New years message for 2021 Part 1 - Called to Root out, pull down, destroy and break down?

 

© Photo Jan 2021 Lizaan Venter

 

I so wanted to start this year with a good, encouraging and very hopeful message. However, the more I contemplated the year ahead and considered the word I sense from the Lord, I realized that it is not a hopeless word at all but it is first and foremost an admonishment. We are going to have to pay attention to God’s admonishment to be able to access the hopeful encouragement that He wants us to journey towards this year. As we look ahead to 2021 and as I was listening this week to several leaders’ new year’s messages, I realized that all over the world people are trying to send out a message of hope and a message that these days will pass and that we as a human race will eventually win the battle against Covid-19 and that we will rebuild our society. Many are confidently declaring that our new society will be better, stronger, more progressive, inclusive, and beneficial for all. Although this is a great goal to have and it does give us positive objectives to focus on, there are basic principles that we need to have in place before we will be able to realize this dream. This made me think about the theme of building in the Bible and it is a theme or a prophetic picture that is often used by God to bring home godly principles for His Kingdom. I am going to share what I believe the Holy Spirit is showing me for my year forward. I invite you to share the journey and ask the Lord if some of this applies to your journey as well.

1. Called to Root out and pull down…

In Jeremiah 1:9-10 we read:

9 Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
10 See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms,
To root out and to pull down,
To destroy and to throw down,
To build and to plant.”

I believe we live in a similar time as the prophet Jeremiah. God called Jeremiah and empowered him to speak the Word of God to the people. Specifically, He told Jeremiah that he was firstly called to root out and to pull down – to destroy and to throw down. At first glance this may seem unlike God to tell a prophet to break down and to destroy, but if we continue to read the book of Jeremiah, we see that God wants the people to root out ungodly things like idolatry. God is using the prophet to speak to the nation and to admonish them to root out, pull down, throw down and destroy the kingdom of darkness in their midst BEFORE they start to build and plant again. We cannot even consider trying to build and plant anything new while continuing to sacrifice on the same altars of idolatry as ancient Israel did. Oh yes, we are very quick to say we do not commit idolatry, but truth is rather that we still commit idolatry - it just took on a new, more stylish, modern, and sophisticated manner. We live in a time where what God calls evil is being called good and what God calls good is being called evil. He warns us about this in Isaiah 5:20-23 when He says:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!

2. Called to build and to plant

The second part of God’s Word to Jeremiah has to do with building and planting. However, in scripture God is also clear on how not to build and plant:

I believe there is an admonishment in Isaiah 9:9-10 when God says:

Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on.

And in Hosea 10:13 the following:

Sow for yourselves righteousness;
Reap in mercy;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord,
Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

13 You have plowed wickedness;
You have reaped iniquity.
You have eaten the fruit of lies,
Because you trusted in your own way,

If we build in arrogance and make our own plans to rebuild better and stronger than before, we are heading for trouble. There is nothing wrong with rebuilding our lives and our communities, in fact we have already seen that God is calling us to do this. However, if we do it in defiance of God, when we in arrogance say we will come back and we will be stronger than ever before, when we make our own plans and build in our own strength, we are heading for a disaster rather than for a better society.

We can only build with success if we have broken down the old structures that do not belong in God’s Kingdom and we can only plant in good soil once we have ploughed up our fallow ground. In both instances the foundation or the ground must be cleaned, levelled, and prepared thoroughly. Once this is done, we need to start building and planting. An empty piece of land will very quickly become a dumping ground for all kinds of trash and the soil will become polluted and unable to sustain healthy plants. We cannot just leave the land empty – we must once again build and plant on it.

Let us take some time to contemplate with a humble heart and ask the revelation of the Holy Spirit to show us which altars of idolatry we need to pull down and destroy. Where am I wise in my own eyes? Where have I replaced Light for Darkness? Is my fallow ground broken and ploughed to receive the good seed? I honestly believe that if we ask Him with a sincere heart that He will show us – and that we will stand silent at what He shows in many instances. Let us then commit our hearts to making the hard choices to change and do those things He points out differently.

Next week we will have a look at how to build and plant in righteousness and in God’s Kingdom. 

 

 Come Worship with Rend Collective in their song Jericho

 

©2021 HG Venter