The Satanic Suggestion

Satan walks the earth like a lion seeking whom he may devour, yet he can take the form of an angel of light.  Like the Pharisees who were clean on the outside yet spiritually were like unclean tombs within, the devil and those who follow him can seem to have our best interest in mind while working to ruin us.  Peter believed he spoke as a man inspired by the Holy Spirit when he rebuked Jesus for saying He would be killed, yet it was as if Satan were speaking.  Jesus then rebuked Peter for such a suggestion in Matthew 16:23:  "But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Satan foolishly sought to be like the Most High, and his pride led him to a great fall.  The father of lies is the master of telling them, and it is only by being grounded in the word of God we can recognise and avoid falling prey to His deceptions.  Satan was able to deceive Eve by first questioning then denying what God had plainly said.  For those who can read God's word and have the Holy Spirit within them, blatant lies are not as effective as partial truths--which are still a complete lie.  As long as we reside in these bodies of flesh, there is potential we can be swayed by attractive appeals to our flesh.

We see this appeal to fleshly desire in David's men when King Saul pursued David to kill him.  While in the wilderness of En-gedi, Saul ventured into the same cave David and his men sheltered in.  They urged David to take full advantage of the situation in 1 Samuel 24:4:  "Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe."  There were many times in scripture God promised to deliver the enemies of His people into their hand, and it is not clear if God said this in particular to David.  But the second part of their statement reeks of sulfur, for they appealed to his flesh.  Instead of doing to Saul as seems good according to God's will, they used God's name to encourage David to do his own will.  Instead of lopping off Saul's head, he chose to cut off the corner of his king's robe.

So tender was the heart of David that he felt remorse over what he did as it says in 1 Samuel 24:5-6, "Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. ⁶ And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD."  David confessed his sin before the men, for in doing as seemed good to him it wholly missed the mark of God's righteousness.  David was anointed of God to be king, but since God had not yet removed Saul from the kingdom David was to presently submit to God in faith.  Falling for the devil's lies gives us insight into the evil in our own hearts, and the wise learn from error coupled with repentance.  As much as David loved and trusted his men, the truth of their words could be discerned by knowledge of God and His word.  Appeals to the flesh and encouragement to "do as what seems good to you" ought to be a red flag every time.

The Promise of His Coming

Upon my return to San Diego, I was surprised to hear of a hurricane Hilary moving straight towards "America's Favorite City."  I grew up and spent a great deal of my adult life in San Diego, and I never heard of such a thing--or had seen such an almost hysterical response to an incoming storm.  Television programs were rescheduled to provide extra coverage of the "hurricane", and long before it entered the United States it had been downgraded to a tropical storm.  An insurance company made automated calls to encourage their customers to take every possible precaution for this potential disaster.  The hype was so intense school was cancelled for many students today.

Because the buildup was so intense, when it finally started drizzling and raining yesterday the storm was quite underwhelming.  Before the storm everyone was talking about the forecast, and many after the storm had a chuckle over how much a non-event it was.  If this storm was a test of San Diego's emergency broadcast network, based upon my experience I would say it passed with high marks.  It is better to be safe than sorry.  When there are warnings that do not correlate with reality, however, it would be no surprise for people to tune out if future alarms prove false.  Like in the fable of the boy who cried wolf, people grow weary of being mislead--even if others have their best in mind.

Hurricane Hilary has come and gone, and life goes on without a hitch.  Peter warned believers not to forget the warning Jesus gave about coming judgment people made a mockery of in 2 Peter 3:1-4:  "Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."  In these last days some people scoff at the idea of coming judgment for sin or their own mortality, but God's people ought to be aware and mindful of both.  We should not scorn God's warnings in His word, by His prophets or Son with the manner of our lives.  The sun rises and sets every day without fail, and winter makes way for spring.  But one day, all that will change for us.

Peter used the flood in the days of Noah as an example in 2 Peter 3:5-7:  "For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, ⁶ by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷ But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."  God who destroyed the earth with a flood of water is actively preserving them until He brings judgment with fire upon the ungodly.  The world that existed before the flood perished, and the world that exists now will someday perish:  of this we can be certain.  But praise the LORD God has sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  Meteorologists can get it wrong, but God is never wrong.  With a high degree of accuracy it was predicted when the storm would arrive in southern California, yet only God knows the time when our lives will be required of us and we will face judgment.

How we live today matters as Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."  Let us not mistake His patience and longsuffering for carelessness or forgetfulness.  God has promised, and He will be faithful to complete the work He has begun.  What God says He will do He will do without fail.  The question is, will we sit in the seat of the scornful or make our LORD Jesus  the delight of our souls to hear and obey?

Godly Edification in Faith

"As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, ⁴ nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith."

1 Timothy 1:3-4

Paul urged Timothy to remain in Ephesus for the purpose of directing some to teach no other doctrine than those that result in godly edification in faith.  In his introduction Paul mentioned Jesus Christ our hope along with with grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Jesus our Saviour.  These are fundamental Gospel truths that adorn all sound doctrine in scripture.  Previously in Corinth Paul kept Christ central in his preaching, for he determined not to anything among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

As in modern times, there were some in Ephesus who taught, emphasised and discussed topics or doctrines that promoted controversy.  It is possible for genuine believers to be swept up in and become preoccupied with topics, conflicts, problems or conspiracies that mar our discussions and teaching.  Paul said Timothy and others were not to teach or even give heed to fables or endless genealogies which led to disputes and arguments.  A fable can be defined as a short, fictitious story--and Jewish history has no shortage of extra-biblical stories about people we read about in the Bible.  Tall tales about Abraham, Moses, Solomon and others were abundant and widely repeated.  They were to preach the word of God, not to give these fables heed or parrot them to others.

They were also not to give heed to endless genealogies.  We might see the genealogies in the Bible fairly exhaustive, but there were many extra-biblical genealogies people dug through and referenced--not to affirm the truth of scripture but as fodder for speculation.  They went deep down rabbit holes that provoked questions, arguments and divisions rather than using the scriptures God has supplied to edify and encourage us in faith.  Instead of revealing truth, these supposed breakthrough revelations obscured the truth and distracted people from feeding on the milk and meat of God's word.

Godly edification which is in faith in Jesus is the result of sound doctrine well-applied, even as it is written in 1 Timothy 1:5:  "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith..."  Our teaching and discussion ought to be to edify people in their love of God and one another, to nurture a good conscience based upon all Jesus is and has done for us by genuine faith in Him.  We need not fear deceptions or the wrath of God when we are grounded in Jesus who is the Truth, having been forgiven and justified by God's grace.  We are to build our lives upon the foundation of Jesus Christ by hearing His words and putting them into practice, and let us encourage our brethren to do the same.

God and Faith that Saves

The Bible is full of heroes of faith in God who are not mentioned in Hebrews 11.  In some cases we are not even given their names, yet they remain worthy of our admiration and emulation.  The living God does wondrous things through people who trust and fear Him, and blessed are those who put their lives in His hands.

Jonathan and his young armour-bearer are a fine example of men who banded together in the fear of God.  They did not consider the "odds" of winning or defeat in battle; they were not buoyed by aspirations of fame nor hesitated at the potential personal cost.  1 Samuel 14:6-7 reads, "Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few." ⁷ So his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart."  Jonathan aimed to be more than a disruption to the encamped Philistines who oppressed Israel, for his aim was for God to save them and all Israel.  Nothing restrained God from saving by many or few, and the passage shows even two who trust Him is more than enough.

From a military standpoint, the Philistines had every advantage.  The Philistines were many, well-armed, had lookouts stationed, and held an elevated, fortified position.  Jonathan and the young man who held his armour were two men, and one had his hands full!  Jonathan looked at the situation, not with the eyes of a seasoned military veteran, but with the expectation God would save and with willingness to do his part.  The armour-bearer was pleased to follow Jonathan wherever he went, even if it meant clambering up a mountain and walking into an enemy encampment.  Instead of questioning or opposing Jonathan, the armour-bearer encouraged him to go for it--and he was all in with whatever Jonathan chose to do.

God won a notable victory that day by the hand of Jonathan and his young armour-bearer because they believed God was able to save, sought the LORD for the go-ahead, and boldly took action according to faith in Him.  They did not imagine themselves stronger, better equipped, or more skilled warriors than the Philistines who mocked them but believed their God would do a work to save.  The first half of 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him..."  By God's grace these men were enabled to do what their king and army was unable to do.  These men weren't looking to be heroes, but were willing to be nameless and shameless in their faith in their God who is unrestrained to save.  May each of God's people be numbered among those who believe nothing restrains God by saving by many or few and do all that He puts in our hearts.