Whilst we remain in this wilderness, still in our Exodus – Christ is provided for each soul – as much as we want – every day (John 6) – and, His mercies (His balm for our sin-sicknesses) are new each morning. The truth is, we starve spiritually for one reason only, because we will not gather. And then we wonder why our appetites lead us to what we ought not have – sin.
One of the greatest tests of our genuineness, is to be found in whether or not we will be content with God’s provision, and the particularities surrounding it. Just like the Israelites with manna in the wilderness.
Note, this “law” of gathering manna each day was a law to be “walked in” – is not a “do this” or “don’t do that” kind of law. It is a natural law. God told them manna would come down each day. God’s provision, but a provision which cannot be stored but must be gathered each day. This is the way it will be – like a law of nature. So, what was to be seen was if they would yield to God’s arrangements? Which question remains for us too. Will we submit to God’s arrangement of finding our daily satisfaction in Christ, or will we demand something other from Him? Or is Christ in The Word too boring, too ordinary? Not spicy enough. Not sexy enough.
Now all of this echoes directly back to the Garden. Adam & Eve were not content with what God HAD provided, and thus lusted after what He had not. And when we will not take full advantage of His provisions in the preaching and teaching of His Word, (which we can daily gather to our heart’s content), corporate worship, prayer – we will soon lust after other things. We will, like the Jews, begin to grow weary of the same old thing. And then to think we can simply gather it at will instead of making sure we pay attention to gathering it when and where it is provided. Thinking we can do with it as we see fit – imagine we can store it up and take it out whenever we please, instead of needing it fresh each day from His hand.
Great lessons are to be learned here. Those who say they can be Christians but do not need those things God has provided, nor to partake of them AS He has provided for them, will find themselves under His hand of judgment. He is testing us always. Even as He is lovingly, bountifully providing for us each day.
So, have you gone out to gather yet today? Open your Bible. The Bread of Life has been freshly given. Bon appetit.
I don’t know about you, but I hear this sentiment all the time – from all sorts of people – religious, irreligious, genuine Christians, all sorts. And there is a sense in which it is true, that every good thing in life, truly is a blessing which comes from the hand of God.
A problem however, is that the term “blessed” has become a catch-all for anything that pleases us. Good, bad, or indifferent. If we like it, we say we’re blessed. It’s become more like the idea of being lucky. And in a lot of cases, it makes no clear or reasonable connection to God as the “blessor”. Even at that, for some, God as the blessor takes on more the cast of being the cosmic “Candy Man.” God’s job so-to-speak is to sit around and make life nice and pleasant for us in everything. Again, there is a grain of truth here in that the only reason we have any good or pleasant things in this fallen world and given our sinfulness, is due the glorious magnanimity of God. As Jesus told us in Matt. 5, so good is God that He makes the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.
A second problem is more subtle, and perhaps even dangerous. It is that given this “it gives me pleasure” or “I like it” mindset attached to all “blessing”, then all blessing gets thrown into the blessing = stuff basket, instead of blessing being the good grace of God Himself. That He is the ultimate blessing, and every temporal good or pleasure, is simply a symptom of the true blessedness He intends. It is why in the beatitudes, Jesus can tell us we can be (and if we are in Christ ARE) blessed when poor, mourning and even persecuted. That can only be true if we locate our blessedness in Him, and not in stuff He does or gives. So it is we read in Numbers 7: “ ‘The LORD spoke to Moses: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is the way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and protect you; The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” ’ “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
What is important to note here is that the fullness of blessing is located completely in the Lord Himself.
a. The Lord be your happiness.
b. The Lord be your safety.
c. The Lord be personally and favorably disposed toward you.
d. The Lord be to you what you do not deserve.
e. The Lord look at you with a smile on His face.
f. The Lord be the source of your peace.
Our blessing – our total blessing is in Him. All external blessings are but symbols of being His in glorious union.
If this is not your blessedness – then the temporal blessings will one day be a testimony to the hardness and materialism of your heart. But if you are in Christ – oh how blessed we really are. And how we need to grasp this blessedness as ours irrespective of any outward circumstances. It cannot be taken away. It cannot suffer from any external influence. This is what it really means to be “blessed.”
One of the glorious realities of Jesus Christ as typified in the Old Testament, is how He has become our great High Priest. Hebrews 2:17 notes that He was “made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.” Astounding. Merciful and faithful, to the undeserving and rebellious. It is almost too much to take in.
Now given how the Old Testament Priesthood typifies Christ, we are especially drawn to the High Priest as a prefiguring of Jesus. And so it is in Leviticus 21 we find a curious aspect of what the Priesthood required. There we read: “‘The high priest—who is greater than his brothers…He must take a wife who is a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one profaned by prostitution; he may only take a virgin from his people as a wife, so that he does not profane his children among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.’ ” And the question which emerges then, is how is it Christ can make the Church His Bride, when we are anything but a virgin? We came into this world already defiled in sin, sin which we confirmed by our lifestyles. How we prostituted ourselves with the World, and served the false gods of self, the flesh, greed, envy etc.. How can He marry us?
And the answer, the simple, glorious, astounding, amazing profound answer is simply this: Grace. The grace that brought Him to earth from His Heavenly throne. The grace saw Him obeying the Father in perfect holiness. The grace which led Him to the Cross to die in our place, for our sins. The grace which brought Him out of the grave, ascending to the Father to fulfill His High Priesthood on our behalf – until we are brought to glory ourselves.
Grace. Amazing grace.
Grace which cleansed us from all our sin.
Grace which clothed us in His righteousness.
Grace which found us in our defilement, and cleansed us from every spot and blemish. Grace, which for all intents and purposes, is so astounding and so complete – that we are in His eyes and before His throne, virgins once again.
Pardoned, but not just pardoned. Reborn. Made new. Recreated. And in Him, pure, holy and unblemished. Sadly, it is a loss of how completely this grace makes us fit for our Groom, that leads so many to fail to mark the difference between remorse for past sins, and some remaining sense of guilt over past sins.
In Him, our guilt was fully met. God forbid we should ever fail to retain remorse over our past sins, but beloved, because of grace, the Believer is no longer guilty. Get that, no longer guilty. Irrespective of our past, we are now chaste virgins before Him.
This is the power of the Cross. This is what the Spirit works in us by applying Christ’s cross-work to us.
It is because of this grace – we “rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” (1 Pet. 1:8)
Christian, rue your past sin, but not as though still guilty. The astounding reality of the Cross and grace of Christ is that He actually makes the Believer guilty no more!
Let remorse remind you of where you do not want to return, but only in the light of the Cross.
Influencers have always been around. Human society has always had those among us, who for whatever reason, seem to have a disproportionate amount of weight given to their choices, opinions, actions and words. With the advent of social media, these have actually been given this very title – “Influencers.” The internet especially, (but in reality all media) is rife with them. They appear as spokespersons for everything from computers and cars to underwear and lipstick. They hold sway regarding medical advice, political positions, social movements, local, regional, national and global events – you name it.
We’ve been getting here for a long time. 1960 marked the first ever televised Presidential debate. It was between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. And it is no secret that in the analyses of that debate, far and away those who saw it televised said Kennedy was the clear winner. Conversely, those who only listened by radio, far and away said Nixon won handily. And the phenomenon of media influencers was fully born.
Now why any of us choose to listen to one influencer over another is far more complex than I could even pretend to analyze. For some, it is pure personality. For others, real or supposed credentials. For still others, communication skills. There may even be such basic factors as haircuts, clothing, tattoos, vocal accents, and recommendations from others. But the point is, you and I choose who it is we listen to. Opinions and viewpoint to do not come to us magically abstractly or in isolation. For our own reasons, conscious or not, we give weight to the opinions, to certain ones WE choose. With this qualification – Scripture tells us of an invisible and ubiquitous influencer in Ephesians:”And although you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the domain of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience, among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest.” (Eph. 2:1-3 NET)
Now I hope you really got that. Before men or women are born again, we are influenced by the prevailing “atmosphere” of this world. An atmosphere – a thought-context – directly influenced by the enemy of God. A tide of sometimes differing but always prevailing waves of social thought and opinion which are thoughtfully directed at baiting us by ever appealing to our personal desires. Be those merely physical pleasure, or more intellectual, material or emotional.
It isn’t until we are set free by the saving grace of Jesus Christ that we can finally choose to be influenced otherwise. And make no mistake, here is one of the most important places where the renewed will of the redeemed individual finds its freedom and responsibility; To consciously reject the thought processes we used to live in without consideration. To choose to be influenced more by the Word of God, and the newly birthed influences of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, which is always drawing us toward holiness and seeking after the plans, purposes and glory of God in Christ.
If I might co-opt a text out of context but with no less reasonable application “choose this day whom you will serve.” (Josh. 24:15b) The Christian alone gets to make this choice. Those born again by the Spirit of God are the only ones among humankind who have the option to choose who and what influences our choices, opinions, desires and values most – with their eternal implications. And the choice is totally binary. We either choose the Word and Spirit of God, or we choose to listen to the spirit of the World. There is no third option. Freedom in Christ isn’t “freedom” to live as though we can trust ourselves as the arbiters of what is good or best – but the freedom to be given over to the truth of Scripture versus the influences of the World or our own reasoning, and the influences of The Spirit over and above our natural inclinations.
Make no mistake – you are constantly under pressure to be influenced. But as a Christian, it is your privilege and responsibility to choose who influences you. Who and/or what will it be? Will you have your mind transformed by the washing of the water of The Word? Or will you just go along without it? If you choose The Word, then you will have to give yourself over to the consistent, systematic, prayerful study of it according to sound principles of interpretation. You will have to let it inform your opinions and understanding above your own or the World’s. You will have to submit to it. Otherwise, you will be, as Paul writes: “children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.”
The last 2+ years, especially in the light of Covid-19 and its accordant issues, have found the issue of “government overreach” on the minds, lips and keyboards of many. It’s only natural given how various governmental bodies have responded. And that, both secularly and ecclesiastically. After all, we’re “Americans.” Beyond that, as the title of Carl Trueman’s book indicates – we live in the age of “The Rise and Triumph of The Modern Self”, with its leading feature of “Expressive Individualism.”
Now how each authority structure in our American context (good, bad or indifferent) dealt with the crisis, both inside and outside of the Church will probably be debated for years to come. There will be inevitable ripple effects. But I’m not as interested in what various governments or authorities did or did not do during this strange and trying time as I am in what none of them CAN do. Where no overreach from any body has any power. And this is spelled out for us in the 5th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church at Galatia.
He puts it this way: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23.
So catch this – and let your thoughts run away with it: There is NO authoritarian body, of any stripe, that has the power to enact any law or enforce in any way – a prohibition of walking in the Spirit. There is no form of government overreach which can prevent the Believer from walking in love. From living joyfully. From being at peace. From being filled with long-suffering. From being kind, upright, loyal, gentle or self-controlled. None.
These are not only inviolable rights because of Christ, they are inviolable acts. Indeed, the only force which can keep us from living fully in these – is our own sin. Our own rebellion against the rightful authority of the Spirit in our lives.
So maybe, just maybe, if we were more concerned about this reality, we simply wouldn’t be very distressed by the other. Maybe if we were seeking to live more fully in the rights and privileges of the Spirit which no external power on earth can overreach to prevent, we wouldn’t think the petty things the authorities can impose or restrict – much of anything at all.
Make me wear a mask? Big deal. You can’t rob me of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, uprightness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control. Not only is there no law against these – there CAN’T be because of Christ.
No long arm of any entity can reach here.
And that, needs to be the Christian’s concern, above all others.
Sometimes, Biblical gems are hidden right there in plain view. As is the case with Genesis 46:4 – “I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”
That brief sentence is spoken by God to Jacob/Israel. Upon hearing that Jospeh was still alive, and now living in Egypt – second in the land only to Pharoah – and as the 130 year old Jacob traveled, he stopped to offer sacrifices to God. There, God spoke to him in the visions of the night. He appeared in order to reassure Jacob that all was well. That it was indeed OK for him to take his family there. That God would still be true to His promises to make a great nation out of his offspring. Though at this point, they were less than 100 strong.
It is then we read this short, interesting statement by the Lord. It has 3 elements.
1 – “I myself will go down with you to Egypt.” Even in the unforeseen and perhaps frightening turns of events which can frighten us – even more in old age – God goes with His people. Everywhere life takes us, He goes with us too. He never leaves His own. As Daivid would write so familiarly: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” It isn’t that some things aren’t frightening, they are. It isn’t that there aren’t great unknowns to us, there are. It isn’t that we may not have difficult legs in this journey of life – even when we are old and less able to cope – we well may. And He is with us, if we are His. He never leaves His own to themselves, to the world, or to the Devil. He is with us because we are in Christ and Christ is in Him.
2 – “I will also bring you up again.” What? Did that mean he would only remain in Egypt a short time, and return to Canaan before he died? No. It meant that death would not be the last word. It never is for those who are justified by faith in Christ. For those who look to and know the Lord. To those who are His. God would indeed bring Jacob back from Egypt. But not alive. His body would be brought back by Jospeh and his brothers after his death. But it means so much more couched this way. Death is never the end of the story for Believers. We will still receive our full inheritance, even if we die before we can realize it. God had promised Jacob an inheritance, and not even death could break that promise. With Jacob, Paul could say: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And so can all who are in Christ. Each of us in Christ who dies before Jesus’ return, this we know – He will also bring us up again.
3 – “And Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” It is as if He said: “Yes Jacob, as you will tell Pharaoh that your 130 years have been hard ones – but don’t forget how I show mercy and grace to my own. In the end, you will taste of my blessedness even on your deathbed. I overflow with mercy. I delight to bless my children. Even in death, you will know the touch of my tenderness upon you.” And so it will be for everyone of us who die in the Lord. As J.I. Packer once put it: “For Christians, death’s sting is withdrawn. Grace has intervened, and now their death day becomes an appointment with their Savior, who will be there to take them to the rest prepared for them. Though they will be temporarily bodiless, which is not really good, they will be closer to Christ than ever before, “which is better by far” (Phil. 1:23). Packer, J. I. 2001. God’s Plans for You. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
1 Corinthians 11:23–32 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
I love the TV show “Chopped.”
For those of you who are not familiar with this cooking competition, one of the features is how each chef is given a mystery basket with odd and mismatched ingredients each one has to figure out how to make into an appetizer, or an entree or a dessert. Sometimes the ingredients are nothing short of cruel.
But the word you hear over and over is that each one has to “Re-purpose” the ingredients.
So one episode I watched had the following items out of which they had to fashion and appetizer:
Appetizer: Durian (a fruit known for its strong, fetid odor), Lime Gelatin, Imitation Crab Meat, & Crunchy Cheese Curls.
The winner made: “Cheese Curl Encrusted Fish Sticks with Durian Coconut Sauce.” Yum.
Now re-purposing a food ingredient or re-purposing a farm implement and making it into a lamp or something may be fun and inventive – but some things ought not to be repurposed. And to do so is a travesty, a tragedy or even blasphemy.
So re-purposing human beings for instance as crash test dummies, or punching bags or slaves – sends immediate flashes of how abhorrent those ideas are. We hardly need to say such things are wrong. We know it instinctively.
And we ought to have to the same visceral and violent reaction against re-purposing the words or Word of God to suit our own interests as well. But that is what had happened in the Church at Corinth during the Apostle Paul’s day.
Instead of the Lord’s Table or communion being a remembrance of Jesus, His person and His work, and a means of unifying those who share a common saving faith in the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary – some had turned the time into a mere carnal meal to satisfy their own physical appetites, some even getting drunk – and in the process demeaning those who were poorer in the local assembly.
They were no longer having the communion Jesus had commanded – for the purpose He had given – in remembrance of Him. They had re-purposed it for their own ends.
This begs 2 questions:
1. What does it mean Biblically to partake of communion “in remembrance of Him?”
2. Why is it so important to do this in remembrance of Him?
What it MEANS to come to the table in remembrance of Jesus in short, is given to us in this text itself: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
It is important, because in doing this, we come face to face with the necessity and reality His death once again, and the promise of His return.
Paul would use that same theme in his own ministry as he notes in
1 Corinthians 15:3–4 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”
Jesus’ Christ coming in the flesh, and dying for our sins, and rising from the dead – is what the Apostle says is of FIRST IMPORTANCE in preaching the Gospel.
And as it is all “according to the Scriptures”, these truths are what God has communicated to us all along.
But WHY is it some important to do this in remembrance of Him?
One thing: It is NOT important for Him!
But it is important FOR US!
It is vitally important that we never lose sight of the Gospel. So that as Believers we live constantly in the realization of all that He is, and what He has done for us.
We easily forget – we lose sight of things that are most eternally important for our souls – through the noetic effects of the Fall, our own busyness, distraction, and mere neglect.
1a Who has believed what he has heard from us? : WE FORGET HOW UNBELIEVABLE THE TRUE GOSPEL IS
1b And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? : WE FORGET HIS INCREDIBLE POWER & HUMILITY
2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. : WE FORGET HE WAS GOD IN HUMAN FLESH
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. : WE FORGET HOW HE SUFFERED IN OUR REJECTION OF HIM
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. : WE FORGET HOW WE MISUNDERSTOOD HIS MISSION AND WORK
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. : WE FORGET THE WONDER OF HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY DEATH
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. : WE FORGET THE DEPTHS OUR OWN SIN AND GUILT HE HAD TO OVERCOME:
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. : WE FORGET HIS COMPLETE SUBMISSION TO THE FATHER’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? : WE FORGET HE DIED FOR OUR SINS, NOT HIS OWN
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. : WE FORGET HIS HUMILIATION
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; : WE FORGET THIS WAS THE LOVING PLAN OF THE FATHER TO PURCHASE LOST SINNERS
when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. : WE FORGET WHAT HIS DEATH HAS DONE FOR US
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. : WE FORGET THAT IT IS BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT BELIEVERS ARE COUNTED RIGHTEOUS – NOT BECAUSE OF ANY GOODNESS OF OUR OWN:
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; : WE FORGET HE AND WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE DAY OF HIS RETURN AND OUR REWARD IN HIM
yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. : WE FORGET HE BORE OUR SIN – COMPLETELY – AND THAT IS WHY THOSE WHO PUT THEIR FAITH IN HIM ALONE HAVE COMPLETE RECONCILIATION TO THE FATHER.
We do it in remembrance of Him – because we need so badly to have a constant reminder that our salvation rests in His finished work on the cross. That as
Ephesians 2:8–9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
“[I]f worldly virtues could blot out sin, Christ has died in vain. He came to save his people from their sins. Angels ushered him into this world as the Savior of sinners. John told men behold in him the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world; and the whole Bible testifies, that “through this man is preached unto you the remission of sins.” But if the every-day honesties, and kindnesses, and generosities of life, could avail to take away sin, why need Christ to suffer? If anything so cheap and common as earthly virtues are, could avail to blot out sin, why give so inestimably precious a provision to be made as the blood of the Son of God? If, with all our honesties, and all our decencies and respectabilities in the world, we do not stand in need of everything, why does Christ counsel us to buy of him gold tried in the fire, that we may be rich? Nothing that is imperfect can make us perfect in the sight of God. Hence the admirable direction of an old divine; “Labor after sanctification to the utmost; but do not make a Christ of it; if you do it must come down, one way or other. Christ’s obedience and sufferings, not your sanctification, must be your justification.” The matter seems a plain one. God is yet to judge the world in righteousness; that is, by the strictest rule of his holy law. If we are to be justified in his sight on that day, we must be perfect in his sight. But we cannot be by means of our own sanctification, which is imperfect. It must be through the imputing of a perfect righteousness, then, even the perfect obedience of Christ, that we are to be justified in that day. We are complete only in Christ; we are perfect only in Christ Jesus. But ah! brethren, if our sanctification will not do for a righteousness in that day, much less will our worldly virtues do. If your honesties and worldly decencies are to be enough to cover your nakedness, and make you comely in the sight of God, why did Christ need to fulfill all righteousness, as a guarantee in the place of sinners? Why does he offer to make poor sinners the righteousness of God in him? Why does he say of his saved ones: “You were perfect in beauty, through my comeliness which I put upon you?”
Robert Murray McCheyne, The Works of the Late Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne, vol. 2 (New York: Robert Carter, 1847), 170.
Come to The Lord’s Table for the purpose it was given: In remembrance, of Him!
The title of this post shares the title of book by Michael Dutfield. Written in 1990. It is the account of the 1948 marriage between Ruth Williams, a young white English woman, and Seretse Khama, an African Prince. And their union was inconvenient for the British government as well as the Bamangwato tribe of more than 100,000 over whom Khama was head. The story itself is a fascinating study.
While the Willams/Khama union was fraught with difficulties because of racial, cultural and political factors, their issues were purely on the human plane. Interracial marriage shouldn’t be an issue to us any more. Though for many, sadly, it still is. And even on the purely human level, it brings a host of problematic considerations. But our text in Genesis 6 raises a far more serious concern when it comes to marital unions where those from 2 different worlds join together. One which grows in seriousness in an age where the spiritual ramifications of marriage seem to take a back seat to everything else – especially personal preference. After all – doesn’t love conquer all?
No. It doesn’t.
Now the passage in Gen. 6 is itself one which generates a lot of speculation. The exact nature of what is happening there is difficult to discern. The 2 most prominent views are that the “sons of God” are fallen angels (or Watchers) who married and cohabited with human women; or that the “sons of God” were righteous men who married and co-habited with unbelieving women. I won’t settle that argument. For I don’t want us to lose the forest whilst focusing on some particular trees. Irrespective of which of the 2 views you take here, the basic problem is that of marriages between those from two different spiritual spheres, which should not be. And the application then for us – still holds regardless of which view one might take.
Here is the concern for us: Marital unions entered into without regard for the spiritual state of the partners, but based solely on what each finds attractive. The basic principle is in verse 2 – “the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.”
The connection here with taking the forbidden fruit is obvious. The fact that it was pleasant to the eyes – “he/she looks good to me” – was part of the argument of why it should be partaken of. So here. The daughters of mankind are beautiful, and so that seems sufficient motive to act. But beauty, whatever metric of attractiveness, in and of itself is not a warrant for specific action. When it is, we reduce everything to its lowest level. We make mere appearance indicative of good. Whether that attractiveness is purely physical or rooted in personality, intelligence or other attractive traits. The issue remains the same – disregard for proper order under God, and willingness for spiritual mismatch. With the result in Genesis being, this situation was the immediate precursor to producing generations of those disregarding God, increasing societal wickedness and ending in the flood.
Did you get that? When we disregard God in this most fundamental area of life – marrying without regard for the soul status of the other – disaster cannot be avoided. It invites God’s judgment in a unique way. We simply cannot ignore this. Eligible professing Believers must be careful to marry other eligible professing Believers. We are not free to take wives (or husbands) of any we choose. We must choose carefully, righteously, and from among those God has providentially provided within His parameters. And it is not a matter of mere Church culture or religious dogma – it is a matter of proper order, of keeping to our assigned station under God.
When one is born again, regenerated by the Spirit of God and transferred out of the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Col. 1:13) we cannot marry outside of that station. We cannot leave the new order we’ve been brought into (like the Watchers if that is the case of Gen. 6). “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-6) This is not some sort of religious snobbery – it is learning to live at last, restored to God’s order of things. And it is our charge not to bring chaos back into God’s order. Chaos which is in the first place rebellion against His right of supremacy over us, and in the second place, the very root of the sin which so plagues and destroys mankind. Sin for which Jesus died both to forgive us on, and free us from.
Young Believer, guy or gal, please hear me – this is no light matter. Older Believer, man or woman, this is not an area where compromise affects only you. Marriages between Believers and un-Believers are a matter of cosmic importance, with far reaching and very real consequences, far beyond yourselves. It is as disordered as fallen angles mating with human women. God hasn’t given us this instruction with some dark motive to prevent our happiness. But with holy love to provide for our perpetual flourishing. Be sure the one you decide to set your love upon, has their first love set upon Christ. I can, with Paul here write: “I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1 Cor. 7:35) Consider carefully what I say. Please.
Rev. 10:4-7 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
Between the loss of my Father-in-law last year, the recent conference on End Of Life matters, getting my own will written and reading through Revelation afresh, I find my mind repeatedly going back to consider how fleeting and fragile life is – and especially, that we do not know how much time humanity has left before God’s judgments are finally meted out – let alone what that means personally.
Now such considerations need not take on a morbid tone in the least, if one has been reconciled to God the Father through Jesus wondrous atonement. But as Jesus repeatedly emphasizes in Matt. 24 – “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” The “end” will come. But “at an hour you do not expect.” For which reason I plead with you today to come to Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. To abandon the battle with Him over who has the right of supremacy over your life and goods. To repent of your sin of rebellion against Him, and the other sins which issue from that rebellion. And to cry out for the mercy which is found only in the One who died on the Cross at Calvary.
At a similar season of life many years ago, I penned a poem based loosely on the text above and Matt. 24:36-44. A few years ago, my daughter Sarah had it printed from framing. I look at it as I sit here today – and pray it may serve to urge you to Christ as you consider where you are, and the uncertainty of what, if any, time we have left.
In my lifetime, there has been much ado about worship music. To be fair, there have been controversies about music in the Church from pretty early on. And the debaters still rage. Instruments or no instruments. Psalms only or music newly composed. Music sung by choir vs congregation or both. Professional musicians vs whomever is willing and somewhat able. On and on and on.
As a musician myself – having traveled with a quartet for 8.5 years, singing and playing in churches throughout the northeast and some beyond. And serving instrumentally and vocally on various “worship teams” – this remains an area of perennial interest to me.
Truth be told, varying views on music in Church and worship have been so strident that Churches have even split over styles, volume and presentation. Sinfully for sure. And in some places, the music has taken such a prominent place, that the music portion of the public gathering is labeled “worship” while the rest of the service, prayer, and the preaching of the Word, etc., somehow isn’t considered worship. One is hard pressed to find that paradigm in Scripture, but nevertheless is does prevail in our day.
While many have analyzed, written and expounded on worship music over time, one of the things which emerges often (above mere discussions of style and volume) is lyrical content. And rightly so. What we are singing to whom, should occupy a place of prominence. Is it clear who the object of our worship is? And are we using appropriate expressions – fitting for the person of the God we are approaching? These are serious questions. Questions not to be tossed off lightly in favor of our mere subjective preferences.
All of which brings me to something I was reminded of in reading through the Revelation recently. And that is the 12 hymns recoded in it. My Psalms only friends may find it difficult to say it is improper to sing these since they aren’t in the Psalms. But they are in the Scripture. And my more contemporary friends may be put off by how little they focus upon our feelings and more sentimental expressions. But they are representative of the worship which prevails in the very presence of God. Surly what He deems acceptable. And that ought to give us much insight into what characteristics worship music – in the very best of environments – ought to contain.
So, for your consideration, and that especially of my musician friends, I bid you take a fresh look at the 12 hymns given to us in the Book of Revelation, and see if there are some elements, themes and focus that ought to inform our own music today. Certainly, far more than I’ve witnessed. Keep an eye on how they fix on the glories, worthiness and greatness of God and Christ. And how they say so little about the singer’s faith, love, feelings etc. They are worship. Worship of Him.
Here they are for your consideration:
1. Rev. 4:8 / The hymn of the four living creatures:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
– God is thrice holy, holy in all He has been, is and will be.
– He is Lord, reigning over all in His holiness.
– He is almighty, and His power does not corrupt Him.
This is denominated as giving Him “glory”, “honor” and “thanks” Recognizing, Responding, Rejoicing.
2. Rev. 4:11 / The hymn of the 24 elders:
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.”
– He is worthy because He has created all.
– He is worthy because all things exist out of His will rather than out of any necessity other than His will.
– He is worthy then to have His glory recognized, His honor recognized, and His power recognized.
3. Rev. 5:9-10 / The “New Song” of the elders and the living creatures:
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
– He is worthy to possess the scroll
– He is worthy to open its seals
– He is worthy because He was slain
– He is worthy because by His blood He ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, people & nation
– He is worthy because He has made the ransomed a kingdom and priests who will reign on earth.
4. Rev. 5:12 / The hymn of the Living Creatures, the elders and countless angels:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!”
– He is worthy Who was slain
– He is worthy to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing.
5. Rev. 5:13 in two movements/ The chant of every creature in all creation:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
– To God the Father AND to the Lamb be the same
– blessing
– honor
– glory
– might
– forever and ever
6. Rev. 5:14 / The response of the 4 living creatures and the elders:
– The 4 living creatures say: “AMEN!”
– The elders fall down and worship
7. Rev. 7:10 / The proclamation of the Great Multitude in two movements:
“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Rev. 7:12 / The response of the elders, angels and four living creatures
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
8. Rev. 14:1-5 / The Hymn of the 144,000. Unrecorded, for only they could sing it.
9. Rev. 15:3-5 / Those who conquered the Beast sang the Song of Moses and the song of the Lamb.
“Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!
4 Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
10. Rev. 19:1-3 / The Hymn of The Great Multitude in Heaven in two movements.
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just;
for he has judged the great prostitute
who corrupted the earth with her immorality,
and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
Hallelujah!
The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
11. Rev. 19:4 / The response of the 24 Elders and the Four Living Creatures:
“Amen. Hallelujah!”
12. Rev. 19:6-8 / The hymn of The Great Multitude at the marriage supper of the Lamb:
ResponsiveReiding 