Brazen Hussies

Among the list of "evils" perpetrated by people, a popular one is women who braid their hair. Oh, you didn't know that one? Yep. Right there in Scripture. "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness" (1 Tim 2:9-10). "Oh, come on. That's just Paul." Oh? "In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God" (1 Peter 3:1-4). It's repeated. Apparently wearing gold and pearls and expensive clothes is a sin, and women who do it are sinning. Right?

Clearly the text says it, but ... does it? Let's look at context. Paul urges prayer (1 Tim 2:1-7}. Then he tells men specific instructions. Pray without wrath and dissension (1 Tim 2:8). Then women (1 Tim 2:9-10). Read what he says carefully. "Likewise." As people pray and men avoid wrath and dissension ... what should women do? He urges them to adorn themselves ... "by means of good works." Why? It's proper for godliness. We have the "not with braided hair" and so on, but I don't think it's a ban, but a redirection. "I want you to adorn yourselves properly for godliness. No, I'm not talking about dressing well, but with good works." Surely, proper clothing, modesty, and discretion are suitable for godliness. But the real beauty is in character, not clothes ... good works, not good looks. Not convinced? Look at Peter's text. Peter wrote regarding submitting to authority (1 Peter 2:13-25). "In the same way," he says, wives are to submit to husbands. He urges them win their husbands by submission via chaste and respectful behavior. He says it's not external. It's "the hidden person of the heart." The NAS adds "merely" there to make the point that the point is not a prohibition, but, like Paul, a redirection. "I know society tells you looking good is important. Don't believe it. Adorn yourselves in character. Dress yourselves in a gentle and quiet spirit." Neither is banning this stuff. They're asking women not to focus on externals and pay more attention to character. Don't be calling attention to yourselves (especially by how you look), but to your Lord by having character that reflects Him.

God told Samuel, "God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but YHWH looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7). Jesus said, "The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders" (Matt 15:18-19). The problem is always the heart. God's concern isn't mere appearance. He wants a heart that reflects Him. So many have tried to make these texts say it's a sin to wear jewelry. That's looking on the outward appearance. Look at the heart. Let's not make rules that aren't there. Let's look at what it's actually saying. Women ... everyone ... needs to reflect Christ, not our own appearance. Our adornment isn't about looks, but character. Proverbs says, "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears YHWH, she shall be praised" (Prov 31:30). That is the point.

What Do You Need?

Written by Annie S. Hawks (1872), it's a well known hymn. I Need Thee Every Hour was written primarily on her own "sense of nearness" to the Master.

I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior!
I come to Thee.

It has been rewritten and revamped up until modern days. Joey+Rory did it, the Winans, the Gaithers, Selah. It's a personal and touching song. But ... is it true?

There are two aspects in answering that question. The first is "Do I really need Him?" The deists (or the practical deists) might say, "No. We've got this. We can do most of it. I might need Him sometimes, but ... 'every hour'? Not really." But is it true? Scripture says, "In Him all things hold together" (Col 1:17). Scripture says, "From Him and through Him and to Him are all things" (Rom 11:36). At the very least, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow" (James 1:17). We all need good things, right? Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Nothing. So ... actually ... yes. The statement is indeed true. We do need Him at all times because only in Him do all things hold together and only with Him can we do anything of any value.

That leaves us with the other side of the question, "Is it true?" Yes, we do need Him ... every hour. The hymn says He alone affords peace, that near Him temptations lose their power, that without Him life is vain. All true. So the other side of that question is ... is it true ... for you? Do you know that you need Him "every hour"? Are you deeply aware of your desperate and ongoing need for His presence at every moment? I would guess that most of us aren't. I would suggest that this should not be the case.

Bad Math

Everybody loves Deuteronomy. Okay, maybe not. It's primarily God, through Moses, reminding the people about what was going on before they go into the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 4 and following, he talks about the 10 Commandments. He says, "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is YHWH our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?" (Deut 4:7-8). It was good stuff. On the subject of God's statutes and judgments, he says, "You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of YHWH your God which I command you" (Deut 4:2). He's not talking about all of God's Word here. He's talking about God's commands. Don't add, and don't take away. Okay. Sure. Except ... we do this all the time, don't we?

We're good at adding, amazingly enough. The first person to do this was Eve. When Satan asked if God said they couldn't eat from a tree, she replied, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die'" (Gen 3:2-3). Except ... He didn't. He said nothing about touching it. Eve ... added that. The Pharisees were good at it, adding how many steps constituted "work" on the Sabbath and such. One source said that to the original 613 laws God gave, they added thousands of new ones. The New Testament legalists added "circumcision" to grace. The Roman Catholics were great at this, like praying to Mary and purgatory and indulgences and "the seven deadly sins." In my day it was "No dancing and no drinking and no movies and no playing cards." Not in there. We learned to "bow our heads and close our eyes" to pray. No such command. I'm sure you can think of your own. We're good at adding.

We're equally good at subtracting. We "stand on the Word" and then ignore what we don't like. It says that sex outside of marriage is sin ... unless we want to. It says that women must not teach or exercise authority of men ... except, of course, if we allow it. God hates divorce. Us? Not so much. And, seriously, love your enemies? Who does that? I bet you can find a whole bunch of those ... that others are doing. But ... how many of us love God with all our hearts? How many of us love like Jesus loved? I'd bet that we all suffer from this subtraction. And it's not good. "Don't do it," Moses warned. Don't add. Don't subtract. Apparently we are really bad at math.

So?

I noticed this the other day in a text in John's Gospel. You remember the story. Lazarus was Mary and Martha's brother. He was ill, so they did the very best thing. They asked Jesus. Jesus said, "It doesn't lead to death" (John 11:4). Then, the text says,

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. (John 11:5-6)

All well and good ... except ... that word, "so." In this context, the word is a "therefore," an effect from a cause. It says, "He stayed two days longer in the place where He was." That "so" indicates a reason for Him staying. For what reason did Christ stay longer? "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." See that? Because He loved them, He stayed away ... until He knew Lazarus was dead (John 11:11).

We see this in our lives all the time. We encounter a problem. We pray. God doesn't answer. (Or, at least, says "No" or "Wait.") And we're left hanging. "If You had only been here, Lord ..." (John 11:21). We're disappointed, distressed, maybe even angry. He let us down. He messed up. It's one of the biggest reasons for people to question Christianity. God ... didn't ... answer. What's wrong with God? But ... in this story, because Jesus loved them, He ... didn't answer. How does that work? Well, the story, in this case, gives us the answer. Jesus did go later and did make Lazarus well again ... in a very spectacular manner. He says in His prayer, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me" (John 11:41-42). Jesus used this tragic event, and the delay He caused because of love, to show in an irrefutable, mighty way that He was sent from God. It was "for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it" (John 11:4). It was exceedingly good.

When Job encountered horrible tragedy, he responded, "YHWH gave and YHWH has taken away. Blessed be the name of YHWH" (Job 1:21). Not "Where is God??!!" After Joseph's brothers tried to kill him, threw him in a pit, then sold him into slavery, he said, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive" (Gen 50:20). Not "God failed me!!" Paul says, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28). So when you think He's not listening, when you feel like He let you down, when you wonder if God may not even like you, remember. He does what He does because He loves you and it's always for good.

Abundance

Jesus famously said, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). In a vacuum, you might think He was contrasting "life" with "abundant life," but He wasn't. He was saying that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy," so He was contrasting "life" with "not life." We know what "life" is, but ... what is this "abundant life"? Well, "abundant" in the text refers to "superabundant" either in quantity or quality. It could be "excessive" or "superior." It is "beyond measure." In what sense is this "life" Jesus brings "beyond measure"?

The subject is "the sheep" that Jesus cared for. He was "the door" (John 10:7-10) and "the good shepherd" (John 10:11-15). He assured us, "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd" (John 10:16). Paul describes the "new life" in Christ in Ephesians.

In reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Eph 4:22-24)

Scripture talks about "newness of life"(Rom 6:4). It's always tied to our connection with Christ. Like the blessings from Ephesians 1 (Eph 1:3-14).

We shouldn't think, then, that "abundant life" refers to "really, really happy." It doesn't mean "lots of comforts." It's an excess ... of Christ. Like, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). The God who supplies for all needs (Php 4:19) and "works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11) and "works all things together for good" (Rom 8:28-30). It stands to reason, then, that we might be experiencing this "superior, excessive, superabundant" life without even knowing it ... because we're looking in the wrong place. Not an abundant life of worldly pleasures and happy feelings, but a life fully powered and supplied by Christ.

News Weakly - 9/27/2025

Nightmare!
According to the CDC, "nightmare" drug-resistant bacteria cases are rising ... 70% between 2019 and 2023. What is that in real numbers? In 2023 there were 4,341 cases, with special attention to 1,831 of real concern. Or, it went from 2 per 100,000 people in 2019 to 3 per 100,000 people in 2023. The real danger, they say, is that "Its likely many people are unrecognized carriers of the drug-resistant bacteria, which could lead to community spread." So ... another crisis. Another panic. Except ... if "many people are unrecognized carriers" of this thing and only 3 in 100,000 are infected, how much of a problem is this thing, really? Are we looking at a real problem, or a "terrorist attack" where Big Pharma and the CDC and the media are the terrorists? Now that is a nightmare.

Really ... We Have Principles
Microsoft disabled some services used by a unit in the Israel Ministry of Defense because apparently they were using it to watch Gaza and the West Bank. I suppose that's Microsoft's call. I'm hoping they'll shut down every single user that is using their products for illegal or immoral reasons and ... oh ... okay ... that won't happen. It smells a lot more like anti-Semitism rather than "principle."

The New New York?
Zohran Mamdani is currently the leading candidate for Mayor of New York City. Mamdani is a proud Shia Muslim, considered "more radical than the radical left," and associated with anti-Israel and pro-socialist principles. He's running on increased taxes, big government, and increased minimum wages. I guess this explains how AOC keeps getting reelected.

No Bias Here
The media is reporting on the indictment of James Comey on two counts ... one of making false statements and the other on obstruction of justice. As it is not remotely possible that he did either or that the Justice Department is correct in this, and since the left has happily used the Justice Department as its own weapon against Trump, the media is reporting the story as "marking a major escalation in President Trump's efforts to target his political opponents and use the Justice Department as part of his campaign to seek retribution against his most ardent critics." Maybe. But now we've arrived at "We can do it but he can't," "If Trump's involved, it's wrong," and "There is no justice" ... and it's not a pleasant or safe place to be.

Seeing Reason
Jimmy Kimmel was reinstated after being shut down for his remarks about Charlie Kirk's assassination. Apparently, ABC saw the light. The real question is ... what light? Did they change their minds, or ... did the light from the bullet holes at their ABC10 studio from a radical left protester change their minds? Well, that can't be it. Only the Right is violent ...

Your Best Source for Fake News
The week has been a field day for the Bee. Just on the violence and reactions to it from the Left on the last couple weeks, we have the story of Hamas calling on Democrats to tone down the violence. We have Hillary telling us to stop pointing fingers. We all know it's the Republicans to blame. Then, the "Days Since Leftist Terrorist Attack" counter got set back to zero ... again. And the Democrats have boldly changed their logo to show the donkey carrying a sniper rifle.

Must be true; I read it on the internet.

Pointing Fingers

A monk named Thich Nhat Hanh once said, "A finger pointing at the moon is not the moon." Takes genius, I know. But ... I think he had something there. The "fingers" are lessons and strategies and tactics we use. The "moon" is the actual goal. Do we substitute strategies for actually doing?

I heard a story once about a group of friends that shared a love of hiking who set off to hike to a distant mountain peak several weeks off. Soon they encountered a chasm they couldn't walk around. So ... with a lot of time and ingenuity and team effort, they built a bridge and walked across. They proceeded with their trek. On their second day they found another. The terrain was different and ready material was different, but, after some effort, they did it again. They continued on. A third chasm came into view and, with their honed skills and teamwork, they built a bridge and crossed. As they arrived at the other side, another group of hikers hailed them. "How did you do that?" So ... the original team set up a bridge-building school for hikers. Quite lucrative. It's the classic "finger pointing at the moon." They showed the way, but got lost in the message and forgot the aim.

We might be guilty of that sometimes. For instance, we are supposed to "make disciples" (Matt 28:19-20). Yes, good, got it. So ... we ... hire missionaries and ... we take a course on sharing the gospel ... and we urge others to do it ... and we invite people to church functions. All good things, except ... we're not making disciples. We're barely preaching the gospel. But we have some pretty good programs, don't we? Just an example. Try it out on "pray" or "love your neighbor" or ... you pick one. We develop fine tools and wonderful intentions, but we seem to bog down at actually accomplishing it. We become ... fingers pointing at the moon rather than actually going there. We're doing the right thing, right? Pointing the way? Well ... no ... not quite.

Esau Seeking

The author of Hebrews tells us to "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; that there be no immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. For you know that even afterwards, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears" (Heb 12:15-17). We have "the grace of God" and "root of bitterness", where Esau is an example of "immoral or godless" people. How was he an example of that? He "sold his own birthright for a single meal." Okay ... I'll take it at face value, but apparently there is a further description. Afterwards he desired the blessing but "found no place for repentance." Immoral or godless. Got it. And then this phrase: "though he sought for it with tears." The phrase is somewhat ambiguous. He sought what with tears?

There are two primary viewpoints here. One is "repentance" and the other is "the blessing." And, I think both are possible. The claim that Esau "sought for it with tears" likely comes from Genesis. In the account, Isaac gives Jacob the blessing he intended for Esau, the first born (Gen 27:1-29). Esau arrived for the blessing and found out it had been dispensed. He asked for another, and Isaac gave him bad news (Gen 27:30-40). It says, "When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, 'Bless me, even me also, O my father!'" (Gen 27:34). Esau wept because he desired the blessing. No question. But the Hebrews text says that the fundamental reason he did not inherit the blessing was "he found no place for repentance." Esau, then, found neither the blessing nor repentance. The failure to repent cost Esau the blessing. He found ... neither.

The notion that Esau couldn't repent is unacceptable to most, but it is actually rationally required. That is, if Esau, like every single human on the planet, was "dead in sin" (Eph 2:1), "hostile to God" (Rom 8:7), "evil from his youth" (Gen 8:21), then repentance would be impossible ... without intervention. Lay that against Scripture, and you'll find the notion that God ... grants ... repentance (Acts 5:31; 2 Tim 2:25). In Esau's case, he did not receive his blessing because he did not repent. Both were gifts from God. He didn't receive either. And it's tragically common. "Me? Repent?" Jesus preached it (Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3-5). But it's unnatural ... for natural man.

I Am Ashamed

In Romans, Paul makes an astounding claim. "So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom 1:15-16). Wait ... that's not astounding. He said he wasn't ashamed of good news. Who is? Apparently there's something else here. What's missing is ... Paul's "gospel." According to Paul this "gospel" is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes." Yes, we got that. But that's not all. "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith" (Rom 1:17). So, Paul's gospel isn't just "Jesus died for your sin; believe and be saved." It's about "the righteousness of God." Um ... okay. Still, "not ashamed"?

Now it gets dicey. Paul goes on to say, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom 1:18). Notice the "for" at the beginning. Paul hasn't changed the subject -- the gospel. The gospel saves and reveals the righteousness of God ... premised on the wrath of God. Oh, now, hang on. And what is God angry about? The "ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." That's kind of vague ... and doesn't seem ... reasonable, does it? He's angry about that? But that's what Paul says. The righteousness of God is revealed in His wrath against Man's sin. The gospel begins with God's wrath against sin. God is righteously angry. And it takes Paul almost 3 whole chapters to explain the depths of this sin. You'd think that the gospel would clear this problem up. It does, but ... not in a satisfactory manner. It claims that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) and that we receive justification as a gift.

... being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Rom 3:24-26)

Notice the components here of "the gospel." "Justified as a gift." We don't earn it. We don't become just. We are declared just. We are justified "through the redemption." That is, someone paid a price. We aren't just "forgiven." There was a price to pay. What price? "His blood." Wait. God's wrath has been "propitiated in His blood." Now, that's downright medieval. Paul says it was necessary ... that it allowed God to be "just and the justifier." That's the gospel.

Maybe you begin to see why Paul's declaration, "I am not ashamed of the gospel" is really something. The gospel is about God's righteous anger against sin and the dreadful cost of remedying that problem. No one wants to hear that. It's not a popular message. We ridicule those "fire and brimstone" types. All that "repent" and "judgment" and such. Paul ... was not ashamed. We are, aren't we? We don't like that. Sometimes we're actually ashamed of the easy good news and withhold that. But this deeper news of sin and repentance and faith and a blood sacrifice? That's a bit much. We are all, at times, ashamed ... of good news like that. I'll tell you ... I am ashamed. I'm ashamed that I'm not what I should be and I am what I shouldn't be. I'm ashamed that I don't speak up when I should. I'm ashamed that I claim to be a Christ follower and fail too often to follow Christ. But I do not want to be ashamed of the gospel of God's righteousness in His wrath against sin and in His righteous demands that had to be met to save us. It's the gospel. Are you ashamed of it?

Old God vs New

I've heard it said (since my youth) that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. Now, you understand this is manifest nonsense, right? I mean, the God who said, "I, YHWH, do not change" (Mal 3:6) cannot be different (changed). So what's going on? First, let's agree ... we're not going with "The Old Testament is wrong" in any way. So ...?

There is a lot of "smiting" going on in the Old Testament. Sin introduced death and judgment. People look to the judgments on Israel's enemies where they "smote them until no survivor was left" (Deut 3:3), "utterly destroying the men, women and children of every city" (Deut 3:6). God commanded Saul to totally annihilate a group of Amalekites (1 Sam 15:2-3) including the explicit instruction to "put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." That's pretty brutal ... to us. Some have tried to ascribe this to Israel making excuses for their bad behavior, but don't let them do that. It was God who consumed Nadab and Abihu (Lev 10:1-2). It was God who struck down Uzzah for touching the Ark (2 Sam 6:6-7). It was God who wiped out all but 8 humans in the Flood. He does that. But that's not a completely accurate representation of the Old Testament God. He is also listed as "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exo 34:6; Num 14:18; Deut 4:31; Neh 9:17; Psa 86:5, 15; Psa 108:4; Psa 145:8; Joel 2:13). He saves Israel over and over. And the New Testament does not erase the God of the Old Testament ... the "angry God." Paul writes of the time when "the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thess 1:7-8). Read Revelation. The "angry God" is still there at the end. Jesus spoke more about Hell than Heaven. (Some of our best known imagery of Hell are from Jesus's descriptions.) So don't buy that "He's a different God" argument.

Yes, there is a lot more grace and mercy going on in the New Testament. That doesn't mean there wasn't any in the Old. Yes, there is a lot more about love in the New Testament. That doesn't mean that God was less loving in the Old. What do we learn, then? The Old Testament sets out God as Creator and God as Law-giver. It lays out clearly the rules and consequences and shows over and over the universality of sin. God makes the point at the beginning ... He really hates sin. It's there in the New, too. "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom 1:18). God is perfectly willing to "demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known" on "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction" (Rom 9:22). In an episode of Happy Days, Ritchie finds himself in trouble with some tough gang members. Fonzie tells him to act tough and they'll back down. It doesn't work. "Oh, yeah," the Fonz says. "You had to hit someone once." God demonstrated His wrath toward sin graphically and repeatedly. He left no doubt ... He's not in favor of it. The effect was to make the Jews clearly aware of the wrath of God ... so that when His grace was made equally manifest, it was ... well ... amazing. Like Paul laying out Man's sin condition (Rom 1:18-3:20) followed by the good news of "saved by grace apart from works," it only serves to magnify grace. The problem is that too many shortsighted people today have lost sight of the God who hates sin and find themselves enamored with the "nice Jesus." They conclude, "Sin isn't such a big deal." Jesus thought otherwise. And since God does not change, we ought not discount God's wrath against sin in favor of a "loving God" because that God of wrath still exists and we desperately need Jesus's "propitiation" (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10), His appeasement of that angry God.

Is This Racist?

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)

It's a wonderful text. It begins with a 'therefore.' There's a race to run and we have to run it a particular way. On what basis? Our great cloud of witnesses. What witnesses? Chapter 11 is the 'Faith Chapter' It begins with 'faith is the assurance of things hoped for' (Heb 11:1), includes a large number of examples from Abel to Rahab, and then admits, 'What more shall I say? For time will fail me' (Heb 11:32). He speaks of unknown numbers of saints who believed -- laid their lives on the line because they believed -- and gained approval through their faith (Heb 11:39). That great cloud of witnesses.

The author describes the Christian life as a race. Runners need to lay aside the things that slow them down or trip them up. In the "Christian race," sin is the biggest problem. Endurance is the next. And it's interesting. He says we must "run with endurance the race that is set before us." That is, each of us is running our own race. Don't run mine; run your own. It is reminiscent of Paul's "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Eph 2:10). You have good works and I have good works and God has prepared them .. but they're not necessarily the same ones. We don't have the same race. Run the one set before you.

The third factor for racers, after encumbrances and endurance, is ... look where you're going. We're supposed to fix our eyes on Jesus. Why? For His example. He is first "the author and perfecter of faith." Oh ... you thought that was you? No. That's Him. Then, run like He did when He endured the cross. How? Two things ... He looked instead at "the joy set before Him" and despised the shame. The joy set before Him would be the incredibly positive outcome -- being seated at the right hand of the throne of God. But that phrase, "despising the shame" ... what is that? "Despise" can mean to hate, but that's not the sense here. The word means to literally "to think against." It's to "disesteem." It means to lay no value on something. Shame, to Christ, had no value. It didn't matter. It wasn't worth considering. It was completely discounted.

We each have a race to run. It's similar in concept, but individual in substance. We each do the good works God prepares for us and each run the race set before us. Because so many before have done it, we should be able to set aside the things that trip us up and run with endurance. We should keep our eyes on the one who authored and perfected faith. No one is more reliable. We should look beyond the race to the prize -- the prize of being with Him -- and ignore the trials we will expect as of little value. Just ... run. For Him.

The Solid Rock

In 1834, Edward Mote wrote, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." It was titled, "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" or "The Solid Rock." The refrain:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.

So true. From Edward Mote (1834) to Benny Hester (1981) to Hillsong Worship's "Cornerstone," the hymn gets repeated and respun ... a popular song with timeless lyrics. It's that first line, though, that I'm looking at. "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." Is that ... true? Sure, but, I mean, is Mote engaging in poetic license, or are "Jesus' blood and righteousness" two distinct things? I would argue, "Yes, they are two distinct things."

From the Old Testament sacrificial system to the New Testament coming of Christ, Scripture repeats this refrain of "blood" as necessary for forgiveness. Ephesians tells us "In Him we have redemption through His blood" (Eph 1:7). Jesus Himself said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28). At the Last Supper, He said, "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matt 26:28). He said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves" (Joh 6:53) Paul referred to Christ's blood as the "propitiation" -- the appeasement of an angry God (Rom 3:25). John wrote, "If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.(1 John 1:7). The author of Hebrews wrote, "Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Over and over, Scripture assures us that Jesus's blood saves, and there is no salvation without it. But ... His righteousness? We often miss this important facet. We know we need forgiveness, accomplished by His blood, but ... that's only part, isn't it? We need the slate cleared, but we need more. We need to be perfect (Matt 5:48). That is, all that stuff we didn't do right -- all that righteousness -- needs to be added to us. We can't just be cleaned. We have to be filled. So we read, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor 5:21).

It's true, then. Our only hope is Christ. Our hope is built solely on Him. An essential part of that singular hope is "Jesus' blood and righteousness." Both parts ... blood for forgiveness and righteousness for filling the requirement. Not our blood. Not our righteousness. His. Jesus paid it all. Oh, wait ... that's a different hymn. Still, it's true. All to Him we owe.

News Weakly - 9/20/2025

More Tolerance
Last week we saw the tolerance of the left in the shooting of Charlie Kirk. The FBI arrested two men after an incendiary device was left under a Fox News vehicle in Salt lake City. It's unnerving that Utah looks like the "go to" place for leftist killers these days. I guess it's a "target rich environment"?

Modern Parenting
Milwaukee police discovered six children, including a 2-month-old infant, locked in a storage unit. A 26-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man were taken into custody. One crazy commenter said, "This sounds like a cry for help, maybe they just needed help." Um ... no. There is no sense in which "locking children in a storage unit" can be construed as "We just need help."

Another Celebrity Goes Down
ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel's show off the air indefinitely after he said, "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it." In some sort of insane world, the left has been arguing that a conservative crazy shot what they deemed a conservative crazy ... as if that make sense in some universe. Let's be clear. He was not a conservative. His leanings were documented Left. The voices that have celebrated Kirk's assassination and those who try to ascribe it to the Right are really baffling. But ... I'm surprised ABC actually pulled him.

And Unicorns, Too
The story says, "The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to let it limit passport sex markers for transgender and nonbinary individuals." I'm not at all sure how the Supreme Court would determine that this is a constitutional question, since "transgender and nonbinary individuals" aren't part of the document. Because, of course, “transgender and nonbinary individuals” didn’t exist in those days ... and don’t actually exist today, except as “self-identified.”

Your Best Source for Fake News
Trump called antifa a “terrorist group” (actual story) and ordered a drone strike on Portland. The Southern Baptist Convention met this week and has made a radical swing toward liberalism when they lifted the ban on sex after marriage. Finally, the FBI is still debating whether or not they should investigate the “Trans Terrorist Murder Planning Committee” channel on Discord.

Must be true; I read it on the internet.

A Biblical Model of Government

I just came across this, and I found it fascinating. No, it's not actually a biblical model ... as in a mandate ... but ... well, you decide. Turn in your bibles to Deuteronomy. Yes, Deuteronomy. (Most of us avoid that one.) In the first chapter, Moses lays out the reason they were in the desert for 40 years. They refused to trust God and to obey His command to go in and take the Promised Land. So ... every single adult in that group who refused died in the desert before the children of Israel could go in (Deut 1:19-46).

But before he lays that out, Moses tells them of the trouble he had with their sheer numbers. "I am not able to bear the burden of you alone. YHWH your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day like the stars of heaven in number" (Deut 1:9-10). So he had them choose wise and discerning and experienced men as heads of the tribes (Deut 1:13-15) and then appointed judges to hear cases (Deut 1:16). Does that sound familiar? First ... God was their leader. Israel was a theocracy. But, in human terms, Moses was their appointed leader (followed by Joshua). Under that, there was a group of men -- "leaders of thousands and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes" (Deut 1:15) -- who were their representative leadership. Beyond that, there was a ... judicial branch, if you will. Hey, that sounds really familiar.

In God's theocracy over Israel, they established a rule of law and a separation of powers. There was an executive branch -- Moses -- and a legislative branch -- the representative rulers -- and a judicial branch -- the judges. It wasn't exactly the parallel of ours, but there were lots of similarities. It was not a democracy, although the people did "Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes." Judges were not answerable to the people, but to a higher authority. Very ... similar. Very ... interesting. We don't have a perfect system of government. There are, indeed, serious problems. But ... we're human. And even Israel's divinely appointed theocratic system broke down ... when they rebelled. But it looks like our form of government seems to have followed to some extent this biblical example. That's a good thing.

Deism

We all know "atheism" and "theism." You know, where the two are opposites. Atheism in its purest form states positively, "There is no god." Theism, in its purest form, claims, "There is a god." But, throw in a couple more. "Agnosticism" (literally "don't know") argues something along the line that there may or may not be a god ... but you can't know. And then ... there's deism. Deism argues that there is a God ... but He doesn't intervene in human affairs. So,theism in that spectrum holds that there is a God and He is involved in human affairs. Deism rejects miracles; theism embraces them.

Historically, Deism emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries ... and mostly died as untenable. Deism was rampant in the early days of the United States and claimed such adherents as Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. Benjamin Franklin was born into a Puritan family, but later distanced himself from those beliefs in favor of deism. Deism exists today, but isn't well-represented. It falls apart as a faith when you're claiming there's a God ... who doesn't much care.

That having been said ... deism today is alive and well ... in the Christian church. Okay, not formal deism ... practical deism. Practical deism is not formal deism; it's deism in practice. All believers affirm boldly that there is a God and He is intimately involved with our world. But do we live that way? Do we believe that? Not so much. We think we're supposed to mature ourselves in Christ (Gal 3:2-3). We think that God is hoping for our help and probably can't succeed if we don't supply it (Eph 1:11). We give lip service to theism -- God is involved in every aspect, but we all slip into an occasional lapse thinking or acting as if God's not here now. It might be severe -- "If I don't do what I ought, God won't accomplish what He intends." It might be less severe -- "It's okay ... I've got this." But it's always wrong. It's practical deism, a denial of the God who is. (Read, "idolatry.")

Who Am I?

In my day people were always running off "trying to find myself." I suspect they still are today, just not using the same phrase. Psychologists tell us we have a "self-esteem" crisis today. We don't think highly enough of ourselves. Christianity doesn't seem to help with all our "You need Jesus" and "Repent" talk. Oh ... yeah ... that was Jesus's message (Mark 1:15). Anyway, it seems to be an issue, so I wondered ... what does Scripture say about who I am? I mean besides things like "dead in sin" (Eph 2:1) or "blinded by the god of this world" (2 Cor 4:4) kinds of things. If I'm supposed to view things from a positive perspective (Php 4:8), what does Scripture say about who I am?

Paul begins his letter to the church at Ephesus with this wonderful statement, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Eph 1:3). He goes on to list some of the "every spiritual blessing" stuff in the following verses, but I don't want us to miss this central issue. Every spiritual blessing is found ... "in Christ." So ... what does this tell us about our identity ... in Christ? He says we are chosen from before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). We are predestined for adoption as sons (Eph 1:5). We are redeemed by the blood of Christ (Eph 1:7). He has made known to us the mystery of His will ... "the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth" (Eph 1:10). We have an inheritance "according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11). We have been sealed in the Spirit (Eph 1:13-14).

It's not, actually, a long list, but ... it is deep. It isn't minor. It isn't light. Chosen and adopted, forgiven, enlightened, an inheritance and a seal ... these are part of our identity "in Christ." This is who we are. We are a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Monty Python had the line, "Now for something completely different." That's us. Something different. And most of us are still muddling about down here wondering about who we are and how we're doing, primarily by comparing ourselves with the world. We should stop that. We are something spectacularly new, made by God. If that doesn't give your "self-esteem" a boost, you're not paying attention.

Faith

Hebrews says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb 11:1). It sounds a little bit like "the sound of one hand clapping," but ... what is faith? The world likes to mix up "credulity" with "faith." Credulity is the willingness to believe something without proof. Isn't that faith? Aren't faith and reason distinct? Maybe ... but not biblically. In Greek, peithō is the primary word. It means, "to convince (by argument, true or false)." Now you can see a difference. First, it is "to convince" which means "to persuade or cause to believe." Second, it includes the idea of argument ... reason. Biblical faith is not merely "I believe." It is "convinced." It is not a belief, but a conviction. I believe it and I act on it.

My favorite illustration of this is in Exodus. Moses ran off into the desert because he tried to help his people, he killed an Egyptian, and his people ratted him out (Exo 2:11-15). After years in the desert, God called him to go back and "set My people free." It didn't go well. He told his people about God's plan, and they were excited (Exo 4:28-31) ... until Pharaoh ordered them to work without straw (Exo 5:19-21). This ... was not a people of faith. They had not been ... convinced. So God pours out plague after plague, always affecting the Egyptians and never the Jews. Again and again, God provides ... evidence. Again and again, Pharaoh's heart is hardened ... until finally, the children of Israel are told to perform a weird ceremony of blood on the door and a particular meal and they're saved from the literal angel of death. So, this ragtag family of slaves find themselves ejected from slavery when they were sure Moses was a fraud. When they stood at the edge of the Red Sea, Pharaoh's army behind them, and God opened up the waters, they didn't balk. They walked across. That was faith. Because God had convinced them He was real and alive and intervening. Sure, it was short-lived, but you get the idea.

My point is that faith is not without reason or evidence. Biblical faith is not mere belief ... credulity. Biblical faith is confidence, not simply assent to facts. If it is a living faith, it produces changes in behavior (James 2:17). It changes lives ... providing further evidence ... encouraging further faith. Biblically, saving faith is a gift (Eph 2:8-9; Php 1:29; Rom 12:3; John 6:29, 64-65; etc.), but we aren't left to mindless, irrational belief. We have reasons for our confidence. A sure foundation.

The Word of God

Yesterday I wrote about being the right kind of habitation. One critical element was "the word of Christ" (Col 3:16) What does the word of God say about "the word of God"?

First and foremost, Scripture says of itself that it is not Man's doing ... no matter what its opponents claim.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:16-17)

Those who oppose this position will try to tell you, "The Bible doesn't claim that" while looking at the text in black and white. Peter assures us that "no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21) (where "prophecy" refers to anything God has to say to Man). Doubt it, toss it, argue against it ... it's still there. Scripture is God's word. It doesn't merely contain God's word. So Jesus prays, "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth" (Joh 17:17). God's word is truth. And related to Jesus's "Sanctify them in the truth," Paul commands husbands to sanctify their wives with "the washing of the water of the word (Eph 5:26). God's word washes ... sanctifies. Paul told Timothy that every gift of God is sanctified through His word (1 Tim 4:4-5). In fact, Peter says we are born again through God's word (1 Peter 1:23). Paul told the Ephesian believers to take up "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph 6:17). The author of Hebrews said, "The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12).

Back, then, to "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you." As we get a clearer picture of God's perspective on God's word, it gets to be pretty big. Enormous. It's our weapon for spiritual warfare, our means of salvation, our best practice for being set apart for God ("sanctification"). It is truth, and is God-breathed, not man-made. The preference of so many self-identified Christians (real or not) to push aside God's word when it's inconvenient is not only dangerous. It could be fatal. I would heartily recommend we each "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you."

A Place to Live

The Bible uses the word "dwell" more often than you or I do, I suspect. For instance, in the ESV there are 290 times it's used. The NAS has 154 times. I think I've used the word ... well ... I can't remember. What is "dwell"? The Greek word is to inhabit a house. The Hebrew refers to a lodging. Okay ... pretty simple, then. A place to live. What does the Bible have to say about ... where to live?

Obviously we're not talking about a geographical place. No. We read, for instance, "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God" (Col 3:16). We ought to make ourselves a place for the "word of Christ" to live. (Interesting that this text suggests we do it in our conversations with each other and especially with music.) In Philippians, Paul lists all sorts of "positives" -- true, right, lovely, worthy of praise, etc. ... followed with the instruction, "dwell on these things" (Php 4:8). Live there, with your mind washed in God's "good." In Job, you'll find, "If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and do not let wickedness dwell in your tents" (Job 11:14). Evil should not find a place to live in you. James says, "Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us'?" (James 4:5). The Spirit should find in us a suitable place to live. All these, and more.

Paste it together and you find an interesting composite built on the concept of what kind of habitation you will be. Spirit-filled, free of evil, saturated in Scripture, positive ... we ought to be people living in this. We ought to be habitable places for all that God intends for us. It kind of changes the sense of the phrase, "Get your house in order."

News Weakly - 9/13/2025

A Blow for Tolerance
In a show of a love of American freedom of speech, someone shot and killed Charlie Kirk, a conservative political activist, at an event at Utah Valley University. His wife and children were present at the shooting. Doesn't really seem like a testimonial to Leftist tolerance.

More on Kirk
In the follow up, they've apparently caught the shooter. Some outlets are suggesting he had engraved transgender and antifascist messages on his ammunition. Do you think the left and the media that pushed this "Trump is an existential threat to democracy" line will take responsibility for the hate they've begotten?

Coup Coup
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting a coup to stay in office when he lost the vote in 2022. Wait ... I think I've heard this somewhere else ... except ... no coup was staged ... just accusations. Bolsonaro's charges included attempting to end democracy ... like the Left has said of Trump. Weird the parallels ... except ... the American version turned out to be a lie from the left.

Modern Warfare
Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Qatar this week. Of course, the largely anti-Semite world is outraged, and it is a matter of concern to the rest of the world as well, but it highlights a sea change in warfare in the 21st century. Sure, there are still uniformed troops and assembled armies, but it seems as if most of today's combatants wear civilian clothes, hide in towns, and use civilians as shields.

Your Best Source for Fake News
Asking the same question I just did, the Bee did a story about the Dems condemning the violence they incited. That's not even fake news. Related, another story covers a poll that says conservatives won't give up their guns, leaving those shooting at them wondering why. In international news, Poland says they shot down Russian drones in its airspace (actual story), which Trump suggests may have been "a mistake" (actual story). Trump calmed the world by assuring them nothing bad has ever happened after a dictator invades Poland. Right?

Must be true; I read it on the internet.

Foxholes and Christians

I'm sorry for the delay. I had a major internet outage. Since yesterday was September 11, I'm posting this reprise from 2006.
________

(I wrote this in the days following Sep. 11, 2001. I wrote it for myself. Not too many others have seen it. But on this, the 5th anniversary, I thought I'd share it with others. It's longer than my normal post. I think it's worth it.)

The events of September 11 and following have been shocking, frightening, unnerving, devastating. They have stirred emotions and responses that one wouldn’t have found a week before the aircraft hit those buildings and killed thousands of Americans. In the aftermath, an interesting series of events has unfolded. A resounding “God bless America!” has been shouted around the country that has resoundingly evicted God from America. The masses have flocked to prayer services. Leadership has called on God for support. The President has declared that God is on our side. The old saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes”, has been demonstrated once again. My question, however, isn’t about these frightened people who are turning to God in time of trouble. My question is about Christians. In this new surge of spirituality, what is the Church offering? What are the Christians doing in the foxholes?

The public responses have been embarrassing at best. One Christian leader has stated that America got what it deserved. This is a running theme in many churches. We are a decadent country, and God is judging America. Others are backpedaling. “God didn’t have anything to do with this,” they assure us. “God is a gentleman.” Some religious leaders are on a similar bandwagon. “This isn’t God’s fault – it’s the fault of Man’s Free Will.” Private responses have been similar. Christians have responded with everything from “Kill ‘em all and let God sort it out” to “God loves everyone and would never allow this to occur.” So, with this gaping national wound bleeding from our televisions and a mad rush for support and answers to the best place to find support and answers – the Church – all we have to offer is either an angry God who smites His enemies or an uninvolved God who was just as appalled as we were and wishes He could have done something about it.

What ever happened to the God of the Bible? This God seems to be a different sort of God than the one of which we’re hearing from Christians. This is what God says about Himself in the words of Scripture:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the vault of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, scarcely have they been sown, scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, but He merely blows on them, and they wither, and the storm carries them away like stubble. "To whom then will you liken Me that I should be his equal?" says the Holy One (Isa. 40:21-25).

Have you not heard? Long ago I did it, from ancient times I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into ruinous heaps. Therefore their inhabitants were short of strength, they were dismayed and put to shame; they were as the vegetation of the field and as the green herb, as grass on the housetops is scorched before it is grown up (Isa. 37:26-27).

I am the LORD, and there is no other, the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these (Isa. 45:6-7).

These are words from Isaiah, but they are God speaking about Himself. He says that from His viewpoint human beings are “like grasshoppers”. He says that He “reduces rulers to nothing”. He says that He destroys their crops. He says that He plans to destroy their fortified cities, and He brings it to pass. In Isaiah 45, God Himself declares that He creates calamity. This is the image God is presenting concerning Himself.

Does God cause bad things? It is important, in answering the question, that we understand that God does not cause sin. Very clearly, “God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” (James 1:13) But don’t be deceived into believing that God does not cause unpleasant events. He says He creates calamity. And even in the sin of Man, God is not out of control. He doesn’t cause evil, but He surely ordains it. Our clearest proof is our most blessed event, the death of Christ. No sin was more heinous than Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Christ. Of this event, Jesus said, “For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22) In other words, God planned for Judas to do what Judas would do. It was foreordained. Judas still bore the responsibility of his choice (“Woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"), but his sin did not mean a deviation from God’s plan.

Do not be deceived. God is sovereign. He plans the events that bring us happiness. He plans the events that bring us sorrow. It is all in His hand, and it is good.

Solomon writes on the same topic in Ecclesiastes.

Consider the work of God, for who is able to straighten what He has bent? In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider -- God has made the one as well as the other so that man may not discover anything that will be after him (Eccl. 7:13-14).

Solomon claims that God has made both the day of prosperity and the day of adversity. He claims that God does it for a reason.

Interestingly, throughout Scripture we see people who understand this and accept it. Job says, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). We would look puzzled at Job. “The Lord took away? And you say He is to be blessed?” But God’s perspective on Job’s comment is “Through all this Job did not sin” (Job 1:22). We see the same concept from Sarah in Genesis. She tells her husband, “The Lord has made me barren” (Gen. 16:2). Clearly Sarah is not happy about it, but there are two features present that we lack today. First is the absolute certainty that God is in charge. It wasn’t “a fluke of nature” or “a string of bad luck”. The Lord did it. The second is that, while she may not have liked the condition, she accepted it and worked with it rather than complaining. She worked in the wrong direction, but to her it was not “unfair” of God to do what He had done. To her, God had the perfect right to do what He would do, and He did.

This God is a different God from what is being offered to many within the Church today. This God is a God who is intimately involved in everyday existence. This God doesn’t retreat from saying “I am the One creating calamity.” Instead we read that God “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). David rejoiced in the knowledge that God had ordained all his days (Psa. 139:16).

Consider Daniel’s viewpoint of his God:

The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god (Dan. 1:2).

This is a key example of God at work. Today’s Christian would say “God does not do bad things; these things are caused by Man’s sinful Free Will.” The events described in Daniel are as bad as they come. Judah was overrun and sent into captivity. The Temple was overrun and its holy vessels were put to profane use in a pagan temple. It doesn’t get any worse. But Daniel starts with the very clear statement as to who was in charge in all of this. “The Lord gave” them over. It wasn’t pleasant, and it wasn’t pretty, but this same Daniel who believed that God had actually given His people into captivity and His holy vessels into pagan use still stood firm in his faith, as evidenced by the rest of the book of Daniel. In Daniel’s view, God Himself brought all this to pass, and in Daniel’s view God was allowed to do so – it was “fair”.

Consider Jeremiah’s viewpoint of his God:

He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drunk with wormwood. And He has broken my teeth with gravel; He has made me cower in the dust. And my soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, "My strength has perished, and so has my hope from the LORD."

Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth (Lam. 3:15-27).

Here we have Jeremiah standing in the ruins of his homeland. There is no doubt that Jeremiah is unhappy. Faith in God’s sovereignty does not necessarily mean bliss. He says he has no peace. He says that he has even lost hope. Then something occurs to him that renews his hope. What is that? “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is Thy faithfulness.” We know these words. They’re in our songs. But Jeremiah lived them. He understood that nothing around him brought comfort; nothing around him gave reason for hope that circumstances would improve. His single source of hope was in the simple, sure confidence that God was God. While we clamor for joy or peace or blessing, Jeremiah said, “I’ve lost all that . . . but God is good enough.” Paul says the same thing. “I count all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ.” (Phil. 3:8) Knowing God is enough.

Consider Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s viewpoint of their God:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" (Dan. 3:16-18).

These three men stood on the brink of disaster. They were about to suffer a horrible death. So hot was the fire they were to face that it killed those who threw them into it. They spoke confidently, as we would have our heroes do. “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire.” “You tell them, guys,” we cheer. “God can deliver you. Trust in Him.” We’re behind them. But they aren’t lost in a false sense of “God only wants us to be comfortable”. They recognize that this may not be His plan. “Even if He does not . . . we are not going to serve your gods.” Here we would typically draw the line. If God, in our estimation, is going to be fair to these guys, He must reward their faithfulness to Him by saving them. To do otherwise would not be right. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego disagree. To them, God decides who lives and who dies, and God is just in doing so. His saving them from the fire is not the expected result of their faith. To them, this is right. Their God is the One who decides. Their God is right in what He decides.

This is not the vengeful God being portrayed on one end, the “hands off” God in the middle, or the “He loves us too much” God being offered on the other end. This is the God who is intimately involved in the everyday existence of human beings. This is the sovereign, omnipotent, omniscient God who brings both affliction and comfort, justice and mercy. This God answers our cries of “That’s not fair!” with the simple retort, “Who are you, O man, who answers back to God?” (Rom. 9:20) This God grants us suffering (Phil. 1:29). This is the God who leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. There may be painful and frightening things in this valley, but “I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” This is the sovereign Lord who “comforts us in all our afflictions” (2 Cor. 1:4) and provides a peace that passes understanding (Phil. 4:7) by never leaving or forsaking us (Heb. 13:5). We don’t have confidence in God because He makes us comfortable. We have confidence in God because He is God, because He is sovereign, and because He will always do what is best.

We have attempted to “fill in the blanks” where God is concerned, and we have failed badly. When some in Jesus’ day tried to do that, Jesus responded accordingly:

Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And He answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-5).

Jesus’ disciples made the same mistake with the man born blind.

His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:2 3).

In both cases, people grossly misjudged the circumstances. As Job’s “friends” who gathered to inform him that his suffering was the result of his sin, these assumed that bad things do not happen to good people. The premise is “If something bad happens to you, it’s because you did something wrong.” Jesus disagrees. “Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered this fate?” Jesus makes two clear points. First, not all unhappy events are punishment from God. Second, we all deserve unhappy events. We have tricked ourselves into believing that we deserve pleasant circumstances, and God is unfair or angry if we don’t get them. What we have missed is that we deserve Hell, and any pleasant event in life is an act of sheer grace on God’s part.

In fact, Jesus holds that unpleasant events can actually be God’s plan, “in order that the works of God might be displayed.” From the perspective of our Lord Jesus, our dire circumstances are God’s opportunity to shine, to display His power, to show His strength. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). We view our pain and suffering as things to escape. God views them as opportunities for Him to declare His glory.

Did God judge America? Perhaps. Or did He merely withdraw His hand of protection? Could be. But it is folly to try to explain God’s intent in the events of September 11 without a specific word from God. It is foolish to assume, for instance, that they are God’s judgments and chastening for specific sins. Instead, we need to recognize that every bad thing that happens is part of God’s curse upon humanity for our rebellion against Him in our father Adam. We dwell in a cursed world. So we should not jump to the conclusion that all bad things that happen are God’s acts of retribution for specific sinful actions. Jesus’ teaching in Luke 13:1-5 makes this clear. Every evil that befalls us beckons us to return to God Himself. We need to flee the anemic God offered by our therapeutic culture who loves everybody without discrimination. We need to flee the irate God of the other view that capriciously smites His enemies with wild abandon. The God we need is the God of Daniel, who sovereignly ordains calamity for good purposes. The God we need is the God of Jeremiah who removes tranquility while remaining faithful. The God we need is the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who may not meet our expectations of what we might like, but is certainly to be trusted to perform what is best. We need to see, with Joseph, that “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). This God is not a powerless god who cannot intervene, nor is He a “gentleman” who does not intervene. He is not subject to Man’s Free Will nor given to fits of temper. He is the LORD God Almighty (Rev. 4:8), the King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 17:14), the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13). He is God of all, over all, through all, and in all (Eph. 4:5), for Whom and through Whom are all things (Heb. 2:10).

It is only in that sovereign, good, faithful God that we can find a peace that passes understanding in times of harsh crisis, and it is only that God that we can offer to the hurting world around us. Any other God is not God at all, but a caricature of the True God – an idol carved by human hands.

How Do You Live?

Former Christian musician, Keith Green ("former" in the sense of "He's gone to be with the Lord," not "former Christian"), asked, "How Can They Live Without Jesus?" I think it's a reasonable question. "How can they live without God's love?" I, for one, wouldn't make it. In a world gone crazy, the majority are happy with irrational excuses and surface pleasures, but if I didn't have a God who loved me and a Savior who saved me and a Lord who was over all and through all, this just wouldn't be tolerable. As Paul described the Gentiles in his letter to the Ephesians, I would be "separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12). How do they do that?

In one verse, Green offers some possibilities.

Maybe they don't understand it
Or maybe they just haven't heard
Or maybe we're not doin' all we can
Living up to His Holy Word.

That one bothers me. We're often fed this notion that we're to blame. We're not doing enough. We're not taking the message out enough. We're not living it right. If only we did that, God could save more. It's a lie, you know. God isn't stuck up there, begging for help. He saves whom He will save without fail. It is true that we don't say it or live it sufficiently. We are horrible at the Great Commission. Some are good at "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation" (Mark 16:15), but that's not the Great Commission. The Great Commission is "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt 28:19-20). "Preach the gospel" is only the start of the Great Commission. Making disciples ... teaching them to obey all ... that's another thing entirely. We do fall short and ought to ... you know ... obey better, but ... the lack of faith in Christ is not due to our shortcomings (Eph 2:1-3; 2 Cor 4:4).

So ... how do I live with Jesus? I make a practice of being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) because I can't even get close to perfection on my own, and confessing sin (1 John 1:8-10) because ... I still sin. I ultimately rely on the only One who is able to perfect in me the good work He began (Php 1:6) as He conforms me daily into the image of His Son (Rom 8:28-30). Like Paul, I say, "Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus" (Php 3:12), all the while counting on the God who works all things after the counsel of His will (Eph 1:11).

The Unexpected Standard

I started thinking about a little phrase in Scripture. In Romans, Paul writes, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:4). How many places does that (or something like it) occur? We're commanded to accept one another "as Christ also accepted us" (Rom 15:7). We're to "walk in love, just as Christ also loved you" (Eph 5:2). Husbands are to love their wives "as Christ" loved the church (Eph 5:23, 25). Jesus said, we are to love one another "even as I have loved you" (John 13:34). Paul told the Ephesians, "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you" (Eph 4:32). There's a trend.

The phrase "do this as that" is a comparison phrase. That is, "do this" has a particular meaning, but "as that" adds the standard, the method. Don't "do this" any way you want ... do it "that" way. Over and over we are commanded to do things that are simple on the face of it. Accept one another, walk in love, love one another, forgive each other ... but those aren't "however you want." They are to a standard. They aren't "to the best of your ability." They are "as Christ." The method, the standard, we're supposed to meet is ... "as Christ."

That's a tall order. "As Christ." Like Jesus's instruction, "You are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48). Another "as." Another impossible standard. Another reason we need to keep our eyes on Christ and rely on God's working within us .. the One who "is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy" (Jude 1:24).

Paul's Prayer

At the end of Paul's letter to Ephesus, he asks them to pray for him. Mind you, he's writing from Rome ... from imprisonment. So you can be sure he wants their prayers. What is it that Paul really wants from God?

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (Eph 6:18-20)

Well ... that was unexpected. Did you notice? Paul doesn't ask for release. He doesn't ask for comfort or justice. He doesn't ask for anything at all ... for himself. He asks ... to be allowed to "speak boldly." He asks, as prisoner of the Lord (Eph 4:1), to be enabled and empowered to serve the Lord ... in chains. He saw himself as an ambassador, and that was more important than freedom.

We're not normally like that. We're normally requesting lots of pleasant outcomes. And I'm not suggesting that's a bad prayer. When Paul had his "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor 12:7-8), he "implored the Lord three times that it might leave." Prayers for relief are normal, expected, even called for (Php 4:6). But my question ... for me ... is will I demand the answers I seek, or seek to please Him first? Will my highest desire be what I want from Him, or "not my will, but yours"? Will I say with Paul, "I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10).

Hope

The "Weeping Prophet," Jeremiah, wrote Lamentations ... because he was lamenting. He was devastated about the destruction of Jerusalem. In the midst of it, Jeremiah writes about hope ... or, rather, the lack of it. That's right. Jeremiah says, "My soul has been rejected from peace; I have forgotten happiness. So I say, 'My strength has perished, And so has my hope from YHWH" (Lam 3:17-18). This prophet, this chosen mouthpiece of God, says his hope from YHWH has perished.

Biblical "hope" isn't your garden variety "hope." In English, "hope" is defined as "to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true." That sounds right. But biblical hope has a different ... tint to it. The word in this text is "expectation." It is more than "to want something." It's expecting something. That is, it's not so much a question of "if," but "when." In the famous love chapter in 1 Corinthians, Paul writes, "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor 13:13). That Greek word is "to anticipate" Again, not "if," but "when." Biblical "hope" is a certainty not yet become real.

Back, then, to Jeremiah. His "expectation" from the Lord has perished. But ... then ... he says, "Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope" (Lam 3:20-21). What does Jeremiah recall that renews his hope ... his expectation of something good? "YHWH's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lam 3:22-23) He says, "YHWH is my portion. Therefore I have hope in Him" (Lam 3:24). Not "things are gonna get better." Not "I'm sure He'll do what I want." No. "In this situation without hope, this despair, I find Him to be enough." What about you? His circumstances looked as bleak as they could be. He did not find hope there. He found it ... in God alone. He found God's reliable lovingkindness to be sufficient. He found that, simply having the Lord, he was satisfied. Do you? Are we satisfied with just Jesus? Or do we need more? Do we hope in just Him, or are we expecting ... something better?