prayers

  • Lenten Reflections: "He looked round about upon all things, but as yet said nothing."

    As I was reviewing some of the chronology of Passion Week, this verse stood out to me:

    Mark 11:11  And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve. (KJV)

    "He came to the temple, and took a view of the present state of it, 11. He looked round about upon all things, but as yet said nothing. He saw many disorders there, but kept silence, Ps. l. 21. Though he intended to suppress them, he would not go about the doing of it all on a sudden, lest he should seem to have done it rashly; he let things be as they were for this night, intending the next morning to apply himself to the necessary reformation, and to take the day before him. We may be confident that God sees all the wickedness that is in the world, though he do not presently reckon for it, nor cast it out. Christ, having make his remarks upon what he saw in the temple, retired in the evening to a friend's house at Bethany, because there he would be more out of the noise of the town, and out of the way of being suspected, a designing to head a faction."
     
    – Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on Mark 11


    Consider Him who is greater than the temple!

    The Lord Jesus Christ is the One who is greater than the temple (Matthew 12:6)!

    Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation). Not with the blood of not by means of the blood of goats and calves but with His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:11-12, 24).

    He is a Minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected, and not man! (See Heb. 8:1-6.) Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us (Heb. 9:24).

    He is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, superior to Moses since Moses was a servant – Christ as a Son over His [God's] own house (see Heb. 3:1-6). He is superior to the Old Testament priests and priesthood because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood, and He is guarantor of a better covenant; because He was sinless had no need to offer sacrifices for Himself (see Heb. 7:20-28). (All that only gives a little glimpse. I encourage you to read through the Heb. 1:1-10:18 to see Christ's all-surpassing superiority to the earthly!)

    And yet, that very day in Jerusalem, as the Lord Jesus Christ – the Son of God incarnate, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace – entered into the temple, what did He do? Jesus looked round about at all things ––– and He kept silence!

    Would that we might follow our Lord's wise and patient example! Would that I might follow my Lord's wise and patient example!

    Let every man... for the glory of God

    Too often we flat-out disregard and disobey God's commandment in James 1:19-20:

    So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

    Let every man... No exceptions there... No loopholes!

    Too often I've been impetuous, and out of my fleshly, impatient heart have flowed unsanctified words, words which have brought no glory to God! Too often I've been like Moses:

    Numbers 20:2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.

    7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him.

    10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank.

    12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

    God is all about having His name hallowed. We too easily and nonchalantly and flippantly and smugly jump ahead in the Lord's prayer to "Give me this day my daily bread..." We're all about "Give me! Give me!" We're no different than the young child who is whining at the supermarket check-out line for a treat, or two toddlers who are in tug of war over a single toy: "Gimme! Gimme!" We too quickly forget about the very first portion of the prayer:


    Our Father, which art in heaven
    Hallowed by Thy name

    In contrast to our "Gimmes!" God is saying to us: "Enough of you, you, you! Give Me the glory due My name! Give Me the glory due My name in all your activities! Give Me the glory due My name with your tongue!" We are created for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7), and there are times when God puts us into situations where the way we give Him glory is to look round about upon all things and be silent!

    Oh, I know it really doesn't make sense to us, as we look at it from a fleshly perspective, and it really grates on our flesh to be silent – we all want to have our own say, and we all want to have the last word – and I'll add here, these may sometimes be in regard to matters that don't revolve around us directly:  there may be injustice and oppression happening to the least of these, and there may be false teaching and apostasy rising up in the visible church, all of which is very grievous to us (and to God) – but God's thoughts and God's ways are higher than ours! Let us remember remember this instance in Mark 11:11, in which Jesus Himself, the Servant who had been given the tongue of the learned and could speak a word in season to refresh the weary (Isaiah 50:4-5), kept silence for a time!  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and dwelt among us – and yet at this moment, the Word was silent!

    We all know the struggle, and James writes of it in chapter 3... But no man came tame the tongue... Yes – no man... Mark 10:27 But looking at them, Jesus said, "With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible."

    As Christians, we have no excuses. We can't say, "I'm sensitive; I can't help it," or "You don't really know this situation and these people I have to deal with day in and day out. I have got to say something!" That's no way we should talk if we really are new creations in Christ! If we are truly concerned about the glory of God in a situation, we can trust God's timing, and if and when He wants us to speak, He will give us the opportunity to do so – but let us be careful not to grieve His Holy Spirit and speak when we ought not to, or to speak a moment too soon! And all the time, we must not neglect to take these burdens to God in prayer... pray without ceasing (I Thes. 5:17).


    Ecclesiastes 3
    1 To everything there is a season,
    A time for every purpose under heaven:

    2 A time to be born,
        And a time to die;
    A time to plant,
        And a time to pluck what is planted;
    3 A time to kill,
        And a time to heal;
    A time to break down,
        And a time to build up;
    4 A time to weep,
        And a time to laugh;
    A time to mourn,
        And a time to dance;
    5 A time to cast away stones,
        And a time to gather stones;
    A time to embrace,
        And a time to refrain from embracing;
    6 A time to gain,
        And a time to lose;
    A time to keep,
        And a time to throw away;
    7 A time to tear,
        And a time to sew;
    A time to keep silence,
        And a time to speak;
    8 A time to love,
        And a time to hate;
    A time of war,
        And a time of peace.

    Ecclesiastes 5
    1 Walk prudently when you go to the house of God;
    and draw near to hear
    rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

    2 Do not be rash with your mouth,
    And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
    For God is in heaven, and you on earth;
    Therefore let your words be few.
    3 For a dream comes through much activity,
    And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

    I realize this passage in Ecclesiastes 5 is dealing with vows, but the principle applies in a general sense regarding all our communications. All too often we are rash with our mouths, and we run off at our mouths, rather than submit ourselves (mouths and all!) to God and be willing to look round about upon all things like our Lord, and then to run off into our closets and pour out our hearts to God, and trusting in Him and waiting on Him and entrusting ourselves to Him. Psalm 62:8 Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Those who trust in Him will never be ashamed or disappointed!

    God's people and waiting

    In the Bible and throughout Church history, we see God having His people wait all the time; that is part of God's sanctifying work in our souls. (All the more reason for us to keep in the Word of God, for these things are written as an example to us! – as well to read Church history and Christian biography!) We all find it excruciating to wait because we would all rather do any and all things but wait! However: No temptation has overtaken you but is common to man... (See I Cor. 10:1-13).

    We may turn a few pages in our Bibles, and we see Abraham and Sarah finally having baby Isaac – or we see the Israelites crossing the Jordan – and so on – but we too quickly forget about the years and years and years of waiting ... and waiting ... and waiting! Heb. 6:11-12 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises... We need God's powerful Holy Spirit to strengthen us to wait! Have you ever thought of it that way? We may ask God for power to do, do, do – but how often do we ask God for power to wait on Him? Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy... How often do we ask God for power to look round about upon all things and be silent? How often do we ask God for power to be importunate in prayer?

    Like Jesus, Nehemiah looked round about upon all things

    I love the story of Nehemiah. Even while he was in Persia, 1000 miles away from Jerusalem, from the reports he's heard, he's deeply grieved at the condition of the city and of God's people – for both are a reproach and dishonor to God. Nehemiah has been given such a spiritual sight of the ruins because He had already been given a spiritual sight of the glory of God. The captives had begun returning from exile over sixty years before this time, and though the temple had been rebuilt (after some delay), both the walls and the gates of the city of Jerusalem remained unbuilt. After hearing this news, Nehemiah pour out his heart in prayer for several months and cries in repentance and confession and supplications to God (Neh. 1). Then, in God's sovereignty, King Artaxerxes is moved to permit Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild (Neh. 2). Nehemiah takes the journey to Jerusalem. So you think after all that waiting and after the great burden God had given him, that Nehemiah would be chomping at the bit to get right down to the work of rebuilding... But what does Nehemiah do once he's arrived in Jerusalem? Following in the steps of the Lord Jesus, Nehemiah takes a little ride around the ruins, so he too might look round about upon all things:

    11 So I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. 13 And I went out by night through the Valley Gate to the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the walls of Jerusalem which were broken down and its gates which were burned with fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but there was no room for the animal under me to pass. 15 So I went up in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I had done; I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, or the others who did the work.

    Yes, afterwards Nehemiah does speak of all God had been putting into his heart, but that came only after this time of surveying the city. How can we really explain that a people who for years and years were so sluggish and apathetic as to the condition of Jerusalem suddenly shout out in response to Nehemiah these words: "Let us rise up and build!"? It appears that their embracing the work God had for them was conditioned upon Nehemiah moving and acting in obedience to God's will – and God's will included Nehemiah's nighttime ride around Jerusalem to look round about upon all things.


    Psalm 141
    1 Lord, I cry out to You;
    Make haste to me!
    Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You.
    2 Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
    The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

    3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
    Keep watch over the door of my lips.
    4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
    To practice wicked works
    With men who work iniquity;
    And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

    May God give us holy appetites, that Christ's food would be our food,
    and our lips would only be opened in accord with our Father's will for us.

    John 4:34
    Jesus saith to them,
    "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work."

    Related:

    Lenten Reflections: He answered nothing...But Jesus still answered nothing.
    Lenten Reflections: the servant's tongue
    Why Naphtali?
    Why Naphtali? – Revisited
    Communication: Naphtali style
    Communication Naphtali Style: Jonathan Edwards
    "As soon as the ball left my hand"....The Power of the Tongue
    my deep concern for the churches
    Father, forgive me for joking
    "Satan tempted me to hold my tongue..." (Whitefield)
    William Perkins on Isaiah 6 and the tongue
    Your word & my tongue
    dedication 2010 (addendum): may He temper my tongue with love
    the dogs and the pigs (from the archives)
    from the archives: "How do we know if we're speaking the truth in love?"
    You whine and complain (Letter 70 on assurance & fighting for joy)
    As I abide in the Vine ~ the minister's meditation on the tongue
    "ALL public work must be subservient to my prayer work." (Evan Roberts)
    the journey to Jericho (Joshua 4-6): the journey of dependence on the LORD
    update/prayer requests - July 8, 2010
    You speak as one of the foolish women would speak ~ Job 2:9-10
    one way or the other God will be glorified (Bible Reading - Numbers 20)
    "today's a new day" (pressing on through sin, failure, fear & doubt)

    My posts on Nehemiah including:

    Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    Scripture quotations marked KJV taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Reconstruction_of_Jerusalem_and_the_Temple_of_Herod_(R%C3%A9constitution_de_J%C3%A9rusalem_et_du_temple_d%27H%C3%A9rode)_-_James_Tissot.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Public Domain

  • You speak as one of the foolish women would speak ~ Job 2:9-10

    Most of you are familiar with the story of Job. In Job 1, Satan approaches God and receives permission from God to attack Job – but God limits him:

    12  And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.”

    After this, loss upon loss comes upon Job, as billow upon billow in a catastrophic storm:

    13  Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14  and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15  and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

    16  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

    17  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

    18  While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19  and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

    After all that, we read Job's godly response of worship:

    20  Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21  And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

    22  In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

    In Job 2, we see Satan's frustration to Job's response. The devil's plan has been thwarted, and he goes back to God again and ups the ante. End result: God permits Satan to attack Job's body:

    7  So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8  And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes.

    This time we read not only Job's response, but also that of Job's wife:

    Job 2:9  Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10  But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

    What a contrast! What kind of helpmeet is Job's wife here? Job says she's speaking as a foolish woman would! That's a serious charge – but isn't that kind of foolish talk just about the last thing Job (or any of us) needs in order to stand true and faithful to God in the midst of grueling trials and hellish temptations?

    Did Job's wife have a view that all the evil in the world is under the sovereign reign of the LORD, and nothing at all catches God by surprise? Didn't she understand each and every one of the devil's plots is under the sovereign sway of the God who sits enthroned above the earth, and in God's mysterious providence He ordains all things, even evil, for His glory?

    Psalm 115:3  Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

    Isaiah 46
    8  “Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, you transgressors,
    9  remember the former things of old;
    for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
    10  declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
    saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’


    After being persecuted and mocked and betrayed and sold by his brothers into slavery, we read Joseph's testimony of God's sovereign goodness in Genesis 50:20:

    As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

    BUT GOD! As soon as we get stuck looking at our circumstances apart from God, much like Peter, we will sink – and like those who aren't planting themselves in the Word of God will wither (more below on withering...)... we will end up speaking and acting foolishly.

    John Calvin wrote these words about Genesis 50:20:

    "...whatever poison Satan produces, God turns it into medicine for His elect."

    That's exactly it! The devil wants us to succumb to his wiles, so we end up reacting like Job's wife and curse God. The devil is all about undermining our faith in God. He delights to hear such curses coming from our lips! Satan's desire is that we accept the bad circumstances at face value, and not look beyond them or above them, and so we end up throwing up our hands in despair, and we lose faith and curse God! The devil wants us to forget, as William Cowper wrote, that behind every frowning providence, there hides a smiling face!

    Let us remember that the devil's poison, that sifting which the devil means for evil, God always means all of it for the good of the His children. Any and all trials and temptations which God allows to come our way are always under the sovereign rule of God Almighty. Trials and sifting come to us only if necessary, and they are always for our refining to God's glory (e.g. - see James 1 and Peter 1). Think back to the story of Peter's sifting, which led to his denying Jesus three times, and then remember: Jesus already knew all about it in advance – and Jesus was already praying for Peter, and Jesus would continue to pray for Peter all throughout it! Let us look beyond our trials and look to heaven and see Jesus seated at the right hand of God. What is He doing there? Jesus Christ is our great high priest, who ever lives to make intercession for all the saints, so we might be saved to the uttermost (see the last part of Hebrews 7). And saving to the uttermost includes our being strengthened in all our trials and temptations, so we will not succumb to the temptation to curse God like Job's wife – but we would continue to bless God like Job.

    The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28:

    And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

    Do you know that? Do you really know it?

    And be clear here: all things means ALL things! No exceptions. Even the bitterest and deadliest poison of the devil, God is working it for good for the children of God – each and every time. And, by the way, just to be clear here: that promise from Romans 8:28 is not for all people. See how Paul qualifies it: those who love God and those who are called according to His purpose. But, the wonderful thing is that Romans 8:28 is a soul-fortifying promise for all the saints when we find ourselves tried like Job – and we will find ourselves tried, but only as necessary and always for God's glory – see I Peter 1. Remember how in Job 1 and 2, Satan had to come to God to ask permission as to what he could do with Job. What a wonderful reminder that God always puts those bounds on the devil and his workings, much as God Himself put bounds on the oceans at the creation:

    Job 38:
    8  “Or who shut in the sea with doors
    when it burst out from the womb,
    9  when I made clouds its garment
    and thick darkness its swaddling band,
    10  and prescribed limits for it
    and set bars and doors,
    11  and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
    and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

    In other words, the devil is never allowed to prowl unchecked, but know this: he is our adversary, he does prowl, and he is seeking someone to devour! He is our enemy and we must be sober, vigilant and on guard (I Peter 5:8)!

    How do we go about that?

    We must continue to gird up our minds with the truth about God from the Bible. As we read the Bible, we must keep asking God's Spirit to lead us into all truth, for He is the Spirit of truth. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. Look back to Genesis 3 and see the beginnings of the fall. He twisted the Word of God just a little – but just enough! And then look at Jesus' temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4 & Luke 4), and see how our Lord Himself combatted the temptations of the devil: through the Word of God!

    There are attributes about the character and workings of God that never change, no matter what, no matter how we feel, no matter our circumstances. Malachi 3:6a "For I am the LORD, I change not..." However, the devil wants us to doubt and question and become confused about God and God's truth, and that gives the devil a foothold. For it is at that point he can slyly slither his way in and get us to begin to consider and entertain his lies in the hope we might slip and slide down, down, down into doubting God, and eventually into that wretched and foolish state where we end cursing God like Job's wife. In Ephesians 6, we're commanded to take up the whole armor of God, but it distresses me to see how many Christians talk about the armor (many of them can name each and every piece!), but how few actually take it up when push comes to shove! My brothers and sisters, we are in a spiritual battle. You must take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God! You can't expect to be victorious if you trifle with these things! The welfare of your eternal soul is at stake!

    I've listed below some Biblical truths about God and God's dealings with His people (with me) that I keep going back to. This is not an all-inclusive list by any means, but they are principles God has used to keep me sane and kept me many a time from lapsing into foolishness! (But by the grace of God alone, I would go the way of Job's wife!) And I confess lately I have found myself dangerously close to that vile position of Job's wife! O! I don't want to be a foolish woman! I don't want to speak like one of the foolish women! I don't even want to think like one of the foolish women! Matthew 12:34b For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

    I've started off the list with the truth I wrote about above, that God is working all things for my (our) good. If you are a child of God by grace through faith in Christ, these are ways that you and I can be assured that God is continuing to work, in spite of what we may be seeing, and in spite of how we may be feeling about our circumstances.

    God is working all things for my (our) good (Romans 8:28)
    God is working all things to conform me (us) to Christ's image (Romans 8:29)
    God is working all things for His glory (Romans 11:36)
    God is working all things for the furtherance of His Gospel (Philippians 1:23)
    God is working all things to make Christ preeminent (Colossians 1:18)
    God is leading His people to make for Himself a glorious and everlasting name (Isaiah 63:10-15)

    We need to walk by faith and not by sight, and we are strengthened to do so as we hold onto God and hold onto these precious and very great promises, and as we do so, we should be praying the Spirit of God will cause these doctrines we know in the head to begin to burn in our hearts, so these grand truths of the Word of God and the Christian life become experimental (or experiential) to us, as the Puritans put it.

    We also need to trust God's workings with each one of us are perfect.     I'm not going to get into this here in length, but if you look at the end of Isaiah 28 (v. 22-29), you'll read the different ways individual seeds are sown and then the various ways the crops are processed after the harvest. That's a picture of God's dealings with each one of His children as individuals. I may be dill, you cumin and another one barley, and so on – in other words, we will each get our own individualized treatment, i.e. - loving discipline perfectly suited for each one of us, according to the infallible, inscrutable, pure and holy ways of our loving Father in heaven:

    29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts;
    he is wonderful in counsel
    and excellent in wisdom.

    Who are we to question and doubt and despair and even curse God's workings with our individual souls? Are we God's counselors? And yet, don't we find ourselves sliding into that position – and sounding less like Job and more like Job's wife, speaking foolishly and just about ready to curse God? All God's workings are wonderful and excellent! As we are remain ever-mindful of that, and as the Spirit writes that truth more and more deeply on our hearts and in our minds, we will be kept from speaking foolishly like Job's wife and kept from sinning with our lips.

    Foolishness: clamorous and withering...

    To me, Job's wife very much resembles the foolish woman described In Proverbs 9:13:

    The woman Folly is loud; she is seductive and knows nothing. (ESV)

    A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing. (KJV)

    The Hebrew word for loud or clamorous there is hamah (haw-maw') – to make a loud sound like Engl. "hum"; by implication, to be in great commotion or tumult, to rage, war, moan, clamor:--clamorous, concourse, cry aloud, be disquieted, loud, mourn, be moved, make a noise, rage, roar, sound, be troubled, make in tumult, tumultuous, be in an uproar. And hamah is derived from the primitive root word, huwm (hoom) – to make an uproar, or agitate greatly:--destroy, move, make a noise, put, ring again.

    Unless we see and embrace and trust that God is superintending over all events, that He is sovereign over all things: both good and evil, times of plenty and times of want – how can we do anything but react like Job's wife when trouble and affliction and pain and loss and heartache come our way? Feeling disquieted, we will end up raging, moaning and clamorous, and we will be in great commotion and tumult. And, like Job's wife, we will end up speaking as one of the foolish women would speak! What kind of testimony is that to a lost world, and how does such behavior give glory to God?

    I don't know about you, but I know I don't want to be described like this:

    You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.

    That said, I know I can lapse right into that all too often and all too quickly, as life's circumstances seem contrary to what I think God should be doing or how I think He ought to be operating. And it grieves me almost as soon as I find myself in that situation! And it's a wretched position to be in! I despise myself when I'm there!

    God is God, and I am not! His thoughts and His ways are higher than ours! That's a lesson we all have to learn time and time again . . . and again!


    Romans 11:33  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

    34  “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
    35  “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

    36  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
    Our reactions to loss and suffering prove whether we are foolish or wise.

    Does your usual reaction to loss and suffering resemble that of Job's wife or Job?

    In times of loss, during those "Job" times in your life, do you find yourself more often than not cursing God or blessing God?

    The word Job used for foolish is nabal (naw-bawl')  – stupid; wicked (especially impious):-- fool(-ish, -ish man, -ish woman), vile person. That's a serious charge. And the primitive root word from which nabal is derived is nabel. I think the following definitions of nabel describe Job's wife perfectly – and they describe us when we begin to doubt God and God's goodness and God's purposes and when we are tempted to lash out against God, shake our fists at Him and curse Him:

    to wilt; generally, to fall away, fail, faint.

    In time of trial, if we've not been immersing ourselves in God's Word, and if we don't continue to immerse ourselves in God's Word in the midst of the trial, we will end up wilting and fainting. In other words, we will end up like Job's wife. Is that what we really want? Has God rescued and redeemed us with the precious blood of the Lamb to live like that? (If we can call that living!) The word wither in Psalm 1:3 is nabel.

    Psalm 1
    1  Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
    nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
    2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
    3  He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
    that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
    In all that he does, he prospers.
    4  The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
    5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
    6  for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.

    In spite of his mounting losses and his painful, physical affliction, and in great contrast to his wife, Job produced a leafy, vibrant testimony similar to that of David:

    Psalm 71
    7  I have been as a portent to many,
    but you are my strong refuge.
    8  My mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.

    9  Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.
    10  For my enemies speak concerning me;
    those who watch for my life consult together
    11  and say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue and seize him,
    for there is none to deliver him.”

    12  O God, be not far from me;
    O my God, make haste to help me!
    13  May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;
    with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who seek my hurt.

    14  But I will hope continually
    and will praise you yet more and more.
    15  My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for their number is past my knowledge.
    16  With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

    O! for grace to have such a testimony of worship all the day, every day!

    Is there any day at all that praise is not due to our God?

    Psalm 65:1  Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
    and to you shall vows be performed.

    I like this Psalm in the KJV:

    Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

    Is praise waiting for the Lord on your lips today and every day, no matter the circumstances? Or, when you are in times of trial and difficulty, are you foolish:  are your heart and your mouth filling up with rants and complaints, and withholding the praise which is due to God?

    Psalm 34:1-10 ~ plus other texts, adapted and expanded as a prayer

    O! may I bless You, LORD, at all times like Job;
    You alone are worthy of never-ceasing praise.
    Let me not be foolish like Job's wife;
    but let me be wise and leafy and fruitful:
    Let Your praise be continually be in my mouth,
    as I hide and treasure You and Your Word in my heart.

    May my soul make its boast in You, O LORD;
    let the humble hear it and be glad.

    O! magnify the LORD with me,
    and let us be wise and exalt His name together!

    Help me to seek You, LORD, above my circumstances.
    Help me keep my eyes fixed on You, invisible God,
    so I might prosper and endure – and not wither and perish.
    O! See me here: seeking Your face!
    Answer me and deliver me from all my fears:
    Be pleased to call to me, so I might sup with You once again!

    As I look to You, I will be lightened and radiant,
    and my face shall never be ashamed.
    O! Turn my eyes, and my eyes will look to You!
    Make Your face to shine, and I will be sustained.

    I am poor and needy, hear me, O LORD,
    I am dust and ashes, hear me, O LORD,
    and save me out of all my troubles.

    The angel of the LORD encamps
    around those who fear You, and delivers them.
    Open my eyes that I may see Your abiding presence.

    O! May I taste and see that You, O LORD, are good always,
    whether You give or You take away,
    whether I receive good or evil from You,
    whether I am in plenty or in want,
    blessed am I when I take refuge in You!

    O! May we fear the LORD, all you His saints,
    though all else may be taken from us –
    those who fear Him have no lack!
    Christ is our all-satisfying portion forever!

    Even young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but we who seek the LORD will lack no good thing!
    To whom can we liken God,
    who can compare?
    He alone is altogether lovely!
    He alone is fairer than ten thousand!
    O! He is our Beloved – and we are His!

    All you saints, come and worship
    By God, let us render to God the sacrifice of praise.

    Glorify God,
    bless God,
    and enjoy God
    forever with me!

    May the meditation of our hearts and the fruit of our lips
    be acceptable and pleasant to You,
    O, LORD, our Rock and our Redeemer!

     

    Related:

    Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Emphasis mine.

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georges_de_La_Tour_-_Job_Mocked_by_his_Wife_-_WGA12340.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}

    Work found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hazard_T.svg  / CC BY-SA 3.0     / Public Domain

    Hebrew references and definitions are taken from Strong's Concordance, Public Domain.

  • Lenten Reflections: "so Joel had another appointment"

    As Hosea was appointed a Prophet to the kingdom of Israel, so Joel had another appointment; for he was to labour especially among the Jews and not among the Ten Tribes: this deserves to be particularly noticed.

    – Calvin's Preface to Joel
    I read these words yesterday and was struck by them. So often we as Christians question and fight the appointment God has for us. So often I question and fight the appointment God has for me... particularly when what I'm seeing with my naked eyes is not lining up with what I expected. And that's what's been happening recently.

    The devil prowls and schemes – and know this: he is constantly seeking to take us any and every where, so long as it is NOT in middle of God's will for us! That place may even be a relatively good place (i.e. - not morally bad) – however, know this:  if that place is not God's place for us, then it is not a good place! Let us not be deceived and settle for something "good," but in reality we are walking arm and arm with the devil, and in direct disobedience to God and all the while we are depriving ourselves of the best – for God is always seeking what is best for us for His children – even though it may not appear to be so to us – as we look upon it with fleshly eyes, rather than spiritual eyes.

    Rather than fixing our eyes on the invisible God and walking by faith, we begin to walk by human sight, and we fix our eyes on the visible – and, as a result, we begin to sink down, down, down as we consider and entertain those deadly "What ifs". As we begin to conjecture, "Why?" or "Why me?" or "Why can't I?" or "Why didn't God...?" or "Why doesn't God...?" or "What hasn't God...?" – we head straight down the paths of the destroyer, and we rob ourselves of the rest and peace that Christ offers to us through taking up His easy yoke.

    David struggled with such temptations, and as children of God, we all will. Remember – even our Lord Himself was tempted by the devil!

    Look at Psalm 17 and see how David kept from going down the paths of the destroyer...

    3 You have tested my heart;
    You have visited me in the night;
    You have tried me and have found nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
    4 Concerning the works of men,
    By the word of Your lips,
    I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
    5 Uphold my steps in Your paths,
    That my footsteps may not slip.

    6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
    Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
    7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
    O You who save those who trust in You
    From those who rise up against them.
    8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
    Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
    9 From the wicked who oppress me,
    From my deadly enemies who surround me.

    David continued to immerse Himself in God though the Scripture and prayer, and in doing so, David expected God to reveal Himself in living and felt ways so as to sustain and uphold his soul, to have his heart and his spiritual sight renewed and refreshed. For example...

    "By the word of Your lips..."
    "I have called upon you..."

    And the same applies to us as well! We can't expect to fight the good fight of faith and finish our race without God's means! Many people keep looking for a new technique or a magic program – but instead, what we must do is to go back to the basics: to the Word of God and prayer! As we keep sinking ourselves deeper and deeper into Christ through the Word and prayer, we will flourish. On the other hand, if we're not doing that, we're going to wither! (See Psalm 1 & Jeremiah 17:5-8) In fact, abiding in Christ in such ways is one mark of Christian discipleship. It grieves me to see how many professing Christians continue to go to any and all places but to God! You go to your counselors, to your pill bottles, to your self-help books, to your friends, to your hobbies, to your activities, to your support groups – but when was the last time you went to the living God and pleaded with Him all night like Jacob : "I will not let You go unless You bless me! I have no power here at all – for these are too strong for me! Be my support!" (See also Psalm 18.)

    And know this: the Christian life is a fight! There are some unbliblical teachings that tell us we just need to "let go and let God" and poof! it all will magically happen without any effort on our part. Well, there is one way we must let go: we must let go of the despicable, man-centered notion that we can do anything apart from Jesus Christ. And then, as we freely acknowledge we are truly poor and needy, like the man at midnight (Luke 11), we will importunately storm the gates of heaven and plead for God's supplies to come to us through His Holy Spirit, so we might walk in God's will for us. And then, as God strengthens us, we will obey and walk in His will for us (despite our flesh fighting us from within and temptations rising up from without) – and, in so doing, we end up working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who has been working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). All glory to God! God does in and through and with us what we cannot do ourselves! Apart from Him we can do nothing! With Christ we can do all things! And just a reminder here: this working on our part doesn't earn us our salvation, but it is evidence of our salvation. God is never opposed to efforts wrought of His Spirit. After all, it is God who commands us to work out what He is working in us!

    Sadly, at one time or another, all of us end up in the position of Peter in John 21 – even after God has given us explicit instructions as to His appointment for us (v. 15-19) – and like Peter, we end up questioning our Lord. Why do we do such a thing? We take our eyes off Jesus!

    20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

    22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

    23 Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

    What is that to me if God has given me another appointment? What if Joel were to say, "No! No! I don't want to minister in this place! Send me somewhere else!" Here's God's response to such sinful thoughts:


    Isaiah 29:16

    Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
    For shall the thing made say of him who made it,
    “He did not make me”?
    Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it,
    “He has no understanding”?

    God have mercy on us when we do such a thing – when we esteem ourselves above our Creator and Redeemer! God grant us grace so we might not harden our hearts and grieve His Holy Spirit. God keep us from becoming Jonahs – from running away from Him and His appointment for us! And when we begin to question and doubt God's appointment in even the smallest way, may He give us grace so we and our prodigal thoughts might be turned ("turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for thou art the LORD my God" ~ Jer. 31:18, KJV), that we might come back to our senses and fervently embrace our God and His particular appointment for us in the way Mary did:

    "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word." (Luke 1:38a, KJV)

    How can we do this? Again, it is impossible with us! – but it is possible through Christ who dwells in us! Our Lord Himself willingly submitted Himself to His Father's appointment for Him to condescend, to become incarnate, to take the form of a servant, and to become obedient to the point of death – even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:4-11). Jesus was consumed by His Father's glory and purposes – and through the new birth, we have been united with Christ, being given the same desires by the Holy Spirit who lives in us, so we might offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God as Christ did. Even though our souls might be troubled, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are empowered to respond to God's appointment just as Christ did:

    John 12:27 “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.”

    During this Lenten season, many Christians set aside more time to consider the suffering and the crucifixion of Christ – and yes! Amen to that! But let us not only contemplate Jesus' example, let us not only contemplate His sacrifice rendered in our place to satisfy the wrath of God and justify us and reconcile us to God, but let us go on even further – so we might contemplate God's magnificent power that worked in Jesus so He might finish all the work the Father had given Him, and then let us plead for such sanctifying power to fill us, so God's love might compel us to joyful obedience to His commandment "You follow Me!"

    Yes, our souls may be troubled by what we see – and they may often be troubled – and rightly so at many times, for we live in a troubled, fallen world, and Jesus told us we would have tribulation in this world. But let us look away from what's troubling us and look into the Word of God to the character and promises of God, and let us look away to Jesus, and then let us pray without ceasing and plead for God's Pentecostal power to rain down upon us from on high, so we might have the mind and heart of Christ, so we might not worry about what others are doing, but render ourselves wholeheartedly to doing our Father's will as our Lord did, to delight in the appointment God has for each one of us:

    Psalm 40
    7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
    In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
    8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
    And Your law is within my heart.”

    Isaiah 64
    But now, O Lord,
    8 You are our Father;
    We are the clay, and You our potter;
    And all we are the work of Your hand.
    9 Do not be furious, O Lord,
    Nor remember iniquity forever;
    Indeed, please look—we all are Your people!

    Related:

    Scripture unless otherwise indicated is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

    Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

    Photo credits:

    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Joel.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0 / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}
    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walpurgis.jpg / / {{PD-Art|PD-old-100}}
    Work found at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kneden_van_klei.jpg  / CC BY-SA 3.0

naphtali_deer

About me...

Christian hedonist in training. Pressing on to know more and more of the joy of the LORD. Pleading with God to rend the heavens and revive and refresh my own soul, as well as His Church, to His praise, honor and glory.

Thank God. He can make men and women in middle life sing again with a joy that has been chastened by a memory of their past failures. ~ Alan Redpath

My other websites

tent of meeting: Prayer for reformation & revival

(See also Zechariah821. Zechariah821 is a mirror site of tent of meeting, found on WordPress)

deerlifetrumpet: Encouragement for those seeking reformation & revival in the Church

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