Hello everyone.
I have continued my study of the book of Matthew and I am now up Matthew 22, where Jesus asked about paying to Caesar. I have read this story many times. This time, while reading a commentary on Matthew called Be Loyal by Warren Wiersbe, I read a connection that I had not seen before. I want to share some thought about it.
I'm sure you are familiar with the story. The disciples of the Pharisees, teamed with the Herodians, attempt to trap Jesus in his words. Asking about paying taxes to Caesar, they think that if Jesus answers that they should pay taxes to the Romans, he will be in trouble with the people, and if He says that they shouldn't, he would be in trouble with the Romans. But as they always did, they underestimated Jesus, and He turned a o-win situation into a victory. He has them show him a coin, and asks, "Who's image is it?" The coin has Caesars' image on it, and Jesus says, "So give back to Caesar, what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's."
Here is the point Wiersbe made. While Caesar had placed his own image on the money, God, back in Gen. 1:27 had placed his own image on us. So, if I am understanding properly, we should pay our taxes (give to Caesar what is Caesar's), but more importantly, we are to give our selves to God, in whose image we carry. I don't know if those who heard Jesus say this, made that connection or not, but certainly his answer was good enough that they left. But whether they made the connection or not, we certainly can.
For me, this is a good time to think about such things. As I go into a new year, I always make some resolutions. Sometimes I do a good job keeping them, sometimes I do not. This year, I have to ask myself what can I do to better declare the image that I bare.
Tom
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Behold, your King
Good morning everyone.
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I have reached the triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21 and I wanted to share some thoughts about it. You are probably familiar with the story. Jesus sends two of his disciples into the village to get a donkey and her colt. Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the crowds come out placing their cloaks and palm branches in the road so that Jesus could cross over them on his borrowed donkey. As he did they shouted things like, "Hosanna to the Son of David!," and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
There is a lot going on here. First, Jesus is showing himself to be king. He is entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which says:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus knows this prophecy and by riding into Jerusalem in this manner is declaring himself to be king, the fulfillment of this scripture.
The people have apparently caught because the are receiving him with their cloaks and palm branched the way that they would receive a king. Plus they were shouting "Hosanna!" as Jesus rides in. According to Biblestudytools.com, the phrase "Hosanna' means something like "Praise God, we are saved." This crowd in Jerusalem really believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that he was on his way to save them. Meaning that he, as their king, would drive the Romans out once and for all and that he would return Jerusalem to the glory that it had in the days of King David.
We all understand, now, that this was not the kind of king that Jesus was going to be. He is a spiritual king, not a physical one. He did not return Jerusalem to its former glory. What must the following week been like for these people, when nothing went according to the visions that they had in their heads at this moment. This Jesus did not drive out he Romans, in fact, the first thing he does is overturn tables at their own temple, stirring up trouble with his own people, not the Romans. Eventually this king is executed by the Romans he was supposed drive out. Nothing matched their expectation.
But I want us to imagine for a moment that Jesus came into Jerusalem and did exactly what the people were expecting that he would. How would things have been different. Jesus drives the Romans out and assumed a position of kingship in Israel. Israel resumes it former glory, perhaps becoming even greater than before, matching Rome in power. This certainly would have been welcomed by this crowd. He would have even won the Pharisees over most likely, and Jesus would have gone down in history as the greatest Jewish king ever, surpassing even David.
But what would this mean for us. It would be a great story for the history books, but not such a great story for our spiritual well-being. We understand now that because of Jesus' death on the Cross, we have hope and a future in heaven. Without that death, we do not. So ultimately things are better off for all of us that Jesus went against everyone's expectations and did not become an earthly king. I have thought this a lot recently as some things have not turned out the way I expected them too, and the way they turned out were deeply concerning to say the least. Maybe you can identify. So never-the-less, no matter what happens, I must choose to trust God in circumstances like these, because Jesus is still King, and God is still in control, and things will ultimately work out for my best interests. I hope this helps you in some small way when the circumstances don't make sense and you can't see where God is going to trust Him any way.
Tom
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I have reached the triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21 and I wanted to share some thoughts about it. You are probably familiar with the story. Jesus sends two of his disciples into the village to get a donkey and her colt. Jesus rides into Jerusalem and the crowds come out placing their cloaks and palm branches in the road so that Jesus could cross over them on his borrowed donkey. As he did they shouted things like, "Hosanna to the Son of David!," and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
There is a lot going on here. First, Jesus is showing himself to be king. He is entering Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, which says:
Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Jesus knows this prophecy and by riding into Jerusalem in this manner is declaring himself to be king, the fulfillment of this scripture.
The people have apparently caught because the are receiving him with their cloaks and palm branched the way that they would receive a king. Plus they were shouting "Hosanna!" as Jesus rides in. According to Biblestudytools.com, the phrase "Hosanna' means something like "Praise God, we are saved." This crowd in Jerusalem really believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that he was on his way to save them. Meaning that he, as their king, would drive the Romans out once and for all and that he would return Jerusalem to the glory that it had in the days of King David.
We all understand, now, that this was not the kind of king that Jesus was going to be. He is a spiritual king, not a physical one. He did not return Jerusalem to its former glory. What must the following week been like for these people, when nothing went according to the visions that they had in their heads at this moment. This Jesus did not drive out he Romans, in fact, the first thing he does is overturn tables at their own temple, stirring up trouble with his own people, not the Romans. Eventually this king is executed by the Romans he was supposed drive out. Nothing matched their expectation.
But I want us to imagine for a moment that Jesus came into Jerusalem and did exactly what the people were expecting that he would. How would things have been different. Jesus drives the Romans out and assumed a position of kingship in Israel. Israel resumes it former glory, perhaps becoming even greater than before, matching Rome in power. This certainly would have been welcomed by this crowd. He would have even won the Pharisees over most likely, and Jesus would have gone down in history as the greatest Jewish king ever, surpassing even David.
But what would this mean for us. It would be a great story for the history books, but not such a great story for our spiritual well-being. We understand now that because of Jesus' death on the Cross, we have hope and a future in heaven. Without that death, we do not. So ultimately things are better off for all of us that Jesus went against everyone's expectations and did not become an earthly king. I have thought this a lot recently as some things have not turned out the way I expected them too, and the way they turned out were deeply concerning to say the least. Maybe you can identify. So never-the-less, no matter what happens, I must choose to trust God in circumstances like these, because Jesus is still King, and God is still in control, and things will ultimately work out for my best interests. I hope this helps you in some small way when the circumstances don't make sense and you can't see where God is going to trust Him any way.
Tom
Monday, August 8, 2016
I Desire Mercy
Hey everyone.
It has been a pretty crazy summer for me and my family. Since the end of the school year,we have driven to St Louis, spent four days with my Mom and Dad, went to the Reach Conference, closed on a house, moved and spent a week a Teen Camp. We are all pretty tired.
Anyway, I have been studying something in Matthew 12 that has really moved my heart and I want to share it with you. In Matthew 12:1-8 we see that Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath and picking and eating grain. Jesus received some criticism from the Pharisees for this, because picking a few heads of grain and rubbing them in their hands would be considered "harvesting" and "winnowing" on the Sabbath. this was forbidden by Rabbinic law because they sought to make it absolutely impossible to break the Sabbath by making almost everything unlawful on the Sabbath. God's plan for the Sabbath was that it was a day of rest, and was designed to help people. The Pharisees, however, had made Sabbath laws such a burden for everyone, that no one was helped by it. As they usually did, the Pharisees were missing the point.
As Jesus makes his defense, he makes three references to the Old Testament. First, he talks about David and his men eating the consecrated bread in I Samuel 21. He also makes reference to the priests offering the sacrifices on the Sabbath. This is labor, but the priests are held innocent. The third O.T. reference is the one that I want to focus on. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6. He says to the Pharisees, "If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." Jesus quotes from Hosea the prophet, which tells the story of God's incredible love for Israel and the mercy he extends towards them. What I learned was that this was the second time that Jesus had quoted this same scripture to the Pharisees. Back in Matthew 9:13, as the Pharisees are asking Jesus's disciples why he eats with tax collectors and sinners, he tells them to go learn what this means; "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." So first he tells them to learn what it means. They clearly do not. The second time, he tells them that if they understood, they wouldn't treat people the way that do. The Pharisees were big on sacrifice, small on mercy.
It strikes me that this concept must be pretty important if God says it in Hosea and Jesus quotes it, not once, but twice in Matthew. So then, what does it mean. Is Jesus down on sacrifice? I don't think so. God commands sacrifice in the Old Testament, and I believe that He is pleased with us when we sacrifice today for contribution, Special Contribution or sacrifice our time to serve others, or to further the kingdom. But think about this, if what God really desires is mercy, but he is not down on sacrifice, then in what high esteem does God hold mercy? The Pharisees extended very little mercy, and Jesus called them on it twice. This is a game-changer for me. God is looking at my relationships. Does he see mercy being extended? Do I extend mercy to my family? Do I extend it to those in my ministry? Do I extend it to my students? Do I extend it to the poor, by serving them? These are the questions I am asking myself. I have seen how anger has not produced the behavior I desire in others (The Bible (James 1:20) is right about that one), so I am going to try being more merciful for a while and see how this works.
Tom
It has been a pretty crazy summer for me and my family. Since the end of the school year,we have driven to St Louis, spent four days with my Mom and Dad, went to the Reach Conference, closed on a house, moved and spent a week a Teen Camp. We are all pretty tired.
Anyway, I have been studying something in Matthew 12 that has really moved my heart and I want to share it with you. In Matthew 12:1-8 we see that Jesus and his disciples were walking through a grain field on the Sabbath and picking and eating grain. Jesus received some criticism from the Pharisees for this, because picking a few heads of grain and rubbing them in their hands would be considered "harvesting" and "winnowing" on the Sabbath. this was forbidden by Rabbinic law because they sought to make it absolutely impossible to break the Sabbath by making almost everything unlawful on the Sabbath. God's plan for the Sabbath was that it was a day of rest, and was designed to help people. The Pharisees, however, had made Sabbath laws such a burden for everyone, that no one was helped by it. As they usually did, the Pharisees were missing the point.
As Jesus makes his defense, he makes three references to the Old Testament. First, he talks about David and his men eating the consecrated bread in I Samuel 21. He also makes reference to the priests offering the sacrifices on the Sabbath. This is labor, but the priests are held innocent. The third O.T. reference is the one that I want to focus on. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6. He says to the Pharisees, "If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent." Jesus quotes from Hosea the prophet, which tells the story of God's incredible love for Israel and the mercy he extends towards them. What I learned was that this was the second time that Jesus had quoted this same scripture to the Pharisees. Back in Matthew 9:13, as the Pharisees are asking Jesus's disciples why he eats with tax collectors and sinners, he tells them to go learn what this means; "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." So first he tells them to learn what it means. They clearly do not. The second time, he tells them that if they understood, they wouldn't treat people the way that do. The Pharisees were big on sacrifice, small on mercy.
It strikes me that this concept must be pretty important if God says it in Hosea and Jesus quotes it, not once, but twice in Matthew. So then, what does it mean. Is Jesus down on sacrifice? I don't think so. God commands sacrifice in the Old Testament, and I believe that He is pleased with us when we sacrifice today for contribution, Special Contribution or sacrifice our time to serve others, or to further the kingdom. But think about this, if what God really desires is mercy, but he is not down on sacrifice, then in what high esteem does God hold mercy? The Pharisees extended very little mercy, and Jesus called them on it twice. This is a game-changer for me. God is looking at my relationships. Does he see mercy being extended? Do I extend mercy to my family? Do I extend it to those in my ministry? Do I extend it to my students? Do I extend it to the poor, by serving them? These are the questions I am asking myself. I have seen how anger has not produced the behavior I desire in others (The Bible (James 1:20) is right about that one), so I am going to try being more merciful for a while and see how this works.
Tom
Sunday, July 3, 2016
An invitation
Hey everyone.
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I spent a couple of days looking at Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus says there, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Now I have read that passage many times but this I got more from than I ever had before. Maybe because this time I was both weary and burdened. I like it that Jesus provides rest. It is not necessarily physical rest, I am still physically tired, but a spiritual rest. I am not carrying the same burden that I had been, because I was able to entrust that burden to Him.
But what I really want to focus on is how Jesus is really extending to me an invitation to come and learn from Him. He is offering to teach me gentleness and humility. These are things that I need. It reminds of Philippians 2:5-11, where Paul writes that Jesus was humble to the point of making himself nothing, and that we are to imitate Him in our relationships. I find this very challenging personally. My instinct is to make myself something. I love to be recognized. I crave it sometimes. I need to learn humility from Jesus. In the past, I have been praised for my patience with my students. I would be patient and gentle with them then go home and blow up at the people in the world that needed my love and patience most. I need to learn gentleness and humility from Jesus. So I am looking at Jesus, but I am also looking at myself to see where I came better "make myself nothing," to be a better husband, father and person. And as I strive to become more like Him perhaps I can have a bit more of that soul rest.
Tom
As I have continued my study of Matthew, I spent a couple of days looking at Matthew 11:28-30. Jesus says there, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Now I have read that passage many times but this I got more from than I ever had before. Maybe because this time I was both weary and burdened. I like it that Jesus provides rest. It is not necessarily physical rest, I am still physically tired, but a spiritual rest. I am not carrying the same burden that I had been, because I was able to entrust that burden to Him.
But what I really want to focus on is how Jesus is really extending to me an invitation to come and learn from Him. He is offering to teach me gentleness and humility. These are things that I need. It reminds of Philippians 2:5-11, where Paul writes that Jesus was humble to the point of making himself nothing, and that we are to imitate Him in our relationships. I find this very challenging personally. My instinct is to make myself something. I love to be recognized. I crave it sometimes. I need to learn humility from Jesus. In the past, I have been praised for my patience with my students. I would be patient and gentle with them then go home and blow up at the people in the world that needed my love and patience most. I need to learn gentleness and humility from Jesus. So I am looking at Jesus, but I am also looking at myself to see where I came better "make myself nothing," to be a better husband, father and person. And as I strive to become more like Him perhaps I can have a bit more of that soul rest.
Tom
Saturday, May 14, 2016
A Surpassing Righteousness
Hey everyone.
Recently I have been studying through the Sermon on the Mount. As I studied, I read Jesus' statement in Matt. 5:20, where he says, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven." Since I very much want to be in the kingdom of Heaven, I took some time to think about this scripture. Since my righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees, it made me ask the question, "How righteous were the Pharisees?" Well, the answer to that question depends on who you are asking.
If you ask a Pharisee, the answer that you would get would probably be something like this, "It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to surpass my righteousness. God and I are really tight." In his own eyes, the Pharisee was very righteous, but his legalistic brand of righteousness was based largely on following regulations, while totally missing the heart of the scriptures. That is why Jesus said of them in Matt 23:23-24, that they tithed even their spices but neglected the heart of law, ideas like justice, mercy and faithfulness. They seemed very righteous, but totally missed the point.
Jesus' audience was probably taken aback by this statement, thinking "How could I possibly be more righteous than they are?" But, had they asked Jesus how righteous the Pharisees were, they may have been surprised by his answer. It may have been something like this, "Well, to be honest, they are not very righteous." Their self-righteous way of thinking completely missed the point and purpose of the law and Jesus spent three years pointing that out.
With that in mind, I ask the question, "Can my righteousness surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and thereby I can enter the kingdom of Heaven?" The answer to that is unequivocally "Yes!" As I continued the study of the Sermon on the Mount, I began to compare two standards that Jesus was laying out. One I will call the Righteousness of the Pharisees. The other I will call Surpassing Righteousness, a righteousness of the heart.
Jesus immediately starts spelling out the difference. In Matt. 5:21-22, it says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." Here we have two standards. One says, "Do not murder." This is a good standard, but to be honest, I have have found it incredibly easy to obey. I have never even been tempted to murder anyone. Jesus's command to not get angry with our brother is much harder to obey. Controlling our anger is much, much harder than controlling our impulse to murder people. That is because dealing with our anger goes back to our hearts and what is coming out of them.
It is interesting that the Pharisees would have undoubtedly agreed with the command "Do not murder," yet they certainly had murderous intentions. They were plotting to kill Jesus, and ultimately handed him over to the Romans to be killed. They plotted to kill Lazarus. They killed Stephen. To make them happy, Herod killed James. How could they justify all of this murderous intent? Easy, when your righteousness is bound up in legalism rather than the heart, you can justify just about anything. I believe that we are drawn to legalism, because it's a whole easier than really examining our hearts and changing ourselves on that level. That we need God for.
So, what does this mean for us? First, we have to understand that Surpassing Righteousness is about our hearts before God, and not our strict adherence to some code of laws. Obey the laws, but first give God your heart. The Pharisees obeyed the laws they wanted to obey because in actuality their hearts were far from God, (Mark 7:6) making their own desires their standard. Second, we can know Surpassing Righteousness, the one that allows us to enter the kingdom of Heaven, is possible. The Righteousness of the Pharisees, actually sets the bar pretty low. For example, I know that I can continue to not murder people. When I give God my heart, I can also learn to control my anger, too. So seeking the Surpassing Righteousness allows me to enter the kingdom of Heaven and makes me a better person, as well.
Recently I have been studying through the Sermon on the Mount. As I studied, I read Jesus' statement in Matt. 5:20, where he says, "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of Heaven." Since I very much want to be in the kingdom of Heaven, I took some time to think about this scripture. Since my righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees, it made me ask the question, "How righteous were the Pharisees?" Well, the answer to that question depends on who you are asking.
If you ask a Pharisee, the answer that you would get would probably be something like this, "It would be very difficult, if not impossible, to surpass my righteousness. God and I are really tight." In his own eyes, the Pharisee was very righteous, but his legalistic brand of righteousness was based largely on following regulations, while totally missing the heart of the scriptures. That is why Jesus said of them in Matt 23:23-24, that they tithed even their spices but neglected the heart of law, ideas like justice, mercy and faithfulness. They seemed very righteous, but totally missed the point.
Jesus' audience was probably taken aback by this statement, thinking "How could I possibly be more righteous than they are?" But, had they asked Jesus how righteous the Pharisees were, they may have been surprised by his answer. It may have been something like this, "Well, to be honest, they are not very righteous." Their self-righteous way of thinking completely missed the point and purpose of the law and Jesus spent three years pointing that out.
With that in mind, I ask the question, "Can my righteousness surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and thereby I can enter the kingdom of Heaven?" The answer to that is unequivocally "Yes!" As I continued the study of the Sermon on the Mount, I began to compare two standards that Jesus was laying out. One I will call the Righteousness of the Pharisees. The other I will call Surpassing Righteousness, a righteousness of the heart.
Jesus immediately starts spelling out the difference. In Matt. 5:21-22, it says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment." Here we have two standards. One says, "Do not murder." This is a good standard, but to be honest, I have have found it incredibly easy to obey. I have never even been tempted to murder anyone. Jesus's command to not get angry with our brother is much harder to obey. Controlling our anger is much, much harder than controlling our impulse to murder people. That is because dealing with our anger goes back to our hearts and what is coming out of them.
It is interesting that the Pharisees would have undoubtedly agreed with the command "Do not murder," yet they certainly had murderous intentions. They were plotting to kill Jesus, and ultimately handed him over to the Romans to be killed. They plotted to kill Lazarus. They killed Stephen. To make them happy, Herod killed James. How could they justify all of this murderous intent? Easy, when your righteousness is bound up in legalism rather than the heart, you can justify just about anything. I believe that we are drawn to legalism, because it's a whole easier than really examining our hearts and changing ourselves on that level. That we need God for.
So, what does this mean for us? First, we have to understand that Surpassing Righteousness is about our hearts before God, and not our strict adherence to some code of laws. Obey the laws, but first give God your heart. The Pharisees obeyed the laws they wanted to obey because in actuality their hearts were far from God, (Mark 7:6) making their own desires their standard. Second, we can know Surpassing Righteousness, the one that allows us to enter the kingdom of Heaven, is possible. The Righteousness of the Pharisees, actually sets the bar pretty low. For example, I know that I can continue to not murder people. When I give God my heart, I can also learn to control my anger, too. So seeking the Surpassing Righteousness allows me to enter the kingdom of Heaven and makes me a better person, as well.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
In Dreams
Hey Everyone,
I have decided to study out the book of Matthew, as it is the only gospel that I have not studied out before. I noticed this as I began the study, interesting things happen to Joseph in Matthew. An angel appears to him in a dream on four different occasions and instructs Joseph to do something. He always does what the angel says to to do. This is commendable.
Let's take a look at what he is asked to do. In Matthew 1:18-24, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that he should go ahead and marry his pregnant fiance Mary, who has been impregnated by God's Holy Spirit. To be honest, taken at face value, that is a pretty crazy dream. Dreams can be crazy sometimes, but we simply recognize that they are dreams and quickly forget about them. I mean last night, I had a dream in which President Obama asked me to be his running mate in the upcoming election. I recognized when I awoke that it was simply a dream. I didn't call the White House to see if the offer was genuine. As for Joseph, it would be a lot easier to believe that Mary had been unfaithful than it would be to believe that the Spirit of God had indeed fathered a child with his betrothed. But Joseph listened to the angel and did as the angel told him.
Later, in Matthew 2:13, an angel appears to him again and tells him to move to Egypt. Joseph obeys. Even later, in Matthew 2:19, an angel appears to Joseph and tells him to move again, this time out of Egypt and back to Israel. But when Joseph realizes that the new king, Archelaus, was really no better than his father, Herod, Joseph was afraid to move to Judea, so an angel appeared to Joseph a fourth time and told him to move to Galilee. so Joseph moved to the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
So the angel appears to Joseph and Joseph obeys, once on whom to marry and twice on where to live. To his credit, Joseph seems to always be open to the will of God on these very important matters in his life. Today, I don't know that God sends angels to us in our dreams, but He still has a will for us, things that He wants us to do. The first question would be, "OK, how do we know what God's will for us is?" I don't know that there is an easy way to answer that, but I do know that Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." If we are spiritual in our thinking rather than worldly, we can know what God's will for us is. The second question would then be, "When we know God's will, do we do it?" Joseph obeyed the will of God and became an important part of the greatest story ever told.
I have decided to study out the book of Matthew, as it is the only gospel that I have not studied out before. I noticed this as I began the study, interesting things happen to Joseph in Matthew. An angel appears to him in a dream on four different occasions and instructs Joseph to do something. He always does what the angel says to to do. This is commendable.
Let's take a look at what he is asked to do. In Matthew 1:18-24, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him that he should go ahead and marry his pregnant fiance Mary, who has been impregnated by God's Holy Spirit. To be honest, taken at face value, that is a pretty crazy dream. Dreams can be crazy sometimes, but we simply recognize that they are dreams and quickly forget about them. I mean last night, I had a dream in which President Obama asked me to be his running mate in the upcoming election. I recognized when I awoke that it was simply a dream. I didn't call the White House to see if the offer was genuine. As for Joseph, it would be a lot easier to believe that Mary had been unfaithful than it would be to believe that the Spirit of God had indeed fathered a child with his betrothed. But Joseph listened to the angel and did as the angel told him.
Later, in Matthew 2:13, an angel appears to him again and tells him to move to Egypt. Joseph obeys. Even later, in Matthew 2:19, an angel appears to Joseph and tells him to move again, this time out of Egypt and back to Israel. But when Joseph realizes that the new king, Archelaus, was really no better than his father, Herod, Joseph was afraid to move to Judea, so an angel appeared to Joseph a fourth time and told him to move to Galilee. so Joseph moved to the town of Nazareth in Galilee.
So the angel appears to Joseph and Joseph obeys, once on whom to marry and twice on where to live. To his credit, Joseph seems to always be open to the will of God on these very important matters in his life. Today, I don't know that God sends angels to us in our dreams, but He still has a will for us, things that He wants us to do. The first question would be, "OK, how do we know what God's will for us is?" I don't know that there is an easy way to answer that, but I do know that Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." If we are spiritual in our thinking rather than worldly, we can know what God's will for us is. The second question would then be, "When we know God's will, do we do it?" Joseph obeyed the will of God and became an important part of the greatest story ever told.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
The Faithful Few
Hey everyone.
Hope you are having a great New Year. It's the 9th and I haven't broken my resolutions yet. It is a good start. Anyway, I have recently been studying out the book of Malachi. It has been a very interesting and rewarding study. Malachi prophesied at a time in Israel when the majority of the people were religious but not very righteous, offering God blemished and lame sacrifices. Several times in Malachi the Lord will make a statement which the people question, so God then explains the reality of the situation to them. Here are examples:
A rather discouraging situation. But, in Mal. 3:16-18, it speaks of a different group within Israel, a remnant, a faithful few. It says:
Then those who feared the Lord talked to each other and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
"On the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Thankfully there was a handful of people among all of this self-indulgence that truly feared the Lord. They got together and encouraged each other and God heard them. He considered them his treasured possession. His view for the faithful few was totally different than it was for the rest of the nation. But their reward would not be immediate. They would have to wait until the day in which God acted, but one day they would enjoy the rewards of their whole-hearted service, their unblemished sacrifices, their faithfulness to their wives, their sacrificial giving and genuine prayers of praise and gratitude. God also says that one day He would make a very clear distinction between those who serve him and those who do not. I don't know about you, but I certainly want to be on the correct side of that dividing line. This passage encourages me because it reminds me to fear the Lord, serve Him and then wait on His blessings, because on the day He acts it will have been worth it.
Tom
Hope you are having a great New Year. It's the 9th and I haven't broken my resolutions yet. It is a good start. Anyway, I have recently been studying out the book of Malachi. It has been a very interesting and rewarding study. Malachi prophesied at a time in Israel when the majority of the people were religious but not very righteous, offering God blemished and lame sacrifices. Several times in Malachi the Lord will make a statement which the people question, so God then explains the reality of the situation to them. Here are examples:
- The Lord says, "I have loved you," but the people respond "How have you loved us?" Questioning God's love. He uses Jacob and Esau to explain that He has indeed loved Israel. (Mal. 1:2-5)
- The Lord tells them that they have shown contempt for his name. They respond "How have we shown contempt for your name?" God explains that He is deserving of their best and the blind and lame sacrifices they are bringing insult his name. At one point God says to close the temple doors and stop lighting useless fires on the altar. (Mal. 1:6-14)
- The Lord says that they have been unfaithful and they question why God no longer looked on their offerings with favor. In reality they had divorced their wives and married women who worshiped other gods. They had been unfaithful to their wives and to God, yet still questioned God. ((Mal. 2:10-16)
- The Lord tells them that their many words wearied Him. They questioned this as well. Here were men who did whatever they wanted (including adultery) but expected God to still bless them. They were complaining to God for justice. Justice was not what they really wanted. (Mal. 2:17-3:5)
- The Lord accuses them of robbing him. They question how they were robbing God. They were not bringing in the whole tithe. God challenges them to repent and see what happens. He promises untold blessings. (Mal. 3:6-12)
- The Lord tells them that they have spoken arrogantly against Him. They question this, saying, "What have we said against you?" God tells them that they had said things like, "It is futile to serve the Lord." They complained that they gained nothing by serving the Lord. (Mal. 3:12-15)
A rather discouraging situation. But, in Mal. 3:16-18, it speaks of a different group within Israel, a remnant, a faithful few. It says:
Then those who feared the Lord talked to each other and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name.
"On the day when I act," says the Lord Almighty, "they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."
Thankfully there was a handful of people among all of this self-indulgence that truly feared the Lord. They got together and encouraged each other and God heard them. He considered them his treasured possession. His view for the faithful few was totally different than it was for the rest of the nation. But their reward would not be immediate. They would have to wait until the day in which God acted, but one day they would enjoy the rewards of their whole-hearted service, their unblemished sacrifices, their faithfulness to their wives, their sacrificial giving and genuine prayers of praise and gratitude. God also says that one day He would make a very clear distinction between those who serve him and those who do not. I don't know about you, but I certainly want to be on the correct side of that dividing line. This passage encourages me because it reminds me to fear the Lord, serve Him and then wait on His blessings, because on the day He acts it will have been worth it.
Tom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)