Psalm 32:1 found David in a joyful mood. And it is no wonder. His transgression was forgiven and his sin was covered. Consider the difference between "forgiven" and "covered." Before that, look at the words David used: sin, transgression, and iniquity.
Sin is "missing the mark." We have all "missed the mark." (Romans 3:23) Because we have missed the mark, we trespass or cross a boundary. A deliberate crossing would escalate to transgression. It is a presumptuous, deliberate crossing of the line. And iniquity is more deeply rooted. Iniquity means "premeditated choice, continuing without repentance." Yep, David had all of those, as do a few others, me most of all.
All of these are fatal conditions. Romans 6:23 pronounces the death sentence. "Wages of sin is death." "Sin" might be considered the least offensive of the three and if it is worthy of death, then the rest are far more so. If we stop here, the future is bleak and hopeless.
Recall David. He was forgiven, his sin was covered. The rest of the verse, "The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord." How can we be forgiven of sins, transgressions, and iniquity? We accept the "covering" of Jesus' blood.
During the Tabernacle and Temple worship, the high priest would take the blood of the sacrifice, the Atonement sacrifice, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, which was within the Holy of Holies. Jesus was our Passover, but Hebrews reassures us that He only needed to die once, so the Passover also covered the Atonement. Hebrews 10 explains:
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
The priests offered sacrifices, especially during the feast days, to picture this act that would forgive and cover all of our sins. Since Jesus only had to die once, the Passover offering (April) also counted for the Atonement offering (September/October) which came five or six months later. Jesus made one offering for all sins, for all time.
So in the Atonement ceremony, the High Priest took some of the blood from the sacrifice into the Holy of Holies. The Shekina Glory, representing God's presence hovered between the two cherubim above the top of the Ark itself. This covering was called the "mercy seat" and the law was contained within the body of the Ark. So the blood, sprinkled on the mercy seat literally came between the representation of the Lord and the law which we have broken. The "sin" was covered by the blood.
Jesus' sacrifice was the basis for forgiveness, and the blood, which was also sprinkled on the Ark in Heaven as outlined in Hebrews 9:11, 12. It covered our sins.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things [a]to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
And the result, as noted above was redemption. We were bought back from the bondage of sin. We are also sanctified. That means "set apart," both to God and from sin. You can say we were purified and most importantly, justified. Made to be sinless, like Jesus.
David continues: Psalm 32:2
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! (HCSB uses "charge with sin.")
Now we can understand and join in the "joy." It is all forgiven, covered. Our debt has been satisfied. Paid in full. (tetelestai!) We are redeemed. And notice the extent of the transformation. David's spirit is no longer deceitful. That implies that the year or so that he was covering up his own sin was a time of deceit and deception.
How good to have a more complete and effective covering. Next time we will explore that more fully. He is a changed man. Hallelujah! We are joyful! (Too.)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans+3%3A23&version=HCSB
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Monday, April 3, 2017
Church Battles
Our discussion of James and the troubles he predicted for the church because of their excessive deference to "rich" men reminded me of some church battles I have experienced. Most of the churches I have attended were chosen after a careful, diligent search. Well, maybe two exceptions. My home church was chosen by my Grandad, actually. I am not sure if he was in on the founding of the church, but he was there for a long time.
My Dad went there all his life, and when Jimmy boy came along he went too. I had a drug problem. I was drug to church twice on Sunday, once on Wednesday, and often other days if the doors were open.
The second exception to church choice was the one I attended in college. I did not go to the Big Baptist (Southern, if you please), which most of the college chose. But there was a smaller Alliance church within walking distance and that was the denomination of Home (Dad and Grandad's) church. The church I attended in Longview, Texas, did not, to my knowledge have any difficulties–while I was there, anyway.
The Pastor had just overseen a building program and they seemed to have come through unscathed. He was a great pastor. He left about the time that I graduated and joined Campus Crusade. Coincidentally, he was assigned to Illinois State University and ministered to the woman who would later become my wife. We both have great memories of him.
As an aside, most church battles I am aware of, both personally and though information, have involved very active and effective churches. They were making a difference for the kingdom. It seems like Satan attacks them to blunt their effectiveness for the Kingdom.
How this church escaped might be a good study for church leaders to study. It was very active when I was attending there. We went into the neighborhood on Sunday afternoons to find "unchurched" families. If they indicated that they did not attend church, we invited them to ours.
It was close to them because we did our visiting on foot, being limited by the school and later by finances from having motor vehicles. We did not even have bicycles. I guess someone else invented that method of getting around. The church was strong and making an impact in the neighborhood and city.
My next stop was Iowa City and the church I attended there was another "smaller" church with about 300 attending the morning services on Sunday. Nearly 200 of them were college students from the U of Iowa and other smaller institutions in the area. Again, it had a fantastic pastor and was very influential in the community. He was called to another church, one in Minneapolis, and had an effective ministry there.
The replacement was not a good choice. Several of us voted not to call him, but were overridden by the rest of the church body. He had a great personality and everyone really loved him. But, he did not prepare for his sermons and they were, to be frank, atrocious. The college students, by and large, went other places. The 300 became 100 and to be honest, I was not unhappy to leave when I graduated. Eventually he divided what was left of the church.
My next church was in Peoria, Illinois, and it was a strong, vibrant church. While I was there, it seemed to have minimal, if any problems. Praise the Lord.
Our next church started very strong and was probably averaging over 2000 a week. Long story short, things went badly, and one of the mistakes was putting a "new" member in charge of a special promotion. That went well, but it gave him cachet with a group and that group was largely led into some poor choices. Other factors were leading to a decline in attendance and that was exacerbated by the divisive nature, including a lawsuit, of this guys' approach.
Eventually the church split. It had, by then, dwindled to about 900 and the pastor retired. A new pastor was called to replace him and the replacement proceeded to further divide and destroy the church. He terminated the outreach ministry which had prospered and brought many people both to the church and to the Lord during the time of trouble. He explained that it was "too intrusive to actually call and go to peoples' homes." Other factors also weighed on the situation.
We decided not to be divisive and chose to go elsewhere, as many of our friends had done. It was about 600 when we left, but that was with a claimed 300 new members who joined after the church went "contemporary" and pretty much abandoned expository preaching. Math equates to 900 when he came, plus 300 added, equals a total of 600. That means he drove about 600 away to gain 300.
Back to James. One of the factors in this and many church failure was the preference afforded to a "rich man." The guy just referenced was a businessman and seemingly successful. I wondered that a new member would be given charge of the all-church program, Rick Warren's 40 days.
Now let's turn our attention to my home church. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it had problems also. From the time I was aware of "church business" I noted that no pastor had stayed more than four years. They went on to other churches and were amazingly successful. Dad did not tell us kids much about church affairs, but we were able to keep track of progress as we attended the business meetings. (Remember that I went whenever the doors were open? That included business meetings as well as special events and SingSpirations.)
The church "voted" whether to "extend the call" of the pastor. (Aside: I always wondered at that. If God had called the pastor, why did we have to vote? Wouldn't the Lord tell him when it was time to move? The votes invariably went from almost unanimous to abut 2/3's to less than half.) At that point the pastor would begin to candidate at other churches and left.
We had one guy, after I left for college, who refused to go. There were several members who were quite vocal and even overt in their opposition. One in particular kept coming to services, but would not even speak to him. Stratton was a small town, so it was literally impossible not to encounter people in the post office, drug store, grocery store, and even on the street. Their behavior was obvious and ugly.
One day, they were out in their yard digging a hole. They lived close to the church and the pastor happened by. (It was a small town, as I mentioned. Everyone was "close" except those of us who lived out on farms.) He asked what they were doing, and they told him that the water main to their house had broken. The "city"(big town) would charge them to dig it up and replace it.
So they were digging it themselves to save the money. Pastor went home, got his shovel and came back to help. He jumped into the hole and was digging right along with the man. Nothing was said. When they finished, they said, "Thank you."
Next Sunday, you would have thought that they were best buddies. They complimented him on the sermon and were effusive in praise for how great a pastor the church had. I guess Pastor Knick had read the sermon about "doing unto others." He quoted every verse that he preached on, and honestly his sermons were mostly Scripture. "Scripture explains Scripture," he told me one time when I was back. "So there is not much I need to say."
His life said a lot. Maybe our church battles need a few "broken water mains" to help resolve matters. The Lord is grieved when we fight. 1 Corinthians 6 summarizes what James was saying.
Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?
That does not require any explanation. Paul is horrified that they could not resolve church matters in the church. He continues. They were turning to outsiders to resolve family issues. Ones who have no understanding or authority in the church.
4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?
Can't you just hear the irony and sarcasm? And his broken heart continued.
7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.
Church battles are not pleasing to the Lord, nor do they promote the Kingdom. Maybe they like they needed a broken water main or two. And the problems probably stem from showing favoritism.
My Dad went there all his life, and when Jimmy boy came along he went too. I had a drug problem. I was drug to church twice on Sunday, once on Wednesday, and often other days if the doors were open.
The second exception to church choice was the one I attended in college. I did not go to the Big Baptist (Southern, if you please), which most of the college chose. But there was a smaller Alliance church within walking distance and that was the denomination of Home (Dad and Grandad's) church. The church I attended in Longview, Texas, did not, to my knowledge have any difficulties–while I was there, anyway.
The Pastor had just overseen a building program and they seemed to have come through unscathed. He was a great pastor. He left about the time that I graduated and joined Campus Crusade. Coincidentally, he was assigned to Illinois State University and ministered to the woman who would later become my wife. We both have great memories of him.
As an aside, most church battles I am aware of, both personally and though information, have involved very active and effective churches. They were making a difference for the kingdom. It seems like Satan attacks them to blunt their effectiveness for the Kingdom.
How this church escaped might be a good study for church leaders to study. It was very active when I was attending there. We went into the neighborhood on Sunday afternoons to find "unchurched" families. If they indicated that they did not attend church, we invited them to ours.
It was close to them because we did our visiting on foot, being limited by the school and later by finances from having motor vehicles. We did not even have bicycles. I guess someone else invented that method of getting around. The church was strong and making an impact in the neighborhood and city.
My next stop was Iowa City and the church I attended there was another "smaller" church with about 300 attending the morning services on Sunday. Nearly 200 of them were college students from the U of Iowa and other smaller institutions in the area. Again, it had a fantastic pastor and was very influential in the community. He was called to another church, one in Minneapolis, and had an effective ministry there.
The replacement was not a good choice. Several of us voted not to call him, but were overridden by the rest of the church body. He had a great personality and everyone really loved him. But, he did not prepare for his sermons and they were, to be frank, atrocious. The college students, by and large, went other places. The 300 became 100 and to be honest, I was not unhappy to leave when I graduated. Eventually he divided what was left of the church.
My next church was in Peoria, Illinois, and it was a strong, vibrant church. While I was there, it seemed to have minimal, if any problems. Praise the Lord.
Our next church started very strong and was probably averaging over 2000 a week. Long story short, things went badly, and one of the mistakes was putting a "new" member in charge of a special promotion. That went well, but it gave him cachet with a group and that group was largely led into some poor choices. Other factors were leading to a decline in attendance and that was exacerbated by the divisive nature, including a lawsuit, of this guys' approach.
Eventually the church split. It had, by then, dwindled to about 900 and the pastor retired. A new pastor was called to replace him and the replacement proceeded to further divide and destroy the church. He terminated the outreach ministry which had prospered and brought many people both to the church and to the Lord during the time of trouble. He explained that it was "too intrusive to actually call and go to peoples' homes." Other factors also weighed on the situation.
We decided not to be divisive and chose to go elsewhere, as many of our friends had done. It was about 600 when we left, but that was with a claimed 300 new members who joined after the church went "contemporary" and pretty much abandoned expository preaching. Math equates to 900 when he came, plus 300 added, equals a total of 600. That means he drove about 600 away to gain 300.
Back to James. One of the factors in this and many church failure was the preference afforded to a "rich man." The guy just referenced was a businessman and seemingly successful. I wondered that a new member would be given charge of the all-church program, Rick Warren's 40 days.
Now let's turn our attention to my home church. As I mentioned in an earlier post, it had problems also. From the time I was aware of "church business" I noted that no pastor had stayed more than four years. They went on to other churches and were amazingly successful. Dad did not tell us kids much about church affairs, but we were able to keep track of progress as we attended the business meetings. (Remember that I went whenever the doors were open? That included business meetings as well as special events and SingSpirations.)
The church "voted" whether to "extend the call" of the pastor. (Aside: I always wondered at that. If God had called the pastor, why did we have to vote? Wouldn't the Lord tell him when it was time to move? The votes invariably went from almost unanimous to abut 2/3's to less than half.) At that point the pastor would begin to candidate at other churches and left.
We had one guy, after I left for college, who refused to go. There were several members who were quite vocal and even overt in their opposition. One in particular kept coming to services, but would not even speak to him. Stratton was a small town, so it was literally impossible not to encounter people in the post office, drug store, grocery store, and even on the street. Their behavior was obvious and ugly.
One day, they were out in their yard digging a hole. They lived close to the church and the pastor happened by. (It was a small town, as I mentioned. Everyone was "close" except those of us who lived out on farms.) He asked what they were doing, and they told him that the water main to their house had broken. The "city"(big town) would charge them to dig it up and replace it.
So they were digging it themselves to save the money. Pastor went home, got his shovel and came back to help. He jumped into the hole and was digging right along with the man. Nothing was said. When they finished, they said, "Thank you."
Next Sunday, you would have thought that they were best buddies. They complimented him on the sermon and were effusive in praise for how great a pastor the church had. I guess Pastor Knick had read the sermon about "doing unto others." He quoted every verse that he preached on, and honestly his sermons were mostly Scripture. "Scripture explains Scripture," he told me one time when I was back. "So there is not much I need to say."
His life said a lot. Maybe our church battles need a few "broken water mains" to help resolve matters. The Lord is grieved when we fight. 1 Corinthians 6 summarizes what James was saying.
Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?
That does not require any explanation. Paul is horrified that they could not resolve church matters in the church. He continues. They were turning to outsiders to resolve family issues. Ones who have no understanding or authority in the church.
4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?
Can't you just hear the irony and sarcasm? And his broken heart continued.
7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.
Church battles are not pleasing to the Lord, nor do they promote the Kingdom. Maybe they like they needed a broken water main or two. And the problems probably stem from showing favoritism.
The Rich Man: Favoritism
The Rich Man: Favoritism
(As I was typing this, my fat fingers hit several keys and R$ich came up. Propitious?)
A recent sermon quoted James who warns us not to give preference or precedence to rich men who join our assembly. James 2:2, 3 warns against "paying special attention" to the man with fine clothes. Incidentally, this does not call the man "rich." In verse 1 the description is wearing "a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes." He had the trappings or clothes of a rich person, but that is just the outward appearance.
That could be another study in and of itself. Today we want to focus on the church's response. Notice James' description of the usher's greeting, evidently with the blessing of the congregation:
...you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place."
He goes on with "instructions" or greetings to the (evidently) poor man:
"You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
In verse 6 James essentially "reads them the riot act."
Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
The church was bending over backwards to honor enemies of the faith. They oppressed individual believers and the corporate body. Even today, they just cause trouble. Note the specific charge: "drag you into court." Further they blaspheme Christ's Name. That is what it means when James uses "the fair name by which you have been called."
The radio speaker expanded the meaning by pointing out that James was referring to the "Name spoken over you." That happens when we are baptized. "I baptize you in the Name of...."
The allure of the wealthy leads people to literally work against their own best interests and those of the Lord. How can we be so dumb? And sadly, that is not difficult to find examples. Most of us probably know of churches that had "trouble," and often it is caused by a seeming "rich man."
They often "join" a church and are immediately appointed to a prominent post. In spite of Paul's warning to Timothy, these new people are promoted into leadership positions. (1 Timothy 5:22) "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily." Paul meant ordination or installing as leadership when he said, "lay hands."
Often these relatively new, whether young in the faith or not is debatable, members are placed into leadership positions and proceed to cause problems. Some churches have literally gone to court, as James warns. The result is often split churches and damaged ministries.
His point, besides being wise in whom you trust to lead, is to treat everyone as you would like to be treated. I read of a new pastor who entered his church on his first Sunday as a homeless man. (The elders knew of his ruse.) This was a visual message to the church about how they respond to the situation James presented. His church failed, but I am sure that it was the last time they did.
If we turn someone away and turn them off to the Lord by our actions, we will face judgment. Jesus said that as we do to the least of these, we are doing to Him. (Matthew 25 tells the story.)
Or to put it another way, as some famous Preacher once said, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." James merely gave us a flesh and blood example.
(As I was typing this, my fat fingers hit several keys and R$ich came up. Propitious?)
A recent sermon quoted James who warns us not to give preference or precedence to rich men who join our assembly. James 2:2, 3 warns against "paying special attention" to the man with fine clothes. Incidentally, this does not call the man "rich." In verse 1 the description is wearing "a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes." He had the trappings or clothes of a rich person, but that is just the outward appearance.
That could be another study in and of itself. Today we want to focus on the church's response. Notice James' description of the usher's greeting, evidently with the blessing of the congregation:
...you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place."
He goes on with "instructions" or greetings to the (evidently) poor man:
"You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,"
In verse 6 James essentially "reads them the riot act."
Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
The church was bending over backwards to honor enemies of the faith. They oppressed individual believers and the corporate body. Even today, they just cause trouble. Note the specific charge: "drag you into court." Further they blaspheme Christ's Name. That is what it means when James uses "the fair name by which you have been called."
The radio speaker expanded the meaning by pointing out that James was referring to the "Name spoken over you." That happens when we are baptized. "I baptize you in the Name of...."
The allure of the wealthy leads people to literally work against their own best interests and those of the Lord. How can we be so dumb? And sadly, that is not difficult to find examples. Most of us probably know of churches that had "trouble," and often it is caused by a seeming "rich man."
They often "join" a church and are immediately appointed to a prominent post. In spite of Paul's warning to Timothy, these new people are promoted into leadership positions. (1 Timothy 5:22) "Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily." Paul meant ordination or installing as leadership when he said, "lay hands."
Often these relatively new, whether young in the faith or not is debatable, members are placed into leadership positions and proceed to cause problems. Some churches have literally gone to court, as James warns. The result is often split churches and damaged ministries.
His point, besides being wise in whom you trust to lead, is to treat everyone as you would like to be treated. I read of a new pastor who entered his church on his first Sunday as a homeless man. (The elders knew of his ruse.) This was a visual message to the church about how they respond to the situation James presented. His church failed, but I am sure that it was the last time they did.
If we turn someone away and turn them off to the Lord by our actions, we will face judgment. Jesus said that as we do to the least of these, we are doing to Him. (Matthew 25 tells the story.)
Or to put it another way, as some famous Preacher once said, "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." James merely gave us a flesh and blood example.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Psalm 32 Happy
Psalm 32 and 51 are companion lessons. (We examined Psalm 51 earlier.) Reading them together gives the impression that Psalm 51 was written first as David is seeking forgiveness and peace with Psalm 32 being a recitation of his condition after the fact. It is mostly in the past tense, and David is guiding others, like himself who strayed from the path. In a nutshell, he says, "Get back there."
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!
Other translations use "happy" to convey the emotion of one thus freed. Thank you Amplified for some other synonyms: (fortunate, prosperous, favored by God, to be envied). Notice David's position. His transgression is forgiven, the sin is covered. In other words, his guilt is gone. The sin is not erased nor minimized. It was, and still is, bad.
He recognizes and confesses how bad it, and by extension, he is. But it is forgiven. It is covered. One of the offerings outlined in Moses' teaching was a guilt offering. The "sin" offering was a more general situation involving a violation of the law. Often it was an inadvertent event. The "trespass" or guilt offering was when a specific injury was involved as a result of the sin and the act was deliberate. David wanted to cover both aspects.
Also notice that they are not ignored. People may ask, "How does God forget sins? Doesn't He know everything?" Yes, God does know everything, including our sins. No He does not forget them. Look at the Scripture.
Isaiah 43:25
"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.
Jeremiah 31:34
... declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Notice that God has not forgotten, but He does not remember or bring into account. Other passages state the opposite, that the Lord will remember them and bring them to account. Jeremiah 14:10 is one. And, chillingly, Revelation 18:5 tells us that the false church, Babylon will be held accountable for all the sins that were committed throughout history.
Our sins were "remembered" and accounted for on the Cross. Jesus did pay it all. And we, like David, owe all to Him. "Happy, blessed, fortunate, prosperous, favored by God, to be envied," does not begin to convey the message. David tried.
How blessed is the one. He. That is me. Glory.
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!
Other translations use "happy" to convey the emotion of one thus freed. Thank you Amplified for some other synonyms: (fortunate, prosperous, favored by God, to be envied). Notice David's position. His transgression is forgiven, the sin is covered. In other words, his guilt is gone. The sin is not erased nor minimized. It was, and still is, bad.
He recognizes and confesses how bad it, and by extension, he is. But it is forgiven. It is covered. One of the offerings outlined in Moses' teaching was a guilt offering. The "sin" offering was a more general situation involving a violation of the law. Often it was an inadvertent event. The "trespass" or guilt offering was when a specific injury was involved as a result of the sin and the act was deliberate. David wanted to cover both aspects.
Also notice that they are not ignored. People may ask, "How does God forget sins? Doesn't He know everything?" Yes, God does know everything, including our sins. No He does not forget them. Look at the Scripture.
Isaiah 43:25
"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.
Jeremiah 31:34
... declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
Notice that God has not forgotten, but He does not remember or bring into account. Other passages state the opposite, that the Lord will remember them and bring them to account. Jeremiah 14:10 is one. And, chillingly, Revelation 18:5 tells us that the false church, Babylon will be held accountable for all the sins that were committed throughout history.
Our sins were "remembered" and accounted for on the Cross. Jesus did pay it all. And we, like David, owe all to Him. "Happy, blessed, fortunate, prosperous, favored by God, to be envied," does not begin to convey the message. David tried.
How blessed is the one. He. That is me. Glory.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Challenge to God
Man, you gotta read this. Check out 2 Kings 18. In a nut shell, Sennacherib, King of Assyria overthrew and deported most of the people of the northern kingdom, Israel. Then...
13 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.
Not a propitious sign for Hezekiah. Basically he lost his whole territory except for Jerusalem.
14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear." So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver (11 tons) and thirty talents of gold.(1 ton) 15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king's house. 16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
Whew, that ought to solve the "problem" shouldn't it? Mr. Sennac was not an honorable man. He captured the cities. He collected his bounty. But instead of going back home, he...well read it for yourself.
17 Then the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the fuller's field. 18 When they called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.
The King did not come. He sent some of his officials.
19 Then Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah,"
and he proceeded to demean and disparage Hezekiah and his pitifully feeble efforts to repel the invaders. Then he turned to Judah's God. They mistook Hezekiah's destruction of the idols for his imposing another God on Israel.
"They will all fail to protect you. In fact, your God has sent me here to pound on you." (Loose translation.) And for the coup de gras...
‘Has (have) any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands has delivered his land from my power? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem?'"
Oops, you don't know it Rabie, but you just, as we say on the farm, "stepped in it." Turn the page. Chapter 19. Hezekiah sent a messenger to Isaiah pleading for help.
4 "Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the surviving remnant."
Please pray for us, he asked. Isaiah answered and...
said to them, "Tell your master this, ‘The Lord says: Don't be afraid because of the words you have heard, that the king of Assyria's attendants have blasphemed Me with. 7 I am about to put a spirit in him, and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land where I will cause him to fall by the sword.'"
(The whole message is in 19:21-28.)
And it happened just as Isaiah had predicted. This murderous horde turned and returned home . Isaiah 37 repeats the Lord's answer to Rabshakeh, and anyone else who challenges the One and Only God. As I opened, you gotta read this.
Verse 34 (2 Kings 19) summarizes the fate of Rabshakeh and of Sennerachib.
"For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake."
And for the record.
35 Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. 37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.
The "spirit" in him was evidently abject terror. 185,000 soldiers, dead. No discernable wounds. Just dead. So he hustled back home. His worthless god was soundly defeated and to add insult to injury, Sennacherib was murdered in the house of his god.
You would think that the enemies of God would learn, wouldn't you? Well if God's followers do not "learn" is it too surprising that others fail as well. There is a whole lesson there. (God's Face God's Works. http://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2017/03/gods-face-gods-works.html )
Unbelievers challenge God all of the time. The famous atheist, Voltaire once predicted that Christianity and thus the Bible would be extinct in 100 years. Fifty years after his death in 1788, the Geneva Bible Society used his press and house to produce stacks of Bibles. And his desk was used by a Pastor as a study to prepare sermons.
God's Word endures forever. (1 Peter 1:21) What a comfort as we read it. The challenges made by anyone are doomed to fail. Have confidence. Have faith.
13 Now in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and seized them.
Not a propitious sign for Hezekiah. Basically he lost his whole territory except for Jerusalem.
14 Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong. Withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear." So the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver (11 tons) and thirty talents of gold.(1 ton) 15 Hezekiah gave him all the silver which was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasuries of the king's house. 16 At that time Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.
Whew, that ought to solve the "problem" shouldn't it? Mr. Sennac was not an honorable man. He captured the cities. He collected his bounty. But instead of going back home, he...well read it for yourself.
17 Then the king of Assyria sent Tartan and Rab-saris and Rabshakeh from Lachish to King Hezekiah with a large army to Jerusalem. So they went up and came to Jerusalem. And when they went up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway of the fuller's field. 18 When they called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.
The King did not come. He sent some of his officials.
19 Then Rabshakeh said to them, "Say now to Hezekiah,"
and he proceeded to demean and disparage Hezekiah and his pitifully feeble efforts to repel the invaders. Then he turned to Judah's God. They mistook Hezekiah's destruction of the idols for his imposing another God on Israel.
"They will all fail to protect you. In fact, your God has sent me here to pound on you." (Loose translation.) And for the coup de gras...
‘Has (have) any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land from the power of the king of Assyria? 34 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria from my hand? 35 Who among all the gods of the lands has delivered his land from my power? So will the Lord deliver Jerusalem?'"
Oops, you don't know it Rabie, but you just, as we say on the farm, "stepped in it." Turn the page. Chapter 19. Hezekiah sent a messenger to Isaiah pleading for help.
4 "Perhaps Yahweh your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria sent to mock the living God, and will rebuke him for the words that Yahweh your God has heard. Therefore, offer a prayer for the surviving remnant."
Please pray for us, he asked. Isaiah answered and...
said to them, "Tell your master this, ‘The Lord says: Don't be afraid because of the words you have heard, that the king of Assyria's attendants have blasphemed Me with. 7 I am about to put a spirit in him, and he will hear a rumor and return to his own land where I will cause him to fall by the sword.'"
(The whole message is in 19:21-28.)
And it happened just as Isaiah had predicted. This murderous horde turned and returned home . Isaiah 37 repeats the Lord's answer to Rabshakeh, and anyone else who challenges the One and Only God. As I opened, you gotta read this.
Verse 34 (2 Kings 19) summarizes the fate of Rabshakeh and of Sennerachib.
"For I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David's sake."
And for the record.
35 Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. 37 It came about as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, that Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son became king in his place.
The "spirit" in him was evidently abject terror. 185,000 soldiers, dead. No discernable wounds. Just dead. So he hustled back home. His worthless god was soundly defeated and to add insult to injury, Sennacherib was murdered in the house of his god.
You would think that the enemies of God would learn, wouldn't you? Well if God's followers do not "learn" is it too surprising that others fail as well. There is a whole lesson there. (God's Face God's Works. http://reflectionsfromjim.blogspot.com/2017/03/gods-face-gods-works.html )
Unbelievers challenge God all of the time. The famous atheist, Voltaire once predicted that Christianity and thus the Bible would be extinct in 100 years. Fifty years after his death in 1788, the Geneva Bible Society used his press and house to produce stacks of Bibles. And his desk was used by a Pastor as a study to prepare sermons.
God's Word endures forever. (1 Peter 1:21) What a comfort as we read it. The challenges made by anyone are doomed to fail. Have confidence. Have faith.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Gehazi
Have you heard any sermons on Gehazi, Elisha’s servant? I cannot recall any that I have heard. As we read about him there are definitely some lessons to be learned. He is not named until 2 Kings 4 but it does not seem to be too far fetched to think that he was with Elisha on his earlier “adventures.”
In chapter 2 we read of Elisha’s commissioning service. He followed Elijah out into the wilderness and witnessed the ascension into heaven. (Trivia oddity: How did Elijah go into heaven? Answer, in a whirlwind, not a chariot of fire. A lot of preachers miss that.)
Elisha may not have had a servant for that, because he was Elijah’s servant. But when the mantle fell on him, literally, he probably followed Elijah’s lead and began to groom a follower. The first challenge was probably witnessed by Gehazi, who was still unnamed in the text.
Elisha healed the bad water of presumably Jericho in chapter 3. Then he was mocked by “youths” at Bethel and they were attacked by bears. Elisha was not just sensitive about having no hair, but they were mocking his station as prophet. My Dad always warned me about “the Lord’s anointed.” That term appears often in the Old Testament particularly, and implies that he is to be respected.
Dad told me of a guy he knew who attacked the pastor in his church. As the man lay on his death bed, blind and dying of cancer he told Dad that he was being disciplined by the Lord for what he had done to Pastor Billy. He was sorry and had repented, but he still suffered for his illegitimate “touching.” Hebrews 12:29 says, “Our God is a consuming fire.” We dare not trifle with Him.
Not to be the boogey man, but we best be careful how we approach the Lord. The Tabernacle and Temple restricted access to His presence to protect people from frivolous approaches that would cost them their lives. But I digress. Back to Gehazi.
Chapter three has Elisha miraculously delivering Moab into the hands of Israel and Judah. They had no chance against the hoards of invading Moabites, but they were delivered. Gehazi must have witnessed that.
Chapter 4 has Elisha providing oil for a poor widow and meeting her needs. Then follows an intriguing story about a family, particularly the wife, in Shunem. You know where that is, about 50 kilometers from Mt. Carmel. The family cared for Elisha and his servant so he did them a favor. And this is where we learn Gehazi’s name.
Long story short, Elisha “heals” the woman’s barrenness and she has a son, son died, and she turns to Elisha for help. Some time had passed, as the “child was grown.” Whether that means he was no longer a child, but an adolescent or an adult is not clear. Probably the former. So when he died, she appealed to her husband for permission to go to the “man of God.” (verse 22)
“Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.”
Remember that he is at Mount Carmel, about 30 or so miles away. No small trip on a “dunkey” as Vernon McGee used to call it. She got there, probably after at least a hard day’s ride or possibly more. She clung to Elisha in desperation and Gehazi moved to push her away. (Note: disciples often “protect” their leader by denying access to the hurt and needy. Jesus had to rebuke His boys for that a couple of times.)
When the story was told, Elisha sent Gehazi on ahead to minister to the boy. That was to place Elisha’s staff on his face. This may have been the first “marathon” as he possibly ran or at least hurried all the way.
Elisha arrived and the boy was definitely dead. Several days had passed. This was not, as has sometimes been conjectured, a resuscitation of an unconscious person. He might have been close to, or past, the stinking stage, to be a little crude.
Elisha raised him from the dead. Gehazi was a witness to that. Then when Elisha returned to Gilgal he “healed” a pot of poisonous stew. Next he fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread and had some leftovers.
We are not going to finish Gehazi in one lesson. But we are getting close. Next Naaman, a captain in the army of Aram came to be healed of leprosy. This is a captivating story in itself and we will look at it sometime. The point is, that Elisha healed him completely.
Gehazi has seen at least seven miraculous acts by Elisha. He has lived with him for several years, as the Schenuman’s boy grew up. Being Elisha’s personal servant for ten to fifteen years at least had taught him respect for God and an understanding for His power and how it was manifested in Elisha.
We often are blessed with repeated illustrations of God’s working in our lives. We can even wonder if God’s hand did not aid Gehazi in his 30 mile run as He had Elijah after defeating the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18) This was approximately 25 miles. Regardless, he was well acquainted with God and Elisha’s prophetic powers.
And how does he respond? Tune in next time for the chilling answer.
In chapter 2 we read of Elisha’s commissioning service. He followed Elijah out into the wilderness and witnessed the ascension into heaven. (Trivia oddity: How did Elijah go into heaven? Answer, in a whirlwind, not a chariot of fire. A lot of preachers miss that.)
Elisha may not have had a servant for that, because he was Elijah’s servant. But when the mantle fell on him, literally, he probably followed Elijah’s lead and began to groom a follower. The first challenge was probably witnessed by Gehazi, who was still unnamed in the text.
Elisha healed the bad water of presumably Jericho in chapter 3. Then he was mocked by “youths” at Bethel and they were attacked by bears. Elisha was not just sensitive about having no hair, but they were mocking his station as prophet. My Dad always warned me about “the Lord’s anointed.” That term appears often in the Old Testament particularly, and implies that he is to be respected.
Dad told me of a guy he knew who attacked the pastor in his church. As the man lay on his death bed, blind and dying of cancer he told Dad that he was being disciplined by the Lord for what he had done to Pastor Billy. He was sorry and had repented, but he still suffered for his illegitimate “touching.” Hebrews 12:29 says, “Our God is a consuming fire.” We dare not trifle with Him.
Not to be the boogey man, but we best be careful how we approach the Lord. The Tabernacle and Temple restricted access to His presence to protect people from frivolous approaches that would cost them their lives. But I digress. Back to Gehazi.
Chapter three has Elisha miraculously delivering Moab into the hands of Israel and Judah. They had no chance against the hoards of invading Moabites, but they were delivered. Gehazi must have witnessed that.
Chapter 4 has Elisha providing oil for a poor widow and meeting her needs. Then follows an intriguing story about a family, particularly the wife, in Shunem. You know where that is, about 50 kilometers from Mt. Carmel. The family cared for Elisha and his servant so he did them a favor. And this is where we learn Gehazi’s name.
Long story short, Elisha “heals” the woman’s barrenness and she has a son, son died, and she turns to Elisha for help. Some time had passed, as the “child was grown.” Whether that means he was no longer a child, but an adolescent or an adult is not clear. Probably the former. So when he died, she appealed to her husband for permission to go to the “man of God.” (verse 22)
“Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.”
Remember that he is at Mount Carmel, about 30 or so miles away. No small trip on a “dunkey” as Vernon McGee used to call it. She got there, probably after at least a hard day’s ride or possibly more. She clung to Elisha in desperation and Gehazi moved to push her away. (Note: disciples often “protect” their leader by denying access to the hurt and needy. Jesus had to rebuke His boys for that a couple of times.)
When the story was told, Elisha sent Gehazi on ahead to minister to the boy. That was to place Elisha’s staff on his face. This may have been the first “marathon” as he possibly ran or at least hurried all the way.
Elisha arrived and the boy was definitely dead. Several days had passed. This was not, as has sometimes been conjectured, a resuscitation of an unconscious person. He might have been close to, or past, the stinking stage, to be a little crude.
Elisha raised him from the dead. Gehazi was a witness to that. Then when Elisha returned to Gilgal he “healed” a pot of poisonous stew. Next he fed 100 men with 20 loaves of bread and had some leftovers.
We are not going to finish Gehazi in one lesson. But we are getting close. Next Naaman, a captain in the army of Aram came to be healed of leprosy. This is a captivating story in itself and we will look at it sometime. The point is, that Elisha healed him completely.
Gehazi has seen at least seven miraculous acts by Elisha. He has lived with him for several years, as the Schenuman’s boy grew up. Being Elisha’s personal servant for ten to fifteen years at least had taught him respect for God and an understanding for His power and how it was manifested in Elisha.
We often are blessed with repeated illustrations of God’s working in our lives. We can even wonder if God’s hand did not aid Gehazi in his 30 mile run as He had Elijah after defeating the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18) This was approximately 25 miles. Regardless, he was well acquainted with God and Elisha’s prophetic powers.
And how does he respond? Tune in next time for the chilling answer.
Gehazi 2
Galatians 5:7 has a plaintive cry from Paul:
You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Can't you just mourn with Paul over some believers who ran into difficulty? The word "hindered" is one used in athletics when a runner cuts into the path of another. In the Olympics, the offending athlete is disqualified, but sadly, in life sometimes the offended runner is disqualified. Or at least have their progress impeded severely.
We can wonder if Gehazi roused that same passion in Elisha. "You were running well." (Pun intended–recall the run from Mt. Carmel to Shunem.) The story proceeds from where we left off last time in 2 Kings 5. (Above) The actions are certainly understandable. Gehazi watches the hated and feared Aramean commander walk away completely healed–with all of the treasure that he had brought.
"At least, we ought to charge this infidel something for God's services." I bet you figured out the problem right there, didn't you? If we start selling God's favors we will quickly reduce Him to a "Genie in a Box." "You pays yer money and you gets yer miracle."
Not to be judgmental, but if you take a pass through the "religious channels" there is a good chance that you will hear, "Send in your ‘seed money' to help the Lord's work...." (Our work really, but who is keeping track?)
Gehazi did not recognize grace when it literally hit him in the face. What a shame. Something else hit him in the face. We will not read the story, it is all there.
But does the story end? In 6:15 we read about the story of Elisha's unnamed attendant. Elisha worked with the "sons of the prophets" and they are scattered through these chapters. Had he chosen a new lieutenant? Chapter 7 has the scintillating story of Ben-hadad of Aram, yes the same one who sent Naaman to be healed. Grateful rascal, isn't he?
B-h sets up a siege of Jerusalem with the intent of destroying it completely. Long story short, the Lord delivers them through Elisha. Jerusalem and Judah are saved. That brings us to chapter 8 and what we may call a "full circle story."
Elisha warned the Shunammite woman whose son he had raised from the dead to leave because a famine was coming, in fact was here. So she and her family left for seven years until the famine had abated. Then she returned to Judah and approached the king to reclaim her family inheritance.
Now comes a very interesting statement: verse 4
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God..,
Whoa! Did you see that? Gehazi is still the "servant of the man of God." He has not been abandoned or discarded. He is still around and active. Here is the rest: The king was
saying, "Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done."
And Gehazi told him of the raising of the lad from the dead. As he was relating the story, the woman approached the king to ask for help. We can talk about "God's coincidences" all day long, but there is a more important story here.
God is the "God of the second chance." (We will take a tour through the Scriptures on that next. It is fascinating.) And it seems like Gehazi, as Adam and Eve, David, Peter, and others, got a second chance. That is exhilarating. Just making a mistake does not doom us to a life of failure. Gehazi was still Elisha's servant.
That is the last we hear of our greedy friend. But it sounds like he had a change of heart. What a beautiful picture. God does not give up on us.
And, I am pretty sure that the Galatians listened to Paul and got back on track. It is never too late to turn around or get back to the trail that we left. God is not done with us yet.
You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?
Can't you just mourn with Paul over some believers who ran into difficulty? The word "hindered" is one used in athletics when a runner cuts into the path of another. In the Olympics, the offending athlete is disqualified, but sadly, in life sometimes the offended runner is disqualified. Or at least have their progress impeded severely.
We can wonder if Gehazi roused that same passion in Elisha. "You were running well." (Pun intended–recall the run from Mt. Carmel to Shunem.) The story proceeds from where we left off last time in 2 Kings 5. (Above) The actions are certainly understandable. Gehazi watches the hated and feared Aramean commander walk away completely healed–with all of the treasure that he had brought.
"At least, we ought to charge this infidel something for God's services." I bet you figured out the problem right there, didn't you? If we start selling God's favors we will quickly reduce Him to a "Genie in a Box." "You pays yer money and you gets yer miracle."
Not to be judgmental, but if you take a pass through the "religious channels" there is a good chance that you will hear, "Send in your ‘seed money' to help the Lord's work...." (Our work really, but who is keeping track?)
Gehazi did not recognize grace when it literally hit him in the face. What a shame. Something else hit him in the face. We will not read the story, it is all there.
But does the story end? In 6:15 we read about the story of Elisha's unnamed attendant. Elisha worked with the "sons of the prophets" and they are scattered through these chapters. Had he chosen a new lieutenant? Chapter 7 has the scintillating story of Ben-hadad of Aram, yes the same one who sent Naaman to be healed. Grateful rascal, isn't he?
B-h sets up a siege of Jerusalem with the intent of destroying it completely. Long story short, the Lord delivers them through Elisha. Jerusalem and Judah are saved. That brings us to chapter 8 and what we may call a "full circle story."
Elisha warned the Shunammite woman whose son he had raised from the dead to leave because a famine was coming, in fact was here. So she and her family left for seven years until the famine had abated. Then she returned to Judah and approached the king to reclaim her family inheritance.
Now comes a very interesting statement: verse 4
Now the king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God..,
Whoa! Did you see that? Gehazi is still the "servant of the man of God." He has not been abandoned or discarded. He is still around and active. Here is the rest: The king was
saying, "Please relate to me all the great things that Elisha has done."
And Gehazi told him of the raising of the lad from the dead. As he was relating the story, the woman approached the king to ask for help. We can talk about "God's coincidences" all day long, but there is a more important story here.
God is the "God of the second chance." (We will take a tour through the Scriptures on that next. It is fascinating.) And it seems like Gehazi, as Adam and Eve, David, Peter, and others, got a second chance. That is exhilarating. Just making a mistake does not doom us to a life of failure. Gehazi was still Elisha's servant.
That is the last we hear of our greedy friend. But it sounds like he had a change of heart. What a beautiful picture. God does not give up on us.
And, I am pretty sure that the Galatians listened to Paul and got back on track. It is never too late to turn around or get back to the trail that we left. God is not done with us yet.
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