2014-12-12
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We remain this week in the “Our Lives At Stake” segment of these “Our Covenant” messages for the 17th time. Now that may seem rather a long segment, but that is because we reached the true heart of the subject at hand and must carry it through. Last week, we looked at 1 TIM 1: 1-7 and Titus 1: 5-7 in which we could see that our leaders must be beyond reproach and must not achieve these positions for dishonest gain. It is right that leaders like pastors, administrators, teachers should be well qualified in every way for their tasks, and that they should be held to a higher standard than others due to the breadth of their influence for the Lord Jesus. If a person is being holy, humble, and a dedicated servant of the Lord, he has no reason to worry. When Jesus was preparing His disciples for the task ahead of spreading the Gospel, He told them not to worry, that they will go through hard times, opposition, and even persecution, but that when the time came for them to be arrested, they would be given what to say and/or how to say it. They were told, “Do not be afraid” [MT 10: 19-20, 26-28a].
Today, we need to look at some of the problems any believer in the Lord Jesus has, no matter what time in human history he lives. False teaching is certainly one of them. What is meant by false teaching arises out of taking Scripture out of context and away from the meaning the original authors intended as they were inspired by God. Let’s look again at 2 TIM 3: 16-17. “All Scripture is God-breathed and useful in teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God can be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This tells us God has inspired the writers of both the OT and NT. It also tells us that these words from God are intended to lead people to righteous lives in His sight. I like to think of the word of God as His love letter to all who believe in Him. Why use that term? Because only a loving God would give instruction that leads us to righteousness and to eternal life to His human creation. Now look into the business of putting it in context. There are human denominations which have taken parts of the Scriptures and placed them in artificial, human-crafted constructs. This changes the meanings of what is written or even, in some cases, the history told. The Bible’s historical accounts, have been supported by archeological digs around the Holy Land. By using cross references and reliable references, like Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, for example, we can learn what the writers of the Bible originally intended.
Let me supply an example. EZK 37: 15-22 is about God’s message to Ezekiel that “the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph” will be reunited. If we understand the situation in which Ezekiel found himself, we can begin to understand what is meant in this metaphor. [In those days, books were in the form of scrolls wound around a stick]. Ezekiel was a Jewish leader in the Chabar River settlement of Babylon [now modern day Iraq] during the Babylonian Captivity of Judah. The Promised Land had been divided into two kingdoms-Israel in the north and Judah in the south-- until both kingdoms were allowed by God to be captured by their enemies [Israel was taken by the Assyrians in 722 BC, and Judah by the Babylonians between 602-586 BC]. This dyaspora [scattering and loss of nationhood] didn’t please God but was His decision to punish the Jews for their idolatry. In the passage immediately above, God is telling Ezekiel that the first dyaspora will end with Israel being reunited as one country again. God had already told Jeremiah, in JER 25: 11 and JER 29: 10, how long the dyaspora would last, 70 years for Judah, allowing her to know when it would end, which turned out to be around 444 BC. Unfortunately, there are other denominations which have completely changed the interpretation of this prophecy to mean something entirely different, something that has never been proven in archeological digs. Placing this prophecy in the real historical context makes every difference to the accuracy of our understanding.
When we take the time to read the Scriptures bit by bit every day, we are blessed with a better knowledge of God’s will for our lives and His loving, compassionate, patient, and wise heart. He has told us clearly, in PR 3: 5-6, 21, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight…My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life to you, an ornament to grace your neck.” Scripture should never be distorted or rationalized. When perplexed, there is no wisdom like that of our God! Seek Him out in prayer frequently, and He will listen and often lead us to His will. His will, which should be ours as well, leads us to Kingdom work and eventually, in God’s perfect time and way, to eternal life. God wants us to learn from the lessons history gives us. He also wants us to understand His ethics, appreciate the beauty of His poetry, to see and incorporate in our daily lives the wisdom of His teaching, and to know Him better through His Son, Jesus. He even sometimes tells us what to expect in our future. Needless to say, He wants us to cherish the Covenant of Grace He has given us through the greatest sacrifice ever made, that of His Son Jesus on the cross, so that all who believe in Him can have everlasting life [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25].
PRAYER: O Lord, we come to You today in humble adoration of Your wisdom and Your righteousness. We acknowledge that we are weak and ineffectual without Your teaching, intervention, and love in our lives. We submit to You as our Covenant Partner, our God and God of all. You are our God, our Shepherd, and we are the sheep of Your pasture. We hold precious the Covenant of Grace You have given us, and recognize the blessing of Christ’s Atonement for us. We seek You, knowing and believing JER 29: 11-13. “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you not to bring disaster, plans to give you the future for which you hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me, and you will find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Those words are a tremendous comfort to us, Dearest Covenant Partner. Your leadership in our lives matters to us. Yes, there are times when we don’t understand what You say, and that is when we appeal to You to give us that understanding. We thank and praise You for all the blessings You bestow upon those who are faithfully obedient to You. Your wisdom, Your compassion, Your loving care, Your word and prayer are all of utmost importance to us. We never need to worry about Your righteous judgment when we are faithful to You. Long ago, when David wrongfully took the census. He confessed his sin and knew he would be punished [2 SAM 24: 10, 12-14]. You gave him three choices-two punishments by humans and one by You. David opted for Your judgment over that of other people. It was the wisest choice, wisdom that You, His Covenant Partner, gave him. We ask You to help us make wise choices and offer You our loyalty, honor, thanks and praise, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We can see the importance to our lives of our covenant relationship with God. This is the right time to begin a new segment of these “Our Covenant” messages called “God Witnesses All Covenants.” We will see the kindness and righteous justice of God’s interactions and intervention in our lives. In the example of David above, his genuine confession of sin made to God prompted God to help him find a way to right his life and allow David to carry out the tasks God had for him to do. God will do the same with us, using the same superhuman wisdom, compassion, and love. God’s love is a powerful force for good in our lives, and He is eager to reveal it as we interact with Him. ZEPH 3: 17, “For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior, He will take delight in you with gladness; with His love, He will calm all fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Our Good Shepherd and Covenant Partner has told us, in EZK 34: 16, “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” In the example given above of Jesus sending out His disciples to spread the message of salvation and peace, He reminded them, in MT 10: 16, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.” He was telling the truth then and still is. My own personal experience has been fraught with difficulties, even from opposition in my own family. And yet, He keeps refining my knowledge and giving me courage to continue sharing the Gospel with non-believers, and hopefully, strengthening the weakly faithful through the Holy Spirit. He will give anyone who testifies to His truth with accuracy the right words to say at the right time. So there’s nothing special about me. He deserves all the praise and thanks we can give Him for the many blessings He brings to our lives. So, I end this devotion with praise, thanks, and dedication of our lives to His glory!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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