Text: Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
The basic premise of this article is that life is absurd without an adequate world-view.
In Ecclesiastes 3:11, Solomon’s observed that: “He (God) has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end”.
God has set eternity in our hearts. He has made us yearn for something more…something beyond ‘life under the sun”. He has created us for eternity, and confined us to time and space, knowing that we will never be satisfied here.
God has planted dissatisfaction deep in our hearts for a reason. He has done it because He wants us to seek Him. God wants us to seek him because He wants to be found. He does not just want us to live, he wants us to think what it means ‘to be’ and come to know what life is all about. God wants us to accept the worldview set out in scripture, starting with the this one basic truth, that men and women are made in the image of God.
He wants us to know that He is God and that we must trust him to among other things, provide answers, even when we don’t even know what the questions are.
God wants our lives to make sense, and to do that, they have to be anchored in special revelation. Scripture is made up of words spoken from beyond the sun and from the place to which God ultimately calls us.
Solomon’s world view was inadequate only because it was incomplete. We would agree with much of what he said, but he lived before the coming of Jesus and without access to all of the answers that he provided.
Solomon knew about God and was a student of scripture and a staunch believer
We know that God spoke to Solomon at the start of his reign. He also opened Solomon’s mind and granted him an extra measure of wisdom so that along with the prophets, he was inspired to write. Solomon’s world-view included God, but he still wrestled with questions that God had not yet answered
If there is a lesson here, it is that God does not expect believers to “check their brains at the door”.
Solomon’s search was not unbelief looking for belief, but faith searching for breadth and depth. Biblical faith must always be held with a sense of God’s divine oversight and exercised in humility.
So, in the text for this article you’ll notice a variety of subjects. They are found from Ecclesiastes 3:16 to the end of chapter 4.
For the sake of simplicity, let’s group these verses into four subject areas
The question for Solomon was…how do all of these individual facts fit together in to a cohesive whole? What world-view can account for them all and still make sense? And is that world-view one that is worth living for?
Chapter 3:16-17 and 4: 1-3, deal with Social Injustice, reflecting two things.
God has put us together in such a way that something within us demands justice. After all, fair is fair. It doesn’t matter where you live in, people know justice when they see it. God has made us so that we are driven to approve of things good and right. He has placed within us, a sense of obligation to stand on the side of right and to oppose that which is wrong.
So when Solomon took stock of his world and he observed that neither justice nor righteousness prevailed, he concluded that:
If it is true that ‘power corrupts then absolute power corrupts absolutely”. This is why powerful people are very rarely just, and as long as the powerful are wicked, the weak are abused.
Now you’d think that since Solomon was king, he’d be able to stop it. But he realized, that all by himself, he could not stamp out injustice. Systemic evil, tilts the scales toward injustice and there are limits to what a good king can do when he inherits an evil administration. Cleaning house may get him killed.
When Solomon came to power, his father David handed him a hit-list. There were people in his administration that had murdered and had wronged David personally, but remained unpunished. It fell to Solomon to deal with these. His nephew Joab who commanded David’s army, had murdered two men and was to be executed. The case of Shimei, a Benjamite who cursed David when he fled Jerusalem the armies of Absalom had yet to be close. And Solomon’s half brother Adonijah had tried to grab the throne out from under Solomon, just before David died.
It was all unfinished business, inherited along with the throne. The royal house had to be put in order before the nation could live at peace. Solomon knew a lot about the relationship between power and justice and the need for justice to guide and direct the power of the throne.
Skipping forward to the first 3 verses of chapter 4, there is a pessimistic tone to what Solomon says. He congratulates the dead, or better still, those who have never been born. He is discouraged – even jaded. He seems to be saying, that injustice is so universal, that death is better than life. Better off is the one never born.
In a sense, Solomon was breaking trail for the philosophers of the future. Once you start down that road, it leads to Nihilism…the view that life is meaningless – both unfair and absurd. It would be better never to have been born than to face that kind of life.
But that is not where Solomon is going. Solomon’s was not a Nihilist and for good reason. We find it in chapter 3 and verse 17 where he observed:
I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a time for every matter and for every deed is there”.
In other words, in God’s own good time, He will judge. Surely, in God’s system of justice, no one gets away with evil in the end.
Now in 3:18-21, Solomon returned to end of life issues. God has so ordered the world that death is always “in your face”. We are creatures before the creator. We are born, to die. Death and dying are all around us, as is the realization that no one is exempt. The O.T. calls it “going the way of all the earth”. Death is so universal, that every living being has to take their turn. No one gets out of life alive and of course, this lead Solomon to speculate about what happens next?
The Bible says that our bodies are made of dust and return to the dust, but what is a person’s spirit made of? And where does it go when we die? That’s his question and it is a good question. It’s a question that the whole world would like to have answered, and it does no good to interview the dead.
This question marks the boundary of Solomon’s world-view. He had no answer and neither would we, had God not given one in the resurrection of Jesus. He rose from the grave and promises the same for those who belong to Him. We now know, that there is life after death and that there is also death after death. There is judgment both in this life and in the one to come
Now in chapter 4:4-6, Solomon turns to the matter of folly. There are two kinds of folly that he talks about.
The first has to do with the nature of work. Work is a good thing. It is necessary and God-given. Without it, there would be no food on the table, clothes on our back or houses to keep us warm. Society could not exist without work.
But people have taken a good thing and made a competition out of it. It’s not enough just to have enough, we must have more than others. Solomon says, that this too is vanity and striving after the wind.
Yet if you read Ecclesiastes 2, it is exactly what Solomon did. He compared himself with everyone else and concluded that “I’m winning”. But when you are number one, there is only one way to go. This too is vanity.
So there’s the kind of work that’s done for all the wrong reasons. And then there’s the other extreme – those who just won’t work at all. They refuse to play the game and in the process refuse to do the things that are necessary to keep body and soul together.
So you have the man who says to himself “One hand full of rest is better than two hands full of wind”. But that means that he has nothing to eat and in turn becomes a burden to society and a danger to himself. Giving up is not the answer, but then, what is?
In 4:7, Solomon circles back to the subject of vanity. He sees it everywhere and he does look everywhere. Futility is a built-in feature of life. It’s not an optional extra, it is a part of the base model that everyone starts with. It is there in the very ‘nature of things’.
The exercise that follows is somewhat surprising. Solomon spends time saying ‘this is better than that’, comparing one specific to another and then declaring a winner.
But so what? He seems to say, that since I can’t make sense of the big picture, let’s just spend time on minutia, because one way or another, life goes on, with or without an adequate world-view. You still have to bake your bread, wash your clothes and earn a living.
So if we can’t answer big picture questions, then what about day to day stuff? Like which is better, a Chevy or a Ford, a Panasonic or a Sanyo, Levi’s or Wranglers?
Solomon has his own list of things. So, it is better for a man to have heirs than to have none? Why work hard to build an estate when you have no family to inherit? More than that, Solomon is saying, don’t live life without asking “why?”
Did you know that two are better than one? You’ve got someone to turn to when you need help. When you are cold, two can keep warm. When you are lonesome, two’s company and when danger comes, there is strength in numbers. It may be “life under the sun” (unfair and pointless) but you still need common sense just to get by.
Solomon concludes then that it is better to be poor and wise than rich, and foolish, for wisdom is better than riches…since power is short-lived.
The same people love a new king get tired of him just as quickly. They’ll crown you today will kick you out tomorrow. Popularity is a flash in the pan. You can’t please all of the people all of the time or even most of the people some of the time.
Now the reason ought to be obvious. You see, those who choose a king are looking for things to get better. They too are stuck with ‘life under the sun’.
So they think that a new king is the answer. They want a man who can give them what only God can, and when he can’t deliver – they get rid of him and move on. This too is vanity.
Now suppose that you line up all of these ‘better things’ and put them into practice, what do you have? Solomon says, that you still have vanity and futility
You see, there is a place for practical wisdom and God wants us to live responsibly. He wants us
But we must lift our heads above the individual things in life and understand what life on earth is all about.
There is the danger of getting bogged down in the mechanics of daily living. That we will be too busy being busy to ask the really important questions. For if we are too busy for that… then our lives are spent in vanity. Even those who only choose the better things in this life, Solomon says these are still just striving after the wind.
How then do we rise above the better things – under the sun – and take hold of the permanent ones? Here is what Solomon says in 3:14
“I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him”
The things that last are the things that God does. His work is permanent. Therefore, it is His work that ultimately counts. If ultimate meaning exists it is found in God’s work. And since God alone is eternal…meaning and purpose reside in Him.
For us, the question is: what are God’s purposes for this world? And “how do I fit into these?”
Well, as Christians, we know God’s answers. He has created us to be the objects of his love. He demonstrated his love for us when Christ died on the cross and He in turn has redeemed us from sin and has sent us to tell others. He has made us partners in the enterprise of saving the world.
Talk about meaning in life! It is the reason why God made us in the first place. It was the reason Jesus came to earth so that life ‘under the sun’ might lead to life in a place where He is the source of eternal light. This is real life. This is real life, with purpose reaching into eternity.
In Christ, life suddenly makes sense. God’s word, unfolds a view of the world – found nowhere else. But its not the novelty of it that makes it unique. It is the fact that it is true, for it is of God.
This is the good news. Its what the prophets foretold but did not understand, the things into which angels longed to look. They are now ours in Christ and ours forevermore.
Barry ON
Text: Hebrews 12:15-29
Have you ever noticed just how much of the bible is narrative? It’s one long story – a true story and part of world history. Much of it is told without commentary, leaving you and me to judge the people and the events for ourselves. It is not that God is neutral about what’s gone on, it’s that He wants to get us involved
This is interactive story-telling at its best. God wants us to read and judge…using the same standard that He does. He wants us to evaluate what we are reading by applying the standard set out in his word. And then, from time to time…God speaks up as part of the story to tell us, who it was that pleased Him and who did not.
Some of the people in the Bible set a bad example. God want’s us to learn from them, what it is that we should not do. He encourages us to imitate the good and be warned by the bad.
The great thing about the narrative of the bible is that we get to see history from the vantage point of God. We can go back and forward in the story to see where we came from and what is coming. We don’t get to do that in our own lives, except perhaps in broad brush strokes.
The text for this article takes us back to a man named Esau and warns us against ‘coming short of the grace of God’ (Heb 12:15-17). He is talking about giving up on our faith by giving up on God before the time comes for God to bless us with his eternal presence.
Here and now, we’ve only just started to enjoy God’s grace. But it is eternal life with God….to which God calls us by his grace. If we give up before we get there, we lose everything that God has promised
That’s what Esau did. He was a godless person…both irreligious and irreverent. Were he alive today, some might say that he was just a good-old-boy. Yea, he was worldly minded, but totally likeable and the life of the party. He was a guy who lived for today and could care less about tomorrow, until tomorrow came. He cared less and less for the things that endure, and in the end, received none of them.
He sold his birthright, for a meal. He took a “bird in the hand” instead of waiting for his father’s fortune. And having done the deal and eaten the meal, the bible says that he ‘despised his birthright’. He told himself that it was a nothing-burger…but it made him bitter
By today’s standards – Isaac was a millionaire and Esau was the next head of the family. Two thirds of that estate was his – until it wasn’t. All it took was enough time for one really really bad decision, followed by a lifetime of regret. Once the deal was done, it was done. He had to live with it. He spend the rest of his life beating himself up. He seized the moment and said ‘nuts’ to the future.
Now it may seem that Esau just had a run of bad luck, but Esau’s life to that point…set him up. What he did at that moment was very much like the rest of his life
He had married two Canaanite women who were Hittites and pagan. His parents were displeased, so he married a girl from Ishmael’s family – who was not much better.
Esau didn’t get it. He did not understand his parent’s concerns, for he was a godless man. He was not living for the promises of God or understand the importance of faith in God and what it meant for family life. He was careless, thoughtless and heedless of where he was going. And when he realized where that was, he couldn’t change it. He could not get his birthright back, and God saw to it that the promise of Abraham was not bestowed on an unbeliever. As it turned out,Jacob received the blessing as well and that blessing was worth far more than the birthright.
The point is that just like Esau, each one of us have have a birthright. We received it when we were born again in Christ. We are the children of God…by his grace, and like firstborn children, we stand to inherit. The blessings that God has in store for us belong to us already, and like a birthright…they are ours to lose. All that we need to do is to remain faithful, trusting God by obeying him as we wait upon the Lord. Not like Esau, who in a moment of weakness, traded a fortune for a bowl of soup.
Now It’s true that no one knows if they will be alive tomorrow. But If Esau had had faith in God, he should have known that God would continue to bless his father and there would be an estate to inherit. And had he believed in God’s promise to Abraham, he could have received that which may only be had by faith. If is a very big, little word.
So this text is both a warning and an encouragement. There is something that we must know(vs 17-24), and there’s something that we are supposed to do (vs. 15, 25-29)
Notice that verses 15 & 25 both begin with the phrase “see to it”
Verse 15 – see to it that you don’t fall short of God’s grace
Verse 25 – see to it that you do not refuse him who is speaking
The writer begins with a contrast between two sons to a contrast between two mountains. One you can see with your eyes…but not the other. The second mountain is visible, only to the eyes of faith.
The two mountains are actually two covenants, the old and the new. Both were given by God, but now, only one remains. The first, came lots of tangible signs. There was a mountain that smouldered and shook and those who got too close or who touched it, were to be executed, unless God had already done so. God forbid it, because He is Holy and Israel was not. So the first covenant was all about the distance between God and his people.
Now to be fair, the covenant was spoken from heaven. The people heard God’s voice and were terrified. Even Moses shook with fear. They pleaded with God to stop speaking for they could not endure it.
God was way up there at the very top, in the smoke and clouds while the people stood afar off, way down at the mountain’s base. But way off, was still too close for sinners, and way too far to take comfort in being the people of God. Yet, it was as close as the blood of bulls and goats could get them, for that blood could not remove sins.
Mt. Sinai was awe-inspiring and terrifying, a combination of sensory overload and divine revelation. Unfortunately, most of the people there…did not get it, for not many days later, an orgy broke out at the golden calf. They had heard the voice of God – but rejected what he said. They saw signs and wonders, but did not perceive their invisible God.
When the earth shook, it shook them too. But they were not shaken out of unbelief nor did they let go of the pagan gods who lived on in their hearts.
Now I have to admit, that there’s a part of me that would like to see and hear what they did. At least I think that I would. On some level, a physical experience seems to trump spiritual knowledge. And, I’d like to believe that my faith would grow stronger.
In that sense, it may seem like the good old days happened a long time ago.
But that’s not true. Mind-blowing miracles do not change our hearts. They do not take away our sinfulness, nor do they rid us of our love for sin. For that to happen, God needed ‘another mountain’.
You see, God never has had anything in common with rocks and dirt. It’s not the sort of place that God calls home. And it’s not a permanent place where God can take up residence.
This other mountain, is a place that our writer calls Mt. Zion…it is the city of the ‘living God’, the heavenly Jerusalem. That name takes us back to the city that David took from the Jebusites. The temple of Solomon was in Jerusalem this was where God had caused his name to dwell.
The name remains but the location has changed. The new Jerusalem is heaven. It is a city built by God and there are angels there, without number. God has built this city as a place where his people can come and live with him.
When the writer of Hebrews says that we have come to Mt. Zion, he means that our lives as Christians pertain to heaven. Spiritually speaking, we have been brought to the gates of heaven. We are residents in waiting and God has made us into the general assembly and church of the firstborn.
Now we started out talking about Esau and the rights of a firstborn son. Every christian is a firstborn. In Hebrews 12, the word firstborn is not about birth-order, it’s about rights and privileges. And among the privileges of God’s children is citizenship in heaven.
We stand to inherit…heaven. Our names are written in God’s book of life which lists each one personally. The apostle John calls it the “lamb’s book of life” in Rev. 21:27
Jesus said:
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. (Luke 10:20)
God has reserved a place for us in his city…but not just for us alone. The spirits of men and women who lived righteous lives are also waiting. Heaven is their home too
The difference between us and them is that they are one step closer. They have now been made perfect, in the sense that they have reached their final spiritual destination. They have been made righteous in the same way that we are, through the blood of Jesus, for the blood of Jesus was shed for all the righteous of every age.
They are no longer tempted to sin…that danger is past. They are rewarded and comforted as they wait. Death is behind them and eternal life stretches out in front. And we are with them, in the same kingdom, the sphere of God’s rule.
It’s pretty obvious, that the city of God is the place where God the Father is. He is the living God, the judge of the living and the dead. This is by the way, good news, since He is the one who has declared us righteous in Christ
This is the place and these are the people to whom God has brought us. It is the place of His eternal presence.
As we read these words, the Father is surrounded by angels. Jesus is there, mediating for us. His blood continues to purify as we continue to draw near to God. Unlike that blood of Abel that cried for vengeance, the blood of Jesus empowers God’s forgiveness and mercy. The Holy Spirit lives inside each one of us, and in all of us together. God in us, is the glue that makes us one.
This is the city, the spiritual reality in which we are citizens. The thing is…that we not there yet.
So our writer puts our feet back on the ground one more time….saying
“See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven”.
These verses take us back to the start of Hebrews, which begins with all of the ways that God has spoken to men over the centuries. But now, in these last days, he has spoken through his Son.
The first covenant arrived at Mt. Sinai – with a theophany. God was there, but unseen in all the smoke. But in order for God’s final covenant to arrive, God came in person. He came in the person of his Son Jesus Christ
What God accomplished in Jesus is once-for-all. And what Jesus has spoken on earth and taught through the apostles and prophets. That word is both full and final and for that reason, we need to listen. God is speaking to us in his word. The words on the pages of your bible, are words from heaven. They tell about salvation from heaven and about heaven itself. And because of what we stand to lose, they warn us.
The book of Hebrews is filled with warnings like the one in 2:1-3
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
God’s been shaking things up all along and he’s not finished. When He shook Mt. Sinai he ratified a national covenant. When He shook the nations, those nations let Israel come back from captivity. Haggai 2:6.
But there’s one more thing that God intends to shake…which means, that it’s not permanent. It is the ground we stand on and the universe all around. God spoke it into existence, and at his word, it will pass away. When that happens, only unshakable things will be left, like God’s heavenly city.
The only thing in this whole world that God will keep are the people who belong to Him. We will remain, because we belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken
So, let us thank God for His kindness and mercy and praise him for His grace. All power and glory are his from everlasting to everlasting. Let us come into his presence with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Reading: Matt 7:13-16, 21-23
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Perhaps I have been asleep at the wheel, or I just don’t get out much any more…but more and more, I am hearing from members of the Lord’s church:
When I hear that, I suppose it would help to ask “what do you mean?” There is after all a spectrum of possible meanings, any one of which may be intended. At one end, it could just mean that – I like the fact that Christian churches are no longer hacking each other to death, like back in ‘Reformation’ times. But at the other end – it could also mean…”we’re okay, they’re okay’. Within the broad scope of churches claiming to be ‘Christian’, doctrine does not matter – at least not most of it. The only thing that does is to believe that Jesus is God and to live in good conscience. Once you reach this conclusion, it is a big relief…and once relieved of a duty, its hard to get anyone to take it back up again.
Ecumenical is the feel-good word of today and and and gives others a reason to feel good about me too. It says that I am open minded and generous. I am non-condemning and will by no means ever try to correct anyone about anything – by appealing to the Bible. Truth is relative and yours is as good as anyone else’s.
This conviction fits perfectly with Postmodernism and as a matter of fact, the whole ecumenical movement grew up alongside of postmodern thinking. It asserts that everyone is right because no one is. You can have yours and I’ll have mine – so live and let live.
It would be good then to ask…was Jesus an ecumenical saviour? Were there many paths open to him, by which he could have saved us? Had Jesus chosen to avoid the cross, could His Heavenly Father not have found another way? And on the Day of Judgment, will Jesus apply ecumenical principles when he judges us?
When Jesus sent them out, (Matt 28:18-20) were the apostles ecumenical? Were they free to preach any gospel at all? Were faith in Jesus and immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins…the only way. Or could the apostles have opened a back door into the kingdom and sneaked a few more in? And what if the apostles failed to teach everything that the Lord had taught them…or limited their teaching, to ‘whatever seems right to them at the moment’. Would that be okay with the Lord?
In very general terms, the book of Acts is all about how people entered through the narrow gate, and the epistles were all about how to live, work and worship in God’s kingdom.
So it was that in Matthew 7, toward the end of his sermon on the mount, Jesus said:
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
In this passage, Jesus talked about several things:
Jesus said that on the day of judgment, there would be some who were absolutely sure that they were saved, and would expect Jesus to welcome them into heaven. There is no doubt that they had believed in Jesus. They claimed to have done… ‘great things’ – in His name. Why then did Jesus say that He would condemn them and consign them to hell?
The fundamental problem appears to be – a failure to enter God’s kingdom in the first place. For some reason and in some way, they had never ‘entered’ at all when God’s kingdom came to earth. They had chosen the wide gate and the broad way. And having never entered, all of their work had been for nothing. They had not honoured Jesus by being obedient to the gospel and had tried to rendering ‘service on their own terms, from the outside.
In this passage, Jesus explained – that in order to get into the kingdom of heaven, one must first do the will of his heavenly Father.
When Jesus talked about the kingdom, he was talking about his church. In order to enter the church, we must abide by… the terms set out by the king. And once in the kingdom, we must allow Jesus to rule every aspect of our spiritual lives.
In the context of what Jesus went on to say, false prophets are those who among other things, do not enter God’s kingdom and prevent others also. What could be more serious than that?
In Matthew 23:13, Jesus said:
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut the kingdom of heaven in front of people; for you do not enter it yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in
Entry into God’s kingdom is constrained…because it is singular. False doctrine and teachers, say – not so.. There are a lot of different ways to get in. And it is precisely this false doctrine that both keeps people out while assuring them that they are in.
This is why Jesus urges us to make sure to enter.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matt 7:13-14)
The gate or door into the kingdom is narrow. In nautical terms, a strait is a constrained passageway ..just like entry into God’s kingdom. It is constrained because there terms are precise and there is just the one. Jesus did not mean that it would be so hard to navigate that no one could enter. He meant that because there was only one, many would rebel.
Entry to God’s kingdom could be had only on God’s terms. God’s grace provided one and only one way to be saved. But generation after generation has demanded another way – their own version of grace. And that has put people on the broad way, chosen by the majority and leading to destruction.
About 4 decades ago, one brother said that churches of Christ were just a flea on the back of an elephant, and on their way to becoming a gnat on the back of the flea. What he meant was that size matters. It makes us relevant. But Jesus says that truth and obedience matter, for they make us His.
Jesus said that on the day of judgment, many…many would say to him “Lord, Lord” and expect a reward. There is no indication – they did not believe what they said. They were not trying to ‘pull a fast one’. For all that we know, they had spent their lives – believing that they belonged to him…they were saved. They had given glory or credit to Jesus, for every good thing that they did. And they had lived, and spoken and acted in his Name. But claiming to do something in Jesus name is not the same as doing it by his authority.
It is significant that Jesus will one day say – “I never knew you’. Jesus will not say…I once knew you. You were once one of mine…but you turned to the right or the left. You were once a child of God, but you became ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’. You once spoke the truth – before abandoning it for ‘another gospel’.
Jesus said that he will say…I never knew you. Regarding salvation…it never happened…you were never mine.
In round numbers,and according to the most recent estimates from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, there are approximately 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide. This is based on the 2019 edition of the World Christian Encyclopedia and updates to the World Christian Database. In reality, there are over 300 major ecclesiastical traditions grouped into six global ecclesiastico-cultural blocs and counted over again in different countries.
The Ecumenical movement says…that they are all saved.
Does that number sound like the narrow way or the broad one? Have they all entered through the same narrow gate? Do their conversions look like those in the book of Acts? Do they even agree with each other?
Seems that Jesus was not at all ecumenical, nor were his apostles. If Peter, Paul and John had been ecumenical, they could have told us all we need to know on a set of post-it notes. A church can join the world counsel of churches by affirming a handful of statements that fit on a post-it note. The New Testament would be one page…copied from the apostles post it notes…
This in turn would mean that the N.T. was all a waste of effort. Imagine getting all bent out of shape over
The list goes on and on.
The good news according to ecumenism is that God never intended for us to take any of that stuff seriously. It was all a test…to see if we would grow up and just throw ourselves upon God’s mercy. Salvation is by grace from first to last – so don’t sweat the details.
You’ve heard it said that ‘the devil is in the details’. Well actually, the devil wants us to ignore the details of God’s word…because that is where we find God and find out what to do to obey Him. Without the details, faith has no content and obedience is impossible.
Thus it is was and is, that many will fail to enter. They will be kept out of God’s kingdom by false doctrine.
And then, others who are already in God’s kingdom may become lost – in just that same way. The narrow gate does not lead to a broad way. We can’t walk on a narrow road while ignoring the will of our Heavenly Father.
Paul was fully aware of this and wrote to the churches in Galatia about the dangers of another gospel. He tells them about the steps that he took, to make sure that he himself was teaching the right things. And he does this, even after receiving his gospel directly from Jesus.
In Galatians 2:1-7 Paul wrote:
Then after an interval of fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also. It was because of a revelation that I went up; and I submitted to them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but I did so in private to those who were of reputation, for fear that somehow I might be running, or had run, in vain. But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.
Yet it was a concern because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy on our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
In other words, just to be extra sure that I had gotten things right, I had a discussion with the other leaders in Jerusalem. We compared our ‘gospels’ and they were the same. We were in complete agreement, and that is why Peter, John and James gave to me and Barnabas, the right hand of fellowship. (Gal 2:9)
There was unity between them, based upon true doctrine. And this is what made their unity, unity in the Lord. They were in fellowship with each other because they were united in the Lord. Years later, Paul was still a strong advocate of true doctrine and the reason that he wrote this to Timothy in his first letter and then added a warning in the second. Notice the connection between preaching the truth and salvation. “Pay close attention to yourself and to the teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. (1 Tim 4:16)
In other words, set a godly example and preach the truth.
And then in (2 Tim 4:1-5) Paul warned:
“I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires,and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.But as for you, use self-restraint in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Do correct, rebuke, and exhort sound like ecumenical verbs to you? The New Testament epistles are a collective effort to restore wayward Christians. To keep their ‘lampstands’ from being removed by the Lord, because of unfaithfulness (Rev. 2:5)
Yet historically, it didn’t take long for people to grow tired of the gospel and turn to preachers who just told them what they wanted to hear. About the time that the 19th century became the 20th, a lot of missionaries were sent out to third world countries. And most of these were either atheistic, polytheistic and pantheistic. Not surprisingly, they experienced culture shock.
Imagine then meeting other missionaries from your own country – who also believed in God. They believed in Jesus and worshipped God. They had a lot more in common with each other than with the pagans all around them. So, coming home on furlough, they bemoaned the fact that they could not present a united front – in their efforts to convert others. After all, how were potential converts to know who was teaching the truth? If Christians can’t agree on the answer to the question “what must I do to be saved?”, then what is a seeker to do?
A unity effort was started to see if the differences could be overcome. And the initiative came from missionaries who felt the need most acutely. The perception was, and it was correct, that mission work was just sowing the same divisions abroad that already existed at home. There were hundreds of denominations at home and mission work just exported the problem.
This started in a formal way with the meeting a various mission societies, in 1910, in the city of Edinburgh. That led to combined efforts to study and work together on 3 things
Three different committees or teams each took one of these. And over some 40 years, this International Missionary Council met five times before folding itself into the ‘World Council of Churches” in 1961.
They never did agree on the thing that divided them…on doctrine.
In the interests of unity, they focused on service and ignored doctrine. All of this implied, that doctrine was negative and better ignored. It seemed far more productive to unite by delivering humanitarian aid, and building schools and hospitals, and by any standard…these are all good works.
But the approach had a major flaw. It put second things first, and elevated the needs of the body above those of the soul. And in the process, it operated like a non-compete-agreement. Each church that signed on, effectively agreed not to ‘compete’ with any other. Not to compete for converts, nor to criticize the doctrines or practices of each other. And by all means, never to try to convert a member of another church (mere proselytism)
Over the years, it led to the conclusion that pluralism was right and good in God’s sight and that all ‘Christian’ churches are part of God’s kingdom. It comes a no surprise then to find
Billy Graham preaching salvation by faith alone and sending his converts to join the church of their choice. Pick one…any one, for grace has us covered.
In the Bible, grace never did, make an untruth true. It does not transform false doctrine or sanctify false teachers. How tragic then to believe that doctrine divides? That only service unites?
When Jesus hung on the cross, the crowd said “he saved others, himself he cannot save”.
What they meant was, that he had healed the sick, fed the hungry, driven out demons and even raised the dead. But he was stuck on the cross and could not get down. They said, “come down and we will believe in you”.
What they did not understand – was something that Jesus did. It was…that until he died on the cross, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, until then, he had not saved even a single person.
The same is true today. Feeding people does not save their souls and medical care does not cure sin. And fighting off demons – even in the name of the Lord, does not cleanse the inner man so that the Holy Spirit can live within.
The Bible says that true doctrine is the thing that saves. Jesus promised his disciples that they would know the truth and it would set them free. It is…in the area of doctrine that everything is at stake…so no wonder the world is divided.
It is not doctrine that divides…it is Satan. False doctrine divides and false teachers divide. And knowing that, Satan has successfully convinced churches to spend their time on anything – even very good things – instead of things that lead to salvation.
When the apostle Paul met with the elders from Ephesus, he warned them about that false teachers would tear the church apart. He told them that leaders would abuse their position to draw their own followers away from the church. And he declared that he himself was free from the blood of all men – because, he had not failed to declare to them, the whole counsel of God.
What Paul was saying was – that had he failed in the matter of doctrine, and had others been lost as a result, their eternal destiny was his responsibility, and their blood was on his head.
He then went on to say something even more sobering: Acts 20:28-32
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them.
Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.
And now I entrust you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
The danger that was coming was from false prophets who would arise from within the eldership. They would contradict God’s word, speaking perverse things. They would do and say whatever it took…to win disciples of their own and establish their own churches. It is not hard to find elderships today permitting what God has forbidden, and forbidding what God permits.
To counter that, Paul handed these elders over to God’s protection. He said that God would provide that…through ‘the word of his grace”. That word – the whole counsel of God that Paul had declared – was able to build them up and give them an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
How about that! It turns out that God’s word saves and sanctifies, and when spoken in love, makes truth easy to embrace. When we care enough to share God’s truth, it leads other to salvation and unites us by the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit within.
Coming back to the future…and the day of judgment in our passage, Jesus warned, that a lot of people are going to be disappointed. They will arrive thinking that all is well and heaven is theirs…only to discover that they have never entered God’s Kingdom. They listened to false teachers – who kept them out. Or they followed teachers – who led them out – after they had entered
This is so unnecessary: Because it is not hard to enter God’s kingdom
The only obstacle is the human heart which is often deceived and then rarely retrieved. Let us each take stock of where we stand with the Lord and let’s do whatever is needed to make things right.
Let us make sure that we have entered through the narrow way and are walking on the one and only path that leads to heaven. If Jesus was right, we will never be in the majority, but we will be His.
Text: Revelation 5
The setting for John’s vision in our passage is found in the previous chapter, whose message is, that all of Heaven is the throne room of God. In that room John saw the throne of God in all of its radiant glory. Around it were 24 thrones with 24 elders clothed in white and crowned with gold.
He saw 7 flaming torches representing the Holy Spirit and looked across a shimmering sea that whose appearance was like crystal clear glass.
In the center and around the throne of God there appeared four living beings. They were covered in eyes both front and behind and each had six wings. Isaiah and Ezekiel had seen them before. The first was like a lion, the second was like a bull, the third had the face of a man while the fourth was like an eagle.
Heaven was filled with the Glory of God. Lightning and thunder pealed from God’s throne and God’s presence shone like a rainbow with bright hues of red and green. 7 lamps – the Spirit of God added his own majesty to the scene.
As all of the beings raised their voices in praise, the 24 elders removed their crowns and fell face-down before God while the living creatures declared his holiness, power and eternal nature.
The scene reminds us that God alone is eternal, and without Him, no one else and nothing else would exist. In his wisdom and by his power He has called them into being, sustained them by his providence and redeemed them in love.
But how has it come about that some who were once sinners have become worthy to enter the presence of the one who is both holy and of ultimate worth? That is what chapter 5 is all about.
At this point, the prophet’s attention was drawn to a scroll that God held in his right hand. It was no ordinary document. The fact that God held onto it is our first hint. It is the property of Almighty God. The writing is his as are the things to come which form its contents. Written upon, front and back, it is full and final, rolled up and sealed with 7 seals
Ancient documents were sealed by dripping wax along the edge of a rolled scroll and impressing a seal into the soft wax before it hardened. The seal did three things:
The symbolism is clear. Seven seals is a way of saying that this document was completely sealed. There was no way into the contents except through the seals. The fact that it was covered front and back with writing tells us that this revelation is both final and complete. Nothing had been left out or needed to be added. Rev.22:18-19 warns against all additions and deletions.
But what exactly is the scroll itself? What are the contents? Is it a will? Roman wills were sealed with seven seals. Is this the imagery that was intended? It is true that the New Testament as a whole is Christ’s will for the church. But the book of Revelation by itself hardly qualifies.
Let me suggest another way to understand what the scroll is. If you have read on into chapter six, then you know what happens when each of these seals are broken. When the first seal is broken, a rider with a crown, seated on a white horse came out to conquer. At the breaking of the second seal, a rider on a red horse comes out and is given a sword to take away peace on earth. With the third seal, a third horse…and so on. It seems fairly plain to us that the contents of the scroll are the rest of the book of Revelation. (chapters 6-22)
As John’s vision unfolded, he saw a strong angel who issued a challenge. He cried out in a loud voice “who is worthy to open the book and to break it’s seals?”
Now the question might be somewhat lost on us, until we realize that worthiness has to do with power and authority. In heaven, it also has to do with moral purity and spiritual holiness. So
the one who opened the document took responsibility for the contents, having acquired the power to bring each event to pass.
We are not told how long the question was allowed to hang there. We are not told if the praise that surrounded the throne fell silent. But as John waited, and waited…no one stepped forward. No one in heaven took up the challenge. None of the angels came forward, nor did the 4 living beings, not the elders or even the archangel. Likewise, no-one on earth was worthy. None of the saints alive in John’s day were deemed worthy. Furthermore, no one in the Hadean realm – the place of the dead was worthy. Not Moses or Elijah, Abraham or Daniel, and neither Peter nor Paul. Absolutely no one came forward or spoke up.
When this really sank in, John wept bitterly. The word for weeping is the same one that Luke used to describe Jesus when he wept or wailed over the lost state of Jerusalem. (Lk.19:41)
As a prophet of God, John was in deep anguish. Here before him was God’s message for the church on earth and it was sealed up. How could he know it or share it? How could he tell others about what was still to come regarding redemption and judgment?
In distress and anguish, John wept. The text says “he wept greatly”.
Perhaps we should ask: what would it take for us to do the same? Do we share John’s sorrow for the church left in ignorance? Do we long to know the will of God and to look into his word? Do we have the blood of the prophets flowing in our veins? Do we have a message from God that won’t let us alone until we share it with others?
That is how John felt. He needed the message to do his job. Unlike John in that moment, we do have God’s completed revelation, and God has given us a job to do. May we share John’s sorrow for things of eternal consequence.
Just when it seemed that no one could be found – that no one was worthy, the answer appeared and it put an end to weeping. One of the elders spoke up and told him to stop it, saying “…behold the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David has overcome so as to open the book and the seven seals”
There is no question about who the lion is. When Jacob blessed his son Judah, he called him a “lion’s whelp” and prophesied that he would rule over his brothers. (Gen. 49:8-12) The prophet Isaiah spoke of the coming “root of Jesse” (11:1,10). Jesse was David’s father. At the time that Isaiah wrote, David was already dead. But from the stock of Jesse and David, the messiah was to come. Jesus descended from King David on both his father’s de and his mother’s. The root out of David is Jesus Christ.
It occurs to us then that the exalted Son of God has his redemptive roots in time and space. And while he rules in heaven, he is the same person who was born of Mary and who grew up in Nazareth. History counts for something, just as the death of Jesus Christ counts for all eternity.
The lion of Judah and the root of David has overcome and he is worthy. He has won a victory over temptation to sin and over death. And he shares that victory with all who belong to Him.
Verses 6-14 give us four reasons why Jesus is worthy. Warren Wiersby puts it this way:
Christ is worthy:
Because of who He is vs. 5-7
Because of where He is vs. 6
Because of what He does vs. 8-10
Because of what he has vs. 11-14
Imagine John’s surprise, for when he turned to see a lion… out stepped a lamb. The contrast could not have been greater. In fact – the word for lamb is ‘arnion’ which means “little lamb”. Instead of a big strong lion, he saw a bundle of fleece on wobbly legs.
Not only that, but there is a gaping wound on its neck – it’s been slain. It has been slaughtered and sacrificed. The verb (sphazo) suggests a violent death. But though it had died, it was back up and standing. It looks like it had been slain because it had, but it didn’t stay dead.
Once again, the scriptures do not keep us guessing. The lamb is Jesus.
Now the lamb that John saw was far from ordinary and definitely not helpless. He had seven horns and seven eyes. The horns stand for power. The Lamb of God is the Son of God. He is all powerful, and having seven eyes, is all seeing and all knowing
In Revelation, the seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God. As we have seen earlier in the book, the seven spirits of God represent the Holy Spirit. The fact that they belong to the Lamb means that there is a close relationship between the two. While Jesus rules in heaven, he has sent the Holy Spirit on a mission to the earth. And through the administration of God’s Spirit, there is nothing that Jesus does not see or know. Jesus promised his apostles that he would send the Holy Spirit to them from heaven. He kept his promise beginning on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has also been promised to all Christians and he lives inside of each one of us.
The lion is a lamb. This is wisdom from God. The world understands a clenched fist, but God used a pierced hand. His ways are above our ways, and his thoughts above our thoughts. What passes for wisdom among us is foolishness to Him.
So it is the lamb that is worthy, which is evident by what he does. He came and took the book out of the right hand of the one seated on the throne. The verb tense in this verse indicates that this had already taken place. In other words, we should read: the lamb came and has taken the book
Daniel 7:13-14 pictures something similar. In that passage, someone that looked like a man came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. This is what Daniel wrote:
“And to him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed”
Many are convinced that these are depictions of the same scene. The son of Man who receives an everlasting kingdom is the Lamb of God who does so because he alone is worthy.
As the lamb took the book from the hand of God, the four living creatures and the 24 elders broke out in praise and thanksgiving to the lamb. We all know that only God is worthy of worship, so it follows therefore that the lamb is God.
All of the created beings in heaven fell down and worshipped the lamb. The elders are pictured with harps or lyres in their hands and golden bowls filled with incense. These objects are symbolic and not literal. John explains that the bowls and incense are the prayers of the saints. The harps or lyres are symbols of song and praise. Neither set a precedent for the use of musical instruments or of incense in our worship.
But there is something that is worth imitating. They sang a new song…a song praising the lamb. They said: “Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals; for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, tongue and people and nation. (Vs. 9)
Before Jesus died on the cross, this song could not be sung. Before the cross, the kingdom of God was closed to sinful men and women. Before the cross, our blood was on our own heads. But the blood of Jesus Christ has brought the kingdom of heaven down to earth and opened the only door through which we may enter.
The new song marks a turning point in history. It is a time, after which everything is changed.
Salvation from sin is now universal and offered to every tribe or family group, every tongue or linguistic group, every people or social group and to every nation or ethnic group. Now and until the end of time…the gospel is for everyone.
Verse 10 suggests that in God’s kingdom, there is unity in the midst of diversity.
Many ancient manuscripts use the first person in verse 10. So they read
“you have made us to be a kingdom and priests to our God and we will
reign upon the earth”
In other words…in John’s day Christians were already reigning with Jesus. This was a statement of fact and not just a future promise. The problem was, that Christians were being killed in the arenas. They were being executed for refusing to worship Caesar. Everywhere and in every place, they were persecuted for their faith. John was in exile on the island of Patmos and many Christians had gone into hiding. It sure didn’t look as if Christ was on the throne.
So, in what sense then were, and are, Christians reigning?
Jesus was reminding the church that “looks can be deceiving”. Chapter four has God on the throne and at the center of the Cosmos. And chapter five assures us that Jesus is victorious and that he now reigns.
Yet, in light of that “in what sense do Christians reign with him?”
For these reasons and more, all heaven breaks out into praise for the Lamb…and that song includes praise for God the Father and for the Lamb. Revelation 5:11-14
Perhaps what we have here is a fleeting picture of what heaven will be like. John saw the throne room of God filled with angels. There were thousands multiplied by thousands, suggesting that all the angels of God were present. They joined the 24 elders and the 4 living beings in praise and adoration which rose in volume and intensity as John looked on. They cried out saying “ “worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing”.
If you are counting…you’ve noticed seven things in that praise. The seven are made up of four divine attributes and 3 devotional attitudes to declare how it is that the lamb is worthy.
John used the definite article. To Christ is due the Power, the Wisdom, the Riches and the Might. These are things that belong only to God – but then the lamb is God. Power is an expression of might. The power is God’s omnipotence. Might is power whether or not it is used. The might of God is his infinite potential. The riches are God’s riches which now include a redeemed Humanity. The lamb has added us to the riches of God. And the Wisdom is God’s wisdom.
Because of these, we owe him the honour and the glory and the blessing. The hosts of heaven honour the Lamb – how much more should we. The word for glory is doxa from which we get the word ‘doxology’. A doxology is a song of praise or of glory. These are the kinds of songs that the lamb is worthy to receive.
The word for blessing is eulogia – from which we get eulogy. A eulogy is ‘a good word’ When we eulogize someone we recount much that was good about them. When we bless Christ, we recount all his goodness and praise him for it.
The Lamb of God is worthy of complete praise, a seven fold – seven faceted one. The Lamb of God is God and is worthy to be worshipped.
In Verse 13, heaven’s praises are turned toward both the Lamb of God and to God the Father. Not only that, but the heavenly host is joined by all other created beings. All those alive on earth and those alive in the Hadean realm join in praise to God
Together, this universal host sang: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honour and the glory and the dominion forever and ever”. And all the while, the four living creatures kept saying “amen”, and the 24 elders fell down and worshipped.
Many years ago, Tillit Teddlie put some of these thoughts into the words of a song. I think he captured what this text is saying.
Worthy of praise is Christ our redeemer
Worthy of wisdom glory and power
Worthy of all our soul’s adoration
Worthy art thou! Worthy art Thou
Worthy of riches blessings and honour
Worthy of wisdom glory and power
Worthy of earth and heaven’s thanksgiving
Worthy art Thou! Worthy art Thou!
As our redeemer and God, Christ is worthy and will receive praise and honour and blessing and power forever and ever. The question is, will we be there to praise him? He alone died for your sin and mine. But unless we put Him on in baptism as an act of faith, his death is of no benefit to us. He is worthy and offers to share the benefits of it…with all wo are in Christ.
Barrie ON
Text: Mark 3:22-30
Perhaps most of us have had the feeling at some point…that some particular sin that we have committed, has separated us from God and that there is no going back. Kind of like…now I have really done it. God is out of patience and tired of dealing with me? And if we have come to that place, it certainly does not help to hear Jesus say what he does in Mark 3 and Luke 12. We will get to that in a few minutes.
But doubts like these raise the question: is there such a thing as an unforgivable sin? A single sin so terrible that God signs off on us forever? Is there a one-and-done transgression, from which there is no going back? A sin that burns all of the bridges and leaves us with no hope in the world? If there is such a thing, then of course we must by all means avoid it.
Now I am not suggesting some kind ranking – like the Roman Catholic ideas of 7 deadly sins. Nor do I mean to imply that other sins are safe or okay. There is no sin that is not deadly…but is there one for which forgiveness cannot be had?
Let us begin by observing that the New Testament identifies a wide range of sins that were forgiven. By one count, there are 124 different sins – named in the New Testament. The apostle Paul called himself the chief of sinners and confessed to having people thrown into prison, beaten, confiscating their property, and even put to death. He said that he was a blasphemer – a man who spoke evil of the name of Jesus. Yet he was forgiven, as were others, including murderers, adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals – the list goes on and on.
In his first letter to Timothy, Paul celebrated his salvation and made this confession.
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. I Tim 1:12-14
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, chapter 6:9-11, the apostle Paul reminding them of what they used to be and warning them against going back where they had been. This is what he said:
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
It is pretty clear then that God forgives all kinds of sins, even those that seem most heinous. Surely it can’t get any more serious than putting God’s son to death. Yet Jesus prayed “Father forgive them…”
Which raises the question…what could lead us to believe that there is a one-of-a-kind sin for which forgiveness is withheld? There are scriptures that might lead to that conclusion.
In the Old Testament where we find this case in Leviticus 24:10-16
“Now the son of an Israelite woman—his father was an Egyptian—went out among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man had a fight within the camp. And the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) Then they put him in custody, waiting for Moses to give them a clear decision in accordance with the command of the Lord. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have all the congregation stone him. 15 You shall also speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear the responsibility for his sin.
Moreover, (going forward) the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The stranger as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.
In Hebrew, the word for blaspheme has 2 possible meanings: It can mean – to pronounce or to verbalize God’s name. This led some to refuse to even speak the Lord’s name…so the scribes put in a substitute for the word YAHWEH, to keep from saying God’s name to themselves.
This is clearly not what God meant and not what had taken place in Leviticus 24. After all, oaths were supposed to be taken in God’s name which was spoken out loud. But this man who had cursed…had spoken in a way that did damage to God’s Name. He reviled God’s name, using it with disrespect and disdain. He presumed to curse God, as if he had the power to put God under a cursed. And for that reason, God judged him – using the man’s words against him.
He had broken the second of the 10 commandments…which was: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain”.
Now the question of forgiveness is not raised in this passage. Whether or not God would forgive this kind of sin is separate from the civil punishment of the crime. So for example, God might forgive a murderer of his sin but still require that he forfeit his life as a result of his crime.
But this passage makes blaspheme against the Lord’s name a most serious sin worthy of capital punishment. Even when done in anger, on the spur of the moment, it was punishable by death. As the Hebrew writer later observed:
“Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:28-29)
Leviticus 24 gives us a specific case to which an overarching command applied and it applied to all who lived in the nation of Israel. As we come to the New Testament, we are not surprised to find something of a parallel.
Mark’s gospel – gives us a specific case, and then states the rule…while Luke records the overarching command or principle – without citing a specific situation. Let’s take a look at Mark 3:22-30 first and then Luke 12:10
Here is the case in point:
The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, (about Jesus) “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
And so He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished!
But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. (Mark 3:22-27)
You will notice that Jesus appealed to reason, which encourages us to do the same. Our faith in Jesus is based upon evidence and that in turn is to be treated in a valid way. Biblical faith does not outrun evidence or reject logical thinking. And of course…in this case it ought to be obvious…that logical reasoning is not at all what demon-possessed people do. That alone should have been proof enough.
Nevertheless, the Pharisees claimed that Jesus cast out demons by the power of Satan (Beelzebul) – the ruler of demons. Some manuscripts us the name Beelzebub when referring to Satan. The Hebrews mocked this Canaanite god whose name, meant “lord of the high place”. They changed it to Beelzebub, which meant “lord of flies” or of “the dunghill. The Jews then transferred this term to Satan – as a further sign of disrespect.
Jesus reasoned that if Satan casts out Satan, then his kingdom is in self-destruct mode. (Implied) But look around you – Satan is alive and well and still rules in the hearts of sinners. So…Satan is not divided…and therefore I am not using Satan’s power. And if I am not doing this by Satan’s power, then this is being done by the ‘finger of God’. It is by his power that I cast out demons (Luke 11:20)
By the way, the Finger of God is mentioned in Ex 8:19 and 31:18. In Ex 31, it was the finger of God that wrote his law upon the tablets of stone. But in Exodus 8, when the Egyptian magicians could not duplicate the plague of gnats and told Pharaoh that ‘this was the finger of God…he was dealing with God. The irony was, that the magicians recognized what the Pharisees did not.
It is then in Mark’s gospel, verses 28-29, that Jesus states the Rule or the principle that God will use in judgment.
“Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Luke 12:10: puts it this way:
And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.
The obvious question is – what is it that sets blasphemy against the Holy Spirit apart from other blasphemies?
Some limit it to this partiular case or situation, where the enemies of Jesus attributed the power of the Holy Spirit by which Jesus cast out demons, to Satan or Beelzebul. And since that time has come and gone, there is no further possibility of doing what Jesus condemned.
Let me suggest something further. During the ministry of Jesus, his teachings were not understood, even by the men who would become his apostles. Among his own followers, each believed in some version of him. They each had their own ideas of who he was and what he had come to do. The apostles did not really expect him to die on a cross, despite what Jesus said. Peter contradicted the Lord and Jesus responded – “get behind me Satan’. So…the rejection of Jesus in its many forms was common and pervasive.
Opinion was divided about Jesus and most people chose not to believe. Now to be clear, they did believe that he was a prophet. They did believe that he could heal and drive out demons and they came from all over to get these benefits.
But they turned away when he said that he was God. That he was the Son of Man, the one that Daniel described in chapter 7. Or when he stated clearly that he was the Son of God – with authority on earth to forgive sins.
His own disciples did not believe him when he said that his enemies would kill him. They thought that the messiah was “bullet-proof” – that God would never allow him to suffer and die.
Even after the resurrection, they still did not get it. On the day that Jesus ascended to heaven, his apostles asked if he was about to restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6) They still thought that he had come to set up a kingdom on earth and was going to rule in Jerusalem.
But Jesus came to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth…and then to go back to heaven to rule from there. It turns out that everybody had set their sights way too low. All of that to say, that the process of revealing God’s will, was a work in progress all throughout the ministry of Jesus
It was not until the Holy Spirit was given, that God’s revelation in scripture was completed. The apostles were blessed with total recall of all that Jesus did and said. And with that foundation, they were then…led into ‘all the truth’. The apostles – along with other inspired writers, preserved God’s word in its inerrant form – completing that…for all time. It became ‘the faith, once for all delivered to the saints”…both final and complete. When this process was finished, God’s plan of salvation had been explained – once for all. It was complete and fully sufficient.
The apostle Peter reflects this when he wrote – in 2 Pet 1:2-4
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence”
The Holy Spirit had left nothing un-revealed that we need to know. And the result was and is, that all who reject it – cannot be saved. God has no other plan of salvation. There is no other sacrifice for sin. There are no further truths pertaining to salvation, or to godly living and acceptable worship – that remain outstanding.
This is the work of The Holy Spirit as directed by Jesus. Rejection of it then…is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. And the absence of forgiveness going forward is a function of the singularity of our salvation and not unwillingness on the part of God to forgive. There is only one saviour and one body of truth from God about him. And it is that if we persist in that rejection, we remain unforgiven.
The writer of the book of Hebrews expands on this in two passages: the first in Hebrews 6 and then again in chapter 10
He describes what happens to Christians who fall away – as a warning – saying:
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame. For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and produces vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. 6:4-8
There is only one lord, one faith and one baptism. There is only one gospel and one saviour. There is only one sacrifice for sin and one path into the presence of God for those who are saved. It has taken all that heaven can do – to provide that one, and beyond it, He has no other plan or means to save us.
Therefore, the person who has been:
This person has tasted the good things that God has to offer. If they then walk away – turn a deaf ear – harden their heart and repent of their faith, they place themselves beyond the reach of God.
They have been inoculated against the gospel. The love of God no longer moves them. The sacrifice of Jesus is no longer that which cleanses and the gospel is no longer God’s power to save.
For that person, the one who persists in his rejection of God’s work in and through the Holy Spirit, there is no hope. God will not forgive an unrepentant sinner. God will not forgive an unbeliever.
Hebrews 10:26-31 goes on to expand on the consequences of falling away.
“For if we go on sinning wilfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.
Anyone who has ignored the Law of Moses is put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severe punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God”
Conclusions:
We have said all of that to say…that this is the sin that is not forgiven. The person who rejects the work of the Holy Spirit – who denies what He has revealed about Jesus and turns away from salvation in Him. This person will not be forgiven – for God has no other means of saving us.
At the same time…God also keeps the door open that leads back to himself. The apostle John assures us that: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us”. 1 John 1:9-10
And then in chapter 2 he adds: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”.
God remains both faithful and righteous. He is faithful to his word. And he saves us in a way that preserves his righteousness. Jesus remains our advocate with the Father and he appeals on our behalf on the basis of his own sacrifice.
We are the only ones who can put ourselves beyond God’s reach. But to all who keep coming back to God – God – The Holy Spirit, remains within. God does not want anyone to perish, but for all to come to eternal life.
Text: Job 42:10-17
The final chapter of this book is something of an epilogue, because it tells us the rest of the story including what happened to the main characters.
It also answers some of the questions raised in the book…like So What? What’s the point? Why did it all happen? And what’s our takeaway?
It’s pretty clear from what God said, that there is more to come. God had a plan, but the fullness of time had not yet come…for God to send his Son.
Now as you read chapter you will notice 3 main divisions. The first is Job’s response to God. God then speaks to Job’s friends before summing up the rest of Job’s life. So let’s see how this all turns out.
In verses 1-6, Job addresses God – and he admits that there is so much that he does not know – especially about God’s divine plan. Early in the story, Job had demanded his day in court before God. He wanted to know what he had done for which God was punishing him. He was tired of waiting and suffering and growing impatient with God.
But now, he thinks back to what God said to Elihu in 38:2 and applied it to himself. And he does this, because to one degree or another, the criticism applies to all of the men in this story.
God had said: “Who is this who darkens the divine plan, By words without knowledge? Every one of them had spoken in ignorance. So in humility, Job applied it to himself saying:
‘Who is this who conceals advice without knowledge?’
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I do not know.
Job has had a lot to say about things he does not understand – especially God’s divine plan. It’s generally true that the less we know, the more we have to say. And when it comes to God’s plan, Job does not know why God created the world or why He made us in his image. He does not know how God decides what is just and what is not. Nor does he understand how or why God decides to bless one person and withhold blessings from another.
Yet despite what he does not know, there is something that he does. It is that while God can come up with plans that seem impossible, He can carry them through. Nothing that can be done, is impossible for God, and especially not those set by his own eternal purposes.
We are so blessed, for we know about God’s plan. It was hidden for ages past, but has been revealed through Jesus Christ. It goes all the way back to the beginning when He created in his image , to equip us with his own attributes. He intended to bless us providentially with everything that we need and to bless us spiritually with his presence, which is what our souls really need.
But Adam and Eve sinned and sin spread to everyone since no one chose to remain righteous. No one, except Jesus For most of us, living a sinless life seems impossible, but as Job put it, nothing is impossible with God. Job admitted that there was so much that he did not know then and as this story wraps up, he still does not know. But he is willing to leave it to God and he is also willing to forget about making demands of God as he once did.
Job promises to stop talking, to listen and to wait upon the Lord. He is willing to live with God’s verdict, whatever that turns out to be.
Just having seen God and having spoken with Him is enough. It has been amazing and overwhelming. Hearing God is so much greater than hearing about God. And having been put in his place, Job he takes back what he said and repents of presumptuousness.
He did this, still sitting in dust and ashes. Job has not yet been healed and just how things were going to turn out…remained to be seen.
Job did what we all should. We should not judge a thing before it’s time. We should never presume to make final judgments, for only God has that right. And we should trust God.
We should put ourselves in God’s hands and wait.
Turning to Job’s friends, God said:
“My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, and go to My servant Job, and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves, and My servant Job will pray for you. For I will accept him so as not to do with you as your foolishness deserves, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has.”
Several things jump out in these verses. The first is that unjust words stir up God’s wrath. When we falsely accuse others, our accusations are actually directed toward God. This is so, because moral judgment is anchored in the person of God. What we think is right and wrong, says something about who God is. When we get that wrong, we misrepresent God.
Not only that, but God is the only one with the right to pronounce final judgment . He expects us to use moral discernment, but we cross the line when we presume to deliver some into heaven and others into hell.
The bottom line was, that Job’s friends had misrepresented God. What they said about God and his ways, was false. They claimed that He would never allow a godly person to suffer. They implied that if he did, he would not be a good God. They did not understand the difference between what God wills, and what he permits. God does not want us to sin, but he allows us to do it. God does not want Satan to tempt, but he allows it. This is a necessary part of our ‘freedom of choice’. And, in the normal course of our lives, God protects us from power of Satan, but not always and certainly not from people who have chosen to follow Satan
So it was that the influence and activity of the spiritual world in their lives, was out of sight. In the world that Eliphaz and his friends imagined, none of this took place. God was the only spiritual actor, and in their minds, it made Him directly responsible for everything that happened, good or bad. They had created in image of God that was not actually God. The god who they imagined was not real, and what they had said about God who is real, was just not true
We learn in this chapter that this kind of Ignorance is no excuse. They thought that they were doing the right thing. They thought that they were defending God by hammering away at Job, but they were wrong. God called it foolishness, and it was in fact sinfulness, which provoked Him to anger. Unless amends were made, God was going to punish and these three men were going to get what they deserved.
There was one thing, and only one, to keep that from happening. God named it. He said – take sacrifices and offer them on your own behalf and ask Job to pray for you. I will accept Job’s prayer, but not yours.
In other words, the only person who can rescue you from my wrath and that is the man who you have wronged. You accused him of terrible sins and he never once accused you. So now, he is the man who can help and you’d better hope that he will.
This was God’s call to repentance. They could not ask for forgiveness without admitting sin. They were going to have to humble themselves before Job and admit to Job that he had been right, that he was innocent and falsely accused. And that he was their only salvation. God had said, I am putting your fate in Job’s hands.
To their credit, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar did what God commanded. It could not have been easy. They might have said – no way. I don’t care what God said – I’m not changing my mind. Or, yes… I was wrong, but I am not going to Job, hat in hand. I’ll take God’s punishment instead.
Do you know, that people are still making that exact decision? Deciding to hang onto their pride, all the way to hell. But that’s not what they did, and it is even more to Job’s credit, that he did not disappoint God or his friends
It’s fair to ask…what would you do if you were Job? Or, a bit closer to home, what have I done, when wronged by a friend? Did you try to ‘get even’ or pray for them? It is clear what God wants us to do. In fact, what God asked Job to do, was exactly what Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount when he said:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same?
And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same?
Therefore you shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
When He was on the cross, Jesus prayed “Father forgive them”. When Stephen was being stoned to death, the last thing that he said was: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”
We talked earlier about the concept of being “worthy in the eyes of God…to suffer”. God chose Job for this test…because he was blameless and upright. He was better by far and more righteous than all the rest. What God now asked Job to do was an extension of that. Forgiveness is at the very heart of godliness and a final proof that Job was everything that God said he was.
It occurs to me that a person who has spent a lifetime forgiving others will spend his final breath on more of the same. Job was that man. As a Biblical type, he epitomized and anticipated what Jesus would become to the whole world.
The good news is that it worked. God accepted Job and forgave Job’s friends. As James the brother of Jesus would write: “
That is why the story of Job ends as it does. His life turned out as it did, when and only when, he prayed for his friends. Job was the friend that we each need to be. The test of forgiveness was the final one and it came from God.
When Satan tempts, he always asks us to do something wrong, like curse God and die. But when God tests and we pass that test, it is because we do the right thing for which he has asked. We do it despite what we might prefer. We do it, even when it may not seem fair. And we do it, because we have faith in God.
That is what Job did. His friends said…we are here because this is what God has commanded. Now it is up to you. Job believed what God had said and softening his heart, he put them first. Because he did, his life turned around completely. God turned it around for all to see. He restored Job’s wealth and then doubled it. He wanted to make it abundantly clear, that Job was His servant and that he was well pleased with him.
Going back to the start of the book, Job had been wealthy. God had blessed him with possessions and a large family. With this reversal of fortune at the end of Job’s trials God was just giving back – what Satan had taken away.
Satan had said that Job did not love God and only served him for what he could get out of it. But Job proven that Satan was wrong and God was right. It never was God’s will for Job to suffer in the first place. It was only fair, that having proved faithful, God would put things back the way that they had been.
When Satan first struck, Job’s family and friends all abandoned him. They cut and ran and stayed away. They kept him at arm’s length and left him without family and friends. Through it all, we rather suspect that they agreed with Job’s critics. It was not his family who stepped in or his next door neighbours, but men who came from afar.
We don’t really know who we can count on when times are tough. We just have to wait and see. But now, now his family came back along with his neighbours. They are almost tripping over each other to curry favour. Perhaps they heard how Job had prayed for his friends and may have recognized their need for the same.
But let’s be clear, it was not the coins and rings that they gave – that make Job rich. God made him rich. What they gave were tokens, symbols of respect. They were admissions of guilt – confessions that they had misjudged Job. They were asking Job to forgive them and perhaps they were a promise not to ever behave that way again. And Job being Job, rebuilt the bridges that his family had burned.
At the end of the day, there was no mistaking…where Job stood with God. It was where he always had, as a blameless and upright man. He was now stronger and wiser – tried by fire and fresh from the presence of God.
When God restored Job, it was with the implicit promise that Satan would not again be allowed to have his way. Not only did God restore Job’s wealth, but also the respect of the community.
God also gave him a new family – 7 sons and 3 daughters, all of whom are named. The fact that they are named while the sons are not, is significant. In his wisdom, Job elevated his daughters to an inheritance equal to his sons. And perhaps in this way, he looked forward to the day when Jesus would grant equal inheritance to all who are a part of his divine household
You will notice that God blessed Job with a long life. After all of the events in the book, God added another 140 years to Job’s life. He lived to see the fourth generation of his descendants.
In the Bible, a long life is a blessing from God. Abraham died at the age of 175, Isaac at 180 and Jacob at 147. The Law of Moses, promised long life to those who obeyed God. And lest we forget, life eternal is what God promises us, if like Job, we remain faithful as his servants, resisting evil and doing good.
God has called us to himself in Christ Jesus our saviour. And no matter how many days God grant us on earth, our citizenship is in heaven where our lives will never end.
Barrie ON
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Since you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being My priest.
Since you have forgotten the Law of your God,
I also will forget your children. (Hosea 4:6)
As a statement in it’s own right, it is magnificent. It sweeps by the symptoms and comes right to the cause. It cuts through the rhetoric and silences discussion with force and finality, for the words of Hosea are the words of God.
Let’s begin with three things before turning specifically to our text, starting with the background of the book and it’s structure. Moving on to certain questions relating to truth and to knowledge before considering some thought-forms that may get in our way as we read and discuss what Hosea wrote so long ago.
Background:
The eighth century bc has been called the golden age of Hebrew prophecy. Now before we get all misty-eyed, it is probably worth noting that God tended to multiply prophets in proportion to the sinfulness of the people. More sin meant more prophets. So there is an upside and a downside to this ‘golden age’.
As it turned out, God warned the people that he would not always do this. His patience with them would one day run out and there would be a famine and a drought for the word of the Lord (Amos 8:11-12) There would be a period of prophetic silence and that silence would itself speak volumes.
Now it was during the eighth century that the prophet Jonah booked passage in a fish on his way to Nineveh. He succeeded despite reluctance to go and hoping for failure. It occurs to me that God had his own way of calling prophets and enlisting volunteers. The prophets were not always eager to go nor in step with the message. But the message was still true, despite their personal shortcomings. I suspect that that it is still so.
So God sent both Amos and Hosea to Israel. And in the year that king Uzziah died, in 739 BC he sent Isaiah to work in the kingdom of Judah. Isaiah and Micah were contemporaries in the southern kingdom as Amos, Hosea and Jonah worked in the northern one.
Hosea has been called many things by various writers. To Kirkpatrick he was “the Jeremiah of the northern kingdom” or “the St. John of the Old Testament.” Reflecting his broken home, Ward calls him “the man of the shattered romance” . To others he is “the home missionary,” “the evangelist” and “the prophet of grace” as he tenderly calls the erring back to God. As a writer, Hosea has been called “Israel’s poet laureate”. Certainly, this man of God is all this and more.
Now Hosea mentions four kings that reigned in Judah during the time that he prophesied to Israel. They were Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. At the same time he mentions only one king, Jeroboam II, who ruled in Israel. Jeroboam was the last great king to rule in the north. Based on the information that Hosea gives us, we would conclude that he prophesied from about 767-686 bc.
Set in the days of Jeroboam II, the book of Hosea addresses a people who have reached the low water mark in their history. The tide has gone out and the shore is littered with trash.
The book itself is also written with a higher standard in mind. It belongs to the high water mark set by God in the torah. And it looks forward to Israel’s return to God and to godliness.
As to the structure of the book: the first 3 chapters tell Hosea’s personal story. It begins with a divine command to marry.
You might say that Hosea’s family is a microcosm of Israel.
There is perhaps the suggestion that no prophet can truly speak for God – until he relates to sin as God does. Surely then, Hosea is qualified.
The balance of the book is about Israel and divides itself into three sections:
In Chapters 4:2 – 6:3, the problem is a lack of spiritual knowledge
In Chapters 6:4 -11:11 there is a lack of brotherly love
And in Chapters 11:12 – 14: 8 the people have abandoned loyalty to God
Each section ends with an appeal – to return to God. These appeals alert us to the main thrust of the book. That God is faithful though his people are not. That God loves his people and wants them backAnd that God will punish his people if they persist in sin
Though the book of Hosea must deal with sin, it is still filled with hope. It is forward-looking with twenty-eight distinct predictions taking up 111 verses, or about 56% of the book. So, throughout Hosea, a faithful God waits patiently for his people to repent.
Preliminary but related Issues:
These have to do with how we read books like Hosea. Or for that matter, how we read the Bible as a whole. So these early considerations are designed to temper our reading. Here are some pertinent questions:
I would suggest to you that the answers to these questions are: Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes…but that is probably not very satisfactory discussion. But without taking time to discuss the nature of truth, there are certain things about truth that are self-evident. That truth can be known is a given.
Believing that the bible is the inspired word of God, we can scarcely open the book for any other reason. If we cannot open the bible to learn about God, then what is the bible for? I might add – that truth in the bible – functions in exactly the same way that truth outside of the bible does. The bible does not recognize many different orders of truth.
Related to our text there is this further question: Is ‘knowing God’, and ‘knowing the commands, statutes and ordinances of God”, the same thing? Some say that there is a difference between ‘knowing God’ and ‘knowing about God’. In fact, I have heard people say, “I don’t want to know about God, I want to know God”
Those who say this mean well and want to encourage spiritual growth, and in the process, they intend to compliment God. To draw an analogy, if you had to choose between a recipe and the cake itself, who wouldn’t rather eat cake?
But I think that we need to be careful here. The implication of the statement is that one must go beyond knowing about God to knowing God. I have yet to hear anyone explain how to do it. Let’s apply this notion to Moses and see if it works. Moses was called by God through a miracle. He spoke directly to Moses at Horeb where Moses saw a burning bush that was not consumed. God performed miracles through Moses and allowed the prophet to appear in his presence – over and over. In the days that followed the golden calf incident, Moses spoke with God daily and face-to-face. If anyone ever rose above knowing about God – to knowing God, surely Moses is the one. This makes his unique and intimate relationship with God an interesting case study against which to read Exodus 33:13. Here Moses said to God: “let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I might find favour in your sight”.
What Moses said, indicates, that knowing God’s ways (commandments, statutes and ordinances) is the same thing as knowing God. The person who knows God’s ways is then in a position to do them – and that is what pleases God. The bible does not make the artificial distinction between knowing about God and knowing God. If there is a distinction at all, it is that you cannot know God without first knowing God’s ways.
Those who know God’s ways and live by them – do experience God. When the truth about God is transformed into obedience it does yield a higher form of knowing. In that sense, there is no O.T. dichotomy between knowing the will of God and doing it. Biblically speaking, those who really “know” God are those who do his will.
The nature of truth is – that it is not truth at all, unless it has content. Thus, one cannot know God without first knowing about God.
Even the spiritual experiences that Moses had in the tangible presence of God were no substitute for the objective content that he was asking for. Those supernatural experiences told Moses that God is God. But based on these alone, he did not know and he could not know how to please God. Moses needed to know God’s ways in order to actually know God and to do God’s will.
Now there is within scripture, no such thing as accidental obedience. Accidental obedience is a contradiction in terms. You may talk about coincidental action that parallels the will of God – but that does not make it ‘obedience’. Doing the right thing for the wrong reason is not obedience. It is even conceivable that someone might do what is good and virtuous for entirely selfish reasons. Not surprisingly, various versions of the ‘Humanist Manifesto’ argue for good behaviour while denying the existence of God.
By contrast, when Hosea calls his people back to God, their return must be guided by a knowledge of God and of his ways. That knowledge must lead to obedience. It is not possible to be accidentally saved without intending to be, any more than it is possible to be accidentally obedient to God.
On another related matter, we have within our own legal system, the modern concept of ‘what the reasonable man’ would do. The issue is not whether a person knows the laws of the land – but whether it is reasonable for him to be expected to know them. After all, our laws apply to all of citizens, regardless of whether they are informed. No legal system could function if ignorance was a viable defense. If you don’t know the laws of the land, the courts still deem that you should have known. Implied in all of this is a duty ‘to know the law’.
The book of Hosea reflects this same expectation when it comes to God’s law. If we accept the concept of the ‘reasonable man’ in our legal system, then it we ought not be surprised to find the same expectation within scripture.
Our Text (Hosea 4:1-6)
Hosea begins the chapter with a summons. He calls Israel to “hear the word of Yahweh.” In true prophetic fashion, his words are ‘thus says the Lord’. There is no substitute for the propositional truth of God. Without it, there is nothing to believe in and no call to believe at all.
God has a controversy with the “house of Israel”. He calls them into court. He brings a lawsuit against them whose terms and conditions are set out in his covenant. It is a covenant that they have broken and to which God himself has always been faithful.
Israel faces three main charges. Hosea lists them and then discusses them in the reverse order that they appear in the list.
Israel is charged with:
It is this third charge to which we now turn.
Now to say that “God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” is to make a very significant statement. Verse one identifies the kind of knowledge that’s missing: it is the ‘knowledge of God’.
As a legal charge, this ‘lack of knowledge’ – implies several things.
So, one way or the other, Hosea says “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.
The fact is that we live in a world that is filled with danger. It is a world designed and maintained by almighty God. And in this world, the dangerous things that you don’t know about…can kill you just as certainly as the dangerous things that you do know about. Ignorance is no protection. Ignorance just puts you in harms way.
Now if this is the way that the physical part of God’s temporal world, works, then what makes us think that the spiritual part of that same world – operates in another way? In the spiritual world that we live in, there is great peril in ignorance. The child locks were taken off of these doors a long time ago and there is no going back. Knowledge is the key to life on earth. Knowledge of God is the key to life with God – both here and beyond earth.
Now the state of Israel in the days of Hosea was no accident. It began with idolatry in the days of Solomon. It spread north to the 10 tribes of Israel as a state religion in the days of Jeroboam. And once it was firmly rooted in the minds and hearts of the people, no prophet of God was able to dig it out.
I don’t know if you have thought much about Idolatry. It’s not as obvious in North America as it is in other parts of the world. But we ought not mistake appearances for reality. Here are some thoughts about how it works. /the first thing that is sacrificed on the altar of idolatry is truth. Idolatry and God’s truth cannot co-exist. If you choose idolatry, then the truth has to go.
No one ever created a god of his own – that didn’t let him do whatever he wanted. They are designer gods, made to order. It is like a tailored suit that just fits perfectly.
Idolatry has not been confined to ancient times. People still fashion gods in their own image and to their own liking. Even those who name the name of Jesus may bring in a double to act the part. And when they do, he is usually a god with modern sensibilities. A god of political correctness, with a taste for pluralism. An existential god who is from moment to moment what you want him to be – a kind of silly putty god that can be formed and reformed. He is a light-weight god that is blown around by every doctrinal wind and a fickle one who changes his mind or doesn’t mind having it changed for him. You might say that he is the god that you’ve always wanted but didn’t dare to ask for.
A few years ago, it was common to see folks wearing a button with the letters WWJD. It reminded us to ask the question “what would Jesus do?” It was supposed to be a way of keeping our lord front and center. The question itself seemed innocuous. But it suggested that there is a standard that perhaps rises above the one set out in scripture. A sort of spiritual constitution by which all else – even scripture itself ought to be measured
Instead, we should have asked “what did Jesus do?” “What did Jesus say?” Let us not ask questions that suggest even the slightest possibility that we may come to know Jesus better than the scriptures do. Let us not set out to construct a hypothetical ‘mind of Christ’.
It is instead so very important that we come to know the actual mind of Christ. Idolatry takes many forms. But it cannot exist unless first lives in the mind. That is why the truth is the first thing sacrificed on the altars of idolatry.
In the Decalogue, the first command has always been pivotal. If the God who exists is not the one that you worship, then nothing else that you do will be right. And if the God who made man in his own image is not your God, then you will not understand what it means to be a human. Everything else finds it’s place in this world relative to God
But Israel chose to worship gods that did not exist. They turned away from God’s word, and as time went by, it was as if the scriptures did not exist
There is no guarantee that this will not happen to us. Left to our own devices, we should not expect, to rise any higher than they did.
In Hosea’s day, sin was normal. No one was shocked by it. They swore by God’s name to deceive and to defraud. Murder was commonplace. Crime rates rose and only the victims seemed to notice. Sexual immorality and violence were the order of the day.
If you want to know what it was like to live in Hosea’s day, just read the newspaper or turn on the news. Hosea describes our cities and our society. The question is – does he also describe me?
Life away from God pretty much knocks the wind out of you. It turns disappointment into despair. It seasons sorrow with hopelessness. It curses life with futility and meaninglessness and exchanges the sweetness of life with the pallor of death.
Hosea says – ‘the land mourns and those who live in it languish’. All of creation is affected by Man’s sin and it is all the more sad, because it doesn’t have to be that way.
All the same, no on had better say “stop sinning”. No one can really know what is right and wrong – so let’s just live and let live. Everyone has their own truth – so everybody is right and no one is wrong – right?
Their leaders had all caved and run from God’s truth. So God’s people stumble by day and their leaders by night. The blind are leading the blind because truth has gone up in smoke.
There is no knowledge of God in the land, so, how can there be faithfulness? How can goodness grow when no one has planted it? “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”
This is not the passive ignorance of the uninformed, nor the vacant ignorance of the mentally lazy. It is a willful ignorance that has rejected scripture and the God who gave it.
Conclusion
The fact is that knowledge is power. That’s why Moses prayed to God and said “let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I might find favour in your sight”.
It is the reason that the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom. 1:16)
If we don’t know about God, then we do not know Him. And if we don’t know his ways, then it is impossible for us to find favour in his sight.
God’s word is not out of reach. He has put it in our hands and He wants us to put it into our heads. God wants it written on our hearts, so that it may guide us back to Him and be blessed forever more.
Text: 2 Kings 5:1-27
Setting:
Ahab and Jezebel were dead. Their son Ahaziah came to the throne but died within a year. Since he was childless, his brother Jehoram took the throne in his place. Jehoram was an evil king but was not as bad as his father and mother had been. 2nd kings 3:2 says that he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. But he held onto the calf worship that Jereboam had put in place at Dan and Bethel and perpetuated that false imitation of proper temple worship.
His sister Athaliah was married to the king of Judah. It is a bit confusing, but this king was also called Jehoram. He was the son of Jehoshaphat.
To give you some idea of the kind of family this was…when her husband died and their only son also died…Athaliah killed all of Jehoram’s other children (by his other wives) so that she could take the throne. She got all of them except Joash…who was rescued by his aunt. Joash would come to the throne at the age of seven under the sponsorship of his uncle Jehoiada who was also the high priest.
Athaliah is the only woman ever to sit on an Israelite throne and she proved to worse than her mother Jezebel. It is her brother Jehoram who was king in Israel as this story in 2nd Kings 5 begins.
Jehoram of Israel lived an ungodly life and his kingdom was given over, piece by piece to his enemies. First the Moabites rebelled against him and then God struck the land with another famine. The Syrians constantly raided his northern and eastern borders and he lived in something close to a state of siege.
Naaman the Syrian was just one of many thorns in his side, but nothing about him was ordinary. He had risen to the top. The text says that he was Captain of the Syrian army. He was a ‘great man with his master’ who trusted him implicitly and consulted with him at the highest level
He was respected at home and feared abroad. Men sought his presence and felt honored to be received. He was a valiant warrior, a decorated hero and a national symbol of power and success. And then the Bible adds this explanation: “Because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram”. (5:1)
Unknown to Naaman, God was working through him. He had not succeeded because of his military prowess or superior tactics. Israel had made themselves enemies of God…and God was using Syria against them. Were it not for the last phrase of verse one, there would be no story.
He was living the dream…except for one thing. He was a leper.
I don’t know if Syria treated lepers the way that Israel did, but it seems probable that some form of social stigma attached itself to the disease. Perhaps he could not come into close personal contact with the king. It may have meant that he could not hold his wife or hug his kids. It affected his quality of life and pulled the props out from under his success. The prognosis was not good, for there was no known cure.
Into this world of Kings and Generals steps a captured girl. In the story, she is nameless. We don’t know which town she was from…only that she was an Israelite. She may have been captured from a border town in Bashan or Gilead. We are also not told if her family had been captured or killed, or just how much violence she had seen. Young girls, especially virgins, along with young boys, were often taken as spoils of war. They became slaves, sometimes serving as concubines and eunuchs. Exactly which category she fell into is hard to say.
But what we do know is this: She was now separated from her family and friends and a prisoner in a foreign country. She was a slave with the future of a slave and in the home of the man most responsible for her pain and sorrow.
All of that makes her attitude that much more amazing. After all, if it was you or me, what would we do? Would we resent or even hate Naaman? Would we ask God to have him fall in battle? Would we at least…secretly wish him ill? Or would we take comfort in the fact that he was leper and feel that it served him right?
Returning evil for evil seems like the right thing to do, but that is not what she did. She wanted nothing but the best for her master. Through all of this, she retained her faith in God and that made the difference. Most of us know Christians who have ‘walked away’ from their faith over much smaller things. But her faith was as strong as ever.
That’s why she spoke up and with confidence. She believed in God and trusted that God through his prophet in Samaria could and would cure Naaman. I may be reading between the lines, but it seems to me that she must have forgiven Naaman. She did not use her knowledge as a bargaining chip. She didn’t say, “if you will set me free, I will tell you how to find a cure”. There were no strings attached or trailing obligations. She was quite literally not thinking about herself.
May God make us a heart like hers. With hearts like hers, every congregation of the Lord’s people would be changed. Years later, Jesus taught his disciples to love their enemies, but she was already there. This Godly principle preceded Christianity.
Before we move on from her, there is one more thing. Just before the people of Nazareth tried to throw Jesus off the cliff at the edge of town, he said to them: “And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian” Luke 4:27. Naaman was the only leper ever cured by Elisha. So how did this girl come to the conclusion that Elisha could do it or even would? No one did her thinking for her. There was no precedent in the work of Elisha. In her day, both the fact of her faith and what she believed were without parallel.
To his credit, Naaman took her advice seriously. Perhaps this is a testimony to her reputation in the household, though it may also indicate that he was desperate. At any rate, he went to king to get permission. The king wrote him a letter of introduction to Jehoram and sent him on his way.
For Naaman, money was no object. He took along 10 talents of silver – 6000 shekels of gold and ten changes of clothing. Thomas Holdcroft says that this would be about 340 kilograms (roughly 750 lbs) of silver and about 70 kilograms (or 150 lbs) of gold. It’s a little hard to translate weight measurements into our currency and especially the buying power of that wealth in our own economy. But a person could live out their life in luxury on what Naaman brought.
Of course, Naaman traveled with an armed guard and arrived with horses, chariots and personal servants. Among the more revealing passages is the one describing the king of Israel. He arrived and handed the letter from Ben-Hadad to Jehoram and that letter went like this: “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you that you may cure him of his leprosy” (vs. 6)
It seems to me that one of two responses is possible for Jehoram. On the one hand, he could say something like this:
But there was a problem. Jehoram did not believe in God. He was an idol worshiper for whom this request was impossible. So he tore his clothes in distress. What he actually said was: “Am I God to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?
When he heard what Naaman asked for, he turned to his court and for the record said: “but consider now and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me”. This is just a pretext for war. Naaman is here to pick a fight.
Here is the irony. What was possible for a slave girl in a foreign land was impossible for the king of all Israel. But then, God’s work has always been distressing to those lacking faith. The king was right about one thing…he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t do it nor could any of his priests or prophets. And because he did not believe in God, he did not ask for God’s help. So he was stuck, stuck between his unfaithfulness to God and the armies of Syria. On the horns of a dilemma, he couldn’t say ‘Yes’ and he dared not say ‘No’.
What Jehoram did not understand was that this was not really about him, it was about Naaman. Naaman was a man in search of the prophet of God. Jehoram just got caught in the middle. After all, an unbeliever can do little to help someone who is seeking God. How embarrassing, to have a real prophet of God in your own kingdom, when you don’t even believe in God.
Well, its Elisha to the rescue. He sent a message to the king asking: “why have you torn your clothes?” In other words, ”what’s the problem?” “let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel”.
I love that answer…don’t you? Here is an open door, a chance to testify before the mighty. So, “Jehoram…get out of the way and send the man to me!” “And get out of those torn clothes”.
The king sent Naaman to Elisha. He arrived with horses and chariots, dust and noise, at Elisha’s front door. The doorbell rang and out comes the butler – actually Gehazi, the servant of Elisha with a message. “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”
I can just picture Gehazi turning and going back into the house, closing the door and leaving Naaman and his entourage looking at each other. Naaman was furious, he was outraged. But why? Was it because the answer was “No”? Did the prophet say, too bad so sad – but we don’t heal Syrians here? Did he insult the man and tell him to crawl back into the hole he came out of? Did he say that “God is punishing you and that’s why you are a leper?”
The answer is No to all of the above. What the prophet said was “yes”. He said “YES”. So why was Naaman so angry? He was angry because he did not get his own way!
He was a man who made kings tremble. The simple truth is that his pride was hurt. He deserved better than that and perhaps humiliated in front of his servants. And if he didn’t do something, the next thing you know, even they would be treating him like that.
The real problem was not that he wanted to get well, but that he wanted to get well on his own terms. He hadn’t come begging. He had close to ½ ton of precious metal and designer clothes to boot.
Let me suggest, that he made the same mistake that men have made down through the years. He thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money.
Not only that, he did not recognize that this was not between him and Elisha. He was dealing with almighty God, and no one dictates terms to God. So he turned and drove away in a rage.
Pride always has its reasons…and these were Naaman’s:
So Naaman chose to keep his pride and his leprosy…because in order to be healthy he would have to first be humble.
Naaman failed. He refused to take God at his word. He did not see past the prophet to the God for whom the prophet spoke. He let his feeling about the messenger blind him to the message. But most importantly…he just didn’t get it. He wasn’t listening. He was so ready to argue and so unwilling to listen. The Answer was Yes…God said Yes. Though you are an enemy of my people…I am saying “Yes”. So look no further, you have succeeded. God is ready to bless you and make you well. But understand this: the gift of God is not for sale. You can’t buy it, earn it or pay me back.
In order to be well, you will be from this day forward, in God’s debt. He will not change his mind. You are going to have to change yours, for God has spoken. And get this through your head…the prophets of God are not for hire. God is their only master.
This has always been so. At the moment when a prophet’s pay equals the value of message…at that very moment he has stopped speaking for God. You can support a prophet and in that way participate in his work. But if you ever succeed in making him your employee, then you’ll only get what you pay for…and it is not worth having.
I really admire Naaman’s servants, because Naaman was furious. He was in a towering rage. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to reason with someone like that. But the servants know two things: They know that the real problem is pride. Naaman’s pride is hurt. And they also know that the prophet said yes. They heard it clear as day.
The question is: would you and I talk to Naaman? As he drives along in a rage…would you interrupt him? Or would you say to the guy next to you…”hey man, I have a wife and kids…you talk to him”
It comes down to motives doesn’t it? Confronting Naaman is dangerous and they have a lot to lose. careers are on the line and maybe even their lives. The easiest thing to do is to agree with him and commiserate a little.
But what do you do if you are Naaman’s friend? Do you sacrifice the truth in the name of peace or unity? If you do, then there is no cure for Naaman and he will go to his grave as a leper. His disease is now on your head. Or do you risk it all and remind him of the truth. Do you push him in the direction of truth?
Telling the truth, especially the truth from God has always been unpopular and often risky. It was then and it is now, and especially when human wisdom protects our pride. The question really comes down to “How much do you really care about the soul of another?
Well, it turns out that they did care and appealed to Naaman with gentleness and respect. They said: “We know that you would not refuse to do any great thing”. We know the kind of stuff that you’re made of and you don’t have to prove anything to us. But sir…the prophet said yes. He said Yes. And what he asked you do is such a simple thing. We know that you would do a great thing – then why not do an easy thing? And the fact is, that you have to do it, if you’re ever going to get well.
Pray that your fellow Christians will be like the servants of Naaman. People of courage, of truth and honor who stand up for the word of God and speak it without compromise. That they are people who do it out of love, knowing what is at stake. Our world is full of folks who want to argue, even though God has plainly told us how to be saved from sin and how to live Godly lives. May we be like the servants of Naaman and speak the truth in love.
If you have never read this story before, it has a surprise ending. Actually the ending has two surprises.
The first one is that Naaman listened to reason. Just when you have the impression that he is a lost cause, he changed his mind. He swallowed his pride and humbled himself. He quit arguing with God and just did as he was told. Many of our theological problems would go away if we all did that.
So God cured him, it was just as simple as that. His flesh was like that of a little child. He came up out of the water a changed man, confessing: “Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel”.
Naaman had become a believer. He was now an ally and a friend to God’s people. When he went back to Elisha, the gifts that he offered were out of gratitude, for he had stopped trying to buy the gift of God and was happy just to say “thank you Lord”.
And he made a commitment. He said “I will sacrifice to no other God but to the Lord”.He asked for two mule loads of earth from Israel so that he could build a proper altar to God and worship him acceptably. And he asked Elisha to understand that even though his official duties had him go with the king into the house of Rimmon, he personally would not be worshiping there.
Naaman went home a new man. He was bodily cured and spiritually reborn…now a servant of God.
The other surprise is Gehazi. He was a trusted servant of Elisha, who must have been to Elisha what Elisha had been to Elijah. It was Gehazi who had suggested that the Shunammite woman should be given a son. Gehazi had been present when that boy was brought back from the dead and he seems in every way to have been the prophet’s right hand man.
But this time was different. He saw Naaman’s cleansing and witnessed his conversion. But he did not fall to his knees in prayer and thank God because:
Instead…this is what he did. He coveted Naaman’s wealth. He got out his calculator and started to figure out how much this new convert could put on the collection plate. He saw a rich believer who felt indebted to him and would give anything that he asked.
So he came up with a plan. I’ll just wait until Naaman is out of sight and on his way home, that way Elisha won’t know. I will meet Naaman in secret, accept the money and keep it for myself. That’s just what he did.
Of course, he had to come up with a lie to explain this new willingness to accept money. So he told Naaman that two prophets from Ephraim had come unexpectedly to Elisha who was now asking for a talent of silver and two changes of clothes. To which Naaman responded: “take two talents instead along with the clothes”. Gehazi went home and put these away in the house before going to see Elisha.
Now let’s think about this for a minute: Consider the impact of all of this on Naaman, a new convert who knows only a little about God. What he does know comes from Elisha and from being healed. How might this latest exchange alter his understanding of God? Gehazi implied that something happened that God did not foresee. Elisha would have accepted a gift earlier if only he had known that visitors were coming. So perhaps God’s knowledge is limited. And it seems too that God is a God who changes his mind on the spur of the moment.
It turns out that the gift of God is not really free after all. The prophets of God actually are for hire, and sooner or later they will name their price. And then there is the cynical thought that “this is after all what you expected when you came…that’s why you brought the money’.
And finally…since the cleansing worked, I guess it is safe to get paid. Now we know that it can’t fail. Maybe Naaman went home thinking, they didn’t know if it would really work and that’s why they did not want the money up front.
Well, Gehazi came and stood in front of Elisha who asked “where have you been?” After all those years with the prophets…Gehazi had to know better. But he lied and said “Your servant went nowhere”. He was unrepentant and forgot that there are no secrets from God or from the prophet of God. Elisha proceeded to tell him where he went, what he did and even what he intended to spend the money on. He wanted the good life – money, clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep and oxen, even male and female servants. He had the money already spent.
There is a kind of justice in what happened next. You see, Gehazi already had what Naaman came to get. Naaman went home with more than he had dreamed of…a man with a whole body and a soul belonging to God. But this man of God who did not know what he had, traded it, becoming a poor imitation of his beneficiary. So God put Naaman’s leprosy upon Gehazi, for abandoning his faith and exchanging the truth of God for a lie, all for the sake of money.
Summing up
In the history of the world, there are no little people. Every step that we take, and every word we speak makes a difference. An eternal difference. So let us be like the slave girl who loved her enemy and sent him to find God. May we be like the servants of Naaman who spoke the truth in love despite the risk. May we be like Elisha who could not be bought and who shared God’s gift without cost. And may we be like Naaman, who humbled himself and obeyed God so that God might bless him.
Text Job 2:11-13
In our last article, we considered what Job said to his friends when he broke the silence. They had sat on the ground with him for seven days and mourned with him. At the end of that time, Job spoke up – he cursed the day that he was born. As we come to chapter 4, Job’s friends begin to reply.
In fact, chapters 4-31, are all about the the back and forth between Job and his friends. Each man has ‘his say’ 3 times, and after each Job responds. By the time that they finish, there seems nothing left to say and nothing has been settled. And it is at that point, in chapter 32, that a kind of young punk named Elihu steps in to rip one more strip off of Job.
If you have read those chapters, it is easy to be critical of these men…especially Elihu. But in fairness, we ought to ask…is there not something that they did right? What can we learn from what they did and said? What should we do based on their example?
It turns out that there was actually a lot to admire about them…so let’s start with that.
When they heard about all of the bad stuff that had happened to Job, they dropped everything and came running. They put their heads together and made a plan with Job as their first priority. It is often the case, that you find out who your real friends when disaster strikes. When everybody else is running away…who is it that is running to help? When family and friends are passing by on the other side...who is it that is stopping?
If ever there had been a good Samaritan back in that day…Job had been it. But now that Job needed help – where were they all? It was a bit ironic that the people who actually showed up…had to come from a long way off, to do it.
Which raises a question – where are we – when bad times hit a friend? Do we shake our heads and say…that’s too bad? Do we avoid them? Or do we ask God to help us to help them?
In short, do we do what Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar did? They got together to help. They formed a group, to share the load and to help each other as they helped Job.
They did that because is strength in numbers. And when a group of friends comes to help, it really says: “you are not alone” and “we are all in this together”. We may have take personal time off, use up some vacation time and rack up travel expenses. Investing ourselves in the lives of others is what we are here for. So I really like this about Job’s friends. They dropped what they were doing and came running
There is no substitute for ‘being there’. Cards and letters are good. Phone calls encourage, but bodily presence trumps it all. There is nothing like the human touch. So they showed up, because nothing else would do.
It was the godly thing to do, since God himself has not left us alone. He is everywhere at once and also close by. Immanent and transcendent, but not even that was enough. So He became flesh and dwelt among us as one of us. It was the divine litmus test…and still is.
When his friends showed up in person, it was a measure of how much they cared. And they came specifically to sympathize and comfort. They got it right and so should we .
The next thing that they got right was deeply personal. The text says:
When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him, they raised their voices and wept. And each of them tore his robe, and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky.
They looked him in the face and saw how bad off Job really was. They had heard, but now they saw for themselves, and it got to them. They put themselves in his place and felt his pain. It was no longer just Job…they were all in it together.
They did what Job had done. They tore their clothes, threw dust on their heads and sat down on the ground…and wept. There was not a dry eye or a fake tear. .
A lot of things in life are way beyond our control. What they did admitted just that. They couldn’t reach out and heal Job. They couldn’t turn back the clock to bring his children from the grave. There was no sense in which they could undo what had been done. So they shared Job’s helplessness – which was actually the biggest help that they would ever be.
I’ll be the first to admit that I find that really hard to do. The first thing that I want to do…is to jump in and fix things. I am all about problem-solving and tinkering. And not liking to groan or complain, I start looking for something to do.
In a 1972 movie called the Poseiden Adventure, Gene Hackman played the ‘reverend’ Frank Scott. His most memorable line was, that “God helps those who help themselves”. And while I don’t believe that that is true, I sometimes act as if it is. The truth is more like…God helps those humble enough to admit that they need help and who ask for it.
Job’s friends got it right. They were were sympathetic and surrounded him to comfort and console. And they were humble enough, at least at the start, not to try to fix things as a matter of first priority.
They also got at least one other thing right. They were incredibly patient. The book says: “Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
Have any of us ever shut up for a whole week? Are you kidding? I mean, if I have to sit on the ground in torn clothes with dirt on my head, someone is going to hear about it. But that is what they did. For a whole week – no one said anything…or did anything. No one fetched or carried – cooked or ate…They did not do or say a thing.
How hard is that? In our world, productivity is everything. Doing nothing is useless. Yet in their wisdom, they did nothing, said nothing, and just stuck it out with Job.
His life was on hold and so was theirs. He was in incredible pain. They hurt for him. And as long as he had nothing to say, they waited for him to speak first.
How comfortable are we with silence? Are we at peace inside of our own minds, saying nothing at all? Yet in times such as these, silence is eloquent and just the thing.
Summing up, here are the obvious things that they did right.
One of the less obvious things that they did right was that they eventually came around to some difficult conversations. It was, ‘the elephant in the room’ kind of talk. The thing that we’d all rather ignore and postpone.
It is not just a Canadian thing to be non-confrontational. Most of us will go way, way. out of our way – to avoid difficult conversations. It is to their credit that they stayed with Job long enough to talk about what was on his mind and on also on theirs.
Now as we observed earlier, they let him lead off and get the conversation started, which Job did by cursing the day of his birth. He basically said – life stinks – it is not fair – and I wish I was dead.
Then and only then that Job’s friends began to get things wrong. If only they had stayed silent. Job was perhaps not quite finished when Eliphaz spoke up. Had they let him go on, they would have discovered that he actually agreed with what they were going to say, because up until his life fell apart, it was what he believed too. But their patience had run out and they were raring to go.
So Eliphaz got the ball rolling …when he asked: “If one ventures a word with you, will you become impatient? But who can refrain from speaking?
Okay Job, you’ve had your say. We have been patient and waited our turn. Now will you be patient and listen for a change? And then he added: ‘who can refrain from speaking”? In other words…enough is enough. We’re sorry about everything that’ happened…we really are. But…it is time that you faced up to the facts.
And you already know what I’m going to say – because it is what you used to tell others. You have taught many, strengthened the weak, corrected the stumbling. And now that you are the one who needs help, it’s almost as if you have forgotten everything that you once knew.
But the facts are the facts. We all know that God does not allow the innocent to perish, or the righteous to be destroyed. But now that you are perishing, you are horrified. You are out of patience and can’t seem to figure out why this has happened. So let’s connect the dots even, though you ought to be able to do it yourself.
As Eliphaz rambles on, he says in effect…no one is sinless. In verses 17-19, He claimed to have received a message in a vision, that asked:
Can mankind be righteous before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? He puts no trust even in His servants; And He accuses His angels of error. How much more those who live in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!
He sounds a bit like the apostle Paul when he wrote to the church at Rome in 3:10, saying: There is no righteous person, not even one
And again in 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
So…Job, who do you think that you are? Even the angels have sinned and God made no exception for them. Don’t be surprised, that God has now gotten around to you for you are not the one exception to the rule.
Coming to chapter 5, Eliphaz goes one step further in verses 1-4, saying:
“Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? For irritation kills the fool, And jealousy brings death to the simple.
I have seen the fool taking root, And I cursed his home immediately.
His sons are far from safety, They are also oppressed at the gate, And there is no one to save them.
Eliphaz claimed that Job – in his unrepentant condition was disqualified to pray. No one would hear him…not even the angels.
He said that – Job had become a fool – in the eyes of God. And it was God who had brought him down…and destroyed his children. God had allowed his goods to be plundered. And Eliphaz knows this because trouble of this kind does not spring from the ground. Stuff like this does not just happen…so, open your eyes, this is justice from heaven.
But wait…do you want to know what I’d do? His advice is found in verses 8-16. And if Job takes that advice, here’s what will happen – Verses 17-27
So I advise: That you seek God…Appeal to him for forgiveness – because
So…turn to God and come out of the darkness, and God will save you and forgive.
The key, is to comprehend… where you stand. You have been disciplined but not destroyed. You’ve been struck down but not without hope. So… thank God for that and accept it. Because the one who has inflicted pain can take it away, and the one who has wounded can also heal
And he will do all of that – you can count on it. God will save you – more times than you are in trouble. Having saved you, he will protect you. He will protect you from:
God will be for you and not against you..and you will know peace and security
It’s all out there waiting…the ball’s in your court, Job. Time to repent, to come clean and throw yourself on God’s mercy.
Do you want to know how I know? “Behold this; we have investigated it, and so it is. Hear it, and know for yourself.”
Eliphaz comes on strong and comes off promising the world. He knows what he knows and Job’s only hope is to know it too.
This first speech from Job’s friends is the most friendly of them all. It is the least faultfinding and the most kind, and it is positively hopeful
It is all of this, while at the same time saying:
From here on in, things go from this – to much worse. The friends become more and more accusing. They begin to list the categories of Job’s sins…and then get down to graphic detail. Their tone changes. Tender appeals become sharp-tongued and harsh. Peers become superiors who put Job down. Spiritual counsel gives way to verbal beating as mercy disappears.
They accuse Job of abandoning God. They say that he is guilty of hidden sin – he’s been a hypocrite, A man with impure thoughts…and the list goes on. No wonder then that God responded as he does in chapters 38-41.
But the point is that they started well and did so much that was good and right, but ended up undoing it all – by what they went on to say. It is easy for good intentions to go off the rails, which happens quite often when you are right and know that you are right.
Anyone ever been right? Totally right? Righteously right? And then found out that you were wrong and wrong and wrong again? Kind of brings you up short, right?
Well that’s where they were headed…because they did not know that Job was blameless in the sight of God. There was no room in their worldview for the possibility of ‘righteous suffering’. Out of sight and mind…was Satan’s role in what was happening, even though they did know that God had judged sinful angels…and had said so.
In their world…the righteous always prosper and the wicked always failed. Sin and suffering went hand in hand – ordained by God and it was fair. So as they tried to wring a confession out of Job, they became more and more desperate.
Days passed into weeks. They stayed on, for in a real sense, they could not go home. They could not go home until Job confessed, for if Job had not fallen into a life of sin, and yet had suffered as no one had, then, literally, no one is safe. What happened to Job could happen to anyone, at any time and apparently for no reason at all.
All of which causes us to ask: In whom or in what do we trust? Where does our sense of security come from? Does it come from our good deeds? Do we feel secure only as long as we have an answer for everything? Or have we placed our trust in God – and especially when we don’t have the answers?
That is what is called for. God wants us to know His will and His ways. He wants us to do his will and to live in ‘all good conscience before him. But He also wants us to trust him when life does not make sense and when bad things happen. God will not fail us…now or in the end.
Until then, let us not fail each other. But let us encourage each other, and so much more as we see the Day of the Lord approaching.
Text: Vs. 3
“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints…”
Jude calls us to an all out effort, to stand up for a body of truth of which our faith consists since we have received it in its final form and fully complete.
There are at least three questions raised by this short verse.
What is ‘the faith’?
A study of God’s covenant with Israel along with statements made about it by both the former and latter prophets, shows that it anticipated the arrival of another. It was going to be delivered by a prophet ‘greater than Moses’ (Deut. 18:15-18, Acts 3:17-26) and replaced by a new covenant made through ‘the seed of Abraham’. The new covenant would bless the whole world. It was going to be new and faultless (Heb 8:7-13), and never to be replaced. It came into force when the kingdom of heaven arrived on earth and will remain so until earth is no more. We are therefore living ‘in the last days’
But while ‘the faith’, had by Jude’s time been given ‘once for all’, it had not arrived all at once.
Jesus began to deliver it during his earthly ministry, which was a period marked by his ‘humiliation’ (Phil 2:5-8). He lived on earth as a man among others. He was ‘God in the flesh’, but for some, his flesh got in the way of their faith. ‘The faith’ had not yet come, and most saw nothing beyond the man. So they came to be fed, to be healed and to have demons cast out. And while Jesus promised to bring the kingdom of heaven to the earth, they preferred a kingdom of the earth.
For these and other reasons, much was left unsaid when Jesus went to the cross. But before He died, He promised those disciples who would become apostles, that He would send the Holy Spirit upon them. And the Spirit would do two things, relative to the truth. He would give them something like ‘total recall’, enabling them to remember all that Jesus had said and done. And He would lead them into ‘all the truth’. (John 14:25-26, John 16:12-15).
The work of the Spirit began once Jesus had been glorified. Jesus had risen from the grave and appeared to witnesses – some of whom saw him ascend, out of their sight. Jesus had been glorified by the Father and now reigned from the Father’s right hand. The apostles had been ‘clothed with power from on high’(Luke 24:49, Acts 2:1-4) and their minds had been opened to understand scripture (Luke 24:45)
So it was, that the Spirit of God, led them into all that God wanted them to know, with the result that the apostle Peter could say with confidence, that “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Pet 1:3)
It is good to remember that “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Certainly then, all New Testament scripture is included in ‘the faith’, delivered once for all to the saints.
What Jesus began to reveal during the period of his humiliation was completed by the Holy Spirit, during the time of his glorification.
What then is the relationship of ‘the faith’ to ‘our common salvation’? And why do we need to contend for it?
When the apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem, he met with the elders from Ephesus, at Miletus. Two of the things that he shared with them pertain directly to these last two questions (Acts 20:25-32)
“And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. (vs 25-27)
In order to be ‘free from the blood of all men’, the apostle Paul had ‘declared to them, the whole counsel (or purpose) of God. Paul implied, that had he amended God’s word or declared one part but not another, he would have incurred guilt. That guilt would have arisen – since a partial truth cannot save or keep us saved. If not corrected, it would have resulted, in the loss of eternal souls due to Paul’s failure. The ‘whole counsel’ of God, ‘the faith’ in its full and final form, is needed in order for men and women to be saved and to live and worship as God intends.
Paul repeated this principle as he wrote to Timothy in I Tim 4:15-16, saying:
“Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you”
We need ‘the faith’ to be saved and to live a saved life. This body of truth cannot be anything less than all that Jesus taught during his ministry along with all that the Holy Spirit revealed after his return to heaven.
When speaking to the Ephesian elders, the apostle added this warning…which is the reason why we must ‘contend for the faith’.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.” (Acts 20:28-31)
it is shocking to think that it is from among those entrusted with shepherding God’s flock that false doctrine will arise. Then again, how often have ‘the elders’ been the ones to lead us astray? How often have the elders commanded what God has not, or permitted what God has forbidden? Sheep, being sheep, have been led to the slaughter and their blood is on the heads of those who have led them astray.
For all of these reasons, the apostle Paul said – “I did not shrink”. To name a few
So when Paul says, “I did not shrink”, he meant it. He had been actively persistent, exercising due diligence in all matters pertaining to doctrine and practice. He did not shrink in the face of constant challenge and outright apostasy. He did not shrink before the influence of those who were being pressed into the ‘world’s mould’ (Romans 12:1-2). The apostle stood firm, in order to ensure his own salvation, and the salvation of those whom he taught.
We cannot do what Paul did without facing opposition. The forces at work in Paul’s day have not gone away. But when those forces come from within – when we are attacked by those who ought to protect God’s flock, where can we turn for help?
Paul answers:
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)
We have been entrusted to God – whose protection comes to us through the word of his grace. It is the ‘faith’, delivered once for all, final and complete, that is able to save and protect. It can build us up and ensure that we remain sanctified in the Lord and qualified to receive the eternal inheritance held in store for us.
For all those reasons, God calls us to contend for ‘the faith’. This is not someone else’s job…it is up to each one of us… despite living in an age that believes, that truth no longer counts.
Yet in order to ‘contend for the faith’, we must know it in its entirety (adding nothing to it and taking nothing away Deut 4:2, Rev. 22:18-19) and obey it completely.
Barrie ON
Text: Job 3:1-26
We have been exploring the book of Job in a series of lessons and have come to chapter 3. By this time you may be thinking, that this series is a bit like the suffering of Job. But putting that thought aside for now, think instead of how patient you’ll be by the time that we finish
Let’s start with a quick review and then dive into the text for today.
In Job chapter one we were introduced to a man who was one of a kind. He was righteous, god-fearing and blameless – so God had blessed him. Everything that he did turned out well. He had a good home life with a large family and managed his own agricultural enterprises. He sat at court among the elders and was a pillar of the community. It is easy to see God at work, in the life of a man who worshipped and served Him, for the rule was – that God bestowed a special measure of his providence upon those who honoured him.
But chapter one also introduces us to the concept of – worthiness to suffer. This was an exception to the rule, highlighting the conflict between God and Satan. Our eyes are opened to the presence of spiritual beings who actively oppose God and vie for the hearts and souls of men and women. And for that reason…Satan’s alliance with ungodly people is the most common source of suffering among God’s people. It happened when Cain killed Abel. He did it because his brother was righteous. Abel suffered because he was righteous and Cain acted as an agent of Satan. In a similar way and throughout the Old Testament, God’s prophets were persecuted in just this way.
When it came to Job, Satan’s goal was to turn him against God, once and for all. This then is the the story behind the story of Job. It is the spiritual reality behind the day to day events that Job experienced.
By chapter 3, Job had lost his wealth, his children, his health and the people around him were avoiding him like the plague. There seems to be nothing left to lose…except his relationship with God…and that of course is the point. For as it turns out, that relationship is what life is actually all about. It is the very thing we were created for and everything else is just ‘window dressing’.
So the question raised by the book is: what is the true nature of Job’s relationship with God? If Satan is right, then it is just utilitarian and Job is in it…for what he can get out of it. He is bought and paid for by God. But if God is right, then this relationship is a thing of value in itself and treasured by Job.
Satan claimed that no created being who has to depend upon God, loves God for himself. People hate being dependent. Therefore all of us are in it with God, to get God to ‘pay-up’. Take that away, and we will have no use for Him and curse God to his face.
So, God allowed Satan to take it all away…yet Job refused cursed God.
Job had not done so, even at the urging of his wife, who argued argued that while Job remained righteous, it obviously did not pay. When Job’s friends arrived, they argued that righteousness actually does pay. The problem is that Job is no longer righteous. He used to be, but has gone off the rails.
So it appears that Job is caught between these two arguments – with no logical way out. By the way…Satan is perfectly willing to argue both sides to get what he wants. He does that, because with him, truth is only of value when it leads to a false conclusion.
We may be tempted at times to play ‘the devil’s advocate’. To state his case- just to see how strong it is…or to bedevil and aggravate others. It may start as a game, just an intellectual exercise to sharpen the debate. Or it might be to explore new and creative ways of defeating Satan. But we may in that process, fall into the trap of becoming the Devil’s advocate. We might so impress ourselves, that we become our own first converts. And having been clever by too much, become fools in the sight of God. Satan does not need our help, but he will use it, and us, if we are willing.
Well, this brings us to chapter 3 and to that moment…when Job finally did utter a curse, but it was not against God. Job cursed the day that he was born. Given a choice, which of course he had not had…he preferred ‘not to be’, rather than the existence that was now his.
It’s important to realize that Job was suffering on several different levels. His physical suffering was excruciating. He was psychologically beaten down and socially isolated. And it all took place in the context of a worldview that was deeply theological. Job was trying to make sense of things under great duress.
Even the physical part was overwhelming. Satan struck him with boils and sores to the extent, that no part of his body was sound. Back in that day, infections of this sort were usually short lived. You either got better or you died, but you did not linger. The problem was, that Job did. He lingered on and it was not a blessing. His illness became chronic, and he suffered with no end in sight. It pushed him to the brink. It wore him out, tried his patience and must have made it very hard to think straight.
But he kept on thinking, which was where a good deal of his suffering took place. It seemed that while he had kept God’s rules, God had let him down. Abandoning his usual practice of rewarding good – God turned the world upside down. Job could think of nothing that he had done, for which God could be punishing him. He was stuck. He was stuck with no way out. If only there was some sin to confess and of which to repent. There was a solution to that…but not to this.
These dimensions of Job’s suffering take place against the background of his spiritual life. Later in the book God’s responded to all that has been said and did so in light of his overarching plan. But apart from a knowledge of that plan, life must have seemed absurd to Job…in the sense that it lacked meaning. His values had been unravelled and the consequences seemed disconnected from reality.
So Job argued for the value of non-existence. He was not saying that nothing at all should exist, or that it would be better for there to be no God. He was thinking specifically of himself, and wishing that he had never seen the light of day.
But before considering some of what he says – it fits our times, to a tee. Many have adopted a worldview that excludes eternal mind. And if there is no eternal mind, there is also, no over-arching purpose to life or being
They suppose instead, that matter is eternal. That that which is not mind – is ultimate. And therefore, that there is no purpose behind anything that exists. To look for meaning where there is none, is an exercise in futility. Existentialists come at the problem one way and Nihilists another.
The Existentialist says: since we live in a meaningless world, yet feel the need for meaning, it is up to us to create our own. You can have yours and I’ll have mine, and it can be anything at all. It only has to last from moment to moment, and a series of these will just expire when we do. This kind of meaning is utilitarian, here today and gone in a heartbeat. But don’t look so glum, be the best you that you can, because in the end, nothing really matters anyway
The Nihilist pushes back and to say: Get Real. Suck it up and take it like a man and stop playing mind-games. We are not here for any purpose at all. We have come from nowhere and going nowhere. The world is as dark as a black hole and has no meaning. Therefore, embrace absurdity and hold on tight. And actually, if you are brave enough, go ahead and blow your brains out. To be or not to be…that is the question. Have the courage, not to be.
If philosophers agree on anything, it is that a point without a context is an absurdity. Individual things or people have no meaning ‘in themselves’. If there is to be meaning at all, it must come from the things around us. But if the context – if the universe in which we find ourselves, is a collection of individual things – each of which have no meaning, then what you have is a bunch of zero’s all of which still add up to – you got it, zero. And in that case, the whole show is nothing but nonsense.
Furthermore…meaning is a function of mind and not matter. But a collection of other minds like our own, each searching for meaning… is still a collection of zero’s. What is needed is a divine mind, from whom eternal meaning and purpose may be had.
This then is the background for what Job says in chapter 3 – to our day and time.
Job was neither an existentialist nor a Nihilist. For him, God is real and life has meaning. He just does not know what it is. He does not know that God so loves the world, that one day he would send his Son, so that whosoever believes in him should not perish – but have eternal life. And to make matters more difficult, he does not know that he is suffering for righteousness sake.
When Jesus taught his disciples to count the cost, it was because they would be persecuted for their faith. So when the Sanhedrin beat the apostles, they put two and two together and praised God who had counted them worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. When they stoned Paul, and left him for dead…he knew that he was suffering to advance the gospel
But when Job suffered for righteousness…he made no such connection. The context was out of sight – leaving him with a dilemma. Imagine how different things would have been…had he only known?
This raises the very real possibility, that this kind of suffering might still exist. That we may suffer for the sake of righteousness and not know that that is the reason. That would after all serve Satan’s purposes the most. But like Job, we must be prepared to trust God enough to wait for his answers and enough to accept them when given.
A quick overview of what Job said chapter 3.
In Verses 1-3 – Job cursed the day of his birth. Nothing happens in space and time except at a particular time. And Job wished that that time, that that day, had never arrived. He reasoned that the value of my life cannot be found in it’s value to others. I wish that my parents had never celebrated my birth. That I had never been their source of pride and happiness, for the benefit to them has in no way been worth the cost to me.
It is not just my parents. May God above not care for it. This one is hard to understand, except that, given that I have obviously not been pleasing to God, how much better for me not to have been born. Surely the mere existence of a single human life is not so significant that God should put value upon it, especially knowing how it would turn out. How much better for God to blow out the candle, than to set the the whole house on fire..
Now, while Job’s conclusions were wrong…his insights are actually quite profound. They recognized something that God has shared with those made in his image. And that is the ability, which is almost a necessity, to confer value upon things outside of oneself.
By the way, meaning and value are connected. Value is related to purpose. A thing has value or lacks it, as it advances or fails to advance a purpose. So, Job had value to his parents. They now had a son or yet another male heir. The ancestral name would be preserved, and perhaps as well, they had a son to care for them in their old age.
Job also had value to God, first as a part of his creation. And while the non-thinking part of that creation could not refuse to declared his praise, Job was born to thank God, to honour him and to praise Him as a matter of choice. He was born to set an example in word and deed. But praise is hard if God seems less than worthy, and thankfulness dries up when when tangible reasons for it, disappear.
Beyond this, what may be hinted at in the book of Job is something not revealed until the coming of Jesus. Not only is there such a thing as suffering for righteousness sake, but it is done for the glory of God…who alone is truly righteous. There is also such a thing as necessary suffering for the sake of righteousness, in order to extend eternal righteousness to the world of men.
This is what Jesus did. To become an atoning sacrifice, Jesus had to suffer. He had to die, to confer this blessing. Life on the other side of death and blessings arising from suffering is the last thing that the world expected. Yet this was in the mind of God from the beginning and a necessary part of his divine plan. This in turn was the ultimate context, which for Job, remained out of sight.
Now it comes out in chapter 29 that Job had been an incredible blessing in the lives of others. He had shared his wealth with the poor….hired people who needed a job. He had delivered justice for the oppressed. God had blessed him and he had paid it forward. People were blessed by the very knowledge that men like Job would hear their case and set things right. As a result…the name of the Lord had been praised.
It is very easy, when things go badly wrong, for us to underestimate the value of the good that God has accomplished through us and continues to do. The danger of tunnel vision is very real. Our horizons are too close and we do not see as God does. This was true of job and accounts for much of Job said in this chapter.
Job did not how many countless thousands were going to be blessed by his example and his faith. Happily ever after stories hardly ever match up with real life…but this one does.
In verses 4-19, Job recognized all of the forces that had made him and sustained him. Time and space were the venue. His parents conceived him, Midwives delivered him to his mother who fed and nurtured. It was all very much…out of his control .
Yet he wished that at least one link in this chain of events – had never taken place.
How much better, not to be…than to be. Or having come into being, to die. To go to the place of the dead and just skip all of life. To enjoy rest with those who first had to endure life.
What did Job think that that would be like?
He would keep company with the good and the bad, with kings and counsellors, the high and mighty, the rich and successful. And also with the wicked whose wicked work is at an end.
Ever felt that way? Wish I had never been born? Why did Job feel that way? Because he was convinced that death is better than life for in death:
Like a prerecorded show, where we skip the commercials, Job, wanted to just skip life…and fast forward past the end…to death.
We find his reason in Verses 20-26. Life without meaning is not worth living. Job introduces the thought that there is such a thing as a life not worth living. That the value of life cannot possibly be found within itself or in the experiences of which it is made up.
Job asks:
“Why is light given to one burdened with grief, And life to the bitter of soul,
Who long for death, but there is none, And dig for it more than for hidden treasures; Who are filled with jubilation, And rejoice when they find the grave?
Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, And whom God has shut off?
For my groaning comes at the sight of my food, And my cries pour out like water.
For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread encounters me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet, And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
Do you see the connection between light and life? He may be using them as synonyms to mean the same thing. Thus, life is not life at all without light in the sense of understanding. How terrible to be a man whose way has been hidden? What after all is a person’s life, without meaning?
Of what value is it to be alive and miserable? Alive and confused? Alive, but with no reason to go on and thus really not alive at all. Implicit in our need for meaning is the promise that it is out there to be had. If it is not, then why did God plant that need so deeply within?
It seems that to be truly like God, we must have it, and for it to do what God wants it to, it must be of God. All of which raises the possibility, that ultimate meaning is not something outside of God, but God himself.
Not knowing, Job concludes, that he would be much better off dead. Yet, as we read on, this book hints that death is not the end. That being does not dissolve into non-being when we die…nor does consciousness fade to oblivion. Death may actually be better than life, because it includes rest, and comfort and peace.
Something that Job said raises an important question: given that Job longs for death, why can he not find it? He says that he prefers to die. Is this a call for help? Is it like a suicidal person who does not really want to pull the trigger? Is there within Job, an ethical boundary that he is not yet prepared to cross?
Why not just kill himself and end it all? Job longs for God to take him, he is not willing yet, to take his own life. This restraint prolongs his suffering, but more importantly it keeps him from preempting God. This book is then a solemn reminder, a warning, for us not to judge things prematurely or to act rashly.
The apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth in I Cor 4:5: “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of human hearts; and then praise will come to each person from God”.
We really do not know what we do not know and certainly not the end from the beginning. Believers are not doing God’s work, when we beat ourselves up. That is Satan’s job and he does not need help.
Let us instead take our fingers off of the ‘fast-forward’ button, and wait upon the Lord. Let’s not confuse difficult times, with failure. Our lives are not over on this earth, until they are. And even then, they are not over when we die, for in Christ, they have only just begun.
Barrie ON
Text: Job 2:1-10
With Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and the like, you can now spend a whole weekend binge-watching. Ever do that? Maybe gotten so engaged that you could not stop? Well, in this article, we are back to the book of Job and episode two, just waiting to find out what happens.
When we started this series, I had not thought about tariffs, job loss or the stock market. Since then, trillions have evaporated and our economy may be in for a hit. So it seems somewhat fitting, to consider Job, when times are tough and getting tougher.
But things were a lot worse for Job than they are for us. He didn’t just have a bad day on the stock market, he lost everything. His assets vanished, and along with them his ability to earn a living. Perhaps just as important to Job, he lost the respect of the community. His hired help were all dead and their families, devastated. People wanted nothing to do with him. They no doubt blamed him for their misfortune and wished that they had never known him.
When the markets crashed in 1929, suicide was everywhere and every day. Perfectly healthy people saw the chaos ‘out there’ – and it got to them. It got to them – even though the world kept turning, crops kept growing and day followed night. They did not have Job’s faith. They did not trust in Job’s God, so their whole world crashed, as paper-millionaires became paupers, overnight.
But Job had lost more than even that. He had also lost every one of his 10 children. A whole family was dead, children whom he had loved and raised to adulthood. There was no warning, no head’s up, no sign from above or time to brace for the worst. And perhaps that was part of what made the worst.
As it turned out, there was no good thing that Job could have done to avoid it. Instead, as we read in chapter one…it was precisely because Job had been doing everything right, that everything went so badly wrong
It was by his righteousness, and all by himself…that Job qualified for this test. It was a dubious honour of suffering and shame, of pain and agony. It was the price of being ‘worthy to suffer’…for righteousness sake. And for that reason, it did not make any sense – at all.
But before looking at chapter 2, let’s consider two things…starting with Job’s children. We are shocked by their death and especially that God would allow it. They were living, breathing people whose young lives were snuffed out. We can’t help but think, that they were entitled to so much more, and so are we.
But are we? Entitled, I mean. After all, our lives have been given to us by God…to whom they still belong. We live for a time on His earth, and while God is Holy, we are anything but. So we may need to think twice and to choose thankfulness over entitlement.
The other aspect of Job’s children is their relationship with God. Let’s suppose for a moment that having been raised in a godly home, they were godly. And knowing what was about to happen to their father, God allowed Satan to take their lives. Perhaps he knew that their faith would not survive what was about to happen. Thus, by allowing Satan to end their lives, God actually delivered them. Satan took them away from Job, and handed them to God for eternal safe-keeping. All at once, their lives were permanently beyond the power of Satan, and in that moment, they became permanent residents of God’s heavenly kingdom
Could it be then, that instead of delivering them from death, God delivered them through death? And instead of defeating God’s plans, Satan played right into His hand?
Consider the alternative. Which of us does not have a child, a sibling, a member of our family, who is a convert of Satan’s? They are still alive, but not spiritually alive to God. In both cases, Satan has caused a separation…but when it comes to the children of Job, it may not have been forever. Job would one day join them through death and in life eternal.
When all of this happened to Job, he was no ‘spring chicken’. He was married – with grown kids and had a reputation for wisdom and integrity. This means, that Satan’s attack came later in life. Satan is willing to wait. He does not give up – after the first try. He will wait for the idealism of youth to pass…until the spit and vinegar is out of our system. He’ll give us an easy win or two. And about the time we hit our stride and know what’s what – he will show up.
He will come when we no longerhave our whole lives ahead of us and are not expecting it. When we are satisfied with a job well done and maybe even complacent. We may even think... that there is less at stake than before. We could not be more wrong. For even when there is frost on the roof, our souls is forever young. God created them for eternity – and we are not yet eternally safe.
There is a reason why Jesus said “…be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life”. (Rev 2:10) Our lives are not over until they are. Just because Satan didn’t get us out of the starting blocks, is no reason to let down our guard. How much more satisfying for him to win, after a lifetime of faithfulness? To see us give up and fall, just short of the finish line.
That’s where Job was. He has been faithful, but he is not finished yet. There is more to do – and this book is all about – what still lies ahead. It is therefore an implicit warning for us not to quit, until we quit this world.
Coming – at last – to chapter 2 – and to episode two, what do we find?
The answer in Chapter 2 is, that those are really dumb questions. With Satan, there are no rules and no boundaries except those set by God. There is no mercy.
Now we left Job in chapter 1, he was on his knees and in worship to God. So it makes sense that chapter 2 begins with a worship scene. The sons of God are again gathered in the presence of God. On earth, they were all over, yet they were assembled spiritually in the presence of God
This is by the way a great way to understand what happens each Lord’s day. When Christians all over the world meet…we are at the same time, gathered in the presence of God. We are one assembly, sharing one faith.
Satan showed up,..once again, and God said: what have you been up to. And Satan answered I am just back “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.
Sounds pretty harmless – right? Just out for a stroll and taking in the sights…the same old same old.
But the apostle Peter says – don’t you believe it. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. (1 Pet 5:8)
We can know that Satan is up to no good. And it appears, that in our story…Satan has in fact been waiting. He knocked Job down and left him ‘stew in his juices’. In the meantime, he has been out making life miserable for others, but he had not forgotten Job
It is at this second gathering ..God again raises the same question about Job, for the second time, asking:
“Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds firm to his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.
In other words, I was right and Satan, you were wrong. You have ‘ruined’ Job about as much as a man can be. But despite that, he is still blameless and upright, still rejecting evil day in and day out.
Well, Satan just acted as if he had anticipated that very thing. He had a quick come-back – a pat answer – a ready explanation. To Satan, nothing ever is, the way it seems. So Satan answered saying:
…“Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has, he will give for his life. However, reach out with Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face!” (verses 4-6)
The way that Satan looks at it is, that a man will do anything to save his life. Everything else is on the outside– but let me get up under his skin, then we will see the real Job. So the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life.
Here again we come back to – the permissive will of God. On this earth and for a time, God permits what he does not will. He allows each of us to do that which goes beyond what he approves. Were this not so, we could not choose to obey or to disobey. God wants obedience, but does not take away our power to sin.
This is also true of Satan. It was not God’s will for Satan to sin. Nor is it his will for that Satan should keep on sinning and preaching his own gospel
The good news according to Satan is – that sin pays and righteousness does not. Sin pays right away – it’s not pie in the sky in the sweet by and by. It pay well; there are a lot more rich sinners out there than saints. And it pays those with the guts to run their own lives. Those who don’t take guff from anyone, who take what they want when they want it. And it especially pays those who don’t just get even, but get revenge. Satan’s good news sounds good to a great many and they don’t all live in Hollywood.
But coming back to Job…God responded by removed another boundary. The first time, God told Satan to keep his hands off of Job.. This time, Satan only has to let Job keep on living.
So we read in Job: 2:7-8
“Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with severe boils from the sole of his foot to the top of his head. And Job took a piece of pottery to scrape himself while he was sitting in the ashes.”
Back in Job’s day, when you got an infection like that, it usually killed you. Life got miserable, and then it was over very quickly. But in Job’s case, the misery was not short. The problem was that he kept on living and living – with no relief in sight. The boils and sores were everywhere. There were no pain killers…or antibiotics. There no sleep – no way to get comfortable as his condition became chronic.
Anyone who has ever been really sick, knows what that does to your mind. It is hard to think straight, and at some point, we have had enough. We are a lot more prone to lash out and say things we regret
That’s why James the brother of Jesus wrote:
For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to rein in the whole body as well (3:2)
Job comes about as close to that perfection as we might hope to be. He continued to mourn…in dust and ashes. He suffered in silence, scraping his sores with a broken piece of pottery. And most important of all…he did not blame God.
Jesus was the only one to reach complete perfection in this area. He was beaten, spit upon and crucified, but he did not revile or curse. The apostle Peter, who saw it for himself, wrote:
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He was brought to the grave, but he did not open his mouth. By his wounds we are healed.” 1 Peter 2:23-24:
What Jesus actually said was“…’Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:24)
We don’t know how long Job did that – how long he sat and suffered. But there is something about his suffering that is worth noticing. it was very real…and he did not know how it would end. For a long time, he was right in the middle of it and did not know if he would ever get better or just die.
And if he lived, how long would the suffering last? Would he be handicapped or scarred for life? And would life at the end of sickness…be worth living at all?
So Job lacked the perspective that only time could provide. Things look very different when you are in the middle of them. Time drags…and minutes – take forever.
When Pat and I started our family, there was a point where we had 3 kids, under the age of 4. There was night feeding, 2 in diapers and all in need of constant attention. Nights were short and days were long. People used to say…’this too will pass’. “they won’t be toddlers forever’. We thought; yeah right, easy for you to say. But it was true.
So as we read this account, let’s bear in mind that Job was stuck in the middle. It was a lot like living a nightmare that just went on and on. At the same time, let’s be reassured that when we face suffering – no matter the sort, that this too will end.
And let’s also remember that suffering for righteousness is not a thing of the past. Satan is still the enemy – and we are surrounded by his friends. The world is in the hands of ‘the prince of this world’ who will not allow righteousness to go unpunished.
So, when you try to share the good news about salvation in Jesus, don’t be surprised by the push-back. Some will say: “take a hike” – ‘mind your own business”. And by the way, all that Bible stuff about sin…is actually ‘hate-speech’. It is just cultural colonialism all dressed up as religion.
When the gospel was first preached, Satan made it illegal. He has persecuted the church from day one…and is still at it. He wants to take away the keys to God’s kingdom, so that no one can be saved. What we are talking about is outside pressure.
But Satan never has just worked from the world ‘out there’. He ramps up the pressure from inside of our own families. That’s what he did next…as we read in verses 9-10
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!”
If that sounds like a quote from Satan…it is. That was Satan’s prediction to God, when he said: “…touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse You to Your face! The devil knows that we don’t care much for what strangers say. But when it is a voice that we love and a face that we trust…look out.
Jesus warned his disciples that families would break up over faith in him. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I came to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a person’s enemies will be the members of his household.
So Job’s wife reasoned: that integrity was not paying off. If anything, he was worse off than before. So, why not give the Lord a piece of your mind? Tell him off once and for all. Be a man, and go out with a bang
Now – it is easy to be hard on Job’s wife. It’s easy to find fault when the fault is obvious. But there is a side to what she did and said that is very human. Let me explain.
On some level, each of us may find it easier to suffer than to see our loved ones suffer. We hate having to accept that there are things well beyond our control. We may not say it out loud, but we may feel that we can protect our loved ones. That the force of our personality has power beyond itself. Or that if we just love someone enough, it will keep them from harm.
So, while we may not be provoked by our own suffering, we take the bait, when it comes to our families…and reach a tipping point. The point where anger wins and unbelief, makes us allies of Satan
Now the text does not say it…but she may have immediately regretted what she said. Especially after Job said: “You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?
Job never lost his composure. He didn’t lash out – with a personal attack. He just pointed out that her reasoning was foolish.
It was foolish, because she got one thing right and another one wrong. She was right when she said that Job had held onto his integrity. That he stuck to his guns, and to his faith in the goodness of God. But she was wrong, to conclude that integrity does not pay.
And she was wrong to even suggest that it should – in the sense that God owes us. That was the very thing that Satan accused God of doing. He said that God was buying loyalty, instead of receiving it from people who honoured him simply because he was worthy.
So Job renounced that kind of thinking when we said: “Shall we actually accept good from God but not accept adversity?”
In other words, everything that we have is already from God. We have been paid in full.
Job even hints… that some blessings can only be bestowed, through adversity. God tests and allows us to suffer – to refine our faith and make us stronger. There is no substitute for spiritual resistance training.
James wrote:
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
We didn’t learn to walk without falling…or to run before walking. It was sometimes painful, but completely necessary
The same thing is true spiritually. Maturity does not come without pain…and it does not happen in a moment. It takes time and struggle and perseverance.
We also know that there’s a parallel danger of sin when things are going well. They may go so well that we want to cut loose to celebrate. We might go so far as to think that just a little bit of sin…is the reward we deserve. And then, later, maybe much later, we can always make things right with God.
We are immersed in a sinful world – in which we used to be – active sinners. We changed sides. Satan has been betrayed. So while God wants to make us, Satan wants break us. God wants to make us again in his image – but Satan has been smashing that image for thousands of years. .
God tests, Satan tempts. He piggy-backs a temptation …on top of every divine test. So, we need to keep our hold of God and let loose of Satan…once and for all. That does not mean that Satan will give up. But it does mean that we are drawing closer to God as he draws us closer to Him
It worked for Job…for our author observes…that “despite all this, Job did not sin with his lips”. I think that the ‘all this’, includes what his wife said and how disappointing that must have been to Job.
But at least, she did not deny his integrity. She just said that it was not doing any good. When Job’s friends started in on him…it was a different story. They attacked Job’s integrity – but we’ll save that for another time.
Let’s conclude with three thoughts.
A very important phrase is, “and in all of this Job did not send with his lips.” This implies that God was listening and always is. And no matter what Job was suffering at the moment, it was no excuse for what he said and did. Sin is not less sinful, just because we’re under duress.
Most of this book is taken up with conversation about God and God’s ways. Surely that suggests, that there is nothing more important for us to do than that. We can never think too much, dwell too long, or sustain more effort…than God wants. There is no more important thing than for us to understand than God and his ways.
No one after reading the book, can accuse Job of ‘under-thinking’ his situation. He did not just ‘let it go’, or say…”it is what it is”. Or, I have my truth and you have yours…so let’s leave it there.
Job knew that there was truth to be known and that it was the only way to truly know God. The book of Job is God’s answer to those who want to skip the necessity of thinking and reasoning, and base their faith upon something else. Faith always has been and always will be…more than a feeling.
And finally, Job suffered without knowing why. He suffered for righteousness sake – but was not allowed to know it. How much easier it would have been, had he known.
The disciples of Jesus were warned…to counted the cost. Jesus told them that they would be persecuted. So when the Sanhedrin beat them up – they were honoured to suffer for Jesus. When the apostle Paul was stoned, he was suffering for the sake of the gospel. But when Job suffered for being God’s man, he did it without the strength of that insight
Which raises the very real possibility that that – can happen to us. Not all suffering for the sake of righteousness – has an obvious connection. But it can still be real.
So let’s resolve to trust God with our souls…when suffering comes. Let’s not assume that we have done something horribly wrong. And let us find our answers in scripture, instead of reading the tea-leaves of our lives.
Barrie ON
