Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He shows Himself.
- Leonard Ravenhill -
The prophet Malachi brings a message of reconciliation to an embittered nation that is angry with God – disillusioned, disengaged, estranged, and disconnected. As the Old Testament concludes, God gives the promise that he will send Elijah to affect restoration (Mal. 4:6).
Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.
Slipped into the passage is this little phrase:
“… come and smite the earth with a curse.”
It appears to be little more than a footnote. It would be easy to miss this phrase and even easier to miss its meaning. But it is loaded with significance – especially when we understand the meaning of the word “curse.”
“Curse” is derived from the Hebrew word
herem. The basic idea is “the exclusion of an object from the use or abuse of man and its irrevocable surrender to God.” The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “to prohibit, especially to ordinary use.”
The English word “harem,” (derived from
herem) literally refers to “something forbidden” and commonly refers to a secluded house or part of a house allotted to women in a Muslim household. It may also refer to the wives, concubines, female relatives, and servants occupying a harem that are off limits.
In scripture it is commonly used in reference to something marked and “banned for utter destruction, the compulsory dedication of something which impedes or resists God's work, which is considered to be accursed before God.”
The story of Jericho's fall to Israel provides clear examples of the first use. The whole city is called a "devoted thing" (Josh. 6:17), and all Israelites are warned to keep themselves from the "devoted thing," which likely is a reference to items within the city, all of which had to be burned if flammable and if not, given to God.
The spoils of Jericho were devoted to God and not to be touched. When Achan disobeyed and took of these items, Israel's army was defeated by the people of Ai, and God said that Israel had now become a "devoted thing" itself until the "devoted thing" (Achan in his sin) was destroyed from its midst.
So, then, Jericho the heathen city was "devoted" because it stood in the way of God's work through Israel in making conquest of Canaan. Israel became "devoted" because of sin which entered and made the nation unusable in God's work. Achan in his sin became "devoted" because he was the reason for Israel's hindrance as the people of God. From this we can see the severity of “the ban.” Herem was not to be taken lightly. The things devoted to destruction should not be spared and could not be saved. It was not a good idea to be on the wrong side of "the ban."
But the word also conveyed a positive meaning. It sometimes referred to things surrendered and devoted to the Lord for His glory and service, as in:
“But nothing that a man owns and devotes (herem) to the LORD – whether man or animal or family land – may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted (herem) is most holy to the LORD”(Lev. 27:28:).
Whatever is devoted to the Lord, whether man, animal, or property, is considered most holy by God and is therefore not to be sold or redeemed by substituting something else. It was permissible for devoted things to be given to the priests:
“I am to be the only inheritance the priests have. You are to give them no possession in Israel; I will be their possession. They will eat the grain offerings, the sin offerings and the guilt offerings; and everything in Israel devoted (herem) to the LORD will belong to them” (Ezek. 44:28-29).
So, the “ban” … the “curse” … the
herem … referred to something surrendered to God which meant either (1) devoting it to the service of God or; (2) putting it under a ban for utter destruction.
In respect to the objects to be destroyed, they were considered to be offensive to God and injurious to his work. But objects to be set apart because they were holy, useful, and pleasing to Him were protected by “the ban.” Thus,
herem conveys a dual purpose and destiny for devoted things – devoted either for destruction or protection.
So what does this have to do with the current economic crisis and its aftermath?
As the Holy Spirit has dealt with me from scripture and this passage in particular, I believe the concept of “devoted things” is in the middle of God’s activity in the current crisis. Some things have been devoted for destruction; others have been devoted for protection.
I believe there are many things in our culture/society that have come under “the ban” – things devoted to destruction. This does not necessarily imply something as dramatic as fire falling from heaven to consume Sodom. It simply means that existing structures, systems, programs, lifestyles, and long-established routines will undergo drastic changes as God brings down the pride and arrogance of our nation. I can only speak of this in general terms; the specifics will soon unfold. American lifestyles are already changing; soon they will change radically.
I also believe there are many things in the church that under
herem – things devoted to destruction. In the words of Ravenhill, "God is sick and tired of being misrepresented" and He is about to bring down man-made religious structures, methods, systems, policies, protocols, agendas, and the like. Many of our familiar religious “landmarks” are about to be removed and we will soon have trouble recognizing what we use to call “church.”
The church is about to undergo an extreme makeover!
At this point, it is necessary to re-visit two important points previously made, but perhaps overlooked. The first is this: “Jericho the heathen city was ‘devoted’ because
it stood in the way of God's work.”
Obstructions to God’s work outside the church may be easy to recognize, but many of the spiritual impediments within the church go undetected because they appear to be spiritual and long ago we confused brass shields for gold and can no longer discern the difference.
We have grown so accustomed to our “broken cisterns” and the ministry models we have canonized that we fail to perceive that many of the things we think are essential to God’s work are actually in God's way. What we see as an asset God may see as a liability; what we regard as “blessings” may actually be “accursed.”
Others continue to exist, not because they are undetected, but because they are “protected” – our sacred cows, pet programs, and old wineskins that we defend with religious fervor and refuse to release. In our misguided zeal, we may find ourselves praying for God to preserve things He intends to destroy.
But those things that we have tried to protect are no longer protected. They are devoted to destruction – all that stands in the way of God’s work – and there is nothing that can save them. They are irrevocably surrendered to God.
The second point to remember is this: “it is commonly used in reference to something marked and banned for utter destruction,
the compulsory dedication of something which impedes or resists God's work.”
“Compulsory dedication” … by compulsion, not by choice. Mandated, not optional. Imperative, not discretionary.
Commenting on Malachi 4:6, Old Testament scholar Walter Kaiser says that
herem is “the opposite concept of voluntary dedication. It implies that if men do not turn to Him, He will come and take by force what belongs to Him. It is, in effect, a final call to repentance."
In the choosing of “devoted things” and the consequences that follow, the prerogative belongs exclusively to God. He will not ask for our permission or require our approval. He will not submit His plan to a review board or ask that it be included on our agenda. He will carry out His determined purposes over our objections and complaints.
Revival is when God gets so sick and tired of being misrepresented that He shows Himself.
The extreme makeover will include things that we would never agree to if the choice was ours. The coming adjustments will be made because we have to, not because we want to. We will be forced to make radical adjustments that will affect most areas of our lives – our sense of community, stewardship of resources, lifestyle choices, and perhaps most importantly, our understanding and approach to ministry.
What this will entail, exactly, is yet to be seen.
But crisis has a way of reducing us to essentials and stripping us of the superficial. Some of my early thoughts include:
Ecclesiastical structures, budgets, polity, systems, strategies, and methods will be radically altered at all levels. How we think and do the work of ministry will undergo major adjustments. Yesterday’s wineskins will not hold today’s wine.
Perhaps the greatest impact will be on church budgets. Financial constraints and considerations will touch just about every area of ministry. Downsizing of salaries and benefits for staff and elimination of some paid positions will be mandatory. Our initial thoughts will be that this is bad – and it will create financial challenges for many – but we may soon learn that many of the things we think are necessary to do ministry are not really required at all.
In the coming days, desperate people who turn to the church will not be looking for the highest steeple and biggest sanctuary in town. They won’t care about smoke and mirrors, choreographed services, or celebrity preachers. They will be seeking God, not dinner and a show. Among the things that are devoted to destruction is the ego-centric, pop gospel, show-business religion that has misrepresented God long enough. The calf of Bethaven is about to topple.
Because we have embraced inauthentic ministry models, church budgets are often stretched in the attempt to finance paid professionals (staff) rather than to equip the saints for the work of ministry. In the future, many churches will not have the financial resources to hire paid staff, and will be forced to realign with biblical ministry models, especially found in Ephesians 4:11ff – equipping the saints for the work of service.
Previously, churches (clergy and parishioners) have vehemently resisted this, resolutely holding on to cultural and traditional views that assign ministry responsibility, especially pastoral care, to full-time clergy. If the church becomes or remains viable this will have to change. Mobilized laity will be a necessity, not an option, and the deeply entrenched cultural/traditional sacred cow of “clergy only” will be slaughtered (sacred cows make great hamburger).
The extreme makeover will cause great anxiety for many and resistance from some. The forced transition away from the familiar, the predictable, and the cherished will be upsetting and painful. Many will yearn for a return to yesterday. Some may attempt to hold on to the past. But trying to protect and preserve what God is determined to destroy is not only risky, it is futile. Kicking against the pricks will only produce bloodied feet.
If this sounds like so much gloom and doom, it is only because we are overlooking the positive aspect of
herem. Remember: while some devoted things are for destruction, others are devoted to protection.
There is another passage near the conclusion of the Old Testament that must not be forgotten:
Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession.
I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not." Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace.
All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire, says the LORD Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. (Mal. 3:16-4:2).
Some things – accursed things that impede the way of the Lord – have been devoted to destruction and
they cannot be saved. But other things – holy things that are precious to God – have been devoted to protection and
cannot be touched. The same power of God that assures the destruction of what God has cursed also guarantees the protection of what He has blessed!
Yes, some things are going to be lost.
But all that is necessary is certain and will not be lost.
In conclusion, God’s message through Malachi is mirrored in the New Testament book of Hebrews:
… but now he has promised, “I will once more shake not only the earth but heaven as well.” The words “once more” plainly show that the created things will be shaken and removed, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain. Let us be thankful, then, because we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please him, with reverence and a (Heb. 12:26-29; Today’s English Version).
The beginning of this journey is terrifying because we cannot see the final destination – only the bewildering, frightening path before us. We are so focused on what is being lost that we cannot see what is being built. Rest assured, God will not destroy anything that should be protected, nor will He protect anything that should be destroyed. All that will be lost are things we can’t keep.
When all that can be shaken is removed and only that which cannot be shaken remains, we will look back and wonder why we were ever afraid.
Christians frequently talk about "total commitment." Ever wonder why we find it necessary to add the word "total"? Is there such a thing as "partial" commitment? I think not. If it's partial it isn't commitment, and if it's commitment it can't be less than total.
The Sovereign LORD never does anything without revealing his plan to his servants ... 
