316 Thank You

2005-09-05T14:05:00.000-04:00

To those who may stumble upon this site, we pray that you will be blessed by its contents. You have before you nearly a year's worth of commentary on the scriptures. It's so very tempting to persuade you to stick around, now that you know this is a site concerned with the Bible. But what's the point? You're either ready to encounter the living God or not. If not, then we pray god's blessings on you, and we hope that you will seek him while he may still be found. If you are, then welcome. This site, though flawed, can help you with the discipline of scripture study if you need the help, or it can help you go a little deeper in the scriptures if you feel like you're skimming the surface.

To those of you who have dropped in more regularly, especially Aggie, thank you. It was our goal to do at least one year on this site, and we did. Now we are each very busy with other commitments (it shows!) and unsure whether we will continue with this site, start another, or move on to independent studies.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
(Paul, Ephesians 1:15-19)

Downcast?

2005-08-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

Psalm 44:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul,and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,my salvation and my God.

As I grow older in the faith, I am more and more aware of the depth of my sin. I see the myriad ways that I fail my Lord daily...both in the sins of commission and omission. I am easily distracted, discouraged, and turned aside from Him. As I learn more of Him, I see how high and holy His standard is, and how far short I fall. To dwell on it leads to despair. This is why we must hear the Gospel weekly, and why we must wake up each morning and preach it to ourselves. The Enemy wants us to be downcast, discouraged. He wants us to lose our sight of what Christ has done for us. He wants us to think that our very existence is futile. Yet because of the Gospel, we can truly praise God in the midst of our struggles with sin and the adversities of life.

If there is one thing we have strived for in the posts of this blog, it is to articulate the Gospel of Christ. He came from heaven to earth, not to "show the way", but to be the Way of our salvation. He is the Way to God because he fulfilled all the demands of God's holiness on our behalf. He went to the cross and paid the penalty for our sin. By God's grace, and through faith in Christ, His very righteousness is imputed to us, and our sin has been nailed to the cross...once and for all. Through His Spirit He dwells within us, teaching us obedience and gratitude, and adopting us as His children. When we fail, he is there to forgive. And one day, he will grant eternal life to those who believe, in renewed spiritual bodies that will never die. When we are downcast, yet can we praise him...for he has granted us His mercy and grace!

But here there are two evils specified, which, however apparently different, yet assail our hearts at the same time; the one is discouragement, and the other disquietude. When we are quite downcast, we are not free of a feeling of disquietude, which leads us to murmur and complain. The remedy to both of them is here added, hope in God, which alone inspires our minds, in the first place, with confidence in the midst of the greatest troubles; and, secondly, by the exercise of patience, preserves them in peace. In what follows, David very well expresses the power and nature of hope by these words, I shall yet praise him; for it has the effect of elevating our thoughts to the contemplation of the grace of God, when it is hidden from our view. Nor is this an imaginary expectation produced by a fanciful mind; but, relying upon the promises of God, he not only encourages himself to cherish good hope, but also promises himself certain deliverance. We can only be competent witnesses to our brethren of the grace of God when, in the first place, we have borne testimony to it to our own hearts... By this example, therefore, we are admonished, that although Satan, by his assaults, often subjects us to a renewal of the same trouble, we ought not to lose our courage, or allow ourselves to be cast down.
- JOHN CALVIN

Trust and Fear

2005-08-25T07:42:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Job 16-19 | 1 Corinthians 16 | Psalm 40:1-10 | Proverbs 22:1
Tomorrow's Readings

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
and put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3

The terms fear, and hope, or trust, do not seem at first view to harmonise; but David has not improperly joined them together; for no man will ever entertain the hope of the favour of God but he whose mind is first imbued with the fear of God. This fear in general means the feeling of piety which is produced in us by the knowledge of the power, equity, and mercy of God. Now, whoever submits cordially to the will of God will of necessity join hope with fear; especially when there is presented to his view the evidence of the grace by which God commonly allures all men to himself.
John Calvin

We are so accustomed to the fear that follows the cruelty of people who abuse power and glory, that we cannot conceive of a holy fear that sets its gaze upon the eternal and righteous God. But every time God saves us - whether it be the ultimate act of regenerating our sinful spirits from death to life, or the daily and seasonal displays of his providence, wisdom and strength in our lives - every time we are saved from calamity, we cannot help but be in awe of the wonderful and terrible power wrought on our behalf. Contrary to our modern psychology, fear is a healthy response to this: Awe trains our gaze upon the impossible brightness of his glory; fear reminds us that we are dust. If that were all there was to it, then we would hate him. If we remained in sin, and if we knew nothing of God's goodness, then we would know only fear and impotence; our weakness and cowardice would drive us to despise him, to undo him if such were possible. But we know more than the power of God; we know that he is good, blessing us in abundance and turning all the evil of life to our profit. In this knowledge we stand firm. It doesn not cancel fear, but strengthens it and balances it with confidence. God's power and goodness move us equally to fear and trust: for his works are awesome to behold, and they make glad the hearts of those who love all that is good and right and true.

The innocent prosper

2005-08-22T09:10:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

" Remember: who that was innocent ever perished?Or where were the upright cut off?" Job 4:7

The book of Job is hard for me to read on a few levels but the conversations between Job and his friends/accusers are painful to behold. They are painful for me because I hear them in the halls of the church I attend in various guises. And I titled this post as an ironic designation for I hear things like this all of the time and it makes me sad. We seem to have a knack for making our lives about works rather than faith. We see others in the worst possible light and ourselves in the best possible light and it should be the other way around. We see someone in a trial or suffering and we think they must have done something to deserve it. And yet a minute later we can be in a conversation about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and affirm that He died for US and He Himself was sinless. And we dont realize the disconnect in our thinking.Granted we are all sinful but all suffering is not an indication of punishment. We have only to read Proverbs and the Psalms to see that the innocent often do not prosper and the guilty can be rich beyond their wildest dreams. That is the idea that will stick with me today. Mercy and compassion and comfort are things that are naturally foreign to us and we need to cultivate them. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can. And may God richly bless us in this effort today.

To The Heavens

2005-08-19T12:38:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Esther 4-7 | 1 Corinthians 12:1-26 | Psalm 36 | Proverbs 21:21-22
Tomorrow's Readings

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O Lord.
Psalm 36:5-6

Although we may see among men sad and frightful confusion, which, like a great gulf, would swallow up the minds of the godly, David, nevertheless, maintains that the world is full of the goodness and righteousness of God, and that he governs heaven and earth on the strictest principles of equity.
John Calvin

Sometimes the doctrine of total depravity can seem to suggest that humanity is helplessly bound, and not a willing participant, in our sin nature. But the opening lines of this psalm lay any such claims of innocence exposed for a lie, for contrary to our self-image, transgression resonates within our hearts, inflaming ambition, covetousness and lust into malice and spite. But we flatter ourselves, thinking that our sin is hidden at the same time that we congratulate ourselves on our own goodness.

And then these words of praise are spoken: your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. It's sobering sometimes to consider what it means to believe in the midst of a world bent on self-love and rebellion. I wonder sometimes, what is this faith in a good God when all about us screams despair, emptiness, hopelessness and rage? Is it delusion? Have we believed in Christ because to do otherwise is simply too pessimistic? Is it desperation? Have we been taken by a lie in order to shut out the existential angst of an utterly meaningless existence?

But I always come back to Paul, who observed that those who seek wisdom find in Christ foolishness, while those who seek power find in him weakness and disgrace; but those who believe find in Christ the very power and wisdom of the eternal God (1Cor1). And so in the blackness of sin's night, still we cannot but see the glory of God, for we know his triumph on the cross signified his ultimate triumph over all of the dominion of the devil. And we know that with the devil's end we will be glorified, and that which was sown corruptible will be raised incorruptible (1Cor15) in the glorious freedom of the children of God (Rom8).

The body of Christ

2005-08-19T08:01:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. " 1 Cor 12:12

As I get older I find myself concentrating more and more on what it means to love. Not the emotionally charged love that is invariably intertwined with lust but the sacrificial love that Christ calls us to. That is a hard subject to talk about because it goes hand in hand with my selfishness and judgemental nature. I have been thinking about this more and more because I am realizing little by little how much Christ has loved me when He gave His life so that mine could be ransomed and saved from destruction. That love should then flow out of me to those around me and to my shame often it does not. It is an easy thing to love those whom we like. It is a hard thing to love those who are difficult or different or have special needs. And yet all of the saved are part of Christ's body. We may have different gifts and different tasks but we are no less than a child of God and that is distinction enough. Love of those around us is something that is consistently taught in the Bible and cannot be ignored. Loving your enemies sometimes is the easier thing to contemplate because we can see the immediate benefit of overcoming our hatred and it is almost a reward in our minds. To love the man or woman who is not an enemy but is self centered or does not bathe often or is obnoxious and crude is more difficult. But we are not better and are often worse and for every person that I think is obnoxious there are at least 2 who think I am a major pain in some way. But I often choose to forget that given that I see myself in the best light most of the time. We are all parts of the body of Christ and we should love each other as such. May God grant us the humility today and every day to love others as He loves us.

Defend me O Lord

2005-08-18T09:24:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

" How long, O Lord, will you look on?Rescue me from their destruction,my precious life from the lions!" Psalm 35:17

Serving the Lord can be difficult at times. And it should be joyful at all times but my sinfulness is legion and I get in the way. I am impatient with Him because things do not go according to my time table. Then occasionally I will come to my senses and laugh at myself. It is not my time table that is important it is His. And I am too stupid and sinful to know what is good for me anyway most days. I am going through a rough time at work and it seems as if each new day brings a new beating. Mostly it is through the selfishness and stubborness of others that causes me to endure whatever harshness comes my way but it is my sinfulness as well. But it is really hard to be doing the right and ethical thing in the midst of depravity and still be the one punished. The specifics of the situation are not terribly important because we all encounter these situations in our walk. The problem is that I am tired and discouraged and so it seems like a never ending battle. And like the psalmist I want to ask the Lord how long He will wait. How long do I have to endure this situation and where do I find the strength to fight the good fight? Those questions are natural and I need to remember that the fight is not mine. The strength is not mine. Like Elijah on Mount Carmel the equation is not 800 against one; the equation is 800 against one plus the Lord and I will take those odds any day. And just because I do not see immediate evidence of deliverance for me does not mean the Lord is silent. My witness through this time might be just what is needed for someone to believe in Jesus or have their faith reaffirmed. Or it could be so that I come to a fuller dependence on the Lord and stop relying on myself. Whatever it is I have the ultimate solution in my salvation. The body they may kill, God's truth abideth still. That will keep the lions at bay today and remind me that Daniel faced such a situation and the solution was completely unexpected. May God's grace and mercy be with all of us this day.

Taste and See

2005-08-15T07:50:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Nehemiah 9:22-10:39 | 1 Corinthians 9:19-10:13 | Psalm 34 | Proverbs 21:13
Tomorrow's Readings

I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
(Psalm 34:4-10)

David calls upon men to stir up their senses, and to bring a palate endued with some capacity of tasting, that God's goodness may become known to them. His meaning, therefore, is that there is nothing on the part of God to prevent the godly, to whom he particularly speaks in this place, from arriving at the knowledge of his goodness by actual experience. From this it follows, that they also are infected with the common malady of dullness. This doctrine is confirmed by the promise immediately added, Blessed is the man who trusts in him; for God never disappoints the expectations of those who seek his favour. Our own unbelief is the only impediment which prevents him from satisfying us largely and bountifully with abundance of all good things.
John Calvin

David's encouragement to us emerges out of his own need and experience in prayer. "This poor man cried..." transforms into "those who fear him have no lack"; "...saved him out of all his troubles" transforms into "those who seek the Lord lack no good thing". Our health & wealth brethren are fools for forgetting that we pass through troubles to find the abundance of God's provision - the reason for this is stated by Calvin: we are all given to dullness of heart. When we enjoy God's abundance, we too often slide slowly into forgetfulness and presumption; the withdrawal of his blessing leaves us flopping like minnows left exposed by the heat of the sun. Baked and parched, the discomfort moves us to once again desire his living water. We cry out to him, and he hears us.

Blessing From God

2005-08-12T14:36:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Nehemiah 3:15 - 5:13 | 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 | Psalm 32 | Proverbs 21:5-7
Tomorrow's Readings

Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
(Psalm 32:2-5)

Paul quotes the first part of this Psalm in Romans 4 as he develops his thesis about a "righteousness apart from works", and its foundation in the old testament. He stops short of the end of verse 2, which gives us: and in whose spirit is no deceit. One might ask if Paul is playing loosely with scripture to suit his own agenda. Fortunately, the psalm resolves within itself any confusion that might arise from this. For when David speaks of deceit, he immediately embarks on a testimony of how he tried to deceive the Lord and his own conscience, concealing and refusing to confess his sin; only he found that he could not. The presence of God by his Spirit wheighed upon him, causing him to whither in some sort of depression until he finally reached a point where he could no longer live with the breach in his relationship with God. The he confessed his sin, and God forgave the iniquity - he did not count his sin against him.

Thus we find that these verses are not only suited for a conversation about justification and alien righteousness. Rather, they are with us every day as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We find that God walks with us, and even when we sin and attempt to conceal it, he abides with us still, entreating us to return to him in repentance until we can stand it no longer. Then repenting, we find ourselves right where we want to be and could never desire to leave: in the favor and blessing of our Father. And to add to the absurdity and profundity of his mercy, for confessing our deception he calls us truth-tellers: those in whose spirit is no deceit. And that is what David is saying: he is not describing the grounds of forensic justification, but rather, once justified, the necessary posture of our hearts to walk daily in the freedom of blessing that flows from that justification.

This sounds far more technical than I intend. To put it simply: if by faith you have received the righteousness of Christ, then walk in his freedom. Do not attempt to conceal your sin, for that is folly and you only hurt and deceive yourself. Confess it, and he stands ready to bless you.

The more eminently that anyone excels in holiness, the further he feels himself from perfect righteousness, and the more clearly he perceives that he can trust in nothing but the mercy of God alone. Hence it appears, that those are grossly mistaken who conceive that the pardon of sin is necessary only to the beginning of righteousness. As believers are every day involved in many faults, it will profit them nothing that they have once entered the way of righteousness, unless the same grace which brought them into it accompany them to the last step of their life. Does anyone object, that they are elsewhere said to be blessed "who fear the Lord," "who walk in his ways," "who are upright in heart," etc.? The answer is easy, namely, that as the perfect fear of the Lord, the perfect observance of his law, and perfect uprightness of heart, are nowhere to be found, all that Scripture anywhere says concerning blessedness is founded upon the free favour of God, by which he reconciles us to himself.
John Calvin

Forgiven

2005-08-12T08:08:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

" Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,whose sin is covered." Psalm 32:1

My favorite Psalm is Psalm 51. That might be an odd way to begin talking about Psalm 32 but the both need to be read together. Augustine (and Paul and well you get the point) was right: the only way to understand the Grace and Mercy of God and the meaning of our Salvation is to start with the fact that we are utterly depraved and utterly forsaken apart from Christ. Until we understand how truly sinful we are and how desparate our situation our salvation can be nothing more than a bandaid that will somehow make us "better". But once we understand that we can see the wonder and awe and beauty and majesty in God's gift of His Son. The incomparable richness of that gift will bring us to our knees as it should. That is why I like Psalm 51. David understood the depth of his sin and the need for his Lord. There could be no other substitute. But that is only half the story. The Good News is that we have been forgiven and restored to a peaceful relationship with God through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. That is why I read Psalm 32 after reading Psalm 51. Once you admit your sinfulness the next step is to rejoice in the forgiveness that is freely offered. Then I can understand that I am truly blessed in Christ Jesus.

Walking the Talk

2005-08-09T10:16:00.000-04:00

Ezra 8:21 Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

This is a great instance of “walking the talk”. Ezra had told the Persian king of the power of God to save those who seek Him and to judge His enemies. The king granted Ezra’s request to go and restore temple worship in Jerusalem. For Ezra to ask for military protection was to demonstrate a lack of trust in the God he claimed to serve. To the casual observer, Ezra’s actions may seem foolish. Wasn’t this “testing” God? Yet Ezra did not presume upon God’s protective mercy, he proclaimed a fast and the people humbled themselves in petition before the Lord, seeking His protection.

While we who are in Christ are able to articulate the power of God and His protective mercies, how often do we go to him first, humbling ourselves in prayer and fasting before Him? There is much head knowledge we have that can yield to a “practical atheism” as we place our trust in things other than the one who has control over everything. I like to be in control of my life...yet ultimately God calls us to yield our lives fully to him. He will often bring situations into our lives that teach us to yield control to Him placing our trust in His care. There is a balance here between wanting to be in control of everything and presumption. There are those who can take “living by faith” to extremes. The proper balance is found by seeking the wisdom of the Lord. The key is to become humble before the Lord, seeking His way, and setting our hearts toward his purposes.

Separating ourselves

2005-08-09T08:22:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.” As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. " Ezra 9:2-3

There are so many areas of the Bible that are deliberately misinterpreted by those who wish to do so and misunderstood by many within the church. And this is one of those sections. There is a corresponding section in Nehemiah. These sections have historically been used to say that Christians are exclusionists and bigots. True, we often appear that way but that is a problem with our hearts and our sins, not with the Word of God. In understanding sections of Scripture like this we need to be careful and interpret Scripture with Scripture. What is Ezra saying here and why did he react so violently? He knew that God had commanded a separation for spiritual reasons. In Exodus 32-34 God gave Moses the commands by which the Israelites were to live. One of those commands was not to intermarry with the pagans surrounding them. Not because they were any worse, for they were not. As Paul points out no one has ever been righteous except for one. Well 3 if you count Adam and Eve before the fall. The problem was that the Lord knows our hearts and if we marry unbelievers we will fall into worshipping their gods and turn from the worship of the true God. Witness Solomon. And so we need to be extremely vigilant about this. The command is not to associate with anyone non-Christian because we must in order to spread the Gospel. Many of my friends are non-Christians and I happen to like them very much. But I am also careful not to let their views influence my devotion to the Lord. Ezra saw what was going on and knew what was at stake. There is only one Lord and only one salvation in Christ Jesus and to water that down is the same as not believing at all. That is what this section of Scripture is talking about. It is a warning to all of us to show us how easy it is for us to chose anything else other than God. And yet He forgives us and knows how hard it is. That is why He has provided a Comforter. That is why He continually prays for us and walks with us. And praise be to His Name that He does!

I am healed

2005-08-08T08:21:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

" O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit" Psalm 30:2-3

As I woke up this morning I was praising the Lord for a new day and had such a sense of peace and security knowing that I have been saved and that no matter what happens to me here on earth I have an eternal place in Heaven. That does not often happen to me in the mornings and I thank God that He allowed me that security this morning. Like the psalmist, I was once lost forever in my sins and in His Grace He called me to be one of His own through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. There is no greater gift and there is no greater measure of His Grace. May God continue to bless all of us in this way.

Who is wise

2005-08-05T08:22:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing" Ezra 1:1

I took the title of this post from the Corinthians section today but I wanted to focus on something here from Ezra. I have been asked more times than I can count how we can know the will of God. That is a very very hard subject and beyond the scope of something like my postings (although might be a good topic for a running commentary). But the thing that always strikes me is that we continually look inside the church or our own lives for sign's of God's presence. Now that is a good thing and we should do that but we tend to be isolationist and think that the world offers no good thing. True, there is much of the unsaved world that is dark and dead and in need of a Savior. But then I run across things like this in Scripture and I am reminded that the Lord is Lord of ALL not just the church. His ways are not our ways and He can often use the unbelieving to accomplish His ends and be a sign to His people that He is in control. I often look for evidence of God's power outside the church (church as a whole that is) and see Him acting in ways that I never would have guessed. Now we need to be very careful and have a discerning attitude to sift the counterfeit from the real which can sometimes be difficult. But I think it is a mistake to shut our minds to the fact that God sometimes works through those that we would normally have no contact with. Which we should all be thinking sounds a lot like the behavior of the Pharisees or the older brother to the prodigal son. God's wisdom is a stumbling block, and even a stumbling block to those of us who have been saved at times. May God bless us richly this day and give us the eyes to see Him even where we do not expect Him to be.

Serving in silence

2005-08-04T08:28:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them." 2 Chron 35:15

The bold emphasis is mine in the above Scripture because I was struck with the fact that I often forget such service. The Levites prepared the needs of those in service to the Passover feast so that the appropriate worship might be given to the Lord. At every church there are people that serve in silence and without them the services could not take place. The most visible of those would be the cleaning staff and the physical plant people and I remember to pray for them when I see them. But to my shame I do not remember the people that make the coffee, or prepare the communion, or serve in the media center, or the teachers of the Sunday schools, or the secretarial staff, or the drivers of the vans that pick up those who cannot make it on their own or the thousand other jobs that I dont even know about. Those people enable the service and the worship of God to proceed when it otherwise would not in the manner that it does. And I take them for granted. It is hard to write such a sentence but it is true. How many times have I walked by someone in such service and not even uttered a short kind word. People who serve as they do, do so for the love of the Lord but a kind word means all the difference some days. I am so busy heading to teach somewhere or focused on my own needs that I neglect those around me much to my detriment and theirs. But I have a Savior to whom I can confess and I do so now. May He strengthen me and all of us to recognize those who serve and praise God for them.

Divisions and falsehood

2005-08-03T08:25:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. " Rom 16:17

This is a hard command. It is hard because often times we cannot discern between falsehood that is uttered in ignorance or that which is uttered for darker purposes. And often times this type of judgment leads to an approach much like the Pharisees and we miss the chances for mercy and compassion and love for those around us. But more often than not I see people, in my own church specifically, that either read or watch or listen to theology that is outright wrong. And then they pass that off to other Christians as something worthy of learning. Now again I caution myself and those around me that we need to be careful when sifting such material because the sinfulness of our hearts sometimes gets in the way of either judging materials or people correctly. But we generally know when we hear untruths being spoken and it seems to me that we live in a culture of 'tolerance" where everyone is entitled to their own point of view and no one is allowed to criticize or correct another. And that is why this instruction is so hard. But it is one that we should embrace and not shy from. We are called to glorify the name of God and we must do so in truth. The real truth not what we think the truth should be. That is why the Psalmist today says

"I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites. I hate the assembly of evildoers,and I will not sit with the wicked. I wash my hands in innocenceand go around your altar, O Lord, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,and telling all your wondrous deeds."

That is our calling and to do anything less or accept anything less in the name of being nice people is to fail our Lord. I pray that God would give us the discernment to see the truth and correct untruths when necessary without flinching and I pray that He would help us do all things with compassion and love.

We have been cleaned

2005-08-01T08:22:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"For a majority of the people, many of them from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than as prescribed. For Hezekiah had prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers, even though not according to the sanctuary's rules of cleanness.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people. " 2 Chron 30:18-20

I have been thinking about salvation a lot the last few weeks as I have been preparing for my teaching at the church I attend. Specifically I have been thinking and meditating on the fact that we (I) resist talking about being clean and being unclean. Not in the sense of the OT unclean with its ritualistic nature but being unclean in spirit through our sinfulness. There is something to be said to talking bluntly among ourselves about our sins. So often I hear people say things like "it was just a little white lie" and "I only took paper and pencils from my job for my kids to go back to school, no one misses that stuff". The fact of the matter is that we lie and steal all the time. But we dont want to talk about that because we try to make ourselves better than we are and definitely better than that tax collector over there. And we appear unclean before the Lord again and again and console ourselves with the fact that we really are not that bad and we are saved arent we? Yes we are saved and praise be to God that we are. But we are also sinful and to try to diminish that is not only to cause harm to us and those around us but to cheapen God's Grace as well. God's Grace is a wonderful awesome thing and not something that is a bandaid for the minor cuts that we think we have. It is the only thing able to raise us from the dead, which we were apart from Christ. And so we continue to appear unclean and think that there is nothing wrong with that, building incense altars all around us and saying "well everyone else is doing it". We should be brought to our knees with tears in our eyes when we look at what we do each and every day: not from our perspective but from His. And like the Scripture quoted above we have hope. If we confess our sins than God will forgive us. Our penalty has been paid in full and we can rejoice that it is so. This is hard stuff to deal with but God has shown us that the ransom has been given. We need to do our part and realize who and what we are and thank Him for His Mercy.

He Has Done It

2005-07-29T09:26:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Chronicles 24-25 | Romans 12 | Psalm 22:19-31 | Proverbs 20:8-10
Tomorrow's Readings

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
(Psalm 22:1-8)

I am speechless in the face of this psalm. OK, nearly speechless..

Psalm 22 is a messianic psalm - like Isaiah 53, you could almost believe it had been written after the events surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection. I know that it was Jesus' spilled blood that satisfies the debt of sin. But when I read the first line of this psalm, I almost think his greatest suffering must have been not the dying but rather the separation from God the Father. We spoke last week in church of the fact that the trinity is the foundation of any doctrine, or understanding, of relationships; the triune God, in eternal communion and love, self sufficient in every respect. And when the Son hung on the tree, crying out 'My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!' we understand that some sort of separation occured. I don't know anymore than that, and refuse to speculate, but having known loss after my own fashion, I shudder at the thought.But consider verse 24:

For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

We know that the story does not end at abandonment and death. The glory of the gospel lies in the indestructible life of the Son, the untouchable faithfulness of the Father, and the unknowable power of the Holy Spirit. Christ was not abandoned; and we with him are remembered, and possess a hope secured by the power, faith, and life of the triune God. We triumph in his triumph, even he who was mocked at the tree: he who could not save himself. And yet his glory shall be told to all generations, for in the deepest darkness of despair his righteousness brought light and life to us all. He has done it; and it is finished.

All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not keep himself alive.
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it.
(vv. 29-31)

A Critical Error

2005-07-28T12:19:00.000-04:00

2 Chronicles 21-23

21:4 When Jehoram had ascended the throne of his father and was established, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the princes of Israel. 5 Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 6 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Two days ago as we read in Chapter 18, I noticed this verse:

18:1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab.

While Jehoshaphat was commended for walking with the Lord and following his way, he made a critical error in making an alliance with Ahab. We are never told why he did this. However, in today's verses we see the fruit of this poor decision. Jehoshaphat put his firstborn, Jehoram, on the throne. As we learn from 21:6, this was the son who was the center of the marriage alliance with Ahab. From Jehoram's conduct, we see that he learned much more from his wife than he did from his father (not a good case for "missionary dating"… :-o ). The consequences were severe for Jehoshaphat's legacy and ultimately for Jehoram himself:

21:20 He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one's regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

How disastrous. He departed with no one's regret. Now there's a way to be remembered.

This story reminds me of the saying "you soon match the stride of those with whom you walk". There's a reason we're told not to be "unequally yoked" in relationship with unbelievers. It's much easier to follow the desires of our sinful nature than to stand in the way of the Lord. The unbeliever does not seek the Lord's purposes, and our natural tendency in relationship with the unbeliever is to stray from the Lord. While we are to be in the world, we must not be "of it". We are to be agents of change, building Christ's kingdom. The world will always be at war with the Lord, and forging alliances with unbelievers is essentially treasonous. Our closest relationships must be with the people of God. There we find true fellowship, accountability, and a common purpose.

His Glory Is Great

2005-07-27T09:10:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Chronicles 19-20 | Romans 10:14-11:12 | Psalm 21 | Proverbs 20:4-6
Tomorrow's Readings

O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices,
and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
You have given him his heart's desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
For you meet him with rich blessings;
you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
length of days forever and ever.
His glory is great through your salvation;
splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
(Psalm 21:1-5)

Psalm 21 answers psalm 20. In psalm 20 the prayer was that the presence of God would impart courage and confidence, and specifically that the listener would find protection from trouble and fulfillment of their heart's desires. Now the same psalmist (Daivd) celebrates the fulfillment of all his desires from the hand of God his provider. I was moved by his statement: 'His glory is great through your salvation.' David is speaking of his own glory as king of Israel, and indeed he was glorious. It may not have been the largest kingdom on earth, but through his leadership they were sovereign and had strength in the midst of their neighbors and enemies. How easy it would have been for David to congratulate himself for his courage and vision; how right he would have been to look with pride over his conquests and the unifying of the people of Israel under his rule.

And yet, even as sovereign king, David had the wisdom and humility to acknowledge that his might and glory came from the hand of God. This was not just a theoretical notion for David: he knew he had been chosen and raised by God from a station in life (yougest son and shepherd of an insignificant family) from which it was highly doubtful he otherwise would ever have emerged. Nor was this meekness merely a memory of a past grace. Though his reign was far from perfect, nevertheless at every point he proved his dependence upon God not only for his kingship, but also for his daily bread.

This encourages me to remember that no matter the heights (and depths) to which my life may ascend, I should remember that it is God, and God alone, who has the power and wisdom to raise me up or set me down. As he has elsewhere said: it is he who gives power to make wealth. And as I cry to him in despair, so also I should exult with him in triumph. For he alone has glory and honor and dominion.

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
but a faithful man who can find?
(Proverbs 20:6)

We will sing and praise your power

2005-07-27T08:18:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power." Psalm 21:13

I have noticed a tendency in my posts to talk about Scripture in light of my life and my actions and my consequences and I do not spend enoough time talking about the Lord and who He is and what He has done. So I wanted to focus on Him today. He is the only true and living God. He is the only one that could have created everything that is and determined a plan of salvation of such scope and wonder. He is the only one who could save us from our sins in giving His Son Jesus Christ as an atoning ransom to divert His wrath from us. He is the only one to walk with us in those quiet times that we feel so utterly and devastatingly alone. The Lord and the Lord only is worthy of our praise and may He strengthen us to praise Him each and every day.

May the Lord Answer You

2005-07-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Chronicles 17-18 | Romans 9:22-10:13 | Psalm 20 | Proverbs 20:2-3
Tomorrow's Readings

May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
(Psalm 20:1)

The first several lines of this psalm read like a benediction. Verses one through five pray a two-fold blessing of protection and fulfillment: protection in the name of God and out of His sanctuary - that is, God's very presence in the midst of suffering; and instead of suffering, fulfillment of even our heart's desires. Verses six through eight remind us of our confidence, remembering God's faithfulness and power: the words 'now I know' suggest that the psalmist's trust in the Lord is a learned trust - past blessing and deliverance have confirmed faith, and their memory adds to today's confidence; the words 'we trust in the name' once again call attention to God's presence among his people - he is not just an emotional flutter or an intellectual proposition, but a real and present help in our trials. And it is he we call upon to save us: may he answer us when we call.

At first it seemed like a small thing, to pray the Lord's blessing on someone - how many times do we say 'God bless you' without really thinking about it? It's worth asking myself 'what do I mean by this benediction'? It would be a vain pride to only speak it when I meant it in the spirit of this psalm - I'd probably never say the words again! But I pray the Lord would deepen my love and commitment to my brothers and sisters, that I might truth-fully seek not only their blessing from God, but even to be a vessel for the rich outpouring of that blessing.

We stand strong

2005-07-26T08:31:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;he will answer him from his holy heavenwith the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses,but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall,but we rise and stand upright." Psalm 20:6-8

This is a coninuation of the thought I posted yesterday. No matter what is going on around us we need to trust in the Lord. That is often very hard to do and I confess to failing at it often. It is not that I consciously try to avoid the trust it is that I immediately try to work things out when trouble hits. I am not excusing my behavior because I am without excuse or justification. There are times when I can turn trouble over to the Lord and wait on Him but I confess that I do not do that on a daily basis. That is because my eyes are usually focused on me and what is happening before me. And yet the real battle is an eternal one: one that has been won. My eyes need to be focused above me. I am reminded of Peter's failure to walk on the water and I would be in the water with him. May God strengthen us to trust Him this day and every day.

The Heavens Declare

2005-07-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Chronicles 17-18 | Romans 9:22-10:13 | Psalm 19 | Proverbs 20:2-3
Tomorrow's Readings

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
(Psalm 19:1)

I used to love this psalm because it has a tidy little theology lesson built into it, which is often overlooked because our english translations lose some of the force of it. In simplest terms, it makes us aware of the categories of general and special revelation. The first six verses begin with "the heavens declare" and move on to describe how God's glory is manifest in his creation; the second five verses then go on to praise the revealed words of God. The lesson is simple: the creation reveals the power and glory of God in general terms; but to understand anything of his will for our lives, and to walk in obedience to his righteous requirements, we require the specific commandments of his self-revelation in his word. The Hebrew is even more poignant in making this point by its use of the divine name. Whereas the creation can tell us about God (and the Hebrew here is just the general word for god), nevertheless the Lord must reveal himself if we are to know anything truly about his character and his will for our lives (here the Hebrew uses the revealed name God gave himself for Moses: YHWH, which for some reason most english versions - except the New Jerusalem, that I know of - translate as THE LORD).

Thus psalm 19 has a neat little epistemological lesson for those who will listen. And it is important - in the modern age, infatuation with scientific proofs and technological progress encouraged a materialistic worldview in which only that which could be mathematically hypothesized, physically demonstrated, and technologically realized were deemed true and worthy of interest. Our own generation has moved beyond this vacuum to re-embrace the reality and experience of the spiritual realm, but should we be encouraged? In the modern age, there was still a belief in absolute and objective, albeit non-spiritual, truth; in our age, this truth encompasses the spirit but has become relative to experience, and its worthiness is determined by its pragmatic value for producing happiness and comfort. Psalm 19, then, does not merely point out two categories of knowledge for our intellectual consumption: it tells us how God may be known, or, more bluntly, it tells us how we are permitted to know God.

The general knowledge creation can give us is significant; but if anything, it really only tells us how much we don't know, how dependent we are upon God's self-revelation - his special revelation - to secure a sure knowledge with firm confidence in his favor. But this psalm is only marginally concerned with categories of revelation. Consider this: by forcing the words of the first six verses into a lesson about general revelation, useful though that might be, we actually miss the point. Notice that the whole of this first stanza is not about the creation in general, but about the heavens and the sun in particular. The reason for this must be that ancient people beheld the magnificence of the sun and reverenced it as an object of worship; and why not? It was the greatest by far of the heavenly lights; in its presence were found warmth, light and sustenance. But as the psalm points out, the sun is constrained: it is contained within the heavens as in a tent, and it 'follows' a prescribed path every day of its existence. It is hemmed in, subservient to the needs and welfare of the inhabitants of the planet. By comparison, a cloud has more freedom and should be more worthy of worship than the sun.

This question of freedom should direct the reader to seek one who is truly free, the creator of all that we see, hear and smell, both in the heavens and on the earth. But this is a fearful thing, for how will you know when you've found it? As Paul said, God has directed our times and places "so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27). But it is not enough to seek, "for who can discern his errors"? We depend absolutely upon the mercy of God to reveal himself to us, to make himself known to us, and even to open our hearts and minds to receive this knowledge.

It is in fear, then, that we understand that we are dust, of and like the earth from which we spring. When we hear the word of God, we commit ourselves to it, for his word alone is able to revive our souls, make us wise, lift our hearts, enlighten our sight. We find from his word that we fall woefully short of his righteous requirements; so short, in fact, that we cannot even perceive the vastness of the chasm separating us from him, except to know that he is good and we are not. But he knows; yet we pray not for this knowledge, which would destroy us, but for his mercy; we pray for deliverance. We cry out, and he hears us. And because he hears us, we shall be innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
(Psalm 19:14)

The high places

2005-07-25T08:56:00.000-04:00

Today's readings
Tomorrow's readings

"Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron. But the high places were not taken out of Israel. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true all his days. " 2 Chron 15:16-17

It is hard to read the accounts of the Kings of Israel and Judah. I confess that I often have to surpress a desire to smack them for their folly. I look at the account of Asa today and applaud his efforts to bring the people back to the worship of the True God. But it haunts me that the high places remained. It haunts me because I am no better than he and often worse. Scripture reminds me through this account that even with my best intentions I am still at war woth God and seeking other "gods" in my sinfulness. The high places remain in my heart when I try to do it myself. And yet we serve a God who loves us and who has a plan. In His Mercy He sent His Son Jesus Christ who died in our places to pay the penalty for those remaining high places. With His help we can declare victory and be restored to the true worship. May God forgive me and us for our sins today and keep us on the path to righteousness.

A Pivotal Point

2005-07-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

Romans 8:22-39

This passage is a pivotal point in the Epistles. The traditional understanding as expressed by the OT is that God works for the good of those who love Him and keep his commandments (Ex. 20:6, Deut. 6:5-6). However, in verse 28, Paul turns this around:

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

What is the "good" he works in us? I often have thought of this verse when "bad" things happen to me. My line of reasoning is that ultimately God has a purpose for everything that happens to me in life, and it is shaping me to be more like Him. While this is certainly true, this verse is referring to our ultimate good: our salvation and the glorious hope of our adoption as children of God.

It is clear that God calls those He will save. We add nothing to the process. These verses show that what God decided in advance was a purposeful plan of redemption for a people that He calls. Foreknowledge means being "foreknown" or loved in advance. On the basis of that love, he predestines the salvation of His children. His foreknowing love issues a call similar to the call that Jesus made to Lazarus, a man dead three days. We are dead in our sin and rebellion. He breathes life into us by His Holy Spirit and calls us out of our spiritual death. We are justified by Christ's work, awaiting our future glorification in Him. Those who are in Christ can rejoice along with Paul:

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Temple of God

2005-07-22T12:29:00.000-04:00

2 Chronicles 6:18 “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!"

Solomon acknowledges on the one hand, the utterly preposterous notion that God will dwell in an earthly structure. For what can contain Him? I'm reminded of that line from the movie Aladdin: "ULTIMATE COSMIC POWER - ittie bittie living space!" The notion is foolish. Yet God in His mercy condescends. We are frail, finite. He is infinitely powerful. Yet we are valuable to Him, created in His image. We were created for fellowship with Him, to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever" as the Catechism states. So in spite of their sinfulness, He promised to dwell with His people, if they would be careful to follow his ways and live in humble repentence before Him. Yet we ultimately see in the Scriptures that the people could not live up to God's holiness. Finally, the "ichabod" occured…the glory of God departed from the temple.

The temple of Solomon is no longer. Yet the promise of God in verse 7:16 is not broken. For the temple is a picture of the spiritual dwelling place of God with His people through Christ. That dwelling place is found in the hearts of those who are "called by His name" through the power of the Holy Spirit. God came to earth in the person of His Son. He condescended to our weakness. He fulfilled all the righteous demands of his Holiness in Christ for us, and He bore the penalty of our sin in Him. And he has given us His Spirit, dwelling within us, as a deposit that guarantees our ultimate fellowship with Him in glory. Indeed, God dwells with man on earth, through Christ Jesus our Lord!

To be forgiven

2005-07-22T08:21:00.000-04:00

Today's readings

"If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers." 2 Chron 6:28 -31

This is an amazing amount of theology (and for me comfort) packed into these few verses. When trouble comes our first response should be to turn to the Lord. It is He and He only who will be able to save us. That can be an immediate salvation or, and this is the harder part, the ultimate salvation which we do not see yet but in which we trust. This is followed by the idea that the Lord and the Lord only truly knows our hearts. We do not even fully understand our own hearts because the veil of our sinful desires keeps us from seeing clearly, even the very sins with which we struggle. But He does and Praise be to His Name that He does. If He did not then there would be no salvation, no way out for us. We would be eternally lost for we cannot save ourselves any more than a dead body can rise up and cook dinner.

"Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. "

The Lord then appears to Solomon and utters what may be the most hopeful and comforting passage in the entire Bible. If we turn our face to God's and ask for forgiveness He is faithful and merciful to forgive us. The key is our action. We must be willing to humble ourselves and confess our sins to Him. It is not simply enough to consider ourselves Christian. Forgiveness is an act of will on our parts in laying our sins at the foot of the Cross and and act of Grace on His part to forgive us for the sake of His Son Jesus Christ.

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. "

Paul puts it accurately here. We sin because that is our very nature. It is this nature that we need to actively lay down before God to receive forgiveness. We are not forgiven if we brazenly tell God to forgive us without expressing remorse at our actions.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

But the Good News is that we do not have to struggle in vain. We have a Savior who was willing to die for us that we might walk again in peace with God. We walk now according to the Spirit and have the ability to lay down the very sins that kept us at war with God. There can be no greater news! There is no greater God and all glory and honor is His! May God richly bless us this day.

When I Awake

2005-07-21T09:21:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Chronicles 4:1-6:11 | Romans 7:1-13 | Psalm 17 | Proverbs 19:22-23
Tomorrow's Readings

Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
from men by your hand, O Lord,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
(Psalm 17:13-15)

I have heard it said that believers are so spiritually minded that they're no earthly good. But it begs the question: what is really important in life? David answers for us: some day we will see the face of God. Do we hope for something other than this? If we do, then we are deceived with an earthly vanity. This is not to say that we should not seek excellence and depth in the affairs of our earthly lives; but it is the hope of the face of God that awakens us to the details and possibilities of this life. For God is the ultimate reality, and the true knowledge of him is the ultimate life. When we enter into our eternal existence in the radiance of his presence, it shall be as if we had awakened from a dream. By comparison, all else is vapor.

As another has said, Life is a dream from which all must wake.

To Him who is able

2005-07-20T08:14:00.000-04:00

"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;I have no good apart from you.” " psalm 16:1-2

My heart is filled with gratitude and love of the Lord today. For some reason my heart is bursting with the love of the Lord and I wish it was like that every day. So I will keep this short that my words not get in the way of the adoration and worship that is due to the One who is able. May God richly bless you all this day.

Who Shall Dwell On Your Holy Hill?

2005-07-19T10:01:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Chronicles 28-29 | Romans 5:6-21 | Psalm 15 | Proverbs 19:18-19
Tomorrow's Readings

O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
(Psalm 15:1)

There is no more important question than this, and for two reasons. First, asking this question is the first step towards discovering God and having a relationship with him. To ask this question honestly is to discover that I fall short of the standards required of anyone who would come close to the holy God. Second, and related, is because the answer can only be God's answer. What I mean is that it's up to God to decide who may 'sojourn in his tent'. That is not a decision I can make, or a standard that I can impose. It is God's right to choose; and his choice, far from nepotistic or anything like that, is grounded in his perfect righteousness. To read through the standard, I find I am slain in the first line; everything else may just as well be kicking a dead horse (though there's much to meditate on when you consider the bit about keeping oaths, or taking up a reproach...)

How can I find comfort, when failure means I am shut out of God's presence? Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Fools All

2005-07-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Chronicles 26:12-27:34 | Romans 4:13-5:5 | Psalm 14 | Proverbs 19:17
Tomorrow's Readings

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.
(Psalm 14:1)

I admit that sometimes I find satisfaction when I think of this verse, because it comforts me to realize how wise I am to believe in God and how foolish and corrupt are those who don't. Then I read verses 2 & 3:

The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good, not even one.

And there I am, gathered together with the rest of the fools. We are fools, all of us, for if we do not deny God with our speech, then we deny him with our lives.

Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. (v7)

Praise God that he has not left me to wallow in my folly. Even fools can be wise, if they will but close their mouths and receive his word. Praise God that his salvation has come, with a great and sure redemption purchased by Christ and freely given to all who call on his name.

Hope

2005-07-18T08:07:00.000-04:00

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Rom 5:1-5

Hope. I find so many people that I work with and come in contact with that do not seem to have hope. I also find them at church which saddens me. I say that because we have a tendency to look at our immediate surroundings and begin to believe that the things we can see right in front of our eyes are all that matters. And while they do matter to some degree, they are nothing when compared to the state we were in before we knew Christ. It is a matter of the immediate versus the eternal. We have hope because we have been justified in Christ and made a part of the kingdom for the atoning work of the Cross. That allows us to partake in the everlasting life that will be ours in Glory. Save for the work of Jesus Christ we would be spending eternity in damnation. That is the fear that should drive us to our knees and thank Him for loving us enough to save us. That is the fear and the hope that should drive us out into the streets to tell others about the only salvation that matters. That is our hope and our legacy and all praise be to Him who is God alone. Sober words for a Monday morning but we can rejoice that we know the Truth.

Great Reward

2005-07-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

Romans 4:1-8

4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,and whose sins are covered;8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

What was it that Abraham believed? Paul quotes Genesis 15. In that passage, God establishes his covenant with Abraham, that he would be the father of "many nations". From him was to come blessing for all the peoples of the earth. Abraham was given a birds-eye view of God's plan of redemption. God told him that his "reward would be very great" (Gen 15:1). Abraham was not given all the details, but he believed God's word.

We have the incredible benefit of looking backward in history. We have seen God's plan fulfilled in Christ. Paul shows us God's plan in Romans, demonstrating that our righteousness comes not from our obedience to the commands, but in Christ's righteousness, through the same faith that Abraham had. Our sin is not counted against us because we are covered by the righteousness of Christ. And there can be no boasting in anything we do, nor of a genealogly to which we may belong. Indeed, Abraham's reward was great. So is ours, through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Living a lie

2005-07-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

"For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God." Rom 2 28-29

There is a quote that I use alot and it goes like this. "The biggest problem with the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyles. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable." I do not know who said that but I find it to be true. So often we attend church on Sundays and Bible studies during the week and yet the rest of the week seems to be no different from the secular world. We have compartmentalized our lives and rejected God in the majority of our living. That is why the passage above struck me so hard today. Every single minute I have is from God and it is to Him that I should be living and giving glory. There is no merit or even command that says I worship Him on Sunday and then the rest of the week is "mine". But that is what we see. And the world watches us very carefully. There are several people here where I work who call themselves Christians who are the laziest, rudest, and unhappy people I have met and alot of the workplace judges Christians by that behavior. As a side note I know that there is no excuse for unbelievers to use that as a justification for unbelief, I am arguing a different point at the moment. We are called to live our lives as if all of us has been transformed, not just the exterior portions, those portions that others can see. We have been circumcised by the Spirit and should live as such. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Let your light shine before men so that they might glorify your Father in heaven". Amen.

The Self-Deception of Self-Righteousness

2005-07-14T12:54:00.000-04:00

Romans 2:1-24

I find it difficult to comment on sections of Romans because Paul is methodically developing, articulating and defending the Gospel message. But, here goes! In this section he is confronting the notion of justification by adherence to the Law. The Law shows us God's Holy standards of righteousness. Those who obey it fully and completely will be justified (vs 6&7). Yet he methodically shows that any attempts to find salvation by personally trying to obey the Law are futile. Ultimately, self-righteousness is self-seeking and is a result of self-deception. If we try to find righteousness in adherence to the commands, we end up taking the holy standards of God and reducing them into something that we can "attain". Our pastor gave a great sermon on this last Sunday in expositing the parable of the Good Samaritan:

'Love your neighbor' is transformed into, 'Don't do anybody any harm'. Such passive righteousness is far easier to handle. We can comfort ourselves since we haven't stolen from, murdered or slandered our neighbor, that we have thereby succeeded in loving him or her…The good Samaritan is Jesus' demolition job on the self-righteousness of those who dare to justify themselves. 'Face up to the performance gap in your life,' the parable says. 'You know God's standards of love, but you don't keep them. Go away and try to keep them if you're so sure you can. But once you stop rationalizing your way out of the full force of God's command, once you stop emasculating the demands of love with comforting clichés like "Charity begins at home" and "I never do anybody any harm", once you start comparing your loving with the extravagant generosity of that good Samaritan of mine, then you will realize what a moral failure you really are. You will not come to me then asking pompous, self-inflated questions like, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" No. Rather, like a man in the next story we shall be looking at, you will be found with your head bowed, beating your breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me, a sinner! Plenty of people come, like this expert, to have a debate with Jesus. Too few come to Him seeking what He really wants to offer -- a rescue.

True righteousness cannot be attained by our external adherence to the demands of the Law. The true righteousness of humanity was lost in the Garden. We are now dead in our sin, and we need to be rescued. Paul states that "Doers of the Law will be justified" (vs 13). As we continue through Romans over the next days, Paul will be working toward the conclusion that no one can do this…except one man…Jesus. It is by works we are saved, indeed. The works of Christ, imputed to those who believe!

He is able

2005-07-14T08:35:00.000-04:00

"Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel, and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. " I Chron 17:7-11

I am chagrined at all the times that I read Scripture like this. This passage demonstrates the surpassing might of the Lord and rightly so. But as I live my life on a day to day base I usually take that for granted. I bring this up for something that happened yesterday to me. I was talking and praying with one of my friends and he related a solution to a problem that we had been praying about for several months. The solution was one of such surpassing astonishment to us because we never even imagined such an answer. It is hard to understand what I am talking about because I cannot relate it in detail or I would be typing here for an hour. Suffice it to say that we had been praying for God to deliver him in a "small" way in retrospect and God delivered him in a large way. And isnt that just like God? It is the Lord who goes in front of us and delivers His servants. David here offers to build the Lord a house and the Lord answers by saying that He will establish His throne and kingdom forever. Whereas I too would have looked at the immediate problem of building a house for the Ark the Lord was looking forward to the time of the ultimate temple and solution: Jesus Christ. I am humbled when I think on all of the times that I do not trust the Lord completely to work in His way and not mine. May God strengthen us this day and every day to trust Him and praise His Name.

Not Forgotten

2005-07-12T10:19:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Chronicles 12:19-14:17 | Romans 1:1-17 | Psalm 9 | Proverbs 19:4-5
Tomorrow's Readings

For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.
(Psalm 9:18)

The first part of this psalm reads like a confession of faith, with David expressing his wholehearted devotion to God, his thanksgiving for God's hand of guidance, and his confession of God's sovereign reign and justice over the nations. The second half departs rather suddenly from the confession to a desparate appeal for God's to raise David out of his present affliction. This serves as a reminder to me of two things: firstly, remembering God's power and faithfulness is key, when I'm suffering, if I am to approach him with confidence. The psalm is structured this way, with David praising God, and in effect reminding himself of God's greatness, before acknowledging his need. I need always to be meditating on God's goodness and faithfulness, both in the general sense of history and redemption as well as specific examples from my own life; these serve to bolster my faith and fortify me against slipping into despair when a situation seems too big. Secondly, pride has no place before God. While this would seem to be obvious, yet pride has too many ways of slipping into our thinking. In the case of this psalm, David is king, but he acknowledges that he is needy and poor, just like anyone else. He appeals not to the power of his position, but rather to God's power and faithfulness to deliver. And by seeing himself on equal footing with the poor and needy, he is able both to commiserate and identify himself with their real suffering, as well as point to a future deliverance. For while the poor and needy do suffer in this world, nevertheless we will not always be forgotten (as though God ever did forget!), and our hope will not perish forever, for He is our hope, who alone has power to deliver and save.

Strong men and women

2005-07-11T08:38:00.000-04:00

"And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said,
“We are yours, O David,and with you, O son of Jesse!Peace, peace to you,and peace to your helpers!For your God helps you.”
Then David received them and made them officers of his troops." 1 Chron 12:16-18

As I was reading this today I was thinking that I wish there were more men and women like this in the church as a whole. So often we are consumed with our own cares and issues in daily life and we have a tendency to grow complacent. But we are in a spiritual war at all times and that makes our complacency all the more dangerous. I know that the ultimate victory has already been won by the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross but that does not absolve us of our responsibility to wage war with the weapons God has given us (see Ephesians 6 for a description of them). And in that war we need strong men and women to rise up and support the commanders. I am surprised (although I should not be) that so many more people are willing to find fault with their pastor than pray for him. God has appointed our pastors and we should serve them and aid them in our labors. To think we are in anything less than a war is to delude ourselves. Hard words for a Monday morning but that is the joy and delight of the Bible. May God strengthen us to that task.

Out of our minds

2005-07-08T08:31:00.000-04:00

"And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words." Acts 26:24-25

I am out of my mind. At least that is the way some people see me. I was away on a business trip this week and I was thinking alot of my brothers as I was traveling for some reason. I am saddened whenever I think about them because they are not saved yet (I pray that God saves them!) and they think that I have lost my mind. That saddens me that they cannot see the truth and at the same time I thank God that He chose me for His own. I have lost my mind. I have lost the mind that was dead and been given a new one in Christ that will lead me to Glory. So often those who do not know Christ will ridicule us that we are not part of the world or that we are foolish because we do not think as they do. But that is the point. We need to think as our Creator thinks and follow Him. I am happy and grateful to have lost my mind in Christ. There is no greater gift.

The long gradual descent

2005-06-30T09:45:00.000-04:00

"But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger." 2 Kings 17:14-17

Every time I read this passage I shudder twice. I shudder once for the acts that the Israelites did and I shudder twice for that is what I am capable of as well. It is hard for me to write that or acknowledge that but the Bible is clear on that point. We are all capable of the basest sins. The fact that we do not practice them is by the Grace of God. I am reminded of this in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus tells us that we are guilty of the whole law and not just pieces of it. We (I) look at such practices in the above section and feel disgust and pity for them, as we should. But we should not sit in judgement of them. That is the Lord's and the Lord's alone. We should fall on our knees when we read such things and thank our Creator and Savior that He loved us enough to save. Sober words for this morning. I praise the Lord for giving us such reminders.

They Became False

2005-06-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Kings 17:-18:12 | Acts 20 | Psalm 148 | Proverbs 18:6-7
Tomorrow's Readings

But they would not listen, but were stubborn, as their fathers had been, who did not believe in the Lord their God. They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them that they should not do like them. And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal. And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight. None was left but the tribe of Judah only.
(2 Kings 17:6-18)

This is one of the more sobering sections of scripture, where after several centuries of wilful disobedience, the northern kingdom of Israel is judged by God and cast off, being subdued by Assyria and dismembered, never to rise again. The writer goes to great lengths to explain that this defeat was the consequence of sin and rebellion against the covenant with God; much of this section sounds like Romans 1-2.

I was convicted by the statement "They went after false idols and became false." This is one of the paradoxical ends of idolatry: whereas one of the chief sources of idolatry is our own self-interest and pride, nevertheless if we commit ourselves down that path we lose ourselves. Augustine said it truly when he said "our hearts are restless until they're found in you." My own restlessness - a covetous idolatry - leads me too often to ignore prayer. Selfishness rushes to fill the void, and then I lose myself in negativity.

This sounds very much like Jesus' statement that, 'unless you lose your life for my sake, you will never gain it'. Thankfully, God is gracious and ever woos us to him, covering over our sin and filling us with his Spirit that we might abide in him.

Compassionate and gracious

2005-06-28T08:52:00.000-04:00

"But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them, and he turned toward them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor has he cast them from his presence until now." 2 Kings 13:23

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,whose hope is in the Lord his God," Psalm 146:5

These two sections of Scripture speak for themselves and whatever I would add would just dilute the impact of them. But I need to point out that the writers of this Scripture knew that the Lord was indeed compassionate and gracious but did not have the full knowledge that we have. The Lord's compassion is ultimately demonstrated in that He sent His Son to save us from our sins. We who were dead are now alive. We who had no hope now have life everlasting. There is no greater gift than that.

Iron Sharpens Iron

2005-06-28T07:44:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings

Acts 18:24-26
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

In today's passage, we are introduced to Apollos. He is described as one who was a gifted speaker and "competent in the Scriptures". He also had been discipled in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was certainly qualified to be a missionary to Ephesus. Yet the passage also shows that he was teachable. Being teachable requires both discernment and humility. Discernment is required to avoid receiving and adopting false teachings. Apollos was competent in the Scriptures, and this kept him from being gullible. Yet he was humble enough to receive further instruction in the "things concerning Jesus" from a brother and sister in Christ. In the end, "iron" had "sharpened iron".

I believe that the church is becoming less and less discerning because its members are not "competent in the scriptures". And because of this, false teachings are creeping in. Sound teaching is traded for slick presentation, and the Gospel is watered down. The passage today also was a reminder that while I've been a Christian for many years, I will never have all the answers! I must be teachable in the things of the Lord, willing to be sharpened by my brothers and sisters in Christ. The only way this can happen is if I am part of a body of true believers who are seeking to know Christ and His Word. That body of believers must be seeking to become competent in the scriptures, and demand that its leaders instruct them in the true way of the Lord.

Your Blood Be On Your Own Heads

2005-06-27T08:39:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Kings 10:32-12:21 | Acts 18:1-22 | Psalm 145 | Proverbs 18:1
Tomorrow's Readings

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
(Acts 18:5-11)

There have been seasons in my life when I have witnessed a lot, sometimes even with dramatic results; but it has unfortunately been some time since I have done much witnessing for my faith. On the whole, I will say that God has been doing some significant work in my heart, and there may be different seasons for these things. But this passage is convicting, and for a couple of reasons; one, I can't imagine being able to say, with Paul, 'I wash my hands of your blood.' I'm thinking specifically of the passage in Ezekiel where God places no small responsibility on his prophet (and by extension, I think, all who know his words) for the fate of the people (Ezekiel 3:16-21). Another reason I find this convicting is embedded in the mesage God gives Paul in his Corinthian vision; we (ok, maybe it's just me) often assume that Paul was some sort of superman, who didn't give a thought for anything other than the gospel, and certainly did not fear anyone to whom he preached - such fear is certainly among the factors limiting my witness. But I think this vision gives the lie to that assumption; plus, when you read Paul's letters to the Corinthians, it emerges that he really dealt with quite a lot of fears and anxieties, especially in his dealings with them. But he persevered and endured in his witness, and among the saints he truly can claim to be innocent of the blood of men.

Teach your children well

2005-06-27T08:20:00.000-04:00

"And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days, because Jehoiada the priest instructed him. " 2 Kings 12:2

"One generation shall commend your works to another,and shall declare your mighty acts." Psalm 145:4

I laughed as I was thinking about writing this today because I know I will sound like an old man bemoaning how things were "better in my day". On a side note I am never sure how to take a statement like that because it usually comes from someone who is not able to look at the world with fresh eyes and have compassion but that is another story. But I wanted to talk about teaching children. We have 5 children that we labor to instruct in the Word of God. I say labor because on the whole it is just that. There is much joy but the dedication necessary to give clear and consistent Bible instruction is work. Most of the work is mental. My wife and I daily need to be available to set aside our own desires to take the time to make sure the Bible is read with your children and to make sure the older ones have done their devotions and spent some time with the Lord. Which means the two of us need to take some time with the Lord as well. Leading them means leading by example. The reason that I stress this points is a disturbing trend I have noticed in the church I attend. Alot of the parents seem to think the youth group is to be there to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord thereby absolving them of their need to do so. The Youth group does indeed do that but if there is only one day of instruction and 6 days of none the message is that the Word of God has no impact in our lives 6 days of the week. That makes me very sad when I see it. That is then how we get the world to say that most Christians are Sunday Christians and worldly people for the rest of the week. That is not the Gospel. That is not what God requires. Yes it is hard work to raise children well but that is what the Lord calls us to. My wife and I always say "It is easy to be a parent, it is hard to be a good parent". I pray that the Lord would awaken our hearts with the strength and determination to raise up the succeeding generations to adore His Name.

This Is A Light Thing

2005-06-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Kings 3:1 - 4:17 | Acts 14:8-28 | Psalm 140 | Proverbs 17:22
Tomorrow's Readings

And Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” And Elisha said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would neither look at you nor see you. But now bring me a musician.” And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.’ For thus says the Lord, ‘You shall not see wind or rain, but that streambed shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, you, your livestock, and your animals.’ This is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, and you shall attack every fortified city and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree and stop up all springs of water and ruin every good piece of land with stones.” The next morning, about the time of offering the sacrifice, behold, water came from the direction of Edom, till the country was filled with water.
(2 Kings 3:13-20)

Is it a compliment when scripture says "he did what was evil ... but not like his father and mother"? I suppose not; but it seems that Israel's king Jehoram thought he was leading some sort of revival when he put away the pillar of Baal. This comes out especially when he claims that it is the Lord who has called the kings together to march against Moab (does anyone else hear Elwood saying "we're on a mission from God" or is it just me?). Nevertheless, it does not occur to him to inquire of the Lord; this comes from Judah's king Jehoshaphat.

I was struck by Elisha's words: this is a light thing in the sight of the Lord. He is encouraging the king to see God as more than just a ceremonial expedient, or even just somewhere to run when sudden fear grips (as in this case, where the army ran out of water). God would even deliver the Moabites into his hands.

This speaks to me because I know that I do not allow myself to lean on God as I should. I rob myself of his abiding presence and blessing, and I rob him of the worship to which he is entitled. Here God reminds me that he is capable of far more than I imagine. And I know that in Christ he has shown that he will do more still; he redeems me from my sin and sets me on the high ground of his favor.

He is able

2005-06-22T07:57:00.000-04:00

I did not chose a specific Scripture passage today because there were just too many that I would have chosen. The thread of the miracles performed by the Lord is too numerous in today's readings. The Lord showed His power continually even though His people ran to other gods. We can be faithless but He is always faithful. I smile at myself when I meditate on the wondrous power of God because usually I presume too litte on His power and His works. As an example the destruction of the Moabites will do. The Israelites were in desperate need of water and Elisha indicated that the Lord would provide the water and also the destruction of Moab. I know I would have thought the Lord would provide the water and then I could sit back and watch Him destroy the other army with thunderbolts or some other thing. But the Lord used the water to do both jobs. I never would have asked the Lord to use the water to trick the Moabites into thinking that it was blood and rushing my army. But that is just it: His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are not my thoughts. The same thing with my life. Too often my requests are based on what I see as possible, not what He can accomplish. I have a view of God that is too small. I know I never would have conceived of a God that would freely give up His place in Heaven, humble Himself to take on human form, be tortured and killed, and be raised up again to restore a relationship with a people that continually rejected Him. But that is the God we serve and all praise be to His Name!

Inquire of Baal-zebub

2005-06-21T09:06:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Kings 1-2 | Acts 13:42-14:7 | Psalm 139 | Proverbs 17:19-21
Tomorrow's Readings

Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.” But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
(2 Kings 1:2-4)

It's tempting to denounce the folly of a king who would inquire of a foreign god when he has in his own kingdom a prophet as great as Elijah. It is foolish. But I cannot deny that I do the same thing over and over again. I know that I frequently look to sources other than Christ for comfort and strength; I know that in my heart I often avoid Christ. Even when it weighs me down, I am often too stubborn to bow my heart to him.

This stubborness cost Ahaziah his life. But I praise God that he has chosen to deal with me as a son, and not as the rebel that I am. Even his discipline is mercy.

The book of Hebrews makes the point that all the personalities, types and shadows in the Old Testament fade into insignificance in the light of the surpassing glory and revelation of God in Christ, and it asks the rhetorical question: if every disobedience of that covenant announced by angels received its due punishment, how much more so if we ignore that salvation announced by the Son of God himself? Indeed, the judgment for ultimately rejecting Christ is great. But for the children of God, his discipline, though a warning and shadow of the ultimate judgment, serves instead to shepherd us into those green pastures where we find the fulness of abiding in him.

You shall lead me

2005-06-21T08:37:00.000-04:00

"Where shall I go from your Spirit?Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me,and your right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10

I take such comfort in this Psalm. The song that we sing based on this psalm is one of my favorites and I am always very moved when we sing it. The comfort comes in that no matter what situation I find myself I can always rely on the fact that the Lord is with me. I am never never alone no matter how dark the path seems to my limited vision. The other side of that coin is that I can never hide from the Lord either. My sins are always in the light because He is there. I am not deserving of such constancy for I am so fickle in my love for Him and for those around me. I try but my flesh is weak. I can only fall to my knees and pray "Lord in my belief, help me in my unbelief". The comfort is that He is there where I am and He will hear my cry and set me on my feet again.

Freedom

2005-06-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. " Acts 13:38-9

"I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy templeand give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,for you have exalted above all thingsyour name and your word. " psalm 138 1-2

I was so moved by the Scripture today that I want it to speak for itself and not be clouded by my words. I am speechless in the face of the mercy of the God we serve.

Fall on your face

2005-06-17T08:36:00.000-04:00

"And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 1 Kings 18: 36-39

I have read this passage many times and taught a series on this section several times at our Church. It is a very familiar passage to me but as I pointed out in a recent post I am grateful for each new insight or emphasis that I get reading Scripture. The key for me today is that the people fell on their faces when they saw the might of the Living God. That is something that is missing in today's churches. Now I dont want to be misunderstood. I am not saying that we see fire come out of the heavens to show God's presence. I think we should have a healthy skepticism with so called "miracles" that seem to clog the airwaves. Alot of that is not authentic. But I do believe that God works in miracles today, both large and small. But that is not the overall thrust of this post. I do know that the single biggest miracle that God ever "performed" was in sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for our sins. We were at war with God through our sinfulness (inherited through Adam) and were (and still are) deserving of His eternal wrath. But through the sacrifice and atoning death of Jesus Christ we have been restored as His children, co heirs with Christ. That is a miracle which should cause us to fall on our face daily and worship and glorify the only one worth worshipping. As I read this passage I was reminded that there are a lot of times when I just take that miracle for granted and may God forgive me for doing so.

Is God Capricious?

2005-06-16T12:22:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Kings 15:25-17:24 | Acts 10:23-48 | Psalm 134 | Proverbs 17:9-11
Tomorrow's Readings

And as soon as [Baasha] was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. It was for the sins of Jeroboam that he sinned and that he made Israel to sin, and because of the anger to which he provoked the Lord, the God of Israel. ... Moreover, the word of the Lord came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and his house, both because of all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and also because he destroyed it.
(1 Kings 15:29-30,16:7)

Many who would read this would say that God was unstable and capricious. On the one hand, he decrees the utter destruction from the face of the earth of Jeroboam's house, while on the other he opposes himself to the man who accomplished his decree. Some may respond that God has the right to do as he wishes with his creation - the potter with his clay - and leave it at that; while this is true, the response fails to address the character of God or our sin.

It is important to address the question of God's character, not because there is any real question of his righteousness, but because of unbelief in our hearts. It is our unbelief that asks the question 'Is God capricious?' Even if we say he has the right, quite often there is that gnawing doubt; whether or not we have a right to this doubt is almost irrelevant, because it is there and has to be dealt with anyway. After all, how can we love him as we ought if we think he might be evil? But God is not evil. And a little more reflection on the sequence of events helps us to understand. God's word to Jereboam in chapter 14 reads thus:

behold, I will bring harm upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone.

Note that nowhere in this prophecy is Baasha commanded to do this. God says that he himself will do it. Now there are any number of ways God could have accomplished this, both natural and supernatural, and it is not for us to question the hows or the whens. One method that God can employ is to use the wicked to overthrow the wicked; and Baasha here fits the bill perfectly, as demonstrated by his actions. But his actions are unrighteous because they are borne of a lust for power; it does not matter that they happen to coincide with God's determination to execute justice.

What this boils down to is a question of means and ends, and this is where our own sin is confronted by this story. God in his providence has control of the ends; the only thing that we can effect is our own conduct, the means. Often we wish to change things in the world that we don't like; the temptation is to try to change them by means that are unrighteous. We delude ourselves into thinking that the outcome is so important - even righteous and God-honoring - that it doesn't matter what we do to achieve it. This is the kind of thinking that could compel someone to blow up abortion clinics; I'll be honest - although I never openly supported clinic bombings, I actually debated within my heart for a long time, until I understood this point, whether they weren't justified by the very important result of saving the lives of the unborn. I know better now. But this extreme example is not the only application.

When my pastor's teenage son was killed in a car accident years ago, there were some who took the opportunity to point out to him that God was using this to reveal sin in his life. A moment's honest reflection would show that no one knew why God took his son home that night. The proper response was mourning the loss and comforting the family. The truth is that these people had a bone to pick with the pastor, and when they saw he was weak and barely able to stand, they went in for the kill. This predatory behavior is disgusting, but also common, and it shows how our unrighteous anger can overmaster our better judgment to the point that we will do anything to get our way.

And that is why we must leave the ends to God; even when we think we understand his purpose, when we act unrighteously to obtain it we are merely doing what Baasha did: fashioning the world after our own image and according to our own unrighteous desires.

Standing in the Gap

2005-06-16T08:41:00.000-04:00

"Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." 1 Kings 17:1

There is so much to talk about in today's sections that I cannot hope to even talk in a cursory fashion about any of it. So I chose the verse above because it is something that I have been thinking about recently. The preceeding two chapters of 1 Kings detail a grisly succession of murders and idolatry that culminate in Ahab. This was a very powerful man (humanly speaking) and a very evil and weak willed man. Jezebel was the true power to the throne which we will see very clearly in the incident of the vineyard. However, it is almost startling that in this extended narrative of godlessness that the above first just appears. Elijah appears and announces to the king and his court that there would be not water for the next three years. For an agrarian society this would have been a scary and difficult situation. And Elijah appears before the man who would have had no conscience about killing and torturing him. But Elijah does it because he was a prophet of the Lord. He did what the Lord asked with trust and complete assurance. I would like to be like that in my life. I can do it on occasion but there are always times when I stand before power (humanly speaking again) and chose to be weak. I know that I am forgiven when I confess such sins but I am ashamed that I am not stronger for the Lord who has given everything to me. That is why His strength is perfected in my weakness. I fail without him. And this is the reminder to start each day by turning everything over to the One who is able to do all that I cannot do. Praise be to His Name!

Cloudy vision

2005-06-15T08:41:00.000-04:00

"He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” Acts 10:6

"Behold, how good and pleasant it iswhen brothers dwell in unity!" Psalm 133:1

My vision at times can be very clouded with regard to God's commands. I say that because the story of Cornelius continually reminds me of the shortcommings I have when I talk with or witness to other people. Peter had made huge steps in understanding the Gospel to this point in Acts. And he had made another huge step in living with Simon the tanner. A tanner would have been dealing with dead animals and so would have been almost continually unclean according to the Law. Peter lived with him and, though the Scripture does not say it, probably realized that this type of injunction was no longer necessary, except with regard to the practice of good sanitation. But the leap he had not made was that the Gentiles were to be saved as well. That source of "uncleanliness" was about to be erased in Peter's heart. The same with mine. How often do I consciously or unconsciously avoid situations that are outside my comfort zone figuring someone else will go there or witness to that person? That exposes the limits of the Gospel I proclaim, which from a practical standpoint should have no limits. I am talking here about my duty to proclaim the Gospel and not its efficacy or the fact of predestination. When I truly learn that I can say as the Psalmist does that blessed are they that live together.

The Lion of Judah

2005-06-14T12:24:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Kings 12:20-13:34 | Acts 9:26-43 | Psalm 132 | Proverbs 17:6
Tomorrow's Readings

And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back. And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the Lord and have not kept the command that the Lord your God commanded you, but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. And as he went away a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his body was thrown in the road, and the donkey stood beside it; the lion also stood beside the body. And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the road and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.
(1 Kings 13:20-25)

I find this story of the prophet's disobedience really strange, and not a little heartbreaking. But there's also a surreal kind of comfort to be derived from it. To begin with, it's a good example of judgment beginning in God's house; for the prophet here has pronounced God's just indignation against Jeroboam for his monumental sin, and performed miraculous signs to confirm that the words he spoke were indeed the very words of the true and living God.

The events of his disobedience are strange; it does not seem that the northern prophet could have been a true prophet, since he lied to the prophet from Judah (then again, aren't we all liars?); and yet God speaks through him. But the judgment of God was too important in this case: the prophet's mission was so important, that it was unacceptable that he should sully God's word by disobeying his direct injunction against stopping on his way back. So speaking through the lying prophet would have been the equivalent of speaking through the donkey to get Balaam's attention, such was the gravity of the prophet's sin. Surely this should impress upon us the importance of godliness as we hold forth the word of truth in this wicked and rebellious generation!

Then there's this lion. Bizarre. I'm going to venture into territory that I usually shun, and that is because the lion is simply too prominant in this story to be ignored. It's pretty clear that the lion is intended as some sort of sign, because not only does it not tear the prophet apart, or go after his donkey, but it stands there as though guarding the body. So I'll venture an interpretation: the lion is a sign of Christ. Judgment begins in the house of God, and it is Christ who will judge us; thus did the prophet meet his death, from the lion of the tribe... But more than that: even in judgment, we find the mercy and faithfulness of God, for he guards us against our own folly and against the just punishment of our sins. Indeed, we will all be tested by fire, but by his mercy we will emerge triumphant in Christ.

It may be a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; but it is also our only hope.

a new golden calf

2005-06-14T08:33:00.000-04:00

"And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.” So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” And he set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one. " 1 Kings 12:26-30

It has not occured to me until today that the immediate cause of the split of Israel and its long, slow, sad decline occured for the pride of one man. I love reading Scripture on a daily basis because there is so much more that I get each time no matter how many times I read something. Jeroboam wanted to have authority over the people and decided to keep them from the influence of Rehoboam. He succeeded both in his own selfishness and pride but also because the people were naturally inclined to reject the Living God and worship a man made idol. Just as we are. It is amazing to me as I read this that Paul's wisdom is that much more acute. Just as one man sinned and we all died so too one man stood in as a perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins. The Bible is continually highlighting that fact. And it is only through the worship of the true God through His Son Jesus Christ that the land will be healed and we are to be forgive. May God help us to cast out all of our idols this day.

Like A Weaned Child

2005-06-13T12:18:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Kings 11:1-12:19 | Acts 9:1-25 | Psalm 131 | Proverbs 17:4-5
Tomorrow's Readings

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
(Psalm 131)

I love this psalm because it speaks with a voice of quiet and repose, and yet gives the unmistakable impression that the writer has passed through great upheaval to get there. I cannot help but draw a parallel in my own life. Although there are times when it seems that my pride is so great that it could suffocate me, yet I know that Christ, by his wisdom and grace, is whittling away at it and molding me into a man after his heart.

Idolatry

2005-06-13T08:10:00.000-04:00

"For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods." 1 Kings 11:4-8

There was so much to talk about in today's readings but I focused on this section because this subject has been close to my heart for the last several weeks. One of the classes in our church is focusing on idol worship this summer and I have been asked to teach a few of the classes. I say that not to raise myself up but because I have spent a lot of time thinking about the idols in my life. We kid ourselves as Christians when we scoff at those who actually stand in front of statues and pray to them. We do not do that (although in truth some denominations do) but we have other idols : pride, wealth, career, etc. The definition that I use is an idol is Jesus + anything else. If we need anything else other than Jesus Christ to be happy then we have an idol in our lives. And we all have them. It is in our nature to do so. But it is the freeing power of the Cross that allows us to turn from them and seek forgiveness. For the longest time I would read the above section of Scripture and wonder why a man as wise as Solomon could have been led astray. As I get older it is no surprise to me. The key is that example serves as a warning. If a man as wise as Solomon could fall so far then I need to be ever more vigilant for snares and traps. May God forgive me for my idols and give me the insight and honesty to root them out of my life.

Suffering for Christ

2005-06-07T13:24:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Kings 2:1 - 3:3 | Acts 5 | Psalm 125 | Proverbs 16:25
Tomorrow's Readings

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
(Acts 5:41)

I wonder how Christians in America would act if they actually had to suffer for their faith. I was all prepared to say we would fail the test, because we seem so obsessed with things that are never promised us in scripture. But as I reflect on this section of scripture, I have to say that I think we would be fine, for two reasons:

one, the apostles were suffering for preaching the gospel. Much of the suffering that we endure in America, if indeed it can be called suffering, has to do with a fight for cultural hegemony. We lose influence and prestige, and we fight over rights that have very little to do with the gospel. While the gospel should compel us to engage the culture at every level of society, it often seems that we fight more for comfort than for Christ. But I think that if we were forced into a position where we had to choose to obey God or men - and I'm not talking about whether or not to post the ten commandments in our schools - then we would rise to the occasion. That is not because of any righteousness or wisdom in us, but rather because of the strength which God gives through his Holy Spirit

two, even (especially) where our strength is insufficient, the Holy Spirit abides in us and will strengthen us for the very worst that we might have to faith. It was the Holy Spirit that transformed the apostles, and that same Spirit has been given to us.

With the Merciful...

2005-06-04T16:14:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Samuel 22:21 - 23:23 | Acts 2 | Psalm 122 | Proverbs 16:19-20
Tomorrow's Readings

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
with the purified you deal purely,
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
(2 Samuel 22:26-28)

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
(Acts 2:37)

For me one of the great mysteries of faith is the difference between believers and unbelievers. David observes this in the passage above: "to the merciful you show yourself merciful...and with the crooked you make yourself tortuous." Of course in our day and age the explanation is choice; everything in our pluralistic age comes down to choice, so much so that it really is the defining tenet of postmodern 'belief'. But we know from scripture that there's more to it than mere choice.

It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
(Proverbs 16:19-20)

We know that, quite apart from first amendment rights, pride is the main thing keeping people from embracing the Lord. Pride is the ongoing manifestation of our sin natures, of our rebellion against our creator. In our pride we see God as tortuous, bent on control and domination, limiting our freedom and pleasure. But when we are humbled, suddenly a different understanding of God emerges. Where once we saw him as hateful, suddenly we are filled with wonder at his glory; and as we mature in knowledge of him - as we manifest more of the fruit of his Spirit, of his mercy, his purity, his blamelessness, then it's as though God emerges anew, lovelier and lovelier. The wonder in this is that God has not changed. It is only as we change - as we are progressively humbled and transformed to reflect his character - that we perceive and appreciate these qualities in him.

Ths is so important, for if we are not convinced that there is no goodness in us, then that pride will take hold of us once again. I thought of this even as I read the Pentecost account in Acts. What was different about these people that they received the gospel, whereas before, when Christ walked the earth, very few received his message? Nothing. It was the action of the Spirit on that day, through Peter's preaching, that awakened them to their sin and misery and led them to repent and receive the grace held out in the gospel. It is the Spirit convicts us of our guilt, that humbles us to receive the grace of Christ, then to grow in gratitude.

That mystery, then, hits home when I realise there is no difference between believers and unbelievers. For we are all alike caught up in sin and pride. But by the grace of God, all who believe are redeemed and filled with his Spirit, that we might be transformed into the image of Christ.

What God Hates...

2005-06-03T00:28:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings

Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Pride...that insidious thing that is endemic to our fallen nature. We battle it daily in varying degrees and in many different ways. It is the root of our sin, and God hates it. How does it lead to a fall and destruction? I believe it is because pride blinds us to our weaknesses and to the degree that our sin offends God. It keeps us from listening to others who would counsel us in our folly. It degrades into an arrogance that makes us think we know it all. And ultimately its goal is to usurp the glory that is rightly due God and to place it on ourselves.

There are many proud people with haughty spirits in the world around us. I see many proud, arrogant, boastful people who, in contrast to this verse, seem quite well off. They do not seem to experience a fall, nor have they seen any destruction from this world's perspective. In fact, they are quite prosperous and live at ease. But ultimately, pride and a haughty spirit that shakes the fist in the face of God will lead to eternal destruction. The same pride that caused Satan to fall blinds the unbeliever from seeing God's grace and mercy. It makes the unbeliever unable to submit to God's will. It is the cause of rebellion and spiritual death.

As believers, God uses events in this life to drive out our pride and to help us learn humility. He allows us to reap the consequences of our prideful folly, but He is there to pick us up and restore us to fellowship, teaching us the way of humility so that we may bow before Him in true worship. While we are free from destruction by the mercy of God in Christ, we are still daily to put off our pride and to live before Him in humility. God helps us in this process by bringing us through trials that cause us to be humble before him, and to despise our pride. While this process is often painful, He is shaping us into worthy servants who will bring glory to His name rather than to ourselves. May we seek His glory each and every day.

You Know That I Love You

2005-06-02T09:48:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Samuel 19:11 - 20:13 | John 21 | Psalm 120 | Proverbs 16:16-17
Tomorrow's Readings

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
(John 21:15-17)

I was speaking with my pastor not too long ago about this passage, specifically about the interchange between the Greek words agape and phileos. For those who are unfamiliar with this detail, Jesus asks Peter twice "Do you agape me" and Peter responds saying "Yes, I Phileos you"; finally, Jesus asks Peter "Do you Phileos me", to which Peter replies, "Lord, you know all things; you know I Phileos you"; Agape and Phileos are typically diferrentiated as meaning sacrificial love (agape) and brotherly love (phileos). Anyway, my pastor didn't seem to think that there was any significance to the juxtaposition of the two Greek words; the reason he gives for this has to do with John's loose writing style, and also the question of "what do you do with this, if it's intentional?" I hadn't considered that question before, because I have long thought the message was obvious, until recently when I ran across another blog where someone used this verse to castigate Peter for not loving God sacrificially, even after Jesus' death and resurrection and his reinstatement of Peter - basically saying that Peter still didn't get it.

I think the Greek is significant, and for two reasons. First, I think that detail is important in scripture. For example, Jesus' whole argument for the resurrection (at least the one he presented to the Saducees) was based on the tense of the verb used in God's statement: I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Matt 22:32) I conclude from this that detail is important in scripture. Second, whether or not John's style is loose, the very nature of this conversation seems to suggest that it is intentional.

So, assuming that the language is intentional, the suggestion that Peter is missing the point here is ludicrous. Throughout his three years with Jesus, Peter was always the first to jump to action, always the loudest to state his absolute (sacrificial) devotion to Christ. The experience of his denial of Christ was devastating for him and exposed the true nature and limitation of his love for Christ. Reading this passage, then, it seems that Jesus is asking him (though he witnessed his betrayal) "do you still love me like you always said you did?" It seems that Peter, in his response, is saying that he knows his love for Christ is imperfect; in light of his betrayal, he will no longer lightly say 'I love you with all my heart and strength..'

I think it would be wrong to infer from this that we should never say that we love God with all our heart, mind and strength, as we are commanded. At the same time, I think it would be wise if we also confessed the truth, that we love God imperfectly and incompletely. We are prone by nature to hate God and our neighbors; though we are new creations in Christ, nevertheless our redemption is incomplete. This should encourage us to live freely before God, for it is by his grace that we are saved, and not by any righteousness that we possess.

Feed my sheep

2005-06-02T08:29:00.000-04:00

"When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. " Joh 21:15-17

This is the second half of the story of Peter that I love so much. Peter had denied Christ and knew it and wept bitterly for it. But the Lord loved him enough to restore him and forgive him. What grace and mercy and compassion and tenderness is displayed in these three verses. Jesus did not dredge up the offense, He knew that Peter was truly sorry. But as the Lord gentle in this exchange He also pointed out what Peter's mission was to be: he was to tend the flock. That is an amazing thing that I believe a lot of Christians miss. We are forgiven on a daily basis and we are to go out and tend the flock, in whatever capacity. Many are not called to be pastors but that does not mean that we cannot take care of those around us. We can feed the sheep (and I am one of them) by being kind and considerate, by challenging when we see sin, and by being bold when we see someone dead in their sins and rejecting the Lord. Thos are just some of the ways that we can live our Christianity in our daily lives. In quiet ways. In ways that go unnoticed much of the time. In ways that are one person, one encounter, one conversation at a time. The Lord knows that we love Him. We need to show evidence of that love in our lives. May God strengthen us to that task and bless us this day.

Comparisons

2005-06-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

John 21:20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

"What about this man?" Peter had just received words from the Lord about what type of death he would die in service to Christ. He wanted company...misery loves company ;-). It is easy to compare ourselves with others. Why are we suffering more than others? Why am I made like I am? Why did that person receive that blessing, or gift, or.... the list goes on. In comparing ourselves with others, we fall into a trap of thinking that God is not being fair to us. Yet that is exactly the right analysis, only from a different twist. That God has given any of us mercy is highly unfair, for we all deserve to be punished. But His mercies are good and just.

Jesus tells Peter, "...what is that to you? You follow me!" It is difficult sometimes, but these are good words for us to heed. We must stop looking around at other brothers and sisters in Christ...We must avoid comparisons that we use to make ourselves feel superior to others and we must also avoid the temptation of thinking that God is not treating us fairly as compared to others. It is enough for us to daily follow him...through whatever blessings or trials he leads us into...to His glory alone. For ultimately He works all things for the good of those called according to His purposes.

Breath of Life

2005-06-01T23:00:00.000-04:00

John 20:21-22
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Here is another verse in John that I never noticed them before. This reminds me of the point in creation when God breathed life into Adam in Genesis 2...

7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

The breath of God brings forth life. The Holy Spirit is the agent of life and sustains the life of all creation. It is indeed a mystery to me that cannot be fully understood...the paradox of God's total transcendence over His creation, yet at the same time His intimate connection to it in his omnipresence or immanence. God transcends His created order, yet at the same time he is so near to it that through His Spirit all life and order is sustained by His Providence. And because of the fall, His Spirit will not sustain the life of our fleshly bodies forever (Genesis 6:3). Yet God is merciful to His creatures by His common grace in that He allows us to live even one day in our rebellion.

As Adam was transformed from dust to a living creature, so Christ breathes new life into spiritually dead people through His Holy Spirit. This passage foreshadows the coming of the Holy Spirit in power upon the church at Pentecost. Yet it is also a reminder that the Holy Spirit quickens us to new life that enables us to make our confession of faith in Christ. He brings us from death to life and dwells with us as a guarantee of our ultimate renewal in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:22). By His grace, His Spirit will dwell with us and sustain us forever. Praise Him for His marvelous grace!

Mary

2005-06-01T08:02:00.000-04:00

"Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, [5] “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher)." John 20:16

I love this verse. Every time I read it my eyes either well up or the tears overflow. The love that Mary has for the Lord is evident in the verses just before it. The confusion and single mindedness she shows in searching for the Lord is poignant and makes my heart ache. How I long to show such consistent love for the Lord. She loved Him so much she was willing to endure whatever was necessary to make sure the Lord was taken care of in the grave. And the grace and gentleness of the Lord in calling her is overwhelming. The joy and surprise and love she must have felt when she recognized Him is beyond words for me. That is what I imagine our entrance into Heaven must be like. We will be judged and that will be painful beyond measure. But we have an advocate who will call our name and we will respond "Rabboni" and fall into His arms forever. My brothers and sisters, how could we hope for anything more? Grace and peace to you all this day.

I have overcome the world

2005-05-27T08:50:00.000-04:00

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

"You have dealt well with your servant,O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge,for I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray,but now I keep your word." Psalm 119:65-67

I am in a season of testing/tribulation. I say it that way because I am never quite sure which it is (and it might be both at the same time). There is discipline involved with that as well for I am ever sinful. It is hard in times like these not to develop tunnel vision and see only what is immediately before me. It is hard to rejoice in my troubles and yet I find myself desiring to do so. I find myself saying over and over "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, Blessed be the Name of the Lord." And my emphasis is on blessing the Name of the Lord for it is He who is my Savior and King. I relate this for when I read the John section above today I smiled and took courage: Jesus has overcome the world. There is nothing else I need to know today. My Savior knows what it is like to suffer, and He suffered on account of me. But He loves me and forgives me just as David was forgiven once he repented. Like the Psalmist I often go astray but the Lord is there to welcome me back. The Lord deals well with me according to His Word. He comforts and chastises as is necessary and He is always just and right and merciful. It is an honor to serve Him and glorify His Name. Because of Him I can walk through this fire and not be burned. May God richly bless us this day no matter where we find ourselves. I am grateful for this community and the chance to share my life in a small way with fellow borthers and sisters in Christ.

You Are the Man!

2005-05-27T07:44:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Samuel 12 | John 16 | Psalm 119:65-80 | Proverbs 16:4-5
Tomorrow's Readings

Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

Nathan said to David, “You are the man!
(2 Samuel 12:5-7)

Nothing to add to this. I marvel that David did this thing, and yet I am no different and no better. It is not without cause that Jesus warns us against judging others. Praise God he forgives our sin!

Get With His Program

2005-05-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Proverbs 16:1 The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.

We live out our lives making plans, setting goals, and acting on our daily decisions. And yet it is the word of decision of the Lord, the "answer of His tongue" that ultimately carries the day. On one extreme, I have seen many Christians, including myself at times, set a course of action and then ask God to come along side and validate that decision. We ask God to "get with our program", and any initial success is seen as validation of our position. We must have done the right thing since we are being "blessed" by the outcome...according to our success criteria. Yet a successful outcome from our viewpoint is not always God's validation of the right decision. On the other extreme, we can hide laziness by "waiting on God"...forever...never acting responsibly in planning and making decisions guided by His wisdom as laid out in the Scriptures. As with many aspects of our Christian lives, this is an area where we must find a balance. God calls us to truly seek His wisdom as we walk through this life and to wait on His timing. He also calls us to hard work and to sound planning. Yet He will ultimately provide His "answer of the tongue"...that word of decision that directs the steps of His children through His providential ordering of events.

As we awaited the birth of our first baby, my wife and I had all sorts of notions and plans for raising a normal, healthy child. He changed those expectations when He gave us a daughter with Prader-Willi Syndrome. While our plans and expectations were shattered, He nonetheless has been continually faithful to us. We have learned much as we have followed His leading through the fifteen years that we have been blessed with raising our wonderful daughter. And while the road ahead has always been difficult to see as we move into each new phase of our daughter's life, He has taught us to trust His leading, and He has been faithful in providing guidance and strength as we seek His way.

Proverbs 16:3 elaborates on this principle. As we live out our lives making plans, setting goals, and acting on decisions, if we are diligent to seek the Lord's wisdom, in humility, He will establish our way. Not because He will come along side and "get with our program", but rather because we will come along side Him and align ourselves with what He desires to accomplish in and through us. Our plans will be established because they are His plans. Verse 3 tells us to "get with His program". May He give us the wisdom and humility to seek His way and endeavor to daily follow it.

Disturbed No More

2005-05-25T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Samuel 7-8 | John 14:15-31 | Psalm 119:33-48 | Proverbs 15:33
Tomorrow's Readings

And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.
(2 Samuel 7:10)

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
(John 14:23)

Wow, I was all set to say something about the prophecy establishing David's line forever, when I reread it and noticed this line for the first time. Israel is not only already in the promised land, but is also firmly established in Jerusalem, the eventual location of the temple. And God is here saying this is not their home. This is really subtle! And yet we find Christ, the ultimate subject of this prophecy, making a home for us with his Father through the Holy Spirit, just as he would say time after time that the kingdom of heaven was within us and not of this world. May we rest in his Spirit and be comforted in the knowledge that in his grip no enemy can disturb us.

There is only one Name

2005-05-24T08:21:00.000-04:00

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

This presents some difficulties for Christians. I have encountered this oftne when talking to Christians about evangelism. By evangelism I do not necessarily mean the busloads of people wandering the cities looking to spread the Gospel I am speaking more about the type of evangelism we do day to day in our lives. The way we live our life is the best type of evangelism there is, and sometimes the worst as well. But what I mean is that I often get asked the question "Well what about a good Jew? Dont they go to Heaven because they are the chosen people?" This verse syas no. That is hard for us to talk about but we need to tell people the truth and not just a sugar coated version of the Gospel. May God strengthen us to this task.

Bursting Forth

2005-05-24T07:43:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
2 Samuel 4-6 | John 13:31-14:14 | Psalm 119:17-32 | Proverbs 15:32
Tomorrow's Readings

And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
(2Sam 6:9)

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
(John 14:8-11)

These first years of David's reign seem to be filled with unfettered promise. Despite his grief at the death of Jonathan and the demise of Saul's house, David is confirmed by all of Israel as king, and, with the Lord as his strength, his armies wreak havoc on the Philistine nemesis. This is symbolized by the name given to the field of battle in their first major victory: baal-perazim, which means the Lord of Bursting Forth. God is literally seen to be exploding upon the enemies of the people, and Israel is carried along in the glory of the moment. The tide even swells to the conquest of Jerusalem, which had been deemed unconquerable to that point.

But, as is so often the case, pride undercuts the glory. Scripture seems to hint at this when it describes, first, the arrangements with a foreign king to build his house, and then the many concubines which he acquired as king. And when David purposes to bring the ark of God's presence to Jerusalem, he does so carelessly and stirs God's jealousy for his holiness. Uzzah's death seems harsh, but ironically while we condemn God for his holy judgment, we seem to conveniently forget that he was already showing mercy at this hour. For the people were transporting the ark in a manner contrary to the prescription of the law. It would not have fallen if they had been more careful; so the judgment of Uzzah was the result of David overstepping God's patience. And so the place was named Perez-uzzah, which means The Bursting Forth Upon Uzzah.

So in the space of a couple of chapters God has gone from bursting forth upon Israel's enemies to bursting forth upon Israel herself. The people of God are not immune to his scrutiny and discipline. These events are made more significant when we consider that the ark was symbolic of God's presence; David, in his fear and anger, decided not to bring the ark to Jerusalem, saying in effect How can God's presence come to me?

Indeed, how?

The exchange between Jesus and his disciples is one of my favorites. To the very end, the disciples did not understand his ministry; yet by now they seemed to understand that he was leaving them. Their myriad questions seem aimed at trying to hold onto him and the sense of the presence of God. Philip's request epitomizes this: Show us the Father, and it will be enough for us. Jesus' answer is astonishing: Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. In Christ God has come to dwell with his people; he has burst forth upon us once more, but no longer in judgment or conquest; it is the light of his presence bursting upon our hearts in the dark fastness of sin. And though we fear to behold him, he comforts us in compassion and grace, setting our hearts at rest in his glorious presence.

Washing feet

2005-05-23T07:45:00.000-04:00

"When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. " John 13:12-15

"Blessed are you, O Lord;teach me your statutes!" Psalm 119:12

I have been on vacation for a week and it is great to be back on the blog. As I was reading the Scripture sections today I was caught up in thinking what it means to serve those around us. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and we think "sure, what is the big deal?" The big deal is the fact that their feet would have been incredibly dirty from all of the walking and the sandals (if they had them) they wore did little to protect from the dirt and mud they walked through. This was a servant's job and considered menial labor. And yet our Lord stooped down and washed the feet of those that He taught. What a lesson. It is easy to love those around us when things are neat and clean and without turmoil. It is much harder to come alongside a brother or sister when the problems of life swirl around and make things messy. But that is what we are called to do. I can only respond today asking for forgiveness and that the Lord will indeed teach me His statutes.

A Question of Eternity

2005-05-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Samuel 26-28 John 11:1-53 Psalm 117 Proverbs 15:22-23

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?” 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it.

I've always wondered why Jesus was troubled and greatly moved. He knew exactly what was going to happen moments later. He was going to confront death itself, and demonstrate his power by raising Lazarus. It would seem more appropriate for him to demonstrate calm confidence and assurance as he dealt with those he loved.

Part of this was compassion toward the people he loved. But I've also heard it interpreted that Jesus was not just disturbed by this scene, he was enraged by it. Death was an invader into God's perfect creation, brought about by our rebellion. Death was not what God intended for His people, but in Adam we are all subjected to its curse. Jesus came to conquer the Invader. In raising Lazarus, Jesus demonstrated that He is the Resurrection and the Life. He alone has the power to conquer death and to neutralize its sting. In Him we have eternal life, if we place our trust in Him. Though our bodies are wasting away, yet will He renew us at the Last Day by the power of the Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead. Everyone must answer the question Jesus put to Martha in verse 26, "Do you believe this?" It is a matter of our eternal destiny...those who answer in the affirmative, though they die, yet shall they live, and everyone who lives and believes in Him shall never die. Will we be faithful to bring this message to those who have not yet believed?

On Pensive Principles, Passionate Pragmatism, and Providential Protection

2005-05-19T12:21:00.000-04:00

1 Samuel 24-25

24:1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats' Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 And afterward David's heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord's anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

25:26 Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.

Proverbs 15: 21
Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,
but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.

In this passage today, we see David exercising restraint. For by all appearances, the Lord had delivered Saul into his hand in the cave. His men urged him to act on this advantage, and to be done with his enemy once and for all. The men quite well understood that nothing happens by accident with a Sovereign God. Yet, after cutting off a corner of Saul's robe, David stopped and assessed the situation. He would not take the pragmatic approach, the approach that appealed to his passion of the moment. David's men failed to see that while the Lord did occasion this event, it was not for killing Saul. Rather, it was a test to see if David would follow the principled course. Would David trust God to sustain him? Or would he follow the pragmatic path that Saul walked in taking matters into his own hands (I Sam 13:11-14)? The fact was that the Lord had annointed Saul, and because of Saul's disobedience the Lord promised the kingdom to David. David stopped and followed the right course. God would make His promises happen in His own time, according to His plan.

In the next chapter, David is again confronted with making either a principled or a pragmatic decision in dealing with the "worthless fellow" Nabal (whose name means fool). David and his men had provided protection for Nabal's shepherds, yet they were rebuffed by Nabal in their request for provisions. In his anger, David ordered his men to arms in a bid to destroy Nabal and his household. David was rushing headlong into a passionately pragmatic decision without regard for the consequences of shedding innocent blood. And yet, God provided Providential Protection in sending Abigail, who in wisdom, reminded David of all that God had promised to him. The fool wasn't worth throwing away all God had planned for him. David, exercising wisdom, listened to Abigail and refrained.

These passages are a reminder for me that we must keep God's ways at the forefront of our minds. We must resist the temptation to do what is expedient at the expense of what is right. For in our society, pragmatism is king. Pragmatism has crept much into evangelicalism. In a bid to be "relevant", the Gospel is watered down in an attempt to make it more palatable. This can happen on a personal level in an effort to be inoffensive, and it can also happen when churches cater to the "seeker" in a bid to get people in the door. The pragmatic approach that is taken can result in a subtle syncretism that distorts the truth.

On a personal level, I am daily faced with the choice of either taking the expedient approach or taking the right approach. And often I fail. I fail to stop and reflect on the principles He teaches me in His Word in relation to my daily activities and decisions. My failures have consequences that I must live with. Yet praise be to God that He protects me in His Providence, and that I am ultimately kept for the day of redemption in Christ. He uses daily testing to refine me into what I have already been declared to be in Christ Jesus.

He Does All That He Pleases

2005-05-18T13:42:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Samuel 22-23| John 10:1-21 | Psalm 115 | Proverbs 15:18-19
Tomorrow's Readings

Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.

Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
(Psalm 115:-8)

Sometimes the phrase "he does whatever he pleases" pops up in the scriptures, describing God's nature. I admit that i am ocvcasionally rankled by this statement - I read it from a mind corrupt with dreams of my own autonomy, my own power, my own self-righteousness.. and in this frame of mind God may sometimes seem willful and capricious.

Of course there are several problems with this way of thinking. For one, it's a manifestation of unbelief; for the other, it misunderstands what the scriptures are saying (which of course lends fire to the unbelief).

Now regarding unbelief, I'm all for honesty. We all have doubts, and if there isn't a certain level of honesty about it then they threaten to undo us as we struggle in vain to pretend nothing's wrong. In this case, I must admit I sometimes doubt God's goodness. It's completely unfair and unrighteous, but it's there all the same. And I can say now that God has shown me unnumbered kindnesses while enduring my own ungratefulness and pride.

But more to the point, this scripture, and many like it, are not talking about God flexing his muscle. They are making a comparison between God and idolatry. Most of us pretty much know the scriptural litany against idols: they're mute and dumb, they're powerless, they're worshipped by the people who crafted them, etc, etc.. But this is more than just mockery - there's actually a point to be made in comparing God to rock and stone. God is alive, and he is not subject to human control. Idols were a way of focusing spiritual, mental, and natural energy in the hopes of obtaining specific benefits, which is why different idols (and deities) were invoked for harvest, fertility, rain, war, etc.. It is the essence and irony of paganism: you worship that which you ultimately wish to control.

That is why scripture says that God does all that he pleases. He is worshipped. Period. We cannot control him - we cannot utter a prescriptive set of prayers, or perform a well-choreographed dance to either gain his attention or acquire his action. God does what he wants and is subject to no one.

My first point actually becomes relevant, for here we praise God not only for his power and freedom, but also for his goodness. For when he could very easily have destroyed us for our sinfulness, he instead sought a way to further glorify himself by showing forth his mercy. I praise God that he does whatever he wants; and my praise is magnified when I consider the glory and kindness of his salvation.

"Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn't have guessed. That's one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It's a religion you couldn't have guessed." C.S.Lewis

Hope Arising

2005-05-14T13:45:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1 Samuel 15-16 | John 7:58-8:20 | Psalm 110 | Proverbs 15:8-10
Tomorrow's Readings

Your people will offer themselves freely
on the day of your power,
in holy garments;
(Psalm 110:3)

I could have focused on Saul's disobedience in today's OT reading. It's very revealing in terms of how we fall into sin: for if at first he fell as a result of peer pressure, nevertheless he was all too willing to fabricate a lie before the Lord in order to justify his actions. And there is no one beyond the reach of this sin, not even after 3,000 years of civilization's 'progress': all of us, from the greatest to the least, have done so and continue to do so. And the word of God gives us no space for comfort. It tells us that there is no one righteous, not even one; that all have sinned, falling short of the glory of God; it describes the descendents of Adam caught in the fastness and darkness of Sin - the fastness of a prison from which there can be no escape. Saul thus emerges as an example of our problem. His disobedience is an example of our spiritual impotence. This is our story.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature’s night...

But there is another, far greater story in the scriptures: a story of Hope arising out of the dark verdict of scripture, and Psalm 110 is a major step in the progressive revelation of this hope. It is obviously a messianic Psalm, for it speaks of a future glorified state for the people of God and their king. But it also introduces a significant paradox in the messianic hope of the scriptures, one to which Christ himself made reference in defense of his claims as both the messiah and the son of God. For David speaks of this future Messiah, his son, and calls him his Lord; not only that, but he ascribes priesthood and eternity to him - even though the law says the priesthood is to be reckoned to Aaron's lineage. I find this to be utterly sublime, and I stand in awe of this Son of the living and eternal God.

This is enough to raise my gaze to the Creator of heaven and earth. And yet, in fact it is not. For I am still a sinner, bound in the darkness of sin. But the psalm does not stop there: "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power in holy garments." This tells us nothing of the mechanics of salvation, but in speaking of the Lord's people in holy array, offering not sacrifices and offerings, but their very selves freely and willingly, it describes an incredible transformation. Indeed, an impossible transformation except by the very hand of the mighty God. And such will be the mark of this Messiah - this eternal king and faithful high priest - that I, wretched though I am, should love him as he first loved me and should give my life to him even as he gave his for me, once and for all, redeeming me from my sin and transporting me in his righteousness into the holy of holies of his glorious presence.

How then might the woman of John's story have responded to Jesus: she deserved his wrath and condemnation; in him there was one who, for the first time in all of history, could have thrown that first stone; and there she was, exposed and most probably naked before him. But he loved her and offered her reconciliation instead. Now there I stand; how will I respond? Lord, let this Hope arise in my heart, and let all sin and misery flee before it. Awaken the dawn, let shine your quickening ray, and draw your child to that hearty, willing and ready service.

...thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Looking but not seeing

2005-05-13T08:39:00.000-04:00

"Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him." John 7:41-43

Reading Scripture is always a pleasure but sometimes it can get very hard to swallow the messages. The Scripture I quoted above is an example of that for me. I smiled when I first read it this morning thinking that if only the people knew to whom they were speaking they would fall down and worship Him. If only they knew that He was indeed from Bethlehem and that He was indeed in the line of David they would be quieted and comforted. And then it hit me that I act like that and I know who He is and where He came from. How many times have I walked by someone and thought "How much could they really have to tell me about God's Word or His Works?" My shame at that burns even as I write this. In rejecting those who have served the Lord with all of their hearts just because of where they come from or how they look I reject my Lord who gave everything for me. That is why God judges on the inside and why I need to seek His forgiveness every day. May He be merciful to us today and allow us to see others as He sees them.

An Important Reminder

2005-05-12T12:30:00.000-04:00

I Samuel 12:23,24
Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.

I am not a prayer warrior. In fact, my prayer life can be quite anemic at times. When I do take the time to pray, I tend to spend less time with adoration, confession and thanksgiving and more significant time in supplication…towards my own personal interests. There are occasions when great needs arise or when a sermon prods me to fervent intercession for others, but this is an area of weakness for me. I am reminded today in these verses that I have forgotten to see this as sin against my Lord, or else I would be more serious about prayer. He desires that I intercede daily for not only my family and friends, but for my church and pastors, for the lost, for our nation, our leaders…and on the list goes. As his servant I am called to do so consistently and fervently. Considering the great things he has done for me, how can I be complacent? May the Lord strengthen me to greater obedience even this day.

To Whom Shall We Go?

2005-05-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

John 6:43-71

I have two thoughts on this passage. First of all, why is it that some come to Christ and others don't? Christ himself states it plainly: "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." This is illustrated clearly in the response of the people, even amongst those considered to be his disciples. The response of those whom the Father had not drawn: "After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him." God incarnate was in their presence. He spoke the words of spirit and life to them, yet they could not understand and would not respond in faith. They were unable to do so. Contrast the response of those the Father had drawn: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” God incarnate was in their presence as well. Though Jesus' sayings were hard to understand, true faith was present in these disciples. Ultimately the Father has to provide the ability to believe, and He does so through the quickening power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration.

Secondly, true faith will rise above our unmet expectations as God meets out His Providence in our lives. Many of these disciples who ultimately turned away from Jesus initially followed him because they had an incorrect expectation of who the Messiah was to be. They were looking for an earthly king who would kick out the Romans and re-establish the old glory days of the kingdom. As Jesus explained what his true mission was, to become the ultimate pure righteous sacrifice for the sin of mankind, they were unable to comprehend what he was saying. When he didn't live up to their expectations, they turned away. We see this today. The "health and wealth" gospel may attract many, but what happens when the hard things come along...hard things that can blow gaping holes in our faith? What do we do when the eleven-year-old son of solid Christian missionaries is taken from them by disease? When a Christian mom in the prime of raising her children is suddenly taken by cancer? When our kids who have been raised in the church turn away from Christ? When a godly Christian woman is murdered while jogging on a bike path leaving behind a husband and two high schoolers? When our health fails and our wealth disappears? God often allows very difficult things to happen to His children...His followers. Yet true belief that has been given by the Father will ultimately persevere through intense trials and testing when it is hard to hold fast to Christ. For to whom else shall we go? He alone has the words of eternal life and we have come to know that He is the Holy One of God. I may not understand why God allows evil to occur. I also do not fully understand why He bothers to save any of us. But ultimately He is Good, and he has called out a people who will be saved to give Him glory. Eternal life and resurrection to glorified bodies awaits those who hold fast to Jesus. He has promised it and has sealed it by His victory over sin and death.

Prophet, Priest and King?

2005-05-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
1Samuel 8-9 | John 6:22-42 | Psalm 106:32-48| Proverbs 14:34-35
Tomorrow's Readings

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
(1 Samuel 8:4-9)

I have several different reactions to this passage.

1. Samuel's family follows the same regrettable pattern as Eli's, thus providing an outlet for the rebellious urges of the people - namely, their desire to have a secular king just like the nations surrounding them.

2. Samuel's response gives us insight into the purpose of scripture: it is not given to glorify a people or a family (or else his selfishness would have been overlooked or spun into something positive), but rather to describe the redemptive purpose of God towards a sinful world; a world whose greatest saints provide the greatest insights into our greatest sins, from which all who call upon the Lord will be saved.

3. It is a significant development in the unfolding of redemptive history, very similar to the situation before Mount Sinai when the people asked for a mediator between them and God. For if things had developed along their current trajectory, then the offices of prophet and judge/king (and priest?) would have been held by the same family. Instead, these offices are severed and not to be reunited again until the perfect Messiah came - the prophet promised by Moses in D18, the priest foreshadowed by Aaron, and the king foreshadowed by David.

The strange thing for me is that I consider that to be a good thing, whereas it is plainly described as a rejection of God and the covenant in this text. Part of that must be that I read this in our present-day American context, as one who embraces our doctrine of church-state separation - the sons of Samuel were exploiting their positions for personal gain, and bringing disgrace to the name of God and embittering the people, so why would I want this situation to continue? but more importantly, it is one of those strange acts of providence in which the sin of Samuel's sons leads to the sinful rebellion of the people and both are made to serve God's ultimate redemptive purpose - it makes me think of that line in the Heidelberg Catechism Q/A #1: "that all things must be subservient to my salvation".

We forget

2005-05-09T09:27:00.000-04:00

"And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only." I Sam 7:3-4

"But they soon forgot his works;they did not wait for his counsel. But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,and put God to the test in the desert; he gave them what they asked,but sent a wasting disease among them." Psalm 106:13-15

It is always interesting and frightening to me when the Israelites forget what God has done for them and turn to other gods. It is interesting because it is a side of human nature that is so deeply embedded within us and we keep returning to it over and over again. It is frightening to me because I am part of that same pattern. It is hard to be honest about sin. It is hard because it is pervasive but alse because our ability to rationalize, justify, and ignore our sinfulness is so great. We (I) worship at so many other altars: fame, power, money, etc. We do this and then look around in bewilderment when we are punished. We never stop to think that it is exactly what we asked for. We know the consequences of our behavior and we act sinfully anyway. But we also have a Savior. We have the ability to ask for forgiveness and we are forgiven. What an amazing God we serve! I am so humbled by that thought. May He forgive me today for the other gods I chase.

Moses The Accuser

2005-05-08T22:30:00.000-04:00

John 5:39-47
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from people. 42 But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. 43 I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him. 44 How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. 46 If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

In this passage, Jesus is speaking with the Pharisees who are questioning his authority. They are upset about his healings that occur on the Sabbath day. He explains to these Pharisees that he has the authority to do what he does because is he equal to the Father (thereby proclaiming himself to be God). In addition to this, he goes further and states that the Father has given over the task of the final judgment of all humankind to Him. In verses 39-47, he challenges their understanding of what it means to have true faith. The Pharisees were careful to "search the Scriptures"…to be careful to obey all of the rules and regulations in the Law of Moses. They believed that in adherence to the Law was the ability to achieve "eternal life". They even went so far in their interpretations of the law to add all kinds of rules to be obeyed. One of my former co-workers is an Orthodox Jew, who carries on in this tradition. He would tell us of his preparation for Passover. The Scriptures state that only unleavened bread is to be eaten during the Passover. The Orthodox interpretation of that regulation involved a complete scouring of his home for any crumb of leavened bread, noodle, cake, etc…quite an extreme interpretation indeed…but it shows the seriousness to which the Pharisees sought obedience to the Law. For they believed that salvation was obtained by obeying it.

Jesus challenged that notion, and told the Pharisees that they had it all wrong…"They bear witness to me". The very Scriptures that they scoured to find every law to be obeyed actually pointed directly to Jesus. The whole ceremonial law was given as a picture of what Jesus ultimately came to accomplish. Something I've never noticed in these verses before is that on the final day of judgment, all who desire to be saved by their own works will not be accused by Christ the Judge before the Father. Rather, Moses will stand and accuse all who desire to be saved by following the Law and show them just how far short they fall. There will always be one "crumb" that they forgot to deal with. There will be attitudes and secrets of the heart that will all be revealed, showing our innate rebellion and hatred of God. And Moses will say that even he was pointing them to a greater salvation in Christ. Each of us will stand and be counted guilty, worthy only of hell. But those who place their trust in Christ will be acquitted. Our hope can never be in ourselves and in our ability to please God. We can find salvation only in the One whom Moses wrote about, and that is Jesus Christ. He alone obeyed the whole law for us. He alone paid the penalty for our sin. On that final day of judgment, He alone will preserve all who bow the knee to Him in this life. Those of us who believe must go forth each day, where He has placed us, proclaiming this truth to those who think that they are "good enough" to stand before the Holy Judge.

Remembering the covenant

2005-05-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

"He is the Lord our God;his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever,the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations," Psalm 105:7-8

As we read through Scripture it is indeed important that we are constantly reminded that the Lord remembers His covenants. He does not forget even though we do. He is faithful even when we are not. He sent His Son to die for us and forgive our sins when we did not deserve such mercy. He is the loving Father that receives us back when we play the part of the prodigal sons and daughters. He is mighty and merciful and I love Him.

A New Witness

2005-05-05T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 21 - Ruth 1 | John 4:4-42 | Psalm 105:1-15 | Proverbs 14:25
Tomorrow's Readings

Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
(John 4:39-42)

Frank has been teaching at church the past couple of weeks on this section in John. One of the points he made was regarding the culture gap between Jesus and the Samaritan woman - male-female, Jew-Samaritan, saint-sinner, etc... - and the fact that we should not allow such gaps to prevent us from loving and sharing the gospel with all those God has placed in our lives. This woman wasn't merely a Samaritan, but the fact that she was coming to the well around noon, as opposed to earlier in the day with the rest of the women, suggests strongly that she was held in low esteem even in her own community; this is reinforced when we learn how many husbands she has had and that she currently lives with someone outside of marriage. All of these points are raised to underscore our calling to evangelize the world - we should let no boundaries get in the way of the gospel. And to make the final point, the woman goes fearlessly back into town, where she is despised, and proclaims the gospel to them - and they listen! This is the power of the gospel! No matter our past or baggage, God will use us to advance his kingdom on earth.

Get Up: Culture or Wickedness?

2005-05-04T13:40:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 19-20 | John 3:22-4:3 | Psalm 104:24-35 | Proverbs 14:22-24
Tomorrow's Readings

But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. And as morning appeared, the woman came and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, until it was light. And her master rose up in the morning, and when he opened the doors of the house and went out to go on his way, behold, there was his concubine lying at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, “Get up, let us be going.” But there was no answer.

And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead. So I took hold of my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed abomination and outrage in Israel. Behold, you people of Israel, all of you, give your advice and counsel here.”

(Judges 19:25-28; 20:4-7)

I hate this story.

Often, when you hear a sermon about this story or any of the stories where women are treated badly in the scriptures, you'll hear something to the effect that women were lowly esteemed in Biblical times, and that really scripture does much, given its social context, to elevate the status of women. All of this is true, but I don't think it has any application here. The Levite proves this, first by his actions and then by his words.

The scripture says that the Levite forced his concubine to go out to the men of the city; maybe that could be construed as an act in harmony with his culture; maybe it wasn't considered honorable to defend your women unto death. Be that as it may, my skin crawls at his callousness when he opens the door the next morning and, with no concern for her at all - as though she had fallen asleep while doing chores - tells her to get up so they could be on their way. All of this is bad, but maybe - just maybe - one might still believe that he was acting within the parameters of his culture. But his words to the muster of Israel are very revealing, in my opinion: "They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead." There's a lot missing in his account of the story before the muster; it's as though he couldn't admit his own disgraceful conduct to them, because that might have subdued their determination to do justice to the men of the city.

This is one of those moments, for me at least, where scripture doesn't give me what I want. I want that Levite to share in the judgment meted out on Gibeah and Benjamin. The men of Gibeah did a heinous deed, reminiscent of the conduct of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah, and deserved the scorn and sword of Israel, their brothers; the men of Benjamin put family loyalty before the holiness of God, and so they deserved their punishment; but what of the Levite? Scripture doesn't give me the justice that I want.

I think there's a couple of things to be learned from that reality. One is the relationship of culture to the gospel. I think we have come a long way, in the western church, towards respecting the differences between cultures and not assuming that ours is somehow divinely inspired; but the fact remains that culture is no excuse for wickedness.

But there is a more important lesson to be learned in this, I think: God doesn't always do what we think he should do. This can test us just as much as the normal obstacles of life; like I wrote once before about vindication, it is a trial of our patience to await God's vindication of his holiness. But note that it is his holiness that is offended, and therefore his right to seek vindication according to his purpose and pleasure. It's not as though we have to conclude that the Levite did not sin; it's just that we simply don't know all of the Lord's plans. But we may rest assured that when he is ready, he will mete out his justice (and we should be glad on that day that we will be covered by Christ!).

I think of this often as I watch various movies put out by our Hollywood theologians. How often is the movie's villain put to death by the movie's hero? And aren't we usually gladdened by the justice of it? And yet it is almost always a vigilante justice. More and more I find myself wishing that they would just "book 'em, Dan-o" and let them face the real justice - the humiliation of having their wickedness brought to light before the entire world, and the righteousness of having the ordained authorities administer the sword. Scripture even addresses this: both by the institution of the cities of refuge, as well as by the sacrifice commanded for situations where a murder remains unsolved (Deuteronomy 21:1-9). In this fallen and cursed world, there is injustice; life is not always tied up nice and pretty for us - that much is obvious to all, but we don't always realize that God, in these institutions, tacitly tells us that he's not always going to make sense to us. The challenge is then posed to us: will we still love him?

Dead

2005-05-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

I would normally quote Scripture for my post but in this case I would need to quote the entire Old Testament reading today. This is the hardest section of Scripture for me to read. Period. The utter barbarity is beyond me to contemplate. And it is barbarity of several levels. This section is also hard for me to talk about but I will because of what it teaches me about myself and my need for a Savior. I sure I will offend some people with what I have to say and if I do please forgive me; it is not my intention to be deliberately provocative. When I read this story it is easy to stand in judgement of these men and condemn them for their actions. Dont get me wrong. They should be condemned for what they did is an abomination before God and man. But I am talking about the sublter temptation to say "Lord I am so glad I am not like other men" which is the Pharisees prayer recorded in the Gospels. It is easy to feel a sense of superiority and comfort becuase I do not rape and murder they those men did. And yet there is nothing I have that makes me any more special or deserving of salvation than those men. In my sin I have despised and rejected the Lord God and I am equally deserving of His Wrath just as those men are. There sin is indeed of another magnitude and I am not minimizing that. But if I hold on to that thought I will not be willing to minister to or evangelize those that I feel are "lost" in their actions or too far gone to save. And yet I was saved when people thought I was too far gone or lost. What I am saying is to read this story I need to realistically view my sinfulness from God's perspective and see that while I am not guilty of actually raping or murdering someone if I go by the example from the Sermon on the Mount I am guilty of those things and more. This will help me to be compassionate towards people and see myself as I truly am and not as I wish I could be.

An Unseemly Type of Christ

2005-05-01T22:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 13-14 John 1:29-51 Psalm 102 Proverbs 14:15-16
Tomorrow's Readings

Judges 13:2 There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, 5 for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.”

In today's reading, we come to the birth of Samson. Samson was called and set aside as a Nazirite. The Nazirite vow, described in Numbers 6, was a voluntary time of separation and devotion to the Lord. It was usually done for a relatively short period of time. Samson was unusual in that he was set aside as a Nazirite from birth. God had called him to this vocation through the announcement from His angel to Samson's parents.

As Samson grew, the Scriptures make it plain that he repeatedly broke the covenant conditions of his Nazirite vow. The vow held strict prohibitions about contact with dead bodies, yet Samson broke this condition in his slaying of the lion and subsequent incident with the honey obtained from a nest within the carcass. It is telling that he did not reveal these incidents to his parents...he knew the rules, yet he broke them. Similarly, Samson sought a wife from amongst the Philistines. This also was in direct defiance of the Lord's direction. But the Lord used even this disobedience to begin the process of deliverance from the Philistines.

Samson was not the ideal servant of the Lord. Yet we see that during his time as judge over Israel, God used this one man to save his people. Samson never led the armies of Israel against the enemies. He fought the Philistines himself.

It is hard to think of Samson as foreshadowing Christ. Yet, in many ways he is a type of Christ. Edmund Clowney states in "The Unfolding Mystery":

Perhaps the weakness of Samson the strongman helps us to distinguish between the man himself and his calling: the role that the Lord appointed for him to fulfill. Samson held an office in Israel: he held God's appointment to a function that was defined by God's call and recognized, at least in retrospect, by the people he served. This is how his career is summarized: 'And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines' (Jdg. 15:20).

As we have seen, the appointed roles of God's servants point forward to their fulfillment in God's final Servant, Jesus Christ. They have a symbolic function, providing a key to the way in which the historical narratives of the Old Testament demonstrate types of the work of Christ. In spite of Samson's abuse of the endowment of power that was his, God used him to show His power to save.

Throughout the Old Testament, God used imperfect people and unlikely situations to accomplish His purposes and to illustrate His ultimate plan in Christ. We have the benefit of looking backward to see these examples, seeing them from the perspective of the New Testament. While not an example to be emulated, the story of Samson does gives us hope that despite our daily sin and rebellion God can use us as His instruments to accomplish His purposes through the power of His Holy Spirit.

Incarnation

2005-04-30T23:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 11-12 John 1:1-28 Psalm 101 Proverbs 14:13-14
Tomorrow's Readings

John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

“…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us...” The incarnation is something that we cannot fully comprehend. God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, “became flesh” as it says in our reading today. He assumed a human nature so that he could accomplish what we could not, and he did so on our behalf. Louis Berkhof in his Systematic Theology states:

“It was not the triune God but the second person of the Trinity that assumed human nature. For that reason it is better to say that the Word became flesh than that God became man…The pre-existent Son of God assumes human nature and takes to Himself human flesh and blood, a miracle that passes our limited understanding. It clearly shows that the infinite can and does enter into finite relations, and that the supernatural can in some way enter the historical life of the world.”

Throughout the Old Testament, God spoke to the Israelites. He spoke His word and revealed His will through the prophets. He foreshadowed the One who was to come through the ceremonial laws. And His Final Word was spoken in the Incarnation. God himself came and took on our humanity, on our behalf. No one else could accomplish what needed to be done. Jesus came to fulfill all of the Law on our behalf, because we could not. He lived a perfect, righteous life in complete conformity to God’s Holiness while our best efforts did not even come close. And He bore the wrath of God, the wrath that we deserved, in our place. By grace and through faith in Jesus, our sin is imputed to Him and His righteousness is imputed to us. Our sin has been judged, once and for all at the cross. The Old Testament saints needed incredible faith. They only had the shadows. We have heard the Final Word, the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us. All praise be to God for His mercy and grace.

Unlawful Vow, Lawful Fulfillment?

2005-04-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 11-12 | John 1:1-28 | Psalm 101 | Proverbs 14:13-14
Tomorrow's Readings

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
(John 1:17)

And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel 40 that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year.
(Judges 11:39-40)

This Old Testament passage really grieves me. I find it completely ridiculous, and yet also a good example of the limitations of the law and of bad doctrine. I had forgotten what was about to happen, so when I was reading Jephthah's response and rebuke to the king of Ammon, I was really impressed with his knowledge of his people's history - which, if you think about it, really seems to pass for a knowledge of the scriptures. But then he makes a rash vow that could only have resulted in the death of someone dear to him - the first thing to come out from the doors of his house to meet him? It seems that he means to sacrifice a human to the Lord by this vow...
Now we have to be careful not to read this with our modern assumptions about the horror of human sacrifice. The nations around Israel practiced human sacrifice. Not only that, but we also mustn't assume that this was a completely foreign concept to Israel's understanding of God: first of all, Abraham was commanded to sacrifice Isaac, and he was fully prepared to do so, having reasoned that God would raise him from the dead to fulfill his promise (Hebrews 11); not only that, but Israel was also commanded to consecrate all first-born males to the Lord - a commandment that may have been used to justify the child sacrifices carried out later in her history, because we find God denouncing it through Ezekiel/Jeremiah and saying specifically that he never commanded the sacrifice of people, "nor did it ever cross his mind".

Still Jephthah makes a vow that is unlawful; and then he fulfills that vow by sacrificing his own daughter. And to think there are those who would commend him for fulfilling his vow, even though it grieved him to do it (psalm 15).

Whoa, let's get a little perspective here! Shouldn't he have repented of his sinful vow? Was he bound to keep an unlawful vow? I think even at this point we mustn't be flippant with our response. We're accustomed to asking God for forgiveness for every sin under the sun, no matter how great or how small. I think on some level we sometimes devalue the very seriousness of our sin because, thanks be to Jesus Christ, we no longer feel the threat of the law. So let's remember that Jesus' death for our sins actually reveals the seriousness of sin far more than the law ever could.

What Jephtah's actions demonstrate is a disregard for, or an unfamiliarity with, the character of God. The God who commanded the sacrifice and the keeping of the vow unto grief also commanded that we love our neighbors as ourselves and show kindness to the sojourner and widow in our midst. The God of the law is the God of love; and though the law brings us to despair, it also shows forth this love and goodness of God (a revelation made perfect in the grace and truth of Christ).

This may seem like an extreme example that could never trip someone up today. I don't think it is. I think we deal with things on a more subtle level, usually, but we must always be on our guard, first against creeping legalism, and then also against a flippant attitude towards the grace of God. I remember a recent conversation with my brother, who is an unbeliever, about legalism and license in the church; when I had finished describing the traits of both errors to him, I smiled because I realised that it must seem absurd to him. Then I said, 'naturally I am not guilty of either of these errors!' And we laughed. But i should never be so cocky. Praise God that he leads us on the straight paths; he is the author and finisher of our faith, and is able to lead us through the minefields of legalism and license that always work to destabilize us.

Individual Eschatology

2005-04-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 9:22-10:18 Luke 24:13-53 Psalm 100 Proverbs 14:11-12
Tomorrow's Readings

Luke 24:36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, [6] 43 and he took it and ate before them.

"...I believe in ...the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting, Amen." We quote these words often on a Sunday morning. I affirmed this for years as a Christian without really reflecting on what these words meant until I began reading some texts on "Individual Eschatology". While everyone loves to focus on the sensational aspects of the "End Times", the fact of the matter is that most of us will experience our own individual "End Time". Our bodies are decaying day by day. You don't have to remind me of that...I see it daily in the mirror as I look at my head and ask, "What's Coming Off "? with the mirror answering back "Your hair..." :-). Yet, the hope we see in the resurrection of Christ is real. He arose from the dead with a glorified body...One that was recognizable to those who encountered him on the road, yet it was changed. He was able to appear and disappear from their sight. But they could touch him, and he ate physical food with his disciples.

Too often we focus on the continuation of the existence of our souls when we die. Heaven is viewed as an ethereal or spiritual existence in the presence of God...the "sweet by and by". This is likely due to the influence of Greek philosophy. But the Scriptures say, and we affirm in our Creeds, that we will be resurrected in a glorified body that will be like Christ's. And those bodies will inherit the New Heavens and the New Earth. Anthony Hoekema from "The Bible and the Future":

This (Greek) understanding of man, however, is quite different from Scriptural teaching. According to the Scriptures, the body is no less real than the soul; God created man in his totality, as both body and soul. Nor is the body inferior to the soul, or nonessential to man's existence; if this were so, the Second Person of the Trinity could never have assumed a genuine human nature with a genuine human body. In biblical thought, the body is not a tomb for the soul, but a temple of the Holy Spirit; man is not complete apart from the body. Therefore the future blessedness of the believer is not merely the continued existence of his soul, but includes as its richest aspect the resurrection of his body. That resurrection will be for believers a transition to glory, in which our bodies shall become like the glorious body of Christ (Phil. 3:21).

While this life is passing, in Christ a glorious new life in resurrected, perfected, glorified bodies awaits. We will be restored and re-made in His image as originally intended, free from sin and death. We will glorify our Father God perfectly, forever, as we dwell on the New Earth. Jesus himself gives us that hope.

Scripture

2005-04-29T08:29:00.000-04:00

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:27

Of all of the discourses in Scripture or all of the sermons that have ever been preached this is the one that I would most like to hear. Imagine being with the Lord and having Him preach the Gospel throughout the entire Bible. I hope one day to hear that when we are in Glory. I think about this section alot as I prepare to teach or listen to a sermon preached. How is Christ seen in the text? What does this section say about the nature of Christ and our natures as well? That should be our focus as we read the Bible. How do we see Christ and how then do we tell people about Him. He walks with us and we have only to ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom to see what we should as we read the texts.

Hymn

2005-04-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 8:18-9:21 Luke 23:44-24:12 Psalm 99 Proverbs 14:9-10
Tomorrow's Readings

Luke 23:44 It was now about the sixth hour, [3] and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, [4] 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

Luke 24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

Hark! the voice of love and mercy
Sounds aloud from Calvary;
See, it rends the rocks asunder,
Shakes the earth, and veils the sky:
"It is finished!"
Hear the dying Saviour cry.

"It is finished!" O what pleasure
Do these precious words afford;
Heavenly blessings, without measure,
Flow to us from Christ the Lord:
"It is finished!"
Saints the dying words record.

Finished all the types and shadows
Of the ceremonial law;
Finished all that God had promised;
Death and hell no more shall awe:
"It is finished!"
Saints, from hence your comfort draw.

Tune your harps anew, ye seraphs,
Join to sing the glorious theme;
All in earth, and all in heaven,
Join to praise Emmanuel's Name:
Alleluia!
Glory to the bleeding Lamb!

Trinity Hymnal #187

Lethal Shortsightedness

2005-04-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 7:1-8:17 | Luke 23:13-43 | Psalm 97-98 | Proverbs 14:7-8
Tomorrow's Readings

So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?”
(Judges 8:5-6)

I was going to start by saying somethng along the lines of 'sometimes God's judgments seem harsh to our way of thinking'.. but as I think of what the officials of Succoth said to Gideon, I think there fate not harsh at all. Midian was cruelly oppressing the people of Israel. Gideon had already vanquished 120,000 out of about 135,000 troops, along with two of the princes of Midian; now he was going after the two kings, and all he requested in support of his mission was some bread. But the cynical leaders of Succoth sang the 'what have you done for me lately' refrain, as though the conquests of the previous day were nothing.

I think we see this all the time in the church - I know that I have been guilty of it. We see a work that God is doing through someone we don't like, or maybe someone who we think doesn't have all of their theological ducks in a row (not that I have any clue what a row of ducks signifies!), and so we criticize. Who knows what these men of Succoth were thinking - they were clearly cynics, if nothing else; but I really think that we hide behind our theology sometimes, maybe to conceal our disregard for the work being done, most likely to conceal our fear that we might be called to such a work and out of our comfortable lives.

I pray I may shed the mantle of cynicism to be a useful instrument in God's hands.

Lethal Trumpets

2005-04-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 7:1-8:17 Luke 23:13-43 Psalm 97-98 Proverbs 14:7-8
Tomorrow's Readings

7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, [1] as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

The Lethal Trumpets...what an amazing story. The Lord fought for Israel. Gideon and his mere 300 men didn't even bring weapons, other than their Lethal Trumpets. We've seen these trumpets in action before...at the walls of Jericho. Judgement was unleashed against Jericho at the blast of the horns. When Gideon's trumpets were blown, the Lord "set every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army". And so, the Israelites were delivered from their enemies with no one but the Lord able to take any credit for the victory.

As judgment was unleashed against Midian at the sound of the trumpets, so the final judgment of the Lord will be unleashed at the sound of the trumpets. Seven Lethal Trumpets. The final judgment will be unleashed on all of His enemies (see Rev. 8-11), but the remnant preserved by His mercy will be caught up with Him, to give Him glory forever. When Christ returns to consummate His reign, the trumpet will sound...

I Thessalonians 4:16 - For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

What a fearful sound for those who have not bowed the knee to the King of Kings. Yet for those who are kept steadfast by His mercy, it will be a sound that announces a time of great rejoicing. Evil will be vanquished forever, and God's children will be with Him, forever lost in wonder, praise, and fellowship with their Heavenly Father. May we always keep this hope in view.

Contradictions

2005-04-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 6 | Luke 22:54-23:12 | Psalm 95-96 | Proverbs 14:5-6
Tomorrow's Readings

And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
(Judges 6:13)

Considering Doug's comments on Gideon's weak faith, I consider this statement to be filled with irony. It is a very bold thing to suggest to the Lord's face that he does not speak the truth. But I admire it at the same time - you're not going to get anywhere with the Lord if you fail to express what is actually on your heart and in your mind. But if you do so, then be prepared to discover your sin and the contradictions that you so readily embrace.

In this case, Gideon expresses what must have been on so many people's minds: if God could part the red sea for our fathers, then why can't he even enable us to gather our harvest without being harrassed and having it stolen? And yet, the first thing God does is to expose the duplicity of the people. For while they tell stories of the glory days, when God led them through the desert (see how quickly that miserable journey became the glory days!) , yet they have in the town square erected altars and totems to two of the local deities! Of course, it is the living God and not the idols that are called out for their failure to provide.

Is this not typical of our experience with God? How often do we embrace sin and idolatry in our hearts while wondering why our lives are not panning out the way we desire? And do we not shake our fists at God?

But this story also gives us hope, for we see that when the people cried out to him God did not remain aloof from their need, but he came quickly and raised someone up to deliver them. And, as Doug observed, he can use anyone, and shows us this time and time again.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
when your fathers put me to the test
and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
(Psalm 95:6-9)

Confession

2005-04-26T07:30:00.000-04:00

"And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly." Luke 22:61-62

There is so much to talk about in the readings today that I am almost overwhelmed in where to begin. I will limit myself to the incident above but I cant help pointing out the contrast between the Israelites being handed over to the Midianites for their sins and Jesus, who was sinless, being handed over to the Romans to save us from our sins.

I am sure that everyone who knows me has heard me say at least once that the denial of Christ reported here in Luke is one of my favorite stories in the Bible (and Mike and Doug have probably heard me say it a hundred times :) ). This might seem like an odd choice for a favorite story but it has alot to say about forgiveness and hope for such a sinner as myself. We have this account and the only way we have it is if Peter himself related it. There were no other disciples there. Peter would have had to tell this story and confess this denial of his Lord and he did not sugar coat it. Peter knew what it meant to be forgiven. After the Resurrection he was restored and forgiven by the Lord. Peter took that forgiveness and love and was tireless in spreading the Gospel. That is why I like this story so much. It gives me hope when I deny the Lord in my life either in my actions or whatever. I too can be forgiven and restored. What an amazing source of strength. May God forgive me and help me in my unbelief.

Wimp of Valor

2005-04-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Today's Readings
Judges 6 Luke 22:54-23:12 Psalm 95-96 Proverbs 14:5-6
Tomorrow's Readings

Judges 6

11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, [1] if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord [2] turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speaks with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

I couldn't help but wonder if when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon with this greeting:

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

whether or not he was doing so with tongue in cheek. For in reading the passages, Gideon seems anything but a "mighty man of valor". In fact, Gideon really comes off as somewhat of a wimp. He called himself weak and unable to accomplish the task. In contrast to Barak, however, he did not refuse the Lord but rather asked for confirmation. This was a sign of weakness of faith, but not of obstinacy. The Lord was gracious toward Gideon, and granted all of his requests for signs. Yet the Lord also directed him to step out in faith. He directed Gideon to destroy the altars of Baal and Asherah, a task that was unlikely to make him very popular with the local apostates. Rather than boldly obeying this command by day, Gideon waited until the cover of night to accomplish the deed for fear of reprisal. His faith was weak, yet he followed through in obedience. And the Lord accomplished his purposes of deliverance through this weak vessel.

We see time and time again in the scriptures how God uses people that are weak in the eyes of this world to accomplish His work. As we will see in the next readings, God used Gideon to deliver the Israelites from their enemies in spectacular ways. He chose one who was weak in which to display His strength. So why was Gideon a "mighty man of valor"? Not because of anything inherent within himself. He was mighty because the Almighty was with him. And while I am often a spiritual wimp, by God's grace the Holy Spirit is present in me. This makes me a "mighty man of valor", able to do His work. He is able to accomplish the work of his kingdom through us, and he places the treasure of the Gospel within "clay jars", fragile vessels, to show that whatever is accomplished for the extension of the kingdom through us is all from Him, and to His glory. May we go forth this day, confident in Christ who gives us His power through the Holy Spirit.

Forgone Blessings

2005-04-25T13:35:00.000-04:00

Judges 4:4-10

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the people of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 She sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali and said to him, “Has not the Lord, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor, taking 10,000 from the people of Naphtali and the people of Zebulun. 7 And I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the river Kishon with his chariots and his troops, and I will give him into your hand’?” 8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called out Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And 10,000 men went up at his heels, and Deborah went up with him.

Deborah, the prophetess, gave Barak, the commander of the armies of Israel, the Word of the Lord. Barak was being called to be the Lord's instrument of deliverance against the Canaanites. Through Deborah, the Lord promised victory to Barak. But this was not enough for Barak to simply believe the words and follow through with an obedient heart. Barak needed physical confirmation, and he bargained with God:

8 Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go, but if you will not go with me, I will not go.”

Barak desired the presence of Deborah to ensure, in his mind, success. The Lord granted his request, but Barak was disciplined for his lack of faith:

” 9 And she said, “I will surely go with you. Nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.”

Because of his unbelief, Barak missed out on the opportunity to share in the glory of the victory. Instead, the Lord raised up the most unlikely of servants to carry out a great victory against the enemy…a simple, tent-dwelling woman would slay the great Canaanite warrior.

God was seeking true faith in his servants. He desired a willingness to trust him completely for the victory. How often am I like that? How many blessings have I missed because of my lack of faith? The Lord will certainly accomplish all that he intends in the building of His kingdom. But am I fully available to Him? Do I seek out daily what He has for me to do? Am I open to those "schedule disrupters" that He often sends along? What is most important, and am I available to be used? Do I have the faith to pursue his daily callings, particularly when they involve the courage of standing up for Him in a hostile world? I often fail in this. May He strengthen our faith to greater service.