God's Unsearchable Ways

An aspect of God I admire is His power over all things at the same time.  There is nothing that happens without His knowledge; no scheme of man or Satan is allowed to be enacted that skirts His redemptive plans and purposes.  Knowing we will see God's goodness in the land of the living turns our eyes towards Him in faith, to see what He will do.  As the scripture demonstrates countless times, His ways are higher than ours.  We could be likened to dogs sniffing the ground when God is over and above all with all wisdom, knowledge and power.  When we are on the trail of truth it is only because He first blazed it before us.

I love how God uses means we imagine are below Him.  He chooses to use human beings as His servants when He created angels for the purpose of being His ministers.  He can use the worst trials and tribulations to bring forth beauty, healing and comfort.  God even at times used enemies of His people to discipline His chosen people, like when He chose king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to be His servant.  The children of Israel were incredulous the holy God could use such an unclean vessel.  I wonder how this verse struck them in Isaiah 19:14 if they took it to heart:  "The LORD has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; and they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit."

God did not send a perverse spirit to Egypt to destroy them but as a means to redeem the nation to Himself.  Their efforts resembled a drunk man trying in vain to walk, slipping in a mess he was responsible for.  God did this knowing exactly what the end result will be Isaiah 19:22-25:  "And the LORD will strike Egypt, He will strike and heal it; they will return to the LORD, and He will be entreated by them and heal them. ²³ In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. ²⁴ In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria--a blessing in the midst of the land, ²⁵ whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, "Blessed is Egypt My people, and Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel My inheritance."  Isn't God AWESOME?  God did not strike to destroy Egypt but to heal, that they would be a blessing in the midst of the land and blessed by God:  "Egypt My people."

Blessed is the one who trusts the LORD always, one who makes God his strong confidence.  In considering our ways let us behold the works of the LORD whose ways are past finding out.  Even so we can testify of His goodness and redemptive plans throughout the history of mankind, nations and even in our own lives:  God makes desolate to draw near.  Psalm 46:8-11 exhorts us:  "Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. ⁹ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. ¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! ¹¹ The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah"  I love how the voice of God breaks in to bolster our faith in waiting on Him, to be still and know He is God who will be exalted.  Knowing God is with us and is our refuge, let us exalt Him!

Rebuking the Devil

There is a place for rebuke in the body of Christ, as this is a way love can be shown by correction.  When I hear people who feel inclined to rebuke the devil, however, I wonder why not seek the LORD in prayer?  Why not make our supplications to God who will rebuke and destroy the enemy of our souls in due time?  Imagine, praying to the devil when you ought to be praying to God!  Even if Satan happens to be in earshot, our rebukes are nothing compared to God's.

It is a good practice to see if the practices of professing believers have biblical merit.  A quick survey of the scriptures does not demonstrate believers are ever taught or led by Jesus to rebuke the devil.  The passage which some have run with is Jude 1:8-9 that reads, "Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. ⁹ Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"  The context of this passage is not put forth as a command or pattern for believers to follow but was an example of how Michael the archangel did not assert himself in contending with the devil and instead appealed to God's authority and power--something dreamers and evil speakers refused to do.

In the scripture it seems the vast majority of rebuking is done by God Himself.  When we do rebuke people can get this wrong, like when Peter rebuked Jesus for saying He was going to the cross in Matthew 16:22.  The multitudes rebuked two blind men and told them to be quiet when they cried out for mercy from Jesus Christ the Son of David in Matthew 20:31.  We are wise to heed the rebuke of God as it is written in Hebrews 12:5-6:  "And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; ⁶ for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives."  Rather than being told to rebuke the devil, we ought to heed God's rebukes without discouragement knowing we are loved by Him.

I am convinced if we follow the tradition of some in rebuking the devil we risk treading on God's sovereign territory because He has promised to do this when His people walk in obedience to Him.  God rebuked the children of Israel through the prophet Malachi who said it was vain to keep His command under Law to bring tithes.  God promised if they would keep His commands He would bless them beyond measure and then said in Malachi 3:11-12:  "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," says the LORD of hosts; ¹² "and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says the LORD of hosts."  Better God rebuke the devourer than us, for He is able to do everything.  God's arm is not shortened that He cannot save, and His word is what matters.

All Fair by Grace

We can be our harshest critic at times.  Though it is unwise to compare ourselves with others, we can do this without even thinking.  I have heard people talk about the impossible standards set by the airbrushed pictures in glossy magazines and filters on social media that present a fanciful portrayal of beauty that leads to people feeling self-conscious and even hating their appearance.  The thirst for attention and praise is strong and feelings of inadequacy even stronger.  Every year people die from complications of cosmetic surgery, chasing the dream of improved appearance.

How would you react if the words spoken by the Shulamite's beloved from Song of Songs 4:7 were spoken directed at you:  “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.”  One could say the Shulamite suffered from a negative body image, for she was self-conscious about her dark tan from working as a shepherdess.  In the song she was introduced to her beloved, a prince who was absolutely and surprisingly smitten by her.  She was the only woman he wanted, and after they wed the Shulamite was in a class all by herself:  all fair, his love and without spot.  He said this to her and I wonder if she received this as the truth--or mere words to discount or shrug off.  Did she justify her feelings?  "I know he thinks I'm all fair, but I still feel ugly as ever."

What is lovely about the Song of Songs are the layers of meaning when considering the relationship God has with the children of Israel.  Jacob was a shepherd and was not afraid to say so even though shepherds were abominable to the Egyptians.  God compared Israel to His bride, His special people through an everlasting covenant of Law.  Though Israel was unfaithful to God, God remained faithful to love and cherish them as perfect in Numbers 23:21:  "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."  Another layer of significance is how under the new covenant of the Gospel the church is viewed as a bride, as the Body of Christ with whom God has joined Himself as one.  Because the church is comprised of individual members, the words of the beloved take on a personal meaning due to Christ's atonement and adoption as children of God:  "You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you."

This is not flattery, Christian, but the reality of how God sees us according to the riches of His grace.  We have been cleansed of our sin and born again into the family of God, members of His own body.  Since this is His assessment of us, this is also His view of all those who are born again by faith in Jesus.  Instead of comparing ourselves with one another and feeling proud or inadequate, rather than comparing your local church fellowship with others or the airbrushed, filtered concepts of the perfect church, let us rejoice in the love of Christ demonstrated for us and be content in His embrace.  There is no spot in our Saviour, our love, and He is all fair.  His fairness is not shown in His complexion or the colour of His skin but through His grace and goodness.

Full of Goodness

There was concern among the staff at a camp when it was realised one of the girls had not been eating much.  Whenever she was encouraged to eat there were always excuses given:  she wasn't feeling well (possibly from not eating), had a headache, she didn't like the food on offer or claimed to have eaten already.  Eating disorders can pose a dangerous and even a deadly risk to the health and well-being of those who suffer from them, and thus the duty of care of leaders at camp was to ensure all had access to wholesome food.  At the same time we could not force anyone to eat anything or everything.  But we could call parents of campers, and praise the LORD loving parents have the well-being of their children in mind.

A similar thing is true concerning pastoral teaching ministry.  Pastors and teachers are called and equipped by God to hold forth the word of God as the spiritual and practical nutrition it is for our souls.  People are also enabled by God to feed on the word they hear in sermons or read themselves.  While all God's word is wholesome and vital to promote our spiritual health, we can be finicky and aloof eaters.  We can eat so much fruit or bread that we have no room for the mains.  There can be subjects or passages we find unpalatable and refuse to receive, choosing to hide it in a serviette to throw away or to feed it to the dog under the table--as if God doesn't realise.  Like a person I heard about who basically survives on chicken nuggets, we can develop a taste for one doctrine or flavour that we willfully deny our bodies and minds the benefit of a wide range of nutritious options.

It is good for us to realise that all God serves up in His word is good and for our maturation.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."  It would be a shame to only read the New Testament when all scripture is given by inspiration of God.  There is profitable doctrine and instruction throughout the entire Bible when God opens our eyes to see it.  When we open our mouths wide He will fill them, and this means we must trust Him.  It is good when God has such a reputation in our minds of being perfect and good that we will joyfully receive whatever He supplies in His word for us.

This is why reading through the Bible in its entirety is a good spiritual discipline to embrace.  Learning to read and study the Bible in context is very useful to help us receive the most benefit from God's word as we observe, interpret and personally apply the ageless wisdom and divine truths.  As God reveals Himself through His words coupled with our experience our tastes begin to be refined.  Instead of pitting two rigid views against each other as right or wrong, we begin to realise aspects of Christianity complement each other beautifully like sweet and sour.  In the world there are an abundance of flavours we have yet to experience that are good, and we grow in the grace and knowledge of God through His word may He bring delight to our souls.