THE DIVINE
MAKEOVER
September 2010 article by
Peter Stevens
In
all that God has planned for His creation, He has intended that by way of
freewill, He will have a people that have been called out. This alludes to the
reason for a makeover. But this is a makeover with a difference; not one that
would show initially any physical change to the naked
eye in the age in which we live in now. For the makeover works its way from the
inside out. This is with good reason - it’s easy to whitewash over the cracks,
but through time they will reappear and further deterioration will take place
until whitewash can no longer hide the harsh reality of what something really
looks like!
In the apostle Paul’s letter to the
Romans He mentions the idea of the [1]
“Potter”, “Vessels unto honour and Vessels unto Dishonour”. The idea of the
Potter and the two different Vessels is making reference to a quote from Isaiah
and Jeremiah. The Potter represents God; the vessels likewise are
representative of men and women. The thing that has been created answers back
to its creator and we are told that it will be destroyed. Israel is also
discussed in this passage and the fact that they have been cut off, to be
grafted back on at a future time. In mentioning this Paul brings to the attention
of the reader that they can be grafted onto the root and be part of God’s plan
and purpose. In this there is also a warning, that those who have been grafted
onto the root can equally be cut off and discarded and destroyed!
Paul continues in Romans making reference to
the Old Testament by quoting the following [2]“vengeance
is mine says the LORD”. Paul then expands further on this subject by saying [3]“heap
coals of fire on his heads”. Many commentators on the Bible have said that Paul
is making reference to what is done to a stubborn ore when it won’t melt. It
was common place for hot coals to be heaped on a metal that wouldn’t melt, so
that the person could melt it down and then work with it and fashion the metal
as required and then be formed in a mould into an ingot. This is a little like how we can change as
people, especially when we observe the example and actions of others. If we allow ourselves to be ‘melted’ and
‘reformed’ by the right message, we will be something
that is fit for a purpose.
I feel that no one but Paul himself
could deliver this message not just because of the wonderful way in which he
could put the words together as a result of inspiration, but because of the
type of person he was and how he himself was converted. He was as it were a
stubborn ore that needed hot coals heaped on his head in order to melt him.
Remember this was a man who persecuted the early believers and was then blinded
so that he could see through the error of his judgement. In this there is a
lesson that we should never give up on anyone, or indeed on ourselves.
But how can these thoughts point forward to the Good
News of God’s coming Kingdom?
Let’s think a little further about
conversion. Like Paul we are all stubborn ores, who are blind to the truth
contained in God’s word and as a result we are both blind and deaf. In[4]
Isaiah it makes mention of these conditions in a physical way, showing that in
God’s Kingdom, the blind will see and the deaf will hear. As well as the
literal, there is a spiritual application. To understand this a little further
we need to look at the words used in Isaiah - going back to the original Hebrew.
When we look up the word ‘blind’ in a Bible concordance and then link the
original word with the Hebrew dictionary at the back we find out the following:
it gives the idea of film over the eyes. So what is the spiritual lesson from
this? In God’s kingdom there will be some who survive the return of the Lord
Jesus and will have their eyes opened, no longer being blind to the truth as
found in the Bible. Further to this when we go through the same exercise with
that of the deaf being able to hear, we find out the following from the
original Hebrew. It refers to the idea of a mould in the ear so as to mould the
understanding of the person. So while there can be no doubt that those who are
deaf at the Lord Jesus’ return will have fully functional hearing, it also
shows a spiritual lesson. As people, we sometimes resist hearing, when it comes
to understanding the word of God. God
who created all things has been working hard.
Likewise, we need to listen hard to his calling. In [5]Acts
it tells us how God at the first called out a people for His name.
As you have been reading this article
the call has gone out all over the World. While it is not said directly, the
evidence is overwhelming that God is working hard to call a people for His name
so He can be made manifest in them. As you read this the call is being made to
you. The decision is yours; will you melt so God can form you as He wants?
There will come a day when we cannot be
healed from our short comings. That day I believe to be at hand. In that day God will have his vengeance on
those who refuse to be for His name. But...and there is a comforting but... It
is not for us to decide the day. It is
not for us to judge. I’m sure in that day there will be some surprises at the
judgements that take place. Let’s remember we cannot see the heart and intent
of others and that is maybe a good thing. So the decision is ours. Will we
allow God to melt us and form us as He requires us to be?