The Awesome I AM

It is one thing to strap on a parachute and walk to a plane, but it is entirely different experience to jump out of the plane with the expectation of survival because of that parachute.  There is a time when the safety demonstrations are over, the consent forms have been signed, the equipment inspected and fitted, and it is "go time."  I do not believe a skydiver would jump out of the plane who is not convinced the odds of survival are high, but it requires a degree of faith in your training and equipment to do so.

It can take a life or death decision for people out of desperation to trust God.  Similar to couch potatoes avoiding physical exercise, the tendency of people is the desire to avoid needing to trust God.  We seek out easy and quick options to overcome obstacles or anything that offers a guarantee of success.  We are ever seeking to reduce risk, limit liability, and make life carefree.  But everyone living faces the necessity of dying, and even when immediate death is not a potential issue the cares and worries of life overwhelm us.  It is only when we reach the end of our resources and ourselves that procrastinating is overturned by throwing ourselves upon the mercy of God like we should have done all along, resting and confident in His love and sovereignty.

Jacob believed God and he also procrastinated when faced with a dilemma:  there was a terrible famine, there was an abundance of food in Egypt, Simeon had been jailed in Egypt, and his release was possible only if he would send his youngest son Benjamin back to Egypt.  Jacob didn't like his options and he delayed until the food had almost run out.  There was no scheme to circumvent the inevitable, no way of wriggling off the hook.  Faced with the prospects of starvation of his household out of necessity Jacob sent all his remaining sons to Egypt and said in Genesis 43:13-14:  "...Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. ¹⁴ And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!"  Though Jacob knew the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and to him, he was unsure how things would end.  "May God give you mercy, and whatever happens will happen."

Jacob's words bear a resemblance to those of Esther who also faced a life and death decision.  She too was reluctant to take action because of the law of the Medes and Persians which gave the sentence of death to all who appeared before the king uninvited.  As king he had the privilege to overturn the death penalty by extending the royal sceptre.  Mordecai the Jew urged Queen Esther to use her privilege and access to beg for the lives of the Jewish people who had been condemned to death.  He told Esther not to deceive herself to think she would escape the consequences of the law penned by wicked Haman, and that God would bring salvation to His people somehow.  Her response in Esther 4:16 was, "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!"  Again, Esther trusted in God because the circumstances demanded it.  She knew God but did not know what the future held:  "If I perish, I perish."

These statements lead me to consider something Jesus Christ said when He looked towards Calvary.  Jacob and Esther hoped not to die but didn't know what would happen:  Jesus knew He would die and what God would accomplish through it.  After Jesus prayed the Father would glorify His name and was answered with an affirmative by a voice from heaven, He said in John 12:30-33, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." ³³ This He said, signifying by what death He would die."  Jesus knew He would be lifted up from the earth like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and would draw all people to Himself to be saved.  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus atonement was provided for the sins of the world and all who trust in Him receive forgiveness and eternal life.  Because of who Jesus is we can face even life and death decisions with assurance of help, hope, and salvation because He has drawn us to Himself and holds us safe in His arms.

Our perspective can shift from "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved" or "If I perish, I perish" to what Paul was assured of:  "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain."  This moves us beyond the "What will be will be" mindset to knowing what God has promised will ultimately come to pass in His sovereign way and in His time.  We can go from saying, "It is what it is" to "I trust the awesome I AM."  No one can snatch us out of His hands, and nothing can separate us from the love in Christ Jesus.

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.