Made Man-strong!

“Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man [whom] thou madest strong for thyself.” (Ps 80:17 AV)

The author is Asaph.  The purpose is a prayer for David.  The application is simple.  The songwriter for the king is praying for God’s hand to be on the leader.  This would be true of David, or anyone whom God touches for leadership.  What we often forget is that all men are called to lead.  What differs is the area of responsibility to which each is called.  Some are called to be kings.  Some are called to be ministers.  Some are called to be teachers.  Most are called to be husbands and fathers.  God created man to lead.  But what stood out to me this morning is the phrase that ends this particular prayer.  God created men, and specifically men who lead, to be strong for the LORD.  We often look at the charge to which we have been entrusted, whether a family, a classroom, a church, or a nation and think that it is for them we are supposed to be strong.  And that is certainly true.  But in a different way, we are to be strong for the LORD.  He is not weak.  He is not in need of our strength for provision or protection.  Rather, He is seeking those who will be strong for His testimony’s sake.  He is seeking those who will be strong for His purposes and plans.  The personal possessive pronoun is what speaks the loudest.  Thyself!

My father taught his children much.  One of the skills he attempted to teach us was leadership.  It was important to both him and my mother to raise boys to be men.  Neither allowed us the luxury of backing out on that calling.  My mother did not allow her boys to be feminized.  She refused to allow us to wear the prevalent fashion of the day that was meant to erase the sharp distinction between boys and girls.  When it came to my father, he used the Boy Scouts to train his boys how to be men.  I wouldn’t recommend that organization anymore, but sixty years ago, it had much virtue.  There are better organizations that do what the Boy Scouts once did, but from a disciplined Christian perspective.  Delegation was one of those skills that he shared with us.  His goal was to raise boys who could eventually be free from their mentor and take on the responsibilities of manhood.  One of those responsibilities was to train other boys to be men.  Part of our training was to learn, assume responsibility, and mentor others for the sake of our troop and our Troop Master.   That would have been my dad.  We didn’t win many competitions, but my father was known well in the council of troops as a leader who trained boys well.  Our troop number was four.  Out of thousands of troops, ours was the fourth oldest.  That is saying something when one remembers the Boy Scouts started in 1919.

Note in particular that the tense of the verb above is present tense.  That means Asaph has acknowledge that God made David strong.  God made men strong and to be strong.  This is the problem with the whole idea of feminizing men.  It makes them weak.  It turns on its head the design of God and makes men the opposite of what God has made them.  No wonder there is confusion and depression.  God made men strong so that they can be used of God for God’s purposes.  It is the world that tells us that men are weak.  In fact, masculine weakness is seen as a virtue.  This has been going on since the end of WWII.  All one has to do is not notice the cultural shifts.  Leave it to Beaver was once the standard for what it was to be a man.  By the time we get to Home Improvement, a man is a idiot who cannot even screw in a lightbulb right.  He is seen as a sensitive oaf who is more in touch with his feelings that he is his brain.  That is not how God made us.  God made man to be strong for Him!  If we are strong for Him, then we will be strong for those who look on us for that strength.

Eternal Life is a Promise That Cannot be Broken

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” (Ho 13:14 AV)

The repentance spoken of is the repentance God is able to exercise.  God promised to save mankind from the power of the grave.  He gave this promise to Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter three.  The above words are spoken to Ephraim.  Ephraim is another name for the ten northern tribes of Israel.  Figuratively speaking, God could be talking about their pending exile.  He may be comparing their diaspora as dying and going to the grave.  If that be the case, support for the ten northern tribes being lost has evaporated.  Besides, the 144,000 witnesses of Revelation come from twelve tribes of Israel.  However, I think the above passage can be taken more literally.  That is, since Adam and Eve were given the promise of eternal life through a seed who would be born of a woman.  That seed is Jesus Christ.  Once life is given, the grave cannot permanently retain it.  This also necessitates a resurrection.  The above promise is for a resurrection for those who trust is Jesus Christ that can never be divine repented of.  God will not rescind His promise of eternal life.  We are eternally secure.

Many years ago, my mother-in-law was fussing over a perfect way in which to stage her paper towel.  She had a plastic store-bought hanger for the inside of her cabinet.  Those things eventually break.  Her real frustration was the absence of resistance that would keep the roll from continuing to spin when the sheets were pulled out.  So, being the industrious son-in-law that I went to the basement and with scrap wood and extra parts, built a dispenser with sandpaper on the tube rod, a spring-loaded access stop for loading the roll, and recessed holes to hold the rod in place.  I wrote the date on it and guaranteed it for 25 years.  That was almost 40 years ago.  It still hangs there today.  Over the years, I’ve only had to repair it twice.  I think the hinge screws came loose, and the spring broke and had to be replaced.  Other than that, it had been pretty solid.  But I have to tell you, guaranteeing a product you built for that long is hard to do.  I have a Leatherman.  When I attained it, there was a lifetime guarantee.  No matter what happened to it, they would fix or replace it for as long as you owned it.  I had to return it once in the 35 years I have owned it.  Not many things are guaranteed like that anymore.

When discussing eternal life, it amazes me that the idea that one can lose it is still a persistent idea among those who know their bibles.  God will not repent of His promise of deliverance.  His promise is steadfast.  It is set in the heavens.  His promise cannot change.  I am sure as Ephraim struggles under the oppression of Assyria and Babylon, the promise of deliverance is what got them through it.  I am sure of it.  Like Tevye of Fiddler on the Roof, the Jewish people know they will be delivered from oppression. That is what motivates them to go one more day.  Eventually, their Messiah and our Savior will restore Israel to the covenant promises, and the Messiah will reign with His people.  This promise cannot be altered.  This promise will not be rescinded.  The same is true for eternal life.  It cannot be repented of.  The Creator of the worlds gave us His word, and His word is eternally good!

What's In a Name

“That [men] may know that thou, whose name alone [is] JEHOVAH, [art] the most high over all the earth.” (Ps 83:18 AV)

The original thought this morning was actually from Hosea.  Upon looking at the verse a bit more closely, the Spirit revealed that I hadn’t read it quite right even though the thought was sound.  That led me to find a passage that supported the thought.  Better yet, putting the two together supported the thought which I knew came from the Spirit.  As of late, I have been interested in the names of God.  More specifically, praying to Him with a variety of them.  Rather than use ‘Father’ or ‘LORD’ all the time, my heart desired to know Him and relate to Him in various ways.  The problem I am bumping into is finding resources dedicated solely to this topic with the mystic influence included.  I am trying to find a more scholarly work that can open my mind to the wonders of who and what God is.  Then the thought of Hosea came to mind.  Israel worshipped the Most High in name only.  They acknowledged who He was, but chose to worship the gods of the pagans instead.  Praying to the LORD with greater depth by understanding His names does not necessarily mean we are correct in our worship or love for Him.  Paying correct reverence and living in habitual disobedience are incompatible.

I don’t think there is a saint alive who loves the LORD and doesn’t want to improve upon their prayer life.  In particular, I have met many who wish for a clear understanding of who and what our Creator is.  Most saints who love the LORD don’t want to treat the LORD as a common person.  The more I walk with God, the more keenly I am aware of the promise of Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” The more I pray, the more aware this child of God is that the Spirit interrupts my thoughts to phrase them and organize them in more reverent ways.  He checks my thoughts against the way our Creator should be addressed.  He replaces words commonly used for others and replaces them with divine or sacred words.  Rather than speak to the LORD as a would another person, the Spirit helps me slow down and find more worshipful words deserving of the Creator who controls all things.  It is a blessing to possess the Spirit within who works with our spirit to cry, Abba, Father.

Yet I am reminded that as sanctified our prayer life might seem, if our walk does not reflect that same respect, the words we use are hollow.  Sanctification means that we strive, by the power of the same Spirit that helps us to pray, to live according to the word of God.  To address my earthly father as ‘father’ rather than ‘Dad’ was a show of respect.  Yet if I ignore his commands, the more endearing and respectful title becomes an insult.  I am all for learning and praying by the names of God.  What I need to do is remember that doing so only has meaning if my life matches my words.  The same is true of us all.  Jesus asks, “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Lu 6:46 AV) If you are like me, we want a deeper and more reverent relationship with God each and every day.  Knowledge alone isn’t enough.  A conformity to His will is the missing piece.

Our Loving Husbandman

“I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: [but] they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto [that] shame; and [their] abominations were according as they loved.” (Ho 9:10 AV)

I know a bit about wild grapes.  They need tending.  If wild grapes are not tended to, they become small, bitter, and unfit for human consumption.  Firstripe figs are similar.  The first few yields of a fig tree are not fit for human consumption.  The husbandman must tend to the trees in order to produce usable fruit.  In short, the way God found us in the wilderness of sin required a husbandman to prune, support, water, and fertilize us so that fruit may come of our lives.  Someone once said that growing up is hard to do.  It is.  There are many hard lessons to learn.  There are many painful corrections to make.  We were created in the image of our father, Adam.  We have a wicked streak that runs deep.  We are not acclimated to doing right.  We are naturally bent to do wrong.  To correct who and what we are takes someone with the knowledge to do so and the compassion to know how to do it.  We need a God who loves us enough to allow some are times so that we can produce sweet fruit that benefits God and man.

Down through the years, I have known several parents who gave birth to children with severe disabilities.  Some of these situations require surgery and recovery.  These treatments can last over many years before the child’s physical infirmity is corrected.  One such family that is dear to my heart gave birth to a daughter with a rare condition.  Among other things, this small child had skeletal deformities.  This little girl has had several surgeries and may be facing more surgeries as she nears adulthood.  Each one is rather extensive.  One of the first surgeries saw this poor little girl in a cast from her waist to her ankles.  That made life very hard for her.  As her parents, they knew that inflicting pain early on would save her from a lifetime of pain that would follow.  Surgery to reshape her joints and legs was no doubt very painful.  But the alternative was growing into a permanent state of being a cripple and all the complications that could arise from it.  In short, these loving parents received a daughter whose body was acclimated toward crookedness and deformity and, with a wise and compassionate heart, fixed her.

God finds the sinner in a wild and broken condition.  He finds us in an undisciplined way.  He knows that, like a grapevine left to itself, it would be unproductive and self-destructive.  The compassionate husbandman must correct that which our sinful nature has produced.  The first thing the husbandman does is to remove the grapevines from its source of support.  They often use existing trees as hosts.  In the process, they kill the tree and destroy themselves.  So, the husbandman builds a fence.  He weaves the vine into the fence.  The fence is permanent.  The vine cannot kill it.  The husbandman removes unproductive branches from the vine so they do not drain much needed nourishments from the grape-producing branches.  He ties the lowering branches to the fence so dust or mud doesn’t kill the branches.  There is much that a husbandman does.  Our God does the same thing.  He removes us from the sinful crutches upon which we rely.  He attaches us to the church and our Savior which are far more permanent.  He removes unproductive parts of our lives that hinder Christlikeness.  And He cleanses us from sin that can kill our walk with Him!  Praise the LORD for a Husbandman who found us in our sorry and sinful state.  It is best to yield to His hand, for He knows and cares more than any and all on whom we rely.  Praise the LORD for our Husbandman!

Comfort In Predictable Reconciliation

“I will go [and] return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.” (Ho 5:15 AV)

What puzzles me is why we think that our relationship with the LORD; at least in principle; works differently than any other relationship.  If we deeply offend someone we love, they are not bound to remain as though nothing happened.  There is an offense that needs to be acknowledged and forsaken.  There needs to be forgiveness and reconciliation sought.  For the LORD to put up with our rebellion, disrespect, and lack of faith as though they are nothing is unrealistic.  Quite frankly, it is insulting to God.  Asking Him to open to abuse without and reaction on His part is not right.  The affliction spoken of is the affliction of the absence of God’s presence.  Israel and Judah are left to themselves.  God removes His hand of protection and provision.  They are on their own.  This loneliness will drive the child of God back to His presence. 

There are two things that make this relationship an extra challenge.  First, it is the perfection of God.  In any other relationship, two parties have equal ability to offend the other.  A husband and wife have equal ability to wrong the other.  A parent and child relationship is the same.  Two siblings, friends, or classmates can hurt the other as much as they are hurt themselves.  So, there is equal expectation of humility and conformity.  What makes human relationships easier than one with the Divine is that if we wrong our loved one, we know that eventually, they will wrong us.  Not as retribution or vengeance.  Rather, it is part of being human.  So, we can seek forgiveness because we know that eventually, we will have the privilege of granting it right back.  This is not so with God.  Confessing and forsaking are one-way actions.  God is perfect.  He cannot offend.  If we are offended as something God caused or allowed, then that is on us.  This means that we are constantly humbled before God, and He is never humbled before us.  That is the way it should be!  Yet if we are not careful, pride will stop this in its tracks.  Pride will get sick of apologizing when there is no apology ever, coming from God. 

Second, there is a false idea that God possesses infinite tolerance.  This idea that God accepts us just the way we are is a lie from hell!  He loves us in spite of what we are.  Jesus died because of what we are and intends to change us from what we are to what He wants us to be.  Theology like this cannot see a God who walks away.  All they see is a gracious God who will always put up with our sin.  This is not the God of the Bible.  The opposite side of the coin is just as dangerous.  I came from a tradition that taught an angry God.  There was nothing we could ever do right.  Purgatory was the best we could do.  We had to be perfect in all our ways just for God to acknowledge us.  That is also wrong.  The truth is somewhere in the middle.  God put up with a lot of evil from His chosen people.  He corrected them time and again.  But when they replaced Him with idols of gold and silver, that was it.  God didn’t stick around.  Why would He?  He had been replaced.

The hope and promise of this verse are found in the latter part of it.  For the LORD to make that heavy of an emphatic statement is encouraging.  With complete absolutism, the Father states His children will return quickly once the affliction of their choices catches up with them.  It is not a possibility.  It is not a probability.  It is an absolute certainty.  Praise God!  Once an intimate relationship with God is established, and the goodness of God is experienced, no matter how far the child of God may wander, he will return.  If he does not, there is a real possibility that he was never saved to begin with.  I don’t know about you, but this is the best news I have heard in a long time!  No matter how far from God I get, I’ll always come back.  I have also noticed that the longer the saint walks with God, the less and less those times away become.  Praise be to God for our rubber band relationship with the LORD!

Only Truth Delivers

“A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful [witness] speaketh lies.” (Pr 14:25 AV)

The first five words of this proverb are powerful!  The king does not elaborate as to who these souls are or how many the true witness tries to deliver.  There is no guarantee that the true witness will deliver all the souls he encounters.  The comparison isn’t in the results.  Rather, Solomon is making a comparison between the two methods.  One speaks the truth.  The other lies.  The intimation is that the true witness delivers trouble souls, whereas the deceitful witness does not.  The difference is in truth versus error.

Truth is in short supply.  We have seen this especially over the last few decades.  Error is the ground of grand conspiracy theories.  Sometimes, poor practices are a result of simply not knowing better.  We have a practice that may have seemed right at the time, but upon further inspection and research, it is discovered there is a better way.  In fact, the current path causes more harm than good.  This is especially true in the field of medicine.  The protocols change over time.  More research is conducted, and it is discovered that the current standard of care does not have the results hoped for, and may even introduce more complications.  This is very common.  It is not necessarily the healthcare professional or the facility that governs treatment that is directly responsible.  They are working of an industry standard that has not evolved into the best care possible.  Treatments are often changed because what the scientist thought was true turned out to be false.  There simply wasn’t enough data, or the data was skewed by an unknown stimulus that the best care at the time did not deliver.  Truth always delivers.  Falsehood never does.

Ego gets in the way.  Truth completely delivers, yet few want it.  Falsehood may bring relief without deliverance, and many want that!  The ego, because it wants to be seen as effective, is lulled into using falsehood.  Those who only want relief affirm the value of the false witness.  He is seen as caring and effective.  The reality of it is that a false witness, at best, merely kicks the can down the road.  He doesn’t deliver anyone.  He makes them twofold the child of the devil.  The true witness must take pleasure in the few he delivers more than the many he could not.  He must look at the eternal results rather than the temporal ones.  There are many religious organizations that bring much relief.  But they do not deliver.  They peddle their falsehoods or half-truths and build a following.  They are seen as highly effective.  Yet there is not deep repentance from sin and faith in the Only Way – Jesus!  I don’t know about you, but I don’t like putting a Band-Aid on a serious injury.  I want to heal it.  As one who is entrusted with truth, it is our obligation to share it faithfully.  It is the only way we can deliver the sin-sick soul.

Under Control While We Are Under

“The day [is] thine, the night also [is] thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.” (Ps 74:16 AV)

Our psalmist’s observation is in the light of oppression.  God is not oppressing.  The enemies of Israel are.  The psalmist cites the active hand of a sovereign God.  This verse, by no means, could support the position of a Deist.  It actually accomplished the opposite.  The writer’s plea for intervention is predicated on the fact that God created all things and controls all things.  God controls all things all the time.  Whether day nor night, the times are His.  They are in His hands, and there is no one who can turn Him.  The psalmist further cites the provision of sovereignty which God provides.  The light and the sun are what governs our time.  The sun governs our day and night.  The stars and moon govern our months and seasons.  To summarize, our sovereign God is in control of time itself.  All that happens is under His direct care.  All things are caused or allowed by His mighty hand.  Nothing gets past our God, nor does anything supersede His power to control it.

Now and again, I am amazed at the human body.  Have you owned anything that ran continuously for seventy to ninety years that was self-maintaining, self-generating, and worked regardless of any outside administration?  Do you realize that from the moment your heart beat for the first time, it hasn’t stopped?  That is amazing!  If I ran my car for that entire duration, it would have eventually stopped.  My lungs, from the moment of my birth have not stopped.  They go on night and day.  They go on without my need to think about it.  When one considers how long our ancient progenitors lived, this truth is mindboggling.  Our first parents lived over nine-hundred years.  For the human heart to beat for nine hundred years without stopping is beyond comprehension.  Now, think how much trust you and I have to go to sleep at night.  If our hearts stopped beating or our lungs stopped breathing, we would not have the ability to call for help.  We would be at the mercy of those around us.  Every night we lay our heads down and place our trust in something we cannot control.  Then we wake up.  Our trust was well-founded.

Our psalmist speaks great comfort to us.  During the times we cannot interact with our environment, God has it all.  It is all under His sovereign control.  Most of life is out of our control.  We can choose.  We can act.  We can interact.  But the outcome is never guaranteed.  God controls it all.  It is not so much His control while I sleep that I find comforting.  Rather, if I can totally surrender to the LORD and close my eyes for a much-needed time of rest, there should be no reason to do that same while I am awake.  As the moon and stars govern the times of the night, the sun governs the time of day.  They are set and controlled by the sovereign hand of Jehovah.  If I can rest at night, I must be at spiritual and emotional rest during the day.  He has this!  Going to sleep is a great step of faith.  Living in the day is no less.  Trust the Keeper of it all!