God must have a sense of humor. It is even evident in the placement of books. I read a "Daily Bible" which has Old Testament passages, Psalms, Proverbs, and New Testament passages for each day. One day the passage in Job finished with, "And thus ends the words of Job." The first verse in Psalm that morning was, "Hallelujah!" Couldn't help but chuckle.
Now we just finished Job in the OT part, and go directly to Ecclesiastes 1:16
16 I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge." (Solomon)
A Hall of Fame pitcher, Dizzy Dean was said to have first pronounced. "It ain't braggin' if it's true." (Some have, "if you can do it." Same thought.) Well, Solomon was not braggin' or exaggerating or any other type of puffery. We just finished the grandiose prognostications of a young man in Job. His name was Elihu.
He started out pretty well. Job 32:6
"I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think.
Too bad he didn't stop there. But he goes on a little later: Job 34:2
"Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know."
He is getting on a roll now: 36:2
"Wait for me a little, and I will show you That there is yet more to be said in God's behalf."
It is a good thing that Elihu was here to defend God, with his overwhelming logic and eloquence. I can hardly wait. 36:4
"For truly my words are not false; One who is perfect in knowledge is with you." (Himself, humbly.)
Growing up, we used to have an old saying back on the playground at Stratton Public, "Well, La de da. You must have hit the fountain of knowledge." Notice Elihu's claim: "perfect knowledge."
A few hundred years later, we read of one who was just about perfect. And he is not preening and prancing around, parading his supposed superiority. In fact, he is quite befuddled, because having the greatest intellect, most wisdom, and a lot of gold was not satisfying him. Something was missing.
One of the biggest enemies of knowledge is that we do not know what we do not know and that we do not know it. If we don't know that we don't know something, we do not miss it. If a repair man leaves a lug nut or two off or loose on your car, it will drive just like it should. That is until the pressure snaps a bolt or two and the wheel starts to wobble or come off entirely.
The first comment out of a driver's mouth in this instance is, "I didn't know it was loose."
And what he didn't know that he didn't know could have caused a serious accident. Solomon was keenly aware that he did not know something. That is the first step in learning. Elihu blathered along for six chapters. (32-37) He probably had several more to go. The end of chapter 37 is not an ending. It is abruptly terminated by the Lord in chapter 38. (Thank You, Lord.)
And notice the first five words: (38:1)
Then the Lord answered Job...out of the whirlwind and said....
After all of the argumentation, accusation, allegations, recriminations, and denunciations (ran out of "a's") God ignored everything that they said. (This is why I do not take much theology from Job. God did not even comment on it.) And, for that matter, He did not refute or rebut Job's comments either. There are about 48 questions (depending upon punctuation) that the Lord rhetorically posed for Job, none of which were, or probably could be answered. And God was not exhausted when He stopped. Job was. (As are we.)
The most profound thing that anyone from earth said was 42:6:
"Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."
And he was wise enough to stop there. Maybe I better follow suit.
God doesn't laugh at or mock us, despite our abysmal ignorance. He just waits for us to recognize that we don't know what we don't know. And get to know it.
You know?
Thursday, June 29, 2017
It Is Well
There is an interesting exchange between Elisha and the Shenuemite woman. She was never named, despite having a big role in the life of Elisha the prophet. Or maybe we should say he played a big role in her life. We find it in 2 Kings 4:26
"Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, ‘Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?'" And she answered, "It is well."
Elisha's servant was actually the one who took the message and returned with the response, but the two primary actors are E and SW. David Jeremiah's meditation referenced this passage and discussed D. L. Moody's life. (6/28/17) His grandson died and he penned the following to his children in their loss.
"I know Dwight is having a good time, and we should rejoice with him. What would the mansions be without children? And he has gone to help get things ready for his parents. You know the Master said: ‘The last shall be first.' He was the last to come into our circle, and he is the first to go up there! So safe, so free from all the sorrow that we are passing through! I do thank God for such a life. It was nearly all smiles and sunshine. What a glorified body he will have, and with what joy he will await your coming! ... You will have the dear little man with you for ages and ages.... The word that keeps coming to my mind is this: ‘It is well with the child.'"1
We recently thought of Horatio Spafford and his hymn, "It Is Well." (Peace Like a River) Spafford went to Moody and Ira Sankey after his loss of four daughters, and some biographers think that Spafford wrote the hymn after or even during this meeting.
This would certainly buttress that supposition. Moody had suffered a loss and was able to comfort him with the comfort he had received. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
Turn to the passage. The woman has just driven (one donkey power vehicle) about 30 miles to tell Elisha that her son had died. Do you think that he already knew? Sometimes he did. Regardless, he asked, "...is it well with the child?"
Her answer was, "It is well." (Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Wonder if Spafford read that in conjunction with his composing the hymn.) We can interpret this at least two ways and both will bless us. First, she, like Spafford measured the health of her soul by God. Look through the phrases of the hymn and evaluate your health. (http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul/)
Regardless of what happens, it is well. Our sin is removed and we bear it no more. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, oh my soul. This is not a pollyannaish response to bad news. It is a sober contemplation of real value, compared with temporary comfort and convenience. It is well with my soul.
But is there a second way to view her response. (Maybe both are accurate.) She knew that Elisha was a miracle worker. Chances are that she had never heard of anyone raising someone from the dead. But there is a possibility that Elisha may have told her about Elijah raising a boy from the dead, in very similar circumstances.
Whether she knew or not, she had faith. And whether or not the boy was resurrected (actually resuscitated, because he would die again) revived, she was trusting Elisha and ultimately his God. Her statement as to his being "well" reveals a depth of faith and confidence. Alive or dead, it was well with him.
It is well.
1. A. P. Fitt, The Life of D. L. Moody (Chicago: Moody Press, n.d.), 139-140
"Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, ‘Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?'" And she answered, "It is well."
Elisha's servant was actually the one who took the message and returned with the response, but the two primary actors are E and SW. David Jeremiah's meditation referenced this passage and discussed D. L. Moody's life. (6/28/17) His grandson died and he penned the following to his children in their loss.
"I know Dwight is having a good time, and we should rejoice with him. What would the mansions be without children? And he has gone to help get things ready for his parents. You know the Master said: ‘The last shall be first.' He was the last to come into our circle, and he is the first to go up there! So safe, so free from all the sorrow that we are passing through! I do thank God for such a life. It was nearly all smiles and sunshine. What a glorified body he will have, and with what joy he will await your coming! ... You will have the dear little man with you for ages and ages.... The word that keeps coming to my mind is this: ‘It is well with the child.'"1
We recently thought of Horatio Spafford and his hymn, "It Is Well." (Peace Like a River) Spafford went to Moody and Ira Sankey after his loss of four daughters, and some biographers think that Spafford wrote the hymn after or even during this meeting.
This would certainly buttress that supposition. Moody had suffered a loss and was able to comfort him with the comfort he had received. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
Turn to the passage. The woman has just driven (one donkey power vehicle) about 30 miles to tell Elisha that her son had died. Do you think that he already knew? Sometimes he did. Regardless, he asked, "...is it well with the child?"
Her answer was, "It is well." (Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Wonder if Spafford read that in conjunction with his composing the hymn.) We can interpret this at least two ways and both will bless us. First, she, like Spafford measured the health of her soul by God. Look through the phrases of the hymn and evaluate your health. (http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul/)
Regardless of what happens, it is well. Our sin is removed and we bear it no more. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, oh my soul. This is not a pollyannaish response to bad news. It is a sober contemplation of real value, compared with temporary comfort and convenience. It is well with my soul.
But is there a second way to view her response. (Maybe both are accurate.) She knew that Elisha was a miracle worker. Chances are that she had never heard of anyone raising someone from the dead. But there is a possibility that Elisha may have told her about Elijah raising a boy from the dead, in very similar circumstances.
Whether she knew or not, she had faith. And whether or not the boy was resurrected (actually resuscitated, because he would die again) revived, she was trusting Elisha and ultimately his God. Her statement as to his being "well" reveals a depth of faith and confidence. Alive or dead, it was well with him.
It is well.
1. A. P. Fitt, The Life of D. L. Moody (Chicago: Moody Press, n.d.), 139-140
Thus Saith the Lord
"Thus saith the Lord" is found 413 times in the King James version. (Incidentally, it only occurs in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Lord is present and does not need to be announced. Jesus speaks for Himself and has the authority to do so.)
"Thus saith the Lord," is a powerful statement of authority, power, and dominance. "Thus saith THE LORD!" Can't you even now, hear Moses (Charleston Heston) thunder that in the "Ten Commandments?" It may not have chilled Pharoah's jets, but it sends shudders through me. The first time it shows up is in Exodus 4:22. The Lord commissioned Moses with this charge.
"And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, ‘Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:'"
Pharoah knew Israel, but he did not know their God, their Father. He was about to encounter that awesome fact and Person. He did not respond wisely or well.
The point of this discussion is how that was used. Some uses, like Moses,' was to introduce the Lord and to convey His authority, His message, and His judgments: Commands and declarations: Obey or die.
Other prophets used the term to signify their own delegated authority when dealing with Israel. If God said it, then you better beware and behave. The use was to deliver the commands of the Lord and to reinforce the declaration of judgment for disobedience. 2 Samuel 12:7 and 11 are particularly ominous for David after taking Bathsheba and killing her husband. Nathan thundered, "Thou art the man!" And then followed it by a "Thus saith the Lord," recitation of what God had done for David. (And what He would do.)
The prophets used it as a comfort for the people in the post-glory period. (David and Solomon) Sometimes it was a comfort, that is. They needed encouragement and knowing God was still in control was assuring, even when they were being disciplined. So the phrase that accompanied declaration of judgment also introduced confidence in the positive outcomes that were also prophesied.
Isaiah used it to introduce Cyrus to the Lord and His sovereignty in the life of this Persian king. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45&version=HCSB
or so) Our meditation today will use the same verses as before, but instead of focusing on Who will be revered (bend knee) and worshiped (tongue confess), we will consider the certainty of the outcome. Isaiah 45:22, 23 (Knees and Tongues)
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
The actual phrase, "Thus saith the Lord," is not here, but the thought and intent is. He is the God, and the only God. There is no other. Here it comes: He swore by Himself. No higher authority may be invoked. Truth has been uttered. Of course nothing else can come from Him, but that still means that it is "true" and unchanging. And it is irrevocable. It is as good as done the instant He says it. Get ready...
"Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance."
The entire population of earth at the time He comes, but more, the entire cumulative population of the earth throughout all ages is included. No one is excluded. All will bow. (Another problem with "evolution, even theistic," is where does the "God awareness" and responsibility come into existence? Just something to consider in a passing glance. I digress.)
And can we depend upon, and in fact, anticipate this event? You betcha. It is as good as done. "Thus saith the Lord." He swore it. A promise that can never be broken. "Truth has gone out." An inevitable event is postulated. "A word that will not be revoked." "Will not be revoked," because He said it and cannot be revoked because no one else would have the authority or power to reverse it. The French have a neat word: fait accompli. To brush up a little, it is a "fact accomplished." It is not only completed, it is irreversible. There is no going back, do over, or reconsideration. It is a done deal. And there is no appeal.
The world as we know it, as it was in the past, and as it will be anytime in the future, will come to this juncture. Every knee bowed, and every tongue confessing. The only variable is whether it will be done voluntarily or under compulsion. It will be done in love and admiration or in fear and abject subjugation. As the Roman commanders placed their feet on the necks of their conquered enemies, the erstwhile combatants, became servile subjects.
We get to choose our method of submission. It is going to happen, we just do not know when. And we get to choose how. Choose wisely.
"Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess." That Jesus is Lord.
Thus saith the Lord.
"Thus saith the Lord," is a powerful statement of authority, power, and dominance. "Thus saith THE LORD!" Can't you even now, hear Moses (Charleston Heston) thunder that in the "Ten Commandments?" It may not have chilled Pharoah's jets, but it sends shudders through me. The first time it shows up is in Exodus 4:22. The Lord commissioned Moses with this charge.
"And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, ‘Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:'"
Pharoah knew Israel, but he did not know their God, their Father. He was about to encounter that awesome fact and Person. He did not respond wisely or well.
The point of this discussion is how that was used. Some uses, like Moses,' was to introduce the Lord and to convey His authority, His message, and His judgments: Commands and declarations: Obey or die.
Other prophets used the term to signify their own delegated authority when dealing with Israel. If God said it, then you better beware and behave. The use was to deliver the commands of the Lord and to reinforce the declaration of judgment for disobedience. 2 Samuel 12:7 and 11 are particularly ominous for David after taking Bathsheba and killing her husband. Nathan thundered, "Thou art the man!" And then followed it by a "Thus saith the Lord," recitation of what God had done for David. (And what He would do.)
The prophets used it as a comfort for the people in the post-glory period. (David and Solomon) Sometimes it was a comfort, that is. They needed encouragement and knowing God was still in control was assuring, even when they were being disciplined. So the phrase that accompanied declaration of judgment also introduced confidence in the positive outcomes that were also prophesied.
Isaiah used it to introduce Cyrus to the Lord and His sovereignty in the life of this Persian king. (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45&version=HCSB
or so) Our meditation today will use the same verses as before, but instead of focusing on Who will be revered (bend knee) and worshiped (tongue confess), we will consider the certainty of the outcome. Isaiah 45:22, 23 (Knees and Tongues)
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.
The actual phrase, "Thus saith the Lord," is not here, but the thought and intent is. He is the God, and the only God. There is no other. Here it comes: He swore by Himself. No higher authority may be invoked. Truth has been uttered. Of course nothing else can come from Him, but that still means that it is "true" and unchanging. And it is irrevocable. It is as good as done the instant He says it. Get ready...
"Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance."
The entire population of earth at the time He comes, but more, the entire cumulative population of the earth throughout all ages is included. No one is excluded. All will bow. (Another problem with "evolution, even theistic," is where does the "God awareness" and responsibility come into existence? Just something to consider in a passing glance. I digress.)
And can we depend upon, and in fact, anticipate this event? You betcha. It is as good as done. "Thus saith the Lord." He swore it. A promise that can never be broken. "Truth has gone out." An inevitable event is postulated. "A word that will not be revoked." "Will not be revoked," because He said it and cannot be revoked because no one else would have the authority or power to reverse it. The French have a neat word: fait accompli. To brush up a little, it is a "fact accomplished." It is not only completed, it is irreversible. There is no going back, do over, or reconsideration. It is a done deal. And there is no appeal.
The world as we know it, as it was in the past, and as it will be anytime in the future, will come to this juncture. Every knee bowed, and every tongue confessing. The only variable is whether it will be done voluntarily or under compulsion. It will be done in love and admiration or in fear and abject subjugation. As the Roman commanders placed their feet on the necks of their conquered enemies, the erstwhile combatants, became servile subjects.
We get to choose our method of submission. It is going to happen, we just do not know when. And we get to choose how. Choose wisely.
"Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess." That Jesus is Lord.
Thus saith the Lord.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Knees and Tongues
There is a theological treatise in Isaiah 46:22, 23. It has several themes that we encounter time after time in the Scripture.
"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance."
Let's examine them point by point. First, this is the Lord speaking and He is the source of salvation–for everyone on earth. Not all will accept, but it is offered to them. Look at
"And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered."
And in Romans 10:13 Paul repeats this. Paul uses Old Testament quotations to point the Jews to salvation. Only he is talking about Jesus. So the Savior is Jesus.
Then The Savior identifies Himself. "I am God, there is no other." The "one and only" God claim occurs 30 times or more in the Scripture. "There is no other God." Point. Period. Exclamation point. Any claim in opposition to that is fraudulent and spurious.
And this God is the source of truth. Again there is no other. This is an attribute of the all knowing God. Since He knows everything, what He knows must be the Truth. He is "aware" of falsehood, but He is not the source of that. He only displays truth in opposition and that refutes error. And this "truth" will never change or alter. ("be revoked.") This is comforting to a world that is suffused with "false news" and shifting standards. The truth is there. It is our responsibility to look to it instead of substitutes.
Next comes an intriguing pronouncement. Remember that the Speaker is One Who has sworn. It will not ever change. "Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance." This is going to happen some day. This command will never be revoked nor repudiated.
Notice that this command is repeated in Romans 14:11. This further reinforces the permanence of this declaration. At some point, every knee in the world will bow and acknowledge that He is God. And then a curious juxtaposition occurs in Philippians 2:9. Paul is talking about Jesus and proclaims:
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
To define, "Lord" we look back to Romans 11 and Joel 2.
R-v. 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." J-v. 32 "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered."
Joel is talking about Jehovah. Romans is talking about Jesus. Both are Lord. The one and only Lord. When discussing the divinity of Jesus I like to quote Hebrews 1. First in verse 6 God the Father commands the angels to worship the Son. Since God is the only One, as we saw in Isaiah and He commands everyone to worship Him alone in the first commandment, this is a conundrum for anyone who argues that Jesus is "less than," or not God.
The conflict is that either God is schizophrenic, demanding people to engage in two, mutually exclusive actions, or Jesus is truly equal with God. He is indeed God as declared by the Father. If there is "no other God," then an "equal" One would be another one. This cannot occur logically, theologically, or in any kind of reasoning format.
And the second statement in Hebrews 1 is totally devastating to the denial of Jesus' divinity. Verse 8: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever...." God the Father called Jesus, "O God." I have discussed this with cult followers and even used their translation of Hebrews. (I guess their "editors" have not thought to remove it yet.) As we discussed it, he argued that he did not believe that it really said that Jesus was God.
"What does it say?" I asked.
"Well, I don't know, but it does not say that," was his reply. Repeated inquiries yielded the same result. He couldn't produce an alternative meaning without repudiating his translation, but refused to accept what even that translation said. What an uncomfortable situation. He didn't believe his own version of the Bible. (Is that like schizophrenic?) How many "other mistakes" does it have? (Answer: Lots.)
Now Philippians reaffirms that Jesus is truly God. "Every knee will bow" to God the Father, as noted in Isaiah. And Philippians declares that the bowing and confessing will be to Jesus, the Messiah. If our friend Lee Strobel were to write a book on this, which he did, it could be named, "The Case for Christ. He is God."
It is not plagiarism even though it declares that Jesus is God, which is not a new idea. It suffuses the entire Scripture, from the Old Testament through the New. We saw another example of it today.
Jesus is Lord. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45:23&version=HCSB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14:11&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+1&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+3%3A16&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+10%3A9-13&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joel+2:32&version=NASB
Preemptive Addendum. Here this post is not yet published and there is more. Hence the designation, preemptive. My son is preaching on John 1, a very pertinent passage to this discussion, which you noticed I avoided. This whole argument can be supported by John, but some doubters are inured to those Scriptures. So I chose more to show it is not a fluke or misprint or a "mis-translation.". The thoughts here are presented with recognition of and appreciation to Erwin Lutzer and Walter Martin. (For clarity, my responses are not marked by quotation marks. This is slightly abridged with verses cited only.)
Discussion on a Doorstep
"Hi! We are from the Watchtower and would like to talk to you about the Bible."
Great, glad to see you! (Match enthusiasm.) You are a witness for Jehovah and I am a worshiper of Jehovah. I would love to talk to you about that.
You know that Jehovah, in the Old Testament, declared that He is the only God and, in the first commandment, we are to worship Him and Him only. (Nods all around.) Part of "worship" is to obey Him, wouldn't you agree? (Keep them involved.)
Do you know Isaiah 45:22, 23? Do you have a Bible there handy? (Use theirs, not your own.) Look at that. Someday everyone will "bow the knee, and confess Him." (You can discuss the earlier phrases for emphasis.) Imagine that! The entire world will worship Jehovah. What a day!
Did you know that this verse is repeated in the New Testament? Look at Romans 14:11. Same thing, isn't it? Here is something interesting. It is repeated a second time in the New Testament. Look at Philippians 2:11.
Are you confused? Isaiah and Romans say every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jehovah, and here Paul says the same thing about Jesus. How can that be?
Maybe we can find an answer in that first chapter of...(watch them start for John)...the book that talks about God a lot. Hebrews. Look at verse 6 where the Father instructs the angels to worship the Son. That is Jesus, according to verse 5.
That goes along with Philippians, and Isaiah, and Romans, doesn't it? "Bow and confess" are acts of worship. And why? Look at verse 8. Jesus, the Son, is called God, by Jehovah, the Father.
I worship Jehovah and that means to obey Him. Right? So let's obey Jehovah and worship Jesus right now. (Kneel.) Please join me. Everyone will do so sometime. I want to do it willingly, and not under force and compulsion.
(Pray) Dear Jesus, my Heavenly Father, Jehovah, commanded me to worship You. I (gladly) worship You today. Thank you for being my Savior. Amen. (Straight in the eye.) Is Jesus your Savior? He promised that He would be, if you just ask Him.
John 3:16 is Jehovah's promise that "anyone exercising faith in Him" (They forgot to capitalize "Him" but we can look at that later.)"will not be destroyed but have everlasting life." And Jehovah promised to save anyone who believed in Him. Joel 2:32
Since Jehovah called Jesus God, and commanded us to worship Him, and recalling that there is only One God, does our "believing or exercising faith in Him" have to include the acceptance of Jesus as God? Remember back in Isaiah where Jehovah said "Turn to Me and be saved?" And John says that believing in Jesus is how to be saved. And Joel does too.
So if I do not believe in Jesus, will I be saved? No. Will you? Let's pray and believe.
"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; Truth has gone from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance."
Let's examine them point by point. First, this is the Lord speaking and He is the source of salvation–for everyone on earth. Not all will accept, but it is offered to them. Look at
"And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered."
And in Romans 10:13 Paul repeats this. Paul uses Old Testament quotations to point the Jews to salvation. Only he is talking about Jesus. So the Savior is Jesus.
Then The Savior identifies Himself. "I am God, there is no other." The "one and only" God claim occurs 30 times or more in the Scripture. "There is no other God." Point. Period. Exclamation point. Any claim in opposition to that is fraudulent and spurious.
And this God is the source of truth. Again there is no other. This is an attribute of the all knowing God. Since He knows everything, what He knows must be the Truth. He is "aware" of falsehood, but He is not the source of that. He only displays truth in opposition and that refutes error. And this "truth" will never change or alter. ("be revoked.") This is comforting to a world that is suffused with "false news" and shifting standards. The truth is there. It is our responsibility to look to it instead of substitutes.
Next comes an intriguing pronouncement. Remember that the Speaker is One Who has sworn. It will not ever change. "Every knee will bow to Me, every tongue will swear allegiance." This is going to happen some day. This command will never be revoked nor repudiated.
Notice that this command is repeated in Romans 14:11. This further reinforces the permanence of this declaration. At some point, every knee in the world will bow and acknowledge that He is God. And then a curious juxtaposition occurs in Philippians 2:9. Paul is talking about Jesus and proclaims:
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
To define, "Lord" we look back to Romans 11 and Joel 2.
R-v. 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." J-v. 32 "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord Will be delivered."
Joel is talking about Jehovah. Romans is talking about Jesus. Both are Lord. The one and only Lord. When discussing the divinity of Jesus I like to quote Hebrews 1. First in verse 6 God the Father commands the angels to worship the Son. Since God is the only One, as we saw in Isaiah and He commands everyone to worship Him alone in the first commandment, this is a conundrum for anyone who argues that Jesus is "less than," or not God.
The conflict is that either God is schizophrenic, demanding people to engage in two, mutually exclusive actions, or Jesus is truly equal with God. He is indeed God as declared by the Father. If there is "no other God," then an "equal" One would be another one. This cannot occur logically, theologically, or in any kind of reasoning format.
And the second statement in Hebrews 1 is totally devastating to the denial of Jesus' divinity. Verse 8: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever...." God the Father called Jesus, "O God." I have discussed this with cult followers and even used their translation of Hebrews. (I guess their "editors" have not thought to remove it yet.) As we discussed it, he argued that he did not believe that it really said that Jesus was God.
"What does it say?" I asked.
"Well, I don't know, but it does not say that," was his reply. Repeated inquiries yielded the same result. He couldn't produce an alternative meaning without repudiating his translation, but refused to accept what even that translation said. What an uncomfortable situation. He didn't believe his own version of the Bible. (Is that like schizophrenic?) How many "other mistakes" does it have? (Answer: Lots.)
Now Philippians reaffirms that Jesus is truly God. "Every knee will bow" to God the Father, as noted in Isaiah. And Philippians declares that the bowing and confessing will be to Jesus, the Messiah. If our friend Lee Strobel were to write a book on this, which he did, it could be named, "The Case for Christ. He is God."
It is not plagiarism even though it declares that Jesus is God, which is not a new idea. It suffuses the entire Scripture, from the Old Testament through the New. We saw another example of it today.
Jesus is Lord. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+45:23&version=HCSB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14:11&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+2&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews+1&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john+3%3A16&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+10%3A9-13&version=NASB
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joel+2:32&version=NASB
Preemptive Addendum. Here this post is not yet published and there is more. Hence the designation, preemptive. My son is preaching on John 1, a very pertinent passage to this discussion, which you noticed I avoided. This whole argument can be supported by John, but some doubters are inured to those Scriptures. So I chose more to show it is not a fluke or misprint or a "mis-translation.". The thoughts here are presented with recognition of and appreciation to Erwin Lutzer and Walter Martin. (For clarity, my responses are not marked by quotation marks. This is slightly abridged with verses cited only.)
Discussion on a Doorstep
"Hi! We are from the Watchtower and would like to talk to you about the Bible."
Great, glad to see you! (Match enthusiasm.) You are a witness for Jehovah and I am a worshiper of Jehovah. I would love to talk to you about that.
You know that Jehovah, in the Old Testament, declared that He is the only God and, in the first commandment, we are to worship Him and Him only. (Nods all around.) Part of "worship" is to obey Him, wouldn't you agree? (Keep them involved.)
Do you know Isaiah 45:22, 23? Do you have a Bible there handy? (Use theirs, not your own.) Look at that. Someday everyone will "bow the knee, and confess Him." (You can discuss the earlier phrases for emphasis.) Imagine that! The entire world will worship Jehovah. What a day!
Did you know that this verse is repeated in the New Testament? Look at Romans 14:11. Same thing, isn't it? Here is something interesting. It is repeated a second time in the New Testament. Look at Philippians 2:11.
Are you confused? Isaiah and Romans say every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jehovah, and here Paul says the same thing about Jesus. How can that be?
Maybe we can find an answer in that first chapter of...(watch them start for John)...the book that talks about God a lot. Hebrews. Look at verse 6 where the Father instructs the angels to worship the Son. That is Jesus, according to verse 5.
That goes along with Philippians, and Isaiah, and Romans, doesn't it? "Bow and confess" are acts of worship. And why? Look at verse 8. Jesus, the Son, is called God, by Jehovah, the Father.
I worship Jehovah and that means to obey Him. Right? So let's obey Jehovah and worship Jesus right now. (Kneel.) Please join me. Everyone will do so sometime. I want to do it willingly, and not under force and compulsion.
(Pray) Dear Jesus, my Heavenly Father, Jehovah, commanded me to worship You. I (gladly) worship You today. Thank you for being my Savior. Amen. (Straight in the eye.) Is Jesus your Savior? He promised that He would be, if you just ask Him.
John 3:16 is Jehovah's promise that "anyone exercising faith in Him" (They forgot to capitalize "Him" but we can look at that later.)"will not be destroyed but have everlasting life." And Jehovah promised to save anyone who believed in Him. Joel 2:32
Since Jehovah called Jesus God, and commanded us to worship Him, and recalling that there is only One God, does our "believing or exercising faith in Him" have to include the acceptance of Jesus as God? Remember back in Isaiah where Jehovah said "Turn to Me and be saved?" And John says that believing in Jesus is how to be saved. And Joel does too.
So if I do not believe in Jesus, will I be saved? No. Will you? Let's pray and believe.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Tongues of Angels
Paul uses some of the most picturesque and beautiful language that can be imagined in 1 Corinthians 13. "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels...." King James says "Though I speak...." Tongues of men and angels. Doesn't that soar and raise your spirits with it? It just rolls off the tongue and thrills us. Speaking of tongues, does that, as some have asserted, define a "heavenly or angelic" language that is above the plane of plain talk? Ask an expert.
"Moody Bible Commentary," on this verse explains that whenever angels talk in Scripture it is in a language that the hearer can understand. What need would there be for "another language?" Angels can probably communicate with each other telepathically, if such a thing exists in the angelic realm.
Would it seem that Paul was speaking metaphorically, poetically to convey his message? Let's look at it all.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (And profits the poor nothing as well.)
His word pictures are extreme, aren't they? "Noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Those do not convey much of a message, do they? They certainly are "attention getters," but do not go beyond that in the communication department. It appears that there is an element of exaggeration in the second half of each couplet.
Does exaggeration persist throughout the thought? "The gift of prophesy" is certainly a valid gift. But look at the extension: "Know all mysteries and all knowledge...." Whoa! That goes a little beyond what anyone has received. A human brain is literally not capable of possessing all knowledge. Go on. "All faith," for some may be an achievable level, but "remove mountains" may be a little bit of a stretch for most of us.
Notice the pattern. It is "normal or natural," followed by extraordinary. "Tongues of angels, all mysteries and all knowledge, remove mountains." It seems to follow in the final couplet: "give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned...." Feeding the poor is certainly a normal activity, but although being burned is possible, but it certainly is an extreme level of commitment. And it will not help feed anyone. (Don't go there!) All of the normal expressions are useful, helpful. The extensions are extreme, perhaps a little self praising. They are certainly not effective or profitable: "clanging cymbal, nothing, profits nothing."
Context is helpful here. If we do the normal and even if we go extremely above and beyond, yet do not have love, it is all wasted and futile. Paul's point is not that we speak with angels' tongues, know all mysteries and knowledge, move mountains, or sacrifice our lives, but that we love. Instead of going way out of reality, just do this simple, though difficult, we know, task. "Love your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:18)
Finally, is there a crack in the door to let in "angels' tongues?" Think back to the other comparisons. Knowing everything, moving mountains, offering a literal, and personal burnt sacrifice, do not seem to be the intent of the language, if indeed they are possible. They are defined in the end as "not profitable."
All of the final components of the couplets seem to be hyperbole merely for the sake of effect and not as an instruction. Speaking with tongues of men is a pretty difficult challenge for me. Incidentally, the "tongues" gift was for the evangelism of the foreign speakers. The angels do not need to be evangelized. And if we need to communicate with them, as did several guys in the Scripture, a human language seemed to work satisfactorily. There is not a shortage of people with whom to share the message, in our own language, or theirs. There is no need for an added burden or barrier.
Speak with the tongues of men, prophesy, have faith, feed the poor. That should keep us busy until the Lord comes
"Moody Bible Commentary," on this verse explains that whenever angels talk in Scripture it is in a language that the hearer can understand. What need would there be for "another language?" Angels can probably communicate with each other telepathically, if such a thing exists in the angelic realm.
Would it seem that Paul was speaking metaphorically, poetically to convey his message? Let's look at it all.
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (And profits the poor nothing as well.)
His word pictures are extreme, aren't they? "Noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." Those do not convey much of a message, do they? They certainly are "attention getters," but do not go beyond that in the communication department. It appears that there is an element of exaggeration in the second half of each couplet.
Does exaggeration persist throughout the thought? "The gift of prophesy" is certainly a valid gift. But look at the extension: "Know all mysteries and all knowledge...." Whoa! That goes a little beyond what anyone has received. A human brain is literally not capable of possessing all knowledge. Go on. "All faith," for some may be an achievable level, but "remove mountains" may be a little bit of a stretch for most of us.
Notice the pattern. It is "normal or natural," followed by extraordinary. "Tongues of angels, all mysteries and all knowledge, remove mountains." It seems to follow in the final couplet: "give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned...." Feeding the poor is certainly a normal activity, but although being burned is possible, but it certainly is an extreme level of commitment. And it will not help feed anyone. (Don't go there!) All of the normal expressions are useful, helpful. The extensions are extreme, perhaps a little self praising. They are certainly not effective or profitable: "clanging cymbal, nothing, profits nothing."
Context is helpful here. If we do the normal and even if we go extremely above and beyond, yet do not have love, it is all wasted and futile. Paul's point is not that we speak with angels' tongues, know all mysteries and knowledge, move mountains, or sacrifice our lives, but that we love. Instead of going way out of reality, just do this simple, though difficult, we know, task. "Love your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:18)
Finally, is there a crack in the door to let in "angels' tongues?" Think back to the other comparisons. Knowing everything, moving mountains, offering a literal, and personal burnt sacrifice, do not seem to be the intent of the language, if indeed they are possible. They are defined in the end as "not profitable."
All of the final components of the couplets seem to be hyperbole merely for the sake of effect and not as an instruction. Speaking with tongues of men is a pretty difficult challenge for me. Incidentally, the "tongues" gift was for the evangelism of the foreign speakers. The angels do not need to be evangelized. And if we need to communicate with them, as did several guys in the Scripture, a human language seemed to work satisfactorily. There is not a shortage of people with whom to share the message, in our own language, or theirs. There is no need for an added burden or barrier.
Speak with the tongues of men, prophesy, have faith, feed the poor. That should keep us busy until the Lord comes
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Wasting Souls
While the Children of Israel were in the wilderness, they were characterized by a constant complaining and carping about just about everything. They even complained about the wonderful, heavenly provision of daily bread, manna. What a bunch of dolts. But we probably do the same.
Psalm 106:15 gives an editorial comment on their condition. In fact, all of the Psalm is a running commentary on their history after leaving the land of Egypt. It begins with praise, then confession. The confession includes a litany of their misdeeds, oops, sins, iniquities, and wickedness. If the Psalmist didn't pull any punches, neither should we.
The good news is that God did not forget, nor abandon them. Read to the end of the chapter. It is good for the soul. But in the meantime, look at our verse for today.
"So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them."
KJV uses the term, "sent leanness into their soul." Notice the singular tense. I will not make too strong a point on this as my Hebrew scholar has not yet commented, but it does not seem too far fetched to think that both their individual souls and the corporate soul of the nation was affected.
Recall that they received manna daily, hence daily bread, and all they had to do was gather it. But they got "tired" of this "stuff" and complained that they were not on slaves' provisions back in Egypt. Well, they phrased it differently. (Numbers 11) v. 4-6
"Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna."
Sounds like they dined, gratis, with Pharaoah every night, doesn't it? It was free. The slave owner "lavishes" all the slop on his workers that they can eat. Starving slaves do not produce much. But that aside, their shallow and selfish viewpoint reveals a lot about their character.
So God gave them what they wanted, even though it was not what was best for them. The result, as our verse solemnly records, was "leanness" or a wasting of their souls. Imagine visiting the President when he is on a diet. You can share with him in his dining room or go to another where a lavish fare is set for visiting dignitaries. I would eat with the President.
Yes, I think that God does at times give us what we demand as opposed to what He would offer. King Hezekiah got 15 years of "life" and consequently sired the worst king Judah ever had. (But, God is never at a loss. That King, Manasseh, (2 Kings 20) was the grandfather of one of the best kings of Judah, Josiah.)
The Children of Israel made a poor choice. They "wasted" their souls. The "manna" that we find between the covers of our Bibles will keep our souls in good shape. As Alexander Scourby says, "Listen to the Bible. It's great for the soul!" (Or read it.)
Psalm 106:15 gives an editorial comment on their condition. In fact, all of the Psalm is a running commentary on their history after leaving the land of Egypt. It begins with praise, then confession. The confession includes a litany of their misdeeds, oops, sins, iniquities, and wickedness. If the Psalmist didn't pull any punches, neither should we.
The good news is that God did not forget, nor abandon them. Read to the end of the chapter. It is good for the soul. But in the meantime, look at our verse for today.
"So He gave them their request, But sent a wasting disease among them."
KJV uses the term, "sent leanness into their soul." Notice the singular tense. I will not make too strong a point on this as my Hebrew scholar has not yet commented, but it does not seem too far fetched to think that both their individual souls and the corporate soul of the nation was affected.
Recall that they received manna daily, hence daily bread, and all they had to do was gather it. But they got "tired" of this "stuff" and complained that they were not on slaves' provisions back in Egypt. Well, they phrased it differently. (Numbers 11) v. 4-6
"Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna."
Sounds like they dined, gratis, with Pharaoah every night, doesn't it? It was free. The slave owner "lavishes" all the slop on his workers that they can eat. Starving slaves do not produce much. But that aside, their shallow and selfish viewpoint reveals a lot about their character.
So God gave them what they wanted, even though it was not what was best for them. The result, as our verse solemnly records, was "leanness" or a wasting of their souls. Imagine visiting the President when he is on a diet. You can share with him in his dining room or go to another where a lavish fare is set for visiting dignitaries. I would eat with the President.
Yes, I think that God does at times give us what we demand as opposed to what He would offer. King Hezekiah got 15 years of "life" and consequently sired the worst king Judah ever had. (But, God is never at a loss. That King, Manasseh, (2 Kings 20) was the grandfather of one of the best kings of Judah, Josiah.)
The Children of Israel made a poor choice. They "wasted" their souls. The "manna" that we find between the covers of our Bibles will keep our souls in good shape. As Alexander Scourby says, "Listen to the Bible. It's great for the soul!" (Or read it.)
Monday, June 19, 2017
Pure Gold
The chemist in me found the comment in Revelation 21:18 kind of perplexing.
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
As a chemist, I know that even the purest gold is not transparent. Some commentators, including "The Moody Bible Commentary" opines that it means it is without impurities. It is not clear (sorry for the pun) whether they intend to say that the pure gold is transparent or not. Some have suggested that the glass back then was sparkly, so "glittering" gold would look like sparkling glass. This seems to miss the point in v. 18, "clear" glass.
Another explanation is that when God originally created gold, it was clear, then became opaque with the fall.(Not to rain on anyone's parade, but why would God use "fallen" gold so extensively in the tabernacle and later the temple? Not sure that I appreciate or agree with that interpretation.)
David Jeremiah recently postulated that to a resurrected body, the pure gold was so highly polished that it appeared to be transparent. That is feasible. How often have you seen anyone, or you yourself, experienced an encounter with a mirror that stopped your hand short of reaching the object you "see" on the other side of the glass wall? It really stood on the shelf in front of you and its image was what you attempted to grasp. And to a pure eye, as our heavenly bodies will possess, things that are opaque now may become something else. That is feasible.
Another idea that I have heard was a takeoff on the contaminated glass of that time. Most glass was roughly formed and retained minute bits of sand that distorted the image. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13 uses the phrase, "For now we see in a mirror dimly...." The image was not sharp, and probably even looked cloudy, like condensed steam on the bathroom mirror.
Their mirrors were polished metal or the poor quality glass. So "pure or clear" glass represented a very high degree of refinement, and therefore value. So John's comment was that the gold was pure, completely, as is glass that is perfectly clear.
Then I read Job 28:17. (Recall that a lot of the early chapters of Job are not "inspired" as the actual utterances of God. Most of Job's comments and virtually all of those of the accusers often called "friends," consisted of common sense and observations. I am not sure that some of them even rise to the level of worldly wisdom. The Holy Spirit chose to report them so that we could see their erroneous reasoning. We should not quote them as Scripture.) But Job did make a statement that reflected the values and circumstances of the time.
He is describing wisdom and its worth:
"Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold."
He equates "gold and glass." Are we reading too much into the text to infer "clear" glass? If he says gold and glass are comparable in value, then our interpretation of the Revelation phrase seems to take on more weight.
Gold was probably the most valuable commodity, and "pure" or "fine" gold would be even more desirable. If John was going to convey the concept that even the most valuable "wealth" on earth, was merely paving material in heaven, then using the concept of pure gold and pure glass would serve nicely.
What a thought. All of our treasured and sought after "values" here on earth are merely building materials in heaven. I picture a guy walking out to the street or highway and exulting, "Asphalt! The streets are paved with asphalt!" And then prying up a chunk and trotting it home to be mounted in rings, pendants, and even crowns.
Yet, our value system here is as primitive as our "asphaltophilic" friend. (Just made that up.) It is no wonder that we would have tears in our eyes when we first get to heaven. (Revelation 21:4) We might grieve for all eternity at being so foolish, disoriented, and having wasted so much time on baubles. God's grace and love will overrule that as well as he wipes the tears from out eyes.
And how startling to run across this in the depths of Job's discouragement and despair. It probably did not encourage him too much, but with this new perspective we have a new taste and understanding of heaven.
I cannot wait. Maranatha. (1 Corinthians 16:22) Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:21) Job points us to heaven.
18 The material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.
As a chemist, I know that even the purest gold is not transparent. Some commentators, including "The Moody Bible Commentary" opines that it means it is without impurities. It is not clear (sorry for the pun) whether they intend to say that the pure gold is transparent or not. Some have suggested that the glass back then was sparkly, so "glittering" gold would look like sparkling glass. This seems to miss the point in v. 18, "clear" glass.
Another explanation is that when God originally created gold, it was clear, then became opaque with the fall.(Not to rain on anyone's parade, but why would God use "fallen" gold so extensively in the tabernacle and later the temple? Not sure that I appreciate or agree with that interpretation.)
David Jeremiah recently postulated that to a resurrected body, the pure gold was so highly polished that it appeared to be transparent. That is feasible. How often have you seen anyone, or you yourself, experienced an encounter with a mirror that stopped your hand short of reaching the object you "see" on the other side of the glass wall? It really stood on the shelf in front of you and its image was what you attempted to grasp. And to a pure eye, as our heavenly bodies will possess, things that are opaque now may become something else. That is feasible.
Another idea that I have heard was a takeoff on the contaminated glass of that time. Most glass was roughly formed and retained minute bits of sand that distorted the image. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 13 uses the phrase, "For now we see in a mirror dimly...." The image was not sharp, and probably even looked cloudy, like condensed steam on the bathroom mirror.
Their mirrors were polished metal or the poor quality glass. So "pure or clear" glass represented a very high degree of refinement, and therefore value. So John's comment was that the gold was pure, completely, as is glass that is perfectly clear.
Then I read Job 28:17. (Recall that a lot of the early chapters of Job are not "inspired" as the actual utterances of God. Most of Job's comments and virtually all of those of the accusers often called "friends," consisted of common sense and observations. I am not sure that some of them even rise to the level of worldly wisdom. The Holy Spirit chose to report them so that we could see their erroneous reasoning. We should not quote them as Scripture.) But Job did make a statement that reflected the values and circumstances of the time.
He is describing wisdom and its worth:
"Gold or glass cannot equal it, Nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold."
He equates "gold and glass." Are we reading too much into the text to infer "clear" glass? If he says gold and glass are comparable in value, then our interpretation of the Revelation phrase seems to take on more weight.
Gold was probably the most valuable commodity, and "pure" or "fine" gold would be even more desirable. If John was going to convey the concept that even the most valuable "wealth" on earth, was merely paving material in heaven, then using the concept of pure gold and pure glass would serve nicely.
What a thought. All of our treasured and sought after "values" here on earth are merely building materials in heaven. I picture a guy walking out to the street or highway and exulting, "Asphalt! The streets are paved with asphalt!" And then prying up a chunk and trotting it home to be mounted in rings, pendants, and even crowns.
Yet, our value system here is as primitive as our "asphaltophilic" friend. (Just made that up.) It is no wonder that we would have tears in our eyes when we first get to heaven. (Revelation 21:4) We might grieve for all eternity at being so foolish, disoriented, and having wasted so much time on baubles. God's grace and love will overrule that as well as he wipes the tears from out eyes.
And how startling to run across this in the depths of Job's discouragement and despair. It probably did not encourage him too much, but with this new perspective we have a new taste and understanding of heaven.
I cannot wait. Maranatha. (1 Corinthians 16:22) Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:21) Job points us to heaven.
Monday, June 12, 2017
Does God Make Evil?
Isaiah 45 gives us an insight into our question for today. Verses 5-7 are His narrative to Cyrus and explain to Cy why God is using him to perform His will with regard to the Jews. (For those who have not read the story here and elsewhere, God sent them home to Jerusalem after 70 years of captivity in Babylon and Medo-Persia. Cyrus ordered it.)
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me; 6 That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, 7 The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these.
Does verse 7 shed some light on our question? Does God make evil? There are two parallel phrases that bothered me when I first saw them. I like the "forming light" and "causing well-being," but the accompanying clauses were troublesome. The nice thing about memorizing and meditating is that you stick with the "problem" passages and then, out of the blue, the answer comes. Actually it is the Holy Spirit doing His job. (John 14:26) He "teaches us" or reveals all things.
How did and does God "create darkness?" And why or how does He "create calamity?" My science training tells me that "dark" and "cold" do not exist. "Dark" is the absence of light. Absolutely no light, and you have absolute darkness. "Cold" is the absence of heat. Absolute zero means that there is absolutely no energy at all. This condition probably does not exist, because some heat would "seep" into it from the surrounding environment. But science can get very close.
This idea helps us to understand how God could "make calamity, or evil." One of the pairs is the presence of a quantity, light and heat. So "good" and ‘bad" may also be defined by the presence and absence of something.
"Well-being" is blessing and God's provision. So "calamity" would be the opposite of that, an absence of God's presence. We can substitute "good" and "evil" for these and accomplish the same understanding. "Good" is the presence and provision of God. "Every good gift...comes from the Father of lights." (James 1:17)
When God provides anything for us, it is "good." Conversely, anything that He does not provide should be, at best, suspect. If it isn't from Him, do we really want it?
Does God "create' evil or calamity? I would suggest that anything that lacks His involvement would be in our categories of "not so good." God does not create evil, but that is the result when He is excluded or withdraws. These negative outcomes are a result of ignoring or rejecting God and His provision or guidance.
So what about when "bad things happen to good people?" Is "bad" always evil? Thankfully we have Romans 8:28 to guide our thoughts. God makes everything to work for our good. It might not be what we think is "good." But it is what He knows is "good" and best for us. An Old Testament Scripture illustrates it differently. Jeremiah 29:11. Jeremiah is prophesying before the Jews are taken into captivity. Jeremiah warns that they will go "away" for 70 years. Bad, right? Look at what the Lord says:
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
Notice the specific response. "...not of evil...." To them it seemed a disaster, a calamity, if you please. But God is working for an "expected end." And that was accomplished. The nation of Israel was cleansed of idols, permanently. Idol worship was the impetus for much or maybe all of their disobedience from the time they left Egypt (calves) throughout their history (Asherah, Baal, etc.).
Once they returned from captivity, there were no idols anywhere in the land. God had worked "good" for them, and just for good measure, He repeated it for us in Romans 8:28.
Does God make evil? Evil would accurately be defined as anything without God. So when He is "there" no evil can exist. Only when he is excluded or withdraws completely, can we declare that evil is done. But He did not do it. The excluders or those forcing Him out are the cause of evil.
Does that answer your question? Even in the message to Cyrus, before the fact, the Lord promises that the "calamity" of deportation will result in "well-being" of restoration when Cyrus sends them home.
Don't you just love how God takes seeming evil and turns it into a opportunity to praise Him? He repeats it in Romans 11:33. Paul just outlined how the removing of Israel from God's "tree" or the falling away of Israel led to the salvation of the Gentiles. And the salvation of the Gentiles paved the way for the return, permanently, of Israel. God took the "bad" separation" to produce a permanent reconciliation. Listen to Paul's shout of exultation and acclimation.
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Just as Joseph, about 1500 years earlier proclaimed, "What you meant for evil, God meant for good." (Genesis 50:20) That is God's way. Evil can only exist with no God.
The answer to the question is, then, "Get in touch with God." No evil can prevail. Glory.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+11&version=KJV
It is a job to Read Job
We are in Job again in our yearly trek through the Scripture. Job is hard to read. It is a real job to struggle through the self important, pompous, pretentious ahhh donkeys as they instruct Job as to why he is so tribulated. (Is that a word?) You just want to jump up and down and shout, "Just wait until chapter 42 and you will see!" But, we cannot tell them. In fact, they already know as this is just a report from close to 3,000 years ago.
Whenever we read Job we must recall that it is not all "inspired." God directed Job, I believe, to write it, and to faithfully record what his "friends" said, but those words are not reflective of Divine thinking or acting. Some of the statements may be "true," as those that announce that the wicked are punished–usually–and the good are usually rewarded. But those are not divine wisdom. They may be witty and accurate, but when they were wrongly applied to Job, they became, literally, lies.
Even Job's lament in chapter 3 is not inspired. Early in my "public speaking and teaching" career, I used Job 3 to point out the futility life and the superior condition of the dead and even those who were never born. (Never mind how someone who was not born has any consciousness.) To Job's understanding, in the middle of extreme suffering, death or non-existence was the superior option. He was in the depths of depression and was not thinking rationally. He came out of it. I only taught that once.
A kind older, and very godly lady, (Mrs. Egle for those of you who know Stratton) approached me after the lesson and asked if I had read that somewhere. I proudly announced that I had developed the thought myself as I read. "Finish the book, and see if your interpretation is correct," she counseled. I did, and it wasn't.
Verse 25 of chapter 3 gives us an insight into Job's incipient paranoia.
"For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me."
He was afraid of "losing it all." And it happened. That might be instructive for us. Don't hold what you have too tightly. When it is ripped away, it may take a finger or two with it. The good news, Chapter 42, is that he got it all back, doubled. But by that time, he had a more godly appreciation for his "stuff." That is a good lesson for us all.
Eliphaz, in chapter 4, declares that the righteous never suffer. I guess we could call him the earliest "name it and claim it" guy; or the original prosperity gospel evangel. He gives us his "source" or expert witness in v. 12-15.
"Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake.
"Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up."
If you get a vision that makes your "hair stand up," I would recommend that you pinch yourself awake and get outta there. And stop eating anchovy with hot sauce pizza before retiring. Who or whatever it was, it was not good. You can read it to feel the condemnation and even contempt for Job oozing out of every phrase. Look at verse 3 of chapter 5.
"I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately."
Well, thank you Mr. High and Mighty. You da man. I hope that you never fall into trouble. In the final verses of chapter five he announces the good fortune of those who listen to the Lord.
"Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."
We often hear this quoted, and it is true. But in the context, Eliphaz was accusing Job of needing reproving and his continued suffering was prima facie evidence that Job had not responded to God's "reproof." I guess you could say he was "judging" Job. Careful Elie.
His final retort clinches it: "Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself."
Is this the "royal we" or merely that the other dudes had joined in the search for the "truth" of Job's circumstances? Either way we can conclude that this particular speaker has provided neither solace nor succor.
Next. Like I said, this is a hard job. And it is hard on Job.
Whenever we read Job we must recall that it is not all "inspired." God directed Job, I believe, to write it, and to faithfully record what his "friends" said, but those words are not reflective of Divine thinking or acting. Some of the statements may be "true," as those that announce that the wicked are punished–usually–and the good are usually rewarded. But those are not divine wisdom. They may be witty and accurate, but when they were wrongly applied to Job, they became, literally, lies.
Even Job's lament in chapter 3 is not inspired. Early in my "public speaking and teaching" career, I used Job 3 to point out the futility life and the superior condition of the dead and even those who were never born. (Never mind how someone who was not born has any consciousness.) To Job's understanding, in the middle of extreme suffering, death or non-existence was the superior option. He was in the depths of depression and was not thinking rationally. He came out of it. I only taught that once.
A kind older, and very godly lady, (Mrs. Egle for those of you who know Stratton) approached me after the lesson and asked if I had read that somewhere. I proudly announced that I had developed the thought myself as I read. "Finish the book, and see if your interpretation is correct," she counseled. I did, and it wasn't.
Verse 25 of chapter 3 gives us an insight into Job's incipient paranoia.
"For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me."
He was afraid of "losing it all." And it happened. That might be instructive for us. Don't hold what you have too tightly. When it is ripped away, it may take a finger or two with it. The good news, Chapter 42, is that he got it all back, doubled. But by that time, he had a more godly appreciation for his "stuff." That is a good lesson for us all.
Eliphaz, in chapter 4, declares that the righteous never suffer. I guess we could call him the earliest "name it and claim it" guy; or the original prosperity gospel evangel. He gives us his "source" or expert witness in v. 12-15.
"Now a word was brought to me stealthily, And my ear received a whisper of it. Amid disquieting thoughts from the visions of the night, When deep sleep falls on men, Dread came upon me, and trembling, And made all my bones shake.
"Then a spirit passed by my face; The hair of my flesh bristled up."
If you get a vision that makes your "hair stand up," I would recommend that you pinch yourself awake and get outta there. And stop eating anchovy with hot sauce pizza before retiring. Who or whatever it was, it was not good. You can read it to feel the condemnation and even contempt for Job oozing out of every phrase. Look at verse 3 of chapter 5.
"I have seen the foolish taking root, And I cursed his abode immediately."
Well, thank you Mr. High and Mighty. You da man. I hope that you never fall into trouble. In the final verses of chapter five he announces the good fortune of those who listen to the Lord.
"Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty."
We often hear this quoted, and it is true. But in the context, Eliphaz was accusing Job of needing reproving and his continued suffering was prima facie evidence that Job had not responded to God's "reproof." I guess you could say he was "judging" Job. Careful Elie.
His final retort clinches it: "Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself."
Is this the "royal we" or merely that the other dudes had joined in the search for the "truth" of Job's circumstances? Either way we can conclude that this particular speaker has provided neither solace nor succor.
Next. Like I said, this is a hard job. And it is hard on Job.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Peace Like a River
I think I will nominate Horatio Spafford as one of my heroes. Many of us know his story, but I just recently gained a new appreciation for the man and his testimony. (Note: Some biographers have alleged some faulty theology and even heretical actions. We will not examine that here. My position is that the "snapshot" of his life conveyed in the hymn is "right on" and that is our purpose of consideration today.)
For those of you who do not know, his daughters were lost in a shipwreck as they traveled to Europe. As he followed a few days later, the Captain of the ship informed him that they were passing the spot where his daughters had perished. (Other accounts suggest that the composition occurred later when in the company of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey. The message is unchanged.)
As he gazed at the spot, he composed a poem. It begins, "When peace like a river, attendeth my way." He had suffered devastating financial losses, his four year old son had died a couple of years earlier (according to some accounts–others place it later), and now his daughters had also died. And the first thing he wrote, on the spot, was about peace. The rest of the lyrics give us a tremendous insight into this man and his relationship with his God.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
The second line is our insight into faith. "Whatever my lot...." This man, like Job, was not driven by personal peace and prosperity. God was his source of comfort. Or as we saw recently, "a mighty fortress." (http://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-mighty-fortress.html) As we contemplate disaster, do we begin with the "attending" peace in our hearts and thoughts? We should. To paraphrase the old real estate mantra, "Location, location, location," we substitute, "Peace, peace, peace."
Music by P. P. Bliss. That is also an interesting person, particularly his name, Bliss. He wrote words and/or composed the music for "Almost Persuaded," "Dare to Be a Daniel," "Hallelujah, What a Savior," "Hold the Fort," "Let the Lower Lights be Burning," "Jesus Loves Even Me," among others. Maybe more about him later.
Let's "roll" through the rest of his meditation.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain.
That sounds like he has been reading Job, doesn't it? Satan may "buffet" but he will not overcome the one who has the " controlling assurance" that Christ is on his side. "It is well with my soul."
My literary analysis would suggest that there are two climaxes in this contemplation. One is "now" and the other is "later." (Not to be confused with a candy confection.) Now is here and now and hits the condition that we all face.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain. (Music Ed. No pause after "whole," keep on going.)
My sin is nailed to the cross. It is no longer mine. (Fist pump, hand in the air, anything. Don't just sit there. And maybe a tear or two. And for sure, Amen.) Glory. Praise the Lord. It is well with my soul.
And here we encounter the affliction of all hymn writers and the competing requirements of hymn publishers: The onus and cost of skipped verses. Verses are either skipped when publishing or when the song leader omits a verse or two. (Lyrics below.) "A Mighty Fortress" is often sung without the third verse, then starts the final stanza with, "That word...." Huh, what word? I always wondered about that. Looking at the "omitted" third verse makes it all clear. Below.
Back to Spafford. After declaring his "peace with God," through Christ's blood, he moves to life after "re-birth." He revisits the comfort in times of testing and trial.
That was now, this is then. Then he hits the second climax with the final two verses, anticipating the glorious return of our Lord and Savior. Our peace is based on the line, "The sky, not the grave, is our goal." We should sanction the guy who chose to leave out that verse and line. "The trump!" Get ready, the climax of climaxes is coming.
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
"And Lord, haste the day." (2 Peter 3:12 Go read it in KJV.) "My faith shall be sight." Has this guy inserted Scripture into every phrase? Great. (Hebrews 11:1) "The clouds be rolled back as a scroll." (Revelation 6:14) Here is the trumpet, again. (1 Corinthians 15:52) "And the Lord shall descend." (1 Thessalonians 4:16) "Even so...It is well with my soul." (Revelation 22:20) (Fist pumps. Two hands up. Music: FFF or louder. No tears? You asleep, man? Or dead.)
No wonder he, and we, can exultantly proclaim, "It is well, it is well with my soul!"
A-main! Selah! Think of that! Glory. (Fist pump.) A hero wrote that.
Lyrics composited.
It is Well With My Soul
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain: It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain)
But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! (Refrain)
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
A Mighty Fortress
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow'r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow'rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
For those of you who do not know, his daughters were lost in a shipwreck as they traveled to Europe. As he followed a few days later, the Captain of the ship informed him that they were passing the spot where his daughters had perished. (Other accounts suggest that the composition occurred later when in the company of D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey. The message is unchanged.)
As he gazed at the spot, he composed a poem. It begins, "When peace like a river, attendeth my way." He had suffered devastating financial losses, his four year old son had died a couple of years earlier (according to some accounts–others place it later), and now his daughters had also died. And the first thing he wrote, on the spot, was about peace. The rest of the lyrics give us a tremendous insight into this man and his relationship with his God.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
The second line is our insight into faith. "Whatever my lot...." This man, like Job, was not driven by personal peace and prosperity. God was his source of comfort. Or as we saw recently, "a mighty fortress." (http://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2017/06/a-mighty-fortress.html) As we contemplate disaster, do we begin with the "attending" peace in our hearts and thoughts? We should. To paraphrase the old real estate mantra, "Location, location, location," we substitute, "Peace, peace, peace."
Music by P. P. Bliss. That is also an interesting person, particularly his name, Bliss. He wrote words and/or composed the music for "Almost Persuaded," "Dare to Be a Daniel," "Hallelujah, What a Savior," "Hold the Fort," "Let the Lower Lights be Burning," "Jesus Loves Even Me," among others. Maybe more about him later.
Let's "roll" through the rest of his meditation.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain.
That sounds like he has been reading Job, doesn't it? Satan may "buffet" but he will not overcome the one who has the " controlling assurance" that Christ is on his side. "It is well with my soul."
My literary analysis would suggest that there are two climaxes in this contemplation. One is "now" and the other is "later." (Not to be confused with a candy confection.) Now is here and now and hits the condition that we all face.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain. (Music Ed. No pause after "whole," keep on going.)
My sin is nailed to the cross. It is no longer mine. (Fist pump, hand in the air, anything. Don't just sit there. And maybe a tear or two. And for sure, Amen.) Glory. Praise the Lord. It is well with my soul.
And here we encounter the affliction of all hymn writers and the competing requirements of hymn publishers: The onus and cost of skipped verses. Verses are either skipped when publishing or when the song leader omits a verse or two. (Lyrics below.) "A Mighty Fortress" is often sung without the third verse, then starts the final stanza with, "That word...." Huh, what word? I always wondered about that. Looking at the "omitted" third verse makes it all clear. Below.
Back to Spafford. After declaring his "peace with God," through Christ's blood, he moves to life after "re-birth." He revisits the comfort in times of testing and trial.
That was now, this is then. Then he hits the second climax with the final two verses, anticipating the glorious return of our Lord and Savior. Our peace is based on the line, "The sky, not the grave, is our goal." We should sanction the guy who chose to leave out that verse and line. "The trump!" Get ready, the climax of climaxes is coming.
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.
"And Lord, haste the day." (2 Peter 3:12 Go read it in KJV.) "My faith shall be sight." Has this guy inserted Scripture into every phrase? Great. (Hebrews 11:1) "The clouds be rolled back as a scroll." (Revelation 6:14) Here is the trumpet, again. (1 Corinthians 15:52) "And the Lord shall descend." (1 Thessalonians 4:16) "Even so...It is well with my soul." (Revelation 22:20) (Fist pumps. Two hands up. Music: FFF or louder. No tears? You asleep, man? Or dead.)
No wonder he, and we, can exultantly proclaim, "It is well, it is well with my soul!"
A-main! Selah! Think of that! Glory. (Fist pump.) A hero wrote that.
Lyrics composited.
It is Well With My Soul
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain: It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. (Refrain)
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! (Refrain)
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. (Refrain)
But, Lord, 'tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! (Refrain)
And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. (Refrain)
A Mighty Fortress
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and pow'r are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.
Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God's own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly pow'rs, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth;
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God's truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
A Mighty Fortress
A word of encouragement for today is found in Psalm 46. Read on:
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
How comforting, and here is the conclusion:
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
Here is our answer to global warming. "...the earth should change and the mountains slip into the sea." Now that is true climate change. No alarmists have speculated on the prospect of the mountains sliding into the sea. (Or maybe the oceans rise that much.) Regardless of what happens, even to the extent of "roaring" oceans and gigantic earthquakes, we will not fear. And that is because of our "Refuge and Strength." No trouble can trouble us. "Selah." Think about that.
Then the Psalmist switches focus. Instead of fixating on and fretting about this world, he turns our attention to heaven. We see this described in Revelation 22.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
The comparison illustrates the futility of attaching our attention and affection to this world. Why be concerned with the present passing existence when we have the permanent perspective available. So should we ignore the present world? Read on:
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.
We are not oblivious to this existence. But we are not overcome by the "uproar." It is a minor concern compared with our "Help." All He needs to do is "raise" His voice. What comfort.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Think of that.
Martin Luther translated this for us as, "A mighty fortress is our God." He is a "bulwark never failing." Turn again to the description of His activities:
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
IF major changes come, or minor ones for that matter, it is He who has wrought it. Further...
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
No one or no thing can overcome His will and work. Who or what is puny man that he can challenge the strength or sovereignty of this Fortress, our Fortress, our God? So our conclusion is clear:
10 Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
King James translates it, "Be still and know that I am God." Handel, in the "Messiah," counseled us from the Scripture: "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people." (Isaiah 40:1) "Be still, be still." Whether G. F. Handel thought of this is not the point. Every declaration of the Lord is for comfort. Even announcement of judgment is "comforting" because He is trustworthy, and it is accompanied by an offer of mercy. Take comfort, because...
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
There is our fortress again. Think of that. Take courage.
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
How comforting, and here is the conclusion:
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.
Here is our answer to global warming. "...the earth should change and the mountains slip into the sea." Now that is true climate change. No alarmists have speculated on the prospect of the mountains sliding into the sea. (Or maybe the oceans rise that much.) Regardless of what happens, even to the extent of "roaring" oceans and gigantic earthquakes, we will not fear. And that is because of our "Refuge and Strength." No trouble can trouble us. "Selah." Think about that.
Then the Psalmist switches focus. Instead of fixating on and fretting about this world, he turns our attention to heaven. We see this described in Revelation 22.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
The comparison illustrates the futility of attaching our attention and affection to this world. Why be concerned with the present passing existence when we have the permanent perspective available. So should we ignore the present world? Read on:
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted.
We are not oblivious to this existence. But we are not overcome by the "uproar." It is a minor concern compared with our "Help." All He needs to do is "raise" His voice. What comfort.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
Think of that.
Martin Luther translated this for us as, "A mighty fortress is our God." He is a "bulwark never failing." Turn again to the description of His activities:
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
IF major changes come, or minor ones for that matter, it is He who has wrought it. Further...
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire.
No one or no thing can overcome His will and work. Who or what is puny man that he can challenge the strength or sovereignty of this Fortress, our Fortress, our God? So our conclusion is clear:
10 Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
King James translates it, "Be still and know that I am God." Handel, in the "Messiah," counseled us from the Scripture: "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people." (Isaiah 40:1) "Be still, be still." Whether G. F. Handel thought of this is not the point. Every declaration of the Lord is for comfort. Even announcement of judgment is "comforting" because He is trustworthy, and it is accompanied by an offer of mercy. Take comfort, because...
11 The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.
There is our fortress again. Think of that. Take courage.
Monday, June 5, 2017
Isaiah 44 Cyrus My Shepherd
Cyrus, the Persian does not first appear in Isaiah 45, where we saw him earlier. He actually shows up a chapter earlier. Isaiah 44:24-28 begins the consideration by building on God’s relationship with Israel. Notice the intimate conversation.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, 25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness, 26 Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her ruins again. 27 “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry. 28 It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
We may not cover the entire passage this trip. We will not explore every word, although they are packed with meaning. Most of them are familiar. “The Lord,” means simply the Superior of all. “Redeemer” is the One who has bought us. “...the One Who formed you....” Pretty clear. Even our beginning. The “stork myth” did not originate in the Bible. Then He rehearses the same items a second time. This is all in one verse.
Verse 25 sets the stage for later thoughts. God confounds other prophets. “Fail, fools, draw back, turning knowledge into foolishness,” are the phrases He uses to describe earthly prognosticators. It sounds like the guy telling us how to win the lottery. Until someone figures out the code used to program the “random” picks, it is all speculation. (Incidentally, random number generators are not “random.” They have some defined, even if unfathomable, algorithm that directs them how to randomly generate numbers. They may be unpredictable without the code, but if someone has the code, he will get the same number. Another reason not to bet on the lottery. It is literally “fixed.” It may well be that no one knows what will come up, but somehow, somewhere, the code can be used to generate identical values. And if the “lottery guys” decide to win one themselves, they can–or not, depending upon the whim of the minute. Save your money for tossing pennies. At least some skill is involved. But I digress.)
On the contrary, the Lord can and does make predictions that are remarkably, specifically, and unfalteringly accurate. Every prophesy in the Scripture has either come true or will come true. And He asserts that here, again.
Notice verse 26 is a dual prophesy. “Jerusalem, inhabited, and cities of Judah, built.” Implied in this is that Jerusalem, which is where they are as Isaiah prophesies, will become uninhabited then repopulated. The cities will be decimated and then rebuilt. The entire country is subsumed in the final phrase of the verse. It happened.
Verse 27 is a veiled prophesy against Babylon. Those who know the story of Belshazzar’s defeat at Babylon knows that the Medes and Persians diverted the river and marched under the walls to conquer the city. Read v. 27 carefully. God predicted how Babylon, who at that time was on the verge of breaching the walls of Jerusalem, would itself be overthrown a few years hence. God is never described as He does His opponent: “Fail, fools, fall back, turn knowledge into foolishness.”
And again in verse 28, the Lord names His “servant.” Cyrus, My shepherd.” And notice the prophesy about Cyrus. He, in fact, becomes a prophet in his declaration that the Jews return to Israel, the city be rebuilt, and the foundation will be laid for the temple. It happened.
We can be staggered at the accuracy of the proclamation, (538-537 BC) as the city was indeed rebuilt, but the walls were deferred until Nehemiah returned a few years later. Ezra and Zerubbabel finished the temple in 516 or 515 BC. This pause in the construction is even foreseen in the prophesy.
Cyrus was indeed a shepherd, a servant of the Lord. Remember, Isaiah prophesied this about 150 years before the fact. Is this Book alive, or what?
He is my Lord, my Redeemer, and my Maker in the womb. And we are just beginning, again, to study this book from over 2700 years ago. It is as fresh as the day Isaiah finished rolling up the scroll.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone, 25 Causing the omens of boasters to fail, Making fools out of diviners, Causing wise men to draw back And turning their knowledge into foolishness, 26 Confirming the word of His servant And performing the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her ruins again. 27 “It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’ And I will make your rivers dry. 28 It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd! And he will perform all My desire.’ And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’ And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
We may not cover the entire passage this trip. We will not explore every word, although they are packed with meaning. Most of them are familiar. “The Lord,” means simply the Superior of all. “Redeemer” is the One who has bought us. “...the One Who formed you....” Pretty clear. Even our beginning. The “stork myth” did not originate in the Bible. Then He rehearses the same items a second time. This is all in one verse.
Verse 25 sets the stage for later thoughts. God confounds other prophets. “Fail, fools, draw back, turning knowledge into foolishness,” are the phrases He uses to describe earthly prognosticators. It sounds like the guy telling us how to win the lottery. Until someone figures out the code used to program the “random” picks, it is all speculation. (Incidentally, random number generators are not “random.” They have some defined, even if unfathomable, algorithm that directs them how to randomly generate numbers. They may be unpredictable without the code, but if someone has the code, he will get the same number. Another reason not to bet on the lottery. It is literally “fixed.” It may well be that no one knows what will come up, but somehow, somewhere, the code can be used to generate identical values. And if the “lottery guys” decide to win one themselves, they can–or not, depending upon the whim of the minute. Save your money for tossing pennies. At least some skill is involved. But I digress.)
On the contrary, the Lord can and does make predictions that are remarkably, specifically, and unfalteringly accurate. Every prophesy in the Scripture has either come true or will come true. And He asserts that here, again.
Notice verse 26 is a dual prophesy. “Jerusalem, inhabited, and cities of Judah, built.” Implied in this is that Jerusalem, which is where they are as Isaiah prophesies, will become uninhabited then repopulated. The cities will be decimated and then rebuilt. The entire country is subsumed in the final phrase of the verse. It happened.
Verse 27 is a veiled prophesy against Babylon. Those who know the story of Belshazzar’s defeat at Babylon knows that the Medes and Persians diverted the river and marched under the walls to conquer the city. Read v. 27 carefully. God predicted how Babylon, who at that time was on the verge of breaching the walls of Jerusalem, would itself be overthrown a few years hence. God is never described as He does His opponent: “Fail, fools, fall back, turn knowledge into foolishness.”
And again in verse 28, the Lord names His “servant.” Cyrus, My shepherd.” And notice the prophesy about Cyrus. He, in fact, becomes a prophet in his declaration that the Jews return to Israel, the city be rebuilt, and the foundation will be laid for the temple. It happened.
We can be staggered at the accuracy of the proclamation, (538-537 BC) as the city was indeed rebuilt, but the walls were deferred until Nehemiah returned a few years later. Ezra and Zerubbabel finished the temple in 516 or 515 BC. This pause in the construction is even foreseen in the prophesy.
Cyrus was indeed a shepherd, a servant of the Lord. Remember, Isaiah prophesied this about 150 years before the fact. Is this Book alive, or what?
He is my Lord, my Redeemer, and my Maker in the womb. And we are just beginning, again, to study this book from over 2700 years ago. It is as fresh as the day Isaiah finished rolling up the scroll.
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