Landmark

Hello Beloved Family! It’s Thursday already!

This week, I have the tremendous honor of writing to you all while Pastor Steve is out fulfilling the Great Commission, and I do not take that role lightly. Can you resist the urge to scroll down to see who has signed this letter?

As I was considering what to write to the 49% of you who will actually open this email, I was drawn to a very specific point in scripture that I think illustrates some awesome Kingdom principles.

The book of Hosea is, in general terms, a discussion on some of the tribes of Israel, specifically discussing ones that are not listening to God or following His direction. It is toward the beginning of the book (well, almost the middle…) that there is a description, or explanation, of why two of the tribes are having issues:

“The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark; I will pour out My wrath on them like water. Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked by human precept.”
Hosea 5:10-11 (NKJV)

[Bobby Trail:] This is a great example of the type of verses that I would have just glossed over when I first started reading the Word on my own. “It’s some historical account of people in a desert somewhere, not listening to God, let’s move on the the exciting, Jesus stuff!” That is an incredibly immature way of reading through the Word of God…

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
2 Timothy 3:16

Anywhoozer! Back to the thing!

There are 3 parts that I would like to expound on here in Hosea: landmarks, judgment, and human precept.

Firstly, the princes of Judah are compared to those who remove landmarks, and are warned because of it. Why would this be an issue? A landmark is both something to remember what was done and also something to set boundaries. There are landmarks in the Kingdom, but they don’t look like your everyday rock or metal rod in the ground. Yes, we have specific tools like communion to use to put our focus on what Jesus did, which is something to be done more often than I do, but I would like to focus specifically on our testimonies right now. An often underutilized piece of “weaponry” available to us is the testimony, a reminder of all of the tremendous promises of God that have manifested in our lives. Not only do testimonies help us maintain a lifestyle of praise, but they also encourage others in their faith as they believe for themselves. At the same time, they are a reminder to the enemy. This is where that whole boundary thing comes in. When we praise God for what He has done, and live with thankful hearts, we keep landmarks that define where the Kingdom has taken ground. Our testimonies are great places to point out, whether they are ours or not, to each other and to the enemy that darkness is trespassing in that area: just look at the landmark! When we remove or forget our landmarks, living without praise and thanksgiving or being convinced that our testimony really isn’t “good enough” to share, we might as well post a, “Trespassers Welcome!” sign in our lives.

Secondly, Ephraim is called, “oppressed and broken in judgment.” Contrary to the teachings of compromised-Christianity, judgment is scriptural and necessary. Judgment is not used to put others down nor for personal gain, but to know what is true and what is false. This verse does not say that they were incapable of judgment, but that their judgment was not operating as intended. As with most Kingdom principles, there is the true, Kingdom way to accomplish a task, and there is a twisted, world way to attempt to do the same thing. This warped form of judgment did not happen by accident.

This warped judgment was caused by willingly walking by human precept, the last point I hope to make. It continually surprises me how folks (including myself) can repeat the same action that was done in the garden: looking to experience, the knowledge of good and evil, to develop wisdom. Not only is Ephraim following the laws of man and the wisdom created by the world, but is doing so willingly, meaning that they were aware that they were not following the laws of God and Divine Wisdom, choosing instead to operate from the knowledge of good and evil. Since their source of wisdom came from a warped place, their judgment of good and evil, right and wrong, also became warped. Guard your heart, Beloved, and keep pursuing Truth.

Lately, I have been reminded in my own study time, and while planning for upcoming projects, that what is normal or typical in the world should not be the expectation. What has “always” happened does not HAVE to be what happens now or in the future. So, I would like to encourage you, Beloved, along with myself, to not remove or forget our Kingdom landmarks, but to live expectant of what God can do based on His Word and His Truth. When God is our source, we don’t have to question what is right or wrong, but can judge light from dark without hesitation.

If you have made it this far, I am truly humbled and honored that you took the time to read through what I’ve written here. I hope that this is encouraging to you and has been profitable in your life.

Enjoy the end of this best week yet, and see y’all soon!

– Mitchell Faith