Working Hard at Sin

“They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward [thought] of every one [of them], and the heart, [is] deep.” (Ps 64:6 AV)

I was struck by the phrase ‘diligent search’.  My mind immediately went to how hard we work at sin.  This wickedness is not merely yielding to in impulsive temptation.  This degree of sin is planned and executed.  At what point does working for pleasure become a pleasure in itself?  To accomplish something means to make an end of it.  Therefore, those who sin as a conscious choice of life exhaust all avenues to experience that sin.  It ends one of two ways.  Those bent on sin will work very hard at finding it.  They will look at every conceivable place.  If sin is not found, a new search ensues.  I guess what strikes me as odd is that sinful mankind will work extra hard at self-pleasure that only ends in emptiness and destruction, but will not work equally hard at righteousness.

This reminds me of a situation many years ago.  A couple traveled a significant distance to visit my wife and me.  We had known this couple for a long time.  Their marriage was strained, and they thought a vacation would help.  One problem they faced was that the husband was a substance abuser.  He had been for years.  He was in and out of rehab.  This fella even traveled thousands of miles to enter a program.  He was clean for a while, but eventually fell back into old habits.  At the time of our visit, we lived in a very high-crime city and neighborhood.  It was the second day of their week-long visit that the husband said he needed to go to a bank and deposit a check.  I thought that was odd since the likelihood of finding a national bank similar to the one they used at home would be a feat.  Off he went, and he left his wife behind.  Which I thought was also odd.  He was gone for several hours.  That was also odd.  An errand that should have take no more than thirty minutes took most of the morning.  I later found out he had hit the streets and was looking to score some drugs.  The thing is, our neighborhood was extremely dangerous.  Especially for someone like my friend.  He worked awfully hard to find his drug of choice even to the point of risking his life to do so.

Our phones and computers come with search engines.  Based on the settings one has, the results can be rather wicked.  Filters have to be put in place to avoid seeing things the browser need not see.  The same is true with sin.  We can work awfully hard as self-pleasure.  We can go to the extent of our search to feel, see, or think something that God calls wicked.  The best practice is the install filters.  We have the filter of God’s word.  We have the filter of fellow believers.  Most of all, we have the filter of the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit.  If only we would work just as hard at holiness as we do sin, we would be more like Christ than we are.

Humility Required

“Behold, [when] we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee.” (Jos 2:18 AV)

I wonder how Rahab’s family felt about their immoral relative being the source of their salvation.  What was going through their minds?  Did they fear the activity that might occur if they spent a few nights in her house?  Did all the uncomfortable conversations or statements of disappointment come up while sitting around a dinner table?  I wonder if they felt insulted that God had chosen a converted prostitute to be their sanctuary instead of someone far more moral.  Rahab is a great example of how the LORD will and can use the worst of us to reach the best of them.  One thing is for certain: Rahab’s family had to eat some crow in order to live.  Humility was demanded, or they would not survive.  The same is true with salvation.  It cannot and will come to the proud of heart.

It is kind of funny how this works.  Many years ago, I worked as a glorified janitor for a real estate company.  They owned several office buildings.  It was my job to travel to these building and clean the restrooms, empty the trash, etc.  At the main office, the company had two lawyers on staff.  One was a seasoned Jewish man who knew a bit of the bible.  We had many discussions.  Yet, I was his janitor.  He had decades of education and experience.  Yet, he engaged me in biblical debates.  Then there was my wife’s employer.  He was a county judge.  Yet my wife, a lowly secretary, often witnessed to him as well.  There were many times that I worked as a caddy for some very wealthy people and every once in a while, was asked of my testimony.  These types of successful people could have sought out ministers in ivory towers.  They could have asked the deceivers of the faith because of the false appearance of success.  But they did not.  They asked the lowly janitor, caddy, and secretary of the good news of the gospel.

It is often the least among us who do the greatest work.  Those who have baggage and a background often are the ones God uses to win the most.  Rahab’s family had to lower their standards if they were to live through the destruction of their city.  They had to dwell in a house of ill repute in order to survive.  Rahab, no doubt, left her life of sin once she saw the power of Jehovah.  The bible tells us as much.  Once she stepped out on faith and protected the spies of Israel, she made her choice to leave her profession.  The den of sin became the domicile of salvation.  But in order to realize the same salvation as Rahab, her family had to humble themselves, see their need, and accept any means by which God provided their salvation.

Wisdom Is Wealth

“Happy [is] the man [that] findeth wisdom, and the man [that] getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it [is] better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.” (Pr 3:13-14 AV)

Sometimes this takes a lifetime to learn.  But it is true nonetheless.  Wisdom is far more valuable than all the things we might be able to attain.  The word ‘merchandise’ is interesting here.  It means to use in business in order to make a profit.  The old saying that money cannot buy happiness is certainly true.  Material goods, no matter how much, cannot buy certain things.  Wisdom, however, makes certain things attainable that money cannot buy.  With wealth comes stress.  There is anxiety over the things we have.  We must maintain them.  We must protect them.  We must store them.  With wisdom, there are no residual costs.  With material gain comes discontentment.  There is always more to have.  There is always more to gain.  With wisdom, contentment is the end of it all.  There are those who lack for nothing and yet are rarely at peace with life.  There are those who have very little and seem to enjoy life as it comes.  Furthermore, things have their limits.  Throwing money at something does not always fix it.  There are investments with great returns that don’t cost a dime.  Wisdom, and not material things, has the greatest return.

I was reminded of this recently.  While sitting at a table over a simple cup of coffee, there was more ministry accomplished than an entire program tailored solely for an individual.  We notice this while we do our work for the LORD in many ways.  Every summer we have a large VBS in a public park.  It takes many hands and a good chunk of resources.  Yet without follow-up, there seems to be no return.  What matters to people?  It is not the large programs we put on.  It is not the many different venues a soul might explore.  It is the single individual who spends just a small amount of time caring for the hurting soul.  It is the listening ear and feeling heart that sees return on their investment.  Knowing what to say and how to say it pays dividends far beyond patronization with much goods.

The older I get, the more I realize just how true this proverb is.  Over the last decade or so, the LORD has been teaching me skills in listening.  It is hard for a preacher to listen and not speak.  That is our calling.  We are supposed to offer a bit of knowledge that will help in a situation.  However, there are times when nothing needs to be said.  There are times when the hurting soul already knows what he or she needs to know.  They simply need someone to listen.  There is greater pleasure in silence than there is in speaking words that may not be needed.  Wisdom can accomplish many things that a bank account cannot.  Life is not about how much one can gain.  When we pass, it all stays here.  Life is about what we can accomplish for the LORD.  Wisdom is the currency.

Inevitability of Failure

“And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call [them] to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,” (De 30:1 AV)

I’ve always thought the transparency above was a bit odd.  It is true.  But odd.  Israel will have times of obedience and faith.  They will also have many more times of disobedience and doubt.  Today’s overly positive world would criticize God for being so honest.  They would see the phrase above as setting Israel up for failure.  The world wants us to build each other up as though failure isn’t part of life.  All we want is good news.  All we want is to hear that we are supernatural and will never do anything wrong.  To inform someone that they cannot be perfect and that they will fail is believed to be a detriment to their improvement.  Yet, the LORD has no problem telling Israel that there will be times of blessing and cursing.  There will be good times and bad times.  They will struggle with temptation and fall into it.  This is not a foregone conclusion or self-fulfilling prophecy.  Just a statement on the nature of people.  How refreshing to hear the truth, even if it isn’t the encouragement we think we need.

No matter what skill I tried to learn, there was always a learning curve associated with it.  How many of us have scars to prove the lessons learned along the road of life?  I remember when I was promoted to the pizza making side of the restaurant.  I started out cutting the pizzas and sending them out to the front cashier.  My job was to mark the boxes according to the order.  The name went on the left and the type of pizza when on the right.  Then, as they came out, I sliced them, closed the box, and sent the box with the receipt to the front.  From there, I graduated to pulling.  That was the person who pulled the pizzas out of the oven and put them in the box.  When the head chef instructed us in the procedure, he warned us that we would suffer burns along the way.  Sure enough, I suffered a bit of pain.  From there, I moved along to a pizza maker.  More burns.  Most of the serious burns came from making pizzas and not pulling them.  Again, I was warned of the inevitability of burns and why they occur.  I was glad they told me.  Even though I relaxed my focus and suffered the consequences, at least I knew burns were coming and why they happened.

I would rather have an instructor or coach who would tell me that I probably won’t get it right the first few times I tried and show me why I failed than someone who told me I will be an immediate success and never fail.  Failure means improvement.  Failure means learning and growing.  Failure is a reality check on just who and what we are.  Failure is uncomfortable but necessary.  Failure produces results that can be fixed.  Failure reveals the why and not just the how.  Failure means there is greater insight into the nature of things.  Honesty, as it regards failure is refreshing.  When the LORD tells me that I will fall into temptation, it is not perceived as an insult.  The saint shouldn’t take it as a parent who doesn’t believe in their child.  Rather, knowing our propensity to fail, we are more aware of it and may even avoid it.  No, I would rather have a heavenly Father who knows the wisdom of full transparency than a God who wants to protect me from the truth.  Praise the LORD for the bad news!  The bad news helps us to overcome and enjoy more blessings than cursings.

Beauty of Holiness

“And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister: And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee.” (De 27:2-3 AV)

Joshua’s altar had to be something to behold!  It was recently discovered.  Built like the letter ‘E’ laying on the ground, the priest would ascend the middle ramp while the penitent would climb the first ramp.  The animal would be killed, and the blood would run over the face of the altar.  The animal was sacrificed at the center, and being reconciled to God, the penitent would leave from the opposite direction from which he came.  This entire altar was plaistered with a substance made from bleached animal bone and pitch.  It dried like hardened cement, and when it did, it was as white as anything one could imagine.  The law was chiseled into the face of the altar so the people of Isael saw the record of the law written on a bone-white altar when entering the land of Canaan.  What a picture of perfection that must have been.

I have gone to our nation’s capital a couple of times.  There are many sights to see there.  There are a few monuments that strike at the heart of the visitor.  The war memorial is perhaps the most moving of all.  There are the Washington and Lincoln monuments.  The Capital build looms large.  And of course, there is the White House.  Upon these monuments, there are words etched for all time.  There are scripture verses.  There are patriotic quotes.  What is not on the monuments is a copy of the entire law of our land.  I don’t think it would fit.  These buildings are impressive.  They attempt to give praise to God, but in reality, they are erected to recognize great men of our past.  There is nothing inherently wrong with that.  It is just that compared to the law written on alabaster white walls of an altar doesn’t even come close.

I have a message regarding this altar.  It is a perfect picture of salvation in Christ.  But that is not what strikes the heart this morning.  It is the picture of perfection that someone entering the promised land witnessed as they passed by.  It is not just the altar which could be seen from Jerusalem, laying 17 miles away.  That bone-white altar could be seen from miles.  It wasn’t the absence of flaws or the fact that it was built with materials God had supplied beforehand that fit together like a puzzle without one chisel or hammer used.  No.  What impresses the mind this morning is the beauty that is the law.  Perfection on a road sign, so to speak.  What made this altar one of a kind was not the shape or color.  It was not the activity that occurred there.  Rather, it was the law written on its face.  I could not help but think of heaven.  Heaven is a place of absolute perfection and holiness.  There will be no need for law as we understand it because all the inhabitants will have no desire to break it.  The beauty of holiness is what the Hebrew saw when he entered God’s land, and it will be the beauty of holiness which the saint will see as well.

In Principle

“When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man [be] poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.” (De 24:10-13 AV)

Reading this passage, one might be curious as to exactly what the pledge was.  The pledge spoken above is a garment used for protection against the cold while one slept.  That is pretty detailed.  If we didn’t understand the principle of the law, we might pass right over it.  The law is specific here, but it teaches a broader principle.  If a temporary loan of a necessary possession is needed to be returned, the creditor is not to keep that which the debtor needs.  It is to be returned on a temporary status and then retrieved until the loan is paid.  The Bible may use specifics, but it uses specifics to teach broader principles.  Some believe the bible is antiquated and outdated and does not answer today’s issues.  Yet Peter says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:” (2Pe 1:3 AV)  The Bible is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice.  No matter the culture, time, or place, the Bible has the last word.

My wife is a master game player.  If there is a loophole to exploit, she will find it.  A case in point concerns a game called Worst Case Scenario.  Gameplay involves one player to rank in order from least appalling to most appalling five different scenarios.  The rest of the players try to guess the rank of possibilities.  The spirit of the rules is to judge each possibility as an equal scenario.  Hence the name of the game.  However, when my wife plays, she ranks them according to the likelihood of occurrence.  Thus, she ranks losing all her photos on her phone as far more fearful than being mauled by a bear.  The directions do not specifically state that the player is to treat all scenarios as equally possible.  So, she stretched the spirit of the game because the letter of the law does not state the obvious.

The Bible isn’t a detailed rule book that covers all scenarios.  If it was, then there would be no end to it.  Rather, the Bible speaks of principles illustrated by examples but not necessarily constrained by them.  The Bible is filled with principles that guide our choices in every possible scenario.  It is a guide manual.  What follows chapter 24 of Deuteronomy are laws of separation.  The law speaks of keeping separate crops, types of linen, etc.  The principle is separation and distinction.  Not every possible distinction is mentioned.  But the principle remains.  God created things distinct and with particular purpose.  We are not to confuse them.  The point is this.  If we treat the word of God as a mere rule book with all relevant detailed laws enumerated within, we will fail to live a godly life.  It is, and always has been, the principles.

God Is Bigger

“When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (De 20:1 AV)

We are not Israel.  Our battles are not physical in the sense that we are building a physical kingdom.  There are no cities to conquer.  There are no governments to topple.  Our warfare is a spiritual one.  Our enemies are the Devil, the world’s system of unbelief and sin, and the flesh.  The picture above is one of contrast.  Israel is contrasted against the ability of a formidable enemy.  This might be a reference to Israel’s first response when confronted with an adversary.  As twelve spies returned, ten of them reported the enemy ahead was too large for even God to conquer.  Two; Joshua and Caleb; spoke with faith and declared that no matter the size of the enemy, God was greater.  The assumption above is that Israel will be faced with many different adversaries that on paper are larger, stronger, and better equipped than they are.  This has been their history throughout human history.  Yet, the LORD seems to carry them through, and they survive the impossible.  This is the point here.  No battle is too big for God.  Yes, it is way too big for us.  But never too big for God.

In the heat of the moment, we often forget the battles of the past.  The LORD makes reference to the Exodus many times.  He does so above.  His point is this.  If He miraculously brought Israel out of Egypt with plagues and wonders, how much more difficult is the present threat?  Jehovah does this frequently because Israel forgot too many times the wonders that God wrought.  Jehovah references something they can relate to so that the present becomes doable.  The only difference here is Israel’s participation.  When leaving Egypt, all they had to do was leave.  There was no battle to fight.  There was no active participation on their part.  All they needed to do was to trust the LORD and leave.  There were no swords, bows, or arrows.  No shields.  No battlefield.  It was the LORD and only the LORD.  There were no boats to assemble.  No guards were on duty.  There were no watchmen necessary.  All was in the hands of God.  Now that they were free, the LORD required Israel to participate in their own deliverance.  The first time it was all God.  Now it was them and God.  This is what troubled Israel so.

How soon do we forget the miracle of salvation?  We walk with the LORD for so long that we forget the miracle that deliverance from sin and hell truly was.  We forget what it was like to live in wickedness and bondage.  We forget how hopeless our souls truly were.  So, when faced with an ongoing battle over sin or doubt, we think God is not able.  Or, if He is, that we are not able.  Both are incorrect.  God will not deliver us from our old natures without our participation in the process.  At least as long as we are on this side of glory.  God expects His children to wield the sword of truth, bend the knee of prayer, and face the foe in the strength of the Spirit.  He has given the tools and the strength.  If we cower at the threat of our enemies, then we have forgotten what God has done in the past.  Victory is only as far as effort and faith will take us.  God is not going to do it all for us.  He takes over where we cannot continue.  Israel forgot the great things God had done.  Now, the LORD is commanding them to remember and believe.