Past, Present, and Future: The Past
November 21, 2022 at 2:35 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 6 CommentsTags: Biblical anger, commentary on Psalms, forgiveness of sins, God's favor, Psalm 85, Sunday School lessons on Psalms, wrath of God
There is disagreement among Bible scholars as to the human authorship of Psalm 85. The fact that it describes a return from captivity causes most modern scholars to see it as a post-exilic Psalm, but other scholars – and I happen to agree with these – see it as a psalm of David, written during a period of Philistine oppression, looking forward to David’s victory over the Philistines and, prophetically, the relatively peaceful rule of his son, Solomon.
In the past, God had shown:
A. Favor
Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob.
Psalm 85:1
It is important to look back in our lives to times when God has shown us His favor, and to attribute the blessings we’ve enjoyed to Him. It is also important to remember, though, that our past blessings came to us not because of our own goodness, but in spite of our own sinfulness.
B. Forgiveness
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah.
Psalm 85:2
What a tremendous blessing it was when God not only forgave your sin, but rescued you from its consequences – when He not only pardoned your transgressions, but covered them with His love, to the extent that they were more than set aside only to be brought up again later, but rather buried and forgotten by Him. This is not something to be taken for granted, because God’s attitude toward sin is much more severe and righteous than ours.
C. Ferocity
Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
Psalm 85:3
God’s wrath and anger are not the subjects of many bumper sticker or coffee mug devotional thoughts, but they are often expressed unapologetically in the Bible with words that describe a flaring of the nostrils or the boiling over of scalding hot liquid. God’s wrath is such that it must all be turned away from us if we are to survive. Since it can not merely cease to exist for an immutable God, it must find an object of propitiation for it to be satisfied, and there must be a consequent reaction on the part of the people who have been spared God’s wrath, which we will look at next time, as we shift from the past to the present.
The Bible Should Make You G.A.S.P.
November 11, 2022 at 4:18 pm | Posted in II Thessalonians | Leave a commentTags: 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Thessalonians 3, busybodies, Christian work ethic, commentary on 2 Thessalonians, Sunday School lessons on 2 Thessalonians, The Bible
G.uard the Word
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
II Thessalonians 2:15
A.ccept the Word
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
II Thessalonians 2:13 (emphasis added)
S.hare the Word
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:
II Thessalonians 3:1
P.ractice the Word
Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
II Thessalonians 2:17
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
II Thessalonians 3:6 (emphasis added)
Disorderly implies a getting out of military rank, like a disobedient soldier. People who get out of rank can create problems even for those who do stay in order.
For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you;
II Thessalonians 3:7
Those who get out of rank can collide with those who remain obedient, causing damage to the mission.
Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
II Thessalonians 3:8
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
II Thessalonians 3:10-12
If some won’t work, they depend on others for strength, and have to be cared for by others who are already doing what they are supposed to be doing. In the Greek and Roman culture work was a shameful thing – a thing to be done by slaves. Cultured men were supposed to sit around and talk. However, the Jewish culture had a history of valuing hard work.
Sin in a church body can be ignored, but, if so, it can lead to infection, like a speck of dirt in a wound, or a little germ. Church discipline protects the body by cutting out sin.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
II Thessalonians 3:6 (emphasis added)
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
II Thessalonians 3:14-15 (emphasis added)
This admonishment must be done in love. You have probably heard that the church is supposed to be a hospital for sinners rather than a showplace for saints, but we need to remember that it is not supposed to be a detention center for juvenile delinquents, either.
For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
II Thessalonians 3:11 (emphasis added)
A busybody is somebody who looks busy but is not really doing anything.
The Bible Word that Makes Some People Mad, When It Should Fill Them with Joy
November 9, 2022 at 4:05 pm | Posted in Ephesians | 6 CommentsTags: commentary on Ephesians, doctrine of predestination, election, election and predestination, Ephesians 1, Luke 2, predestination, seal of the Holy Spirit, Sunday School lessons on Ephesians
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Ephesians 1:5
The word translated as “having predestinated” is the Greek word proorizo, from which we get the English word “horizon.” The horizon is the boundary marking out how far we can see until it appears as though the land or the sea and the sky meet each other. It is not a manmade boundary. It is a marker set forth by someone else, and we can only experience it in a limited way. In a technical sense, the Biblical word “predestinated” differs from the idea of being “chosen” beforehand (election) in the preceding verse. Election refers to a choosing between alternatives. Predestination refers to something DECREED beforehand: something ordained or appointed to come to pass, without any PRIMARY agency on the part of those affected by it (secondary agency is another thing). The only motivation concerning it that we are allowed to know about in Ephesians 1 is that it involves the adoption of those who were previously outside of the family of God. It is something done by God, Who, we know, sent forth Jesus Christ to effectuate this adoption.
Predestination happened according to God’s will – exclusively His will (John 1:12-13) – and we are told that God derived pleasure from this decree. Knowing it would come to pass, it was the fullest expression of His supreme essence: love. Nothing is more loving than rescuing the helpless and the hostile. Romans 3:10-12 plainly tell us we deserved not to be chosen, and we would have never chosen Him on our own.
We are also told that the pleasure derived from His decree by Him was “good.” It was right. It was objectively morally and existentially good as opposed to either evil or indifferent.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will [eudokia] toward men.
Luke 2:14, bracketed word added
Predestination absolutely destroys our pride, and gives us the greatest reason for glorifying God with exuberant praise. He did not predestinate the way a general makes a plan to conquer His enemies in wrath and judgment. He predestinated to rescue people who had absolutely no hope apart from Him. Thinking correctly about election and predestination drives us to joy.
To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Ephesians 1:6
This segues into the second section of what may have been intended by the Holy Spirit as a hymn of praise which focuses on the Son.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Ephesians 1:7
Our redemption is in the Son, but the payment for that redemption is blood. Jesus did not die by strangulation or any merely internal trauma. Those who see the blood of Christ as the instrument of mere physical healing or earthly prosperity have aimed far too low. No, in His sacrifice we have the forgiveness of sins (our greatest need) and the riches (exceeding riches) of His grace.
Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Ephesians 1:8
He has done everything necessary to save us, and more. He has allowed us and taught us to know the deeper truth – the information and the understanding of how undeserving we were, and how loving He is.
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ephesians 1:9
The New Testament revelations about God’s plan of salvation were a deep mystery in the Old Covenant, but now we are allowed to see a little of what went on behind the scenes, and we can be free of the notion that our salvation is in any way dependent upon us. A true understanding of our sinfulness highlights the glory and grace of Jesus all that much more.
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Ephesians 1:10-12
Ephesians 1 shows us the Father’s selection, and the Son’s sacrifice, and the Spirit’s seal:
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 1:13
The seal of the Holy Spirit is an unbreakable eternal seal keeping the promise of God.
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:14
The Holy Spirit is given to Christians as a sort of down payment and as evidence that we were chosen by God, sought and bought by the Son, and given the gift of, and access to, our inheritance of eternal life and every spiritual blessing. These truths are so glorious and exciting that we can understand how the Apostle Paul was moved to express them in a breathless, praise-fuelled 202-word Holy Spirit-inspired sentence.
Roaring, Not Raging
November 1, 2022 at 3:33 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: commentary on Psalms, David's lament, forsaken, Messianic Psalms, Psalm 22, Sunday School lessons on Psalms
Psalm 22 fits clearly into at least three of the categories or genres which are typically used to classify various Psalms. For the first 21 verses it is a psalm of lament (expressing sorrow, sadness, or grief to or before the Lord). From Verse 22 on it is a psalm of thanksgiving. It was apparently considered a “votive” Psalm, based on Verse 25, sung during the payment of vows (votive offerings). It is clearly also a Messianic psalm, as we can see from the first verse. David wrote it during a period of personal anguish, but the timing of it is not clear.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
Psalm 22:1
Note the repetition of God’s name at the beginning. This is unlike those who will call Jesus, “Lord, Lord” when in fact they are not under His Lordship, although it does indicate a presumably similar emotional outpouring. David was not claiming to have done wonderful works for God. However, he was expecting to be delivered by God based on his close personal relationship with Him. Jesus, from the Cross, would quote this verse to show the strong contrast between extremely intimate relationship and the shock of losing that intimacy.
David’s questions were not merely rhetorical. He was genuinely surprised that God was not responding to his “roaring.” David’s roaring was very different from the raging of the heathen in Psalm 2:1. This is not raging against a king. This is a child’s desperate cry for his father. The Hebrew word is based on the sound a lion makes. It comes from deep within.
O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
Psalm 22:2
The “night season” is a subtle prophecy about the darkness that would shroud the earth during Jesus’s time on the Cross, but this pain is not momentary from the psalmist’s perspective. He cries in the day and the night (a metonymy for “all the time”). Why is this sort of pleading, which sounds like faithlessness, found so often in the Bible – and especially coming from the lips of its heroes?
First, it is factual. We know from experience that in moments of anguish human beings often let emotions overcome logical reasoning, and that we are prone to express our suffering with exasperation and exaggeration. Second, it is prescriptive even for us. When we are overcome – whether by doubts, fears, insecurity, confusion, disbelief, even anger – we may be excused for not putting on a brave face and trying to hide it from God. The best response is to bear it and even rejoice in it, but when we, in our human frailty, cannot manage to do that, the next best response is to pour it out openly before Him. In David’s crying and questioning and complaining there is some DISbelief, but not UNbelief. David momentarily thinks God won’t hear, and won’t rescue, but he never believes that He CAN’T hear or CAN’T deliver. Although some people claim that that prayer is pointless if God is sovereign, David understood the truth: prayer would be pointless if He’s NOT sovereign.
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalm 22:3
The “but” which begins Verse 3 highlights the contrast between God and human beings. Even though we often can’t understand what God is doing, He is still worthy of the praises of His people because He is holy. Furthermore, we are reminded of what God did in the past to deliver His people. The key to this deliverance was their trust in Him.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
Psalm 22:4-5
The idea of being confounded is being put to shame for boasting in a deliverer who could not deliver. God can – and did – deliver His people. David, recognizing his abject condition, probably didn’t realize that he was prophesying about the Messiah.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psalm 22:6
Jesus was abused and mutilated almost beyond recognition as they took Him to the Cross, and hated by a scornful crowd. This is almost like what would have happened in Psalm 2 if the raging mob would have had their way, but instead of God laughing at them, they are laughing at God – even though they didn’t realize it.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psalm 22:7
This refers to the cruel mocking taunts of those who tried to use Jesus’s Words and promises against Him when it looked like He was utterly defeated and humiliated, but:
He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
Psalm 22:8
The Deep End 
Repentance before Battle
November 29, 2022 at 4:46 pm | Posted in Isaiah | 2 CommentsTags: 2 Chronicles 31, 2 Kings 18, commentary on Isaiah, Hezekiah, Isaiah 36, Isaiah 37, Isaiah 38, Rabshakeh, Sennacherib, Sunday School lessons on Isaiah
King Hezekiah led Jerusalem in a revival, and God allowed the Assyrians to test his faith and the faith of his people. Sennacherib, the Assyrian leader, sent his three top officers to arrange for the surrender of Jerusalem. King Hezekiah had inherited the throne from King Ahaz. Ahaz was a wicked king, but the Bible says this about Hezekiah:
II Kings 18:5
Hezekiah restored proper worship.
II Chronicles 31:21
It would be good for us to approach worship that way every Sunday. However, Hezekiah did try to bribe the leader of Assyria with Temple treasures. Sennacherib broke the treaty and invaded Judah anyway. Isaiah Chapter 36 contains the field commander’s speech about 30 miles from Jerusalem. God had chastened Judah, but had not allowed Jerusalem to be destroyed. The field commander’s speech was brilliant psychological warfare, but also great blasphemy.
Isaiah 36:13-14
Aren’t we sometimes challenged by our enemies in the same way today? We must not be intimidated when we run into someone who is willfully rebelling against God. The field commander denigrated their strategy, their military resources, even their relationship with God: “We’re your enemy, but God is on our side.”
Hezekiah had ordered the envoys not to answer. Then he and his officers repented. The trap or the bait of criticism is that we might respond in pride. Rare for an Old Testament prophet, here Isaiah was successful in getting someone to repent. Hezekiah repented and praised God.
Isaiah 37:1
Isaiah 37:15-16
God responded to repentance and praise.
Isaiah 37:34-36
The events of Isaiah Chapter 38 actually occurred before the Assyrian invasion. Hezekiah became ill.
Isaiah 38:2-3
Isaiah 38:20
It is possible that the Holy Spirit used Hezekiah to write Psalm 126. He also supervised the copying of Scriptures. From his sickness he received a new appreciation for life and prayer, which led to a new desire to serve God.
Isaiah 38:19