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Recreational Freedom Traveling over the holiday weekend, a tourist on his way to Tuscaloosa, came to a fork in the road and stopped. There was no sign indicating which route went where. Spotting a boy by the road, he yelled out, “Hey, kid, does it matter which road I take to Tuscaloosa?” The youngster replied, “Not to me it don’t.” Well, praise the Lord, it does to God—He cares very much which road you take, for not all roads lead to true freedom in the center of His will. Especially since September 11th, our society has focused greatly on “freedom,” but few actually understand “true” freedom. Many today have their eyes on their right to travel without hassles or delays. Many think that the Fourth of July is freedom in that they can escape the pressures of life and head for the beach for swimming, boating, and other water recreational activities—recreational freedom, so to speak. In reality, God mentions water quite often when He speaks of freedom, but, can it be seen as “recreational?” Good question! Actually, when the Lord wants His people to go in the right direction, water is often involved. In Genesis, the whole world was shown God’s direction when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. An ark was provided, but only a few—Noah’s family—got on board. Sin, and the people who insist on living in it, were judged. In Exodus, a wall of water in the Red Sea that had saved Israel, drowned her enemies. In 2nd Kings, Naaman, a Syrian general, was told by Elisha the prophet to immerse himself seven times in the Jordan river in order to cure his leprosy. At first, Naaman didn’t want to do it because he figured the rivers locally would suffice, but eventually, he was obedient. And guess what? He was healed fully. In these stories, and so many others, it wasn’t the water that did it. It was God who used the water as a road sign to true freedom—for Noah’s family, for Naaman, and for all of Israel—not to get magically transported out of hard times, but practically transported through them. We see this depicted rather graphically in Isaiah 33: 13-16, which is as follows: “Hear, ye that are afar off, what I have done; and, ye that are near, acknowledge my might. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from the hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil. He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” Wait a minute! Was it really water that delivered Judah and Israel out of the fire? Let’s take a deeper look at this and see. Isaiah is sharing God’s heart on this—His people would be kept through the fire of judgment and enter into true freedom as they “walk righteously”—with rectitude and rightness, justice and virtue. This purity, holiness, and obedience is not legalism, for when it flows from the Spirit of the living Christ, it is His life and not yours. They would also be kept through the fire when they “speak uprightly,” as well—literally, in the Hebrew, meaning to walk straightly and evenly. The talk and the walk line up, no longer saying one thing but the fruit of the life being another. They would be kept through the fire when they “despise the gain of oppressions,” hating being even a little less than honest—no acts, no shows, nothing fraudulent whatsoever. Purity and holiness become the standards if He is living within, for they were His standards when He lived on this earth—nothing has changed! Remember—Jesus is the same, yesterday, and forever—Son of God and Son of Man. God’s people are also kept through the fire when they “shake their hands for the holding of bribes.” In the original Hebrew, it carries with it the idea of the rustling of the mane of a lion, and the roar which accompanies it. You know what I mean—just a shaking, a scream, and a throwing of something to the ground—you can’t get rid of the deception fast enough. You know—like the child’s game of Hot Potato—that’s how much His people will shun all self-centeredness and pride. They will be kept through the fire “when they stop their ears from the hearing of blood.” This “stopping,” in the Hebrew, comes from the idea of a narrowing window jamb—when the window comes to a complete stop, it can’t go any further. So it is with ears that purposely refuse to hear the gossip, the slander, and everything that would destroy others, even if it may seem justifiable. They are kept through the fire when they “shut their eyes from seeing evil,” hating the perversions spewed forth from TV, movies, internet, etc. So often people think they can handle it, sorting it all out and remaining unharmed by it. Baloney! It’s a raging inferno and the only way you will be kept is to stop—that is God’s direction for all. If it doesn’t praise God and edify the Body of Christ, have no part in it. Many would say, “My, that’s a pretty lofty and high ideal.” Well, I guess you could call it that—God calls it a “dwelling on high, a place of defense, a munitions of rocks.” The Psalmist said it clearly, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (62:2) Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 10:4, referring to the time that Moses hit the rock and out came pure water, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” He is our munitions, our stronghold, and our refuge through the blaze of judgment against sin. Many today think they are going to find their freedom in bullets and bombs, but that is “ammunition,” the opposite of “munitions,”—offense instead of defense. No, true freedom will only be found in the rest of Christ—receive Him as the “bread that is given to you”, and your “waters shall be sure.” It isn’t the water that douses the flame, and thereby, rescues you. Rather, the water nourishes you while you are in the midst of it. Just look out West, where currently hundreds of thousands of acres are blazing out of control and firefighters can’t even get to much of it with their water and retardants. The water can’t “magically” heal the situation—about the only thing the water is good for is to quench the thirst of those who are in the midst of it. The very next verse in Isaiah 33 reads, “Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty: they shall behold the land that is afar off.” (vs. 17) In subsequent verses, we are called to look up from the fire to see our safety and joy, namely Jesus. He will be our life-giving “harbor,” protecting us from every enemy ship. Our tackling, our mast, our sails, our compass, our directions will ultimately do us no good. Oh, many people think they are doing fine with them now, but in the end, they will be seen for what they are—Satan’s lie! God, in His mercy, declared, “And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” (33:24) Come off your own path and take Him, for He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) Put your faith and trust in Him—no more spiritual sickness—washed, cleansed, and set free, and “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) Did you see the healings? Did you see the transformations in the walk, the talk, the seeing, the hearing, and the touching? When you are born-again, your senses belong to Him, and as He holds them in His hand, you are healed. Technically, water didn’t do it, He did—the water was but a sign, a picture, a flashing arrow to point the way to true freedom in the midst of the fire. Jesus, in His mercy, “took the heat” at Calvary—all for you and me. Wait a minute! Remember where we started, wondering if there could be something more freeing under the summer sun than “water recreation?” Guess what? There isn’t! Oh, I’m not talking about swimming and boating, but rather, God’s re-creation—“if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”(2 Cor. 5:17)—re-creation. The Lord really does care which direction you go this summer—where will it be? Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
