Disciplined Freedom

From time to time I read Valley of Vision (VV) in my Quiet Time.  Typically, I will read an entry and then daily go back through it thought by thought.  It has been interesting to see how often what I have read in VV has aligned or is supported by what I read in the Word that day.

For example, some months back I read in the section entitled “Requests”,

O God, May I never be a blot or a blank in life, or make my liberty and occasion to the flesh. (p 274)

That Day I read Galatians 5:13 (here @ BibleGateway), which lead me to 2 Peter 2:18 (here @ BibleGateway).  The clear message of the word and the quote from VV is that while we are free in Him, we cannot allow our freedom to hurt others.  

In 1 Corinthians 8 (here @ BibleGateway), Paul, while affirming the freedom of the Corinthian believers to eat meat sacrificed to idols, because, in fact, they are false, at the same time reminds them that if a fellow believer struggles with that freedom, they should not exercise their freedom for the sake of their “weaker” brother.  He tells them to limit their freedom in order not to cause their brother to stumble.

Paul repeats this exhortation in Romans 14:15 (here @ BibleGateway).  In fact, this was the first passage that I applied to my life as a new believer.  I was in Pilot Training in the Air Force.  The Officer’s Club was the place to be after the flight line.  Drinking beer was part of that scene as was playing foosball.  One Sunday night at First Baptist, I was attending “training union” with some other young adults.  We were going through Romans 14 (here @ BibleGateway).  The topic came up that we probably shouldn’t be drinking because it might damage our testimony to those who were not believers.  I pointed out that verse 14 (here @ BibleGateway) clearly stated nothing wrong with anything.  The leader emphasized the last part of the verse.  That part is nearly identical to the argument in 1 Corinthians 8.

If someone thinks that believers should not drink and they saw me drinking, it could be that I either damaged their faith or else hindered them from coming to the Lord.  I pondered that for some time.  As a matter of fact, I stayed behind after the meeting and worked through it alone.  I decided then that I would no longer drink beer or other alcoholic beverages in order not to cause others to stumble.

I learned through that experience both the impact of application and the importance of voluntarily limiting my freedom to better serve those with whom I wanted to sustain ministry.

Grace in the Morning

Ever feel like this world is against you?  Read Psalm 90 (here @ BibleGateway).  Focus for a second on verses 14 – 15 (here @ BibleGateway).  It looks like it pretty much is against us.  Now consider Genesis 3:16 – 19 (here @ BibleGateway) and compare that to Genesis 1:28 – 31 (here @ BibleGateway).

Notice that the curses in 3 are in direct contrast with assignments Adam and Eve are given in 1.  They were to fill the earth, subdue it, and rule over it.  Instead, because of their disobedience, Adam now had to deal with a cursed ground that would now resist his efforts to live to say nothing of the assignment to subdue.  

Eve was to be a helper and the mother of all living.  Rather than be a helper she now would want to dominate Adam.  Further, the fruitful and multiply assignment was going to be accompanied by greatly multiplied pain.

So the deck was now stacked against them, and by extension us.  Life moved from a lush garden to a harsh cursed and fallen world into which we have arrived.

Moses reminds us in his prayer that to navigate this cursed world we must cling to the grace of God each morning.  That would seem like a strong recommendation to start each day in His Word and asking for the grace we need to make it through that day.

Healing?

Have you ever read anything in the Bible and thought, “I wish He would do that for me”?  I have.  

Look at Psalm 103:3 – 5 (here at Bible Gateway), He:

1. Pardons all my iniquities, 
2. Heals all my diseases; 
3. Redeems my life from the pit, 
4. Crowns me with lovingkindness and compassion; 
5. Satisfies my years with good things, So that my youth is renewed like the eagle. 

Last time I read that, I was recovering from Covid, was facing the last two maintenance rounds of chemo.  One of my pastors said you have four things that have a side effect of fatigue, cancer, chemo, covid, and Cunningham…  He thought that was really funny…

When I read this, my response is, “Lord can you do this for me?  Will you?”  It is without question that He can.  

However, I have reacted to the way “healers” demand healing that has made me think or has given me a mindset that makes me hesitant to ask Him or believe that He would heal me.

The cancer I have is incurable, but He can cure it.  Will He?  He can cure all of the ailments I have.  He can cure all of the ailments that my love ones have either faced or are dealing with now.  He can, but, will He?

The pull is to look for the right words or behavior that will get His attention.  But that overlooks Psalm 139 (here at Bible Gateway) and Ephesians 2:10 (here at Bible Gateway), does it not?

So, how does one approach this?  Is it not to trust Him with whatever He choses to do?  Knowing and trusting that what He chooses is best.  Isn’t that what Paul does in 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 (here at Bible Gateway)?

Slow Learner

Since last September some men I have known for about 40 years, and I have been studying 1 Corinthians.  We meet each week online and compare notes.  It is a good time.  There is no pretense.  In the early part of last October, during my quiet time I was reflecting on part of 1 Corinthians 13.  Specifically, verses 5 and 7 (here @ BibleGateway).

The notion that love, “does not seek it’s own,” caught my attention.  It made me think of Philippians 2:3 (here @ BibleGateway).  The idea that we are to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than” ourselves, seemed to echo Paul’s thought in 1 Corinthians.  

That thought – the “nothing” – took me to Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ BibleGateway), we are to “be anxious for nothing”.

As I pondered these three passages, I concluded that these instructions are impossible for me to do.  I am not sure I have ever had an unselfish thought, if so, it was probably by mistake, in a moment of weakness.  The truth is that in my own strength I can’t.  Without Christ in me, without His strength, without His enabling grace, and without the leading and transformation of the Holy Spirit – there is no way.

I am grateful that He is patient with the process of moving me in these directions.

Facing the End?

Two days ago I wrote about the email from the LLS that told me that the chemo I was taking rendered the C19 vaccines useless for me.  I mentioned at the end of the post that 8 days later both my wife and I got the virus.  The day we found out we were exposed, My journal had a rather long entry.  Beyond what was in my reading, the Lord took me to the following passages:

• James 4:14 – 15 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Job 7:7a (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 39:5 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 144:4 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Philippians 1:21 (here @ BibleGateway)
• 2 Corinthians 12:5b, 9 – 10 (here @ BibleGateway)

Note that they are all dealing with the brevity of life here.  I will let you work through how you respond to those passages.  I would encourage you to write your responses down somewhere you can remember and easily retrieve.  If you are up to it, share with me what the Lord showed you through those passages.

All that we had heard about the virus indicated that I was in the high-risk category.  The combination of cancer and chemo, with the result of a significantly compromised immune system, suggested that if I got the virus the outcome would not be that great.  “Coincidentally” I had intravenous immunoglobulin g the day before my wife tested positive.  That infusion takes about 5 – 6 hours and its purpose is to boost my immune system, to give me some resistance to bacteria and viruses.  After we tested positive, both of us got the monoclonal antibody infusion the next day.  

It was overwhelming how the Lord took care of us.  I only had one day where I felt really bad.  The day I go the monoclonal infusion.  They warned me that might be the case.  

Our Lord is gracious and good.

Up From Low Points

On the morning of September 22, I got an email from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).  I have watched educational programs on line with LLS and with the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF) to learn more about WM which is the Lymphoma I have.

My wife and I got the C19 vaccine as soon as we could, in January and February of 2021, Modera.  I got the booster in August.  The email told me that because I had been getting Rituxan as part of my chemo since May of 2020 that the vaccines would have zero effect on me.  The Rituxan kept my immune system from creating antibodies.  That was the first time I was really down about having the cancer.  It was frustrating.  I knew my immune system was trashed, that was one of the “benefits” of the cancer and the chemo.  But, we were told to get the vaccinations if perhaps they would give some protection.  Now, I had news that it didn’t.  

Another “benefit” of both WM and the treatment was fatigue.  My capacity was greatly diminished.  The Wednesday morning I got the email I had gone to bed about 11:30 Tuesday night and had overslept and woke up at 11:37 that morning.  In my journal I noted that I had only had 4 meetings Tuesday, 5 counting a doctor’s appointment.  Two were zoom, two Bible studies back-to-back, a face-to-face meeting with one of the pastors at our church, and a coffee with one of the small group leaders I serve.  That little bit of effort wiped me out.  

I had been asking for prayer from anyone who asked based on 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 that I would be well content and that His power would be perfected in my weakness.  So far…  I began to catalog all that I had lost, grieving, if you will:

• Strength
• Capacity
• Ability to work out
• Being around people
• Travel to help pastors in:
• Togo
• Morocco
• Cameron 
• Ethiopia 
• There was more…

Then I turned to the Word. Psalm 73:25 – 28 (here @ BibleGateway) was on my reading list for the day.  As He has time and time again He brought what I needed before my eyes just when I needed it.  You can read what I read.  What I wrote in my journal was, 

“The thing here is that as my flesh and strength fail, as they are, God is the, literal, rock of my heart.  The LXX (the Greek OT) has ‘The God of my heart’.  The sense would be that He is all I need, the foundation.  The implications of this seem to be that it is He that keeps me going.  He is the foundation – also that prayer becomes that more important.  I can’t travel, I can’t meet, but the Spirit is engaged.”

If and when you are down.  Turn to Him and His Word.

Epilog: Eight days later both my wife and I had Covid.

Staying on the Path

As I have said earlier, I do not accept what I read about the Bible in books by Christian authors or scholars uncritically.  That said, again, I am helped and inspired by some of the things I read.  As I have mentioned before, sometimes during my quiet time, I read through parts of the Valley of Vision.  Some months back I read:

When faith sleeps, my heart becomes an unclean thing, the fount of every loathsome desire, the cage of unclean lust all fluttering to escape, the noxious tree of deadly fruit, the open wayside of earthly tares. Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength until all heaven fills my soul and all impurity is cast out. (VOV, Faith, 288 – 289) 

This prayer recalls Proverbs 4:26 – 27 (here @ BibleGateway), Psalm 119:105 (here @ BibleGateway), and John 15:5 (here @ BibleGateway). 

For me to continue to walk with Him I am both dependent on Him and His Word. Without consistent time with Him in His Word there is no chance that I will be able to stay on the path. It may be obvious, but listening to what others have found in the Word, or reading books about the Word or some aspect of the Christian life, while possibly helpful, does not, is not the same as spending time directly engaged with the text.  It is not what Jesus tells us to do in John 8:31 - 32 (here @ BibleGateway).

The Job of Every Believer

A while back something I was reading caused me to chase a theme through the New Testament.  

Here are the passages that came to mind:

• 1 Corinthians 12:7, 24 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Romans 12:4 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Ephesians 4:1 – 3, 11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Hebrews 3:13 – 15 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Hebrews 10:23 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway)

As you see the passages deal mostly with gifting of each member of the body of Christ.  It occurred to me, while working through this, that the purpose of each individual in the body is to build up the other members.  Based on Hebrews 10 (here @ Bible Gateway) that is an intentional and thoughtful enterprise. 

To the extent that we do not build one another up, not consider, not encourage, not strengthen, not challenge, not exhort, not call to walk worthy, to that extent we weaken not only the body, but we diminish ourselves.  By not building up a member in Christ, we are choosing to not activate that person’s gift thus depriving the body and us of their ministry.

The argument will be made that it is the domain of the elite, the pastors, the leadership of a body to build up the members.  But, that flies in the face of the Lord’s command in Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway).

Abundant, Overwhelming Grace

On May 12th last year I started chemo for the cancer I have, Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.  I had no idea how it was going to impact me.  The first infusion was two days, 3 hours on the 12th and 5 hours on the 13th.  

On the evening of the 13th my diaphragm began to spasm.  It was like having hiccups on steroids, which I had both days.  They calmed down by 10 PM but started back up again at 12:30 the morning of the 14th.  They kept me awake until 5 AM.

In my journal the evening of the 14th I recorded a passage that had really encouraged me, 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  I was struck yet again by Paul’s attitude.  He was well content with weakness, with insults, with distress, with persecutions, with difficulties, for it made him dependent on Christ.

As mentioned in my last post part of my Quiet time for the past year or so has been to read and reflect on one of the entries in The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (VOV).  This is what I read the morning of the 15th.

The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless, but my helm is held steady, thy word secures safe passage, thy grace wafts me on ward, my haven is guaranteed. (VOV, Voyage, page 202 - 203) 

Those words reminded me of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:7 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  However, that is not what was the greatest comfort.  I started reading VOV because of a conversation I had with one of the small group leaders in our church.  He mentioned that the men in his group spent some time looking at it and discussing some of the entries.

Out of curiosity, I got a copy and a few weeks later incorporated it into my time with God.  That was months before May 15, 2020.  Yet the timing of this sentence was perfect.  What stunned me, and I should know better by now, was the Lord using an off hand comment by a Christian brother months before, to supply encouragement to me when I was in need.

Psalm 139 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that He knows our path in detail, He encloses us behind and before and lays His hand on us.  He knows what I need before I need it and supplies it just in time.

Further, this morning before I started my time with Him, I prayed that He would meet me and in our time together, He would through His Spirit increase my love for Him.  But this morning nothing really stood out in what I read.  As I am writing this, I am overwhelmed with His love and care for me.  He answered the prayer in His own time.

His grace and kindness are overwhelmingly abundant.

Under Obligation

From time to time I read part of a devotional, The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions (VOV), during my personal devotions.  They are short; two pages.  But I tend to break them up into sentences and reflect on the message.  It seems that some of the Puritans thought when Paul commanded that we imitate him, that meant they were to write sentences like he did.  Some of their sentences are looooong.  I break those up.

Yesterday this was the sentence that I wrote out in my journal:

Send me forth to have compassion on the ignorant and miserable.

I was struck by the depth and simplicity of the thought.  Most of the time these excerpts bring to mind verses that support what I read.  This was no exception.  Five passages came to mind.  The first was Romans 1:14 (here @ Bible Gateway).  It is not my favorite verse.  I am ok with all of it but the last three words.  However, I know that I can’t pick and choose what I obey.  I have trouble with foolish people.  I have found that there are a lot of them.  Yet 1:14 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells me that as a believer I am under obligation to share the gospel with them.  The sentence in VOV, echoes Paul.

Then two passages in Ezekiel, 3:18 – 19 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 33:8 – 9 (here @ Bible Gateway).  When you read those you will see that our obligation extends to the wicked as well.  That the passages are virtually identical, indicates emphasis.  We are exhorted emphatically that we are obligated to share the good news with the wicked.

Then Jude 22 – 23 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  Jude speaks of the urgency of the matter.  We need to view the Greeks, barbarians, wise, foolish, and wicked as inside a burning building and we are the only one that can get them out.  Fun picture.

Lastly, Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway) came to mind.  You have probably hear messages on this passage.  We are told – well the only imperative in the passage is make disciples.  The other verb forms, go, baptize, and teach are all participles.  Participles get their force from the main verb, make disciples, so they take on the imperative mood of make disciples.  The point of this, is that we are expected to make disciples.  The first step in making a disciple is to lead them to Jesus.

It is easy to justify why we are not sharing the gospel.  I have essentially been under house arrest since last March because of my compromised immune system due to the cancer and subsequent chemo.  But, even before that, much of what I have been called to do focuses me on equipping believers in their study of the Word of God.  So in a sense I am insulated from non-believers.  But I don’t find in Scripture any out.  I am still under obligation to our list of Greeks, et al.  I have to use every interaction with another person as an opportunity to share Christ.  To go forth, intentionally, with compassion.  I am not very good about that.

Which Bible, Part 3

In this series we have looked at what versions are and what makes them different.  We will finish by looking at translations, paraphrases, and answer the question which of these three is better.

Translations
A translation, like the Wuest or Phillips is the work of one person.  They may be working from the original languages or they may be translating from a different language.  The advantage of a translation is the consistency of one individual.  That is also the disadvantage.  That individual’s work is not checked by other scholars.

Paraphrases
Paraphrases are, according to my College Edition of the Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, “a rewording of the thought or meaning expressed in something that has been said or written before.”  I cannot do better than that.  Paraphrases work off the original languages or the English translation of those languages.  Examples are The Living Bible and the Message.  The advantage is ease of reading.  The disadvantage is that it is much further away from the structure and language of the original.

Which is Better?
That depends on the purpose of the use.  For study I would stay with literal translations.  Further, I would use at least two to compare how the committees are handling the text.  If they are similar, you can be confident in the translation.  If, however, there are significant differences, that will alert you to the probability of either a difference in philosophy of translation or else some difficulty or obscurity in the original language.  There are some interesting ways to dig through this, even if you do not know the original languages, however that is beyond the scope of these posts.

If you are in a reading project, say to read through the Bible in a year, any of the above would be fine.  If during that reading a passage intrigues you and you want to go deeper, I would switch to a literal version.

Personally, I prefer literal translations.  Through my Greek classes at WKU and Dallas Seminary, I have translated all the New Testament from Greek to English.  I find that in most cases the NAS is closer to the Greek than other versions.

Let me know what questions you may have.

Which Bible, Part 2

Yesterday we started working through which Bible to use.  We broke off while looking at how the different versions are different and how we can tell.  We will pick this up from where we stopped yesterday:

Versions, Cont.
In some cases, for instance, the Douay-Rheims or the NASB, started with another version, the Latin Vulgate and the 1901 ASV respectively, and was then compared to the Greek and Hebrew to revise the earlier version.  Again, the introduction will tell you what process the committee followed.

Secondly, the committee works under a translation philosophy.  There are two: literal and non-literal.  The labels are not quite self-explanatory.  If you have any experience with multiple languages you know that a literal translation from one language to another is, if not impossible, it is definitely – well it would be difficult to read and understand.

A literal version tries to stay as close to the original languages as possible.  The introduction and preface will inform you how the committee will deal with the needs to make the translation readable.  Some well known literal versions are KJV, RSV, NASB, ESV.

Non-literal versions choose a different path.  They attempt to capture the idea behind the original text.  One illustration of this is the NIV.  This approach is referred to as dynamic equivalence.  Dynamic equivalence is a sense for sense translation (translating the meanings of phrases or whole sentences) with readability in mind (Wikipedia definition, 2020).  The advantage of this philosophy is its easier to read.  The disadvantage is that it can obscure the structure of the original more than the literal philosophy.

Tomorrow we will look at translations, paraphrases, and at least start on which is better.

Which Bible

In pretty much every seminar I do, someone will ask, “What is the best version of the Bible to use?”  Over the years I have developed a detailed answer to that question.  I will work thorough it here; it may take more than one post.  The focus here will be on English Bibles.  However, the descriptions fit all Bibles in whatever language.

First there are at least three types of Bibles available:

• Versions
• Translations
• Paraphrases

What are the differences?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

Versions
At a top-level, versions are created with a team, a committee, of scholars who are working on translating the original texts into the language.  The committee works together to come up with the best translation based on at least two variables the choice of original texts, and the translation philosophy.

The first variable is the base texts on which the committee will base their work.  The decision is how much, if any, of the archaeological data they will consider and how they will use that data with the main resources of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.  Most modern translations will use the archaeological data applying the principles of text criticism to get as close as possible to the original texts as possible.  This is a well-established and scholarly discipline that has greatly benefited all believers.  The value to us is beyond the scope of this post.  Suffice it to say that we have an embarrassingly accurate base text for both the Old and New Testaments.  That said there are versions that have chosen to not use the archaeological data or were developed when that data was not available.  In all cases the front matter, usually the introduction to the version will indicate what texts were used by the committee.

There is more about versions.  We will pick that up tomorrow.

Out of Touch

Ever feel abandoned by God?  Ever feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling?  You are not alone.  Read Psalm 10:1 (here @ Bible Gateway).

In reaction to this verse I jotted down several passages, Jeremiah 23:23 – 24 (here @ Bible Gateway), Psalm 139:7 (here @ Bible Gateway), and Hebrews 11:6 (here @ Bible Gateway).

This is the dilemma, on the one hand it seems, as the psalmist says, God is nowhere to be found in times of distress or trouble.  On the other hand, He permeates the universe and beyond.  I cannot, we cannot, escape Him and cannot hide from Him.  So what is the deal with the feeling of abandonment?

It may be that it is the Lord’s desire that we learn to trust Him in the midst of the silence.  That we rest in Him when He seems far off.

How?

How do I rest in Him, trust Him, when it seems as if He is not there?  Here the psalmist prays.  He shares with the Lord through prayer the feeling of abandonment.  He codifies and shares with the Lord his doubts and fears.  Perhaps Psalm 73:17 (here @ Bible Gateway) is a partial guide.

It seems that an approach might be:

1. Pray
1. Acknowledge the problem.  Tell God how you feel – all areas, frustrated, angry, hurt, etc.
2. Ask why
2. Remember what the Word says - Here is where passages that we have covered, or the Psalms may be of great benefit
3. Review what He has done for you - Here is where a journal will be of benefit.

There are probably other approaches that will help.  These seem to be what is suggested by the passages we covered.

Let me know what you have found.

Models of Prayer

Do you struggle with prayer?  I do.  I have been helped by studying the prayers in the Bible.  That started with Paul as I shared some time ago, as I shared here.

There are also prayers in the Old Testament.  Psalms, of course, are full of great examples.  There are others as well.  While I will not attempt to catalog them here, there is one which I have found really helpful in praying for those who have chosen to serve the body as leaders.

Ruth 2:12 – Its worth the time to read so:

“May the LORD reward your work,
and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel,
under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” 

The content of Boaz’s blessing on Ruth, seems to me to be a great model of prayer for those who serve.  I would especially pray this for those who are laboring in situations that are challenging and or personally dangerous.

Remember

As we near the end of this year there is another discipline in which we should engage.  Look at Ephesians 2:11 – 12 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Note that the word “remember” is repeated in both verses.  Repetition is one of the literary devices that gives us a clue as to what is important.

It is important that we remember, review, what God has done in our lives.  We tend to forget and forget quickly.  If you have read the Old Testament, you will know that is not a unique or recent problem for those who follow the Lord.

For instance, consider Joshua 24:1 – 13 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Here Joshua reminds Israel what the Lord has done for them.  But then look at Judges 2:7, 10 – 11 (here @ Bible Gateway).  In a relatively short time, Israel forgot.  When they forgot, they turned away from God.  That sequence, reminder, remember, forget is repeated over and over not only in Judges but also in 1 and 2 Kings (here @ Bible Gateway) and 1 and 2 Chronicles (here @ Bible Gateway).

It is not a new challenge.

It seems to be something that we need to continually battle.  Other places in this blog I have recommended journaling (in 57 posts, type journal in the search box to the top right of this post or click the tag journal below to see some of those if you wish).  That is a discipline which, if one chooses to engage, helps one to remember what God has done.  In fact, much of this blog begins with a review of my journals.

It does not have to be complicated.  Simply during your quiet time, or some other regular time, jot down the date, record what the Lord is doing.  It may be passages that He has taken you through.  Note those and what you learned.  Or it could be a life event and what you were thinking and learned.  Or it may be a prayer you record.  Some or all.  Do what fits you.

Then on a regular basis, turn back to earlier pages or volumes, and review what the Lord has done.  You will be encouraged.

Interruption – Part 4

In the last post we looked at how the Word of God is representative of the person of God.  It reveals His nature and character.  To such an extent that Peter tells us that when we base our lives on His Word we become partakers of that divine nature.

One aspect of God’s nature and character is His immutability.  He does not change.  Further, He is eternal.  The Word of God reflects this aspect of His nature and character.  Consider:

• Isaiah 40:6 – 8 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Matthew 5:18 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Matthew 24:35 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Mark 13:31 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Luke 16:17 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Luke 21:33 (here @ Bible Gateway)

Both the Father’s and the Son’s Word is represented as lasting forever.  As the Father, Jesus is represented as immutable, Hebrews 13:8 (here @ Bible Gateway).

So the picture we have developed in these posts:

• The Lord has spoken
• He has revealed Himself in His Word, and Here
• His Word (including Christ’s) is eternal

With that as a foundation, it would be reasonable to suspect that those who identify themselves as leaders of those who worship the Lord would revere and deeply engage in that Word.  We would expect to see the Word of God in a place of central prominence in all Christian ministries.

However, that does not seem to be the case.  Nor has it been.  We will explore some of the implications of that in the next post.

Interruption – Part 3

Last post we saw that the psalmist used language normally used to describe worship of God to describe his relationship with the Word of God.  So, he was essentially suggesting that he worshiped the Word.  How is this not idolatry?  How does the use of that language and that practice not raise the ire of a Holy God?

The answer, I believe, is found in 2 Peter 1:2-4 (here @ Bible Gateway).

Follow the logic of Peter’s presentation.

Verse	Thought
2	Peter prays that our knowledge of God and Jesus is multiplied through God’s grace and peace.
3	Through God’s power we have been granted all we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him mentioned in verse 2. That is given by the one who calls us by His own glory and excellence. That is a key concept that is explored in the next verse.
4	The verse starts, “for by these…” these can refer to all of 2 and 3 or more specifically “His own glory and excellence”. I tend to come down on the second option because of the content of this verse. Either way one takes the referent, the precious and magnificent promises are based on God’s nature. Described as glory and excellence, and if you choose, His power. If we are to base our life on His promises, we are basing our life on His nature and character. When we do so, we are in effect personally validating the divine nature in our experience as we see the Lord faithful in fulfilling His promise. We partake of His nature.

The implications of this passage informs our understanding of Psalm 119:48 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The Word of God reflects the nature and character of God.  It reveals Him to us.  In a real sense when we open the pages of the Book and begin to read, those words are reflective of who He is.  We are in His presence.

So the psalmist, is on solid ground when he worships, lifts his hands to the commandments.  For in so doing He is honoring and worshiping the Lord which the commandment represents.

There is more that supports this.  It will be in the next post.

Interruption – Part 2

The next passage that came to mind yesterday morning was Psalm 119:48 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Psalm 119 (here @ Bible Gateway) has a nearly irresistible pull on me.  I find myself continually drawn to the richness and creativity of this masterpiece.  The concept of alliterating ones meditation on God’s Word through the Hebrew alphabet is stunning.

Verse 48 (here @ Bible Gateway), though, always brings me up short.  I am taken aback by what the psalmist pens here.  Specifically, the phrase, “I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments…”

Why?

Lifting up ones hands is an act of worship.  Consider:

• Psalm 28:2 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Psalm 63:4 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Psalm 88:9 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Psalm 141:2 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Psalm 143:6 (here @ Bible Gateway)

Each of these deal with worship of the Lord or, in the case of Psalm 28:2 (here @ Bible Gateway), the Lord’s sanctuary.  The point is this level of worship, lifting up of ones hands is focused on the Lord.  One would think that to do so to His Word, His commandments, His statutes, would or should incite His jealousy.

But, here it is clear is does not.  Why?

I believe there is a very good explanation.  We will consider that in the next post when we look at the third passage that came to mind yesterday.

Hope you join me on this journey.  I am convinced it is vitally important.

Interruption

Normally in the morning, I get out my journal open my Bible program, open my copy of M’Cheyne Reading Plan, jot down the passages for the day, pray something like Psalm 119:18 (here @ Bible Gateway), and dive in.

Not often, but sometimes, God interrupts my routine.  He did so this morning.  Before I even got to my desk, there were issues pressing in on my thoughts.  I think it has something to do with things that are going on in our community of faith as well as multiple interactions I have had with pastors overseas in the past couple of weeks.

So what went into the journal today was vastly different than what normally finds its way into those pages.

After several hours of contemplation, it appears that I need to share some, if not all, of what I worked through this morning.

Part of this is probably driven by a need I feel to change the introduction to the seminar I do with men.  Well, here it goes…Not sure how many posts this is going to take.

Look in your Bible at Psalm 50:1 (here @ Bible Gateway).  In the original the text looks like this, right to left…

אֵ֤ל׀ אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֡ים יְֽהוָ֗ה דִּבֶּ֥ר

This is a powerful statement, and that does not do it justice.  We will consider this word by word.

אֵ֤ל – “El”, the mighty one.  This is one of the words that is used in relation to the Father.  This is the word that is coupled with other Hebrew words to describe God such as El Shaddai.  Books have been written on the use of this name of God, I cannot hope to expand on that here.  We will go with, “The Mighty One.

אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֡ים – “Elohim”, the first word that is used to describe God in the Bible, see Genesis 1:1.  The creator, the source, He with whom all of us will answer, He who created all of the elements that both make us who we are as well as all that we encounter.  By itself this is a word that should get our attention, but here it is paired with “El”.

יְֽהוָ֗ה – “YHWH.”  The Word that God chose to use as His name when commissioning Moses.  The children of Israel refused to pronounce it, instead choosing substitute the word Adonai (my Lord) when they encountered YHWH in the text.  Using the vowels in Adonai, with YHWH, we get the word Jehovah.  The best translation of YHWH is probably “He who is”, “I will be who I will be”, or simply “I Am.”  The last which Jesus spoke multiple times inciting claims of blasphemy from the leaders of the Jews.

Each of these words are incredibly powerful.  Here the Psalmist uses all three in succession.  To say that he would be making an emphatic point would be a massive understatement.  And what is the point of the emphasis?  Is the next word…

דִּבֶּ֥ר – “Has spoken.”  The mighty one, God, the Lord, has spoken…  The implications are vast but at the very top should be we better listen.  Listen closely.

Consider this.  For many treat the Bible, the Word of God, as a good, interesting book.  Based on the psalmist’s perspective, it is THE book.  It is the very word of God.

We will explore that more in the next post.