Contempt Corrupts

I recently read an article from the perspective of a marriage psychologist who said one of the most surefire evidence of a marriage in trouble was when the couple openly shows contempt for one another.  Webster defined "contempt" in the 1828 Dictionary as:  "The act of despising; the act of viewing or considering and treating as mean, vile and worthless; disdain; hatred of what is mean or deemed vile. This word is one of the strongest expressions of a mean opinion which the language affords."  Contempt is the opposite of love, for it is hardened hatred, disgust and without regard or respect for another person.  Contempt is the fruit of unresolved conflict, bitterness, and resentment, and this corrupt outlook reveals a lack of love and grace.

It has been said that "Familiarity breeds contempt," but it has also been observed a closer relationship with someone can result in greater appreciation and mutual respect.  Should our relationships be soured because of contempt for others, it says more about the hardened state of our hearts than dashed expectations or negative judgments we have made concerning others.  In the Bible God is revealed as the unchanging, holy and awesome, longsuffering, gracious and wise.  He made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He delivered the Hebrews from slavery Egypt.  God appeared before His people in thick darkness and fire as He spoke to them from Mt. Sinai, and the people trembled before Him.  God gave them the Law through Moses, and the people promised to walk in His ways.

One might think because the almighty God who dwelt in the midst of His people was good and glorious, they would have loved and been loyal to Him always.  This was not the case.  People brought sacrifices  to the temple and priests went into the presence of God, yet they despised God and departed from Him.  When God sent the prophet Ezekiel to speak the word of God to His people, see what God said in Ezekiel 3:5-7:  "For you are not sent to a people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, but to the house of Israel, ⁶ not to many people of unfamiliar speech and of hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, had I sent you to them, they would have listened to you. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not listen to you, because they will not listen to Me; for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted."  It had reached such a low point in Israel's relationship with God they would not even listen to Him because of the hardness of their hearts.  Since they would not listen to God, they would not hear Ezekiel either.  Ironically, God said foreign people with a language barrier would be more willing to listen than His own people!

This passage of Scripture in Ezekiel shows the danger of hearing God's word without obedience can lead us to reject Him.  Like the Israelites, we Christians can become dull by much hearing; familiarity with the Bible can make ordinary in our eyes what is miraculous, transformative, and divine truth.  We rarely see ourselves as the entitled, demanding brat who treats his generous and caring parents with contempt, yet this passage shows it is possible unchecked pride in our hearts could result in contempt towards God--and even His faithful servants.  The good and awesome God never changed, but His people can for the worse.  By God's grace may we continually submit ourselves before Him gladly as He sanctifies and refines us to be more like Him:  to respond to hatred with love, to give more grace, to forgive, show mercy and walk humbly as we follow Jesus closely.  

God At Hand and Afar Off

"Am I a God near at hand," says the LORD, "and not a God afar off? ²⁴ Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?" says the LORD; "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the LORD."

Jeremiah 23:23-24

God is omnipresent and omniscient:  before there was time on earth God was everywhere and knowing all things--even beyond our universe.  Solomon and the children of Israel knew God's presence was not contained to the Holy of Holies or a temple made with hands.  At the same time, the temple was viewed as a focal point of God's attention because His presence dwelt among His people.  Wherever Jews were in the world, they prayed in the direction of the temple in Jerusalem to acknowledge their God who rules over all.

God made it clear to Jeremiah He was not merely a God near at hand but also afar off.  There was no place where anyone could hide from His presence, for He filled heaven and earth.  Not one sparrow could fall without Him knowing, all the hairs on our head are numbered by Him, and He calls all the stars by name.  God's absolute knowledge and presence is a great comfort to believers, for we are assured nothing escapes His notice.  When the children of Israel were enslaved by the Egyptians and suffered, their cries were heard by God as it is written in Exodus 2:24-25 (LSB):  "So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ And God saw the sons of Israel, and God knew them."  The groans of God's people put His promises to their fathers in His mind--not that He ever forgets.  This passage shows God's faithfulness and responsiveness to His people, regardless of their geographical proximity to a temple or city.

God heard the groaning of His people who suffered, remembered His covenant, saw the sons of Israel and God knew them.  Out of all the sounds made by nature, machinery or mankind, God was drawn to observe His people and respond to their suffering by opening a way of deliverance and salvation.  I am reminded of the word of Hanani the prophet who rebuked king Asa because he had relied on an arm of flesh rather than the LORD who made Himself known and saved him in 2 Chronicles 16:8-9:  "Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the LORD, He delivered them into your hand. ⁹ For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."  God's eyes run everywhere in the world, looking to show Himself strong on behalf of those with loyal hearts to God.

The Good Shepherd Jesus said in John 10:27-30,  "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one."  God hears the groaning of His people, sees and knows us wherever we may be, and we also can be attuned to hear the voice of Jesus as we follow Him.  We are blessed beyond measure the God of Israel is a God at hand and also a God afar off, and not one of us is far from Him in Christ Jesus.  The God who fills heaven and earth has chosen to make Christians His holy habitation by His grace.  Wherever we are, there He is in our midst.

Finishing Our Race Well

When I was in high school, for 3 years I was part of the cross country team that competed against other schools in a weekly 5K run.  Over 3 decades have passed since I raced, and this morning I decided to run the 5K fun run course our suburb hosts every week.  Let's just say, long gone are the days of running 30-40 miles a week for training that kicked off with an easy 7 or 8 minute warm up before stretching!  I was pleased simply to continue jogging nonstop for first half and averaged 10 minutes a mile throughout.  While I was jogging, puffing and walking, the LORD brought some observations to mind concerning the race of life God has prepared for all of His people to run with joy.

I was never close to being the fastest, most technically sound or best runner on my cross country team, and yet there is a massive contrast between my ability and endurance back then compared to now.  The same can be true concerning our walk with Jesus Christ, that we can go from energetic and fighting fit to becoming heavier, slower and incapable of keeping the pace we did previously.  Even as men and women are different, so our abilities and strengths change over time.  There is nothing wrong with this.  But when our perspective is shifted for our convenience and a desire to avoid painful strain, this can undermine our spiritual preparation and fitness to do what God has called us to do--to run well the race He has set before us.  Youth has its own pitfalls as our lives were often marked by arrogance, pride and looked down on others because we viewed ourselves as superior.

I am going to share some personal examples of how my approach to running as physical exercise that in many ways has changed for the worse, and may the LORD in His wisdom reveal to you, dear reader, of what correlations can be made and positive steps you can take in your life for the better.  The first change I have observed is these days I can allow the weather to dictate whether I go walking or not.  Our cross country team would run in all weather, rain or shine.  We did not substitute half an hour on a treadmill or excuse ourselves from exercise because of misty weather so we could sit and drink a cup of tea.  We weren't worried about an increased chance of falling or catching cold because running was not negotiable.  We were runners; that what we did, and we did it together and on our own time.

Another thing I have started doing that I never did before was to set my sights on a short term goal based upon how I was feeling.  I have decided when walking, "I will run to that light up ahead."  Sometimes I have not even managed to run to the light because my body was not feeling good about running.  When I ran a race in high school, I was committed and determined to keep running all the way to the end.  The goal was the finish line--not the next tree, bush or mile marker to take a break.  To set your sights on what is not the finish line and to settle for less than complete effort because of how you feel means some runners drop out and do not finish the race, and others do not bother starting it.  Better than looking forward to walking a bit and catching my breath after successfully reaching the light, I would be better served to look forward to the shower I will enjoy after the race is completed.  Rest in the presence of God in heaven is far better to consider than retirement from paid work.

A big point of emphasis for runners is that of time.  We all wore wristwatches so we would check our pace and ensure we were pushing ourselves and still have enough in the tank for the last kick.  Our final time was often compared to our "PR" or personal record, and even when others were faster than us we could be encouraged by our improvement.  A slow time felt like a failure, and when compared to others (or our previous times!) it could be embarrassingly slow.  Again, doing poorly in our minds can lead us to feel it isn't worth doing at all when others are so much faster.  I am reminded that Paul rejoiced to run the race set before him with joy, and he wasn't in competition with anyone else.  We used to take pride in how fast we could run a race, but it is irrelevant how long or how short it takes us to run our race before the LORD--long as we finish well.  Rather than priding ourselves in our training or hard work, we credit God for calling us and helping us cross the finish line.

One aspect of cross country I liked was that it was challenging to run on different surfaces, with hills, valleys and pleasant changes of scenery.  Running around a track over and over to me was like a hamster on a wheel, a lot of activity and motion but not going anywhere.  Cross country races have a clear starting and finishing point, and the course in The Ponds is a big loop that finishes where it began.  There is a lot to see, experience and enjoy of the creation God has made.  For those of us who are getting older, it is likely we have reached or gone well past the midpoint of our race:  now we are heading home and that motivates us to keep going.  We aren't to focus on the time we've lost with regret, nor are we to run to best others:  we look to Jesus who sets the pace, strengthens and guides us to finish well.  As Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Truth Who Sets Free

Sometimes a verse spoken out of context can provide impetus to study and analyse passages of Scripture more carefully.  It seems people are pleased to quote fragments from the Bible to condemn others, justify themselves or to gain credibility--even when they think little of God or the Bible as a whole.  For instance, I read a news article that quoted from John 8:32 where Jesus said, "The truth shall set you free."  The writer went on to list things what the passage did not say.  Infinitely more important than what the Bible does not say is what God does say and the message Jesus intended to convey.

In the passage that preceded this well-known quote, Jesus proclaimed He was the light of the world.  The Pharisees opposed Jesus, and they complained He bore witness of Himself and thus His witness was not true.  Later people asked Jesus who He was really in John 8:25-32:  "Then they said to Him, "Who are You?" And Jesus said to them, "Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. ²⁶ I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him." ²⁷ They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father. ²⁸ Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. ²⁹ And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." ³⁰ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. ³¹ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Jesus was not speaking of some arbitrary revelation of truth, but He specifically spoke of Himself as the Truth.  Jesus was sent from heaven to earth by God the Father, and the witness Jesus gave concerning Himself was true.  When Jesus was lifted up on a cross and crucified, He said it would show and confirm what He truly was:  the Lamb of God sent by God to provide atonement for the sins of the world.  Jesus would lay down His life on Calvary in obedience to His Father in heaven, and He would take up His life again by rising from the dead.  Verse 30 says many believed in Him--not just that He was being honest--but that He was the Son of God, the promised Messiah God would send to save sinners.  To those Jews who believed Him Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  Anyone could have followed Jesus around, but His true disciples heard and obeyed His word.  These are those who would know the truth, and the truth would make them free.  The text does not allow us to substitute our truth or what poses as truth in Christ's place, for He objectively is the truth.  To unbelieving religious leaders who remained slaves to sin Jesus said in John 8:36:  "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."

Jesus plainly identified Himself as the truth to Thomas and His disciples in John 14:6:  "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."  By the power of the Gospel, Christians are set free from sin that brings death and are set at liberty from the Law of Moses that condemned us.  We are set free from the curse of sin and set free to worship, serve and have fellowship with God forever.  Paul wrote in Romans 6:17-18, "But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. ¹⁸ And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."  The freedom Jesus brings is infinitely more than a feeling or a change of mind but a complete transformation of a person who by faith in Jesus goes from slavery to sin and self to be a new creation, a child of God and citizen of heaven.

If we misunderstand what "truth" means in John 8:32 means, we will arrive at very wrong conclusions of what "free" means as well.  This illustrates the importance of carefully reading and considering the context of Bible passages when we quote a phrase or verse, for our flippancy can cause people to miss Jesus Christ and the critical points He was making.  It is God's word, after all, and the wise are zealous to hear Him speak.