The Attitude of Gratitude

In a Bible passage I read this morning, the people of Egypt expressed their gratitude to Joseph for saving their lives from a great famine.  After their money was spent for food, their animals traded for food, and their properties were given for food, Joseph freely supplied seed and land for the people to profit from.  The people were entitled to receive 80% of the produce of the land to provide seed and food for their families, and the remaining 20% was Pharaoh's portion.  The people were happy with this arrangement and pledged themselves to serve Pharaoh because he saved their lives, provided land and seed, and he gave them profitable employment and a future.

The attitude of gratitude that marked the Egyptians ought to be found in God's people, for He has saved us from eternal ruin and given us everything that pertains to life and godliness forever.  Despite all God has graciously done for us, we can more resemble the older brother in the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son.  In the parable, after the wayward prodigal son came home and his father organised a feast to celebrate his return, the older brother was angry and left the party.  When the feast was in full swing and the father realised his older son was absent, he left the joyous celebration to find him and persuade him to return.  The older brothers response to his dad is recorded in Luke 15:29-30:  "So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰ But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'"

The older son refused to even enjoy the festive occasion because he obsessed over all his contributions for years and the lack of recognition he received for his faithful service.  His negative judgments of his brother spilled over to criticism of his father, and he allowed feelings of envy, anger and entitlement to ruin a feast he ought to have enjoyed--and by doing so would honour his generous father.  But the older son cared more about himself and his honour than his father.  Unlike the Egyptians who were glad to serve Pharaoh for saving their lives, having given them food and profitable jobs, the older son overlooked all his father gave him and did for him from his infancy.  He saw himself as without fault and accused his father of being stingy toward him.  This petulant behaviour sprang from an envious, selfish heart that desired his brother to be punished rather than celebrated.  Yet the party came about, not due to the worthiness of the returning son, but the goodness of the father.  The older brother was invited and urged to enjoy the party, and I am sure his friends were welcome to enjoy the feast as well.  The problem was not in the father but in the heart and mind of the son.

Luke 15:31-32 tells us the father's response:  "And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³² It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"  It was right to make merry and be glad, to celebrate the return of a son who was lost but then was found.  The favour of the father extended to both his sons was gracious and loving, for neither one deserved the kindness, mercy and generosity of heart shown by the father.  The father said, "All that I have is yours."  At times the younger and older son both divorced themselves from the blessings of their father by their own waywardness, envy and pride.  One left home in the pursuit of fleshly lusts, and the other withdrew from the feast due to his own self-righteousness and anger over offences.  As children of the most high God, let us be those who rejoice in God our Father because of Who He is and all He has done.  It is God's good pleasure to give us to the kingdom, and we are entirely undeserving of any honour.  What is our service to God in comparison to all He has done?  May we have an attitude of gratitude to be included in God's family, the joy of the LORD being our strength (Neh. 8:10).  By embracing joy and gladness in service to God we honour our Father.

The Cure for Bitterness and Bonds

In Acts 8, Simon of Samaria is an interesting case and by no means a unique one.  He had once made a living through witchcraft and was described as believing in the Gospel and being baptised after he observed miracles and signs done by Christians with amazement.  It seemed more than he desired the Holy Spirit to come upon himself, he desired to obtain the power that upon anyone he laid his hands they might receive the Holy Spirit.  This horrendous offer of money received a stern rebuke from Peter who basically said, "To hell with you and your money!" (Acts 8:21)

Peter continued in Acts 8:21-23:  "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. ²² Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. ²³ For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  Peter's response to Simon has led to some to suggest Simon was not a genuine Christian but a false convert.  Since we cannot perfectly know the hearts of men, better than wondering if Simon was genuinely saved it is more profitable to emphasise there is no doubt there was forgiveness, pardon, and salvation available for Simon and all people who repent from their sin and turn to Jesus in faith.  To write off Simon as unregenerate because he did not have a right heart in the sight of God potentially puts all genuine believers under a microscope of legalism, for who among us can claim to be upright and righteous except by grace through faith in Jesus?

Because of repeated warnings to Christians throughout the New Testament, we can say without a doubt it is possible for a genuine Christian to be "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."  This is not ideal and ought not be the case, but God's people can sin and even be bound by sin as Simon was.  I believe this personal point of application is much more useful for us sinners who need a Saviour than debating whether Simon was saved.  A lack of humble repentance that keeps people from coming to Christ in faith can render us bound by bitterness after we have known Christ.  Praise the LORD He is able to break all our bonds and chains by His divine power, yet if we deny these bonds exist and are proud to wear them He will allow them to burden our souls.  In a moment they can fall from us as the burden did from the back of Christian in Bunyan's allegory when we bow in humility before Jesus.

After choosing to follow Jesus, all Christians have made more bad choices than we can count; our hearts have not always been right in the sight of God.  Peter had insight to recognise a heart that was not right before God because he had been there himself.  We have sinned, and we have neglected repentance and prayer for forgiveness.  The most damning statement made by Simon was in response to Peter's rebuke, whether it betrayed simple ignorance of the Gospel or unwillingness to repent himself in Acts 8:24, "Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me."  Simon seemed to put the onus of his standing before God upon Peter when repentance was Simon's personal responsibility before God for spiritual regeneration, forgiveness and salvation.  If Simon remained bound it was not Peter's fault, nor was it the fault of Jesus who provided pardon, freedom from sin and is the Way of salvation for all sinners.

If the LORD reveals we are poisoned with bitterness and bound by iniquity, let us be the first to desire hearts that are right in the sight of God shown by repentance for our wickedness and ask God in prayer to forgive us.  We can pray confidently and boldly to this end as we by faith enter God's throne room of grace through Jesus, knowing He has satisfied the justice of God by His shed blood.  1 John 1:9 says to believers, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  God who made the bitter waters of Marah sweet and the undrinkable water of Jericho refreshing can transform our hearts by His goodness and grace.

Sheep of His Hand

God's word is active and powerful, and the importance of a single word cannot be understated.  For those who hold fast to the words of life, we observe this continually with gladness.  I was struck by the repetition of the word "hand" three times in the first half of Psalm 95, and this provides a good illustration of what I mean.

Psalm 95:1-4 begins by saying, "Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. ² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with  Psalms. ³ For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods. ⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also."  This passage is a call to sing praises to God with joy because He is the "Rock of our salvation," the great God and King above all.  From the deepest valleys to the highest mountains, all is in His hand; all is His and under His sovereign rule.

The rule of the LORD God extends beyond lands and seas claimed by the nations of the earth, for Psalm 95:5 says, "The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land."  God created the vast expanse of the sea and dry land.  Like a potter forms a vessel with His hands, God spoke the world into existence by the power of His voice.  Because the earth and the heavens are His creation, they are His to do everything He desires.

A personal shift occurs in Psalm 95:6-7a:  "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. ⁷ For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand."  The psalmist bids us worship, bow down and kneel before the LORD our Maker.  He did not just create the deep seas and high mountains but fashioned us in the wombs of our mothers and called us by name.  By faith in God He is ours and we are His people--and get this--we are "the sheep of His hand."  It is one thing to be in God's hand, to be made by His hand, yet those who follow the Good Shepherd Jesus are the people of His pasture and sheep of His hand.  This magnifies the greatness and awesome power of our God who makes sinners into new creations by His grace who are of Him and righteous in His eyes.

As we read the Bible, God is gracious and faithful to teach us.  While there will be always remain truth about God beyond our understanding, we can trust God to provide all we need to know to trust Him and follow Him all our days into eternity.  Paul wrote truly in Romans 11:33-36:  "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! ³⁴ "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" ³⁵ "Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?" ³⁶ For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen."  May we worship the LORD God as the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand, for we are most blessed to be of Christ and in Christ by faith.

Being Stiff-Necked

"Therefore understand that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people."

Deuteronomy 9:6

God cautioned the children of Israel from thinking it was due to their righteousness God established them in the land of Canaan, for it was because the inhabitants of the land were wicked.  God described the Hebrews as "stiff-necked" which could truly be said of all people.

When God called His people as stiff-necked, it was not because they had slept with rocks as pillows the night before.  It was not that they were like a horse that resisted the tug of the reins made by the rider, for God told His people in Psalms 32:8-9 not to be like a horse or mule at all:  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."  God did not want His people to be like a horse without understanding that required physical restraints with eyes looking away from the rider:  God wanted His people looking to Him, seeking Him for guidance and listening for His voice, to be guided by His eye.

I watched video recently that provided an epiphany moment for me concerning the implications of being stiff-necked.  In the clip, a flock of sheep were feeding in the safety of a grassy paddock.  A couple of visitors to the farm tried to call the sheep, doing their best to imitate the farmer.  Their calls had absolutely no impact upon the sheep at all:  the entire flock continued to nibble at the grass with outstretched, stiff necks.  When the farmer called the sheep, it was not long before their heads quickly lifted from the turf and turned to face him.  The farmer held nothing in his hand, for his voice and presence had a captivating influence upon them.  They slowly began to amble over to the farmer--much to the delight and amazement of the onlookers.

God called His people the sheep of His pasture, and Jesus identified Himself as the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep, and His sheep hear His voice and follow Him.  God called His people stiff-necked because when He called, they ignored Him like the sheep that continued to feed at the voice of the stranger without even looking up.  These were God's people He loved and saved, yet they were intent on feeding their flesh and so focused on satisfying their own present desires they did not respond to His voice.  Being stiff-necked applies to Christians as well, for we too can be so caught up by the good grazing God has provided and thus do not seek Him and neglect to respond to His voice.  We might be more impressionable by the howl of wolves or the voice of strangers than by God who leads us with His word taught us by the Holy Spirit.

God told the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 10:15-16:  "The LORD delighted only in your fathers, to love them; and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day. ¹⁶ Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer."  It is evident being stiff-necked has spiritual implications, for the Hebrews were told to circumcise their hearts.  God told His people by the prophet Jeremiah to break up the fallow ground of their hearts, not to sow among thorns, and to circumcise themselves to the LORD (Jeremiah 4:3-4).  Better than fulfilling their duty of cutting off a bit of flesh from their bodies, they were to sanctify themselves to the LORD and present themselves to Him.  Praise the LORD Christians have the blessing of the New Covenant in the blood of Jesus, that we can be born again by faith in Jesus, have our heart of stone removed, and receive a new heart by His grace.

Let us not be stiff-necked like stubborn sheep but respond to the voice of God by looking to Jesus.  It was tremendously satisfying in the video to watch the sheep follow the farmer when he entered their paddock.  It was like they had completely forgotten how tasty the patch of grass was and just wanted to be where the farmer was, to go wherever he went.  May the LORD do this marvellous work in us.  Eating is a necessity for healthy sheep, but when the Good Shepherd calls to us we can be sure He knows our needs and will meet them.  Rather than looking to satisfy the flesh, we ought to be attentive to His voice and find our greatest satisfaction in drawing close to Him.