Pursue God by Faith - Romans 9-11

 Romans 9:30-33 (ESV)

Israel's Unbelief

30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Pursue God by Faith 

The above passage is taken from the middle of Paul’s discussion on justification by faith and not by works.  We miss some good teaching by simply detaching the above out of the context of the rest.   However, this quick summary of what he is trying to tell the Roman Christians can give us some great strength and guide our daily behaviors.  The nation of Israel was presented with a formal system on how to approach God.   It had all types of rules and regulations.   God spent about two chapters telling us how He made the world, but entire books on how to approach Him.   Approaching God is a big deal.  Accessing God and His grace and forgiveness is a big deal.  Yet, most of the world would like to study butterflies and rainbows more than how their sin keeps them from God.  

The above passage simply tells us Israel’s mistake and warns us to not repeat their failure.    They approached God, rather than by faith, on the basis of this own works.  They thought they could earn God’s unmerited favor, when in reality it was God giving them His grace, totally underserved.   The system God created was created to teach them how to approach God: Through faith in a sacrifice.  Later we would learn that Christ is that sacrifice and we still approach God by faith in Christ’s sacrifice.   We don’t approach God by works.  Note what Paul said in the previous chapter about this:

Romans 9:16 (ESV)

16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

It is not our will or exertion that justifies us. It is by faith.  God wants us to pursue Him and engage in relationship with Him.  But, He wants us to do so with His way of approach, by faith.  Works indeed matter as we will read more about in chapter twelve.  But, the works we do only show evidence of the faith we have.  

God Must Reveal Himself! Matthew 11-13

 Matthew 11:25-27 (ESV)

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

God Must Reveal Himself 

Before we look at the above verses, note what Jesus will say a little later in Mathew:

Matthew 13:14-15 (ESV)

14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

15 For this people's heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

Let’s see, also, the writer of Hebrews words:

Hebrews 8:10 (ESV)

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws into their minds,

and write them on their hearts,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

There are people who will hear the Gospel of Christ, scoff and go on their way.  There will be people who hear the Gospel and allow it to give them some interest in their life and then they will fade away.  It is God who must reveal and sustain His word in our lives.  This is the entire point of Matthew 13, where Jesus tells the parable of the sower and the seed.   God must reveal Himself to us before we will follow Him.   He has hidden Himself from those He wishes and revealed Himself to those He chooses.   

God LEVELS the Path!! Be Level Headed!! - Isaiah 23-28

 Isaiah 26:7 (ESV)

7 The path of the righteous is level;

you make level the way of the righteous.

God LEVELS the Path! Be Level Headed!!

In the above verse we are pulling a thought out of the middle of Isiah’s prophesy about destruction on the wicked nations and blessing on the remnant that He will ultimate save through that destruction.   The prophet has just said the following:

Isaiah 26:3-4 (ESV)

3 You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

4 Trust in the LORD forever,

for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

He is telling the righteous, that in the midst of the upheaval of the life around them, to keep their “minds” focused on Him.   He goes on to write (and note the word picture he uses):

Isaiah 26:5-6 (ESV)

5 For he has humbled

the inhabitants of the height,

the lofty city.

He lays it low, lays it low to the ground,

casts it to the dust.

6 The foot tramples it,

the feet of the poor,

the steps of the needy.”

Isaiah is making a point that God “lays low,” even to the “ground” the proud and lofty.   He then makes the reference the the “poor and needy” (those who were persecuted by the “proud and lofty”) will “trample” over those who are now cast to the dust of the ground.   Those are the words the prophet writes just prior to the verse I that caught my attention:

V. 7 - The path of the righteous is level;

you make level the way of the righteous.

The word for “level” in the verse is used twice.  Once n the first line and once in the second.  The first one is the Hebrew word, mêšâr.  It means “smoothly.”   The path of the righteous is “smooth.”   But the second world translated “level” is the Hebrew word, p̱âlas.  It means to “make flat,” as in a road.   Are you seeing the word picture the prophet is creating?   He is saying that the mind that is stayed on God’s plan (does not create false narratives in his head) will be “smooth” and made “flat.”  It will be made “level.”   Solomon uses, p̱âlas, many times and it is mostly translated to our English word, “ponder.”   When we “ponder” something in our heads and align it with God’s plans, based upon His Word, we “level” our head.  We have all heard the phrase, “Be level headed.”  That is the picture we have here.  Those who’s mind is stayed on God, God will make level headed.   We need not worry about those around us, that are not walking in the way of God. God will take care of that.  God, in perfect love and righteousness, will reduce them to powder and place them on the road for the poor in Spirit and the needy of heart. He will then make our minds level (smooth and flat) and give us supernatural peace, as we focus our minds on those truths.   Amazing!!   Be level headed today.  Not because you have such great control of your mind. But, because God is making the path of the righteous level (smooth) and He will level (flatten) both the way before us and the mindset within us, by believing that truth!! 

The Passionate Evangelical - Job 11

 Job 11:1,18-20 (ESV)

1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

18 And you will feel secure, because there is hope;

you will look around and take your rest in security.

19 You will lie down, and none will make you afraid;

many will court your favor.

20 But the eyes of the wicked will fail;

all way of escape will be lost to them,

and their hope is to breathe their last.”

The Passionate Evangelical 

Zophar is quite the theologian.   He has come, with his two friends, to “comfort” Job during Job’s catastrophic circumstances.   Job has lost property, a massive list of employees, anything that had material wealth to him, his seven children and has been struck with a diseases of his skin that causes him to sit in ashes and dust all day scrapping scabs off with broken pieces of pottery.   What Job needs is medical triage.   We he got from the “comfort” of his three friends was a trial.   Job was the defendant.   Zophar is the last of Job’s three friends to speak.  He is both the most passionate and the most blunt.   

In the above “comforting” words Zophar gives to Job, we read some good theology.   Zophar has just told Job to “prepare” his heart by repentance: 

Job 11:13-14 (ESV)

13 “If you prepare your heart,

you will stretch out your hands toward him.

14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away,

and let not injustice dwell in your tents.

Zophar has one explanation for Job’s situation: Sin in the heart.  He has absolutely no room in his theology for “innocent suffering.”  We do know that Job has a sin nature, like all men.  But, it is just simply lazy theology that wants to blame and shame Job for his situation.  And, Zophar does want to shame him:

Job 11:3 (ESV)

3 Should your babble silence men,

and when you mock, shall no one shame you?

Zophar looks like the modern version of the passionate evangelical that sees all problems simply in the personal sin bucket.   They have so much theology they can stand upon.  However, we know from chapters one and two of the book that this is NOT the case with Job.  God declared Job “righteous.”   He did this twice!!   There is a valuable lesson here.  We need to be careful that our theological interpretation matches our practical application.   Yes, sin in the world causes pain, suffering and heartache.   But, Job was not the catalyst of the suffering.   Zophar is right, that as we put away sin we can have more and more security in our lives.  But, we live in a sinful world.  God will correct Job’s three friends at the end of the book.  Not necessarily for their theology but for their application and condemnation of Job.   We need to be very careful to not judge everyone through the lens of “you sinned, therefore you suffer.’ 

The Nature of Man - Psalms 12-14

 Psalms 14:2-3 (ESV)

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,

to see if there are any who understand,

who seek after God.

3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

there is none who does good,

not even one.

The Nature of Man

If we were to ask the man-on-the-street about the nature of mankind, the majority might say that man is basically good.  They might believe that man is good but has bad surroundings or bad opportunities and that, in turn, makes or forces him/her make poor decisions.  The majority of people would say man begins on a good path or lane for life but the world around him/her forces them into a bad path/lane of life.   Most would not say that man is born on or into a bad path or lane.    We simply don’t want to admit that man is corrupt or defective or lacks basic goodness.  Most people believe that mankind is basically good.   When men and women look at men and women they see goodness.

That thought is dramatically different than what God says to us.  In the above passage we have God’s opinion of the man/woman-on-the-street.   God looks down from heaven and sees that man is corrupt and has no goodness in his/her heart.   He states that they have become “corrupt.”   He states that in His all-seeing powers that “there is none who does good, not even one.” This is not how mankind thinks of himself or herself.  

Here is the essence of the need for the Gospel and why people simply don’t flood God’s grace asking for forgiveness.   They don’t believe they need it!  If a new store opens in your community and it sells a product no one wants, that store will not be around anymore.   If someone does not believe they need the product, they will not buy it.   Marketing is about telling people they can’t live without the product.  If that thought is true we would have long lines to buy the stores product.   The problem with the Church is that we don’t tell people they need the Gospel because they are corrupt and have no good in them.  We just don’t want to say it.  This psalm starts out with this verse:

Psalms 14:1 (ESV)

1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

there is none who does good.

They say there is “no God” because they don’t need a God if they are right in their own eyes.   The Gospel begins with the point that man needs God because man is corrupt.  Fail to communicate that and we fail to show a need for Christ.   

Persistent in Prayer - Genesis 16-19

 Genesis 19:15-22 (ESV)

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

Persistence in Prayer

The above story illustrates for us the need to be persistent in prayer.   In this prayer of Abraham, we see him asking God to intervene in regard to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.   God had told Abraham that he was going to destroy S&G.  But, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, lived their.   Abraham pleaded with God to at least save the righteous.   Abraham whittles God down to save the city if at least there were ten righteous people in the city.    As we read the rest of the chapter we discover that only Lot, his wife, and his two daughters were saved.   Abraham doesn’t stay persistent in his prayer by asking God if He would spare the city if “four” people were found to be righteous.   However, note that God does save these four.  God went to the heart of Abraham’s prayer.  He did not save the city, but He saved Lot, his wife and daughters.  

Genesis 19:29 (ESV)

29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

God will answer our prayers.  He wants us to be persistent.   Notice what Jesus said about fervent and persistent prayer.  In Luke 11 we are told about a persistent man who went to a friend in the middle of the night to ask for bread for his family.  The conclusion Jesus stated was:

Luke 11:9-10 (ESV)

9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

God wants us to be persistent.   Jesus said:

Matthew 7:9-11 (ESV)

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Serve in the New Way of the Spirit - Romans 7-8

 Romans 7:5-6 (ESV)

5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. 

Serve in the New Way of the Spirit 

To fully appreciate Paul’s argument in this section of Romans, we have to go back to what he wrote in the previous chapter.  Remember, in the original letter there were no chapter headings.  It was just one continuous argument.  Here is what he stated in the previous chapter:

Romans 6:12-14 (ESV)

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Paul is telling us that our “members” (seeing, hearing, lust, desires, speech, etc.) are servants in our body.   When we are in unbelief those members submit themselves to the rule of sin.  When we live in faith, we submit those members to righteousness and they obey the law of righteousness.   But, as we walk in the Spirit (chapter seven) we are released from the law of sin and can bear fruit, via the Spirit, for righteousness.   There are two fruits we can produce.  We can produce fruit unto death (it is fruit that "fulfills" the law what we are now dead to!!!  See Matthew 5:12).   Or we can produce fruit, by the Spirit, that produces righteousness.   (See also Matthew 7:15-20 about the good tree bearing fruit vs. the bad tree that doesn't bear fruit. See also Matthew 12:33; 13:23.   See also Colossians 1:9-10)

If” we go back to living in the flesh and by our own strength we are living under law ... which will arouse our sinful passions.  If we walk in the Spirit, the Spirit of God produces fruit for righteousness ... righteous acts.   Walking in the Spirit is done by faith.  Christ gave us the Spirit of God, Who guides us and empowers us.   Note what he is about to write:

Romans 8:12-16 (ESV)

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

When we serve in the flesh we produces fruit for unrighteousness.  When we serve in the Spirit through faith we produce fruit for righteousness.   Not really that complex.  A life of faith trust the Spirit to do the work.  A life of the flesh trust our own ability to do the work.  

From the Least to the Greatest - Matthew 8-10

 Matthew 8:1-2 (ESV)

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

From the Least to the Greatest

Jesus came to the earth to bring men to God.  The writer of Hebrews quotes Jeremiah to tell us His Divine mission:

Hebrews 8:10-11 (ESV)

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws into their minds,

and write them on their hearts,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor

and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

for they shall all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

He states, “... from the least of them to greatest.”   In Matthew’s narrative we see Jesus, after preaching the powerful message we call the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus comes down from the mountain and the “crowds” followed Him.  But, notice the type of people He attracted to His ministry of the new covenant:

Matthew 8:2(ESV)

2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

Matthew 8:5 (ESV)

The Faith of a Centurion

5 When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,

Matthew 8:16 (ESV)

16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.

Matthew 8:19 (ESV)

19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

In just a few verses we read that a leaper, a centurion, the oppressed by demons and a scribe, all seek Him out.  This is the “least to the greatest.”   Jesus attracts many and saves some.  In regard to the “who” God attracts through His Son, Paul states:

1 Corinthians 1:27 (ESV)

27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

God loves to use the weak of the world to accomplish His task.  But, Paul is not saying that God ONLY uses the weak.  Paul was not weak, himself.  He was brilliant.   God opened up many doors for Christianity to flourish by saving those in high places.   When a leaper comes to Christ, He heals him.  When a Centurion comes to Christ, He saves him.   God saves the least to the greatest, as he pleases.  

Innocent Suffering - Job 8-10

 Job 9:28-31 (ESV)

28 I become afraid of all my suffering,

for I know you will not hold me innocent.

29 I shall be condemned;

why then do I labor in vain?

30 If I wash myself with snow

and cleanse my hands with lye,

31 yet you will plunge me into a pit,

and my own clothes will abhor me.

Innocent Suffering 

The story of Job has to always be read and understood in the context and lens of the first two chapters and the last chapter.  Failure to read it from that context is a failure to really know what the rests of the book is unfolding for us.  In the first two chapters we read that Job was righteous and innocent.   We discover in that narrative that Satan simply wanted to make a point to God and Job was his tool.  In the last chapter we read that all three of Job’s friends were wrong in their advice to and condemnation of Job.   Job is vindicated in the end.   He still went through extreme loss, heartache and pain.   Yet, God restores Job in all ways, plus!   But, in the middle of the book we have dialogue as we see above.   Job is answering the statements and acquaintances of one of his friends.  That friend (Bildad) simply stated that the innocent don’t suffer, you, Job, are suffering, so you must not be innocent.   Bildad had no place in his philosophy of life for “innocent suffering.”  He could not wrap his brain around that.  Nor could Job.   Nor do most people.  The common thought in life is good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.   Bad things happening to good people and good things happening to bad people seems out of the realm of our thinking.   Yet, the entire book of Job’s story is to teach us that point.   God does allow innocent people to suffer.   Before we condemn that, we must first recall that God sent His Son, Jesus, to suffer for all mankind.   So, to say God does not allow the innocent to suffer is to deny the plan of God in Christ.   We have to also remember, that even though God stated Job was righteous, no man is without sin.   God must make us righteous.   So, when we say that God allows the innocent to suffer, we can’t truly say, “Man is innocent and does not deserve to suffer.”   That statement is just not true. God does allow the innocent to suffer.  Job in the above passage struggles with his innocents and, along with Bildad, simply believes he is being punished because of his guilt.   Yet, by God’s own plan in the first chapters we read that is not so.  God does, however, allow the innocent to suffer.  When we look at others who are struggling with disease, loss, pain and suffering, we ought not condemn them and/or judge them.  They may not be Job, but they may be innocent.  Their suffering simply may be God working in their life something He wants to use for His glory in the end.   

Let the Nations Know ... !! Psalms 9-11

 Psalms 9:19-20 (ESV)

19 Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail;

let the nations be judged before you!

20 Put them in fear, O LORD!

Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah

Let the Nations Know!!

We live in times where mankind does not readily recognize the power of God, the sovereignty of God and/or the activity of God in the affairs of mankind.   King David lived in a similar time.  He was the king of Israel and the nation had plenty of enemies.   The song they sung about David was that he “killed his ten-thousand.”   That means David had plenty of adversity in his life.   He was a warrior and could continue to fight the battle in his flesh, covered in armor or with a slingshot.  But, in this song, David turns to God and asks God to do the fighting for him.   Earlier in the song, David writes this:

Psalms 9:3-4 (ESV)

3 When my enemies turn back,

they stumble and perish before your presence.

4 For you have maintained my just cause;

you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment.

David knows it is God who is on the throne.  David trust in that thought.  That is why he can end the prayer in chapter nine with the above request.  He asks God to “arise” and let man know that they are “but men.”    Our politicians forget rather quickly they are but mere mortals.   The strut and gloat and puff out their chests as though they are gods.   Note what it says in chapter ten of Psalms about the wicked:

Psalms 10:6 (ESV)

6 He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved;

throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.”

Yet, God will let all mankind know that He is LORD!   God will put them in fear!  God will let them know they are mere mortals!!

Leaders vs Complainers - Joshua 16-20

 Joshua 17:14-17 (ESV)

14 Then the people of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given me but one lot and one portion as an inheritance, although I am a numerous people, since all along the LORD has blessed me?” 15 And Joshua said to them, “If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.” 16 The people of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” 17 Then Joshua said to the house of Joseph, to Ephraim and Manasseh, “You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only,

Leadership vs Complaining 

We have all experienced it.  No matter how great the mission, no matter how great the provision of support, we have those in our organizations and stakeholders that complain.   Complaining is a national pastime.    It is as much of a sport for some as eating is for most others.   Complainers drink in dissatisfaction and spew out complaints.  In archetype language this is the “orphan” voice. The voice that feels abandoned (even though they a probably not) and powerless (even though the “way” they express their fear gives them some form of power over others).   Joshua was a leader who was ordained by God and he was leading a people chosen by God.   You would think in that scenario NO ONE would complain.  But, the nation of Israel had a history of it.  They complained under Moses’ leadership and continued under Joshua.  In the above text we read that the tribe of Joseph didn’t like the portion of the land they were given.  They thought, since they were a “large” tribe, they should have more than “one” lot of land.  They wanted more land that was “easy” to acquire.  Joshua’s job in this story was to make sure they arrived in the Promise Land and to designate who received what part of the territory.  His job was NOT to secure it for them.  You have to love Joshua’s response to these professional orphan-voice, complainers.   Note:

1. (15a) Joshua agrees with them and recognizes they are a “numerous” people.  There is nothing wrong with affirming the complaint.   Often the orphan voice is very much in the know about the problem.  That is not the problem.  The issue is, they ONLY focus on the problem.  Joshua does not dispute the complaint (that the lot they were given was “too narrow” for them).  Joshua agrees with them.  That is a powerful leadership lesson.  

2. (15b) Joshua reminds them, however, of the agreed upon normative that was set for them and others.   Joshua is not hesitant to outline the strategy and plan that was already established.  He does not invent another plan just for the complainer.  He simply restates the plan everyone in the community (organization) had agreed upon.   Joshua is consistent in his application of the strategy. 

3. (15b) Joshua reminds them of the strategy to solve the problem.  He tells them, “... go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, ...”.   If they need more land, Joshua tells them to clear more land.   

4. (16) Joshua allows them to continue to vent their need.   Complaining is a habit.  It is not typically changed simply by a directive.  Joshua shows remarkable patience as he allows them to once again restate the reason they came to him.   They actually articulate the problem again in different terms.   Joshua allows them to present their challenge, without shaming them or shutting them down (or, transferring them to another department).  It might be wised to remember that Moses was so frustrated over this complaining nation, that his anger caused him to disobey God and he was NOT allowed to enter the promise land.   Joshua had a good example in the life of Moses on how not to lose your cool over complaints.  

6. (17) Joshua empowers them to solve the problem. It would be a good assumption that the reason they were complaining was to solicit Joshua into solving THEIR problem.  Joshua DOES solve it - by empowering them to go forth and fight for what they want.   Joshua talks to them about the skill set they have to meet the challenge before them.  He does not flex his own muscles, he prepares them to flex their own. He states, “You are a numerous people and have great power.”  Public and private praise is a great motivator.  Belief in someone’s ability is inspirational.   

Joshua restates the strategy and shows that he believes in them.  He does not “rescue them.”  He simply keeps the mission before them, belief in them and outlines the strategy to them.   He can’t do the work for them and he does not.  He does not transfer other resources from other tribes to help them.   He simply puts faith in the strength they have to accomplish the goals they want.   Leaders have to deal with complainers every day.  Joshua gives us one way to accomplish that large task.   

God Makes Covenants with Mankind - Genesis 12-15

 Genesis 15:12-18 (ESV)

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

God Makes Covenants with Mankind

God “choose” Abram from the peoples of the earth to become His chosen people, Israel (Genesis 12).   There was nothing in Abram (soon to be Abraham) that would warrant any special selection by God.  In fact in Joshua 24:2 we read that Abraham and his father worshiped “other gods.”   God chose him and made the above covenant with him.  A covenant was a legal agreement between two or more parties.  Each party had an obligation.  God is saying to Abram, if you have faith in my (Abram’s role in the agreement), I will make of you a great nation (God’s part in the agreement).   In Genesis 9 we read that God made a covenant with Noah and used the visual sign of the rainbow to authenticate it.   Now God using the promise of land that will belong to Abraham’s descendants forever.   God makes covenants with His people.  The nation of Israel failed in their responsibility to keep the covenant God made with Abram (and later Moses) by not having faith in God.  This is the point of Hebrews 3-5.   That is why that writer tells of that God sent His Son to make a “new covenant” with the house of Israel (and, through faith in Christ, all Gentiles).  Hebrews states it this way, copying almost exactly the words from the prophet Jeremiah:

Hebrews 8:10-13 (ESV)

10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel

after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws into their minds,

and write them on their hearts,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor

and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’

for they shall all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,

and I will remember their sins no more.”

13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

The old covenant was “obsolete” because it was not kept in faith by the nation of Israel.  In the new covenant God writes His laws on our hearts and minds so that we will be God’s people.  It is guaranteed by God’s unchanging Word and character.   God made this covenant with man and man can’t break it as it relies exclusively on God’s promises.  

CONSIDER Yourself Dead to Sin - Romans 5-6

 Romans 6:11 (ESV)

11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

CONSIDER Yourself Dead to Sin!

If you look up the word “consider” in the above text in Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament words, this is what you read:

logizomai; middle voice from 3056; to take an inventory, i.e. estimate (literally or figuratively): — conclude, (ac-)count (of), + despise, esteem, impute, lay, number, reason, reckon, suppose, think (on).

In Romans 6:1-10, Paul has given us an argument that Christ died and rose again and in His death He defeated Satan and in His resurrection He defeated sin and death.  That is the jest of his thoughts.  We, being in Christ, were “crucified” with Him (vs. 6) and in His resurrection were made alive with Him (vs. 5).   We are not told to do anything until verse 11 of this passage.   The first thing we are told to do is an act of faith to consider what he just said, SO!   The word “consider” is to count it so.  It is  more of an accounting term than it is a logic to grasp, although the “logi” portion of the word means logic.   God wants us to put our faith in the act of Christ’s death and resurrection as the reason we have been set free from sin.  We no longer have to submit to the power of sin since we have, based upon Christ’s finished work,  We are to “count” it as what Paul said.   Our confidence is in what Christ did, not what we can do.   We are to “consider” it so.   When we submit to sin’s power we fail to “consider” Christ’s work agains sin and His setting us free from the grasp of sin.   So, “consider” it so.   

Judge Not (At Least in the Wrong Way) - Matthew 5-7

 Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV)

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Judge Not (At Least in the Wrong Way)

The majority of people probably know most of the above passage, if not, at least, the theme.   We know that judging others is wrong.   We are taught that, even in the most liberal of homes.  It may not be practiced that much in homes, but it is taught.   Jesus, in the above passage, is teaching those listening to Him that judging others is bad IF you do it without considering your own condition first.  It is important to note that He is not telling NOT to judge.  In fact, on the contrary.  He is telling them the “conditions” in which judging others will be met and what should be done to make sure we honor the fulfillment of God’s Law.   Throughout the Old and New Testament men were actually instructed to judge others.  That was the entire role of the Levites (see the book of Leviticus).   The leaders of Israel were to judge the people (see the book of Numbers).  There is actually an Old Testament book entitled, Judges.  In the New Testament we are also told that judgment is actually a role of the believer in the Church:

Galatians 6:1-3

Romans 16:17-18

1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Ephesians 4:17-32; 5:3

1 Thessalonians 5:24

Titus 3:8-11

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is telling us this about judging others:

1. The way we judge will be the way we are judged.

2. We are to consider our own condition before we judge others.

There is an imperative to “judge not” in the beginning of the passage, that is clear.   But the “for” of verse two tells us why.  It is not because it is “wrong” to judge.   It is because the role of judge is so severe and grave.   Judging is a role Believers will join Christ in the end of time (1 Corinthians 6:2,3).   So, the concept in the above passage is to avoid careless and judgmental judging.  The concept throughout the Scripture is to realize the role and gravity of judging others and the role and responsibility of restoring them to good standing before God.   

God Heals Nations - Isaiah 12-17

 Isaiah 16:5 (ESV)

5 then a throne will be established in steadfast love,

and on it will sit in faithfulness

in the tent of David

one who judges and seeks justice

and is swift to do righteousness.”

Hope for the Nations

The story unfolding in Isaiah 15-16 is Isaiah’s prophecy about Israel’s (Judah’s) neighbor to the east: Moab.   The relationship between Israel and Moab is a constant battle you might observe between in-laws.   The history goes back to the time of Abraham and Lot (Genesis 19) and extends through this time of Isaiah’s ministry.   There are plenty of bad stories in the history of the two nations.   However, there is one good story.   The story of Ruth.  Ruth was a Moabite (Ruth 1:1-4).   Ruth marries Naomi’s son, who eventually dies.  Ruth travels back to Judah with Naomi and marries Boaz.   When we study the genealogy of Christ, we read this:

Matthew 1:5-6 (ESV)

5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

It must have been strange, in the middle of a prophecy of destruction on their enemy, Moab, for Israel to hear a prophecy (above verse) about a king (the Messiah ... Christ) rising out of Moab, that will sit on the throne of David and rule with justice and faithfulness!   The Moabites were an arch rival.  The prophecy of Isaiah against them was well warranted.  However, in the midst of the prophecy against the enemy the prophet gives a blessing about the coming Messiah.  This shows us the reason for the need of Christ.   The Messiah was God’s Son, sent to heal the nations.   In fact, that is the entire point of the plan of God.  Note what we see about heaven:

Revelation 22:2 (ESV)

2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

In the end, God will heal all the sin in the world through Christ.   He will “heal the nations.”  Moab’s sin against Israel, as per Isaiah’s prophecy, is a true point.  But, God’s plan is to take a remnant and heal.   That is the point of the Messiah.   Isaiah is full of God’s wrath on the nations.  But, sown into the fabric of Isaiah’s prophecy are these threads of hope and salvation.  That is God’s story.  In the midst of pain and suffering, God sends His son to rule in justice and in faithfulness and out of steadfast love. That was hope for Israel, for Moab and for us.    God will heal the nations.  

Weighed in the Scale - Job 6:1-2

Job 6:1-2 (ESV)

Job Replies: My Complaint Is Just

1 Then Job answered and said:

2 “Oh that my vexation were weighed,

and all my calamity laid in the balances!

Weighed in a Scale

One of the first things that happens at our birth is we are weighed on a scale.  In the reporting of our birth, our length and weight follows our name.   In reality this seems odd.   But, people seem to be curious about what we weigh.  That trend tends to continue though life.   Our height and weight seem to matter.   The proportion between height and weight seem to really matter.   Another proportion seems to matter in life to mankind and Job mentions it in the above verse.  Job’s friends, who came to comfort him in his affliction, have actually begun their attack on his character.   Eliphaz is the first and he is basically telling Job that the evilness that has come into his life is directly proportioned to the evilness in his heart.   Job, wanting to refute that argument, wishes he could actually have a cosmic scale with his sins on one side and his acts of righteousness on the other.   In later arguments, Job will continue this theme and point out to his friends the “good deeds” he has done to “balance the scales.”   This seems to be a very common denominator in mankind’s thinking and their religious systems.   Man seems to think that this proportionate mindset works with God.  If I do more good than bad I am a good person, so the argument would go.   Yet, God is perfectly holy.  He has no sin.  He is perfectly righteous.   Since mankind is full of sin (Romans 3:23) than everything he does comes from an unholy heart, meaning even his “righteous” acts are contaminated.   Job can do good, but the good is not holy and righteous good.  Only God can make something holy and righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21).  He does this by taking out sinfulness (which include our tainted acts of “being good”) and lays them on Christ.  God then takes Christ’s righteousness and attributes that to those who put their faith in Christ.  That is the ONLY scale God uses.   We can’t do enough “tainted good acts and deeds” to outweigh our sin because our “good acts and deeds” are tainted with evil.   Job is trying to justify himself to his friends.  In his friends eyes, this thought process might be acceptable.   But, in God’s eyes (of Whom Job is actually appealing), this argument is failing.  God does not care what we weigh.   God does not care about the weight of our supposed good acts and deeds.   He only cares about what we do with His Son.   Christ is the only thing that can be placed on the opposite scale of our bad deeds in order to make it not just balanced, but completely weigh out in God’s grace and favor.  When the King of Babylon, Belshazzar, was in the midst of an arrogant celebration God intervened by writing a message with His finger to him on the wall of the room of the giant celebration.  Daniel was summoned to interpret the message.  Here is what he told the king:

Daniel 5:24-28 (ESV)

24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: MENE, God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 TEKEL, you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting; 28 PERES, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”

All will, at one time or another, be “weighed in the balance and found wanting.”   Only Christ balances the scale.  

Verbal Abuse: God Protects us From Mankind - Psalms 6-8

 Psalms 7:1-2 (ESV)

1 O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;

save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,

2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,

rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.

God protects us from the attacks of mankind.  

The opening introduction of this poem of David’s states:

“A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.”

A “shiggaion” is a musical term in the Hebrew and simply implies a poem or a rambling.   It is stated that this poem was sung to God “concerning the words of Cush,” by David. Apparently, this Cush, a Benjaminite, was attacking David verbally.   It is interesting that we are given a prayer of David’s about a personal take centered around verbal abuse.  We often think of physical abuse as a main culprit to societal disorder.  But, in this case the Holy Spirit, though the pen of David, the poet, gives us a prayer we can utter to God about verbal abuse.   Make no mistake, verbal abuse can be even more destructive in the life than physical.   David, in the above verses, compares this verbal onslaught to being torn apart by a lion.   That is how devastating this verbal attack was do him.   However, David does not turn to another human friend to deal with this abuse.  He does not verbally vomit back at Cush (to our knowledge).   He does not curl up in a ball and bemoan his existence.   David brings his hurt to God.  That is the formula.   Remember, when Jesus was reviled by the mobs, He did not revile and hurt insults back at them.  

1 Peter 2:23 (ESV)

23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

Jesus committed His care to God, who judges justly.   In Romans 12 we are told not to revile back:

Romans 12:16-21 (ESV)

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

David, in this prayer, takes refuge in God.   God is his hiding place.  God is his safe space.  He does not need others to defend him.   When he is reproached by this man, Cush, David turns to the King of Kings to find shelter.   He doesn’t spread rumors about Cush and create a posse of followers to support him.  He delivers Cush over to God and his own care of to God.  That is the formula for dealing with abuse in our lives.   

God Wants Us to be Victorious - Joshua 11-15

 Joshua 12:7-8 (ESV)

7 And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, 8 in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites):

God Wants Us to be Victorious 

To fully understand the above text we have to go back to the first chapter of Joshua to read God’s instruction to him:

Joshua 1:8-9 (ESV)

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

God gave Joshua marching orders and Joshua fulfilled them. God set Joshua up to succeed by giving him the formula for success.  In the above verses we read that Joshua was able to subdue the majority of the kings of the land (those he left were to be subdued by each tribe as they claimed their inheritance).   Whoever wrote the book of Joshua goes on to record 31 kings that were destroyed under Joshua’s leadership.   These were powerful kings.   But, in God’s hands, Joshua was the instrument of God’s wrath on these wicked nations.   God was fighting with Joshua, but He was fighting for Joshua, as well.  Note the battle Joshua fought against a collection of kings, who assembled together in hopes to defeat Joshua:

Joshua 11:8 (ESV)

8 And the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel, who struck them and chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. And they struck them until he left none remaining.

Joshua, in this section, gets the credit, but it was God who accomplished the victories.   God wants us to be victorious.  God goes before us to fight the battle for us, but also uses skills He gives us to fight those battles.   God wants our victory.   He enables us to fight and He fights for us.  

God’s Word Provides Direction - Genesis 8-11

 Genesis 8:15-16 (ESV)

15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you.

God’s Word Provides Direction 

In Genesis eight we have the final chapter in the story of the flood.   The rain stopped and God made the wind to blow over to dry the earth.   This chapter is very specific about the time frame for everything.  It is also specific for what Noah did to gather data about the subsiding waters.  He used his logic and sent out a raven.   The problem with that logic is that the raven left and never came back.  Noah discovered a new piece of data: raven’s are smart and can survive by floating on debris and solving problems.  The raven had not reason to return to the Ark.  So, Noah’s first attempt to gather data to make a decision was somewhat of a failure.  He then sent out a dove.  The dove is less resourceful.  The dove returned.   After sending it out again the dove returned with a “fresh” olive leaf.  Noah had a new piece of data.   He sent the dove out a third time and the dove did not return.  This was Noah using logic to ascertain his next move.   This is where the above verses come in.   Noah was told to go into the Ark by God (in those Biblical days God spoke auditable to those He wanted to talk to ... see the stories of Job, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, etc.).  Noah, in the above verses, is told by God to come off the Ark.  Even though Noah used his logic, he allowed his logic to be guided by the Word of God.   That is a pattern throughout Scripture.   Abraham used logic when he took his son, Isaac, to the mountain when God told him to sacrifice Isaac.  He used logic to come to know that if he did kill Isaac, God would have to raise him from the dead since God promised it was through Isaac that the world would be blessed. He did not have to kill Isaac, as at the last minute God provided a sacrifice.  But, he did attempt to obey God’s Word, despite the command of God seemed harsh and against the promise.  Note:

Hebrews 11:17-19 (ESV)

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

That is just one example of God using His Word to guide us and logic having to submit to that Word.   We are to bring all logic and intuition in line with what God has told us about Himself:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV)

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

There are times that God asks us to do something that defies logic (Moses hitting a rock to get water to gush out, is just one of those times).   But God does, like in the case of Noah, use our logic.  God gave us logic.   But, man’s logic is not God’s logic.   God is not logical ... based upon man’s mental framework.   this may be the hardest thing we do in our walk with Him.   We are to balance the mind He gave us with the all powerful and all knowing mind of His.  Send out ravens and doves all we want, but we should still sit on the Ark until we hear God’s Word tell us to leave.   

Keeping the Law CANNOT Save! - Romans 3-4

 Romans 3:19-20 (ESV)

19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Keeping the Law CANNOT Save!

Chapters three and four of Romans are written by Paul to begin his argument that justification (being justified, declared righteous by God) is a matter of faith in Christ ALONE.  He is writing to tell us that man CANNOT be justified by keeping the law.   His argument is that:

1. God is holy. 

2. God’s law(s) is holy.

3. Man is a sinner. 

4. The best God’s law(s) can do is show man he is a sinner. 

5. Man needs Christ to intervene for him. 

6. Man benefits from Christ’s intervention only by faith in Christ’s work (Christ kept the law and that qualifies Him to represent us). 

That is the essence of Paul’s argument throughout Romans. In the above verse we read a very clear statement: 

“... by the works of the law no man is justified in God’s sight ...”.   It cannot be stated more concise or clear.  Yet, mankind still thinks they can keep the law (be good) and that will merit him favor with God.   That thought pattern is completely contrary to what God is telling us in the book of Romans.   Paul goes on to prove his point in chapter four by demonstrating that Abraham was justified by God THROUGH FAITH and Abraham was BEFORE the Law was even given to Moses.   The Law serves as the teacher ... it teaches us God’s holiness and introduces to us that we are sinners.   Man is only justified by faith in Christ.  Only!! 

God Looks Inward, Not Outward - Matthew 3-4

 Matthew 3:4-6 (ESV)

4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

God Looks Inward, Not Outward

It is noticeable that in the above text, Matthew gives us a description of John’s preaching outfit.   To fully understand this brief mention of his clothing, we have to recall the religious leaders of the day.   In those days they priest from the tribe of Levi did all the “spiritual” functions for the nation of Israel.   They “professional” religious Pharisees and Sadducees would parade around in long robes and in official “spiritual” attire.   How they looked was important to the spiritual leaders in Matthew’s day.  Here we read that the one sent to prepare the way for the Messiah (John the Baptist) was dressed in anything but “religious attire.”    John the Baptist was not in his Sunday go-to-meeting clothes.  Yet, people came to see him from miles around to confess their sins.   Imagine if this was today.  The above text might read:

“Now John wore a button down Gucci shirt, Armani faded jeans, with a Louis Vuitton belt.   He sported a pair of Oakley Holbrook sunglasses and black Jimmy Choo saddles.   He ate Wyke Farms Cheddar cheese and drank Chevalier Blanc St-Emilion wine. His entourage included many world, national and local dignitaries. Before he spoke, the headline band was ...”. 

That would be the announcement for today.   We seem to be captured by brands, names and connections.  That is what draws crowds.   Name recognition is a billion dollar industry.   John the Baptist was not a brand.  John the Baptist was a pauper.   John the Baptist was a man of God that was used to prepare the way for Christ.   Men today look on the outside. John the Baptist was serving God by preparing people to confess their sins on the inside.   Centuries before there was a similar situation.  Samuel was looking for someone in Jesse’s family to anoint as king to replace wicked King Saul.  He went through each of the first sons of Jesse, only to discover they were not the would-be-king.  When Samuel saw David he saw a young man of small stature.   God made the point to Samuel that Matthew is making to us when he takes time to describe John the Baptist’s appearance:

1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)

7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

 

When Christ is Reigning, Natures are Changing - Isaiah 7-11

 Isaiah 11:6-9 (ESV)

6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

7 The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

9 They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

When Christ is Reigning, Natures are Changing.  

In this section of Isaiah we have a couple of themes unfolding.  At the current time the Assyrians were joining forces with the northern tribes (Samaria) and were planning on destroying the southern tribes (Judah).   Isaiah begins to prophecy about how God will intervene and make sure that doesn’t happen, BUT also extend the prophecy to beyond those days to the day of Jesus brith from a virgin (chapter 7) and to His finally reign over the earth (chapter 11).   In the above text we see what happens when Christ is in charge.   When the nations are completely under the rule of the Messiah, this is what you have.   Christ will not just make sure everyone and everything is not just living in their own “spaces” but will actually be living together in peace and harmony.   For that to happen, Christ has to change the nature of man and beasts.   After the fall of mankind there was enmity between everyone.  Beasts to beasts, beasts to man, man to man, man to God.   The entire world was set at odds with each other.  But, when Christ came He broke down that enmity (Romans 5:1-5).   He will write His laws on the hearts and minds of those who come to Him in faith (Jeremiah 31 and Hebrews 8:10-12).   He will renew their minds (Romans 12:1-2).  He will put his character within them (Matthew 5:3-10).  The wolf will need a mindset shift in order to lay down next to the lamb.  If you tell the wolf to change is ways (behavior) nothing will change.  But if the wolf had his nature changed, his new mindset will change his behavior.  This is what the Gospel does. It changes our nature.   Christ came to put the nature of God back into all creation, as it was before the fall.   That is the Kingdom of God and that is what Christ is doing to complete the plan of God, now.   

I had a Dream ... You Should Listen to Me! Job 3-5

 Job 4:12-16 (ESV)

12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily;

my ear received the whisper of it.

13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night,

when deep sleep falls on men,

14 dread came upon me, and trembling,

which made all my bones shake.

15 A spirit glided past my face;

the hair of my flesh stood up.

16 It stood still,

but I could not discern its appearance.

A form was before my eyes;

there was silence, then I heard a voice:

I Had a Dream ... You Should Listen to Me!!

Job is in a bad place.   God has allowed Satan to do anything he wants except to take Job’s life.  In chapter three, that is exactly what Job cries out to happen.  He is so depressed by the events that have taken his livelihood, his children and his safety and status of life, that he even cries out that he wishes he was never born (chapter three).   On top of this, the three friends who were not able to speak, are willing to respond to Job’s lament.  They are not necessarily moved to speak to Job’s condition, but rather what Job says about his condition.   The first up to speak is Eliphaz.   It should be noted that all three of Job’s friends are rebuked by God at the end of the book (Job 42:7-9).   Eliphaz’s main point is that everyone sins and therefore Job is suffering due to his many sins.   Remember, God has claimed that Job was righteous, three times (Job 1:1,8; 2:3).  Eliphaz, however, has a different source of truth.  In the above passage we read that he has had a dream.  This dream become authoritative for him and he believes it best explains Job’s plight.    Perhaps this is why God is not pleased with Eliphaz and his two friends.   Eliphaz has a dream and the dream actually has some truth that is supported by other passages of Scripture.  But, what we will find in reading the three friend’s words to Job is that they truth has no application to Job’s situation.  They are really good with truth, but do not have the entire truth to make a real “judgement” as to what is happening with Job.   We typically can’t argue with the dreams of others.  If someone tells us they had a dream and they believe that dream is from God, it is tough to disprove their subjective thoughts on the dream.  We do know that God’s word is the final authority for faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16-17).   But, in Job’s day the Old and New Testament were not completed.  So, someone’s dream was what they had.  The dream is not the issue (as it does contain some truths).  The issue is the application. Job is in this mess, not because of his sin, but because of his righteousness.   Therefore, Eliphaz’s dream was not authoritative to Job.   We need to be careful with the truth we hold as we apply it to the lives of others.   These three friends of Job had no place in the heart, mind or theology for “innocent suffering” (that they innocent indeed suffer).   Truth should, today, come from Scripture and application should be handled carefully.  

Lead Me ... Because of my Enemies! Psalms 3-5

 Psalms 5:8 (ESV)

8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness

because of my enemies;

make your way straight before me.

Lead Me ... Because of my enemies!

When we have someone attack us verbally, emotionally, or even physically, our tendency is to strike back.   Our desire is to get even.  Our defense is to attack.  In this psalm we see David starts out asking God to consider his “groaning.”  

Psalms 5:1 (ESV)

1 Give ear to my words, O LORD;

consider my groaning.

Apparently there was something happening in his life that was unsettling.   The last couple of verses of the psalm give us a clue about it:

Psalms 5:9-10 (ESV)

9 For there is no truth in their mouth;

their inmost self is destruction;

their throat is an open grave;

they flatter with their tongue.

10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;

let them fall by their own counsels;

because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,

for they have rebelled against you.

David was asking for protection from someone who was deceptive, destructive and rebellious.   Instead of being aggressive in return, in verse eight, David asks God for direction and guidance.  David wants to respond in righteousness.  This is an unusual approach to those who are out to destroy you.   But, David is a man after God’s own heart.   David wants to be a righteous man and he simply asks for God’s leading through this attack, rather than vengeance on the attacker.   There will be some psalms that David prays an imprecatory prayer of doom on his enemies.   This is not one of them.   Here he simply asks God for strength to respond in a righteous manner.   Imagine if our churches and all Christian communities lived with this approach toward their conflicts.   In the midst of being attack we ought to reach out in search of God’s righteousness.  Notice how Jesus told us to respond to those who attack us and/or want to do us harm:

Matthew 5:38-42 (ESV)

Retaliation

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

Notice what Paul said:

Romans 12:19-21 (ESV)

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

In order to overcome evil with good you have to be good. That is why David cries out for God’s righteousness.   That will enable him to deal with those around him that wish to hurt him.  Rather than groaning he wants to be righteous.   

Covetousness Cost Much - Joshua 6-10

 Joshua 7:20-26 (ESV)

20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.

Covetousness Cost Much

This is the story of Achan and his sin.  When Israel attacked Jericho they were to destroy all the people and take all the valuables to give to the entire nation.  But, Achan decided to take some of them for himself.   He took about 1.2 pounds of gold. In today’s market that would be worth about $1,800.00.    Imagine the worth in OT Biblical times. He also took about 4.9 pounds of silver.  In today’s market that would be worth about $1,000.00.  

Imagine, however, losing your life over a colorful coat and $2,800.00 worth of jewelry (no matter the age).   Imagine that your entire family would suffer the consequences of such a decision.   We might look at this and think “how harsh” of God.   Or, we might look at it (in the way it is meant to teach us), how foolish of Achan.   God does not mess around with sin.   But, man sure does.   Achan disobeyed God’s commands.   He coveted something that God told him to not covet.   Coveting cost him and his wife and his children their lives.  The same is true today.  We covent things of much more value than what Achan did (although, accounting for inflation, probably not).   Our coveting often keeps us from obeying God. People don’t want to follow Christ because it calls for a life style change.   It calls for putting Christ in the center of our lives when in reality we would prefer to have _____________ at the center of our lives (everyone puts something differing on the line).   Coveting hurts because it disobeys God’s moral law.   We can only be free from coveting as we put Christ on the blank line.  

You Are Righteous Before Me! Genesis 4-7

 Genesis 7:1 (ESV)

1 Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.

You Are Righteous Before Me!

Imagine those words being said by God toward you!  How amazing would that be.   Noah was not the first one God noticed and proclaimed righteous.  Note:

Job 1:1 (ESV)

1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

It should be noted, based upon what we read in other parts of the Bible, that no man is “righteous” in and of himself.   In fact, that is the complete story of the Bible.   Man is a sinner and will only do sin (Romans 3).   Man needs God’s intervention to become righteous and holy.   When we look back a few verses in Genesis we can see that God did, indeed, intervene in Noah’s life.  Note:

Genesis 6:8 (ESV)

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 

The word “favor” is the Hebrew word for “grace.”   When God looked down on the earth and saw that it was evil (Genesis 6:5-6) He didn’t, by chance, suddenly see Noah doing righteous deeds.   God actually intervened in Noah’s life and gave him “favor” (grace).   This is how God works.  God choose to give Noah favor. By doing so, God condemned the rest of the world and destroyed them in a flood for their evilness.  This is not God being unfair.  All men, including Noah, deserved to die.   God simply choose to save Noah.   God showed him favor and that made him righteous and that is who saved.  That is true today.   Men are evil.  All of us:  Me, you, them, they, all!!   We all need God to show us “favor” (His grace).  We can wonder why God choose only Noah.  We can wonder why God showed favor to Noah’s three sons and wives and not others.  But, we cannot claim that God was unfair.   If God were to act to be “fair” all mankind, including Noah would be crushed by His wrath based upon His holiness.   We cannot approach God without His favor.   God intervened in Noah’s life.  That is what God does. He shows favor to those who He will.   He built them an ark in the work of His Son, Jesus.  Jesus rescues us from the peril of the flood of God’s wrath.   Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  He serves as a warning to all mankind:

Luke 17:26-27 (ESV)

26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

The Mind of the Natural Man - Romans 1-2

 Romans 1:21-23 (ESV)

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

The Mind of the Natural Man

When we live in the Christian world we can, often, forget that those who do not know Christ and do not accept the Gospel of Christ (His death, burial and resurrection), have a different way of thinking.   They have that natural man’s mind.   In the above passage we see the first portion of a long address about the natural man’s mindset.   Because he refuses to believe in Christ, the natural man:

1. Becomes “futile” in their thinking.

2. Becomes “drained” in their hearts.

3. Becomes “foolish” in their hearts. 

4. Becomes “claiming to be wise” but are fools. 

5. Becomes idolatrous - “exchanging the glory of God for .... (idols).

Paul actually goes on and list more and more outcomes of the natural man’s thought process. Those thoughts lead to corrupt actions.   When we are born again by putting our faith in Christ, we recognize the world differently.  God changes our mindsets.   But, we fail to realize that the natural man has no reference for God or for Godly things.   Their minds, once they reject Christ, become corrupt and only think of ways to worship the creation and not the creator.   A man without the power of the gospel has a mind that is limited in nature.   He can’t think about the things of God.  He can only thing think of ways to fulfill the hole in his heart with what God created.  He refuses to honor and worship the Creator.   That is the natural man’s thinking.   

God is Sovereign Over all Governments - Matthew 1-2

 Matthew 1:11 (ESV)

11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

God is Sovereign Over All Governments

The above verse might seem like an odd verse for a journal entry.   It is on verse out of sixteen that speak about the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ earthly life, he is writing primarily to the Jews.  He needs to show them the connection of Jesus of Nazareth to the prophecy of the Messiah.  Matthew need to first make the argument that Jesus was from the line of Abraham and David.   There are, according to verse seventeen, 14 generations between Abraham and David, 14 generations between David and the deportation to Babylon, and 14 generations from the deportation to Babylon and Christ.   The above passage, about Jechoniah is the focus of this entry.  Jehconiah was the first in the 14 generations of the deportation.    

Jechoniah, who’s name is spelled in various ways in the Old Testament, was taken captive by the Babylonians.   He could have been slaughtered.  Yet, the line of Christ needed to be preserved.   Note what happens while he is in captivity:

2 Kings 25:27-30 (ESV)

Jehoiachin Released from Prison

27 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, 30 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived.

The Babylonians were not gracious people.  There plan was to kill the men (especially the King), rape the women and infuse the children into their nation.   However, in this case, Jechoniah was not only spared, but also given a place of privilege in Babylon.   Each of the names in the list of the genealogy of Christ has a unique story and a contributing part to the birth of Jesus being born in the line of Abraham and David.   Throughout all those generations God was watching over these births and orchestrating, in the midst of evil kingdoms, the birth of Jesus.    God is over the affairs of mankind in the most minute manners.   The Babylonians denied the God of creation.   They through the they were the gods of the earth.   Yet, God withheld their hands from touching a man, who would give seed to the birth of another and then to another, until Jesus was born.  We might pass over reading the genealogy of Christ.  But, inside each of these names is the knowledge that God reigns supremely over the affairs of mankind to accomplish His divine plan.   

Defying God’s Glorious Presence - Isaiah 1-6

 Isaiah 3:8 (ESV)

8 For Jerusalem has stumbled,

and Judah has fallen,

because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD,

defying his glorious presence.

Defying God’s Glorious Presence 

Israel is in a bad place.  As we read the first six chapters of Isaiah’s prophecy we read of their rebellious nature in light of God’s glorious provision.   God had given them all He could, and, yet, they rebelled:

Isaiah 1:2 (ESV)

2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth;

for the LORD has spoken:

“Children have I reared and brought up,

but they have rebelled against me.

God had given them the path to worship Him and they turned it into meaningless acts and empty and shallow phrases:

Isaiah 1:14-15 (ESV)

14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts

my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me;

I am weary of bearing them.

15 When you spread out your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

I will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

The worst thing they did, however, is stated in the above verse.  Their rebellion had caused them to “defy God’s glorious presence.”  God had come down and shown them His glory in many ways.  Instead of acting in awe and in fright (see Isaiah’s response to God’s glory in chapter six), they despised His glory and turned it into shame.  They were to be the representatives of God’s glory in the earth.   They were to be the shining example of a people of God.  Instead they not only diminished God’s glory, they were “bitter” toward it (the meaning of the Hebrew word translated “defying”).   When we disobey God we turned bitter toward God.   Note what the writer of Hebrews tell us:

Hebrews 12:15 (ESV)

15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

We can get to the place that we so disobey God that we become bitter toward His glorious presence.   This is a warning to all who reject God.  Disobedience leads to bitterness which leads to the wrath of God.