Thursday, May 25, 2017
More on Rapture
Post-tribulation rapture is one position that is presented by some prominent scholars. When I first heard it, I was confused, at best. Maybe even concerned that we had misinterpreted the Scripture. The basis of it is a story about Roman conquerors coming home in triumph. Word was sent on ahead and when they arrived at the city, they camped a short distance outside the walls.
Once the word arrived, the citizens of the city rushed around and cleaned up the city. They also sprayed a deodorant on the piles of refuge to make the city smell more pleasant, or at least not so putrid. Then, when all was ready, the people went out to meet the victorious soldiers, then everyone marched in triumph back into the city. This was the picture of Jesus' coming that Paul invoked. The interpretation is that when Jesus meets His people they go up to meet Him, then turn around and return to the earth as described in Revelation 19, the triumphal return and reign on the earth. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10) Therefore, the rapture is after the tribulation.
Is this an accurate description of what will happen? I am having a very difficult time confirming this interpretation anywhere, particularly this story, despite the fact that I have heard it several times. Google any combination of words and you will probably come up as empty as I did.
But ignoring the story itself and its origin, let's examine the theology. A long search of "post-tribulation" topics reveals a large disparity in thought about the rapture and unfortunately a lot of it is spurious. Nearly everyone ignores Daniel, except for one who said Jesus was the "prince to come" in Daniel 9 and all of the 70 weeks were fulfilled in Him around AD 70. (This is ludicrous, but at the risk of having someone claim that it is dismissed because we could not refute it, a second rebuttal will follow. "Jesus the Prince in Daniel 9?")
Now back to the Roman story. Jesus said several times that we will not know when He is coming. The Romans sent a warning to alert the city. Analogy break down number one. Second the people, with the warning, cleaned up for the "visit." Jesus again said "Be ready...." Not "Get ready when I phone ahead." Analogy break down number two.
Killer, I believe: The "turnaround and go back to heaven for Jesus" is a silly idea, they claim. Why would Jesus come part way then go back? How about a second analogy, one that applies what Jesus said in John 14?
2 In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
This is not a contrived story. It was actually what happened in Israel during their time. The bridegroom literally went to "his father's house" to make a place for the his new bride and himself. Then he returned to.... Well, let the story tell you itself. Don't want to spill the beans.
3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. (Emphasis added.)
Notice that the bride is not going out to meet the groom and take him back to her house. She is going to HIS house. When the bridegroom called, the waiting bride jumped up and headed out the door to meet him. Analogy killer number three. We are not going to a "nice smelling" refuse pile. We are going to our new home, prepared by the Groom.
Now go back to Revelation 19. Whoo boy! This is gettin' good.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
The marriage ceremony is imminent. (That means just about to happen.) And what follows the marriage? Cake and punch! Well, almost...
9 Then he said to me, "Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'"
A post-trib rapture misses the best part. Who wants to miss the wedding supper? And look what follows the supper. Verse 10 "Then...." Isn't that a timing word? Or same as next? Verse 11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.
We know who this Guy is. We just spent seven years Him at the "supper." Aaannnndddd....
14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
White linen? Look back at verse 7. That's us folks. This is the magnificent appearing and all that stuff. And we are with Him, coming back to finish off the (Daniel) "prince" who is also known as the Beast or anti-Christ. Glory Hallelujah!
Epilog: Many of the post arguments deal with Matthew 24:29-31.
29 "But immediately after the tribulation of those days" (yep, that's the Big T one. Ed.) "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. (Revelation 19 Ed.) 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
So, crows the post-trib. "After the tribulation." And he is right. But this is not the Rapture of the Church. Here are the inconsistencies: 1) Warning, again. Darkness, falling stars, Sign of Son on Man, all...will mourn. 2) They will see Him coming. Then, 3) He will send His angels to gather...
This is not the 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 rapture, but the preservation of the Tribulation saints who survived. Revelation 7:14 identifies them for us. This is the great multitude in Revelation 7.
And he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
But many of those who believe will be martyred by the anti-Christ. We read of them in Revelation 6:9
When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
Our question becomes, "How will those who ‘survive' get into the ‘1000 years' of Christ's reign? (Revelation 20) Many were killed, but (20:4) "...they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." The angels in Matthew 24 were responsible for getting the surviving "elect" from the Tribulation to the Millennium. Some will be resurrected and the rest "gathered."
Notice one last thing. Who gathered these (Matthew 24) saints? Angels. The Rapture is Jesus Himself coming for His Church. He is not slighting the living Tribulation saints. He is preserving them while He takes out their enemies. (Revelation 19:21)
One final complaint: This is all so complicated and convoluted. Why? First, it is scattered throughout the Scripture but it correlates every single detail. Second it is worth the study to search it out. ("Search the Scriptures." Jesus John 5:39) And third, it was a progressive revelation to the prophets and apostles, so they could not have given us the Cliff Notes version. But each needed his piece for his time.
The Church was not evident in the Old Testament, so it would have been nonsense to everyone who read it if the story had been complete in Daniel and Ezekiel. It is now complete.
What a blessing for us to be able to profit from these prophets.
Jesus the Prince of Daniel 9?
(Ed. This follows the one above. ("More on Rapture.")
Our search for explanations of the post tribulation story turned up a peculiar interpretation of Daniel 9. (I will not document this, as it is not worth your time. You can search for it if so inclined, but it is a waste.)
I will not dismiss it as absurd and go on, because that might give someone the impetus to claim that I could not do so, consequently, I ignored it. Look at the text.
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come (Emphasis Added.) will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."
First the article said Jesus was the "prince" and the Romans were the people. But look at the verse. Jesus was not a Roman, so the "people of the prince who is to come..." cannot be the people of Jesus. We know the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70, ergo, the "prince" must be a Roman. (General Titus)
I suppose that one could argue that Paul was a Jew and a Roman simultaneously, and be correct. But we know Jesus' patriarchal and matriarchal linages and neither leave room for a "Roman cohort." (Pun intended.) Jesus does have some "Moabite" blood from Ruth and "Canaanite" blood from Rahab, but none from Rome.
Therefore this could not be Jesus. No more proof is needed. But let's follow the passage a little farther, just to spike any guns. Jesus did not make a treaty with the Jews for seven years (one week), He did not stop sacrifice after 3 1/2 years, and did not make a desolation. (Profaning the Holy Place.)
And note that the end of this person is that "destruction is poured out on the one who makes desolate." This is not Jesus. In fact, John, identified this one as the one who ultimately is thrown into the lake of fire forever. He is also known as anti-Christ and the Beast. (Revelation 19:20; 20:10) End story.
Our search for explanations of the post tribulation story turned up a peculiar interpretation of Daniel 9. (I will not document this, as it is not worth your time. You can search for it if so inclined, but it is a waste.)
I will not dismiss it as absurd and go on, because that might give someone the impetus to claim that I could not do so, consequently, I ignored it. Look at the text.
26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come (Emphasis Added.) will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."
First the article said Jesus was the "prince" and the Romans were the people. But look at the verse. Jesus was not a Roman, so the "people of the prince who is to come..." cannot be the people of Jesus. We know the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70, ergo, the "prince" must be a Roman. (General Titus)
I suppose that one could argue that Paul was a Jew and a Roman simultaneously, and be correct. But we know Jesus' patriarchal and matriarchal linages and neither leave room for a "Roman cohort." (Pun intended.) Jesus does have some "Moabite" blood from Ruth and "Canaanite" blood from Rahab, but none from Rome.
Therefore this could not be Jesus. No more proof is needed. But let's follow the passage a little farther, just to spike any guns. Jesus did not make a treaty with the Jews for seven years (one week), He did not stop sacrifice after 3 1/2 years, and did not make a desolation. (Profaning the Holy Place.)
And note that the end of this person is that "destruction is poured out on the one who makes desolate." This is not Jesus. In fact, John, identified this one as the one who ultimately is thrown into the lake of fire forever. He is also known as anti-Christ and the Beast. (Revelation 19:20; 20:10) End story.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
New Birth
Well, here we go again. Our ninth grandchild made his appearance last night, just a few minutes after midnight. (Not soon enough for Mommy, I bet.) Thinking about that, my mind ran, for at least the ninth time, to the miracle of birth. (Note: Probably more, as I contemplated for their parents too.) (Note 2: This is not like the "It's a Muracle" from the Titans' announcer Mike Keith when they pulled out a playoff game victory. This is real life, new life, and the wonder of life.)
This time my mind ran down the trail of the baby's situation. Imagine being all snug and warm in your little world. Unknown to him, in this instance, his world is upside down, and is going to turn all topsy turvy in a short while. Suddenly his place of comfort and peace seems to turn aggressive. He is pushed and prodded from every direction, but one.
It is as if a giant hand has grasped his little home and begun to squeeze him out, like toothpaste out of a tube. (Note 3: He does not know about that but will soon be introduced to that and many other wonders–not miracles.) He has one option. That is to plunge, head first, no less, into the only place of no pressure. And it seems to be down, but will probably level out later, unknown, again, to him.
As he enters this "tunnel" he discovers to his chagrin (probably) that there is no return. He is committed to whatever lies beyond. In fact, he has no choice. The "Hand" is moving him regardless of his compliance or will. (It really is a Hand, as we will discover with him later.)
Rabbit trail: This reminds me of the time we visited the Cumberland Caverns. The "path" that the first explorers followed was delineated. Someone had actually chiseled out a walk way beside the actual passage to make it visible–without going into it personally. Good thing. Jim no go there. (Tonto) The passage was barely wider than a man's body and the stalactites and stalagmites were curiously angled to the left as we saw it. So they allowed the bodies to wriggle over them in the direction that they pointed, but there was no backing up, let alone turning around to return.
We wondered at the faith, luck, or possibly stupidity of the first guys in there to believe that there would be another way out. There was no going back this way. End of trail. Fortuitously, there was a second "entrance," thus exit. End RT.
As our newest family addition is inexorably expelled from his home and now passage, head first, remember, he pokes his noggin out into COLD air. He is used to 98.6 F (37 C. He is a scientist already.) This is, depending upon the facility, 10 or 20 or even more degrees (F) colder! The "geniuses" who brought him here at least recognize this discomfort, no distress, and swaddle him, getting him into a warm place. (Yup, his sarcasm genes are working well.)
It will be years before he can contemplate this, but he has just experienced one of the most ingenious and intricate processes in the universe. All of this was accomplished without computers or other equipment and is over 99% perfect in its operations millions of times per day.
He will, I guarantee, come to wonder if such a process could have spontaneously, randomly developed over millions of years. (Note 4: GrampaJim is still waiting to see his first 747 emerge from a junk yard, but I digress.) Had this process failed at just one point in the millions of years of "evolution" he, and we, would not be here. We would not be anywhere. The undirected development of this would be a greater miracle than the process of birth itself. Scientists and doctors literally learn more about this every year. If we had to reconstruct it from scratch, we would fail, merely from ignorance of all that is involved. We are not even close.
So as the new Little League acclimates to this much harsher, but rewarding world, let's join in prayer and praise for him and all the other new persons who have joined us. We ought to do it every day so we don't get so far behind.
Lord, we come to You in awe of Your wonders and works. Our simple understanding is challenged to understand a peanut, as George Washington Carver once said. But we can contemplate Your power and providence in providing this new little person to enrich our lives and serve You.
Lead him. Lord, and all the others who joined him in this wonderful exploration of Your world and ways. Let him, and us, be like Moses and learn Your ways as opposed to just marveling at your works. Make him a powerful witness for You in all of his life.
Empower his family with wisdom to train him in Your nurture and admonition. Teach him early to love You and depend upon Your provision. Touch his family, church, community, state, nation, and ultimately the world in such a way that he is brought to full stature as a man of God. Then unleash him as a force for You in his family, church, community, state, nation, and ultimately the world.
God, give us men who will stand for You, in the gap, until You take them home or return. We anticipate Your coming soon. Let it be today. Maranatha!
We ask this in Jesus' Name, amen, Amain!
(And one more thing Lord, if it isn't too much trouble. Have him learn to proper use of I, he, we and me, him, and us. Just a thought. Thank You.)
This time my mind ran down the trail of the baby's situation. Imagine being all snug and warm in your little world. Unknown to him, in this instance, his world is upside down, and is going to turn all topsy turvy in a short while. Suddenly his place of comfort and peace seems to turn aggressive. He is pushed and prodded from every direction, but one.
It is as if a giant hand has grasped his little home and begun to squeeze him out, like toothpaste out of a tube. (Note 3: He does not know about that but will soon be introduced to that and many other wonders–not miracles.) He has one option. That is to plunge, head first, no less, into the only place of no pressure. And it seems to be down, but will probably level out later, unknown, again, to him.
As he enters this "tunnel" he discovers to his chagrin (probably) that there is no return. He is committed to whatever lies beyond. In fact, he has no choice. The "Hand" is moving him regardless of his compliance or will. (It really is a Hand, as we will discover with him later.)
Rabbit trail: This reminds me of the time we visited the Cumberland Caverns. The "path" that the first explorers followed was delineated. Someone had actually chiseled out a walk way beside the actual passage to make it visible–without going into it personally. Good thing. Jim no go there. (Tonto) The passage was barely wider than a man's body and the stalactites and stalagmites were curiously angled to the left as we saw it. So they allowed the bodies to wriggle over them in the direction that they pointed, but there was no backing up, let alone turning around to return.
We wondered at the faith, luck, or possibly stupidity of the first guys in there to believe that there would be another way out. There was no going back this way. End of trail. Fortuitously, there was a second "entrance," thus exit. End RT.
As our newest family addition is inexorably expelled from his home and now passage, head first, remember, he pokes his noggin out into COLD air. He is used to 98.6 F (37 C. He is a scientist already.) This is, depending upon the facility, 10 or 20 or even more degrees (F) colder! The "geniuses" who brought him here at least recognize this discomfort, no distress, and swaddle him, getting him into a warm place. (Yup, his sarcasm genes are working well.)
It will be years before he can contemplate this, but he has just experienced one of the most ingenious and intricate processes in the universe. All of this was accomplished without computers or other equipment and is over 99% perfect in its operations millions of times per day.
He will, I guarantee, come to wonder if such a process could have spontaneously, randomly developed over millions of years. (Note 4: GrampaJim is still waiting to see his first 747 emerge from a junk yard, but I digress.) Had this process failed at just one point in the millions of years of "evolution" he, and we, would not be here. We would not be anywhere. The undirected development of this would be a greater miracle than the process of birth itself. Scientists and doctors literally learn more about this every year. If we had to reconstruct it from scratch, we would fail, merely from ignorance of all that is involved. We are not even close.
So as the new Little League acclimates to this much harsher, but rewarding world, let's join in prayer and praise for him and all the other new persons who have joined us. We ought to do it every day so we don't get so far behind.
Lord, we come to You in awe of Your wonders and works. Our simple understanding is challenged to understand a peanut, as George Washington Carver once said. But we can contemplate Your power and providence in providing this new little person to enrich our lives and serve You.
Lead him. Lord, and all the others who joined him in this wonderful exploration of Your world and ways. Let him, and us, be like Moses and learn Your ways as opposed to just marveling at your works. Make him a powerful witness for You in all of his life.
Empower his family with wisdom to train him in Your nurture and admonition. Teach him early to love You and depend upon Your provision. Touch his family, church, community, state, nation, and ultimately the world in such a way that he is brought to full stature as a man of God. Then unleash him as a force for You in his family, church, community, state, nation, and ultimately the world.
God, give us men who will stand for You, in the gap, until You take them home or return. We anticipate Your coming soon. Let it be today. Maranatha!
We ask this in Jesus' Name, amen, Amain!
(And one more thing Lord, if it isn't too much trouble. Have him learn to proper use of I, he, we and me, him, and us. Just a thought. Thank You.)
Memory on Memory
Names are a funny thing. Some stick with you, while others fly away. I was trying to think of the names of cows that we had on the dairy farm where I grew up. Despite seeing them at least once a day for about 18 years (well, some of time I was too young to help, maybe eight to ten years) (Sheepish smile) you would think that I would remember more than 4 or 5.
At a recent College and Career meeting we had a new guy in class. I read his name from the introduction form backwards. His last name was like a first and vice versa. The other leader chimed in with a memory trick that he had learned. Look at him and see him "holden eel." His name is Holden Neil.
That reminded me of a guy I once saw on TV who taught memory tricks like that. He was a pro basketball player, and incidentally a Christian. He would have 100 perfect strangers marched in front of him and they only gave him their names. (They were not "perfect" but completely unknown to him.) (Goofy smile) After reaching the end, he would go back to the front and recite all 100 correctly as he walked down the line.
Then to prove that he had not just memorized them in order, they were presented in random order. Again he was perfect on all 100. He even recounted that, years later he would sometimes meet someone who had participated in one of his demonstrations and call them by name.
I thought that was pretty neat. But I could not remember the guy's name. (Sheepish smile 2) I remember that he was a great college player at West Virginia and played professionally for the Lakers. Finally it came to me. Jerry West.
Today, thinking about it (unusual activity to which I may come to employ more frequently), I said, "Jerry West played at West Virginia and went west. Now he teaches the "west" of us how to remember."
Have a memory filled day.
At a recent College and Career meeting we had a new guy in class. I read his name from the introduction form backwards. His last name was like a first and vice versa. The other leader chimed in with a memory trick that he had learned. Look at him and see him "holden eel." His name is Holden Neil.
That reminded me of a guy I once saw on TV who taught memory tricks like that. He was a pro basketball player, and incidentally a Christian. He would have 100 perfect strangers marched in front of him and they only gave him their names. (They were not "perfect" but completely unknown to him.) (Goofy smile) After reaching the end, he would go back to the front and recite all 100 correctly as he walked down the line.
Then to prove that he had not just memorized them in order, they were presented in random order. Again he was perfect on all 100. He even recounted that, years later he would sometimes meet someone who had participated in one of his demonstrations and call them by name.
I thought that was pretty neat. But I could not remember the guy's name. (Sheepish smile 2) I remember that he was a great college player at West Virginia and played professionally for the Lakers. Finally it came to me. Jerry West.
Today, thinking about it (unusual activity to which I may come to employ more frequently), I said, "Jerry West played at West Virginia and went west. Now he teaches the "west" of us how to remember."
Have a memory filled day.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Jonah and the Left Turn
Several lessons on Jonah from Erwin Lutzer. Jonah was running from God. The farther away he got, the farther "down" he was. And he was more confined. First he left his home country for a foreign country. "...down to Joppa." Then he went to the harbor and got onto a boat. "...down into it." Then he went into the hold to sleep. "...down into the ‘sides' of it." v .1-5 Then he went down into the sea. V. 14 Finally he went down into the "great fish." V. 17 Can't get a much tighter fit than that, I bet.
Then there was a cost involved. "...he paid the fare." v. 3 The ship was endangered and finally they jettisoned the cargo. V. 5 He was thrown overboard, which potentially cost him his life. Except for the intervention of the Lord. Notice that the "cost" is not limited to the disobedient prophet. Others' safety was put in jeopardy and they paid a heavy monetary ransom.
The fish is the second intervention. First the Lord "hurled" a wind. (ESV) It was deliberate and it was intense. Then the Lord "appointed" a fish. (NASB and ESV) Jonah thought that he was in control of his life but forfeited it.
The final observation was that when we are compassed by storms, it is not always because of the wicked. Our country is in great turmoil and peril, but it is probably not a consequence of wicked unbelievers. The sailors were innocent victims of Jonah's disobedience. How many times in the Old Testament do we find Israel in the middle of a storm due to someone's disobedience?
The solution for the problems facing America is not for the unbelievers to "straighten up and fly right." They are behaving like unbelievers behave. The problem lies with someone else. Guerss who.
And you know the hackneyed expression, "When I point a finger at you, there are three pointing back at me." Trite it may be, but accurate it is. (Yoda) Jonah literally had to turn around and go back. (2:10 Where do you think that "dry land" was? I would venture a guess that it was in the vicinity of Joppa.)
Going down, paying the fare, and returning, is the history of Jonah's rebellion. Joppa was "on the way" to Ninevah. Jonah just took a wrong turn there. It is part way up the Coast towards Phoenicia. He went left instead or going "right on."
I could not figure out how to insert this map. You can follow the link.
Then there was a cost involved. "...he paid the fare." v. 3 The ship was endangered and finally they jettisoned the cargo. V. 5 He was thrown overboard, which potentially cost him his life. Except for the intervention of the Lord. Notice that the "cost" is not limited to the disobedient prophet. Others' safety was put in jeopardy and they paid a heavy monetary ransom.
The fish is the second intervention. First the Lord "hurled" a wind. (ESV) It was deliberate and it was intense. Then the Lord "appointed" a fish. (NASB and ESV) Jonah thought that he was in control of his life but forfeited it.
The final observation was that when we are compassed by storms, it is not always because of the wicked. Our country is in great turmoil and peril, but it is probably not a consequence of wicked unbelievers. The sailors were innocent victims of Jonah's disobedience. How many times in the Old Testament do we find Israel in the middle of a storm due to someone's disobedience?
The solution for the problems facing America is not for the unbelievers to "straighten up and fly right." They are behaving like unbelievers behave. The problem lies with someone else. Guerss who.
And you know the hackneyed expression, "When I point a finger at you, there are three pointing back at me." Trite it may be, but accurate it is. (Yoda) Jonah literally had to turn around and go back. (2:10 Where do you think that "dry land" was? I would venture a guess that it was in the vicinity of Joppa.)
Going down, paying the fare, and returning, is the history of Jonah's rebellion. Joppa was "on the way" to Ninevah. Jonah just took a wrong turn there. It is part way up the Coast towards Phoenicia. He went left instead or going "right on."
I could not figure out how to insert this map. You can follow the link.
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Are the Heathen Lost?
"Are the heathen lost?" This question is asked quite often at many times, in many ways, and in various forums. "How can God hold them responsible for what they did not know?" God is never caught off guard. There is never a question that He has not already answered. We may not know the answer, but that does not mean that there is not one.
Are they lost? Is God unfair for holding them to a standard that they did not know? In a word, "No." Let's look at the text book or manual. Romans 2:12
12 All those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
Will the heathen be judged because they did not keep the Sabbath? The answer seems self evident. Those who sinned "under the law" will be judged by the law. So if the heathen were not under the law, they would not be guilty.
How about lyin', cheatin', and stealin'? And just for good measure, throw in murder. Here is the question: Is there a society anywhere on earth where lying, cheating, and stealing are condoned? How about murder? Some may lie, cheat, and steal from "others" but they do not do so to themselves. Same for murder. So do they have a conviction that lying, cheating, and stealing is wrong? They do. Do they lie, cheat, and steal? If they do, they are guilty, by their own standard.
Paul explains it for us. (Gentiles are non-Jews or heathen.)
14 So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, (lyin', cheatin', stealin') instinctively do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them.
If they are lying, cheating, and stealing, and possibly murdering, they are breaking their own law. They need help. That is why the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. When the people honestly compared themselves to the list, they had to declare themselves, "Guilty!"
The rest of Moses' message was that there is a remedy. The Old Testament sacrifices were a picture of the Sacrifice to come. That One would, in the words of John the Baptist, "Take away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)
Paul went on through chapter 2 and half way through chapter 3 explaining how everyone was guilty. Then in 3:21-25 he explained the solution, foretold by Moses.
21 But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets 22 —that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
Paul writes in such a way as to eliminate any ambiguities or questions. That is why it took him two and a half chapters to conclude that all are under judgment. The rest of Romans expands on the ramifications of this salvation. We read the first two and a half chapters and weep. But through the rest of the book, we read it and rejoice. Rejoice! (Check Psalm 32
Are they lost? Is God unfair for holding them to a standard that they did not know? In a word, "No." Let's look at the text book or manual. Romans 2:12
12 All those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
Will the heathen be judged because they did not keep the Sabbath? The answer seems self evident. Those who sinned "under the law" will be judged by the law. So if the heathen were not under the law, they would not be guilty.
How about lyin', cheatin', and stealin'? And just for good measure, throw in murder. Here is the question: Is there a society anywhere on earth where lying, cheating, and stealing are condoned? How about murder? Some may lie, cheat, and steal from "others" but they do not do so to themselves. Same for murder. So do they have a conviction that lying, cheating, and stealing is wrong? They do. Do they lie, cheat, and steal? If they do, they are guilty, by their own standard.
Paul explains it for us. (Gentiles are non-Jews or heathen.)
14 So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, (lyin', cheatin', stealin') instinctively do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them.
If they are lying, cheating, and stealing, and possibly murdering, they are breaking their own law. They need help. That is why the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. When the people honestly compared themselves to the list, they had to declare themselves, "Guilty!"
The rest of Moses' message was that there is a remedy. The Old Testament sacrifices were a picture of the Sacrifice to come. That One would, in the words of John the Baptist, "Take away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)
Paul went on through chapter 2 and half way through chapter 3 explaining how everyone was guilty. Then in 3:21-25 he explained the solution, foretold by Moses.
21 But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness has been revealed—attested by the Law and the Prophets 22 —that is, God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe, since there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.
Paul writes in such a way as to eliminate any ambiguities or questions. That is why it took him two and a half chapters to conclude that all are under judgment. The rest of Romans expands on the ramifications of this salvation. We read the first two and a half chapters and weep. But through the rest of the book, we read it and rejoice. Rejoice! (Check Psalm 32
Cyrus: Isaiah 45 The Beginning
Jeremiah was a bullfrog and Isaiah was a prophet during the reign of King Hezekiah. (2 Kings 16-18 and 2 Chronicles 28-32) (Well the first statement may just be a cool song, but it is a jumping, jiving lead in to our study. And Isaiah will be far more exciting, invigorating, and interesting (e,i,i) than a frog.)
Chapter 45 begins with a comment to Cyrus. The e, i, and i thing about this is that Isaiah was prophesying about 150 years before the events he will ascribe to some future ruler named Cyrus. This is, besides our earlier adjectives, fascinating and intriguing. Imagine some guy in Abraham Lincoln's time writing about what Donald Trump would do, including calling him by name. This is no Nostradamus generality. It is a pinpoint, identified, named individual.
Our goal is to get to verses 5 and 6 today, but if we do not, there is plenty to occupy our attention. Yahweh promises to do all sorts of amazing and almost unbelievable things for this guy. We have to get to verse 4 to find out why. The Lord notes that even though Cyrus did not know Him, the Lord knew Cyrus and was going to use him to deliver Judah. Later on we will read of how he would, and did release Israel from Babylon captivity.
Well, it is really Persian captivity at that point, because according to other prophesies, Babylon would be overthrown by the Medes and Persians. (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel) And here was where King (or whatever) Cy came into the story. Daniel was a captive in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar deported most of the Jews from Judea.
Long story short, Daniel rose through the ranks of everyone to become a trusted advisor and confidant of Nebby. Then he seemed to have been forgotten by the Babylonian successors until the story of the "handwriting on the wall." (Daniel 5) There, Belshazzar, probably Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, was reintroduced to Daniel and tried to make Daniel the third ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel declined, which is not too startling. He had just informed Belly that the Medes and Persians, who were currently besieging Babylon, would conquer the city and country. No sense in being "third ruler" of a vanquished, defunct dynasty. Daniel then progressed through the Median rule of Darius (chapter 6) and finally to Darius' successor, Cyrus.
28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Allow me to apply a little sanctified supposition here, and try to explain the situation. When Cyrus succeeded his ally, Darius, he inherited part of the "cabinet." Darius undoubtedly praised Daniel to the new ruler and, unknown to Cy, the Lord was working in the choices that he was making. So Daniel was accorded a prominent position as advisor to the new guy.
We know Daniel was familiar with the prophesy of Jeremiah. (Daniel 9:1)
I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet.... (Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10)
He had counted the 70 years and realized that it was "time to go home." Is it too far fetched to imagine that Daniel pointed this out to Cyrus, along with the messages in Isaiah (if we ever get to it), which he also knew, and encouraged Cyrus to cooperate with the Lord. Result? He sent the Children of Israel home. (2 Chronicles 36. See, Chronicles is not a dumb old book after all. It vibrates with intrigue and excitement.)
Notice that Yahweh even calls Cyrus "by name," about a century and half before he was born. So when Daniel pointed out our verses today, Cyrus was all ears. (And he didn't even need a bull frog to attract his attention.) We should listen too.
Isaiah 45:5, 6 I am Yahweh, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will strengthen you, though you do not know Me, 6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no one but Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
Notice the first and last phrases. "I am Yahweh, and there is no other." They are identical, flanked by "there is none but Me." We might call this the sandwich of the One and unique Yahweh, with an introduction to the recipient, Cyrus. The introduction sandwich.
He is Yahweh, the only One, and any other gods are counterfeits. This was by way of introduction so that Cyrus would appreciate what is coming. Notice that the Lord does not even get to the "meat" of His plan for Cyrus until verse 13 which we will examine later.
Foremost in the message is the introduction. Yahweh was intent on giving Cyrus an understanding of the One with Whom he was dealing. Yahweh means the "self existent One." Daniel surely explained what that meant. As mentioned earlier, the fake gods were of no account. This Yahweh was also foreknowing. You do not know Me, but I know you. And your actions, Cyrus, will display this God to the rest of the world. ("...rising of the sun to its setting....")
Cyrus, by his actions would be a partner with the declaration of God's power, authority, and exclusiveness to the entire world. What a challenge. What an opportunity. What a legacy. (I think we will see Cyrus in glory.)
Anyone want to join Cyrus, and me, as we spread the message? "I am Yahweh. There is no one but God (Me) and there is no other. I am Yahweh."
"We've only just begun..." to look at Isaiah. See you soon.
Chapter 45 begins with a comment to Cyrus. The e, i, and i thing about this is that Isaiah was prophesying about 150 years before the events he will ascribe to some future ruler named Cyrus. This is, besides our earlier adjectives, fascinating and intriguing. Imagine some guy in Abraham Lincoln's time writing about what Donald Trump would do, including calling him by name. This is no Nostradamus generality. It is a pinpoint, identified, named individual.
Our goal is to get to verses 5 and 6 today, but if we do not, there is plenty to occupy our attention. Yahweh promises to do all sorts of amazing and almost unbelievable things for this guy. We have to get to verse 4 to find out why. The Lord notes that even though Cyrus did not know Him, the Lord knew Cyrus and was going to use him to deliver Judah. Later on we will read of how he would, and did release Israel from Babylon captivity.
Well, it is really Persian captivity at that point, because according to other prophesies, Babylon would be overthrown by the Medes and Persians. (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel) And here was where King (or whatever) Cy came into the story. Daniel was a captive in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar deported most of the Jews from Judea.
Long story short, Daniel rose through the ranks of everyone to become a trusted advisor and confidant of Nebby. Then he seemed to have been forgotten by the Babylonian successors until the story of the "handwriting on the wall." (Daniel 5) There, Belshazzar, probably Nebuchadnezzar's grandson, was reintroduced to Daniel and tried to make Daniel the third ruler in the kingdom.
Daniel declined, which is not too startling. He had just informed Belly that the Medes and Persians, who were currently besieging Babylon, would conquer the city and country. No sense in being "third ruler" of a vanquished, defunct dynasty. Daniel then progressed through the Median rule of Darius (chapter 6) and finally to Darius' successor, Cyrus.
28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Allow me to apply a little sanctified supposition here, and try to explain the situation. When Cyrus succeeded his ally, Darius, he inherited part of the "cabinet." Darius undoubtedly praised Daniel to the new ruler and, unknown to Cy, the Lord was working in the choices that he was making. So Daniel was accorded a prominent position as advisor to the new guy.
We know Daniel was familiar with the prophesy of Jeremiah. (Daniel 9:1)
I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet.... (Jeremiah 25:11, 12; 29:10)
He had counted the 70 years and realized that it was "time to go home." Is it too far fetched to imagine that Daniel pointed this out to Cyrus, along with the messages in Isaiah (if we ever get to it), which he also knew, and encouraged Cyrus to cooperate with the Lord. Result? He sent the Children of Israel home. (2 Chronicles 36. See, Chronicles is not a dumb old book after all. It vibrates with intrigue and excitement.)
Notice that Yahweh even calls Cyrus "by name," about a century and half before he was born. So when Daniel pointed out our verses today, Cyrus was all ears. (And he didn't even need a bull frog to attract his attention.) We should listen too.
Isaiah 45:5, 6 I am Yahweh, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will strengthen you, though you do not know Me, 6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is no one but Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
Notice the first and last phrases. "I am Yahweh, and there is no other." They are identical, flanked by "there is none but Me." We might call this the sandwich of the One and unique Yahweh, with an introduction to the recipient, Cyrus. The introduction sandwich.
He is Yahweh, the only One, and any other gods are counterfeits. This was by way of introduction so that Cyrus would appreciate what is coming. Notice that the Lord does not even get to the "meat" of His plan for Cyrus until verse 13 which we will examine later.
Foremost in the message is the introduction. Yahweh was intent on giving Cyrus an understanding of the One with Whom he was dealing. Yahweh means the "self existent One." Daniel surely explained what that meant. As mentioned earlier, the fake gods were of no account. This Yahweh was also foreknowing. You do not know Me, but I know you. And your actions, Cyrus, will display this God to the rest of the world. ("...rising of the sun to its setting....")
Cyrus, by his actions would be a partner with the declaration of God's power, authority, and exclusiveness to the entire world. What a challenge. What an opportunity. What a legacy. (I think we will see Cyrus in glory.)
Anyone want to join Cyrus, and me, as we spread the message? "I am Yahweh. There is no one but God (Me) and there is no other. I am Yahweh."
"We've only just begun..." to look at Isaiah. See you soon.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Forget Israel?
My cousin challenged me to memorize a verse every week, and wisely added an accountability component. We text the verses we have memorized to each other every week. If I "forget," there is a constant reminder of his verse on my phone. I would recommend that to you as well.
His verse for this week was Isaiah 49:15
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you."
The context is that.., well now I have a problem. To get the context I looked back at the earlier verses of chapter 49. From there, I trailed back to chapters 48, 47, 46, and am now in 45. We need to make an in depth perusal of Isaiah. That might be our next project. But I digress.
Verse 14 is our context, but in the meanwhile, we are now bound for Isaiah-land. Back on topic.
Zion says, "The Lord has abandoned me; The Lord has forgotten me!"
The Lord was assuring Israel that He had not forgotten them. The context is that Isaiah was prophesying that Israel would be released from Babylon. He even goes so far as to name the ruler who would release them, Cyrus, about 150 years before it happened. The earlier chapters referred to, espouse, and explain the attributes of God, specifically His declaring something would happen before it did. (Isaiah 48:2-6) We gotta go back and look at these chapters. Whew!
Back to this verse. God compares Himself to a mother, and more specifically, a nursing mother. How appropriate on Mothers' Day. Will she forget her child? Sadly, some do, but they are not the norm. But God will not forget Israel. What a promise. And look at the next verse,
16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.
Does that leave any doubt? The Lord "sees" Israel every time He washes His hands. (Anthropromophising here.) God will never forget nor abandon His people. Then it occurred to me to check how many times the Lord promised that we would go to be with Jesus.
John 14 and Revelation 2 and 3 come to mind immediately along with the promise to the dying thief are some prominent verses. But for actual numbers, it would seem that we would be hard pressed to find more than a couple of dozen.
God declared His devotion to Israel at least 87 times, and especially here in this section of Isaiah. The Lord has confirmed His commitment to Israel more times than He promised that we would be with Jesus. Once is enough, however. It is a done deal. But wouldn't that apply to Israel as well?
With that in mind, I would challenge those who claim that God has abandoned Israel to confirm that they will spend eternity with Jesus. This is a ludicrous proposition. God will not forget Israel (or replace them), and He will not "forget" us.
What a promise. What a thought. Now let's get back to Isaiah.... Thank you, Drew for starting me on this path.
His verse for this week was Isaiah 49:15
"Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you."
The context is that.., well now I have a problem. To get the context I looked back at the earlier verses of chapter 49. From there, I trailed back to chapters 48, 47, 46, and am now in 45. We need to make an in depth perusal of Isaiah. That might be our next project. But I digress.
Verse 14 is our context, but in the meanwhile, we are now bound for Isaiah-land. Back on topic.
Zion says, "The Lord has abandoned me; The Lord has forgotten me!"
The Lord was assuring Israel that He had not forgotten them. The context is that Isaiah was prophesying that Israel would be released from Babylon. He even goes so far as to name the ruler who would release them, Cyrus, about 150 years before it happened. The earlier chapters referred to, espouse, and explain the attributes of God, specifically His declaring something would happen before it did. (Isaiah 48:2-6) We gotta go back and look at these chapters. Whew!
Back to this verse. God compares Himself to a mother, and more specifically, a nursing mother. How appropriate on Mothers' Day. Will she forget her child? Sadly, some do, but they are not the norm. But God will not forget Israel. What a promise. And look at the next verse,
16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.
Does that leave any doubt? The Lord "sees" Israel every time He washes His hands. (Anthropromophising here.) God will never forget nor abandon His people. Then it occurred to me to check how many times the Lord promised that we would go to be with Jesus.
John 14 and Revelation 2 and 3 come to mind immediately along with the promise to the dying thief are some prominent verses. But for actual numbers, it would seem that we would be hard pressed to find more than a couple of dozen.
God declared His devotion to Israel at least 87 times, and especially here in this section of Isaiah. The Lord has confirmed His commitment to Israel more times than He promised that we would be with Jesus. Once is enough, however. It is a done deal. But wouldn't that apply to Israel as well?
With that in mind, I would challenge those who claim that God has abandoned Israel to confirm that they will spend eternity with Jesus. This is a ludicrous proposition. God will not forget Israel (or replace them), and He will not "forget" us.
What a promise. What a thought. Now let's get back to Isaiah.... Thank you, Drew for starting me on this path.
The Last But Not the End Psalm 32:11
Psalm 32:11 is the last verse in the psalm, but it does not terminate David's meditation. We will do well to continue in it as well.
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, all you righteous ones; Shout with joy all you upright in heart.
If you get a chance, review the whole psalm. David begins with a joyful one who is forgiven and whose sin is covered. 2. Joyful again at not being charged and being without deceit. 5. Sin was taken away. 7. Joyful shouts again. 8. Counseled and guided. 10. Surrounded by faithful love. And now 11. Glad, rejoicing, and shouting for joy.
I think he had to quit. He was spent, emotionally and physically. Remember this is the guy who led the procession of the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem to be installed back into the Tabernacle. He was so exuberant that his wife was humiliated at his "shameless dancing." (2 Samuel 6) And he had not yet encountered the Bathsheba bomb.
His excitement over being freed from everything must have been unparalleled. "Be glad..." there is a target here. "Be glad in the Lord." We can rejoice over small triumphs, but concentrating on what the Lord has done for us overshadows anything we can imagine.
"And rejoice, all you righteous ones." David is counted in that crowd. "Transgression, sin, deceit, iniquity," and the capstone, "guilt" overwhelmed David like a flood. He had been transported to a spot that was higher than the tempest. (The Rock that is higher than I.) He was hidden securely. (Rock of Ages) He summarized his onslaught of attackers as "trouble." Big trouble would be more accurate. And now he is included with "the righteous ones."
"Shout for joy all you upright in heart." ...with me, David! Upright. Old Jacob had been known as a deceiver and a trickster and he was redeemed. We have examined a lot of David's failings, even before the b-bomb. They have all been forgiven and covered. He was redeemed. He was upright.
An old hymn says
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood, From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure, Cleanse me from its guilt and power.
Note the last thought, the double cure for sin. David understood that double debt of guilt and power that he owed because of sin. The shed blood "which from Thy riven side flowed" was the effector of all we have studied in this Psalm of praise and rejoicing. It had not happened yet when David wrote it, but it was prefigured in the sacrifices they offered. He understood and rejoiced.
Can we rejoice with him?
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
Monday, May 8, 2017
Proverbs in Psalms Psalm 32:10, 11
Many proverbs are constructed in a two-part statement. A well known example is Proverbs 3: 5, 6
(Part 1) Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, (Part 2) And He will make your paths straight.
This can also be described as the "if-then" format. This example illustrates a positive result. Sometimes it is described as prophesy. If you do thus and so, this will be the result. It is prophesying an event in the future. There are three components in this particular "if" clause. The "then" is the conclusion. Some translations say, "He will guide you or direct you."
Notice that the structure of most of the Proverbs is a couplet form. Sometimes the first "phrase" has several components, as 3:5, 6. The message, however, is very clear and succinct.
Chapter 10 in Proverbs begins a section of the book that is essentially composed of parallelisms. Two concepts are laid side by side. The items may be similar or contrasting. For an example look at Proverbs 9:8, 9 where we see an example of what comes later.
Don't rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.
Verse 8 is contrasting: mocker versus wise man and the results are hate or love. Verse 9 is a parallel with similar components. A wise and righteous man are compared and they both produce a positive effect.
Today's verse is from Psalm 32:10 where David becomes a proverb crafter. Listen to the comparison.
Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him.
David makes an opposite parallel: wicked compared to "one who trusts in the Lord." This seems to stem from David's personal experience, as he played both roles. "Many pains...." Verses 3 and 4 stand out again. "Many...." Or would you rather be surrounded by "faithful love?" Some translations use "mercy" for the encircling cloud. David may have been reflecting back on his 23rd psalm. (Well it may not have been the 23rd one that he wrote, but it was listed in the book at that position.)
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow (surround?) me all the days of my life."
Many pains seems like a weak descrioption of what he suffered because of his wicked life. (V. 2) But a turn around gave him a comforting love. And the final verse in the chapter sums up the thought, as he switches back to a psalm format. (V. 11)
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
David was not "righteous" based upon his own actions or efforts. He had not been "charged with" (his) "sin." As a result he had abandoned "deceit." He was "righteous" because he had been "forgiven, his sin was covered." Notice the order. First he had been forgiven and his sin covered. Then he was "upright," living a life of trust. His condition proceeded from his standing or state. He did not attain righteousness, he displayed it.
"How joyful" (happy) v. 1 and now "glad and rejoicing." (V. 11) He finishes as he began. "Shout for joy." He and we have something to shout about. When the Nashville Hockey team won its second round series, the crowd was chanting all up and down the street. We have more to stimulate rejoicing than a game. Rejoice!
(Part 1) Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, (Part 2) And He will make your paths straight.
This can also be described as the "if-then" format. This example illustrates a positive result. Sometimes it is described as prophesy. If you do thus and so, this will be the result. It is prophesying an event in the future. There are three components in this particular "if" clause. The "then" is the conclusion. Some translations say, "He will guide you or direct you."
Notice that the structure of most of the Proverbs is a couplet form. Sometimes the first "phrase" has several components, as 3:5, 6. The message, however, is very clear and succinct.
Chapter 10 in Proverbs begins a section of the book that is essentially composed of parallelisms. Two concepts are laid side by side. The items may be similar or contrasting. For an example look at Proverbs 9:8, 9 where we see an example of what comes later.
Don't rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will learn more.
Verse 8 is contrasting: mocker versus wise man and the results are hate or love. Verse 9 is a parallel with similar components. A wise and righteous man are compared and they both produce a positive effect.
Today's verse is from Psalm 32:10 where David becomes a proverb crafter. Listen to the comparison.
Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him.
David makes an opposite parallel: wicked compared to "one who trusts in the Lord." This seems to stem from David's personal experience, as he played both roles. "Many pains...." Verses 3 and 4 stand out again. "Many...." Or would you rather be surrounded by "faithful love?" Some translations use "mercy" for the encircling cloud. David may have been reflecting back on his 23rd psalm. (Well it may not have been the 23rd one that he wrote, but it was listed in the book at that position.)
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow (surround?) me all the days of my life."
Many pains seems like a weak descrioption of what he suffered because of his wicked life. (V. 2) But a turn around gave him a comforting love. And the final verse in the chapter sums up the thought, as he switches back to a psalm format. (V. 11)
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
David was not "righteous" based upon his own actions or efforts. He had not been "charged with" (his) "sin." As a result he had abandoned "deceit." He was "righteous" because he had been "forgiven, his sin was covered." Notice the order. First he had been forgiven and his sin covered. Then he was "upright," living a life of trust. His condition proceeded from his standing or state. He did not attain righteousness, he displayed it.
"How joyful" (happy) v. 1 and now "glad and rejoicing." (V. 11) He finishes as he began. "Shout for joy." He and we have something to shout about. When the Nashville Hockey team won its second round series, the crowd was chanting all up and down the street. We have more to stimulate rejoicing than a game. Rejoice!
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Child Sacrifice
There was an article about child sacrifice in the northern part of Africa. A rich man had hired a witch doctor to cast a spell to maintain and enhance his fortune. The witch doctor kidnaped a young girl, dismembered her, and used his grisly tokens for a sacrifice. Seems like Mr. Witchie and Richie did not know the basics of "sacrifice."
David spelled that out in 2 Samuel 24:24 (also 1 Chronicles 21:24)
"I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing."
The culprits in this heinous crime missed the critical component in sacrifice. If it doesn't cost anything, it is not really a sacrifice. Cost anything to YOU, that is. And, sadly, being in the lawless part of the continent, these fiends may and probably will escape punishment...for now. There will be an ultimate accounting and they will answer for their acts.
It would seem that such an activity would be meaningless if there is no value involved. It would seem that only demonic motives could justify just such actions. And, there, my friend, is the heart of the matter.
David spells it out for us in Psalm 96:5:
For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
There is only one God Who is worthy of worship and sacrifice. He has forbidden the sacrifice of our–actually His–children. Whenever we read of such horrendous actions we can be sure that the idol is behind it. And what is behind the idol?
Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 10:19, 20 "Do I say...
that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons."
This reinforces Deuteronomy 32:16–17 and Leviticus 17:7. We do not have to look far to find other examples of demonic worship. Revelation 19:20 relates that in the final days of the Tribulation, demonic idol worship will be prevalent. And what we see around us is just a harbinger of what is to come.
Romans 1:25 summarizes for us:
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
And the results are excruciatingly detailed in the rest of the chapter. They developed a depraved mind, as we can see, and degenerated from there. You can read the rest for yourself. Some pastors will not even read this passage out loud from the pulpit. They do not need to do so. We can read about it in our daily news.
The end is coming. Be aware. Be vigilant. (1 Peter 5:8) Be ready
David spelled that out in 2 Samuel 24:24 (also 1 Chronicles 21:24)
"I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing."
The culprits in this heinous crime missed the critical component in sacrifice. If it doesn't cost anything, it is not really a sacrifice. Cost anything to YOU, that is. And, sadly, being in the lawless part of the continent, these fiends may and probably will escape punishment...for now. There will be an ultimate accounting and they will answer for their acts.
It would seem that such an activity would be meaningless if there is no value involved. It would seem that only demonic motives could justify just such actions. And, there, my friend, is the heart of the matter.
David spells it out for us in Psalm 96:5:
For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.
There is only one God Who is worthy of worship and sacrifice. He has forbidden the sacrifice of our–actually His–children. Whenever we read of such horrendous actions we can be sure that the idol is behind it. And what is behind the idol?
Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 10:19, 20 "Do I say...
that an idol is anything? 20 No, but I do say that what they sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons."
This reinforces Deuteronomy 32:16–17 and Leviticus 17:7. We do not have to look far to find other examples of demonic worship. Revelation 19:20 relates that in the final days of the Tribulation, demonic idol worship will be prevalent. And what we see around us is just a harbinger of what is to come.
Romans 1:25 summarizes for us:
For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
And the results are excruciatingly detailed in the rest of the chapter. They developed a depraved mind, as we can see, and degenerated from there. You can read the rest for yourself. Some pastors will not even read this passage out loud from the pulpit. They do not need to do so. We can read about it in our daily news.
The end is coming. Be aware. Be vigilant. (1 Peter 5:8) Be ready
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Psalm 32:8, 9 Horses and Mules
As mentioned in the previous post, "One interesting thing about reading or memorizing the Scripture is how different translations word a particular phrase or idea." This time we will see what might be a troubling disparity in the translations.
We will focus on verse 9 here,
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (KJV)
NASB renders it:
Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.
God is cautioning David and us not to be merely brute animals that are controlled and guided by a bit in the mouth and a bridle on our heads. For those who do not know, a bit is a piece of metal attached to the bridle and to the reins by which the rider turns and stops the animal.
On a less well trained mount, the rider literally pulls the head around in the direction to which he desires to go. Leaning one rein on the side of the animal's neck, prompts him to turn away from the rein as the rider directs. A tap on the left side, means turn right. (This is called "reining." Cowboy talk.)
Pulling back on both reins tells the horse or mule to stop. Our earlier comments explored the highly trained responses to "My eye" that the Lord is urging us to pursue. David, in particular, but probably not uniquely, OCCASIONALLY had to have the "reins" pulled very savagely. It hurts. Recall verses 3 and 4.
The Heavenly Rider intends for us to be trained to follow His Eye or Will in order to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It is more comfortable and more rewarding. We can literally understand what He is doing and not blindly follow the directions applied to our mouths or necks.
The horse does not "understand" what is happening. The cowboy may be riding the fences, or looking for strays, or moving a herd from one pasture to another. All the horse knows is to respond to the guidance of the reins and bridle. And "mules" do not want to know what you want. They often just balk just to exert their mulishness. "Don't be like a mule...."
The final phrase is explanatory and/or precautionary. And, at first glance, they seem to be contradictory. "Lest they come near you," (KJV) seems to indicate that this is to keep them from "running over" someone. NASB says, "Otherwise they will not come near you." Just the opposite. Horsemen are often depicted as walking out to the corral or remuda and roping the horse that they will ride for the day or task. Less often, when the horse is familiar with, and seems to like the rider, they will come with a call or whistle. (The Lone Ranger called Silver with a special whistle. I think Roy Rogers called Trigger.)
So which is it? Does the horse "run over" or "run away from" the rider? Again, Bible Gateway helps. A few translations copy the King James "lest," while some just leave that phrase completely out,. A majority use or rephrase "otherwise." So which is it? And does it matter?
From experience, some horses will come to the owner willingly, while others shy away and must be compelled, by a rope or by cornering them. And occasionally a horse will literally attack someone. It happened to me when I was about 8 or 10. I was carrying a bucket of grain for them and one of our oldest and most docile animals became impatient with my speed and literally took a chunk out of my shoulder. I wanted her to be kept away from me after that.
But that does not address the verse. Did I mention that I love Biblegateway? It has multiple translations that help to clarify understanding. The New English Translation (NET) comes to our aid. Recall, "Don't be like the horse or like the mule...
"which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit." NET
So whether we want the horse to come or stay away, the harness provides us that control. And the Lord's point is however we want the animals to act should give us pause in relation to how we respond to His "commands." Whether we "go" or "stay," our actions should come from understanding the way He wants us to go. (Verse 8)
The focus is on the control, whether it is "lest they come near you," or "else they will not come near you." It is not contradictory, it is expanding our understanding–until we find the NET version.
When we let the Lord be our "guide" we will not go wrong or uncover contradictions. I will follow.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+32&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+32&version=NKJV
We will focus on verse 9 here,
Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (KJV)
NASB renders it:
Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.
God is cautioning David and us not to be merely brute animals that are controlled and guided by a bit in the mouth and a bridle on our heads. For those who do not know, a bit is a piece of metal attached to the bridle and to the reins by which the rider turns and stops the animal.
On a less well trained mount, the rider literally pulls the head around in the direction to which he desires to go. Leaning one rein on the side of the animal's neck, prompts him to turn away from the rein as the rider directs. A tap on the left side, means turn right. (This is called "reining." Cowboy talk.)
Pulling back on both reins tells the horse or mule to stop. Our earlier comments explored the highly trained responses to "My eye" that the Lord is urging us to pursue. David, in particular, but probably not uniquely, OCCASIONALLY had to have the "reins" pulled very savagely. It hurts. Recall verses 3 and 4.
The Heavenly Rider intends for us to be trained to follow His Eye or Will in order to live a life that is pleasing to Him. It is more comfortable and more rewarding. We can literally understand what He is doing and not blindly follow the directions applied to our mouths or necks.
The horse does not "understand" what is happening. The cowboy may be riding the fences, or looking for strays, or moving a herd from one pasture to another. All the horse knows is to respond to the guidance of the reins and bridle. And "mules" do not want to know what you want. They often just balk just to exert their mulishness. "Don't be like a mule...."
The final phrase is explanatory and/or precautionary. And, at first glance, they seem to be contradictory. "Lest they come near you," (KJV) seems to indicate that this is to keep them from "running over" someone. NASB says, "Otherwise they will not come near you." Just the opposite. Horsemen are often depicted as walking out to the corral or remuda and roping the horse that they will ride for the day or task. Less often, when the horse is familiar with, and seems to like the rider, they will come with a call or whistle. (The Lone Ranger called Silver with a special whistle. I think Roy Rogers called Trigger.)
So which is it? Does the horse "run over" or "run away from" the rider? Again, Bible Gateway helps. A few translations copy the King James "lest," while some just leave that phrase completely out,. A majority use or rephrase "otherwise." So which is it? And does it matter?
From experience, some horses will come to the owner willingly, while others shy away and must be compelled, by a rope or by cornering them. And occasionally a horse will literally attack someone. It happened to me when I was about 8 or 10. I was carrying a bucket of grain for them and one of our oldest and most docile animals became impatient with my speed and literally took a chunk out of my shoulder. I wanted her to be kept away from me after that.
But that does not address the verse. Did I mention that I love Biblegateway? It has multiple translations that help to clarify understanding. The New English Translation (NET) comes to our aid. Recall, "Don't be like the horse or like the mule...
"which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit." NET
So whether we want the horse to come or stay away, the harness provides us that control. And the Lord's point is however we want the animals to act should give us pause in relation to how we respond to His "commands." Whether we "go" or "stay," our actions should come from understanding the way He wants us to go. (Verse 8)
The focus is on the control, whether it is "lest they come near you," or "else they will not come near you." It is not contradictory, it is expanding our understanding–until we find the NET version.
When we let the Lord be our "guide" we will not go wrong or uncover contradictions. I will follow.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+32&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+32&version=NKJV
Divine Appointment
The final chapters of Acts are concerned with essentially the story of Paul being sent to Rome. (Acts 21-28) It is interesting to note the attitudes of the drivers of his trip. First, Paul was "found" in the Temple by the Jewish sympathizers and they literally started a riot. Paul was rescued from the crowd by the Commander of the Roman garrison.
More machinations intervene, and he is sent to Caesarea to face the next higher authority. The letter of introduction sent by the commander begins:
"When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman." (Acts 23:27)
His memory was a little faulty here. He "learned" that Paul was a Roman after he had arrested Paul and was preparing to beat him. But the key item is that Paul, like a pawn on the board, was moved away from Jerusalem and to his first stop on the way to Rome. He met Felix, the governor of Judea at the time. After about two years, Felix was replaced by Festus. We do not have not record of the conversation as Felix handed off his prisoner.
Then in chapter 25 King Agrippa comes to pay his respects to the new governor. (V. 13) He mentioned a prisoner, left by Felix that Festus did not know how to handle. His introduction to Agrippa was,
18 "When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, 19 but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive."
Since the Jews were demanding the death penalty, poor old Festus was placed in a bad place. So he "punted" to the King. His introduction was in v. 26:
"I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write."
"How shall I explain to Caesar why I am sending him?" Verse 27 reveals his conundrum.
"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him."
After the "hearing," even Agrippa agreed that Paul was innocent. His comment is found in 26:32:
"This man has done nothing wrong. He could be set free had he not appealed to Caesar."
Felix, Festus, and Agrippa actually did not send Paul to Rome. Paul had a divine appointment with Caesar and the Roman government graciously, magnanimously paid his way.
We hark back to Acts 9:15 where the Lord tells Ananias that Paul
"...is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel."
This account at the end of Acts gives us a glimpse of what the Lord had in mind. Felix and Festus were Gentiles, Agrippa and Caesar were kings, and the Jews instigated this whole shebang. Ananias repeated a true prophesy. And the result? Did Caesar ever believe? We do not know, but Philippians 4:22 recounts the scenario. He was writing from Rome.
All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.
Somebody heard the message. God's appointments are well worth keeping
More machinations intervene, and he is sent to Caesarea to face the next higher authority. The letter of introduction sent by the commander begins:
"When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman." (Acts 23:27)
His memory was a little faulty here. He "learned" that Paul was a Roman after he had arrested Paul and was preparing to beat him. But the key item is that Paul, like a pawn on the board, was moved away from Jerusalem and to his first stop on the way to Rome. He met Felix, the governor of Judea at the time. After about two years, Felix was replaced by Festus. We do not have not record of the conversation as Felix handed off his prisoner.
Then in chapter 25 King Agrippa comes to pay his respects to the new governor. (V. 13) He mentioned a prisoner, left by Felix that Festus did not know how to handle. His introduction to Agrippa was,
18 "When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, 19 but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive."
Since the Jews were demanding the death penalty, poor old Festus was placed in a bad place. So he "punted" to the King. His introduction was in v. 26:
"I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write."
"How shall I explain to Caesar why I am sending him?" Verse 27 reveals his conundrum.
"For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him."
After the "hearing," even Agrippa agreed that Paul was innocent. His comment is found in 26:32:
"This man has done nothing wrong. He could be set free had he not appealed to Caesar."
Felix, Festus, and Agrippa actually did not send Paul to Rome. Paul had a divine appointment with Caesar and the Roman government graciously, magnanimously paid his way.
We hark back to Acts 9:15 where the Lord tells Ananias that Paul
"...is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel."
This account at the end of Acts gives us a glimpse of what the Lord had in mind. Felix and Festus were Gentiles, Agrippa and Caesar were kings, and the Jews instigated this whole shebang. Ananias repeated a true prophesy. And the result? Did Caesar ever believe? We do not know, but Philippians 4:22 recounts the scenario. He was writing from Rome.
All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.
Somebody heard the message. God's appointments are well worth keeping
Monday, May 1, 2017
Psalm 32:8-9 Teach and Guide
In these verses, David transitions from narrator and witness of his personal experience to being the listener, as God speaks. In the verses following this, (10 and 11) he reverts to his personal testimony. Maybe the "Selah" at the end of verse 7 is our clue to listen now to God and His amplification and application of David's experiences. Are there "two-way" Selahs? Think on these (foregoing and following) things.
One interesting thing about reading or memorizing the Scripture is how different translations word a particular phrase or idea. Psalm 32:8 and 9 is a passage that is often quoted in regard to God's leading. KJV is the most common version considered.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
That provides both comfort and confidence as we go forward into any situation. It implies that He knows us, because in order to "instruct and teach," He must know both where we are and where He wants us to go.
Do "instruct and teach" mean the same thing? May I have some leeway here? I would suggest that "instruct" is to provide information while "teach" is to inculcate that information into the mind or muscles so that its usage is automatic. It is this combination that is involved in training or education.
We have all had lecturers who merely imparted content and then disappeared. They were not teachers. Teachers take the information and mold it into a form or process that we can absorb, then replicate and use. We all remember and love the multiplication tables. "Here they are," the teacher said, "use them as needed." NOT! Whenever I hear 9 times 7 my mind automatically spouts 63. I did not have to resort to the tables. This is a result of untold numbers of repetitions in grade school.
(Incidentally one concern about "modern" teaching is the deadly practice of eliminating rote learning and practice. "Why learn that? I have a calculator," goes the complaint and justification. A time will come when crutches are not available. Then he will be "up the creek–crick in Nebraska–without a paddle.* This is probably a good reason to constantly memorize and review Scripture But I digress.)
Jesus was often called, "Teacher." In Matthew this is used 12 times in chapters 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 19, 22, 23, 26. I will leave it to you to search for the others. (Hint, NASB has 37. Help) He did not just impart information. He instructed and taught. He was the ultimate Trainer.
Going on we come to "guide" KJV and "counsel" from NASB. "Guide with eye" is a common concept. A father can just turn his "eye" to a rowdy offspring to calm him or them down. A wife can communicate with her husband by giving him "the eye."
Beyond these more or less negative connotations, we can cite examples of one person just glancing in a direction and someone else knows how to move or respond. Dad used to raise quarter horses. (For the literalists here, it was a "whole horse" but it specialized in running a quarter of a mile. Hence, "quarter horse." These horses had a quick, short burst that enabled them to outrun the animals that the horse and cowboy were herding.)
A special job for which some quarter horses were trained was cutting. When one animal, usually a calf, was to be separated, cut, from the herd, the cutting horse would cull the animal out of the larger group and then remain between the object and the rest until the "chosen one" was moved to wherever the cowboy wanted.
A good cutting horse could do this without the direction of the rider. The cowboy used neither reins nor his knees to guide the horse. Essentially, he designated and looked at the animal. The horse removed it from the rest and moved it to its ultimate destination.
You may have watched a rabbit running to escape a dog or coyote (only two syllables out west–kyot–long "o" and no "te"). If you have, you have observed the cat-quick cuts and dodges the rabbit used to elude capture. The "cut" animals were often calves and for a while they fancied themselves to be faster or quicker than the cutter. If the horse had to wait for direction from his rider, the calf would probably escape. A good horse can notice the muscle twitch from the calf and react almost as soon as the animal itself changes direction. Obviously this takes a lot of training for the horse and rider. (One, for the rider not to fall off. Embarrassing.)
God's example here is to have us do "trained" as to be able to react to the mere glance from Him. Now look back at the first phrase: "instruct and teach." The two components of genuine learning are coupled and illustrated for us.
"I will instruct and guide you in the way you should go."
*Alternative rendering: Unaccounted for on the proverbial elevated estuary lacking the traditional implement of propulsion.
One interesting thing about reading or memorizing the Scripture is how different translations word a particular phrase or idea. Psalm 32:8 and 9 is a passage that is often quoted in regard to God's leading. KJV is the most common version considered.
I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
That provides both comfort and confidence as we go forward into any situation. It implies that He knows us, because in order to "instruct and teach," He must know both where we are and where He wants us to go.
Do "instruct and teach" mean the same thing? May I have some leeway here? I would suggest that "instruct" is to provide information while "teach" is to inculcate that information into the mind or muscles so that its usage is automatic. It is this combination that is involved in training or education.
We have all had lecturers who merely imparted content and then disappeared. They were not teachers. Teachers take the information and mold it into a form or process that we can absorb, then replicate and use. We all remember and love the multiplication tables. "Here they are," the teacher said, "use them as needed." NOT! Whenever I hear 9 times 7 my mind automatically spouts 63. I did not have to resort to the tables. This is a result of untold numbers of repetitions in grade school.
(Incidentally one concern about "modern" teaching is the deadly practice of eliminating rote learning and practice. "Why learn that? I have a calculator," goes the complaint and justification. A time will come when crutches are not available. Then he will be "up the creek–crick in Nebraska–without a paddle.* This is probably a good reason to constantly memorize and review Scripture But I digress.)
Jesus was often called, "Teacher." In Matthew this is used 12 times in chapters 8, 9, 10, 12, 17, 19, 22, 23, 26. I will leave it to you to search for the others. (Hint, NASB has 37. Help) He did not just impart information. He instructed and taught. He was the ultimate Trainer.
Going on we come to "guide" KJV and "counsel" from NASB. "Guide with eye" is a common concept. A father can just turn his "eye" to a rowdy offspring to calm him or them down. A wife can communicate with her husband by giving him "the eye."
Beyond these more or less negative connotations, we can cite examples of one person just glancing in a direction and someone else knows how to move or respond. Dad used to raise quarter horses. (For the literalists here, it was a "whole horse" but it specialized in running a quarter of a mile. Hence, "quarter horse." These horses had a quick, short burst that enabled them to outrun the animals that the horse and cowboy were herding.)
A special job for which some quarter horses were trained was cutting. When one animal, usually a calf, was to be separated, cut, from the herd, the cutting horse would cull the animal out of the larger group and then remain between the object and the rest until the "chosen one" was moved to wherever the cowboy wanted.
A good cutting horse could do this without the direction of the rider. The cowboy used neither reins nor his knees to guide the horse. Essentially, he designated and looked at the animal. The horse removed it from the rest and moved it to its ultimate destination.
You may have watched a rabbit running to escape a dog or coyote (only two syllables out west–kyot–long "o" and no "te"). If you have, you have observed the cat-quick cuts and dodges the rabbit used to elude capture. The "cut" animals were often calves and for a while they fancied themselves to be faster or quicker than the cutter. If the horse had to wait for direction from his rider, the calf would probably escape. A good horse can notice the muscle twitch from the calf and react almost as soon as the animal itself changes direction. Obviously this takes a lot of training for the horse and rider. (One, for the rider not to fall off. Embarrassing.)
God's example here is to have us do "trained" as to be able to react to the mere glance from Him. Now look back at the first phrase: "instruct and teach." The two components of genuine learning are coupled and illustrated for us.
"I will instruct and guide you in the way you should go."
*Alternative rendering: Unaccounted for on the proverbial elevated estuary lacking the traditional implement of propulsion.
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