Old Testament Archives - Page 81 of 143

Psalm 96: Our God Reigns

Christ Church on October 14, 2018

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.

Forgetful in Abundance

Christ Church on October 7, 2018

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Text: Deuteronomy 8:1-20

“Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. ²And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. ³So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. ⁵You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.

⁶“Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. ⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; ⁸a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; ⁹a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing; a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. ¹⁰When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.

¹¹“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, ¹²lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; ¹³and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; ¹⁴when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; ¹⁵who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; ¹⁶who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— ¹⁷then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’

¹⁸“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. ¹⁹Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. ²⁰As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lordyour God.

Introduction

We continue to work our way through Deuteronomy in a series focusing on Faithfulness for the Next Generation. In the previous chapter, Moses highlighted that faithfulness to the Lord meant no covenant compromise with the Canaanite nations or their gods. If God’s people were faithful in this, then the Lord would radically bless them. Covenant compromise remains a danger. That’s a danger. Another danger is that once the Lord has established Israel in this abundant land, they would grow comfortable and complacent and so forget their God who was the source of all the blessings.

Cotton Matter a New England minister in the 1700’s accurately stated, “Faithfulness begot Prosperity, and the daughter devoured the mother.” In whatever circumstance whether barrenness or blessing, God’s people must remember the Lord’s provision and faithfully obey the Lord. This was a lesson Israel was repeated taught in the wilderness and they must not forget in the prosperity of the Promise Land. And, this is a lesson that we must learn today in our own lives and our church community.

Maybe: In the wilderness, Israel needed to learn the lesson that they were completely dependent on the Lord and so must obey Him fully. And that was a pretty obvious conclusion. Only God is capable of bringing water gushing out of bolder. God provides in the wilderness. Soon Israel will move into a land with abundant water, abundant bread and all the good stuff they’ve been longing for in wilderness. Will they remember their lesson? Or will they Forget the Lord their God?

Humbling, Testing, Providing (vs. 1-6)

Moses begins chapter 8 with the admonition, “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply and go in and posses the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers.” Like in the previous chapters, Moses presses on Israel the central importance of obedience. Obedience begins today. The first and greatest commandment that Moses has delivered is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This is worth your careful attention and obedience. If you are, then the Lord will give you life and children and the land that he promised to your fathers (all of which are really good).

“And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” Israel had a forty year course at Wilderness University where they were regularly tested. Here’s this Red Sea, here’s this thirsty desert, here are these Moabite woman and their Baals. The tests were aimed at revealing what was in the heart––Who will you obey, Israel? Who do you love, Israel?

In a trial, you commonly ask, “What are you doing, God?” The Lord is humbling you by the trial, by a storm. And he tests to know what’s really in your heart, whether you will obey or whether you’re a sunshine Christian only.

In verse 3, Moses gives an example, “The Lord humbled you and let you get hungry and then fed you with manna.” The Lord humbled. The Lord tested. The Lord provided. God humbled Israel so that their stomachs were growling. Their growling stomachs revealed their grumbling hearts. The Lord provides miracle manna to teach Israel–– “Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the Lord.” Bread is never enough. Israel had to be made dependent on the Lord for the basics, bread and water, so that they’d know that they are dependent on the Lord for all things (not just physical but emotional and spiritual).

Israel will soon be in a land loaded with bread, and they are gonna be tested again. Will they forget the primary lesson? Man needs God and God provides for Man––bread and clothes and footwear and all the rest (vs. 4).

The Lord is humbling and testing and providing because he is like a father disciplining his son. “Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.” Often we feel like we can do without the discipline of the Lord. I think this is how my kids think of my discipline. I know this is how I thought about the spankings I got from my parents. But now I’m thankful for their loving discipline. It was love and merciful of them. A memory I had was my pops disciplining me by making me ask forgiveness to Mr. Johnson, an elderly retired marine, who lived next door when I chucked a snow ball at him and beaned him right on his bald head. Pops led me over. Humbled. Test what was in my heart––a lot of fear. That put the fear of Mr. Johnson in me, “Will you please forgive me for throwing a snow ball at your head?” And the fear of God. Responsibility for my actions. Restoration. And Obedience––no more snow balls at Mr. Johnson.

The response to God the Father’s discipline is obedience, “So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him” (vs. 6). Israel’s situation will soon change. They are moving from the harsh wilderness to a prosperous paradise. What doesn’t change in their new circumstance? Reliance upon God and faithfulness to God.

A Good Land from a Good God (vs. 7-10).

Israel should be motivated obey the Lord because the Lord is bringing Israel into a very good land. Get your desert-dwelling-nomad imagination on and listen to this, “The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land filled of brooks of water, of fountains and springs (hot springs, perhaps?) flowing out in the valleys and the hills, GUSHING WATER, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figs trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper” (vs. 7-9). Israel should give some holy high-fives after hearing what the land is going to be like. Milk and honey totally undersold what the Promise Land would be like! There’s even buried treasure out there!

Such abundant provision should produce a roaring doxology from the people––Hallelujah! Vs. 10, “And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.” God has blessed Israel with this good land. Therefore, they should bless the Lord for this good land he has given. Gratitude is the response for grace.

Israel should not pretend that the land that God gave was NOT good. Because it was good. It was the best. They should faithfully receive the good things––good food, good wine, good jewelry, all gifts from a good God. It would not be faithful to ban the pleasures, the enjoyment. God didn’t declare Prohibition Era in the Promise Land. God was excessive in the Promise Land. Just like Jesus was at the wedding feast. Just like in salvation. This good land should continually remind Israel of their good God. Or it should…

Do we need to say that blessings are good? There are some branches of the Christian tree that recoil at goodness––food, drink, spikeball. If it’s enjoyable, then it’s inherently sinful, or at the very least suspicious. Well, I’m here to put the fun back in fundamental. Basic obedience to God leads to a blessed life, a happy life, dare I say, a fun life. When does your family have the most fun? When everyone is bickering and snatching toys and cutting with words? OR when you’re loving each other and loving God––two fundamental commandments.

Do Not Forget the LORD Your God (vs. 11-16)

Having spent a bit of time with Israel, Moses feels prompted to give a warning, “Beware lest you FORGET the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statues, which I command you today” (vs. 11). The warning is don’t forget the Lord in the abundance. You forget the Lord by forgetting the Word of the Lord. You forget the Lord by disobedience. Take a similar warning from your own life–– “Boys, don’t forget your mother.” A high-school guy or really any guy can say, “Yeah, of course, I want forget my mama. I love her.” But, you forget your mama when you forget to take out the garbage like she told you. Likewise, but much more importantly, God is forgotten when his commandments, his rules, his statutes are not done. Forgetting and, we will see, remembering are not verbs limited to you head.

Moses gives the setting of the temptation to forget, “Take care that when you have eaten and are full, and have built good houses and live in them and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold multiply and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart will be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (vs. 12-14). Moses says that their prosperity gives rise to self-exaltation. But this self-exalting leads to God-forgetting––where they came from, how they got there, what they’ve been given. They forgot the Word of God and they now forgot the deliverance of God.

Fools Don’t Remember (vs. 17-20)

But a heart that exalts itself, forgetting God, is a foolish heart and says insane things like, “My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth” (vs. 17). This is a severe case of spiritual amnesia. It was not your power or your mighty hand, but God’s. And God did not build you up with his blessings so that you could set yourself up as a rival to God. This is the kind of crazy-talk that got Nebuchadnezzar humbled from prosperity. Nebuchadnezzar exalted his heart and boasted look at what “I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty” (Dan. 4:30). The next thing Nebuchadnezzar is chewing the cud with a herd of cows. This is the foolish talk of the Rich Fool in the parable Jesus told of the man who torn down his old barns to build new ones and said to his soul, “‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Lk. 12:18-21).

But in contrast, Israel is called to remember, “You shall REMEMBER your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (vs. 18). Think back, Israel. Where would you be without God? Slinging mud for bricks to build Pharoah’s bath house. That’s where––in slavery. In bondage. In hopelessness. It would have been impossible for the nation of Israel to come here. It was the Lord your God who delivered you out of slavery. If you think that it was your doing, that is pride and foolishness.

There are solemn consequences if Israel acts the fool and forgets the Lord in the abundance, “And if you forget the LORD your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish. Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God” (vs. 19-20). If Israel forgets the Lord and lives like Canaanites, then Lord will treat them like Canaanites––they shall surely perish. Notice that comfort and compromise go hand and hand. What are Canaanites still doing in the land seducing God’s people who apparently have settled into a comfortable existence? Israel should be fighting, not forgetting.

Faithful in Abundance

If the negative command is “Don’t be forgetful in abundance,” the positive admonition is “Be faithful in abundance.” The abundance, the prosperity, the wealth is not the problem. These are from the Lord hand. Just like the wilderness, the barrenness, the battlefield are from the Lord. How can you be faithful in abundance? Remember the Lord your God who has delivered you. Gratefully recognize the gifts that he has given to you. Get up and live faithfully. All of which is dependent on Christ.

Comfort and desire to maintain rather than pusihing forward in obedience of the mission. Community complacency. Grace becomes assumed, entitlement.)

So let’s do that right now.

We forget that God has delivered us out of our darkness out of hours soon and cold us and brought us into his marvelous light in order for us to declare his praises we have been delivered from in order to be delivered to. We are not the ones who are able to say that’s good, you’ve made it. You run until God says stop. You keep striving and working moving forward until he says well done good and faithful servant welcome into your rest. God has called you out of darkness so that way you can call others out of darkness.

How did God deliver them? Remember the land of Egypt––the place you were slaves for 400 stinking years? Remember the Lord delivered you by his mighty hand? Remember the ten plagues against the hard-hearted Pharaoh? Remember the Lord who led you with his own Spirit in the cloud and in the fire. Remember the Lord delivered them from serpents and scorpions. Remember the Lord miraculously brought water out of the flinty rock. Remember the Lord who daily fed you manna. Remember Him who humbled you, tested you, so that you may not be proud. So that the Lord your God may do you good in the end.

God has delivered you from the accusations of serpents and their bites and the fear of guilt unforgiven, and the wilderness of shame where there seems to be no shelter from scrutiny or scoffing. What a dreadful and terryfiing wilderness to pass through that is our sin and death IF the LORD had not provided and guided us through and brought us into the abudnant land that he has promised.

Even in that Wilderness, God provided the Rock who is Christ for your to drink from. He provided heavenly manna that you might have the bread of life. Jesus took on the curse of the serpent and was hoisted up on a cross so that the serpent plague would cease.

Because the Lord promises to bless faithfulness, each new generation of God’s people need to learn this and decide to love and to obey God. God will continue to blessing obedience.

Christ and His Gifts

Consider the alternative. If you are a Christian for the gifts with the added benefit of Christ, what happens when the blessings turn to barrenness? The water dries up. The crops fail. The good house starts falling apart. The basement floods. The appliances break. The job is terminated. You fail out of class. The courtship crashes. There is no courtship or a single date this decade. The cancer is back. The baby doesn’t survive past 8 weeks. What happens when the blessings become barren? All of these trials, troubles, heart breaks come from the Lord. You’re in the wilderness, and you’re hungry. How you response reveals what’s in your heart. Once the blessings, the gifts abandon you, will you abandon Christ? Some do. Many are tempted.

“Do you want to go away as well,” Jesus asked his disciples. Peter answered well, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn. 6:7-9). Your hope in the good times and the tired times, the times in the wilderness and in the promise land, the disciplining the for the 19th time, the times you’re sinned against and the times when you sin, where do you go? Go to Jesus Christ, for he has the words of eternal life. As Saint Patrick said, “Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me… pg 351). If you are gift-less, then do not be Christ-less.

Jesus Christ is here today, and he provides. If you are in the wilderness, where do you go to drink? Where do yo got to eat? You go to Jesus, just like Israel in the wilderness. 1 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “Our fathers all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.” Christ was with them.

Psalm 94: Mischief by a Law

Christ Church on September 30, 2018

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Introduction

As a thoughtful Christian meditates on this psalm, it is hard to escape the conclusion that a good name for it would be “A Psalm for the Secular West.” But this would be a mistake—while it is absolutely pertinent for our times, there have been many generations when the same things could be said, including the time it was written. God has always been holy, and man has always been sinful, and the math always seems to work out the same way.

The Text

“O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself. Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: Render a reward to the proud. Lord, How long shall the wicked, How long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people, O Lord, And afflict thine heritage . . .” (Psalm 94: 1-23).

Summary of the Text

The plea is for Jehovah to show Himself, as He is the one to whom vengeance belongs (v. 1). God, please rouse Yourself, and hammer the proud (v. 2). How long are You going to let the wicked run on like this (v. 3)? How long will they be allowed to boast in their pufferies (v. 4)? God, do You not see that they are breaking Your people (v. 5)? They murder widows, aliens, and orphans (v. 6), and give themselves a free pass by saying that God does not see it (v. 7).

Understand then, you swinish men, learn wisdom, you fools (v. 8). Do you really think that the one who made the ear cannot hear? That the one who fashioned the exquisite mechanism of the eye is Himself blind (v. 9)? The one who chastises pagan nations, shall He not correct you (v. 10)? He that teaches knowledge to man . . . words then fail the psalmist (v. 10). God knows the thoughts of man—and they are three parts mist, and two parts fog (v. 11).

If God teaches and chastens a man, then that man is blessed (v. 12). God will give him rest from affliction, until the point when the wicked get theirs (v. 13). God will never forsake His own heritage (v. 14). The upright will follow a right judgment (v. 15). Who will stand on our behalf against the wicked (v. 16)? The Lord is the only one who could do that (v. 17). When our foot is about to slip, the mercy of God intervenes (v. 18). When our thoughts are buzzing like a hive full of irritated bees, the comforts of God delight us (v. 19). Shall the throne of iniquity, that which uses laws as instruments of mischief, have fellowship with God (v. 20)? And what is the consequence of God refusing fellowship to a throne? That throne must fall. But they gather, they assemble, they conspire, and they do so against innocent blood (v. 21). Nevertheless God remains our defense, and our rock of refuge (v. 22). There is a final holy warning given, no less ominous for its holiness. God will bend their iniquity back on them (v. 23). He will cut them off in their wickedness; He will absolutely cut them off (v. 23).

Understanding Imprecatory Psalms

As Christians we are instructed to sing the psalms, all of them (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). This means that God wants them to help shape our devotional lives, and this includes the imprecatory psalms. God wants us to have a piety that knows how to cry out for vengeance, a piety that calls for blood.

But if you find yourself singing psalms of imprecation because someone cut you off in traffic, then I would suggest that perhaps you are doing it wrong. If you utter curses from the Psalter because you open the fridge and find that someone finished off the ice cream, then perhaps a basic refresher is in order. Remember that Jesus rebuked some of His disciples who wanted to call down fire from Heaven (Luke 9:55). Elijah had done this in a showdown with the wicked king Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:10). James and John wanted to do it because some Samaritans had told them the Motel 6 was full when it wasn’t.

So when you have learned to treat your personal enemies the way David did (1 Sam. 24:1-15), then you are in a good place to begin learning how to sing the way he did about God’s enemies (Ps. 139:21). The heart of the lesson is that psalms of imprecation are instances of us turning the whole thing over to God because He is the one to whom vengeance belongs (Ps. 94:1). When you do it right, you are taking your fleshly desires out of the dispute, not inserting your flesh into the conflict, and all in the name of Jesus.

The Great Wickedness of Evolution

The impudence of evolution is seen in the fact that it denies the first premise that is set out by the psalmist. He that made the ear, does He not hear? He that formed the eye, does He not see? He that gives man knowledge . . . oh, he is out of patience. Just stop.

The point of evolutionary science is in no way the pursuit of knowledge. It is rather a pell mell flight from the knowledge of God. The problem is not “not enough” knowledge. The problem is that we have too much knowledge, and we are trying to offload some of it.

Mischief through the Law

When we pretend that God doesn’t see us, the first thing this does is open up a vacancy. We need a god who sees us. And because the Most High apparently cannot see us, we will appoint some rebels to rule in His place. They abuse that position, naturally, but it is better than having the living God try to run our lives. What do these jitney gods do? The vaunt themselves in their pride (vv. 2, 4). They break God’s people (v. 5). They attack the defenseless (v. 6). They think their great vain thinks (v. 11). They frame mischief through their legislation (v. 20). And their own iniquity rises up like scalding water out of a geyser, and crashes back down on them (v. 23).

God’s Gonna . . .

And it seems only fitting to conclude with the words of Johnny Cash, who expressed one of the central sentiments in this psalm very nicely.

Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler
The gambler
The back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut ’em down

And never forget that the only safe way to flee from the wrath of God, from the anger of His hot displeasure, is to turn on your heel and run as fast as you can toward the wrath of God as it was poured out on the crucified Jesus.