Isolate Yourself; Insulate Yourself.

Last week (March 23-29) something changed in my thinking, my speech and my attitude. I needed to except some correction. From God’s Word I preached this to myself:

1. The matter of first importance, start every day seeking the filling of God’s Spirit, with the purpose to do His will and not be foolish; and use all my time wisely (Ephesians 5:16-18);

2. Everywhere I look I see the sign: COVID-19. It dominates my devices.  It fills the news (24-7) and sadly it is the exclusive agenda of every conversation. The Bible calls me to think about these things: whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise (Philippians 4:8). There is an addictive element to the news. Limit your news intake.

3. The affect of becoming fixated, obsessed with this event is to become self-absorbed. “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 (ESV)).

One could add many other great ways to insulate yourself from the spiritual harm of this fixation. Pray. Worship. Serve. Insulate yourself as you isolate yourself.

Bad King. Better King. Best King. - 1 Samuel, Part 27

1 Samuel 16:1–13 (ESV)

After recording God’s second and final rejection of Saul (chapter 15), the account focuses on Saul’s replacement. God instructs Samuel to travel to Bethlehem, where he will find Israel’s next king. Every child in Sunday School has heard this story.  Every preacher, teacher and Christian parent has at one time quoted this famous verse: ``For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”^[1] The events surrounding this text are a historical phenomenon.

God told Samuel, `”Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”^[2]  Anointing with oil was symbolic of God’s choice. The new king was to be God’s servant.  Saul was self-serving.  Samuel had clear instructions: “And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you,”^[3] said the Lord.   Samuel had fear. If Saul had heard of his intentions he would likely take action against him.  The Lord instructed Samuel to hide his intentions.  He was to call for a time of worship with Jesse’s family.

“And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”” (1 Samuel 16:10, ESV).  Ah, but there’s one more! There’s David out with the sheep. So David was called and God confirmed that this was the one.  “Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah” (1 Samuel 16:13, ESV).

God looked upon the heart of David.  “The life of the man will reflect his heart (cf. Matthew 12:34, 35).”^[4] As David’s son would write: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23, ESV).

There is a contribution in this passage to our understanding of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. We learned that this anointing for kingship was accompanied by “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.”^[5]  Dr. James Hamilton writes, 

“The Old Testament speaks of the Spirit “rushing upon” someone not to describe a conversion experience (e.g., the expression is not used of Abraham or Rahab), but rather the Spirit's empowering leaders who will deliver the nation. In these instances, national leaders are empowered by the Spirit for the position to which they are appointed . . . No indication is given that those not appointed were indwelt by the Spirit. Rather, the Spirit distinguishes these people from the rest of the nation as He empowers them for the task of leadership.”[6]  

After David sinned with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 & 12), he prayed, “… Do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11).”^[7]

There is certainly a moral lesson in this passage also.  God is concerned about our hearts.  As Matthew Henry writes:

“We can tell how men look, but he can tell what they are . . . The good disposition of the heart, the holiness or goodness of that, recommends us to God, and is in his sight of great price (1 Pt. 3:4), not the majesty of the look, or the strength and stature of the body.”^[8]

But above all, there is a Christological message here.  In 2 Samuel 7:12–13 (ESV) we read of God’s covenant with David:

“¹² When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

From the family of David, God will choose a King who will come in the power of the Spirit.  Isaiah prophesied this coming king, who in His own words said in Isaiah 61:1–2 (ESV):

“¹ The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn . . .” and following.

Jesus confirmed this was spoken of Himself (cf: Luke 4:18-19). David will prove not to be a faithful king. His own reign will be impaired with sin leading to a divided kingdom.  But God’s anointed Christ will be chosen who will fulfill our need of a righteous King. And He will reign forever and ever.

“But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”” (Hebrews 1:8–9, ESV)

O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing his power and his love:
our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days,
pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.[9]

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 16:7). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 16:1). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 16:3). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[4] MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 401). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

^[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 16:13). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[6] Hamilton, Jr., James M.. God's Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments (Nac Studies in Bible & Theology) (p. 33). B&H Publishing. Kindle Edition.

^[7] MacArthur, J., Jr. (Ed.). (1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed., p. 401). Nashville, TN: Word Pub.

^[8] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 411). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[9] O Worship the King, Johann Michael Haydn | Robert Grant, © Words: Public Domain, Music: Public Domain

A Repenting, Unrepentable God - 1 Samuel, Part 26

When God repents, does He change His mind?   Read on:

1 Samuel 14:47–15:35 (ESV)

Saul’s brief military career and his family genealogy are first mentioned before the author provides us with another story of Saul’s disobedience and his final confrontation with the prophet Samuel.

Through the prophet Samuel, God commands Saul to bring retribution on the Amalakites for the way they treated Israel when they exited Egypt (See Exodus 17:8–16). God had judged the Amalakites and said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Exodus 17:14, ESV). So God told Saul, “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3, ESV).  “One purpose of such total destruction was to stop the spread of the “abominable practices” of paganism (Deut. 20:16–18). The ban against Amalek is based on Deuteronomy 25:19.”^[1]

 In the assault on the city of Amalek Saul showed mercy to the people of the Kenites who were among them. The Kenites were the people of Moses’ father-in-law. Then we read in 1 Samuel 15:7–8 (ESV),

“⁷ And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸ And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword.”

“This verse notes that at least one Amalekite—Agag—was left alive, until Samuel kills him (1 Sam 15:33). However, the presence of Amalekites in 27:8 and 30:1–20 (400 are noted in 30:17) indicates that Saul had likely left alive far more than just Agag.”^[2] Again we have a situation of Saul’s selective obedience. When Samuel confronted Saul, he excused himself for he said the people wanted to save some of the animals for sacrifice. It is then we read these words:

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. ²³ For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”^[3]

“Even the best sacrifice without obedience gains nothing.”^[4]  The story concludes with the rejection of Saul as king and the kingdom will be given to another.  Samuel himself killed Agag in obedience to the Lord. “And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35, ESV)

There is an interesting thread through this story:

       ·         “And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35, ESV).

       ·         “And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.”” (1 Samuel 15:29, ESV)

       ·         “. . . the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.” (1 Samuel 15:35, ESV)

The LORD regretted; He does not regret.  What do we make of this seemingly contradiction?  There is no contradiction. This is an important aspect to Biblical theology.  God can act in accordance with His righteousness and holiness, in keeping with His sovereign plan, yet He can grieve over man’s sin and rebellion without the two facets controverting themselves. The term for “have regret” (Hb. nakham) can be translated “relent” or “change one’s mind^[5].  God can act in immutable righteousness and still feel regret about it. 

Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem yet we read these words: ““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37, ESV) Ezekiel 18:23 (ESV) records these words:

²³ Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?

The point the reader should note is that God, in fact, has two wills: there’s the will of desire; and the will of determination.  Neither are in conflict with one another. An obvious example is found in John’s first letter.  We read in 1 John 2:1 (ESV),

“¹ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin . . .”  No one would dispute that it is God’s will of desire that we do not sin.  But God has also determined an outcome: “. . . But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

John Piper provides this illustration:

“If I spank my son for blatant disobedience and he runs away from home because I spanked him, I may feel some remorse over the spanking — not in the sense that I disapprove of what I did, but in the sense that I feel some sorrow that the spanking was necessary and part of a wise way of dealing with my son in this situation, and great sorrow that he ran away. If I had to do it over again, I would still spank him. It was the right thing to do, even knowing that one consequence would be alienation for a season. I approve the spanking from one angle, and at the same time I regret the spanking from another angle. If such a combination of emotions is possible for me in my finite decisions, it is not hard for me to imagine that God’s infinite mind — the infinite complexity of God’s emotional life — would be capable of something similar or even more complex.”[6]

Saul was chosen by God to be king over Israel. Saul’s behaviour was consistent disobedience. God’s will of desire was to regret that He had made Saul king.  But God’s will of determination sovereignly over-ruled Saul’s failure.  In fact it was no surprise to God.  He omnipotently enveloped the sinful behaviour of Saul within His sovereign plan to His own glory.  His mind never changed.

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^[1] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 515). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[2] Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Sa 15:8). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 15:22–23). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[4] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 516). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[5] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 516). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[6] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-does-god-regret-and-repent-in-the-bible

The Judgment of Believers

I’ve frequently heard questions related to the accountability of the saint regarding their works. The Bible is very clear. For example in Romans 14:10–12 (ESV): 

“... For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God ... So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Cf: 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 2:6–11; Rev. 20:12, 15).

But Paul is equally clear this is not a judgment of condemnation but a judgment of commendation.  As we see in 1 Corinthians 4:3–5 (ESV):  

“... It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

“It is important to realize that this judgment of believers will be a judgment to evaluate and bestow various degrees of reward (see below), but the fact that they will face such a judgment should never cause believers to fear that they will be eternally condemned.” - Wayne Grudem.

Remember the words of Jesus recorded in John 5:24 (ESV): 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Does this security render us passive and negligent? No! Quite the opposite. True saving grace looks like this:

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” - 1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV)

Ransomed! - 1 Samuel, Part 25

1 Samuel 14:24–46 (ESV)

Previously, Jonathan’s courage against the Philistines affected Saul and the Israelites with the same mettle.  With God’s intervening grace the Philistines were defeated at the Battle of Michmash and started to pursue the Philistines as they withdrew.  The account ends with these words: “So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.” (1 Samuel 14:23, ESV).

In the pursuit of the enemy, Saul makes an unwise decision in forbidding the Israelites to eat.  When Jonathan, unaware of his father’s vow, eats honey, he ends up at the sad end of that vow. “Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening, and I am avenged on my enemies.”^[1]  Jonathan was probably right, “How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”” (1 Samuel 14:30, ESV).

To add insult to the occasion, when evening did come and the people were free to eat again, they were so ravenous that they did not drain the blood properly from the animals they were to eat. “Eating meat with blood is strictly prohibited in the law (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26; 17:10–14; Deut. 12:16.”^[2] Saul attempted to correct the situation by correcting the eating of the meat and Saul built an altar and made sacrifice to the Lord. Saul then planned a nighttime advance with a first light assault on the Philistines, but the priest exhorted him to inquire of the Lord before progressing. Saul inquired of the Lord but heard no answer.

Saul demands to know whose sin has caused God to remain silent.  This compels him to make another rash vow.  He said that he will kill the sinner even if it turns out to be his son.  In casting lots, Saul learned that it was his son that bore the guilt of eating the forbidden food. Saul determined to execute him.

“Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.” (1 Samuel 14:45, ESV)

The people save Jonathan by crediting him with carrying out God’s will, leading to victory for Israel.

“Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.” (1 Samuel 14:46, ESV)

The Philistines were left to continue their retreat unhindered.

This story is riddled with the foolish decision-making of King Saul. Not that this isn’t important, but the reality is that Saul’s son, Jonathan, did disobey (even though unintentionally at first) his father’s command. Jonathan and the people knew that he had sinned.  But the people were not willing to let him die for it.  The text says, “So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die.”^[3]  The KJV uses the word, “rescued”.  It’s the Hebrew word padah. It usually involves a payment of sort.  But in this case we are uncertain as to the nature of the ransom except that it was the good conscience of the people that affected it.  Apart from their intercession, Jonathan would have certainly been executed.

Like Jonathan, Christians are a “ransomed people”.  Matthew 20:28 (ESV) reminds us that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The Greek words translated "ransom" in these texts indicate a price paid for redeeming or ransoming a slave or prisoner.  Jesus paid our ransom to free us from sin, death, and hell.  The sacrificial story throughout the Old Testament pictured the death of an animal in place of a human being, all pointing to the ultimate rescue, through the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.

Like Jonathan we have all disobeyed the edict of the King of kings. In contrast to Saul, our God does not make rash demands.  His commands are good and holy.  Each one of us have disobeyed His commands and the curse is death.  For all who place their soul’s trust and enjoyment in Jesus Christ, they can be sure that He paid the ransom for their lives, to God. That ransom was His own life, the shedding of His own blood, a sacrifice. Without death Divine justice could not be satisfied.  But through the death of Christ in our place, justice is served, and mercy is provided.

Our sin made us debtors to God, not Satan nor anyone else.  The ransom price was paid to God.  It was His demand.  He alone said, “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”^[4] An old Gospel song[5] reminds us:

He paid the debt He did not owe, I owed the debt I could not pay
I needed someone to wash my sins away
And now I sing a brand new song
Amazing grace
Christ Jesus paid the debt I could never pay.

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^[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 14:24). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[2] Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 514). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Sa 14:45). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

^[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 9:22). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

[5] Ellis J. Crum, © 1977 Ellis J. Crum, Publisher (Admin. by Sacred Selections R.E. Winsett LLC)

10 Reasons Why You Should be Committed to Expository Preaching - #9 & #10

From

The Shepherd Leader, by Timothy Z. Witmer[1]

“The pastor should also be concerned to represent scriptura tota (the whole counsel of God) in his preaching ministry. The best way to provide this balanced diet is through the systematic expository preaching of the Scriptures. Verse-by-verse preaching from whole books of the Bible serves many purposes, including the following:

9. It is of great assistance in sermon planning. When you plan a series on a book of the Bible, you don’t need to wring your hands wondering what you are going to preach about next Sunday. Very few of us can live as courageously as Spurgeon who sent people home early Saturday evening and then climbed into his study to prepare for Sunday morning.

10. It provides the context for a long tenure in a particular place. If you are serious about preaching the whole counsel of God, it will take you a long time to preach through the entire Bible!”

One of the fun -- yes, fun, things that I experience on an ongoing basis is in planning for our worship services and my preaching schedule.  My musicians often like to know my theme a week or so in advance.  So yes I look at the text that is next in order and do a cursory read.  From that I share the main point, the theme and some of the tag lines that will help them choose music.

Guess what?

9 out of 10 times I'm wrong.  It's uncanny.  But once I start my exegetical work and start analyzing the sentence/paragraph structure, what emerges is often different than what I expected.  That's why it's fun.  It's a treasure hunt.  Piper calls is "expositional exultation". 

Simply stated by Mark Dever: "Expositional preaching is preaching in which the main point of the biblical text being considered becomes the main point of the sermon being preached." (Preach: Theology Meets Practice)

Other blog posts in this series:

You can read the first Blog HERE.
Points #2 and #3 can be read HERE.
Points #4 and #5, HERE; and
Point #6 HERE
Point #7 & 8 HERE.

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[1] Shepherd Leader (pp. 142-146). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition.

10 Reasons Why You Should be Committed to Expository Preaching - #7 & #8

You can read the first Blog HERE.
Points #2 and #3 can be read HERE.
Points #4 and #5, HERE; and
Point #6 HERE

If the preacher has discerned the main point of the text and preaches the main point of the text, he can be certain that he is heralding the main point that the Holy Spirit had intended.  This gives boldness and confidence.

7. Expository preaching gives us boldness in preaching, for we are not expounding our own fallible views but the Word of God. It is only based on this understanding that we can confidently declare the truth, identify sin, and appeal to the sinner. The promise of God is linked to his Word and not to our own wisdom. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa. 55:9–11) This promise is of great encouragement for shepherds as they strive to feed the flock what they need to hear even though sometimes it might be hard to swallow.

8. It gives confidence to the listener that what he is hearing is not the opinion of man but the Word of God. It will build a sense of momentum among the congregation. They will want to return next week to hear what comes next. W. A. Criswell built the First Baptist Church of Dallas beginning at Genesis 1 on Sunday morning, continuing on Sunday evening and kept on going Sunday mornings and evenings for years until he finished the whole Bible.

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[1] Shepherd Leader (pp. 142-146). P&R Publishing. Kindle Edition.