Kingdom of priests

Sermon delivered on 10/16/2008 at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.

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The law of the spirit

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by John D Ramsey

Do you not know, brothers — for I am speaking to men who know the law — that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

Romans 7:1 (NIV)

A couple weeks ago, on the first day of Sukkot, or Feast of Booths, Lisa and the girls built a sukkah in the back yard to surprise me. During the Kingdom in Context Bible study that morning, I had mentioned that I planned to sit outside with the little girls and read the Scripture pertaining to the Feast of Booths. Mark asked me if I planned to build a booth, and I explained that while I had no problem with people building a booth, teaching the girls the Scripture pertaining to the feast was my priority.


When I arrived home from work, Lisa had a fire burning in the fire bowl on the patio, and she had oil lamps lit in the yard. We ate our dinner in the booth, and read the Scriptures to the girls. Gabby exclaimed two things, “I did not know about this holiday!” and “I think this is my favorite holiday!” It was a lovely evening, and more so to me, knowing that my girls had labored to make it special.


Regardless of our apparent observance of an Old Testament feast, I feel compelled to clarify. We did not celebrate Sukkot in order to obey the Old Testament Law. Rather, the evening was an illustration of God’s amazing love toward us that he would send his Son to tabernacle among men. The girls now have a visual memory of the Feast of Booths, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to instruct them. However, our observation of the holiday did not observe the Law.


Had our intention been to keep the Law, then we infringed on these points:

• According to Deuteronomy 16:16, the Feast of Booths had to be observed at the place that God chose. According to 2 Chronicles 6:6, God’s chosen place is Jerusalem. Observing the feast in Raymore, MO, is a violation of the Old Testament Law.
  
• The branches that Lisa used to build the sukkah, were from leafy trees only (and the leaves had fallen off). The Law required, palm trees and willows, as well.
  
• The duration of the feast is seven days during which time, the observant are to live in booths. We sat in the booth for about an hour.
  
• The first day of the feast is a holy convocation during which only necessary work is permitted. However, the next day, I went to work, as is my routine.
  
• The Feast of Booths requires 182 animal sacrifices over seven days in addition to regular daily sacrifices according to Numbers 29. That is the Law.
  

By my calculations, no one obeyed the Law concerning the Feast of Booths this year.

I have no qualms about commemorating an Old Testament feast as an educational and inspirational tool; however, I wince when I hear people claiming to be “Law-abiding Christians.” I wonder, what part of the Law do they suppose that they are obeying? Do they think that they can safely ignore some laws? If so, how do they decide which ones? Deuteronomy 26:27 says, “Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Paul explains the impossibility of keeping the Law, saying, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Galatians 3:10 (NIV) James, the brother of Jesus said, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10 (NIV)

Whether I sit in a sukkah for a minute, a week, or never is irrelevant regarding righteousness. Paul tells the Galatians, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21 (NIV) Jesus condemned everyone who attempts to gain righteousness by the Law by saying,

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 (NIV)

Observing the Law gains me nothing unless I can be perfect and it is way too late for that. James points us to another way, saying,

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

James 2:12-13 (NIV)

James promises that people who want to judge others by the Law will themselves be judged by the Law! The better way is the law that gives freedom. What is the law that gives freedom? Paul tells us,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

How is it that we are free from the requirements of the Old Testament Law? Paul explains,

So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

Romans 7:4 (NIV)

To the Colossians Paul writes,

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:3, 4 (NIV)

Because we die with Christ when we trust him by faith, the Law no longer has power over us. We are clothed with Christ’s righteousness regarding the Law. His righteousness is attributed to us, and there is nothing we can do to earn it. Trying to keep the Old Testament Law actually disparages the mercy of the cross. Yet the law of the Spirit teaches us that, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Christ’s righteousness attributed to me exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law making me worthy of the kingdom. Because I died with Christ, the Law no longer rules over me.

Whether I observe a day, or ignore it, does not matter regarding righteousness. The Law of the Spirit gives us freedom to express our faith through culture, but it does not require or favor any specific cultural expression. The law of the Spirit sets us free to serve God and serve each other in love, but it does not obligate us to external observances. Observing the Law never saved anyone, anyway, not even Abraham who lived before the Law was given. “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 16:6 (NIV) Righteousness before God has never come by works, but only by faith; Hebrews 11 makes this undoubtedly clear.

Paul expressed his faith culturally, but not consistently with one culture, he writes,

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NIV)

Cultural expressions of faith are tools for evangelism, but legalism is not. Legalism, whether it comes in the form of quasi-Judaism or cultic manipulation, is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Legalism cannot produce righteousness, but it does create a barrier between the law observer and the Savior. Paul said it best when he described himself as being blameless according to the righteousness that comes from the Law, but he would rather have Christ. He wrote,

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Philippians 3:7-10 (KJV)

Knowing Christ, being conformed to his character, suffering for his sake, dying with him, and obtaining righteousness by faith alone does not appeal to the flesh; yet these the Law of the Spirit works to produce within us.

Good news to the poor

by John D Ramsey

John the Baptist lived his life in poverty. He dressed funny. He never cut his hair. He ate insects and wild honey. There is no record that he ever held a paying job. He lived for the singular purpose of proclaiming the message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” When he saw his cousin, Jesus, approaching, John witnessed the Holy Spirit descending upon him, and he prophesied saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world.” John’s prophesy alludes to Isaiah 53. Although John prophesied a Savior who would die as a sin offering for the world, his expectations of Jesus was somewhat different. John preached that the kingdom of heaven was near. This was true, but John did not understand what dimension of the kingdom he was announcing. Despite the limitation of his vision, John faithfully pursued his ministry. He was the one who was to come before the Messiah –

“A voice of one calling in the desert,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

Matthew 3:3 (NIV)

Some men followed John, but John did not promote himself. In fact, after John baptized Jesus and after Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, John saw Jesus three times. The first time, he told the crowd who was gathered, “Among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:26, 27 (NIV) The next day, when John saw Jesus approaching, he told his disciples,

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

John 1:29-34 (NIV)

The next day, John saw Jesus again approaching and he told two of his disciples, “Look, the Lamb of God!” John’s disciples left him and followed Jesus. When Jesus began his ministry, John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30 (NIV) Jesus began preaching the same message that John had preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” In fact, Jesus’ disciples continued to baptize people with water as a symbol of their repentance. Though Jesus’ initial ministry looked much like John the Baptist’s, Jesus’ ministry did not take on the political overtones that John the Baptist expect that it would.

When John the Baptist’s ministry was winding down, and Jesus’ earthly ministry was gaining momentum, a discouraged John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask him whether Jesus was indeed the Promised One, or whether there was yet another. Jesus responded by sending this message to his cousin John, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” Luke 7:22 (NIV) With these words, Jesus alluded to a prophecy found in Isaiah 61 and affirmed to John the Baptist that he had indeed fulfilled the prophecy. Jesus ministry testified that he was the Anointed One of Israel. He asked John to examine the evidence and conclude that despite John’s other expectations, Jesus was indeed who John had proclaimed him to be – the Son of God.

Whereas John’s message was that repentance was essential for the forgiveness of sins, Jesus’ message was a message of even brighter hope. The blind had received sight, the lame had walked, lepers had been cured, the deaf heard, the dead were raised to life. You can almost hear the crescendo as Jesus recited his message of hope. From the blind seeing to the dead resurrecting, Jesus’ words swelled from the dramatic to the exhilarating. Nevertheless, Jesus most powerful statement this series is reserved for last. He says, “The good news is preached to the poor.”

Why is preaching good news to poor more dramatic than healing the blind, lame, leprous, and deaf? This is Jesus’ most dramatic statement because not all are blind, not all are lame, not all are leprous, nor are all deaf, but in one way or another, we all are poor. Jesus’ message of good news he gives to everyone who will receive it.

Jesus preached good news to the poor, but he did not exploit them. After feeding the five thousand, the people wanted to make Jesus their king. Jesus rebuked them saying, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” John 6:26 (NIV) The people of Galilee were prepared to surrender their political clout in exchange for free food. Yet Jesus did not seek political followers. He continued saying, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” The crowd was willing to revolt against Rome to make Jesus their king, but Jesus told them he would freely give them something more valuable than the free food they sought – he would give them eternal life.

Had Jesus been a military or political leader or even a community organizer, he would have used his power to engender dependence upon the Galileans. Nevertheless, the “good news” that Jesus preached was not a message of political power or governmental reform. The message that Jesus preached was salvation by faith in the Son of God.

When Jesus stood on trial, Pilate asked him whether he was the king of the Jews. Jesus answered him, saying, said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” John 18:36 (NIV) Pilate was convinced, but it mattered little to him if the Jews wanted to execute their king. Pilate had a sign placed on Jesus’ cross saying, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” When the Jews objected, Pilate insisted, “What I have written, I have written.”

Jesus’ death on the cross was not an accidental outcome. Jesus’ last words to Pilate affirmed his purpose, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37 (NIV) The word translated, testify, is the Greek word, martureso, from which comes the English word martyr.

The truth that Jesus spoke cost him his life. John records a great irony; the truth that Jesus taught was that – the way, the truth, and the life – must die to bring life to men. This was the good news that Jesus preached to the poor.

Hebrews explains that Jesus presented his own blood to God the Father as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of man. Paul tells us that, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) Peter explained it saying, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 5:24 (NIV) Genesis chapter two and Romans chapter three explain that the penalty for sin is death, yet Jesus took our penalty so that we could share his life. The Father accepted the sacrifice of his own son, and raised him from the dead. All those receiving his mercy, by faith will die with him, and by faith, they will be made alive with him: good news indeed.

When Jesus came to earth as a man, he did not even attempt to organize a political movement. Rather the Son of God, the Creator himself (according to John chapter one and Hebrews chapter four), became a man so that he could carry the sins of men into judgment by his death on the cross. When Jesus comes again, it will not be by the consent or authority of men. Revelation chapter eleven speaks of the day when Jesus will return, saying,

The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord
and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 11:15 (NIV)

When Jesus comes again, he will come in power, glory, and with all authority. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians that Jesus will “pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled.” He goes on to say that upon Jesus’ return, those who do not obey the “[good news] of our Lord Jesus . . . will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9 (NIV) Yet Jesus will be glorified and “marveled at among all those who have believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:10 (NIV)

In 2000 years, the message of the Gospel has not changed, yet often the message many so-called Christians preach differs from the Gospel. The message of the Gospel calls upon men to repent because the kingdom of heaven is near. The message of the Gospel is good news to all the poor because eternal life is given freely to all who believe. The message of the Gospel tells us that Jesus Christ will someday return bringing relief to those who love him and destruction upon those who do not. Every other message pales in comparison to the great truth of the Gospel.

The better we understand the Gospel, the more we realize that only the Gospel matters. The Gospel may be the only good news we hear for the rest of the year. That is okay. The Gospel is the best news of all time.

Servile fearfulness

by John D Ramsey


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On my way to the office each morning, I drive passed a luxurious subdivision named Patrician Woods. It amuses me that people who can afford to live anywhere would choose to live in a neighborhood with such a pretentious name, unless, of course, they just don’t get it.

Do we not live in a country founded upon the ideal that “all men are created equal”? Of course, we all succumb to pride and presume at times to think that we are better than someone else is. Nevertheless, only a few have the brazenness to live in a neighborhood whose name derogates the Declaration of Independence.

Perhaps these residents do not arrogate themselves deliberately. Perhaps, their vocabulary enlightened, they would blush at the blatant assertion of their aristocracy. Moreover, I am confident that many residents of Patrician Woods feel that with their wealth comes greater social responsibility than merely keeping their trees trimmed and their dogs groomed. For this, I commend them, but I still smirk at the name of their subdivision.

Tomorrow, I will corral a couple dozen fifth through eighth graders while their moms (and a few dads) conduct a home-school association meeting. I decided sometime ago to use Shakespeare as the fulcrum of our activities. I hope to make Shakespeare accessible to them. My first inclination was to re-enact et tu Brute, but I then I visualized the horror on the moms’ faces upon seeing their sweet children parading around in blood-drenched togas. I might as well have chosen Lord of the Flies as my literary topic. I am staying with Julius Caesar, but we will act out only Act I, Scene 1.

I have a long vocabulary list, and ten discussion questions. I printed the scene on cardstock with the character’s name, a sequence number, the preceding line in small type, and the character’s line in big print. With four speaking parts, we will rotate kids in and out until everyone has a chance to be a tribune or a citizen. We will discuss that both Rome and sixteenth century England divided into social hierarchies. If I have time, I will ask them whether the United States has social hierarchy. Then I will ask them whether that is good or bad. Ultimately, I would like them to imagine living in a culture where an aristocracy receives preferential treatment from the government.

Of course, these kids are too young to understand the implications of the much-trumpeted moral hazard the Senate voted tonight to enact. How would they feel to know that their government considers some people more important than others? How would they feel if they realized that their financial future is now constrained to pay for the egregious excesses of Wall Street coupled with incompetent regulation from Washington? How angry would they be that liquidity for the powerful would not come at the cost of bankruptcy liquidation? How would they feel if they realized that Congress intends to abrogate existing law to accommodate their patrons while appropriating the finances of their constituents to get it done? I know how I feel. I feel far away from home.

In my home country “there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:11 (NIV) In my home country, its citizens are children “of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all . . . who were baptized into Christ have clothed [themselves] with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, [all are] one in Christ Jesus [and are] Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV) In my home country, “[We] are all are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

When I witness injustice, I long for the peace of my home country. The Apostle, John, wrote about his vision of my home country, saying,

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

Revelation 21:1-7 (NIV)

Once Washington completes its bailout of Wall Street, it will be business as usual, i.e., the same old tired grind where the rich exploit the poor and the poor envy the rich. Politicians will continue to pervert justice at the whim of the powerful. Yet gone will be the illusion of America, the land of the free. Rather the newly emboldened Federal Government, like King James I and Julius Caesar before him, will “keep us all in servile fearfulness.”

So be it. I am a citizen of a greater country.

Partial obedience

by John D Ramsey

As a parent, perhaps nothing is as exasperating as a child’s partial obedience. Lisa deals with this more than I do, but she cannot bring herself to praise the little girls for almost obeying. In fact, by now the girls should know that their greatest grief comes from doing only part of what is required of them. Partial obedience is a calculated human behavior that disrespects authority and asserts autonomy in such a way as to undermine accountability. When parents spot this attitude in their children, it is difficult to avoid resorting to anger.

In 1 Samuel 15, God commanded Saul to annihilate the Amalekites: all the people and all their livestock. Saul, obeyed to a point. The Amalekites descended from Abraham through Isaac and Esau. Yet when Israel came out of Egypt Amalek attacked them. Joshua led Israel in battle, and while Moses held up his staff, Israel prevailed. When Moses lowered his staff, Amelek prevailed. Aaron and Hur each held up Moses’ hands until Joshua’s forces prevailed in the battle. God promised at that point to “completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Exodus 17:14 (NIV)

Amalek illustrates how God deals with nations in contrast to how he deals with individuals. People ultimately stand before judgment when they die. Nations, however, God judges in history. The nation of Amalek committed a crime against God and his chosen people centuries before Saul’s kingdom. Yet God waited until Saul was king to deal with Amelek. Surely all from Amalek that escaped death from Joshua’s army had died long before God commanded Saul to destroy Amalek. Did all the Amalekites Saul killed share hatred against Israel with their ancestors? Even if they hated Israel, God’s stated purpose was clear. He punished Amalek for how they treated Israel during the Exodus from Egypt.

God chooses when and how he judges the nations. Likewise, God chooses when and how each of us will die. God’s justice is not ours to criticize. If we question God’s judgment, we exalt ourselves in arrogance. There is no injustice in God’s decision. There cannot be injustice because God alone is the Creator of all things. No one is greater than the God who created him. Furthermore, no man and no nation of men will escape God’s justice even if God displays his patience throughout history.

When Saul warred against Amalek, he and his army spared Agag the king, and “the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs and everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy . . .” 1 Samuel 15:9 (NIV)

When Samuel learned what Saul had done, he demanded, “Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?” 1 Samuel 15:19 (NIV)

Saul defended himself against this indictment saying,

But I did obey the LORD . . . I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.

1 Samuel 15:20, 21 (NIV)

Saul, of course could not have “totally destroyed them” and “brought back Agag their king.” His two statements were mutually exclusive. Either he “totally destroyed them” or he did not. Moreover, he allowed his army to take plunder when God had commanded them to destroy everything. Saul made the excuse that part of the plunder was devoted to sacrifices to Samuel’s God. Samuel rebuked Saul with an oft-quoted proverb,

Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
he has rejected you as king.

1 Samuel 15:22, 23 (NIV)

Samuel condemns Saul’s partial obedience calling it “rebellion” and “arrogance.” Samuel compares rebellion against God with divination (some translations say, “witchcraft”). How is rebellion similar to divination? Very simply: Saul’s rebellion sought another way other than obedience to God. Saul’s crime would have been no worse had he consulted an oracle of Baal. He rejected God’s command and pursued another.

Likewise, Samuel compared Saul’s arrogance to idolatry. Arrogance before God is idolatry because it exalts the creature above the Creator.

The consequences of Saul’s partial obedience should be sobering to all. God cannot condone our partial obedience. When Jesus spoke from heaven to the churches in Asia, he praises those who remained true witnesses, but among the church of Pergamum were those who taught sexual immorality and idolatry. Jesus, told them to “Repent . . . Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” Revelation 2:16 (NIV) To Thyatira, Jesus says of a so-called prophetess who beguiled believers with her false teaching, “I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:23 (NIV)

I doubt that the church in Pergamum thought that they were following Balaam. Yet, some were condoning sensuality and even immorality. Likewise, not all in Thyatira followed Jezebel, but they all tolerated her. Perhaps they wanted to make their churches “seeker-friendly.” Sometimes modern Christianity refuses to sweat the small stuff. We would rather encourage unity by upholding only what we can establish by consensus.

Yet the broader our unity, the more shallow our faith becomes. We let the full testimony of God’s Word fall away by our rationalizations. From 1 Samuel 15 we learn that God sees our partial obedience as if they were the sins of divination and idolatry. By pursuing a lowest-common-denominator type of consensus rather than Canon, we “divine” rather than discern. By presuming that such actions please God, we elevate ourselves above him in arrogance.

Certainly, there are cultural expressions of worship that vary from place to place. These differences we should embrace, and if we cannot, we should overlook them without criticism. Certainly denominational labels are neither here nor there; both faith and apostasy reside within every so-called Christian organization. There is no such thing as a Christian organization, by the way. Christian people organize, but our organizations are hollow not hallowed. The only unity that matters is the unity of faithfulness founded upon the knowledge of Jesus Christ. You cannot incorporate this, it is the Holy Spirit's work.

We obtain this knowledge of Jesus Christ through the faithful application of God’s Word by the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Correct doctrine is Scripture without our contrivances. Rather than tossing out Scripture to accommodate meaningless consensus, we should all rather cast aside extra-Biblical dogma, politics, and tradition that Scripture does not support. If pursuit of Biblical truth divides us, so be it. Let us divide amicably without condemnation. Better let us each commit to uphold fully the truth of Scripture. Then let us each pursue full knowledge of the Son of God through the help of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus told the woman at the well in John chapter four, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23 (NIV) True worship of God does not arise from our partial obedience to His Word. Nor, will God indefinitely tolerate rebellion and arrogance among his people. God’s patience may persuade some churches that his judgment will never come. Perhaps they believe that God no longer cares about the purity of truth in worship. Beware; God remembered his oath against Amalek. Likewise, God will not tolerate our individual disobedience indefinitely, either: Saul vividly illustrates this truth for us. Moreover, if we do not tolerate such behavior in our own children, we can be assured that God will not tolerate partial obedience in us.

We should repent and return to our first love – Jesus Christ. Our grandest church buildings and organizations may erode when we do. True Christianity is not about building churches or our trying to “take over the world”; it is about “[knowing] Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10 (NIV) Such is our calling. Such is our hope. Yet, mere partial obedience disparages our high calling in Christ.

Lost donkeys

by John D Ramsey

When God chose Joshua to lead Israel in conquest of the Promised Land, God repeatedly told him to “be strong and courageous.” Likewise, when Joshua commanded the leaders of his army, he also told them to be “strong and courageous.” Years later, when Samuel appointed Saul to be king in Israel, he told him, “Be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24 (NIV)

Joshua had learned to serve God by following Moses. Joshua climbed as far up Mount Sinai as God allowed him to climb. There he waited for Moses. After Moses had been face-to-face with God, Joshua stayed with Moses even as the glory faded from Moses’ face. Joshua fought battles at Moses’ command. Joshua and Caleb were the only spies to bring back a good report. The people of Israel nearly stoned Joshua for stating his faith in God, but Joshua did not flinch. Joshua was a warrior and a leader of men. Yet even as Joshua was taking charge of Israel, God continued to remind him, “Be strong and courageous!”

Samuel had been dedicated to God before he was born. He lived his entire life as a Nazirite – fully dedicated to God’s service. Samuel was not a king, but rather he was a prophet, a priest, and a judge. Israel prospered under Samuel’s spiritual authority, yet when Samuel was an old man, Israel demanded that he give them a king.

In answer to Israel’s demands, God gave them Saul. Saul had no experience. His only adventure before Samuel anointed Saul as king was searching for his father’s donkeys. They were not even Saul’s donkeys; moreover, Saul never found them. He and his servant roamed the countryside for three days but the donkeys eluded him. Saul had one positive quality; he looked good. He was taller than his countrymen, and he was handsome. He was just what the people wanted in a king.

Samuel anointed Saul privately but later chose Saul publically by lot. When the lot fell upon Saul, he was hiding in the luggage. He knew what was going to happen, yet he was not prepared to face it. This was not a great beginning, but Saul had some early successes. When the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he acted like a leader. He routed the Ammonites and secured the kingdom. God granted Saul the kingdom conditionally based upon Saul's keeping God's commands.

Not very long after gaining the kingdom, Saul lost it. Israel was at war with the Philistines because Jonathon, Saul’s son, had attacked a Philistine outpost. Saul had tried to rally the people, but instead of preparing for battle, most of Saul’s army went into hiding. They hid because they had no weapons.

The Philistines had eliminated the blacksmiths from Israel. Scripture does not say by what means the blacksmiths vanished, but the men of Israel had to go to a Philistine city to get their farm implements sharpened. Perhaps the Philistines used intimidation, seduction, or a combination of both to relocate all the blacksmiths. Perhaps they used violence. Regardless, only Saul, Jonathon, and Jonathon’s armor-bearer carried swords.

Earlier Saul had roused 330,000 armed men to battle against the Ammonites; consequently, if he had no weapons to fight the Philistines it reflects poorly upon Saul’s leadership. His complacency was at least partly responsible for his dilemma. Nevertheless, Saul’s son, Jonathon was not complacent. He had started the war by attacking the Philistines. Saul then called up the reserves, but they did not come. In time, Saul's regular army began deserting.

[Saul] waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.

“What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD's favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

1 Samuel 13:8-12 (NIV)

Many teachers take issue with Saul’s offering a sacrifice. They argue that, only priest from the tribe of Levi were allowed to sacrifice to the Lord. However, this argument is tenuous. Samuel was not even a Levite by birth, and he offered sacrifices. Although Eli, the high priest, raised him, Samuel was naturally a member of the tribe of Ephraim. No one disputes Samuel’s qualifications to offer a sacrifice. Elijah was also a prophet, and not a Levite, yet no one questions his right to offer a sacrifice. God commanded David to offer a sacrifice on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David did not sacrifice at the tabernacle because he was afraid of disobeying God (2 Chronicles 21). These situations illustrate that at times sacrifices outside the temple system were not only accepted but also required.

Samuel, Elijah, and David were prophets, but Saul also prophesied when the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. Saul’s actions alone were equivalent to men who came before him and men who came after him. Yet God held Saul’s actions against him; why?

When God gave Saul the kingdom, he also gave Saul three commands:

1. Fear the LORD
2. Serve him faithfully with your whole heart.
3. Remember the great things God has done

In a sense, Saul’s commission was not that different from Joshua’s. God told Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” Had Saul always feared the Lord, served him faithfully, and remembered all that God had done, Saul, too, would have been strong and courageous.

When we read the passage closely, we realize that the purpose of Saul’s sacrifice was not consistent with fearing, serving, or remembering God. Saul was not being strong and courageous. Saul offered the sacrifice merely as a means of rallying the troops. Saul did not direct his sacrifice in worship of God; rather Saul directed his actions toward solving his current problem. Saul was afraid because his army was too small to protect him. He thought that offering a sacrifice might encourage the troops. Yet Saul’s actions did not deceive Samuel.

“You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD's command.”

Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.

1 Samuel 13:13-15 (NIV)

Saul’s losing the kingdom had very little to do with his actions and very much to do with his attitudes. If Saul’s confidence had been in God rather than in his own meager army, he would have kept the kingdom. Even Jephthah, the scoundrel from Judges 11 became a hero of the faith in Hebrews 11 because he had confidence in God. Saul, too, had been a hero when he trusted God. Yet Saul lacked the mettle to remain faithful to God. Perhaps the kingdom came upon him too easily.

Saul was not competent. Before becoming king, nothing other than his appearance distinguished him. He never even found his father’s donkeys, though they apparently found their own way home. Yet, when Saul yielded to God, God used him to do great things. When Saul did not regard God, he lacked all the requisite leadership skills to be king, and Israel suffered because of Saul’s lack of faith. We can draw from Saul’s example many truths:

• We should realize that human leaders are frail and prone to failure. Our hope should be in God, and not in men.
• God is able to use any man. It is not the measure of the man, but the measure of God’s Spirit upon the man that matters.
• We should remember our victories as God’s victories. Left to ourselves, we probably could not even find our donkeys.
• When we become concerned about circumstances, we have lost sight of the kingdom of God.
• A singular victory does not comprise our character.
• Our daily walk of faith is more important than the magnitude of our victories.

Heroes

by John D Ramsey

I just slogged through the book of Judges in preparation for Tuesday morning Bible study. I will read more again Monday night, but I decided to summarize the book in one sentence to avoid unpleasant details. With ellipses to indicate (a lot of) missing content, the Book of Judges reads, “Now it came about after the death of Joshua that . . . everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Judges 1:1a, 21:25b (NASB)

I emailed Mark telling him that the book of Judges is depressing. Israel was not faithful to God, and God delivered them to oppressors to punish them. Moreover, the judges whom God used to rescue Israel are hardly the storybook heroes that children’s Sunday school literature makes them out to be.

Of course, there are bright spots, in the book. Gideon, for instance, delivers Israel from the hand of the Ishmaelites that lived in the land of Midian. Midian is the area east of Sinai across the Red Sea in what is now called Saudi Arabia. Israel had annihilated the Midianites as recorded in Numbers 31. Judges 8:24 explains that the Midianites whom Gideon conquered were actually Ishmaelites. As far back as Genesis 37, we see that the Ishmaelites travelled with the Midianites. This is a probable fulfillment of the prophecy in Genesis 25 saying that Ishmael would settle “in defiance of his relatives.” Ishmael was Abraham’s son by Hagar, and Midian was Abraham’s son by Keturah. Of course, Israel (Jacob) was the grandson of Abraham through Isaac. We infer that the Midianites are Ishmaelites in Judges 6-8 because they lived in the land of Midian and not because of any mitochondrial relationship to Keturah.

After routing the Ishmaelites of Midian with his 300 men, Gideon again went up against 15,000 more. Again, Gideon prevailed. Gideon captured two kings from Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna. These were the very men who had apparently murdered Gideon’s brothers. Upon learning this, Gideon killed them and took the crescent moon ornaments from their camels’ necks.

Seeing Gideon’s valor, the men of Israel wanted to appoint him as ruler, but Gideon demurred. Instead, he asked only that each man from Israel give him one earring from one of the fallen Midianites. The great Sunday school hero, Gideon, takes the gold (about 40 pounds), makes an ephod, and displays it in his town. What ever an ephod is, to Israel the ephod it became an idol, “a snare to Gideon and his household.”

Although Gideon refused to be king, he fathered a son by his concubine in Shechem and named him Abimelech, which means, “my father the king”, “my father is king”, or “my father, my king.” Abimelech became king in Shechem after murdering sixty-nine of his seventy brothers. Apparently, Gideon had second thoughts about not becoming king and chose an prophetic and regrettable name for his son. Regardless of his success, Gideon’s failures proved disastrous.

No account in Judges is redacted more aggressively than the record of Jephthah. Jephthah was a scoundrel, but he was bold enough to confront Ammon. Ammon descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot by an incestuous relationship with his daughter. Ammon took up an old offense from its cousin Moab and warred against Israel. In Moab and Ammon, the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah survived. The last mention of Moab and Ammon in the Bible comes from the prophet Zephaniah.

“Therefore, as I live,” declares the LORD of hosts,
The God of Israel,
“Surely Moab will be like Sodom
And the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah—
A place possessed by nettles and salt pits,
And a perpetual desolation.
The remnant of My people will plunder them
And the remainder of My nation will inherit them. ”

Zephaniah 2:9 (NASB)

Moab and Ammon were natural enemies of Israel. When elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to fight Ammon, he would only do so if they promised to make him leader. When they agreed, he became the deliverer of Israel.

Now the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.

So Jephthah crossed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD gave them into his hand.

Judges 11:29, 32 (NASB)

Although he showed an understanding of Israel’s military history, Jephthah’s approached God as a pagan would. God does not elicit bribes; the record of Balaam illustrates this profoundly. Yet Jephthah says,

If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, then it shall be that [whoever] comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, it shall the LORD’s, and I will offer [him] up as a burnt offering.

Judges 11:30, 31 (NASB)

Most Bible translations redact Jephthah’s words to make it sound like he was expecting a little sheep, or kid goat, or perhaps a mini-cow to exit the house and greet him upon his return from war. Yet Jephthah was a violent man, a cold-blooded killer, and an ambitious politician. God used him deliver Israel from Ammon, but Jephthah later killed 40,000 men from Ephraim. Remember that the elders of Gilead chose Jephthah. Although God empowered him to battle Ammon, Jephthah was mercenary seeking his own glory, and God turned Jephthah’s profane vow against him.

When he returned from battle, his daughter, his only child ran of his house out to greet him. Two months later, Jephthah “did to her according to the vow which he had made.” Keil and Delitzsch argue against the interpretation that Jephthah offered a human sacrifice. They claim that only priests in ministry at the Tabernacle would offer burnt offerings—or at least they are the only ones who would offer burnt offerings that would become part of the historical record of Israel. This is a very convenient argument except that it is not true. Manoah, Sampson’s father, built an altar and offered a burnt offering to the Lord in Judges 13. In my Bible, I only need to turn the page to prove that Keil and Delitzsch’ argument is a vain attempt to redact a horrible crime by a Bible hero.

Sampson was a judge whom God chose from before his birth to be set apart as a Nazarite. Yet Sampson was licentious! His morally-vacuous lifestyle actually put him in the position of killing Philistines and liberating Israel from their oppressors. Sampson lived and died by the choices he made. God still used him to deliver Israel.

If we look to Judges for examples of righteous behavior, we will need to redact quite a lot. Nevertheless, what these judges of Israel lacked in exemplary behavior they mitigated by exemplary faith. In fact, Hebrews 11, the Faith Hall of Fame, commends all three of the judges we have considered here.

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Hebrews 11:32-24 (NASB)

Regardless of the weaknesses and even the wickedness of these men, when the New-Testament writer of Hebrews summarized their lives they shine as examples of faithfulness. When confronted with a choice of whether to trust God, they chose faith. In the end, that is what mattered. The Bible was not written to glorify men; rather it was written to glorify God. The Book of Judges shows that the Spirit of God can come upon scoundrels and make them effective ministers of God’s will. If this is true, then there is hope for us, too.

Slogging through the Book of Judges is nearly as disturbing as reading Herodotus’ Histories, yet in the end, the accounts in Judges are testimony to three things:

1. Man’s absolute inability to measure up to a holy God,
2. God’s amazing faithfulness to His Word,
3. and man’s potential redemption by faith in God and His promises.

Today, we are more genteel than Gideon, Jephthah, and Sampson; nevertheless, we do not measure up to the standard of God’s holiness. Regardless of how civil we are, we fall short of God’s righteousness. Consequently, our only hope is salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The beauty of God’s grace is that it reaches even to scoundrels who by faith respond to God’s invitation for mercy through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 12 refers to the heroes of the faith as a “great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” They are testimony to the depth of God’s power to save, and they are testimony to God’s faithfulness to his promises. None of us is yet beyond God’s mercy, but we must “[fix] our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.”

The kingdom is within

by John D Ramsey

I have begun a little Bible study I call Kingdom in Context. A few nice guys and I get together on Tuesday mornings and take a look at Scripture passages that contain the word kingdom. Okay, sometimes we look at passages that do not contain the word kingdom but are essential to understanding the passages that do. In any event, my friends are extremely patient with me. We began our study in Genesis 10 way back in February. We are about to launch into the book of Judges even though the word kingdom does not appear even once. At the onset, I calculated that the study would take about six or seven years to complete. Actually, I think understanding the kingdom fully will probably take an eternity. While our study is concentrating on the Old Testament so far, occasionally I take a peak at a kingdom passage in the New Testament. Today, this verse came to mind:

Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”

Luke 17:20, 21 (NIV)

To whom was Jesus speaking when he said, “. . . the kingdom of God is within you”? Were these the Pharisees to whom Jesus pronounced six woes in Luke and eight woes in Matthew? How could the kingdom of God be within someone to whom Jesus said,

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to”?

Matthew 23:13 (NIV)

To the observant, my quoting these two verses may appear like a bait and switch. Luke uses the terminology, “kingdom of God” while Matthew says, “kingdom of heaven.” Nevertheless, Luke and Matthew use different words when quoting the same sentences elsewhere (the kingdom parables in Matthew 13 and Luke 13, for instance). Jesus’ probably spoke these words in Aramaic, making both Matthew and Luke’s translations valid and equivalent. Any distinction between the kingdom of heaven in Matthew’s Gospel and the kingdom of God in Luke’s Gospel is mere speculation.

What did Jesus mean when he said, “the kingdom of God is within you”? This might be easier to understand if Jesus had been speaking to his disciples and not to the Pharisees. When confronted with difficult concepts, some modern Bible translations use a form of semantic jujitsu to deflect Jesus’ words into meaninglessness. The New American Standard Bible, for instance, quotes Jesus as saying, “the kingdom of God in your midst.” If that were the case, then Jesus’ words might have been a self-reference because Jesus was in their midst. Yet if Jesus were referring to himself as “the kingdom of God”, then would not the Pharisees have been able to recognize the kingdom with “careful observation”? In fact, if the Pharisees’ observations of Jesus had been empirical rather than emotional, they would have recognized him as the Holy One of Israel. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of God was both intangible yet within their grasp. In fact, the kingdom of God was already within them. If the kingdom of God was within the unbelieving Pharisees, can we infer that the kingdom of God is also within each of us?

On the one hand, the kingdom of God was within the Pharisees; on the other hand, the Pharisees refused to enter into the kingdom. For this, Jesus warned them of impending judgment. When Jesus told the Pharisees that they did not enter the kingdom, the inference is that they willfully refused to enter. Jesus did not accuse them of being unaware of the kingdom. He accused them of rejecting it.

In what way can we have the kingdom of God within us and yet refuse to enter therein? Without attempting to reconcile the metaphors, but rather looking at their meanings, the answer in one word is accountability. Paul preached to the Athenians, saying,

The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

“For in him we live and move and have our being.”

As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.”

Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.

He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.

Acts 17:24-31 (NIV)

The evidence of God’s kingdom is within each of us, and God will consequently hold each accountable. God “commands all people everywhere to repent.”

When Paul says, “He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead”, what is the antecedent of the word him? The man whom God has appointed to judge the world is the man that God has raised from the dead.

Moreover, the one whom God raised from the dead, is also the “UNKNOWN GOD” whom the Athenians worshipped in ignorance (v22, 23). Paul told them, “what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” Paul’s appeal to them, in essence, was for them to acknowledge the truth that they already knew in their hearts: that they were accountable to Jesus Christ. They already knew they were accountable to someone; Paul introduced them to Jesus. The kingdom of God was within them, yet to enter into it they needed to acknowledge their accountability to the resurrected Savior.

Acknowledging Jesus Christ as our Creator, Savior, and Judge is the essence of our repentance unto salvation. We turn away from ignorance of God toward the knowledge of him who died for us. We acknowledge that we are accountable to him, and we acknowledge that our salvation comes only through him.

The kingdom of God is within us; have we entered into it?

Zeal

by John D Ramsey

Throughout the last week, we have watched the Olympics at our house. Our data projector and large screen in the basement make the drama of competition even more theatrical. The girls like to take popcorn with them when they watch in the evening.

Among the athletes of Olympic caliber, the quality that I admire most is zeal. Zeal comes from the same root word as jealous. Although envy is often labeled jealousy, they are distinctly different. In fact, Jealous is merely a variant spelling of zealous. If there is a distinction between zealous and jealous, zeal is jealousy with feet. Envy wants what is yours while jealousy protects what is mine or lays hold of what is precious to me. Zealous athletes train intensely so that they may compete successfully to win. They are jealous of their own success. A zealous athlete can still be gracious in defeat while an envious athlete is the occasional poor sport. Zeal wants to accomplish victory whereas envy merely seeks the reward.

I was pleasantly surprised when I watched Chris Collinsworth’s interview with Kobe Bryant. The Wall Street Journal noticed, too. It was touching to hear that the sight of his Olympic uniform overwhelmed an athlete who has lingered at the pinnacle of success. When Collinsworth questioned him, Kobe summarized his sentiment saying, “This is a tremendous honor.” It is right that he should feel that way. If he were nonchalant about wearing a USA jersey before the eyes of the world, he should have stayed at home. Kobe Bryant exhibits zeal for his country and his sport.

It has been many years since I participated in competitive sports of any kind. Yet I think that I have tasted the zeal for winning in spite of pain. I remember running a middle distance race when a competitor took an early lead. I caught up and passed him because I feared that if I did not lead I would not get another opportunity to catch up. For the rest of the race I could hear his feet behind me step for step. Neither of us would relinquish the race to the other, and we both achieved our personal best times. When we talked afterward, he told me that he usually started fast and then after building his lead relaxed in to a lighter pace. I usually raced differently, staying with the pack until the last 200 yards when I rolled into a sprint. His early lead made me modify my race, and my persistence made him modify his. Had we not both been jealous of the win, neither would have accomplished as much.

Among the heroes of the Old Testament, the zeal of Elisha stands out. When Elijah called him to serve, Elisha sacrificed his oxen and burned his plow. There was no turning back. Before Elijah was taken into heaven, Elisha would not turn back. He would not leave Elijah's side though he knew that Elijah's ministry was complete. Fifty other prophets stayed on the western bank of the Jordan, but Elisha crossed over with Elijah as the river divided in front of them.

In his zeal, Elisha asked for a double portion of Spirit that was upon Elijah. When God took Elijah into heaven in a whirlwind, Elisha cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha knew that Elijah was indeed the strength of Israel. Yet Elisha was zealous to become greater. He had asked for a double portion of God's Spirit. He was jealous for what was most precious to him.

After Elijah disappeared from sight, Elisha duplicated the last miracle of Elijah, approaching the Jordan River and crying out, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” and striking the waters of the Jordan with Elijah’s cloak. The water parted and he crossed over.

Elisha performed many other miracles in the name of the Lord including raising the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead. Late in his life, when Elisha was sick and dying, the king of Israel, Joash, came to him weeping, crying aloud, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Nevertheless, Joash was not zealous for the God of Israel; rather, he was envious of Elisha’s power. Elisha tested him accordingly. He had him take his bow and shoot an arrow through the open window. Elisha said, “The LORD’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them.”
2 Kings 13:17 (NASB)

Then Elisha had Joash take arrows from his quiver and strike the ground. Joash complied striking the ground three times. Elisha became angry and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.” 2 Kings 13:19 (NASB) Elisha could see that Joash lacked zeal. His heart was not right before God. In fact, 2 Kings 13:11 says, “He did evil in the sight of the LORD”. The king’s lament for Elisha was a mendacious attempt to elicit Elisha's blessing. Joash only wanted the power; he lacked the zeal to accomplish what the Lord would have him to do. Although God was merciful, Israel’s victory over Aram was incomplete.

Inserted into this record is a remarkable account; it is as if Elisha had one more miracle left in him. If he could not impart the Spirit of God to the king of Israel, he still had to impart it to someone. After Elisha died and was buried (or entombed), men came to bury a dead man. They spotted marauders from Moab, and rather than taking care to bury their friend, they tossed him into Elisha’s grave. “When the man touched the bones of Elisha he revived and stood up on his feet.” 2 Kings 13:21 (NASB) The zeal of Elisha persisted even after his death. Even his bones testified to the power of God to save!

As believers, about what or whom are we to be zealous? The Apostle Paul wrote,

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, [I became] as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, [I became] as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NASB)

Paul lived among many kinds of people. He was a Jew. He was a Roman citizen. He was a teacher, and he was a tradesman. He debated philosophy and religion in Athens. Yet, all that he did, he did for the sake of the Gospel.

• What are we willing to do for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
• For what are we most zealous?
• Whom do we know who is zealous for the Gospel?
• If we lack zeal for the Gospel, where will we find it?

Elisha served Elijah. Paul spent the three years after his conversion in Arabia. Their zeal was first evidenced by their diligence to know God. It is there where we, too, must begin. We must first know Jesus to know the power of his resurrection. Knowing his power will fill us with the zeal to serve him as he calls us to do.

Adoni-Bezek

by John D Ramsey

Today I was reading in Judges. I did not read very far before my imagination wandered from the pages and into the drama of the events.

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”

The LORD answered, “Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands.”

Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them.

When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes.

Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

Judges 1:1-7 (NIV)

A few things in this short passage captivated my imagination. Firstly, the king Israel pursued was named, Adoni-Bezek. Adonai is a Hebrew name for God meaning, Lord. Adoni-Bezek means “Lord of Bezek.” Bezek was the city or region over which this king ruled. Nevertheless, Adoni seems a presumptive title. I noticed also that Adoni-Bezek was a conqueror. He said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table.”

God conquered the conqueror, Adoni-Bezek. When his army was routed, Adoni-Bezek fled from the armies of Judah and Simeon. When they captured him, they cut off his big toes and his thumbs. What intrigued me the most about Adoni-Bezek is that after he was partially dismembered, he immediately confessed the justice of it, saying, “God has paid me back for what I did.”

The Canaanites were a wicked people who were under God’s judgment. God had told Abraham nearly 500 years earlier, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” Genesis 15:16 (NIV) According to Genesis 10:16, the Amorites were among the tribes of Canaan. “Fourth generation” may refer to the great-grandchildren of the Exodus, or the children who were born in Sinai. Nevertheless, God would not give Abraham’s descendants a possession in Canaan until the sin of the inhabitants was ripe for judgment.

God destroyed the Canaanites for their sin. Previously, God had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by raining fire and brimstone upon the cities, but now God was judging the Canaanites by the hand of Israel. In this way, God’s judgment against Canaan also served as a warning to Israel. They saw firsthand the justice of God because they executed his judgment with their swords, spears, and bows. They knew that God would punish evil because he used them to do it.

When Israel cut off the big toes and thumbs of Adoni-Bezek, he recognized it as God’s justice. God forced him to suffer what he had inflicted upon others. What is our impulse? Do we pity Adoni-Bezek? This man knew who God (Elohim) was; he had seen and heard of the conquests of Joshua. Seeing all this, Adoni-Bezek did not repent. Rather, he inflicted injury upon the kings of the cities he conquered. When God’s justice caught up with him, he could do nothing other than to give God glory. Yet, remorse does not equal repentance. Such is God’s justice that the judged do not quarrel with God. Adoni-Bezek testified of God’s justice only when it was too late. Paul tells us in Romans 2 that at the final judgment the sinner’s conscience will accuse him and everyone will be without excuse.

Paul wrote to the Philippians regarding Christ’s exalted state, saying,

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:10, 11 (NIV)

Eventually, we will all come to the same conclusion. Before the throne of Jesus, hubris will melt into humility, and we all will glorify God. While God’s justice is sure, his tender mercy reaches out to intervene. Jesus endured the justice of God in his body upon the cross. He did not suffer for his own sin, but rather “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

What must we do to claim mercy instead of justice? Peter in Acts 2 and Paul in Romans 10 quote the prophet Joel, saying, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Sounds simple, yet it will change your life. Paul concludes his argument against salvation by human effort saying,

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

Galatians 6:-14-16 (NIV)

While God’s justice will be confirmed by the law he has written upon our hearts, his mercy comes to us by a new law:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

Israel executed God’s judgment against the Canaanites only to see God’s judgment executed against them when they turned away from God. In our natural state, we too are incapable of measuring up; nevertheless, Jesus Christ extends to us his mercy by having carried our sins upon the cross. Will we call upon his name?

Measuring up

By John D Ramsey

Okay, I admit, I am a sucker for the Olympics. I ignored the hype, I avoided all but the last few minutes of the opening ceremony. However, I cannot (or do not) resist the urge to watch the drama of sport. Gabby was just a toddler during the last Summer Games, so she is discovering the Olympics for the first time. I have let her stay up late and she has thoroughly enjoyed watching. I wondered what about the Olympics she found so captivating, and so I watched her watch. She identifies with the athletes from the United States and cheers when they succeed. She does this even though she only recently learned the difference between a city and a state and must have a fuzzy notion of what the United States is. I should not be too surprised with her nationalistic zeal because last football season and through the NCAA Basketball Tournament she always asked me, “Who are we voting for?”

Next time she asks, I shall have to correct her and say, “The proper form of your question is, ‘For whom are we voting?’ However, we do not vote, we cheer. Consequently, you should ask, ‘For whom are we cheering?’” I am certain that she would respond as her older sisters would, and say, “. . . Whatever.”

Nevertheless, Gabby is usually eager to lend her enthusiasm to whatever team or athlete I prefer, but sometimes she just likes one team’s colors more. She wants to cheer for someone. I suppose her affinity to an athlete or a team exposes the innate, existential surrogate scheme in which we all occasionally indulge. We feel like winners when our team wins.

During the Minnesota winter, it is difficult to cheer for the home team knowing that Green Bay and Chicago play real football on their home fields. By the same measure, perhaps I should not consider myself a football fan knowing that the true fanatics endure the extreme weather of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nevertheless, as football fan living in Minnesota, I employed a different ethos than cheering the home team. Rather, I hoped that the better team would win.

I have realized that sport is a justice system. Whoever prepares best, plays hardest, and sacrifices most deserves to win. Like any justice system, there are those who try to pervert it. Some stack the bench with raw talent regardless of cost. Some use surreptitious means to steal competitors’ secrets. Some athletes use performance-enhancing drugs to gain an edge. Whenever someone gains an unfair advantage, his losses are sweet to the rest of us. When a great athlete is caught cheating, it is tragedy brought about by hubris. When the best team wins, we feel contented. All these illustrate a natural justice in sport.

Even though sport seeks justice, it is not without irony. Kirsta Coventry’s silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke is ironic in light of her world record in the semi-final of the event. As spectators, we sway to the courtroom dramas that unfold before our eyes. We deliberate with the announcers, and we render our own verdicts after injecting our own prejudice into the equations. We beautify our saints and condemn our sinners.

Perhaps we cheer when Michael Phelps wins gold and breaks the world record in the process. His labors are rewarded; justice is served. Perhaps we also cheer when Dara Torres overcomes the limitations of age to compete and win. Who works harder than these do? Their mental toughness is as commendable as their physical strength. Yet we might ask ourselves, what can we gain by their success? What would we lose if they failed? Most of us have not chosen to endure their sacrifices, nor will we earn the prizes that they seek. Any existential moment we enjoy is meaningless unless we can realize actual benefit. As athletes, very few of us would measure up to the dedicated men and women who earn the right to compete in the Olympics.

Nevertheless, the examples of great athletes encourage us because they confirm justice. Seeing justice in one realm, we can strive for justice in another. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Greeks in Corinth saying,

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)

Paul implores the Corinthians to focus upon their faith even as an athlete focuses upon his training. Paul demands spiritual toughness of believers because there is reward for the faithful, and much is at stake. Later in his life, Paul concluded his instructions to Timothy saying,

The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)

In our Kingdom in Context Bible study, we took a glance at the life of Joshua today. Joshua was spiritually tough. He fought the Lord’s battles faithfully from early in his life until the land of Canaan was subdued. He climbed halfway up Sinai, and he waited for Moses even while Israel committed idolatry. Joshua stayed with Moses even as Moses’ glory was fading. Joshua brought a good report to the people. He had confidence that God would deliver the Promised Land. The people nearly stoned him for his faith. He was strong and courageous as he led Israel in conquest. He succeeded in nearly everything God commanded him to do. When he failed to persuade all of Israel to treat God as holy, he punished Achan and his family, and then led the army to victory against Ai. When he failed to see Gibeon’s ruse, he owned his mistake and kept his oath. Joshua was spiritually tough. He was faithful.

Joshua was perhaps Israel’s strongest leader. Yet in his final days, he surveyed the men of Israel and he said,

You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.

Joshua 24:19, 20 (NIV)

Joshua could see that regardless of what God had done for them; Israel was not spiritually tough enough to remain faithful. In light of Israel’s example, how do we know that we are spiritually tough enough? What hope do we have that we will fight the good fight and finish the race? If we hope to compete on our own merits, we are all like overweight, middle-aged men, trying to qualify for the Olympics. We are stupid to try.

However, we do not fight or run in our own strength, but rather we draw our strength from Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews carries on Paul’s sports analogy saying,

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (KJV)

Jesus is both the author and finisher of our faith. He is our example and he is our strength. What we cannot do ourselves, he has already finished for us. We measure up, because he has measured up. Indeed, we win because he has won.

When we look to Jesus, we will not be discouraged. His faithfulness will keep us faithful. The longer we strive to know him, the more we will long for his appearing. Learning of him and yearning for him will earn us a “crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to [us] on that day.”

Treasure hunt

by John D Ramsey

A few days ago, we discussed the first three parables commonly referred to as the Mysteries of the Kingdom in Matthew 13. After Jesus interpreted the Parable of the Weeds to his disciples, he makes two brief comparisons of the kingdom. Remember, that the mysteries of the kingdom are really illustrations of how things work in the kingdom of God. I refer to them as the economy of the kingdom. We learned that Jesus taught three principles of the kingdom: Subversion, Appropriation, and Decay. In Matthew 13:24-43, Jesus states the problem. In verses 44-46, he provides the solution.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46 (NIV)

Some interpret these two stories as parallel – that is telling the same truth using different symbols. The word, “Again”, in verse 45 invites us to interpret the story of the merchant as a reiteration of the story of the treasure hidden in the field. However, the word, “again”, while conjoining the two stories does not necessitate reiteration. It could as easily have been translated as “further” or “furthermore.” In such case, Jesus would have been inviting contrast rather than engaging in repetition.

There is very little context with which to interpret the meanings of these parables, and Jesus provides no further explanation. Furthermore, these verses do not appear to have been expounded upon by other New Testament writers. Consequently, we are left to decipher word meanings using the best available information. When Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field”, our best assumption is that the field is the world. We assume this because according to verse 37, the field is the world in the parable of the weeds, and there is no evidence in verse 31, the parable of the mustard seed, or in verse 44, to indicate that the field is anything other than the world.

The parable of the treasure hidden in a field then portrays Christ’s redemption of the whole world in order to obtain a hidden treasure. Some might propose that the treasure is the church, but we are better off to take a broader interpretation and claim that the treasure is the faithful.

This interpretation is consistent with what we know about Jesus sacrifice. He gave up all that he had. He took upon himself the sins of the whole world, and those who believe in him, he gives eternal life. In Exodus 19, God promised Israel that if they would hear his voice and keep his commandments, then they would be a kingdom of priests. We learned in an earlier discussion that Israel refused to hear God’s voice, and there is no further mention of kingdom-priesthood until 1 Peter 2. Peter tells us that those who believe are indeed a kingdom of priests.

In the parable of the treasure in the field, the man redeems the whole field for the sake of the treasure. Christ paid the ransom for the whole world, but this does not indicate that he extends salvation to unbelievers. In fact, the story of the merchant, tells our side of the redemption story. The merchant, who had been collecting pearls, finds a pearl of true value, he abandoned all that he had to lay claim to the one.

The word “pearl” does not appear often in Scripture. There is not much contextual or comparative help in understanding its meaning; consequently, our best analysis builds upon evidence that exists rather than evidence that does not exist. Job 28:18 compares pearls to wisdom, but this interpretation benefits from the English translation. The Septuagint translates the Hebrew to mean “crystal”, not “pearl”. In Matthew 7, Jesus says, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”

This is not easy to interpret, either, but if we ask, what are we supposed to seek, what are we suppose to share? The answer would return, “Truth.” Throwing pearls before swine would be worthless because hogs cannot appreciate pearls. This does not mean that we do not preach truth to unbelievers, but rather it tells us how not to package or present the truth.

Farmers used to raise hogs alongside cattle in feedlots because the hogs would nourish themselves from the cattle’s excrement. This maximized the farmers return on investment because feed was not wasted. Still, it reflects poorly upon the discernment of the hogs. The message in Matthew 7:6, is not that we should avoid sharing the truth with unbelievers, but rather that we should respect the truth that we are sharing. Imagine casting pearls into the feedlot. They would be immediately lost in the filthy muck. The truth is special. We should treat it as such. We should not present truth in a context that disparages it. It would be throwing pearls into a hog woller.

If pearls represent truth in Matthew 7, then pearls might also represent truth in Matthew 13. If so, then the kingdom of heaven is like a man searching for truth, and when he finds the Truth, he abandons everything else to acquire it. Such is our relationship with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We abandon all our worldly, religious, and philosophical ideologies in order to claim salvation by faith in Jesus Christ.

The two parables are related, but they do not picture the same truth. The parable of the treasure in the field tells of Christ’s love for us, and the parable of the merchant and the pearl speaks of our commitment to Christ.

Earlier, Jesus told stories that reflected sad truths. In the kingdom of God, the servants of God are easily, subverted. What grows from faith is appropriated by the ambitious to serve them instead of God. We harbor sin and pride; consequently, decay eventually permeates what was once pure in us.

The solution for us is that Christ died for the ungodly. We are reconciled to God through faith, but if we still cling to earth, we will experience the sadness that accompanies sin. Our best hope is to abandon all else in favor of the one Truth. If we obey, we will not be subverted. If we know the truth, then we will not follow the ambitious that appropriate religion to empower themselves. If we are following Christ, we will be looking to him for our hope, and not to leaders of men. If we “clean out the old leaven,” we will not harbor the sin and pride that puffs us up even while it consumes us from within.

We are to be as the merchant who found the pearl of great value. He gave up everything he had to obtain the one most valuable pearl. Likewise, we follow Christ, not in addition to spiritual ideologies, but instead of all other spiritual ideologies.

We who believe are Jesus’ treasure in the world. We should respond by making him the sole ambition of our lives.