Premature Musing

"God understandeth the way thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof.” (Job 28:23 AV)

 

Uttered by Job as a way of rebuke to his friends.  His friends are trying to figure out something whose answer belongs to God alone.  Another utterance by Job that was lost on Job.  Job meant it as a means to stop his friend’s musing.  Their musing had become rather cruel.  Especially the last musing of Eliaphaz.  He has intimated Job was a very wicked person and deserving of what had happened.  He suggested the only thing stopping God from restoring Job’s life was repentance on Job’s part.  It was rather cruel.  Job is running out of patience.  He correctly states that God alone understands the nature of his circumstances, understands the cause of it all, and knows what the objective is by it.  All these answers lie with God.  In short, Job is seeking to stop the musing of his friends because their musings are misguided, self-serving, and in the end, cruel.  The takeaway for us is the same.  Maybe not to the degree spoken here of Job. But the principle is true nonetheless.  We tend to muse at the expense of Godly wisdom.  We tend to try to find answers within ourselves rather than go directly to, and depend on, the Holy Spirit for answers.

I have a friend, bless his heart, who calls me every once in a while with a bible question.  He always starts with, “Help me to understand.”  Then follows the question.  In fact, he only uses that phrase when he is asking a bible question or a question regarding church function or procedure.  Never does he use that phrase if it a golf question.  Which he has rather frequently.  Only when the question regards the sacred does the phrase precede the inquiry.  We then deliberate over the text for a time.  We work through it as he explains his reasoning or confusion.  His thought processes are subjugated to my input.  Not that I have the right answer.  Bible verses, definitions of words, grammar, etc. are all referenced to ascertain an answer.  He does his due diligence to find the answer within what he knows.  But he is so humble he understands he doesn’t know enough.  His humility cries out for help from others who may know a bit more.  In other words, he does not stay within himself when confronted with a situation that demands an answer.  He knows his limitations and reaches out for someone or something outside of himself to share with him what he seeks to know.

We are guilty of being too independent sometimes.  Yes, we do know some bible.  We better know some bible.  We are critical thinkers.  Our brains are wired to ask questions in search of knowledge.  However, we can err quite seriously if we think all the answers lay with us.  We are like that kid who struggles with his school work but will not ask the teacher for help.  He wants to figure it out all by himself.  The problem is, he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.  When we are faced with a hard situation like Job was, it is vitally important we seek the One who has all the answers.  One wrong choice based upon our own erroneous musing, and we can make the current situation infinitely worse.  Job is right.  The answers, means, and purposed reside with God and He should be the first source we go to.  Not our own minds and experiences!

Did You Hear What You Just Said?

“For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.” (Job 23:14 AV)

 

When we are in deep duress or times of extreme confusion, often we utter the truth we are seeking without even realizing it.  As a preacher, this often happens while we are sermonizing.  We may tag on a thought or two that answers to a challenge of our own and not even realize what we have said until someone else points it out to us.  Above, Job states God’s sovereignty and decrees mean those things that are happening to him, God has allowed or performed.  The word appointed also indicates those things were determined beforehand, and there is nothing Job did to change a predetermined plan for Job.  In other words, the loss of his family, health, and material possessions were appointed to happen to Job and God determined this before Job’s existence.  The real profundity of the above verse is the phrase that follows.  Admitting that many such things are with God is a statement attesting to those things which happen to us belong to God and He is not obligated to explain Himself nor does it mean that if He did, we would understand it or accept it.  If Job would have listened to his statement above, the book of Job would have ended in chapter twenty-three.  The art of listening to one’s self is lost. 

There are several experiences from which I can draw.  One of which I have used before.  Another, which was extremely obvious, was one of my past mentors who was making serious misjudgments in his ministry.  He truly believed the situation was bound to end in a favorable way only to take him further down the road to eventual failure.  Choices were repeatedly made expecting a favorable end only to have the result of those choices being just the opposite.  This created a new set of circumstances that required new choices to be made.  Making the exact same type of choice hoping the outcome would be favorable only to see the consequences compounded.  This went on for years.  One Sunday, this pastor preached a message and quoted an oft-used phrase, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.”  This quote is often attributed to Albert Einstein although this cannot be proved.  Regardless of who or what organization was the originator, his point was obvious.  Repeatedly making the same choice resulting in the same outcome when that outcome is not desired is utter foolishness.  I had high hopes.  I expected my pastor to make a one-hundred and eighty-degree turn.  I expected a different direction that would undo the damage caused by wrong decisions.  But alas, he did not.

God gives wisdom in all sorts of ways.  Primarily by His word.  However, there is general revelation, like creation, that often shows us the right choices to make or an answer to an issue of faith with which we had been struggling.  Sometimes it is experience.   Or experiences or those of another that speaks to the struggles of the heart.  However, every once in a while, we utter the very wisdom which we need without even realizing it.  We say words that are deep in our minds and hearts that have not come to the place of usefulness.  They exit our mouths but they do not reverberate back into our minds and hearts where they might take root.  It is at these times when a true friend is nearby to refocus us onto what was just said.  That friend can stop the speaker and focus his mind on the wisdom the speaker had all along but did not realize it.  This occurrence is evidence of the working of the Holy Spirit through our minds and hearts without our noticing it.  Job did not have four enlightened or sensitive friends.  The utterance above was lost on Job and his friends.  If his friends were better listeners than they were counselors, the problem would have been solved.  But no one listened.  No one took heed how they heard.  Only what they heard.  Next time we are in a dilemma and we are trying to reason it out, we may want a sounding board that will echo back our words; for in those words our answer might lie.

Sometimes, a Pity Party is Needed

“Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me.” (Job 19:21 AV)

 

What a plea!  This plea from Job should have ended the pontification his three friends heaped upon him.  Their grasping at straws kind of counsel was misguided at best.  Cruel at worst.  This cry on Job’s part should have elicited a soft spirit and heart from his three friends.  Job’s cry should make even the hardest of hearts soften a bit to his circumstances.  It amazes me even after all they subjected him to, Job would still call them his friends!

Part of serving as a hospital chaplain is seeing patients with self-inflicted illnesses or injuries.  In fact, most of the time that is the case.  Or, as a chaplain one often comes across a patient who refuses to be comforted.  No matter the news or the encouragement, their life is always a dark cloud.  A chaplain might be tempted to cut a visit short in these types of circumstances.  Especially if they refuse to receive counsel or encouragement.  One of the hardest visits I had to make was with a lady who was suffering from emphysema.  It was near to impossible for her to breathe and she was slowly suffocating to death.  She had an estranged daughter who she refused to contact.  They had a falling out over an issue decades earlier.  I encouraged her to call her daughter.  Maybe the fact her life was coming to a close would soften the heart of her child.  What made this even worse was this daughter was her only child.  When she died, she would die alone.  After counseling with her, praying with her, and attempting to encourage her, nothing seemed to change.  I visited that patient several times that night.  Each time you could tell she was slipping a bit closer to eternity.  Her situation was caused by a lifetime of smoking.  A self-inflicted injury.  There was no change in her disposition.  No change in her attitude.  No change in her lack of desire to make it right with her daughter.  All because of wrong choices in her life.

This is how the four friends of Job felt.  But they were wrong.  His situation was not self-inflicted.  He did nothing to deserve what he was suffering.  Their counsel, although applicable to others, was not to Job.  They took no mercy on him.  They believed their attempts were valiant.  They thought that if they could get Job to repent of a sin or sins, then his situation would change.  However, even if there was sin, repentance would not get his ten children back.  Repentance would not gain his specific treasure back.  They were way off base.  What Job was seeking was not answers.  Only God had the answers.  What he was seeking was pity.  This means empathy without trying to find a cause or solution.  To simply sit with him, listen to him process the situation, and taking enough compassion on him so as to pray with him.  That is what a soul needs when they are in deep distress.  Even if it is self-inflicted, often at the point of loss, they are not prepared to hear the truth.  One must wait until after the shock of loss passes.  What they need is pity!

Job's Astoundingly Mature Prayer Request

“Withdraw thine hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.” (Job 13:21 AV)

 

This verse is part of a prayer from Job to the LORD.  This prayer shows a lot of maturity for someone going through a very difficult and confusing time.  In essence, Job is asking for relief or a conclusion of his situation lest the pressure of it changes his relationship with God.  One can understand the request.  Job lost everything he had.  He lost his ten children.  He lost all his wealth.  He even lost his health.  Job was reduced to nothing.  What made the extra difficult was the silence of God.  He could not figure out why the LORD had allowed this to happen.  He could have tolerated the situation if the LORD had just given him a reason for it.  So, what our dear Job is seeking is for the LORD to remove His hand from him that he might die, and in so doing, the dread (unknown hand) of God not make him any more afraid.  Job is seeking relief from the LORD that he might maintain his relationship with Him as it was.

Over the years, I have seen several saints leave the fellowship of God and his people over tragic events.  Divorce, financial loss, or illness are hard times indeed.  However, the most common of all events that cause a saint to abandon any relief and hope they might have in Christ.  I can think of one in particular.  Someone who had a large impact on my life lost a child to a tragic event.  This person was a brilliant mentor of mine.  He taught me many infallible truths.  He had served in many capacities over the years.  His ministry helped a lot of people.  He was one of those men who could hold absolute positions on important yet divisive doctrines with humility and class.  After the event that took his child, he left the service of the church.  He left the church altogether.  He left and his life took a complete reversal of direction.  If you knew the fella today, you would never guess at one time he was a born-again believer and that he had worked in full-time Christian service.

Now, I want you to understand that I cannot come close to truly understanding what this man went through.  Nor do I condemn him.  I am not so sure, given the same set of circumstances, that I might not react the same as he did.  This goes double for Job.  One can imagine if the same happened to him or her, they might react differently from Job.  They might curse God and die.  This makes the above prayer request all the more admirable.  Job is more concerned with his walk with God than he is the loss he suffered.  He doesn’t want the adverse effects of his situation to turn his relationship with God into fear, anger, bitterness, or resentment.  He is afraid that if his situation lingers or gets worse, he might snap and run from God altogether.  This is why this prayer request is so amazing.  I hope I never have to go through what Job went through.  Or my mentor above.  My prayer is if you are facing the same, God will strengthen you above measure and the promise of 1Cor 10:13 rings true in your heart!

Incomprehensible God

“Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.” (Job 9:10 AV)

 

Speaking of God here!  No explanation is needed.  Clearly understood.  God, and what He does, is so far above our ability to understand that we cannot come close to understanding all that He does for the benevolence of mankind.  The phrases ‘…past finding out…’ and ‘…without number…’ are not merely throw-off phrases.  Our speaker rightly declares that in order to find out all that God does, we would have to be just like God.  This should blow the mind.  When we stop and consider what we do know.  We know God has created all things.  We know God sustains all things.  We know God works in the minds and hearts of men.  We know God works all things for His glory.  We can study these things.  We can investigate them insomuch as we are able to comprehend them.  But the fact of the matter is, even if we were to catalog all that we know God does, compared to what He does do, that catalog would be infinitesimally small.

Part of the wonder of God is that we can never truly know Him.  I like detail.  Seeing God in the details is what fascinates me.  To see His design to the minutia is a wonder fast finding out.  Watching nature shows, to me, is astounding.  How anyone can believe in macro-evolution is beyond me.  When one considers how well balances nature is and how each species behaves in its best interest, but yet still benefits the overall objective of life is something a natural process could not develop.  If nature truly is about the survival of the fittest, the fittest would have been the last to survive.  Yet the fittest would then become extinct themselves.  Watching how one species, like the little fish that are stuck to whales and sharks, are never eaten by these great predators because they consume harmful bacteria that grow on these beasts.  Even when these small foragers are clinging to the teeth of these monsters, they are safe.  How does that happen?  Not by chance!  Impossible.  Or, as was recently discovered by secular scientists: if life were possible on other planets, it would be impossible on Earth.  The entire existence of the universe is so well balanced, that if another planet was made habitable, it would necessitate changes to Earth that would make it uninhabitable.

The truth stated above must be accepted.  It cannot be dwelled upon to the point of trying to test that truth.  To test it would be a fool's errand.  Our God is far and above our think or ability to understand even the smallest of matters.  He is so far above His creation as to be completely and wholly incomprehensible.  And that is the glory of our God.  Personally, I am glad.  I am so thrilled that there will never be a day, even in eternity, when I can understand even the smallest of His being.  To lack faith in a God like this is beyond reason.  Why we lack faith doesn’t compute.  If there existed a God as we have, and He does, then faith stands to reason that faith is reasonable.  If He is what He says He is, then faith should be automatic and without hesitation.  Oh, to have faith in our incomprehensible God as His nature dictates is the pursuit of every genuine born-again believer!

Divinely Sent Laughter Is The Best Medicine

“20 ¶  Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: 21  Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.” (Job 8:20-21 AV)

 

I love the book of Job.  One of the fascinating things about this book is the nuggets of truth uttered by Job’s friends as they totally misread the entire situation.  The above words were spoken by Bildad.  The truth stated above should be a source of hope for Job.  But it was not.  The context of Bildad’s comment was he blamed Job’s parenting for the death of his children and the consequent trials on Job that followed.  The verses above are a source of encouragement.  Bad things happen.  For no reason of our own actions.  Job’s issues were caused because he did something right.  He feared God and eschewed evil.  God asked Satan a question that started this whole thing.  It was not Job’s fault these things came upon him.  So, the application of Bildad’s words is wrong-headed here.  They were meant to motivate Job to confess and forsake sin of which he was not guilty, for the sake of laughing and rejoicing.  Kind of sad.  What we can take away from this verse is the simple truth of it.  That is, God does not forsake those whom He considers perfect.  And we are in Christ.  In the end, He is faithful that laughter and joy might be the outcome.

Have you ever stubbed your toe?  How did you react?  Did you hop around infuriated at the sudden misfortune?  Did you find yourself thinking of words you would like to blurt out but knew saints don’t do that sort of thing?  Did you immediately try to discern whose fault it could possibly be because it could not possibly be yours?  Or, did you laugh that laugh which said, “man, did that hurt!”  What struck me about the verse above was the little word ‘till’.  That would suggest once God fills our mouth with laughing and heart with rejoicing, then He would forsake us.  But that is not what Bildad is saying.  I did a bit of research.  The Scientific American wrote a study on laughter and pain.  They wrote, “So it appears that laughter elevates pain thresholds. The authors hypothesize that laughter triggers release of endorphins like beta-endorphin, and elevates pain thresholds through this mechanism, though of course without measures of beta-endorphin you can’t REALLY be sure. These painkilling effects may also be pro-social, helping us to bond socially. But it occurs to me that these effects might be useful in the clinic, that comedy videos and things that make us laugh could be used to help people tolerate pain a little better (if it does indeed work this way).”  In reading the entire article, one is left with the understanding laughing reduces our perceived tolerance to pain.  Laughter does a body good; especially in times of deep loss or pain.

Bildad was right!  God will not forsake the perfect man while he is suffering his deepest loss or pain.  He will minister to the heart and soul to restore joy and laughter.  We all go through very difficult times in life.  Times when the sun seems to never rise or the clouds always seem the darkest.  This misery is not what God intends for the His children.  He intends a life of joy.  This does not mean the absence of trouble.  What this does mean is if we walk in righteousness with God and confess and forsake when we don’t, God promises to remain faithfully by our side and provide the laughter and joy to endure the hardest of times.  My mother was this way.  She could find something to laugh at no matter the circumstances in life.  What a true angle!  If only we all had the spirit of my mother.  Life would be far easier to navigate if we simply allow ourselves to see the funny side of trouble.  If we could only see the joy.  Instead of musing over what we have lost, maybe we should muse over God’s benevolence from what we’ve had.  Like Jonah and the gourd, we weep over the loss of grace rather than rejoice over the fact we had it in the first place.  So, laugh!  Rejoice!  This is what God promises!

Hope Is Not Cruel

“Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in?” (Job 3:23 AV)

 

Job is pretty despondent here.  And for good reason.  Satan was allowed to touch everything important to Job, excluding his wife, to test his integrity and relationship with God.  Messengers came and told Job he had lost his servants, cattle, and children.  That wasn’t enough for the Devil so he was allowed to take Job’s health.  Job sat wholly depressed and mourning the loss of his family.  He rued the day of his birth.  He wishes he had never been born.  The above verse is a question of the purpose of life.  His in particular.  Why would God give the physical ability to live to a man who has no idea why he is alive and there is nothing he can do about his circumstances?  But there is another understanding of the word ‘light’ as used above.  The understanding of ‘light’ harkens back to verse 20.  In that verse, light is hope or prosperity.  It is the reason to live.  It is the glimmer that keeps us going even when things are very difficult.  The question Job is asking is more of a statement of complete defeat.  Why give a man hope when he doesn’t know what lies ahead or why things are as they are, and there is absolutely nothing he can do about it?  May as well let the man perish.  This is what Job is feeling.

Life is impossible sometimes.  We all will go through times of deep trials that seem so bleak that the sun never shines and each day is a monumental challenge.  We are greatly disappointed if the sun comes up and we have to start another day.  One of the hardest times of my life was a few years back.  I have three sons all born within three years of one another.  In less than two years, all three had gotten married, moved away, and started families of their own.  My ministry was coming to a close and I felt there was no ministry left.  We had gotten potentially bad news regarding my dear wife’s health.  It was so bad that when we went away for a week, I can remember sitting in the passenger's seat, looking up into a cloud-puffed blue sky, wishing I would stop breathing.  I even tried to accomplish just that.  It wasn’t too much after that when my closest pastor-friend, my organist, and my mother passed away.  With two years, the LORD had allowed life-changing events condensed into a very small timeframe.  It was difficult, to say the least.  However, there was still hope.  I sat on my front porch and phoned a friend.  This friend had been so for almost twenty years.  We had talked it out and he brought that glimmer of hope.  There were no answers that would change the circumstances.  My sons were still gone.  My friends were still up in glory.  My ministry was still coming to a close.  I was hedged in.  I didn’t know the future nor could I do anything about my circumstances.  Job’s question was my question.  If there seems to be no purpose for the trial or no purpose of life, why give hope?  Isn’t that cruel?

The fact of the matter is, hope is an indication of a future purpose and plan.  God would not give hope if there was no road to travel.  The patient that suffers from a terminal disease has no hope.  That is, in this life.  Their hope lies in eternity.  That future hope is what gets them through the presently hard day.  Hope is not cruel.  Hope is the energy that provides that which is needed to endure the troubles of life.  Job needed to see the fact he was still breathing as proof God had a plan through it all.  The same is true of us.  Life will have its ups and downs.  Some of them rather severe.  But Paul tells us God’s grace is sufficient.  The grace and hope which comes from God, which is our light, will provide that which is needed to continue on in the faith God has grown in our hearts.  When I think of the above verse I think of Job sitting in a circle hedged in by thorns and thistles.  He cannot pass and his life is pretty much controlled by circumstances.  But a hedge is not a covering.  He can still lookup.  The sun will shine through.  The light of hope can pierce the thorns.  God is where He has always been.  He hasn’t moved.  He hasn’t changed. And He has a plan for it all.

Finish the War

“And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;” (Es 9:23 AV)

 

To give a bit of context, Mordecai is the second in command to a pagan king.  Haman, his predecessor, manipulated King Ahasuerus into condemning the Jewish people to extermination.  When the plot was discovered by Queen Esther informing her husband, Haman was hung and the Jews, through Mordecai, were given the ability to defend themselves.  This defense went over a period of two days; one day at a time.  On the first day, the Hebrews were allowed to defend.  At the end of the first day, Mordecai asked Ahasuerus if the Jews could then go on the offensive and strike back at their enemies the day following.  The king granted Mordecai and the Jews their petition.  The above statement is Mordecai’s address to the Jews for that second day.   The first day allowed God’s people to identify their enemy.  The second day allowed them to be the aggressor and deal with those enemies.  Victory requires a good defense and a good offense.  However, we want to dwell on one simple truth. 

In my childhood, snowball fights were common.  With a family of eleven children, this was a regular sporting event.  When the snow began to fly, the first thing we did was to build a fort.  We had these red plastic snow-brick makers.  We would pile the snow in these molds, pat it down really hard, flip it over, and build an igloo.  We would use ‘street snow’.  That snow that had been packed down and condensed.  At a bit of water to make it all stick together, and you had an ice brick.  After our forts were constructed, the battle began.  The point of the battle was for the other team to give up first.  The problem was if both teams stayed safely inside their fort, the battle was a draw.  Only by mounting an assault could one overcome the other team of siblings.  If there was no assault, this battle could continue indefinitely.  Keeping the enemy sibling confined in his fort is not a victory.  Nor does it end the conflict.  There must be a clear victor for the war to end.

When it comes to warring a spiritual battle, it is important to finish what was started.  A half-completed victory is no victory at all.  Paul writes of the spiritual battle of which we are entered in his letter to the Ephesians.  He goes through the armor of that warfare and encourages us to don it.  This spiritual armor is both defensive and offensive.  There is the shield of faith and the word of God.  There are the feet, shod with the preparation of the gospel.  These are all offensive in nature.  Paul intends for us to engage the enemy and continue on until that enemy is beaten back.  Had Mordecai and the Hebrews not pursued their enemies the second day, the enemies would have still been there to harass them.  Whether we like it or not, there will not be a moment’s peace until we graduate to heaven.  As long as the world, the devil and our flesh are with us, our battle rages on.  Finish what we start.  Get full and complete victory.  That is our goal!

Assimilation Is Impossible

“And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to suffer them.” (Es 3:8 AV)

 

No matter how much one backslides, they cannot hide the fact of their relationship to the LORD.  Israel is now in Babylon.  They are under the control of the Medes and Persians.  Ahasuerus is king and his steward is one Haman.  When Haman leaves the palace for home, he traverses before Mordechai, Esther’s uncle.  Being a Jew, Mordechai refuses to bow in obeisance to Haman as he would before a king.  This angers Haman.  Haman makes the above argument to the king as means to exterminate all Jews from the kingdom.  Note, however, the reasoning behind this desire.  It is because the laws of the Jews are different from the laws of all other nations.  Even those laws they hold in common.  Namely, to worship someone in authority.  Now, when we consider the Jews had been in captivity for decades under the laws of a pagan kingdom, one would think every vestige of Jewish law would have dissolved.  But it didn’t.  What made the nation of Israel different remained.  They backslid in a foreign land, yet still retained enough of their identity to make them different.  In other words, a backsliding Christian can reject the tenants of his faith only to a certain point.  No matter how backslidden he gets, he cannot remove all of Christ.

One cannot get away with hiding what he truly is.  I have lived in the Northeast, the Southeast, and the Mid-west.  Each has a distinct culture.  There are subcultures within those cultures.  There is urban culture.  There is a suburban culture.  There is a rural culture.  What one is can be easily determined.  When I lived in the southeast, I tried to assimilate the culture as best I could.  I learned to eat grits.  And liked them!  I learned to eat catfish.  I learned to play gospel bluegrass.  I learned to like cornbread dressing.  I learned to laugh, a lot!  I learned who was related to who.  I learned better ways to say things that might be an offense to some.  I learned to use words like “ya’ll”, “you’uns”, “reckon”, “fixin’”, and “figure”.  I learned sayings like, “blow the soot out of ‘er”, or “smarter than a white pig”, or “having a come-a-part”.  Most importantly, I learned the proper use of the phrase, “bless her/his heart”.  There were times when I incorporated a southern-style accent into my speech.  However hard I tried to assimilate, I was never able to fully convince anyone I was from that area of the country.  Something would give me away.  Like finishing my words that ended in ‘ing’ by pronouncing the ‘g’.  Or referencing the forecasted temperature by the high of the day rather than the extreme of the day or night temperature.  Or not drinking a whole lot of sweet tea.  No matter the effort, the south simply could not eradicate all the Yankee that was in me.

The believer who thinks he can hide among the world, no matter how much he tries to be like them, will never be like them.  The world will push to a point the child of God cannot cross.  He will be tempted to reject all evidence of a relationship with God only to have to deal with a conscience made alive by the Spirit.  They will ask him to do something that his conscience will not allow.  At that moment, the laws will differ and his cover will be blown.  Not only has the child of God rejected God, but now the friends of the world have rejected him!  It is better to live for God than to live against Him only to find out that doesn’t work either.  The world will never accept a partly compromised Christian.  And that is the worst you will ever be.  But there is a God who will love You at all times.  All you have to do is to come to Him.

Always Leading Despite Our Failures

“Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go.” (Ne 9:19 AV)

 

In this prayer by the Levites, they are rehearsing Israel’s failures against God’s faithfulness.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night has several purposes.  These pillars were a physical assurance of God’s presence.  As long as these pillars were in place, there was no need for the people of Israel to doubt the presence of God.  These two pillars rested on the tabernacle.  It was an indication the glory of God rested in a specific place for the purpose of worship.  However, one of the equally important purposes of the pillars was to lead the way while the nation traveled and to protect them from threats that may be following behind.  The presence of God as manifested by these pillars was the proof of God’s leading.  What makes this even more relevant is the context in which we find the mention of the leading of these pillars.  These pillars led the way even when the nation of Israel was not completely right with God.  In other words, the compassionate leading of the pillars was only conditioned upon the willingness of Israel to follow.  Not on their repeated failures to live according to the word of God.  I know that sounds contradictory.  But I will explain.

There were times with my sons when they angered me to the point that I needed some time away.  Patience, in times like these, was in short supply.  I have seen coaches act this way towards their players.  My youngest played baseball for more than ten years.  His coaches were phenomenal.  His first coach was a coach above all other coaches.  Watching his work compared to other coaches whom we played against revealed a stark contrast between patient coaching that taught these young boys skills which they could use for a lifetime verse winning as the only goal worth achieving.  What further separated these coaches from my son was my son’s coach was a winning coach.  Talent-wise, his group was a bit lower than the most talented.  He had no ace in the wings.  You could always tell the aces.  They were to ones who took their time at the plate and held off the umpire before a pitch could be thrown.  AT EIGHT YEARS OLD!  Anyway, my son’s coach was more of a mentor than he was a dictator.  He was more of a manager than he was a boss.  He was more of a teacher than he was a drill sergeant.  No matter how much a young man messed up, he believed in that young boy and it showed.  He did whatever it took to make that boy feel he could succeed and help the team win.  Everyone got to play.  There was no one left out.  No matter the failures, the coach never abandoned his players and was always there to guide them.

What an encouraging passage to know that as a child of God, He will never leave us nor forsake us.  The knowledge that while we sit, He sits with us is a definite encouragement.  But the greater hope is He will not cease to lead us.  He will correct, cleanse, reconcile, and lead.  This will never cease.  What good news!  No matter how much I have failed my Savior, He will always have me go further down the road of His will.  There is no failure so great as to motivate the LORD to quit on me.  No matter what I have done, or will do.  As long as I seek forgiveness, mercy, and grace, the pillar will be there.  The fire by night and the cloud by day, the LORD is always there.  What a wonderful, faithful, and truly compassionate God we serve!

Grace Verses Sternness

“11 ¶  The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. 12 ¶  The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.” (Pr 19:11-12 AV)

 

As is common in the book of Proverbs, two verses within close proximity seem contradictory.  However, the contradiction is actually meant to show a balance.  For instance, if it is glory for a man to pass over a transgression, the more we pass over, the more glory we project.  Therefore, to never confronting transgression would result in maximum glory.  We know that cannot be a possibility.  To do so would mean complete anarchy.  Sin would reign unabated.  This we have the next verse.  The king’s wrath is part of what he does and what he is.  If the king does not act against the transgressions of his subjects, crime and abuse would be out of control.  So, as Solomon does so often, he gives us two sides of the same principle in the hope we see the balance between the two.  To always act in wrath against any and all transgression shows no grace and creates a tyrant.  To do just the opposite and show grace no matter the transgression compounds the problem of sin.  There has to be a balance.

One of my sons was a stubborn student.  I taught them at home for few years and I had one son who fought to learn something he couldn’t get right off the bat.  He would throw temper tantrums.  He was stomp off and go to another room to pout.  He would sit at his desk with his arms folded and face downcast in rage at the work laid before him.  A parent who did not have patience and compassion for his son might beat him betimes until he succumbed to the work sitting before him.  A parent who experiences these episodes may take it personally.  They might whip the boy until he sat and did his work.  However, in doing so, it would only make the boy more frustrated and angrier that he wasn’t getting it.  The prudent thing to do would be to show sternness and not allow that behavior, but at the same time, spend individual time with him to overcome the roadblock to learning that was there.  This same headstrong child committed an absolute no-no in my house.  It was one of those things where there were no second chances.  I am not a man of rage.  Normally speaking.  But this incident was not a light thing.  For the first time, this child experienced the wrath of authority.

Passing over a transgression and wrath are the two opposites of reaction to transgression.  Most of our reactions are somewhere in the middle.  The balance can be found in what one hopes to accomplish.  Paul encourages us to correct our children in such a way they are not enticed to wrath themselves.  In other words, if our reaction to their sin produces the same emotion which we are exhibiting, it probably was no the right way to handle it.  If, on the other hand, our grace or wrath produces repentance and reconciliation, it was the right way to handle it.  God has given us the responsibility to raise young ones who are complex.  Some principles apply to cover any personality or situation.  It is not always black and white.  Each child is different.  Each temperament is different.  What works for one does not always work for another.  The overall principles are the same, but the way in which it is accomplished differs.  The wisdom is to know what to pass over a transgression and when to deal with it.

Prayer and Perfection

“And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:” (Ne 1:5 AV)

 

“We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.” (Ne 1:7 AV)

 

What we see above is an apparent paradox.  The first phrase is underlined to show the sincerity of the prayer of Nehemiah.  Nehemiah was genuinely concerned over the lack of walls around Jerusalem and the overall condition of the city.  He was moved to pray before he approached the king.  To approach the king with a request without being beckoned meant death.  Nehemiah was the food taster for the king.  He would always be in the presence of the king and therefore, logistically speaking, would never be beckoned.  Nehemiah was not concerned for his life, per se.  Rather, if he lost his life, who else would repair the wall?  At any rate, the next two phrases underlined above may seem as though they are in contradiction.  Nehemiah states God hears the prayers of those who observe the commandments of God.  Yet, the next underlined phrase reveals a confession that they have not kept the commandments.  Does that mean Nehemiah’s prayer is a waste of time?  Does Nehemiah suggest God hears the prayers of the perfect and they are not perfect?  If so, why even bother to pray?

False religion teaches one must make himself or herself worthy to approach a god that is perpetually angry.  These systems are built upon the premise that a god is never pleased with his subjects and intercession must always be made lest this angry god rains terror upon them.  Every bad or negative event is seen as the arm of an angry god.  One would think this belief is limited to cultures in the most remote of all places.  A forest or jungle seems to be the backdrop of such a belief.  Gilligan’s Island was a TV program that I viewed regularly.  Growing up, this show was a breath of laughs that took me away from the troubles that often inflict a youth.  In one of the episodes, some natives had landed on the island.  When they encountered Gilligan for the first time, they immediately bowed in worship to him.  They had come to believe he was their god in human flesh.  They did everything he commanded.  If something happened, they thought Gilligan was angry with them.  Gilligan enjoyed the attention for a while.  Then it got overbearing.  The professor concocted a play to make it appear Gilligan had died.  What the shipwrecked crew failed to realize what the natives practiced cremation.  Laying upon a birth over a fire, Gilligan woke up!  The natives thought Gilligan had come back to life to torment them.  They immediately fled on the canoes in total fear.

The balance above is one that we often forget.  God does desire our perfection.  He desires we follow His law.  But He also knows we do not.  If God knows we do not always follow His law, then seeking our fellowship through prayer would be unrealistic. Paul tells us, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16 AV)  What the LORD did do is provide the means by which imperfect people can be made perfect so that we can approach a holy and benevolent God.  Yes, God does expect and demand perfection.  But He also grants mercy and forgiveness.  Nehemiah is exactly right here.  They have followed the commandments of God.  Generally speaking.  When they do fail in following the commandments, they seek forgiveness and reconciliation.  Trying to be perfect so that we can approach God is not realistic.  As long as we have this old man, although possible, it is highly improbable.  It is what we do after we fail that determines the effectiveness of prayer.  Just a reminder to encourage all those burdened by their own sin to seek the God of mercy that they may obtain grace and mercy in their deepest time of need.

A Heart For Health

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” (Pr 17:22 AV)

 

We can understand the meaning here in the most straightforward way.  A merry heart is better than a broken spirit.  That is simple enough.  However, when one considers in what state the soul occupies, the meaning becomes even more pronounced.  The injunction, or to whom this is written gives the final and full application to this proverb.

Only an ill person needs medicine.  Therefore, we are speaking of someone who is experiencing circumstances of an ill-nature.  Solomon is not limiting this situation to physical challenges.  These circumstances can be of the heart and mind.  But note to whom the merry heart must belong.  It is the one who needs medicine.  In other words, the broken-spirited person is the one who needs a merry heart.  It is not those who minister to him.  Rather, they can be the influence that creates a merry heart.  But the choice to have a merry heart belongs to the one who needs the medicine.

Having countless opportunities to minister to people who are in the hospital, I can tell you those who have a merry heart generally do better in their struggles than those who do not.  I have seen identical situations wherein one patience recovers while another fails.  Although there are many factors to consider, a merry heart was one of them.  My own mother, who eventually succumbed to None-Hodgkins Lymphoma, was such a merry heart.  She was a diabetic as well.  I went to see her while she was having a treatment.  For those who are unaware, the patience sits in a chair and is hooked up to a device that administers radioactive medicine to fight the cancer.  This area was not a private room.  In this large room were about a dozen patients or so, all hooked up and receiving their medicine.  By this time, my Mom had lost all her hair.  She had an attractive scarf on.  She sat there, alone, reading a book, doing crossword puzzles, or looking over photos of her children.  As we sat and chatted, I noticed the overall demeanor of some of the patients compared to my mother. Each was in a different stage of their treatments.  Some were positive, some were distraught, and some were simply numb from the reality of life.  However, my mother was an amazing person.  She was the epitome of a merry heart.  If there was something to find funny, she would find it.  No matter the situation.  In fact, I can remember the times when her merry heart failed her.  It happened so rarely that I could list them.  I noticed her merry heart made the experience of chemotherapy more tolerable than those who did not have a merry heart.  Her positive frame of mind and willingness to laugh was the best medicine she had.  The difference was, she chose to be merry while others responded differently.

Here’s the thing.  We can wait for someone to cheer us up, or we can do as David did and encourage ourselves in the LORD.  We can choose to respond to others who are trying to cheer us up and allow our hearts to become merry, or we can reject the efforts of others who are doing their best to make a bad situation a little bit better.  The implication above is the merry heart is a choice we make.  We can choose to live as a victim of our circumstances, or, we can choose to live above them.  We can choose to allow our circumstances to define who and what we are.  Or we can look at those circumstances as temporary and eventually we will defeat them.  My Mom is in heaven right now.  Lymphoma did not defeat her.  She is in victory!  And she went there with a smile on her face.

Preparing Amid Problems

“This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.” (Ezr 7:6 AV)

 

 “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.” (Ezr 7:10 AV)

 

Note here something very important.  Ezra did not make himself a ready scribe when he was instructed to go from Babylon to Jerusalem.  Nor did he prepare himself once he heard he would be going.  He was a ready scribe and his heart was prepared while in captivity to the pagan government around him.  This is very telling of a man’s faith and integrity.  Jeremiah prophesied the exact length of the captivity for Judah.  It would be 70 years.  Ezra, being a scribe, would have known that.  So, when Cyrus decreed the return of the Jews to rebuild the temple, he would not have been surprised.  However, there was no prophecy that he would be among those to return.  When those who were named among the returning, he placed himself in such a situation as to be one of those blessed re-patriated Hebrew.  In short, Ezra did not allow the adverse circumstances of his life to hinder preparation for God’s use.  He did not allow the persecution or abuse to stop him from being prepared when the LORD called him.  This preparation amid adversity is the principle under consideration this morning.

We have endured many stories of the klondike derby here.  But we will have to endure at least one more.  For those unfamiliar, the Klondike derby was a weekend set aside in February when the Boy Scouts of a certain region would get together and compete amid harsh winter conditions.  Part of the competition was a dog sled race without the dogs.  That was the last competition.  The day starts with reveille.  Then each troop of boys would go from one station to another and compete in several skills.  From knot tying to first aid; from team building to fire building; or from survival skills to orienteering.  We would compete for the best times or the best skills.  Once a station was completed, the patrol (smaller group from the troop) would push their sled to the next station.  But before all that happens, the troops can report to the camping site the night before.  Friday night saw several young boys prepare and set up tents, cook supper, clean up, and get ready for bed.  This was a difficult task, to say the least.  One would think the task of setting up a camp is several feet of snow, clearing a site, finding firewood, cooking supper, and preparing our beds would have been work enough.  However, our Scoutmaster was not content.  When all was ready and we were all set for bed, he would have us drill and drill again.  We would prepare no matter the cold, snow, or winds that blew.  This wore us out and we never could finish at the top when the race came around.  But what it did was two things.  First, we would often win the skills competition, or at the very least, come in a close second.  This preparation amid adversity also toughened us up to spend a second night in the cold wilderness.  Something no other troop was willing to do.

When adversity comes we have one of two choices.  We can either wilt under it and allow the circumstance to dictate to us what we will or will not do, or, what we will or will not be.  We can sit idle and wait for the adversity to end.  Or, we can choose to overcome the adversity as best we can.  We can seek the strength of the LORD and prepare for the time when adversity will eventually end.  My mind cannot help but make the connection with how churches choose to respond to COVID.  We can either shut the doors and wait for the storm to pass.  Or, we can do what ministry is available, looking down the road knowing this too shall pass.  We can either continue and refocus our attention on what can be done, or we sit and wait for it all to be over.  Paul warns of the latter in his letter to the Thessalonians.  They were sitting on their rooftops waiting for the return of Jesus.  What a waste of time.  Sure, our ministry may be hindered in the manner we used to do it, but as long as the LORD is on the throne, there will still be a way to get it done.  So, let us pray for strength, integrity, hope, and faith.  Let us continue to prepare and be ready.  For, the opportunity may be just around the corner.