Words without Knowledge

“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?” (Job 38:1–2 NAS95)

Job had been stuck in a bad place - a grievous situation. We do not know just how long his misery lasted, but it was as bad as anything that we have ever experienced, and probably worse.

Job and his friends do what we all do in these kinds of situations - they try and make sense of it. They try and figure it out. They try and chart a course forward. We talk out of our own heads, out of our own wants, or we repeat the ideas of others. And the words and ideas toward which we gravitate are those words and ideas that make our situation more comfortable for ourselves. In the Book of Job, the natural gravitation was to either justify self (I didn’t do anything to deserve this); or justify God (He does what is right). 

We also are trying to make sense of our situation. We have lived under restrictions for some time due to a virus that is spreading around the world, and has hit some areas of our society pretty hard. There is a lot of energy to suppose who is to blame. We hear a variety of theories about how the virus works, and how long it will last. Much of this is “words without knowledge.” And because of so many unanswered questions about how the virus works, spreads, lasts … we gravitate toward opinions that we prefer, whether they are true or not.

Though I don’t know for sure, my own “words without knowledge” would be that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. This is not “just the flu,” and it’s also not the end of the world. I would like to think that the virus will not return in the Fall, but me wanting that to be true will not make it so. And so, a middle approach has been adopted by government, and our course has been to wait, and to wait. Our “words without knowledge” is just so much beating the air, since we don’t know, and we are waiting for clearance to meet, taking steps not to put others at risk.

While the Book of Job is filled with “words without knowledge,” it is also filled with waiting. In the end, we hear Job with these words once he has caught a sense of the unknowability of the wisdom and ways of God: Job 40:3 Then Job answered the LORD and said,  “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more.” It was a learning experience, but we wonder why it took 40 chapters to get there. How long will it take us?

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 5:9-10 - What Christ Has Done

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 5:9-10 - What Christ Has Done

Rev. 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying,“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, ¹⁰ and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

We have before us a climatic passage of redemptive history, with Christ at the center. We have a description of what Christ has done.

First of all, He was slain. This first action has a passive verb. That is, it was done to Him. He didn’t kill Himself, but He was killed. And yet, it is an action that He did in that He offered Himself; He allowed it to happen. This first action does not involve us personally. Sure, the results of this action have much to do with us, but the action itself is outside of us. Jesus did not offer Himself to be slain because we asked Him to; not because we had anything to do with motivating Him to do so. He did it because He chose to do so; because He Himself wanted to do so. And, the next two points could not have happened had He not accomplished the first. He was slain.

Secondly, He ransomed a people for God. That is, He purchased us. The price was His blood, and with His blood He purchased us from slavery. There has been a lot written over the years, debating to whom the ransom was paid. Some say it was paid to Satan. I don’t think this is correct. Jesus didn’t have to pay Satan off. We were not on the trading block. That’s the kind of deal that Satan tried to swing with Jesus in the temptation in the wilderness: “If you do this, I will give you this.” No, Jesus is pictured as the strong deliverer who overpowers the claims of Satan on us. So the ransom is paid not to Satan, but to the justice of God. He paid the penalty of our sin, under which we were bound. And we should understand, then, that Jesus, along with the Father, have placed great value upon us, and upon a relationship with us, as evidenced by the costly, sacrificial paying of this ransom.

Jesus died for us, and He saved us, redeemed us, through the paying of the ransom. But He did not just leave us sitting there, unchanged. He now steps beyond the actions that occur before us and above us, and now acts in us. “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God.” He makes us into something that we were not before. We were aliens and outcasts. Now we are citizens of a new kingdom. We belong. We were unclean and unworthy. Now we are called saints, and called to be priests, in touch with God, and called to His service.

The three-fold work of Christ as described in these verses is sweeping. May we live in the light of these actions. May we be thankful and gracious; consistently amazed and faithful.

The Outskirts of His Ways (Job 26:14)

The Outskirts of His Ways (Job 26:14)

“Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” (Job 26:14 ESV)

In the previous verses, the afflicted man, Job, has been recounting some of the wonders of God. I like the one in verse 7: ^“He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.” But after touching on all these things, Job admits that we still don’t know very much about God. We don’t know Him deeply. “These are but the outskirts of His ways.”

“Outskirts” is not a common word in my experience. NASB translates “outskirts” as “fringes,” and NIV has “outer fringe.” It seems to indicate that we have not penetrated very far into the Being of God. This is not necessarily because we have been negligent, but because He is so great. He is beyond us. God mercifully allows us to know what we can handle, but what we can handle is not all that much.

And yet, this shouldn’t dissuade us from pursuing a knowledge of God. God may make it difficult for us because He, in a complex way, is difficult. But He may also may make it difficult for us so that we will keep at it, as though we can only digest bits of wonderful knowledge about God in very small portions. The diligent will certainly ascertain more than the lazy.

Merriam-Webster indicates that “outskirts” is used outside the Bible primarily of the areas surrounding a city center, such as the suburbs. Someone may ask, “Have you been to Detroit?” A person might say, “Well, I’ve made it as far as Milford.” We can clearly say that even if a person has been to Milford, a village in SE Michigan, they have not been in Detroit, and they will have gained little knowledge of Detroit from their time in Milford. And you could make that same point by naming places even much closer to Detroit, but still not Detroit.

People around us say a lot of rather silly stuff about God, as though they have never been there, not even close. They don’t know Him. They are comfortable describing God as they see fit, probably in a way that is comfortable to themselves, or that suits their attitudes about God. But they don’t know Him, and they certainly don’t know Him well.

Job’s statement though, is a point of humility for all of us. Because none of us really knows Him well. But know Him, we must.

   

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 8:13 - Woes Compounded

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 8:13 - Woes Compounded

This is a post that I don’t want to write, because I don’t want to think about it. This is a post that you may not want to read. Here we are, in the midst of a pandemic that even the experts do not understand. It is wreaking havoc on peoples’ lives and livelihoods, and we do not know how it will manifest itself in the future. Then we read our Bibles, and in the Book of Revelation, we find a 3-fold presentation of woe’s - woes compounded. 

In fact, we are hearing something of this from a distance, even now. In eastern Africa, there is the growing presence of the coronavirus; they are now beginning to see a second wave of locusts; and they are continuing to experience vicious outbreaks of tribal/religious warfare. How will they handle it all? Well, they won’t. They do not have the health care systems, food delivery systems, or security systems to deal with any of these woes. Many will die. Many more will suffer, perhaps for the rest of their lives.

And the Book of Revelation sounds worse. I have more questions than answers about specific issues of interpretation in this book, and yet, it does say what it says. The first four trumpets blast in chapter 8, and the land and the seas and the waters and heavenly lights are decimated by a third. How do we measure these things? I don’t know, but does it even matter? It speaks of massive devastation.

Then, after those four trumpet blasts, there is the pronouncement of three woes at the blasts of the three remaining trumpets. These upcoming troubles will not be environmental, as were the first four trumpets. They will be spiritual. No, not spiritual in any good sense, but in an evil sense.

The shaft of the bottomless pit is opened, and ghastly things emerge, sent specifically to harm “only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” That is a vast portion of the population of the earth. Then four avenging angels are released to kill a third of mankind. Their description sounds like science fiction, but whatever their actual form, they will be real.

There is then a parenthesis in our text, and a couple other stories are told, before the last trumpet sounds at the end of chapter 11. When this last trumpet sounds, there is first the presentation of the heavenly scene that we have seen before in chapters 4 and 5, and then another story about the birth of the Messiah and the life of the church, and the opposition of Satan. This is where we find the next (last) woe (12:12), in which “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him.” He is prohibited from defeating the “woman” and her “male child,” and so, in fury, “he went off to make war on the rest of her offspring on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” 

In this passage, “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” are not left defenseless. They are kept by God, whose Christ has already achieved victory, though difficulties may remain. To be with Jesus, in any and every situation, is always the best place to be. To be anywhere else would be woeful. And one day, sin, and death, and the devil, will be put away forever.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 14:7 - Fear God; Give Glory; Worship

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 14:7 - Fear God; Give Glory; Worship

Three angels, all called “another angel,” come to speak. Each one speaks something different: the first, and eternal gospel; the second, a prophetic message of Babylon’s fall; the third, a warning about receiving the mark of the beast. Our 3’s exercise is from the first, and it involves our response to the eternal gospel.

⁷ and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”

It seems as though these three instructions, Fear God; give Him glory, and worship Him, all go together. Can you really worship God if you don’t fear Him? Can you give Him glory if you don’t worship Him? They are all of a piece.

But they are enumerated for a reason. I’m not sure that I have hold of the right reason, or the only reason. But let’s allow this list of three to force us to think about how we might approach God wrongly.

First of all, let’s take the opposite of “Fear God.” What would it be? Again, there may be many answers, but let me suggest, “Take God for granted.” Treat Him as if He were manageable, predictable. Suppose that He is bound by your purposes and expectations. Behave as though He can be bought off, as if we could cut a deal with Him.

The Book of Revelation, and the prophets of the Old Testament, show that the God of the Bible is complex. He is perfect in all His attributes. He is perfect in His love and compassion; He is also perfect in justice and judgment. This kind of God should frighten us a bit. He is all-everything. The totality of our lives is in His hand. The flow of world events is at His discretion. He hates sin. While none of these statements stand alone, they still stand. And when we begin to see something of the stature of this God, we recognize that we are as dust mites before Him. 

What is the opposite of “give Him glory?” That seems rather easy. “Steal His glory.” Make it about yourself. Take credit for all that you are and all that you have. Certainly the flip side of this is that we blame someone else for everything that we don’t want to take credit for. But this is the self-centered notion that the world should revolve around me. Everything is in orbit to me. And if something or someone, even God, does not cooperate, I will react.

When we become a child of God through faith in Christ, what a cosmic change should happen in our whole perspective. The center of the universe shifts, away from me, and puts God squarely at the center. We wonder how often, and in how many cases, this actually happens. Contemporary Christianity seems to allow for a lot of self at the center. I certainly can see it in my own experience.

Worship God. Here, the opposite is more troublesome than “don’t worship God.” Because we were made to worship. Even if we don’t worship God, we were still created by Him, and we were created to worship Him. Now, as fallen sinners, we are able, and driven, to worship something other than God. So the opposite is “worship something, anything, other than God.” It can be a person or a thing or an idea. It can be ourselves or someone else. It can be multiple things.

A proper understanding of who God is will draw fear and awe from us. We will see glory as something that belongs to Him, and what He deserves. We will discover worship to be one our highest privileges, so much so, that we do it whether we sing in an ensemble, or do the dishes.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 17:14 - Called, Chosen, and Faithful

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 17:14 - Called, Chosen, and Faithful

“These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14 NAS95)

Opposition to Jesus will last until the very end. It is a reminder for us that things will get worse before they get better. But the Book of Revelation is also a reminder that our Lamb is, and will be, “Lord of lords and King of kings.” That is, we are assured of His victory in the end, and of our victory with Him.

We have a three-fold description of “those with him.” They are “called, chosen, and faithful.” These are not the most usual ways that we think of ourselves. They can be intimidating words, and have sparked many arguments over the years. Let’s see if we can gain a little bit of fresh perspective.

When Peter first preached in Jerusalem once the Holy Spirit had descended on the apostles, he quoted Joel 2, which says “all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Christians are those who call upon the name of the Lord. And if you are a Christian, it is because you have called on Jesus’ name for salvation, and all that it involves. There are no Christians who have not called on Jesus.

But what this first terms suggests is that while we call, it is a call in response to God’s call. Just like in the Garden, when Adam said, “Here I am,” he was calling in response to God’s call, “Adam, where are you?” Certainly God’s call is not always, and not ordinarily audible. His call may come through a human voice or message, or through a recollection of something that you were taught earlier. But our God is a calling God, and every Christian, that is, those who have answered the call, - every Christian has been called.

Similarly, if you are a follower of Jesus, it is at least partly because you have chosen to do so. No one is a Christian against their will. God made us with a will, and while there is a great deal of contentious discussion about how that will is able to function in sinners (and, we are all sinners), there is a choosing on our part that is necessary. Once again, Peter, in that first sermon, is asked by his hearers, “What shall we do?” Peter answers, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.” Not all the listeners heeded this call. Only those who chose to do so. 

But once again, we find that God’s choosing is a step ahead of our choosing. First of all, Jesus, clearly, is God’s Chosen One. He has been selected by God for the special role and purpose of being our Redeemer. And all who choose the Chosen One are themselves chosen ones. We participate in his chosen-ness. This subject goes even deeper than this. But we will leave it here for now.

The third word is “faithful.” This one seems more accessible to us, though not as accessible as we might imagine. Certainly if we are immersed in grace, then we ought to be gracious; and if we have received mercy, then we ought to be merciful; and if we have responded in true, saving faith, then we ought to be faithful. It is not that these are merely Christian duties. It is the natural and necessary follow-up to God’s actions toward us. And since He has shown great faithfulness to us in sending His Son “while we were yet sinners,” then faithfulness is a natural and necessary response on our part, even though we are oftentimes dismayed at the failings of our faithfulness, or the shortness of our mercy, or the shallowness of our graciousness.

In the end, we will be with Jesus as the “called, chosen, and faithful.” Let’s walk with Jesus in those ways today, knowing that God has worked these things for us, even as He is always at least a step ahead of us.

When God Re-Engineers

God engineered the first creation. He designed it, and created it. As we know, Adam and Eve sinned, and so the whole creation bears the brunt of the curse. Therefore, everything in this world is more or less “bent” or “twisted.” Instead of living our lives in love of God and others, we find ourselves to be turned in on our own selves.

But thankfully, Scripture indicates that God is not done with us yet. There will be a new heavens and new earth. One description of this re-engineered world is found in Ezekiel 47, where three amazing evidences of a brand new world that operates according to different patterns are revealed.

First we have a stream of water that proceeds from the Temple of God. It must be good water, life-giving water. And yet, at first, we find that “the water was trickling out on the south side.” Just a trickle (v.2). Will it run dry. Ezekiel is led through the water, barely wetting the bottoms of his sandals, but as he goes further, it becomes ankle-deep. The water is now soaking his socks. In verse 4, it is knee-deep, and then waist-deep. In verse 5, it is deep enough to swim in.

This is not how flowing water works. As it flows, it dissipates. But according to God’s re-engineering, it grows richer, deeper, fuller.

Secondly, we find water the flows through the desert and toward the sea. Surprisingly, “when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh” (v. 8). Again, that’s now how it works. When fresh waters flows to the salt-water sea in our world, it becomes salty as well. This is like the one good apple turning the rotten apples good again. What a God-enchanted world!

Finally, we find on the banks of the river of this stream that flows ever deeper from the Temple of God to the sea, refreshing and reclaiming as it goes - we find “all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they all bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and the leaves for healing” (verse 12). Again, we are familiar with seasonal cycles of plants. God has His own blessed ideas.

Is it little wonder then that humanity would say, “Give me this water” (John 4:15). To have this world re-engineered; to have our lives re-engineered - that will be glory.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 19:1 - Belong to God, and only to God

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 19:1 - Belonging to God, and to God Alone

Rev. 19:1   After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;

Salvation, glory and power belong to our God, and only to our God. We use these three words in a number of ways, but when they are used in this way, they belong to our God, and only to our God. Salvation belongs to Him. Glory belongs to Him. Power belongs to Him.

All other salvations are derived. It is common today for politicians to say they are taking measures regarding to the pandemic to save lives. That is a completely different use of the word “save.” In fact, I think it’s a wrong use of that word. They may be credited with prolonging life. But that is different from saving. It could be, and no one knows for sure, that in some extreme cases, isolating at home could actually lead to death. No one here on earth is actually very good at “saving,” even in the short term, let alone eternally.

But our God is a saving God. There are many terms that we could use to describe God, but “saving” is certainly one of the major ones. “Salvation belongs to our God.” He delights to save. He purposes to save. He has saved; He does save; and He will save.

Likewise, glory belongs to God, and to God alone. Admittedly, we give respect, or honor to certain individuals all the time. We fête individuals and teams who win their events or championships. You could use the word “glorify” in a weaker way to describe what we do in these circumstances. But sometimes, we end up embarrassed about our human glorifying. When Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven times, he was “glorified.” Then, years later, we learned that he stole an advantage by cheating, by doping. Now all that glory is mixed with shame.

This will never happen in the glorification of God. When all is said and done, it will be pure glory. It is not so now. In this world, people steal glory from God to reapportion it as they will, and further, they shame God because He does not meet their expectations. But in the end, all of those twisted efforts will be silenced and brought to an end, and God, and God alone, will be glorified as He deserves.

Thee is a lot of power in the world. Machine power has reigned over the past century or so. Chemical power, nuclear power, virus power - they all are known in the world, for both good and evil. These powers are either admired or feared. They are often abused.

But these powers are all, each and every one, built into creation by the One who has all power. They are lent to us, and we dig them out of the secrets of creation. Because this world is fallen, these powers are often used for ill. But one day, we will all recognize that all power belongs to God, and the power He lends to us will be used only for good, in keeping with the good purposes of God.

“Salvation, glory and power belong to God.” They belong to God alone. Let’s make sure to give Him the credit He deserves today.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 19:7-8 - Rejoice, Be Glad, Give Glory

Rev. 19:7 “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Revelation 19 is near the end of the Bible. It speaks of the near-completion of the plan of God; the fulfillment of the promises of God. It is the triumph of a mission that seemed impossible: the redemption of fallen humanity, and the vindication of the wisdom and goodness of God. And for this, we respond with rejoicing, gladness, and the giving of glory to the One to Whom it is deserved.

We live as humans in this world, and we are surrounded by a thousand graces every single day. And, fittingly, we rejoice and are glad and give glory for these “little things.” They include our responses to people around us; thanks for a meal; listening to the birds sing and blossoms bloom. But as we respond to these things, we remember that it is a tempered rejoicing and a conditioned gladness. Our hearts are also heavy for concern for people; the realization that there are people whose tables are more bare than filled; a sadness for those who miss the birds and the buds because of prison walls or hospital beds. This is a sin-cursed world and we can’t really get away from it.

Also, we have to confess that at times, we rejoice and are glad for the wrong things. When we succumb to the fleshly temptation to compare ourselves with others, we find that we rejoice at our gain at others’ expense. And we fail by giving glory to someone or something else other than God. Yes, we should give credit where credit is due. But ultimately, all glory goes to God, because no one/nothing would accomplish a single good thing apart from the grace and goodness of God.

We must learn to anticipate the day when our rejoicing, gladness, and giving glory to God will be unmitigated by the pull of the flesh and the influence of the world. There is coming a day when sin and death will be no more, and when every tear will be wiped away. In that day, in that context, we will have opportunity to take part in a rejoicing, gladness, and giving of glory to God that will be of a heavenly order. Let’s not forget that God finishes what He starts; He brings every project to completion; and that He always keeps His promises.

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 22:17 - Reciprocal Invitations

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 22:17 - Reciprocal Invitations

“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17 NAS95)

Three times in one verse we have the invitation, “Come.” Two are stated in the form of address, “say, ‘Come.’” The latter two are exhortations: “let the one …” 

So let’s ask the question, “Who is speaking in each of these cases?” The Spirit and the Bride are identified. That is, the Spirit of Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ speak together (what a wonderful thought) to invite Jesus to come. If the Church is actively inviting Jesus to come, it is because they are listening to the Spirit. And if the Church is not actively inviting Jesus to come, then they are out of step with the Spirit. We ought to have the same anticipation for the coming of Jesus that the Spirit of Christ has.

The second subject is singular, “Let the one who hears say, “Come.” We know from Scripture that not everyone who has ears actually hears. We can hear without listening (so, not really hearing). We can listen without responding (so, not really listening). And so this phrase implies an engagement on the part of the person to actually desire and anticipate the coming of Jesus. When we have truly “heard,” we have then come to deeply believe something about the plan of God (that Jesus is coming again), and about the need of our own souls for a final deliverance from the presence of sin. 

The third subject is different, in that he does not say to Jesus, “Come.” Rather, he is urged to come himself. He is thirsty, and he is encouraged to come to Christ for the satisfaction of his soul. It is the Gospel invitation. “Come to Jesus!” It echoes the Gospel call repeated in the pages of Scripture: 

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters;  And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk 
Without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1 NAS95)

““Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NAS95)

And so the Church, and of Her churches, are to be involved in a two-fold invitation: to invite Christ to return, and to return soon; and, to invite those who are thirsty to come to Christ, and to do so urgently, before the Day of His coming. Are we doing these two things?

Thinking in 3’s - Revelation 22:7,12,20

Thinking in

3’s - Revelation 22:7,12,20

I’ve been reading through the Bible backwards, and on the last page of my Bible, Jesus says three times, “I am coming soon.”

We realize that Jesus said these words to John at the end of the 1st century. We are now living in the first part of the 21st century. A lot of years have come and gone. A lot of centuries have come and gone. Two millennia. It’s a long time.

And yet, one of the first responsibilities for Christians, along with “keep on believing” and “keep on following” is to honor God’s Word. And the fact that this phrase, “I am coming soon” is here repeated three times only emphasizes that fact all the more. 

Revelation 22:6 says, “These words are trustworthy and true.” The sentence right after our first instance of “I am coming soon” is this: “Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” In verse 9, both John and the angel are numbered alongside “those who keep the words of this book,” all of whom are to “Worship God.” Verses 18 and 19 add a warning to any lest they add to or take away from the words of the book. Our fidelity to Christ is tied up with taking this promise, “I am coming soon,” seriously.

The second occurrence of “I am coming soon” is accompanied by a promise “to repay each one for what has done.” This promise serves as a motivation for each of us to examine how we live, and to “wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.” That is, we are to seek to live in the light of our justification and sanctification. We do not make ourselves righteous before God, but we can walk in keeping with the righteousness that we have graciously received. We are, as it were, engaged to Christ. We are awaiting His coming for the wedding and the party. And we want nothing to sully our readiness and enjoyment of that day. So far as we know, it could be today. Are we ready?

The third instance of “I am coming soon” occurs in the next-to-last verse of the Bible. The final verse is a commendation of our Lord’s grace to all believers. So just as sure as we stand in need of God’s grace every single day, we just as surely need to remember the promise of Jesus’ coming every single day. 

This simple little phrase reminds us that life will not always be as it is now. The “world order” is going to change. Almost everything we can think of will be radically changed. Jesus will be King. All enemies will be dealt with. Sin and death will be no more. Fellowship will be pure and sweet. Every act will be done with joy, in the worship of God. And it all hinges on this little promise, repeated three times on the last page of the Bible: “I am coming soon.”

What Has Been Gained?

True confessions. I didn’t realize until I was sitting reading my Bible this morning that I had not written a newsletter this week. So, instead of Thursday (which is my goal), here are some thoughts from my Saturday morning devotions. I’m reading right now in Ecclesiastes, Ezekiel, and Romans. I think the cross-fertilization that takes place can be helpful.

Solomon asks in Ecclesiastes, “What has been gained?” He says, repeatedly, that there is so much “striving after wind.” Think of that word picture. What is gained by chasing a gust of wind?

You start a small business. You purchase and manufacture and transport and sell. A whole lot of activity. The frenzied activity proves the fruitfulness, right? No, that’s not right. At some point in the future, perhaps when you do your taxes, you take a look at the bottom line, and behold, nothing was gained. In fact, in many cases, something has been lost. You might get a letter from the IRS stating that your business is in fact, not a business, but a hobby. And, if you want to pour time and energy, and money, into a hobby, that’s allowed. What is gained is your pleasure and satisfaction, but certainly not any assistance to the bottom line.

Ezekiel 33:31 says that “their heart is set on gain.” Their desire is sincere. But that doesn’t mean anything is actually gained. In many cases, we will only know far in the future. The Iraq invasion. What was gained? What was lost? The impeachment proceedings. What was gained? What was lost? Weeks to months indoors. What was gained? What was lost? Eating an apple a day. What was gained, or lost?

Historians says that you cannot write a proper history of a president for at least ten years after their presidency. It might be even longer than that. Why? Because we cannot judge the real fallout in a short time. In fact, it seems that we are naturally wired to evaluate gains only in the short term, which is why Ezekiel is right: people’s hearts really are set on gain. It’s just that they only find out later that little was gained, and much was lost.

Finally, in Romans 4:1, Paul asks what Abraham gained “according to the flesh.” The answer. Nothing. What we gain is not from ourselves, but from Christ: “so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 5:21). In short, in Christ, there is much to be gained.

Thinking in 3’s: Ezekiel 7:11

Thinking in 3’s: Ezekiel 7:11

^“Violence has grown up into a rod of wickedness. None of them shall remain,

1. nor their abundance, 
2. nor their wealth; 
3. neither shall there be preeminence among them.”

Ezekiel is a thick book. It is heavy with judgment. It is full of 3rd person metaphors, in which the prophet’s role-playing is actually part of the message - and these role-plays can be gut-wrenching. It is also, though, a book of great hope and promise. This is not one of those hope and promise passages. It describes a condition that needs to be amended.

Ezekiel leads up to our list of 3 with a couple other lists of 3’s. In verses 2 and 3, Ezekiel says, “An end! The end has come …; Now the end is upon you.” Also, in verses 5 and 7, around a two-fold repetition of the word “end,” we have this list of 3: Disaster; doom; and tumult.

The list of 3 that comes next is a description of the loss which the people should expect in light of their sinfulness. “Abundance; wealth; and preeminence.”

It is not difficult to understand the change in condition that the people should expect. Instead of abundance, there would be scarcity. Instead of wealth, poverty; instead of preeminence, inferiority.

In general terms, God desires that His people experience abundance, wealth, and pre-eminence. This can certainly mean different things at different times, and does not always translate into material or worldly abundance, wealth, and preeminence. Job lost his material abundance, but gained so much more in his knowledge and appreciation of God. Monetary wealth may be confiscated, but no one can touch “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Believers have preeminence in that they belong to God’s forever family, and that God directs special favor toward His children, and yet we are told that the world will hate us. 

But it seems in Ezekiel, the loss of abundance, wealth and preeminence signal the loss not only of material benefits, but evidences of spiritual benefit as well. Ezekiel is directed to write in verse 8, “I will soon pour out my wrath upon you, and spend my anger against you.” This signals a break in their relationship with God - certainly not a final break; but certainly a dramatic disruption.

I have two applications in mind. The first of these is that God’s gifts can easily be mis-used by individuals and the church at large to lead us to take God for granted. We receive gifts of abundance, wealth, and preeminence, and then, strangely, begin to think that we deserve these things, or that we earned these privileges for ourselves. This is a dangerous attitude, and sinful, in that it steals glory from God. It proves that this people had lost a sense of humility and thankfulness.

The second application should be a return to the fear of the Lord, in that a loss of abundance, wealth, and preeminence would be devastating. Being consigned as an individual, as a church, as a nation, to scarcity, poverty, and inferiority carries with it amazing loss of opportunity and freedom. It turns people into serfs and slaves. It sinks us so low, that the only way to look is up.

And isn’t that God’s goal? That we would look up? And is it possible that individual believers and communities of faith might be faithful in looking up now, in humility and thankfulness; in a healthy, holy fear of the Lord, even though we still enjoy so much abundance, wealth and preeminence? Because we do not - we must not - take it for granted. God has indeed blessed us. Let us bless God for His goodness.