Marching Forth!

This morning I was struck with a phrase I found in the King James Version of  Hosea 12:4-5 that speaks of Jacob wrestling with a Man near the Jabbok river crossing as the day began to break:  " Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us;  5 even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial ."  Jacob prevailed over the angel by refusing to let him go, even after his hip was permanently injured by the touch of the Man's hand.  As Jacob wept he begged for a blessing, and the angel (who seems to be much more than an angel) replied in  Genesis 32:28 :  " And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed ."  God changed Jacob's name to "Israel" which includes God's name, meaning "God strives" or "one who struggles with God." Before Jacob...

" He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity ." Ecclesiastes 5:10 Wise king Solomon observed things people love and pursue will not end up satisfying them even when they obtain their desire.  The one who loves money will have an insatiable appetite for it after acquiring it, and those who seek increase are pleased with the prospects of a bit more.  This concept can be widely applied in this world of vanity whether it be tattoos, cosmetic surgery, praise, recognition, likes and acquiring goods.  People can make great personal sacrifices to become famous, and after they acheive their dreams they can hate and love it at the same time. Because we are naturally restless and dissatisfied, we often busy ourselves with fruitless pursuits.  Though we seem to gain ground, our desire remains just beyond our reach.  There are those like Solomon, however, who obtained and achieved more than anyone...

" It is good for me that I have been afflicted, t hat I may learn Your statutes. " Psalm 119:71 I don't think anyone sees affliction as intrinsically good, yet the psalmist affirmed through experience that God was able to use affliction for his good.  If a tree could speak, it might cry out in pain to have branches cut and trimmed by a skilled arborist, but as a result of pruning the tree will be healthier and produce more fruit.  Years ago our family had a lemon tree in the back yard with one large but light lemon on it--and it hung there for months.  I didn't want to trim the neglected tree for the sake of the "fruit" that never seemed to ripen, and when I finally harvested it was dry, woody and inedible.  I trimmed the tree following an online tutorial, and the tree for one year did not produce a single lemon.  The next year, however, we harvested over 80 juicy lemons! When the lemon tree was neglected and left alone, it grew many leaves and branches. ...

" Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.  12  Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees,  13  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed ." Hebrews 12:11-13 The writer of Hebrews exhorted Christians not to be faint or become weary of God's chastening for sin, for it was not a rejection of them but their wickedness.  His divine correction affirmed they were God's beloved children, and this ought to be a cause us to rejoice greatly.  Jesus endured great hostility from sinners against Himself, and with Christ in us Christians can endure hostility from sinners as well as God's chastening by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Being chastened and disciplined is painful, yet by faith in God it will work to yield pleasant fruit in our lives:...

" Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;  13  but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy ." 1 Peter 4:12-13 Peter wrote to beloved children of God they should not be surprised when they experience intense and life-threatening trials.  We might have the idea that because God loves us He prevents us from going through trials when the opposite is true:  He allows us to go through trials to prompt us to rejoice in our Saviour today and for all eternity.  Jesus Christ willingly suffered for us, and when we are made to suffer for His sake because we have obeyed Him, we have a deeper and more personal connection with Him.  After disciples of Jesus were beaten and threatened by religious authorities who despised Jesus,  Acts 5:41-42 :  " So they departed from the presen...

" For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us ." Romans 5:7-8 One thing I enjoyed at the San Diego County Fair was to watch demonstrations of various products.  People crowded around a fellow with a headset who demonstrated the sharpness of a knife by slicing a tomato, and then sawed the sole of a boot in half and drew it across raw metal to produce shavings.  People were amazed when he went back to the tomato and sliced it perfectly.  People were drawn in by the demonstration, and seeing the sharpness of the knives before their eyes prompted people to pull out their wallets to buy the wonder blades. When Jesus was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem, all sorts of people flocked to see the Roman execution.  As they watched the proceedings--cruelly designed for agonising pain and humiliation-...

 " To do righteousness and justice i s more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice ." Proverbs 21:3 God delights in His people who obey Him, who walk according to His righteousness and justice.  God was not interested to receive offerings from people who refused to seek and submit to Him as is written in  Proverbs 15:8 :  " The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD , But the prayer of the upright is His delight ."  The prophet rebuked erring King Saul in  1 Samuel 15:22 :  " So Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,  a s in obeying the voice of the LORD ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,  a nd to heed than the fat of rams ."  Everything that is has been created by God, and all we have is a gift from Him.  God delights more in the obedience of His people to Him than the sacrifice itself. One might read these passages and assume because obedience and doing right...

Fulfilled prophesies provide strong evidence for the veracity of the Bible and demonstrate God's power to know and do all He has promised.  It is one thing to accurately predict the outcome of a game, whether a medical treatment will be effective, or how tall someone will grow to be, but it is entirely another thing to predict something that is obviously impossible.  Speaking of His physical body, Jesus said to those who questioned His authority:  " Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up ."  The apostle remarked in  John 2:22 , " Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said ."  We observe Jesus and the Scripture foretold His death and resurrection, and the knowledge, promises and power Jesus displayed to do what is impossible moved people to believe in Him. This morning I read Ezekiel 37 when God used an illustratio...

" I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean ." Romans 14:14 This revelation God gave Paul cut deep against the grain of his upbringing, traditions and perspective.  As a man raised in Judaism who was a devout student of Gamaliel and in time became a Pharisee, there were many things deemed unclean in the law of Moses.  Paul could prove what was clean and unclean in black and white.  Yet after being born again by faith in Jesus, over many years Paul knew and was convinced by the Lord Jesus there is nothing unclean of itself.  I imagine this teaching directly confronted Paul's long held beliefs, judgments and outlook--and perhaps ours as well. I have observed in myself and in others a tendency to assume many things are unclean in itself.  For instance, I have spoken to people who rail against materialism as a great evil to the point they feel guilty for...

" And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains to one another with the clasps, that it might be one tabernacle ." Exodus 36:13 The Bible contains many lists of people in genealogies, offerings brought by leaders of tribes, and items made for the service of the LORD in the tabernacle.  It may be tempting to skip or gloss over such passages, but God can still speak volumes by verses that seem obscure or mundane. When I read about the offerings people brought daily for the tabernacle, it struck me how God employed a combination of materials He created that were freely offered by His people to build it.  God created gold, silver, trees, every variety of precious stones, olive oil, goats with hair and rams with wool, as well as naturally occurring dyes.  God's people brought these articles which were skillfully weaved, cut, carved, beaten and shaped into the desired size and shape to fit together.  Fibres of wool were twisted into yarn, and the yarn was dy...

" The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, a nd saves such as have a contrite spirit ." Psalm 34:18 Contrition for sin is an important facet of genuine repentance.  When we were kids, the snide tone or snarky  way people said sorry were reasons to reject an apology as insincere.  We wanted people to at least act like they cared when they were apologising for doing wrong.  Conviction of having done wrong is not just a thought that passes through our minds but includes a recurring stab of regret or unsettled feeling inside of us.  The Bible says David's "heart smote him" after he cut off the corner of Saul's robe.  Though he did not kill him as was suggested by his men, his guilty conscience would not let the act pass unnoticed and without repentance. Contrition is not beating oneself up for doing wrong, for this can be from pride as much as anything.  Webster defined "contrition" as:  " 1)  The act of grinding or rubbing to powd...

" Am I a God near at hand," says the LORD , "and not a God afar off?  24  Can anyone hide himself in secret places, s o 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...

" Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints ." Jude 1:3 In the book of Jude , he wrote to Christian believers to exhort them to earnestly contend for the faith.  The faith to which Jude refers is in Jesus who preached the Gospel and made a way for all sinners to be saved through repentance and faith in the Son of God who died and rose again.  In verse 4 that followed Jude explained why this was necessary:  " For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ ."  Even in the early days of the church, ungodly people had crept into the church, turned the grace of God into lewdness (an opportunity to indulge in lusts) and denied God the Fathe...

" These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world ." John 16:33 When Jesus told His disciples on the night He was betrayed they would not seem Him for a little while, and they would each be scattered to their own.  In a little while they would again see Him, and Jesus revealed He was going to the Father.  He spoke to them in proverbs they did not understand fully at the time, but they could bank on their sorrow being turned to joy that could not be taken from them. From a human perspective there was not much comfort in what Jesus said because they could not comprehend what Jesus meant or how their lives would be impacted.  They expected and hoped Jesus would remain with them, so to hear He would soon be leaving was an impediment to peace and joy.  Yet in His wisdom Jesus summed up His long conversation with His disciples by saying, " These things I have spoken...

It is wonderful to teach the truth of God's word and for people to receive it gladly and run with it.  Years ago I led a course to equip people to share Christ, and it was great to see people put what they had learned into practice and exert more effort in doing outreach I never thought to do.  The people of Nazareth could have been impressed and pleased to hear the gracious words of Jesus as He read from the scroll of Isaiah and addressed them in the synagogue.  "And to think--this is the son of Mary and Joseph who never went to proper school!"  Sadly for them, blinded by unbelief, they were offended by the Messiah who outshone them and sought to kill Him. Another kind of "running with" suggests something is carried beyond what was originally intended.  I have seen this when Christians embrace a particular doctrine to the point they become divisive and sow discord among the brethren.  Verses out of context can be "run with" to support extreme and even...

" Unless the LORD builds the house,  t hey labour in vain who build it;  u nless the LORD guards the city,  t he watchman stays awake in vain ." Psalm 127:1 I love the unflinching, unapologetic objectivity of God's word.  The almighty God who created all things and stands eternal supreme over all simply says how it is.  People can reject it, scorn or deride it; they can oppose it and rail against what they claim is unfair or incorrect, yet it stands unmoved and in full force.  This verse from Psalm 127  shows how dependant God's people ought to be on Him to help us do things we see as our right and responsibility.  Having purchased land and obtaining permits to build, we view it as our legal right to do.  Because there are thieves and enemies who would do us harm we set a guard over our cities and households.  But unless the LORD does the work and is with us, all our efforts will be in vain.  We won't be capable of perceiving or ...

 " And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever ." 1 John 2:17 John's statement brings an eternal perspective to our lives that can be lacking.  Those who long to establish utopia on earth may set their aims incredibly high, but they are not high enough.  The wise look beyond this world to God who created the heavens, earth, people and all living things.  People will always fail to create a perfect world because we are all sinners in a world cursed by sin that, like us, will pass away.  No government, ideology, or democracy can overthrow the sovereign God who created all things.  While monuments people make for themselves crumble and rot, those who do God's will shall abide forever. Life is full of illustrations how new things grow old, damaged and wear out.  Sometimes it is damage to a new thing that compels our perspective to change and take loss less personally.  When our new car receives a...

" Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You,  s ince You have made all these ." Jeremiah 14:22 The prophet Jeremiah interceded in prayer on behalf of the children of Israel in the midst of drought.  Unlike those who offered sacrifices and incense to idols in the hope of bringing rain, Jeremiah looked to the God who created the heavens and earth.  There was no power in idols or the heavens itself to bring rain, for the heavens were shut up overhead as the water evaporated, grass withered and beasts perished.  There was no sense in looking anywhere else for the water God created and could provide, and thus Jeremiah determined to wait for Him. Waiting is something we do not naturally enjoy--especially if we have been conditioned to believe we are entitled to speedy service, convenience and ease without effort.  Since patience is a fruit of th...

" Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life ." Romans 6:4 Because God is the creator of all things, He can also make "all things new."  This is not speaking figuratively or spiritually but literally and truly.  It is possible for the newness of the life we have in Christ to wear off on us because we can quickly become dull, forgetful and unwise.  If we are not actively looking to the LORD Jesus and consider Him, we can become wearied and faint in our minds ( Hebrews 12:1-3 ).  Thankfully it is not our good performance or the willpower of our flesh where our strength lies, for the LORD is the strength of our hearts and the lifter of our heads. Paul spoke of Jesus who was pierced, battered and bloodied on the cross where He died and was buried.  He contrasted the body of Jesus dead three days with Jesus risen from the dead...

" Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil ." Jeremiah 13:23 Through the prophet Jeremiah, God revealed the true condition of His people:  as those who followed the dictates of their own hearts, they were unable to do good.  Their sinful habits were so ingrained in them, such an intrinsic part of their nature, they were incapable of change.  While the world often assumes man is basically good and will make the best choices if given opportunity, the Bible reveals man's natural inclination, preference and custom is to gravitate toward sin and settle down there like a hog in the mire. As I considered this verse, I was reminded of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.  In film adaptations, the grumpy and stingy Ebeneezer Scrooge was particularly surly during Christmas, for he viewed the celebrations, feasts, gifts and extra expense as "humbug."  The night before Christmas, Scroo...