11 June 2012

Psalm 56, 57; Eccles. 7:1-14; Gal. 4:12-20; Matt. 15:21-28 

It seems a bit incongruous to be told that a serious view of life is necessary in the midst of a diatribe on the folly and vanity of all things.  Solomon has spent six chapters telling us that all this life under the sun is wasted effort but that doesn’t mean that life is unimportant.  We must seek to raise our sights and live for eternity rather than spending our time in what are comparably trivial pursuits.  That also isn’t to suggest that this life is always intended to be serious and without laughter.  There are many things in which we might engage ourselves as diversions from that seriousness of life under the sun, we must not indulge ourselves in them completely.  We can make the same mistakes by immersion in politics as we can in comedy, our lives are to be focused primarily on the kingdom of God.

This Canaanite woman will not be dissuaded from seeking healing for her daughter.  The Canaanites, remember, were those driven out and displaced in order for the Jews to possess the land and were certainly pagans and whose sin had polluted the land.  She represents an even more despised set of people than the Samaritans and yet she will receive all manner of insults here for the hope of receiving healing for this child.  In the end, Jesus marvels at her faith in Him and her persistence in seeking healing.  Adversity often gives us that seriousness of which Solomon wrote in our first lesson.  As Samuel Johnson once said, “"Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully. "Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."

It was an adversity that allowed Paul to preach the Gospel to the Galatians, an illness that caused him to remain there rather than simply passing through this region.  Apparently those who have come to them in behind him have made much of them but for what purpose.  Paul says they have preached another Gospel, one that is not a Gospel at all since there is but one true Gospel.  They have turned from the true Gospel to this false Gospel and Paul is “perplexed” by this.  This perplexity is about to become a true rant on the difference between Judaism as religion and Christianity.  His argument is not that Judaism is wrong, but that it had become religion and relationship was lost in the bargain.  DIY religion replaced the loving relationship between Yahweh and His people to the point they no longer recognized Him.

10 June 2012

Psalm 24, 29; Eccles. 6:1-12; Acts 10:9-23; Luke 12:32-40 

Solomon certainly has a pessimistic view of life.  He is aware of what evil there can be in having much and also having many children who may not have the same values as the one who earned the wealth.  He saw in his own family what greed and avarice can do.  He saw his brothers attempt to steal the throne, first from his father and then from him.  Wealth and power actually were the problem not the solution.  No one can have enough of either if that is their motivation.  As he looked back on his life and towards his own end, he clearly saw that all he had gained was not enough to bring satisfaction to his soul and he had to have known his children were unlikely to be satisfied either.  He asks an interesting question, “For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life…”  Good, we want to know it but we never will apart from God. 

Jesus says that the little flock is to sell its possessions and give to the needy for the Father is ready to give them the kingdom.  I wonder if people received that as metaphor or if they were shocked at these words.  Certainly it does not seem that Jesus intended to use a figure of speech but rather expected them to follow this command.  During the time of their discipleship each man was required to walk away from his profession and follow Jesus.  It was impossible to follow Him all over the region and continue to fish the Sea of Galilee or to continue to sit at the tax collectors seat.  The early church held all things in common as they sold whatever they had and gave it to the apostles who set up the charitable functions of the church to benefit orphans and widows.  How do we deal with this admonition in our lives?

Peter’s dream was troubling to him but he had no idea what it all meant.  Was it literally to do with eating anything?  After the flood the Lord had given certain animals to His people to eat after seemingly being vegetarians since the beginning.  Was there something new going on with diet and what did that have to do with anything?  It seems that the vision and the command to go with these men were connected.  If there was to be a mission to the Gentiles, dietary restrictions would need to be eased to allow for fellowship.  The restrictions would have kept observant Jews apart from table fellowship with those to whom they were called to evangelize.  The mission was more important than dietary laws.  Maybe the way to sort out all the demands of the Gospel is to say that all that we have is available to Him for the purpose of sharing the Gospel.

9 June 2012

Psalm 55; Eccles. 5:8-20; Gal. 3:23-4:11; Matt. 15:1-20

No matter how much you have you want more and so never find rest.  Solomon would know, his wealth was fabulous and as he says here, as his wealth increased so did the number of mouths he fed with that wealth.  It is a fleeting thing and a vain thing to have wealth so why do we set our store by it?  We worry about losing it and we worry that it isn’t enough, no matter how much we have.  In the end, we take nothing with us, it is of no ultimate or eternal value to us at all.  It doesn’t ensure our future or the future or our progeny because it can be lost or taken at any time.  Knowing all these truths still doesn’t completely convince my heart to turn away, the allure is too great, Lord help me.

The Pharisees accuse Jesus of breaking with tradition and Jesus immediately turns the tables and asks why they break the commandment of God.  I believe that is the ultimate trump card in the game, I’ll see your human tradition and raise you a Godly commandment.  He uses this question as a take-off for teaching about what matters to God most.  The Pharisees worry too much about minors and leave off the truly important things.  It isn’t what goes in but what comes out that defiles us.  Those things expose the true condition of our hearts, that is the reason Paul said that the love of money is the root of all evil.  It isn’t money itself that is the root of all evil, but the love of money, our attachment to it.  If we guard our hearts and deal with their lusts and desires we will make greater progress in righteousness than in bodily discipline.  (That, however, does not mean that bodily disciplines are unimportant, they are needful as well.)

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.”  The argument would necessarily be that now we know God and are no longer enslaved by those things.  Is that entirely true in your life?  Certainly I would say that I don’t see that fully in my own life.  Too often we continue to live for things under the sun, just as we did formerly.  Paul understood transformation of our hearts and minds to be complete but he wasn’t naïve about that transformation, he knew that it took effort and cooperation with the Spirit of God, it required a person to completely yield their life to Him.  It requires the attitude of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, understanding the call of the flesh but saying, “Nevertheless, not my will but yours.”  It is painful to let go of our will and our desires but in the end do they matter anyway?

Save us from weak resignation,
To the evils we deplore.
Let the search for Thy salvation,
Be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
Serving Thee Whom we adore,
Serving Thee Whom we adore.

Tune

8 June 2012

Psalm 40, 54; Eccles. 5:1-7; Gal. 3:15-22; Matt. 14:22-36

Keep your head down and your mouth shut.  That seems to be the advice Solomon gives here as he reverts to a more proverbial style.  The wisdom in these few verses could have come from the book of Job.  It sounds a bit like God’s question to Job, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”  Solomon says that we should be afraid to speak in the presence of the Lord as we should also be slow to make a vow.  In this last, Jesus certainly agreed when he said, “Let your yes be yes and your no be no.”  Our posture before the Lord of all should be one of reverence and awe even though we are in relationship with Him.  His voice is the one that matters in all things.  We are there to hear that voice speak to our hearts and instruct us that we might indeed gain wisdom.

A rabbi was more than the one who gave you insight and information.  You didn’t just learn to think like your rabbi, you imitated him in all things, manner of dress, comportment, etc.  Here Peter sees his rabbi walking on water and has faith enough to believe that if it is possible for Jesus to walk on water then he must have that same ability but he has enough sense to know that unless Jesus calls him to himself then he shouldn’t attempt it on his own.  If, however, Jesus calls him out, then it must indeed be possible for Peter. His faith, however, wavers after seeing the wind and waves.  We need faith always, particularly in the storms of life, to persevere in our walk with Him.  It is easy to take shots at Peter for failure of faith, but he is the only one with enough faith to step out of the boat in the first place.  This episode, however, does show us that vows are difficult to keep and that we should watch over our lips in this regard.  Peter will be able to say that he walked on water for a little bit, just like Jesus.

Paul’s argument here is sound, the covenant preceded the law by over 400 years, so how can the covenant be based on the law rather than grace and faith?  The law, in fact, only made it clear that the covenant relationship has to be faith-based because no one has kept the law perfectly other than Jesus.  They had to have faith that God had indeed accepted their sacrifices for sin.  Faith was always in a merciful and loving God who forgave sins because He had to if there was to be an everlasting covenant.  The law had become their god in many ways.  The law, however, is a vow no one has kept and under it, all deserved to die.

Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.

Tune

7 June 2012

Psalm 50; Eccles. 3:16-4:3; Gal. 3:1-14; Mat. 14:13-21

“I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.”  But we are created in the image of God, how can Solomon say such things? We are more than the beasts, we have a unique dignity, we have dominion over the beasts.  The truth is that we share the same fate, dust to dust.  We compromised our dominion when we listened to the serpent’s wisdom.  We changed the image of God into a more beast-like reality when we chose to live by our appetites rather than the word of God.  Satan’s first temptation to Jesus is similar to the temptation in the garden, what could be wrong with gratifying your desire to eat, you were made to eat and you, Jesus, are uniquely qualified to satisfy your own desires.  We are called to live at a higher level, the level of obedience not to our desires but to God’s will.  If we fail to live at that level we are indeed like the beasts of the field.

Here, as opposed to the temptation by satan, Jesus chooses to provide food.  In this case, the people have sought Him out even though He is being rejected, first by the people in Nazareth and then by Herod.  They are seeking the kingdom of God and He is revealing Himself by healing the sick.  They now need sustenance and although they have not asked for Him to do anything, He has compassion on them.  They have not acted like the people in the wilderness for example, clamoring for Him to feed them, they have come to see Him and to receive more than physical gratification from Him.  They are seeking the kingdom therefore He provides for their bodily needs.

So are we living by faith or something else?  Living by faith calls us to a life of great risk and adventure, trusting Him in all things.  Faith requires us to listen to and for one voice only and frequently keeps us out of step with the world and what it would have us do and be.  Living by faith means the herd mentality isn’t our way of doing things, it calls us out, marks us as individuals.  That is the positive spin on a life of faith, it also means that people will see us as different, odd, and look askance at our life choices.  The world wants conformity to some standard, there are few true individualists in the world, marching to the beat of a different drummer.  Jesus was one because He lived and moved and had His being entirely in the Father.  We are called to that life as well.

God of grace and God of glory,
On Thy people pour Thy power.
Crown Thine ancient church’s story,
Bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
For the facing of this hour,
For the facing of this hour.

Tune

6 June 2012

Psalm 119:49-72; Eccles. 3:1-15; Gal. 2:11-21; Matt. 14:1-12

I can’t read this passage without thinking of the Byrds’ song, “Turn, turn, turn.”  There are seasons in life when all things are appropriate, such is the way of life.  The trick is knowing the season we’re in and cooperating with God’s will at that time.  A friend send me Oswald Chambers’ writing on The Habit of Enjoying Adversity which calls us to seek to glorify God when we are in the midst of adversity.  That fits with this particular message that we need to glorify Him whatever season we happen to be in.  If we would dance with Him we must appreciate the rhythm of life.

What did Herod believe that made him think John the Baptist’s spirit had come back from the dead and inhabited the body of Jesus?  It is a very strange idea indeed.  Everyone, it seems, was trying to sort out what was it that made Jesus able to do amazing things and to have such wisdom.  Yesterday the people couldn’t figure it out and were upset with Jesus while today Herod believes John has come back to haunt him for what he has done in killing him.  John’s season and mission were complete when Jesus began to come forward and reveal Himself, the messenger’s time was done.  Herod, unknowingly and unwillingly, complied with God’s sovereign will.  That does not, however, absolve him from his actions, we are responsible for what we do even though God uses our actions for His purposes. 

Peter was acting very un-Christlike, playing the hypocrite in order to please men.  It is a dangerous road, I know it well.  Peter didn’t want to alienate the Jews, particularly those who had become Christians. There was always a party that believed that Jesus added on to the law rather than fulfilling it.  You did your best and you also believed in him and then you got the  eternal reward of salvation based on the combination of the two.  Paul says that salvation is through faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone.  The law convicts me, it does not justify me.  Jesus is my righteousness and in giving me life He has brought on my death, the death of the old man, in order that I might become the righteousness of God but not through the law.  The law does not give life, it is the sentence of guilt and death to me.  The new season of life is life in the Spirit, the law written on our hearts, enabling us to will and do as God would will and do.  Our wills are bound by sin under the law and freed to be bound in His will in Jesus. 

Paschal triumph, Easter joy,
Only sin can this destroy;
From sin’s death do Thou set free
Souls reborn, O Lord, in Thee.
Hymns of glory and of praise,
Father, to Thee we raise;
Risen Lord, all praise to Thee,
Ever with the Spirit be.

Tune

5 June 2012

Psalm 45; Eccles. 2:16-26; Gal. 1:18-2:10; Matt. 13:53-58

Solomon is beginning to get it right at the end of this passage.  All wisdom, folly, toil, entertainment, etc. finds its purpose and meaning in God.  When he only had these things in and of themselves they gave him no joy or pleasure, he hated life.  He sees, however, that the Lord wants us to find enjoyment in our toil for we labor unto him and our very labor is a gift from the Lord.  All that we do finds its meaning and purpose in him or it has no lasting significance at all.  Solomon sees that you can’t take it with you and leaving it to your children as inheritance isn’t a guarantee either as they may be fools who waste all you worked for.  Meaning is the question we all seek for and the Bible says that life has meaning because the God of all created it and our lives in particular have value because we are created in His image as stewards of creation.  It is important that whatever we do in our vocation we see that there is the possibility of it having eternal value if we turn that over to Him.

It is amazing how quickly people move from questions that should inspire awe and wonder to answers that bring them anger.  The question they ask first comes from their astonishment at what Jesus does. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? “  They acknowledge Jesus possesses wisdom that can’t be taught and can do things that defy reason so they want to know how.  They reject the obvious answers, his parents, they can’t be responsible for these things.  They know who He is and who His family are and they are otherwise unremarkable. Why then take offense so quickly?  They have also rejected that these things come from God, they can’t make right judgments.  They are indeed fools without wisdom or sense.  They can’t determine good and evil.  They are looking for answers in the wrong place.

 Paul provides information that the apostles have accepted and blessed his ministry and the particulars of the Gospel he is preaching to the Gentiles, meaning that they do not have to become circumcised in order to participate in the covenant nor do they have to observe all the Jewish law.  The matter was settled in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem council and yet there were those who always wanted to demand more of the Christians, particularly the Gentiles.  Paul’s argument is that there is no further discussion required, the apostles have affirmed his message and his mission, those who now come to preach “another Gospel” have no such claims, in fact they are going against apostolic tradition and doctrine.  There is something in us that desperately wants to add something to grace, something we can or must do in order to make our salvation secure.  Grace is a difficult concept because it is so foreign, it isn’t the way the world works.

Mighty Victim from the sky,
Hell’s fierce powers beneath Thee lie;
Thou hast conquered in the fight,
Thou hast brought us life and light;
Now no more can death appall,
Now no more the grave enthrall;
Thou hast opened Paradise,
And in Thee Thy saints shall rise.

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