Dubious Past
Here is an interesting portion of Scripture that I recently read, and it is actually quite current in some ways, so I share it with you now. Ezra 4:11-16 “This [is] the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, [even] unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time. Be it known unto the king, that the Jews which came up from thee to us are come unto Jerusalem, building the rebellious and the bad city, and have set up the walls [thereof], and joined the foundations. Be it known now unto the king, that, if this city be builded, and the walls set up [again, then] will they not pay toll, tribute, and custom, and [so] thou shalt endamage the revenue of the kings. Now because we have maintenance from [the king’s] palace, and it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour, therefore have we sent and certified the king; That search may be made in the book of the records of thy fathers: so shalt thou find in the book of the records, and know that this city [is] a rebellious city, and hurtful unto kings and provinces, and that they have moved sedition within the same of old time: for which cause was this city destroyed. We certify the king that, if this city be builded [again], and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.”
Let us set the scene; the Babylonian Captivity has only just past, and the King has let God’s people return home from Captivity and they have just started to re-build Jerusalem, enthusiastically the people set to work, and though being few in number, they roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, and then start to achieve. Then the “Locals” decide that they are not too happy with their intrusive return back into the local community, so the locals try to stop the progress the old way, with mocking and pressure to get them to do what they want done, and that is, “To Fail Miserably.” The result of all this insinuation and mocking slander campaign is a failure, so they appeal to “Higher Powers” and send this insinuating letter to the King in Babylon, it appears to be very polite, but there are plenty of well-placed slanderous insinuations. If you read on further, the reply coming back from Babylon to Jerusalem is very plain, and the king declares that we have diligently checked out your past history, your past sins and failings are a certifiable “Fact” so we are going to force you to stop building, and that is to be enforced right now, so down tools immediately. Their past has finally come back home to roost in their hair and then to bite them, and it bit them very hard.
Now, how about you and me? How often do our well-meaning friends, well-meaning associates, and sometimes those in authority over us, who often continually judge and ridicule us for the errors of our “Past?” Sometimes we even fail to remember our own past indiscretions, and fail to then make some new and better choices in our lives, so we keep on repeating our past foolish behaviour, and unfortunately get even deeper into it, over and over again. When we finally awaken to our bad behaviour, and we then make a compete change, have deep repentance, and then start to forge ahead on a new and much better path, how long before along comes some well-meaning person, or a mocker or somebody trying to “Put us Down,” rolls on into our lives, or even into our community, and then the gossip and insinuations start to appear? Some say, “well it is just your past catching up on you,” but a dead and buried “old life” should remain just that, dead and buried and forgotten. We all have a “Past” and none of us would ever want it be dragged back from the Past and propped up as a testimony against us in Public Display, for everyone to see, so let us respect others by not waving their past failings Publicly. Matthew 7:12 “Therefore all things, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Luke 6:31 “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” The Golden Rule, “Treat others just the same way as you would want them to treat you!” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!”
A “True Friend” will always, in kindness and compassion, respectfully point out to you any areas in your life that are “Not Nice” or that “Need Improvement,” so that you can “But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.” {2 Peter 3:18} True Friends will always show kindness and compassion and real genuine empathy, but enemies love to “Throw up your past, right back in your face,” and then proceed to rub salt into your wounds. It now has a new and modern term, and that is of “Bullying” or even “Cyber Bullying,” and there are many suicide deaths from various people who feel that right now, there is absolutely no way anymore, up or out from under this attack, or away from their vast, past mistakes, and there appears to be no clear path through and away from this continual avalanche of “Bad Press.”
Dear Reader; Will you commit right now to “Forgive and to Forget?” To abide by the “Golden Rule,” God freely forgave me, so I will now freely forgive everyone as well, Jesus turned his other cheek and refrained from retaliation to grossly unjust treatment, so will you follow his example?
