Friday, October 12, 2007

To Bury Or To Burn!

A more descriptive title for this post would have been, 'when we choose to bury, that which we should burn', but there just wasn't enough room in the title box. I began formulating this article in my mind while reading a passage in the book of Genesis, and this morning I decided to commit it to words lest my memory betray me.
As it so happens, it was immediately after the destruction of the city of Shechem, a shameful thing done by the sons of Jacob, namely Simeon and Levi, made all the more grievous by the fact that it was cloaked in the religious garments of the circumcision.
Jacob was troubled b his sons' actions, and rightly so, unsure as to whether or not he would be able to coexist with the Canaanites, and he Perizzites, when God spoke to him, telling him to arise and return to Bethel, the place of blessing, an there, rededicate himself to the One who had guided and protected him all these years.
The patriarch stood, and with what strength he had addressed those that had gathered, those he called family, the disobedient wives, the murderous sons, the disgraced daughter, all wondering how this particular story would end.
God wanted Jacob's complete sanctification, a sanctification that could not tolerate either the idols Rahel had taken from her own father's home, and clung to these many years, or the ones that Levi and Simeon had spirited out of Shechem, before they burned it.
The excess both of jewelery and garments, made Jacob's house seem like a never ending fashion show, and after God's appointment with him, Jacob had had enough. 'Purify yourselves, put away the foreign gods among you, and change your garments', the man of God cried out, repulsed and ashamed at what his family had become. 'Discard everything, for we are going to meet God, to bring sacrifice, to reconcile.'
They obeyed, whether out of respect or fear, seeing the steadfastness in his eyes, they gave Jacob all their foreign gods, and all of the earrings which were in their ears, and Jacob went and buried them under the terebinth tree which was by Shechem.
Laudable, and praiseworthy as Jacob's actions might seem, his actions were incomplete. The idols, the gods, the worthless possessions, should not have been buried, but rather burned. It is later in the Word that we see what should be done with idols, and strange gods, as we witness the burning of the golden calf by Moses.
There is in all of us a time, a season, a moment of awakening, when the desire wells up in us to bury the things that keep us from experiencing the fullness of God in our lives. The only problem, is that once the initial resolution has passed, once the fire of decision, of fresh starts and new beginnings, has cooled down to mere embers, we have the tendency to go and dig up the things we buried.
Due to the fact that the flesh refuses to die easily, to go silently into that cold night, and that daily it must be crucified, it remembers very clearly where we buried the idols, and at the appropriate time reminds us, whispering in our ear, 'neath the terebinth tree, you buried your idols 'neat the terebinth tree.'
This is why the idols must be burned. If there is something in your life, keeping you from being in the perfect will of God, it is not enough to lay it aside, it must be gotten rid of permanently, forever, with no possibility of returning.
On a spiritual level, the burning is done by the fire of the Holy Spirit, using such essentials as fasting, prayer, the Word, and fellowship as fuel for the fire.
The reactivation of the conscience is necessary, as is that of the will, it is mandatory for everyone of us to die that we may live.
My prayer for you today is that you would not bury that which you should burn. Cut off any and all negotiations with sin, and have an established policy in place, that no negotiations will ensue. Just as the U.S. government does not negotiate with terrorists, the child of God should under no circumstances negotiate with sin.
The only things that we are allowed to bury, when the time comes, are these bodies of flesh that the dust may return to its rightful place. As for everything else, burn it, burn it all, and scatter the ashes that remain in the cool morning breeze of salvation.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea Jr.

8 comments:

A Seed Sower said...

Brother Michael thank you once agian for sharing the Word with us.
This has truly become a site where the body of Christ can come to sharpen each other, edify oneanother, and grow in Christ.
Oh and if you don't mind brother Michael I have a message for Bonnie - was thrilled to hear from you on my blog, my e-mail add is on my other food for hungry sheep . com web site, would love to be able to communicate with you Bonnie.
Helen B.

James Kinsman said...

It seems like when I think you've preached enough on sin, you find another way to expose the root of it. Yes, it is burn or bury, especially when it comes to confession amonth the breatheren. The default idea is to confess it and bury it, yet always keeping it in the back part of your memory.

What does it take to burn it then?

I think many of us will bury our sin yet thinking we have burned it.

May all who reads this check ourselves and ask the Holy Ghost to expose and burn sin that we keep in our heart.

Anonymous said...

Brother Michael...

I was first introduced to your ministry a couple of years ago from another brother named Joseph Herrin, whose website, (http://heart4god.ws/index.htm),
I often go to find true meat and nourishment for my hungry soul.

As soon as I went to the 'Hand of Help' website I was hooked. I began reading the many visions and teachings that you posted there and became a subscriber to your newsletter, which quickly won over my heart for the poor, the widow, and orphan in Romania, which Hand of Help serves. Many times I have considered selling everything and going to Romania to give my life away in service to the Romanian people. It sounds like a romantic idea, and I pray that some day the Lord would release me to such a calling, but in the meantime I can only support from afar from the means the Lord has given me.

Since you started the blog late last month, I have been reading your posts daily and have been refreshed, edified, and challenged by the truth that I find here.

I want to personally thank you for being a light in the church when the landscape has become so dark. This most recent post was a timely word to me and the small band of believers that I fellowship with in my city. We have just finished a period of 30 days of fasting that culminated with the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. During this time, many people fasted food and others gave up or abstained from certain things that were possibly becoming a hindrance in their walk.

This type of thing may seem good on the surface (similar to what people may do for Lent or New Year's resolutions), but what strikes me is the truth and reality that comes through in this post. I believe that our tendency, like Jacob did here, is to "bury" our idols for 30 days only to dig them back up and dust them off and put them back on the throne of our hearts following the specified "fasting" period.

I'm afraid that our mentality can easily become that I serve God "alone" for 30 days and then I return to serving both God and my idols (see 2 Kings 17:33 for an example and warning). As you allude to, the question we need to challenge ourselves with after a season like this is, "Did we just temporarily bury our idols or did we burn them for good?" If we burn them, we'll never return to them. Thus, as you say, prayer and fasting and reading the word and staying in daily fellowship must not be something we do on occasion like the professing church does on Wednesdays and Sundays, but like the early church did in Acts 2...it must become a lifestyle.

When will we stop serving two masters? Unfortunately for many, this will not happen until the judgement seat and it will require the fires of the second death for every knee to truly bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord alone, and not Jesus and Sports or Jesus and Money or Jesus and Ministry.

Oh, that the backslidden church would cast down her idols and throw them in the fire before it is cast into the fires of hell with them. If we continue to hold on to things devoted to destruction, we will go down to destruction with them. Does the scripture say in vain that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil? If the devil's works are still being manifested in our members, we will be destroyed as well. Wake up o'sleeper and rise from the dead and let Christ shine on you! Our God is a consuming fire!

Blessings,

Brother Andrew

Marcel said...

After commenting on your lates fles horse message I read To Bury or to Burn. Getting rid of the idol's is what God is telling His people.
I just read brother andrews words after your article after coming from a seed sowers blog.
It's interesting how the message is the same.

you wrote;
Just as the U.S. government does not negotiate with terrorists, the child of God should under no circumstances negotiate with sin.

The U.S. does negotiate with Islamic terrorists in dividing the land of Israel to them for spoil.
This treachery seems to be missed by much of the Church today.
They will be in Annapolis Maryland for the latest installment of the U.S. betrayal of Israel under the false peace Road Map.
I belive God will sound His displeasure.

Anonymous said...

Of course the earring speaks of voluntary, lifelong servitude. If all things have past away, not temporarily set aside, one does well. The older I get the more I see of the impossibility of serving two masters. Straight is the way and narrow is the path. Not retaining God in our thoughts after being blessed opens us up to serving the god's of this world. Come out and be seperate people of God!
Dave

Anonymous said...

Amen.

Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins and you receive not of her plagues.

If the Spirit of God is speaking, surely He is saying to come out and be seperate unto Him.

Ryan

Anonymous said...

Bro Michael, I had just read this in Genesis myself recently and love Jacob's resolve - he is a changed man with a new name, now ready to wholeheartedly honour the God of his fathers, who has now become HIS God. If we have idols in our hearts and homes, then we will be like Rachel, who never made it to Bethlehem. But it is a daily battle, and a listening to the Spirit's prompting constantly - I John 5:21 'Little children keep yourselves from idols'. John put that thoughtful and urgent warning at the end of his letter for good reason!
Thanks again Michael!

Anonymous said...

THAT WAS AWESOME!!
This is Tylee...

Just wanted to say that was on time for me.....I"m before God now and seperating my self, so i can hear him accuratly for me and my family....

That was a timely word...amen and amen!

Love u all...