The Scriptures and Power of God

In a single statement speaking to the Sadducees, Jesus connected man's tendency of error with ignorance of what God has said in the the Bible and the knowledge of God's power.  The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, and thus presented Jesus a contrived question they thought was a real stumper.  The problem was, in their attempt to expose Jesus and His doctrine as false their own folly was exposed in unbelief.  Their ignorance of the scriptures led to great error as Mark 12:24 shows:  "Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?"

The word "mistaken" or "err" in the KJV has the sense in the original Greek, "to cause to wander, to lead astray."  When we say a person "made a mistake" it could be synonymous with saying someone accidentally said the wrong thing or misspoke.  Jesus said this was more than than, for the Sadducees were deceived, having wandered from the truth of God's word, and likely influenced others to do the same.  It is written in Psalm 119:105 of the scripture, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  With the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth, a born-again believer can rightly divide God's word and thus discern good and erroneous doctrine.  Knowing the scriptures prevents us from being misled by lies and wandering from Jesus.  What we know and believe deeply impacts the way we think and how we live.

Jesus said the mistaken notions of the Sadducees also stemmed from ignorance of God's power.  The Sadducees did not believe in the miraculous, so it might be said they did believe in the God of scripture Who spoke the world into existence according to His infinite wisdom and power.  It is seen plainly in the first chapter of Genesis, not to mention throughout the whole Torah.  The Bible comprised of 66 books we hold in our hands today is filled with examples in the Old and New Testament which reveal God's power that God would be feared and worshipped.  Reading of God's power does not become truly personal until we are born again by faith in Jesus Christ, and then the power of God becomes real to us by the indwelling Holy Spirit who regenerates us.  After Jesus opens our understanding to comprehend the scriptures, our understanding of God's infinite power increases also.

How valuable is knowledge of the scriptures and the power of God to keep us from deceptions, wandering from the truth, and prevent us from leading others to ruin!  The scriptures will endure forever by the power of God, and we are saved and kept by God's power displayed by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  What God says He will do, and His mighty works reveal His power now and forever.  May we receive the truth of God's word and walk in light of it, our lives a proclamation of His power to raise the dead to new life.

God-Fearing and Withholding

God tested Abraham by directing him to offer his only and beloved son Isaac as a burnt offering, and Abraham obeyed God without question.  Three days later after the altar had been fashioned, the wood placed in order, Isaac willingly bound and laid thereon, Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son.  The Angel of the LORD cried out from heaven and said in Genesis 22:12:  "And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."  I was quite struck by what God said and how He said it.

God did not say in so many words, "Now I now you fear God since you offered your only son to Me."  One reason why this is significant is because it is common for people to point to the things they do to justify themselves as righteous or being "God-fearing."  They go to church, read the Bible, give generously to people in need.  They could be like King Saul who masked his disobedience and greed by sparing the best of the flocks and herds of the Amalekites to offer a sacrifice to the LORD when in God's estimation to obey is better than sacrifice.  A Pharisee in a parable Jesus told illustrates the one well who looks to their deeds as worthy of favour in God's eyes (and thus despise others who do not measure up to their standard) in Luke 18:9-12:  "Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: ¹⁰ "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.'"  This man justified himself by what he did, and did not consider what he withheld from God.

A passage that speaks powerfully on the danger of withholding from God under the guise of giving all is seen in Acts 5 with Ananias and Sapphira.  They sold a possession, schemed to kept back part of the proceeds for themselves and gave with the clear claim they gave all.  In lying to the Holy Spirit they lied to God by withholding part of the proceeds, and Ananias and Sapphira within hours died one after the other.  It is likely many would have touted their righteous deeds and pious generosity when it masked greed, covetousness and deceit God knew about.  In connecting this passage with Genesis 22, our decision not to withhold from God what is most precious is a better indicator if we are walking in the fear of the LORD than all we give Him.  Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira lay the larger portion at the disciples' feet, but their choosing to withhold from God exposed a lack of the fear of God by their deceit.  The rich young ruler walked away from Jesus sad because he was unwilling to obey Jesus and give all.  His choice to keep his goods was not an indictment against having possessions but of the heart that withholds obedience from Christ.

As we are to honour God with our lives and possessions, we ought to honour Him with our words.  After God spoke to young Samuel about what He was going to do, the high priest Eli pressed him with an oath to tell him all God said.  1 Samuel 3:17-19 reads, "And he said, "What is the word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you." ¹⁸ Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him." ¹⁹ So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground."  Because God was going to bring judgment upon Eli and his house, it would have been tempting to withhold from saying all.  But Samuel told him everything and hid nothing.  Notice what followed:  Samuel grew in maturity, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.

Isn't this what we desire as followers of Jesus, to grow in spiritual maturity, to experience the LORD's presence and for our words to count?  If we are held back in our walk with our Saviour, the lack of our fear of God can have something to do with it.  Rather than justifying ourselves for all we have given, a better indicator of our hearts is to consider if we have chosen to withhold anything from God.

Satisfied in Christ

My experience with painting illustrates well that we can receive exactly what we ask for, but it isn't always what we wanted.  My wife and I have learned by experience that the colour you choose according to a paint card will look different when the whole wall is painted.  It is good to go with a lighter hue than the preferred colour on the cards and even then it may not be what you expected.  The tendency to receive what we asked for and our expectations to be dashed goes way beyond painting.  How many people thought they would be satisfied with the custom design of their house, a role at work, a career, or relationship only to find it wasn't all they imagined or hoped it would be.

As I considered this concept, it occurred to me this may happen more often than not.  It is likely unnoticed because it is exceedingly rare we actually receive exactly what we have asked for in the first place, and thus we can pin the blame for our dashed expectations on the fact we have yet to obtain our desire.  I cannot tell you how often my expectations of myself, an appliance, device or team has been frustrated.  Generally I have an optimistic view of things and thus can generate false hope, and it may be those with a proclivity for a negative perspective are disappointed less often.

But do you know these worldly trends are completely irrelevant when it comes to God?  By faith in Jesus Christ we receive infinitely more than we could have ever imagined or dreamed.  Frustration and disappointment are chronic in our humanity, yet the God-given ability to look to Jesus in all circumstances of life brings joy, peace and rest we could not have thought possible.  God's goodness blows our minds, changes our lives and transforms our perspective.  Our dreams can be ruined and our expectations frustrated, but not one word has failed of God's promises.  By the grace of God we have complete assurance of a glorious future with the LORD that will exceed our wildest expectations, and we can rest in this confidence in our LORD today and always.  This world and everything in it will pass away--painted walls, jobs, appliances and sport--yet the presence, power and hope of Jesus Christ transcends all.

Consider what David wrote in Psalm 17:15:  "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness."  Isn't this a remarkable thing for someone to say under the covenant of Law?  Only with eyes of faith and revelation of our glorious God could such a thing be suggested.  From the perspective of the new covenant of the Gospel, we have assurance of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.  We do not need to wait until heaven to be satisfied because Christians are born again by the power of the Holy Spirit who regenerates us.  On top of our present relationship with the everlasting God who daily loads us with benefits we have all eternity to look forward to in His presence free of sin and anything that defiles.  I came to Christ as a child because He loved me and I wanted to avoid hell, and as I have grown older I realise He has exponentially exceeded all my expectations.  What satisfaction God provides for all those who are in Christ!

Adversity Redeemed

I have heard it said one man's trash is another's treasure, and this personal subjectivity can be applied to what is considered wasteful.  One person will not eat leftover food the next day out of concern of foodborne illness, whilst others will drink milk or eat meat that clearly on the cusp of going bad.  I once moved into a house that had established citrus trees, and since I had other plans for the space I cut them down.  A neighbour was mortified I would destroy a perfectly good tree when, in my mind at the time, I had no inclination to prune or tend those neglected ant factories that stood in the way of progress.  What I define as waste in largely connected to value, usability, productivity and cost to repair or replace.  When it is cheaper to replace a product which is no longer functional, it is not generally considered wasteful to recycle, repurpose or to dispose of it.

In the days of Jeremiah, the children of Israel grieved and mourned the destruction and desolation of Jerusalem at the hand of king Nebuchadnezzar.  They looked upon the ruin of the their houses, the temple and their uprooted lives as a great and unnecessary waste entirely preventable by the almighty God.  Baruch was one such person God lovingly addressed in Jeremiah 45.  The word of the LORD came to him in Jeremiah 45:2-4:  "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ³ 'You said, "Woe is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest."' ⁴ Thus you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land."  God described how Baruch blamed God for adding grief to his sorrow; he fainted in sighing and found no rest.  Then God said something that was only comforting to a person who is convinced in the absolute wisdom, grace and goodness of God:  the things God built He would break down, and what He had planted He would pluck up--the the whole land!

Baruch would have likely preferred the opposite of this.  What Baruch saw as broken down he desired to see God rebuild and restore.  The things that had been plucked up--even the people who fled to Egypt for safety--would be again established and planted in their own land.  But this was not happening.  Baruch's expectations of God's immediate deliverance were dashed and his ambitious desires were frustrated.  Baruch said, "Woe is me now!" because of the awful and overwhelming circumstances he could not pray himself out of or find any ray of hope of positive change in his situation.  However, there remains great hope for the believer in God's words, for God asserted His authority and power over all things.  As the One who birthed and built the nation Israel He could also break them down.  Like a farmer who plants has the right to pluck up, so God remained sovereign over all.

God put His finger on the true source of Baruch's grief and sorrow in Jeremiah 45:5:  "And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh," says the LORD. "But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go."  Baruch had sought great things for himself rather than seeking the LORD who is eternally great and glorious.  He looked for great things for himself and was disappointed when his expectations were unmet.  He looked for peace and found strife; he looked for restoration and only saw ruin.  God promised to bring adversity on all flesh, but God also promised He would preserve Baruch's life as a prize wherever He went.  There was comfort and rest found in God.  Israel had been broken down and plucked up, yet God would preserve life.  The God who kills also makes alive, and He who breaks has the power to heal (Deut. 32:39).

There was a glorious divine purpose in God laying waste to His people as we read 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."  When afflicted the response of Ephraim was to seek help from their enemies rather than God who remained faithful to them and the covenant He made with their fathers.  God afflicted His people and waited for them to come to their senses, acknowledge their offence, repent and seek His face earnestly.  See this redemptive aspect of pain, grief and sorrow, earnestness in seeking God Who alone can heal, restore and revive.  Ours is a God who created the world with the words of His mouth and causes the dead to be raised to life.  It is in seeking Him we find rest for our souls and enduring hope for the future no sorrow can rob us of.