Reasoning Together

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Isaiah 1:18

There is a great example in the Bible of people reasoning together during the siege of Abel.  After David was restored to the throne in Jerusalem, a rebel named Sheba the son of Bichri blew a trumpet and gathered men after himself.  Joab received word that Sheba had taken shelter in Abel of Bethmaachah, and therefore he built a siege mound and battered the wall to bring it down.  2 Samuel 20:16-19 records, "Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, Hear! Please say to Joab, 'Come nearby, that I may speak with you.' " ¹⁷ When he had come near to her, the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your maidservant." And he answered, "I am listening." ¹⁸ So she spoke, saying, "They used to talk in former times, saying, 'They shall surely seek guidance at Abel,' and so they would end disputes.¹⁹  I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?"  Some people were prepared to hunker down behind their walls without negotiation, but not this wise woman.

2 Samuel 20:20-22 says, "And Joab answered and said, "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹ That is not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city." So the woman said to Joab, "Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall." ²² Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem."  Joab informed the woman he held no ill will against her or the city, nor was he intent on destroying Abel.  The problem was a rebellious man had sought shelter within Abel, and if she would agree to deliver him all would be well.  The woman said decisively, "His head will be thrown to you over the wall."  She consulted with the people in the city and they agreed:  why risk the safety of their families, children, home and future to shelter a wicked man?  Once his head was thrown over the wall and identified, Joab called off the siege and returned to Jerusalem.

The situation in Abel is one which commonly plays out in the lives of God's people.  At times our hearts, minds, and deeds are rebellious before the LORD and we bring ourselves under His judgment.  We do not reason with Him as equals but as His subjects - like the wise woman with the general of the army of Israel who acted on king David's command.  The woman and the people of the city were free to harbour the king's enemy, but if they chose this course they would be forced to deal with the consequences.  Only after the head of Sheba was thrown over the wall was the siege lifted and the city safe from harm.  Assurances of Sheba's innocence or claims the king's demand was unreasonable were not enough to call off the attack of the city, and refusal to heed God's commands leads to discipline and strong judgment.  If the people of the city saw the sense in surrendering the head of Sheba to save themselves, city, and families, why don't we always see the sense in surrendering our sin or weights which easily encumber us?  Should we defend what God has condemned?

Consider the practical implications for a city besieged by a strong army.  At first there may only be a negligible effect, but the inhabitants of the city are forced to wait around to die.  When a city is besieged no one is permitted to enter or leave so trade and communication ceases.  Before long those under siege suffer shortages of food and water, their homes, gates, and walls take damage from barrages, and the mental strain of having the enemy at the gates quickly begins to take a physical and mental toll.  Would you say this city under siege well represents a soul labouring under sins not repented of?  Praise the LORD God has drawn near to us with conditions of peace through the Gospel:  if we will confess our sins and repent, He is faithful to forgive us.  But understand that if we will not surrender Sheba or whatever is demanded by our King we will have no peace.  Those are His conditions, and they are altogether reasonable.  What a joy to have the siege lifted and once again have freedom, good food, clean water, communication, and security restored!

Blessed In All Things

"Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things."

Genesis 24:1

When I read this verse last night, a slow smile spread across my face.  Think of it!  The LORD had blessed Abraham in all things:  he had been blessed in his travels, in his marriage, with his children, in necessities, in growing older, and even concerning his temporal and eternal future.  There was no part of his life which had not been blessed by God.  This means he was blessed by God even before he knew God or believed Him!  How great is our God to bless in such a manner.  But having said this, often our ability to receive and walk fully in the blessings God provides is conditional.  

Do you want to be blessed by God?  Blessed is the man who delights in God's Law and shuns evil (Psalm 1).  The one who has clean hands a pure heart by grace through faith in God is blessed (Psalm 24:3-6).  Jesus listed many conditional blessings in Matthew 5:3-12:  "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ¹¹ "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

This list provided by Jesus reveals our natural concept of "blessings" and God's descriptions are often fundamentally different from one another.  We think we are "blessed" with good health, and so we are.  But God is able to bless us in poor health, even as God blessed Abraham in all things.  We think of being blessed when we have a near-miss which could have been disastrous, but God blesses us in disasters.  When the world is falling apart and we are splitting at the seams, through faith in God we are blessed in all things.  Praise the LORD His blessing is not dependent on circumstances or our perfect performance, but is according to His grace, goodness, and unfailing promises.  Can you identify with these words spoken of Abraham, that the LORD has blessed you in all things?  May He open our eyes to say with all our hearts, "Yes, indeed He has!"

Standing Firm

Yesterday the results of the Australian same-sex marriage survey were revealed.  The LGBTI community and their supporters celebrated a strong majority result.  Though the laws have not yet been changed to reflect this result, the government and members of parliament are working to pass legislation changing the Australian constitution to approve gay marriage.  In the context of our secular society this result does not at all come as a surprise to me.  I am without fear; I am not worried for in Christ I stand firm.  I am resigned to acknowledge the opinion of the majority of Australians, but that does not deem it righteous.

And this is the place where the victory for same-sex marriage rings hollow:  even when the government legalises and acknowledges gay couples as married, the perversion of God's institution of marriage will never be acceptable in the eyes of God and many who hold a biblical worldview.  My heart breaks to consider the smiles and celebrations will quickly fade into disillusionment, frustration, and anger this result will not provide the kind of acceptance and "equality" many long for.  I am convinced the definition of marriage established by God cannot be altered by the legislation of men.  God's Word cannot be broken, and in Him I place my trust.  His approval is everything.  I love people who identify as gay and understand their desire to marry even as heterosexuals do, but my loyal adherence to the scriptures will likely be viewed as hate and bigotry.  Such is life for born again Christians.

People in the world will do what is right in their own eyes, but followers of Christ are exhorted to hold fast to God's righteous standards as revealed in scripture.  The Bible which clearly illuminates the way of salvation through the Gospel also says all will be judged by God according to their works.  All professing Christians ought to take heed to God's warning, for He has pronounced great woe upon His people who forsook His ways and approved of wickedness as it is written in Isaiah 5:20-21:  "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"  Many believers have been duped to think they can follow Jesus and celebrate abomination, but this is impossible.  The New Testament passage Romans 1:32 plainly states those who approve and consent to any manner of depravity endanger their own lives and souls.

When we chose to follow Jesus, remaining loyal and obedient to His Word is what we signed up for.  Whilst the world celebrates and rejoices Australia is now "on the right side of history" concerning the approval of gay marriage, I rejoice to hold fast to the truth of God's Word without apology.  I make no claim of perfection or being "holier than thou," but by God's grace He will enable me and all God's children to stand firm in the faith.  These are troubling times, but we have all the security, joy, and hope we need in Jesus.  We ought to rejoice and lift our heads because the day of our salvation draws nigh.  All is exactly as our Saviour foretold in His Word, and He will never leave or forsake us.  He gives peace not as the world gives, an enduring peace which passes understanding.

Narrow Truth and Broader Views

As we follow Jesus Christ and mature in faith and knowledge of His Word, He broadens our understanding.  Studying the scriptures led by the Holy Spirit enables us to connect ideas which provide greater insight into God's truth.  When I was a child after I knew how to count I enjoyed dot-to-dot puzzles.  What began as a mess of dots and numbers became a recognisable object which could be coloured in with crayon.  In a similar way, the more we heed the scriptures the better we comprehend what the Bible says, what it means, and how to rightly apply it in our lives.

Looking back, I believe my views of scripture used to be more rigid than they are now.  My views were rigid because my understanding was limited.  Truth and the Christian walk is narrow, and we cannot deviate from obedience to God and His Word.  We do not need to compromise truth to hold a broader view than we once did.  I have held views in the past which were not wrong in themselves, but I was wrong because I restricted the truth to my current personal view.  We all run the risk of parroting what we have heard from a pastor without critical thought or searching the scriptures ourselves.  We can allow a verse or pet-doctrine to direct us down a familiar track of thought like a dog running a well-worn circuit in the backyard when the gate is open and a world of discovery awaits.

There are people I highly respect, people I am convinced are anointed by the Holy Spirit and called to teach, yet based on my understanding of scripture I am not in full agreement with their Bible interpretation on particular points.  For instance, I recently heard a Bible teacher say leaven always represents sin in the parables of Jesus.  Since the Bible does not explicitly say this, it seems to be a narrow view which disregards the context of each parable.  I agree it is true leaven is commonly used to represent sin, I believe it is a mistake to say it always represents or is a "type" of sin (see Matt. 13:33).  It is commonly taught all birds in the parables represent evil or satanic influence, and whilst this is the given interpretation in one Parable of the Sower it is dangerous to attribute "type" status to birds without considering the context.  These assumptions cause us to read into the text rather than observing the context and interpreting correctly.  Wrong interpretation leads to incorrect application.  Parables are not the only tricky part of scripture to rightly interpret and apply.  Poetry, prophecy, and many hard sayings of the Bible make studying it a most rigorous and challenging exercise.  Without God's help, we could never understand or unravel it.

Praise the LORD for His wisdom and patience with me and all children of God.  My understanding has been expanded from the days of my youth, and undoubtedly there are many areas where I remain in the dark.  We too should be patient with others whose views seem unnecessarily rigid because we too are naturally like them.  A teacher of scripture who will not be taught by God or men is of no value, so let us remain humble and open.  Though there will be differences of opinion on secondary doctrines among genuine believers, let us be gracious - not threatened or suspicious.  Let us respond as Apollo when loving believers pulled him aside and explained the Gospel to Him more perfectly.  He received their correction with joy and boldly spoke the truth in love.  Sometimes we are the ones to come alongside in a spirit of gentleness to instruct and correct.  Love does not compromise truth, but it is willing to speak the truth for the restoration of others.