The Breach and The Paths

The nation of Judah and the city of Jeruselam were conquered and carried into Babylonian captivity in 606 BC because they failed to keep their covenant with God. There were many reasons for the judgment that came upon the people of God, they were involved in all kinds of idolatry and immorality. However, the breach between Israel and God began long before open sin found its way into their lifestyle. II Chronicles 36:21 points back to the foundation of the judgment when it states that the captivity of Judah would last until the land had enjoyed all the Sabbath years that it had missed – seventy years worth of rest for the land.

In order to grasp the significance of that you must understand a little about the Land Sabbath that God instituted in His law. God commanded Israel to let the land rest every seven years. When Israel failed to do that she opened the door to evil, greed, and oppression. The law of the Land Sabbath freed every Israelite from their debts every 7 years and prevented their downward spiral that would lead to destitution. The endless cycle served as a check and balance to keep the rich from taking advantage of the poor. It also enabled those with financial problems to have another chance and eliminated the rich from forming monopolies. It was an ingenious method of governing a nation.

At the end of every 7 Land Sabbaths or every 50 years there was mandated a year of jubilee. In that year ownership of all lands reverted back to their original owners. The price of land was determined in relation to the year of jubilee. Its value was derived from the expected harvest between the time of purchase and the year of jubilee. This promoted a good work ethic and exalted industry. Land was not viewed as mere real estate but was regarded as the source of food, its value was based upon its ability to produce. If Israel had continued in God’s plan then eventually their nation would have known no poverty and every person would have been a productive part of society.

However, they broke God’s law. If you count backwards from the year of captivity, counting 7 years for each of the 70 sabbaths that God declared had to be fulfilled you discover that the breach of God’s law began in the first year of King Saul’s reign. If you will remember the people wanted a king so that they could be like other nations. But, apparently, they wanted a king so they could cast off God’s laws. Saul usurped the land, debts were no longer cancelled and the land was no longer returned to its rightful owners.

Shortly after Saul became king we are introduced to a new problem in Israel, problem they never had before. When David hid in the caves in his effort to escape Saul, just 40 short years after Saul became king, the bible tells us in 1 Samuel 22:2 that the group of 400 men that gathered around him to make him their captain were discontented, distressed and in debt. They were outlaws because of their indebtedness. The whole situation never would have existed under God’s original plan, their debts would have been canceled every 7 years.

The countdown to captivity began when Saul cast off God’s laws creating a breach between God and his chosen people. It culminated 70 Land Sabbaths later when the Babylonians invaded. In the course of that 490 years the Nation of Israel was so transformed and broken down by sin, idolatry, immorality and greed that it was barely recognizable from what it once had been.

The prophecy of Isaiah 58 takes place as the 70 years of judgment is drawing to a close. God is setting the stage for the return of Israel to her beloved promised Land. Ezra is on the scene, anointed by God, returning to Israel with priests and other Jews with a promise to turn back the hands of time and restore the former glory. God has raised up a Nehemiah and he is following in Ezra’s footsteps returning with pilgrims and a desire to rebuild what had been laid to ruin. God has even given him the favor of a Pagan king that will finance his expedition, underwriting the whole thing at his own expense. And Isaiah has found his prophetic voice and begins to prophecy that about the restoration of Israel. There’s a certain feeling in the air, it is evident to all that revival is immanent. God is getting ready to restore what the canker worm has eaten, to return the years that have been stolen from the people of God. Restoration and healing are coming to the people of God.

Isaiah 58 reveals dramatically the keys to this process. He admonishes the people of God to seek the Lord, to cry out to him and not to forsake his commandments. Remember, they got into this situation because they ignored God’s commandments. So Isaiah stresses how important it is to ask the Lord to show them the right way, to delight in approaching the Lord. To seek his face and find his favor. Then he begins to pronounce blessings upon them. They are going to shine. They will grow in strength. The Lord will return to them. He will restore his glory and majesty and he will prosper them in all that they do. In the curse of his prophecy, Isaiah bestows upon them two titles. They shall be called the repairer of the breach and the restorer of the paths. (Isaiah 58:12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of the paths to dwell in.)

Today, you and I live in a world that has cast off the laws of God and is reaping the results of that. We live in a world that is held captive by sin, immorality, idolatry and greed. Many years ago the laws of God were usurped and today the world is reaping the effect of the breach that exists between man and God. As the church we have a kindred calling to that of Nehemiah and Ezra. God has determined in us to restore his glory and his majesty in this present world. God has chosen us to be light in the darkness, and he desires to crown us with his glory and majesty. I believe that, in the year 2010, we find ourselves in much the same atmosphere as the one that Isaiah prophesied in. There’s a certain feeling in the air, it is evident to all that revival is immanent. God is getting ready to restore what the canker worm has eaten, he’s getting ready to return his glory to the church. He’s getting ready to turn lose a revival the likes of which we have only dreamed. Those people that followed Nehemiah back to Jerusalem were embracing a land they had never known, they were putting their hopes into a dream that they had never experienced for themselves. They lacked the wealth, they lacked the prosperity, they probably lacked even in the skill but they determined to build a city and a tabernacle that would be worthy of the glory of God. And that humble temple that they built would be crowned with a glory like none before it, because it would be the temple that would see God manifest in the flesh walking through its doors.

God’s calling the church of this generation to go to a place we’ve never been. To embrace a dream that we’ve never experienced. We’ve heard about old time revival, we’ve celebrated the stories of brush arbors and moves of God that transformed entire regions and impacted whole cities. I believe that God is calling you and I to commit ourselves to a move of God that will far outshine anything God has done before. Sure, times are different. Sure, the it’s a different generation. Sure we are up against a different mindset and culture. But god is still God and my bible still says that the latter shall be greater than the former. God can, and God will build a church in this last day that will tower far above anything he has ever done before.

In light of that I want to take a short look at the two titles that are characteristic of the people that God will use in this endeavor.

Repair The Breach
First they will be repairers of the breach. A breach is the perfect definition of the condition that exists between humanity and God. It speaks of a rupture, a gap, a broken relationship. We live in a world that is separated from the mercy of god and the grace of God by a breach. It’s a breach that results from breaking God’s law. It’s a breach that results from discarding God’s commandments. And it permeates every aspect of life in this world.

You and I, if we are going to see the revival that God has reserved for us, must embrace the role that he has given us. We are the repairers of the breach. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Its our job to stand in the gap between lost people and heaven and bring them together! We are called to make up the hedge.


The Bible is filled with examples of people that fulfilled this calling. The most striking example is Abraham who stood between God and Sodom, pleading not just for the life of his nephew but for the lives of a whole region that steeped in sin and immorality. Abraham cared enough to stand in the gap, even though he knew how thoroughly wicked Sodom was. Moses also stepped in when God was angry, standing in the gap in the most literal sense : offering his own life for that of his nation. What this world needs is more men and women of God who are willing to lay their lives aside in order to see a lost people saved! This is what it means to be a repairer of the breach. Somebody that is willing to set aside your selfish pursuits and pour out your life that someone else might be saved. God is looking for that kind of person in this generation:

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, 
and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; 
but I found no one. Ezk 22:30

So often we question why revival tarries. Many times the answer lies in us. Before the Glory of the Lord would be renewed in Jerusalem, somebody had to step up and become the repairer of the breach! God is looking for a man that will make up the wall, that will stand in the gap. God is looking for a Lady that bridge the breach that exists between this world and God! Ezekiel portrays a God that is reluctant to judge, but has no choice since he can find no intercessor. I believe it breaks God’s heart every time a soul slips into eternity lost. God will judge, because he is just. But I believe mercy weeps when God looks for a man to make up the hedge and fails to find one before its too late!

We have a calling. We are the repairers of the breach! Its our job to stand in the gap, to make up the wall, to connect people to God! I want to challenge you to renew yourself in the role of repairer of the breach.

Restore the Paths
The second thing that Isaiah calls the generation that will see this great revival is the restorer of paths to dwell in. At first glance it would appear that God wants them to restore paths so folks can live in the paths. But the intention of the original language was not paths that became dwellings but rather paths that led to dwellings. The paths that were to be restored were the paths that would lead them to dwelling in the land. They were the paths by which they would obtain the revival that God had promised. They were old paths, they were neglected paths, they were the once well-traveled roads home. But years of neglect have caused them to fall into disrepair. Isaiah prophesies that the generation that will experience the restoration of God’s glory will be a generation that will restore those old paths.

If we are going to see the revival that God longs to give us, it will be because we restore some old paths. The same roads that led to revival before are still the only way to get there today. They are roads that are paved with sacrifice. They are the old paths of prayer and fasting. They are the old paths of becoming students of the word. They are the old paths of denying the flesh and taking up the cross. As much as the world changes, some things will always remain the same. The roads that lead to revival are still the same today as they always were.

If we are going to see the move of God that He longs to give us, we will have to make a conscious effort to get back to the old paths. We need to restore things like the Word and Worship. We need to restore paths like Righteousness and Anointing. You can’t sidestep them if you hope to see revival. We need to be diligent to restore the paths of Prayer and Fasting. These are the old paths that must be restored. Paths like Godliness and Sacrifice are still the only roads that lead to a move of God.

If we are to fulfill our role as repairers of the breach then we must embrace the role of restorers of the paths.

I truly believe that God has prepared us for such a time as this. Just as he raised up Ezra. Just as he called out Nehemiah. I believe that God has positioned us. If we will repair the breach and restore the paths, God will move.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Worth and Waste

Yesterday was the Sunday before Easter and on this week, some 2,000 years ago, the Easter story unfolded. If you were to follow a chronological timeline of events you would discover that this past Saturday night was the night that Jesus sat with his friends at a feast in the home of one Simon who had once been a leper before he met Jesus. What unfolded at that feast was one of the most talked about events in the life of Jesus. The fame of that special act of worship was declared by Jesus to be as unforgettable as the gospel, in that everywhere the gospel was preached, that story would be told too.

It was an incredible event but it was not a unique occurrence. What happened that night in Simon's house was a reenactment of sorts of something that happened much earlier in the life of Jesus at the home of a Pharisee in Galilee. On that occasion a forgiven prostitute, out of the overflow of a grateful heart, brought her most valuable treasure, her life’s savings in the form of a precious ointment in an alabaster box. In an act of unselfish love she fell upon the feet of the master and as she kissed them without ceasing, she poured the precious perfume upon the feet of Jesus, washing them with her tears and her hair. The self-righteous Pharisees at that dinner sought to condemn Jesus because of the manner of woman that she was. But Jesus reminded them that, because she had been forgiven much, she loved him much in return. And her offering was not extravagant but was simply the product of an overflowing heart!

Mary was a close follower and friend of Jesus and, no doubt, she knew of this incident. She had heard the story and marveled at the pure unadulterated worship that drove that nameless woman to pour her love upon Jesus. Mary was a worshiper herself; she was the one that was scolded by her sister, Martha, for sitting at the feet of Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, we know from that narrative that she hung on his every word. She listened to what he said as if his words were, indeed, the words of life itself.

Lately the words of Jesus had changed somewhat in tone. Many times they had heard him say, when threatened, that his time had not yet come. But now, as this final week of his life was upon them, Jesus was doing everything he could to warn his followers that the time was at hand. Now he was saying things like. “My time has come.” But no one was listening. No one was getting it. No one, that is, except for Mary. Mary heard him and Mary understood, what perhaps no one else understood. She realized that something pivotal was about to take place. She sensed the subtle change in the things Jesus was saying and how he was saying them. It is doubtful that she recognized that his death was so near, it is doubtful that she fully understood just what he meant, but it is certain that she felt motivated to lavish upon Jesus some profound display of worship in this critical hour.

So she drew from whatever resources she had. She robbed her penny bank, cashed in her savings, scraped together all her extra money and purchased the costliest fragrance she could afford. Both John and Mark record that the ointment was worth 300 Denari – about a years wages. It was encased in an alabaster box, just like on the previous occasion, and the box itself was quite expensive. When Mary came into the room that night, the Saturday evening before the crucifixion, she had in her hands the very most expensive gift that she could afford. It was everything she had and it cost her very dearly to obtain it. But she had only one thing on her mind. In the midst of the increasing tension, in the face of the upcoming Passover, with a sense of urgency to the hour, she wanted nothing less than to make an undeniable statement of worship and praise. Mark says she broke the alabaster box, which further increased the value of the offering. With tears of worship and adoration she started with his head and proceeded to anoint his feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. She was a woman driven by worship, her heart was filled with gratitude, and the fragrance of her praise filled that room.

Her sense of the value of Jesus, told her that the sacrifice of ointment wasn’t enough. He was worth so much more than that, but that was all she could afford. His worth to her dictated that, not only would she anoint him with the oil, but she would sacrifice the alabaster box as well! His worth to her is what was on display that evening; His value to her. She was saying, in her worship, Jesus you are worth so much more than this to me. You are priceless beyond comparison; your worth knows no measure. This is the best that I have to offer and I’m bringing you my very best, but my tears declare the fact that I know that even my best isn’t good enough! You deserve this many times over. You are worth this and so much more! This was the greatest display of worship that Mary had ever seen and she wanted to emulate it that night. It wasn’t about eclipsing what had previously happened. Rather, it was about saying from her heart, you are worth that much to me... I want to be a part of that kind of praise. I want to render to you that kind of worship.

It was a beautiful scene. But, in the midst of such an incredible display of worship, that was the place that Judas weighed worth against waste. At the same time that Mary was declaring the worth of Jesus, Judas was lamenting the waste. She was enthralled with the worth of the word made flesh. He was angry over the waste of such a precious ointment. Where Mary saw worth, Judas saw waste! John’s account lets us know that Judas was the ringleader in the effort to discredit Mary’s offering. But John also informs us that Judas’ motivation was less than noble. John tells us in John 12:6 that Judas didn’t care for the poor but, rather, he was a thief. He kept the moneybox, he was the treasurer for the disciples and, unknown to anyone (except Jesus), he had made a habit of stealing from what went in the moneybox. Because of that, what Mary, and millions of bible readers since, have seen as the ultimate statement of the worth of Jesus, Judas saw as a lost opportunity for personal financial gain. If the gift had been given to him in order to sell it and distribute it to the poor. He would have been able to pilfer a large sum of money from the exchange. His anger at the display of worship was rooted in his deep sense of greed.

However, at the time, he was one of the twelve and they all trusted their friend Judas. He began to stir the disciples to anger, saying, “What a waste!” What a way to squander such a valuable resource. Eventually this bitter reproach found its way into a sharp rebuke aimed at Mary. But Jesus stepped in. He quickly let them know that Mary wasn’t being wasteful at all. Mary was right in the center of the divine will of God. Mary didn’t fully realize it yet, and the disciples hadn’t come to understand it yet, but the death of Jesus was at hand. And, since he wouldn’t be in the ground quite long enough for the traditional means of anointing the dead, it was needful that his body be anointed while he was yet alive! God used Mary, due to her sensitive spirit and her willingness to express the worth of Jesus in her life, in an incredibly significant gesture. Jesus said, “She has anointed my body for my burial!” She didn’t even know that was what she was doing. But the one thing she did know was that He was worth more than anything she could ever do for Him.

If you read the book of Matthew, this story is told out of context. Matthew doesn’t tell it in the chronological manner that Mark and John do. He, in the context of Jesus’ final night with his disciples, inserts this story into the narrative just before Judas goes to the High Priest and offers to sell Jesus. It seems as if Matthew is telling us that this incident was what motivated Judas, it was the thing that opened his heart’s door for Satan to come in and use him. It was the greed. He was consumed with the material wealth. He couldn’t see the worth for the waste! He couldn’t see the worship because he was to busy morning the loss of the perfume. In the face of incredible worship, in the presence of declaration of unparalleled worth, Judas could only shake his head and mutter, “What a waste!

Perhaps it was this act and the Lord’s approval of it that made Judas willing to betray the Lord. From this scene Matthew returns to the narrative and tells us that Judas went to the chief priests and offered to betray Jesus. Talking about worth and waste: Judas agrees to sell Jesus for the paltry sum of thirty silver coins. Thirty pieces of silver was the sum due as compensation to an owner for the loss of a slave. It was worth only about a third of what Mary’s ointment alone had been worth! Oh what a waste! Jesus, the healer, the teacher, the savior of the world and the precious lamb of God was sold for the price of a slave!

It is highly doubtful that the money alone is what induced Judas to sell Jesus. But it seems abundantly evident from the way that Matthew chooses to tell the story that something transpired in Judas’ heart when he ascribed a value to Jesus and determined that he wasn’t worth the sacrifice being offered to him. I doubt that, at that time, he valued Jesus as low as the slave’s ransom that he would eventually sell him for. But the truth is that he made his great mistake when he exalted something -- anything -- over the value of Jesus in his life. That’s when he turned worth into waste.

Today, that’s a trap that we should all endeavor to keep from falling in. Because, before people lose out with God they first reach the place that they weigh worth against waste. They first come to the conclusion that something in this life is more precious to them than Jesus. I want you to know tonight that you are walking in a dangerous place when you begin to look longingly upon the things that you have to given up in order to be a part of the church. When you begin to look at the cost of your praise and the price of your devotion with regret you are walking the same dangerous path that Judas walked.


I have a simple question for you: What is Jesus worth in your life? How much is too much. Where do you draw the line. Is it asking too much to spend a few minutes each day in reading your bible? Is it asking too much o spend an hour each day in prayer? Is it asking too much to push away your plate and fast one day a week? What is the worth of Jesus in your life? What if he asked you, like the rich young ruler, to sell all you have and give to the poor and come follow him? What if he asked you to swallow your pride in an act of complete worship? What if he asked you to forsake your occupation to serve him? How much is too much?

I don’t ever want to get to the place where anything in my life is worth more to me than my walk with Jesus! I don’t want to ever get to the place where I value anything over my worship. I don’t want to ever get to the place where I set anything about the value of my salvation. My desire this evening is to give the Lord anything he might desire from me. My desire this evening is, like Mary, to pour out my very best for him whether he requires it or not. You understand, nobody asked Mary to make that sacrifice. It came from her heart and lowed from her incredible sense of the worth of Jesus. That’s the way I want to live. I want to pour out my whole life to the glory of Jesus. I want to give everything that I have that he might be glorified.

Judas serves as a warning to all of those that start out with good intentions but let this life capture their heart. Judas started a journey away from God long before that fateful night in Simon’s house. I don’t know exactly where and when he started stealing from the treasury. I only know that somewhere along the way he exalted himself over Jesus. That’s where the true question of worth and waste came into play. Judas valued himself and the desires of his own flesh over his relationship with Jesus. Because of that he wasted his life, his opportunities and even his soul. Perhaps this is why Jesus referred to him in John 17:2 as the son of perdition. That literally means the “son of waste.” This was Jesus’ way of echoing Judas’ words. Oh, what a waste… Oh, what a tragedy. Judas had so much going for him, so many opportunities before him. But he wasted it all because he failed to realize the worth of Jesus in his life!

I can think of no more tragic epitaph for a life than to have it recorded that Jesus said of you, “Oh what a waste!” After all the preaching you have heard, after all the bible studies you’ve partaken of, after all the opportunities you’ve had… Oh, what a waste. What a waste it is to lose out with God. What a waste it is to lose your soul over things in this world that really have no worth.

Don’t let your life be wasted. Recognize the worth of your relationship with God. Recognize the value of God’s will and his desire for your life. Most of all, you need to recognize the value of the gift of salvation that He has given to you. Nothing in this world is worth as much as His presence in your life. Nothing in this world is worth the price that has been paid for your soul.

Perhaps this is what Paul had in mind when he admonished the church in Thessalonica to “walk in a manner worthy of God.” To do anything else would be to waste the precious gift of salvation that God has given you. How will your walk with God be characterized? Worthy or wasteful? It’s up to you to make that choice. Why don’t you choose worth over waste?