A Deceitful Marriage
March 7, 2023 at 5:11 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: 1 Corinthians 3, 1 John 1, Biblical marriage, Christian marriage, James 1, marriage, Proverbs 30, Romans 12, self-deceit
There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
Proverbs 30:12
Imagine that you are looking at your spouse right now (or actually look at him or her if you are in the same room) and think of something about him or her that makes you unhappy, or that at least has the potential to make you unhappy. You are probably thinking, not about something imaginary, but about something you actually know – something with which you are personally acquainted or something you have personally experienced. It might be something said or done, or something that your spouse has forgotten to do, or something your spouse has done poorly. Whatever it is you are thinking about, let me suggest to you that what you are thinking about is not as bad as you might suppose. Why not? Because what you are thinking about is at least something you know. It is something about which you are aware, and, if you are aware of it, it is something that can be addressed. Or it is something that can be overlooked. Or it is something that can be forgiven, or corrected. There is an opportunity for repentance. It might even be something from which you can learn and grow. If you are a Christian, it is certainly something that can be given over to God. Giving your burdens or your problems or your bitterness or your confusion over to God is a type of worship, and worshiping God is a wonderful thing to do. In fact, He is wanting you to do just that. Cast your cares and your burdens on Jesus for He cares for you.
However, there are other things about your spouse that might be worse than the things about which you know. There might be things about which you don’t know – things about which you are ignorant. Ignorance, it is sometimes said, can be bliss, but not in marriage. Plus, there is another category which is worse still: things about which you are deceived.
Of course, you can’t deal with something which is unknown to you. Christian love in marriage is not suspicious. It does not operate on the assumption that you are automatically being deceived by your spouse, or that you should constantly be trying to catch him or her in some secretive wrongdoing. So, if we are going to deal with the problem of deceit in marriage, where should we go to find deceit, and to deal with it, and to root it out, and to replace it with truth? Within.
The Bible tells us about the very real possibility that we are pure in our own eyes, but filthy in the eyes of God. Self-deceit might be the worst kind of deceit because it is the hardest to detect. We have to get to the root of it to know if it’s even there.
There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
Proverbs 30:13
Pride is the source of self-deceit, and pride is the enemy of truth in marriage.
1. Deceit in marriage comes from a failure to apply Scripture.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22
Reading or hearing Scripture is good. Memorizing it is better. But what we are really after is living it. It is easy to self-diagnose yourself and come to the conclusion that you are a very Biblical spouse – UNTIL you start actually applying the Bible.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
James 1:23
That’s why it’s important to read the Bible like a mirror and not like a textbook. Look at it the way you would look at an X-ray with your doctor, not the way you read the little slip of paper that comes out of a fortune cookie.
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
James 1:24
You have the world’s best marriage counselor and marriage expert right on your nightstand, but just having it and just casually looking at it doesn’t fix the problem. You look into a mirror to see if you have food on your face, but you don’t wipe your face with the mirror.
2. Deceit in marriage comes from a failure to acknowledge sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
I John 1:8
In marriage, to avoid dangerous deceit, it’s not enough to admit faults, personality problems, tendencies learned in childhood or based on background. No, we have to call sin sin. Make it a point to honestly (not combatively) ask your spouse if you are offending him or her. Not all offensive behavior is necessarily sinful, but most of it is – especially if it is hurtfully offensive. Furthermore, even if your spouse has learned to live with it, sin is still a big problem and a big source of deceit, because sin is primarily against God.
Confession and repentance is the remedy for sin. If we don’t have the truth in us we are in bondage, because the truth shall make you free.
3. Deceit in marriage comes from a failure to act smart.
18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
I Corinthians 3:18-20
Now it might seem a little funny to say that we should “act” smart, as if we are really dumb and have to fake it, but the point is that once we think we are smart (wise), we are in the greatest danger. We think we have figured out this marriage thing, or we’ve got a shelf full or books or a file of internet articles giving all the worldly marriage advice and wisdom contrived by the world apart from God and the Bible. The better approach is to admit that we don’t have it figured out, and to humbly remind ourselves that we are often extremely foolish. Humbly foolish acknowledgers of God’s wisdom are the ones He helps. We get this wisdom and live in truth and not deceit when we obey the basic simple truths that the Bible commands, and when we do not try to get cute or fancy or substitute them with gimmicks or worldly philosophy or pop psychology.
4. Deceit in marriage comes from a failure to analyze soberly.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Romans 12:3
We are not good at everything, and we are not doing everything right. Do a sober assessment of your faults (and your good points) with your spouse, assuring him or her that he or she can speak honestly. Men: no getting mad. Ladies: no crying. And let’s figure out where God has gifted us and where He hasn’t, and how we can use those gifts, and how we can improve, or at least how we can avoid avoid areas which trigger unhelpful conflict or dead ends.
An Idle Moment with Disastrous Consequences
August 26, 2021 at 4:43 pm | Posted in II Samuel | 3 CommentsTags: 2 Samuel 10, 2 Samuel 11, 2 Samuel 12, 2 Samuel 13, commentary on 2 Samuel, David and Bathsheba, James 1, Nathan and David, Sunday School lessons on 2 Samuel
In II Samuel Chapter 10 David sent ambassadors to King Hanun, but the king thought they were spies, and his treatment of them sounds almost as humorous to us as it must have been humiliating to them:
Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.
II Samuel 10:4
This led to war and the Lord gave David the victory, but the war against the Ammonites was still ongoing. The Ammonites were Lot’s descendants. Joab was besieging Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem – idle. In Chapter 11 there is an emphasis on “sending” – the word “sent” is found at least 10 times. David, possibly aged 50 at this time, had fallen into the trap of over-delegating. In reality, when it came to spiritual warfare, David would have been safer on the battlefield than in his own palace.
And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon. And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.
II Samuel 11:1-5
Bathsheba conceived a child, but that’s not all that was conceived here.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:14-15
It appears likely that Satan set a trap for David by observing him. He broke the second table of the 10 Commandments almost in reverse order. First he coveted his neighbor’s wife, then he committed adultery, then he bore false witness, and, finally, he committed murder. The prophet Nathan came to David to confront him.
And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But when David saw that his servants whispered, David perceived that the child was dead: therefore David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
II Samuel 12:18-19
Do you think David wished he could have that day when he first looked at Bathsheba back to do over again – that hour, that moment?
This is the price I pay —
Just for one riotous day —
Years of regret and of grief,
And of sorrow without relief.
Suffer it I will, my friend,
Suffer I will until the endSmall was the thing I bought,
Small was the thing at best,
Small was the debt, I thought,
But, O my Lord! — the interest.
Paul Lawrence Dunbar
But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.
II Samuel 12:23
David expected to see, and to be able to fully recognize, his infant son in Heaven one day.
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
II Samuel 12:6 (emphasis added)
In Chapters 12 and 13 we start to see a fourfold loss experienced by David. First, his baby died. Second, the rape of Tamar resulted in Amnon being killed. Third, Absalom was killed. Fourth, Adonijah was killed. Absalom and Tamar were full brother and sister of royal blood; their mother was Maacah, a princess of Geshur. Amnon lusted for Tamar, but may not have acted upon it except:
But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.
II Samuel 13:3
Howbeit he would not hearken unto her voice: but, being stronger than she, forced her, and lay with her. Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
II Samuel 13:14-15
Amnon’s “love” for Tamar is revealed as a hateful desire to use. God made things to be used; He made people to be loved.
Absalom was furious about what Amnon has done to Tamar, but he also saw it as an opportunity to get closer to the throne.
And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; regard not this thing. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
II Samuel 13:20
Decluttered Christianity
March 29, 2021 at 2:38 pm | Posted in James | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical religion, commentary on James, James 1, religion, Sunday School lessons on James, Word of God, worldliness
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Every good gift (for enjoyment) and every perfect gift (gifts with a purpose) come from God. Therefore, God proceeds to give us practical ways to use these gifts.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
James 1:19
We need to be swift to hear, to be eager to pick up on what God is saying to us through preaching, through the Bible, through others who speak to us, and through providential circumstances.
We need to be slow to speak. New believers shouldn’t try to immediately take center stage in church services. There needs to be much SITTING AND LISTENING before STANDING AND TALKING.
We need to be slow to wrath. Rash anger needs to be controlled and examined before being allowed to vent itself as righteous indignation.
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:21
This “laying apart” is a determined looking-for and clearing-out of sin and worldliness. Christians are to be like seaworthy ships sailing on the ocean: sealed against the world seeping in, not sinking down into the world, yet out in the world itself. Christians who put too many worldly possessions or concerns into their ship may find themselves sinking down into worldliness. Furthermore, merely cleaning out our ships is not enough. We must re-stock them often with the Word of God. Like the hymnist who wrote “Dwelling in Beulah Land,” we need to be “feasting on the manna from a bountiful supply.”
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22
Not only must Christians be reading the Word, but we must be DOING the Word. When we “consume” the Word of God it becomes part of who we are and it strengthens us.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James 1:25
We grow in Christian maturity not only by actively serving, but by humbly submitting to God’s Word as we look into it and see both our shortcomings and the freedom given to us in Christ.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
James 1:27
There is a popular cliche’ which says that “Christianity is not a relgion; it’s a relationship,” and there’s an element of truth to that, but “religion” is not bad – IF it’s pure and undefiled.
Withstanding Temptation
March 10, 2021 at 3:30 pm | Posted in James | 4 CommentsTags: Biblical patience, Biblical tests, Biblical trials, Biblical understanding, commentary on James, James 1, patience, Sunday School lessons on James, wisdom
James was the earthly half-brother of Jesus, being born to Joseph and Mary through natural conception after Mary’s miraculous conception of Jesus and His virgin birth. The Book of James and the Gospel of Mark were probably the first two books of the New Testament to be written down. James was probably written around 45-50 A.D., approximately 15-20 years after Christ’s Ascension into Heaven.
The first chapter of James discusses two different types of temptation. The first is testing.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:2-4
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 1:12
The second type of temptation is the solicitation or allurement to sin.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:13-15
Christians are to “count” it joy when they are tested. Testing produces patience. Patience is a Christ-like response to troubles, which, through practice, makes us more like Christ. “Make me more like Jesus” is sometimes said to be a dangerous prayer. Rejection, loneliness, betrayal, earthly poverty, ridicule, suffering, and experiencing injustice can all make us more like Christ. The crown of life in James 1:12 signifies royalty, joy, victory, and honor.
Chrsistians MUST have patience and Christians MUST have wisdom.
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
James 1:5
Wisdom is not knowledge; wisdom is understanding what God would have us to do with knowledge. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Remember to ask Him for it, and do not dare to trust yourself or anyone else or the world over God.
Technology is the result of knowledge: that’s an example of the right use of knowledge. But technology can be used for sin: then the result of knowledge becomes, not wisdom, but complete foolishness. Technology used to build a supersonic jet is knowledge, but flying in the wrong direction is not wisdom – it is foolishness.
If we MUST have wisdom, from where shall we get it?
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.
James 1:6-8
James was writing to CHRISTIANS. Unbelievers can ask God for wisdom, but, by principle, He does not respond to those prayers. Christians can access wisdom through prayer, but it must be a prayer of faith. Praying without faith is double-minded – it is testing God to see if He is Who He says He really is. The obligation of praying is not only praying and waiting, but praying and doing. When it comes to wisdom, pray about it. Believe you will receive wisdom. Then do it: apply the wisdom to your knowledge.
Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
James 1:9-10
Christians should rejoice in whatever earthly promotions God sees fit to bestow upon them, but they must not covet earthly wealth.
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
James 1:11
In Heaven the streets may be paved with gold, but the idea is not so much that gold streets are really fancy. It is more that our most cherished and sought-after metal here on earth is the equivalent of mere asphalt in Heaven.
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:13
Humans have a tendency to shift the blame for our own wrong-doing onto others, and ultimately onto God. The criminal justice system is filled with convicted felons who maintain that they were merely in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people. Even the first man, Adam, blamed God for his sin. Sin is very deceiving, partly because it looks so attractive. It sometimes glitters, but so does cheap glitter. It sometimes has a pleasant odor, but many foods smell delicious until they rot. Sin may look alive, pulsating, vibrant, but it is really dead, rotten, and corrupt underneath.
Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
James 1:15
Sinful lust is our own fault, and it is the beginning of destruction. It breeds sin, and sin breeds death. Watching and praying are safeguards against the temptation to sin. Staying busy doing good sounds boring and pedestrian and just hard, but it is a very practical and understandable way to keep from doing bad.
Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:16-17
Man has an amazing capacity to take the good things God gives us and twist and pervert them.
How to Handle Unexpected Hostility
September 16, 2019 at 4:45 pm | Posted in I Samuel, Uncategorized | 12 CommentsTags: 1 Samuel 25, Abigail, David, James 1, Luke 14, Matthew 5, Nabal, Romans 12, Romans 2
And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
I Samuel 25:2
This man, who probably had two separate homes (one in Maon and one in Carmel), was extremely rich. Some wealthy people are generous – and some are mean and stingy. In the historical period described in I Samuel, if there was ever a time when it would be wise to approach a rich man to ask for a favor, it would be during the shearing time – a time of celebration and prosperity.
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
I Samuel 25:3
What a contrast! This evil and rude and mean-spirited man had a beautiful and gracious wife. He was a fool, and she was known for wisdom. He was “churlish” – translated from a Hebrew word which brings to mind a mean dog that bites the hand that would feed it, and is a pun on the name “Caleb,” which in Hebrew sounds like the word for dog. How could a man like Nabal obtain a wife like Abigail? If you know me and my wife, you are probably thinking I should know the answer to that, since it describes me and her! The Bible doesn’t tell us, though. We are left to assume that Nabal changed after the wedding, or that it was an arranged marriage, without Abigail having had a say in the matter.
And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
I Samuel 25:4
David and his men needed food and supplies. Not knowing Nabal’s temperament, David believed this would be a good time to call in the favor implicitly owed to him by Nabal, but instead of charging into the shearing party with 600 unruly soldiers, he exercised discretion and sent ahead ten young, inoffensive messengers.
And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
I Samuel 25:5-8
There was an understanding that the good service done to Nabal’s shepherds in protecting them and his flocks, and in being very scrupulous not to take anything for themselves without permission, would be rewarded in a culture where the custom of hospitality toward strangers was of the utmost honor.
And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased. And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
I Samuel 25:9-10
Verse 14 says that Nabal “railed” on them, which is translated from a Hebrew word that means to screech at someone in fury like a predatory bird swooping down on its prey. It is difficult to overstate how insulting this was toward David, especially after he had just had an opportunity to take Saul’s life, and had refused to do it.
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be? So David’s young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.
I Samuel 25:11-12
David was a complex character. He was a man after God’s own heart, known for his passion and zeal for God, but passionate and zealous people often have a hard time controlling that passion and zeal. David was someone who rejoiced at good news with his whole heart – as many of the Psalms attest – but he was also someone who could react very violently at bad news – as many of the OTHER Psalms, along with some of David’s actions – attest. When he received word of Nabal’s insults and his refusal to pay what David felt he owed, he did not hesitate.
Sometimes it’s hard to read tone into Biblical dialogue, but it’s not at all hard to hear David’s attitude, and imagine him speaking through gritted teeth with flexed muscles and furrowed brow in this verse:
And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.
I Samuel 25:13
While this was going on, one of Nabal’s servants had the foresight to see where things were heading, and, when David’s servants left to report back to David, this servant, acting on his own initiative, went and found Nabal’s wife, Abigail, and told her what kind of trouble Nabal had stirred up for himself.
Just as David acted decisively and without hesitation when told of Nabal’s offensiveness, Abigail acted just as quickly and decisively – but with a far different motive and intention. Whereas David had strapped on his sword, Abigail packed a picnic!
Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
I Samuel 25:18
That sounds like a huge amount of food prepared in a short period of time. As she went forth, the Lord’s invisible hand (what we call His providence) was at work. He arranged it so that David, bearing down on Nabal’s estate, ran smack into Abigail at just the right moment.
And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
I Samuel 25:23-25
A superficial reading makes it sound like she was being disloyal to her own husband, pointing out that his name was well-deserved, but in reality she was doing him a great service – albeit behind his back.
Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
I Samuel 25:26-31
There is tremendous wisdom in this speech, and it is not flattery. It is truth: David would one day reign over Israel, and the act of vengeance he was on the verge of committing would have been a stain on his reputation that would have hindered his abililty to rule, as well as showing a lack of trust in the Lord to fight his battles for him.
And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
I Samuel 25:32-3
We can take a few lessons from the account of Nabal, David, and Abigail:
1. Don’t assume that people are good-natured.
David took it for granted that his good service toward Nabal would be returned in kind. We don’t have to resort to gross pessimism, but we do need to remember the doctrine of man’s depravity, so that we are not caught off-guard when someone responds to our kindness with rudeness or hostility.
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Romans 3:10-11
2. When you encounter unexpected hostility, don’t respond with rash anger in return.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20
There are times when righteous indignation is the appropriate and even God-honoring response, but a cooling-off period in which we seek the Lord in prayer and Bible-consultation helps us to exercise wisdom.
3. Don’t let your mouth write a check your provision can’t cash.
Nabal talked very boldly and arrogantly and provocatively to David’s servants, but he was ill-prepared to deal with the consequences.
For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:28-33
4. Peacemakers enjoy God’s favor.
Abigail saved both both men from a tragic consequence – at least temporarily.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9
Making true peace involves sharing the truth, and it involves self-sacrifice. Abigail took a big risk intercepting David, but she needed to share the truth that ultimate vengeance belongs to God, not us. David’s change of mind turned out to be the right course of action, and Nabal did not escape God’s justice.
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died. And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
I Samuel 25:36-39
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Romans 12:19
Abigail’s actions remind us in a way of Jesus, Who rescued us from the wrath and the shame we deserved because of our hostility toward God and each other. If you have been rescued from the power of sin, and from even greater sin than you would have committed apart from God’s providence and intercession, then praise Him. If you are still in your sins, seize this opportunity right now – as did David – to turn from your present course, and turn toward Jesus. Repent, trust Him, ask Him to take away your sin and guilt – and live.
Doubling Down on the Hypocrites
July 15, 2019 at 2:30 pm | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, Luke | 7 CommentsTags: Biblical lawyers, commentary on Luke, hypocrisy, James 1, Luke 11, Matthew 5, Pharisees, Psalm 86, scribes, Sunday School lessons on Luke
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
Luke 11:33
Jesus is the Light for Christians. He is the only thing that illuminates spiritual darkness. If you are going to have an impact for the Kingdom, you are going to have to bring out Jesus and shine Him into blinded minds.
The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
Luke 11:34
The person with double vision – speaking from experience – does not see twice as much. If your eye be “double” then your “light” becomes darkness. Double-sightedness = spiritual blindness. Double-mindedness = instability.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:8
Double-heartedness = idolatry.
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Psalm 86:11
Here are some Biblical examples of people with “double vision” who wound up in the dark:
Samson – his name meant “Son of the Sun,” but he liked to look at things he shouldn’t look at and had divided affections between the Lord and his own lusts, and he wound up blind, pushing a mill stone.
Lot – he was double-minded. He believed in God but wanted to live in the world. He ended up in a cave, in the dark, drunk, committing incest with his daughters.
Saul – he had a divided heart. He wanted to be the king but did not want God to be the King over him. He wound up in spiritual darkness, committing suicide on the battlefield.
And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat.
Luke 11:37
Jesus would spend time with sinners, and He was often harsh and condemning toward the religious leaders (Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers) because they would criticize Him and say, “Why are you hanging out with sinners? It makes you seem like a sinner, too.” This would be like asking a doctor why he’s always so sick since he’s always hanging out at hospitals, but we need to remember that Jesus loved the Pharisees and the religious hypocrites, too, and He did spend time with them also. He loves sinners, including “religious” sinners, but He does not brook their hypocrisy.
And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner.
Luke 11:38
We do not know if this was a conscious action on the part of Jesus, designed to provoke a reaction, but it did cause a reaction for sure. Jesus responded with some very harsh rebukes.
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?
Luke 11:39-40
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:21-22
How could Jesus call someone a fool and not sin, when, for us, such name-calling is tantamount to breaking the Sixth Commandment? The reason is that when when we get mad enough to call somebody a fool, or a jerk, or an idiot, we are committing the sin of unrighteous anger usually, and and hypocrisy always, but when Jesus did so in this instance He was pronouncing prophetic “woes,” or curses, in keeping with His Divine calling. And He was not done with the name-calling either:
But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Luke 11:42
They tithed out of even their spice racks, but they didn’t truly love God or His people, and they judged with their own judgments while ignoring God’s judgments.
Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Luke 11:43
They paid for the best seats, and they wanted to be noticed and seen, because they were seeking worship for themselves instead of for God.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
Luke 11:44
The scribes were included in this third woe, which was especially insulting because they would go to great lengths to mark out graves and keep away from the defilement of dead bodies.
Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
Luke 11:45
One of the lawyers who heard these woes suddenly became passively-aggressively “offended,” and, in doing so, bit off more than he could chew:
And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
Luke 11:46
Jesus accused them of wanting to tell everyone else how to live, but not wanting to make it easier for anyone else to live right.
Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
Luke 11:47
They were trying to rewrite history so that they could repeat it with impunity.
Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.
Luke 11:48-52
They were fake teachers, adding to burdens instead of easing burdens. The scribes and Pharisees responded with anger.
And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
Luke 11:53-54
They tried to “catch” the Words coming out of His mouth. They went hunting with traps.
The Father of Lights
October 9, 2018 at 3:04 pm | Posted in James, John, Q&A | 18 CommentsTags: Acts 20, Colossians 1, Daniel 5, Genesis 1, James 1, John 1, John 3, John 8, Luke 12, Philippians 2
Question: I can understand why God would be called the “Father of Light,” but why is He called the Father of lights (plural) in James 1:17?
Answer: That’s one of my favorite verses.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17 (emphasis added)
Although the word “light” is found frequently in the New Testament, the plural “lights” is used only four times.
The first time, it is a translation of the Greek word lychnos, which was the generic word for mobile lights. Back in Bible times it would have been used to describe candles or lamps, which could be carried around to light up dark areas or rooms. I imagine it would be the ancient equivalent of our modern flashlights.
Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
Luke 12:35 (emphasis added)
The second time, “lights” is from lampas, meaning torches. These could have been for outdoor or indoor use, including traveling at night, or to illuminate meetings where people gathered after dark. Think of the angry villagers who came after Frankenstein’s monster to terrorize him with fire.
And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.
Acts 20:8 (emphasis added)
The third time plural “lights” is used, it is a translation of the word phoster, which has a connotation of objects that burn with their own, self-generated light.
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Philippians 2:15 (emphasis added)
The word you are asking about – “lights” in James 1:17 – is a translation of the Greek word phos, a shorter form of phoster, and which emphasizes lights that are used for the express purpose of revelation – revealing through illumination that which was previously hidden by darkness.
In its context, James 1:17 supports the truth that, although Christians will be tempted severely by the lusts of our own flesh, we may not blame God for these temptations. He – and every gift He sends down to us from on high – is perfectly good, and His immutability makes it impossible that He could fail to do what is right.
Therefore, although I can’t say for certain exactly why the Holy Spirit inspired James to use the plural “lights” when describing our Heavenly Father’s perfection, benevolence, and blessed immutability, I suspect it has to do with all the different types of light – both literal/physical and spiritual/metaphorical – we see in Scripture as coming from, or representative of, Him.
For instance, God is the Creator-Father of all the celestial bodies, including the Sun and the stars which light up the sky both at night, and in the day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
Genesis 1:14 (emphasis added)
God is the Father of all wisdom, which is symbolized by light, even to the extent that we refer to an exceptionally intelligent person as “brilliant.”
I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.
Daniel 5:14 (emphasis added)
God is the Father of Truth itself (Himself).
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:21 (emphasis added)
God is the Father of the Light of the World.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
John 1:4-9 (emphasis added)
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 8:12 (emphasis added)
God is the Father of our inheritance, as His children, of light.
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Colossians 1:12 (emphasis added)
God is certainly the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and His chosen, redeemed, and sanctified people, and in that sense, among many others, can it be said with joy, reverence, awe, and praise that He is the Father of Lights.
Big Words of the Christian Life: Omnipotence (Part 1)
March 16, 2018 at 1:42 pm | Posted in Biblical Power, big words of the Christian life | 10 CommentsTags: 1 Timothy 6, 2 Timothy 2, Genesis 18, Hebrews 6, Isaiah 40, James 1, Jeremiah 32, Luke 1, Mark 10, Matthew 19, Revelation 11
If you’ve ever seriously studied your way through Jesus’s model prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), by the time you finished the part about being delivered from evil you may have felt a little overwhelmed. To say that there is “a lot to” this short prayer is a massive understatement. However, hopefully you didn’t stop until you reached the very end. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever” is a statement, in and of itself, that contains a wealth of information about God. Recently, as I prayed my way through it, I was struck by the placement of the word “power” in between God’s kingdom and God’s glory. If we think about the awesome power of God, we are reminded of the attribute of God that we call “omnipotence,” and if we study the implications of this attribute we can see that:
1. God’s power is limitless.
Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
Genesis 18:14
Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Jeremiah 32:17
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Matthew 19:26
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Mark 10:27
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Luke 1:37
“Omnipotence” comes from two words: omni, meaning “all,” and potent, meaning “power” or “powerful.” The omni applies to other attributes of God too: “omnipresence,” meaning that God is everywhere all the time at once; “omnscience,” meaning that God knows everything; and “omnibenevolence” meaning that God (and what He does) is always good. We use the idea of “potency” when we think of someone with great authority, and, hence, the power to carry out his will: a “potentate.” We think of it antonymously when we talk about someone who lacks the power to do something: “impotent.” And we even use it to describe health supplements when we somewhat hyperbolically refer to “high-potency” vitamins. To say that God is omnipotent is to say that He’s all-powerful. And He is!
There is nothing that goes beyond His ability. He has the ability to bring forth everything from nothing. He has the ability to carry out His will in the minutest details. He has the freedom – the truest freedom – to choose what He will do, apart from any intrusive or coercive influences, and to do it either by Himself as the primary cause, or through His agency in utilizing as many secondary or intervening causes as He wishes.
It is one thing for even the most powerful human being to come up with an idea for a project, plan the project, labor intensively on the project, and see it through to a hopefully successful, possibly even “perfect,” conclusion. But it is a whole other matter and realm of power to simply speak the words, “Let there be light,” and see a whole universe of matter spring into existence. We can talk about God’s omnipotence, and attempt to define it, and perhaps understand a small measure of it, but to truly comprehend a being with truly UNLIMITED power is beyond our grasp.
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
I Timothy 6:14-16
Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
Revelation 11:17
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Isaiah 40:25-26
2. God’s power is logical.
It is important to remember, when we make a statement like, “God can do anything,” that we need to be prepared for skeptics to try to use basic logic to create nonsensical contradictions. “Can God make an object so immovable that He Himself cannot move it?” “Can God make a square circle?” “Can God make Himself cease to exist?” “Can God Himself commit the sins which His Word says He cannot do?”
It is tempting, when addressing these types of challenges (which are essentially just word-plays rather than legitimate questions), to respond with the argument that “logic” itself is a thing outside of God, and that even God can’t perform a true logical contradiction, nor can His power be exercised in logically “impossible” ways. That might be a valid response, but I think it overlooks the bigger picture that, to the extent logic can be considered a “thing,” it is something that arises from the nature of God Himself, as the Creator of all principles, rules, and precepts that exist, “natural” or otherwise, and that, while it might be possible in some way that we do not understand for God to overcome a logical contradiction, He does not in fact do so.
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
Hebrews 6:17-18
If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.
II Timothy 2:13
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:3
Next time we will see that God’s power is also laudable and looming.
The Assurance of Trouble
November 3, 2017 at 8:44 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 12 CommentsTags: assurance of salvation, Biblical assurance, commentary on Romans, James 1, joy in tribulation, Romans 5, Romans 8, Sunday School lessons on Romans, tribulation
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 8:35
Paul, although writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, could speak from experience. He had experienced all these things: persecution, hunger, extreme poverty, life-threatening danger. Yet he remained convinced of the assurance of Christ’s love, not just IN SPITE of these things, but partly BECAUSE of these things.
In fact, the perseverance of his faith and the knowledge of Christ’s presence through trials, tribulations, hardship, and imminent death, utterly convinced him that nothing whatsoever in all of existence could ever separate him from the love of God in Christ.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
Sadly, we are often backward in our thinking, looking at trials and temptations and difficulties as signs that God has forgotten or neglected us. What we should do, when God graciously gives us opportunities to strengthen our faith by turning to Him in times of trouble, is to rejoice that He loves us enough to give us such experiential assurances.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
James 1:2-4
Tribulations come to us to strengthen our hope or assurance. They are not random occurrences that have somehow broken out of God’s corral, set loose to stampede and trample our lives. They are controlled tests and gifts of grace, teaching us to patiently consider our Savior and the justification He has won for us, not so that we could be left to our own devices, but so that we could be continually drawing closer to Him.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Romans 5:1-4
The Deep End 
Past, Present, and Future: The Future
January 12, 2023 at 12:04 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | 4 CommentsTags: 2 Peter 2, commentary on Psalms, James 1, Jesus Christ, propitiation, Psalm 85, Sunday School lessons on Psalms, the future, the Gospel
In Psalm 85, after reviewing the blessings of the past, and after the plea, and the lament, of the psalmist in the present, the people would now have to pause and listen for what God would reveal about the future.
For believers, the immediate future may be uncertain but the eternal future is not. For nations, there is no guarantee or promise from God. The Cross of Christ stands far above the American flag.
A. Proximity
Psalm 85:8
God’s peace is for those who turn away from folly – foolishness – a lack of fear of the Lord. His “saints” (not deceased believers, but His special people) are sanctified and set apart by and for Him.
II Peter 2:20-21
Psalm 85:9
God’s salvation is as close to His people as a recognition by them of Who He really is. It is near, but not available, to those who insist on a false version of Him. This leads to a conundrum – a problem of apparent contradiction. How will a just and holy God – a God of truth and not make-believe – give mercy and peace to people who owe a debt to truth and righteousness they can not pay, and who have broken laws which require justice?
Psalm 85:10
B. Propitiation
Christ Jesus is the propitiation for sinners. He is where these immutable attributes and gifts of God meet together and kiss each other in holy blessed harmony. He is the basis on which God can look to the past and answer the prayers of the present in a glorious future.
C. Prosperity
Psalm 83:12
This refers to material prosperity, yes, but it is also a greater view of prosperity: an all-encompassing view of prosperity. It is true “goodness” – ultimate goodness – goodness according to God, Who is the Father of Lights, making everything that appeared dark and sinister become bright and beautiful.
James 1:17
Psalm 85:13
As we wait in the present for His deliverance in the future, our answer is found in His Word, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).