Disappointment Dashed

Man was created in the image of God but let us never assume He is like us.  Being all-knowing and all-powerful and without sin God is shockingly different to us in every regard.  Psalm 50:21 shows man can presumptuously think erroneously about God because He says, "These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes."  The God who gave us freedom to choose always employs His will to do righteously.  Our thoughts and emotions can be so hardwired into our flesh we don't consider that God cares how we feel but doesn't feel like we do.

As I mulled over this concept, I came to the conclusion God does not experience what we call "disappointment."  We are disappointed when our expectations are unmet, yet this cannot be the case for a Being who knows all things before they occur, the One who speaks and it is exactly as He said.  A couple weeks back I dropped by Hungry Jacks after church to bring home lunch after taking orders from the family.  There was a new burger on the menu for a limited time which on advertisements looked simply enormous.  As I checked the order in the bag the underwhelming size of the burgers was immediately clear.  Based on the ads these burgers were disappointing to the grown men of the household.  Instead of being disappointed at the cost or size of the burgers, it was an opportunity to praise the LORD for His gracious provision.

Since God knows all He is not caught off guard, tricked, taken in, or fooled by anything which happens in the world.  Jesus was not "disappointed" with Judas for betraying Him or with Peter for denying Him because He knew these events would take place.  When our expectations are revealed to be false assumptions it is good to replace this bad feeling with aligning our perspective with God's almighty awesomeness.  Genuine believers all have much room to grow in this area.  When Jacob heard Simeon was being held in a prison in Egypt and the only way he would be released was after his youngest son Benjamin went to Jerusalem Genesis 42:36 reads, "And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."  Jacob believed Joseph was dead and viewed Simeon (who was in prison with a promise of conditional release) the same way.  He focused on himself and the pressing situation and saw all as against him instead of remembering God was for him.  Huge difference!

I do not question the genuine faith of Jacob nor of Job who received the news of the death of his 10 children in a moment.  Upon hearing this devastating news Job tore his clothes in mourning, fell down on the ground, and worshipped God.  Job 1:21 states, "And he said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD."  I have never suffered as Job, nor has my faith shone so bright to do as he did in the face of unspeakable tragedy.  His words remind me of what Paul wrote, a man who suffered much for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Disappointment almost seemed a foreign concept for this man who looked to the sovereign God who rules in heaven and earth.  Romans 8:31-37 reads, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? ³³ Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." ³⁷ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Allow the potentially disappointing situations (and even portion sizes!) to direct our eyes and hearts toward the LORD who loves us.  Is any lingering disappointment towards God or men ever justified when God rules over all?  In the dark valleys may our souls shine bright with praise and our mouth exalt the LORD on high who is for us and makes us more than conquerors through Him.  Abiding disappointment is a symptom we have refused to yield ourselves to God in humility and faith.  In our lives may all disappointment and dashed dreams fall down flat before the KING OF KINGS in worship and adoration because He alone is worthy.

The Greatest

Jesus spoke against the Pharisees who did good works to be seen and recognised by men.  They were fond of titles, admiration, to be respected, and to have their expert opinion sought.  Jesus countered this by explaining the conduct He expected of His servants in Matthew 23:5-12:  "But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. ⁶ They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷ greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' ⁸ But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. ⁹ Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰ And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus was not laying down a new law to prohibit the use of names or titles but to demonstrate His supremacy over all.  How easy it was for man to take the place of God in their lives!  They naturally looked to be taught by their rabbi, to their own father with reverence, and for insights from the experts of the Mosaic Law.  Twice in this section Jesus emphasised, "...for One is your Teacher, the Christ."  In following the example of Jesus who always did the will of His heavenly Father, followers of Jesus were to humble themselves and be the slave of all.  After Jesus girded Himself and washed the feet of His disciples after the Passover feast He provided them a pattern they were to heed themselves:  in washing the feet of one another they served the LORD.

A few chapters earlier the disciples bristled when the mother of James and John asked Jesus to appoint them to places of great honour in His kingdom.  She expressed the desire for them to sit on His right and left hand.  Jesus responded bluntly with, "You do not know what you are asking."  Honour and authority in the Kingdom of God looks very different than the honour afforded in the world.  Jesus gathered the 10 indignant apostles and Matthew 20:25-28 tells us:  "But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. ²⁶ Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. ²⁷ And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- ²⁸ just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."  Selfish ambition for greatness and to be first is misguided, for that is the spot for Jesus.  The way we can become great is when we serve others like Jesus did who gave His life as a ransom for many.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.  It is God who will bring this to pass in His time and wise way.  Just like we ought not to look to men instead of God, we ought not to think it falls to us to play God with men.  The greatest men are those who submit to God's authority, not because they desire greatness, but because they know God as the greatest of all.

Fullness of Joy

Jacob loved his son Joseph and had a special colourful coat made for him.  The favour his father showed him made Joseph the envy of his 10 older brothers.  It didn't help his relationship with them when he shared dreams where they bowed down before him.  When he obediently went at the request of his father for a status report from his brothers who were shepherds Genesis 37:18-20 reads, "Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ Then they said to one another, "Look, this dreamer is coming! ²⁰ Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!"  From a great distance Joseph's colourful coat caused his brothers to recognise him and they plotted how they might destroy him.  The obvious favour of his father made Joseph a target.

Reading this passage reminds me of similar treatment Jesus the Son of God was subjected to by priests and Pharisees.  Instead of a coat of many colours, Jesus was adorned spiritually with a robe of righteousness and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Some people see Jesus with a stoic and almost unhappy demeanor, but this is not true.  The writer of Hebrews connected Psalm 45:7 with the Messiah Jesus Christ as only begotten God's Son in Hebrews 1:8-9:  "But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. ⁹ You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions."  Jesus was a man of sorrows yet also was anointed with the oil of gladness more than anyone else.  The One who gives fullness of joy was Himself joyful, and of that we can be certain.

The glad countenance of Jesus, the attentiveness of the people to hear Him, and the favour of God upon Him exposed envy in the hearts of the religious rulers as we see in Luke 19:47-48:  "And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, ⁴⁸ and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him."  When Jesus was arrested and brought before Pilate, he knew they delivered Jesus to him out of envy.  Joseph's brothers decided against murdering Joseph and sold him into slavery.  According to God's redemptive purposes this turned out to be their salvation.  In this way God orchestrated the sending of Joseph ahead of his family where over a decade later was promoted to second in command over all Egypt, and Joseph was used by God to save many people alive--including his own family and brothers who once hated him--from a great famine.

The chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees would be successful in their aim to execute Jesus on trumped up charges of blasphemy and anti-Roman sentiment.  Jesus died on the cross and by the glorious purposes of God in doing so provided atonement for sinners and salvation for souls.  Joseph supplied grain for food eaten by people and animals, yet Jesus the Bread of Life supplied salvation for all who believe in Him through the Gospel.  The envy and hatred of men was redeemed in a miraculous way to benefit those who least deserved it.  Here is the grace of God and how good He is to offer it freely to all!  The suffering of Joseph and Jesus was not without a redemptive purpose according to God's will, and we can be assured our faithful God will continue to redeem even our pains for His glory and the ultimate good of others and ourselves.  Jesus said in John 15:9-12, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. ¹¹ These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."  Let us rejoice in our God who gives fullness of joy.

The Trouble of Conspiracies

Based on my experience we seem to be living in the not-so-golden age of conspiracy theories, but the Bible says this is nothing new.  It may be the distrust in government and media are at all time highs yet skeptics, doubters, and those touting hidden agendas have been around since the beginning.  Satan very well might be the first one who promoted a conspiracy when he said to Eve, "Has God really said you cannot eat from the tree in the midst of the garden?"  Lies mixed with truth proved a deadly combination.

It feels like wherever I look there is more evidence of a conspiracy mindset taking hold.  On my news feed I read about anti-vaxers, 5G and COVID combo, and anti-maskers; Christian bookstores sell paperbacks about government schemes and inter-dimensional portals; billboards go up warning about the day the world will end.  Countless documentaries are churned out annually that follow the same pattern:  what you have been led to believe is wrong, hidden evidence with sinister motives is presented to draw possible conclusions, experts are lined up to contribute their opinions, and stay tuned for the next installment--and people pay to eat this stuff up.  Armed with this new knowledge the watcher becomes a walking and talking advertisement campaign designed to prey upon people's fears.  Why pay for advertisement when others do it for free?

Like I said before, conspiracy is nothing new.  Last night I was reading in Isaiah 8 and how God directed His people to look to Him alone when the claims of conspiracy swirled around.  God revealed Israel would fall before Assyria and Ephraim would no more be a people, but He would protect and deliver Judah.  Isaiah spoke the truth in the name of the LORD and when God does the talking let all on the earth take notice.  Time would make the truth of what Isaiah said plain.  If he was wrong one time he was not to be feared or listened to ever again (Deut. 18:20)--and it is wise to put modern-day prognosticators to the same test.  If only people who are put in fear by alleged government conspiracies or a hidden satanic agenda would have the God-confident perspective presented in Isaiah 8:10:  "Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing; speak the word, but it will not stand, for God is with us."

The prophet continued with words which spoke to my heart in Isaiah 8:11-13:  "For the LORD spoke thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying: ¹² "Do not say, 'A conspiracy,' concerning all that this people call a conspiracy, nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled. ¹³ The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread."  Conspiracy preys on fear.  It may be the fear of ignorance, fear of death, and the fear of being controlled and manipulated which only increases with knowledge rather than being lessened.  Isaiah was told not to be afraid of potential threats but to fear the LORD.  It was God who is a stable rock of refuge He was to seek rather than casting his eyes upon a shadowy and foreboding future.

People have always been fascinated by what the future holds and for what is hidden to be made known.  People these days seek counsel on online chats, buy books on how to interpret dreams, and obsess over the implications of a new documentary.  They immerse themselves in online resources and through knowledge gain a sense of control in a mad world.  In Isaiah's day people would go to mediums and wizards to do a similar thing, to tap into the knowledge of spirits to know how to live their lives and have future success with money and relationships.  Mediums claimed to be able to contact souls who had died to be consulted by the living.  Isaiah 8:19-20 says, "And when they say to you, "Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter," should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? ²⁰ To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."  God told His people instead of looking to spirit guides they ought to seek their God!  What could the dead do to assist the living?  Is not God the almighty, living God who created all things whom we fear?  Is God in any way threatened by the schemes of Satan or man?

God directed His people to look to the law and the testimony, to the word of God for guidance.  The fear of the LORD strips us of all fear of man, the unknown, and death.  Jesus Christ is the Light of the World who alone has the words of life.  Books and articles have their benefits but God's Word is all we need.  This may seem boring and cliche to believers or people who are rightly concerned about the bleak outlook for this world or what may be "going on behind the scenes."  Every preacher and pastor will answer to God for how they have interpreted and taught the Bible, and only the LORD knows the heart.  Instead of being afraid of deception or conspiracies, our call is to fear God, know He is with us, and to seek the LORD.  Let us speak according to God's word and walk according to it, not using scripture dishonestly to prop up conspiracies.  Are you afraid of potential threats and troubled?  If you fear the LORD you don't need to be.