Holy Jealousy

The second of the Ten Commandments reveals something that, at first blush, seems quite shocking: “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" (Ex 20:4-5) - God is jealous.

What makes this revelation shocking is the nature of jealousy, the self-focused insecurity of the "Green-eyed Monster."   By definition, jealousy is a suspicious distrust based on possessiveness, doubt, spite and resentment.  These qualities hardly fit the God who "so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believed in him would not perish" (Jn 3:16).  

It seems impossible that the God who "created the heavens and the earth" (Gen 1:1), would feel threatened or insecure being compared to idols or idol worship.  How is it possible that the God of the universe would be so easily put on the defensive?  Answer: It is not.  God is not threatened by idols or the possibility of being marginalized.  

So, how is it that he is jealous?  He is jealous in a "for" sense, not an "of" sense?  Meaning?  One is in error to think that jealousy can only be understood in a selfish sense.  Another dictionary meaning of the word is, "zealous vigilance," an alert watchfulness that would be indicative of a loving parent.  God is not jealous of rivals, he is jealous for his children. 

Our Father in heaven is concerned about his children placing their trust in worthless idols that cannot save or help in any way.  To put our future in the hands of helpless idols is to put our future and our lives in jeopardy - in particular, our eternal destiny.  What loving parent would not be aggressively passionate about the life and death of his children?   God's jealousy is not small or self-serving.  God's jealousy is a holy jealousy.   Jus' Say'n.

Course Correction

Dumb and Dumber went deer hunting one day.  Tripping over a branch, Dumb dropped his gun and it discharged hitting a deer by accident.  It was a large buck with a big rack that had sensed these two were no real threat - bad luck for him.  Nonetheless, they had their deer and started dragging it by its antlers out of the woods.

They had pulled for hours and were having a terrible time as the antlers kept getting caught on the underbrush.  An experienced hunter came by and told them they were dragging the deer the wrong way.  He told them to drag it the other direction so the antlers would not catch on the underbrush, instead the brush would part around them.

They accepted the hunter's correction and began pulling it the other way and sure enough, by dragging it by the back legs instead of the antlers, they found they had smooth sailing.  Dumb said, "This is so much easier than the other way."  Dumber said, "It sure is but we're getting further and further away from our pickup truck going this way."

Dumb jokes aside, we all need course corrections at times.  We need someone to point out the error of our way and help us correct our trajectory.  In those times when we are heading in a wrong or dangerous direction, to continue unchallenged would bring loss or even death.  A course correction is needed but not always welcomed.

We tend to get entrenched in our choices and insistent on our paths so that we resist attempts to correct our course of action or path of life.  We have an investment in our choices, our pride is challenged as our course is questioned, we assume we know best or we simply want to keep going and doing what we've chosen.

Despite our resistance, a loving parent, a good friend or a faithful spouse will go to great lengths to provide a course correction.  Out of love, others will act against our cries of foul or rejection of their intent to help.  Being a loving Father and our ultimate BFF, God will point out and apply pressure to bring about a course correction in our lives: "God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness" (Heb 12:10).

Discipline, meant to bring about a course correction, is rarely welcome.  It is uninvited and generally pain producing as it applies pressure to cause us to yield.  But discipline from the Lord is a blessing if we embrace it: "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Heb 12:11).

The simple fact is that, from time to time, we all need course corrections.  And, God, who loves us as no other, will allow the pressure of pain to get our attention.  In those times, instead of losing heart or digging in our heels, let us "seek first the kingdom of God [so that] all [that is good for us] will be [given by the Lord]" (Matt 6:33).  Jus' Say'n.

Talking Donkeys and Crying Stones

I was reading from the Book of Numbers this morning and came to chapter 22, where the story of a talking donkey is recorded.  At first I wasn't too impressed as we have hundreds of them in Washington who do nothing but talk all the time.  But then I realized that this donkey actually told the truth.  I knew then and there it had to be the hand of God at work.  Of course I'm joking.  There aren't any real donkeys in Washington - real donkeys are very useful animals able to carry the burdens placed on them, politicians are fairly useless critters that put burdens on others.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.  The story of Balaam and his donkey is, of course, a story of the miraculous working of God.  In this story, God actually works two miracles: 1) he opens the mouth of the donkey (v. 28) and 2) he opens the eyes of Balaam (v. 31).  God opened the donkey's mouth so it could warn Balaam of what it saw, "the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword in his hand" (vv. 23-25) and he opened Balaam's eyes so he could confirm the donkey's warning of his "reckless path" (v. 32).

The miracle of the talking donkey is amazing but so is the ability of the donkey to see what was unseen by Balaam.  The donkey was able to see and respond to the angel of the Lord but Balaam was clueless.  Don't you find it amazing that a "dumb" animal is more attuned to the spiritual world around us than we "smart" humans?

In Luke 19, Jesus' disciples, who were common people that the Pharisees considered to be ignorant and unlearned, praised Jesus as he entered Jerusalem saying, "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord" (v. 38).  Their words angered the Pharisees who insisted that Jesus rebuke them  (v. 39) to which Jesus replied, "If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out" (v. 40).  His words seem to suggest that a box of rocks has more spiritual insight than many religious leaders.

It would seem that human wisdom gets in the way of spiritual truth, that the smarter we think ourselves, the less we actually perceive.  Human wisdom, therefore, is not very wise: "Where is the wise person?  Where is the teacher of the law?  Where is the philosopher of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Cor 1:20).  Human wisdom is foolish because "...the world through its wisdom did not know him" (1 Cor 1:21).

So, what does all this mean?  What should we take away from talking donkeys and crying stones?  The meaning, the takeaway, is that you and I ought to spend less time chasing human intelligence and more time pursuing spiritual insight.  Let us be wise, but let us have truth.  Jus' Say'n.

Striking The Rock

In Numbers chapter 20, the people of Israel arrive at the Desert of Zin, where there was no water.  The community accused Moses saying, "Why did you bring the Lord's community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here?...It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.  And there is no water to drink" (vv. 4-5).

Moses and Aaron went to the entrance of the tent of meeting, where the Lord appeared to them saying, "Take the staff...gather the assembly together.  Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water" (v. 8).  Moses gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" (v. 10).  And then he "struck the rock twice with his staff.  Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank" (v. 11).

Problem solved.  Yes and no.  The water problem was solved but Moses found himself facing a greater problem - judgment from the Lord: "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them" (v. 12).  The "rebels" were in, their leader Moses was out.

Wow!  Just because he struck the rock with his staff instead of speaking to it, he was shut out from the Lord's presence?  No.  To begin with, he was not shut out from the Lord's presence.  Moses, along with Elijah would centuries later appear with Christ on the Mt of Transfiguration (cf. Matt 17:3).  Additionally, I don't think striking the rock itself was the problem.

I  believed striking the rock displayed his frustration with the people not his lack of trust in God.  The thing that displayed his lack of trust in God and denied the Lord glory in this matter was his statement, referring to him and Aaron, "must we bring you water out of this rock?" (v. 10).  Instead of speaking to the rock and telling Israel the Lord was providing, out of exasperation, he struck the rock and put himself in the place of God.  Moses took it personally and responded as if he was the  Person the people were rebelling against.  It was not him but the Lord.  Moses forgot his place.

Did you know that it is not all about you?  Did you know that you are not the one who will rein things in or change circumstances?  Do you sometimes think it's all up to you?  Do you act as if you were the captain of your ship and responsible for everyone on it?  Do you find yourself worried or exasperated over people or events, thinking that you have to take matters into your own hands?

The truth is that God is in control and  that we need to lay our lives and the lives of those for whom we bear responsibility before him, asking for his help and giving him glory.  Don't strike the rock out of fear or exasperation, speak words of faith to it, bringing everything before the Lord to his glory and your blessing.  Jus' Say'n.

Unconditional Surrender

On August 10, 1945, just one day after the bombing of Nagasaki, at the beheast of Emperor Hirohito, Japan acquiesces to the US demand of unconditional surrnender as President Harry S. Truman orders an end to atomic bombing.  Although many on the war council wanted to demand concessions, the emperor knew they had no bargaining chips left.

Sadly, many who surrender to Christ don't have the clarity of Emperor Hirohito.  So often we are willing to surrender to the Lord as long as we can get some concessions.  We'll do the whole church thing on Sundays but want to live our Monday through Saturday on our own terms.  We will sit through a Bible class on Sunday but don't want to bother reading it the rest of the week.  We will put our "Amen!" on the need for evangelism, just don't expect us to participate in outreach or missions.

I have heard quite a few, over the years, say, "I'll forgive, but I won't forget," meaning that they will only conditionally forgive to a degree.  Some go further insisting, "I will never forgive...," which is to suggest that they want the Lord's forgiveness with the concession that they don't have to personally forgive others, despite the Lord's clear warning, "if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matt 6:15).

For others, their surrender to the Lord does not include a particular vice such as impurity or dishonesty or greed.  Many want to surrender everything to the Lord except their bank account.  For some, money is not an issue but time is their concession.  They want to maintain full control of their calendars.  The goes on to include over-eating, excessive drinking, self-indulgences, addictions, and more.

Whatever it is in particular, in general it is something you don't want to surrender to the Lord, something you want to maintain control of or continue to participate in regardless of His call on your life.  But Jesus doesn't ask for some of your life or most of your things, he calls us to surrender all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Matt 18:24; Mk 4:34; Lk 9:23).

The Lord calls us to unconditional surrender of our entire lives.  Everything we have and all that we do are to be for his glory and the kingdom good: "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col 3:17).  Selfishness runs counter to kingdom rule.  Full surrender is the only path to kingdom reign and eternal gain.  Jus' Say'n.

Faith or Fear

We live in a fallen world where sin and death abound.  Whether a faithful follower of Christ or degenerate disbeliever, tragedy and turmoil await us as we make the journey of life.  No one gets a free pass over or around the pain and sorrow of this world.  All of us must journey through it, be touched by it and ultimately be taken out of this world due to the power of sin and death.

The very best among us may suffer the very worst.  The most offensive may face the least offences.  But all of us will suffer the slings and arrows hurled in the battle "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph 6:12).

While there are some purely natural causes of suffering like tornadoes and earthquakes.  Most of what we suffer comes about by the poor or sinful use of someone's freedom of choice.  It is primarily sin that causes suffering.  Think of the suffering war causes to innocents.  Ever wonder why there seems to be so much more cancer in our society?  Have you looked at the chemicals on the labels of our foods or noticed the amount of pesticides used?  People are starving all over the world at a time when we can't control our weight.  There is plenty of food to feed everyone but too much greed to allow that to happen.

Nonetheless, regardless of how it comes about, you can count on sin and death causing suffering.  You can look forward to it in your personal life.  And whether a devout Christian or not, the journey of life takes us through a fallen world.  So what?  What do we do about it?  How does being a follower of Jesus make any difference?

The difference in the faithful and the faithless is how we face the difficulties.  There are two basic options: Faith or Fear.  Not knowing what the outcome will be produces the fear of the unknown.  Knowing that God is in control and "will work all things to the good of those who love him" (Rom 8:28) allows us to relax in His presence.  For as Peter tells us "even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.  Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened" (1 Pet 3:14).  Regardless of the circumstances, God's children are blessed in Him.  Faith overrules fear.  Jus' Say'n.

Guilty Giving

What do you do with a Bible verse like "freely you have received, freely give"?  Do you set out to share everything you have with everyone you meet?  Do you open you wallet and pour out its contents to anyone who asks?  Do you run to the side of everyone who demands your time?  Is your energy, resources and time to be sacrificed on the altar of the wants of others?  Are you simply to give to whomever, whenever, whatever?  Or, are there some guidelines?

The reason I bring up this line of questioning is that I personally know how guilt-producing it can be to hold back anything for yourself.  I have gone door to door with the Gospel in past years only to feel guilty that I didn't go to more.  I have served people in need and still felt those same pangs of guilt for not having served others.  I have shared resources only to feel bad because I didn't pony up at the next opportunity to put money in the hat.  Am I singing your song too?  Likely.

So, what do we do in order to freely give without giving away the farm or giving ourselves a load of guilt?  I think we begin by looking at the context of the passage: "As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, a drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matt 10:7-8).

To me, the context of the above passage is, as you are going about, doing what God has called you to do, making use of what he has given you to use, do so with a spirit of freedom.  Give all he has given you to give in the time he has given you to give it.

Think about this: How much grace can you afford to offer?  How many times can you forgive?  How often can you ask God to bless others?  You can afford to give any of the above without limit because God has given them without limit.  Now, how much money can you give other?  Can you really give every single penny you have?  Can you spend every waking hour serving others?

The point is that we can afford to use what God gives us to use in the measure with which he gives it for the time he gives it.  We cannot give more time or money or energy than is ours to give at the time we are called upon to give it.  However, we can give as freely as we have received.  Jus' Say'n.