Who is stacking the deck?

Genesis 25; Esther 1; Matthew 24; Acts 24

We are watching American news with interest and sometimes with dismay. The impeachment trial for their president has begun. I’ve not followed much of what has gone on before, but it seems to me that both sides are telling stories and giving testimonies that are suspicious. The use of words like “seems” and “may have” and “looks like” give me clues that many of the accusations are suppositions and the people make them have an agenda. If agendas are not out in the open then the ‘evidence’ begins to sound iffy.

Part of the problem is that this president has flaws that give those who do not like him an excuse to believe anything that may or may not support their assessment. Instead of balance that looks at both the good and negative activities, some people can only see one or the other.

Acts 24 tells of a situation in the life of the Apostle Paul that would have been hitting the TV news had there been television in those days. He had been accused by the Jews of things that were supposed and iffy rather than backed with solid evidence. He was arrested and brought before the Roman procurator named Felix. The case was introduced by a lawyer named Tertullus who did so with a great deal of flattery toward the ‘judge’.

And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him (Paul), saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. (Acts 24:2–9)

We know this was flattery because Felix had a far different reputation than this lawyer painted.

Then Paul was invited to defend himself.

Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’” (Acts 24:10–21)

Rather than being a situation of “he said, she said,” all of Paul’s defense could be easily proven. The problem was not with the truth of those accusations but the motivations of his accusers. They rejected his message, the Gospel, and because he was turning people to Jesus Christ, they rejected Paul and wanted to get rid of him.

I know this is not an exact parallel to the situation in the USA nor can the defendant be compared with the Apostle Paul, but it brings out to me that no matter the rhetoric or any pointing to laws and precedents, or whatever tactics are being used, the motivations behind it are important. Anyone who stands against anyone else does it for a reason. Unless the reasons are transparently stated, those involved in seeking justice will be challenged to know the genuine nature of the case.

How is this practical for me? First, if I am ever falsely accused, tell the total truth about everything. Don’t use flattery to try and convince others of my point of view. Challenge others but also myself to give honest evidence to what I say. Take pains to keep a clear conscience before God. Own my own motivations and encourage others to do the same.

There is more, but I’m thinking if those involved in this American trial could do even this much, it would make far more interesting news and lead to true justice rather than all the confusing sabre rattling.

One of those gray areas . . .

This morning I was thinking about something I want to do, but had some doubts about whether God wants me to do it. It is one of those gray areas, not sin in the action, but perhaps in my motivation. My prayer was that He would show me from Scripture. My feelings and my ‘I wants’ can block His voice and when that happens, I want to hear what He has to say in black and white, with no confusion.

These verses are for today’s reading, verses whose application has not always been clear. However, Chambers clarifies them for me, and God answers my prayer.

“Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” (Matthew 5:25–26)

Chambers says this instruction is based on a principle: Do what you know you must do, now, and do it quickly. It I don’t, there is a process that will eventually bring pain and distress. God’s laws are unalterable; there is no escape from them.

From this, I do not hear the Lord saying “Do what you want to do” but rather, “Do what I want you to do.” The same principle applies; if I don’t, there will be consequences. If I go my own way, I will regret it. If I obey the Lord, the results will please Him and be a blessing to me and others.

This passage is not about how others treat me, even though it refers to accusers. If the accuser is right and I insist on my rights, or having my way, or act in ways that displease the Lord Jesus Christ, I’m to bring myself to God’s judgment and let Him say yes or no to my situation. If I don’t, the problem will not go away.

Chamber’s lines that speak loudly are these: “God is determined to have His child as pure and clean and white as driven snow, and as long as there is disobedience in any point of His teaching, He will prevent none of the working of His spirit. Our insistence in proving that we are right is nearly always an indication that there has been some point of disobedience. No wonder the Spirit so strongly urges to keep steadfastly in the light!”

My issue is not about settling differences with an accuser, yet the Holy Spirit reminds me of the reality of my spiritual accuser, the enemy who accuses me before God day and night.

“ . . . . Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:10–11)

Satan accusations are designed to ruin my faith and turn me from trusting God. This gives clarity. Will the thing I want to do be a reflection of pure faith? Or does it have an insistence in it that indicates either lack of faith or a point of disobedience or both?

If God wants me to do something, He will nudge me until I pay attention. If Satan wants me to do something, he will accomplish his purpose by lies and accusations. The only way to overcome him is by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, by my declaration of faith in God, and by disregarding whatever I might want — even if it leads to my demise.

If I insist on my own way, my accuser will trip me up. If I do not love my own life or my own way then I will conquer this adversary, not by being reconciled to him, but because I have been reconciled to God by Jesus Christ, and enabled to obey Him by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s answer to our sin

This morning’s ‘read through the Bible’ chapters were about the sin of David with Bathsheba. As a new Christian, I was told that because of David’s wars, he could not build the temple, therefore because I had been divorced and remarried, I could not join the church.

Last year, I was told that David’s relationship with God and his usefulness in the kingdom were diminished after his sin with Bathsheba. This one makes me wonder how much a person has to sin before God writes them off and puts them on a shelf. The older I get, it seems the more I can see (and regret) all those times I did not obey God.

Both dismissals of David seem to have scriptural basis, but both accusations forget something: David may not have flourished in some ways because of sin, but he did get to write most of the Psalms!

Had David been born a few centuries later and after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, would he be fighting the same accusations? I know that many Christians are convinced of things like, “I am useless to God because of the way I’ve lived” or “My sin was too great and the consequences have ruined my life.” If we don’t think it of ourselves, like Job’s comforters, we may think others have sinned and are therefore in trouble with God.

These accusations also forget God’s grace. The Holy Spirit often reminds me of a passage in Revelation that reveals that grace and also where those accusations come from:

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God . . . . (Revelation 12:9–10)

The next two verses give God’s message to those who are being accused:

“ . . . And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:11–12)

His time may be short, but Satan still tells lies. He suggested to Eve that God didn’t really say that (command) and that He didn’t really want the best for her. This liar deceives the whole world with junk that makes us doubt the Bible, and doubt His great love for us. He accuses us before God and we hear those accusations in our minds, sometimes recognizing them, and sometimes feeling they are true and we and other people are ruined.

The victory is in the blood of the Lamb:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

The victory is in the word of our testimony:

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:10)

The victory is in not loving our lives even unto death:

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:25)

The victory is in remembering that Jesus died for my sin so I can live for Him. I am healed from sin’s deadly blows. Every time that I proclaim it, I am strengthened. Every time I deny my fleshy self, the eternal life Jesus gave me wins a victory over the lies of the enemy.

Chambers says that the Cross is God’s superb triumph that shook the foundations of hell. There is nothing more certain in time or eternity than the redemption that took place there. The whole human race — sinners all of us — were given a way to be in a right relationship with God!

When Satan lies and accuses, the answer is Jesus, always Jesus – and the Cross – and His marvelous grace.

Misread and misrepresented

1 Samuel 20:1–21:15, 1 Peter 1:1–12, Psalm 121:1–122:9

Last week a Christian friend said that the Bible can be used to justify any sin. Instead of viewing Scripture as being totally open about the depravity of humanity, some think that its record of including ungodly behavior gives them license to do it too.

For instance, Abraham told Sarah to say something that was not totally true. Does that make it okay to lie? David arranged the death of Bathsheba’s husband. Does that make adultery and murder okay?

Some people also read sin into situations where it does not exist. That is, because a situation in the Bible is beyond their imagination or experience, they assume there is something wrong with it. The best example of that is the bond between David and Saul’s son Jonathan.

Jonathan was the assumed heir of the throne, but he knew that God appointed David as the next king. The usual response would have been jealousy on Jonathan’s part, but this young man desired the will of God and deeply cared about the one who would be the next king. He was not only respectful toward David, when his father attacked him, David knew he could safely talk to Jonathan.

“David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, ‘What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?’” (1 Samuel 20:1)

Soon after that, Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.” And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul. (1 Samuel 20:16–17)

Jonathan also said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’ ” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. (1 Samuel 20:42)

In today’s world, male friendships are sometimes suspected of being something different from friendships. Some men avoid getting close to other men for fear of being misunderstood. Worse, some also read something into this story of David and Jonathan that does not fit the character and descriptions of these two men, perhaps to accuse them of evil, but more often to justify themselves or the sinful behavior of others. Enough said.

The NT reading speaks of those who know and love Jesus Christ and the great mercy of God that has “caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:3–9)

Christians are imperfect and not sinless. This is why we need Jesus. This is why we call on Him to keep us from ruining our lives. His Word promises that He “will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:7–8)

I’m grateful for the saving and keeping power of God. People will misunderstand what God’s people do and what our lives are about. Through the centuries, we have been falsely accused and persecuted. But the Lord keeps us and gives us eternal life, not because of what we are or do, but because Jesus bore our sin on Himself. He is our gracious Savior who loves Abraham and David and even me. Because of what He did for us and because of who He is, even our grossest sins cannot separate us from His love.