All is calm…

Christmas has traditions for most families. We do the usual stockings stuffed with small surprises, gifts under a decorated tree, turkey and all that goes with it, and much joy that Jesus came. But one traditions is odd. Our daughter lives more than 3000 km from here but we and her brother get on the phone and play Boggle, amid a lot of laughter and threats of cheating. This year, our granddaughter got a day pass and spent twelve hours with us on boxing day. Part of that was helping her granddad begin a 3600 piece Lego castle. In all this, the joy of Jesus kept my heart lifted in the energy of His grace. 

Today I read and identified with these words: “I rejoiced greatly to find some of our children walking in the truth, just as we were commanded by the Father” (2 John 4) and “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 4)

I tend to focus more on bad news than good news, so this passage also popped out:

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 17–23)

The last few lines give me a sense of what God wants from me, but the Lord would not let me linger there. He gave me this to keep the joy flowing:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)

And then this as if Jude needed an exclamation mark:

And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, (1 Corinthians 1:30)

PRAY: Jesus, you have become wisdom from God for me. This is why I must boast only in you and not in myself or my so-called wisdom. Please reveal more and more of your glory and grace to my heart. I want to bow before You quicker, lower, and with more joy than ever before. You are my majestic and merciful King. Open the eyes of my heart a bit wider to behold the great hope to which you’ve called me in the gospel. Deepen my adoration of you, Jesus, and loosen my grip on my so-called treasures. What do I have that you have not given me? 

I praise You for coming into a world where everything is broken, but You came to make all things new, even me. I look forward to the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that You are Lord, to the glory of God the Father. It’s going to be a loud and large day. This Christmas I’m thankful I could say, “Be still, my soul” . . . and experience Your calm glory and quiet mercy, and worship You with quiet certainty that Your will is being done. This I pray in Your wise and worthy name. Amen.

Does the pastor have to wear a suit?

Genesis 37; Job 3; Mark 7; Romans 7

We once attended a church where one couple’s most important concern was that the pastor seldom wore a suit. Travels and other experiences exposed us to many traditions so we knew that in other churches, the pastor can be comfortable and accepted in whatever was worn in that culture. At times, I felt annoyed with that couple but now realize this was not a good response either.

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:1–8)

Jesus made a distinction between traditions in a way that we normally do not. We judge them on whether they are helpful in building families or communities or whether they are repressive, restrictive, or stifling. Our evaluations are based on the social effect of traditions and personal history rather than whether they are true.

In the New Testament, traditions are praised or criticized regarding their conformity to or departure from the Word of God. In the above passage and other places, Jesus condemns traditions that allow people to sidestep what Scripture clearly says. This makes me think twice about the what the pastor wears. There is nothing wrong with wearing a suit, but there is no command about it. Some Old Testament laws cover issues of clothing but the New Testament stress is not on rules but the heart.

Jesus said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20–23)

The man who dresses to be attractive to women has a problem. The man who dresses to annoy those who do not like t-shirts has a problem. It isn’t about the clothes but about what is governing the heart. Paul talks about this in Romans 7 and how we have this old fleshy nature that wants to do its own thing (which is contrary to God and sinful) and the new nature that wants to obey God but he realizes that “nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18–19)

Most Christians realize this inner battle. What most Christians struggle with is that line that says we have no ability to carry it out. From the time we are little, many of us hear, “You can do it” and our fleshy nature would love that to be true. It is not true. Paul knew it. I know it. The sooner I admit my weakness, the quicker I am to ask for help, to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit, to give up trying in my own strength and turn to Jesus to give me what I need. I can say with Paul:

For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:22–25)

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, but woe to me if I try to do it on my own. Traditions, habits, practice, and “it’s good enough” are no substitute for His strength perfected in weakness.

Traditions, convictions, and truth

Today’s devotional reading pushes me to ask: what convictions or traditions do I hold that could interfere with my relationship with God? Chambers uses Abraham as an example of a person who obeyed God even when it seemed God was going against His own commands.

He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)

Pagans sacrificed their children, but God forbid such a thing. Yet God asked Abraham to do what He Himself said was evil. If Abraham held to his own convictions, he would have said this was the devil and God was not in this at all.

But Abraham knew God. He was not listening to Satan or following pagan practices. By doing in faith what God asked, Abraham came into a deeper knowledge of God. Of this, Chambers says, “Character determines how a man interprets God’s will. Abraham interpreted God’s command to mean that he had to kill his son, and he could only leave his tradition behind by the pain of a tremendous ordeal. God could purify his faith in no other way. If we obey what God says according to our sincere belief, God will break us from those traditions that misrepresent Him.”

At this point, I’m not getting it. What was Abraham’s ‘tradition’ that misrepresented God? Chambers says that this man was prepared to obey God, no matter what. That was a good thing. Was his ‘tradition’ the idea that God would never ask him to give up something he dearly loved? Did he think that God was harsh and demanding and that he must do what he was told so as to please Him, no matter what it was?

Isaac, the son to be sacrificed, asked his father about the sacrificial lamb. Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8) so did he have an idea that this was a test and that he would not need to kill his son?

Just as the knife was about to fall, God said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:12)

The New Testament says this was an act of faith. Abraham knew God’s promises about the world being blessed through his seed, and he believed those promises would be fulfilled. He could obey this command because he trusted the word of God.

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. (Hebrews 11:17–19)

Perhaps Chambers is reading into the actions of Abraham those thoughts that would be common to most of us in such a situation. If God asked me to dishonor my parents, or murder someone, or divorce my husband and take up with another man, I would suspect that this was not God at all, but Satan’s false and evil ideas making an appeal to my sinful flesh. If it were actually God asking these things, it would challenge all my convictions about Him.

The Bible gives no indication that Abraham had this sort of wrestling match. It says that he figured God would work this out to be okay. He could raise Isaac from the dead, a faith that echoes what God would do with His own Son when He put Jesus to death on the cross.

Again, I ask myself about my own convictions, and conclude these must be convictions that hold me to faith in God, not convictions that I must drop. Abraham obeyed God because he knew that no matter the road he was asked to walk, God would get him to the promised destination. This ‘test’ was not about dropping a traditional belief or a misplaced conviction, but about hanging on to what he knew was true. The God who asked him to do this strange thing was the same God who made a covenant with him, and who never failed to keep His word.

Abraham knew his God. While he didn’t understand why God asked him to do this, he believed God was faithful to Himself. Even though the outcome was not obvious and seemed dire, his God would bring good out of it. Just as God would eventually bless the world through His Son, He would keep His promise to bless the world through Abraham’s son.

Mercy, generosity, and dancing

Numbers 35:1–36:13; 1 Corinthians 16:1–24; Psalm 30:1–12

How many people know that many of the best parts of our legal system come from the Old Testament? One of those parts is that the law distinguishes between manslaughter and murder, killing someone without intending to do so, or killing with intent. The differences now from the way it was back in the days of Moses can be seen in this passage.

“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge. You shall give three cities beyond the Jordan, and three cities in the land of Canaan, to be cities of refuge. These six cities shall be for refuge for the people of Israel, and for the stranger and for the sojourner among them, that anyone who kills any person without intent may flee there . . . . But if he struck him down with an iron object, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall be put to death . . . . If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. But no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Moreover, you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.” (Numbers 35:10-15; 16; 30-31)

Today, instead of fleeing to a city of refuge, those who commit manslaughter are put in prison, a similar ‘sentence’ but not quite the same as having to stay in a particular city for a certain length of time. However, this law applied to everyone, Jews and Gentiles, citizens and those passing through. It is unbiased.

Also, today the death sentence for murder is upheld in some places, but not all. That was changed because of the danger of punishing an innocent person. However, the Old Testament law had a safeguard against that; the need for more than one witness. Further, no one could ‘buy’ his life, whereas today many murderers are allowed to plea-bargain.

I’m not involved in the legal system, nor am I a lawyer, but it seems to me that God’s plan seems both fair and just, but also merciful. If the death was an accident, the guilty party was given a decent option.

The NT reading hasn’t anything to do with legalities, but it does have something to do with the traditions that the church falls into. As a Bible student, I’ve learned that we often get two things mixed up in interpretation. We need to see the difference between narratives that are “descriptive” and those that are “prescriptive.” That is, do the verses describe what was done back then, but are not commanded for us, or do they give a pattern that we are supposed to follow? Today’s reading is one of those passages . . .

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. (1 Corinthians 16:1–3)

Paul was coming to the church at Corinth to collect an offering for the needy church in Jerusalem. He told the Christians in Corinth to give a weekly offering on Sunday so when he came, there would be no need for a special offering. He would simply collect that which had been donated up until then.

Is that descriptive or prescriptive? It isn’t a big deal, really, but if adhered to as strictly prescriptive, then a church today might box themselves in. That is, no spontaneous offerings, no love offerings without planning ahead, and you could not make a donation on any other day of the week. In this case, these rules sound silly, but there are many churches where failing to make this distinction has had adverse results in the way they do things.

I’m also learning how to read the OT in light of the NT and understanding how the redemptive plan of God fits into the history covered by the Bible. I’m also seeing how Christ is hinted at and revealed throughout – from Genesis to Revelation. I can see connections I’d not noticed before, but also am learning to distinguish between connections from my imagination and those that actually were intended by the biblical authors.

Here is an example. In the NT, Jesus said in Matthew 5:4, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Some take this out of context and apply it at funerals. While it is true that God comforts those who grieve, this passage is not about mourning the dead, but mourning sin.

As I read the following verse from the Psalms, I wonder if it is saying the same thing. David wrote, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” (Psalm 30:11–12)

Is David at a funeral? The Psalm doesn’t say so. It seems his mourning is not about grief of loss or a death, but the sorrow over sin and failure to love God by disobeying His commands. But how can I know that for sure? I could do word studies and read commentaries and so on, but the best way to interpret the Bible is by paying attention to the context. Read it and see what the whole Psalm is about.

Devotional reading has a different focus than Bible study as well, yet getting the gist of the passage is important so that I think rightly about God and His will for me. For that, today’s readings show His mercy for my mistakes, His desire that I be generous, and that it is just fine with Him if I do a happy-dance because He has turned my sorrow for sin into joy at His forgiveness!