Know What is Good

A person does not need to be a dairy farmer with decades of experience or have a master's degree in microbiology to know milk has gone bad.  Children who have been drinking milk from infancy would be able to realise milk is sour by tasting it, and curdled milk looks and smells different as well.  A similar dynamic applies when we hear teaching from God's word.  Even a child who is born again and has been taught the scripture can know when doctrine is off.  A Christian does not need a degree in theology to realise a doctrine is suspicious or strange, even though we might not be initially able to put our finger on it.

Elihu exhorted his hearers in Job 34:2-4, "Hear my words, you wise men; give ear to me, you who have knowledge. ³ For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. ⁴ Let us choose justice for ourselves; let us know among ourselves what is good."  Elihu spoke to men who had knowledge of God, and he bid them to wisely listen to his words and test what he said--even as our palates taste food.  From a child we are able to distinguish the difference between sweet, savoury, spicy and sour.  God is the source of wisdom and has given us His word to teach us what is good.  God has established the objective standard for what is true and does not change.  While the tastes of the world change concerning fashion, morality, philosophy and religion, God's word remains internally consistent and eternally relevant.

When I suspect food or drink is "off," I am not always convinced because I could be wrong:  maybe the milk tastes funny because I just brushed my teeth or used mouthwash.  So after confirming the milk is in date, passes a visual examination and sniff test, I might ask someone else for their opinion given the facts because they also know what good milk tastes like.  This is a wise thing to do when we hear Bible teaching or read a book that seems off:  ask a fellow follower of Jesus who loves God's word.  The danger of drinking sour milk is relatively minor, perhaps resulting in feeling ill for a short time.  The danger of drinking in false or heretical doctrine is most destructive, for when it is assimilated into our framework of interpreting scripture it can undermine and distort God's truth and have permanent consequences for ourselves and others we lead astray.

If you find an author or preacher who majors in doubtful doctrines and speculations, I recommend not making their teaching a primary source of your spiritual input.  When I buy a dairy product that habitually goes bad before the "Use By" date, I stop buying that brand.  I do this because I want to avoid wasting money and risking the health of my family, and far greater is at stake spiritually when we heed false doctrine or are so caught up in obscure theological wranglings we miss out on the plain truth.  The Bible is what is good and has no "Use By" date because it remains the words of life forever.  1 Peter 2:1-3 is a fitting exhortation for all Christians regardless of your depth of doctrinal knowledge:  "Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."  Good doctrine goes to work on making us more Christlike and gives us a greater appetite for God's word.

God Judges With Equity

"Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together before the LORD, ⁹ for He is coming to judge the earth. with righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity."

Psalm 98:8-9

When I heard this verse recently, it illustrated how changes in modern English can hijack the meaning of a text.  In this passage, the psalmist exhorted the earth and everything in it to rejoice in God coming to judge the world in righteousness.  Since man's fall into sin, creation groans to be delivered from the oppression of pride, wickedness, greed, selfishness and violence.

Lately "equity" has taken on a new meaning in modern vernacular, in fact almost the opposite of what it historically has meant.  The first definition in the Webster 1828 Dictionary says, "Justice; right. In practice, equity is the impartial distribution of justice, or the doing that to another which the laws of God and man, and of reason, give him a right to claim. It is the treating of a person according to justice and reason."  Based upon the logic employed by Webster, reason includes the testimony of scripture that reveals the living, loving, almighty God to mankind.  The modern idea of equity does not consider God and is anything but impartial.  This new concept of equity is to be partial towards those who are seen as marginalised and to provide different amounts of resources to provide an equal outcome.

The Bible teaches Jesus Christ is coming to judge the earth in righteousness, and the world ought to be joyful and celebrate the sinful wrongs to be justly put right.  God has provided the Law of Moses and the 10 Commandments so we might know without a doubt we have failed to measure up to His perfect standard.  Those ignorant of His laws are still without excuse, for He has given each of us a conscience.  Out of our own mouths He will judge us, and even if that was our only standard of righteousness to measure up to we could not justify ourselves.  The difficulty of our childhood, the lack of godly counsel or the allure of the deceptions we swallowed down cannot exonerate us from guilt.  God's justice is impartial, just and equitable.

In a parable Jesus told in Luke 14, He appealed to the reason of His hearers:  if a king only had 10,000 soldiers and knew the advancing enemy had 20,000 soldiers, wouldn't he be wise to quickly send a delegation to propose conditions of peace rather than trying to fight a losing battle?  Following this logic, it would be wise to accept God's offer of forgiveness and peace through the Gospel when we lack righteousness in ourselves, knowing we are guilty of wickedness before God and He will judge with equity.  Through the Gospel, God has provided a way for us to be forgiven of our sin and to have righteousness imputed (credited) to us by faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who offers eternal life to all who trust in Him.  Christians can rejoice in the justice of God, for 1 John 1:9 affirms, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

On the basis of God's justice those who place their faith in Jesus Christ are born again.  God is impartial, for He extends this offer to every sinner so we might trust in Him, repent of our sin and live.

Oriented to God by Faith

At some point we've all probably done it:  inserted the batteries the wrong direction in a toy, torch or remote control and it did not work properly.  Even when we know batteries need to be in a particular orientation to work, we can still make this simple mistake.  I wonder how many functional items have been discarded due to operator error because batteries were incorrectly installed.

I remember how amazing it was when our family bought a TV that used a remote.  It was far more convenient to turn on the TV or flip through channels while sitting on the couch rather than standing up all the time.  Today there are a myriad of battery powered tools that enable us to do work we cannot perform by hand.  Without a correctly fitted, charged battery, these tools cannot perform the function they were designed for.  A drill can be used as a paperweight, but that is not helpful for drilling holes or countersinking screws.  Imagine, that a person might be content to use a drill as a doorstop because it served their own purpose--ignorant of the power, usefulness and purpose of the tool.

King David had a relationship with the almighty, living God by faith in Him.  In Psalm 28, David identified God as "O LORD my Rock."  He said in Psalm 28:7-8, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. ⁸ The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed."  Because God does not change, what He was for David He also is for us and all those who trust Him.  It is faith and trust in God and Who He is that enables us to recognise and rejoice in the LORD Who is our strength, shield and saving refuge.  Without faith in God, He will not be our strength, shield and saving refuge even though He is all these things in Himself.  Like the battery enables us to receive the benefit of a remote control or tool, so faith orients us properly to the LORD to receive His help.

Can you affirm the LORD is your strength, shield and saving refuge?  You can if you are born again by faith in Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit.  2 Corinthians 1:21-22 affirms, "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, ²² who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."  There are undoubtedly many people who have no idea God could be their strength, shield and saving refuge--even among believers.  Knowing Who God is and faith in Him enables us to experience this reality today.  When you face conflict in your life and realise you are weak, vulnerable and helpless in yourself, remember Who God is:  He is your strength, shield, saving refuge and infinitely more.  The LORD is sufficient for all we face by His amazing grace.

Different Numbers, Same Team

When I played baseball on a team as a kid, the coach would bring out a big cardboard box with all the jerseys in it.  It was a mad scramble for people to find their preferred number because, unlike playing positions in the field or placement in the batting lineup that could change, this was the number you would wear all season long.  It was obvious that there could only be one pitcher on the mound and one #7 jersey, and this was difficult for some teammates to process.  Thankfully disappointment and grumbling didn't last long, and important life-lessons were learned:  sometimes you won't get the number you want, but it is fun to wear that jersey and contribute as part of the team by doing your best.

In His wisdom God chose to arrange the camp of the Hebrews as He led them through the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt.  His presence in the tabernacle was the point of reference to orient the campsite of each tribe.  The same was true for the Levites that were broken up into families with distinct roles in the service of the LORD.  For instance, Numbers 3:29-31 says, "The families of the children of Kohath were to camp on the south side of the tabernacle. ³⁰ And the leader of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. ³¹ Their duty included the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the utensils of the sanctuary with which they ministered, the screen, and all the work relating to them."  Compare this with Numbers 3:35-37:  "The leader of the fathers' house of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. These were to camp on the north side of the tabernacle. ³⁶ And the appointed duty of the children of Merari included the boards of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, its utensils, all the work relating to them, ³⁷ and the pillars of the court all around, with their sockets, their pegs, and their cords."

I am sure the families of the Kohath and Merari had their preferences when it came to where they set up camp or what their responsibilities were in ministering before the LORD.  It is likely handing the ark, table of showbread and the menorah seemed a bit more important than planks of wood, pegs, sockets and cords, yet these were all necessary and vital to set up and facilitate the worship of God.  Even as God made a distinction between the families of Levi, so He made a distinction between different tribes of Israel and the order they were to break camp and travel according to His guidance.  This was not up for each tribe or individual to decide.  The only decision that people needed to make is whether they would submit to God and obey Him--and this decision needed to be made daily.

A similar dynamic exists in the body of Christ, the church.  Like a human body is comprised of many parts, so God has united Jews and Gentiles as one in the church with Jesus as our Head.  All members of the church are to care for one another, even if they are from a different denomination or "tribe."  No believer is gifted or called to do all things, but God gives responsibility and gifts to each one according to His will.  Let not the one God has called to carry boards think his role is less important than the ones that carry the ark of the Covenant, for we all serve the LORD Jesus Christ.  When we all submit to Jesus Christ in love and thanksgiving we will be able to serve Him together, united in His wisdom, grace and truth by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Regardless of our current roles in a church, it is wonderful and fun knowing we have been chosen, called and are being equipped to contribute to the health and fruitfulness of the Body of Christ, giving all glory and honour to Him.  Let's be team players that follow Christ's humble example, doing faithfully what God directs us to do joyfully for Him.