Judges 10:6-16

To me, the Book of Judges is one of the saddest books of the Bible. The Israelites have come out of the wilderness into the land promised to them and we see in the Book of Joshua the wonderful victories that God has given them as they possess the land. Then we come to the Book of Judges.

Judges 2:10-13 And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. (11) And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: (12) And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger. (13) And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.

Within two generations, the Israelites had turned away from God and began to serve other gods. It says in verse 12 that the Israelites forsook the Lord God – that means they abandoned God, they turned away from Him. There is a two-fold problem here in chapter 2: first – in verse 10 we see that the older Israelites must have failed to teach the younger Israelites about God and what He had done for them. They must have neglected their duty to pass on to the next generation the things of God. Second: because the Israelites had not been taught, they turned away from God and went chasing after the false gods of the people around them. How about you: are you teaching your children, grandchildren and loved ones about Jesus Christ? Please do not depend on Sunday School classes and church services to be the only time your children and grandchildren hear about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That is only four hours a week – please be sure to teach your children and grandchildren about salvation and Jesus Christ.

As you read the Book of Judges, you will see this is a constant pattern with the Israelites: they would turn away from God and sin, they would suffer, then they would supplicate themselves before God and then God would bring them salvation. How much better their lives would have been if they just kept their focus on God rather than on themselves. How much better our lives would be if we today would just keep our focus on God rather than on ourselves. That brings us to Judges 10.

Judges 10:6, 7 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him. (7) And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.

The Israelites have had two judges in a row to guide them and after the second died, the Israelites quickly did evil again in the sight of the Lord. It is so sad how quickly they began to worship the false gods of the people around them. In verses 7-9, we see that the Israelites were oppressed and vexed for at least 18 years. The nations around them – whose gods they were worshiping – were making war with them.

Judges 10:10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

The Israelites begin to come to their senses and realize they need to repent and turn back to God. They cry out to God, but had they really repented? Was it repentance or is it recognition of their sin? It appears that they have not really repented of their sin and just recognize that they have sinned. There is a big difference between the two. Look at verses 11-14. The Lord reminds the Israelites what He has done for them in the past and points out that the Israelites have forsaken Him again. God tells them: (v14) Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. Personally, I would not be surprised if the Israelites had already cried out to Baalim, Ashtaroth, and the other false gods and found that they did not help. How often do we try everything else before we turn to God? How often do we try to accomplish something under our own strength rather than pray to God for help? Look at verse 15 and see how the Israelites cry out the second time – this time there is true repentance.

Judges 10:15, 16 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. (16) And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

The first time they cried out to God, they admitted that they had sinned, but that was it! This time The Israelites cried out and put some feet to their words: their repentance led them to action. The first time they are saying: “O God, we have sinned because we followed Baalim.” The second time they cry out: “O God, we have sinned and we deserve whatever you do to us. Please save us.” Then they put away the idols and the strange gods and began to obediently serve the Lord God. There is a big difference between the two occasions. They began to fear the Lord God again and chose to follow Him. God began to move in their lives when they moved back toward Him. God was working in their lives while they were unrepentant, because He was drawing the pagan nations to afflict the Israelites – God used the pagan nations to chasten the Israelites because a loving Father knows that He has to chasten His children when they go astray. Repentance became real in their lives and they acted upon it. The first time their repentance was just lip service.

God does not want false repentance and He does not to worshiped for the wrong reasons. What is your motivation? Ask God this question: “Why do I do what I do in my service to you?” The answer may dismay you. God does not want your service if your motivation is wrong. Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Repent if your service to God is poorly motivated! In Isaiah 29:13, we see that the Israelites’ worship of God was self-centered! They worshiped Him in the manner that made them feel good, not God. Their fear and reverence of God came from what men taught them – it was not in the way that God showed them. God does not want you to just go through the motions of service and obedience to Him. He wants you heart to be right with Him God wants to you to do anything that you do because you love Him and desire to serve Him. God wants your worship of Him to please Him not yourself! That means that not all music pleases Him! Look at what the All Holy God told the Israelites in the Book of Amos: Amos 5:21-23 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. (22) Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. (23) Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols. Look at verse 23 again – there is some music that God rejects and we should reject it too. Not all music is appropriate in the believer’s life. Rock ‘n roll does not belong in the believer’s life. Country music does not belong in the believer’s life. Is a musician truly honoring God if he or she sing about God in one song and on the next song they are singing about drinking and partying? Christian rock is not “Christian.” If the music you listen to now as a saved believer in Jesus Christ sounds the same as the music you use to listen to – but with “cleaner” lyrics – then it is not God-honoring music. You are in need of revival when the music you listen to does not honor God.

Revival will come when repentance comes into the believer’s life. In the Book of Joel, God urged the Israelites to truly fully repent. Joel 2:12-13 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: (13) And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. The Bible shows that when Israelites were in mourning they would put on sackcloth and place ashes upon their head and weep and wail. Look at verse 13 again: God wants them (and us) to not just put on a show of repentance but to truly repent! Rend your heart, not your garments, and turn to the LORD your God. God wants us to repent and be sincere about it and He will show us His grace and His mercy. I thank God that He is slow to anger and that He is very long suffering with me. I try His patience too often. God wants you and me to turn to Him with all of our hearts and when we do that, we will have a proper fear of the Lord God.

Today there is a distinct lack of the fear of the Lord among people, including Christians. What is meant by the phrase “fear of the Lord?” In the Bible it does not mean that the believer should be scared of God, but they should reverence Him. The Webster’s 1858 dictionary says: In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear. Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever. People do not fear the Lord God like they should. We need revival when we do not fear the Lord. We need revival when do not feel conviction about the sin in our life. We need revival when we do not love God like we should. Read through the Book of Proverbs – at least 12 times it discusses what the fear of the Lord is in the life of the believer. Proverb 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Pro 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. Pro 23:17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

The fear of the Lord, the reverence for Him should happen each and every day of our lives. 1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. If we do not properly fear God and respect Him, then we will not be obedient to Him. When we do not properly fear God, then we will not feel conviction for our sin. When we do not properly fear God, we will not feel conviction over that cigarette that was just lit up, or conviction for that glass of beer or wine that was just poured, or conviction about that TV show you just watched that had only “a few” bad words in it and “only” a couple scenes of immoral behavior. If there is one, then that is too many!

When we do have the proper fear of the Lord, then we will look to lift Him up and glorify Him, rather than ourselves. When we do have the proper fear of the Lord, then we will throw away those horror novels and romance stories about vampires. When we do have the proper fear of the Lord, we will focus on Him and His Word. When we do have the proper fear of the Lord, we will regularly pray to Him. We need revival when if we spend more time justifying our sin than repenting of the sin. The first steps to revival is regular prayer and reading of God’s Word.

Prayer is all important in the believer’s life. Jude 20-21 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, (21) Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Praying to God builds up our faith in God. Praying to God connects us to Him. Praying to God builds our love for Him. Praying to God gives us a greater fear and reverence for God. To be more conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), we need to daily pray to God and daily read our Bibles. Leonard Ravenhill wrote: No man is greater than his prayer life. The two prerequisites to successful Christian living are vision and passion, both of which are born in and maintained by prayer. The ministry of preaching is open to few; the ministry of prayer – the highest ministry of all human offices – is open to all. Spiritual adolescents say, “I’ll not go tonight, it’s only the prayer meeting.” It may be that Satan has little cause to fear most preaching. Yet past experiences sting him to rally all his infernal army to fight against God’s people praying. A sinning man will stop praying and a praying man will stop sinning. James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Prayer is all important in the believer’s life. Make the time to pray each and every day. Each of us needs revival if we can identify with any of the following statements:

We need revival when we are not daily praying and daily reading God’s Word. We need revival when church dinners are better attended than Wednesday night prayer meeting. We need revival when we do not love God as we once did. We need revival when we would rather watch TV rather than read the Bible or pray. We need revival when we make little or no effort to win the lost. We need revival when we have time for sports or amusements, but do not have time for church, Bible study, or prayer. We need revival when our Christianity is joyless and dry. We need revival when the only person you can hear sing in church is the song leader. We need revival when our hearts are cold and our eyes are dry. We need revival when we are bored with going to church. We need revival when going to church becomes our duty and not out of the love for God. We need revival when our worship is halfhearted, lifeless and becomes mere duty. We need revival when people have to be begged to serve God. We need revival when we know Biblical truth in our heads, but we are not practicing it in our lives. We need revival when we would rather make money rather than give money. We need revival when people have to be entertained in order to come to church. We need revival when we are unmoved by the fact that people are dying and going to hell. We need revival when we are not seeing the regular evidence of the supernatural power of God in our lives regularly. We need revival when we are more concerned about our children’s secular school education and activities rather than then condition of their souls. We need revival when we do not long for fellowship with God and His people. We need revival when our priorities are not spiritual first. If you identify with anything on this list, please do not hesitate to go to God in prayer and repentance! Go to Romans 12.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God does not want you to die for Him – He wants you to be a living sacrifice. Live for Him each day! Look at verse 2 again: we are not suppose to be conformed to this world – we are suppose to be different from this world!The lost should look at believers and see that there is something different about believers in Jesus Christ – because we are suppose to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. This can only happen when we are spending time with God through His Word and through prayer. Have you noticed sometimes how a husband and wife after they have been married together for 30, 40, 50 years – that they start to look alike? They show the same mannerisms. They finish each other’s sentences and seem to know exactly what the other is thinking. That is how our relationship should be with God. How did that married couple get that way? Because they spent time together and built a relationship. We need to do the same with our relationship with God – spend time with Him by reading His Word to us and getting down on our knees in prayer to Him. That way when people look at us – they do not see us, they see Jesus Christ. We are in need of revival when people look at us and do not see Jesus Christ. When believers are willing to say, “Yes, God” then God will revive them. Are you willing to say “Yes, God” tonight?

Psa 85:6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

From Zephaniah 2:4 through chapter 3, verse 8, we see the judgments of God upon the nations of the world. His judgments are worldwide, which only makes sense because He is the Creator of the universe and of this world and of mankind. Thankfully, He is also the Redeemer of mankind. Because of Who He is, Holy, Just, and Righteous, God will judge the nations and the people for their sin and rejection of His Son, Jesus Christ. J. Vernon McGee wrote:

People have a sense of standards, because God has put that into them. Paul wrote: Romans 2:12-16 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (13) (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. (14) For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: (15) Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) (16) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

The Gentiles – non-believers – have not been given the Law that was given to Moses. However, when they live their day to day lives, they may end up keeping certain aspects of the Law – for example: they could be setting aside the Sabbath day as a day of rest, or they may be not be thieves or killers. Their actions may be correct, but the motivation for the actions will not be the same as a believer in Jesus Christ. The believer in Jesus Christ will obey God’s commandments because they love Him and want to bring glory to Him. The non-believer may have certain standards, but if they are not God’s standards, then those standards will not help the non-believer no matter how sincerely they hold to those standards. Those head-hunters had a high standard of honesty, but they violated God’s standards by killing and eating people. Your sincerity will not be a deciding factor on the Day of Judgment. A man wrote: Returning home from school one day, my little boy came to me with the evidence of what he had had for lunch smeared all over his mouth. I told him to go wash his face and come back to show me the results. He returned in a hurry, saying, “I am all clean now, Daddy.” “Are you?” I asked. “Sure. I washed just like you told me to.” From his point of view he was clean, but from where I stood he still looked dirty. It is not what we think of ourselves that counts, but what God our Creator thinks of us.

Zephaniah 2:1-3 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; (2) Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you. (3) Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.

This week we are continuing our look at the Book of Zephaniah which we began a month ago. If you will remember, the Book of Zephaniah speaks of God’s Wrath, but it also demonstrates God’s Tough Love for His people. In chapters 2 and 3, we will see the judgment of God upon the world as well as upon His people, the Israelites.

Zephaniah 2:1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

God is calling the Israelites to come together to look to God and pray to Him for forgiveness. They have sinned against God by consorting with other nations, which was against His commandments. They have sinned against God by worshiping idols and false gods. They have sinned against God by not following Him and His righteousness, instead seeking their own righteousness. God wants them to come together and humble themselves before the All Holy God. 2Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. This was a promise made by God to the Israelites and throughout their history, when they repented of their sin and returned to God, He did heal their land. God calls Israel: “O nation not desired”, why? Because there was nothing desirable about them. They were not the strongest people. They were not the smartest people. They were not the best looking people. But they were the people God chose to call out and separate from the rest of the world. Sadly, their sins against God had made them even less desirable, and now judgment was going to be coming upon them. The Israelites had reached the point where they were dead to their realization of what their sins were doing to themselves and their relationship with God. They were no longer sensitive to their sin. We can become that way too. We may choose to continue a particular sin and if we continue long enough in it, we become immune to the pricking of the Holy Spirit. We lose our sense of shame about the sin.

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you.

God is urging His people to come together for prayer and come together for repentance and come back to God. Zephaniah is telling the Israelites that the judgment day is coming – the day of the LORD’s anger is coming, and when it arrives it will be too late to stop. Remember, the chaff is the portion of wheat that is not used and when it is removed, it is never coming back. Our days are the same way – each day ends and we can never get it back, that is why we need to make the most of each day for the glory of God. Look at the decline of this country: there may not be more sin than there was 100 years ago, but sin is more visible today because there is no shame over sin. Instead, people celebrate sin and applaud sin. The day of the Lord’s anger will come upon this nation if it continues on the path it is on. This nation needs to come together in prayer and repentance to the Almighty God.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.

The LORD is urging His people to seek Him and to return to Him. God is not hiding from His people, He is in the same spot as He was when the people were obediently following Him. God did not leave His people, they left Him and He wants them to come back. His people should be meek, not prideful, not impatient, and not full of self-righteousness. They are to return to Him and seeking His righteousness and seek to follow Him in meekness. Too many people are filled up with pride and self-sufficiency rather then truly seeking His righteousness and wisdom. Too many people are coming up with their own ideas and then using the Bible to look for verses to prove their point. We are to seek God’s righteousness and do it meekly! The Apostle Paul knew that he had nothing of himself to glory in other than in the cross of Jesus Christ. Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. By the world’s standards, Saul had everything to glory in, but Paul knew He had nothing if He did not have Jesus Christ.

The last phrase of verse 3: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger. If His people would return to Him then He would protect them from His Wrath. God’s Wrath was coming, so the Israelites had to choose which side they were to be on. Remember the showdown between Elijah, the prophet of God, and Ahab, Jezebel and the 400 Baal worshipers?

At Mount Carmel, before the sacrifices were performed, Elijah spoke to the Israelites: 1Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. Elijah is asks the Israelites How long halt ye between two opinions? When we think of the word “halt”, we think of stopping. What Elijah is declaring to the Israelites that they are fence sitters: sometimes they lean toward God and follow Him and sometimes they lean toward Baal and follow him (or it). Elijah is telling the Israelites to stop half-heartedly following God. One of the definitions for halt is “hop” and that is what the Israelites were doing. They would hop to the side of God for a moment and then hop to the side of Baal. The Israelites were lukewarm toward God and stayed with the side that they viewed was most profitable for them. Or most comfortable for them. Rather than stay on the side that glorifies and honors God.

Zephaniah 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

The leaders will be punished, because they are held accountable for their obedience or lack of obedience toward God. The last king of Judah was Zedekiah who was put into power by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and the city of Jerusalem was then besieged by Babylon. After a while, Zedekiah tried to escape Jerusalem and the Babylonian army even though God, through the prophet Jeremiah, warned him against doing. Zedekiah and his family was captured and his family was killed and Zedekiah’s eyes were put out (2 Kings 24, 25). The reference to strange apparel in Zephaniah 1:8 points to the Israelites’ wearing clothing other than what God had appointed to them. In Numbers 15:38, God has told the Israelites to wear a blue band and fringe on their garment for a specific reason. Numbers 15:38-40 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue: (39) And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: (40) That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.

The strange apparel of Zephaniah 1:8 is referring to clothing that dishonors God. Remember when Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, offered up strange fire before God at the Tabernacle (Leviticus 10)? God struck them down for their disobedience.

Leviticus 10:1-2 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. (2) And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

The action of taking a censer and placing the incense on it was not necessarily wrong, but the action was not done as God had commanded, or was the wrong time for it which is still against God’s commands. Regardless, it was considered strange fire and it was in disobedience to God. Strange apparel can mean clothing that goes against the commands of God – clothing that is worldly or brings attention to the wrong parts of the body. The reference to strange apparel could be pointing toward the wearing of clothing similar to the clothing of the pagan worshipers. Remember, in Zephaniah 1:5, the Israelites were worshiping Molech and Baal, as well as going to the Temple to worship Jehovah. Our worship of God should include all facets of our lives. A believer should not separate the worship of God to just their home and live differently everywhere else.

When a person is saved, they have become a new creation and will one day be clothed in Heaven in robes of righteousness. In the mean time, we are to put off the old man – much like removing the tattered rags we wore as lost sinners, and put on the new clothes provided by Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:22-24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; (23) And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (24) And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Therefore, the believer should act like a new man or woman, and should be visibly different from the lost. The believer is not to take worldly actions, clothing, or forms of entertainment and try to clean them up – they will not seem any different to the lost.

The problem for the Nation of Israel is that they became just like everyone around them and lost sight of God because of it. The same is rapidly happening in America and will continue unless, believers are willing to stand up and declare, “Thus saith the Lord!” Each of us need to humble ourselves before God and have a renewed mind and obedience toward Him.

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A SURVEY OF THE BIBLE’S TEACHING ON REPENTANCE

In the following study, we examine most of the Bible passages dealing with repentance toward God. Our study is an expansion of one done by Bruce Lackey. He defined repentance as “a change of mind that results in a change of action.” That is a biblical definition. The Bible’s examples of repentance show a clear change in people’s behavior. The change itself does not save us from sin, but IT IS the fruit of Bible salvation.

Exodus 13:17. “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.” God led Israel through the wilderness rather than through the land of the Philistines ‘lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’ God knew that their change of mind would result in a change of action. In this instance, a change of mind without the resulting change of action would have been meaningless. Repentance is defined in this verse as turning.

Judges 21:1,6,14. “And the children of Israel repented them for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.” The men of Israel had sworn that they would not give any of their daughters as wives for the Benjamites, but they repented and gave them wives (vv. 6,14). Again, the change of mind without the resulting change of action would have been meaningless.

1 Kings 8:47-48. “Yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they were carried captives, and REPENT, and make supplication unto thee in the land of them that carried them captives, SAYING, WE HAVE SINNED, AND HAVE DONE PERVERSELY, we have committed wickedness; And so RETURN UNTO THEE WITH ALL THEIR HEART, AND WITH ALL THEIR SOUL, in the land of their enemies, which led them away captive, and pray unto thee toward their land, which thou gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name.” God promised that if captive Israel would repent He would hear them. He defined repentance as acknowledging their wickedness and turning to God with the whole heart.

Job 42:6. “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Here, again, we see that repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of action. Obviously, the dust and ashes were a change of action.

Jeremiah 8:6. “I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.” Repentance is defined as acknowledging and turning from sin.

Ezekiel 14:6. “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Repent, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.” God defined repentance as turning from sin and idols. Surely, no one thinks that God would have been satisfied if they had merely changed their minds without changing their actions.

Ezekiel 18:30. “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.” Again, repentance is defined as turning from sin and idols.

Jonah 3:5-8. “So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.” The word repentance is not used in the Jonah passage, but in Matthew 12:31 Jesus said they repented. The repentance of the people of Nineveh was witnessed in their actions. True repentance is always observable by a change in one’s manner of living.

Matthew 3:1,8. “And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. … Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance.” John the Baptist defined repentance as a change in life. He demanded ‘fruits meet for repentance,’ which obviously meant that he wanted to see some evidence that they had repented, before he would baptize them. The specific changes of action are listed in the parallel passage of Lk. 3:8-14. The various kinds of people had to show different changes of action, because their particular sins had been different.

Matthew 9:13. “But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus defined repentance as a sinner changing his attitude to sin.

Matthew 11:20-21. “Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.” Christ defined repentance as a dramatic change in one’s attitude toward God and His Word. He said this change of mind is evidenced by a change in action.

Matthew 12:41. “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.” Jesus stated that the men of Nineveh ‘repented at the preaching of Jonas.’ Jonah 3 shows that they heard the Word of God, believed God, fasted, put on sackcloth, and turned from their sin. Christ considered their actions to be a result of their repentance. Would He have approved what they did if there had been no change of action? The answer is obvious.

Matthew 21:28-29. “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went.” The son’s repentance was witnessed by his change of mind and his obedience. A mere change of mind without a change in action would not have satisfied the father’s command.

Luke 5:32. “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Christ’s objective was not merely to bring men to a mental belief in the Gospel but to bring them to repentance, which, as we have seen, means a turning from sin, a change of mind that results in a change of life.

Luke 13:3-5. “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Christ absolutely requires repentance for salvation.

Luke 15:7-10. “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Again, we see that Christ requires repentance for salvation. God and Heaven do not rejoice merely because someone prays a prayer in the name of Christ (Mt. 7:21) or because someone makes a mental assent to the Gospel (James 2:19-20). God and Heaven rejoice when a sinner repents.

Luke 19:1-10. “And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Zacchaeus’s repentance was a change of mind that resulted in a dramatic change of life. The evidence of his repentance was that he gave half his goods to the poor and restored five-fold that which he had stolen through his tax collecting business.

Luke 24:47. “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Repentance is part of the Gospel message that is to be preached to the ends of the earth. Repentance is part of the Great Commission.

Acts 2:37-41. “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” The Jews in Acts 2 who heard Peter’s sermon repented, and the evidence of this is that they gladly received his word, were baptized, and joined themselves with the hated Christians. Again we see that repentance is to turn one’s life from sin and rebellion to God and obedience; it is a change of mind toward God and sin that results in a change of life. The first church was built on the preaching of repentance!

Acts 3:19. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Repentance is God’s requirement for every sinner who will be saved. Repentance precedes and brings conversion and forgiveness of sin.

Acts 5:31. “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” Repentance is required for and precedes forgiveness of sin. It is a work of Christ in the heart of the responsive sinner.

Acts 8:21-22. “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” Peter warned Simon to repent of his covetousness, which meant he was to turn from it, to reject it, to change his mind about it and to stop it.

Acts 11:18. “When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” Note that the disciples described salvation as repentance. They thought of salvation commonly in these terms. Note, too, that repentance is a work of God in the heart of the responsive sinner.

Acts 17:30. “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” Paul preached repentance to the idolatrous people at Athens. He did not even mention faith in Christ, but he explained that God demands repentance. The preaching of God’s holiness and righteousness and man’s fallen condition and need of repentance precedes and prepares the way for the preaching of the Cross.

Acts 20:21. “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” This verse summarizes Paul’s preaching and the true Gospel message: repentance toward God and faith in Christ. The sinner must repent about his disobedience toward God and exercise faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ for his sin.

Acts 26:20. “But showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.” Paul preached the same message as John the Baptist, so no one can limit this to the dispensation of the law. The words of this verse, ‘that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance,’ show that repentance is not a work! When we preach repentance for salvation, we are not preaching a works salvation, as some have charged. When we say that repentance produces a change of works, it would be ridiculous to say that the two are one. Food produces energy and strength; labor produces sweat; but they are different things, so repentance and works are two separate things. Repentance produces and results in good works, but repentance itself is not works salvation. The bottom line is this: Paul preached repentance and required that repentance produce a change in the life. We must do the same today. Those who accept a mere prayer as salvation and who baptize people who demonstrate no change in life are not following the Bible pattern of evangelism.

Romans 2:4. “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” God does many things with the objective of bringing men to repentance. This is another reminder that God desires that all men repent.

2 Corinthians 7:9-11. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” Lessons: (1) Repentance is the product of God’s Word (v. 8; Jonah 3:5; Acts 2:38-41). (2) Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of life. The Corinthians’ repentance produced a great change in their manner of living: ‘carefulness … clearing of yourselves … indignation … fear … vehement desire … zeal … revenge.’ (3) Repentance is not the same as reformation or other forms of “the sorrow of the world.” Repentance has to do with God and sin, whereas reformation has to do with other people and with conditions and things in this world. Many people, when they get into trouble, are sorry for the trouble and they determine to change certain things in their lives that produced that trouble. This is not repentance, because it does not deal with one’s wickedness against Almighty God and does not result in a change of attitude and action in relation to God. (4) True repentance is permanent (v. 10).

2 Corinthians 12:21. “And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.” Repentance is not about sin in general; it involves a change of mind and a change of action concerning specific sins.

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10. “For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” This passage gives a perfect definition of salvation repentance. It is turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Note that repentance is directed to God (compare Acts 20:21; 26:20). Repentance results in a change of life (turning from idols to serve God).

2 Timothy 2:25-26. “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” Repentance produces ‘acknowledging of the truth’ and recovery from the snare of the devil. Repentance is a work of God in the heart of a responsive sinner. God convicts of sin and calls the sinner to repentance and faith in Christ, and if the sinner responds, God grants salvation and fulfills His work of repentance in the sinner’s life.

Hebrews 6:1. “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” The ‘repentance from dead works’ is obviously a change of mind that results in a change of action.

Hebrews 12:17. “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.” Esau ‘found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.’ Bruce Lackey says: “Since there is no record of Esau trying to change the sale of his birthright to Jacob (Ge. 25:29-34), this must refer to his effort to get Isaac to change the blessing from Jacob back to himself (Ge. 27:34). Some interpret this to mean that Esau could not repent; I think it means that he could not get Isaac to repent of having given the firstborn’s blessing to Jacob. In either case, the meaning of repentance would be the same. Esau found a place to change his mind, but he could not find a place to change the action. This is one of the strongest proofs in Scripture that a change of action must take place, or there is no repentance.”

2 Peter 3:9. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Again, we see that the Bible frequently describes salvation in terms of repentance. God requires repentance for salvation.

Revelation 2:5. “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Repentance obviously involves turning from actions that are wrong to doing actions that are right. It means to change one’s mind about a wrong behavior so that one determines to change that behavior by God’s grace.

Revelation 2:16. “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” The Christians at Pergamos were instructed to repent of the sin and error that they were allowing in the church, which meant they were to turn from the things that Christ mentioned.

Revelation 2:21-22. “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.” Christ required that the people ‘repent of their deeds.’ He surely would not have been satisfied with a change of mind without a change of action.

Revelation 3:3. “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” The repentance Christ required produced a complete change in attitude and action about specific sin and error.

Revelation 9:20-21. “And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” From these verses, we see that repentance that is acceptable before God is to reject and turn from sin, idolatry, and error.

Revelation 16:9,11. “And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.” These passages say that tribulation sinners will not repent ‘of their deeds.’ Their lack of repentance is connected with their refusal to turn from their evil doings. Repentance is a turning to God from sin, a change of mind about sin that results in a change of action.

http://www.wayoflife.org/wayoflife/howtobesaved.html

WHAT ABOUT REPENTANCE?
Does not the Bible say that we must repent? Yes, the Bible plainly says that “God … commandeth all men every where to repent” (Acts 17:30), and again, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). This was the preaching of John the Baptist, of Jesus, of Peter and of Paul, that men should repent. And certainly repentance is God’s plan of salvation. The trouble here, however, is that men misunderstand what repentance means, and there has grown up an idea that repentance means a period of weeping and mourning over sin, or sorrow for sins. This idea comes from the Douay Version of the Bible which instead of “repent” says “do penance.” So the place of inquiry, where people should be taught the plan of salvation from the Bible, in revival meetings, became “the mourner’s bench” and thousands of people have been taught that God would not hear their prayer nor forgive their sins until they went through a process of sorrow and mourning over their sins!
Do not misunderstand me. God is anxious for you to have a penitent, broken heart over your sins. You have gone away from God. You have trampled under foot the blood of Jesus Christ, wasted years of your life which you can never live over again. You have served your father, the Devil. There is plenty for you to weep over, and I am not surprised if you feel deep shame and sorrow in your heart that you have so mistreated the God who made you and the Saviour who died for you. I am not surprised if you cannot keep back the tears! But what I want you to know is that tears or no tears, however much sorrow you may have in your heart, or not have, those things do not save you.
You ought to be sorry for your sins and ashamed of them. “Godly sorrow worketh repentance” (2 Cor. 7:10)–the right kind of sorrow leads to immediate repentance, but mourning is not itself repentance.
“Could my tears forever flow, Could my zeal no respite know, These for sin cold not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.”
To repent literally means to have a change of mind or spirit toward God and toward sin. It means to turn from your sins, earnestly, with all your heart, and trust in Jesus Christ to save you. You can see, then, how the man who believes in Christ repents and the man who repents believes in Christ. The jailer repented when he turned from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why does Zephaniah warn the people to be silent in the presence of the Lord God? Because the day of the Lord is as hand. The Day of the Lord is coming – referring directly to the Tribulation which is coming soon. The day of reckoning is coming when all accounts will be settled and God is the one who keeps the books. Note the next phrase:

Isaiah 1:11-15 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. (12) When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? (13) Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. (14) Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. (15) And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

The Israelites were not properly sacrificing to God or in a manner that was pleasing to Him. The sacrifices were made as vain oblations meaning they were done more to please the people that to please God. The motions of the sacrifices may have been technically correct, but the motivation behind the sacrifices was all self centered rather than God centered. And that problem continues today – while we do not perform animal sacrifices, believers actually have a more difficult sacrifice to perform: themselves.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The believer’s body is to be a living sacrifice to God – meaning that we are to die to self daily – in other words, we are to set aside what we want on a daily basis for what God wants. That is called obedience to God.

Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. The believer must set aside their desires to follow the desires of God. The desires of the flesh must be cast away by the believer in order to become a living sacrifice for God. The form of praise toward God should please Him first, not us. And the praise toward God should not be just lip service: Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Our praise should be shown in our lives – we should not just say it, but we should show our praise and love of God in our actions. Hebrews 13:15-16 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (16) But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

If God is not pleased with the sacrifice prepared by His children, He will, as seen in Zephaniah 1:7, prepare His own sacrifice.

God has not promised skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know

Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care.

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the laborer, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love. – Annie Johnson Flint

We must always remember that God is a God of love, but He is also a God of Judgment and Righteousness. He is a God of Love, but He is also a God of Holiness and Truth. He is a God of Love, but He is also a God of Wrath and Justice.

Zephaniah 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

What does that mean: Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD? It means, “Be quiet! Hush!” When the child of God will be in His Presence the first thing we will do is fall down onto our faces before Him in worship. We are not going to dance or sing around Him, we are going to humble ourselves before Him. There is a distinct lack of respect for who God is and what He has done through His Son, Jesus Christ. People fail to recognize Him as the LORD of LORDS, and the King of Kings, and instead want to view God as a TV sitcom dad: lovable and goofy. People do not realize who God is, because they have not been taught who God is. Why has that happen? Because the Bible is not being taught like it use to be taught.

This is an incredible testimony, Please take the time to read it.

From The Synagogue to The Saviour

May 5, 2010 (Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org;)

The following is abbreviated from “Charlie Coulson: The Drummer Boy” by Doctor Max L. Rossvally (1828-1892).

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During the American Civil War, I was a surgeon in the Army. Following the battle at Gettysburg, there were hundreds of wounded soldiers needing immediate medical attention. Many were wounded so severely that a leg or an arm, or sometimes both, needed to be amputated.

One of the wounded was a boy, who had only been in the service for three months. Being too young to be a soldier, he enlisted as a drummer. My steward tried to give him chloroform before the amputation, but he turned his head away and refused it. He was told it was my order. He said, “Let me talk with the doctor.”

“Young man, why do you refuse the chloroform? When I found you on the battlefield, you were so far gone that I almost didn’t bother to pick you up. But when you opened those large blue eyes, it occurred to me that you had a mother somewhere who might be thinking of you at that very moment. I didn’t want you to die, so I had you brought here. You have lost so much blood that in you’re weak condition you might not live through this operation. You’d better let me give you the chloroform.”

He laid his hand on mine, looked me in the face and said, “Doctor, one Sunday afternoon in Sunday School, when I was nine and a half years old, I accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour. I learned to trust Him then, I know I can trust Him now. He is my strength. He will support me while you cut away my arm and leg.”

“Won’t you at least take some brandy?” I begged.

Again, he looked at me and said, “Doctor, when I was about five years old, my mother knelt by my side with her arms around my neck and said: ‘Charlie, I am now praying to the Lord Jesus that you will never know the taste of strong drink. Your father died a drunkard, and I’ve asked God to use you to warn young people against the dangers of drinking.’  I am now seventeen years old and I have never had anything stronger than tea or coffee. I am in all probability going to die and go into the presence of my God. Would you send me there, smelling of brandy?”

I will never forget the look he gave me. At that time I hated Jesus, but I respected that boy’s loyalty to his Saviour. When I saw how he loved and trusted Him to the very end, something deeply touched my heart. Despite the urgency of the moment and all the misery around, I did for that boy what I had never done for any other soldier. I asked him if he wanted to see a chaplain.

“Oh, yes, sir!” was his answer.

When the chaplain came, he recognized the young drummer from his tent prayer meetings. Taking his hand, he said, “Charlie, I’m so sorry to see you in this sad condition.”

“Oh, I’m all right, sir,” he answered. “The doctor offered me chloroform, but I declined it. Then he wanted to give me brandy, which I didn’t want either. So now, when my Saviour calls me, I can go to Him in my right mind.”

“You might not die, Charlie,” said the chaplain, “but if the Lord should call you home, is there anything I can do for you after you’re gone?”

“Chaplain, here’s my little Bible. My mother’s address is inside. Send it to her and write a letter for me. Tell her that since I left home, I have never let a single day pass–no matter if we were on the march or on the battlefield,–without reading a portion of God’s Word, and daily praying that He would bless her.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you, my lad?” asked the chaplain.

“Yes, please write a letter to the Sunday School Superintendent of the Sands Street Church in Brooklyn, New York. Tell him that his many prayers and moral counsel I have never forgotten. His lessons have helped and comforted me through all the dangers. And now, in my dying hour, I ask my Saviour to bless and strengthen my dear old teacher. That is all.”

Turning towards me, he said, “Now, doctor, I’m ready, and I promise I will not scream while you take off my arm and leg.”

I didn’t have the courage to take the knife in my hand, without first taking a quick gulp of brandy to nerve myself to perform my sad duty.

While cutting through the flesh, Charlie Colson didn’t even groan. But when I took the saw to separate the bone the lad, through clenched teeth, uttered, “O Jesus, blessed Jesus, stand by me now!”

He kept his promise. He never screamed.

I couldn’t sleep that night. Despite the constant moans and weeping of the wounded, all I could see was Charlie’s soft blue eyes. Even his words, “Blessed Jesus, stand by me now,” kept ringing in my ears.  Between twelve and one o’clock, a strong urge came over me to see that boy again. When I got there, I was told that sixteen of the badly wounded had died. “Was Charlie Colson one of them?” I asked. “No, sir,” answered the steward, “he’s sleeping as sweetly as a babe.”

When I came to his side, one of the civilian nurses informed me that at about nine o’clock, two members of the U.S. Christian Commission, accompanied by the chaplain, came to read Scripture and sing hymns. She said that the chaplain knelt by Charlie and offered up a passionate prayer. Then they and Charlie sang the sweetest of all hymns, “Jesus, Lover Of My Soul.” I couldn’t understand how this young lad, who suffered such horrible pain, could sing.

Five days after his amputation, Charlie sent for me. “Doctor,” he said, “my time has come. I don’t expect to see another sunrise. But thank God, I have no fear and I’m ready to go. I want to thank you with all my heart for your kindness to me. I know you are Jewish, and that you don’t believe in Jesus, but I want you to stay with me, and see me die trusting my Saviour to the last moment of my life.”

I tried to stay, but I could not. I didn’t have the courage to stand by and watch a true Christian die, rejoicing in the love of Jesus whom I had been taught to deny. So, I hurriedly left.

About twenty minutes later an anxious steward found me and said, “Doctor, Drummer Colson wants to see you again.” “I’ve just seen him,” I answered, “I can’t see him again.” “But, Doctor, he says he must see you before he dies.”

So, I made up my mind to see him, say a few kind words, and let die. However, I was determined that no talk about his Jesus was going to influence me.

His condition had worsened. Asking me to take his hand, he said, “Doctor, I love you because you are Jewish; the best friend I have found in this world was also Jewish.”

I asked him who that was, and he answered, “Jesus the Christ, and I want to introduce you to Him before I die. Will you promise me, Doctor, that what I am about to say to you, you will never forget?”

I promised, and he said, “Five days ago, while you operated on me, I prayed to the Lord to save you.”

His words pierced deep into my heart. I couldn’t understand how, when I was causing him the most intense pain, he could forget all about himself and think only of his Saviour and my spiritual need. All  I could say at the moment was, “Well, my dear boy, you will soon be all right.”

I started to leave, hearing him sing softly, “I’m going home to die no more.”

Twelve minutes later he fell asleep, “safe in the arms of Jesus.”

During the war thousands of soldiers died in our hospitals, but I only attended one burial, that was for Charlie Colson the Union drummer boy. I ordered that he’d be dressed in a new uniform and like the burial for an officer, arranged that his coffin be covered with the flag he nobly served.

His dying words made a deep impression upon me. I remembered thinking how gladly I would have given all I possessed, if I could have felt towards Jesus as he did. But with the continuation of the cruel war and my company with worldly officers, I gradually forgot his prayer and my promise.

After the war and for nearly ten years, I fought against believing in Christ. But God continued to bring faithful and godly people into my life that spoke of Jesus’ love. Finally, the drummer boy’s prayer was answered and I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and Messiah. It did come at a high cost. My family, in-laws and dear mother rejected me. Psalm 27:10, was a great comfort, “When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.”

It was eighteen months after my salvation that the Lord had a special blessing for me. One evening while traveling through Brooklyn, I felt led to attend a prayer meeting in a small local church. It was a meeting when believers testify to the loving-kindness of the Lord. After several had spoken, an elderly lady stood up and said,

“Dear friends, this may be the last time I have a chance to publicly share how good the Lord has been to me. My doctor told me yesterday that my right lung is nearly gone, and my left lung is failing fast, so at best, I only have a short time to be with you. But what is left of me belongs to Jesus. It’s a great joy to know that I shall soon meet my boy with Jesus in heaven. My son was not only a soldier for his country, but also a soldier for Christ. He was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, and was cared for by a Jewish doctor, who amputated his arm and leg. He died five days after the operation. The chaplain of the regiment wrote me a letter, and sent me my boy’s Bible. I was told that in his dying hour, my Charlie sent for that Jewish doctor, and said to him, `Doctor, before I die I wish to tell you that five days ago, while you operated on me, I prayed to the Lord to save you.”
As I heard this lady speak, I just couldn’t sit still! I left my seat, ran across the room, took her hand and said, “God bless you, my dear sister. Your son’s prayer has been heard and answered! I am the Jewish doctor that your Charlie prayed for, and his Saviour is now my Saviour!

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“Having been frequently asked whether all the details of this story are strictly true, I take this opportunity of stating that every incident occurred exactly as related.” Max L. Rossvally

Known facts

* Rossvally became a worldwide Evangelist.
* His wife, daughter and son eventually became believers.
* He started a Hebrew Christian Association in NYC.
* He is buried in Lawnswood Cemetery in Leeds, England.
* His story has been translated into many languages.

Shortly after his conversion to God, Dr. Rossvally resigned his commission in the United States Army and opened a Mission for the conversion of his Jewish brethren. He met with much opposition at first, but persevered, and finally had the joy of seeing quite a number –rich and poor, old and young Jews and Jewesses–exclaim, with one of old: “We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, THE CHRIST” (John 1:41).

He afterwards made a prolonged evangelistic tour, and visited many cities in Europe, America, Canada, Germany, and many other lands, preaching the glad tidings of a free and full salvation in his forceful way to large audiences, his ministry being owned of God in leading not a few–Gentiles as well as Jews–out of darkness into light and from the power of Satan unto God.
A few years of happy service, a few months of severe suffering, and M. L. Rossvally was called to the higher service of heaven in October, 1892.

“He being dead yet speaketh,” for several millions of “Charlie Coulson, the Drummer Boy,” and some of his other tracts, have been scattered over America, Britain, India, Australia and New Zealand, France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, and other lands, leading many to “know Him whom to know is life everlasting.”

Surely this true and touching narrative of real life in our own day re-affirms the words of the most noted Jewish convert–Saul of Tarsus–who said: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16).

Notice it is not the Gospel of Christianity or Judaism, the gospel of any church, creed, or party, but the Gospel of Christ, the Gospel concerning the peerless Person of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who died for our sins according to the Scriptures … was buried, and … rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name: that at the Name of JESUS every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

The great question for each of us to consider is, Have I, like the drummer boy and the doctor, as an individual, realized my lost condition as “dead in trespasses and in sins” (Eph. 2:1) and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as my own personal Saviour? And do I know that “God for Christ’s sake has pardoned my sins?” If not, why not, like Jew and Gentile recorded herein, put the matter to the test? “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and you will be able to say, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Zephaniah 1:7-12

What we are learning from the Book of Zephaniah is that there is another aspect of God’s Love that few wish to think about: the tougher side of God’s Love for His people. There is time when God will, in a sense, hug and comfort His people, but there is also a time when He needs to discipline and chasten His children.

Hebrews 12:5-11 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: (6) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (7) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (8) But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (9) Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (10) For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (11) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

When God’s children have gone off the narrow path that God has set before us, He will chasten us to direct us back to the path, much the way a shepherd guides his flock of sheep and chases down the wayward sheep that has gone astray. Sometimes, God has to do something more drastic in order to get His people back on track and look at verses 9 and 10 again. God chastens His children to bring them to holiness – God’s Holiness – why? Because they have chosen to follow their own direction and concepts of holiness, so God chastens them to bring them back. The chastening may be painful at first, the chastening may seem to be scary and confusing at first, the chastening may bring sorrow and grief, but the benefits of the chastening will be seen and experienced by the child of God when the chastening is over. Verse 11: Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. The results of the chastening is the peaceable fruit of righteousness. God’s righteousness, when followed by the child of God, brings peace.

Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

God chastens His children because He loves them. I would much rather have God chasten me than to have Him ignore me. A young boy could be outside playing with his trucks and having a great time. He has a dump truck and he is making truck noises when suddenly his father runs up to the young boy and roughly picks him up and runs a short distance, leaving the toys behind. Then the father sets his son down and tells him to never do that again and gives the young boy a swat on his bottom. That does not sound very loving does it? But when you realize that the young boy was playing in the middle of the road and the father had run out to save the boy from an oncoming car, you see that it was very loving of the father. What we saw there was the tough side of love. J. Vernon McGee wrote: Love places the eternal security and permanent welfare of the object of love above any transitory or temporary comfort or present pleasure down here upon earth. Love seeks the best interest of the beloved. That is what the Book of Zephaniah is about: the tough side of God’s Love for His people. Praise God because He always has our best interests at heart!