A Boomer in the Pew

Video: The #1 thing, of all things, to get right in your life: Know God

One of the greatest things I have learned, in my three years on God's threshing floor, is this:  above all things, my Creator desires that I know Him.  Not to know of Him, but to actually know, and have a relationship with Him.

Here it from the last sentence, in the journal of the world's wisest man (King Solomon):  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Here it from the mouth of God, through Jeremiah: Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Here is Dr. Bruce Ware, speaking in chapel at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  Three steps to grow in the knowledge of God:

1. Examine your own heart.  Ask "What in this world do I consider of great value, and why?"  Dig deep!  Find those things that might possess greater value to you than God.  Repent.  Turn.
2. Meditate on the majesty, the character, and the works of God.  What might I find, in God, that should be considered of greatest value, and why?
3. Repeat steps #1, and #2, over, and over, and over, and over, and over, all your life.  We are prone to wander.

What are we to learn from Mephibosheth?

ESV Study Bible Devotions

As I was reading 2 Samuel 9 this morning, I was struggling to understand what I might learn from King David's interaction with Mephibosheth.

Certainly David's kindness, and gracious act to Jonathan's son is touching.  David loved Jonathan, and finding Mephibosheth must have been a great joy to him.  We even see an exclamation point as David proclaims Mephibosheth's name upon their reuniting.

Normally, in the transition of kingship, the previous king's family would have been slaughtered.  Mephibosheth no doubt understood this.

How must he have felt to be summoned to the King's court?  Surely he feared for his life.

Yet, David cleans him up and places him at the king's table.

Sound familiar? 

Isn't this what Christ did for you, and me?  Reached out to us, through no action on our part, snatched us up, and set us at his table?

Here is Dr. Charles Stanley sharing just this point.

As I look back on my life, I am continually amazed that God reached out, and saved this Mephibosheth. 

How about you?  Can you relate to Mephibosheth?

Discourse with my Catholic friend on Justification

A few days ago, I wrote an article regarding the observation of a Catholic friend, far advanced beyond me in years, who is seemingly frantically doing "good works" in order that he might be saved, or perhaps saved from purgatory.  

Another dear Catholic friend made earnest comments to defend this behavior, in the comments of that post, to which I thought I would bring forth Dr. John Piper's defense of Justification by faith, and faith alone.

Here is Dr. John Piper's most recent sermon, working his way through the Book of John.  You will find his discussion of Justification at the 38:00 marker.  However, I highly recommend listening to the whole discourse on the resurrection of the dead.

Another interesting set of videos, on the disparity of understanding of Justification, was brought forth by my friend Barbara.

My Catholic friend worried about going to heaven

I have a friend, quite a few years my senior, who I have noticed seemingly frantic about doing good works before his death. 

You see, he is Catholic, and he has been instructed all his life that he must behave in certain ways.  If he doesn't meet some mysterious standard, then he might spend many, many years in purgatory (which I don't believe exits).

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Key points:

• Grace = unmerited favor.  We didn't/don't deserve it.
• We are saved by faith.  Faith + Nothing = Salvation.
• This is not our own doing!  God chose us.  See Doctrine of Election.
• It is a gift.  We don't earn gifts.
• It is not the result of our works.
• This way, none of us can boast.  All the glory for our salvation goes to God.

Please dear Catholic friend(s), pull out your Bible and read it for yourselves.  Ask many questions, and don't quit until you are satisfied that you understand God's words on the matter, and no others.

Here is a recent article by Pulpit magazine on this topic. 

HT [Tim Challies]

Consider: How does God's first destruction of Israel vindicate his holiness?

Ezekiel 5:7-9 - Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you, and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, and have not even acted according to the rules of the nations that are all around you, 8 therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. 9 And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.

It is impossible to know God without reading the whole of his word.  And, if you do read the whole of his word, with thoughtfulness, you will be troubled.

These words, in Ezekiel 5, are very disturbing to comprehend.  This God certainly does not align with the post-modern god with hippie flowers around his neck, promoting world peace.

This God just destroyed Israel!

Woe to anyone who first jumps first into this chapter.  I suppose, if they do, they will likely go running to Oprah Winfrey's "that God is mean" club.

There are also those who come upon these verses with no more trepidation than buying a pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum.

But we all must walk to the end of this dock, and contemplate a God who destroys his chosen nation.

I pen not these words to shake my fist.  I cry not, "God how dare you".  The motives of God are clear to our view.

Ezekiel 36:22-23 - “Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes.

For the sake of God's holy name. 

If we recoil at this destruction, which I do in part, then we do not fully understand holiness.  Herein lies the troubling part that we must come to terms with.  This is the same God of the New Testament.  God does not change.  Yet, here we see God, with jealousy, defending his name in the most destructive of ways.

Homework assignment:  go sit on the end of this dock and consider of what God's holiness is made.

Oh my soul, desperately pursue an understanding of God's holiness.

Reading the Bible in a year is like skipping atop Icebergs

September is speeding by, and I am finding myself three quarters of the way through my year-long journey through my ESV Study Bible.

I am enjoying the journey, I am, but I am also frustrated with the sea of questions that I am leaving behind each day.

Generally speaking, I will spend two hours each day reading the daily prescribed text, contemplate, and leave here, in my blog, a few thoughts that come to mind.

Currently, my reading plan has me in Psalms, 2 Samuel, Ezekiel, and Luke.  It's like my mind is being torn into four different directions.

Constantly I am reminding myself to keep moving, as the plan for this year was to read the whole of the Bible.

Consider my readings today:

• Psalm 44 - I am shocked with the language presented.  Essentially, the Psalmist is upset because he doesn't know why God is "killing them all the day long".  "What have we done wrong", he essentially proclaims.  Then, in what the ESV Study Bible notes proclaim as "bold imagery", the Psalmist screams, "God, wake up!"  This is God's holy word, what are we to learn from this bold irreverence?
• 2 Samuel 4 - more heads are severed as Saul's son, Ish-bosheth, is decapitated.  The murders come bragging to David, and he punishes them for their treachery, by cutting off their hands, and feet, and hanging their dead bodies by the pool at Hebron.  God is clearing the way for David to become King.  But God, help me understand, why this way?  Help me better understand the situation, and not be in shock at the means.  Post-modern minds read this, Abba, and call you blood thirty.  Certainly that isn't true.  Give me understanding.  How did David's actions here glorify you?
• Ezekiel 4:12 - ...And you shall eat it as a barley cake, baking it in their sight on human dung.”  Wow, Abba, you are really upset with Israel.  In fact, you are going to destroy Israel.  Understanding your pure holiness, with a 21st century mind is difficult.  And, wow, what did I just read in the first three chapters of Ezekiel?  
• Luke 9:50-60 - To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus [13] said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”   See what I mean?  How can I merely run by this statement without stopping to understand!  A first blush, it seems like an incredibly callous statement, but I am certain my Christ is not callous.  Therefore, what is he meaning to teach us here?  Shocking to my ears.

Do you see my frustration?  Today I am left with more questions, than answers.  I desire to stop, throw out the anchor, and dive down around these icebergs.  But, alas, my quest for this year is to keep moving.

Contemplating human behavior at the Pool of Gibeon

"The Pool of Gibeon?", (photo from HolyLandPhotos.org). 

In 1957, the St. Petersburg Times (view actual copy) proclaimed that archaeologists had found the 25 century old pool. 

Today, however, common wisdom is that the pool to the right is from the "iron age", and thus not likely the actual pool from the days of 2 Samuel.

ESV Study Bible Devotions - 2 Samuel 2.

Now that Saul is dead, I find it interesting to witness the natural behavior of man, as the vacuum left by Saul's death seeks to be filled.

Isn't it interesting that no one proclaims that this whole king idea was a bad one?  The prophet Samuel proclaimed that this desire for a king was a "great wickedness", yet here we see Israel clamoring for another king.  

Since the time of the fall, we see over and over, with pride at its root, man demanding a ruler other than God.  Sometimes this ruler is ourselves, or idols we might create (love of money, love of a beautiful body, etc.), or even the President of the United States.

Fear was introduced to man, at the Fall, and ever since we have this innate desire to rid ourselves of fear.  Sometimes, we make ourselves feel better by placing our trust in a ruler.

Presidential elections are a wonderful example of this.  For many, there is a desire to have "our man" at the helm of the nation, looking out for our interests.  We fight, through elections, for our desired "king", and once elected, we place our faith in our new "king", and go on, by in large, about our business.

The pool of Gibeon is such a scene.  Only here, we will see a civil war of sorts as blood is shed within Israel.

We have come many, many centuries since God, in the minds of man, has ruled as King.

If we climb up to 50,000 feet, and look down upon the history of man, we see that the pool of Gibeon is merely systematic of man's plight on this earth. 

In the beginning, God walked among the earth with his creation.  He was Father, he was Creator, he was King, among many other things.

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, tempted by a fallen angel, choose disobedience, partook of the tree, and whammo....relationship is broken.  We lost our King.

And we have been looking in all the wrong places, as natural men, to regain that relationship ever since!

Contemplating Saul and his severed head hanging on the Wall of Beth-shan

"Inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead recovering the bodies of Saul and his Sons", 1865 engraving, by Gustave Dore', from "La Sainte Bible".

The Death of Saul - ESV Study Bible.

There he is, Israel's first king, head severed, hanging on a Philistine wall.

What are we to learn from this?

Well, there are many lessons in Saul's life.  We see:

• the great tragedy of disobedience (God regretting Saul)
• the propensity of man to swell himself in pride.
• the savagery that can come from jealousy.

But far more importantly, giving this man's life a higher view, we see that no man can be king of Israel. 

Through great sin, man called for a human king.

God granted this sinful request, and out of a long line of kingly failures, we learn that God will bring the King of Kings.  God will rule Israel, and all his elect, for his own namesake.

I remember crying with Samuel, as I read of Israel's rejection of God as her king, and yet God tells Israel, "Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil". 

As John Piper says, "Man commits one of the greatest sins of history (rejecting God as King), and he (God) simply sweeps it under the rug?"

How can this be?

I implore you, set aside 45 minutes, watch Dr. John Piper's video, and seek to understand this all important answer.

Amazingly, and most strangely, God uses our/man's sin to bring glory to Himself.  Who can comprehend the depths, of the mind, of this God?

Only by thoughtful meditation,  as we watch these horrific scenes, can we begin to scratch the surface of understanding.

And when we do begin to scratch the surface, how can we not fall prostrate in adoration of his beauty?

Oh my soul, be unrelenting in desire to know the beauty of Abba!

Zondervan pledges to fix the error of their ways with a new NIV Bible Translation due in 2011

"Marin Luther's Pentateuch", a first printing from 1523. (from my photography catalog)

A few years ago, Zondervan created quite a stir when they published their TNIV (Today's New International Version) of the Bible. 

The reason for all the ruckus is that they made the translation gender neutral.  In other words, they changed the original language of the ancient texts, to make it more socially acceptable to modern ears.

Shame on them!

Here is an article, in USA Today, where Dr. Wayne Grudem explains how important this subject is, and further comments:

"I'm delighted to see they have realized the TNIV was simply never going to be accepted by the Christian public who value accuracy in translating the word of God. I'm thankful for their honesty."

Thanks Wayne for fighting to preserve the integrity of God's word.  Where would we be if we couldn't trust our translations?

Visit Phoenix Seminary Day

Phoenix Seminary - I am going to go visit Phoenix Seminary for an introductory visit to what the life of a seminary student might look like.

I don't know what will become of this, but I certainly have a thirst to learn more, and having a seminary in your backyard is a nice thing.

If you are in the Phoenix area, and would like to learn more about his yourself, here is the link.

Evidently, a fair number of their students are part-time laymen, who desire to take their learning to a completely different level.

I am not certain how this might fit into my life, and my schedule, but I am going to explore with a listening ear to God.