Drawing Near The Oracle

ISBN 981-05-3527-4

162 pages
Published 2005
By Rev Jedidiah Tham

EXTRACTS From The Book . . . .

• Introduction
• Chap 1 - The Plague of His Own Heart (Pt 1)
• Chap 7 - The Root of Humility

Introduction

This book encapsulate the gleanings of precious meditative gems derived from the quickening while reading through the structures of the Solomon temple and his great dedication prayer. There are invaluable lessons that serve as a mentoring guide to know the heart of God and His holy will for our lives.

‘Drawing near the oracle’ was an apt title drawn forth from Hebrews 10:22 : "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." This is the true way and the holy protocol of drawing near the holy presence of God, who abides in the oracle, the Holy of Holiest (1 Kings 8:6, 8; Psalm 28:2)

It is an error to think that possessing the right bible knowledge and knowing how to pray the right prayer, prove that our lives are right before God. That is where countless believers are living in a lie. It is a counterfeit Christianity. Learning to live right in conformity to His holy will and holy ways, with the stamp of righteousness, is the living proof of true Christianity. Living right is the essence of the true faith. Any other way than holy living is a false substitute of the true gospel. May the ways of God be the pathway of your life in glorifying God in your daily living.

Some, having an immature misconception that drawing near the oracle of His presence, is, for the sake of prayer. We draw near so as to see the beauty of His face, to know the true character of God. The attribute of God’s holiness will be loudly trumpeted forth once again, and the sick church will be restored back to her original calling, "Be ye holy for I am holy." (1 Pet 1:16) Yes, holiness is our calling and vocation. (1 Thessalonians 4:7) It is the garment that every priest must wear as they approach the holy God (Psalm 93:5), whose presence is a holy fire that burns up every dross of sin (Isaiah 1:25; Malachi 3:2-3). This is the vision that every priest must seek to recover in the understanding of the true nature of God. Without holiness, there is no reality that is worth living for, in life. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

The coming seasons of God are the seasons of purification unto purity of hearts. God has no intention to just scrape the surface, but to cut deeply so as to bring a death-blow to the self-life. He has declared His intention to be our heart surgeon in the holy scripture of (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6). The army of Joshua (Yeshua, Jesus) must reside in the camp of Gilgal, the place of circumcision.

God desires man to "bear fruits worthy of repentance."

(Matthew 3:8) From the incisive passage of Matthew, Chapter 3, God declared His prophetic agenda of the last days. "Holy" comes apparently from a Semitic root that means "to cut". It will be the mighty cut from His two-edged sword (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12), a five-fold work of utter sanctification:

a) Laying the axe to the root of the tree (Matthew 3:10)

God will never be lenient, or show mercy towards the root of the adamic nature of men. This is the ultimate stumbling block between man and God. The narrow way shall lead men to life: funeral before fruitfulness. We must die in order to live for Jesus. (1 Peter 4: 1-2)

b) Baptizing men with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11)

God will rip apart the Babylonian economic system and raze (demolished) it utterly. In the foreknowledge of God, He had planned a mighty baptism of fire to thoroughly cleanse His "spotted" church. This mighty blaze of holy fire will burn away all the dross of the idolatry of mammon and the deformed gospel of prosperity, to cause His covenant people to return to the Lord again with their whole heart (Psalm 78:56-64; 34-39). The coming harsh affliction of sufferings will purge away every secret sin in the heart of men. He is coming to judge His house and she will not be spared (1 Peter 4:17; Romans 11:22)

"He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (KJV). The word "with" in this verse, is printed in italics, which means it is not in the original Greek manuscript. Hence, the Holy Spirit and fire is inseparable! We have experienced the soothing presence of the Holy Spirit, but we must remember that the Holy Spirit is a refining fire, who will thoroughly purify and purge us of all our sins and impurities.

The Holy Spirit is not just a Comforter and Helper. In these coming days, He will come as a refining, all-consuming fire. This fire of the Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons. It will come in an awesome manner, burning relentlessly and showing no mercy. The Holy Spirit will show Himself through this holy and fiery purging. There will be no corner left untouched and chambers unscorched by the Spirit’s fiery flame. This fiery face of the attribute of God has yet to be experienced by the modern day church.

c) Separating the chaff with His winnowing fan (Matthew 3:12)

There is coming, a great sanctification, that earmark the true saints from the carnal church. There will be a distinction between light and darkness in these last days. The name of the Father shall be upon the forehead of the virgins of Christ. (Revelation 14:1, 4; 22:4) The remnant, being the true bride of Christ will be those who remained pure and faithful to the Lamb of Christ even in the midst of the fiery trials of life. God will blow the mighty north wind of affliction, to expose and drive away the chaff and the fleshy works of men. Those who resisted the judgements of God will be blown away as an outcast, living a miserable life outside the camp of God.

d) Cleansing His house in His threshing floor (Matthew 3:12)

In raw term, God is going to thrash His prodigal church. Every piece of furniture overlaid with gold in the sanctuary of the oracle was made of beaten-gold materials. Thomas Watson once said, "God is sweet as a friend but a worst enemy." (1 Kings 11:14; Isaiah 63:10) He is too good to leave us alone in our wayward state of life. He is the refiner who bring us into the place of refinement. (Malachi 3:2-3; 4:1)

e) Gathering His wheat into His house (Matthew 3:12)

God will gather the precious wheat into His treasury house. They will be with Him, beholding His beauty and serving Him all the days of their eternal existence. (Revelation 22:3-4)

CHAPTER 1 - The Plague of His Own Heart

The heart of a man is his citadel, the seat of his treasures, his innermost affections and deepest consciousness. Unlike what most people think, the mind is not the centre of all our thinking and reasoning activities. Our brain is simply a physical faculty through which the mind processes its deeds and thoughts, and our heart is the source that dictates our mind. In a sense, the heart encompasses the mind, acting as a basis from which all our reasoning and emotional faculties evolve. The heart is the realm where the will is exercised. It is the source behind every decision we made, and the reservoir where we deposit the many wisdom gained. To a Hebrew mind, the heart is the inner self of a man — the innermost part of a person which thinks, feels and acts.

The word ‘plague’ is a term which refers to any contagious deadly disease at an epidemic level. Scripturally, sin is viewed as a contagious seed that will grow and spread, causing death (James 1:15). Sin is a spiritual disease, and the plague of the heart (in 1 Kings 8:38) refers to the diseased or wayward condition of the heart of man.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

The above passage indeed gives us a true expression on the conditions of our hearts based on God’s divine diagnosis. The Lord certainly made no exaggerations in His verdict of a man’s wayward (wilful disobedience) heart. As mentioned in the above scripture, there are three fundamental ‘flaws’ found in a man’s heart:

(1) Ultimate deceptiveness (the heart is deceitful above all things)

(2) Dreadful wickedness (and desperately wicked)

(3) Perpetual elusiveness (who can know it)

We are deceitful by nature and our depraved inner conditions are hopelessly incurable. Our heart is indeed mortally sick. I believe one of the greatest divine gifts is to have a keen insight into our own heart — that we may see who we really are. This spiritual reality must never be undermined, put aside or neglected. To do so will be putting our lives in peril. An unclean heart is a seed bed for deceptions and hypocrisies. The greatest need of man is not money or things; it is the inner healing of our hearts that will bring wholeness to our souls.

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

"…Yet you do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:2)

A Blank Cheque

"O Lord, what should I give my wife for her birthday," he asked within himself. "Ha! A diamond ring will certainly bring great joy to her," said the man in soliloquy. As the day drew near, the wife confided the sentiments of her heart to her husband, "Dear, in my coming birthday, I don’t want any gift, expensive dinner or roses. All I wished for is a man that will truly love me all the days of my life. All I want is you!" It dawned upon the husband then that the greatest gift to his beloved lover is the gift of love.

Likewise, the Lover of our soul, Jesus Christ, our bridegroom, do not desired the costly sacrificial giving of gold and silver, the big offerings nor a week of fasting and prayer (All these are good deeds in the right context). All He desires is you! He wants our hearts! A heart that truly loves Him passionately with deep godly sincerity. The greatest gift to the Lover of our soul is the gift of loyal love.

Once, God visited a man in the night and said, "Son, ask what you want and I will give it to you." He pondered and thought within his heart, "Yes! I want to be a wise king." "O Lord my God, give me a hearing heart, a heart of wisdom to discern and judge all matters wisely," said Solomon. "Son, you have asked the right thing that please my heart. Behold, I have done according to your words: Lo, I have given you a wise and understanding heart so that there is none like you before you, neither after you shall any arise like unto you."

If God is to appear in your dream by night, and say, "Ask! What shall I give you." (1 Kings 3:5) What will you ask of Him? What gift do you desire of the Lord? John Sung, the fiery evangelist and revivalist, asked the Lord for 100,000 souls. Paused for a moment, what will be the wise answer of your lips that have a lasting impact upon your soul for all eternity? Remember, a wrong thing will never be granted from heaven (James 4:3; Psalm 145:18).

Centuries ago, in a secluded monastery in Italy, lived a devout man, St Francis. For 10 years, he asked God for a particular gift. Many years later, another devout man,

St. Bernard of clairvaux sought God for the same gift. Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Andrew Bonar, Matthew Henry and Andrew Murray the great preachers of old, likewise, asked God for the same gift. This gift, of which they asked of God, pleased the heart of Jesus. St Francis of Assisi sought God for the gift of humility. "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)