Character of God

They say, “My ways are not your ways, says the Lord.”

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“My ways are not your ways, says the Lord.” Is it true?

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This is a true Scripture that is generally quoted out of context in order to assure people that there’s no point in asking why someone is sick, or died, or why their prayers weren’t answered.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8.9

This is God’s lament—not his plan.  God lamented that the Israelites didn’t forgive like he does.  Now read it in context:

 ISA 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.

 Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

 ISA 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

 ISA 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God was addressing evil people, who wouldn’t forgive. This is certainly not his plan or desire for Christians to have evil thoughts, especially since we have been given “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) and we are to walk in all his ways or steps (1 Peter 2:21).

If you’re a follower of Jesus and the Lord’s ways are not your ways, why not?

“To show proper reverence to God, we must be quiet and somber.”

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They say, “To show proper reverence to God, we must be quiet and somber.” Is it true? No.

There will certainly be times to be quiet before God, but the Bible says we are to “rejoice in the Lord always.”

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 The Greek word translated as “rejoice,” chairó, means to rejoice, be glad, be cheerful.* We are to rejoice “always;” the Greek word, pantote, means, at all times. That would include when we’re in church. And yes, we’re to rejoice even in the face of suffering and persecution.

The Hebrew word translated as praise, from which we get hallelujah, means to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; causatively, to celebrate; also to stultify:—(make) boast (self), celebrate, commend, (deal, make), fool(-ish, -ly), glory, give (light).”**–even dance and spin around! No straight faces and sitting still!

*https://biblehub.com/greek/5463.htm

**https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1984/kjv/wlc/0-1/

“Jesus is the Great Physician”

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Is it true? No.

Shocked? But doesn’t the Bible say he is? No, Jesus quoted mockers who had no faith in Capernaum, who would taunt him with a local proverb, “Physician heal thyself.”

Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’” Luke 4:23.

Jesus didn’t use medicine to heal people—he used supernatural power! Even in the advanced medicine of the twenty-first century, physicians admit, “Medicine isn’t science—it’s an art. We only practice.” They also often say, “I don’t know. We don’t have a treatment for that.”

Jesus always knows what to do; his healing is free and is available to everyone. It does no harm and has no bad side-effects. He and his healing are way above any physician. That is good news!

“Christians aren’t different from anyone else, we’re just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.“      

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They say, “Christians aren’t different from anyone else, we’re just beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.“      

 Is it true? No.

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Those who follow Jesus are redeemed and transformed by the Holy Spirit and adopted into the family of God! We are no longer beggars but are daughters and sons of the Most High King. Jesus promised that we could ask anything in his name and he would do it.

Yes, we offer Jesus, the Bread of Life–not as beggars, but as co-heirs with Jesus.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:13,14

They say,“God has people be sick so that they can witness to the doctors and nurses.”

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Is it true? No.

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Really? Are medical personnel a breed apart from the rest of the world so that none of them are Christians? That none of them witness to each other? That they never go to community events or even have Christian family members, and no one but sick people to speak to them about Jesus? In fact, many medical workers are Christians.

Yes, God will turn anything for our good as Romans 8:28 says, but he’s a good father, and good fathers do NOT make their children sick. When human fathers do this, they end up in jail—or worse.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9-11

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

They say, “Jesus Never Said That He Was The Son of God.”

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Yes, he did.

At his trial, when Jesus was asked by the high priest if he was “the Son of the Blessed One,” he answered, “I am.”

Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

“I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:61,62

When Jesus asked Peter who he said he was and Peter answered that Jesus was “the Son of the living God,” Jesus blessed him and said that he got that understanding from God, the Father in heaven.

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:15-17

When Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God,” Jesus encouraged him as a believer (John 1:48-50).

Jesus further acknowledged that he had directly proclaimed, “I am God’s Son.”

…what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? John 10:36

They say, “It would have been better if God hadn’t given Hezekiah another fifteen years of life.”

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They say, “It would have been better if Hezekiah had gone on and died and not asked to be healed since his son, the extremely wicked King Manasseh was born during Hezekiah’s extra fifteen years.”

God told Hezekiah his time was up at the age of only thirty-nine (2 Kings 20:1) but Hezekiah cried out to the Lord to remember his faithfulness and heal him (v.3).  The Lord heard his prayers and tears (vs. 4-6) and healed him—he even gave him a sign (vs. 8-11).

From a very narrow view, I can see how some might think that it would have been better if Manasseh, a king who led the Israelites into horrendous idolatry (even sacrificing his son in the fire, 2 Kings 21:6) had never been born but God has a broader view.  First of all, to say that Hezekiah should not have been healed is to say that his faithfulness (to God) or his prayers should not have influenced God.  Next, it is to say that God made a bad decision in healing him.

Though Manasseh’s son Amon was also evil (21:20) Amon’s son Josiah was a righteous king who restored the Book of the Law and renewed the covenant.  Then we fast forward to the gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and in reading Jesus’ human genealogy (Matthew 1), we find not only Hezekiah (v.10) but the troublesome Manasseh and the righteous Josiah!

So while this was not Jesus’ direct bloodline but Joseph’s and though not his birth father, Joseph was the man selected by God to raise Jesus to manhood here on earth.   God used Joseph’s lineage to place Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, the City of David, in fulfillment of prophecy.  (Micah 6:2; Matthew 2:6)  Without Hezekiah’s extra fifteen years there would have been no Joseph.

To sum it up, God made the right decision in honoring Hezekiah’s faithfulness and healing him.  Yes, his son Manasseh was very evil but that was his personal rebellious choice (and that of the Israelites in following him).  God still had a plan for good King Josiah, the faithful Joseph who watched over Jesus as he was born and grew, and the fulfillment of prophecy concerning Jesus.  He also had a plan for all who would follow Jesus—to rescue them from the dominion of darkness and bring them into the kingdom of light and eternal life!  (Colossians 1:12, 13)