What Makes the World Go ‘Round?

As a history major in college, I “earned” credits one summer by reading a bag full of books on the history of America’s Revolution. The books dealt with the forces that made it happen. They were somewhat interesting, and it made sense to me. I wrote reviews of each book, reporting on what they said.

As it turns out, I wasn’t supposed to merely report what the authors had written. I was to critically engage with their arguments, and to counter their theories with a Christian view of history. Because, we have very different views of “what makes the world go ‘round.”

The books that I read were from the school of thought called “economic determinism.” It would have helped me if they had actually said so in the preface. It would also have helped if I had my brain turned on. Economic determinism says that the happenings of history can be traced to economic forces at work in society. It seems to say, “Money makes the world go ‘round,” or, perhaps better, “Lack of money makes the world to ‘round.” Another word for economic determinism might be Marxism. And I missed it.

There are other non-Christian, non-Biblical theories of what makes the world go ‘round. One would be mere chance. No rhyme or reason, just dumb luck. Another would be great men (and women). We need more champions. Of course, now we tear down their statues. There’s not much of a future for heroes. But what does the Bible say? I can think of no better place to start than Daniel.

Daniel, a  young man, was deported from Judea when it was in the throes of defeat at the hands of the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, assembles those who were most promising to serve his empire, and Daniel was one of these. “But Daniel resolved that he would defile himself with the king’s food.” Is this the answer? The resolve of Christians to stand firm against the worldliness of the world? No, that would be missing the larger story.

The bigger picture is what God is doing behind the scenes, shaping history for His own purposes. Daniel 1:2 says that “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his (Neb’s) hand.” A little later, in relation to Daniel’s request, we find that “God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs.” In no way do I want to diminish the importance of resolve. But resolve does not make the world go ‘round, nor does money. God does. Praise the Lord!

Reading All the Words

On our digital screens, we are reading faster, skimming over the words. Also, when we read something familiar, we tend to read past some of the details. My old buddy John Owen drew my attention to some words in the Bible that are vitally important - words that I sometimes tend to read past.

Paul wrote to his young associate, Timothy, and told him to “Follow the patter of sound words” and to “guard the good deposit.” Perhaps we today would paraphrase, “stick to the stuff” or “keep on keeping on.” But that’s not what Paul wrote, not if you read all the words.

He said that Timothy was to “follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” He is reminding us that faith and love are found first in Jesus, not ourselves, and that He is the source of fountain of such faith and love. Without that Resource in our lives, we won’t be able to “follow the pattern of sound words,” but will find that our ideals and intentions quickly crash against the rocky shore of our short attention spans and weak wills.

The twin admonitions of vv. 13,14 are written in an ABBA pattern. The often overlooked words in the first line appear last, while in the second line appear first. Preceding “guard the good deposit” are these in-dispensable words “By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” Paul is saying that, apart from this ministry of the Holy Spirit, we will trade away the good deposit for whatever the current cultural thought of the day prefers. Leaving the front door of the store unlocked is not guarding, and it is the Holy Spirit who guards.

If we would read all the words, we would find that the Bible is God-soaked, and that the instructions and strategies for living the Christian life are also God-soaked. But in our over- or under-reading of the Bible, we begin to forget this truth, and begin to interpret the instructions as something that we can handle on our own.

Several years ago a neighbor boy came to a children’s program at our church. He went home and told his parents he did not think that he would return because “they talk too much about God there.” I was amazed that anyone would think that it should or could be different. But, then to find out, I discover that I myself am prone to something similar when I read my Bible but fail to read all the words. In so doing, I re-create the Bible into a mere human manifesto, and I distort the Christian life from that which depends on God’s grace to some kind of “fit-body boot camp” for the soul, powered solely by my own sweat.

Politically Correct

The Bible is a political book. It traces the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms, and makes crystal clear why they rose and why they fell. It’s politics at play, but not the superficial politics that we read in moment-by-moment news reports, where she said this, and he tweeted that. The politics of the Bible traces the governance of kings and kingdoms by God, the ultimate Ruler. Mankind’s little schemes are powerless before this God.

This is not to say that silly politics by self-important men and women are inconsequential. In the long view, they come to nothing, but right now, they affect the lives and livelihoods of countless people, at home and abroad. Their brains are not big enough to calculate the costs and unintended consequences. They are not up for the job, and they need to seek God’s leadership in their lives and decisions to even hope that they can serve well (if “serving” is even what they hope to do).

Psalm 2 makes the point clearly in poetic form: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.’ He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.”

This is Biblical politics. Earthly politicians politic and pontificate. They work their plans, accomplishing some good; some evil. But then those that have risen fall, and something else fills its place. Only the historians remember them.

How many politicians spend time on their knees before the true King, seeking guidance and weighing plans and motives? Do we know of any? Surely there must be some.

But Biblical politics does not just apply to those who are elected to office, or to  those who seize  it. Politics applies to citizens as well. And in Biblical politics, there is something radically different from mere, human politics. You matter. You have direct access to the King. I couldn’t talk to the President if I wanted to, and if I did, I doubt that he would listen. But with God, and I know that the exact opposite is true. He, though His Son, Jesus, is the King who cares. What you do through Him, and for Him, will matter for eternity? 

Or, you could live your life like an ordinary politician, and give God a good laugh.

Council and Counsel

“A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose (flower) and rose (past tense of "rise"), or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two and too.” “Council” and “Counsel” are homophones. It seems, though, that they have something to do with each other. 

Psalm 1 famously begins: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel/council of the wicked.” Which is it? According to context, it would make sense to think “council,” that is, the committee that gives really bad advice. Eugene Peterson’s Message paraphrases this verse as follows: “How well God must like you - you don’t hang out at Sin Saloon, you don’t slink along Dead-End Road, you don’t go to Smart-Mouth College.” Taking rather breath-taking liberties with the text, he frames all three phrases as shaped by the crowd you hang with - your council. But the word used in that first phrase is actually “advice,” or “counsel.” Watch the advice that you receive, and then, tangentially, watch the crowd you hang with (council), and from whom you get advice (counsel). Or, to put it differently, your council (crowd) will counsel you. 

Which council have you made yourself a party to, from whom you receive advice? We can think of councils that are heavenly, or earthly. 

Psalm 89 points to a heavenly council: “A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, And awesome above all those who are around Him?” (Psalm 89:7 NAS95). We don’t know a lot about this. None of us has been there, though Scripture gives us a few glimpses. It’s a meeting of the minds, though the Mind that leads and guides is that of the Sovereign God, and those in attendance bow in wonder. 

God in His grace has extravagantly shared the insights of this Heavenly Council with us, in Scripture, and we are to take our counsel from this council. Jeremiah says of prophets: “if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people.” But alas, most were standing in the wrong councils, earthly ones, and thus giving bad advice. 

God has spoken, not on cable news shows or on Facebook, but in Scripture. He gives us heavenly counsel, good advice in Scripture, through Christ, by His Spirit, though we may have to turn off the TV and computer to hear Him. 

Things I Used to Do

There are some things I used to do that I don’t do anymore. Is that a bad thing? Let’s see.

My dad hunted each year with a bow. So I got a bow as well, and we would set up bales of straw in the back yard and target practice, and visit dad’s hunting partner’s family on Sunday afternoons and shoot some more. It was fun. I thought I was getting better at it, though I remember losing a lot of arrows. I still have that bow, but haven’t drawn the bow in the last twenty years. 

My father also introduced me to tennis when I was in Jr. High. I think he wanted to get me involved in a pursuit that would take away the dangers of too much idle time. I took lessons and played in high school and college. I won one trophy - just one - and actually got to play in the NAIA nationals in Kansas City, only to lose in the first round of both singles and doubles. And, I haven’t played tennis in a couple of years.

I was awarded a college scholarship in music for winning a solo brass competition. I actually got to perform in the Seattle Opera House, and then played at Brian and Inna White’s wedding in Moody Church in Chicago. My Bach trombone sits in the corner of my office, available to play at any time, though it hasn’t been touched in months. Things I used to do.

But what if someone were to say, “I used to gather with other believers on a regular basis for worship.” We commonly call this “going to church,” but since it can take so many forms, I think “gathering for worship” is better. But if it’s a “used to,” does it matter? Has anything been lost. I think so. We all worship something, and the gathering with other people who love Jesus helps steer our worship in the right paths.

Or what if someone were to say, “I used to talk to God about everything.” Prayer was counted as a privilege and a blessing that was integrated into the fabric of life. Does it matter if prayer joins the list of our “used to’s?” I think so, because if prayer is the breath of the soul, then prayerlessness in the soul of someone who claims to love Jesus indicates something akin to emphysema. 

What did you “used to do” that has been laid aside, but you would like to take up again? Would you consider the role of worship and prayer in your life? It’s September. I think it would be really interesting to see if I can pull that bow again.

Cats that Don’t Catch Mice

It seems to me that the value of a cat is greatly reduced if it doesn’t catch mice. And if it would then dispose of the carcass instead of leaving it on the doorstep, that would be even better. Perhaps a cat could be forgiven for carrying fleas if it got rid of mice. But apart from that benefit, I’m not sure it should be forgiven much.

I got to thinking about this because of a phrase in Isaiah 56:10: 

“His watchmen are blind, All of them know nothing. 

All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, 

Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber;”

The verse does not mention cats, and I don’t remember a single reference to cats in the Bible. But “dogs unable to bark” got my attention. We could only wish for such a thing, since it seems that neighborhood dogs bark incessantly at everything, or nothing. But the value of a watch-dog is in its bark, alerting to a danger or an intruder. The value of a cat is, in my mind, in catching mice.

The point of the passage has more to do with humans: watchmen who don’t watch. If they are not attuned to the approach of an enemy, then they can hardly be called watchmen, can they? This is followed by a reference to shepherds who don’t “shep.” They don’t care for the sheep, since they are too busy caring for themselves.

I think the application could be much wider. Close to the role of (spiritual) shepherds, think of preachers who don’t preach. It’s not that they can’t talk, but that they fail to broadcast God’s Word in their talking, called preaching.

But couldn’t this be applied much further? What about listeners who don’t listen? Givers who fail to give? Servers who don’t serve? Encouragers who forget to encourage? And why would this be the case? Probably for the same reason as above: they are too busy caring for themselves.

We are (rightly) offended by fathers who don’t father, and mothers who don’t mother. It’s not the way this world is supposed to work. Family structure is essential, and while problems exist in all families, the key roles still need to be fulfilled, as difficult as they may be in particular circumstances. And if this is important in the family, then it is also important, perhaps doubly important, in God’s family. Let’s make sure that we actually do what we have been called to do. Let’s go catch some mice.

Proud, Stubborn Frugality

Frugality and responsibility are traits that are admired by a certain class of people: namely, the frugal and responsible. What do all the rest of us think? Well, probably a whole range of things. But frugality and responsibility mean the most to those who are embracing those things, and who are practicing them. 

Maybe these disciplined misers have taken a Dave Ramsey course. Maybe they grew up poor. Maybe they made a mess of things through undisciplined living and are now living in reaction to their former life. But there are no sweeter words to them than “frugality” and “responsibility.”

I think, as an aside, this could apply to other words. There are some who read their Bibles and pray for holiness who aspire to be “blameless” and “upright.” Those words mean a lot to them. To others, not so much.

These are not just options. They are options with consequences. Both responsibility and righteousness can bear pleasant fruit;  and their absence will eventually wreak havoc.

But frugality with God, and frugality in asking things from God, is wrong. That’s right, even for you Ramsey disciples: such frugality is wrong. Why? Because God delights to give. In fact, because of our inability to produce any good thing ourselves, we are absolutely dependent upon His giving, and a distorted (un)spiritual frugality as applied to our prayer lives will have its own negative consequence.

Think of it like this: you have a trust fund that has been set up for you, not to take care of your future, but to take care of your present. But you, being frugal and responsible, want to take care of things yourself. You want to stand on your own two feet. You can solve your own problems. So you refuse to withdraw from the trust fund.

And what happens? Well, you live for a winter without a furnace because you don’t have the money. And your car gets towed, and you are late on payments. You begin to get phone calls from debt collectors. And all the time, there is Someone who wants to give - in fact, has already given - and you stubbornly refuse. Why? Because you want to do things yourself. Because you refuse to simply request. And as applied to the stubborn, foolish Christian, you refuse to “let your requests be made known to God.”

What’s so Mighty about “the Almighty”?

These words come from the mouth of the young inquisitor, Elihu, speaking against his older friends and the suffering patriarch, Job. 

“What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’” Job 21:15

The inquisitors eventually are critiqued by the Lord for saying more than they know. Our brains are not big enough, and our hearts not clean enough to answer all the problems related to evil. And yet their words are not completely without value. I think it would be hard to miss the truth here, conveyed through irony.

“What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?” Who does He think He is, anyway? The Almighty? Or to put it differently, what other response could a person suppose than to “serve” the Almighty? What? Are you going to lord it over Him? Are you going to tell Him what to do? Are you going to accuse Him of being unfair, or unjust, when all standards of fairness and justice originate within His own being? We are but His creatures. What more could we do, but serve Him?

What does that mean? Well, to do His bidding; to come at His call; to be submissive and obedient; to put His agenda above your own. Unless, of course, we don’t really consider Him to be Almighty.

“And what profit do we get if we pray to him?” Get? Do we dare say or think, what do I get? When every good thing that we have to enjoy is from Him, do we say of prayer, “It’s not worth my time?”, or, “What’s in it for me?”

The statement is simple. The irony does not conceal, but rather, reveals the truth. The Almighty must be served, and we would do well to pray to Him, humbly. But that is not all.

Because the Almighty has actually done for us what we are bound to do for Him. God sent His Son as a servant, to walk in our shoes and die in our place. He served us in ways that go way beyond how we might ever serve Him. And having died for us, He rose again from the dead, and is at the right hand of the Father today as our great High Priest, our Intercessor. One of his pledges in that role - one of His promises to us, is that He will ever be praying for us. Yes, that’s right, the Almighty prays for you. 

Now, does it seem unreasonable for us to serve Him, and to pray to Him?

I Hate it When He’s Right

We’ve all been wrong. But recently, I was pretty sure I was right and she was wrong. But then, I had to admit, she was right. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. And I thank the Lord that I married someone so stinkin’ smart.

So it was with some surprise as I was thinking again about Genesis 3 and the dreadful Fall of mankind from holiness to sinfulness, and found that most of what the Serpent said to Eve was actually - can we say it? - right.

In Genesis 3, Eve recounts (with slight revision) what God had forbidden - “don’t eat of the tree in the middle of the garden, or you will die.” Satan replied to her, “You surely will not die!” Well, Adam and Eve ate from that tree, and, they didn’t die, immediately. We would have expected them to drop dead. But they didn’t, though they would. And that’s not to mention the huge problem of eternal death, which was part of this dreadful deal, which they would now experience in place of eternal life. But, in a sense, he was right. Partly right. Deceptively right. I hate that.

The Serpent also said to Eve, “your eyes will be opened,” as if to say, “you will see things in a whole new light.” Who wouldn’t want their eyes opened? Except sometimes when you see something, you can never un-see it. Maybe it ruins the mystery. Maybe it stains the experience. But he was right. Verse 7: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened.” I hate it that he was right.

The Serpent promised that they would “know good and evil,” that is, to have an experience of both. They had already experienced good. Wasn’t that “good” enough? He was right. They “knew” evil, and they were ashamed. How exactly does one wash away the greasy film of stain from one’s soul? But, once again, he was right, and you and I both hate that he was right, and we hate the shame that goes with it.

There is one other thing that the Serpent said: “You will be like God.” On this point, he is not right. Oh, he wanted to be right. He himself wanted to be like God, and tried to usurp that status. And now, he wants us to make the same mistake and suffer the same fate. And, sometimes, in my worst moments, I hate it that he is, wrong. Because sometimes, I want the world to revolve around me. The world revolves only around God. And that’s a good thing to love.

The Strategist and the Servant

Two women, free to go their own way, and yet bound by past relationships. There is a senior and a junior, a strategist and a servant. And they don’t need each other. Or do they?

I suspect that Naomi had something to do with the journey to Moab in the first place. The text doesn’t say so, but she is the strategist, and her husband could see the sense of her concern. “We’ve go to do something drastic to save our family.”

But the best strategists cannot control the future flow of history. How was she to know that her husband and then her two sons would die, leaving her alone with two left-over native daughters-in-law. She purposes to return, alone, but Ruth, the servant - no strategist, but all about relationship - says, “Where you go, I go.”

Ruth could never have moved to Bethlehem alone - no kin; wrong skin; no connection; no plan. Naomi could make no future. Her’s was used up. She was a planner, but without time left for a plan centered on herself to unfold. The events that would transpire needed both of them. Ruth would never have dreamed to go to Boaz’ field and climb under Boaz’ blanket.Naomi could never, on her own, gain the attention and affection of Boaz. It required the humble servant who was winsome and appreciative.

Naomi, the strategist, had thought they should go their separate ways. But she was wrong. They needed one another. And together, the strategist and the servant played their parts, swayed the courts, and won over a heart. They did this together, as different as they were. God puts together some pretty strange combinations.

We know that God needed neither one. Or did He? We know that God is self-sufficient, and that He is complete apart from His creation. But given that He has purposed to do things as He has, He needed a strategist and a servant to produce the great-grandfather of King David, just as, later, he needed a young maiden named Mary to be the vessel through which the Descendant of David would be virgin-born. And somehow, in ways hidden to the minds of men, He needs you, probably in combination with a person unlike yourself, perhaps with someone you don’t understand, maybe even one that frustrates you because they approach life so differently. I don’t know if you are the strategist, or servant, or something else, but we know we don’t accomplish many of God’s purposes alone.

Whatever Prayer; Whatever Plea

Is there someone to whom you can talk about absolutely anything and everything? Is there a relationship in which there are no forbidden subjects? With whom do you have zero secrets?

The truth is that in just about every human relationship, there are “off” subjects. Even husbands and wives have issues that are a bit dangerous to address. Best friends might not stay best friends if one said everything that crossed his mind.

So can you imagine a relationship that is completely open? That is what the people of God have with their God, their heavenly Father, in the covenantal relationship which says, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.” In the Old Testament of the Scriptures, in 2 Chronicles, as Solomon is dedicating the long-awaited temple in Jerusalem, the king prays to God on behalf of the people. He prays with amazing  honesty, confessing their sins and grieving their penalties in advance; and and then, when they return, that God would hear their prayer. In every situation, when the ugly truths are confessed, that God would receive “whatever prayer, whatever plea.” No forbidden subjects. No situation too dangerous to share.

Why can we be so open with God? There are probably several reasons, but the most obvious is contained in the very next verse: “for You, You only, know the hearts of the children of mankind.” If God already knows, then it is the height of foolishness to try to keep Him in the dark. And further, if God wants to help and to heal, it is depth of stupidity to try and handle the offense on our own, since it was our own independence from Him that got us into this situation in the first place.

The old hymn says, “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” And the chorus: “Oh, what peace we often forfeit; oh, what needless pain we bear; all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Let’s not be stupid and stubborn. Let’s adopt the little phrase, “whatever prayer, whatever plea.” And what is the motivation for doing so? Another old song starts out, “No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond com-pare.” Verse 2 says, “No understands like Jesus; Every woe He sees and feels. Tenderly He whispers comfort, And the broken heart He heals.”

Few in Number, of Little Account, and Sojourners

Bigger is generally considered to be better. We pick that which has the best reputation, the 5-star reviews. And we see the value of standing out, by fitting in - unique, just like everyone else. And yet, in this song of praise from Israel’s history, when David had become king, and worship (and the ark) was moved, finally, to Jerusalem - there is a note in the song that at one time, this is who they were; few in number; of little account; and sojourners.

In our corner of this world system, we are accustomed to how things are evaluated, chosen, and valued. In order to make it, you need the high test score, or athletic success. You need to learn the art of being known (gain followers?), and you need to know and be skilled in how things work. But God … (those most important and treasured words in the Bible) - But God doesn’t work that way. He specializes in seeing the overlooked; in noticing the invisible; of including outsiders. Which means? There is hope for people like you and me.

Could it be that God already has his eye on you? Is it possible that He has already been shaping your past and your present, so that you would walk in the knowledge of Him (since, as we’ve hinted, He already knows you)? Has He been invading your thoughts, troubling your conscience, or alerting you to something missing? How would He do such a thing? Perhaps through a casual conversation; a question that begs asking, or begs answering; a line from a song, or a phrase from Scripture; or even a written piece by a fellow, lone soul, of no account, and a sojourner.

Ravi Zacharias writes about God, calling Him “The Grand Weaver.” He shows how God, throughout our lives, - how He threads and weaves experiences and thoughts and conclusions into our mundane lives, into our short attention spans, that we might discover the wonder of the grace of God. We might be tempted to credit ourselves with the discovery, but in honor of God, the Grand Weaver, we must admit that He discovers these things to us. 

We might be tempted to think that God would notice us simply because we are so central to ourselves. But we know better. He who is central to self is necessarily peripheral to everyone else. Or we might think that God  can’t help Himself, given our attraction-quotient. Or, maybe, honestly, God’s grace includes the few, the unnoticed, the outsiders.

False Fronts

In the book White Noise, the author tells about “the most photographed barn in America” (cited in this article). On going to see the barn, one finds that it is a pretty ordinary barn, plainly unremarkable. The reason that it is “the most photographed barn in America” is because of all the road signs pointing to “the most photographed barn in America.”  People flock to photograph this ordinary object primarily because it is advertised as “the most photographed barn in America.” Better barns exist.

Old, Western TV shows acquainted us with false fronts, or facades. The dusty main street of the wild west town was lined with two-story buildings - except that most of them weren’t. They were one-story buildings with a false front, a facade that gave the appearance of something more grand - and provided a great hiding spot for gun-slingers. This hasn’t changed much, since in our own communities we have men who are 5’11” with front doors double the height, as though perhaps a giraffe lived there.

Paul Tournier, in his book “The Meaning of Persons” makes a distinction between persons and personas. The person is the real you - the persona is the front, the stylized you, that you put on for one group or another. We tend to act different with our parents than we do our peers. We have personas, or false fronts.

Do you ever wonder what is real? How do I know if I’m being played? Or, perhaps worse, how do I know I’m not the one playing, putting on a front, pretending to be something other than the real me? Do I even know the real me?

Am I the same person talking one-on-one as I am speaking in front of a thousand? Does it matter if I’m being recorded? Do I talk differently if I’m recording my own Instagram story? Do I talk like every other person who is recording their Instagram story? Are we just imitating one another? Do we know that if a TV camera is pointed at us, we cannot possibly “just be ourselves?” And in this world when we are always being recorded or watched, can we ever “just be ourselves."

This is an instance when God being the God of truth is so important. He does not/cannot mis-represent Himself, and He knows us as we truly are. The world and those who live in it do not have a clue. But we can get to the bottom of things as we come to know Him, and are known by Him.

Unnecessary Equipment

Jesus spoke to 5000 men plus women and children on a Galilean hillside without benefit of a sound system. It makes me think that this particular troublesome technology may not be necessary in the new heavens and new earth. I wonder what else won’t be necessary. 

Let’s start with the obvious: pastors. Why would you need a pastor when you have immediate, face-to-face access to Jesus Himself? Nursing homes and funerals? I don’t think so. Pastors may need to be re-trained. But harder to think about: what about Bibles? Once you got married, did you still sit around reading love letters? Not when you could interact personally with your spouse. And so it seems that our devotion will not be so Book-dependent when in the company of the Person. 

I am not arguing against the present role of pastors or Bibles. These are appointed by God for a particular purpose, during a particular time. Perhaps an illustration would be Israel’s use of manna during those 40 years of wilderness wandering. God was good and faithful to supply this gift to them 6 days a week. But the day they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land, the manna ceased, as they were to now live off the land they were inheriting. 

Well, what about faith, hope, and love? Do we still live by faith in that day when faith becomes sight? We will still take God at His word - a definition that I use of faith, - and yet the proper conclusions will be so much more obvious. And when hope is realized, is it still hope? I wouldn’t rule hope out, because each day holds anticipation for tomorrow, and in this glorious future, each tomorrow will hold its own promise. But what about love? Well, here we must insist that love will never be replaced, except that our experience and expression of love in the new heavens and new earth will be so much more glorious, that I wonder if we will even recognize the old in the presence of the new. 

What a release when a child “graduates” from sitting in a car seat and can use a regular seat and belt (perhaps the real release is for parents and grandparents not having to contort themselves trying to get them inserted and latched)! What a relief when the cast is removed once the broken bone has healed! What a reconciliation is enjoyed when sins are confessed and offenses are forgiven! All such things, and more, will be left behind, as followers of Jesus step into a glorious future. 

And, once more, think of it - no need for pastors. Glorious!

Point of No Return

We expect the best from God. For instance, He is infinitely patient. And He is. But He is also much else. He is also infinitely just, and wise, and He knows both the past and the future; the outside and the inside. Some of these can be called “competing qualities,” though never in conflict. We may not know how to resolve apparent conflicts, but He is able to be true in the perfection of all His attributes at all times, in every situation.

It is a bit of shock to us when we read the Lord’s instructions to Jeremiah, the prophet: “As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you.” (Jeremiah 7:16 NAS95) You can read other translations if you want. They say the same thing. God is saying, “Don’t bother.” “Don’t waste your energy.” “Don’t waste My time.”

It seems as though Israel at this point had reached a point of no return. They were confirmed in their stubbornness. They weren’t going to change, at least at this point in their story. God would take them into exile, and they would feel the effect of their abandonment of God. “Don’t ask for a different outcome.” “The die is cast.”

This word from God causes us to ask some questions about Him. It also causes us to ask some questions about ourselves, or others for whom we are concerned. Is God really infinitely patient? Yes, in concert with His plan and purpose, which would remember and restore a fragment of this people, through whom Jesus would come. He is patient in more ways, on more levels, than we know. But what about us, and people like us? Could we come to a point where God would say, “Don’t even bother?” “It’s no use even praying for them.”

I do believe that a person can reach that point. But to be clear, I am not good enough or smart enough to ever make that determination myself. Nor are you. Remember, in the Scripture above, God expressly instructed Jeremiah not to go on praying for the people. God has never told that to me, or you. But again, on the other hand, it is a serious thing to go on thumbing one’s nose in God’s face, consistently rejecting His Word, shaming His honor. It is a tribute to God’s patience that we do not immediately receive the punishment that we deserve. And when we receive a second (or, second-hundred) chance, we should glory in His mercy and grace.

With regard to our prayers, we are on much safer ground to say with Samuel, “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.” (1 Samuel 12:23 NAS95)

From Water to Wine

Last week Jesus turned water to wine. Evidently, it was really good stuff. Now, I don’t think Jesus sinned when he turned water to wine. Also, I don’t think if was fake wine, or non-alcoholic. I suppose that if someone drank a sufficient amount of Jesus’ wine, they would have been drunk. I don’t think those who drink wine or other alcohol (short of drunkenness) are committing a categorical sin. 

Our current context is very different from Jesus’ day. Alcohol today is not so much part of community life as it is a part of commercial life. What does that mean? It means they want your money. The drink-pushers, whether full of alcohol or sugar, care little about your health or enjoyment. They want your money. And they will spend gross budgets for advertising to convince you and your friends that you just have to imbibe, just like your friends do. It appears that we are suckers for advertising, and for following the crowd.

Last week’s message was about moving from a mere “water” existence to a more rich “wine” existence. There were several points, and you can listen to the message here. All were encouraged to embrace a “wine” existence. I choose to do so without actually drinking wine or other alcohol. 

My choice is based on what is good for others. I am often  involved with those who have struggled with alcohol. So are you. It pains me that there are more people who attend our church building in a given week to attend meetings to help keep alcohol-demons at bay than those who attend to worship God. And also, for the sake of children. I don’t want parents to justify doing what children shouldn’t by appealing to some arbitrary “drinking age.” I don’t want children to have to listen to arguments between parents about drinking too much. And children shouldn’t have to watch adults cross some invisible line that loosens inhibitions so that one acts more foolish than usual in front of them. 

Scripture clearly teaches that, one day, those who follow Christ will enjoy a new society which will be ruled by our Redeemer-King, not by profit- or pleasure-motives; dark passions or demon-addictions. We will join together in a grand banquet. It will be a wonderful gathering of interesting people with fascinating stories, but most importantly, Jesus Himself will be the Head of the table. I don’t know all that will be served at that banquet, though I expect there will be really good wine. He tended to save the best for last. And I will be very happy to raise my glass and enjoy a sip, right after He does. Now, please, tell me: what am I missing?

We Live Like Kings

Kings have not been a part of the American experience. When our nation was formed, our wise leaders worked hard to avoid the role of a totalitarian ruler. They remembered from whence they came. And so, we have a representative republic. No king.

The idea of kingship was also foreign to Israel in its early days. Foreign nations indeed did have kings, but God was Israel’s King, and He ruled initially through Moses, the prophet, God’s spokesman. It came as a shock, then, generations later, when Israel demanded a king from Samuel. It seems as though they were rejecting the Kingship of God! But the seeds of kingship can be found way book in the Law, in those words that Moses wrote under God’s inspiration, in Deuteronomy 17.

It has been said that we in American live like kings. To a degree, this may be true, with regard to our luxury. Not, thank goodness, with respect to our authority. But if it is true that we live (a little) like kings, then it we might consider the warnings and instructions given to future kings in Deuteronomy 17. There are three warnings:

• Do acquire many horses (transportation)

• Do not acquire many wives

• Do not acquire excessive silver or gold

Scripture says to the king, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you must.” It says, “Set limits on your selves.” We should do the same.

With regard to instruction, the text says that the king is to make his own copy of the Law of the Lord in his own hand. Painstaking? Yes. Helpful? Of course. Sometimes we take notes, not so much to review them later, though we may, but because the very act of writing may help us listen better. It helps to internalize the message.

But the king was to do something with that personal copy: “he shall read it all the days of his life.” We might call it “daily devotions.” Call it what you will, make sure that you do it daily, so that we might not just imitate the kings of the world, so often models of really bad behavior, but rather, that we might prove to be humble subjects of the King of Kings, even though he has allowed us, in His providence, to live a little like kings.

Jesus Himself, King of kings, modeled a role that required a new term. He was the Servant-King, and we would do well top follow His lead. 

Love Your Neighbor

The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is famous. It’s context in Leviticus 19, not so much. But it’s that context that may help us understand what is involved in loving our neighbor.

The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is in Leviticus 19:18. It concludes a short passage on treatment of those around you. That section is preceded by other regulations, unrelated to neighbors, and is followed by more of that same kind of thing. But there is clearly a “neighbor” paragraph.

“Don’t reap to the corners,” and don’t “gather the gleanings” (vv.9-10). Don’t take it all. Leave some for the needy. Leftovers are God’s gifts to be shared, not gobbled up by the greedy. It’s an aspect of being neighborly, and of being loving.

“You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another” (v.11). This hardly needs comment, except in a world where, in order to get ahead, one is willing to do whatever it takes. But that/this world is not godly. It does not express God’s love. Better to do without than to get ahead at the expense of others.

Do not “oppress” your neighbor, so as to put him in a vice, a tight spot. If you owe him, pay him. Don’t withhold. Don’t make him ask or beg. Further, do not take advantage of the deaf and blind. Take pains to look out for them, anticipating their peculiar hardships. Look at life from the perspective of others, and take measures accordingly (vv.13-14).

“Judge your neighbor fairly” (v.15). Interestingly, the text says that “thou shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great.” Treat people the same, not with differing standards of justice, though, as in the last note, with special levels of consideration. This section goes on to warn against slander, and, curiously, “you are not to stand against the blood of your neighbor” (v.16). Calvin suggests that these are “vagabonds, who too eagerly run about hither and thither, and in their malignant inquisitiveness penetrate into everybody’s secrets, to bring quiet people into trouble.” 

Leading up our key verse, we are told not to hate, but “you may surely reprove” (v.17), as it says in Matthew 18:15 “go and show him his fault in private” - not publicly, to destroy him or his reputation, but alone, so as to “have won your brother.”

Finally, within our key verse (Leviticus 19:18), we hear the double admonition: “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge.” Let it go. Forgive, as we ourselves have been forgiven. There are no old offenses to rehearse; no stories to tell about how bad or dumb someone is. After all: he’s your neighbor, whom you love.

One point then, that must be taken, is that the well-known command to love neighbor, following after the command to love God, is not to be merely a slogan or a banner. It is practical, to the point of being painful, and it is to be put into daily practice in our lives. Indeed, “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Faith's Receiving

You may have thought about the difference between giving and grabbing. Easy to think about. They are exact opposites. It’s not hard to think about which category of person with whom you would rather share a table. You may have heard a discussion on the difference between love and lust. Actions may look alike, but the motivations are very different. Perhaps even more subtle is the difference between receiving and reaching. It is the difference between trusting the promise of God while waiting for the fulfillment of that promise, in God’s timing, in God’s way; or, on the other hand, the very human tendency to reach out and try to make happen what you want to have happen. The difference is illustrated in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the lives of Abraham and his nephew, Lot.

The promise of God had come to Abraham, repeatedly, over a period of time, in which God said, “I will …, I will …, I will … Many times, the “I will …” is followed by the word “give.” Other times, the “I will …” is followed by “make you” into something that you presently are not. One of these things was a “great nation.” But Abraham wasn’t even a father. From the first promise, Abraham would wait 25 years until he received a son by his wife, Sarah. But receive a son, he did, named Isaac. He didn’t reach for him. He received him.

Lot was invited to choose a land to inherit away from Abraham. “If you go this way, I’ll go that way, or the other way around. Lot, you choose.” And so Lot lifted his eyes, and reached for what looked best. His eyes could see the natural prospects of the land, but his eyes were blind to the spiritual peril. And that’s so often what happens when we reach rather than receive. Only God knows what’s best. Our short-sighted vision is incapable of making the best decisions.

Oh, it’s not as though Abraham lived by faith flawlessly. There were times when he reached; when he wearied of ever receiving. He went and had a son, Ishmael, by Sarah’s handmaid, who was not the son of promise, and who brought much discord into the whole story. He twice placed his wife in danger in acts of self-preservation - not good for a future father. He laughed in his heart at the incongruity of God’s insistence that the promise would yet be fulfilled. But however imperfectly, Abraham believed. He waited. He received. He did not have to reach. Neither do you.

A Very Long Life

There are chapters in the Bible with lots of numbers. Genesis 5 is one of them; it’s the first of them. It records the years and generations of Adam’s life, a very long life.

Adam fathered his third son when he was 130 years old. He had already fathered two other sons, though the first, Cain, put the second, Abel, to death. Seth would be the son who would live on and “call upon the name of the Lord.” Adam went on to live another 800 years after Seth’s birth. He lived 930 years, a very long life. 

Seth was 105 years when he fathered Enosh. Adam would have been 235 years when he became grandfather to Seth’s son. Enosh in turn fathered Kenan when he was 90. Adam became a great-grandfather at the age of 325. Kenan fathered a son at 70. Adam became a great-great grandfather to Mahalalel at the age of 395. Mahalalel fathered Jared as a “young man” at age 65. Adam would have laid eyes on his great-great-great grandson, Jared, at the age of 460. Jared waited 162 years to have his son Enoch. Adam would have been 622 at his birth, 4-greats.

Enoch lived 65 years and fathered Methuselah, the man who lived longest in the Biblical record. Adam would have been 687 at his birth. 300 years later, God would take Enoch to heaven without a physical death. Adam would have preceded him by just 57 years.

Adam became a great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather at age 874 to Methuselah’s son, Lamech. Lamech waited 182 years to have his very famous son, Noah. Adam did not live long enough to meet Noah. But he lived long enough to see the world into which Noah was born, where "the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5), the consequence of his own disobedience against God in the garden. He did not experience the flood, nor see Noah’s families deliverance through the flood in the ark. But he believed the promise of God, and lived a very long life.

Tomorrow I help conduct a funeral for a lady who lived 101 years, born in 1918, a very long life. She met several generations, and saw the world change. And she likewise believed the promise of God, that same God who formed Adam from the dust of the ground, and the God Adam worshipped on this earth for 930 years.