What God has Done!

When we moved into our house, we were tasked to point out flaws in craftsmanship with painter's tape to be repaired by the builder.  For months the blue tape had become familiar decor, signposts and reminders of flaws all around.  Since our builder has "done a runner" (as we say in Australia) and will not be back to rectify the blemishes in the walls and paint, this morning I went throughout the house and removed all the tape.  I can't tell you how much better things look without those attention-grabbing bits of tape.  There are actually more blemishes now, seeing as the tape removed some poorly adhered paint, but the eye is not drawn to the defects as before.

As I picked the tape off the walls, ceiling and woodwork, it provided insight of our tendency as humans to find faults in ourselves and draw attention to them.  There is no question we all have our faults and one common to man is to look for flaws and focus on them.  Our power to see and perceive is a blessing but we can turn it into a curse.  The irony is we are drawn notice the flaws of others because we are flawed ourselves, for we do not need to be perfect to find fault.  All is faulty before the holy, righteous God who chooses to bless instead of curse:  He gives grace and justly imputes righteousness to those who trust Him.

Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel, but all he could do was bless God's people.  These people at times had sin in the camp, yet God's view of them was most favourable.  Balaam announced in Numbers 23:20-23, "Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it. ²¹ "He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a King is among them. ²² God brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox. ²³ "For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'Oh, what God has done!'"  What favour God had shown His people!  What grace, that God would dwell among His people and not focus on their faults because their sin was covered by an atoning sacrifice.

Like my eyes are drawn to blemishes in building, so our eyes can be drawn to focus on our own faults and those of others.  Those who cover their sin shall not prosper, and neither is it profitable to judge others critically without God's grace.  Freely we have received God's grace, and freely we should give it.  Take the tape off the walls, and remove the fault-finding blinders from our eyes which are common to men.  It is not that people are perfect but we do so because our great God is perfect and has beauty beyond this world who loves, accepts and forgives us by His grace.  In light of poor workmanship we could ask those who painted our house, "What did you do?"  We are far better served to dwell on "What God has done!" with praise to Him. 

Affliction is...Good?

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes."

Psalm 119:71

Being afflicted is not fun, but scripture teaches it is beneficial and providential.  To be afflicted is to be abased, humbled, to depress and look down.  Affliction does not feel good but does great good.  The psalmist wrote in a preceding verse in Psalm 119:67, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word."  Failure to keep God's word led to affliction that prompted one suffering the consequences of sin to look to God, learn His statutes and walk in them.  Solomon wrote of the benefits of sorrow in Ecclesiastes 7:2-3:  "Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for that is the end of all men; and the living will take it to heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better."

Because we care about others it is natural we are not pleased to see them suffer affliction.  We can be afflicted through their affliction, and thus our motive to bring it to a swift end can be self-serving.  Our desire is for the affliction to end so we pray God would change the circumstances or attempt to intervene.  It is comforting to know behind all affliction people endure is a sovereign God full of love who is able to redeem it for His good purposes while refining our character.  I wonder if sometimes our short-sighted efforts work to undermine what God intends to accomplish through affliction.  We miss the point:  we imagine the appropriate end is for affliction to end, whilst God's end is to change people for good.  No matter how much we attempt to shoulder the load, the one who is afflicted (like a woman carrying a child in her womb) has a load only they can carry.

Our natural tendency is to seek help from people rather than God like the sick seek medicine from a physician.  This is well illustrated in Israel and Judah, and God spoke through the prophet in Hosea 5:13-15:  "When Ephraim saw his sickness, and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim went to Assyria and sent to King Jareb; yet he cannot cure you, nor heal you of your wound. ¹⁴ For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue. ¹⁵ I will return again to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me."  God's people recognised they were suffering but did not seek the LORD:  they sought the help of foreign kings and idolatrous nations.  God would tear His people as a lion yet not to utterly destroy or consume them.  He would afflict them, take them away and return to His place--until they acknowledged their offense before Him.  God is longsuffering and willing to wait.  Though painful for Him, God knew how affliction would positively impact them:  after years of sinful wandering they would finally seek Him earnestly.  Instead of seeking the end of their affliction they would go to the One who graciously chastened them and could cure them.

Is not the wisdom of God past finding out?  How marvelous is the grace of God to deal thus with His erring servants faithfully.  It gives Him no pleasure to see people suffer and even die in their sins so He will redeem affliction for our good.  Out of great affliction the prophet Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:22-33:  "Through the LORD'S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. ²³ They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ²⁴ "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I hope in Him!" ²⁵ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. ²⁶ It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. ²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. ²⁸ Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; ²⁹ Let him put his mouth in the dust--there may yet be hope. ³⁰ Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach. ³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever. ³² Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. ³³ For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men."  The LORD alone supplies balm for an afflicted soul.

For the Christian, no affliction is forever.  It is meted out for a season by the grace of God with compassion according to His steadfast mercy and faithfulness.  Our greatest griefs are all swallowed up in the goodness of our God.  James 5:13 bids us in our affliction to shift our focus to God:   "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms."  God is faithful to comfort those who mourn and turns our sorrow into joy.  Affliction shows us God alone is our only hope and leads us to Him.  No one need wait a moment to receive the salvation Jesus Christ provides today for all who trust in Him, and having received so great a salvation we wait on Him patiently.

Like People, Like Priest

There rests in the hearts of many people a persistent belief that putting the right people in charge will solve problems in society.  The big problem is this is simply untrue.  Many politicians and leaders have been chosen or elected who promised change and have been unable to stop moral decline, poverty and crime.  The unfounded hope in the hearts of people, this longing to enact positive, enduring change through education, programs and politics have often been disappointed.

The hopelessness of good leaders overcoming bad citizens was laid bare in Hosea 4:9-10 in a warning God gave His people concerning future judgment:  "And it shall be: like people, like priest. So I will punish them for their ways, and reward them for their deeds. ¹⁰ For they shall eat, but not have enough; they shall commit harlotry, but not increase; because they have ceased obeying the LORD."  God's people banked their trust on having holy, sanctified priests who served God and ruled over them.  The problem was these priests were chosen from people who had ceased obeying the LORD.  We think the influence of a good priest will have a sanctifying effect on the population, but the opposite would occur.  The people were corrupt so the priest would be corrupt like them.  Gone was any hope of salvation or help from sinful man.  The people were dissatisfied with God's provision and guidance, and even a godly man would not correct their error.  This is telling, for God's people later rejected the Messiah Jesus Christ God sent to save them from sin.

The realms of business, politics and religion have no hope in themselves to guide mankind to truth, redemption, reconciliation or peace:  these are found only through becoming a new creation through faith in Jesus Christ.  In Him we have a sure foundation, hope of heaven and rest for our souls.  It is only God who created man who can save man from hatred, hopelessness and despair.  Without the satisfaction found in God nothing will satisfy; no amount of lovers or idols will suffice.  The greatest men and women among us will someday be gone and their accomplishments swallowed up by negligence, complacency, greed and apathy.  Haven't your hopes been dashed enough to prove beyond a doubt only God as revealed in the Bible has the power to save, the One who rose from the dead and lives?

Glory In the LORD

God's glory is shown in using weak vessels to accomplish His awesome purposes.  He does not need us but chooses to use us and make us fruitful for His glory.  I remember a conversation I had with a pastor who spoke how amazed he was people kept turning up to church week after week:  "They just keep coming back," he said.  There are many conversations I have no memory of, but I recall this one because it struck me as odd.  I could have understood his confusion if he was the only one responsible for people coming to church, but won't God honour His word?  Isn't He at work in the heart and minds of people to remind and compel them to respond in obedience to gather in His name?  Since fellowship is prompted and sustained by the Spirit of the Living God, his surprise (feigned or not I could not tell) to me was surprising.

In his book Lectures to My Students, I came across something C.H. Spurgeon had to say on the matter:

"Oh, brethren, we ought to preach feeling that God means to bless the word, for we have His promise for it; and when we have done preaching we should look out for the people who have received a blessing.  Do you ever say, "I am overwhelmed with astonishment to find that the Lord has converted souls through my poor ministry"?  Mock humility!  Your ministry is poor enough.  Everybody knows that, and you ought to know it most of all:  but, at the same time, is it any wonder that God, who said "My word shall not return unto me void," has kept His promise?  Is the meat to lose its nourishment because the dish is a poor platter?  Is divine grace to be overcome by our infirmity?  No, but we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us." (Spurgeon, C. H. Lectures to My Students: Complete & Unabridged. Ministry Resources Library, Zondervan Publishing House, 1989. page 194)

Knowing preaching and teaching is God's work should not promote slackness in preparation or delivery, but wisdom causes our hearts to glorify and praise God when it is useful.  I tend towards pride like other people, and I have learned by God's word coupled with experience if there is anything good found in me it is solely due to God's grace.  Should there be no visible profit from my efforts I cannot blame God for it, yet fruitlessness ought to prompt thorough self-examination to see if the fault is mine.  I ought to own my failures and folly so I might repent, and all glory goes to God who does all things well.  Clutching even a little glory or credit for ourselves is the subtle start of disastrous straying from God.  Such are like Samson who was lulled to sleep on Delilah's knees, who awoke out of sleep without realising the Holy Spirit had left him.  He said, "I will go out as before and shake myself free" yet was promptly overcome, bound, blinded and imprisoned.  Proud Christians may encounter a worse end without an opportunity for redemption, and God keep me from such insidious folly.

While it is surprising how God employs a poor platter or earthen vessel to communicate His word and wisdom, let us not linger there:  may the weakness of the instrument foster praise for the God who works miraculously and marvelously.  What is the strength of a pillar without a solid foundation?  The use of the weak to reveal God's might is His divine plan as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:  "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. ²⁷ But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; ²⁸ and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, ²⁹ that no flesh should glory in His presence. ³⁰ But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- ³¹ that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."