Jeremiah conducts a spiritual post-mortem on the ‘Ways of Zion’!
“The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the LORD hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer” Lamentations 1:4-6.
Such shop windows signs are often seen when recession hits the economy and depression sets in.
Such may take place as a result of incompetence on the part of a nation’s political leaders, though I believe that there is always an element of God’s judgement against the sins of His people involved in such downturns!
I read on the day I wrote this, in the book of Ezekiel, the following: “The word of the LORD came again to me, saying, Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD,” Ezekiel 14:12-14.
But God’s judgment against a people who desert His Word and embrace error, despite the repeated warnings the Lord sends them via His prophets, can be more extensive than economic hardship.
Our study verses speak of:
(1) The dreadful decline of true worship and the despair that such caused.
(2) The dominance of the enemy.
(3) The ‘beauty of holiness’ has departed from Zion.
These features still mark a people under God’s judgment and I say that they may be seen here in Ulster today.
WORSHIP TODAY IS NOT WHAT IT ONCE WAS AMONGST US.
“The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness,” verse 4.
1. A spirit of mourning has replaced joy. When David overthrew Goliath and the Philistines, there was great joy amongst the people. “And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick,” 1 Samuel 18:6. That is the first mention of the word ‘joy’ in the Bible.
Likewise, when the men of Israel came to Hebron to make David king, there was joy. “All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking: for their brethren had prepared for them. Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel,” 1 Chronicles 12:38-40.
Later, when Solomon was anointed king, likewise there was great joy. “And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon. And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them,” 1 Kings 1:39-40.
When the Free Presbyterian Church was enjoying victory, its people were rejoicing in ‘the joy of the Lord’ for the strength to enjoy victory in those blessed days was of the Lord. “The joy of the LORD is your strength,” said Nehemiah (8:10).
2. The work and witness of the people of God is dominated by the enemy. The opposite should be the case. Paul said to the Romans. “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen,” Romans 16:20. The purpose of Christ amongst His people was set forth in God’s words to the serpent back in the garden of Eden. “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel,” Genesis 3:15.
There will come the ultimate and eternal ‘bruising’ of the devil, related to us in Revelation 20:10. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
There have been many times in the past when the devil was made to feel the bruising power of Christ. Calvary was the most notable occasion but there have been many other times as well. In mid-1960s, there began a time when the Lord was pleased to subdue the forces of ecumenical darkness in Ulster. There were none to stand before the preaching of the Free Presbyterian Church. But that is not the case today.
Rarely do you hear of a challenging of the ecumenists and the purveyors of lies. Daily our newspapers and media news reports ‘blare out’ the lies of the ecclesiastical and political deceivers and few pulpits are heard to reply.
The recent case of the Westminster Labour Government granting to the Finucane family what no other victim’s family of IRA terrorism has been granted — a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane — is the latest evidence of the government working ‘hand in glove’ with our enemies to our detriment!
See, “Pat Finucane murder inquiry – Labour Party prostrates itself before Sinn Fein, the party of IRA terrorism”
Goliath
It is as it was in the days of Goliath.
“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid,” 1 Samuel 17:4-11.
Change
David’s intervention changed that.
“And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron,” 1 Samuel 17:48-52.
Great David’s Greater Son
That is what happened in those blessed days which began amongst us in the mid-60s! Great David’s Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came down amongst us and it was His presence and grace which gave us courage to chase the enemy as then, as the winning of souls abundantly, the restoration of backsliders and the founding of many new congregations clearly indicated.
But that courage has deserted us. Both politically and ecclesiastically, we are silent before the ‘Goliaths’ of today!
The Philistines of militant, terrorist-supporting Irish Republicanism presently rule over us. Every day sees evidence of this and the SILENCE where once the voice of opposition was heard ringing throughout our Province, is the shameful proof of that sad truth!
Where are the protesters against the inroads of the ethos of the sodomite/LGBT and their associated perverts, into classrooms, hospitals, the police force and the enshrining of it in legislation?
By words and by writings, the Free Presbyterian Church in the past would have waged war against such!
Now
Is that the case now? Do our pulpits declare loudly, unambiguously, boldly and repeatedly, God’s truth on these matters?
Is it explained by ministers that the great latter-day apostasy is actually breaking forth before our very eyes?
Those “perilous times”, warned of by the Lord Jesus, Paul and Peter the apostles, the prophets of old, to name just a few of those who apprised us of the evil of the last days, are seldom preached on today!
Such matters were dealt with in our churches in the 1960s and onward for a period until the present-day spiritual ‘doldrums’ were entered!
There is really no other explanation for the present state of affairs! In the 1960s, student ministers were encouraged to confront and contend with the ecumenical ‘enemy’ and they did both in the pulpit, on the street and with the pen!
Today, we are far removed from such a philosophy!
3. Jeremiah went on to lament the departure of beauty from Zion. The beauty spoken of is that holy worship that sets forth the glory and honour of the Lord and His Word. “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness,” 1 Chronicles 16:29.
That beauty, that comeliness is not amongst us as before.
Evidence of the awareness of that sad truth is seen in the attempt to ‘brighten’ today’s worship by the introduction of ‘modern hymns’ with livelier tunes but inferior words! Attempts are made to make the church services more attractive by permitting casual dress, the casting aside the head covering!
Then again, there are those who would seek to improve the ‘persona’ of the Free Presbyterian Church by fellowshipping with those ministers who are in disobedience to God by remaining in the apostate systems. This they do chiefly for reasons of financial security!
Thus they would alter the perceived image of the protesting, condemning witness of our church, so hated by the ecumenicists and the gutless ‘evangelly fish’ of modern ‘evangelicalism’ and bring it into line with their carnal thinking!
This is man’s notions replacing the teaching of the Word of God, in the vain hope of improving the standing of the church within society!
Rather, than making things better they will make them most definitely worse, for such endeavours offend the Lord and will provoke His wrath against those promoting and accepting such repulsive measures.
These are the things Jeremiah sees as he conducts a spiritual post-mortem, seeking to discover the cause of death in Zion.
May we truly learn from his findings.
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
14th September 2024