Chronicles of The Axe
"The Pharisees were OFFENDED when they heard this saying?” But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone.' (1)
The Lord purposely allows rebukes and OFFENCES as an Axe to uproot those who have not been planted by Him. Those who are in the flesh. In sin and disobedience. Like the waters of Noah the Lord brings the flood from time to time like a winnowing fan to clean out His house (2). In order to destroy all that is in the flesh; that is all that is unable to grasp and discern the will of God in purifying, discipling and chastising (3) them through the obedience of His covenant when faced with the AXE. And what is the will of God? For us to surrender, trust and believe as the Lord Jesus did and showed us the example by His sacrifice on the Cross when He faced His crushing. Of course He did it to save us and show us what we should also do when faced with hardship, He suffered not because He deserved but to make Himself a sacrifice showing how we can also be saved when we follow Him. The Axe and flood are for the removing of unrighteousness and in our case we mostly deserve unless we are no longer in the flesh (4) and are being built up a spiritual house (5), an Ark full of His testimony.
Those who are safe in the Ark of salvation; that is looking onto Jesus; faith in Jesus; in His Word; His promises; those who believe in Him will rise above the storm. Those who are outside the Ark; holding onto pride, doubts, malice, grudges, suspicion, hypocrisy and an evil conscience will become shipwrecked (6), defeated and plucked out, blown away by the wind of the winnowing fan, after the BEATING of the threshing floor (2) and the CHOMPING of the Axe.
Essential to threshing was a “threshing floor,” a flat area of hard dirt or rock on which freshly harvested wheat could be piled. Quite a few verses, from Genesis to the New Testament, mention threshing floors, which makes sense because grain was so essential to life. As the oxen or threshing sled went over and over the large pile of harvested wheat, the stalks would be cut up into pieces, and the heads of grain knocked off the stalk and often even separated from the husk. Then the grain was ready to be winnowed. (7)
Moses gives us a brief reference of what happens when we do not cut off the flesh, which in those times was the literal physical flesh of the foreskin through the circumcision. For us today it is the flesh circumcised of our bad behaviours and reactions. The circumcision of the heart cutting off grudges, resentment, malice, suspicion etc if you can name it, you can cut it. So Moses at the beginning of his mission had negligently forgotten to fulfil this duty to his sons, in this case, the foreskin, the flesh, the circumcision. Symbolically, when left unchecked, unattended to; it can even be consequential to death (8). Now death back then is different to the death of today. The death of today is the spiritual death that comes when we keep inside of us this evil conscience of the heart, the foreskin of the heart, pride, malice etc. Without out cutting these things out as of when they appear; like Moses (8) along our journey we may become uprooted and overcome by the flood of OFFENCES, humiliation, chastisement that God allows and even evokes, like the threshing floor; to separate and remove the chaff; the sons of perdition; apostates; the ones who will give up in the end along the PROCESS of time; overcome by darkness.
If You Can Name It; You Can Cut It!
'And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. ' (9)
The flood of darkness is the OFFENCES, the pressure, the chastisement, the humiliation all pressed against us sometimes all at once to test us and to refine us; But to he who overcomes (10). 'For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.' (11)
This description is as though it were describing the building of the Ark itself (12) and that Day the flood. Our Ark of today is built through the Spirit of the Word of God inside of us. We are that Ark, that temple that is being built (5) today to withstand the storms of life and challenges capable of leaving us utterly shipwrecked. The seal and covering of the Ark is the Holy Spirit that keeps us secure when the flood gates rises up against us to overcome us in sorrow and sadness that leads us to give up, in the end... So those who are in the flesh are those who do not heed the direction and the instruction of the guidance that God leaves for us through His Word and through His Church, the Church of the Lord Jesus by His Spirit. So that when we build upon this foundation, when we build up this Ark of understanding His will for our lives, we are able to overcome and endure the pressure. Resting safely upon His Word, upon His Promises and the testimonies that have bore witness throughout time proving what is that good and perfect will of God. Knowing that in the end, our Hope (13) in Him is not for this life but for the ETERNAL life He is preparing for those who love Him.
'Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord ! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! '(14)
This famine and desolation is the crushing of the threshing floor and here we see in Habbakuk when pressed by this horrible circumstance of life and tribulation he did not blow away when lifted up by the winnowing fan of that outcome. That outcome of hopelessness and despair. No Habakkuk was grounded in the God of His salvation so that shame and humiliation produced the good fruit of UNDERSTANDING the will of God; that He is the God of our SALVATION. That He is our EXCEEDINGLY great reward (15). Again tracing back to that faithful promise in the Garden when all hope seemed lost for Adam and Eve and all humanity yet there was a Promise (16) of Salvation and Reconciliation to all mankind. Or even the boldness, Trust and FAITH of Ester in the hand of God to deliver her and her people from the impending doom. Or even the perseverance of Job who like Habbukuk lost everything yet He stood FIRM and understood....
"I know my Redeemer lives and He will stand on the earth at Last." (17)
This is the conclusion of those who are this built up Ark in faith by which means are then able to overcome their flesh when tested and PERSEVERE, believing and trusting in the goodness, faithfulness and even the Righteous Judgement of God(18). The Righteous Judgment of God is what brings the Axe to the root of the tree that does not bear good fruit (19). Yes this Axe is the Judgement of God for those who are not planted by the waters, those who are not built up that spiritual Ark full of the Spirit of God which is the Word of God, receiving and keeping the guidance of the Church. For those who are planted; the Axe is to PRUNE. Even if it cuts all the rotten, dead branches to the stump so that there is nothing left only bare nakedness. Where there is LIFE there is always HOPE. This life is FAITH. Faith in the Word of God, Faith in Jesus continually.
A Living Dog is better than a Dead Lion (20)
'Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.' (21)
But the stump that has NO LIFE; that is it has NO FAITH left after all the chumping over the PROCESS of time. This stump indeed will remain dead and will not sprout again, all that's left is for it to be cast out into the fire.. (22)
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