Three Minute Drill

Three Minute Drill

We are just about to begin football again and most fans know about the two minute drill. That is the final push before the end of each half when the team with the ball exerts a little extra effort to score. Things are a little more intense and often big gains are recorded.

Back in school, my mentor and friend challenged me to prepare for the three minute drill. (For those of you who know me or LeTourneau, it was Sarge.) One day he asked me a question that I have never forgotten.

“What would you do if you came upon an accident where a guy had run a red light and struck a fellow in the cross walk? As you kneel over him, you see that his face is crushed and he cannot get air in or out, but he is conscious. You can tell that he is dying as you look into his eyes. You have about three minutes. What would you say in those three minutes?”

That specific episode does not happen regularly, but we often, knowingly or unknowingly, do talk to someone for the last time. When you know, for instance that someone has a disease and is dying, you may have more than three minutes, but this could be the last time to talk.

I have refined that thought over the years. I should have used it a couple of times, which to my shame, I failed. But I am ready now. Start with a question.

May I ask you a question? Do you know about Jesus? [You usually get one of two answers here.] If they say, “Yes,” continue with, “Have you asked Him to save you and take you to heaven?”

[If they say “Yes” rejoice and continue to pray for their relief. If they say, “No,” ask another question. “Do you want to right now?” If they do, rejoice and pray for their relief. If they say, “No,” ask if you can pray for them. Do it either way, silently or aloud. The Holy Spirit will take it from there.]

The other answer to the first question is quite often, “I do not believe in God.”

Respond with, “I do. And I have asked Jesus to forgive my sins and take me to heaven. Could I ask you another question?” What else can he say? He is lying there dying.

Continue, “Let’s suppose that I am wrong. There is no Jesus or heaven awaiting. When I die will I be disappointed? For that matter, will I even know that I was wrong? If evolution is true and we are just a bunch of developed protoplasm, death is just another step in returning these basic elements back into the cycle of life for some other person or thing. Here is the key question. What have I lost?

“There was nothing after life, and I am there, but will not know it. I have lost nothing.”

Keep right on going. “Now reverse the story. What if you die and find out that you are wrong. There is a God and you have missed the opportunity to get right with Him. You will have lost the chance for all eternity.”

“We know that both of these cannot be true. Who has the worse option? Let me lead you in a prayer to choose God. You have nothing to lose.”

That took about 70 seconds. Under pressure it will be harder, but if you have practiced, like the team in the two minute drill, your chances of success go way up. Think about this and be ready. I am reminded of the climactic scene of the movie, “God is not dead.” Recall the professor on the highway, dying. It worked for him. Get ready. Score! It is never too late to tell them. Just like the thief on the cross, they can be with Jesus not just in paradise, but heaven.

“This is the timeout with three minutes left in the half.”

Note: The next post will continue this discussion with other options. I did not want this one to get too complicated.

With This Ring...

Recently, I spilled some stain/varnish on my hand and it got underneath my wedding band. With some generous use of hand soap and vigorous twisting and pulling, I got the ring over the “slightly larger” knuckle than it had been 42 years ago. After removing it and cleaning off the residual stain, I kept the ring in a jewelry box, thinking that I would have it resized to fit better.

In the meantime, I was walking around...nekked. No ring. One of the common themes on old TV was for someone to surreptitiously remove his wedding band and stow it for later use.  This was before cheating on a spouse became almost normal behavior. The wandering spouse, usually the male of the species, would then conduct his clandestine activities unencumbered by the telltale jewelry.

So I was taken by surprise, years ago, when Dr. Dunn, the pastor who married us, took my ring and then asked, “Jim, do you accept this ring as a token of Bev’s love, fidelity, and devotion to you?”

Huh? I had paid pretty good attention to the weddings I had attended. I figured that if I was not on the ball, I might miss the call for cake and punch. So this formula was not the one that had been intoned many times before.

“Bev, do you accept this ring as a token of Jim’s love, fidelity, and devotion to you?” She did, and we was hitched.

It felt, well, like I was naked without the ring. Not that I was inclined to wander, but as noted before, that bit of gold had been holding down that digital post for over four decades. I felt comfortable with it.

So imagine our surprise, when we went into Wal-Mart for some supplies and they did not have the brand we needed. (Had a coupon, actually.) As we were leaving, empty handed, we “randomly” passed the jewelry counter and happened to glance into the case and there was a “fake” wedding ring. You can order these online for a fraction of the cost for gold or platinum and they look pretty good. Well, this one, tungsten for the chemists, was sitting there and cost less than half of the ones online.

(I had looked as a stopgap until I got the gold resized.) Well, it looked nice, and on a whim we asked what size it was. The lady behind the counter reported that it was size 12. That was what I “needed.” Coincidence, or direction?

So I am ringed again. And this one is wider than the old, so it even covers up the groove left by the 42 years of a small ring. And speaking of grooves, I always wondered how the wandering spouse (WS) explained that to his potential paramours? “No, I’m not married. That is from my fraternity ring.”

 I had a class ring about a decade before I got married and after just a few months of wearing that, I had a groove. If I left it off, it was obvious to anyone who saw my hand. A ring large enough not to “groove” my finger would slide off.

So how did WS get away with it anyway? I have a feeling that 1) he probably did not, 2) the new paramour probably had less compunctions than he did, especially if he had any money, and/or 3) it probably did not matter anyway, because he was on the way to the specialty lawyer.

How ironic that, under Dr. Dunn’s vows, SHE was the one who was free to gallivant around when his ring was “resting.” Isn’t it funny how reality comes back to bite us when we play fast and loose with the truth?

“As this ring, a circle, has no end, so your love and devotion should never end.” Dr. B. Dunn. Notice that I described myself as “ringed.”  The only thing that changed was the weight on my left hand.

Psalms in Psalms

The Bible is the best interpreter of  the Bible. We often find one book explaining and repeating another. Psalms is so long that it does it itself. Many of us know that Psalm 119 is noted for its celebration of God’s Word, His Law, His Statutes, His Precepts and several other nouns used to describe the communication of God to man. There are over 175 references* to that subject in the 176 verses. That would seem to indicate that God’s Word, etc. is pretty important.

I am memorizing Psalm 19 and as I work my way through it, I am coincidentally reading Psalm 119. Psalm comments on 119. It is fascinating that the same theme precedes the longest chapter in the Bible by 100 chapters. We could examine all 175, at least, meanings, but we will confine our thoughts to the shorter version in 19.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Begin with law. All societies must begin with some type of rule or control. Anarchy is the result of a society lacking any authority. God’s law is perfect, unlike any other we have or will encounter. David was keenly aware of the havoc wrought when the ruler gets outside the bounds of law. So he was celebrating the rule of Law in both of these Psalms. And he was particularly comforted by a perfect law.

Following the perfect law, we encounter the testimony or report about the law. And even a simpleton, when quoting and living by God’s law, is wise. Being wiser than the teacher is a common thread in Scripture. Again, using the best foundation will yield the best results.

The precepts are right. Just and righteous pronouncements are a comfortable, enlightening, and a source of  joy. Again, David understood this. We do too. Finally God’s commands are pure. There is not ulterior motive or underlying flaw. Our understanding, based on the perfect law, the sure testimony, the right precepts and the pure command will literally light up our eyes and our world.

Incidentally, Psalm 119 consists of 22 sections, one for each of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. I guess we could be trite and say God’s Word covers life from A to Z. So David just gave us the Reader’s Digest version in Psalm 19.

Read them both. Read them all.


*The total includes (1) Law, used 25 times in this psalm–depending on translation), (2) Testimonies (used 10 times in the psalm), (3) Ways (used 7times), (4) Precepts (21 times in the psalm), (5) Statutes (22x in the psalm), (6) Commandments ( 22 times in the psalm), (7) Judgments or ordinances ( same Hebrew word; 23 times in the psalm), (8) Word ( 23 times in the psalm), (9) Word (19 times in the psalm), (10) Faithfulness (v. 90), righteousness (v. 40), and name (v. 132) are also sometimes cited as synonyms for the Scriptures in this psalm. (Bible.org)

BibleHub listed 178.

I Saw Satan Fall

Reading the Scripture is a constant source of amazement. Something that we “knew” suddenly comes alive in a new way with a totally new, yet consistent, meaning. Take Luke 10:17, 18 as another example.
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”

Jesus had sent them out to minister and they returned exultant and ecstatic. They were amazed that even demons were defeated in Jesus’ name. The next phrase is one that I thought I understood. Jesus is explaining the source of their power. I always thought that His statement was that since, long ago, Satan had been defeated, that continued in their ministry. It also could prefigure Satan being booted out of heaven in Revelation 12:7-10.

Jesus did see Satan thrown from heaven in Isaiah 14:12-15 and repeated in Ezekiel 28:12-19. When Satan challenged God’s authority, even acting to remove God, he was defeated, deposed, and deported. We understand that one third of the angels joined in the rebellion and the whole crew was defeated. Lucifer had been the anointed cherub, perhaps the highest angel of all, and was stripped of his position and authority. But more completely, he was banished from God’s immediate presence.

Revelation 12 records a second defeat and the hordes will be confined exclusively to the earth. That will unleash the most devastating period of time in history as Satan marshals his best (strongest) and last challenge to the Lord God.

But does that seem a little convoluted for the circumstances of the Luke passage? Yes, Jesus did see Satan fall, and foresaw the ultimate fall, but how does that apply to the “return of the 70?” (That would be a great name for a novel or movie. But I digress.)

What if Jesus is responding directly to their comments? He sent them out, they led the assault on the “prince of the power of the air.” And Jesus reports the result. He, Who had vision beyond that  of just a man, saw Satan fall from power in a sense as people were delivered from the strangle hold of demons. Like a bolt of thunder and flash of lightning, relief was provided.

That does not diminish either of the other instances, but it mightily enhances the impact of the work of the 70–and us as we follow in their steps. We can directly bombard the power of evil in our world and society. Release those in bondage from their sin and guilt.

A friend of mine likes to say he is stationed at the gates of hell, to catch the last ones as they are drawn in. Satan’s power is diminished with each soul retrieved. It is time to go to war, Christian soldiers. Onward.

We need to make some more “lightning bolts” fall.

The Science of Darkness

Does it seem like the darkness is growing in our world? Things are certainly getting dark. Time for some science. There are two phrases that we often use, but actually they do not exist. We talk of cold and dark. There is no such thing as “cold.”

There is heat and there is the lack of heat. You cannot grow or increase cold. You can only add or remove heat. The total lack of heat is called absolute zero. It does not exist anywhere in the universe, because there is a little heat everywhere. Just not very much. So you can eliminate the cold feeling by adding heat. Even in the summer, we do not add cold to our houses with air conditioning. We take heat out.

Darkness is the same thing. And in fact, light, the opposite of darkness, is even a form of energy, so it falls into the same category as the discussion of “cold.” We say things are getting dark. But in reality, we are measuring or observing the decrease of light. You cannot “turn on” the dark. You just turn off the light. What is left, we call darkness. But is really nothing. (Or a lot less than before.)

How does that apply to anything? We often hear arguments about, “How could a ‘good God’ create evil?” And the answer is that He did not. He is good. And when He is excluded from lives and society we have a deficit of good. That is called evil. God did not create cold, or dark, or evil. He created (or was) heat, and light, and good. When we choose to limit or even eliminate God or heat or light we end up with a dearth.

Would a “good God” force everyone to accept Him? This is a moral question, and the answer has to be, “No.” Does your computer love or respect you when you type instructions on the keyboard and it executes them? In the same way, had God given us no choice, we would have been protoplasmic circuits responding to the input of a Sovereign creator.

Example: Some societies have a system where the male searches for a “suitable” mate, negotiates with her “owners,” and takes her home. Is that love? It can turn into love, if it has the option of not doing so. But if the life is completely regimented, no love will sprout.

God wanted to give us the glorious opportunity of loving Him. In order for that to happen, He had to allow us the option of refusing. This is what we commonly call “free will.” The entire gamut of life can be encapsulated in this concept. We can choose to love and revere or reject and despise.

But if we reject God and good, the consequence is no God and no good. Since God is good, as the old saying goes, “You can’t have one without the other.”

So is darkness increasing in our world? Sadly, the answer is, “No.” But it is getting darker. That is because the light is diminishing. Those who know and love God are not “letting their light shine.” That is you and me, brother. Jesus said,
Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16

If the world is getting darker, we must not be producing a glow of good works that points people to the source of good and light. We cannot blame darkness. We have to confess the lack of light on our part.

Let it glow.

Of Quacking Ducks
Or Things Are Not Always As They Seem

An unmarked police car overtook me on the streets of Smyrna. As he approached from the rear I was struck with the “police-like” appearance of the white car. As he passed, the lack of markings was evident. However, I still was suspicious. Black steel wheels and tires. (No white walls.) An antenna and the “pusher” grill completed the look.

Nah, that could not be a police car. It had no decals. It was just coincidence. I just hope the guy doesn’t get pulled over for impersonating a cop. (Or impersonating a duck.)

I wrote that last night, and wondered if and how that might be useful. Then this morning I read Jeremiah 44 . The background is that the remnant of the Jews left by Nebuchadnezzar have now left Jerusalem and fled to Egypt. This was in direct defiance of Nebuchadnezzar to God’s commands. After Jeremiah reminded them of their disobedience, they gathered around him and remonstrated with him.

16 “As for the message that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we are not going to listen to you!” 
Their explanation seemed logical to them.
17 “But rather we will certainly carry out every word that has proceeded from our mouths, by burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, just as we ourselves, our forefathers, our kings and our princes did in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then we had plenty of food and were well off and saw no misfortune. 18 But since we stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have met our end by the sword and by famine.” 

Can you blame them? They worshiped the Queen of Heaven and all went well. When they stopped, things fell apart. Therefore, it is logical to get back to honoring the Sugar Daddy (Mommy).

Or, are things different than they look? The rest of the chapter is Jeremiah’s answer. The people had enjoyed the seeming largess of this idol, but were totally mistaken as to the source. The Lord had been patient with them as they were blatantly violating His commands. His grace and mercy had given them a time of respite, a time to repent. They misunderstood His forbearance as impotence and His blessings as from the idol instead of enticements to remind them of how He had cared for them in the past.

Our application is that just because things are going well, we dare not conclude that we are doing the right thing. It is like the eye of a hurricane. After a “tough” time, the sun comes out and all looks like we are out of the storm. Often, the fury of the back half of the hurricane is more pronounced than the first stroke. Things are not as they appear.

Watch out for the tell-tales that warn of trouble to come. And, practically, if we are not violating the traffic laws, we need not fear a police car, marked or not. Jeremiah’s audience learned the hard way. Be smart.

This is the first of three. The other two follow.
Day and Night

One of Jesus’ favorite declarations back in King James’ time was, “Verily, verily, I say....” He said that when He wanted to emphasize a point that He was making. Repeating it was a polite way of saying, “Listen up. You need to hear this.” He was also implying that what He was saying was not already commonly known.

Verily, verily introduces the thought I ran over today. I had to back up and take another look. There are some groups that teach that God has abandoned the Jews. He is done with them and the final destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was the headstone on the grave of God’s work with Israel. I encountered that argument recently. So imagine my surprise when my reading took me to Jeremiah chapter 33, which repeats chapter 31 (verily).
23 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, 24 “Have you not observed what this people have spoken, saying, ‘The two families which the Lord chose, He has rejected them’? Thus they despise My people, no longer are they as a nation in their sight.”

Like a dog at full run, hitting the end of this leash, I was snapped around about 180 degrees in a heartbeat. What did that say? Yep. Even back in Jeremiah’s day people were discounting the promises to Israel made by the Sovereign, Unchangeable God. Volumes have been written on both sides of this controversy. But the Verily statement takes two verses to settle the matter.
25 “Thus says the Lord, ‘If My covenant for day and night stand not, and the fixed patterns of heaven and earth I have not established, 26 then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’”

Notice the negative statements. “If the covenant for day and night stand not,” and (paraphrase) “I did not establish the patterns of heaven...” The assumption is that God did do that. We are back to the creation question again. Taking God out of creation negates His promises to Israel. But I digress.

Now for the coop dee grass. (French) If God’s order of day and night and seasons should fail,
“‘...then I would reject the descendants of Jacob and David My servant, not taking from his descendants rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on them.’”

So our definitive question is, “Did the sun rise this morning and will it go down tonight?” In fact the Lord is so adamant in this point that He repeats it. (Earlier in the book, but still significant in its meaning and import.)

31:35Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name:

Notice that He threw in the tides as well. Then He continues,
36 “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.” 37 Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the Lord.

He upped the ante here. Now you have to measure the foundation of the earth (easy peasy) AND measure the heavens. (We talked about that recently. Psalm 19.1.1 http://thegatheringplacehome.myfastforum.org/posting.php?mode=editpost&p=30301 and
Israel in the Future http://thegatheringplacehome.myfastforum.org/sutra30380.php#30380)

And, as discussed in “Israel in the Future,” that ultimate fulfillment could not be the Temple Nehemiah and Ezra built, known as Herod’s Temple in Jesus’ day. That temple was destroyed and the chapter 31 prophesy finishes of with–well you read it for yourself.
38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the Lord; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”

Titus, the Roman in AD 70, made mincemeat of this promise if the present Jerusalem is NOT part of God’s plans.

So who you gonna’ believe? Titus the Roman or Jeremiah (and Yahweh Who spoke through him)? The Lord said it twice, “Verily, verily....”

This is the second of three.
Israel in the Future

It must be excruciating to read the Bible if one follows replacement theology. This is particularly true of the Old Testament in general and specifically Jeremiah. There are more than 50 references to the ultimate restoration of Israel in the Bible and at least 30 specific ones in Jeremiah alone.

If replacement is a novel or unknown concept for you, it is in a nut shell the teaching that  the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan for mankind. The gist of the idea is that Israel rejected God’s covenants, culminating with the rejection and execution (crucifixion) of the Messiah. It was finalized in AD 70 when God used Titus the Roman to destroy Israel and the city of Jerusalem as a judgment and indication that Israel was removed from God’s sight. (This seems to dismiss the requirement for the Messiah to be the substitute sacrifice for our sins. They actually followed God’s plan to a “T.” ‘Scuse the pun.)

Furthermore, replacement theologists ascribe the “return” prophesies in the Old Testament to the first restoration after the Children of Israel were deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. God brought them back to the land and the city after the 70 years, as prophesied by Jeremiah and Isaiah. (Jeremiah 29:10)  But instead of turning to God with all their hearts, they turned from Him again. Granted, they did not follow idols after their return from captivity. But that seems to be the only sin that they forsook.

A study of false prophets again highlighted the problems plaguing a replacement theology.  Jeremiah alone contains at least 30 passages, many whole chapters, that refer to the return of Israel to the land, and their place of distinction and prominence in God’s ongoing world order.

Some replacement defenders, as mentioned previously, ascribe the fulfillment of those to the return under Ezra, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel. But the requirements for a prophet are 100% percent accuracy. A 90 or even 99% accuracy rate is indicative of a false prophet. And you know what is supposed to happen to false prophets.

Some of the “details” may be imputed, such as in Jeremiah 30. This does indicate the immediate return of Israel, but the entire chapter has some allusions to more obscure items. The mention of David on the throne, particularly did not happen in the post exileic nation. They did not have any king at all.   (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2030&version=NASB) So to claim that this specific portion of the prophesy was “fulfilled” in type or figure is pretty silly.

Recall, that the prophet must be 100% accurate, so Jeremiah would seem to have a little “miss” there (and it is not a baked confection with frosting or fudge) if it does not refer to a future fulfillment. The rest of the chapter seems a stretch to be applied to the return from Babylon and its successor Persia.

The plot becomes literally untenable in Chapter 31. (Just click the > symbol in the reading link above and you are in chapter 31.) Read the whole chapter. It opens with, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” (Verse 3) An “everlasting” love cannot ever end, can it?

But keep reading. Read the whole chapter. When you get to verse 31 God declares that He will make a new covenant.... I just have to put the rest here.

33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

35 Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name: 36 “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the Lord, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.”

37 Thus says the Lord, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the Lord.

Notice the three conditions. First, based on God as Creator, He declares what will happen. Second, He links the existence of Israel with the diurnal cycle of day and night. Have the days stopped following the nights? If not, God’s promise is still in effect. Finally, have the heavens been measured? Do we understand the details of the structure of the earth? (If so, why do we not predict or better yet, prevent earthquakes?)

The answer is a resounding, “NO!” So to pronounce that Israel has been abandoned is to either declare that Jeremiah, or God, made a mistake in the above statement. (Another alternative is to ignore it, but that is not tenable in a rational discussion.) I do not think that we want either Jeremiah or God to have been wrong.

And, as if to clinch the nail in the argument, check verse 40. About the rebuilt city of Jerusalem, God declares, “... it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.” Now if that were the city that Ezra and Nehemiah built in 440-435 BC, we have a problem. Remember Titus the Roman? AD 70 finds him destroying Jerusalem and the temple. So that prophesy absolutely was not confined to the Jerusalem that Jesus knew and loved. It has to be a future restoration. And all of the “strange” details in the earlier chapters fall into place, as the People have returned, literally, from every part of the globe.

And Chap 33 reaffirms it even more emphatically. It is almost as if the Lord knew (smile) that the replacement theology would arise and was answering it. Actually, there were already people saying that God had abandoned His People. This chapter  very strongly refutes that concept and it quite enlightening to read it. Start at v. 14 and you can see the absolute rejection of that idea. It is non-negotiable and irrevocable.

A candid appraisal seems to call for the replacement of replacement theology. Just check out your Bible and determine what it really says.

This is the final edition of a 3 piece thought. The two previous posts reference this. Jim

Psalm 19.1.1

Memorizing Scripture is one of those things that we are constantly encouraged to do, but many of us do not do so. Prayer is another such activity, but I digress. I have been memorizing a verse or two every week due to a challenge from a friend of mine. After years of meaning to do so, he finally moved me off the dime by challenging me to match him in memorizing only one verse a week.

Get an accountability partner and do it. It works. It has been very rewarding as it brings me into contact with a passage multiple times a week. It is not exactly meditating, but it starts the process.

My personal memorizing will be Psalm 19 for the next few weeks. So we will probably enjoy the benefits of this Scripture as it suffuses our thinking. Even the headings provided by the translators are instructive. New American Standard (NASB) summarizes this Psalm as the Works of God and the Word of God. Holman Christian Standard (HCSB) entitles it the witness of creation and of Scripture.

The overall outline can be summarized as God can be recognized in creation, His works, but He can be known in His Word, the Scripture. Only recognizing that there is a God would probably be so oppressive and overwhelming that we would despair. He is omnipotent and omnipresent. What a thought. But the fact that “God is Love,” is only evident in His communications to us.

I did not wait for you. I have already begun memorizing. (HCSB)
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
2 Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge.

The writer does not engage in an extended defense of the existence of God. He just assumes it. In fact the entire Bible treats that “crucial issue” of our current society as if it were such a simple foregone conclusion that it is a waste of time even to address it. Do we need to prove to people that there is air? (A famous comic once had an album entitled, “Why Is There Air?”) Just think what it would be like without it. In fact, there would not be anything without it. The same would be true of God.

God exists and even creation, the heavens and sky, proclaims that. Notice the exact words, however. The declaration is not that God exists, but that He is glorious, worthy of praise and adoration. The work of His hands confirm that.

In the Bible, whenever anyone encountered even an angel they fell on their faces in awe and wonder. In fact the angels had to restrain men from worshiping THEM. “Worship God,” was often the admonition. (Revelation 10:19; 22:9)

So it becomes apparent that the glory of God is the key ingredient here. And if men felt compelled to worship angels, then how much more should we be compelled to fall in worship and adoration at the wonders we see? In fact, verse 2 says that the heavens and sky (stars) are constantly, day and night, espousing the wonders of God.

A satellite just went into orbit around the planet Jupiter. News accounts depicted the scientists involved in this feat in jubilant celebration. Why? Because it is a remarkable accomplishment to
send anything 541 million miles into space. And this little piece of “space flotsam” hit this target at that distance and it was able to, by computer, control its approach and descend into the atmosphere of Jupiter to orbit within 3000 miles of the surface.

And it can conduct measurements of planetary parameters and then transmit that information back to earth. Think a second. Light and radio waves travel 186,000 miles per second which calculates to a little more than 48  minutes for that signal to reach the space craft. So the computer command to fire the retro-rockets has to come 48 minutes before they are needed.  (And that same amount of time to return a signal that it was received and executed.)

Or better yet, the on-board computer has to calculate its trajectory and determine when to fire the  rockets. And don’t forget. It is hitting a moving target. This is a staggering problem to solve. And this is just to circle one large-to-us, but minuscule-in-the-scale-of-the-universe, planet out of about a thousand, billion, billion stars.

And these stars are so synchronized that we can find them and calculate their galactic paths, and even whether there are any planets orbiting these objects that we cannot even see with telescopes. Most of them are visible only to the giant radio telescopes scattered around this globe.

...He made the stars also. (Genesis 1:16) I am awestruck, like Job who said, “Now that see you I cannot say anything.” (League version) And Job did confess, Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand. And God did not even leave the earth with His “explanatory” exposition. Think how Job would have replied if the Lord had opened the book of knowledge a little wider.

The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Please notice that the glory comes first. Then the wonders of His work are addressed.

Psalm 8 repeats this same concept. David concludes in verse 4,
What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?

That is the wonder of it all. God created this unimaginably large, complex, and precise universe and yet He cares about Jim–and you. That is the most mind boggling and awe inducing statement that we can consider.

I am convinced that God created man and placed all of us into this creation so that we would have the exquisite and incomparable blessing of seeing all of this. The heavens and sky are merely megaphones and sign posts to point us to the Object of our wonder.

Glory.

Theological Oddities 2
Jeremiah 24:11 (Until Then)

(Well maybe not as “odd” as not interpreted in the best way. Sometimes the “obvious” meaning is not really obvious when we look at the whole passage. Ed.)

“Every promise in the Book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line,” goes an old chorus. I agree that all of the Bible is true, but not everything in the Bible is applicable to me. For instance both Isaiah and Jeremiah predicted that God’s people would go into Babylon for 70 years, then return to Jerusalem. That does not apply to me, and frankly, I am not too disappointed that I will not spend any time in that territory. So we need to read the Scripture with an understanding of who it is addressing, what it says, and how it applies. And if it applies to me and how.

We read and hear Bible verses that seem to be made just for my circumstances. And often they are. But there are other times when the clear meaning of the passage does not exactly mean  what that “little cherry” that we picked out says. Revelation 3:20 is an example.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

This is often used as an invitation to salvation verse, saying, “Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart and wants to come in.” Jesus is seeking to enter our lives, but that particular verse has a different intent. There are others that are more appropriate.

1 John 1:9 is another example.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

This confession is not for salvation. John was writing to believers and this entire epistle was addressing the question of fellowship. It is the same as the Revelation 3 passage. The church in Laodicea and the people to whom John was writing needed to be reminded that their sins separated between them and God. (Isaiah 59:2) This is not a salvation issue; it is a relationship issue.

For both, the Israelites and us, the mover is us. God has not moved. So we need to “move” by confessing, to get back close or in fellowship. With all this introduction, let’s look at Jeremiah 29:11:
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

We have heard and quoted this as a comfort for people to look forward to some good end. And that is not wrong, exactly, but look at the context. Jeremiah warns the people not to believe the prophets who claim that the people will be delivered from Babylon and returned to their land quickly. God’s real message is to build houses, marry and have families, and pray for the welfare of the “city” to which He had sent them.

“Do not believe the lying prophets who say that you will escape quickly. It will be 70 years.” (V. 10) “When that time is up, and incidentally, all of you are dead and gone, I (the Lord) will return the people to their land.” Then comes the great promise. God says that He knows the plans and ultimately they will be for good. But for the time being, make the most of the opportunity that is before you. Or, “Occupy til I come.”

This is not a promise of a quick and expeditious release from trouble. It is the Romans 8:28 of the Old Testament. “I have plans. I am working. And I am doing it in My time.” (Which will be best for you too.)

Does this destroy our joy and peace? Actually, not. Remember the times when the Lord compared Himself to a potter and his people to clay in Isaiah and Jeremiah? (Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 41:25; Isaiah 45:9; Isaiah 64:8 ) A more contemporary example might be a cook making chocolate chip cookies. Imagine what the dough is saying.

“We are all nice an comfortable here in this comfy bowl. Look, a sweet, sticky mixture being gently stirred by the master chef. Oops! Look out! Incoming! What are those black things? Oh, chocolate chips. Okay, the master is adding to our appeal. This is great.

“Now what? He is rolling me into a little ball. At least I am around all my buddy balls. Uh, what now? I am on a metal plate–aaahhh! That hurts. I am smashed flat. Now it is dark...and hot. What is happening to me?”

When the cookie emerges from the oven, the result is totally and completely different from what went in. A chemical change has occurred and the cookie is now a new entity. It cannot be separated back into the old ingredients. The baker knew what he was doing, even if the dough did not understand. The dough’s job was to change with the conditions. Chef Elf knew what he was doing all along. (Or maybe it was Lil Debbie.)

When we are in the oven, the crucible, the testing that our Maker has designed, we may not now, or ever know what is going on. But He does. He has a plan. Regardless of whether it is a minute, a month, a year, or a life time, He is following His recipe for us.

And the ultimate result is far superior to any short term concoction that I, we, can produce. So, yes, God does have plans for us. But He does not always tell us the time. And sometimes, like with the Jews, it is longer than we want. But, as a cookie or cake taken from the oven prematurely is pretty disgusting, so my recipe for life would end up a soggy, sodden mass.

We are given the promises, not to succor us in the short term, but to sustain us in the long run and for eternity. I love that old song, “Until Then.”

My heart can sing when I pause to remember A heartache here is but a stepping stone Along a trail that's winding always upward, This troubled world is not my final home.

Chorus: But until then, heart will go on singing, Until then with joy I'll carry on.
Until the day my eyes behold the city, Until the day God calls me home.

This second verse sums up everything we need to know.
The things of earth will dim and lose their value If we recall they're borrowed for a while;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble, Remembered there will only bring a smile.

God has a plan. Until then, I’m gettin’ ready to smile.

Theological Oddities

In our last consideration, we talked about physical oddities that worked out just about opposite of what one would expect. This time we will examine some theological statements and how they are not exactly what we might expect when first viewing them.

Let’s start with Jesus. One of the most famous quotations from the cross was, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) And we all know for whom Jesus was requesting forgiveness. Right those mean soldiers.

I agree, but were there more? Well, yes, the Jewish leaders were the one who orchestrated this travesty and the crowd went along. They all needed forgiveness. Right-o!

Can you think of anyone else? Where were the disciples? Old Pete had declared that he would go to death with Jesus and all we see is his heels. Hey, where’s Lazarus? If anyone should not fear the prospect of death, he would be one. And what about the other guys who were raised from the dead, and healed, and weren’t there about 9,000 along with their women and children fed on two occasions? In fact just about everyone in Judea and Galilee had been touched, from being freed from demons to being cared for at a wedding.

In all of those who had been touched, do we see anyone supporting Jesus? The only people we can identify seem to be women named Mary or associated with them. And John, the youngest disciple. He was there for a while, anyway. But everyone else in that crowd was egging the soldiers on. Even the two on either side of Him for a while. Did the forgiveness cover them also? How many is that, five or six groups? The soldiers, the leaders, the crowd, the disciples, the followers, the “malefactors,” all were pretty much in line for the blessing.

We know for sure that one who was crucified along with Jesus accepted forgiveness. That may be the crucial issue here. Forgiveness offered does not equal forgiveness accepted. There is one other person who should be included. It is ME. Jesus’ offer of forgiveness is open for me and I took it. The same is true for any other “Me” out there. It is not automatic. We have to receive it. But why not?

There was a lot of forgiving going on that day. Praise the Lord.

(More next time.)

Odd Occurrences

It is interesting to read the news or watch someone, sometimes myself, and note things that are odd. Let’s take for instance an article in the paper last week. It was about asthma and kids. Many kids have problems with that. A side line noted that the percentage of children who grew up in Mennonite families who suffered from asthma was far lower than the population at large.

Some investigation discovered a possible link. Dust. Many of the families studied lived on farms, in fairly close proximity to the barns, particularly dairy barns. A comparison study examined a different religious sect, which, like the Mennonites were somewhat isolated from society.

The main difference between the two groups was that the control group lived at a distance from the main farming activities, particularly the barns. So the families were less likely to be exposed to dust and other effluvia from close contact with the farm animals. These children exhibited more “traditional” responses to allegerans than the comparison group.

To test their theory the investigators sprayed minute amounts of “dairy dust” into the nostrils of infant mice. Those with the treatment suffered fewer allergic reactions, such as asthma, than the non-dusted group.

Evidently exposure to dust intrinsic to farming operations inoculated the children and essentially protected them from those maladies. The thing that make it so “odd” is that most homemakers, my mother included, worried incessantly about all the dirt we were dragging into the house. As it turns out, a good bit of household dust maybe just “what the doctor ordered” to protect the breathing apparatus of young children.

Genius moment coming. I will bottle and sell “dairy dust” for anxious mothers to sprinkle around the tots to protect them from allergies and other respiratory ailments. That may not be as far fetched as it sounds.

Who’da thunk it? So the very concept of focusing on an aspect of our lives often leads us to “unintended” consequences. Here is a personal example. Promise not to laugh.

We have been in the process of remodeling the house. An infestation of mold from shoddy building practices was the impetus, plus it has been about 30 years since the domicile was new and it needed a little upgrading.

One of our complaints about this house was squeaky floors. Everywhere you went, even up the stairs, you were accompanied by squeaks, creaks, and other irritating audiles. One of my projects before replacing the flooring was to locate and tighten every possible culprit. Toward the end, we literally ripped up the carpet, spotted the usually loose nail, and not only hammered it back down, but backed it up with a sturdy wood screw just to make doubly sure.

One place upstairs not only creaked, but it actually sagged when anyone stepped on it. I cut out the offending, weak board and replaced it with the strongest  peice that I could locate. Every time I crossed that spot I deliberately stepped on it to ensure that it was remaining tight and firm.

We had the carpet and hard wood installed throughout the entire house. One spot in the kitchen, was particularly squeaky. I was not able to get at it was because we were removing the underlayment to make a better floor . I even marked it with a magic marker so we would not lose track of it.

But when the flooring crew was there we were occupied with moving the refrigerator, washer and dryer, the stove, and just keeping out of the way. And wouldn’t you know it. No one made the final squeak sweep, and now the beautiful hardwood covers what is right now, the only remaining squeak in the house. And, just for kicks, it is right in front of the back door.

Now back upstairs to the super strong, replacement board. Boy when we step on it, there is nothing. It is nearly as solid as a concrete block under there. ...but, to my chagrin, I stepped to the side of that board the other day, and you guessed it. One of the left behinds was never properly reattached to the floor and stepping on it produces a slight, but distinct, creak.

So much for determination to eliminate offenders. But, unlike the dust, there seems to be no silver lining to these failures to eradicate. Oh well, it is a lot better than it was. Just watch where you step and it will be okay. Incidentally, that was one of the “rules” for life on the farm. Particularly if you were inside the corrals or some of our “pets” has been outside. A careless step would have brought in far more “asthma inoculation” than Mom would have tolerated.

Sometimes things just work out differently than planned. It keeps you on your toes. Happy toe walking.

Syncretism Or The Price is Right

Syncretism

The TV show “Price is Right” is known for offering to trade one “prize” for another. A contestant wins a prize and is immediately offered another, which is veiled or in a box. The contestant has to decide whether to keep what he or she has or risk getting a zonker instead of a better one than he has. That model is sometimes used to portray religion.

“Is the one I have better than the unknown one out there?” That dilemma has led to some convoluted theological contortions. One is called syncretism.

Syncretism, now that is a good word. What does it mean? Simply, it is the combining of aspects of different religions to produce a single hybrid or conglomerate. In essence, it is attempting to play “The Price is Right” and keep both boxes. It is a variation on the theme of “all roads lead to God.” We can manufacture a concoction of all religions and make everyone happy. (Except God.)

Why would anyone want to do that? I think that we can ferret out two or three reasons. First, the boy (let’s go with Solomon’s favorite appellation, “My son,” for simplicity.), the boy sees a “new” way of “worship” and is attracted to it, but hesitates to completely break with the old ways. So he “finds common grounds” between the two and then claims a link that justifies both.

He may be afraid that the new way is right, but not completely convinced that the old way is not right, so basically keeps one foot in both camps. Paul ran into that in Athens. Acts 17:23
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

The Athenians were very cautious about “missing” any god and thus had the catchall safety idol to make sure that they hit them all. The Athenian would ask, “How do we know our religion is right?” They didn’t so they covered  all the bases to make sure.

(I am sure that someone must have been bright enough to realize that 1) some of these religions were mutually exclusive, and 2) some of the deities would be jealous and not take lightly the challenging of their primacy and authority. Paul, surely knew that Yahweh would not allow that. Interestingly, he did not address that. They needed to know Jahweh, before they were concerned about how to please Him. That does not imply that we misrepresent the Lord, but we do not have to impose all of our theological nuances on unbelievers or even new believers. The Holy Spirit is in charge of straightening out errors. You and I are just charged with preaching the message.)

Our first reason, then, is accommodation. Make sure we don’t miss anyone. Second we can take a little twist on the first. The new religion is attractive, but we have an emotional attachment to the old one. “Mom and Dad believed this. I cannot just abandon it.” So the “boy” simply converts to the new but keeps a nominal commitment to his previous beliefs but is not sincere. I think that a lot of the Old Testament idolatry by the Jews stemmed from that. Abe, Ike, and Jake were an integral part of their lives from babyhood (eight day circumcision, etc.) and on.

Jeremiah and Isaiah in particular point out some of these new gods, like the Asherah, and Queen of Heaven, to name a couple. The Jews continued to revere the forefathers, but the new, flashy, contemporary editions of deity were very attractive. And “everyone” else it doing it. All of their neighbors, whom they failed to “drive out,” were modern worshipers and Jacob’s kin did not want to be left behind. They wanted to be on the “right side of history.” (But I digress.)

The second reason could be identified as acclimation or evolution. The final reason we can consider is also related to the first. Some of new religions were extremely attractive due to their less than strict or libertarian standards. We can call them licentious, or unlimited, or even outright debauchery. But they were fun.

Jeremiah specifically identified that in chapters 6 and 7. After listing their offenses, Jeremiah is to give this message:
3 “This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Correct your ways and your deeds, and I will allow you to live in this place.”

But... 4 Do not trust deceitful words, chanting: This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.

Instead of repenting, they were going to continue their profligate ways and give lip service (three times for effect) to God and the temple. Essentially they were going to violate all of God’s commandments, but in the end run back to the sacred touch stone of the Temple and whisper the secret words. God would then forgive them–they reasoned.

The summation comes in verse 9.
“Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known? 10 Then do you come and stand before Me in this house called by My name and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts’? 11 Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it.”

Someone, verse 4, evidently was reassuring them that if the used the right words and run back to the temple, that God would overlook their transgressions. Matthew gives the bad news when Jesus said to a crowd that was similarly giving the impression of religiosity by were not committed. He said, “I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

Paul also addressed that in Romans 6:1. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” Paul reacts with the strongest negative available in the Greek language. “Absolutely, positively not!” (Probably two or three exclamation points.) And Jesus told why. It is exceedingly arrogant and presumptuous to think that one can sin, “repent,” and then go on sinning. Repent means to turn back and not go that way any longer. 1 John says a believer does not live like that. Therefore, someone who lives like that is not now, or ever was, a believer.

Whether it is accommodation, acclimation, or presumption, the concept of merging worship of the One and Only God does not pass muster. Just as in Matthew 7, Jeremiah 7 pronounces the end of false believers. Read verses 32-34 for the chilling description. (Below) It ends with “the land will become a desolate waste.” That was the corporate judgment. The personal one is just as devastating.

And for nearly 1900 years, that land was basically considered a wilderness and wasteland. If the Lord did not accept compromised worship from His own people, how can we expect that if we do the same that it will turn out any better. It will not.

There is only one way and it is unchanging forever. Don’t trade for a box of zonkers.


Jeremiah 7:32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. 33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. 34 Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride: for the land shall be desolate.