Learning from the boring passages . . .

Joshua 18–19; Psalms 149–150; Jeremiah 9; Matthew 23

Reading the allotment of land in Canaan to the twelve tribes of Israel seems boring at first, but God uses it to show me a few things. One is the humility of Joshua who left his choice to last, selecting an insignificant city that was not in the most fertile and desirable land. He was their leader. He didn’t realize it, but he was also a type of Christ, yet he did not use his position of authority for selfish gain.

This is unlike most of the political leaders today. Our news this week is filled with stories of at least one leader who not only took money he should not have taken but lied about it. Oh for men like Joshua to run for office in our country — and as the next reading says, God wants us to be careful about who we put in places of authority:

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 149:4–9, italics mine)

The two-edged sword in psalms may be literal yet in the NT it is used to describe the Word of God. While I am to obey those in authority (see Romans 13), this passage tells me to biblically deal with ungodly rulers. In our country we can write letters expressing judgment on ungodly actions and exercise our right to vote.

Also, one of those ancient tribes didn’t conquer the enemies in their territory and history shows their error when those enemies later defeated that tribe. My commentary says this: deal with sin quickly or it will come back later and bite you. This theme is described in Jeremiah 9 as well! The prophet speaks of the entire nation who abandoned the Lord and were experiencing the consequences:

Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law that I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice or walked in accord with it, but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them. Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with bitter food, and give them poisonous water to drink. I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.” (Jeremiah 9:12–16)

My life is not like theirs yet I can so easily ‘follow my own heart’ and find life going upside-down. The NT says God chastens those He loves. I do not resent that because anyone who really cares would not allow those they love to sin and ruin their lives, especially when they have the wisdom and ability to put a stop to it. God is wise. He know me and knows exactly what I need. When I think I am right, He gives me verses like this to guide me:

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)

Of course Jesus says more. In Matthew 23, He tells me to practice what I preach, don’t do things merely to impress others, keep my word, do justice, be merciful and faithful keeping my heart right and pure before Him.

APPLY: Stay close to Jesus. Keep short accounts. Forget about trying to impress others and instead do good to them. Don’t boast about anything except that Jesus has saved me to live for Him and not for myself.

 

Returning to normal?

Joshua 8; Psalm 139; Jeremiah 2; Matthew 16

A letter from a missionary requests prayer that the virus threat would soon be over so she can get back to work. People talk about a return to ‘normal’ meaning they want their lives to be what they were before this pandemic. This way of thinking reminds me of a noted Christian educator who said, “Christians deeply resist change — forgetting that is our destiny.”

Jeremiah spoke to a people who had abandoned God. They didn’t want change either. He said of their problems, “Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the Lord your God, when he led you in the way?” (Jeremiah 2:17) This prophet went on:

“As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets, who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’ But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah. (Jeremiah 2:26–28)

This morning’s newspaper had pictures of people crowding beaches, going to parties, saying ‘no way’ to social distancing and to being careful . . . as the statistics are rising and thousands are getting this virus and dying. While we don’t like loss of control and our government telling us what to do, the Bible is clear: yield to God (totally) and obey the governing authorities even if they are doing a lousy job of it (in our opinion) for God has put them in place and to resist our leaders is to resist God. (See Romans 13). We want our way and resist change.

God doesn’t work the way we think He should. His priority is not my comfort. While He cares for me and wants to bless me, His priorities are revealed in Jesus Christ. This passage says much about the error of worshiping the good life, even of putting my priority on ‘normal’ and life itself:

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:21–26)

The things of man? Peter figured that of all people Jesus should not die. He was clueless about the plan of God to use the death of His only Son to change the world. Am I clueless about the purpose of Covid-19 in the plan of God? I hope not.

Come after Him and deny myself? Deny what? That could mean watching TV, eating too much dessert, loafing in the sun, all sorts of good life things, but Jesus says self-denial means my whole life. It means losing all desire and effort to gain the world — which Scripture defines as the “desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life.” (see 1 John 2:15-17). I’m asked to pray that things return to ‘normal’ but I don’t think so, not if normal means going back to the opposite of the will of God and enjoying what keeps me from putting Him first.

APPLY: Give up any idea that I or the rest of the world needs what we call normal when it includes that so-called freedom to do whatever we want. Romans 12:1-2 tells me to present my body as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to Him for this is worship. I’m not to be conformed to this world/age but transformed. My thinking is to be like His thinking so I can discern His will and realize its perfection, that it is good. Woe to me should I ask Him to make life like it used to be when my destiny, and the destiny of the whole world, is change . . . change that glorifies God.