Special	General
The Bible Principles & wisdom derived from the Bible God speaking through Dreams, visions, prophecies	Creation Conscience & innate knowledge of morals Wisdom & feelings The events of life

All these things are through Jesus Christ

So we see that there are several different ways that we learn about God, but one thing they have in common is that they all come to us through Jesus Christ.

The Bible: John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word of God. The Bible was written by Jesus’s prophets and Jesus’s apostles.
Creation: John 1:3 tells us that all things were made through Jesus Christ.
Events in our lives: Colossians 1:17 tells us that “in him all things consist”. Jesus is now reigning in power—everything that happens is through him. In the book of Revelation we see that the Lamb of God is reigning and bringing to pass world events
Even feelings that we have: 2 Tim 4:22 reads: “The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit”

So, God speaks to us by special revelation and by general revelation.

Words Speak Clearer than Works

Let’s go back to Psalm 19 where David has been talking about how the stars and sun declare God. We only learn a limited amount through the stars. What do you think we can learn about God? We can tell he is very great and powerful, awesome and wise.

We cannot learn about salvation through the stars. We cannot learn about sin and Jesus Christ and the cross; faith, repentance and everlasting life. David talks about God’s creation for the first six verses of the psalm, but in verse 7 he begins to contrast the creation (general revelation) with the Word of God (special revelation):

Psalm 19 (1. The heavens declare the glory of God)

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes…
More to be desired are they than gold,
yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

God’s Word can convert the soul, make wise the simple and cause our hearts to rejoice with salvation.

Without God’s words, it is very difficult to understand his works.

Suppose you fall over and break your leg this afternoon. What is God saying to you? It’s very difficult to say.
- Maybe he is telling you to be more careful
- maybe you were doing something you should not have been
- maybe you need a rest, or to learn patience
- maybe you need an opportunity to witness to the ambulance driver
- since God has not told you in his word, it is extremely difficult to be sure why
Some events of history God has interpreted for us, Like the Israelites being sent into captivity...
What if it is bad weather tomorrow? What is God saying?
- Once it was bad weather when the Israelites fought their enemies—hailstones came down in their faces and enabled a mighty enemy to be defeated. God told us in his word that he did this for his people. If God tells us why, then we know for sure.
God’s words are needed to understand his works.
- Sometimes we can get a general understanding from principles in his word. e.g. When we moved to Canada, people at the church we became members of were incredibly kind to us and helped us set up home.
- God tells us in the Bible that Christians show love to other Christians because of Christ living in their hearts. So the Word of God gave a general explanation of his works in this matter.
So, we can only understand what God is saying in his Works (Creation, the events of life), by means of his Words (the Bible).

God’s Words speak authoritatively, but his Works do not

Although we can never be 100% sure why God does a particular thing today, or what God is saying through it, we can use the principles of special revelation to give us some idea of what is happening.

Some answers to prayer that are so clear that we can be fairly certain that it is God’s direct answer.

The danger is when we start to apply what we feel God has “communicated” to us to others and believe that we can stand up and say “God has spoken to me”.
For example, the CEO of a Christian business might be considering moving the business to another city and be earnestly seeking the will of God.
She considers the wisdom of the decision and applies Biblical principles, yet comes to no clear conclusion.
Yet as she prays, a series of remarkable providences occur which point very strongly to them not moving.
This is fine, and there is nothing wrong, unless she were to stand up and declare authoritatively that “God has told me we are to stay here”.
This would claim direct and authoritative revelation from God and demanding that others accept it.
- But she can describe how in her opinion, God has made the decision very clear that they are to stay.
I once had a strong burden to pray for someone and it turned out I was mistaken. That does not deter me—I recognize that only God’s word is infallible.
Another time I had a strong feeling that I should call someone in New Brunswick whom I hadn’t seen for months. He picked up the phone and said, “How did you know to call me now? I was just about to commit suicide.”
To summarize:
Revelation that is lower down in authority, like general revelation
needs to be explained and interpreted by the Scriptures
- The Bible carries a unique authority: “Thus saith the Lord”

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

The Difficulties we get into
What did God Actually Promise?
Walking in Wisdom

1 Kings 22

But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the LORD still here, that we may ask him?”
The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the LORD’s will. But I despise him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.”
The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, dressed in their robes…

1 Kings 22 cont’d

Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.”
But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what the LORD tells me to say.”

1 Kings 22 cont’d

When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the LORD will hand it over to the king.”
The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?”
Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the LORD said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’
The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?”

Clarity and certainty
Suggested order:

Direct teaching in the Bible
Biblical wisdom & principles
Conscience and inner work of the Spirit
Wisdom from the Spirit in others
Dreams/visions/prophetic words
Events/coincidences that seem to point in a direction
Feelings

2 Kings 20 Part 1—Prophetic Word

In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’”
Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, saying,
“Now, O LORD, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Part 2—Extremely unusual event

And before Isaiah had gone out of the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him:
“Turn back, and say to Hezekiah the leader of my people, Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the LORD,
and I will add fifteen years to your life. I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city for my own sake and for my servant David’s sake.”

Part 2—Extremely unusual event

And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “What shall be the sign that the LORD will heal me, and that I shall go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”
And Isaiah said, “This shall be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do the thing that he has promised: shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or go back ten steps?”
And Hezekiah answered, “It is an easy thing for the shadow to lengthen ten steps. Rather let the shadow go back ten steps.”
And Isaiah the prophet called to the LORD, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz.

Clarity and certainty
Suggested order:

Direct teaching in the Bible
Biblical wisdom & principles
Conscience and inner work of the Spirit
Wisdom from the Spirit in others
Dreams/visions/prophetic words
Events/coincidences that seem to point in a direction
Feelings

Part 3—unusual opportunity

At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent envoys with letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.
And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.
Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say? And from where did they come to you?” Hezekiah said, “They have come from a far country, from Babylon.”

Part 3—unusual opportunity

He said, “What have they seen in your house?” And Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.”
Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD:
Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD.

Making Choices

Don’t make a bad choice and then blame God
But, you don’t have to have perfect decision-making to please God
Your heart is so much more important!
Pray for wisdom, above all things.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

—God’s Words and His Works (O.T. pt.51)

Goal

The Gap of Faith

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

“Spiritual Bypass”

1 Kings 22

1 Kings 22 cont’d

1 Kings 22 cont’d

Job 10

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

Revelation:

Psalm 19

Romans 1:20Innate knowledge of right and wrong

Psalm 29 – a thunderstorm

Deuteronomy 3:24

Revelation:

Psalm 19 (1. The heavens declare the glory of God)

When God doesn’t seem to keep his promises (Part 2)

1 Kings 22

1 Kings 22 cont’d

1 Kings 22 cont’d

Clarity and certaintySuggested order:

2 Kings 20 Part 1—Prophetic Word

Part 2—Extremely unusual event

Part 2—Extremely unusual event

Clarity and certaintySuggested order:

Part 3—unusual opportunity

Part 3—unusual opportunity

Making Choices

Romans 1:20
Innate knowledge of right and wrong

Clarity and certainty
Suggested order:

Clarity and certainty
Suggested order: