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" Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."
-Eph. 6:4
Oftentimes, a parent will tell a child to do something that will seem
completely insane to the child, so the child will, quite naturally, ask
"Why?" In doing so, the child is in great company. Over 20 times in
the Psalms, a psalmist will ask God "why" something is happening.
While in pain, Jeremiah asks God "why" (Jeremiah 12:1), as does Job in his unexplained torment (Job 7:20-21). And finally, when on the Cross, Jesus asks His Father, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34).
Although we often emphasize the fact that God does not have to tell us
why, we neglect the fact that we are to seek Him and seek to know more
of Him, and
that He does make things known to His people: "I no longer call you
servants, because a servant does not know his master's business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from
my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).
A major perk of salvation is having the God of the Universe as a
personal Friend. If we can be friends with the God of the Universe,
can we not be friends with our parents? And if parents and children
can be friends, then should not the parent, who cares wants to know and
to be known by his child, make an effort to share with the child what
he is doing and why? Yet an all-too-common response from over-stressed parents to their inquizitive children is "Because I said so."
Indeed, "Because I said so" is a reason
why the child should do whatever it is the parent said. However, if it
is the only reason, then the parent admits he is so depraved that he
makes arbitrary, whimsical decisions at his own child's expense. How
selfish! If there are other reasons which the parent is withholding
because of laziness alone, then two ill-effects ensue. First, the
parent fails to imitate God by relating to the child as a friend and
fails to appreciate the child's desire to understand. Second, the
child learns that, when he "grows up", he can do anything he wants--he
never learns the real reasons for doing right, why they're right, or
even that they are right apart from whimsical decrees issued by those
in authority!
Please respond with any praises, disagreements, or other comments you may have.
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| In Dixon's place, I got to speak to da yoots last Wednesday night, and I thought I'd share here what I shared there.
2 "I have loved you," says the LORD.
"But you ask, 'How have you loved us?'
"Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the LORD says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated."
Whoa whoa WHOA--God hates someone?!?!?!!!! Actually, the Psalms talk numerous times of God hating people. My understanding is that the Hebrew word translated hated here and elsewhere in the OT actually means something like strogly opposed to,
and is not in any way contradictory to loving someone. For deep
theological / philosophical reasons which I will not discuss here, God
loves all that He has created, including lost or wicked peeps.
However, He simultaneously is stronly opposed to
the reprobate--the non-elect, the enemies of God whom He has not
predestined to salvation (which brings up a whole other can o' worms
that I won't go into now...).
Additionally, there is a special love God has for Israel--His people,
the elect. Notice it says, "I have loved Jacob, but Esau...." So even
though He has an unconditional love for all He has made, He also has a
special additional love for the elect--a love that is also
unconditional and infiite in amount, but limited in who it goes to.
God not only loves us, but He has a special love for us that He does
not have for everyone else! We were once enemies of God just like the
rest of the world, but God has chosen to give us this extra, special
love! Romans 9 refers back to this passage and makes a point:
10Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. 11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger."[d] 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."[e]
14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[f] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. 17For
the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose,
that I might display my power in you and that my name might be
proclaimed in all the earth."[g] 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
SOOooo, God has chosen to give this special love to us regardless of
our desire or effort, even though we deserve the opposition God gives
to the rest of the world. The next few verses in Mal. 1 show us an
example of this opposition the descendants of Esau receive:
4 Edom may say, "Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins."
But
this is what the LORD Almighty says: "They may build, but I will
demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under
the wrath of the LORD. 5 You will see it with your own eyes and say, 'Great is the LORD -even beyond the borders of Israel!'
SO, not only did Israel get the Promised Land flowing with platinum and
oil, but also their enemies were stuck with a wasteland, so that all
would know that God is great, "even beyond the borders of Israel!"
So God does all this for us, and so we should show appreciation, eh?
Blemished Sacrifices
6
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father,
where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due
me?" says the LORD Almighty. "It is you, O priests, who show contempt
for my name.
"But you ask, 'How have we shown contempt for your name?'
7 "You place defiled food on my altar.
"But you ask, 'How have we defiled you?'
"By saying that the LORD's table is contemptible. 8
When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you
sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering
them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept
you?" says the LORD Almighty.
The OT Law gives regulations concerning sacrifices, and one thing
that's consistent with all the sacrifices is the command to give one's
best to God. The Israelites, however, were giving their worst--the leftovers--to God! They brought to the God of the Universe that which not even a human authority would accept!
If we work hard to make good grades in school to please our parents and
teachers, how much harder should we work to please God? If we work
hard at our jobs, how much harder should we work when we go on trips
like World Changers? If a teacher or other mentor is not pleased when
we pay no attention to their instruction, how much less would God be
satisfied when we don't listen to the reading of His Word on Sunday
mornings! When we come to worship services at Church, we should come
with the desire of glorifying and pleasing God, whether or not we like
the music and the speaker is funny. When we bring a sacrifice of
praise in song, we should sing praises to God with the best of our
ability!
10 "Oh, that one of you
would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires
on my altar! I am not pleased with you," says the LORD Almighty, "and I
will accept no offering from your hands. 11
My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting
of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought
to my name, because my name will be great among the nations," says the
LORD Almighty.
God would prefer that we don't come to Church at all than that we come
to bring a half-hearted sacrifice. God WILL be praised and worshipped
in the end (Phil. 2:10-11), and we will not stop that because "No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'" (Dan. 4:35, see context). We may as well start honoring Him now, eh?
12 "But you profane it by saying of the Lord's table, 'It is defiled,' and of its food, 'It is contemptible.' 13 And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty.
"When
you bring injured, crippled or diseased animals and offer them as
sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD. 14
"Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows
to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I
am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared
among the nations.
God gives us such a strong warning; may we heed it. Bringing Him the
best we have to bring is the least we can do for all He has done for
us! LEAVE COMMENTS!!!
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| Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land."
-Ecc. 11:2
"A bribe is a charm to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds."
-Prov. 17:8
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager
--The shrewd manager used his powerful position to make friends while
he had the chance so that, when he's woefully unimployed, he'll be
popular with many who can help him out.
The Parable of the Rich Fool--The
rich man made the decision to horde everything to himself, "But God
said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be
demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for
yourself?'" All the things that he had worked so hard for his whole
life were about to be given to just whoever. The rich man could have
used his resources to invest in children, in family, in students via
scholarships and grants, in missions, or even in helping out those in
financial need (thus making friends). But nooOOOOooo, he had to horde
it to himself, so his work under the sun was still meaningless in the
end! 'Twasn't'ny good.
All of the above passages teach one thing in common: Give
generously any time you have excess instead of hording it for nothing
in particular, because some disaster might destroy what you have worked
so hard to earn. Hording--selfishly saving excess for no particular
future application (as the rich fool did)--is different from prudently
and wisely saving for upcoming known needs and disasters (as the ants
do and as the Egyptians did upon Joseph's request). The Bible teaches
us that giving generously (especially in time of plenty) is a wise
investment with tremendous benefits! Here are s'more passages along
those same lines:
"All day long [the sluggard] craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing."
-Prov. 21:26
"Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep
falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but
give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown
you and say, 'Who is the LORD ?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so
dishonor the name of my God."
-Prov. 30:7-9
The Parable of the Talents--the dudes were supposed to
invest what they were given
for the benefit of their master. Likewise, God has given us both
spiritual gifts, earthly talents, various resources--ability to serve
Him in different ways--and we are to use what He gives us to serve
Him. More specifically, we are to invest it--put it to use, let it
flourish, NOT just own it. Having it is bunk, putting it to use for
God's glory is everything.
Leaveth thou me some comments, eh?
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| I want to talk about this passage from Ecclesiastes 11 soon:
1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will find it again. 2 Give portions to seven, yes to eight,
for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. 3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there will it lie. 4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed [a] in a mother's womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let not your hands be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well. | | |
| Sometimes, it pays to have really brilliant pen-pals. My pen-pal Natasha has posted four keen observations from John 18+. I wanted to elaborate on one of them.
"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover" (John 18:28). Natasha's observation: "The Jews are worried about defiling themselves for Passover, AS THEY ARE BRINGING THE FULFILLMENT OF PASSOVER TO BE CRUCIFIED!" They are following the letter of the law but are missing the whole point!
Reading the OT prophets (such as Isa. 1 or 58) reveals that the Jews were actually guilty of this sort of thing previously--doing the deed but having no true understanding of God's Word or of His heart and mind--being very religious but totally unspiritual. The Jews missed the point of the Passover, and they missed all the Scriptures pointing toward Christ.
Let's be careful that we do not err in the same way, following some religious practice, whether seemingly biblical or not, with no love for God or the people He created.
I used to have the understanding that the people's hearts were in the right place when they welcomed Jesus in Jerusalem with palm branches and hosanna's and such. But on the contrary, they missed the point even then! As I now understand, the palm branch was the national symbol of peace, and the people were using it as a sign of political peace, thinking that the Messiah would liberate them from the hand of the Roman government. So naturally, Jesus must have lost some popularity when He said things like, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, give to God what is God's," saying that Caesar owns ALL the money (because it all has his picture on it) and the people just use it, and God ultimately owns everything.
Additionally, look at what the people said during the procession into Jerusalem:
"Hosanna to the Son of David!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"
These come from Ps. 118, but let's look at how Ps. 118 puts it:
"O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar" (vv. 25-27).
Now, the term hosanna means save, according to the footnotes in the NIV. So, you can see the Jews were living out this passage when they thought the Messiah was coming, but for some reason, they missed that last phrase "up to the horns of the altar." Somehow, they thought the Messiah would win millitary / political victories for the people, whereas Jesus died!
Why didn't they see it coming? Perhaps because they desired the wrong thing: political peace and liberty rather than peace with God, earthly wealth rather than treasure in heaven, etc. Perhaps their minds would block out the hard part--the sacrifice part--because it conflicted with the "Santa Claus Messiah" they already mistakenly understood to be true and were unwilling to reconsider. Maybe it was some other reason.
Whatever the case, let's make sure that we are careful and accurate in studying and interpreting Scripture, and especially that we get the big picture in everything.
LEAVE COMMENTS!
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