Clean Feet, Ready Ear

“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.” (Ec 5:1 AV)

 

There are two instructions from our preacher regarding our attendance at the house of God.  The worshipper must keep his foot and be more ready to hear.  The second is rather easy to understand.  We come to the house of God to hear from God.  It is wise to hold one’s tongue for the privilege to hear the Spirit of God speak to our hearts.  The first phrase, “keep thy foot”,  is a little more obscure.  Commentators tend to come down on two possible meanings.  The first is simply to watch how one walks with God as he intends to go to worship.  However, we should watch how we walk regardless of where we are walking to.  We should walk with God Monday through Saturday as much as we do on Sunday.  The other possibility is the custom of removing one’s shoes or sandals and washing the feet upon entering holy ground.   Both Moses and Joshua were told to remove their shoes when approaching the presence of God.  In Exodus chapter thirty, the priests are instructed to wash their hands and feet before entering the tabernacle or temple.  The idea was to remove any evidence of the filth of the world before they entered into the service of the LORD.

There were a few years when my parents would take us to our grandparent's house at a regular interval.  I cannot remember if it was every other week or once a month.  However, I do remember the ritual of getting there.  It always started with a quick washing of the face and hands as well as putting on our best play clothes.  We had four sets of clothes.  We had the set we wore when we get into all sorts of things.  This set could get dirty, ripped, or worn and my Mom was ok with it.  Then there were the casual play clothes.  These clothes were not worn or mended.  They were worn we played, but not dirty or rough play.  There there was the set we wore to school.  We had uniforms which the school system required.  Then there was the Sunday best.  That is the set we always kept for Sunday church service.  As soon as we got home, off they would come and we would be in one of the two sets of play clothes.  The point was, we dressed appropriately to the purpose of our lives at the time.  We did not wear our church clothes to go out and play ball.  We didn’t wear our grungy clothes to church.  When going to Grandma’s house or church, we cleaned up.  If my mother saw a smudge, a spit shine was in order.  Which, by the way, I always thought was really gross!

We have allowed way too much of the world into our churches.  We are not treating the house of prayer as the special place that it is.  We come to church in whatever condition we feel like and expect God to accept our offering.  The world must be removed!  It must be removed from our music.  The world must be removed from our demeanor.  The world must be cleansed from our appearance.  Which is really the greatest fault of all.  It astounds me how many fundamental camps are trying to get as close to worldly fashion and still call themselves Christian.  Nowadays, our Christan young people are dressing like the punk people of my generation.  It is appalling.  We should know better.  We expect this from the world.  And the LORD bless them no matter how they come to church.  We are thrilled they come.  But for those who name the name of Christ, they need to remove their shoes and clean off the dirt of the world.  Leave the trendy fashion and personal appearance for the carnal world, but please, don’t bring it into the house of God.  God deserves better!

Life is Not Perfect - Accept It

“That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.” (Ec 1:15 AV)

 

Our writer, after divine wisdom was granted and years of observation, came to the conclusion that when all is said and done, nothing in this life can be truly and perfectly fixed.  Nor will there ever be a time when something doesn’t need to be done or a need to be met.  To desire a perfect life with all anxiety fled away because there are no needs and no faults is naïve.

Yesterday, we had a workday around our church.  We knocked off a few items of utmost importance.  Fixing our handicap ramp, changing our sanctuary lighting, organizing our kitchen, and a bunch of little things as well.  We are also planning on painting the outside of our church and parsonage.  It was truly interesting hearing the ideas and dreams of others concerning more improvement projects.  There is fixing the front entrance.  There is fixing an exterior wall.  We have to fix the entrances to the restrooms.  The office has to be reorganized.  A pastor’s office needs to be built.  Air conditioning needs to be installed.  Heat registers need to be replaced.  Then we started discussing remodeling.  That is when the dollar signs began to climb higher.  There was a total renovation of the downstairs with a new kitchen, bathrooms, and classroom space.  Upstairs was also a dream.  An upstairs bathroom, new handicap entrance, carpet, chairs, and repaint.  The more we talked, the more ideas flowed.  The thing is, no matter what you do, it only takes a few years before more maintenance is on the calendar.  Owning a building is a never-ending part-time job.  There is mowing the lawn.  There are flowers to plant and gardens to weed.  There are windows to clean, floors to mop, and faucets needing repair.  It never stops.  There is always something to do and there is never a point in life when our to-do list is empty.

Solomon’s point is well taken.  We live with the idea that life can be perfect.  We live with the idea that one morning, we will wake up and the cupboard will be well-stocked with a lifetime’s worth of victuals.  We think all we have to do is take a magic pill and we will forever be in perfect health.  We live in a Star Trek generation that thinks all one needs is a replicator and a ship.  Nothing but fun and exploration with no real needs to consider.  If you are sick or injured, all one needs to do is go to sickbay, have the doctor wave a magic wand, and you are completely whole.  How absolutely foolish.  We live in a fallen world and because of our sin, there will never be perfect.  Because we live in a fallen world, there will always be something that needs mending.  We threw away perfection in the garden of Eden. Since then, everything has been crooked.  There is nothing made straight.  Since then, we have to till the ground by the sweat of our brow.  We threw it all away and not we have to live in the reality that life will never be perfect on this side of glory.  The sooner we internalize and accept this truth, the quicker we become content with life as it is.

Grateful For Those Who Rebuke

“Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities.” (Ps 141:5 AV)

 

The righteous above does not necessarily mean those that walk with God.  In my study, I am inclined to think the righteous here is anyone who may be in a position of authority and able to render righteous judgment.  The last part of the verse and the following one lend themselves to this understanding.  The oil above that might break the head is about the custom of pouring oil on the head that was stored in a breakable container.  Like an alabaster box.  It was broken on the head and the oil would run on the head.  The writer is saying even though it might hurt a bit, it will not break his head.  Our writer is showing a great deal of maturity here.  Regardless of one’s standing before God, if he is rendering righteous judgment, then it is a good thing.  It should be appreciated.  It should be welcomed.  And the judgment should change the life.

How many of us have accused a teacher of an unfair grade?  The unfair grade may have come after a pop quiz.  Or, it may have come at the grading of a test that was replete with trick questions.  Or, it may have come when we received an exam in the narrative form.  We did our research, wrote the paper, and checked it for errors.  Yet, in the end, we received a grade far lower than we anticipated.  It’s that second example that riled this writer.  There are tests with fair questions.  They there are tests written for the sole purpose of tripping up the student.  As a teacher, I will admit I wrote an exam or two like that.  But to be fair, I gave the answers to those who earned them.  These tests were written punitively for students who were completely out of control in the classroom.  However, there are times when a teacher or professor will write an exam that is very difficult only because we did not heed his advice closely enough.  We did not read the material, take classroom notes, or ask the appropriate questions beforehand.  The grade we got was the grade we deserved regardless of how we felt about it.  The grade may have smarted a bit, but it was a lesson in hard work and being prepared.

The LORD sends all sorts of people or circumstances our way to correct wrong behavior.  Our response to that correction will tell us a lot of how maturity level.  Do we appreciate being told we are wrong?  Do we appreciate having to fix what we did wrong?  Are we grateful for the corrective measures this judgment rendered on a heart that was in error?  The psalmist is truly appreciative of the rebuke and promises to pray for the authority figure when his or her life isn’t what they desire it to be.  He is grateful to the point that he can empathize with those who rebuked him when it is their turn to be rebuked.  This is true spiritual maturity and the best way in which we can grow unto Christlikeness.

Always There and Always Doing

“Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Ps 139:10 AV)

 

Psalm 139 is a psalm about God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence as it affects the very creation and life of an individual.  The Psalmist declares God’s sovereignty and decrees where it concerns his life.  This psalm is a psalm of great comfort to those who dwell on the very basic questions of life.  Who am I?  Where did I come from?  Why am I here?  This psalm is a lengthy psalm and in the section of verse ten, the Psalmist is observing that no matter where is he, from his conception to eternity, God is there.  Even more importantly, in the above verse, he is recalling God leads and empowers him every moment of every day.  No matter where he is or what he is going through, God is there to show him wherein he is to walk and keeping him in the palm of His hand.  Perception is not necessarily reality.  We may perceive there are times when God seems present and other times He does not, but that doesn’t make it so.  Our writer is giving us the eternal truth of God’s never-ending involvement in our lives regardless of whether we see it or do not see it.

Because we are linear thinkers, we compartmentalize our lives.  Even though there are events in our lives that transcend all our compartments.  For example,  we have appointments throughout the week.  We have a schedule.  We go shopping, we go to the doctors, we go to the restaurant, or we go get gas.  When we are home we do the dishes, walk the dog, cook breakfast, and clean the bathroom.  Our lives are filled with tasks and places to be.  These are all organized into a workable schedule.  We pay bills, we go to church, we call the kids, we get showered and dressed.  Our days are filled with things that need to get done or places we need to be.  We study for our Sunday school lesson, we get caught up on the news, we check up on our elderly parents, and we share the gospel with a complete stranger.  Our lives are filled with events.  Each separate and apart from the next even though they are part of a cohesive flow.  Among all of these things, there are events that we take absolutely no notice of.  These events are necessary more so than those things listed above.  Because of their nature, however, we never really pay any attention.  Our hearts beat somewhere between 70 -160 beats per minute depending on our activity level.  We breathe in and out several times a minute.  Our brains fire signals from one nerve ending to another.  These things are automatic.  The reason we take little notice of them unless something is wrong precisely because they are automatic.  No planning is required.  They operate behind the scenes.  Often taken for granted and relied upon.  There is no break in their operation.  The heart continues to beat.  The lungs continue to expand and contracts.  The brain continues to think.  They are ever-present and never cease to function.

Often, this is how we view God.  Or, should we say, fail to perceive God.  My God is with me every nano-second of my life.  Paul tells us in Colossians that by Christ, all things consist.  That is, Jesus Christ, also God, sustains all of creation and it is by His power every sub-atomic particle moves.  Paul tells us in Acts chapter seventeen it is in the Father that we all have our being.  Imagine if you could carry your heart outside of your body and watch it beat where ever you are?  Would that not change our attitude towards the health of our hearts?  Would that not change our gratitude that such a muscle exists which sustains and gives life?  It would radically change our interaction with our hearts and make our hearts far more personal.  God is spirit.  We cannot produce God.  We must see Him with the eyes of faith.  In seeing Him with the eyes of faith we can agree with our Psalmist that He leads us every moment and holds us up that we live, and move, and have our being.  If we could simply remember that God never leaves, this would change everything.  If we stopped compartmentalizing God into events like devotions and church attendance, then our lives would be radically different.

God's Motive For Forgiveness

“But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.” (Ps 130:4 AV)

 

Why do we seek the forgiveness of God?  Is it because we feel ashamed and we desire to be affirmed once again by the loving heart of our Father?  Is it because the circumstances of our sin are too great to bear and we think if the Father forgives us, then He will ease the burden?  Is it because we fear that if we do not, then the LORD will rain upon us unabated wrath?  Do we fear that others will find out?  What is our reason?  Our writer tells us a very important reason why God grants forgiveness.  This may not be our motive, but it is certainly His.  There is forgiveness with God that He might be feared.  On this, Albert Barnes says, “The idea is, not that pardon produces fear or terror - for the very reverse is true - but that God, by forgiving the sinner, brings him to reverence him, to worship him, to serve him: that is, the sinner is truly reconciled to God, and becomes a sincere worshipper. The offender is so pardoned that he is disposed to worship and honor God, for God has revealed himself as one who forgives sin, in order that the sinner may be encouraged to come to him, and be his true worshipper.”  In simple terms, there is forgiveness with God so that we will see Him and treat Him as God.

Think of this from a father’s point of view.  If he forgave his child for disobedience without any reciprocation of respect, what would be the reason to grant it?  Why would the child seek his father’s forgiveness in the first place?  When my sons disobeyed, the process of restoration was pretty much the same.  I would call him into my office or den.  I would ask him what we did.  If he genuinely did not know, I would charge him with wrongdoing in the form of a question.  It wasn’t a statement.  It was an allegation.  “Did you forget to study for that test and as a result, failed it?”  “Your mother told you to pick up your room.  Is it?”  “I specifically told you not to hang out with those kids?  Where you down at the park with them?”  I knew the answer.  I was interrogating.  “Yes” would be his response.  “Yes, what?”  Then he would have to rehearse the exact wrongdoing he did.  I then asked, “Well, what do you think your punishment ought to be?”  After the punishment was pronounced, I asked if I could have a hug.  This may seem like a lot of drama.  But there is a point to all of it.  There must be an acknowledgment of disobedience.  However, there must also be an understanding that forgiveness is granted that my son would once again treat my authority as something to respect and follow.  With the LORD it is even more personal than that.  Not only is He out for our respect of His authority but more importantly, respect for His person.

As stated before, the reasons we seek the forgiveness of God vary.  They vary for reasons of which He does not desire.  There are other reasons God forgives.  He forgives that He might exercise His attributes of mercy, grace, and benevolence.  He forgives that we might repent of our sin, appreciating His grace, and forsake our sin.  He forgives that His name might be glorified among the children of men.  He forgives for all those reasons and more.  But our psalmist points out an equally important reason.  He forgives that men might worship and honor Him as he should be.  He forgives only when we approach Him with the right heart.  He forgives when we acknowledge His sovereignty and His right to be displeased at what we have done.  He forgives, as the prodigal’s father did when we acknowledge our guilt and lack of standing before Him.  He forgives that we might be reminded that He is God and we are the workmanship of His hand.  He forgives to remind us we are in deep need of His love and care and that we might rest in that grace.  He forgives that He might be feared.

Don't Go Down For the Count

“Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.” (Ps 119:133 AV)

 

The quest for liberty from sin is in the heart of those who walk with God.  It was sin that was sending us to a devil’s hell,  and it is sin that robs us of God’s greatest blessings of life.  Sin is not freedom.  No matter what the devil wants to tell us, sin is bondage.  Even apart from consequences from sinful choices, sin is still entrapping.  We all have those sins that doth so easily beset us.  Some of us struggle with food addictions.  Some of us struggle with our caffeine addictions.  Some of us cannot turn off the television or put down the phone.  Then some are into even more damaging sin like pornography, drugs, or alcohol.  Each promises liberty and freedom.  Yet each results in the exact opposite.  Our writer desires true liberty.  Liberty to from sin unto obedience.  Obedience means freedom from guilt and shame.  Obedience means freedom to serve God.  Obedience means freedom to know who Jesus is and live Him with all our hearts.  This is what the writer wants.

My brother Chris and I used to wrestle a lot.  We used to wrestle because he could never pin me.  I was too thin and squirrelly for him to get a hold of me and set me on my shoulders.  We would wrestle at least twice a week.  Often, it would be spontaneous.  Walking into our bedroom, he would jump me, and off we’d go.  Playing tackle football outside, his tackles took way too long.  He would turn it into an opportunity to try to pin me.  Many of our bouts came on the front lawn.  Jumping in a pile of leaves, he saw his opportunity.  Epic failure!  I think not!  No pinning there, either. Did I forget to mention he was my older brother and at least a foot taller than me?  What really frustrated him was how I laughed at his attempts.  I would laugh and laugh.  The only time he could pin me was when I laughed so hard I lost strength.  We did this for years.  I could count on two hands the times he was successful.  For the most part, he never could get me down.  I hated being dominated.  Never did like it.  Even in school, the LORD provided me ways to avoid or escape the bully’s abuse.  Domination was not something I looked for.  It was something I sought to dominate myself.

Our writer does not like to be dominated.  Not by sin, anyway.  He desires no sin to have dominion over him.  This requires understanding the power of specific sins.  Our writer is not asking for liberty from sin in general because he knows to be free from sin, it has to be handled individually.  Confession over individual sins.  Practical steps to overcome individual sins.  And most of all, the word of God which addresses that specific sin had to be learned, memorized, quoted and applied.  David wants his freedom.  As a leader, he does not want to be led.  He wants to lead.  He wants to dictate terms.  He wants to look that monster called sin right in the face and tell it to leave off.  He knows how important the word of God is and seeks God’s influence via the word of God to get the monkeys off his back.  He wants it gone.  He wants to be free.  He wants no sin to control his life so that he can be free to love his God.  That is the freedom we should all seek.

Huge Hearts Hasten Compliance

“I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.” (Ps 119:32 AV)

 

Of course, we know the theme of this psalm is the word of God and its many applications to the writer.  The psalm is written in 26 octets, each stressing a letter in the Hebrew alphabet.  The psalm was a primer for the writer’s children to learn the Hebrew language as well as the importance of the written word of God.  Time and again, the writer expresses his desire to live in the word of God.  He lists the benefits that come with living in the word of God.  Above, we see a very important principle.  The saint who desires to live according to the word of God cannot unless God enlarges the heart.  Note also the writer states he will run, and not walk, in the word of God.  This intimates the pace at which the writer sees himself committed to living in the word of God.  If the LORD does not enlarge his heart, then there can be no quick submission to the word of God.  So, the question is, what is this enlarging of the heart?  For this, we can go to another passage in which God gives to the son of this writer that very thing.

Upon Solomon’s request, the Bible tells us God gave Solomon enlargement of the heart.  “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.”  (1Ki 4:29)  Many commentators assume enlargement of the heart here means an understanding heart.  They propose the enlargement of the heart was the ability to understand mysteries obscured to other men.  However, this does not jive with the list of things named in the verse.  There is a distinction between wisdom and understanding.  The list then contains a third.  That is largeness of heart.  To understand this more, let us consider a definition of ‘heart’ as used in the Bible. “According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life” (Easton’s Bible Dictionary.  The word heart is used in conjunction with the mind, will, and emotions.  In some cases, it is used in the place of each.  With the understanding of our definition above, the heart can be that which gives life to the spiritual, as well as the physical, person.  Enlargement of the heart then would be desire, strength, and focus to attain what one should be attaining.  In this case, it is living in the word of God.  What we want to notice here is that David states he will run in the path of the commandments of God as God gives him enlargement of the heart.

The Bible also teaches us we have no natural desire to walk in the commandments of the word of God.  If we do walk therein, it only comes by the power of God.   Philippians chapter two, verse thirteen,  states, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” We often fail because we rely on our own strength to succeed. David is putting the responsibility of his success on God.  He is saying that as God enables him, he will run in the path of the word of God.  One might celebrate this truth.  But there is great caution as well.  It is God’s desire we walk according to His word.  To put that responsibility on God and then assume if one fails, God has not enabled would be the gravest of errors.  If we are asking God, or as David did, promising God we will walk in His word as He enables us, that is exactly what He will do.  He provides the Spirit of God, the word of God, and the church as the means to enable us to walk within the word of God.  If we are failing, then we are not relying on the enlargement of the heart which He provides.  We are relying on our own strength.  Let us pray the LORD enlarges our heart that we might run in the ways of the word of God!

In Loving Memory

“Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.” (Ps 112:6 AV)

 

Does it matter how we are remembered?  Once a person passes on, he has no knowledge of how those left behind will live.  He will not see his own funeral.  He will not hear all the accolades heaped upon his memory.  He will not see the tears shed for his passing.  If he is saved, he will bask in the glory of the LORD Jesus Christ and his attention will be fixed on the one who have His life for him.  If he is lost, the torment of eternal hell fire we be so overwhelming, pain will be the only input into his mind and heart.  So the question remains.  Does it matter how we are remembered?  Perhaps a better question would be, do it matter what those left behind do with the memory of us we leave?  It is one thing to eulogize the deceased and honor that which they have done.  Quite another to look up to the memory of the deceased trying to live up to the example he or she left behind.  This is the meaning of the second phrase of our verse.  The righteous will be remembered for all of eternity as a means to be an example for others to follow.

In any church, there are usually items purchased and used in the memory of someone who had passed.  They can vary widely.  A few pews might have a little metal tag on them that might read something similar to, “donated in loving memory of” followed by the memory of a past member.  One of my former pastors would not allow such items because one they are purchased and used, as long as there was a living relative or friend, the item could not be replaced or discarded.  That pew would be there until the rapture.  However, there are those items donated to the memory of a deceased saint that reflected his or her impact on the church while they were living.  One church if which I had a relationship, had a flagpole and memorial for all those who served in the military sent out from their church.  This was an older church and those listed went as far back as the Civil war.  There was another church that had the privilege of a library donated by a former pastor.  This library was open for use by the members of the church.  Another church built a gym and missions quarters and named it after a former pastor who had a deep love for missions.  In fact, he brought them out of a denomination that had no heart for missions into another that did.  I have seen a brand-new piano donated to the loving member of a former church pianist, a lecture given to the loving memory of a Sunday school teacher, and hymnals given by the family of a music director.  These types of memorials are a remembrance of an individual who served the LORD in faithfulness and humility.  These types of memorials are a subtle way for the impact of the life of that righteous saint to continue to impact lives long after their departing.

When the promise above is given that the memory of the righteous will continue, perhaps we can ask ourselves a question.  When we leave this planet, will our lives have such an impact that the memory of them will motivate others to do likewise?  Will the memory of our lives change the lives of others?  If someone were to write our biography, upon reading it, would the reader be inspired to a deeper life of commitment to God?  If someone were to place a tag on an item in church that said, “in loving memory” with our name to follow, what would it be?  Would it be something the church needed to purchase and didn’t have the funds?  Or, would it be something that reflected our life’s purpose?  Will be pass from this life to the next only to have those left behind to struggle remembering us at all?  Will they remember a faithful Sunday school teacher who had an impact?  Will they remember someone who sang special music, played and instrument, or sang in the choir with their whole heart invested in the glory of God?  Will they remember someone who sacrificed for the needs of others?  Will they remember someone with impeccable character who discipled others into Christlikeness?  Or, will they simple see a shadow of someone who sat in the same spot but never made any impact at all?

Remember Past Deliverance for Strength in Present Trouble

“Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” (Ps 107:19-21 AV)

The theme of this psalm is the history of God meeting Israel in their distress.  The LORD pulls them from these distresses again and again.  Although there is some reference to the time of the Judges, the overall history is somewhat vague.  The point of the psalm is more about God’s mercy and faithfulness than it is about specific failures of the nation of Israel.  What jumped out at me this morning was verse twenty-one in the context of the preceding verses.  It is easy to forget the deliverance of God in past distresses when one is currently going though trouble.  It is easy to set one’s eyes on the trouble at hand and completely forget the LORD had delivered from so much more.  This is the point of verse twenty-one.  We can choose to either allow the current distress to overwhelm us, or we can remember how faithful God has been in the past as our strength to endure the present.

I have had a few medical challenges alone my journey and I am sure these things have only begun.  I have had a bone spur in my back that put me down for a few years way back in my early twenties.  I have had several concussions, tonsillitis, a couple of broken bones, pneumonia, shoulder surgery, and plantar fasciitis.  I’ve also found out that I have a genetic condition of the brain that makes life a bit more challenging.  The last diagnosis is perhaps the most difficult of the previously mentioned hurdles.  In a lot of ways, it mimics MS.  There are other symptoms that arise especially when I am fatigued.  When I have bad days, it is easy to forget all that God has brought me through.  From a three day stint in the hospital as an adolescent, without my Mom or dad spending that time with me, do recovering from surgery, the LORD gave me all I needed to get through those times.  He has given me the correct treatment and the ability to adapt to my situation so that I can still effectively serve Him.

There have been many trying times in ministry.  Times when I didn’t think I was going to make it.  Times of church splits, churches dissolving, or church politics that made ministry a nightmare.  Now, the common situation among many churches is declining membership and few conversions.  COVID hastened the inevitable.  Or so it seems.  But through all those times of challenge, God was still there.  He saw us through some of the hardest times and through it all, the faithful were spiritually made stronger.

Then there are personal issues like the loss of loved ones.  Or your family growing up and leaving home.  Or battles over sin that seem to never get any better.  These personal issues may be the worst to deal with.  These issues reflect who we are as a person and a child of God.  We tend to look at some of these things a bit more critically than we should.  What should be seen as a success is sometimes seen as a failure.  Yet, the LORD it there.  He has always been there.  He goes through this with us.  The Spirit of God uses the word of God as a source of comfort and encouragement.  He sends others along who have experienced the same things as a testament to His faithfulness.  God has delivered and will always deliver.  The answer is to remember His deliverance in the past as a way to get through the present.  One day, our pilgrimage will be over and all these things will be forgotten.  The LORD will permanently deliver when we stand before Him.  Our battle will be over.  Christ will win!  Guaranteed.

Compassion On The Self-destructive

“Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:” (Ps 106:44 AV)

 

This psalm is a record of the failures of Israel to trust the LORD from the time they left Egypt until the end of Judges.  Time and again, they bucked against the provision and purpose of God for them.  The struggle in the wilderness was mostly a lack of faith.  There was the time when they coupled with the nation of Moab.  God sent fiery serpents among them and killed tens of thousands.  There was also the golden calf which Aaron made when Moses was on the mountain receiving the law from God.  However, for the most part, it was a lack of faith and contentment that strained their relationship with the LORD while they wandered in the wilderness.  Once Joshua was dead, they people began to pursue relationships with the nations around them.  This led to repeated moral and spiritual failures.  The LORD allowed these new ‘friends’ to conquer the Jewish people and subjugate them to taxation and vexation.  They would cry to the LORD for relief.  Time and again, the LORD brough them out by the hand of a judge.  The last was Samuel.  What amazes me is the patience and love of God towards His wayward children.  He never gave up on Israel and He will never give up on us.

It’s kind of hard watching your child suffer.  Even if it was self-inflicted, there comes a time when Mom or Dad simply cannot watch their child in agony and does something about it.  The more severe the circumstances, the quicker Mom or Dad act.  I know I have related this story before, but it bears repeating.  My sister and I were walking through a department store and she dared me to shoplift.  Being the idiot I was and wanting to impress my older sister, I complied. It wasn’t even worth the effort.  I say a little whistle in the penny box and decided it wouldn’t be too bad.  Surely they wouldn’t care.  Boy, was I wrong.  No sooner did I put that whistle in my pocket then the loss prevention officer scooped us up and hauled us to his office.  He called my father.  We knew what that meant.  Usually, it meant we would get a spanking right outside the store before we even go into the car.  The embarrassment of getting spanked in public was horrible.  So, we sat, waiting on my father.  And we sat and sat and sat.  Our house was less than ten minutes from the store.  My father waited six hours before he came.  In the meantime, police officers would come and go through this office.  This gave us the impression they would haul us off to jail at any moment because we thought our Dad had given up on us.  After six hours, he arrived and we were excused from the office.  My dad spent a moment with the store manager and loss prevention officer.  When he came out he simply said one little sentence.  “Let’s go to the car.” He never said another word.  On the ride home, not a word.  When we got home, not a word.  He figured he made us point by scaring us half to death while we waited and waited and waited.  My father showed great wisdom and compassion that day.  A lesson I never forgot.

We get ourselves in all sorts of trouble.  Yet when the circumstances of those choices come home to roost, the LORD is there to help us through them.  He rarely completely takes them away.  But the Spirit is there to comfort us as we suffer for our wickedness.  Like Mom who rocks us and holds us after Dad spanks us, the Spirit is there to give us the strength and share the love of God while we endure what we rightly deserve.  God hears our cry.  He sees our affliction.  This affliction came because we chose not to obey or trust God.  The cry comes because we didn’t have the courage or discipline to follow Christ.  These things come upon us because we are weak and frail.  The LORD knows our limitations.  He knows how frail we are.  He knows what we can and cannot do.  So, there He is.  Looking upon our self-inflicted affliction and hearing the cries of agony because we are human, and shows compassion beyond our wishes.  He is faithful, longsuffering, and full of compassions.  His mercy fails not!

The Time to Pray For Israel is Now

“Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.” (Ps 102:13 AV)

 

Israel has been in the news recently.  It seems it always is.  However, recently there has been an escalation of violence against her and anyone of Jewish descent.  Hamas is lobbing missiles into Israeli territory.  There have been numerous attacks on Jewish people in major cities throughout the world.  Just an aside, but one of the proofs to me that God is real and the Bible is authoritative is how the world treats the Jewish people.  They have been hated for thousands of years.  If the Bible were not true, then why hate the Jew?  If they are not God’s chosen people, what difference would it make if they existed?  The violence aimed at Israel is only evidence of their status before God and God’s promised favor upon them.  As we see above, the writer believes now is the time for God to show His favor towards His chosen people. It is always the time!  Time for God’s N.T. people to pray more earnestly for Israel.  We need to pray for her conversion to Christ.  We need to pray for God’s protection.  We need to pray for the peace of Israel, which is, the return of the Messiah to conquer all her enemies.

I know we are in trouble when there are evangelical Christians who do not back Israel.  Increasingly, those who call themselves Christians are waning in their support for God’s chosen people.  Granted, they rejected Christ and had a hand in His crucifixion. For that, the Bible tells us they will be judged.  But that is no reason to reject them.  Rome had a hand in it, too.  The Gentile world, represented by Rome was the government that killed Him.  We are equally culpable for the death of the Messiah.  Today’s modern and warped theological camps have chosen to believe God is done with Israel.  The only way to come to this conclusion if one does not read the Bible literally.  Major ‘Christian camps are supporting the fake plight of the Palestinian as if they were the original settlers of Canaan.  They were not nor are the descendants of those who Israel conquered.  Israel stands as the owner of Palestine because God gave it to them.  There need be no other reason.

Israel must suffer more.  It will endure the most severe persecution to date when they enter the seven-year tribulation.  A remnant will escape into the wilderness and they will be the seed from which Jesus repopulates the world.  They will be the heads of the twelve tribes who make it into the millennial reign with their Messiah promised through David.  Note also the writer tells us the time is set.  There is a date, sometime in the future, when Jesus will return and He will sit upon His throne showing favor and love to the Father’s chosen.  He will bless Israel and she will reign with Him for a thousand years.  Israel will be the administrative arm of the Messianic kingdom and apply God’s holy law to the inhabitants of the world.  This time is set.  This time is coming.  And we as the saints of God should be praying for it.

Manipulation By Complaint

“When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:” (Ps 95:9-10 AV)

 

A thought occurred as I was reading this psalm.  The psalm is written as a reflection of Israel’s journey through the wilderness.  For the most part, the issue of murmuring and complaining is the issue of the psalm.  Israel’s behavior is compared against God’s grace.  The thought that stuck in my head was the first part of our passage above.  A question entered my mind.  Was the proving and tempting which the people of God expressed manifested by their murmuring and complaining.  Is the habit of complaining the same as testing God to see if He is what He claims to be?  Is murmuring a subtle way of motivating God to do what we think He should do?  Is complaining a way of testing God’s love for us?  Is murmuring a way of wearing down the divine resolve to manipulate and outcome we desire?  If so, I completely understand why God hates murmuring and complaining.

When it comes to murmuring as a technique for manipulation, a child comes to mind.  They are professionals!  It doesn’t matter what the object. If they do not like what they have, complaining about it might bring change.  My parents did not tolerate complaining one bit.  If we complained about anything, it was taken away and nothing was given as a replacement.  For instance, if we complained about the meal my mother fixed, our plate would be removed and we went hungry.  There were a few things my mother made that did not make it on the favorites list.  Salmon patties were one of them.  Growing up catholic, Friday nights during lent meant fish.  She made the most awesome tuna casserole.  I think the recipe is safeguarded in the national vaults.  We also had fish sticks when they came out.  However, because my father liked salmon patties, every now and again they would grace the table.  The problem with salmon patties is I don’t think the next county over should be able to smell what you are having for dinner.  There is no masking that smell!  Salmon patties are strong!  They could wake Lazarus from the tombs!  Yet, if we complained about it, no dessert that night and we went to bed hungry.  Crying and whining about anything my parents provided often met with a spanking and going without.  Our murmuring never resulted in change.

If the assertion above is right, then when we complain we are acting like little children who are trying to manipulate the actions of God.  No wonder He lost patience with them from time to time.  We need to grow up!  God is a great God who loves us more than we could ever begin to understand.  He has provided His best for us.  He has given us what we need to grow up into the saint He desires us to be.  And the saint which he desires us to be is the saint that will experience life to the fullest.  He does not give us evil gifts.  He gives us good gifts.  We complain about life when life is what we have made it.  We fight against God because we think we know what will make us happy.  Just like a child who is refused what he thinks will make him happy only to discover what dad had for him all along, the saint tests the resolve of God.  Yet, God loves us enough to hold back that which is not in our best interest despite the complaining and provides His best for us.  So, we need to stop complaining and express our gratitude for how good God is to us!  We need to stop looking at what we do not have and appreciate what God has done.  We need to stop proving God and treating him like a child does his parent.  We need to stop thinking so little of God that we think He can be manipulated into doing for us what we want instead of what is best for us.

Praise the LORD for His 'Nevertheless'

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.” (Pr 19:21 AV)

 

There are a few applications to the truth above.  First, we must admit our minds and hearts imagine many possibilities.  That is what the devices here are.  They are possibilities and the means to accomplish those possibilities.  We imagine attaining eternally physical life.  All that stops us, so we think, is the right discovery from science.  The problem is, our mortality is not a scientific problem.  Our mortality is a spiritual problem.  It is sin that takes the body into the grave and unless mankind can live in sinless perfection, then no matter what new technology arrives, it will never lead to eternal life.  We can imagine time travel.  However, no amount of math or physics can undo an event.  Once an event has occurred, it is always in the past.  There is no undoing it.  We can imagine a society wherein all things are fair and just.  However, mankind is naturally wicked and for man to solve his own wickedness is impossible.  When it comes to our everyday lives, we also imagine possibilities.  A new career.  A new move.  A talent to explore and excel within.  Getting married to a certain person.  Buying our dream home.  Going on an extended vacation.  These things can be imagined. There is one word which we would like to deeply consider this morning.  That one word is ‘nevertheless’.

Last night, we were door-knocking.  Our call is to bring the love of Jesus to our neighbors and friends.  We do not naturally look for it because like Adam and Eve, our sin causes us to run from God rather than run to God.  Several homes we touched had mothers with children.  One such home had a Mom who was working on getting her toddler bathed, changed, and off to bed.  Needless to say, we didn’t monopolize her time amid this daunting challenge.  The thing with toddlers is they think they have more options than they actually have.  This young child may think he has the run of the house, but Mom has other plans.  He has the appearance of self-determination.  And that may be so in a very limited way.  But Mom is bigger, faster, and smarter.  She has a plan and that plan will come to pass.  This child may stall for a couple of more minutes of ‘freedom’, but that is only because Mom permits it to be so.  That child may have seen a mess of toys in the playroom, some snacks in the cupboard, or the dog to play with, nevertheless, he was getting a bath and going to bed!

There is another way to look at this, too.  The understanding of the verse is very plain.  We may imagine all sorts of possibilities, but the sovereign hand of God limits them.  We may have a certain ability of self-determination, but it is always limited to God’s perfect plan.  However, think about it this way.  If the above child was allowed to do whatever he wanted to do, whenever he wanted to do it, and however he wanted, just imagine how much harm he might get into.  He might eat some poison, play with an unfriendly dog, or collapse in complete exhaustion causing severe injury in the process.  As he grows, the possibilities become even more severely consequential.  With each possibility comes consequences.  A child unrestrained will grow up to be a monster that hurts himself and others.  Now, think of our verse.  Notice the juxtaposition between many and nevertheless.  This suggests the restrains God places on us are many.  They are equal to that which He has not willed.  This also suggests the confining will of God has protected us from unlimited and devastating harm that we cannot even begin to fathom the breadth of it.  Praise God for the ‘nevertheless’!  What grace and love our God has for His children!

Send The Storm

“So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.” (Ps 83:15 AV)

 

The psalm is a prayer for relief.  In particular, Israel is seeking relief from a world that hates them.  In previous verses, there are ten nation-states named.  These cities or kingdoms neighbor Israel.  There is a reference to Gentile nations invading Israel and Jerusalem in particular.  These haters of God’s people seek to destroy them and the temple in which they worship.  This psalm pleads for the God of Israel to intervene that the sons of men might know themselves to be but men.  Their prayer is for God to come and in no uncertain terms, exercise His mighty power that the hateful workers of iniquity might learn to fear God again.  The prayer is not necessarily for the destruction of the wicked; although that is inevitable.  Rather, the writer first desires for the wicked to fear God.  The hope is they might be converted even though that would be highly unlikely.  In short, the verse above is asking for severe and adverse conditions that might stir the wicked heart of mankind to fear their maker.

We do a lot of door-knocking.  Personally, I spend four to six hours a week knocking on doors and talking to people.  In any given week, the LORD allows me to personally talk to somewhere between 100-150 people about their need to repent and seek God.  Since last March, I have anticipated a drastic change in the hearts of mankind.  Faced with a virus that was touted as the end of the planet as we know it, I was expecting hearts to be softened.  This was the case for the first few months.  As the ‘crisis’ began to settle in as more of an annoyance than a crisis, hearts were hardened again.  This reminds me of Pharaoh.  He was softened as long as the plague directly affected him.  Once it was removed, he became even more hardened against God than he was before the plague. I shouldn’t be surprised.  This is the pattern of men.  They will fear God as long as adversity is too much to bear.  Take the adversity away, and they hate God even more.  The request above is for adverse events to come that the children of men might learn to fear God.

No one likes to see someone go through a really hard time.  Unfortunately, a really hard time might be the only way for them to learn respect for God. There have been times when someone will sit in my office and weep over their life’s condition.  Financial failure; wayward children; a failed marriage; a poor diagnosis.  These things are not necessarily events sent by God because of rebellion in the heart.  But sometimes they are.  There are times when parents will weep over their wayward child and not realize they are the cause of their child’s rebellion.  They point to other factors like friends or influences when all along, Mom and Dad never truly walked with God.  Mom and Dad made sport of belittling the preacher or church and now stand in criminal court as they watch their son or daughter sentenced to jail time.  God sends adversity for the sake of change.  Either humility towards obedience, or surrender towards faith.  We live in a world that hates God and has absolutely no respect for the Creator!  There need be more events like this past year that man might be humbled and turn back towards God.  It may be the only way.

Set The Table

“Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” (Ps 78:19 AV)

 

In retrospect, I am not so sure I would condemn Israel here.  At least from the perspective that I could relate.  As a nation, they had been through a lot.  Having suffered forced slavery and destitute conditions, God freed them from Egypt through a series of plagues sent upon their enemies.  They were not wandering in the wilderness heading towards a land promised to their forefathers.  The word of God does not go into great detail concerning the logistics of this undertaking.  One can only imagine what it would take to organize and move a large group of people numbering in the millions.  With these people, there were households and flocks.  This was not like moving a marching army.  This was the physical presence of an entire nation.  Along the way, these people had to be fed.  They needed basic life’s provision and comforts.  Food, water, and sanitation were all daily and basic needs.  About a month after crossing the Red Sea, they ran out of water.  God miraculously provided water.  Now, they are out of food.  The stress they were under daily finally came to the surface.  The question about, on the face of it, is ridiculous.  Of course, God can.  But the question above isn’t so much about the substance of the question, but rather, the emotion behind it.

In the whole scope of physical problems, plantar fasciitis is not all that serious.  It can be rather painful, but there are worse things. In my journey of victory over this problem, I have found patience to be a key virtue.  When I started mall walking, immediately my foot was on fire.  It was particularly painful in the morning.  I couldn’t even walk fifteen feet from my bed to the bathroom.  The pain was like this for almost a year.  Then I switch from slippers to Crocs, stopped walking for exercise, and bought over-the-counter inserts.  The pain almost completely disappeared.  Then, as the weather improved and walking the dog became a routine thing, the pain returned.  Not nearly as bad, but it was showing up again.  Then came a visit to the Podiatrist.  He felt around my heal and when he squeezed a certain way, I almost went into orbit.  Dealing with a trial similar to this, one can begin to think what was possible is now impossible.  While this ever end?  Can I ever get over this?  When will the struggle with this stop?  Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

Even though we can understand Israel’s emotional response to repeated trials of faith, and even empathize with them, we cannot excuse their question.  Looking at God’s response to anger is the pertinent thing here.  The LORD may understand how we feel, but that does not mean He accepts it.  Lack of faith is what angers God the most.  Looking at the context of the verse above, the verses immediately following our verse tell us that God was angry at the question.  Or, more appropriately, the accusation.  By doubting God’s ability, we are accusing God of not being who He claims to be.  It is important to empathize with Israel’s emotions here.  We can often feel the same way.  But we also must keep in mind God’s feelings, too.  We live in a wilderness.  We live in a world that hates God.  Less and less, the response to the gospel is waining.  This is a wilderness.  We can begin to feel as though our churches will shrink and fail.  If we feel that way, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?  You bet he can!