A New Creation

Galatians 6:15
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Reading in Gal 6 this morning where Paul tells the Galatians, dead works—even dead works of circumcision—are useless when it comes to the Christian faith. What God wants is from uses to be new creations in Christ, and this is something that does not come by works. It comes by faith.

What does it mean to be a new creation? Paul has already told us in Gal. 2.20; we are to be crucified with Christ so that Christ lives in me. See also 2Cor 5.17.

"The Dead Bodies of Thy Servants"

Every once in awhile the Scriptures are just shocking.  Never more so than in Ps 79.1-5.  Here Asaph (or a descendant of Asaph?) describes what Jerusalem looks like after it has been destroyed by the Assyrians (or Babylonians?).  God's people lie dead in the streets in such great numbers and without any burial, that they are food for the buzzards of the air.

Notice that the protagonists here, the ones who do the killing, are a country that does not believe in God, indeed that is dismissive of the God of Israel.

So we have the picture of God's people slain, by pagans at God's will and plan!  If that doesn't shock you, not much will, I'm afraid.

Imagine living through this experience.  Do you think it would shape one's theology of God just a little?  Imagine trying to explain this, theologically.  Yes, it happened due to the sins of God's people, but still the result is shockingly unexpected

In Weakness; Strength

I'm reading in 2 Cor 12.10 this morning where Paul sets forth one of the fundamental aspects of the Christian faith:  Strength comes in weakness, or, as Paul puts it: "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

If persecutions, infirmities, and distresses are for Christ's sake (as opposed to our own stubbornness or foolishness), then God uses them for our strength.  There are any number of Christians who can attest to the empirical truth of Paul's statement:  Joni Eareckson Tada comes to mind.

To the world, weakness is weakness.  To the Christian, one's weakness is God's strength.  Indeed, as Paul points out (vs. 9), Paul's own experience with weakness was sovereignly brought about by God.

So many mysteries and surprises to the Christian faith.

To Draw Near

Reading in Ps. 73.28 today.  "It is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works."  This is Asaph's summary and conclusion.  He has wrestled with the fact that the wicked seem to prosper in this life and seem to be free from the difficulties of those who are faithful to God.

The God who seemed to allow the wicked to go unpunished (though as the psalmist himself concluded, this was not the ultimate truth), it is good for me to draw near to that God.  I have put my trust in that God.  It is done.  It is decided.  This is the life of faith.

Soli Deo Gloria

Reading in Psalm 72.18-19 this morning, as John Calvin points out, a passage that ends the second book of Psalms and so serves as a climax and summary statement. "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory."

Soli Deo Gloria. To God alone be the glory. This is the way that the second book of Psalms ends, and a fitting ending it is. God alone does "wondrous things." God's name alone deserves to be blessed forever and ever. God's glory alone is what the earth ought to be (is!) filled with.

Oh, that Soli Deo Gloria would be the guiding philosophy of our lives.

God's Concern for the Poor and Needy

Sodom (and Judah) are condemned in Ezek 16.49 for several things: They were filled with pride; they were full of bread; they had an abundance of idleness (free time?); and they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. It's quite clear that with resources (full of bread) and time (abundance of idleness) Judah (and Sodom) COULD have shown mercy to the poor and needy. They did not. They are condemned for this.

Our culture sounds a lot like that of Sodom and Judah (our churches sound a lot like Sodom and Judah). We as Christians must battle the materialism of the culture and grasp (in philosophy and action) God's heart for the poor and needy. The church has done this throughout history (or ought to have done so). We need to make sure that we do not neglect it.

A Steadfast Heart

Reading in Psalm 57.7 this morning where David writes: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise" (KJV). Actually the literal reading is "Fixed, my heart, O God; fixed, my heart" as David emphasizes that his heart is fixed, or as the ESV translates it "steadfast."

According to Webster, steadfast means "firmly fixed or established." So here David is emphasizing that his heart (the center of his being, as we would also describe it in our culture) is firmly fixed in an attitude of worship and dependence upon God. A heart like this will not change due to circumstances or emotions.

This passage reminds me of Paul's admonition to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 15.58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." With David our hearts should be fixed, steadfast, immovable, devoted to God despite our own feelings or emotions at the moment. Because we know—as David points out in vs. 10—"for your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds."

This God is Our God

Reading in Psalms 48.14 this morning. "For this God is our God forever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death" (KJV). A precious truth; a precious promise.

The precious truth: This God is our refuge in Zion (vs. 2); He is infused with lovingkindness towards his people (vs. 9); this God is our God.

The precious promise: "He will be our guide even unto death."

As Charles Spurgeon points out: "He will be the covenant God of his people world without end. There is no other God, we wish for no other, we would have no other even if there were."

"I Married a Fool"

No, this is not Cherie's description of our marriage. This is Abigail's description of her marriage in 1 Sam 25.25. This is another instance where it pays mighty dividends to study the definition of Hebrew proper names. Abigail is married to Nabal. The word Nabal means "a fool."

One wonders what exactly his parents were thinking, "Let's set the little boy off right in life, let's call him "The Fool." We don't know how he got his name, whether it was a nickname he earned through his behavior, or whether that was his name from the start and it doesn't really matter. Nabal means "a fool" and he acts like a fool. He's also described as "churlish and evil" (KJV). One would have to search long and hard to find anyone in the Bible described in a worse way.

One thing that fascinates me about the narrative here is Abigail's character. She is married to a fool, she knows it, the servants know it, David certainly knows it, but what do we find her doing? Being a good wife to Nabal. She ends up saving his life! This is a woman of character.

After Nabal dies (the Lord smote Nabal [KJV]), David sends his servants to take Abigail as his wife (When my wife—who is on the same Bible reading plan as I—read this passage, she said, "Wow, way to woo a woman, David. Send servants to propose." Strange culture, that).

A couple of things stand out to me in this story. First, it's possible to be the richest man in your neighborhood and still be a fool. Second, it's possible to be married to the biggest fool in your neighborhood and still live righteously.