He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD

Kings in the history of Israel & Judah are evaluated regularly with a phrase such as this: “And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father.” This is the summary of the life of Josiah, found in 2 Chronicles 34:2 (ESV). Reading through the books of I & II Kings, and I & II Chronicles you will find this constant appraisal of the kings. Many did what was evil, some did what was good and they are often compared to King David or to their own immediate father – whether good or evil.

If the history of these kings were placed on a simple chart with a curved line representing their good & evil actions we would see a wave formation with many dips below the x-axis and some above. What would be fascinating would be to overlay a similar chart showing the fortunes of the people of Israel & Judah.

It struck me as I was reading that these curves would be very similar. The actions of the leader have a direct bearing on the spiritual health of the people of God.

This is a sobering thought for leaders. We may choose to point to all sorts of factors to explain the growth, lack of growth or decline of our ministries. However one cannot help wondering if their condition is actually a reflection of our own obedience or disobedience.

May God bless us with a heart of flesh to replace our cold, hard heart of stone and with the Holy Spirit to guide us into obedience (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

With All Your Heart

Wow – reading the Bible in a year keeps you moving so fast it’s hard sometimes to stop and take a breath. Today (11 April) we are moving into 1 Kings, and while I have managed to keep up, I’m still reflecting on Deuteronomy!

In Luke 10:25-28 “a lawyer” (ESV) asks Jesus how he can get eternal life.

In return Jesus asks the lawyer what the law says.

The lawyer replies “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” (NET)

Here’s an argument to think about …

1. The question in discussion is “what shall I do to inherit eternal life”.

2. Jesus asks, and the man answers a question about The Law – about God’s Law – The Jews called the first 5 books of the Bible the Books of Law.

3. Therefore it is clear that the answer to the question about eternal life is found in The Law. In fact, Jesus commends the man saying “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” (NET)

4. Very often people will make comments along these lines: “The Old Testament is about law and the New Testament is about grace” – as if to say: “Just read the New Testament, you can ignore the Old Testament”. In contrast, Jesus is saying that the way to get eternal life is found in The Law – in the Old Testament.

5. Now none of us can live up to the standard of God’s Law. As a friend reminded me last night – none of us can truly say to Jesus: “Yes, I have loved the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind – all the time.”

6. Therefore we all need the redeeming love of Jesus – to be washed clean by His cleansing blood. We need the forgiveness that only God can give.

Recently I watched the ABC’s Questions & Answers episode in which Richard Dawkins is one of the guests. Dawkins neatly & pretty much correctly summarises Christian belief. Watch it, or read the transcript here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2831712.htm

Dawkins says:
“The New Testament – you believe, if you believe in the New Testament, that God, the all powerful creator of the universe couldn’t think of a better way to forgive humanity’s sins than to have himself put on earth, tortured and executed in atonement for the sins of humanity? What kind of a horrible, depraved notion is that?”

The problem here is not that Dawkins has misinterpreted Christian doctrine – he hasn’t! He has correctly summarised it, but his reaction to it is that it is horrible and depraved.

7. It is possible to understand the doctrine of salvation without loving it.

8. The way to eternal life is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart …” In actual fact, when we look at the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for us – if we are moved to love God as a result of His extravagant love for us then we move into a position of being able to repent of our sin and place our faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin.

Only those who “love the Lord with all their heart” are going to truly respond to the cross in repentance and faith. If you don’t love God with all your heart then your reaction to the cross may range from indifference to the sense of horror that Richard Dawkins expressed.

9. How do we come to know and understand that the way to gain eternal life is through loving God? Like the lawyer speaking to Jesus, we learn this truth through reading the law!

Search the ESV for the phrase “with all your heart” and you will find it 19 times. 3 of those are in the New Testament; one in Matthew, one in Mark & one in Luke – the 3 versions of the story at the top of this post.

All the other 16 times that the Bible uses the phrase it is regarding our relationship with God.

With all our hearts we are to seek, to serve, to fear, to obey, to turn to, to return to, to trust in and to love the LORD our God!

We find this truth by reading our Old Testament. 9 times this phrase is used in the book of Deuteronomy! The so-called dry and dusty books of The Law contain the truth on how to gain eternal life. Don’t neglect the Old in favour of the New. Both must be read and related to each other.

Look at the cross of Christ and love the LORD your God with all your heart!

Righteousness Exalts a Nation

Proverbs 14:34 tells us:  ”Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” (NET)

As I’ve read through Deuteronomy recently I was struck by the theme of God’s material blessing for obedience.

Deuteronomy chapter 30 is a good example of this, summarised in verses 9-10: ”The Lord your God will make the labor of your hands abundantly successful and multiply your children, the offspring of your cattle, and the produce of your soil. For the Lord your God will once more rejoice over you to make you prosperous just as he rejoiced over your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commandments and statutes that are written in this scroll of the law. But you must turn to him with your whole mind and being.”  (NET)

One of the large debates in the Christian world today revolves around this very issue.  Does God make us “prosperous” when we truly follow Him in obedience and faith?

There are many who say yes, and they say it emphatically and repeatedly, often from the pulpits of our television screens.  This group will point to scripture after scripture like Deuteronomy 30.

However there are also a large number who strongly believe and state that such teaching is actually opposed to the Christian gospel.  This group will also refer to various scriptures, but particularly to the example of Jesus who said: “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20 NET) This statement from Jesus was in response to someone who wanted to follow Him and is a clear indication that following Jesus involves sacrifice of worldly comforts and possessions.

So, who do we believe?  Obviously it is going to be a whole lot more attractive to people to suggest:  if you follow Jesus you will become prosperous; than it is to suggest:  if you follow Jesus you will have to sacrifice worldly comforts and possessions.  I confess that my heart has long swayed me to believe in the path of sacrifice and to have sympathy with those who say that following Jesus does not result in material blessing.

Yet I cannot deny the clear theme of scripture that comes through in Deuteronomy and other parts of the Bible relating God’s blessing with obedience.  Furthermore, the evidence of history and our world today appears to stand on the side of prosperity.  Analyse the great nations of our world in the last 100 years.  How many of their societies are underpinned by Christian faith and morality?  Consider the influence of Great Britain and the abolition of slavery through the work of William Wilberforce and many other Christian people of 200 years ago.  What about the undeniable Christian history of the USA?  Set up as a series of colonies founded on Christian faith, the USA has been remarkably prosperous.  Australia too may lay claim to Christian foundations.  Our rule of law and our system of government are based on justice and honesty – fundamental Christian tenets of faith – and in comparison with most of our world we are exceedingly wealthy.

It certainly appears to be true that “righteousness exalts a nation”.

In closing, let me make three comments that I make to myself as much as I make them to you.

1.  Today’s “prosperity gospel” seems to be preached along the lines of “follow God and you will get rich”.  This panders to our greed, which makes our motivations suspect.  In contrast, Deuteronomy 30:6 states “you will love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”  If you are following God to get rich, I challenge you – do you really love the LORD your God with all your heart and soul?  Luke 6:13 makes it clear that you cannot love both God and money:  ”No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (NET)

2.  Nevertheless, if you are struggling with finances, it may very well be worth examining yourself to see if there is unconfessed or habitual sin in your life.  We can hardly expect God to bless us if we are not following Him whole-heartedly.  Is there something in your life that is taking the place of God?  Now is the time for repentance.  Turn from your sinful ways and turn to the Living God, our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Place your trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of your sin.

3.  Recognise that the blessing of God may be for the nation rather than for the individual.  Rather than focusing on what you can get out of the relationship with God, consider what you role you are playing in bringing God’s blessing to your fellow citizens.

By God’s grace we are
Dry Bones Dancing (Ezekiel 37)

Chris

Holy is the Lord God

Our Bible often tells us that God is holy.  Revelation 4 talks about 4 fantastical living creatures praising God continually, saying:  “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God” (Revelation 4:8 NET).  God is regularly described in the Old Testament as the Holy One of Israel, particularly in Isaiah.

So what does the word ‘holy’ really mean?  The Hebrew word for ‘holy’ is Qodesh, defined as “apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness

1. apartness, sacredness, holiness
   1. of God
   2. of places
   3. of things
2. set-apartness, separateness“

definition found at: http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/nas/qodesh.html

What does it mean that God is Holy?  Does it mean that God is ‘apart’ from us – or that He is distant from us?  Can we really know and understand a God who is totally ‘separate’ from us?

By definition, the God who is ‘apart’ from us will never be fully understood by us.  After all, He is infinite and we are finite.  He is eternal and we are mortal.  However, the Bible helps us understand more of Him.  When I was reading Exodus 30 (January 27 – see reading plan) God gave me a small step of understanding.

In Exodus 30:22-38 God describes to Moses how to make a sacred anointing oil and an incense that is to be holy to the LORD.  God said “you must not make any like it with the same recipe. It is holy, and it must be holy to you” (vs 32 NET).  Regarding the incense He says “And the incense that you are to make, you must not make for yourselves using the same recipe; it is to be most holy to you, belonging to the Lord” (vs 37 NET).

I was struck by this idea that the anointing oil and the incense were only to be made for this sacred purpose.  You couldn’t go down to the local perfume seller and buy a bottle of “Holy: A Brand New Fragrance From God”.  The anointing oil and the incense were set apart to be used in worshipping the LORD.  They were specially made for that purpose and that purpose alone.  God Himself is so sacred that He will not share His anointing oil and incense with anyone – they are only to be used in giving Him praise.  To borrow from Rick Warren – the anointing oil and the incense is not about us, it’s all about God.

Our readings have continued into Leviticus – a part of the Bible that is commonly called the ‘holiness code’.  Many people consider the holiness code as a set of laws – a series of statements of things to do and things not to do.  But if we look at it that way then we are reading the Bible as if it’s all about us.

The revelation I gained from Exodus made me think completely differently about the holiness code.  What if the holiness code is not about us?  What if the holiness code is all about God? That puts it in a whole new light.  Holy items are ones which are sacred and set apart for God’s purposes.  All the instructions from Leviticus are designed to help us be holy – not so that we can be “good people” but instead, to set us apart for God and His purposes.  The Apostle Paul urges us to present our “bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1 NET).  As we commit ourselves to be used for God’s purpose and only His purpose we will begin to know Him more. Indeed, then we will be sweet smelling incense before our God.

People, Humility & God

Hi everyone – following a break I’m now recording my Bible reading reflections again.  Here’s something that struck me from a reading of a couple of weeks ago.

In Exodus 10 we read:  ”So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and told him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews: ‘How long do you refuse to humble yourself before me? Release my people so that they may serve me!’ ” ” (NET)

The theme of humility before God is a common one in scripture.  In James 4:6 we are told “But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”” (NET)  Jesus himself in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector teaches that it is the Tax Collector who goes home justified because he has approached God in humility rather than in pride.

Pride can show through in numerous ways.  An unwillingness to accept correction.  An unteachable spirit.  When we stop reading, fail to attend seminars, stop listening to sermons, don’t put aside time to meet with a mentor – these can all be signs that perhaps we have become too secure in our own abilities.

Alternately, a hunger to learn and the pursuit of learning can help us to start to recognise our own weaknesses and failings.  In turn this can lead to repentance as we acknowledge our frailty before God – then God will give grace!  What a wonderful promise!

Biblical Application – Chemistry not Physics

13- 14 January 2010 – Genesis 39 – 42

Learning how to apply the Bible to our lives today is an important skill.  One common mistake is assuming generalised principles are always true.  Let me give an example from Genesis 39-42.

Here we read the story of Joseph in Egypt, of his betrayal by Potiphar’s wife, his imprisonment, and his rise to be Pharoah’s right hand man.  There are a couple of key components that readily come through in the reading.  Firstly, Joseph was a man of integrity who maintained a righteous life in communion with God.  Secondly, “the Lord was with him and whatever he was doing the Lord was making successful.” (Genesis 39:54 NET).

We readily take those two components and apply them to our lives today using the following if/then logic statement.  ”If I maintain a life of integrity in communion with God, then God will bless me and make me successful.”

But is this an appropriate way to interpret and apply the Bible?  Well … yes and no.  It’s like the difference between the laws of physics and the laws of chemistry.  In high school I always loved physics, because the laws of physics applied every time.  Gravity always operates (on earth) in the same way.  The law applies every time.  Chemistry on the other hand was my bugbear subject.  It seemed that every single law of chemistry always had exceptions.  You couldn’t just learn the law.  You had to learn that in these circumstances there was an exception, or that these particular elements were exceptions to the law and didn’t react in the expected fashion.

This is the problem when we apply the Joseph story. We take the principle “God blesses the righteous” and assume that it is like a physics law, rather than a chemistry law.  In other words, we take the generalised principle and apply it to every situation.  This creates an obvious problem.  What if I’m not successful?  Is it my fault, for not being righteous enough?  Suddenly my success (however that might be measured) becomes a measure of my righteousness, creating pride or arrogance and envy of those who are successful.

This principle however, ought to be applied like a chemistry law – with exceptions!  For instance, God blessed Joseph in Potiphar’s house, but Joseph still ended up in prison.  There is no doubt that if we seek to live upright lives before God we will be blessed – but the blessings we receive will not necessarily save us from also dealing with heartache, with pain, with struggle and with injustice.

Like the proverbs, this wisdom is generalised.  That’s why you can have two proverbs that say exactly the opposite of each other, yet both are true (see Proverbs 26:4-5).

On the other hand, some parts of Scripture provide clear “commands” which apply in all circumstances.  So when Jesus says that the greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:45 NET) – this is not a generalised principle to be followed on occasion.  This is an instruction for how we are to live.

We must be careful when applying Biblical concepts to recognise when they are generalised principles and when they are not and to remember that the general principles will have exceptions.

So let’s embrace the chemistry of the Bible together!

A Word on Bible Translations

Currently, I’m doing some research on Bible translations.  When I finish I’ll update this post.

English speaking people are spoiled for Bible translations.  There are many different translations available.  These cover a range of translation philosophies that form a spectrum from Word for Word translations, through Essentially Literal translations, through Dynamic Equivalence translations through to Paraphrases.

There is some debate both in the academic community and amongst the average Christian regarding the merits and deficiencies of the various translation philosophies, or indeed about particular versions.

For the last 25 years I’ve used the New International Version (NIV) as my Bible.  Why?  Well, lets be pragmatic.  1. I got given one.  2. It was easier to read than the New American Standard Version (NASV) I grew up with.  3. Just about everyone in the churches I’ve been in has used the NIV.  Therefore any public reading, group Bible studies or preaching was easier to do from the NIV, because the majority of people would have the same version.

When I started using the NIV I didn’t have the experience or theological training (or the desire!) to really grapple with the philosophies of Bible translation and their outcomes in the actual versions.  Nor did any of us have the internet!

I’ve always believed that using one translation was a hindrance to a good understanding of the Bible, because the original scriptures were written in another language.  So I encourage you to look at multiple translations and look at what commentators have to say about particular verses.  For the non-Greek and non-Hebrew readers – which includes me – this gives us the best chance of really understanding what the original Hebrew and Greek text says.

Hopefully the old saying “familiarity breeds contempt” doesn’t ever apply to Bible reading, however familiarity can cause us to lose sight of the impact of a particular passage.  So, to try to open my eyes again to God’s Word, I’ve decided in 2010 to start using the English Standard Version (ESV).  On the translation philosophy spectrum I’ve moved towards the more literal.  For everyday study that’s a good option.  There can still be great value in reading a translation at the other end of the spectrum – but I’d be a bit concerned about basing serious Bible study on a paraphrase.

Quotes on this Blog Site

As I blog I will be quoting verses regularly.  Although I’ll be doing my own reading using the ESV, there may be copyright issues if I quote too many verses from it.  The easiest way to avoid that is to quote from the New English Translation (NET Bible).  The NET Bible® is freely available at www.bible.org

The Activities of Grace

6 January 2010 – Genesis 19-21

These are the activities of grace.

Lot, who gets drunk, whose daughters sleep with their father to prolong their family line.  Lot’s family are saved from the judgement of God on Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham & Sarah were too old to have children, yet had been promised a child by God.  How do they respond?  They take matters into their own hands by having Abraham lie with Sarah’s servant Hagar.   Yet to Abraham & Sarah a child is born in their old age.

Hagar mocked her mistress Sarah because of her infertility.  With her son Ishmael she finds a well in the wilderness.

All these flawed, frail, sinful people didn’t earn God’s blessing by observing the law.  No.  God demonstrates His love by His amazing generosity.  This is the God of grace and these are His activities.

The Old Testament of Grace

Re: 4-5 January – Genesis 11-18

In Genesis 15:6 we read: “he [Abram] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (ESV)  So often we characterise the Old Testament as The Law and the New Testament as Grace - but here, near the beginning of the Old Testament is an expression of God’s grace.  Abram was a sinner – see chapters 12 & 16!  Yet God shows grace to Abram and counts him as righteous.  Why?  Because Abram believed the LORD!

In 2010 we can be recipients of God’s grace – not by obeying God’s laws, but by believing in Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 11:6 says: “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to Godmust believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (ESV – emphasis added)

The Old & New Testaments are consistent!  Both speak of God’s grace to those who believe.

May you know the grace of God in 2010.

God vs Global Warming

Following the flood, (Genesis 7-8) God makes some promises to Noah and to all people.  The final part of the promise struck me as being of particular interest, considering all the hoop-la associated with the recent Copenhagen Climate Change Summit.

God says “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 (ESV)

God said it.  I believe it.  End of story.  The seasonal rhythm of the earth will continue as long as the earth does.

Now that doesn’t mean we can do whatever we please.  God gave stewardship of His earth to people.  In Genesis 1:28 God says to Adam & Eve “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (ESV)  We have been given power and authority over the earth and every living thing – and as every Spiderman fan knows – with great power comes great responsibility.  So we need to be careful how we live on this world.

But any attempt to suggest that the actions of people will negate the promise of God is foolhardy.