Old Testament Archives - Page 79 of 141

Psalm 97: Potency of Right Worship

Christ Church on October 21, 2018

Introduction

Many of the problems confronting modern Christians is that they diligently try to do the right thing . . . but in the wrong categories. They try guitar fingering on a mandolin; they try chess rules on a backgammon board; they apply the rules of French grammar to English. And for us to draw attention to such mistakes is not to object to any of these things in particular—chess, guitar, backgammon, whatever. But this is a mistake we make whenever we try to “make a difference” and our activity does not proceed directly from a vision of the Almighty Lord, high and lifted up.

The Text

“The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory. Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods. Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods. Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness” (Ps. 97:1-12).

Summary of the Text

God reigns, and the whole earth is called to rejoice because of it (v. 1). His holiness is not what we might piously assume—His righteousness and judgment are like clouds and darkness (v. 2). A fire precedes Him, and burns up His enemies (v. 3). Lightning flashes, and the whole created order sees it, and trembles (v. 4). In the presence of God, hills and mountains melt like wax in a fire (v. 5). The heavens preach, and as a consequence everyone sees His glory (v. 6). A curse is then pronounced—we move from natural revelation to the subject of worship. Confounded be all false worshippers, and all gods are summoned to worship the one God (v. 7). When this is proclaimed Zion hears and is glad. The daughters of Judah rejoice (v. 8). Why do we rejoice? Because the Lord is exalted high above all the earth (v. 9). This transcendent sense of true worship has potent ethical ramifications—you that love the Lord, hate evil (v. 10). In this setting, God delivers His people from those who return the hatred back at them (v. 10). Light is sown for the righteous; gladness for the upright (v. 11). We are summoned by Him to therefore rejoice, and to give thanks as we remember His holiness (v. 12).

Clouds and Darkness

Holiness is not manageable (v. 2). Holiness does not come in a shrink-wrapped box. Holiness is not marketable. Holiness is not tame. Holiness is not sweetsy-nice. Holiness is not represented by kitschy figurines. Holiness is not smarmy. Holiness is not unctuous. Holiness is not domesticated. But worship a god who is housebroken to all your specifications, and what is the result? Depression, and a regular need for sedatives—better living through chemistry.

Holiness is wild. Holiness is three tornadoes in a row. Holiness is a series of black thunderheads coming in off the bay. Holiness is impolite. Holiness is the kind of darkness to make a sinful man tremble. Holiness beckons us to that darkness, where we do not meet ghouls and ghosts, but rather the righteousness of God—black righteousness. Holiness is a consuming fire. Holiness melts the world. And when we fear and worship a God like this, what is the result? Gladness of heart. Zion heard, and was glad (v. 8).

Gladness for the Upright in Heart

So if you worship the god who does nothing but kittens and pussy willows, then you will end in despair. Worship the God of the jagged edge, the God whose holiness cannot be made palatable for the middle class American consumer, and the result is deep gladness. Do you hear that? Gladness, not pomposity. And, thank God, such gladness does not make us parade about with cheeks puffed slighted out, or speak with lots of rotund vowels, or strut with a sanctimonious air. Gladness, laughter, joy—set these before you. This is deep Christian faith, and not what so many are marketing today in the name of Jesus. The tragedy is that in the name of relevance the current expression of the faith in America today is superficial all the way down.

This means there is a difference between a deeply rooted biblical gladness, on the one hand, and a superficial happy happy joy joy approach, rooted in nothing much.

Ye That Love the Lord . . .

Hate evil. And so this is why an ethical application of the vision of the holy is most necessary. If we bypass this vision of who God actually is, the necessary result will be a prissy moralism, and not the robust morality of the Christian faith. The distance between moralism and true morality is vast, and the thing that creates this distance is knowledge of the holy. Those who content themselves with petty rules spend all their time fussing about with hemlines, curfews, and scruples about alcohol. But those who see this folly and go off in their own little libertine direction are no better. The former act as though their moralism is grounded on the dictates of a gremlin-like god who lives in their attic, but his word is law. The latter say that this is stupid, and aspire to become the gremlin themselves. So there are two parts to this—love the Lord, and hate evil.

And your hatred for evil needs to become hissing hot, and not be simply a mild distaste for something that smells slightly off.

The Potency of Right Worship

In this psalm, how should we define right worship? The answer is that right worship occurs when the congregation of God approaches Him, sees Him as He is, and responds rightly, as He has commanded—in joy and glad submission. Such worship necessitates turning away from all idols (v. 7), and turning to the holy God who cannot be manipulated. In this seeing, we see Him truly, which is not the same thing as seeing Him fully. No creature can do that.

And in this psalm alone, what does right worship do? What effect does it have? What are the results? The earth rejoices (v. 1). All the islands are glad (v. 1). His enemies are consumed with the fire that goes before Him (v. 3). The earth is illuminated by His lightning, and trembles (v. 4). In the presence of the Lord (and in worship we are in the presence of the Lord), the hills melt (v. 5). The heavens preach, and the people see His glory (v. 6). Idolaters are flummoxed, confounded (v. 7). The universal call to worship is even issued to the idols (v. 7). Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice (v. 8). The name of God is exalted above every name (v. 9). The saints of God learn to hate what is evil, and God preserves them from those who persecute them (v. 10). Light and gladness are sown before us, and gladness for the upright in heart (v. 11). His righteous people rejoice, and are grateful when they remember His holiness (v. 12).

A Call to Worship

Those who serve graven images are confounded (v. 7). Those who worship false gods cannot be anything but confounded. Those who worship the true God falsely are missing the scriptural call as well. But those who worship rightly will inherit the earth.

Wise Laws for Good Living

Christ Church on October 21, 2018

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Text: Deuteronomy 22:1-8

Introduction

We believe in “All of Christ for all of life.” So what should you do if you come across a bird’s nest on ground with the mama bird protecting her eggs? And you haven’t had breakfast, and you’re really hungry. Deuteronomy 22 says that how you respond will dramatically impact your life. Perhaps you have not faced the nest quandary, but you’ve found something lost or seen a car stuck in a snow bank or live in a culture of cross-dressing men––all are opportunities to faithfully live as Christians and apply wisdom from Deuteronomy. This morning, we look at a selection of wise laws that God gave to his people for good living, for faithful living. The underlying principle of these laws is a value and respect for all life. Christians are to value life because that is what God does.

Lost Wallet Law (vs. 1-4)

Deuteronomy 22 begins, “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother.” The fence breaks. The harness comes untied. The wallet is dropped. And you come across come across something your brother lost. What should you do? You can’t ignore it. You can’t keep it. You act and return it. This command prevents the playground policy, “Finder’s keepers, losers weepers.” The biblical rule is, “Finder’s returners.” If you find something lost, you have a responsibility to restore it. You’re ready to help. And this applies to more than helping with lost items.

“You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up.” A car swerves of the road. You need to stop and help. Your neighbor is high-centered on the snow berm. You need to help push him over. Don’t pass by and ignore him. This is the story of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told against the Sunday-church-going Christian. Jesus asked, “Which of these, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said, “You go and do likewise” (Luke 10:29-37).

You go and do likewise because this is what Jesus did for the lost sheep and broken people. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned––every one––to his own way” (Is. 53:6). And Jesus did not ignore us, or hide himself from our danger. He has compassion on us and restored what was lost. Remember what happens when that which is lost is found? Rejoicing. Celebration. Gratitude. Flourishing of life.

No Gender Confusion (vs. 5)

The biblical emphasis for the flourishing of life backs the next command, “A woman shall not wear a man’s garment, nor shall a man put on a woman’s cloak, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD your God.” This verse prohibits gender confusion by prohibiting two things.

The first is transvestitism––a man cross-dressing like a woman. Our culture wants to blur the lines so that men dress more like women. But this verse shows that God cares which kind of clothes men wear and women wear. God cares about fabric and cut and colors and hemlines. God cares about the distinctions between men’s clothing and women’s clothing. And so should we. If there’s confusion in clothes, then this can lead to confusion in gender. This is not crazy. This is our culture.

The second prohibition in verse 5 is that women are forbidden to wear, not the clothes of a man, but the gear of a man. The phrase keli geber refers to weapons, tools, and other things particularly masculine (Gen. 27:3). This phrase keli geber is regularly translated as “armor-bearer,” the guy with the shield and sword and all the ammo draped around his neck. One application of this is that God forbids women to engage in combat roles in the military.

Whether we are talking about a man in fishnet stockings, or a woman armed as a soldier, we need to recognize that God finds it loathsome. So should we. What happens to that which is an abomination to the Lord? It is judged, it is removed from the land, it is destroyed. What if the Canaanites thought a certain abomination was cool or fashionable or sexy? Would you follow them?

Long-term Thinking (vs. 6-7)

Now we get to the mama bird and the nest. Again, we see the emphasis on the preservation of life, which requires some long-term thinking. What do you take to eat? The answer is the eggs/young but not the mother. This is good stewardship of the land and that which survives on the land. The principle is that if you take care of the land, then the land will take care of you. Generational thinking. If you are harsh and greedy, then you’ll strip the produce of the land (and leave nothing for you or yours later on).

Biblical Building Code (vs. 8)

A final passage is that God calls his people to biblical building codes that aim to prevent accidents. Verse 8, “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.” There are lots of applications to our own lives to prevent accidental harm. Put a railing up around a second story deck, or tree fort. Don’t leave faulty wiring alone that can burn down your house. If you’re puking, then stay within your own embattlements. Golden rule stuff here.

Conclusion

After sampling a few of these commandments, we should recognize that God and his Word are very applicable for our clothing styles, our careers, our building plans––all our life. And we should be eagerly apply these wise laws that God has given for the flourishing of life. This happens, of course, as his people imitate the God of life.

Psalm 96: Our God Reigns

Christ Church on October 14, 2018

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Introduction

God is worthy of all praise and honor. We know this through special revelation—as we see here in Psalm 96—and we also learn the same thing from the created order itself. God is speaking both places because God is silent nowhere. The creation is an essential part of the choir. The oceans are singing bass, and the stars have the high soprano descant. We, the redeemed of mankind, occupy the middle position and should do so as ones eager and willing to acquit ourselves well in the task. We should sing in a manner that is worthy of all our companions.

The Text

“O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth. Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice. Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth” (Ps. 96:1-13).

Summary of the Text

A general invitation is given to sing unto the Lord; it is a universal invitation—“all the earth” (v. 1). Sing to the Lord, and this should be extended through time—“day to day” (v. 2). All the heathen should hear about it (v. 3). The reason for this is the greatness of our God (v. 4). The gods of the nations are idols, but God created the heavens (v. 5). Honor and majesty are in front of Him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary (v. 6). Give glory and strength to the Lord (v. 7). Our God deserves glory, so bring Him an offering (v. 8). Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (v. 9), and notice that this adoration of beauty goes together with fear. Say among the heathen that God is in charge (v. 10). The world is fixed in place because God settled it (v. 10). Let the heavens be glad; let the earth rejoice; let the oceans roar (v. 11). The meadows and trees join in (v. 12). The judgment of God is coming, and never forget that this is good news (v. 13). The judgment of God is a good thing.

Our God Made the Heavens

We have touched on this point already in other psalms, but the Lord is our Maker. He is the one who has made us, and not we ourselves. Any personal beings or impersonal forces that seek to occupy the position that should only be occupied by the one who made us are idols. This would include the deaf, dumb and blind process called natural selection.

We must affirm that the Creator made absolutely everything, and that He used that most abundant raw material of all, which would be nothing. So the doctrine of creation is profoundly foundational. Everything depends on it. It is by no means a secondary thing. Darwin was profoundly mistaken, and the only people who might be more mistaken than he was would be those Christians who think that there might be some kind of accommodation possible between Darwin and Genesis. And by Genesis I mean Genesis as handled by sober exegesis, and no funny business.

Our God is Beauty

God is infinitely sublime. Not only is He the ultimate embodiment of Beauty itself, we must also recognize that knowledge of this lines up entirely with the need to fear before Him. The aesthetic aspect of our worship does not reduce God to manageable proportions—we fear Him, and we worship Him in the beauty of holiness. God is beauty itself, not cuteness itself. He is not a domesticated god. He is

Our God is Worthy of Glory

We are to declare the glory of the Lord, and we are to declare it before the goyim, before the nations, before the heathen (v. 3). The fact that they don’t recognize this is not to be used as a reason for silence, but rather as a motive for declaration. All the tribes of men are to be invited to join in with the giving of this glory (v. 7). Give glory and strength to the Lord. He is worthy of great glory, and so we are to give Him the glory that is due to His name (v. 8).

When those who do not know God are silent about His glory, this is not to be taken by us as a signal to remain silent as well. When the heathen, who do not know Him, fail to give Him glory, this is a void that we must step into.

And Our God Reigns

We have a tendency to think that power is merely impressive, but we have learned already that God is the Maker of all things. We have learned that He is Beauty itself; we are to worship Him in the beauty of holiness. We are to render glory to Him. So this God, this creative, beautiful, and glorious God, this God, is the one who reigns over all things (v. 10).

Not one atom wobbles from its place. Not one crab nebula wanders from its assigned role. Not one hair takes up residence in your hairbrush apart from His command. Not one sparrow is taken down by a stray cat unless of the Father of all that is determined that it should be so. But this is not raw power.

This is no despot who reigns, but rather our heavenly Father. This is the one whose Son took on human flesh in order to die for all the sins of all His people. Do you think the problem of evil is a problem? God created this world, and everything in it, and determined that it should go in just the way it is going, so that all the evil in all the world might be fashioned into the shape of a Roman spear, and rammed into His side. He is our Maker. He is our beauty. He is our glory. He is the king, the one who reigns, and His crown is made of thorns.

Purging Out Evil

Christ Church on October 14, 2018

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Introduction

Adam was exiled from Eden. Cain was driven from God’s presence. The flood purged the earth of man’s corruption. Sodom was destroyed by heavenly fire. On the night of Passover, yeast was purged out of Hebrew homes. Nadab and Abihu were burned alive by divine fire for offering strange fire. Achan was stoned then burned for keeping consecrated items. Thirty-one kings were wiped out of the Promised Land. Israel was exiled into Assyria, while Judah was carried off captive into Babylon for their many idolatries. And lest we think this is just the mean God of the Old Testament, that same God struck down Ananias and Sapphira, Paul commanded the excommunication of unrepentant brothers, and of course the Bible ends with a marked warning that unbelievers “shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).” The lesson? God drives out sinners from His presence.

The Text

“And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee” (Deut. 13:5).

Summary of the Text

Moses recounts (Dt. 5) how Mt. Sinai burned with divine fire when the Law was given. Jehovah was a holy God. Though He was covenanting with Israel, He was still a God who would not endure sin. The Law not only restrained evil-doers and reflected back to man his sinfulness, but also graciously revealed the means for man to enjoy fellowship with God through the sacrifices.
Deuteronomy is basically Moses’ sermon series on the Ten Commandments. Throughout this book Moses clarifies which violations of the Law could be punished with death, and more importantly, why. Deuteronomy 13:1-5 covers the first through third commandments regarding false gods and idolatry. Deuteronomy 21:21 & 22:21 deals with the fifth commandment of dishonoring father & mother. Additionally, murder (Deut. 19:13, 21:9), adultery (Deut. 22:22-24), bearing false witness (Deut. 17:6-7 & 19:19), along with theft, slave-trading, and kidnapping (Deut. 24:7) are all to be punished––potentially––with execution. His customary concluding phrase “thus shall thou put away the evil from the midst of thee” gives the underlying reason for the execution.

Not Only the “What” but the “Why”

God is not merely giving a capricious dictates to His people. His dictates are accompanied by doctrine. He doesn’t give them the “what” without quickly adding the “why”. Another example of this is in Leviticus, where we find the frequently used summary phrase: “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy (Lev. 19:2).” Deuteronomy’s “why-phrase” means to burn up, consume away, to eat up as with fire, to destroy; which happened whenever a sin offering was made. The animal was consumed by the fire. However, in executing a convicted evil-doer the Israelite community became means whereby the fire of God’s wrath against such sin consumed away such a sinner. Executing––or exiling (1Ki. 22:46 & 2Ki. 23:24)––evil-doers is to be done in order to remove evil from God’s congregation.

Now For Some Particulars

Moses is quite measured in making it clear that the death penalty was not to be carried out through kangaroo courts, or through vigilante mobs. We should never lightly take a life; but there are instances where an evil-doer’s life was forfeit through gross disobedience to God’s Law. God alone has the prerogative to take a life. However, He has put the sword of justice into the civil magistrate’s hand, and He has stipulated what instances are permissible for the civil magistrate to execute wicked men. We must not slip into thinking that this is merely a “vestigial organ” of the Old Testament. This is one of the main points which Paul makes in Romans 13. The civil magistrate is God’s deacon (or servant/minister) of justice, executing God’s wrath upon criminals in order to preserve the peace and holiness of the entire community.

False teachers were sure to arise to entice God’s people from pure worship of the True God. Whether this false teacher was a scintillating prophet with signs and wonders, a near family member, or an entire city, the congregation must not pity false teachers. If anyone endeavored “to turn you away from the LORD your God (Deut. 13:5),” he was to be destroyed.

False witnesses who tried to indict someone on a phony charge, undermine the very foundation of true justice, and thus whatever they sought to have happen to the accused came upon them. Rebellious sons, and unchaste daughters were a danger to covenantal faithfulness and thus were to be executed for the sake of the purity of the whole congregation. Rapists, adulterers, slavers, and murderers were––if found guilty by the mouth of two or three witnesses––to be punished with death. Why? Because Israel was to be a holy nation in which God dwelt; as such, sins which threatened the stability and purity of the whole nation could not be tolerated.

Paul employs this Deuteronomical phrase when telling the Corinthians that they needed to excommunicate the man who had taken his father’s wife, “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person (1Co. 5:13).” While Corinth was a sexually debauched city, Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers for turning a blind eye to the fornication they could deal with. How could they ever think to conquer Corinth with the Gospel, if the Gospel hadn’t conquered them? They needed moxy to oust the wicked man, but instead had shown temerity. Faithful justice always requires courage.

Mortify Your Flesh

What God commanded to take place for corporate Israel is intended to take place in the individual life. Sinners must die for their sin. Jesus takes these laws, and rather than dialing back the intensity, He turns up the heat of conviction. “Ye have heard it said…but I say (Mt. 5:21-22).” Look at your heart. A murderer is there. A thief is there. An adulterer is there. A slave-trader is there. An idol is there which looks like the god known as You. You must die.
In comes the Gospel mandate: the flesh must be “purged out”. The old man must be crucified (Rom. 6:6). You must mortify your flesh (Rom. 8:13). You must put off uncleanness (Col. 3:5, 8). How? The only way to deal with yourself is by faith in the Lord Jesus. He was driven outside the camp, burned up, hung on a tree as a curse, in order that every lying, murderous, adulterous, conniving, scheming sinner might find their death in His death.

Psalm 95: Let Us Kneel and Bow Down

Christ Church on October 7, 2018

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Introduction

Throughout the New Testament, we are given cautions and warnings. We are told repeatedly that we are to take lessons from what happened to our older brothers, the Jews. The things written down in Scripture were written for our edification, which means that we need to learn to read the narrative right. We are not told that the Jews could fall away, but that Christians cannot. Know that these warnings apply to us—not as though the decree of God’s election could be altered—but the warnings about our place in the visible covenant apply because our position is exactly that of the Jews. This will become plainer as we go on. The psalm is from David—although the psalm itself does not attribute it to David, that connection is made in the book of Hebrews (4:7).

The Text

“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: The strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: And his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: Let us kneel before the Lord our maker. For he is our God; And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, And as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, Proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, And said, It is a people that do err in their heart, And they have not known my ways: Unto whom I sware in my wrath That they should not enter into my rest” (Psalm 95).

Summary of the Text

Biblical faith is a corporate affair. The godly looks around himself, and says to others, “Come” (v. 1). We need many to gather in order to make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. We come before His presence with thanksgiving, and the fact of a joyful noise is mentioned again (v. 2). We make that joyful noise with psalms. Why do we do this? Because the Lord is a great God, a king above all the other gods (v. 3). The deeps are in His hand. The wealth of the deepest mines are His (v. 4). He fashioned the oceans, and His were the hands that formed the dry land (v. 5). So the great invitation is issued again. Worship is corporate. Let us worship. Let us bow down. Let us kneel before our Maker (v. 6). He is our God. We are the people of His pasture. We are the sheep in His flock (v. 7).

Up through the first half of v. 7, the voice is that of one of the Lord’s people, inviting others to gather together in worship. It is a psalm of sheep exhorting sheep. In the turn from v. 7 to v. 8, we see that the voice is now the voice of the Shepherd. Do not harden your heart as you did before (v. 8), as your fathers did before (v. 9). There is ambiguity in v. 10. Did they grieve the Lord for forty years, or did they wander for forty years because they had grieved Him? I take it as the latter. These people err in their hearts (v. 10), and as a consequence God swore in His wrath that they would not enter His rest (v. 11).

These Ten Times

As Israel was fresh out of Egypt, they tempted the Lord because of a lack of water, and the place where they did this had two different names given to it—Massah and Meribah. “And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not?” (Ex. 17:7). “Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah” (Deut. 6:16; cf. 33:8). Despite their provocation in this, the Lord did not relegate to a generation in the wilderness yet. That came about a year later, after the episode of the return of the unbelieving spies.

“Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it” (Num. 14:22–23).

Because of “these ten times” when they tested the Lord, all within the first year of their time in the wilderness, the Lord sealed them up in that wilderness for forty years.

Entering His Rest

As this psalm is interpreted and applied by Paul in Hebrews, there are multiple layers to the meaning of rest. In the psalm itself, the Lord was angry with that generation, and swore that they would not enter Canaan-rest (Ps. 95:11). There is the antitype of this, in the wilderness generation of Christians preparing to invade the world with the gospel, in what might be called the Great Commission rest (Heb. 3:14). Then there is personal salvation rest (Heb. 4:1-3). Then we have what can be called our corporate weekly-foretaste rest (Heb. 4:9-10). And last, we have what I take as a final heavenly rest (Heb. 4:11).

Covenant Continuity

As we consider these things, remember that God’ elect cannot be taken from His hand. Your regeneration is not reversible. No one can successfully thwart the work of salvation that God has once begun in a sinner’s heart.

At the same time, something can be thwarted. Apostasy is a real sin, committed by real people. It is not a sin that can be committed by any of God’s decretally elect, but it can be committed by individuals who are covenantally connected to Christ.

The New Testament Scriptures never say anything like this: In the Old Testament it was possible to fall away from the covenant, but now in the new covenant this is impossible. Not at all. “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Heb. 10:29).

Jesus is the vine, and branches can be cut out of Him (John 15:1-8). Christ is the root of the Abrahamic tree, and Paul tells Christians that they can be cut out of it just as the unbelieving Jews had been (Rom. 11: 18-24), and for the same reasons. And what kind of things were written down for our example (1 Cor. 10:6)?

So the Christ in whom we must believe has always been a present Christ. The Christ in whom we do believe is a Christ who is near to His people, and has always been near to His people. And when this is proclaimed, and the vicarious blood sacrifice that He offered to His Father is preached, there is only one reasonable response to it all. Come, let kneel before the Lord our Maker.