Our Rebellion Leads to God's Grace.

 (credit to usatoday.com)

Deuteronomy Chapter 10: Moses Rehearses God’s Mercy

Deuteronomy 10:1-22 – Highlights of The Passage and Some Thoughts

When the people rebelled against God, He replied with mercy. He usually does. And Moses doesn’t want the sons of Israel to forget that. This chapter covers God’s mercy shown to Israel. Let’s cover the highlights.

In verses 1-3 we read that God told Moses who had smashed the first two tablets that the Ten Commandments were written on, to prepare another set as well as an ark or case of wood in which to put the tablets in after God wrote on them again. God knows how important these commandments are to life, and this time He didn’t want them broken.

In verse 10, Moses reminds the Israelites how he pleaded that God would not destroy them by staying on the mountain forty days and forty nights during which God listened to his pleas for the Israelites. And He relented and allowed them to go in and possess the land which He had “swore to their fathers to give them.” (vs. 11)

And in the next two verses Moses tells them what God requires of them. They (and we) are to:
-- fear Him (vs. 12)
-- to walk in all His ways
-- to love Him
-- to serve Him (with all their – our – heart and with all their – our – soul
-- to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes (vs. 13) for their – our – good.
Sounds pretty simple to me, but is it?

Now, let’s stop and think for a moment. Can you imagine a God like our God who created us and chose us to His children, NOT requiring anything of us? Honestly, what would be the point, of creating us? And how would we ever feel like His children? God has every right to demand things of us and not doing so, would have made life so much more futile in many ways. At least now, we have an opportunity to please God and serve Him. I’m not saying that doing so buys us salvation for it does not. But it gives us a purpose for living. So, we can say, as Moses does at the end of verse 13, “this is for your [our] good.” Can you believe that? You need to in order to get the full blessing of living for God.

In verses 14 and 15, Moses reminds them God owns everything in the universe, and He could have chosen to set His affection on whoever He wanted, yet He chose them (and you and I).

Our response is to “circumcise the foreskins of our hearts” and stop being a “stiff-necked people” (vs. 16) because God “does not show partiality, nor take a bribe.” (vs. 17) Circumcision of the body was a symbolic physical act representing what God really wanted from us – that of our cutting ourselves away from the desires of the flesh.  But the circumcising of our heart was what God wants of us spiritually.  In verse 18, Moses elaborates on that by declaring that God shows His justice by taking care of widows and orphans, and His love, by giving aliens food and clothing. And Moses advises that we do likewise, for we were once aliens – the Israelites in Egypt, and we in our sin. Both of us under slavery. (vs. 19)

And the last two verses of the chapter are most interesting. In verse 21, he says God is our praise. David Guzik says God is first and foremost the object of our praise. Secondly, “He is also the One who makes us praiseworthy. Any wisdom, beauty, or skill we show is not to our praise – but He is your praise.”

In verse 22, he reminds them that they started off with 70 people heading to Egypt and now they already were “as numerous as the stars of heaven.” What more do you want?

Wrap-up

This is a very complete chapter. 1) They (you and I) rebelled. 2) God showed great mercy. 3) Here’s what they (you and I) need to do. 4) And it’s good for them (us). It’s that simple, well, all except point 3.  So, let’s repeat it in detail.  Our job is to:

-- fear Him (vs. 12)
-- to walk in all His ways
-- to love Him
-- to serve Him (with all their – our – heart and with all their – our – soul
-- to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes (vs. 13) for their – our – good.

We could spend hours and pages on each one of these points.  We won’t because I know you get the point. The rewards of obedience in these five points are eternal starting right here and now.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Dealing with our enemies and God's enemies. Is there a difference?

Deuteronomy Chapter 7: The Command to Conquer Canaan

Deuteronomy 7:1-26 – Highlights of The Passage and Some Thoughts

In verses 1-2, Moses identifies all the seven nations that God will clear out of the way and have the Israelites destroy them as they take over the promised land to possess it. He points out that they are all “greater and stronger” than Israel. The sons of Israel were to make no peace deal or covenant with them, nor show them any favor.

These were the enemies of God. As Christians, we have to justify that approach with Jesus’ command to “love your enemies”. How do we do that? Is it possible to think of ‘enemies’ in two different ways?  First, nations that are ‘anti-God’ in every respect as in the case of the seven nations that Israel defeated. Second, our own personal ‘enemies’ – the mean neighbor next door, the terrible boss at work, the person who broke into our house and shot our loved one, etc. There may be other ways to do this, and if so, please share them with us.

More specifically, how do we do it now that we no longer have further written words from God after the writing of the book of Revelation in the first century A.D.?

In verse 3, the Israelites are told not to allow any intermarrying between themselves and God’s enemies, lest doing so would cause them to eventually serve other gods (verse 4). Instead, God wants the Israelites to destroy every aspect of the heathen religions that they find standing (verse 5).

Verses 6-11 relate some very key aspects of God. God had chosen Israel to be a holy people for His own possession out of all the nations on the earth. One often wonders why God would do that – not chose Israel so much but choose any nation as His own. Why not treat us all alike? I can think of two reasons: First, God knew, that in time, He would need to send the world a Savior and that Savior had to come from some lineage. He used Israel. Second, God wanted to show all mankind what a Father-child relationship should be like – and He chose Israel as His child (His children) for that purpose. With them, given their disobedience, He could show His ultimate love. Perhaps you can think of other reasons more valid. If so, please share them with us.

Chuck Smith has an interesting take on this:

Now some people get upset about the fact that God chooses but you really shouldn't. God has every right to choose who He wants to associate with even as you have the right to choose who you want to associate with. Why should I deny God the rights that I want for myself? There are some people I don't choose to associate with at all. Not that I'm snobbish or anything else but their lifestyles are so diverse from mine; there's nothing that we could share in common. I really choose not to have any fellowship, close fellowship, with people who smoke cigars. I can't stand the smell. Now I have that right to choose not to get in a car and be polluted. And God has a right to choose who he wants to associate with. That doesn't bother me at all. It thrills me to think that He chose me, that He chose to associate with me. That is what really excites me. You say, "But that isn't fair if God chooses not to associate with some people".

I don't know if it's fair or not but that's the right that God has and He has exercised that right. And who are you to challenge the fairness of God? You say but, "He may not have chosen me". "Oh, how do you know?" "Well, I'm not a Christian." "Well, why aren't you a Christian?" "I don't know. I've never seen a need to be one." "Well, do you want to be a Christian?" "No."

And I add, “Well, maybe that’s why He didn’t choose you.”

In verse 7, Moses reminds Israel that they weren’t chosen for their strength and numbers – in fact, they were the weakest and the smallest. But rather because He loved them and kept His promise to their forefathers (vs. 8). That’s why He brought them out of slavery and Egypt. And that should tell the Israelites that God is faithful, keeps His words and covenants, and shows His lovingkindness – now get this – to a 1,000^th generation – with “those that love Him and keep His commandments”. How great is that! Makes us want to count up all the generations since He made that covenant with Abraham to see if we’re all still okay. We are. But the condition is still there – to “those that love Him and obey His laws”.

But look at what happens to others. In verse 10, we are told “God repays those who hate Him to their faces” and He won’t delay it. We could well ask about the meaning of “to their faces” and we could well debate about His not delaying. Certainly, God will not be “slack” with His enemies. He will deal with them in His own good time. And verse 11, Moses sees that this knowledge should be enough to cause the children of Israel to keep God’s Laws.

Then all the blessings for doing so are listed in verse 13 – the Israelites will grow in number, they will bear children, but they will also be successful in their farming and ranching. But there’s more. In verse 14, we are told they will be blessed “above all peoples”. And here comes the closer I had never noticed before – “there shall be no male or female barren among you or among your cattle”.  Now, that’s big. I tried to look up some infertility rates by country – they are not to be found. If you do, please let me know. I do not think that we should be thinking here that not a single woman (or man) would be infertile in Israel ever.  That’s not what God was saying. He was assuring them that overall, they would grow in their numbers and find joy in reproducing offspring. And I believe that is still the case for many Jews today. And the same was to be true for illnesses among the Israelites as described in verse 15.

[Why do I believe that is what these verses mean and that they are not to be taken literally – meaning every single man and woman, and every cattle; or that no one would ever have an illness? Well, I look at the style of the writing elsewhere. For example, we read that these enemies being discussed here were to be “utterly and totally destroyed”. Well, if that is the case, then there would be no need for God to warn the Israelites about intermarrying with them as He does through Moses. But rather, some women, some men, would be saved and not utterly destroyed in the military takeover. Do see what I mean about how we are to consider Moses’ account of God’s message to us through him?]

In verse 17 onwards, Moses cautions them against doubting what God can do, and what they could do with God. There is to be no fear because of what God had done, was doing, and would still do for them. And in verse 21, we have these words, “You shall not dread them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.”

Verse 22 talks about God doing all this for the Israelites on His own schedule and in this case, not all at once, but little by little, so that the wild beasts left wouldn’t overtake the Israelites. Robert Jamieson has this to say on that:

“The omnipotence of their Almighty Ruler could have given them possession of the promised land at once. But, the unburied corpses of the enemy and the portions of the country that might have been left desolate for a while, would have drawn an influx of dangerous beasts. This evil would be prevented by a progressive conquest and by the use of ordinary means, which God would bless.”

And in the last few verses of the chapter, they are reminded to get rid of everything that smacks of their heathen idolatrous religions and to be sure nothing of the sort is brought into their own homes. Do you get the idea that God’s anger with these nations was their heathen worship? I do. And I think that’s what is happening today around the world – so much worship of anyone and anything other than the real and only God Almighty. That’s true of major religions, national religions, the non-religious, and even individuals.

Wrap-up

This passage again focuses on the need to obey God’s Laws, to believe in His power and might, and to work with His schedule, not ours. It also assures of His faithfulness forever (‘1,000 generations’ is the phrase used). But we have to do our part – obey His laws. Even as Christians, we know that there are consequences to breaking God’s laws just as there are consequences to breaking civil laws. You run a red light or speed excessively, there’s a penalty or a consequence, if you get caught. Similarly, sin against God – idolatry, adultery, and so on – guess what, there’s a consequence because you are automatically caught.  God doesn’t ride around in police cruisers or need surveillance cameras or lie detector machines to convict you of your sin. He knows and you know. And while you may not lose your salvation, there is often a social, emotional, or even physical penalty to pay. Many of us know it.

The other key part of this passage for me is an affirmation that we need to stand up and speak out against those among our nation, or in our world, who are true enemies of God. I don’t know exactly what that means for each of us, but I know that we can no longer be silent.  What’s your take?  Please respond to the post you clicked on to read this, or please leave a comment right here below in the comment section.

Till next time, fear not.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

The Great Shema that Jesus quoted to his lawyer friend.

Deuteronomy Chapter 6: The Command to Teach the Law

Deuteronomy 6:1-25 – Highlights of The Passage and Some Thoughts

In verses 1-3, Moses tells the children of Israel that he will share with them the laws that God commanded him to teach them. And again, he gives them the reasons as to why God did this and why they should obey these laws. In particular, God intended these laws to be passed on by parents and grandparents (verse 2).

In this chapter, we have what many call the great Shema or the great commandment. I remember we learned this by heart on our trip to Israel. Verses 4 and 5:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all they soul, and with all they might.”
Jesus quoted this very verse in Matthew chapter 22 when the lawyer asked Him “Which is the greatest commandment?”  Chuck Smith calls this almost the Magna Carta for the Jew. They would say this whenever they got together.

David Guzik points out that these verses clearly show that God wants a complete love from us. Which makes sense given His complete love for us as exhibited in a myriad of ways, not the least of which was through the cross.

Verses 4-9 also make it clear that the community (not just parents) have a responsibility in that regard.  Yes, these are to be taught by family members to their younger members, but verse 7 also says to sons of Israel to talk of these laws “when you walk by the way”. In verse 8, we are told that they are to show others that they follow these laws by signs on their hands and by the frontals on their foreheads. Furthermore, in verse 9, these laws were to be written on the doorposts of their houses and on their gates. All in all, a very public testimony of their adherence to the laws. These little pouches or receptacles were everywhere.

In verses 10-16 he warns the sons of Israel not to forget God and His laws once they take over the cities they did not build, the vineyards they did not plant, etc., because God just gave these to them out of His love for them, and because He is a Jealous God.

The caution was particularly aimed at not forgetting God in their prosperity and plenty as Matthew Henry says in his commentary. And isn’t that when we forget God? We are most likely to do it in our prosperity and plenty. And we return to Him in our time of deepest need. I like the phrase Moses uses at the beginning of verse 12. He says, “then watch yourself”. Wow. That’s what we need to do; we need to watch ourselves and make a special effort not to forget God, especially in our prosperity and times of worldly success.

Furthermore, if His anger were to be kindled, He could wipe the Israelites “off the face of the earth.” And here I thought this is a phrase only used by terrorists and the Iranian leaders, and the Palestinians today who want to eliminate Israel and “wipe her off the face of the earth.”  I guess they stole the idea from God.

Now one would think that if one loved the place he/she lived, all the blessings he/she enjoyed, and all the promises your God was bringing to pass on you, that you would want to make sure you obeyed His rules and laws. This is especially true if you knew He was a Jealous God, that He could easily get angry, and once angry, could wipe you “off the face of the earth”. I mean you would think. You would think you wouldn’t “test” God. You would think.

And in verse 16, Moses reminds them of just that – don’t test God.

Now I really think we need to pay attention to verse 19. Moses says in verse 18 that we “do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord,” . . . by (here comes verse 19) “driving out all your enemies from before you,” and adds, “as the Lord has spoken”.

Can we get serious for a moment here? How is it that we Christians are just sitting quietly around these days letting godless politicians, godless terrorists, and godless aliens in our lands just take over things and force us to do what they want, and we even end up apologizing to them for the atrocities they commit against us?  How is that possible? Can some pastor please explain that to me, because I don’t think that this is what God wants for us.

Now I know that we are still studying the Old Testament and Jesus’ teachings are all in the New Testament. I get that. But I don’t believe that God the Father (Who is the same in both Testaments) really changed that much between Malachi and Matthew. I think it is us that are having the trouble of lining up Christ’s teachings with God’s directions to the Israelites. I’d love to hear your perspective.

The rest of the chapter describes Moses’ instructions to the children of Israel with respect to what they should tell their children about the laws that they see all over the place and that they hear about all the time. The bottom line is that these laws are the laws of God Who delivered them from slavery in Egypt and by opening these laws, it will be counted as “righteousness” for them. If our children are not asking us about the laws we are to follow – the commandments of Christ – it is likely because we don’t teach them to them, we don’t display them, and we don’t demonstrate them in our lives.

Wrap-up

Here’s the summary:

1.     Know the laws of God.

2.     Learn the laws of God.

3.     Teach them to your youth.

4.     Display them inside the house and out.

5.     Practice them.

Why?

1.     That you may be blessed as a people.

2.     That you may live long as a family.

3.     That it may be counted unto you as righteousness.

Now how hard is that?

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Moses: "Look guys, it's pretty simple. Know the Law, Obey It, and Live well and long." Israel: "But what if. . . .?"

Deuteronomy Chapter 5: The Commandments, Israel’s Response, God’s Response

Deuteronomy 5:1-33 -- The Passage and Some Thoughts

In verses 1-5, Moses tells the children of Israel about the covenant God had made with them in Horeb. Then verses 6-21 basically repeat in detail each of the commandments.

Beginning in verse 22 and going to verse 27, Moses shares Israel’s response to God’s Covenant Commandments. To me, it was not the response that Moses or God may have expected. It sounded like they had their own concern as Moses tells us in verse 25 that the children of Israel feared that if they heard God’s voice any longer, they would die since no one before them had heard the voice of the living God and lived. And they wanted Moses to see what God had to say about that (vs. 27). In my opinion, they missed the whole point. They missed what God wanted for them and they were more concerned about their fear of dying. I wonder how many times we miss the blessing of God because of our fear of dying. How many times do we fail to see the big picture because we’re more concerned about one little aspect in the corner? It all reminds me of my recruitment days when our company was offering incredible and well-paying jobs to people and all some of them could ask about was whether or not they had to wear a suit, because if they did, it would kill them. (Yes, that was decades ago but you get my point.)

And God responds (through Moses) in verses 28-33. And while God indicates that the people spoke well, He also, as I read it, sees right through them when He said, in verse 29, “Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me, and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them and with their sons forever!”

And then God tells Moses to say to the children of Israel (verse 30): “Return to your tents.” I am confident that God was upset at them. He was angry.  First of all, notice the emphasis He placed on His statement in verse 29 – it ends with an exclamation mark. You don’t see a lot of those in these passages.  Secondly, please note there’s a closing double quotation mark at the end verse 30.

[In fairness to those that are studying this passage with me, I must admit I may be in the minority of those who read the text in this way. Many commentators think that God was actually quite pleased with the Israelites, their response, and the fact that they enquired further of Him through Moses. I just don’t find the words and punctuation support that. I would value your perspective on it.  Just reply with a comment on the site, or to the posting on the social media you may have used to get here.]

He was done with them, and in verse 31, God addresses Moses only. He tells Moses to sit tight, to stand by Him so that God could give him all the commandments so he could teach them to the sons of Israel so that they would keep them in the lands that God gave them.

Then in verses 32-33 Moses again turns to, and instructs, the Israelites, perhaps more emphatically or as a command even, to observe these laws and not waver to the right or to the left of them. He wants them to stay on the course, on the path (the way) that God commanded. And again, the blessing would be life for them, prolonging their days.

Wrap-up

At face value, this is a pretty straight-forward historical account of events that took place between God, Moses, and the children of Israel before the took over the Promised Land on the west side of the Jordan. However, focusing on God as our hero in every passage of Scripture, we see once again His incredible patience with His children. They were worried about getting closer to God and hearing His voice may cause their death. So, He set their minds at ease by simply asking them to learn and follows His commandments and statutes and to teach them to their children and future generations. And doing so meant that “they would live, that things would be well with them, and that their days would be prolonged”.

What amazes me about this whole thing is its simplicity. Here are the rules. Obey. Gain a lot. Nothing complex here.  And so it is with. God is saying to us, “Here is My Son. He died for you. Accept Him as Savior. And live.”  So simple. Yet so hard for many to grasp.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

"Obedience leads to true freedom. . . ." captures the essence of this Old Testament passage.

Leviticus 26:1-13 Basic Requirements, Conditions, and Results of Obedience

Day 28. Celebrating (not sure that’s the right word) 4 weeks of self-isolation, the first two of which were mandatory self-quarantine. Today I had the privilege of teaching the first day of a three-day on-line class to Human Resources personnel in Canada and the U.S. So, my socializing was via Zoom. It was a welcomed relief. My study in Leviticus continues even if later in the day. The stress of family and friends beyond our immediate household continues due to the isolation, the loss of work, etc. But God is still there and He upholds us. Thanks for joining me today and read on.

I do not often quote leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I thought this quote of James E. Faust, a famous Mormon religious leader, lawyer, and politician, well reflected the contents of our passage today:

"Obedience leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth,

the more we become liberated."

The Passage

26 ‘You shall not make for yourselves ^[a]idols, nor shall you set up for yourselves an image or a sacred pillar, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down ^[b]to it; for I am the Lord your God. ² You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the Lord. ³ If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, ⁴ then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. ⁵ Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time. You will thus eat your ^[c]food to the full and live securely in your land. ⁶ I shall also grant peace in the land, so that you may lie down with no one making you tremble. I shall also eliminate harmful beasts from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. ⁷ But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword; ⁸ five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword. ⁹ So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. ¹⁰ You will eat the old supply and clear out the old because of the new. ¹¹ Moreover, I will make My ^[d]dwelling among you, and My soul will not ^[e]reject you. ¹² I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. ¹³ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you would not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

Footnotes:

1. Leviticus 26:1 Or graven images
2. Leviticus 26:1 Lit over
3. Leviticus 26:5 Lit bread
4. Leviticus 26:11 Or tabernacle
5. Leviticus 26:11 Lit abhor

Thoughts on the Passage

David Guzik says that as a literary form, “this chapter is similar to ancient treaties between a king and his people; this is God the King, making a covenant with His people, Israel.

Idols or inanimate objects (pillars, stone, etc.) are out. Robert Jamieson says this about these pillars of stone:

[A pillar of stone] is, an obelisk, inscribed with hieroglyphical and superstitious characters; the former denoting the common and smaller pillars of the Syrians or Canaanites; the latter, pointing to the large and elaborate obelisks which the Egyptians worshipped as guardian divinities, or used as stones of adoration to stimulate religious worship. The Israelites were [urged and warned] to beware of them.

You don’t bow down to anything. You keep the Sabbath and reverence the Sanctuary of God. You walk in His statutes and keep His commandments.  That’s the input.

Here’s the outputs: In verse 4, God promises enough rain to yield corps and fruits. And these will be so good that your whole year will be taken up with the associated activities (verse 5). He also promises that we will have sufficient food and live securely in our land.

In verse 6, God promises peace – the kind of peace that allows us to sleep at night. [Unlike the sleep people had during WWI and WWII – being awakened by sirens when the bombing was about to start.] But not only peace from human enemies, but also peace from wild beasts.

In fact, God says (in verses 7 and 8) that the Israelites, His people, will be able to chase our enemies and conquer them, even if they outnumber us twenty to one, or 100 to one.

But better still, God says (verse 9), He will turn towards the Israelites and make them fruitful with offspring and confirm His covenant with them.

Verse 10 is an interesting verse which states that the Israelites will “eat the old supply and clear it out” because He will keep giving them a new supply. Jamieson puts it another way when he says the Israelites will have so much grain that they won’t be able to exhaust it before the next year’s crop is ready to store – so they’ll have to throw some out. That’s bountiful supply.

And then it gets better in verse 11. God will dwell among them and I love, His “soul will reject” them. Wow. Can you imagine that kind of assurance? That kind of promise? A promise that He will walk with them and be their God and they His people. What more could anyone with any amount of smarts would want?

And why would He do all this if they keep His commandments? Simple: Because He is the Lord their God Who brought them out of slavery, freed them, and broke their chains so they would never be slaves again, but instead they could walk “erect” like free men. You have to love that kind of God. Guzik says this about the verse:

This final blessing speaks of freedom and dignity. This passage almost feels like the New Testament, God proclaims the liberty of His people and then invites them to walk in it.

Chuck Smith points out the things that God promised the Israelites here are the very things men are looking for today – security and peace and growth. Jesus says we can have all these things but not if we seek them, but only if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33).

Matthew Henry points out that in His promises, God covers all of man’s basic needs in one or another. This is amazing. God knows the man He has created and knows our needs. And His promises take care of all we need. From physical protection, to food, to family growth, and to respect or dignity.

And amazingly, even though this chapter is in the Old Testament, the same promises have been applied to God’s children today – through His Son, Jesus Christ.  What a passage this is.  Do the five things God wants us to do, and God will the myriad of things He promises. In business we would call this a “no-brainer”.  But yet so many miss out of the deal of eternity.

So just remember as you wait out this Covid-19 storm, as a Child of His, you are well taken care of. Throw the worry away. Throw the fear away. Today I saw this image on social media and I think it fits well here.

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Fear survives at the expense of Faith in God. Increase your Faith in God as your Provider of all your needs and reclaim your lost peace that your fear has stolen. 

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Overcoming Is A Choice

Dripping In Grace

Author: Kim Chadwell

Publisher:Self-Published under Kim Chadwell Ministries, Inc., Louisville, KY, 2018

“Overcoming Is A Choice”

Yes, I have heard stories about meanness. There was Cinderella, and the mean reindeer that didn’t like Rudolph, the Mean Sisters, etc. – all in fiction. And of course, there’s real life meanness that is a thousand times worse. We hear about them all the time and some of us wonder how man (or woman) can be so cruel to another man (or woman), or worse still, to a child.  No one has yet come up with a satisfying answer – save and except perhaps that there’s a spiritual void in our very being that we haven’t filled appropriately.

With this book, Kim Chadwell, takes her readers into her very difficult experience. I’m sure some will not be able to get through it all – but if you do, it’s well worth it.

From day one, Kim’s life was, let me put it mildly – horrible. The cruelty she experienced as a child is what no child should ever live through.  Sadly, many do not survive. The meanness she had to absorb mentally and physically would leave a grown man in tears. The criticism thrown at her was of the nature that even an accomplished politician could not withstand, causing him/her to resign. And all of these were constant over many years.

Kim’s life was a constantly controlled life – in both big and petty ways. The examples will make you either scream or vomit.  It’s hard to know whether that hurt her the most or if it was the fact that she was constantly told “you don’t deserve” anything? After you’ve heard that time and time again, you begin to believe. And that brings about both emotional and physical loneliness.  And loneliness leads to a desire to commit suicide. She tried.

Several years into her ordeal, Kim was dragged by her ‘parents’ to an appointment she knew nothing about. After the psychologist spent 90 minutes with her ‘parents’, while she waited in the hall without a clue as to what was going on, it was time for her to go in alone. What that psychologist said when he first spoke, changed Kim’s life. You’ll need to read her book to discover what he said and how this started Kim on the road to healing.

In letting us in on her journey, we travel with her to places where those abused because of dysfunctional relationships often get to and unfortunately, often can’t move beyond.  One such place is where the abused gets to the point where, even though there are wonderful pastries to be had, he/she only asks for “crumbs”. Because again, “you don’t deserve anything else” is continually playing over and over in your mind.

And then there is Kim’s vision about Forgiveness with its four pillars – each one playing a critical role in the process. That is worth the price of the book alone. And pastors can easily develop several sermons using Kim’s material.

She did lose me for a few pages when she introduced her “quadratic formula” which somehow ends up equating freedom to forgiveness, but I am sure many of her readers will be able to enlighten me as to how that works after they read the book.

Kim shares with us the feelings (including fear) that she experienced for years and how certain triggers will bring those feelings back. She tells us what it took to make sure that the cycle of abuse would not continue from her to her children. She shares how hard she worked to help her children deal with their mother’s abusers.

The book ends with one incredible scene that I would call the “climax” of it all – bringing together her abused life, her present situation, her children, her faith, and the battle she needed to win.  And amazingly, it’s all real life – not fiction.

Her material throughout is solid.  This is a highly recommended work for those who are abused, those who are abusers, and those who love and minister to either of them.

My favorite quote of the author’s is: “Overcoming is a choice.” Kim made that choice. She overcame.

Ken B. Godevenos, President, Accord Resolutions Services Inc., Toronto, Ontario, December 21, 2018, www.accordconsulting.com

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