Tag: family

Study of Psalm 122 (Part Five)

We have seen that King David finishes this song of ascent to Jerusalem with a prayer for that earthly city, God’s city and his city during old covenant times. It was a city set apart to the Lord for his worship and the good of his people. Next, David provides two reasons for praying for the peace of Jerusalem.

First, the peace of Jerusalem would be for the benefit of his family and friends. This definitely puts the request in personal terms. Every normal person cares for their family. The bonds of blood relationship knit hearts together in love. Distance, work, and the cares of life might dull the closeness that we ought to feel. But the familial relationship remains. Think of how the Covid-19 crisis has brought families together, perhaps for some only out of necessity, but it has given families the opportunity to care for each other in ways that might not have happened for years. (Sadly for some, it has only been a reason to neglect their family more. Tragic!) By the way, if you feel badly over long neglect or think ill about someone in your family, do not beat each other up with accusations and guilt. Instead, please rejoice in this opportunity and thank God for bringing honey out of the lion’s mouth (cf. Judges 14:8-9). It is an opportunity for your family to forge deeper ties of love.

We also care for our friends. Hopefully, you have many friends. Friendship always carries with it the risks of disappointment, shared troubles, differences of opinions, and even betrayal. But friends realize that sharing love, joy, and peace with others is worth such risk. We want our friends to live in peace and to prosper. King David knew that the strength of Jerusalem would provide security for his friends. At this current hour, we pray for the Covid-19 pandemic to end and for a resurgence of the economy. Those blessings would be for the benefit of our families and friends. For David, the peace of Jerusalem was their need.

Second, the peace of Jerusalem would be for the benefit of the Lord’s house, the temple that would be built by Solomon. By faith, David saw the future of the worship. It would be centered on a beautiful temple. Having this vision, David worked hard and gave generously for its construction, though he would never see it. In order for the temple to come into existence and to continue as the place for worship, the peace of Jerusalem was necessary. Sadly, that magnificent house for God was only to last for four hundred years. The Chaldeans destroyed it at God’s will, because of Israel’s rebellion against the Lord and his law covenant. Prayer is part of our spiritual armor to protect us from temptation and sin (Ephesians 6:18).

We ought to pray for the peace of the new covenant temple, the church, Christ’s new assembly of believers. Wicked men and women hate God and his people. They scheme and work for the church’s downfall at this hour, or at least to cause it hardship, as we have seen in various places during this pandemic. When we communicate with God about the needs of his people, he acts for our good. Please pray for your local gathering of followers of Christ. Our safety is not found in our power and wisdom, but in the Lord’s. Jesus Christ himself is our peace (Ephesians 2:14).

Grace and peace
David

The Struggles of the Believer (Part Fifteen)

Luke 12:51-53

Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law (ESV).

Next, let’s contemplate the struggles that come from the schemes of in-laws. This happens when, for whatever reasons, parents, aunts and uncles or siblings begin to interfere in a couple’s marriage, or just want to cause them trouble. Mother-in-law jokes abound about the wife’s mother. But as one counselor wittily observed, “You don’t hear mother-in-law jokes about the husband’s mother, because it’s not a matter for jokes.” Whether or not you agree with that chestnut, it is a rare couple who can say that they never had an in-law problem. Here are two biblical examples of this problem.

  • The troubles that came between Jacob and Laban. Here was a case of two crooked schemers matching wits and both losing. Both were miserable and had a hard life, and eventually came to a sad parting. Laban did not want his son-in-law to succeed.
  • The jealousy of Saul against David. Here David was godly and innocent of wrong against his father-in-law, but Saul had turned his back on the Lord and was jealous of David. Saul could never get over his jealousy, and caused his son-in-law years of sorrow and deprivation. If it happened to the man after God’s own heart, don’t be surprised if it happens to you.

How can we form a biblical pattern of response?

  • Do not descend to the level of your interfering in-laws. If not for God’s sovereign mercy, Jacob would have had nothing and perhaps even died at Laban’s hand (Genesis 31:23-29, 43-53). But do not presume that God will bail you out. We must remember that the storyline of the Bible shows how God’s purpose triumphed in spite of huge opposition. The hero of the story is God, and not the people who we read of in the story. Looking for the same outcome they received can be spiritually dangerous. Also, never judge the righteousness of your actions by the apparent outcome or how you feel. The Holy Scriptures alone set forth God’s standard of righteousness.
  • Allow God to be the Judge. Do not take matters into your own hands, but trust God to do the right thing. This is the pattern of action that David followed (1 Samuel 24 & 26). This can prove to be very difficult because our emotions operate in overdrive when family members are involved.

Here is an important principle. It is our duty to obey God and let him handle the consequences. We may do the right thing and suffer for it, but at the end, he will reward our faithfulness. You are living for more than the next few years. Keep eternity in view. And beware of seeking revenge. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good (Romans 12:17-21 CSB).

Grace and peace, David

A Father’s Fortress (Part Two)

Proverbs 14:26-27

Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death (NIV).

What are the benefits of the fear of the Lord? The man who fears the Lord has a “secure fortress”. He has strength—a stronghold or a strong tower (Proverbs 18:10). Whatever troubles come his way, he can trust in the Lord’s strength (Psalm 61:1-3; 62:5-7). A man, a father needs strength that is far greater than his, in order to handle all life’s pressures. There are many matters beyond his ability. “How can I have a great relationship with my wife? Sometimes we seem to be from different planets! How can I provide for my family? I work hard, but a hundred and fifty dollars seems to buy fewer bags of groceries every week! How can I guide my children in the right way? Everyone else seems to have their attention except me! How can I serve the Lord? Too much else demands my constant efforts!” The answer is found in the strength or security of the Lord’s Almighty power.

He has a fortress—a place of confident expectation (hope). The word translated “fortress” in the NIV in this text has the idea of “the feeling of being safe or secure.” While it means trust, it has the sense of hope. A man’s hope in God is not a questioning sort that seems to be mere wishing, but a confident expectation. It lays hold of God’s trustworthiness. A man who has a strong trust does not act like those who worship false gods and who try to control everything by their ability or sacred rituals. Instead, he relies on the God he can’t control, who nevertheless has pledged to be faithful to whoever trusts in him. An unbeliever wants a god he can control. A believer worships the God he can’t control, but who is totally faithful. And he is content and feels safe in this fortress.

The man who fears the Lord has a “fountain of life”. Since he is convinced of God’s surpassing worthiness, he gains various benefits. In God’s word, he has the “teaching of the wise” (Proverbs 13:14). He has a standard of judgment he can evaluate life by. This gives him understanding (Proverbs 16:22). He can escape the punishment that is the destiny of fools. He recognizes God as the source of life (Psalm 36:9). He does not turn aside to manmade cisterns that break and cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13). This is because he has received Christ, who is the fountain of life (John 4:13-14). With Christ as his fortress and fountain, the man who fears the Lord has all that he needs for life and godliness. Do you rejoice that you have all you need in Christ?

What is the outlook of the fear of the Lord? The man who fears the Lord has something to offer to his children. What does the worldly focused man have for his children? Perhaps he goes and watches their ballgames, puts food on the table and gives them a shelter from the weather, shows up for their graduations and weddings, and leaves something for them in his will—maybe, if anything is left. Is that all you want from your life? Is that all you can give to your children? The man who fears the Lord has something better for his children. Since he knows the Lord as his secure fortress and fountain of life, he can point to his children and say, “This is the way of true joy and peace. Don’t waste your lives on the pursuit of lesser things. God will be your refuge, too!”

The man who fears the Lord knows what turns aside death. Yes, we all have to die, but for the man who fears the Lord, physical death is but the passing to be with the Lord and eternal life. Why is this? The man who fears the Lord knows that the “sting of death is sin, and the power of the sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56). So, he knows he can escape the power of death through Jesus Christ. He says, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV). I know him who has conquered sin and death. His word teaches me to turn aside from its snares to follow and to trust in the Lord Jesus, who is the fountain of life.” This is the confident expectation of the man who fears the Lord. Is he your fortress and fountain?

Grace and peace, David

A Father’s Fortress (Part One)

Proverbs 14:26-27

Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death (NIV).

Words and their meanings change over time. A fort in our day is a place of military training and a launching place for operations. Before the invention of gunpowder and modern weaponry, a fort or fortress was a place of security. When all else failed, the army and to some extent the people the army fought for could hide behind its high, thick walls for protection. A fortress would be a place of hope when all seemed hopeless.

Twenty-first-century families need fortresses in the older sense of the word. Most families are really not much more than people staying in resort hotels with cable TV and internet access. They’re strangers who might meet each other in the breakfast buffet occasionally, while they rush from one activity to another. But few families are places of security, refreshment, and hope.

In our text, the Holy Spirit points the way for a man to provide his family with a fortress. He is telling every man what must be real in him, so that we and our families can enjoy a place of security, refreshment, and hope. The Lord wants us to be encouraged and have confident expectation about the family in a time when many have lost all hope. So then, let us see how this word from God can lighten our way for us and our families. A man should fear the Lord

Some people wrongly suppose that Christians should not fear the Lord. They base this on a wrong understanding of 1 John 4:18. However, the New Testament Scriptures plainly direct us to fear the Lord (Luke 12:4-5; 1 Peter 2:17). If you read the context of First John, you will find that the apostle is talking about assurance and how the believer should not fear judgment. That is different from the fear of the Lord.

What does it mean to fear the Lord? It means to worship him—to regard his awesome power and majesty as God, Creator and Preserver of heaven and earth. The word “fear” itself operates through various shades of meaning from terror to respect to reverence to worship (cf. Jonah 1:9-10). The fear that is worship involves a person in various responses to God. And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NIV). Notice what God wants from people in a way of life that recognizes his worth. There is an interchange between the ideas of awe and adoration (“worship”, “love”) and service and obedience (“walk”, “serve”, “obey”). See also Deuteronomy 10:20-21.

The fear of God that is worship develops in two ways: It progresses in a person’s heart as a proper response to God’s redeeming works (cf. 1 Samuel 12:24). To the new covenant believer, this means responding with joyous praise for God’s plan of redemption and forgiveness in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14). If you would fear God, take a long look at the cross, and realize the holiness, justice, and love that joined together to save us from our sins. It develops in a person’s heart as they properly read God’s word (Deuteronomy 4:10; 17:19). By a proper reading, I mean not a quick skimming but thoughtful meditation. True spirituality conforms to the Bible. As we read and think on God’s holy word, we gain a fuller, richer appreciation for his glory as God, and then we want to worship and serve him. When a guy has his mind set on buying a car, what does he do? He reads all the available info about it, talks to his friends about it, and then slips into a dealership one day to see about a test drive. He wants a full knowledge about the car. We should seek to know God better!

“When God is the object of fear, the emphasis is again upon awe or reverence. This attitude of reverence is the basis for real wisdom” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Vol. 1, p. 102). Men can go on a thorough search of this whole world and discover great treasures, but in all this, we cannot find the meaning of life or what makes humans significant. God provides us with the answer. It is the fear of God that is worship that provides wisdom (Job 28:28).

In Psalm 111 we read of a man pondering all the works of the Lord, especially in his provision of redemption and faithfulness to his covenant people. When you grasp how great God is and how he is fully trustworthy, a man comes to understand that the fear that is worship is the starting point of wisdom. In Hebrew poetry, one line explains or expands or contrasts with another. Therefore, we are told in Proverbs 9:10 that the fear of the Lord consists in knowing God, which fully means knowing God in Christ (John 17:3).

The man who has a secure fortress and a fountain of life is a man who fears the Lord. This is not a fear of terror, but a fear of worship, of knowledge of God’s majesty, of framing one’s life in conformity with God’s ways. All this is based on knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and relying on redemption in him. This kind of man has a fortress for his family.

Grace and peace, David

A Strange Path toward Conversion

IMG_1089Ruth 1:10-18

In late December 1734 in a small town in western Massachusetts, God started one of the largest, culture shaking events in the history of the world. After Pentecost and the Reformation, in the First Great Awakening, the Holy Spirit added millions to the church. The preacher in that frontier church was one of the greatest thinkers that America has ever produced, but it was not his intellect and certainly not his preaching style that occasioned the awakening. Instead, it was his plain and direct preaching of the good news of God in Christ for the justification of sinners by grace through faith that the Spirit of God used to turn many from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. Edwards wrote an account of the start of God’s great work that others entitled A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls. (They liked long book titles back in that day!) Edwards and others were surprised by God by the sudden conversion of many people.

In our text we read of the surprising work of God in the conversion of one woman, Ruth, who as Paul would later write about other Gentiles, turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9b). The surprising nature of Ruth’s conversion is seen in her personal background, the distressing circumstances of her life, and a rather reluctant evangelist named Naomi, who seemed determined to push Ruth away instead of drawing her new to the true God. Her whole return to God provides us with hope for the salvation for our family, friends, and neighbors. And perhaps if you do not yet know the risen Lord, it will give you new hope for a fresh start in life with God.

The story of Ruth continues as three widows faced reality (1:10-13). We tend to focus on the individuals involved, but remember that God was doing more than bringing these women to a crucial moment in their lives. The living God was about to act through what worldly-minded people consider a very insignificant conversation to lead to a world changing event.

Ruth and Orpah had decided to return to Israel with Naomi (1:10). This was admirable loyalty and continued kindness toward their mother-in-law. In our culture where people wreck their families for silly and selfish reasons, their steadfast love is a bright example that people should stick to basic relationships. However, at the same time, such commitments should not be shallow, or they will fail to produce the ongoing kindness required as life gets tough. At least one of the young women had failed to think through the consequences of her decision. God used the still troubled condition of Naomi’s heart to crystallize the issues for both Orpah and Ruth.

As we think through this, our goal should be to understand the real-life situation that all three women were in. Naomi was returning to the Lord, but that did not mean that her ideas, attitudes, emotions and words were pristine. God welcomes people back with troubles still simmering in our hearts. We do not have to clear or condemn Naomi for what follows. Instead, the Spirit of God tells us the truth about her, in order that we might learn about God’s grace and our needs more completely.

Naomi continued to urge her daughters-in-law to return to Moab (1:11-13). She did this in three ways.

  • She used two questions to drive home the point that no hope for a better future could be found with her (1:11). She was like a failed bank, and they would be unwise to continue to place deposits with her in expecting her to provide them with husbands.
  • They had said that they wanted to return (to the Lord, his people, and the land God gave them) with her. She tells them to “return home” twice. Naomi then gives a hypothetical scenario about how she was totally unable to help them. Even if Naomi could get married that night and conceive children, and in addition those children would be sons, would they wait around to marry them? “Girls, you’re in your mid-twenties now, but you’d be pushing forty by that time—if it could happen at all! Don’t be crazy!”
  • To emphasize her desolate condition, she reminded them of another bitter “fact”, at least from Naomi’s view. She thought that the hand of the Lord was against her! Most translations are rather calm here, at least to our bored minds. So let’s kick it up a notch! Bam! Bam! “Yahweh’s own hand has attacked me!” [Hubbard] The hand of the Lord is an irresistible power. It can destroy oppressing Philistines (1 Samuel 5:9, 11), empower Elijah to outrun a chariot (1 Kings 18:46), and encourage Ezra to trust God for protection (Ezra 7:9, 28). The hand of the Lord can create stars in the heavens (Isaiah 45:12), free his people from bondage in Egypt (Deut 6:21), and execute judgment on the sinner (Judges 2:15; Hebrews 10:30-31). “If even God was after her, to follow her home was to court personal disaster. Her earlier tragedies—famine, exile, bereavement, childless­ness— might be only the beginning” (Hubbard).

Here are couple remarks on Naomi’s view of her condition. We’ll explore this in more detail in the last section of chapter one, God willing.

  • Naomi was right in acknowledging the Lord’s hand in her condition. She was a woman who believed in the Sovereign Lord. She knew that God ruled over all human events.
  • Naomi showed remarkable faith in moving toward God, instead of running from him. If you’re in a mess, you need the God who is big enough to fix the mess you’re in! That will require you to trust him when your life seems dark and troubled.
  • Naomi was hindered by a serious, human limitation. You and I are not big enough to understand and interpret all that God is doing in our lives! Was God attacking her? She assumed God was! But we have a definite advantage over Naomi at this point of her story and even beyond in her lifetime. This book of Ruth reveals something of God’s incomprehensible kindness. Naomi’s grief and tears will be far overmatched by the Redeemer that God is going to send. But Naomi cannot see that part of the story of God’s glory in her life, nor can she know how her bitter sorrows will be worked into God’s story for the joy of God and his people.

Let us praise God for his mercy when we say some less than intelligent and godly statements. He knows that we are painfully short-sighted children at our best. We love to make bold assessments about God and our lives when we know too little. Yet, the Lord can use our failures to help others find their way to him. God used Naomi’s word for the spiritual benefit of both women. If they would decide to return to God (be converted), they would have to choose in full knowledge of the necessity of faith. Conversion involves the repentance or a change of mind. We come to understand about God, ourselves, sin, and Christ and salvation in a new way. But faith or dependence upon God is also crucial.  They would have to enter the kingdom of God consciously dependent on him. Has this happened to you? Are you relying on Jesus Christ for salvation?

Grace and peace, David