The Cloak

But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab's officer saw that a crowd was gathering around to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him." 2 Samuel 20:12

Amasa was a man appointed by David to replace Joab as commander of the army of Israel. Joab, though loyal to David, had carried out a number of acts of lawlessness, including murder. When he encountered Amasa at the great stone in Gibeon, he approached him with a greeting, all the while concealing a dagger, which he then stabbed and killed Amasa with. Naturally, a crowd gathered to see the results, and Joab's man, wishing to distract from the act, pulled the body off the road and covered it with a cloak. In this act, I see a correlation with both our current secular culture as well as the culture of the church.

I don't wish at this time to delve deeply into what we see happening through this election season. Suffice to say that all are seeing, though many will wish not to, the deep level of corruption present in our culture. Lust for power, control, wealth, and influence, have taken over that system. God is exposing it and God can be the only remedy for it. No matter how they strive to "throw a cloak" over it, the "body" lying in the road will be seen. Nothing will be the same again. Yet, I see a wondrous opportunity for a move of God as I believe the agent to bring His healing will come through His people. But before this can fully happen, the church must deal with the corruption that exists within itself.

I love the church. It is His Body. Yet corruption and decay are present, though many within have tried mightily to cover the "dead bodies" with various kinds of "cloaks." And we don't lack for cloaks or bodies.

We all know that many have been wounded in the church. In too many cases, wounded severely. Very often it has been the result of the sinful acts of some towards another, or many others. The trail of blood left by broken pastors and broken ministries is seemingly infinite. I remember a woman once telling her pastor, who had been walking through the endless slings and arrows of some angry congregants, that she had dreamt of him. She saw him covered in blood as the result of the "beating" he was taking each day. There are so many fine pastors who, because they didn't preach right, lead right, act right, or simply, wouldn't do what they were told or expected to do, suffered in such a way. Almost always, they end up being forced out, and leave a place they have given their lives to in such a bloody state. Most often, the church, along with those with bloody hands, throw a cloak over what has been done, and begin the search for a new pastor. The prevailing thought is "things will be different" with a new leader. But the body is still lying there, covered with the cloak. And it festers.

This is not limited to pastors and leaders. It also happens to those who have been driven off or shunned by the majority for some kind of failure, real or imagined, or simply because they were "different." It could be because they dared to speak up about an ungodly spirit present in the church or the leadership itself. Churches can be very creative in the ways they can make a person or family know they're not welcome. Even in cases where sin has happened, instead of offering healing, restoration, and forgiveness, the church offered only condemnation. And so the bloody bodies continue to pile up, though we always seem to find some cloak to throw over them. We can't see them, so we think they're not there, but they are. And the stench of them permeates the church. Somehow though, we get used to the smell. God never does, and never will.

Many believers are livid over the obvious corruption and fraud we are seeing in this election. They want, rightly, for the corruption to be exposed and cleansed. Do they, we, have as much or more zeal to see corruption cleansed within the church. Particularly that one we call "our church." Where have we "covered the body" in our fellowship? If there is such a case, or cases, can, will we, as a fellowship, confess it, repent of it, and receive His healing and cleansing. Countless congregations are sick, some unto death, because such has never happened in their midst. All the cloaks that we have used, along with the blood that covers them must be brought to Him, and be cleansed, along with all who bring them. When this happens, revival, an awakening, will happen. Until it does happen, we won't have the awakening so many are praying for.

There's an old saying, much used, that certain people "know where the bodies are buried." Are you and I among them? Let us remove all the cloaks and bring them out from where we've hidden them. Let the decay and corruption be healed and cleansed. Then, let His Spirit fall down upon us.

Blessings,

Pastor O