25 May 2010
Psalm 26, 28; Prov. 15:16-33; 1 Tim. 1:18-2:8; Matt. 12:33-42

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor. We don’t like the word fear so we replace it with something else yet with all the words in our language, fear is the one that most captures the Hebrew word. It is not simply love or respect or worship that is being conveyed, it is indeed fear. How can we not first apprehend God in fear at His power? He spoke all things into being and all things obeyed His command and were as He intended. In Egypt He did signs and wonders demonstrating His power. The first encounter of the people at the mountain in Exodus is a fearsome one of thunder and lightning. The Psalms are full of images of His power (see Psalm 19 for instance). The disciples learned that the wind and waves obeyed Jesus and in that moment they experienced holy fear. We do begin at the level of fear to come to worship and praise Him. We learn from there of the love of God, that His power has always been held in abeyance and that grace and mercy have triumphed over judgment but we must first understand that His judgments are not only righteous, they are real. What He can do and has the right to do allows us to see His mercy and grace in not doing those things.

Jesus speaks of judgment and if we reject Him we have brought judgment on ourselves. Both the people of Nineveh and the queen of the south (Sheba), though they were not people of the covenant understood something of God. The people of Nineveh repented when the wayward prophet Jonah delivered the message of God. The queen recognized that there was something unusual in the wisdom of Solomon, that it was an unearthly wisdom, its source must have been God. They were more perceptive than those who saw Jesus, saw the works He was doing, heard His teaching, and rejected Him. They no longer feared, they thought that they had God all worked out, that if they practiced religion flawlessly that was all that truly mattered. Are we still asking Him to prove Himself to us?

Paul tells Timothy to pray for everyone, including those who rule in government. These would have been at best indifferent to Christians and at worst, hostile. Remember in Acts 19 there was a riot at Ephesus as it was a major center for worship of the goddess Diana and those who made idols to her roused up a mob against Paul. Timothy was not in friendly territory. Paul reminds him, however, that God wants everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Paul speaks of two men whom he has turned over to satan as they have rejected conscience and their faith has turned shipwreck. These seem to be two who have known the Lord but who have turned away on some matter(s). It is important that we love the world that is in darkness and pray for those who do not know the Lord. Our attitude towards the world is to be like Jesus’, who accepted its disapprobation and told His disciples to expect persecution as well in His Name. We pray for those outside the faith and hold accountable those who claim to be Christians.

Blessed be the LORD!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.