Boys Read Too!

I just wanted to give everyone an update on one thing I've been working on. After a conversation with a neighbor in which she was asking me about books boys would like (she has a son who is the same age as my third), I decided to begin a new blog. The title is "Boys Read Too." These will consist of books I have read in the Juvenile and Young Adult category, many of them ones I have presented at local junior and high schools. If you have a chance, please check it out, and be sure to refer to it if you know of any boys in need of a good book.

I only have about three books posted but I will be posting all of the reviews I've already done in the coming days.

God bless!

"Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare" by David Powlison

The issue of spiritual warfare has always seemed pretty straightforward to me; the enemies of God wage a continuous war against Him, turning His creatures against Him and challenging His power. We see one very vivid of the struggle relayed in Jude 9 where we read that the archangel Michael contended with Satan over the body of Moses! As far as we mortals are concerned, we sometimes witness a manifestation of this warfare in the form of demonic possession and influence.

Throughout my Christian walk, however, I have occasionally come across people who had an unhealthy (and very un-biblical) interest in what I can only term as the occult. Thinking that spiritual warfare consisted primarily of battling demonic possessions and manifestations, they go about seeking demons to rebuke, and every hardship, every coincidence, becomes a demonic attack. I hear of these people walking around their neighborhoods "claiming" a particular block for God and chastising the demonic forces they perceive as being all around them causing havoc...apparently forgetting that God is always in control and that this idea of claiming territory for God is foreign to Scripture.

Unfortunately, this foolish preoccupation detracts from the only true strategy we Christians are to employ; the proclaiming of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, calling people to repent and submit to the only true hope! This book, Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare is about abandoning false notions we may harbor about spiritual warfare and embrace the biblical understanding of it. The book is not a denial of the reality of spiritual warfare, but a call to examine our practices and align them with the teachings of Scripture. I found the premise of his book clearly defined by these words found on pages 71-71:

"...the gospels narrate one long 'truth encounter' between Jesus and the moral evil that contends for or fills the human heart. The titanic moral combat occurs in the classic spiritual-warfare mode- Jesus' temptations in the desert and in the garden of Gethsemane- as the Son learned obedience through what He suffered. Throughout His ministry, Jesus rescued those in moral bondage to Satan by words of truth that claimed authority over temptation, sin, and unbelief. Inhabiting spirits are never in view. The real spiritual warfare engages moral, not situational, evil. The great physician may give medicine to bring down blood pressure- [demon possession] temporarily alleviating situational evil. But he challenges the patient to quit smoking, drinking, and gorging on junk food- moral evil. The latter is the decisive battlefield." (emphasis of last sentence, mine)

What Powlison is saying is that too many Christians are overly obsessed with this idea of casting out demons when we should be totally focused on spreading the Truth! But if you talk too some Christians, every issue involves demonic activity and we need to combat these demons. Is someone an alcoholic? Well then let's rebuke the demon of alcohol! Is someone addicted to pornography? The demon of lust is present! Can't focus on studying the Word? Obviously a demon is distracting you! What silliness! Listen, in the first two examples, the cause is our sin nature and the way to combat this is to be in the Word and to discipline ourselves to live holy lives; in the last example, hey maybe you should rest up or learn to focus! But this morbid preoccupation with demons "grafts Christian elements onto an underlying demonic and superstitious worldview, creating a hybrid perhaps acceptable to premodern minds. But the biblical Christian faith needs to stand alone; it should not be grafted onto any other worldview." (pg. 25)

Among the places where this mis-emphasis on spiritual warfare was popularized, Powlison lists Dallas Theological Seminary, which is sadly not surprising at all to me. Author Frank Peretti is, of course, one who's fiction writing has influenced many as well. In chapter 3 of the book, Powlison examines the writings of Peretti and compares them to that of Tolkien and Lewis, a chapter I found particularly enlightening not only because of this interesting discussion but because the main focus is on interacting with the scriptural text so that we reach the correct conclusion. How fiction writing and this concept relate to one another is something you'll have to read the book to find out! ;-)

Another fascinating chapter was the fourth one, where the author examines the OT, Job particularly, in order to help us understand the concept of spiritual warfare. On page 59 we find the following words: "We learn in the Old Testament that the way to deal with idolatry, astrology, mediumship, sexual immorality, anger- the besetting sins of the demonological jungle- is to repent or die. People need repentance, faith, truth, prayer and fidelity." We go on to read that "Scripture does not ignore evil, Satan, or demons. God fiercely warns against them all, commanding us to flee the abominations...[but] when the prophets speak to idolaters and those involved in the occult, they preach repentance and faith, not EMM. Naaman the Aramean was an idol worshipper who came to faith through a little girl and Elisha. Hosea simply called idolatrous Israel to turn back to God. The Ninevites- members of an occult culture- believed God and repented at the preaching of Jonah. In no case, even with gross and occult sins, was the problem defined as inhabiting spirits needing ekballistic ministry." (page 60)

I should briefly mention that EMM stands for "ekballistic form of ministry," a term Powlison has come up with to describe the practice of those who subscribe to spiritual warfare as consisting of casting out demons, praying over houses and possession for protection against demonic influence, etc... He came up with the term using the Greek word "ekballo" which means to "cast out."

Chapter 5 deals with sin and suffering and in it Powlison examines the ministry of Christ, especially as it relates to casting out demons. In it, he also takes a careful look at the difference between moral versus situational evil. In chapters 6 and 7 we read about the difference between the ministry of Jesus and what we are called to do; we also are confronted with a number of questions which Powlison answers. One very compelling argument found in chapter 7 is that nowhere are we commanded to practice EMM. Examining Mark 16:17-18, we are told how those who advocate EMM rely on this passage as one of their proof texts...but as the author points out, a more contextual explanation is that this refers specifically to the work of the apostles. He spends a number of paragraphs defending his position, and makes a very good case!

The book is a short and fascinating read (only 10 chapters); I encourage everyone to read it and contemplate what the author has written. More importantly, I exhort all readers to examine it critically and test it against the Scriptures. As the author says, everyone has a story to tell. Proponents of EMM always have their experiences to back up what they say!

"'But I experienced...' These are three of the hardest words to argue with in America today, for experience presents itself as indubitable authority...many of the 'demonic manifestations today' are produced by highly charged expectations. An atmosphere of intense expectation can produce almost anything...EMM could actually invoke demonic activity. 'Voices' in the mind are not uncommon..." (from pages 133-135)

The above quotes are a number of combined quotes in which the author discusses a variety of explanations for the perceived experiences of EMM advocates. As he maintains throughout the book, spiritual warfare must be reclaimed by Believers and correctly understood as it is taught in Scripture. Otherwise we dishonor the Truth by subscribing to superstitious nonsense. You may or may not disagree, but read the book to fully understand the message Powlison is communicating.

Link for Today

I read this post over on Dr. Mohler's blog and had to link to it here. In it, Dr. Mohler addresses an interesting case over an abortionist having his medical license revoked because he aborted the "wrong" baby. The woman was pregnant with twins, one of whom was diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. The abortionist was asked to kill the "damaged fetus" but instead killed the healthy one. Immediately, of course, he was sued for killing the healthy baby!

Read the full post here

Genesis 1:1-3

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” – ESV

What a magnificent beginning!

One of the first things to notice when reading this passage, a beautiful picture of the Truth to come, is that we see in these verses the TriUnity of God revealed!

1) We have God (Elohiym), the Father, creating the heavens and the earth

2) We have the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters

3) In what I admit is reading into the text, we have the light of the world, who is the Son!

Another thing to notice is the straightforward manner by which creation is presented. It was done by God, not some random force of nature. God alone could have created since God alone is outside of creation…He is eternal by nature and dependent on nothing else to exist. The Bible allows for no other beginning. God created. That’s all there is to it. If you doubt this, reexamine why you say you believe the Bible in any other area!

Not only is creation presented as fact, so is the existence of God. It is our enlightened age that has convinced itself there is no God, Friedrich Nietzche declaring that “God is dead.” He said it, so it must be true. I once saw a bumper sticker showing this quote…right below it was another quote stating “Nietzche is dead.” According to the bumper sticker, this quote was from God! Humorous, yet very true. God does not need our belief to exist, nor is He troubled much by our unbelief…it does not change Him in any way. So God is real. And these first few verses of Scripture declare this truth and set the stage for the rest of the Word…God is Sovereign.

So much more could be said, and has been said by great men of God throughout the ages. I wish to address another thought I have whenever I read through the book of Genesis, and that is the issue of what authority shapes our beliefs, our faith. I first thought of these things when I was a teenager and read commentary by John Morris called “The Genesis Record” (ISBN 9780801060045), a book I highly recommend to everyone.

Morris, as many of you may know, is an unapologetic Creationist and his approach to the book of Genesis is to take it at face value, as it should be taken. I realize that nowadays many Christians are afraid of what others may think of them and so they refuse to admit that they hold to what the Bible actually says about the beginning of all things. Others hide their fear behind a veil of intellectual vanity, raising themselves up as true children of the Enlightenment and scientific reason; thereby setting aside the book of Genesis as a mythical allegory and attempting to reconcile it with the current ideology of the scientific establishment. Unfortunately for these brethren, Genesis says what it does and the only thing accomplished by compromising on the Bible as God’s Word is that Christianity gains further scorn from its enemies. The most dogmatic evolutionists (like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins) will not embrace a faith that accepts evolution…quite the contrary, they reject it as what it is; a foolish attempt to be accepted by mainstream secular thought.

Ultimately, for those among the brethren who embrace anything other than Biblical creationism, the issue comes down to authority. Which source will you trust? What I mean by this is that if you truly believe the Bible is the Word of God, His revealed Truth to us, then it is no problem to accept the doctrine of creationism, to believe in the concept of God bringing about all of the univers ex nihilio. This is not difficult to accept if we believe God and if we believe in God. If, however, you are willing to believe that some of the Bible might not be true, and your source of authority is the modern scientific establishment, then of course you will reject creationism! How could you not when your authority figures consistently prove it wrong (according to their worldview that is)!

I maintain, unapologetically, that you cannot reject any portion of Scripture as untrue and then turn around and defend any of it as true with the argumeent that you believe it is the Word of God. In other words, once you compromise on one part, you have no basis on which to defend any of it. Try it. Jesus is the Son of God? Says who? The Bible? Well then how can you know the part that teaches this is true and not mythology like the book of Genesis? Again and again, your rejection of Genesis will come back to haunt you at every turn. We come back, as mentioned above, to authority. The Bible is God’s Word. It is true in all that it teaches, whether in Genesis, John, Romans or Revelation. I believe this, but it matters little whether I believe it or not because this truth does not depend on my believing it to make it true. However, because I believe it, and it is my authority in all things, then I believe and trust those scholars and scientists who defend a true biblical worldview; including creationism. These men are highly intelligent men with scientific credentials who work for secular organizations as well as Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research. When they speak on the issue of creationism I listen to them and I believe them…how could I not when I believe in the Bible?

I am, therefore, not surprised when an unbeliever embraces evolutionary faith. Their choice is logical because their source of authority is not God and the Word He has given us! When a professing Christian, however, rejects creation and embraces evolution…I am shocked. I am saddened. And I view them as my weaker brethren in the faith.

Still Alive!

I have read a number of books since I last posted and am in the process of writing up book reviews for them, which I will soon post. Since, however, my last post of any substance was back in February, I wanted to let whatever readers I might have that I am still here and still planning on blogging!

As with most of you, I have been busy with work and family; in addition I must confess that I have been trying to keep up on my Google reader subscriptions and I now have enough of them that it takes me at least 1/2 an hour just to scroll through them even if I don't actually read each article! I think it's time I edited down my list! On top of all this, I have a Facebook account which I am trying to stay active with...I'm thinking I will just have to post on both at the same time! Honestly, the things that should be most important (next to God and my family) are this blog and the work I do for my church library...but both, obviously, have suffered!

So there you have my confession and my apology! Later today I will post a brief study I'm doing on Genesis 1:1-3 and then in the next couple of days I hope to begin posting book reviews too. The study on Genesis is not deep by any means, just some brief thoughts I have. In case some of you did not know, I received an ESV Bible from a Crossway representative I met at the Public Library Association (PLA) conference in Portland last month! I've never owned an ESV and so I decided to begin reading it from the beginning, and of course I was moved by the opening verses of the Word of God! So, of course, my readers get to put up with my ramblings!

God bless!

Al Mohler on Christians Paying Taxes

I read a really good post from Dr. Al Mohler of Southern Seminary in which he discusses the Christian response to paying taxes in light of Obamacare and what it might mean for abortion funding. Very profound thoughts, as usual.

Please read the article here.

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Discussing Brian McLaren's New Book

This is a very good discussion! Long but well worth watching!

"The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards" by Steven J. Lawson

This little gem of a book is the second in Lawson’s “A Long Line of Godly Men” series, the first title being “The Expository Genius of John Calvin.” You can find my review of that first title here (insert link).

In this book, Lawson examines the disciplined character of Jonathan Edwards, a man who was a faithful servant of God, and also a very misunderstood figure. He is best known to the secular world as the author of that much maligned (and probably very rarely read) sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He is, indeed, often portrayed as a dour man who rejoiced in the thought of people entering the lake of fire and suffering there for all eternity. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. As Lawson clearly reveals here, Edwards was a man who had a passionate love for the Lord and a great desire to see souls come to Him for their salvation.

Another interesting fact about Edwards is that he is considered one of the most brilliant men produced by the United States of America, even by secular historians (insert link here). This is all the more amazing when one considers that Edwards never wrote anything other than theological writings! His chief concern throughout his life was to bring glory to God in all things.

It is this characteristic of Edwards, a burning passion for His glory, which Lawson examines and presents to his readers, doing a wonderful job of introducing us to Edwards and explaining what made him the man he was; the man that all Christians would benefit in emulating. The way in which Lawson does this is by presenting the 70 resolutions of Jonathan Edwards and demonstrating how he sought to be faithful to them all of his life. For those of you who are unaware, Jonathan Edwards wrote a series of resolution when he was 20-21 years old. These were written, as he himself asserted, because he recognized that he was “unable to do anything without God’s help…” and he thereby “entreat[ed] him by his grace to enable [him] to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to [God’s] will, for Christ’s sake.” In this sentence you catch a glimpse of a man whose overwhelming desire was to please God above all things.

The book itself is a very short one, about 166 pages, which includes an appendix listing every one of the 70 Resolutions. It is divided into nine short chapters that examine how Edwards sought to live out the resolutions in his life, using them as reminders to be always faithful to his Lord…making his conscience captive to the Word of God!

Within the pages of this book, we meet a man very aware of his own weaknesses; a man aware of his inability to measure up to God who thereby decided only by His power could he ever hope to be pleasing to the Father. He lived, more often than not, with an awareness of his God and overwhelmed by a burning passion to please the Lord who saved him from his sin. Read this little book and fall in love with the object of his zeal, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 1:21-31

Read Isaiah 1:21-31

In the previous verses the prophet has here relayed the words of God, including the last few 5 verses wherein the Lord promises reconciliation. And what does Isaiah now see? Not the repentance he would have liked to see! Here is the poor fate of the prophets of God, sent to a people that usually would rather take affront than heed a warning. So the prophet writes his inspired impressions down…and they are not good ones. That city which represents the seat of God’s chosen nation…it has polluted itself and committed adultery against its Master.

Of these verses John Calvin writes the following:

“This astonishment of the Prophet was undoubtedly joined with the deepest grief; for we ought to look upon it as something monstrous when men revolt from God, and refuse that allegiance which they have promised to render; nor is it possible that right-hearted men, when they behold such a revolt, can fail to be affected with the most poignant grief.”

How accurate indeed are these words…and how appropriate for every age that has come and gone and which is to come until the return of the Lord. All we need to do is look around at our society to realize that we are indeed in a monstrous revolt from our God…and what should fill us all with grief even more is the ultimate end for those who rebel, for they have no hope of succeeding against our mighty God. All the more reason for us to be like an Isaiah in our generation and warn those around us of the judgment that is to come!

Note what Isaiah says:

· The city which should have been faithful is like a harlot

· The city which should have represented justice is now the den of murderers

· The aristocracy of the faithful city are friends to thieves, thereby no better than thieves themselves

· Bribery is rampant and the magistrates do not fulfill their duty and look after the orphan and the widow

Having noted all this, Isaiah once more speaks the very words of God:

“Therefore…”

Because of the conditions he has just described…as a direct result and in consequence of their behaviors, the Lord speaks the words to follow!

“I will rid Myself of My adversaries, and take vengeance on My enemies.”

These are strong words…words that should suffice to strike dread into the hearts of those to whom they are addressed! And to whom does God speak? Who are the adversaries and the enemies of the Lord?

“I will turn My hand against you, and thoroughly purge away your dross, and take away your alloy.”

These enemies of God are the people who should have been His faithful servants! Imagine the consternation of a people who expect that they are by right His special people…imagine their fear when He groans aloud and declares He will rid Himself of the adversaries and enemies that are among their own nation!

And, yet, the love of God for His people is infinite! His anger and the chastisement He is to bring upon them is for their own good, for note what He will do to rid himself of these enemies:

· He will purge the dross away from the silver: I looked up how dross is removed from silver today and it is done by adding nitric acid…upon which you see the boiling of the silver and the dross (the impurities) come away. Something similar was probably done in biblical times, the point being that it is a violent thing done to the silver but which ultimately leaves us a more perfect and expensive metal! Such is what God promises to do…

· He will restore to them wise judges and counselors of note: So we see that a violent cleansing is to be followed by a restoration of what is needed to remain a worthy nation!

The result? They will once more be known for their faithfulness and their righteousness will be made manifest to all!

An obvious application we have here relates to how the Lord uses our circumstances to refine us and mold us into the image of the Son. Whether He acts to reprove us or whether He permits trials not related to any hard headedness in us, the result is a cleansing of the dross that accumulates in our lives and that impedes us from walking day by day at His side!

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The restoration continues as we read in verse 27 that the Lord will redeem Zion, that His justice will take the place inhabited by murderers and that righteousness will abide in the city!

“The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.”

In this verse and in the ones that follow through the end of the chapter we see the fate of those who are the dross…those whose removal is necessary for the restoration of the people as a whole. Truly we see here the truth of the words Paul is to speak, that “they are not all Israel who are of Israel” (Romans 9:6)

God, you see, does that which is necessary to redeem for Himself a people, and quite frankly we should be glad that He does since it maintains the purity of His church…all the more reason for us to daily examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith.

We see in the closing verses the truth of Psalm 2:1-6…for you see how those that stand against God, who do not yield to His reasoning, they are nothing before His judgment! The Lord says they are like an unwatered garden and like tinder…in other words, easily consumed! O pray that when we rebel against our Lord that by His grace we will be reasoned with! That we will be quick to confess and be forgiven!

Paul Washer on Truly Desiring God

Paul Washer is one of my favorite preachers, a good Southern Baptist who minces no words and who is zealous for Christ our Lord and for the Word of our God!

Isaiah 1:18:20

Read Isaiah 1:18-20

See now what the Lord says…”let us reason together…”

Who is it that will be reasoned with? Only the one who is washed…only the one who has put evil away. Only they that do good and seek justice…in other words, only the elect. See how God pleads, see how He warns. Anyone and everyone is able to listen to the words of the prophet, and yet they don’t. Why not? Simply because they don’t want to.

Although John Gill maintains that these words are addressed to the elect specifically, I do not agree. The words, as all such invitations, are a general call. I think the placement of this invitation between what are two very clear warnings serve as evidence that the invitation and its accompanying promise (sins being made white as snow) are intended to the same group. Where we see election in all of this, of course, is that not one of the hearers will respond favorably to the invitation without the supernatural work of the Spirit of God. This, then, is the great mystery which God in His sovereignty has chosen not to make clear to us. That it is true, however, is clearly shown throughout the Word.

But what of this reasoning together? In our modern way of thinking we might be tempted to think it refers to some manner of debate between two equal sides. Nothing could be further from the truth. The clear implication here is that God is calling people to look at the reasonableness of His offer. Why suffer judgment when He has so graciously offered forgiveness and reconciliation? Our mistake is that we too often hold God to some human standard and we think that our is superior, foolishly forgetting that as God Almighty He is subject to no human standard but IS the standard setter. Knowing all things past, present and future, everything that He does is good and for the good of those whom He has chosen. See Ezekiel 18:25 where God clearly differentiates the ways of man and His. Guess what? His are the ones that matter!

So we see here that this is an open offer to all people, and at the same time it is NOT an invitation to lay out one’s side of the story, if you will. It is an invitation to examine the amazing offer of God.

Note also the contrast in the remainder of verse 18:

“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool”

Sin is scarlet, red like crimson. From the very beginning, sin has been associated with the color of blood for the very reason that sin is such an affront to our holy God that it merits death and nothing can excuse sin except the shedding of blood! Something that strikes me particularly is the picture of Adam and Eve when they sinned in the garden and judgment was brought upon them (see Genesis 3:14-24). Recall the innocence in which they lived and the wonderful co-existence between humanity and the rest of creation. Then, after judgment is pronounced, we read this small verse (21), “Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.” This verse is too often passed over too quickly, so consider what has actually happened: death has entered into God’s perfect creation! In order to clothe those who have just sinned them, in order to cover their nakedness of which they are now so very aware, God killed a living creature. Henry Morris has rightly referred to this as the first atonement for sin. And what a horror it must have been for the first man and woman to witness this! For the first time they saw the blood of a living creature run on the ground…crimson blood, shed for them!

So consider what God is promising here! The foul sin, metaphorically described as scarlet and crimson, they shall be atoned for. What was dirty and an abomination shall be pure and white, the color of innocence. Now obviously this does not mean the sins themselves are declared good as some might erroneously assume. No, this lyrical language is talking about forgiveness of that sin. If only perfection and complete holiness can enter into the presence of God, then we are declared to be such upon the merit of the atonement. And yes, this is exactly what Isaiah refers to!

What is more, having been declared righteous, having been forgiven, those so declared may now “eat the good of the land.”

John Calvin has the following to say about verse 19:

A change of the construction of the words (hypallage) has been admitted into this sentence; for the meaning fully brought out would stand thus: “if your mind be ready, and your will be disposed, to obey;” or, which amounts to the same thing, “if you render obedience to me, and lend an ear to my word.” since, therefore, God places the happiness of men in obedience, it follows that our life is properly conducted, when we hear God speaking, and obey him in all things. How great, therefore, is the wickedness of men, when they refuse to listen to God who is continually speaking to them, and reject the happiness which he has provided and offered!

The teaching, as we have been seeing in this passage, is that he who turns to God does so willingly and without any reservations. Our wills are disposed to obey as Calvin puts it. And since we are taught in Scripture that the natural man despises the things of God, then it follows that until and unless the Spirit awakens from our spiritual death, we will refuse to render God obedience!

And it is to these who refuse Him that verse 20 speaks!

“But if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword”

God has offered peace towards Judah. He has given them every reason to turn to Him and repent of their evil ways, to begin to do good and wash themselves clean. The offer is there; so to refuse His offer of peace…to rebel against the rightful ruler of the land…this is to spit in the face of our Peacemaker! And God is just. His justice demands that rebellion be punished and so Isaiah communicates this message to Judah, “for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

I know we’ve touched on this subject previously, but it is so important that we understand and teach others that there is NO injustice in God. Those who perish in their sin, those who reject Him, they suffer the consequences of their own willful disobedience. The blame cannot be laid upon God here and it is a false understanding of Calvinism to suggest that it teaches this doctrine. Far from it. Each and every man and woman who has lived and ever will live is responsible for their own actions and for their own submission to or rejection of the command of God to repent and His offer of forgiveness.

Isaiah 1:16-17

Read Isaiah 1:16-17

These next two verses beautifully demonstrate the patience and loving-kindness of God towards those whom He will call. Here He tells them the way of repentance…the only way to return to His good graces! Not that all will repent, but God lays out for them very clearly what He requires of them.

Were their hands full of blood? Wash them and make them clean!

Was doing evil a way of life? Put these things away and stop!

The beauty here, of course, is that the only way this can be done is by God’s grace and mercy! Unmoved by God, the people would continue in their rebellion and not even desire to respond in repentance! Here, then, we see what so many blind people refer to as a paradox: man must respond to God, but He cannot and will not do so unless the Father sends the Spirit to elicit this response! What they cannot do, what they refuse to do, God will draw from them, and when their hearts have been changed, they will then respond with a glad heart!

What else though? If a people repent and turn from their wicked ways, then they will be changed. And here in verse 17 we see a clear rebuttal of that particular heresy known as antinomianism. What will they who turn to God do? They will do good, they will seek justice and stand against oppression. Furthermore, as James 1:27 clearly teaches, they will look after the orphan and the widow.

How clearly we see that salvation WILL result in good works!

Isaiah 1:10-15

Read Isaiah 1:10-15

"You rulers of Sodom...[y]ou people of Gomorrah..."

1) Recognize that this is a very serious indictment towards those who call themselves the people of God. These cities mentioned are well known and infamous for the behavior they exhibited. Their sin, indeed, let to their complete destruction from the face of the earth. And to such are they compared...to such are they equated.

2) Recall the words of verse 9, "unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom...and Gomorrah." Is their sin any less severe? No! But by the grace and mercy of God are they spared the wrath of God which He visited upon those cities of old. It is not their more honorable behavior that has earned them their mercy, it has been solely the kindness of the Lord.

3) Just as the people of Judah are being called to taks most severely by Isaiah, being slapped in the face and presented with their sin, so do we need to be upfront with a lost world. Repentance cannot come without an understanding of a need for salvation...for from what are people saved? And so it is that Isaiah airs the dirty laundry of the nation; just as we must be willing to confront the reality of sin to our own world. Pastor Jim has rightly said that if all we do is try to reform the behavior of people without showing them the more important need they have of salvation, then all we have done is made people more comfortable on their way to hell. As C.H. Spurgeon said, if to hell they must go, let it be over our bodies as we strive to make known to them the only escape possible!

Notice now in verse 11 that Isaiah returns to speaking the Word of God to the people. The authority by which he brings words of judgment to the people is established by the phrase "says the Lord." It is no great joy for Isaiah to speak so harshly to the people. Indeed it is only His great love for the glory of God that compels him!

And so Isaiah now makes known to the people the great displeasure of God, in His own words! The Law as given by Moses has made clear what manner of sacrifices they are to observe; it has made clear the proper worship of the Holy One. And yet, in observing the letter of the Law, the people have forgotten the spirit of the Law. They have forgotten that the sacrifices were to be a manifestation of adoration and not some kind of ritual to appease God. They were not dealing here with petty and false gods like those of the people around them! No! They are the chosen people of the One True God, the Living God!

And from this Sovereign come the words of codemnation guaranteed to shame any of the people who still possess even a shred of their love for Him...

"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?"

"I have had enough of burn offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats"

Again, what the people have done is make a mockery of what was to be worship and adoration. They have turned the act of loving God into a legalistic ritual! They have forgotten that the sacrifices were not the destination itself but only the road! What I mean by this is that all these things were to be acts of piety; they were tools to help them draw closer to their God...a symbolic act that mirrored the actuality. Instead, the symbol...the tool...the road...they became the entire focus! "Oh look at us" they may have thought! "Look how holy we are that we sacrifice to Jehovah!" And all the while they forgot that he wanted His voice obeyed rather than sacrifices (1 Samuel 15:22). And because of this their sacrifice became empty and useless, nay worthless! Rather than a sweet aroma it became a stench to God. This is what hypocrisy does.

Ultimately, the Lord is asking: what is the point? They cannot appease Him by offering Him sacrifices when their lives are lived in open rebellion against His Word!

But what about us? How do we compare? Is it not painful to ponder how often we've been the cause of a stench? Oh may God forgive us for the times our reverence has been born of something other than pure love of and delight in the Lord!

"When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?"

So often the prophets have had to bring this question to the people on behalf of God! (see Malachi 1:6-8 & 3:8-10 as examples)

The question is a refutation of false worship! God certainly has not asked them to bring this mockery of worship! He certainly has not commanded them to trample His courts through their hypocrisy! Think about it: when we hear of a rogue cop, one who abuses his authority and even uses his position to break the law himself...why is this such a horror when it happens? Is it not because it brings dishonor to the authority he represents? Likewise, the false worshipper dishonors God.

So, yes, this very question serves to rebuke the one who would divorce true piety from sacrifice. For the one is an expression of the other!

Re: verses 13-14)

These verses drive home the point that mere ceremonial ritual without a true attitude of worship is hypocritical and false. It is a perversion of the purpose for which they were given. Notice, indeed, that the Lord hates their feasts, they trouble Him and He is tired of having to put up with them!

Re: verse 15)

"When you spead our your hands [when they pray in other words], I will hide My eyes from you"

The Lord hears the prayers of His people...but those who do not belong to Him have no special right to call upon Him in anything other than repentance! Here in the spreading of the hands we see another symbolic act of worship being turned into mere ritual. We see even that the constant use of prayer will not help them. Neither their false practice nor their lying words will move the heart of God because absent from all of this is a true love for God and for His majesty.

And so He tells them that their "hands are full of blood."

God may well be referring to some who have actual blood on their hands, but it also includes all those whom He is rebuking. The hands of bloodshed are manifested by those who would use their hands for the holy (again, the spreading of the hands) while also using them for what is an abomination. In other words, in their daily lives. Did they cheat their neighbor? Did they make money in an immoral manner? Whatever the case may be, it is clear that throughout this whole passage God has brought up the fact that all the sacrifices they bring are rejected because it is the total extent of their devotion to Him! In other words, they could live lives of immense immorality but thought that their sacrifices were sufficient proof of their holiness.

Thoughts on Peter

I have finished reading the Gospel of John and as I finished the final chapter my thoughts were drawn to the Apostle Peter. Of all the men who followed Jesus in his earthly ministry I tend to identify with him very much because he gives me hope that it is quite possible to be a man of many weaknesses and be fervently in love with the Lord at the same time! :-) Indeed, Peter strikes me as a man of violent passions, impetuous and very much led by his emotions. While I don't claim to possess the virtues which were his, I often feel like I am a man like Peter.

It is because of this that I took a moment to think on the last passage of John where we read the following: "So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. (John 21:15-17)

What struck me about this passage is how it relates to an earlier passage. You see, we learn in John 18:15-18 and 18:25-27 that Peter three times denies that he is a follower of Jesus Christ because of his fear of the Jewish authorities. Indeed, so afraid is he that we are told in Matthew 26:74 that he even "began to curse and swear, saying 'I do not know the Man!'" Of course, Jesus had already predicted this very thing and told Peter it would happen (see John 13:38), which is why as soon as Peter denies Jesus the third time he is overcome with sorrow upon hearing the rooster crow...the Scripture telling us he "wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75).

Returning to the passage quoted above, it is so beautiful to see that, at least from what I perceive, Jesus is manifesting grace to Peter here. Did Peter deny his Lord three times? Well then three times shall he confess his love for Jesus! And, ah Peter...he is so given over to his emotions and so focused on himself that he appears to miss this and instead of weeping with joy he is grieved by the Lord questioning his love, as if Jesus had no call to do so. And yet, we know don't we? We know that the book of John is written for our edification (see John 20:30-31), and so we can see clearly what Peter missed. Jesus manifested grace to Peter here, picking him up spiritually if you will, and setting him on the right path. A path which Peter, apparently, walked well, for this same Peter who was afraid of the Jewish authorities will later declare before the Sanhedrin that Jesus is Lord (see Acts 4:8-12)! And when ordered to shut up about Jesus, how does this man react? He boldly refuses to cease preaching Christ because he "ought to obey God rather than man." (Acts 5:29).

Wow. Peter the one whom the Lord ordered to feed His sheep, the one whom the Lord protected from the Devil. The one to whom much grace was shown...may God grant that I be more like him in standing firm for His truth, because I fear I am too much like the earlier Peter...

God bless

"The Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer" by Arthur W. Pink

Those of you who know me are well aware that Arthur Pink is one of my theological heroes, so it should come as no surprise to you that I loved this book! :-) In fact, I finished this book quite some time ago but I have been putting off the writing of it until now.

What can one really say about Pink though? He was clearly a man gifted by God and used by Him for His glory. So it is that as with every other book I've ever read of his, this book is filled from beginning to end with the keen insight for which Pink is known and loved.

As implied by the title, this particular book is divided into two segments (The Beatitudes and The Lord's Prayer). In the first part, Pink presents the Beatitudes as a picture of the process of salvation and sanctification, taking each of them and demonstrating the theme as shown in the following examples:

"To be poor in spirit is to realize that I have nothing, and can do nothing, and have need of all things. Poverty of spirit is evident in a person when he is brought into the dust before God to acknowledge his utter helplessness. It is the first experiential evidence of a Divine work of grace within the soul." pg. 16

"The mourning that is blessed is the result of a realization of God's holiness and goodness that issues in a sense of the depravity of our natures and the enormous guilt of our conduct. The mourning for which Christ promises Divine comfort is a sorrowing over our sins with a godly sorrow." pg. 18

"While humility of soul in bowing to God's way of salvation is the primary application of the third Beatitude, it must not be limited to that. Meekness...is that quality of spirit that is found in one who has been schooled to mildness by discipline and suffering and brought into sweet resignation to the will of God." pg. 27

"Hungering and thirsting expresses vehement desire , of which the soul is acutely conscious...Like the previous ones, this fourth Beatitude describes a twofold experience. It obviously refers to the initial hungering and thirsting that occurs before a sinner turns to Christ by faith. But it also refers to the continual longing that is perpetuated in the heart of every saved sinner until his dying day." pg. 33-34

As already stated, these three quotes are samples of the spiritual depth which Pink brings to his subject matter. He does the same with the second section, as you will see in the following passages:

"'Hallowed be Thy name' is the first of the petitions of Christ's pattern prayer...This petition necessarily comes first, for the glorifying of God's great name is the ultimate end of all things. All other requests must be subordinate to this one and be in pursuance of it." pg. 83

"The Father's Kingdom is, first and more generally, His universal rule, His absolute dominion over all creatures and things." pg. 92

"'Thy will be done.' this clause presents a difficulty to a few of our readers, who may ask, 'Is not God's will always done?' In one respect it is, but in another respect it is not. Scripture presents the will of God from two distinct viewpoints: His secret will and His revealed will, or His decretive and His preceptive will." pg. 100

I will leave that last quote unfinished so that my reader will have all the more reason for buying or borrowing this book! Whichever you do, do it quickly because there is a lot to be learned from the teachings of this great man of God.

Isaiah 1:7-9

Read Isaiah 1:7-9

We have seen how Israel has been compared to disobedient and evil children; we have seen how they have been compared to an illness struck person. Now we see in these verses the reality…

Is this passage a prophecy of future occurrences? Or is it referring to past and current troubles? Albert Barnes believes it refers to the times of trouble before Uzziah but John Gill maintains that it is prophetically speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

Whichever it may be (and I tend to agree with Barnes on this one), the main point is that we move away from the examples and turn here to the reality. Whereas the Lord has referred to a body infected with wounds and bruises, here he clearly identifies Judah. “Your” country and “your” cities are the object of God’s wrath…of His judgment.

Think about it: with what joy and exultation must Israel have entered the land of Promise so many years before. Oh what a joy to walk with the Lord and see with one’s own eyes the mighty works of God on behalf of the nation. But as we are told in Judges 2:10, “another generation arose after…who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.”

Contrast the wonder with which the Israelites entered Canaan, secure in the knowledge that the Lord walked with them; contrast that with the terrible words we read here in verse 7. What has caused this drastic change? Disobedience.

Sometimes we too encounter times of chastisement from the Lord. It would be well for us to think about our own walk before we dare to ask God why He allows certain things to come into our lives. Do we walk in obedience? I have heard people compare their own afflictions to those of Job (I have done so myself), yet in doing so, can we truly claim to be the spiritual equals to a man like Job? A man whom God specifically pointed out to Satan as an upright man? I understand that complete obedience to God is a huge challenge because we still dwell in the body of death, but let us strive to live obediently as much as possible…not to avoid punishment but because we love our God. And then, when we experience tribulation, we can boldly proclaim that we suffer evil and praise God for it. The alternative is to suffer chastisement for wounding the heart of our precious Savior through our sin.

In verse 8 we read of the daughter of Zion’s predicament…meaning the city of Jerusalem (see John Calvin’s commentary on this, also John Gill.)

Here the city is compared to the lonely place where the watchmen stood, whether in the vineyard or in the fields. The hut, or cottage, is the place where the workmen store their tools. It is where shelter from the elements is taken. It is a place of refuge but also a place of loneliness. The city of Jerusalem, then, is likened to this poor place.

The capitol of the chosen nation, likened to the meanest of buildings!

John Calvin wrote the following: “This may be explained in two ways; either that the whole country will be wasted, with the solitary exception of the city, which shall be left standing like a cottage, or that the city itself will be destroyed. The former interpretation is adopted by the Jews, and they understand this passage to relate to the siege of Sennacherib; but I think that it has a wider signification, and embraces other calamities which followed afterwards. This may indeed refer to the neighboring country, from the misery and devastation of which it was impossible but that the city should sustain much damage; but I consider the Prophet’s meaning to be, that the evils of which he speaks shall reach even to the city itself, until, broken and ruined, it shall wear the aspect of a mean cottage”

Again, whether this speaks of past or future calamities (or both!), one of the things we must always bear in mind is that God has made promises and He will keep them. The Jews are a chosen people, and in the new covenant, the elect of all the nations are His royal priesthood. So when times are tough and we encounter troubles, even those of our own doing, we need to remember that God is the covenant keeper of our relationship (see Genesis 15). And so, we now read some beautiful words in the midst of this terrible passage:

“Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.”

Wow. Praise God for His mercy and grace! (See Lamentations 3:22)

This verse touches on His sovereignty and His special love for the elect of Judah. We all know what became of those cities mentioned, we all know of the disgusting practices of its inhabitants…yet were it not for the sake of His remnant, Judah would suffer the same fate!

Let us think about ourselves for a moment. Do you not realize that God’s judgment upon this sinful world we live in today is also deferred for the sake of His elect? Just as Paul was told not to be afraid because God had His people in the city (Acts 18:9-11), so we are not to fear witnessing for His sake in our time. And witness is something we must do, because we love the Lord and want to see the lost sheep brought into the fold.

Above all, however, we should remember the long-suffering of the Lord when we wonder why He allows evil to endure. People act as if evil is some force of its own that stands in opposition to God, but this is not the case. Evil is sin and disobedience practiced by every man, woman and child on the planet! So why does God allow evil? Because of the great love He has for His elect. Until they are all gathered up, for their sake He will withhold His judgment. Let us, then, take this time to declare His goodness and His mercy to the entire world, that those who have ears to hear will listen and respond.

Judges 4

About three weeks ago I substituted for the teen Sunday school class at church and the following is the lesson I presented. I'd planned to post it the same day but I completely forgot! Better late than never right? Here you go:

Read Judges 4:1-3

First I want to begin by pointing out that terrible verse we see over and over in Judges, “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord.”

I’m sure by now you have picked up that this is a continuation of a theme we find throughout this book…Israel sins, God chastises, Israel cries out, God delivers. And yet, I would say to this that the major theme is not necessarily about the sinfulness of Israel but about the mercy, the love, and trustworthiness of God!

You will note, I am sure, how after God delivers Israel through a judge, there is a period of rest…after which Israel forgets what God has done for them and reverts back to evil behavior.

Here in the first verse we see a reference to the death of Ehud as the catalyst for Israel’s sin…in other words, without him around to remind them of their obligations, they quickly forgot God. As for why it is Ehud that is mentioned rather than Shamgar (who was judge after Ehud), there are two opinions on this matter. The first is that during the judgeship of Shamgar Ehud was still alive and that it was not until his death that the people turned away from God once again. The other opinion is that Ehud was already dead during the judgeship of Shamgar but that after Shamgar Israel was delivered but did not turn away from their sin and that this is why in chapter 4 the verse begins by identifying at what point their sin began. Both of these views are good, and the Bible does not tell us any details so what is important is that at one point following the death of Ehud, Israel forgot her God.

So we have in verse 1 a reminder that we must never allow ourselves to grow slack in our devotion to God…for out of our slackness comes sin.

Ask: How does slackness lead to sin? (discuss)

Look now at verse 2: We first came across Hamor in Joshua 11, where we witnessed its destruction, so at some point it has apparently been rebuilt and a new king sits at its throne. And so we hear in verse 3 the familiar cry from the lips of Israel! Again and again they have sinned…but again and again they have cried out to God for deliverance. And once again, God says NO, right? NO!! He delivers them! Remember that the pivotal teaching throughout this book is that God is the covenant keeper! He is the only One that we can trust completely!

Ask) How can we take this thought and use it as an encouragement for our own times and in our own lives?

When we sin, when we transgress the law of God, if we are remorseful the Lord forgives us…we too are His special people and we can count on His mercy…but His people are not those who sin BECAUSE they think they know that they will receive His forgiveness! Do not think for a minute that we can plan to sin with the comfort that we will receive forgiveness. Show me the professed Believer who lives this way and I will show you a man in need of salvation!

Before we move on, notice why the people are so afraid (in verse 3). Those iron chariots!! Think about it…God has shown Israel over and over again, throughout the generations, that He is El Shaddai, God Almighty! And still they fear these man-made instruments of war! Let me suggest to you that the reason they fear these things is because they forgot to fear God more!

Read Matthew 10:28

Israel feared men because they did not fear God! Likewise, I would confess to you that the times when I have feared situations, or people, it has been because I have forgotten how awesome and fearful God is! That He is so awesome He can get me through these problems…that He is so fearful that Satan is on His leash and is NOT God’s equal not His true rival! Little brothers and sisters, what Jesus tells us in Matthew and what Israel did not keep in mind is that the God we serve is the CREATOR of EVERYTHING! Therefore, when we trust in Him we need NOT fear that which He can control! When we fail to trust in God we are suggesting first that He is unable to keep His word to us, and secondly we dare to equate any created thing with the power of the One from whom everything flows! The self existing, Omniscient, Omnipotent God of the Bible! The knowledge that this is the God whom we serve should make us bold and secure!

Are there any questions or comments?

Read Judges 4:4-9

Who was Deborah?

The Word tells us that she was intimately acquainted with God, for she was a prophetess. As such, she was one to whom the Lord gave visions, which we see very clearly in verses 6-7. She was a judge during a difficult time, for she was an acknowledged judge during the time that Israel was occupied. She was one who loved the Lord and was devoted to Israel, for her concern is that Barak go about the business for which God had appointed him.

Note therefore, that she passes onto Barak the instructions which the Lord had given to her. Note also Barak’s response…

Ask) What do you think of Barak’s response? (Discuss)

There are two schools of thought regarding his reply:

1. One holds that this shows Barak’s lack of faith…that he was unwilling to proceed without the prophetess of God to accompany him. In other words, that he was weak.

2. The other holds that this shows the immense respect with which Barak and all of Israel held Deborah. The thinking goes that Barak wanted Deborah to accompany him so that Israel would see that he was indeed carrying out the commands of God and that they would more readily follow him against the huge army awaiting them! This is supported to some extent by Hebrews 11:30-34, which offers no condemnation of Barak…on the contrary, his faith is commended!

Note verse 9. While Barak would head the army…God would receive the glory for He would hand over the true victory to a woman!

Ask) What can we learn from this?

First and foremost, that the Lord uses whom He wishes to use! (discuss Genesis and the chosen line)

Application: Men should be willing and eager to be about the business of the Lord…for the Lord will not be held back by our inaction!

Read Judges 4:10-16

The call to Israel is made, or at least to two of the tribes…and the people respond. Through verse 11 we see that Israel is being observed…what is happening is that Barak is preparing his army to free Israel from the oppression of King Jabin…and of course general Sisera notices and responds by calling out the occupying army…likely he plans to quickly put down this rebellion…but little does he know that he faces not an army of men but the power and judgment of God!

Note Deborah’s cry in verse 14. She does not encourage Barak by telling him that he has raised up a powerful army and surely they will defeat Sisera…on the contrary…upon what basis is she confident of the victory? Her confidence rests upon the One whom she serves! The confidence that God’s words to her would come true for no other reason than that it is He who has spoken them! Likewise, our trust in His word rests solely on the character of He who gave it to us, is it not?

Now note verse 15...who routes Sisera? God Himself! Iron chariots, no matter how numerous, cannot stand against the Lord! Pity the man who arms himself against God! Think of those fools who even today make war on God, denying His very existence! Will they win? No! The day that God can be defeated will NEVER come!

Note just how total is the defeat! The army of Sisera is destroyed completely! Verse 16 tells us that not one man survives! These men either died by the sword or drowned (remember from verse 13 that the battle takes place near a river…and Judges 5:21 testifies to the fact that many were swept away by the river) Their iron chariots did them no good! Likewise, let us remember that the enemies of God today can do us no harm other than that which the Lord permits…therefore let us be confident in our walk with God. So yes, it is possible, even likely, that God’s people may be killed and His houses of worship destroyed…but His people CANNOT be defeated because they are not fighting the battle…He is!!

Points to consider:

· Israel feared the terrible iron chariots of the enemy because their reverent fear of God was missing! As Matthew 10:28 tells us, we need fear ONLY the One that can destroy the soul as well as the body…and that Someone is God and nobody else!

· We see from verses 10-16 that it was God and nobody else…not Barak…not the armies of Israel…it was God alone that defeated Sisera!

Read Judges 4:17-24

In this passage we see how God brings down Sisera the mighty warrior. As He had spoken through Deborah, the mighty general dies at the hand of a woman…dies not gloriously in battle but as he slept and hid from those whom he now feared.

Verses 23 and 24 tell us again, in case we choose to forget, that God brought about this victory…that He strengthens the arms of Israel to the point that after this battle Israel goes on to destroy a mighty kingdom that had oppressed them…a kingdom that they were powerless against until God delivered them!

Application: As we face our daily challenges and ponder the many hardships we may face…we must always remember that God is the Master…and we His servants should eagerly seek to please Him rather than complain about what our circumstances are!

Are there any questions or comments? If not, close with prayer