Excluded for Christ's Sake

When I was in high school, I remember going with a friend to a country club for a round of golf.  Because there were only two of us, we figured we would be able to "walk on" without booking a tee-time previously.  Perhaps it was because it was a Saturday morning or due to our intentionally loud sweaters, but we were turned away by an unimpressed staff member who said curtly, "You're not playing here today."  Being excluded from the golf course was a disappointment, and even a reasonable explanation wouldn't have changed anything.  We wanted to play golf, and it wasn't happening.

Everyone, to some degree, has experienced being excluded from something we wanted to take part in.  Our job application has been rejected; our offer of friendship was rebuffed.  We have been made redundant from a job or had people refuse to even speak with us.  Even when we have achieved or obtained our desire, the actual experience may fall short of our expectations.  I played golf for fun and exercise, and a very bad round coupled with slow pace of play could prevent me from enjoyment I hoped to experience.  Jesus spoke on the subject of being excluded for His sake in Luke 6:22-23:  "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. ²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."  Being excluded usually feels like a bad thing, but when Christians are hated, excluded, reviled and thrown out as evil for Jesus' sake, we can know we are blessed in Christ and called to rejoice.

Even as we receive forgiveness of sin, salvation and eternal life by faith in Jesus, in faith we are called to rejoice when being excluded and maligned by others for the sake of Jesus because great is our reward in heaven.  Prophets of God who spoke His truth were excluded and hated by unbelievers, and we can rejoice to be excluded like they were for Christ's sake.  It is important to recognise this caveat--for the Son of Man's sake--for there can be many reasons why Christians are excluded and hated:  being arrogant and judgmental, pushing controversies and conspiracies, acting like we are "holier than thou," making callous and harsh comments, or hypocrisy without repentance.  Jesus Christ was compassionate, loving, truthful, righteous and perfect in every way, yet He was hated by the Pharisees because He rebuked them for their hypocrisy, was held in high regard by the people, and spoke with authority like the scribes did not dare.

When we take a stand on the Gospel according to the word of God, living to please Jesus and not others or even ourselves, this will grate on some people.  People did not approve of Jesus the Light of the World exposing their sins, and people do not appreciate Christians who follow God's righteous standards of living.  Some are troubled by the suggestion God exists and by those who believe in Him.  Christians will be excluded, hated and reviled for their beliefs and convictions.  Rather than caving to the crowd or seeking to find favour in man's sight, Jesus teaches us to realise and rejoice in the blessing of being accepted and included in His eternal, heavenly kingdom.  We are already part of the most awesome, wonderful community of the church with Jesus as Head, and we have a glorious future awaiting us together in the presence of God.  Let us rejoice (even when excluded!) because our reward in heaven in great.

Breaking Sin's Cycle

"As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly."

Proverbs 26:11

Like seasons are cyclical and predictable, so we sinners tend to repeat our sins.  Like in the Steely Dan song "Do It Again," the gambler who swore he didn't have a gambling problem found himself back in Vegas with a handle in his hand without explanation.  Almost like by instinct, people are driven to sin and find themselves enslaved to it.  Though people have been created by God in His image, our freedom to choose and make wise decisions can be forfeited when we feed our flesh and go our own way.  Like babies born addicted to narcotics, all humanity lies under the curse of sin passed down from Adam, a chain broken only by Jesus Christ.  Without God's gracious intervention, we will continue pursuing and practicing what works to harm and destroy us forever.

In Psalm 73, Asaph wondered why those who continued in their sin seemed to flourish and not suffer trouble--despite their proud arrogance and rebellion against God.  He mused over what was the point of seeking God and doing good, receiving correction and chastening from the LORD, when others seemed to be prosperous without fear of God and without a care in the world.  But when Asaph drew near to God in worship in His sanctuary, it hit him:  the prosperity of people who remain in sin was an illusion, for God would bring them to destruction in a moment, and there would be no remedy.  Asaph was convicted of envy in his heart and ingratitude for God who loved him enough to chasten him so he might repent and be saved.

Asaph sang in Psalm 73:21-26:  "Thus my heart was grieved, and I was vexed in my mind. ²² I was so foolish and ignorant; I was like a beast before You. ²³ Nevertheless I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. ²⁶ My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  In the light of God's revelation of Asaph's folly, he compared his behaviour and thinking to that of a senseless beast, an animal driven by instinct that cannot help itself.  I have observed behaviours in animals that are completely irrational but predictable.  Growing up, our dog would always lick the flyscreen and run on the sliding glass door even though he was not allowed inside.  No amount of speaking to him was able to part him from this odd habit.  Asaph was a stark contrast to Slicker, our Cocker Spaniel, because he responded to God's guidance and counsel.  Faith in God caused Asaph's desires to change from his natural selfishness to satisfaction because God was the strength of his heart and his portion forever.

God allows this beastly condition of sin to bring us to our senses, even like the young man in the parable who demanded he be given his inheritance immediately.  It was after he spent all the money and began to be in want, he realised in a paddock with pigs how wonderful his father had been to him.  Remembering the goodness of his father prompted him to return willing to serve.  Proud and powerful Nebuchadnezzar was naturally full of himself, and God caused him to suffer a seven-year season of insanity.  He went completely feral, was unable to speak or listen to reason, ate grass like an ox, and lived outdoors night and day.  His hair was matted in dreadlocks and his nails grew long like eagle claws.  His senseless, irrational behaviour was a picture of how the sin of pride rendered him spiritually:  incapable of hearing God, receiving correction or changing his ways.  Seven years was a long time, but it lead to a most valuable lesson being learned by Nebuchadnezzar we can all benefit from.

Daniel 4:34-35 says, "And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom is from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?"  Nebuchadnezzar being restored to his throne is a lovely parallel of what God desires in the hearts of all people:  God would have us look to Him in humility and praise Him.  When we receive God's correction and repent of our sins, our understanding returns to us.  The perpetual cycle of sin is broken by His power, and we ought to be moved to praise, extol and serve God who is wisdom, strength and salvation for us.  Because Jesus lives in Christians, we are delivered from darkness, granted the ability to overcome every instinct to sin, and can now live in the way that fully pleases God as His adopted children (Colossians 1:9-17).

The Dehumanising Trend

God created mankind in His own image, making human beings intrinsically unique among all living things fashioned by Him.  The almighty God also took human form and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Messiah sent by God to save lost sinners.  As G.K. Chesterton masterfully argued in his book The Everlasting Man, mankind towers distinct and separate from all creatures in the animal kingdom, and Jesus is revealed in Scripture to be infinitely higher in wisdom and holiness above all other men.  Even a casual comparison reveals this to be truth as plain as day.

Because God has created mankind in His image, it is natural for God's enemies who cannot touch or sully Him to turn their proud fury upon His image bearers.  During my lifetime I have observed an ongoing assault upon the human race by dehumanising the unborn, objectifying and degrading people in lust, and humanising animals.  It is a strange world we live in where domesticated pets are called "babies" and an unborn baby with a beating heart is clinically termed a "fetus" or a "clump of cells."  The dehumanisation of people created to know God and have a relationship with Him is a trend that can be perpetuated even by well-meaning, empathetic people.

Today I read an article that included an interview with man who had been an alcoholic for a long time.  The author commented how these "issues were exacerbated" as a "...result of colonisation, dispossession from land, and the institutional racism and discrimination they continue to face."  To me, this is an example of an intended sympathetic portrayal of a human being that works to dehumanise this individual created in God's image--a person God has given a conscience and capacity to make decisions and judgments animals cannot make.  To claim colonisation exacerbates a person's alcoholism is as senseless as saying Adam's choice to eat the forbidden fruit makes my cursing and lying more extreme.  Because God has created mankind His image, the Bible reveals there is the capacity in every one person (by saving faith in Christ) the ability to rise above trauma, racism and discrimination.  Making excuses for people's excesses promotes perpetual victimhood rather than repentance and deliverance from sin by faith in God.  In Christ we are no longer chained to our past, having been set free.

The problem of sin goes far deeper than ugly racism easily seen on the surface or in a particular society, for alcoholics and addicts can be found in every group of people.  From a biblical vantage point, the cause of sin that brings death is a spiritual problem of the heart that lies far beyond the reach of education, government programs or initiatives.  We cannot make wise and good decisions as human beings when we are bound by sin and pride, for we are sinners in need of the Saviour Jesus Christ.  God has treated humanity with great dignity in taking human form, and He preached repentance from sin and guided people to trust in Him and be born again.  When we make excuses for our sin or attempt to shift the blame to others, we are not on a path to spiritual and eternal transformation we desperately need provided by the Gospel.  My heart breaks for people who are in the midst of addiction and surrendered to it, content to live out their days on earth in bondage, when God has an infinitely better and glorious plan to draw sinners to Himself in faith and be saved.

God has provided an invitation and an opportunity for all people to be born again through faith in Jesus.  People are not sinners because they have been dealt a bad hand:  we are all naturally sinners because we are born of Adam and are not God.  To say people are basically good is all wrong, for the Bible makes it plain (and our consciences agree) that all have sinned.  Only the sinless Lamb of God Jesus Christ can forgive sins, and He has provided atonement with His own blood so we can be cleansed and born again by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  What exacerbates our "issues" is our refusal to admit our wrongs, denial of our personal responsibility and unwillingness to admit our inability to do right.  For all who are willing to confess their sin and repent, turning to Jesus in faith marked by obedience, God provides a new life and identity in Christ who always guides us to eternal victory.

David Danced Naked?

Our Bible study last night reminded me of an awkward interaction at camp when a worship leader emphasised David's joyful abandon in worshipping God when the Ark of God was brought into Jerusalem.  "He was so caught up in worship, he was dancing naked."  He looked at me to affirm the truth he claimed.  "He was naked, right?"  Actually, no:  David was not dancing in the nude.  The Bible passages say clearly he was wearing fine linen and a linen ephod, similar to what the priests or Levites wore (2 Samuel 6:14; 1 Chron. 15:7).  The idea of David being naked is likely based on the snide comments of Michal, David's wife, about David being "uncovered," which was to say he was not wearing his royal robes.  She was offended because she viewed his behaviour as immodest and inappropriate as a king.  Thinking someone should "cover up" does not assume total nudity.

The worship leader's comments about David dancing naked in public made me quite uncomfortable, for what was the purpose or application of this emphasis?  An encouragement for the true worshippers of God to strip down naked during the worship set?  God forbid!  God was the one who clothed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and He also designed clothing for the priests and Levites to wear in His presence.  Since the Law of God forbade steps leading to an altar lest the priest be upskirted and his nakedness seen (Exodus 20:26), how can anyone claim public nudity is acceptable in the praise of God?  To suggest David danced naked dismisses the plain reading of the text, and to say stripping naked in worship is a worthy indignity has absolutely no place in scripture or in the practice of God's people.  This obscene practice marked wild, unrestrained pagan rituals and idol worship , and it is a sinful action God-fearing people ought to condemn.

The tendency to follow the lead of other people--by repeating an interpretation of the Bible or following a pattern set by others--is found in this text.  It was good David was moved to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, the city where God put His everlasting name.  But David made a grave error by not seeking the LORD nor digging into God's Law to determine the proper order.  The Ark was transported from the house of Abinadab by Uzzah and Ahio on a new cart pulled by oxen when God commanded it be carried aloft with poles by sanctified Levites (1 Chron. 15:11-15).  Did you know there is only one occasion previously when the Ark was transported by an ox cart?  This was how the Philistines returned the cart to Israel in Beth-Shemesh after capturing it (1 Samuel 6)!  Without consideration of what God's word actually said, David and all Israel were led into sin that had deadly consequences.

When Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark, the wrath of God was kindled and he was struck dead.  This was a shock to David, the 30,000 choice men who had been selected to parade the Ark to Jerusalem, and all who witnessed it.  David's immediate response was anger and fear.  But during the following 3 months, the death of Uzzah prompted David to dive into God's word where he read of the proper order God established to transport the Ark of God.  Reading God's Law and putting it into practice led to the safe transport of the Ark to Jerusalem, indescribable joy as David danced with all his might before the LORD, and the presentation of a new song of worship to God by David.  Tragedy borne of sin was redeemed by God to draw David and His people to Himself, and it resulted in the (fully clothed!) worship, praise and a closer relationship with God.