The Christian "Rope" Theory

Despite having the solid truth of the scripture, it is possible for myths to worm their way into common Bible teaching.  I do not know the motives of those who do so at the first, but the human tendency to parrot stories without critical thought is prevalent.  As a kid I remember being told in Sunday School God was unapproachable in holiness.  This was illustrated by the chief priest wearing bells on his robe so other priests could hear him beyond the veil in the most holy place in the temple.  I was told a rope was tied to an ankle so if there was a prolonged silence (because the priest had offended God and been struck dead!) his corpse could be hauled out without endangering anyone else.  Perhaps you have heard a similar tale?  You might be interested to learn there is no scriptural evidence to support this idea and much which contradicts it.

This morning I read the scripture where God laid out in great detail the clothing of the high priest.  In Exodus 28:33-35 it reads, "And upon its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and scarlet, all around its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: ³⁴  a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around. ³⁵  And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD and when he comes out, that he may not die."  Ministering unto the LORD is a sober business, and God gave commands to what the priest was to wear from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.  God did not always explain why each item was significant, but it would be foolish to add or omit what God commanded.  The Priests carefully followed each command as carefully as a scribes were trained to copy the Torah letter by letter, for their lives depended on it.

In observing the text the alternating pomegranates and bells were important, and when the High Priest moved the bells would make a sound.  God's command was not that the High Priest continually make noise with the bells, but when he walked into the most holy place and out from the presence of the LORD the bells sounded.  The bells were not for the benefit of those outside but the one who ministered.  There is also no suggestion the priest would be struck dead on the spot, for the passage says, "...that he may not die."  I do not know of a single place in scripture where a priest was struck dead as he ministered in the Temple.  I remember King Uzziah was struck with leprosy when he sinned in offering incense in the holy place and was a leper until his death (2 Chron. 26:19).  Zacharias was struck mute in the Temple for his unbelief when he was met by the angel Gabriel who spoke of the son which would be born to his wife (Luke 1:20-22).  There were a lot of shady things done by wicked men who defiled the Tabernacle and Temple, yet I cannot recall one of them who was struck dead in the Temple.  People were struck dead many times in scripture for their transgressions, don't misunderstand.  My point it is a gross misrepresentation to portray God as One who slays His sanctified ones, flawed though they certainly are.  Wasn't the blood of the sacrifice graciously provided by God to cover sin?

There are other reasons why the "rope" theory is without merit.  All the articles of the Temple were to be cleansed and sanctified.  God was very specific about the composition of fabrics, types of wood used, the intricate thread and dye used in the ephod, ingredients for bread and incense, and articles of gold and silver.  Of what materials was this "rope" to be made and how was it to be sanctified?  Would not wearing foreign material tied around the leg in the most holy place be reserved for priests with a death wish?  The picture created is a group of priests listening to the tinkling priest beyond the veil, even as the servants who waited until they were embarrassed outside King Eglon's summer chamber.  Can you imagine the High Priest praying in silence before the Ark of the Covenant and suddenly there was a terrific yank on his ankle?  It would be funny if it was not so ridiculous.  The Levites would have a quick conference in hushed tones:  "We'd better give him a few minutes.  Maybe he's only mostly dead."

As followers of Jesus Christ, it is important we do not parrot teaching or men's interpretations of dubious origin.  A parrot is able to mimic sounds, but these are spoken without understanding.  Praise the LORD He has given us the Holy Spirit, His everlasting Word, and brains to think!  There is a lot I do not understand and questions I cannot answer.  I do not know why pomegranates were chosen over bunches of grapes, or why the bells and pomegranates were in an alternating pattern.  But the Law tells us plainly the bells were important, for refusing to include the bells would cost the High Priest his life.  If those little bells were so critical, how important is it to speak clearly the words of life, not diluting or corrupting them with men's assumptions or commonly used illustrations.  May God open our eyes to rightly divide His Word of truth, and to faithfully hold it forth to impressionable hearts.

God's Word (without apology)

Last night at youth we discussed impact of our worldview in interpreting scientific evidence.  A participant in the conversation bravely asked something like, "Can you be a Christian and still believe in evolution?"  Though many young people in our group go to Christian private schools, belief in Darwinian evolution is largely believed and advocated by teachers and students alike.  I explained God has allowed a wide latitude of beliefs and practices among His people, and a belief in evolution does not strip anyone of their position as a follower of Christ.  The grave concern I have for all who do so is their willingness to substitute the ideas and philosophies of men for the plain Word of God.

Evolutionary thinking is not the problem here.  The issue at stake is the authority of the Bible.  I have never heard anyone use the Bible to remotely prove their case for evolutionary theory - because evolutionary theory did not arise from the scripture.  Still some make room for it, explaining away plain passages as metaphorical in the first 11 chapters of Genesis.  IF it is God's Word, let it be God's Word without apology.  Let the Word of God speak for itself, even if all the learned men and women disagree with it.  If the Bible contains the words of life, woe to us if we deny them!  There are deep philosophical and personal reasons for people to deny the existence of God and the veracity of God's Word, but let no follower of Jesus be named among them.  This kowtowing to oppositions of science (1 Timothy 6:20) is a disgrace to God and does Him dishonour.

Can you be a genuine Christian and believe in evolution?  Sure, just like you can be a born-again Christian and a scientist.  Following Jesus and a keen interest in science are not mutually exclusive, for God is the One revealed by scripture who made men with minds who have freedom to choose.  Yet there is an erosion in the church and in Christian schools where evolution is no longer a theory, select portions of the Bible explained away as myths and fables, and God is not really necessary.  Brothers and sisters, humanistic and naturalistic philosophy and the denial of scripture has been a virtual millstone which has dragged countless down to hell, and I will (God help me!) stand on the divinely inspired Word of God without fear.

Luke 3:28 (written by a doctor, by the way) traces the ancestry of Jesus Christ all the way back to Adam, the man God created from the dust of the ground and breathed into a living soul.  Paul spoke several times of Adam, as did Jude.  This is clear evidence one cannot intelligently chalk Adam's existence up to myths and fables - whilst claiming the Bible is the Word of God!  Again, the issue isn't evolution, the age of the universe, the moral morass which seems to plague society, or the use of figurative language:  the core issue is a devaluing of God's Word where men (men who profess Christ) twist and distort the Bible to accommodate themselves.  The world doesn't care for the Bible anyway:  why change it to suit their unbelief?

The God of Life

I recently saw a trailer for an upcoming movie titled "Life" which seemed cliche:  scientists go to Mars seeking "life" and initially celebrate after discovering it, but it turns out this form of life is a deadly threat to humans.  It struck me as amusing how man's quest for "life" beyond our planet is not only found in science fiction films, but is the aim of many scientists today.  I don't know what is crazier:  the fact we haven't found living organisms on other planets or the fact the earth is absolutely teeming with them.

Pretty much everywhere on the earth, life is found flourishing.  Trees, grass, mammals, bacteria in the dirt and in the air, from the deep places in the sea to the highest mountains, in birds which soar above the clouds or human beings in aeroplanes, life on earth is everywhere.  Places completely unsuitable for human life are packed with other living creatures quite at home.  Look inside both living and dead things and there is an abundance of microscopic life beyond measure.  Life on our planet gives rise to more life.  There has never been a known case of non-life producing life.  Creation must have a Creator, and it logically follows a Living Being is responsible for all the life we see.

Yesterday I saw a video of a man named Robert Lang who once worked for NASA as a physicist but now uses his math savvy and skills as an origami artist - folding intricate designs out of paper.  He is able to fold paper to replicate the clear likeness of animals and insects after solving complex mathematical equations.  His designs have also been used in advanced technology in aerospace and the automobile industry.  When I see those folded bits of paper into familiar three-dimensional objects, I know they are the product of an intelligent mind, quality materials, and skilled hands.  Beautiful and intricate as they are, however, they are virtually nothing compared to the complex living creatures they resemble.  To create a living creature which can reproduce offspring according to its kind, grow, speak, or have instincts unique to a species is infinitely more complex than patterns composed of dried pulp.

When I saw those intricate origami shapes, I wondered in amazement:  how can people hail Robert Lang a genius because of his incredible designs and mathematical prowess folding paper (and I applaud his immense talent), yet deny the existence of God?  Doesn't all life inspire awe in the One who created atoms, DNA, chromosomes, living creatures, our earth and atmosphere, and things too small or far for our amazingly designed eyes to see?  No three-year-old child could understand or possess the dexterity to perfectly execute the simplest of Lang's designs, though having a keen mind and functional hands.  The mathematical odds of the life we have on earth just "happening" are beyond astronomical.  The Bible says the "heavens declare the glory of God," and He is the God of life - the One who gives eternal life to all who trust in Him.

The Pool Cue Lesson

Years ago, God used a piece of wood to convict me of my lack of faith in Him.  When I bought a pool table second-hand, a few old cues were included by the seller.  One of the cues was warped to the point it was not worth repairing.  As I went to throw it away, however, I was impressed by the solid feel in my hand.  This wouldn't be a bad club, I thought to myself.  If someone broke into my house, I would feel capable of defending myself with this in my hand.  So I discreetly stashed my improvised personal defence system in my bedroom.

It wasn't long before I started thinking:  hasn't God promised to defend me and my family?  Was it possible I was trading divine protection and safety for my own strength?  Wouldn't it be better to do my part to responsibly secure the home with locks and lights and entrust myself to His care?  My club wouldn't do me any good if I was asleep, but the God of Israel does not slumber or sleep.  A club offered limited protection against a gun in the hands of a desperate thief.  If I cried out to God couldn't He strike an intruder with blindness as He did the men of Sodom or make people with evil intentions hear sirens and flee like the Syrians outside the walls of Samaria?  There is a limit of my strength and skill to fight, but there is no weakness in my God.  Strengthened with faith through remembering my God, the club went in the bin and I slept peacefully.

Do you believe God can protect you and your family, believer?  Or have you exchanged the divine protection God provides with reliance on your ability to shoot with precision or swing a club in the dark?  Psalm 118:6-8 says, "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? ⁷  The LORD is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me. ⁸  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man."  If fear of man or government control is our motive in arming ourselves, we may be displaying a lack of confidence in God.  Isn't He the one who sets up kings and deposes them?  Hasn't Christ commanded if His disciples are persecuted in one city they should flee to another (Matt. 10:23)?  He did not tell them to hunker down in compounds but to make disciples of all nations.

The only weapon I have in my house today is the Word of the Living God, the Sword of the Spirit:  the Bible.  It cannot bludgeon trespassers or make thieves flee, but it reveals the character and power of my God who loves and protects me.  Its pages are packed with instances of God miraculously saving His people.  Thieves can break in and steal, and murderers can kill and destroy.  But if I am God's and He is mine, I can joyfully entrust myself to His protection.  I am an overcomer through Jesus Christ, and those who do His bidding God can employ as His battle-axe and weapon of war (Jer. 51:20).  Our fight is not against flesh and blood or governments but against spiritual powers of darkness which can only prevail when we rely on our strength and wits instead of the power of God.  Praise the LORD for His protection, for our Good Shepherd will faithfully keep His flock forever.

Works in Progress

"The golf swing is just about the farthest thing from a perfectible discipline in athletics...The most reliable swings are only relatively repeatable.  They never stop being works in progress."

Butch Harmon (citation below)

When it comes to golf, I have never been more than a dabbler.  I have never been committed to playing and improving at golf as I have with others sports like baseball or ten-pin bowling.  I have never had professional lessons, have never been a member of a club, or played competitively.  To me golf is a fun activity over the past decades I have had various levels of engagement with, and my seasons of playing "regular" golf once a week is dwarfed by long stretches when I wasn't playing.

I don't believe a sane person steps onto a golf course and expects to play at the level they played in previous years without practice.  As a teacher of professional golfers, Butch Harmon knows what he is talking about.  Players at the top of their game, people who have dedicated their lives to hitting a golf ball with accurate precision, do not maintain their skill without hard work.  It is easy to develop bad habits.  It is relatively simple for a pro to know what to do, but even they end up in deep rough, bunkers, and hit into the water.  Executing a shot under pressure is hard.  Overcoming injuries is part of every sport, and navigating the changes age brings and remaining mentally strong separates decent golfers from great ones.

This need for constant maintenance and labour to maintain a consistently good golf swing reminds me of the effort a Christian must expend in following Jesus.  No matter our age, perceived level of maturity, or role in the church, we are all works in progress.  Watching golfers walk through beautiful scenery over a weekend and making millions of dollars seems quite the life, but it is good to have an awareness of the kind of dedication and practice required to reach such a level of play.  To play golf at a high level requires years of practice, thousands of practice shots of all kinds, and continual coaching.  As we follow Christ we also must examine our hearts and minds, confessing and repenting of sin, and pressing on in faith.

Our hearts and minds are more difficult to manage than a slice or hook.  What often happens with us dabbling golfers is we learn to manage our slice rather than correcting it through mechanics.  We stop aiming at the target itself because we project our former tendencies into the current shot.  The Gospel enables us to be overcomers, to live our lives in perfect alignment with God - not to put up with sinful behaviour we dismiss like a "power slice" - as if that's our intention and we wouldn't rather hit straight and true.  God's will is for us to examine our own hearts, repent of our sin, and choose to do what is right.  This takes effort and the result is humility, grace, and honour to God's glory.   We make a lot of mistakes, and God keeps loving us.  There is nothing good in us, but thanks to God's grace we can grow and persevere through trials.

We are all works in progress, and praise the LORD it is He who does the work in us as we partner with Him.

(Dweck, Carol S. Mindset. New York. Ballentine Books. 2006. Print.)

Forgiveness and Fear

"If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? ⁴  But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared."

Psalm 130:3-4

The Psalmist rightly pointed out the inability of anyone to stand before God in their own righteousness.  Man is universally condemned by his sin and rebellion before a holy God.  Yet God in His mercy, has not dealt with us according to our sins.  He has given us life, sent His Son to seek and save the lost, and opened our eyes to salvation through the Gospel.  A single sin would disqualify us from the presence of God forever, yet we have been washed clean and made righteous by faith in Jesus Christ.  God demonstrated His love through the death of Jesus for us sinners so we might be made saints.

There is forgiveness with God, and verse 4 says for this grace He deserves our reverence and fear.  The ironic thing is because we have been forgiven and adopted into God's family we can actually fear God less.  We can carelessly shrug at the very sins which Jesus died to cleanse and save us from.  This follows the pattern of man's flesh and folly.  God gave His people the Law to prove their sinfulness, and they used it to justify themselves as righteous.  God revealed His glory in creation, and man chose to worship creatures rather than the Creator, offering sacrifices to the sun rather than the One who spoke it into existence.  Like the parable Jesus told of the servant forgiven of his massive debt, he seemed to forget all he had been forgiven and threw a fellow servant in prison for owing him loose change in comparison.  God's forgiveness isn't to make us think He will go easy on our sin, but to remember how much Jesus suffered to free us from it.

Because God has forgiven us, we ought to fear Him more - not less.  Forgiveness and salvation are gifts of God!  We walk in the fear of the LORD when we avoid evil, choosing to do what pleases God and putting away from us all manner of sin.  God cleansed us of all that condemned us and deserves our eternal loyalty and allegiance.  Like the midwives in Egypt who feared the LORD, the fear of God results in making choices which honour Him above all.  Jonah 1:16 tells us what the mariners did who were saved from the storm:  "Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows."  God has saved us from eternal damnation and in addition granted us miraculous salvation, eternal life with Him forever.  He delivered us from hell and saved us for Him.  Fear the LORD, you His saints!  Praise Him forever and ever.

Turning the Other Cheek

The scriptures are maligned when removed from their immediate context.  When the Bible is reduced to cliches, the original meaning is lost and replaced with assumptions and misconceptions of flawed people.  Take the now-cliche phrase, "Turn the other cheek."  The modern interpretation of this statement of Jesus is to be passive and avoid confrontation, to simply take personal attacks and say:  "Thank you - may I have another?"  Others have used this verse to encourage others to willingly remain in abusive or dangerous situations.  These interpretations misrepresent what Jesus is saying.

In the Law of Moses, people had the right of retribution (Lev. 24:17-20).  The Law provided protection for the innocent and provided limits on punishing wrongdoers so the "punishment fit the crime."  Jesus said in Matthew 5:38-39, "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' ³⁹  But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."  Instead of urging people to press their legal rights to the full extent in punishing wrongdoers, Jesus told His followers not to return in kind.  Under the Law if someone accidentally gouged out your eye, you could take them to law and have their eye gouged out too.  There was no requirement a victim needed to force the other to lose an eye.  Jesus commanded His followers to not use law to take revenge on others, for vengeance is the LORD's and He will repay.  There is nothing passive about "turning the other cheek."  We are to actively trust God's protection and power over our lives more than pressing our legal rights in court.  Instead of vigorously defending or standing up for self, we can stand strong in faith of God who loves us.

Jesus continued in Matthew 5:40-42, "If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. ⁴¹  And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two."  Those who followed Jesus were to be characterised by humility before God and men, not demanding retribution or seeking revenge.  Christians are called to overcome evil with good.  "Kill them with kindness," the world says, but this focuses on my effort instead of viewing the situation through the Gospel and all Jesus has done for me.  I can entrust my clothing and time to God's control and go far beyond what the world would say is "reasonable."  We are benefactors of God's grace and should extend the same to others - even if the world deems them undeserving.  That's exactly what grace is, right?

Paul spoke on the same theme in Romans 12:17-19:  "Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. ¹⁸  If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹  Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord."  When we receive the equivalent of a slap to the face, we have a choice if we will return in like manner.  If harsh words are spoken to us, we do not need to avenge ourselves with harsh words of our own.  As we follow Jesus we will learn to actively submit to His will in our interactions with others, choosing the path of grace over forcefully demanding our rights.  If we are in Christ, our actions will follow His command in Matthew 5:44, "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you..."  Instead of self-preservation, a follower of Jesus seeks how to love, bless, and do good to our enemies.  Our Saviour Jesus Christ has provided our example.

Water From the Rock

"Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink."

Exodus 17:1

It is significant God led the children of Israel to a place where there was a lack of what they needed.  They went to Rephidim according to God's command, yet there was no water!  The children of Israel did not pray for water but complained against the leadership of Moses.  One might think because God had miraculously made sweet the undrinkable waters of Marah they would have considered the infinite power of God.  In their distress the people did what we also tend to do instead of seeking God:  we think of ourselves and complain!  All along, God had their good in mind.  God led the people to a place without water so He could be revealed as their supply.  Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where there was no food because men do not live on bread alone, but by every word of God.

God knew the needs of His people and their livestock, and He would supply an abundance of water for all.  How might this passage compare to your current situation?  We can be led by the Spirit and experience dry times, even though He is the Living Water which regenerates and refreshes our souls.  Will we look at our hopeless situation and despair, or will we thank God for His leading and provision?  If we open our mouths in thanksgiving and praise, we will fill us with the joy of the LORD.  God heard the complaints of His people and graciously met their needs after speaking to Moses in Exodus 17:6:  "Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel."

God chose to provide water in conjunction with the obedience of Moses.  It is obvious God could have led the people to an oasis, even as He did in bringing them to Elim (Exodus 15:27).  While we want our needs met speedily at our destination, God accomplishes great good through the trials of our long journey.  When we are thirsty, let us not complain against God or those in leadership roles in the church.  Instead, see the LORD to satisfy your soul and be willing to be an obedient instrument God employs to meet the needs of others.  Lift your eyes above the barren landscape which surrounds you and fix your eyes on our risen LORD Jesus Christ.  He has promised Living Water to all who repent and come to Him.  We need never thirst again, and you can be the source of His life for others!

Passing the Test

Has God ever revealed things and you wondered how He could bring them to pass?  His way are higher than ours, and He is able to do the impossible.  The life of Joseph provides a riveting tale of how God used difficult circumstances to accomplish His will.  Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, but God meant it for good.  We read in scripture when his brothers sold Joseph to merchants God was sending him to Egypt.  How important it is to maintain a view God remains in control, even when life is out of our control.

God sent Joseph to Egypt in chains to save His people, including the very men who hated Joseph.  We read in Psalm 105:17-20 of God's grace and wisdom:  "He sent a man before them-- Joseph--who was sold as a slave. ¹⁸  They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. ¹⁹  Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the LORD tested him. ²⁰  The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free."  God had given Joseph dreams as a lad he would be a ruler, that his brothers and even his parents would bow before him.  As Joseph considered God's promise to him as he lay in irons, there seemed no possible way this could be accomplished.  How could a slave become a ruler?  What chance could a man rotting in a foreign prison govern?

Given Joseph's troubling circumstances, God's word tested him.  Had Joseph's life followed a clear path of ascendance, rising quickly through the ranks as a public servant, making contacts with influential officers, and gaining a reputation among his peers for his political savvy, perhaps Joseph would have predicted how God would make good on His promise.  But Joseph did not see it coming, nor as he lay in irons could he have predicted how God would even arrange his release - much less his promotion to second to Pharaoh in Egypt!  In painful irons Joseph chose to believe God's promise to him and trusted God.  It was the word of the LORD which tested Joseph, and when the word was fulfilled Joseph could look back in awe and say of his slavery and imprisonment, "Even in my darkest days, God was there."  God is always true to His Word.

Is God's word testing you today?  Will you continue to believe His promises, even if it seems like there is no possible way it could come to pass?  Trust in God, for He is able to do exceedingly above what we could ever ask or think.  Those who believe Him will be richly rewarded for such faith.  Their eyes will see the salvation of the LORD.

The Most High Way

It's common advice we should "take the high road" in conflicts.  No matter what people do or say to us, it is best for us to choose the path of righteousness.  The life of Jesus provides an example.  When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him to turn stones into bread.  Jesus answered with the unbreakable Word of God in Matthew 4:4:  "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  Then Satan was especially crafty.  His next temptation was backed with the word of God!  Matthew 4:5-6 says, "Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶  and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"  How treacherous and evil, to use scripture to pressure Jesus into sin!

I suspect Satan's recall of scripture is quite sharp, especially when it concerns his advantage.  The other day I read the same passage to which Satan referred in Psalm 91:11-12.  If I had been in the position of Jesus with His immaculate recall (and praise God I wasn't), I might have directed him to continue his recitation with the following verse (Psalm 91:13) as a taunt and ask him for a brief exposition concerning his certain future:  "You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot."  But instead of dangling Satan's ultimate defeat before Him, Jesus took the "high road."  Matthew 4:7 tells us the response of our Saviour who is altogether wise:  "Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'"  God's ways and wisdom are higher than ours, and with a simple sentence Jesus diffused the smokescreen of scripture Satan employed.

Jesus did more than take the high road because He is the Most High, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  His interactions with satanic temptation in the wilderness are insightful and instructive of how we should deal with conflict by the use of scripture properly applied.  There are many who may use the Bible to justify their own sin, and it may provoke anger and indignation.  They aim to accuse, provoke, and confuse us, and they will say anything to lure us into their trap.  Yet we see a calmness exuded by Christ who could have resorted to many fleshly tactics against his hypocritical foe, and shined the light of a simple sentence of scripture to turn aside every attack.  Praise the LORD that we too can take the Most High Way and are equipped by the Holy Spirit to walk in victory.

The Edges of God's Ways

"He who builds His layers in the sky, and has founded His strata in the earth; Who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth-- the LORD is His name."

Amos 9:6

I love how God speaks about the order of the world He has created.  I only recently learned about the layers of atmosphere scientists have discovered, and God founded these layers even as He "founded His strata in the earth."  There is the Troposphere, where "weather" happens; the Stratosphere where the ozone layer is; the Mesophere which burns meteors which could impact the earth; the Thermosphere where satellites are launched; the Ionosphere which is crucial for "Sun-Earth interactions;" and the Exosphere which is the upper limit of Earth's atmosphere.  I look to the heavens and I do not see any of these layers, know how they function, or how they protect us.  But God designed and founded them according to His wisdom, and the scripture tells us so.

When God created trees, He made them mature and able to bear fruit after their own kind.  He filled the earth with vegetation, and I expect if a mature tree had been cut down the day it was created it would reveal a series of rings.  In the same way, God founded His strata and layers of the earth.  There are molten layers far deeper than man can probe, yet many layers are visible on the surface as well.  God has laid them down one after another, many at the time of creation, and many layers since.

The third part of this verse speaks of something I learned about in the third grade:  the water cycle.  About 70% of the earth is covered with water, and about 97% of that is found in the oceans.  Water from the sea evaporates, forms clouds, and then is deposited in the form of snow and rain on the land.  The God who created the oceans "calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the face of the earth."  We can observe this process and imagine it "just happens," or we can acknowledge the wise and powerful God who graciously provides for all He has made.

"The LORD is His name," the prophet Amos said.  God is the eternal, self-existent God who created everything according to His plans and purposes.  He has built the earth on nothing, and founded earth with His voice.  Job 26:6-14 magnifies our God well:  "Sheol is naked before Him, and Destruction has no covering. ⁷  He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing. ⁸  He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it. ⁹  He covers the face of His throne, and spreads His cloud over it. ¹⁰  He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness. ¹¹  The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at His rebuke. ¹²  He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm. ¹³  By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. ¹⁴  Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?"

Jesus Saves!

"Then Moses said, "Thus says the LORD: 'About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt; ⁵  and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the female servant who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the animals."

Exodus 11:4-5

After unleashing 9 plagues on the gods and people of Egypt, God promised to send a final plague:  the death of the firstborn of all people and animals.  Unlike previous plagues which were restricted to the Egyptians, this plague would affect Pharaoh, his servants, and even the Hebrews in Goshen.  Though this grievous plague would affect all Egypt, God provided a way for households to be delivered from it if they would meet God's conditions.  Not one person or animal had to die.  If people would sprinkle the blood of the paschal lamb on the doorposts and lintel of their homes, having eaten the lamb in the manner prescribed, God would spare the firstborn.  The life of the lamb killed for the Passover was the substitute for the firstborn.

I wonder:  did all the people who heard God's conditions obey them, even though they had seen firsthand His wonders with plague after plague?  For those who did not apply the blood to their doorposts and lintel, all households mourned at least one death.  In the world today, death will come personally for all people as a result of sin, for the Bible says the wages of sin is death.  None are excluded from our inevitable decease.  But the same verse which reveals the wages of sin is death tells us of the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus (Romans 6:23).  Our bodies will someday go the way of the earth, and God sent His only Son Jesus Christ to be our Redeemer, Saviour, and LORD.  If a sinner will acknowledge his sin and repent, trusting in Jesus, the same will be born again and receive eternal life.

It wasn't enough for the Hebrews to eat lamb for dinner.  It wasn't enough for blood to be spattered on the doorposts of their homes.  God provided specific instructions outlined in Exodus 12 the people needed to follow in obedience to Him.  The lamb or goat was to be a male in the first year without blemish and kept from the 10th to the 14th day of the first month, and to be killed in the evening.  The lamb was to be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  They needed to remove leaven from their homes and eat in readiness to depart with shoes on their feet.  If any of the lamb was left over until morning, it was to be burned with fire.  The tradition of the Passover has evolved to require great attention to details not mentioned in Exodus, but the point is it was much more than eating a lamb or sprinkling blood.  Careful preparation and obedience was required to assure the feast was kept and the benefit of life received.

The ordinance of the Passover protected the firstborn from death in Egypt on one night, and Joshua the son of Nun was the only person by my reckoning who was a firstborn spared in Egypt who also entered into Canaan some forty years later.  Joshua means "Jehovah saves," and it is the same Hebrew name of Jesus (translated from Greek):  "Jehoshua."  Jesus is the God who saves, the "Lamb of God" who takes away the sins of the world.  Jesus was God's own Son who died on the cross as a sacrifice and substitute for sinners.  One does not need to adhere to a tradition concerning eating or drinking to meet God's requirements for eternal life, for all who repent and believe on Christ will be saved.  Romans 10:8-10 affirms, "But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."  There is no hope of salvation in keeping of the Passover, but there is eternal life for all who repent and trust in Jesus.

Give God No Rest

"I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, ⁷ and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."

Isaiah 62:6-7

These verses remind me of the great love God has for the Jewish nation and Jerusalem.  Watchmen were set on the walls to provide early recognision of enemy attack, but God's people were called to look to Him.  Unless the LORD guards the city the watchmen watch in vain.  God allowed Jerusalem to fall before the Babylonians and Romans, yet even now those who fear God ought to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  God directed His faithful watchers to intercede on behalf of Jerusalem, to "give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth."  It is amazing our great God who promises to provide rest for our souls says concerning our prayers for the establishment of His kingdom in Israel to command, "Give me no rest."

God's will and the fulfilment of His plans do not depend on man.  It is not like the sheer volume of prayers moves God's timetable, but those who fear the LORD will be moved by Him in pray in due time.  Prayer does not bend God to our will, but the Holy Spirit enables us to pray according to God's will.  Jesus spoke often of the importance of persistence in prayer.  He gave an example of man who had an unexpected visitor, and persistently knocked at his friend's door late at night asking for bread to feed his guest.  Jesus said in Luke 11:8-9, "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. ⁹  "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  If we are evil and give good gifts to our children, how much more will God give the Holy Spirit to those who give Him no rest in asking Him?

Another memorable example Jesus gave was in the parable of the unjust judge.  Luke 18:1-7 reads, "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, ²  saying: "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. ³  Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, 'Get justice for me from my adversary.' ⁴  And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, 'Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ⁵  yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.' " ⁶  Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷  And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?"  The unjust judge did not care for widow or even justice, but saw fit to avenge the woman because of her persistence:  how much more will God aid His own children who cry out to Him?

When our souls are troubled, let us draw near to Jesus Christ in faith and find rest for our souls.  Concerning our cares, trials, and troubles let us give God no rest, remembering to intercede for Jerusalem and others according to God's Word.  Do not lose heart nor be weary in doing good.  Keep asking, seeking, and knocking, and the LORD will open a way to rest and perfect peace.

Random Acts of Kindness?

Yesterday I saw a heartwarming video of a man whose co-workers pooled funds to buy him a car.  He was genuinely touched by the blessing and expressed how grateful and thankful he was.  The one who shared the post on social media praised the virtue of "random acts of kindness" and how they can be instrumental in changing lives for the better.  I believe I know what is meant by the phrase "random acts of kindness," that without a special occasion people would unexpectedly do something to benefit someone else without strings attached.

When I reflected upon the gracious gift of a vehicle, there was nothing at all "random" about this act of kindness at all!  Generous co-workers saw someone in need and purposely put thought and sacrifice into action to help him.  They considered what car would be best suited for his needs.  They even bought insurance to make sure he was not out of pocket.  He even was given money for petrol!  Everything about this act of kindness was intentional - albeit unexpected by the receiver.  The point to be considered is no act of kindness is random:  kindness is only kindness when there is an intentional, joyful giver and a receiver.

The 1828 Webster's dictionary defines "kindness" as, "good will; benevolence; the temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; kindness ever accompanies love."  There would be no kindness in this world without the God who created man in His image.  He is the One who has been purposefully kind to us.  Paul wrote to Titus of man's sin and need for salvation and how God met our need through Jesus Christ in Titus 3:4-5, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit..."  God has demonstrated His kindness to all people by offering redemption and eternal life through faith in Jesus.  It would be tremendous to receive the gift of a vehicle, but it pales in comparison to the gift of God through Jesus.

Since Christians are receivers of God's kindness, we ought to be vessels through whom God pours His kindness in practical ways upon others.  We are not kind to find favour with men but to bring glory to God.  Man's kindness and generosity has limits, but God's is infinitely greater and completely unexpected.  There is nothing random about God's kindness!

Concluding with Praise

Before going to bed recently I have been reading through the Psalms.  I always try to take note of the brief explanation provided before each Psalm.  It struck me how many Psalms were inspired during troubling times.  In situations when might write in a journal to vent, post our status on social media for sympathy, or call the police to respond to an emergency, David wrote songs of praise to God.  Selah - think upon this!  These passages flow with worship, seeking God, and praise.  Though troubles may have moved David to write, he did not remain troubled because of His glorious God.

• Psalm 3 was written "when David fled from Absalom his son."  He concluded in Psalm 3:8, "Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah"
• Psalm 7 was what David sang unto to the LORD "concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite" - and they were not kind words.  The last verse of this Psalm?  Psalm 7:17 reads, "I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High."
• Psalm 34 was written when David "changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed."  David feared for his life in this occasion!  He finished the song concluding of God's grace in Psalm 34:22:  "The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."
• Psalm 52 was penned after "Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech."  This resulted in the slaughter of the priests in Nob, and David freely took the blame for this incident upon himself to Abiathar in 1 Samuel 22, the son of the slain high priest who escaped with the ephod,  He ended Psalm 52 with verse 9:  "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. ⁹  I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good."
• Psalm 54 was in response to David being betrayed by the Ziphims who "said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us?"  He wrote in Psalm 54:6-7:  "I will freely sacrifice to You; I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good. ⁷  For He has delivered me out of all trouble; and my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies."

May all our troubles, like many David endured, move us to praise and glorify God for His goodness towards us.  David was quick to bring his petitions of deliverance before God, but his praise of God is evidence he trusted and believed God would preserve and help him.  Thank the LORD for His faithfulness to us and may our lives be a testimony of His praise and worship forever.

Trust God (and His Plan)

God called and enabled Moses to lead His people out of bondage in Egypt.  After Moses returned to Egypt armed with three miraculous signs which confirmed God's promise of deliverance, the people believed and worshipped the LORD.  They were convinced of God's power and rejoiced He had visited His people.  Any day now they would be free!

The Hebrews were all for freedom from bondage.  There was one looming problem however:  Pharaoh was not.  He was not at all impressed when Moses appeared before him and scorned his God.  He was incensed anyone would even suggest the idea of the Hebrews leaving their tasks for a day!  He accused the people of idleness, refused to provide straw for bricks, and told the taskmasters to kept the production quota the same.  The people worked feverishly, trying to gather up stubble and make enough bricks to meet Pharaoh's demand.  When they failed, they were beaten.  They felt cheated, trapped in an impossible cycle.  The people complained about this treatment to Moses:  what sort of deliverance was this?  In their mind Moses was killing them, not saving them!

Exodus 5:22-23 describes the response of Moses:  "So Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? ²³  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all."  Moses agreed with the assessment of the people.  They hadn't signed up for such trouble!  They expected God would miraculously and quickly bring them out of Egypt as He promised them.  What they didn't understand at the time was God's promised deliverance involved a process.  Perhaps they assumed because of God's great power He would save them quickly without a struggle.  But it would prove to be a fight waged within their own hearts and minds:  would they continue to trust God and the wisdom of His plan through the process, or would they lose heart and give place to fear and doubt?

The decision to repent and trust in Jesus Christ as Saviour also results in opposition and renewed aggression by all which held us captive in sin.  This spiritual and largely inner battle will continue to occur throughout our earthly pilgrimage.  In choosing to obey God the results may seem disastrous and we think, "I didn't sign up for this!  Why doesn't God just do it?  Why does it have to be so painful and impossible?"  If we want deliverance and salvation, we must submit to God's process and plan.  He will continue to be faithful and with every temptation will make a way of escape so we will be able to bear it.  Moses nor the Hebrews could deliver themselves, and God would reveal His power over His enemies and His protection and provision for His people as time wore on.  Slowly Pharaoh's resolve crumbled, and the faith of God's people grew exponentially.

Allow me to conclude with a quote from an address I read by Spurgeon titled, "On Returning to the Renovated Tabernacle:"

"My friends, beloved of my soul, more dear than ever as years roll on, I do not ask trouble for any of you; but if there be no other way of renovating your spirits, you may on your own account cheerfully welcome the severest trials, when sent by heaven, to visit your house.  Come they will, whether we welcome them or no, for the promise is sure to all the seed, "In the world ye shall have tribulation."  Let us most devoutly praise God that he does not consult our whims, or our fancies, as to how he should deal with us; we have a Father who does not spare the rod for our crying, knowing better than we do what is good for us.  He does not ask us in which path we will go; he directs our steps according to his own wisdom, and not according to our folly.  Surely we poor shortsighted creatures can even now feel that it is good for us to have infallible wisdom to direct us, and that it is our duty to give up our unbelief, and all our questionings, and submit ourselves absolutely to the will of the unerring Father.  All our misery springs out of our self-will.  Self-love is the nest out of which the hornets fly in their armies; would to God it were utterly destroyed.  If self-will were slain, sorrow would lose its sting.  The daily cross in itself is not heavy - as Jesus' yoke, it is easy; but self-will makes our shoulders raw, and then the cross becomes very heavy to bear." (Spurgeon, C. H. C.H. Spurgeon's works as published in his monthly magazine The sword and the trowel. Vol. 1. Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1975. Print. pg. 321.)

Concerning Questions

The good deeds of some men are plainly seen and other good works follow later.  May God see fit to greatly use the godly influence of His followers during their pilgrimage and beyond.  By virtue of age a book is not necessarily better, yet I appreciate when I read words written hundreds of years ago which are perfectly relevant to me and others today.  Time has changed but man remains the same, for man's nature and thirst for knowledge goes back to the beginning.  This drive to discover has many good points, but there can be a sinister side as well.  When it comes to searching out spiritual truth, much time and effort can be wasted straining gnats while swallowing camels.  The theoretical can be more attractive than the practical.  In a quest to search out obscure truths God in His wisdom has hidden, we can ignore the personal implications of what God has plainly said.  We all have to know what is in the locked chest, whether it is intended for our possession or not.

Consider what Henry Smith, the 16th century "silver-tongued preacher" had to say on this subject:

"It is not necessary to know that which God hath not revealed; and the well of God's secrets is so deep that no bucket of man can sound it; therefore we must row in shallow waters, because our boats are light, and small, and soon overturned...Let men desire knowledge of God as Solomon did; but not desire knowledge as Eve did.  For these aspiring wits fall again like Babel, and run into doubts, while they seek for resolutions...Curious questions and vain speculations are like a plume of feathers, which some will give anything for, and some will give nothing for.  Paul rebuked them which troubled their heads about genealogies; how would he reprove men and women of our days, if he did see how they busy their heads about vain questions, tracing upon the pinnacles, where they may fall, while they might walk upon the pavement without danger!  Some have a great deal more desire to learn where hell is, than to know any way how they may escape it; to hear what God did purpose before the world began, rather than to learn what he will do when the world is ended; to understand whether they shall know one another in heaven, than to know whether they belong to heaven.  This rock hath made many shipwrecks, that men search mysteries before they know principles; like the Bethshemites, which were not content to see the ark, but they must pry into it, and finger it.  Commonly the simplest men busy their heads about the highest matters; so that if they meet with a rough and crabbed question like a knob in the tree, and while they hack and hew at it with their own wits to make it plain, their saw sticks fast in the cleft, and cannot get out again; at last in wrath they become like malcontents with God, as though the Scripture were not perfect, and either fall into despair, or into contempt of all.  Therefore it is good to leave off learning where God hath left off teaching; for they which have an ear where God hath no tongue, hearken not unto God, but to the tempter, as Eve did to the serpent." (Spurgeon, C. H. C.H. Spurgeon's works as published in his monthly magazine The sword and the trowel. Vol. 1. Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1975. Print. pages 202-203)

God be praised, for even when we ask the wrong questions God graciously answers with Himself.  God's aim is not to keep men ignorant, for Jesus is wisdom for us.  How can we know if the questions which puzzle us are "vain speculations" which have no practical use?  I answer with another question:  do you so value God's revelation of Himself and His commands that you labour to walk according to them?  When we put into practice what we already know, God will reveal Himself to you in ways you cannot imagine now.  He will open your eyes and transform your heart.  The first time when God revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush Moses averted his eyes because he was afraid to look at God (Ex. 3:6).  After obeying God to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, when Moses communed with God face to face as a man speaks to a friend he asked, "Please, show me your glory." (Ex. 33:18)  Moses was satisfied, even though God withheld him from seeing all.

Are you willing to accept there is much about God and the Bible we will never understand?  Some content themselves with saying, "We'll never know this side of heaven," inferring that in our glorified, eternal state all our questions will be answered.  I believe many burning questions we have today will not be remembered or be relevant in heaven and therefore not asked.  God will answer many honest questions we ask Him, and others are sealed up for another time.  Let us be content in knowing God, for He is the answer we truly seek.    

Stand in Awe

"Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. ⁹  For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast."

Psalm 33:8-9

How good it is to stand in awe of God!  When God says something, it is done.  We are talking about the God who spoke the earth and universe into existence, who imagined life and created it in all its varied forms.  He spoke, and it was done.

There was a centurion who came to Jesus in Capernaum to ask Him to heal his beloved servant.  Jesus agreed immediately, and said He would be glad to go heal him.  The centurion then said something which caused Jesus to marvel in Matthew 8:8:  "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed."  This man perceived the incredible authority Jesus possessed, and with the power of His words alone - like when God said "Let there be light!" and there was light - Jesus could heal his servant.  According to the faith of the man it was done, and that very hour the servant was healed by Jesus.

Do you believe Jesus can just "say the word" and it will be done?  Our trouble comes when we think Jesus ought to speak what we desire this very hour and doubt His authority and power if He does not.  We must remember that our lives are in God's hands, and He will do with us as He sees fit.  God is utterly trustworthy, and we should stand in awe of Him.  As our King He has all authority over us, and as our Father He loves us with an everlasting love.  Let us be obedient to His voice, even as the water separated from the dry land at His word alone.  There was no debate, no discussion, no explanation:  only words coming forth from God.

We want God to speak a word on our behalf, but will we stand to obedience at His word?  Do we regard His word because He is worthy who speaks?

Goodness That Leads to Repentance

Today we sung a song in church which reminded me it is God's goodness which leads to repentance.  Paul held forth this truth in Romans 2:4:  "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?"  God's lovingkindnesses are many, and it is due to His mercy which has stayed His hand from justly destroying men for their sin instantly.  Whilst it could be truly sin we should "Repent or else!" with knowledge of God's judgment, God does not threaten us with pain or torment should we refuse His righteous demands.  It is not the fear of God's wrath but the kindness and goodness of God which moves us to repent.

For many Christians, it may have been fear of death and hell which caused us to trust in Jesus - more than the goodness and kindness of God toward us.  Like Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison conveyed in the book Cat & Dog Theology, our posture towards God is important.  There are people who came to God because they were backing wide-eyed away from the abyss of hell, and those who have turned towards God because He is a glorious God and a worthy Saviour.  It is a awesome day when we learn to fix our eyes primarily upon Jesus rather than turn to Him as a last resort.  If we are in the habit of backing away from troubles and not looking where we are going, we will ultimately trip over and have no sense of direction.  It is the love and trust of Jesus - not the fear of hell - which should move us to repentance and do what is right.

Even faithful dogs can have curious moments, like when they wander out of the back yard.  Concerned for the safety of the animal, a caring owner will pursue their pet.  Many times I have witnessed dogs who know full well their owners who are trying to coax them to return to the yard, but the dog is more interested in sniffing everything in sight, happy to stay just out of reach.  God is like a loving Shepherd who pursues His sheep, not threatening us with hell to make us return.  It is His kindness and patient pursuit which leads to our repentance, and He is kind and gracious even when we have been stubborn and foolish.  If we are more moved by the fear of punishment than the love of God for us, it seems we need a change of perspective which aligns with Romans 2:4!

We have been greatly enriched by God's goodness, forbearance, and patience which suffers long.  Let us be patient with others as He has been patient with us.  May we also do good in God's sight, realising and walking in kindness and mercy God has freely bestowed upon us.  God, forgive me when I have repented to save my own skin and thought little of your goodness and grace!

Think On These Things

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Psalm 46:1

The Bible provides great insight and objective truth to all who believe.  Memorisation of scripture is good, but to understand and personally apply scripture is better still.  When I was a kid I went to Awana, a youth group which placed a high priority on scripture memorisation.  Admittedly I learned to repeat verbatim many scriptures I did not understand and could not explain.  If we will emphasise the importance and value of memorisation, let us not miss the crucial steps of understanding and obedience to the scripture.  At the end of Lesson 2 in the Self-Confrontation Manual developed by John C. Broger, after suggesting several plans to memorise scripture and to recite them to others it reads, "When you recite your verses to this person, also explain what the verse(s) mean and how they are to be applied to your life."  To this I say, amen!

The meaning of a verse of scripture has the depth and breadth of an ocean of God's wisdom, and most of the time we are content to splash around in the shallows.  We may understand what the verse says and means, even in context, yet there is more.  How good it is when we stop and think about each word or phrase carefully.  God has much for us to glean in the 12 words of Psalm 46:1.  Just for fun (because it truly is for a hungry soul!) let's break this verse down into parts to consider fully the truth presented here.

• "God is..." Here is objective, unchanging truth.  God not only is, but has always been and will always be.  His gracious love, infinite strength, wisdom, provision, protection and salvation are available to all who repent and seek Him in faith.
• "our..."  God has united all who fear Him, having accepted us in the beloved through faith in Jesus Christ.  We have continual access to our heavenly Father who has chosen and called us to trust Him.  He will never leave or forsake those redeemed with the blood of Christ.  We are never alone!
• "refuge and strength..." Just like we run to the shelter of our homes in a massive storm, Christians find refuge in God who protects and keeps us.  Unlike a house which can be flooded, burnt down, or rendered unsuitable for living because of a destroyed foundation, our God has all strength.  The foundation we have in Christ will endure forever.
• "a very present help..." Emergency services have standard response times, but the help God can provide is immediate.  God is more than nearby or "on-call" but He is very present - in fact, the Holy Spirit lives inside of born-again Christians and can help us and others simultaneously according to every need.  God knows what help we need and how to provide it for our good and His glory.
• "in trouble." If we have car trouble we go to a mechanic; when our bodies are ill we go to a doctor.  Whilst we require specialists for our troubles, God is able to be a very present help in any kind of trouble.  Our troubles do not trouble God.  He invites us to be casting our cares upon Him at all times because He cares for us.

Now wasn't that fun?  What verses have you memorised?  Have you applied the eternal truth of them to your situation?  Take time to think them over and how you might apply them to your own life.  Expect God to expand your understanding of what you think you know when you obey what He has said.  We haven't hardly scratched the surface of fully appreciating the wisdom of Psalm 46:1, and God delights to teach and reveal Himself to all who humbly seek Him in faith.  God has much to say to us when we will listen and obey!

The God Who Reveals

"Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹  And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"

Genesis 48:10-11

As Israel's days drew to a close, Joseph brought his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh to be blessed by their grandfather.  Israel's eyes had grown dim, yet God allowed him to see something beyond his wildest dreams.  Many years earlier Israel was deceived by his elder sons to believe Joseph had been torn by wild beasts when he had actually been sold by them to slave traders.  Israel was shocked when it was revealed Joseph still lived and was a ruler in Egypt.  In the twilight years of his pilgrimage, Israel rejoiced to spend time with his beloved Joseph again.

Whilst in Egypt, Israel's long-lost Joseph had two sons.  Genesis 48 conveys the touching scene when Israel kissed, embraced, and blessed Joseph's sons, adopting and blessing them as his very own.  Blind though his eyes were, I cannot imagine Israel speaking without a twinkle in his eyes when he said, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"  This is how our amazing, awesome God works.  Israel was resigned to never seeing Joseph again with his eyes, yet God allowed him to see Joseph and his sons!

Our eyes are naturally dim like Israel's, for we see as in a mirror dimly.  Even when we have "perfect vision" according to optometrists our range of vision is limited in scope, and our ability to see images and colours is dependant on light.  The things God reveals to us are greater than we could ever ask or think, more astounding than our wildest dreams.  The things we cannot fathom God simply does, and He opens our dim eyes to see it.  The light God shines drives the darkness away.  God brings hope to the hopeless.  For decades Israel mourned the loss of his son Joseph, but he later received his two sons and treated them as his own.

Things which are improbable, even impossible, God does. The miraculous is common for our God, the great Revealer of secrets, the One who brings the dead back to life.  God is able to melt hearts of stone and restore souls.  He opens blind eyes and brings reason to corrupt minds devoid of understanding.  God has done amazing things for us, but He is not finished.  He has more in store for you in this earthly pilgrimage, things you would not dare verbalise for the sheer impossibility of the thing.  As we continue trusting the LORD, He will bring to pass things beyond our imagination.  Israel's heart longed for his son, but God gave him two grandsons which never came into his mind.

The truth of 1 Corinthians 2:9-12 seems an appropriate conclusion:  "But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." ¹⁰  But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. ¹¹  For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God."  What an impossibility, that finite man could know an infinite God!  Yet God has revealed Himself, and has opened our hearts and minds to know Him and appreciate all He has freely given us.  Hallelujah!

Dealing with the Dead

C.H. Spurgeon is known as the "prince of preachers," but it is not only his brilliant preaching and writing ministry which impresses me.  Like Dwight L. Moody, Spurgeon had an intense passion to bring children to faith in Jesus Christ.  He did not relish time in his lofty pulpit preaching to thousands more than dropping to a knee to speak face to face with one small child.  We cannot ask him today, but I imagine he would find greater delight in privately ministering to a little one in Christ's name than receive a public commendation from the Queen of England.  Today I read an address to the Sunday School teacher's union by Spurgeon in March 1867 at a prayer breakfast titled, "How to Raise the Dead."  Here is a link for you to read it yourself.

Spurgeon made it clear Sunday School teachers have a sober duty and calling to bring children to faith in Christ.  It is not a session of upstanding moral guidance or just to mind children whilst the "real" ministry is happening in the sanctuary:  Sunday School teachers lead the charge to win souls for the kingdom of God.  Using the case of Elisha bringing the dead son of the Shunammite woman back to life through the power of God, Spurgeon explained:

"The position of Elisha in this case is exactly your position, brethren, in relation to your work for Christ.  Elisha had to deal with a dead child.  It is true that, in his instance, it was natural death; but the death with which you have to come in contact is not the less real death because it is spiritual.  The boys and girls in your classes are as surely as grown-up people, "dead in trespasses and sins."  May none of you fail fully to realise the state in which all human beings are naturally found.  Unless you have a very clear sense of the utter ruin and spiritual death of your children, you will be incapable of being made a blessing to them.  Go to them, I pray you, not as to sleepers whom you can by your own power awaken from their slumber, but as to spiritual corpses who can only be quickened by a power divine.  Elisha's great object was not to cleanse the dead body, or embalm it with spices, or wrap it in fine linen, or place it in an appropriate posture, and then leave it still a corpse:  he aimed at nothing less than the restoration of the child to life.  Beloved teachers, may you never be content with aiming at secondary benefits, or even with realising them; may you strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls.  Your business is not merely to teach the children in your classes to read the Bible, not barely to inculcate the duties of morality, nor even to instruct them in the mere letter of the gospel, but your high calling is to be the means, in the hands of God, of bringing life from heaven to dead souls." (Spurgeon, C. H. C.H. Spurgeon's works as published in his monthly magazine The Sword and the Trowel. Vol. 1. Pasadena, TX: Pilgrim Publications, 1975. Print. pg. 100)

Spurgeon concluded the address with these searching thoughts:

"Ah!  My friend, may God in his mercy give you life, for how else can you expect to be the means of quickening others?  If Elisha had been a corpse himself it would have been a hopeless task to expect life to be communicated through placing one corpse upon another.  It is vain for that little class of dead souls to gather around another dead soul such as you are.  A dead mother frostbitten and cold cannot cherish her little one.  What warmth, what comfort can come to those who shiver before an empty grate?  And such are you.  May you have a work of grace in your own soul first, and then may the blessed and Eternal Spirit, who alone can quicken souls, make you to be the means of quickening many to the glory of his grace." (ibid. pg. 108)

Many people face teaching children with great trepidation often because of perceive personal weakness and insufficiency.  It would be atrocious to refuse to obey God's call to minister to children because of unbelief or sloth.  Are any sufficient for these things?  Aren't the things God has called us all to do utterly impossible for us, to bring a dead soul to life?  Yet what is impossible with men is easily accomplished by God in His time.  May God strip us of our self-confidence so we might seek Him earnestly and in weakness be made fruitful by the Holy Spirit.  Once we are quickened by the Holy Spirit who fills us in power, then we by His grace can bring His saving life to others.  Let us not be content to wax warm when we can be fanned into flame as a living sacrifice unto our LORD.

God's Friend

"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. ¹⁴  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you."

John 15:13-15

It is a common lament for people to feel they have no real friends.  This despairing feeling may arise when people do not rise to our expectations of what friends should be.  This overwhelming sense of friendlessness should never mark the life of a Christian, for Jesus has chosen us to be His friends.  Jesus called His disciples friends and demonstrated the reality of this through revelation from God.  He demonstrated His love through laying down His life on Calvary.  The big question is not if God is friendly towards us but are we truly His friends?  He has offered us unfailing friendship, but have we demonstrated we are His friends by obedience?

Abraham was a man scripture describes as a "friend of God."  His obedience of God's commands - not a profession of faith or theological system of belief - revealed him to be a friend of God.  James 2:21-23 said, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²²  Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? ²³  And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God."  Abraham showed genuine faith by his obedience to God.  Humans are good at being friendly to people we hardly know.  God has extended friendship to all, but if we will be His friend we must obey Him.  Those who are friends of God will receive additional revelations of God, for He speaks to His friends freely - even face to face.

Obedience to God's commands is a critical part of following Jesus as His disciple.  Matthew 28:18-20 reads, "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."  Jesus did not merely command those He commissioned to teach others all things He said but to teach "them to observe all things that I have commanded you."  As disciples of Jesus we are to do more than aim at teaching information but to live obediently whilst exhorting people to live in obedience to Christ's commands.  Once we are born again through faith in Jesus, we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to understand and live according to God's will, to love one another as He loves us.

People are happy with revelation without relationship.  They seek advice - even paying for it - to have insight into what is their best course of action.  God, on the other hand, reveals Himself so we might have a growing relationship with Him.  He puts Himself willingly in the vulnerable position of being rejected, though He will never reject one who comes to Him in faith.  The truth is, if we don't obey God, we won't grow.  The old song begins, "What a friend we have in Jesus..." and we will only begin to give this relationship the appreciation and attention it warrants when we are His friends through obedience.  Would God count you among His friends?

"Set It and Forget It!"

If you lived in the United States in the '90s and had a television, undoubtedly you were exposed to Ron Popeil selling his wares.  I remember how many times I saw him bustle through a kitchen in an apron demonstrating Ronco products.  Countless times during his pitches the famous inventor and pitchman repeated with an enthusiastic studio audience, "Set it and forget it!"  This memorable and simple phrase tapped into a desire which appeals to many people.  The selling point of the "Showtime Rotisserie" is how it produced consistent quality results with minimal effort.  People had better things to do than fiddle with timers and temperature controls, and the idea of setting and forgetting sounded great.  We all have enough to remember and worry about, right?  One issue Ron's clever catchphrase didn't address was how to remember to "set it" in the first place!

What is the typical human response when we can't forget about something?  We obsess over the thing.  We worry and lose sleep.  How we would love to just "Set it and forget it!" so our troubles would be over with minimal work and effort!  The truth may very well be the only thing you can "set and forget" is a rotisserie roast, chicken, or leg of lamb.  Something as simple as keeping the lawn green and weed-free can weigh upon a mind, and how much more do issues which arise from relationships or hurts from the past!  You cannot "set and forget" a marriage, parenting, home or car maintenance, or concerning following Jesus.  It is impossible for us to forget bad things which have happened or things people have said to us or about us.  At the same time we must progress through those things, for it we "set" on them our minds will be fixed on them.  Life is full of labour, and daily working out our salvation practically is what God has called us to do.  Jesus forbid His disciples to worry, something which comes as natural for humans as drawing breath.

Paul wrote in Philippians 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  Paul did not forget his past, but it no longer defined him.  He did not continually grieve his failures or take pride in his apparent success.  Like a chef carefully monitors the temperature of an oven, wok, or range, so Paul kept his attention dialed in on Jesus Christ and his call to follow.  Similar to a rotisserie oven Paul basically did one thing:  he pressed on with his life committed to Jesus Christ.  An upward call involves climbing and hard work, but God would be faithful to enable Paul to run with endurance the race set before him.  Through the Holy Spirit we are able to keep casting our cares upon Jesus because He cares for us.

"Set it and forget it!" may work for rotisserie chicken, but not for followers of Jesus Christ.  We are called to remember and proclaim the love of Jesus Christ demonstrated on the cross until He comes back.  We are to forget the things which are behind and reach forward to those things which are ahead, even if we do so with trepidation.  All the better for us if we do so with fear and trembling, for then we will be reminded to trust God with each step we take.  Praise the LORD, for He does not forget us!

For or Against You?

"And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me."

Genesis 42:36

After prayer this morning God spoke to me through His Word.  Whilst praying over problems and trials people are facing, there was a temptation to despair.  But immediately I thought better of it, for what is a problem in light of God's goodness and power?  Even if the whole world was against me and the forces of demonic evil unleashed with only me in those satanic sights, God remains good and in control!  Like Paul boldly said from experience after facing death every day, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) The very things Satan would employ to bring us to despair are the very things God can use to bring joy and salvation.

Don't believe me?  Jacob's response to his sons is a perfect demonstration of the reality God uses all things for the ultimate good of those who love Him and are the called according to His purposes.  Jacob had been told and was convinced his beloved son Joseph had died at 17 years old whilst on an errand for his dad.  After a famine overspread the land, Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to buy food.  His sons returned without Simeon who had been arrested because the harsh ruler of Egypt suspected them to be spies.  To prove their innocence the ruler demanded their youngest brother be brought back to Egypt, and only then would Simeon be released.  Jacob was overwhelmed with the situation and felt like everything was against him.  It was a lose-lose situation for a father still grieving the death of Joseph to hear Simeon was in prison and to free him he must part with Benjamin!

What Jacob didn't know was Joseph was not actually dead but was the harsh Egyptian ruler!  Instead of killing Jacob years earlier, his jealous brothers sold Joseph to slave traders who were heading to Egypt.  God miraculously brought Joseph out of prison at the age of 30 and promoted him to second in command in Egypt.  The Spirit of God gave Joseph wisdom to interpret dreams which foretold of a great famine and provided guidance on how to survive the famine.  Jacob wasn't seeing the situation clearly at all.  He accused his sons of bereaving him, but the reality was God sovereignly sent Joseph in Egypt to save countless lives - even the life of Jacob himself and his family.  Joseph acknowledged this before his brothers in Genesis 45:7:  "And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance."  The children Jacob loved dearly would only survive because of the very thing Jacob would have carried grieving to his grave.  Think about this.  The things Jacob believed were against him actually all were God's providence working for him and the salvation of nations.  A day came when they would all be joyfully reunited.

Could it be the very things you lament as being "against you" are working for your own salvation?  Instead of blaming God, accusing others of wrong, or stacking up all which appears to be against us in a pile that reaches to heaven, how much better is it for us to turn our gaze heavenward to our great God who loves us and will indeed work all miraculously for good? (Romans 8:28) The world may indeed be against you, but isn't God greater than the world?  Though Christ we can conquer even that which kills us.  Romans 8:35-39 says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶  As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." ³⁷  Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. ³⁸  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."