TO READ: Ezekiel 36:16-38

Character and Reputation

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

Thereas a big difference between character and reputation. Character is what you are, reputation is what people believe you are. Reputation is less important than character, but it is important. What people believe about you might be totally false, but it can be damaging nevertheless.

G.o.das character is beyond reproach. But in Ezekielas time, G.o.das reputation was being impugned among the nations, owing to what his people, Israel, had done (36:16-20)a"they had soiled his reputation by their evil behavior. In keeping with his promise, G.o.d had ascattered them to many lands to punish them for the evil way they had liveda (36:19). But the surrounding nations had interpreted this as a sign of weakness on G.o.das part. G.o.das reputation was suffering, so he told his people, aI am bringing you back again . . . to protect my holy name, which you dishonoreda (36:22).

But G.o.d would not just bring Israel back to return to their old ways. He would change their hearts. aWhen I reveal my holiness through you . . . , then the nations will know that I am the Lorda (36:23). But how would G.o.d effect such a drastic change? G.o.d would carry out his program of restoration, which included washing their afiltha away, imparting to them a anew heart with new and right desires,a taking away their astony heart of sin,a and promising them, aI will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I commanda (36:25-30).

Ever since the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, he has been doing this work in peopleas lives. G.o.d a[washes] away our sins and [gives] us a new life through the Holy Spirita (t.i.tus 3:5). As we trust G.o.d to save us from our sins abecause of what Jesus Christ our Savior did,a G.o.d agenerously [pours] out the Spirit upon usa (t.i.tus 3:6). He gives us a new heart and a new Spirit so we can obey him and do his will (see Rom. 8:1-17; 12:2). G.o.d does all of this for us, not because we adeserve ita (Ezek. 36:32), but to demonstrate his holiness, power, and mercy.

If G.o.das reputation is to remain untarnished among the nations, his people need to live in accord with his character. This can happen when they have been transformed through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, who takes up residence in the inner recesses of their spirits and enlivens, enraptures, energizes, and empowers them. Their lives then give them delight and bring the Lord honor.

December 8

TO READ: Daniel 6:1-28

The Making of a Maestro

But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his G.o.d.

Daniel 6:10

The society lady told the brilliant pianist, aMaestro, youare a genius.a The maestro replied with a smile, aThank you, madam, but before I was a genius I was a bore.a His apparently effortless artistry was the product of hours and hours of unseen, disciplined practice. Our world applauds the glitter of genius, but it does not always appreciate the drudgery of discipline.

When trouble comes we reacta"sometimes with courage, sometimes with cowardice. Occasionally when the pressure is on we instinctively know exactly what to do. At other times we flounder. To a large extent our reaction has been determined before the pressure arrives. As with the artist who has practiced, it is the hidden hours of discipline that determine our performance under pressure.

Daniel was under the gun. His impeccable behavior and outstanding abilities, his disciplined commitment to principle, and his remarkable success had made him plenty of friendsa"and not a few enemies. His enemies, out of anger and jealousy, manipulated the king to get rid of him. Daniel was subjected to persecution when his freedom of religion was taken away with the stroke of a pen (6:6-9).

But Daniel was conditioned by disciplined practice. While he was concerned for the well-being of Babylon, his exile home, he had made no secret of his commitment to Jerusalem. Three times a day he opened the windows of his prayer room to face the city of his heart and publicly expressed his devotion to Yahweh, the Lord, who had chosen Jerusalem to be the center of his earthly activities. So when trouble came, discipline took over: aWhen Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his G.o.da (6:10). In Danielas hour of challenge, it was the habit formed by disciplined practice that kept him faithful.

We may minimize the dangers Daniel faced, because we know he escaped death at the jaws of the lions. But the reality is that Daniel confronted prejudice, intolerance, hatred, persecution, and injustice without sacrificing an ounce of faithfulness. And he did it because discipline had produced habits, and habits had been transformed into character. He knew how to stand tall and firm on well-worn knees!

December 9

TO READ: Daniel 9:1-19

Prompted Prayer

During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, was studying the writings of the prophets. I learned from the word of the LORD, as recorded by Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.

Daniel 9:2

Occasionally people talk about awrestling in prayer.a They are referring to the fact that prayer is not easy. Saying prayers may not be difficult if it means simply reciting what we learned as children. But really praying, really laying hold of G.o.d, really pouring out the soul fervently and earnestly, does not come without a struggle. So we need help.

Daniel identified the great resource for stimulating prayer: it was as he was astudying the writings of the prophetsa that he was prompted to turn to the Lord and plead with him (9:2). Daniel read Jeremiahas prediction that the Exile would last seventy years (Jer. 25:11-12). Daniel did not understand what this meant, so he prayed. As he did so, he began to think about the behavior of G.o.das people, which had led to divine retribution, and his heart was moved to confess the sins that had led them into their predicament of exile.

It is worth noting that Danielas prayer was sprinkled with allusions to the Scriptures that he had been reading. For instance, when he exclaimed, aWe have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulationsa (Dan. 9:5), he may have been thinking of Jeremiah 14:7. And when he affirmed, aLord, you are in the right; but our faces are covered with shame, just as you see us nowa (9:7), he may have had Jeremiah 3:25 and 23:6 in mind. Danielas talking to G.o.d was a direct result of G.o.d talking to him. This is exactly how it should be, for in no other way can we be confident that we are praying as we ought.

It may strike us as odd that Daniel should include himself in the prayer even though he had led such an exemplary life. But we should remember that while we are individually responsible for our actions, we are also products of our culture, and if that is corrupt, then we are corrupted.

Daniel prayed from a heart touched by the Scriptures. He was conscious of G.o.das righteousness and human sinfulness because of what the Scriptures teach, and he was looking for G.o.das promises in the word to be fulfilled. His praying was not shooting from the lip; it was responding to G.o.das word.

The relationship and fellowship between G.o.d and his children, like all relationships, needs communication, and communication involves listening and talking. In the divine-human relationship G.o.d talks to us in his word, and we should listen. Then we talk to him in prayera"and he does listen!

December 10

TO READ: Psalm 119:1-24

Wonderful Truths

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law.

Psalm 119:18

Closed eyes and sightless eyes have something in common: neither can see beauty. The beauty is there for the seeing, but with no eyes beholding it the beauty shines on unappreciated, like a diamond in the desert sand.

Hearts have eyes, windows letting in the light of life. But if the eyes of the heart are closed, truth shines on, un.o.bserved. The heart is darkened, the mind is confused, desires are twisted, and wrong decisions are made. The difference between right and wrong becomes blurred and indistinct until right seems wrong and wrong seems right. Eventually the very existence of objective truth is questioned and the person stumbles into a subjective mora.s.s of sensuality and sin. Meanwhile, truth shines on unabateda"and unappreciated.

Any man, young or old, who is concerned that his life is heading downhill, his principles compromised and his morality eroded, at least has the eyes of his heart opened partially. But he needs to ask the Lord to open his eyes fully to the awonderful truthsa found in G.o.das word (119:18)a"truths that have shone brightly through the centuries, pointing unerringly to who G.o.d is, who we are, what he expects, what we have done, what G.o.d has done about it, what we should do, and how we should live as a result. These are wonderful truths!

Once a manas eyes are opened to the truth of G.o.das word, the man thus begins to perceive vistas of truth formerly undreamed ofa"mysteries previously hidden, insights formerly never imagined. He discovers answers to questions he never thought to ask, and he questions opinions never previously examined. More wonderful truths!

These truths are carefully hidden in the heart and are pondered (119:11, 15). As a result, the mind becomes educated in G.o.das principles and promises (119:7), the emotions are stimulated to wholesome delight and G.o.dly desire (119:16), and the will is moved to make decisions that consistently reflect the divine principles. Thus might a man live life to the full.

Happy is the man who has eyes wide open to discern, desire, and do G.o.das will.

December 11

TO READ: Amos 5:18a"6:7

Alarmists

How terrible it will be for you who lounge in luxury and think you are secure in Jerusalem and Samaria! You are famous and popular in Israel, you to whom the people go for help.

Amos 6:1

Alarmists see danger and conspiracy at every opportunity. Their alarms are dismissed with a wave of the hand, and complacency settles like a warm blanket over chilling predictions. But when alarmists are right, they are very right. And when the complacent are wrong, they are very wrong! G.o.das prophets, like Amos, were often regarded by the people as alarmists, and the people perfected complacency to a fine art. But G.o.das prophets were always very right.

In the time of Amos the people living in Jerusalem (in the southern kingdom) and those who resided in Samaria (in the northern kingdom) felt perfectly secure. Were they not the people of G.o.d? Were they not the foremost nation? Did they not have systems of religious observance second to none, and had not G.o.d rewarded their hard work with prosperity and abundance? Were they not a.s.sured that G.o.d would judge their enemies and bring well-deserved punishment on their enemiesa heads? Life was good, and prophets who said otherwise were at best a nuisance and at worst disturbers of the peace.

But Amos was right: all was not well. The day of judgment, which the people antic.i.p.ated would fall on their enemies, would also fall on them. And it would be a calamity; there would be no escape. And the reason for this? They had grossly mismanaged their blessings, robbing the needy of justice and the oppressed of mercy (5:7; see 5:24). They had developed a religion long on ritual and short on reality. They had replaced G.o.das revelation with their own speculations and had subst.i.tuted the worship of their own deities for the worship of G.o.d (5:25-26). They had been blinded by their self-sufficiency and had become deaf to the prophetsa warnings.

The G.o.d of grace, mercy, and love is also the G.o.d of righteousness, holiness, and judgment. When his mercy is abused, his grace despised, and his love taken for granted, then his holiness is offended, his righteous indignation provoked, and his judgment a.s.sured. We need not embrace every alarmistas predictions of gloom and doom, but G.o.das warnings of the consequences of sin should not be dismissed. Complacency takes for granted what he never grants, while trusting confidence embraces all that he offers, listens to all that he says, and takes seriously all that he predicts and proclaims. In that position we can rest, as Elisha Hoffman said, asafe and secure from all alarms.a

December 12

TO READ: Jonah 3:1a"4:11