Chapter 1: Blessed are the Poor, Truly It happened sometime during the conference weekend. Deep waters of compassion began to stir at the revelation planting of His merciful love. Jesus’ anguishing desire to pour out His love upon those who had not yet received Him was revealed in this scripture passage: “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). The conference speaker painted this picture: Jesus, in the midst of teaching, preaching and healing, suddenly stopped and cast His eyes over the crowd. His face was already stained with trails of weeping. Deep within His bowels a fresh wave of the Father’s heart rose up, throwing Jesus to the ground in agonizing cries to the Father. Jesus moved on the ground with compassion, in compassion. Divine compassion violently wept for these poor ones, the ones without a shepherd. “Father, on that hillside I proclaimed Your words: Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Grant these poor ones entrance into the kingdom. Arise, and decree justice to the poor. By Your command, Father, issue vengeance against the oppression that holds them back from You.” At the cross, Jesus answered His own prayer. Six months later, after the seed of His extravagant mercy was planted at the conference, I too find myself moving on the ground, weeping for the poor. I am rich in Christ, but the ones outside the gate are poor, and dying. They are the oppressed ones, the devastated ones, those without eternal hope. His splagchnon (the Greek word for compassion) spills out on the ground through tears of intercession. Our intercession can overflow with this deep inward affection, with His tender mercies, thundering up and out from the inward parts. When our bowels are filled with His splagchnon, the oppressed are set free. The Shepherd arrives and calls to His own to come inside the Gate. Truly, as Jesus the Word proclaims, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 6:3). He died for the poor. Their destiny to possess the kingdom is sealed by His blood. With His blood Jesus wrote the decree that guarantees the King’s eternal riches for the poor. This truth’s finality arms the praying saint with powerful ammunition that can birth many into the kingdom. When He introduced Himself to the Jews, He declared this scripture fulfilled on that day: “…the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Luke 4:18b). Reassuring the imprisoned John the Baptist, Jesus sent the same message: “…the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matthew 11:d). John the Baptist was comforted with these words because the splagchnon of God was also within him. When John heard that the poor were being made rich, he could enter into his rest. Pulling the lost ones out of the world and birthing them into the kingdom is the manifestation of His mission, the bringing of comfort to the kingdom mourners. It is the victory over death, the victory upon the evil one of this world. Jesus always intended to fulfill the splagchnon cry of His heart, the splagchnon cry of the Father’s heart, with the good news of freedom from this world into Him. Jesus spoke these words in anticipation of His immediate intercession in the garden, where His splagchnon was again poured out, in blood-sweat form: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me…Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory…” (John 17:6, 24). The plan was to take the poor ones out of the world and into the riches of Christ, into His glory, into His kingdom: “…Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him” (James 2:5)? In the garden Jesus’ intercessory cries rose to the Father. The Father responded in unity with the Son and “arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth” (Psalm 76:9). Jesus was strengthened with the joy that was set before Him, the joy of knowing that righteous judgments were about to be released upon the earth that would set impoverished captives free. He knew that He was fulfilling His purpose: “For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see…” (John 9:39). He also knew that when lifted up on the cross, the poor in spirit would be drawn to Him, released from their prison-shacks, and established as kings. “Now is the judgment of this world: now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:31, 32). Jesus’ resurrection on the third day judged the ruler of this world and declared him cast out. The verdict of verdicts was handed down to satan, dethroning him forever, irreversible, unable to enter the court of appeals. Speaking to the Present Day Kings Look at the poor of the earth. They are poor, because they have been robbed, held captive in the prison house, feasted upon as prey. Listen to the ones with no intimate knowledge of our Father: “Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment” (Job 19:7). “We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none…” (Isaiah 59:11). They cry over the wrong done to them, yet, “none saith restore” (Isaiah 42:22d). They mourn for justice. They hunger and thirst for justice. They will die without the Judge’s wise verdicts that make wrong things right. Only Judge Jehovah can issue verdicts of life. What kind of judge is our God? For most of us, our immediate image of a judge presents an angry, loud, power-hungry, oppressive ogre. The scene is filled with emotions of hopelessness. And, for most of us, when we think about God as the Judge, our impression is that He sits on His Throne with these frightening characteristics. Where did we get this image? This image opposes what He has said about Himself: “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, [because He is holy and true to His Name] by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children…’” (Exodus 34:6,7). Our God is the God with splagchnon, dirtying Himself with the dust of the earth as He agonized in intercession, both sweating blood and spilling His blood. His victorious splagchnon has made us kings. As kings, once poor, we are at home before our Father’s Throne. With splagchnon words, splagchnon worship, splagchnon cries, splagchnon tears, we can now stand in the gap for the poor in spirit. As kings before the King of Kings, we can stand at the Throne, receive His righteous judgments and carry them to the earth. Kings reign; kings rule. It is our responsibility and inheritance to rule with justice for the poor of the earth. When righteous judgment is released, eternal life reaches the poor. As carriers of God’s mercy and truth, our mouths can speak just decrees that set the captives free. In Proverbs 31:8,9 we are instructed to “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” We are to proclaim that this world’s satanic ruler has no power to hold captives, freeing the poor. When we speak in this way, we are God’s righteous mouthpiece of judgment on earth. They are waiting for the righteous judges to take their place. The Father is waiting. “Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear” (Isaiah 42:23)? Chapter 2: Freedom Keys In the last article about justice, it was said that the poor are those who are without the Lord, the impoverished ones not living in the Kingdom. The poor cannot defend or save themselves. They wait for the manifestation of their freedom. Jesus is their Advocate and Redeemer, the only One worthy to pay their debt. Jesus fulfilled His commission as Savior to them, and dethroned the keeper of the prison. So why are there still so many that appear to be held captive, lying cold and starving in Satan's pit of deception and death? I believe that a freedom key for the poor is hidden in God’s divine justice. If we can search out this matter, we will find ourselves holding one of the lost keys that fit into the prison house door. This key will turn the lock and birth many into the Kingdom. I suspicion that this key resembles a glittering sword, one that molds itself to fit any dying heart. This kind of sword brings life and freedom. Its handle is gripped by truth. In Revelation 3, Jesus reveals Himself as the holder of the key of David that opens and shuts doors. This key binds and looses, opens and closes. “…He who is holy, He who is true. He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it…” (Rev. 3:7,8). The key of David is a key of governmental authority. Through Peter, Jesus established that we, the Church, hold the Kingdom keys. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:18-19). There is a place in our authority in Christ as kings that we have not yet apprehended. In Revelation 5:9,10 the heavenly song of the redeemed trumpets that Jesus our Redeemer was “slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” After fully vesting His power in us, Jesus seated Himself beside the Father. As kings, we are to manifest the kingdom of God and His government. The way is prepared for us to enter the door of His governmental authority, bringing the keys with us. Our mandate is to make disciples. However, most of the Church has not understood and implemented the authority key of David that unlocks the Great Commission within our personal sphere of authority. In the Old Testament we find shadows of our eternal commission as kings. During his earlier ruling years, wise King Solomon depicted the heart of the Father. As a function of his position, he judged matters that came before his throne. He issued verdicts and decrees. He had authority to change the course of events. When he functioned as judge, verdicts were reversed or stayed. Life and death sentences were spoken. Recall the story of the two women claiming parental rights over the same infant. Solomon tested their hearts and found the true mother. In the Lord’s wisdom this earthly king issued a decree that led to truth and life. Because Solomon operated in godly wisdom, his decision corrected what was wrong. Truth prevailed and made right any wrongs. Moses and his leadership were appointed as judges for the people: “And they judged the people at all times; the hard causes they brought to Moses, but they judged every small case themselves” (Ex. 18:26). In Deuteronomy 16:18 the Israelites received these instructions: “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your gates, which the Lord your God gives you, according to your tribes, and they shall judged the people with just judgment.” This judgment wasn’t a condemnation kind of judgment. It wasn’t judgment about bringing death. It was a kind of judgment that led to life. Old testament judges were sent to bring deliverance from the oppressor. To save was the function of the judge. The entire book of Judges relays the historical events of God’s covenant mercy for His people. “Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity for their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them” (Ex. 2:16, 18). Judging authority in the wrong hands becomes tyranny. Satan, the father of lies, would have us believe that he has this kind of authority. But, Jesus said that it is finished. All things have been placed under His feet. The Lord’s kingdom is a government of eternal life, with all of His paths leading to Him as The Life. The prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever” (Is 9:7). In these last days, the throne of David is being restored, and we are all a part of this restored throne. Divine judgment and justice re-establishes this government into its rightful place. What is divine judgment and justice? Judgment is the act of deciding a case, which brings vindication or punishment. Justice is righteousness. All of God’s judgments are just. His justice is wrapped in mercy because that is who He is. He is a God of mercy. Throughout history the Righteous Judge sits on His throne administering grace and mercy to the poor, to the sinners. Our awesome God generously distributes divine justice to the poor and the fatherless. Throughout His Word we find Him speaking to us about this governmental issue:
“Justice and
judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before
thy face” “Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy” (Psalm 82:3).
“He doth execute
judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him
food
“…to judge the
fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress”
(Psalm
“He shall judge the
poor of the people, He shall save the children of the needy, and shall break
in “The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established forever” (Proverbs 29:14). “When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth” (Psalm 76:9).
“But let him
that glorieth glory in this, that He understandeth and knoweth me, that I am
the Lord “Thus saith the Lord: execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppress: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place” (Jer. 22:3). Our God promises that judges, the earthly instruments of justice, will be restored to us. “I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning…” (Is. 1:26). God burns with merciful compassion, desiring for us full manifestation of deliverance from the oppressor. David’s restored house is instructed to fulfill God’s passionate desire for justice: “O house of David, thus saith the Lord, Execute judgment in the morning, deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jer. 21:12). With hearts of mercy and bowels of compassion, let us firmly grasp the governmental keys that establish the Lord’s kingdom in others’ hearts. Let us ask the Father to fulfill in us and through us His truth, justice, and righteousness. “And in mercy the throne will be established; And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness” (Is 16:5). The above is an excerpt from her book entitled “Judgment Wrapped in Mercy,” by Sharon Gonzales ©2003. Contact: sharon@js-now.com
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