Covenant Protection

When I read the devotional this morning by Jon Paulien I was surprised that it was such a follow-up to what I had just learned yesterday in my own meditation on Romans. The reading was about the seven trumpets of Revelation and discussed the significance of trumpets all throughout the Bible.

He pointed out that from Numbers 10:8-10 we learn “that trumpets were sacred instruments whether used in worship or in battle. They called on God to remember His covenant. When He heard the trumpet's call, He would protect and defend His people in battle (verse 9). And as priests blew trumpets over the sacrifices of Hebrew worship, God 'remembered' His people and forgave their sins (verse 10).

“Thus whenever the priests sounded the trumpets God acted. So the blowing of trumpets was a symbol of covenant prayer. When God's people pray on the basis of His promises, He will respond. He will deliver them from human enemies and also from sin.”

So what does this have to do with what I have been studying lately? It was the prayer at the end of the devotional that linked it in to the issue of desiring revenge that has been on my conscience induced by this passage in Romans. “Lord, help me to renounce retaliation in my everyday life. Help me, instead, to trust You to do what is right and deal with my 'enemies' if that becomes necessary.” (The Gospel From Patmos p. 163)

It suddenly hit me with alarming force. Whenever I indulge a desire for retaliation and experience bitterness-poisoning, it is because I am not praying and trusting in God's covenant relationship with me. I am in essence living outside of His covenant as a stranger to the promises because I am trying to take justice and protection into my own hands. This may show up as resistance that is demonstrated in my life to authorities whether they be benign or abusive. If I become angry and negative about situations in my life and fail to trust in my covenant relationship with God then I am trusting something or someone else to get me through that situation and I have very good reason to be afraid. For there is no other option to successfully get through trouble than to rest in and engage the covenant provisions that are available to me and secured by the death of Jesus Christ for me.

This brings in a whole other teaching that has been a significant insight for me in the past few years. The teachings about blood covenants by Craig Hill were a major revelation to me a few years ago and have resided in the back of my mind as a resource for understanding many other things having to do with salvation. Now I see more clearly how that applies to what I am struggling to understand and absorb into my life right now in this passage of Romans. I need to view these issues in the light of the covenant in order to properly understand more clearly where my real problems lie. I need to see that my resistance and antagonism to authority arises out of a lack of trust in the power of God and His covenant promises to keep my heart safe in the face of abuse and injustice.

Jesus' life and example, especially when under attack and abuse, are given to show me what it looks like to trust fully in a covenant relationship without leaning on your own resources to protect or defend yourself. This is the exact opposite of what we term “the survival instinct”. But the survival instinct in our heart has been so corrupted by our sinful flesh that it invariably leads us to take things into our own hands when it appears God is not being faithful to His covenant promises for us.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV)

If I find myself desiring revenge, then it is a symptom that I am not utilizing or accessing the great and precious promises through which I can participate in the divine nature. When I allow bitterness to poison my heart and not leave it in God's hands I am being corrupted by evil desires instead of participating in the divine nature. For the divine nature will relate to authorities just the same way that Jesus demonstrated in His life while here on earth.

Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant according to the book of Hebrews. What I have been learning about the concept of mediator recently reveals that Jesus is trying to get us to believe the real truth about God's passionate love for us, not trying to change God's mind about us. It is our minds and hearts that need winning and transforming, not God's. So as Mediator of a new covenant, Jesus wants to train my heart to trust in God's covenant promises to me instead of thinking that I have to protect myself or desire to bring “justice” on those who hurt or offend me.

The more I think about this the more clearly I begin to see that this issue of covenant trust is deeply intertwined with the other issues in this passage of Romans twelve and thirteen. I need to think about this more, but even more importantly I need to begin practicing trust and choosing to rest in God's covenant provisions. I need to employ the use of the promises God has provided and fill my mind with them daily so that my heart will become more and more synchronized with the divine nature, the very heart of God.

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The False god of Revenge

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.... Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. (Romans 12:17, 19)

Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. (Romans 13:2)

It occurred to me just now that it is very possible and even likely that a desire for revenge can actually become a false god that I worship, either secretly or openly. As I have learned, false gods are far from just being carved images or statues that people bow down to. That is another Christian illusion that the devil promotes to keep us unaware of the many gods that we really worship all the time.

Anything or anyone that draws my attention to them that I find compelling and cannot easily release myself from is a god to me. Anything or anyone that I look to with my heart to be a source of life in the deeper levels of my soul is a god. And equally but less obvious, anything or anyone that I am afraid of more than I trust the true God is also a god for me, ironically. Whatever I crave or fear that is not subjected to the authority of God within my heart is a god that will dominate and manipulate and control me whenever it chooses. I am a slave to that god, for all false gods act as slave-masters, not kind and compassionate like the true God of heaven. False gods are self-serving and only pretend (though convincingly at times) to have my best interests in mind.

What I am observing, even in my own heart, is that my inability to stop desiring revenge against over-bearing authorities has become a god that has enslaved my heart and emotions. Because I cannot control or be free of these desires, even if I manage to mask them to some extent from accessing all of my external actions, I now see that these desires have all the indicators of being false gods living inside of me. This is very sobering but also sheds light on why it is so hard to deal with.

A false god internally usually convinces me that it is actually a part of myself and not separate from me. These impulses and inner demanding voices spring from identities (not mine) that can never be converted or convinced to change their opinions. That is a key truth that I need to realize and accept. For I believe we spend far too much energy and time trying to convince false gods, either in ourselves or in others, to change their opinions when the real problem is our allegiance. But this too, must be handled very delicately or we will only activate yet another false god that will rush to defend and shield our heart from abusive religious attacks. Only the kindness of God leads to repentance and this policy must be respected both with others and with our own hearts.

I believe there are false gods whose job is to keep us from being aware of the false gods in our hearts. They are full of excuses and convincing arguments that keep us believing that our stubbornness is legitimate or is sometimes even an honorable defense of the truth of God. Or they may just reinforce our belief that we must protect our own heart because there is no one else looking out for it.

Quite often a desire for revenge is founded on the argument of fairness. But the arguments of false gods always involve some degree of deceptive reasoning, though it does not at all feel deceptive to us because it seems to be coming from inside of us so we believe them. I have heard many times people cling to a desire to get even or to seek revenge or to even withdraw from relationships in the name of fairness. If they feel they have been treated unfairly – and that is quite likely since all of us are guilty of being unfair – they may secretly believe that pulling out of a relationship with someone is a way of inflicting some level of revenge, though they would not consciously say it that way. There are all sorts of variations on how this is done but at bottom a desire for revenge is extremely more common in our lives than most of us are willing to admit or are even aware of. But it is starting to become more clear to me that a desire for revenge really is a false god for it acts and manipulates like one, so if it quacks like and duck and it walks....

I want to be clear here that I am not equating internal false gods with demon possession. Though they may use the same methods and control us in similar ways, the intensity of demon possession I think is far more problematic than dealing with false gods and internal deceptions on a day to day basis. False gods when not dealt with can lead eventually to a condition known as demon possession, but we must be very careful not to slap labels onto people that can be destructive and will only aid and abet the enemy of souls. What I am saying is that we all need to be far more honest about what is going on inside of our own hearts instead of focusing on other people's problems so much.

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)

The basic nature of deception that is found in all false gods leads us to focus more on other's faults to avoid dealing with our own. This is true with the god of revenge that we so often worship. A desire for revenge is always focused on the wrong that has been done to us or is being done to us. This desire justifies itself by pointing out the injustice and unfairness of how we are being treated or disrespected and believes that it is up to us to insist on “justice” being met out for that person. But in essence we are now setting ourselves up as a judge which is usurping the place of God and so we are now engaging in worship of false gods even more. It also betrays a mistaken view of the real nature of judgment itself.

What I am sensing more and more is that the subject of revenge, the subject of authorities and our relationship to them and the subject of judgment are all very closely intertwined more than I ever thought. Additionally tied into this is the issue of bitter roots that I spent a month or two meditating on recently. A desire for revenge, which very often involves authorities in my life, springs from the poison of bitter roots that are not healed. Now I am seeing that it also involves worship of false gods that still control my life to some degree.

Again, I feel like crying out with Paul, What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7:24-25 NIV)

Father, I confess and agree with what You have impressed me with this morning about my real condition. I am still a slave in many ways to false gods and they are stealing worship from me that rightfully only belongs to You. My unwillingness to accept unfair treatment without bitterness is an act of worship to a false god. My unwillingness to forgive instantly those who abuse me is worship of my desire for revenge. My inability to be free of these desires betrays the condition of slavery that I find myself in but sometimes try to deny.

Father, I cannot free myself. Like any slave caught in the clutches of a cruel master, even if I were to manage to get away I would only be captured again and tortured even more by these ruthless dictators. And the worst part is that they live internally so they often escape detection. I no longer want to remain a slave to these sinful gods of revenge, “fairness” and mistaken concepts of justice. There are still many gods that have me deceived and manipulate me in various ways, but You are a God of deliverance. You are a stronger God that can shatter the control and bonds of all my false gods. You have declared Yourself to be the God who delivers from slavery. I cry out to You for deliverance and freedom from their tyranny. But I do not ask for complete freedom but freedom to become a slave of Your love and compassion and to become a willing servant for the desires of Your heart. Father-God, these are not just empty words coming from my intellect, these are the cries of my heart being translated by my brain into words. Listen directly to my heart and intervene to save me from my slavery to revenge and bitterness. I want no part of them in me any longer, but only You can deliver me effectively from these desires. Heal me, renew my mind and transform my heart to be a perfect mirror reflecting Your perfect beauty and forgiving love. Do this for Your name's sake, Amen.

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Fear or Love

For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good.... But if you do what is evil, be afraid.... (Romans 13:3-4)

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (1 John 4:18)

When comparing my reactions to oppressive authority with the actions and spirit of Jesus under abusive treatment by authorities I can more clearly see how much I am not yet perfected by love. What I am seeing here is that the good referred to by Paul that I should be doing is whatever it is that love would have me do under the circumstances. According to these verses love is synonymous with good and they both are the polar opposite of fear. Given that, it would seem be very difficult if not impossible to ever do real good while motivated by fear.

Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. (Romans 13:5)

Again, I see a contrast in motives being presented here. Subjection is the opposite of resistance. Resistance produces condemnation according to verse two. And what I have learned about how the human brain functions, condemnation is a description of the tension created in the mind when the left and right brain are not in agreement about something. Tension is another word that is very similar to resistance or is at least very closely related to it.

I am trying to clearly understand verse five here. This word for wrath is the same word that I have been unpacking for several years now in my growing enlightenment about the wrath of God. It is often terribly misunderstood and is associated with very negative assumptions when applied to God's attitude toward sinners. But I believe in this case where it is describing the inside motives of sinners themselves it may actually take on much of the negative meanings that we too often mistakenly ascribe to God. It also closely parallels the above verse from 1 John.

In comparing these verses it becomes clear to me that wrath and fear are likely synonyms for the same motivation. We are dealing with issues of the heart primarily in this passage, not disconnected external activities that too often make up much of religion. But Paul seems to be acknowledging that we may have to begin with motives that are less than ideal to start with to get us moving in the right direction until we can learn to live properly with authorities from the right internal orientation.

I find this to be very descriptive of my own experience. For most of my life I have had to restrain and restrict my actions and words, particularly in response to confrontations by authorities, based on extreme caution and fear of disastrous consequences far more than on any love for them as a motivation to display any kind of goodness toward them. I suspect my heart was trained along this line by the authorities early in my life, my parents and teachers who generally treated me with the typical “carrot and stick” approach so popular in that day. As a result I generally find it quite baffling to understand or figure out what this more advanced way of living and thinking should look or feel like.

I realize that this has a great deal to do with maturity. And that is realistically part of my problem. Because my heart was trained (forced) to submit using very immature models of motivation (fear and wrath) and I did not learn by examples to imitate (the only way the right brain can learn) what more mature people could look and feel like under similar circumstances, I failed to grow internally to the higher stages of maturity and I am now left feeling stranded on a sandbar while needing to be able to sail in rough waters with the freedom of needed maturity. Even the word conscience is fraught in my mind with connotations of fear instead of what I suspect the real meaning is likely intended to be in this verse.

I need to grow at the heart level into a much deeper level of maturity that is illustrated by many of the insights that God has been giving me over the past few weeks and months while I have been wrestling with this passage. I want to really experience the co-perception with God that is the real meaning of this word conscience instead of having so much of my motivation tainted still by fear of punishment. I want to be completely healed and free of all fears and of all bitterness and of all the roots of shame and resentment that produce that bitterness.

As I look back over the past few months and the internal journey that God has been leading me on, I see some patterns and the wisdom of the topics that He has insisted that I examine. I also see how much I need them for my personal growth and maturity. But far more than learning exciting facts and being intellectually stimulated, as wonderful and important as that may be, I desperately want my own heart to be transformed and to come up to speed so that when I find myself under fire and in intense confrontations with authorities that my automatic reaction will be one of peace, freedom from fear and with words of kindness and grace flowing from a heart of genuine love and compassion for those who treat me as an enemy.

When processed by the left brain this sounds almost to the point of being cheesy and idealistic. And when performed from a left-brain dominated life that is exactly how it would likely come across. But when the heart is experiencing a vital connection with the Source of all love and forgiveness on a real-time basis then it will not be just idealistic but will be an irresistible witness of the power of God to transform even a legalistic, selfish, religion-addicted sinner like me into another example of how Jesus feels about and treats His enemies.

This whole chapter is a treatise on the contrast between a fear-based religion that is immature and motivated by rewards and threats of punishment, and a more matured love-based life that is thriving and not bound by the chains of fear commonly employed by authorities to induce compliance. This chapter really is unpacking the last verse of chapter twelve, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)

God, I feel so far away from the description of real maturity that You present here. You certainly have a great deal to accomplish in my life to transform me into a more truthful witness at the heart level to represent how You relate to people. But I'm very glad this is not my job to accomplish in me or it could never happen. About all I know to do is to ask You to keep teaching me and mentoring me and especially healing my heart so that it will much better reflect Your glory and beauty and attractiveness.

When I look at my feelings and reactions to authority I mostly see bitterness, fear and wrath. But what I am beginning to see as the goal for Your work in me is a man who will be empowered to see each individual I meet, whether in authority or not, as a hurting, messed up child of Yours in need of compassion, kindness and respect irregardless of their treatment of me. Oh God, I want to be that kind of witness for You so that others will believe more easily the truths about You and how You feel about all of us. Grow me up in the fullness and maturity of Jesus Christ as quickly as possible, but thoroughly as well. I know You are taking full responsibility for this project and I trust Your ways, Your timing and Your goodness.

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How to Overcome

For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; (Romans 13:3)

As I thought and prayed about this passage again this morning I saw another deep principle of reality emerging from the fog. I still struggle with this claim that if you do what is good that you will have praise from authorities. But the thought came to me that this is exactly the way God deals with everyone. He is simply instructing us to relate to evil the very same way He does Himself.

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:44-45)

Once again it becomes even more certain that the real issue here has nothing to do with how good or evil the authorities are but how I respond in relationship to them. It means that when I am like my Father in heaven I will treat evil authorities no different in many respects than I would a brother in the body of Christ. I will not be able to confide in them like I might with a brother, but the way I will treat them will be the same. This will definitely take the eyes and heart of Jesus to do, for this is far beyond my own ability to accomplish.

But what is the deeper principle that I see emerging here? It is that good will always ultimately win over evil, but not necessarily quickly. And secondly, good will win over evil by never using force like evil does but by kindness and love and respect for those who don't deserve it. The secret of power from heaven's perspective is never in the application of force or coercion but in the softening, sweetening influence of selfless love and service in the face of the very opposite. Evil may accomplish great feats and conquer vast territories and exercise domination over millions and billions of people, but it will always be exposed as really weakness masked over by deception when the light of love and truth shines onto the face and into the heart of those caught up in the use of it.

But how can God declare that if we do good we will receive praise from (evil) authorities? How can He be so confident that this is going to happen when so much of the evidence that we can see seems to indicate the very opposite?

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

The insights that I have observed over the past few years about the real truth about hell now come back to apply themselves to the present circumstances. The way God chooses to relate to authorities, whether good or evil, inevitably results in their ultimate and complete exposure, but even more importantly it finally results in their free and willing recognition and acknowledgment of His goodness, fairness and love for them. By this means and this means only He induces them – even from the very worst enemies of His in all of history – to spontaneously bow down freely without any coercion whatsoever and worship Him as Lord and the legitimate and only true authority. They will confess that they were wrong and they will give Him all the glory and honor that rightly belongs to Him. This is the secret weapon that God uses to permanently resolve sin and is the very same weapon that we are required to employ if we are to overcome as He overcomes.

It is not in resisting evil that God overcomes it, but it is in the revelation of true goodness that evil is overcome. This works on the micro level just the same as it works on the macro level. To believe otherwise is to pick up the concepts of the enemy designed to confuse and distort our perception of God and to mislead us into attempting to overcome using the wrong weapons. This is one of the greatest dangers of the last days. It is becoming more and more clear to me that very many who claim to have the truth are clamoring to “overcome” the enemy and his agents by means and with a spirit that have been borrowed from the enemy's camp instead of being truly led by the real Spirit of Jesus.

And it is on this very point that I perceive one of my own greatest weaknesses. It is becoming more evident to me how much of the spirit of resistance and resentment still fills my heart, especially when faced with injustice and coercion. That is exactly the desired effect that injustice and coercion are designed to produce in people. But I want to be free of that reaction and want to not only understand the right ways of God to relate to this but to be thoroughly born again, to have a new heart and a right spirit that is totally free from every trace of this reactionary bitterness.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.... Do not be haughty in mind.... Do not be wise in your own estimation. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.... If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. (Romans 12:14-19)

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)

As I sense God asking me to live within the boundaries that He has set for His own actions in relationship to authorities and to everyone for that matter, I find that to be a completely impossible request given the tendencies and strong reactions that flare up in my heart whenever I am faced with these volatile situations. But I also believe that God is into accomplishing impossible things in those who are willing to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

God, all I can say again is – do Your thing in my life, whatever that is. It is too overwhelming for me to understand and too frightening for me to attempt myself. It is quite clear to me that I will be more amazed than anyone else when I see myself acting the way You are asking me to act with Your Spirit in me relating to people with Your compassion and kindness and total freedom from bitterness through my body and mind and mouth. I give You permission again to do whatever it takes to mentor me to that place You have for me emotionally. Access every part of my heart and mind and finish the healing and repairs that need to be done so that my life will bring real glory and honor to You under any circumstances.

Thank-you for doing this, for hearing my prayer and for valuing me so much as to make me part of Your intimate body. Fill me with Your Spirit, Your gentleness, Your patience, Your perception and Your compassion for Your name's sake.

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