29.Feb.2008 The Windows of Heaven
II Kings deals a lot with the life of Elijah and of the lives and history of Israel from which we can learn. A lot of these examples deal with the temple, tithes and money. A lot of times we can over-spiritualize money. I can’t tell you that when you give your tithes and offerings all will be well. We know what God says about money – we bring Him our first and our best. God requires us to trust Him in this realm, believe that He is bigger than our circumstance and believe He will bless you and cause you to overcome despite what you see. We don’t ignore natural circumstances, but there are very clear Biblical principles of how we are to react and act when we are faced with uncertainty – especially with money. This passage deals a lot with this principle.
This story is only one of two places in the Bible where we find the exact phrase “the windows of heaven.” II Kings 6:24 – At this point, the city of Sumaria had suffered under months of seige and famine. The economy was collapsing because the city was out of food and they couldn’t leave the city to grow or harvest more. The people were desperate. Elijah was in the city at the time. The King started to waver in His belief that God was bigger than the circumstances and that he would help them – he starts to blame God down in verse 33. Oftentimes when we are in a pressure situation we see what is really in our hearts. When we are surrounded by circumstances we find out what we are made of. That’s why tests are good for us because they help us to grow. If we aren’t happy with how we respond in a situation, we can identify what we need to improve and start to grow and change. Never be afraid of circumstances. Instead look at them as an opportunity to find out you can bring changes into world and ensure that next time you are confronted with similar circumstances you can react in a different way.
The King’s faith began to fail under this pressure. It also affected his staff, and his adviser in this passage was even more belligerent than him. It is part of our humanity to be shaken and upset by tragedy, but we can’t blame God for the bad things in our lives. God loves us more than we can understand and it is beyond His nature to bring tragedy and calamity into our lives. Even though we are living our lives according to God’s principles and in His kingdom, but things still happen and many of the situations we find ourselves in are a direct result of our decisions or the path we have walked up until that point. Our tendency to blame God is a result of a lack of understanding of who God really is and how He operates. He is good and just. He has given us free will to make our own decisions and even though He is there to guide us He does not prevent us when we decide to follow our own knowledge and deviate from the path He has laid out for us.This is how good He is – even when we make all of these bad decisions and make all of these problems for ourselves, when we get to the ending of trusting in ourselves and striving in our own ability and return to God, He comes back and redeems our situation.
Chapter 7:1 – Elijah prophesies that by noon the next day all will be well, the market will be thriving and the people will be eating. The adviser says that cannot happen, even if God opens the windows of heaven. Elijah tells him that he will see it but will not be able to partake in it. Here we have a bad, seemingly hopeless situation contrasted against what is possible through God. This also shows how quickly things can change with God. But the servant of the King is so angry and his heart is so turned against God that he insights God by saying “That can never happen.” It’s amazing how when we are faced with pressure we tend to loose our faith. It’s easy to have faith when things are good, but you know you have faith when things are bad. Faith is trust. Faith is trusting in what God says and that his promises will come to pass despite our circumstances or what we see around us.
Sometimes our brains can’t comprehend what God is saying to us. Jesus said He who has ears let him hear what the Spirit has to say to him. This hearing is in our Spirit and comes through faith. When we hear God and align ourselves with Him we enable him to move. God does things in ways we don’t understand, because his kingdom does not align with the natural world, and he loves to bring about his plans in a way that confounds us. When we trust that God is bigger than what we see in the natural, we open the door for him to work on our behalf – to open the windows of heaven – and for God’s favor in our lives. People who have favor always seem to be happy and content. Their lives aren’t perfect, but they know they are blessed and do not let natural circumstances affect them. Favor means kingdom blessing. Kingdom blessing brings no sorrow. People with favor allow God to move through their lives instead of worrying about how much they have in their lives.
The Scripture goes on to contrast the King’s behavior with the behavior of those on the opposite end of society. Four lepers were starving at the front gate of the city. They came to a revelation by saying “If we continue to sit here, we are going to die.” They decided to do something radical and go to the enemy camp to ask for food. The worst that could happen is that they would be killed, but they knew that if they continued where they were, they would also die. When you are in a circumstance, you have a choice of whether you are going to sit still and let that circumstance keep dictating and exercising its power over your life or to get up, move and make a change. When we start making moves toward change and taking steps of faith, God gets excited. God doesn’t need much from us – He just needs us to get up and make a move of faith and to see us trusting Him.
Because of the lepers’ action, God did something supernatural. As the lepers crept up, the enemy army heard the sound of 10,000 soldiers approaching. They were gripped with fear and they fled, leaving all of their food, resources and wealth. The lepers not only were fed, but they were able to bring the news of God’s miracle back to the city. The doubtful servant was trampled to death as the people ran from the city to collect the riches from the camp. He saw God move, but was unable to take part in it because of his lack of faith. He was challenged to believe, but couldn’t accept that God could do something so miraculous. When we are faced with difficult situations, we are challenged to believe. What will you do?
John 1: – The windows of blessing – the hinges of blessing swing on the hinges financial integrity and faith. We know what Malachi says, and this story in II Kings emphasizes faith. Windows don’t open by themselves, and if the hinges are broken the window won’t work properly. The hinges are financial integrity – giving, saving and living within my means – and trust – trusting that God is God and that despite what the circumstances say, God can change them. In this scripture, Jesus sees Nathaniel approach, and Jesus said “Here comes an honest man.” Nathaniel says, “How did you know me?” Jesus knew him before he came, and Nathaniel was so blown away that he declared “Teacher, you are the Messiah!” This is the first declaration besides that of John the Baptist. Jesus said “This is only the beginning of what you will see” and said that all would see heaven opened and angels going up and down on the son of man. Jesus introduces the concept of the open heaven. Somehow Jesus saw something on Nathaniel’s life that caused him to believe that Nathaniel had integrity and call him a “true son of Jacob.” This idea of a ladder going up to heaven goes all the way back to Jacob. He saw the heavens open and made a vow to God that he would give him ten percent of everything he had or acquired in the future.
Open heaven seems to be tied to our ability to trust God, give and sacrifice to Him. Financial integrity and faith will bring us into the amazing favor of God – a place where no matter how much I have or what I see, it doesn’t matter to me because I know who God is, I know that he loves me, I am going to keep moving no matter what and my heart is always content. The open heaven is everywhere that I look.
