Can We Be Merciful?
Hi Everyone,
I have two visions to share with your today. Jesus warned his disciples that those who follow him will have trouble in this world.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
And James, wrote in his letter:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
If we live for the Lord, someone’s feathers are sure to get ruffled. But as we keep our eyes on him, he will keep us in his perfect peace and bring us through our trials and difficulties. Let us not become fearful of what others say and think, for the Lord is the only one to whom we will give an account.
The Visions
The Bees
In this first vision I saw twelve or so bees swarming around. About eight of them clustered around one bee in the center, and began pulling and tugging on him. It appeared as if they were fighting over it or perhaps attacking it. Then one by one they let go and dispersed.
This vision immediately reminded me of three different scenarios spoken of in the Bible. The attack of bees first reminded me of the time when the people in Jesus’ home town synagogue tried to throw him off a cliff. The story is found In the gospel of Luke, where Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah where he read a prophecy of himself.
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4 :18-21
Initially they listened and appreciated the grace and manner of his speech, but when the topic changed, and he spoke of grace towards two Gentiles in preference to their own ancestors they became full of rage.
On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged. They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff. But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way. Luke 4:28-30
Jesus never minced words, but spoke only truth. Because of their view of God and of themselves, they were insulted by his remarks. They identified with their ancestors, and took pride in their religion, and believed that God was always for them to cheer them onto greatness. They refused to acknowledge their sin or their ancestors’ sins. Their pride kept them from knowing God.
They saw Jesus as one not like themselves. He brought to their knowledge that it was only a few Gentiles that received special provision in a famine and a miraculous healing when the Jews fell out of favor with God because of their idolatry. These were Jesus’ words that had enraged them:
Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” Luke 4:24-27
Jesus knew their hearts. He knew that what he said would anger them. Nothing takes him by surprise. But because it was not his time, he slipped through the crowd.
Paul also experienced much persecution, for his teachings about Jesus as God. He was brought before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Paul, a former Pharisee, knew that they sharply disagreed on their beliefs of the afterlife and angels, so he spoke out to divide the group.
Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. It is because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.”
As soon as he had said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is neither a resurrection nor angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” The dispute grew so violent that the commander was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. He ordered the soldiers to go down and remove him by force and bring him into the barracks. Acts 23:6-10
Paul suffered greatly in the hands of the Jews.
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 2 Corinthians 11:24-27
Another Biblical event came to mind as I was praying had do with a plot that the Pharisees had devised to force Jesus to take a stand, or make a statement or judgment that they might use against him. The occasion was the arresting of a woman caught in the act of adultery. They brought her before Jesus to see what he would do or say about the crime.
Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.
“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
“No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.” John 8:1-11
These men were ruthless, and cared nothing for the woman who they probably had set up with a scoundrel who would do their dirty deed for money. In that way they could “catch her in the very act.” There are many opinions as to what the Lord may have written in the sand, but I personally think that he wrote something like: “Where’s George?”
“Why didn’t you bring George with you? After all, you put him up to it.” In the Law of Moses, both the man and the woman were to be stoned. If they let the man go but were willing to kill the woman, to set Jesus up, they must have paid the man and let him go. If she was to be stoned to death, there would be none who could disclose their scheme.
But Jesus is God and knows all things. He was aware of their deceitful wicked plan to trap him. They treated the woman as a pawn who had no worth.
Jesus showed mercy towards the woman and convicted the men of their guilt and shame at the same time. He is able to see all things, for nothing is hidden from his eyes. In his love and mercy towards us, he gives us many chances, and opportunities to repent. We need to be careful not to accuse others, for God will judge us as we find fault in others.
So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. Romans 2:3-5
He knew that his kindness towards the woman would cause her to repent and her heart changed forever. Thank you Jesus for forgiving our sins. We do not deserve your mercy, and your kindness, and we are so grateful to you for showing how much you loved us by your willingness to die on the cross for our sins. We thank you Jesus!
On another occasion, Jesus was dining with a Pharisee named Simon, at his home. Jesus asked him: “Who loves more? One who has been forgiven much? Or one who has been forgiven little?” This is the story and the answer to his question:
Then one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a sinful woman from that town learned that Jesus was dining there, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume.
When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”
But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me, Teacher,” he said.
“Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?”
“I suppose the one who was forgiven more,” Simon replied.
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I arrived. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, for she has loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
But those at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:36-50
The story of the anointing of Jesus by a “sinful’ woman is is another example of the Lord’s mercy triumphing over judgment. We serve a faithful, and merciful God. Both of these stories show how wicked we can be in our fault-finding and critical spirits. Our personal pride and arrogance causes us to think more highly of ourselves than we ought, while being overly critical of others.
The bees were bent on destroying the one bee. They wanted to tear him apart. When we are treated poorly, can we forgive them? God expects us to forgive at all times.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours. Matthew 6:14-15
Perhaps we are the ones who are critical of others. The Holy Spirit will point out our sin, so that we can make it right and stop our sinful behavior. The Lord uses the word of God to correct us and cause us to repent. We deserve judgment, but when we repent, we are shown mercy. What a faithful Lord we serve! This is God’s way. It is higher than our ways. He is merciful so he wants us to be merciful too.
Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked man forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:6-9
Let us always remember what the Lord has done for us!
The Playing Cards
In this vision I saw a fireplace with a fire burning. In the foreground, I saw a hand holding five playing cards: The Ace of Hearts, the King of Hearts, the Queen of Hearts, the Jack of Hearts and the number 4 of Hearts. Immediately a story in the Bible came to mind.
The story is found in the book of Jeremiah the prophet. Jeremiah had received instructions from the Lord to write His message on a scroll and have Baruch read it to the people in Jerusalem. It was a call to repent of their wickedness and idolatry, otherwise God was going to bring an army from Babylon to destroy their nation and take the survivors captive.
Baruch took the scroll to the people and the leaders of Jerusalem and read it before them in the house of the Lord. When the officials heard that the scroll was read to the people they asked to hear it as well, so they sent for Baruch to read the scroll to them. Upon hearing the message, they insisted that the King should read the scroll but warned Baruch to go back to Jeremiah and hide, for they knew that the king would be furious.
It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.
Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.
And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, “Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’” Jeremiah 36:22-31
In the vision, the cards were held in a hand. what was to happen to them? The vision ends with no action taking place. Were they to be tossed into the fire as if they were worthless? Whose hand holds the cards? How would one value the cards?
I thought of these questions and prayed regarding the vision. As children, my parents taught us to play cards: hearts, then pinochle, and later bridge. A single hand holding only 5 cards could not be any of these three games. It would have to be a different game, perhaps Euchre, that would have been played. The hand made of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and the number four, would seem like a near perfect hand particularly if hearts were trump. It would be unbeatable. However, if one was playing a game like euchre, one of the highest cards would be missing– the Jack of Diamonds, the left bower. In this case, the hand would have one and possibly a second loser, for left bower would overtake the King or the Queen, and the 4 could fall to the 10 of hearts. What I see is that it all depends on which game is being played, as to how the cards are valued.
In the story of Jeremiah’s scroll it was burnt in defiance of God and his warning. The officials that were in the house of God, saw it as it was, a message of God. Out of respect to the Lord and the prophet Jeremiah, and to protect Baruch, the officials sent word of the scroll to the king, but gave time to Baruch to escape and hide. The king had no fear of God, and sought to destroy both Jeremiah and Baruch. He ceremoniously cut the scroll and burned it as if it was worthless.
For such an act of defiance, God counted him worthless. And the message was re-written and the verdict of God’s judgment against the king was added to the scroll. God had shown mercy, and the king returned with contempt. The king did not value the prophesy, the prophet or God himself. So he and his nation would suffer God’s wrath as manifested by Nebuchadnezzar's army.
How do we value the word of God? Do we honor the word and treasure it, so as to remind ourselves to conform to the Lord’s instruction? Or does it go in one ear and out the other, with no change? Do we read the word and receive the conviction of the Holy Spirit, knowing that we fall short of the glory of God? Do we see our shortcomings and call upon the Lord for forgiveness? Or do we just shrug our shoulders and say “Oh, well, no one is perfect.”
I believe that people can fit every category. There are some who are independent and do not want God’s “interference” in their lives. They have no desire to go to church or to do anything that would please God.
There are some who are like chameleons, who change their colors depending on who they are with at the moment. If they are walking and talking with Christians, they will say “Amen,” to whatever is being said. But on other occasions, when they are with their “co-workers, or their drinking buddies,” they have no problem using coarse language, and taking the Lord’s name in vain. They just want to fit in, and be accepted.
There are those who don’t want to “rock the boat.” They will keep their opinions to themselves and say nothing good or bad. They stand for nothing, for they also want to fit in. This is the fear of man in operation.
But there are those who will stand for the truth and will get “push back”, slandered, and persecuted for their faith and their willingness to speak the truth.
“Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:23-27
Do we value God’s Word? There are some churches throughout history, who do not teach the word of God, but consider the sermons, and the dictates of the “pastor,” what is really important. We need to know that the men that are placed in office are not always God fearing men themselves. If we study and know the Word of God for ourselves we will not allow our faith to be tainted by false teachings and humanistic ideals rather than the word of God which should be our ultimate authority. If the word and the teachings of the pastors or leaders or teachers is contrary to scripture, then it is time to remove ourselves from their influence.
Jesus warned us, as Paul, Peter, Jude and other apostles did, concerning false teachers, and false prophets.
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. Jude 12-13
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Matthew 7:15-16
Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23
If we do not know the Word of God we can be led astray. We can become like the blind who follow the blind. Jesus was speaking of the Pharisees, who he called blind guides.
But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:13-14
So in the vision of the cards, the cards represent the message that Jesus brings to us. Generally hearts represent love. We are coming up on Valentine’s day, which everyone celebrates as a day of love towards each other. Many couples are engaged on Valentine’s day promising to love each other and join together as man and wife.
At weddings, we often hear the love chapter of the Bible read by the pastor who officiates.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
The hand in the vision that holds the cards is not the Lord’s, but the one who hears or reads the message. Those who are not called by God, who have it in their minds to ignore him and his word, are those who will take the cards, seeing no value for themselves and will cast them into the fire. But those whom the Lord has prepared, and has called to follow him will see his message and take it to heart. He will cherish God’s love and understand what the Lord has done for him on the cross. He will play the hand that God gives him, giving all the praise and the honor and the glory to him. And with such cards as all those hearts, he will be victorious in whatever he does.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. Who then overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:3-5
Thanks for reading. Please share this post with others. Let’s read his word and know that God’s ways are always higher than our ways and his thoughts than ours! God bless you all!
