The 1828 Webster's Dictionary

One of my Bible study aids is from a most unexpected source:  the 1828 Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language.  What makes this volume different from modern dictionaries is Noah Webster's definitions spring from a biblical worldview.  It is interesting to me that you will not find the words "automobile," "radio," or "telephone" within the pages because those modern advances were not yet invented.  At the same time, the text is largely free from encroachment of worldly philosophy and politically correct speech which has emasculated and convoluted the original meaning of words.  Here is one of my favourite examples when comparing modern definitions to those given in Webster's 1828 dictionary:

"Duty" as defined by dictionary.com:

1. Something that one is expected or required to do by moral or legal obligation.
2. The binding or obligatory force of something that is morally or legally right.
3. An action or task required by a person's position or occupation; function.
4. The respectful and obedient conduct due a parent, superior, elder, etc.
5. An act or expression of respect.

"Duty" as defined by Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

1.  That which a person owes to another; that which a person is bound, by any natural, moral, or legal obligation, to pay, do or perform.  Obedience to princes, magistrates and the laws is the duty of every citizen and suject; obedience, respect, and kindness to parents are duties of children; fidelity to friends is a duty; reverence, obedience and prayer to God are indispensable duties; the government and religious instruction of children are duties of parents which they cannot neglect without guilt.
2. Forbearance of that which is forbid by morality, law, justice or propriety.  It is our duty to refrain from lewdness, intemperance, profaneness and injustice.
3. Obedience; submission.
4. Act of reverence or respect.
5. The business of a soldier or marine on guard..
6. The business of war; military service.
7. Tax, toll, impost, or customs; excise; any sum of money required by government to be pain on the importation, exportation, or consumption of goods. 

What a difference in substance and tone!  In the modern definition of duty, there is little said about what the duties of people include.  Using the scripture as a guide, Webster objectively states not only what "duty" is but what our duties are.  He does not say it as his own opinion but as fact.  He can do this only because he has enlisted the scriptures as his guide to define words which explain a moral position achieved through an understanding of God and His righteous precepts.  Words like "sin" and "judgment" are explained thoroughly, grounded in scriptural truth.  Clear definitions of words according to God's revealed truth has never been more important than today.  If the foundations of language are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

Burn the Boats

When I sensed the call of God to move to Australia, I didn't have a calendar with times and dates filled in.  There was no doubt about the call, but I had no clue about how or when it would happen.  I didn't know where our family would be going.  I didn't know how long the process would take.  I didn't know how long God would allow us to live in Australia.  The only thing I knew was that God had called me and my family to go.  Our part was to obey God by going through the open door He would sovereignly reveal to us in His time.

The process ended up taking many years.  During that process, my wife Laura and I had discussed and were in agreement of one thing:  we would burn the boats.  While there is apparently debate concerning the origin of this idiom - whether it best describes the approach of the Romans, conquistador Cortez, or someone else - there is little debate of the meaning.  It means the point of no return has been reached.  There would be no retreat for the band of men who traveled by boat to the land of their enemies.  The boats were burned to prevent anyone from using the boats as a means of escape should things prove difficult.  In poker terminology, it means you are "all in."  The entire chip stack has been pushed to the middle of the table and nothing has been left in reserve.

Our family has deep roots in San Diego.  All of my family lives within miles of each other and Laura's did too.  For us, burning the boats meant selling our house.  Should we have continued to rent out the house, there would have remained a potential home for us to return to if things became hard.  God's directive to Abram in Genesis 12:1 hit home:  "Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you."  It was not without the promise Jesus gives in Mark 10:29-30:  "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, ³⁰ who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time--houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life."  We needed God to move our hearts for Australia long before our feet touched Australian soil.  Selling our house was a big Ebenezer for us.  The miraculous way God ordained the sale only confirmed we were walking in obedience to His will.

When the children of Israel were taken to a foreign land, God told them to settle down, build houses, and plant vineyards.  They were to put their roots deep where He placed them - even against their will.  They didn't want to be in Babylon!  They wanted to be in the land God had given their fathers by lot.  They were to labour to be fruitful in the place God had established them.  Whether you are in the mission field or chomping at the bit to go, put down your roots where God has you now.  Jeremiah 29:5-7 says, "Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. ⁶ Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. ⁷ And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." God had an expected end for His people, one which He would be faithful to accomplish in due time.  You can be sure He will do so for you as well.

Is it wrong for a missionary to rent out their home while they are on the mission field?  Absolutely not!  But for us it was an act of faith that we believed God would establish our family in Australia, even as He had been faithful to do in San Diego.  Should we have kept the house, it would have signaled our lack of faith in God's provision.  It would have provided temptation to return when we faced persecutions or trials.  In no way do I condone being caviler or reckless, testing God to conform to our short-sighted will.  We are called to be good stewards of God's gifts. But if God tells us to sell in a buyer's market we should do it - even if holding onto a house may make it more valuable in the future.  Is God's hand shortened He cannot provide?  If we hold onto our old life, we will not be able to enter into the new one God has prepared for us.  We do not need a "fall-back plan" or a pathetic safety net when God is our true foundation and support.

Do you find yourself looking back, thinking about the returning to that sea-worthy boat left on the beach so you might head back to what is familiar?  This principle can be applied to far more than just houses but careers, employers, and countless other things which tempt us away from walking in faith.  The man who puts his hand to the plow and looks back cannot plow straight.  Our call is to be as Paul who forgot the things which were behind and was pressing forward to the finish line!  As long as we have a contingency strategy, we are hindered in advancing where God has us now.  It is time to burn those boats and push all in!  In the same way we are called to leave all behind to follow Christ, so we must answer the call to step out in faith concerning our calling.  God will be faithful to His promise.

Stuck to the Sword

The Bible is filled with accounts of God's people doing mighty deeds.  I was reminded of Eleazar this morning, the second of David's top three mighty men.  2 Samuel 23:9-10 tells us, "And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. ¹⁰ He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to plunder."  When the men of Israel retreated before the Philistine onslaught, Eleazar stood his ground armed with his sword.  He fought to the point of exhaustion.  He gripped the sword so tightly his hand cramped and stuck to it!  Because Eleazar refused to quit, God brought about a great victory that day.  Only after he defeated the Philistines did people return to plunder the slain.

Perhaps Eleazar faced the temptation to follow along with his fellow Israelites and flee in the face of the Philistine attack.  Some men undoubtedly saw their swords as a burden and cast them to the ground in their haste to save their skins!  But Eleazar refused to back down.  He clung to the sword and kept fighting.  What a good example this is of the diligence and resolve required in the spiritual battle we face against Satan, the flesh, and the wisdom of this age.  When a man takes a stand for righteousness in a fallen world, he will face merciless attack.  Sometimes we may be called to stand alone.  Even then, we are not alone because God is with us.  We are not without weapons to face the battle which presses against us.  God has given us the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).  In the heat of battle the temptation may come to lay aside the Word of God because we are weary and feel all have forsaken us.  But even in the fiery trial God will sustain us, and His Word will protect us.

Eleazar knew what it took to win.  He knew that unless he gripped the sword with all his strength, he would lose his best offensive and defensive weapon at once.  In holding fast to his sword, he clung to life.  Even so, this is true for Christians concerning the Bible.  It contains the words of life.  God is looking for mighty men to stand today with drawn swords, willing to stand alone if necessary.  May God grant us the grace to say with Paul at the end of our days, "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, and I have stayed the course."  Our Saviour will never leave or forsake us.  He is our righteous foundation upon which we stand, and His Word is our battle axe and weapon of war.  When the attacks come, let us use it to give an answer for the hope which is within us.  May God give our hands strength to cling to the Sword!  The victory is ours when we stand and fight!

To Those Looking for a Saviour

The needs of people today for survival are the same they have always been.  People need water to drink, food to eat, air to breathe, adequate shelter and sleep.  These days many more things have been tacked onto the list:  mobile phones, transportation, the internet, coffee, and social media.  I recently saw a television commercial of a new Holden car which boasts Facebook access from the center console!  A lot of the things people believe they need are not necessary for life.  Many of the activities and things purported to enhance our lives and we have come to believe we could not possibly live without them actually drain it away.

Times change, but the spiritual needs of people remains the same.  Even in this digital age of technology and information, many people remain in the dark ages spiritually.  Blinded by materialism, caught up in the pursuits of this earthly life, countless people are ignorant of their need for forgiveness and salvation.  Life is filled with many diversions which labour to lead us from the sole source of true wisdom and life.  The greatest need of man is God.  Our stomach tells us we are hungry, and our burning eyes reveal how tired we are.  It is the conscience of man which agrees with the righteous law of God that he is indeed a sinner and is without hope in himself.  It is only when a man is without hope that he desperately searches for a Saviour.

After Andrew met Jesus Christ, John 1:41 tells us:  "He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ)."  Andrew was a Jewish man who was familiar with the Law and prophets.  The fact that he "found" the Messiah means that he was looking for him.  He was looking for the Messiah because he desired to meet and commune with Him.  Had he not recognised a need for himself or the nation for a Saviour, why would he be excited about finding Him?  Andrew was a fisherman who possessed wisdom and discernment the learned in Israel did not.  Andrew's excitement could not be contained, and he sought to tell his brother the great news of his discovery.  Both Andrew and Simon Peter would become followers of Jesus Christ, leaving everything behind for that privilege - an honour and privilege most people didn't even recognise.

Do you need a Saviour?  Have you been looking for Him?  Know that Jesus Christ has been revealed as the promised Messiah, the One who saves His people from their sins.  There is no life found in mobile phones and Facebook.  There is no life even in water, food, or air itself.  These things merely support life for a season.  In the end, we will all perish because the wages of sin is death.  Death has entered the world and death through sin.  But grace, salvation, and eternal life have come to this desolate world through Jesus Christ.  Peter boldly speaks today even as he spoke to the elders of Israel in Acts 4:10-12:  "...Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹ This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' ¹² Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  Looking for a Saviour?  Look no further than Christ!