Beware of trusting myself…

The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died. Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. 
And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them. The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. And they put his armor in the temple of their gods and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. But when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days. So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. (1 Chronicles 10:3–14)

This passage confused me. Saul committed suicide yet the Word also said that the Lord put him to death. However, Spence’s thorough commentary cleared it up. Here is what he said:

He who had often conquered the Philistines and other hostile nations, with little of material help, fell before them, because he had guiltily forfeited the Divine help. He had presumed on himself — it brings him to make an end of himself! As repentance had been the stranger of his company, so now despair is the bosom friend he hugs. And trace as best we may the course he ran, his character, and the end of a life which had opened in providence so abundant and so encouraging, the skilled pen of Scripture guides our last thought, and reveals the just conclusion of the whole matter: “Saul died for his transgressions which he committed against the Lord, even against the Word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking … of … a familiar spirit, to inquire thereof, and he inquired not of the Lord” — this low-lying epitaph, a beacon of warning set up aloft to all time.

The timing is perfect. I know a “Saul” whose efforts are commendable, yet she often takes credit that belongs to the Lord and praises Him for her mistakes. When she relates what happened, it is clear she acts first without consulting Him then shares how she is helping Him rather than the other way around.

Spence speaks of how Saul presumes he is doing the Lord’s work without seeking His way or waiting for His instruction to obey. Only by God's grace does that ‘method’ work for those of us who presume our way is God's way. He keeps bailing us out.

For Saul, this behavior eventually put him into a frame of mind that he was better off dead than being mistreated by his enemies. Instead of realizing and repenting of his lack of faith, in despair he took his own life, a final act of God-playing. 

While I cannot know the motivations of anyone’s heart, I’ve taken the glory when God did the deed. I’ve also gone ahead without consulting Him. I recognize when others do it for I have done it. However, God is gracious and teaches me, usually by failure, that what I am doing is not acceptable. Not only must I seek His will rather than assume it, I must also never take credit when He uses my folly for good. That is a comfort and His glory, not a brag for my boasting, nor a reason to keep up any God-playing.

Lord Jesus, forgive me and all who know You for acting like Saul with the assumption we know what You want without speaking to You and act according to our own grand ideas as if they came from You when they really were a way of glorify ourselves. Stop all slides into self-effort that masquerades as following You. 

The Great Physician knows how to cure me...

Slept well but woke up in a bad mood. I don’t like marble floors, opulent surroundings, rich food, heat and humidity, and a vacation filled with things to do. I just want to sit in the shade and read a book, or go for a long walk on the beach and enjoy a breeze and the shore birds. All about me and my I wants. Selfish and annoyed with all the selfish people around me. Go away. A deserted island would be ideal.

Today’s reading was no help. It was written for those who have no clue about the meaning of faith. I know what it means, so I went to my library and found this:

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10–11)

This command from Jesus immediately restored my sense of why I am here. It is not to self-indulge but to serve Him by serving others, and glorify Him – even if others ignore me, or disregard anything I do or say on His behalf.

Another devotional speaks too, one that describes the difference between hypocrites and sincere souls. It says:

Sincere have learned to have a holy lack of confidence in themselves, also in their own self-examination. Therefore they ask the Lord to try them, as the psalmist did: “Search me, O God, and know my heart!… And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24) And God hears their prayer and points now to one, now to another thing in their lives which is contrary to the will of God. The result is sorrow, distress, and shame. And the soul’s hunger and thirst for grace is kept alive, yes, experiences a normal growth. Faith fights the good fight and keeps healthy and sound. The cross becomes a place of refuge.

How true. Just a few lines turned me from my desires for this vacation to yielding to Christ.

PRAY: Jesus, You are well aware of the rest I need and how best to give it to me. And it does not come from being contrary to You. That only makes me more tired and frustrated. Thank You for a speedy diagnosis and an even speedier change in my thinking and in my desires of what I’m to do while here in this place.

Why so many interpretations of the Bible?

January 9, 2008

Last weekend a man told me that it was important to trust the “man upstairs” yet at the same time he had no use for the Bible. When I asked why, he said there were too many different ways to interpret it; one person says one thing, and another has a different view. Since everyone claims to have the correct interpretation and (in his thinking) this is impossible to sort out, he tossed the whole book.

I suggested to him that the reason for all these views is that each person wants their own way, and when we come to the Bible with that in mind, we will interpret it according to our own way. It is only when we can willingly give up all our “I wants” that we can begin to understand what the Bible truly says. He was somewhat surprised at that answer since it fit with his complaint of everyone claiming they are right.

This is a huge issue for many people, both Christian believers and those who do not believe in Jesus Christ or the Bible. Every person wants a reliable and correct understanding, yet with a multitude of interpretations, who can know for sure what is correct?

I see this as two issues with several possible solutions, some applying to unbelievers, and others are for Christians who disagree on what the Bible says.

Unbelievers struggle with the Scripture because they are trying to interpret it without the power of the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:19-20 says that, “No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

This means that even the men who wrote it did not rely on their own wisdom and understanding in the process. Instead, God moved them, or ‘inspired’ their writing. The writer is a glove and He is the hand that moves the glove. Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible would not be the Word of God, but just as the Holy Spirit was vital to the writing, He is also vital to the understanding. 1 Corinthians 2 says “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,” and no eye or ear can grasp these things, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.”

If I tried to read a book in a foreign language, I would similarly need an interpreter. I’d need to meet the author and be able to communicate in some way. When the author explained the writing, I would begin to grasp what his book says.

Yet even those who have the Holy Spirit living inside of them through faith in Jesus Christ can still have different interpretations. This is likely more confusing than the first problem because many of them seem to be godly people claiming to have the inside scoop on what God says. They may even know verses like Daniel 2:21-22, “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him” and claim that God has shown them that their interpretation is correct.

My devotional reading today gives one good reason why there are differences between believers about Bible interpretation. The author likens it to the view as a person climbs a mountain. The farther up they go, the more the landscape changes. That which they saw on the bottom is correct and true, but so is the view from the peak, even though the appearance is much different. He likened this climb to closeness to God. The deeper one’s relationship is, the more their view changes, even enlarges. The initial view is not wrong, just limited.

That is a grand image and applicable in many cases, yet the Bible gives a few more reasons why believers can differ on their interpretation.

One is that some of us fear the Lord and some of us have lost that, or have an undeveloped sense of reverence. Proverbs 25:24 says, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” Without a positive respect and awe for God, the Holy Spirit will not open my eyes to His truths and my understanding of Scripture will be incomplete at best, or in error at worst.

A second reason I can misinterpret the Bible is because I am not obedient to what I do know, Jesus said in John 7:17, “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” Knowing the will of God and the Word of God depends on my willingness to obey it. If I am not willing to do what it says, the Holy Spirit is not going to show it to me.

Another reason for many interpretations is that Christians sometimes fall into the sin of trying to look good to the world instead of being concerned that God is glorified. Verse 18 adds, “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.”

I’d not put this verse with verse 17 until thinking about this problem. However, I know that it fits. If I am concerned that people are impressed with me, then I’ve lost touch with the Holy Spirit whose main goal is to glorify the Lord. As soon as that communication link is broken (by this sin or any other sin), then I cannot properly interpret the Bible.

It would be best if Christians who are out of touch with God would stop trying to figure out His book, but sadly, we sometimes don’t recognize our slide into self-rule. We may not see how this slide creates a view much like that of a mountain climber who slipped and started rolling downhill!

When this happens, I must confess my sin to Him and be forgiven and cleansed, not keep on as if nothing were wrong. My backsliding distorts my understanding of the Bible, causes disagreements with other Christians about what it says, and results in great confusion for those who are still seeking God’s truth. Instead of being a light, I am then not only stumbling about in the dark, but causing others to trip over me.