A Royal Priesthood

 A Royal Priesthood

In the United States, we may not have much appreciation for with of the terms in the title, things royalty, or priestly. 

In the Bible, the Old Testament priesthood and the kingship were kept separate from each other. Remember the first king, Saul, who stepped into the priest’s role and performed a sacrifice (a priestly function) just before he was to lead the troops into battle (a kingly function). As a result, God removed him and his family from the throne. Less well-known is the case of the king, Uzziah, who stubbornly offered incense despite the protests of the priests, and was immediately stricken with leprosy. The two don’t go together.

Except with Melchizedek, the mysterious king who appears to Abram after the battle with the kings to recover kidnapped Lot. There is no doubt that Mel- is a king (melech is Hebrew for king). He is king of the city that would later be called Jerusalem. And he brings Abram bread and wine, a priestly function.

Samuel is an interesting figure, his tribal identity a bit conflicted, “donated” to the tabernacle after his miraculous birth (not virgin, but barren). He continues to serve after Eli, the priest’s household is removed from service due to corruption. He rules in the days when Israel has no king. There is a strong flavor or “royal priesthood” in this character who, like Melchizedek, prefigures Christ.

And then there is Jesus, who is Prophet, Priest, and King. He is the One who fulfills all three functions, fully integrated, and in a deeper way than every before. He is the One who speaks the Word, but He Himself is the Word; He functions as priest, but He Himself is the sacrifice. He rules as king for the good of the people, so much so that He gives His life for the people. 

And then, followers of Jesus step into this train. We are called by Peter “a royal priesthood.” We are kings and priests. Now let’s be a bit careful here. Everything we do, we do is in submission to Christ. I am a pastor, a shepherd of the flock, but I must always remember (and you should too) that I am an undershepherd, under the Overshepherd. And so we all, who are followers of Jesus, are kings and priests, under His ministry and rule. We are under-priests and under-kings, and we have no authority apart from Him. But yet, the church is called “a royal priesthood.” He has invested us with this privilege that we might be witnesses/doers of justice and peace; of compassion and truth in a world that has so little of any of these things - a little like Melchizedek, and prayerfully, a lot like Jesus.

Is not My Word like Fire, and like a Hammer that Shatters a Rock? (Jeremiah 23:29)

Is not My Word like Fire, and like a Hammer that Shatters a Rock?         (Jeremiah 23:29)

These words from the LORD may sound threatening. I don’t believe they are meant to be so. They are being contrasted with the words of the shepherds, priests, and prophets of Israel who are talking out of their own heads, not speaking the Word of the LORD. Their words are likened to straw.

Rather, God’s Word is effective. Yes, God’s Word is effective in that it convicts of sin. Paul describes his use of God’s Word in this way: 2Cor. 10:4 “for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵ We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” And indeed that can be a painful process in the life of an individual. And yet it is the path to being “a new creature in Christ” (2 Cor 5:17). The point of “fire” and “hammer” in our title verse is not that they are threatening, but that they are effective in bringing about needed change in one’s life. The “straw” of the false prophets, even though preferred by listeners, proves to be useless.

But there is another point for us to apply. The Word of God is effective because it is the Word of God. Christians sometimes think their job is to “burn” people with fiery Bible verses or to “hammer” people with powerful rebukes. That is not the meaning of these images. The Bible simply is powerful. Simply and clearly present the Bible’s teaching to people, and the effectiveness of the Bible will do its own work. We do not need to turn the Bible into a weapon, much less a terrorist tool.

This is similar to images that Jesus uses in the sermon on the Mount immediately after the Beatitudes, that Christians are to be salt and light. Some Christians interpret this to mean that they are to go about spitting in someone’s eye with salty spit, or to “light up” someone with a condemning remark. This cannot be right, since it leads the so-called Christian to abandon the very characteristics that were taught in the previous verses, like meekness and mercy, purity and peacemaking. When Christians behave in this way, they are anything but meek.

No, Christians are simply to be Christians, and the effect will be salt and light as people see and hear the difference in their life and love. And, the Word of God is to be taught and shared, and the very character of the Word of God is effective in and of itself to change lives, having already changed the person who is speaking that Word.

What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

 What god is there who can deliver you out of my hands? (Daniel 3:15)

The story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is well-known, found in Daniel 3. These three friends of Daniel are captives in Babylon, and the king, Nebuchadnezzar, has not yet been humbled  by God. He has built a statue in honor of himself and is commanding that everyone assemble and bow to it on signal. The three young men have refused, and now they are being given their last chance:

Dan. 3:15 “Now if you are ready, at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?”

The story is highly stylized and polished, and the repeated references to musical instruments and fiery furnace indicates that Nebuchadnezzar was conditioning the people to respond to his whims as though they were lab rats or Pavlov’s dogs. But not all the rats and dogs were complying.

We are all conditioned in certain ways, even to the point of being conditioned to resist being conditioned, or not. We live by patterns much of the time. But these boys were not having it. They stood against the authorities and the compliance of the masses, and they stood for their faith for their God.

Dan. 3:16 “Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. ¹⁷ “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. ¹⁸ “But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

The one, living and true God is able to deliver. He does it in different ways and at different times, though He has done it chiefly in the gift of His Son to die on the cross and rescue us from ourselves and this world system that has only temporary blessings to offer. God’s deliverance may be temporal, evidenced over the centuries and around the world, but often His deliverance waits for eternity, in which death is vanquished and life is everlasting. Faith in this God allows us to “stand against,” and also to “stand for.”

Can a Man make for Himself gods? (Jeremiah 16:20)

 Can a Man make for Himself gods? (Jeremiah 16:20)

This question in Jeremiah’s prophecy comes at the end of a strong prediction of judgment on the people for their idolatry. Their forefathers pursued false gods, and now the current generation has immersed itself in idolatry even more fully.

But the question stands: Can a man make for himself gods? And the answer is yes, and no.

Of course humanity has delved into idolatry throughout history. The prophets have multiple illustrations of the foolishness of picking out a piece of wood, cutting it in half, burning half for warmth while he fashions the other half into an idol before which he will bow and worship. Over the one half, he roasts a rabbit. Out of the other half, he carves a rabbit and worships it. 

This is clearly a violation of the second commandment, which prohibits the making of a graven image for God. And yet these “craftsmen” would form a god from their own imaginations and depict it in physical form

And so today, we have our material gods formed from human hands, lavishing time and attention upon these objects and, in a real sense, worshipping them. But all of these things will rust, like a car; or leak, like a boat

But it is not only material gods that are a problem. There are also non-material gods, depicted in the first commandment: “Thou shall  have no other gods before Me.” These can be ideas or ideals that we prize above God; philosophies and principles - all of which may be dear to us.

Religious freedom and freedom of speech are among these. Democracy or capitalism might be high ideals. Limited government or fiscal restraint may be highly valued. And these things are not necessarily wrong, just as cars and boats are not necessarily wrong. But they are not to be worshipped. I don’t even like the word “enshrined,” as some of these concepts are described when found in our Founding documents. God is God alone, and He alone is to be worshipped.

Our little verse, Jeremiah 16:20, has been only half quoted. The first half is a critical question: “Can a man make himself gods?” The second half is the reply: “Yet they are not gods!” Contrary to expectation, they cannot deliver or save. They have no eternal value. They are subject to change. Unlike the living God whom we worship.

No More Pronouns!

 No More Pronouns!

I applied for a job recently and was asked if I would agree to only use the preferred pronouns of fellow workers. I said, “No, I’ll go you one better. I won’t use any pronouns at all, and I forbid anyone to use any pronoun to refer to me. And from this moment on, other persons may only refer to the person who is now speaking as Mr. Rabbi.

Now some people are more worked up about pronouns than others, and some people don’t know much about pronouns at all. In Mr. Rabbi’s case, all pronouns are abolished, including “I” and “me;” “we” and “us;” “he” and him;” “she” and “her;” “you,” “it,” “they,” and “them.”

The interviewer asked, “Why do you wish to be called Mr. Rabbi?” I exploded. “The person with whom Mr. Rabbi is conversing must refer to Mr. Rabbi only as Mr. Rabbi. “You” is a pronoun. The person speaking to Mr. Rabbi cannot call Mr. Rabbi “you” That person cannot ask “how are you doing?” It is now prohibited, and if the person speaking persists, the person speaking will soon be looking for another job.

Mr. Rabbi could tell the interviewer was a bit rattled, but the person speaking was a quick study. “Why does Mr. Rabbi wish to be called Mr. Rabbi. Is Mr. Rabbi Jewish? Mr. Rabbi replied, “No, Mr. Rabbi is not Jewish, whether biologically, religiously, or culturally.” But when it comes to how a person wishes to be addressed, does anything matter other than that person’s own personal preferences? It is who Mr. Rabbi feels Mr. Rabbi to be, and who is any other person in the world to object?

The person conducting the interview seemed to understand, though the person conducting the interview seemed unsure that the person conducting the interview would be able to secure the cooperation of other persons, especially those who had already chosen their own alternate personal pronouns, and would be somewhat shocked to find out that those designations were now forbidden.

I said it might be just as well. Pronouns are almost essential to communication, and to do without them makes any conversation terribly ponderous. Plus, in the Bible, there are some pretty cool pronouns, like “Thou” and “ye,” and if God is in favor of pronouns, then maybe we should be as well. And when God addresses Adam and Eve, He says, “of every tree in the garden you may freely eat;” - even God calls people “you,” or he or she, according to how He created them. And so maybe we shouldn’t abolish pronouns, or choose alternate ones, because God already chose some for us.

What Will You Do when the End Comes? (Jeremiah 5:31)

What Will You Do when the End Comes? (Jeremiah 5:31)

“For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.” (Zephaniah 1:18 NAS95)

Jeremiah is a sad book written by “the crying prophet.” Hard times have come to Judah due to their disobedience, and the consequences will be widespread: “ An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes?(Jer 5:30-31)

Is there an end coming? Strange characters used to stand on street corners with a sign that said, “The End is Near.” But that was a long time ago, and evidently, the end wasn’t as near as they thought. And since the end hasn’t come recently, our biases tell us that it is not then likely to come in the near future.

But yes, there is an end coming, though we know not when. Jesus says, “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:13-14). That is, Jesus is telling us that His kingdom in this world will have a slow, difficult growth that requires endurance, but will indeed come about, “and then the end will come.” Paul says, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” (1Cor. 15:22-26). These words tell us that Jesus is coming again, and that this coming will set up a contest for power in which all enemies will be defeated, cancelled, or abolished, even, finally, the enemy of death. Yes, the end is coming, though most prefer not to even consider it.

I’ve been hearing my whole life that “the big one” is coming for California, an earthquake that will wreak havoc. More recently, we have been warned about climate change that could end life in this world as we know it. Well, “the big one” has not yet come, and life as we know it is still going on. They may be right, or wrong, but it must be admitted that these are but the prognostications of men who are delving in matters much bigger than their own brains.

But when considering “The End,” we are not talking about the predictions of men, but rather the promises of God. He, unlike men, is never wrong, and He does not lie.” He says the end is coming. That means, the end is coming.

Maybe you read a book, a thick one, and you think, “this book will never end.” But, of course, this is only a figure of speech, because every book has a beginning and an ending. This world and its contents, including us, are part of a story, God’s story. We could call it “the drama of redemption.” And that story has a beginning, and it has an end. The critical question is, “What will you do when the end comes?”

Stricken for Me? (June 4, 2023)

 Stricken for Me? (June 4, 2023)

“Striken” is related to the verb “to strike,” the noun form being “stroke.” In our current culture, “stroke” makes us think first of traveling blood clots. But that would be the wrong use. Here it means to hit or beat, with the sense that if the stroke were heavy enough, it would be lethal. It was for Jesus. In His trial, He was beaten and abused, but the “striking” continued with nails in His hands and feet, and a sword in His side. He died.

Isaiah 53 and many references in the New Testament as well give us not only the historical detail that Jesus died, but also the purpose of His death: He died for me. He died in our place, in our stead. It was us that deserved the stroke, the penalty and punishment for our sin. But He stepped into our place. He did this “for us.”

Jesus shared these words in the upper room at the Last Supper, just before He was arrested and crucified: “this is My body which is given for you” (Lk 22:19); and repeated by Paul in 1 Cor 11:24. Also, “This cup which is poured out for you” (Lk 22:20). 

“For” is a funny little word, and the original language gives us a bit more depth. The Greek preposition communicates that what is done “for you” is done “in behalf of you,” or, “on behalf of you.” Which is it? Maybe both.

When Jesus does something “in our behalf,” it means that He is acting, not in His own interest, but in ours. And since in our case Jesus is dying on the cross, and it is clear that He did not deserve to die for His own sins, then He was acting in our interest. He died in our behalf; in behalf of you and in behalf of me.

But Jesus also died “on our behalf,” which is the sense when someone acts are our agent or representative. There is a line from the modern hymn “Before the Throne of God Above” that goes like this: “Before the throne of God above. I have a strong, a perfect plea; A great High Priest, whose Name is Love, Who ever lives and pleads for me.”

So we have a Savior who acted both “in our behalf” and “on our behalf.” We could not do it ourselves. The value and worth of His sacrifice as eternal Son of God is the only sacrifice that could bring about salvation. Our own punishment would have merely eaten us up, eternally. We could not and cannot save ourselves.

So what do we make of this Jesus, and what He has done for us? Here are words of another song: 

“No other King would stand the mockery; Be led to slaughter and refuse to speak; Take up a cross and choose to die with thieves; Take up a cross and give His life for me.” For me. Stricken for me. That’s Jesus.

Content? Yes; Satisfied? No (May 28, 2023)

Content? Yes; Satisfied? No (May 28, 2023)

There was an interesting discussion at the end of a recent sports season whether or not it was a failure for a particular team because they did not win the championship. Remember that there are dozens of teams competing in any given sport, and that only one will be the champion. So for all the losers, discontent and dissatisfaction reign, right? Well, no, and yes.

The Bible clearly teaches contentment. God gives blessings: to some, many; to others, few. But in the light of those blessings, we are to be content, whether many or few. Paul says: “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

Contentment seems to mean being at peace with where we are at the moment. It is accepting the lot that God has apportioned at this point in time. Are you in a hospital or some other place you don’t want to be? Can you be content there? If you trust the Lord, you can. It doesn’t mean that we want to stay there, but it is accepting your lot in the moment, even as you pray and work for a different future. 

Part of this contentment is understanding the God shapes our lives, and He intends each and every situation to be a learning and leaning experience for us: to learn Christlikeness and to lean on our heavenly Father. We are content as we learn and lean because we know that God intends it to be good for us.

But satisfaction has more to do with a vision of the future, informed by the promises of God. It has to do with opportunities for service and witness, for investment in eternal things and growth in grace, slow and unseen though it may be, whether in ourselves or in those we disciple. There is a sense in which we will never be satisfied, though content, until Jesus comes again and all things are set right. Paul speaks to this as well, when he says, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” He is not satisfied now with what he has accomplished in the past, even though he communes with God in the moment with wonderful contentment. God continues to give opportunities of all kinds, and we dare not waste them.

The psalmist got it right about contentment in the last verse of Psalm 16: “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” The psalmist also got it right about satisfaction in the last verse of Psalm 17: “As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake.”

Have You not Done This to Yourself? (Jeremiah 2:17)

 Have You not Done This to Yourself? (Jeremiah 2:17)

A phrase used multiple times in the Old Testament goes along the lines, “you will fall into the pit that you yourself have dug.” In these texts, the “digger” intended the pit as a trap for someone else. It is important to remember where you dig your traps.

How many trappers have hidden traps in the woods or along a stream, only to return and become the prey themselves? But this happens to all of us.

I remember a friend on the tennis team in college, a kind and classy guy, who had a great line when his opponent argued about an “out” ball (players were responsible to call lines in their matches). Ken said to his opponent, “Why are you mad at me (for calling it out)? You were the one that hit it there.” We might be angry with a police officer for pulling us over for speeding. But who was doing the speeding? None of our arguments overturn the fact that we ourselves were driving over the posted speed limit. “Have you not done this to yourself?”

When we neglect to pay our bills and find that our credit rating has been cut, “have you not done this to yourself?” When we don’t bother to maintain the car and we face a major repair bill, “have you not done this to yourself?” And we could recount many more instances of stubborn foolishness on our part that produces a result that is entirely predictable, and, we did it to ourselves.

God in His love sent His Son Jesus as the only Savior for our sins. This message is clear, and it has been widely and repeatedly published. And yet many people have given no serious consideration to the greatness of the gift to be received, or the penalty of failing to do so. Someday, there will be a judgment, and I wonder if God will not perhaps use Jeremiah’s line from chapter 2 verse 17, “have you not done this to yourselves.” You yourself rejected the gift. You yourself chose a different way. You yourself will have brought your own condemnation rather than salvation down upon your own head.

Yes, there are many lies and deceptions that abound in the world. You may have been duped by some of them, such as, this earthly life is all that there is, and there is no such thing as eternal consequence. But every funeral you have ever attended says something quite different, and even you yourself, deep down, suspect that it is not true. Or you have heard that church is full of hypocrites, so you don’t go, because you don’t want to hear what you don’t want to hear. And there you go, doing it to yourself.

Nabal and Abigail (Sunday, May 14, 2023)

Nabal and Abigail (Sunday, May 14, 2023)

Not all matches are made in heaven. Or, we might say that not all matches are heavenly. Nabal and Abigail were not cut from the same cloth. Oh, we can say that God must have put them together. And God had Abigail in such a place that she could avert David from his wrath and eventually become David’s wife following the death of Nabal. But they were not alike.

The name “Nabal” comes from the same stem as “foolish.” Names in the Bible often mean something, and whether Nabal’s parents spotted this trait early on, or, maybe it was just a popular name from social media, that’s what they named him. One reference where this word is used is in Proverbs 30:32 "If you have been foolish in exalting yourself; Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.” Nabal would have done well to put his hand on his mouth.

“Abigail,” on the other hand, means “father of joy,” or perhaps, “source of joy.” How could “fool” and “joy” walk hand in hand? The Bible describes the two of them this way: 1Sam. 25:3 “And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings.”

We had a Nabal and an Abigail in our congregation years ago. They have both passed away now, but the one was mean and ugly; the other was delightful and kind. She loved him and put up with him until he died, and I remember a deacon and myself helping her care for him in the home until he died. She continued on, humble and unassuming, and I still talk to people from time to time that she blessed. No one ever said that they were blessed by her husband.

Why does God allow this? Perhaps it’s a human lesson of what God does for us? We, like Nabal, can get caught up in our own business, forgetting the kindness of others to us and refusing kindness to others in need. We can be all about ourselves. But God is still kind to us, showing up in the midst of our charge toward retribution with roasted grain and clusters of raisins ( cf. 1Sam 25:18) to refresh us and to have us reconsider our course of action. As we come to Jesus, our “old man” is put to death, and we are born into a new life that will have more to do with joy and kindness than with foolishness. We will no longer be all about ourselves, but will step into the lives of others for their blessing.

And in the midst of it, we find a new partnership, a new marriage. Whereas once we were married to that which would threaten to drag us down and drown us, now we are married to Christ.

Last and First (Sunday, May 7, 2023)

 Last and First (Sunday, May 7, 2023)

I’m not into horse racing and I’ve never cast a bet, but the story of the 2009 Kentucky Derby gets me every time. I’ve watched the YouTube of it over and over, and it seems to me to be a wonderful illustration of principle found in the Bible that “the last shall be first.”

“Mine that Bird” (where they get these names, I don’t know) gets crowded coming out of the gate and settles far back, behind the field. The announcer mid-race, calls out the names of the horses, from first to last, and nearly neglects to even notice Mine that Bird, so far back. The announcer is watching the front of the field as the race approaches its end, and again does not notice this small horse coming up the rail at the end, passing the field and winning by more than six lengths. His voice reveals his surprise. He can’t believe this long-shot horse from the back of the field could actually emerge as the winner.

There was nothing that suggested Mine That Bird had a shot at winning the Derby… The horse was so runty and bland-looking that he had fetched only $9,500 at auction two years earlier. And his pedigree was so unfashionable that his owners castrated him — eliminating any chance of a lucrative post-racing career in the breeding shed — to try to coax better races out of him.

This description reminds me of these words from Isaiah 53: “He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isaiah 53:2–3 NAS95). We understand these words from the Old Testament to be about Jesus, the Suffering Servant, who would die as a falsely-accused criminal for His people, who would be forgiven their sins. He rose from the dead and lives forevermore. He is called “the last Adam,” abut also He is called “the firstborn of the dead;”King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who will reign forever and ever.

The question that we should ask ourselves is this: Is Jesus last in our lives, or first? Many would say that He is somewhere in the middle, but I fear that is not possible. Either you accept Him, or reject Him. He will either be your first love and loyalty, or none at all. And your response to this Jesus will determine your place at the finish as well.

Have I No Power to Deliver? (Isaiah 50:2)

 Have I No Power to Deliver? (Isaiah 50:2)

“For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
And their own arm did not save them,
But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them.” (Psalm 44:3 NAS95)

I have marked all the question marks in my Bible, and then have chosen a list of what I call “Critical Questions in the Bible.” One of these from my list is Isaiah 50:2 - “Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?”

I listened to a recorded story the other day on radio of the last man of his group who parachuted from a small airplane. As he jumped, his foot caught in a seatbelt, and so he hung from the side of the plane unable to fall and unable to pull himself back up. He was not able to see the pilot, and she was only able to see his boot. She left her seat and controls, at risk to her own life and to the plane, and then he saw her arm and hands reach out and, with difficulty, release the seatbelt. He landed safely, but never had opportunity to thank the young woman for saving his life.

Our God has long arms and strong hands. It is a wonderful image to remind us that we are never out of His reach, and we are never caught by a chain that He cannot break. We read the stories in the Bible of Israel’s release/escape from Egypt; of David’s deliverance from Saul, and of Daniel’s from the lions. We know that God is able, and we believe it.

This is important to us because we, like the man in the story above, cannot save ourselves. We may be able to do some small things, but the biggest challenges of life are solved from above: Psa. 44:3 “For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them.”

I may mention this too often, or, not enough, but we tend to seek to live self-sufficient lives. We think we can figure things out for ourselves, and work our own way out of our predicaments. Moses was concerned for a younger generation: Deut. 11:2 “your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the LORD your God — His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm.”

What if we were to replace the question “What am I going to do?” with the question, “What is God going to do?”Oh, certainly if there is something you should do, then do it. Pay the bill, or make the appointment, or go say you’re sorry. But our first order of business in most cases would be to focus on the One Who has long arms and strong hands, because we so often find that ours are short and weak.

And, were you able to meet the One who reached out to save you?

Old Secrets Uncovered

 Old Secrets Uncovered

A couple of news stories caught my attention, one local and another far away; one rather sordid, and the other, spectacular, if you are into those kinds of things.

The first had to do with a sexual assault case that took place 20+ years ago. The perpetrator was never identified until just recently. DNA studies collected from one of the victims was studied, tracing back to the 1700’s and linking to three brothers who were alive at the time of the crime. One brother was identified as a possible suspect, tested, and arrested. Who would have thought this crime would be solved after all these years? There is a verse in Numbers of the Old Testament that says “be sure your sin will find you out.”

The other story has to do with Ptolemy who lived in the last century before Christ. He wrote mathematical and scientific treatises on parchment, and, since parchment was limited in supply and expensive, later writers would write over old documents. We have never seen before his writings on the meteoroscope. “The reuse of the parchment for the Latin manuscript meant there were faint remains of the previous text.”  And not only was this work overwritten, but in the early 1800’s another researcher had applied chemicals to try and uncover the original, unsuccessfully. Now using things like multispectral imaging and a 240 million-pixel camera and software that does “layer amplification,” the ancient writing was restored. I won’t read the document or understand the instrument, but I am interested in old secrets being uncovered, because now we know that mankind is trying to do what God has always been doing.

Paul’s letter to the Romans has a “bad news” section which precedes the “good news” section. If you don’t believe in the “bad news,” you won’t care much about the “good news.” And so one element of the “bad news” is found in Romans 2:16, that there will be a day, a judgment day, “when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.” There will be no hiding spots, no erasures or scrub jobs, no chemicals or write-overs that will obscure the truth as we stand before God on the day of judgment.

The fact that God always has known and always will know our secrets shouldn’t cause us to re-double our hiding efforts; rather, it should help us draw this conclusion: we can be honest with God. And as we confess the truth about ourselves and affirm the truth of what God has done for us in Christ, God who offers forgiveness through Christ will wash those secrets away, forever, never to be brought up again.

If you believe, you will see the glory of God? (John 11:40 NAS95)

 “If you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40 NAS95)

Would you like to “see” the glory of God? Many would. Not all can, or will.

One point would be that we couldn’t take it. We may enjoy the brightness of the sun, but to stand and stare at it is more than we can take. We would go blind. Moses was warned in the Old Testament that he could not “see” the glory of God and live. God allowed him to see His “back parts,” an after-glow, so to speak.

So first of all, to think that we can waltz into the glory of God in our creaturely and sinful condition is flippant to say the least, and perhaps a bit blasphemous. If we are to see the glory of God, we must be fitted for it.

Martha and Mary and their fellow-mourners were allowed to see something of God’s glory through the miracle of brother Lazarus’ raising from the dead. He was really dead, even deteriorating according to homemaker Martha (homemakers know about bad smells), and Jesus says, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” The glory hadn’t happened yet, but then did upon Jesus’ command, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he did. The power of God had broken the power of death. The divine had exposed the weakness of that which is mortal. God had triumphed. And the glory of God was seen in this work.

John 1:14 (same Gospel, in the introduction) says, “and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” This glory that Moses could not endure now shines through Jesus upon those who believe/ receive Him. Upon belief, we see something of God’s glory. However, if we fail to receive Him, we remain in the darkness - spiritual darkness. Jesus truly is the light of the world.

When it comes to Easter, many will participate in baskets and bunnies and brunches. But only those who believe Jesus, who receive Jesus, will be fitted to see the glory of God.

“If you believe, you will see the glory of God?” (John 11:40 NAS95)

My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me? (Matthew 27:46)

 “My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

There is a sense in which Jesus’ question on the cross seems inappropriate. It almost sounds like a failure of faith. But I want to argue that it is not.

Jesus is actually, on the cross, quoting Scripture. It would be a good pattern for us to follow, to quote Scripture when we find ourselves in trial and temptation. It is Psalm 22, and the very first verse reads, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” Oftentimes in the New Testament when the OT is quoted, a little line of Scripture is intended to remind the hearers of the larger passage. Let’s look at some of the features of Psalm 22.

I’ve done a study on “all the but’s of the Bible.” I would like to another one on all the “yet’s.” We’ve got a couple here: ³“Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.” It is an acknowledgment that, despite distress, God is doing nothing wrong, and that He could not possibly do anything wrong. Also, 9 “Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.¹⁰ Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.”

Jesus, in His incarnation, stepped fully and firmly into the shoes of mere humans. He is speaking in this plaintive cry as a man falsely accused and afflicted. These last verses make direct reference to the incarnation, and that He is referring to “My God” much like you or I would do. It is clear that this incarnation, and this cross-experience, is God’s plan for this Person, for Jesus of Nazareth.

Verses 14-18 in Psalm 22 sound like a first-hand description of Jesus’ experience on the cross, as though David was right there at the foot of the cross in the 1st century, chronicling the events (I’ve linked so you can those verses yourself). But David wrote a thousand years earlier. He wrote about what God had planned, but what David, the psalmist, scarcely understood. Yes, there is a purpose here, and it is God’s purpose, not for Jesus’ immediate enjoyment, for the salvation of God’s people for His glory.

Verses 22-23 speak of the broad praise of people for this wonderful work of redemption. It would happen later in time, beginning after the resurrection of Jesus, and continuing even now. From all over creation, people would join to praise God’s name. And the “afflicted one”  affirms that God, “my God,” has come through: ²⁴ “For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has Hehidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.” Yes, God heard and answered Jesus’ prayer, and He raised Jesus from the dead.

All of this comes around even to us, in the 21st century, who are actually mentioned in Psalm 22, and thus can appreciate Jesus’ quote on the cross. The last verse of Psalm 22 reads: ³¹ “They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.” We are the “people who will be born,” who have received the declaration of His righteousness in the Gospel.” Jesus is gladly proclaiming that He cried this cry of forsakenness, according to the plan of God, so that we wouldn’t be.

To whom then will you liken God?Or what likeness will you compare with Him? (Isaiah 40:18 NAS95)

The (In)comparable Christ

The Israelites went into captivity largely because of their idolatry, the worship of other gods, other than the one, true God. But I see in this verse more than a warning against idolatry. I see a pointer to the (in)comparable Christ.

Hebrews in the NT opens has this amazing statement in the opening paragraph: ³ “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” I would say, relating these two verses, that Jesus can be likened to God, He being the Son of God. We get to know the Father by what is revealed to us in the Son. 

Another classic verse on the subject of Jesus being even more than reflective of the Father is found in Colossians 1: 15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” “Firstborn” here is not so much that Jesus is a product of creation (though he was born of a woman) but that He is the heir of all creation. The Son of God was present and involved in the very act of creation itself. He is said to be Creator even as we say that God created the heavens and the earth.

In Jesus’ high priestly prayer (John 17) prayed in the presence of His disciples just before He was betrayed and arrested, He prays ³ “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” That is, eternal life involves knowing not only God the Father, but also knowing the Son, Jesus Christ. There is a reason for that.

In John 14, right after Jesus says 6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life” Jesus goes on to say in that same sentence, 7 “if you had known Me, you would have known the Father also.” It is an amazing statement, that we do not merely need to know both the Father and the Son, but that we know the Father only after coming to know the Son. We know the Father precisely because there is One, Jesus, who is the likeness of God and comparable to Him.

And in that same passage Philip says then to Jesus, 8 “Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us.” And Jesus answers, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father'?” Jesus has indeed shown us the Father. Why? Because He is “likened to God,” a “likeness compar(able) with Him." Yes, Philip, it is enough for us, because Jesus has indeed “shown us the Father.”

We only enter into true worship of God as we come to the place of knowing and worshipping the Son.

What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him? (Matthew 8:27 NAS95)

“What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” (Matthew 8:27 NAS95)

I always wanted to be able to dunk a basketball. It never happened, and it never will. It seems to me that some people are built to run and jump and defy the laws of gravity, whether in basketball or gymnastics. Others of us have our feet firmly planted on the ground. Oh, perhaps, with practice and discipline I might have been able to to do it. Though I’m not sure.

But with Jesus it is different. The Gospel story from which our critical question is taken this week is the disciples “manning” the boat on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm with Jesus asleep in the bow. They awaken Him, and he stands up and stills the storm. They respond with the question, “What kind of man is this?”

You understand that no amount of practice and discipline will ever allow you or me to still a storm. And we understand why. We are but specks on the earth, and great atmospheric pressure systems swirl about overhead, interacting with one another and stretching across the skies for hundreds, even thousands of miles. A front may sweep through and clear the skies, but the best we can do is to wait for it. We certainly cannot command it.

It stands to reason, then, that if Jesus possesses that kind of Creator- Authority over the systems of the globe, then He has other kinds of authority as well - authorities that we do not have and cannot gain. And Jesus demonstrated those authorities over evil spirits and diseases, and the little fish with the coin in its mouth. It isn’t magic. It is, as the hymn says, “Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature.”

Now, if Jesus is that kind of man, being not merely man, but also Son of God - if that is true, and the Bible says it is -what kind of authority will He have in my life? And the answer at the present seems to be, as much authority as I allow Him to have. Which is a very short-sighted answer. Jesus could have stilled the storm at the beginning, or even before it began. But He waited to still the storm until when He chose to still it, and the storm was vanquished.

Jesus could exercise His authority in your life completely and immediately right now. But He waits, and then, He will. But in the meantime, he allows us by faith to recognize that authority, and to bow before it. That is, we accept Jesus for who He is, - no mere man, but Savior and God - and then we respond to Him with love and devotion and submission. And one day people might ask, “What kind of man is this, that even Christians obey Him?

Whom Have You Mocked and Reviled? .. Against the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 37:23)

 Whom Have You Mocked and Reviled? .. Against the Holy One of Israel     (Isaiah 37:23)

The setting in Isaiah is the fascinating story of the impending invasion of the Assyrians on Jerusalem. They had already captured the Norther Kingdom, and they were now threatening the Southern nation. Rabshakeh (an intimidating name), Sennacherib’s general, was urging Jerusalem to surrender or face a miserable end. In so doing, he heaped insults and futility upon faith in Israel’s God.

This was not the first time that a proud adversary had dumped scorn on God’s people. Do you remember Goliath facing down the armies of Israel under Saul? Do you remember how young David was offended that no one would stand up to such blasphemy? And so he did. But if it happened before, then we can be sure that it will happen again. And it did, to Jesus.

If Rabshakeh is guilty of mocking and reviling against the Holy One of Israel when he faced down the king’s representatives on the plot of ground outside of Jerusalem, then what of the situation when the very Son of God was arrested and lied about, scorned and mistreated, even spitting in His face. One cannot conceive of a more direct, personal affront to “the Holy One of God.”

Here we are now in mid-March, and just three weeks away from Good Friday. It is time for us to consider carefully again the humiliation of our Savior, Jesus the Christ. I don’t mean to say that we should not consider this all year long, just as we should not save our thanksgiving for Thanksgiving. But perhaps we should bring a special focus.

Luke gives us the following record: “Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, ‘Prophesy, who is the one who hit You? And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming” (Luke 22:63-65). Think of this. The Creator was being pummeled by creatures that the Creator had created. The ‘Word made flesh’ was being subjected to a cruel game of “what do you know?”, as if He didn’t already know exactly who each one of them was and what was going to happen ahead of time. They were presuming themselves to be judges over the One is appointed to be Judge over all the earth.

We can justifiably condemn the actions of Goliath and Rabshakeh and the soldiers who held Jesus. But we must carefully reflect on how we ourselves treat Jesus, either with honor, or with shame.

Who among us can live with the consuming fire?(Isaiah 33:14 NAS95)

 Who among us can live with the consuming fire?(Isaiah 33:14 NAS95)

We find this question in the midst of Isaiah, where the people of Israel are confronted with the specter of an Assyrian invasion. Against whom is this question directed?

The Father will discipline His children. God will be honored by His people. And He will do what is necessary to bring that about, things that are destructive and painful, that He might later rebuild and heal. It is a fearful thing for God’s children to live wayward lives, because God is not averse to “breaking bones” in order to get our attention and bring about repentance. Don’t mess with God. In that sense, this is a question of warning to the people of God.

On the other hand, it seems as though this question could be directed against the Assyrians. They have been chosen, unwittingly, it seems, to be instruments in the Lord’s hands to accomplish God’s work among His people. Other individuals and nations have been so used, and are even used today, for God to chasten and nurture His Church. But the Assyrians were intent upon, not fulfilling God’s purposes, but their own. He would use them to chasten. They would go on to destroy, to humiliate, to own them, that is, God’s people. And for that God would bring devastating judgment upon them. And so, the question would apply: “Who among us can live with the consuming fire?” 

Just a pause in the flow of thought. God did, in the Gospel, pour out His consuming fire directly upon His Son, Jesus, who bore the penalty and punishment for our sin. He did this to save sinners, and to defeat sin. And God is still, and will always be, against sin.

The previous lines in our text are interesting: ^“Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless.” Wait a minute. Zion is not to be populated by “sinners,” but “righteous.” Who are these people? They are not to be “godless,” but “godly.” To whom are these phrases referring? Covenant people who are living sinful and godless lives? Or sinful and godless invaders who are now trampling the streets of Jerusalem and wreaking unbridled havoc on the people of God? It could be either one. It could be both.

When the author of Hebrews wrote “for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), he may have been getting his material from Isaiah 33 (or, 64 other OT references where “consume” and “fire” are mentioned). But the writer of Hebrews is clear about his audience. At this point he is writing to warn those who profess to be believers that we ought not trifle with God and His ways.

Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it? (Isaiah 10:15)

 Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it? (Isaiah 10:15)

The Bible asks such simple questions that it makes one feel a little dumb to answer. “Shall the axe boast over him who hews with it, or the saw magnify itself against him who wields it?” Of course not. That would be ridiculous. Except we do it all the time, acting as if we are in charge, when instead we are merely instruments in the Lord’s hand. 

The context in Isaiah 10 has to do with the ancient nation Assyria. A list of “woes” had been pronounced against ungodliness in chapters 9 and early 10, with the last “woe” against Assyria, who had been selected by God to act as the instrument of judgment against Israel (Samaria). The judgment would be severe, and yet the Assyrians were to act with restraint. Instead, their plan, not God’s, was to destroy the northern kingdom of Israel. And so the word picture: Assyria, the axe, was boasting over and against the God who was the master of the axe.

We’ve seen this kind of metaphor before. Jeremiah was sent to the potter’s house, who took a ruined clump of clay and was re-working it into something useful. “Then the word of the LORD came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the LORD. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.” (Jeremiah 18:5–6 ESV)

We are not mere, inanimate objects. We have thoughts and feelings. We assign value, whether accurately or not, and decide what is just (again, whether accurately or not). What we don’t do so well is remember that there is only one Creator, and we are His creatures. He has made us in His image, and yet we are still His subjects. We are made for His glory. We are to live according to His design. We are to obey His Word. We are to submit to His Lordship.

And so when we object against God that He is not doing things as we would like; when we get “mad” at God for messing up our plans; when we resent Him because He has not honored our priorities - we are totally out of line. We have missed the Big Principle, the Essential Rule of the universe: God is God, and I am not.

I can imagine a hammer, or a saw, or an axe, complaining that they are not being used properly, according to design. Of course, they can’t, because they are just tools. But we can complain. Except for one thing: our design is to be used by God as He sees fit, so there really is no room for complaining. He is God, and I am not.

Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? (Isaiah 6:8)

 Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? (Isaiah 6:8)

An ambassador’s job seems noble, representing the king or government and speaking for them before foreign powers. But we can imagine situations where their job is less enjoyable and even downright dangerous, as they are called to deliver a message that the foreign power does not appreciate. Isaiah was God’s ambassador.

But Isaiah was sent to God’s own people. However, they had wandered, and were no longer listening to God, and thus not listening to God’s emissary. The text from our title goes on to say that they are “listening, but not perceiving; looking, but not understanding.” They have ears and eyes and minds and hearts for other things.

Moses was sent before Pharaoh, ruler of Egypt, to seek the release of the enslaved descendants of Abraham. Appearing before the most powerful man in the world at the time, Moses was rebuffed, even as he introduced plague after plague that would decimate Egypt. He was an unappreciated ambassador!

Jeremiah the prophet, after Isaiah, was put in prison. He was publicly bound in stocks for humiliation. He was thrown in a watery pit, perhaps a sewer of sorts. Speaking God’s word to the people, he was regarded as unpatriotic.

The leaders of the northern kingdom said to Amos the prophet, “Go, you seer, flee away to the land of Judah and there eat bread and there do your prophesying! But no longer prophesy at Bethel, for it is a sanctuary of the king and a royal residence.”

Jesus, then, in the Beatitudes, said “Blessed are those who have been persecuted … for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

What we must digest, then, from this consistent trend throughout Scripture, is that when commissioned by God to be an ambassador, or a prophet, or a preacher, or a witness - it is not for the sake of popularity. Our job is not to appeal to unbelievers with enticing words, though we should always be respectful. We are not to measure success by “customers’” happiness. Ambassadors are to speak the message of the authority that they represent - no more, and no less. And we seem to have forgotten that. 

Jesus sent His disciples on mission. His instruction? “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.” 

Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? (Isaiah 1:12)

 Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? (Isaiah 1:12)

This question, from the opening chapter of Isaiah, critiques the “worship” of God’s people. God had given them Solomon’s temple, designed according to God’s plan, as a place for God to meet with His people. We do not have a temple-building today that corresponds to this. Rather, the “place” where God’s people meet with God is in Christ. Yes, we have church buildings, but church buildings are not the temple, and this won’t be an article against tracking mud on the sanctuary carpet.

How is it that we “track mud” on Christ? Or the community of Christ? The question is not that hard to answer, though we will go to the text first.

The question that serves as the title is from verse 12. A question in verse 11 says, “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” That is, you do the same things over and over, as though the mere doing of them is sufficient, even though you don’t mean them, or think seriously and spiritually about them. So Sunday we will observe Lord’s Table. Oh, it’s time for that again. No, it can’t be that way. It must be approached thoughtfully and soberly. The offering plate is available. Throw in another check. No, each offering is accompanied with the spiritual thought that God has given so much more to us. Read my Bible, then check it off the to-do list. No, this is God’s Word. It is the most distinguished message, and only heavenly message that you will read today. It is the light that illumines all else. We cannot do it perfunctorily.

The text goes on to emphasize God’s distaste for these thoughtless religious observances. The subject moves to prayer. Note this verse: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) We’ll talk more about this Sunday.

I remember standing at family’s door (everyone loves it when the pastor stands at the door) and the wife was giving the husband what-for because he had just tracked on her freshly mopped floor. She had a point. And so does God. We should not approach God’s presence in Christ with less care than we exercise when we trim our fingernails. Like the man at the altar who remembers someone who has something against him, stop what you are doing, take the time and the trouble, and make it right. Why? Because God has taken time and trouble for us, to make us right, through Christ.