The Visible Hand of God

"Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote" (Daniel 5:5).

The biblical doctrine of divine providence teaches that God controls everything that comes to pass. He is the great Overseer of history, and nothing happens outside of His control. He raises up one nation and puts down another, according to His plan. We sometimes speak of the “invisible hand of God” directing all human affairs.

On one occasion that invisible hand became visible. We read in Daniel 5 that sometime after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, his son Belshazzar came to the throne. The Bible does not tell us why, but one day Belshazzar decided to host a great feast. It occurred to him to use as drinking cups the sacred vessels of the temple, which had been brought to Babylon from Jerusalem. During the feast, he and the people used God’s vessels to toast their pagan gods.

To get the full import of this story, think back to 1 Samuel 4–6. At that time the tabernacle was defiled and the ark was captured by the Philistines. While the ark was in Philistia, God used it to make war on the gods of the Philistines. When the ark was brought in close contact with the idol Dagon, it fell down and broke to pieces. In great fear, the Philistines eventually returned the ark to Israel.

The same thing happened in Daniel. The opening verses of chapter 1 tell us that the sacred vessels of the temple were brought to the palace in Babylon, along with Daniel and his friends. God made “holy war” on Nebuchadnezzar through the young men, and Nebuchadnezzar eventually repented. Then God made “holy war” on the gods of Babylon, as the sacred vessels were brought in contact with them. God’s hand appeared and wrote on the wall that God was bringing an end to Belshazzar’s reign, and that his kingdom would be divided.

Greek historians tell us that this party was held while Cyrus was besieging Babylon. Babylon had enough stores to last for years and such strong walls that no one could break them down. Belshazzar’s feast flaunted his invulnerability. God’s hand wrote on the wall, however, showing that walls are under His control. Cyrus diverted the flow of the river Euphrates and walked into Babylon right under the walls of the city, bringing down Belshazzar’s reign.

Belshazzar’s feast was a counterfeit, but God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies. He is our wall, and the feast is the Lord’s Supper. Though the enemies surround us, as Gog and Magog about the Holy City, we can relax and rejoice (Revelation 20:9). God’s walls, unlike those of Babylon, are completely secure. Remember this security the next time you celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Greetings!

We will resume our normal devotional format on Friday, but I wanted to take a moment to send you a note during this special time of the year to let you know that I am so thankful for you, dear reader. When writing to the Thessalonian Church, Paul said these words: “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.” — (1 Thessalonians 1:2).

As people begin to get ready for the “Christmas rush” and all that goes with it, it seems in the Providence of God that we have a season of Thanksgiving prior to all that the Christmas season brings with it. This is such a good thing. As sinners saved by the grace and the mercy of God, we know a thankfulness that exceeds any mere secular thankfulness. A Christian Thanksgiving is a deeply theological act. 

Abraham Lincoln, in the Thanksgiving proclamation of 1863, said:

“It has seemed to me fit and proper that [the gifts of God should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

My prayer is that you will have a very Happy Thanksgiving — and remember that giving thanks is one of the most God-honoring acts any human can contemplate. In all things, give thanks to God. And may God add His richest blessings to your life during this Thanksgiving season as you continue to look to Him as the source of all blessings.

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting." — (1 Chronicles 16:34)

Giving thanks along with you,

Daniel: Faithful Witnesses

“But even if He does not [rescue us], we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:18).

Nebuchadnezzar was a rather interesting conqueror. It was only after many provocations that he finally destroyed Jerusalem, and even then he did not kill all the people but deported them. Before this, he had resettled some of the most prominent Israelites in Babylon.

Babylon was a civilized nation, and it was easy for the resettled Jews to compromise with Babylonian culture. God raised up four men in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar whose lives demonstrated that God’s people should never compromise.

In Daniel 3 we read that Nebuchadnezzar set up a huge idol of gold and commanded that all his servants bow down and worship it. Perhaps he got this idea from the vision God gave him in Daniel 2, where he and his reign were portrayed as a head of gold. Maybe he thought this made him worthy of worship. He was very surprised when three young Jewish men, who were serving in his court, refused to go along with his plan.

When God appeared to men in the Bible, great sounds such as the rushing of wind, a trumpet blast, or earthquake noises usually accompanied Him. Likewise, Nebuchadnezzar commanded that a whole array of instruments were to blast sounds in order to call the people to worship. When the sound was heard, everybody bowed down, except for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Indignant, Nebuchadnezzar set up a fiery furnace, made it even hotter than usual and had the three men thrown into it. To his astonishment when he looked inside the furnace, he saw the three young men walking around, and a fourth man with them. Nebuchadnezzar’s comment was that the fourth looked like a son of the gods (Daniel 3:25).

Nebuchadnezzar realized that he had overstepped his bounds in setting up his idol. He welcomed the three young men back to his court and pronounced that the God of Israel was to be honored throughout his empire. Later on God continued His work in Nebuchadnezzar by humbling him with insanity for seven years and then restoring him (Daniel 4). Then Nebuchadnezzar realized that there was only one God and worshiped Him. It all began with the faithful witness of three young men.

We never know the impact our witness will have on other lives. Examine yourself today and see if you have been compromising in places where you should be standing firm. Ask God to give you the strength to stand for Him wherever He calls you to live and work.

Strengthened by Grace - Ep. 14 - "God's Revelation - Part 4"

In episode 14 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling continues the discussion on God's revelation by considering special revelation and why it is so important that the Holy Spirit savingly apply the truths of the Bible to our hearts.

The Valley of Dry Bones

"He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD you alone know” (Ezekiel 37:3).

Early in his ministry, Ezekiel was told to prophesy against the mountains of Israel. On these mountains, the wicked people were offering sacrifices at “high places,” shrines to various gods, including shrines sinfully erected to the Lord, which He had forbidden. God told the people through Ezekiel that he would slay those who worshiped at these altars and would scatter their bones around their shrines in the mountains. This would happen when God brought judgment upon the nation.

After the destruction of Jerusalem, Ezekiel was taken by God in a vision to a valley full of bones. These were the bones of the idolators. representing the death of Israel as God’s holy nation. God asked Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?” Well, maybe some bones might live, but these? These, the bones of the most wicked nation of all, the nation that knew God and then rejected Him? Can such bones as these live?

If these bones can live, then any bones can live. Ezekiel expressed his hope that it might be so. “You know, O LORD,” he said.

Ezekiel was told to prophesy to the bones. The prophetic message that originally “slew” the wicked nation would now be a means of her resurrection. As Ezekiel preached in this graveyard, he heard a rattling sound. Bone began to join with bone, and then sinew came upon the bones, and soon the valley was full of corpses.

Then God told him to prophesy to the Breath, a reference to God’s Spirit. “Call on the Breath to enter these corpses,” said God. So Ezekiel did so. and soon the corpses came to life again, standing as a holy army ready to do God’s will.

This picture of national resurrection draws from God’s original creation of Adam, when God made Adam of dust and then breathed into him the breath of life. Resurrection, we are taught, is a new creation. This prophecy received its first fulfillment after the exile, when the Jews came back into the land and were reestablished as God’s people.

Though this passage focuses on national resurrection, the imagery also tells us that God will raise our mortal bodies. Our hope for eternity is in the resurrection of our total persons.

Surely we need a resurrection in our lands today. We need “prophets” who will pray and preach to the dry bones in the church and in society. All of us are called to be prophets. Ask God to show you how to carry forward in some sense Ezekiel’s task in your own situation.

Strengthened by Grace - Ep. 13 - "God's Revelation - Part 3"

In episode 13 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling continues the discussion on God's revelation, by beginning the discussion of special revelation.

Ezekiel 8-11: The Departure of God

"Then the glory of the LORD departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim" (Ezekiel 10:18).

Nebuchadnezzar came up against Jerusalem at the beginning of his reign and took select young people back to Babylon to be trained at his court. Among them was Daniel. A few years later, when Jerusalem rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar took many of the nobility of the city to Babylon and resettled them in a comfortable dwelling along the Chebar canal. Among them was a young priest named Ezekiel.

Five years later, God appeared to Ezekiel in a vision of the holy chariot of cherubim (Ezekiel 1). God anointed Ezekiel to be a prophet to the people in exile. Ezekiel’s message was that God was going to destroy Jerusalem. The exiles were not to look back to the old ways, to the old city, but were to look up to God and forward to a new day when God would restore Israel.

For several years Ezekiel preached this message, but the exiles did not listen. Jerusalem continued to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, and finally Nebuchadnezzar destroyed her. This was the destruction Jeremiah witnessed and lamented.

The most powerful vision Ezekiel communicated to the exiles is found in Ezekiel 8–11. In this vision, Ezekiel was transported to Jerusalem. As he entered the north gate of the city, he saw people committing idolatry there. As he entered the north gate of the temple, he saw more idolatry. He saw the leaders and priests worshiping the gods of Egypt.

All of this was taking place right before God’s face in His temple. God told Ezekiel that He had been pushed to the limit. Ezekiel saw God proclaim judgment on the defiled temple and city. Those who were to be saved were marked out, and the rest were destroyed. Meanwhile, the glory cloud of God ascended from the golden cherubim in the Holy of Holies. God moved to the threshold of the temple and called for fire to be poured out on the city.

Then God’s glory cloud mounted the chariot and flew off to the east, stopping once on the Mount of Olives as if to survey the destruction. Finally, God departed the scene, leaving the city desolate and exposed to Nebuchadnezzar, His unwitting servant.

This vision shows us that there is a limit to what God will endure from His people. If they continue to sin, He will remove His presence from them. When God departs, the enemy comes in because the protection has been removed. Jesus said the same thing to the churches in Revelation 2–3. We may be experiencing this kind of judgment in our Western nations today. Pray for revival in your country.

Valuing the Deepest Possible Friendship

Like many other things, modern friendship has changed dramatically. Electronic communication has expanded our circle of friends and made maintaining contact easier. But its limitations can also stifle deeply connected bonds. And, the modern world seems friendless for too many. We need to value and deepen friendship in a greater way for the spiritual good of others and ourselves. It demands time, a desire to benefit others and undivided attention. God Himself extends to us the greatest and deepest friendship and we need to learn how to value that above all.

Andrew Gray (1633-1653) considers what it means to be “called the friend of God” as Abraham was (James 2:23). It is the highest possible privilege and yet Adam threw it away. Christ, however, has “found out the precious way of making the blessed and more durable knot of friendship between God and us.”

The great goal of the everlasting gospel is to reconcile sinners and make them friends with God. How do we become such friends? “Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me” (Isaiah 27:5).

But, asks Gray, do our lives and prayers make plain that we are friends of God? What are the evidences of a true friendship toward Christ? How is it the deepest friendship there is? In this updated extract Andrew Gray also outlines the blessings of friendship with God so that we may truly value it.

1. CHRIST’S FRIENDS ARE TRUE FRIENDS

(a) A true friend maintains constant friendship to Christ at all times (Proverbs 17:17). No matter what trials we have or what He requires of us, we will be faithful.

(b) A true friend has the highest esteem for Christ (Song 5:10 and 16). Is Christ matchless to you? Who had your thoughts first today? Was it Christ (Psalm 139:18)?

(c) A true friend finds everything in Christ exceedingly lovely (Song 5:16). There is nothing in Christ that will not be lovely. Christ’s rebukes will be lovely, His convictions will be lovely, His visits will be lovely. There is nothing that Christ can do but you will cry out, “This is lovely.” There is not a commandment that Christ can give but it will be lovely. If you be a friend to Him, you will cry out, “I have a respect to all the commandments of God.”

(d) A true friend obeys all Christ’s commands (John 15:14). A Christian must be all-inclusive in their obedience to be a friend to Christ. If they do not love the duty for itself, yet will he love it because it comes from Christ.

(e) A true friend tells Christ their secrets. There are some things that a Christian will tell Christ, which he will not tell to anyone in the world. It does not offend your precious friend when you tell Him all your secrets.

(f) A true friend is burdened by Christ’s absence. Is it not the true kindness of a friend to long to see one’s absent friend?

(g) A true friend delights in fellowship with Christ (Song 1:2).

2. CHRIST’S FRIENDS FEAST WITH HIM

Christ invites His friends to feast with Him (Song 5:1). The great Master of the feast invites them. It is a royal feast (Isaiah 25:6); it is a glorious, purchased feast to be valued by the price that was paid for it (Matthew 22:3–4). Only friends are invited to come to the feast of the Lord’s Table because only they can fellowship with Christ in the banquet of love. Only they can exercise the graces suitable for this feast. Can an enemy exercise the grace of love? An enemy cannot exercise the grace of sorrow for offending Christ, and yet that is a qualification of one that would approach the table of the Lord. No one is able to discern the Lord’s body except friends.

3. CHRIST’S FRIENDS LEARN HIS SECRETS

The person who is a friend to the Most High is a person who will be brought in to know the deep secrets of the Lord (John 15:15). He will let you know whether you are in the state of nature or in the state of grace. (Psalm 25:14; Proverbs 3:32). He will communicate unknown truths to His friends (Matthew 13:11). Paul says of himself, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).

There are excellent secrets of duty that Christ will unfold to His friends. He will tell His friends the duty of the times in which they live (1 Chronicles 12:32). There are many secret duties that are made known unto the friends of God that are not made known to others who are strangers to Him. Christ will also make the secrets of providence known to His friends (Psalm 36:9).

4. CHRIST’S FRIENDS CAN PRAY WITH BOLDNESS

The soul who is a friend of God may come with boldness to God to seek anything from Him. Is God your friend? Then you may say, “God is my friend; I may be bold with Him.” Yes, when you approach to God in prayer, if you could introduce it with this, “O my friend,” you might pray with much confidence and boldness of faith.

5. CHRIST’S FRIENDS CAN PRAY CONFIDENTLY

A friend of Christ may come to God with confidence. If Christ is your friend, you may go to Him with great persuasion that He will deny you nothing and is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24). Did you ever have such a precious friend as this?

6. CHRIST’S FRIENDS ARE STRENGTHENED IN DUTY

This precious, matchless friend sharpens you and stirs you up to do your duty (Proverbs 27:17). A sight of your precious friend Christ would make you swift in your duty.

7. CHRIST’S FRIENDS HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

A friend of God has much communion with God and dwells and walks much with God. He walks much with God (Amos 3:3). If you are friends to Christ, you will have much of His heart (to long after you), His hand (to help you) and His mind (to reveal precious secrets hidden from the world).

8. CHRIST’S FRIENDS HAVE COUNSEL IN DIFFICULTY

God will give counsel to His friends in all their dark and difficult distresses (Proverbs 27:9). If you were a friend to God, you would sometimes sing of Him giving you counsel (Psalm 16:7; Psalm 73:24).

9. CHRIST’S FRIENDS HAVE SYMPATHY

If you are a friend of God, Christ will sympathize with you in all your anxieties (Proverbs 18:24).  Christ is more afflicted with our circumstances than we are afflicted with them ourselves (Zechariah 2:8).

The Lament of New England's Prophets

The painful tone and dreadful message of the prophet Jeremiah and the book of Lamentations have been heard at various times and expressed in various ways in the church. For Americans, the most notable example is surely the sermons preached by the early New England ministers starting around 1640. These diatribes, which have aptly been called “jeremiads,” thundered warnings of impending punishment and disaster on a people who were slipping in their devotion to the Lord. The plain truth was that the evolving society was failing to live up to the intense spiritual vigor of the previous generation, and the spiritual leaders were not pleased.

The previous—the first—generation of Puritans in New England was a tough spiritual act to follow (in fact, impossible). They were a very godly group indeed. The writings they left make it clear that they scrutinized every aspect of their lives in the light of God’s Word. Their faith had been shaped, tried, and purified by adversity and sacrifice. They literally sailed out in faith from their homeland without looking back and trusted the Lord to guide and protect them in a forbidding, mysterious wilderness.

But, of course, for all their glory, they weren’t perfect. The coming generation, however, lacked their zeal and spiritual intensity and were even less perfect. With growing security and the buds of prosperity came spiritual complacency and apathy. Without batting an eye, the ministers attacked this attitude head-on, in sermon after sermon after sermon.

God’s displeasure was obvious, and the ministers made it clear that the ills that were befalling New England—Indian wars, disease, fires, drought, electrical storms, strange signs in the heavens—were the proof positive. The covenant these people had made with the Lord when they were en route to New England was being broken; instead of the blessings of obedience, they could expect the curses of disobedience.

By the 1660s, it was obvious to the clergy that worldliness was seriously threatening their enterprise and bringing calamity. In Michael Wigglesworth’s 1662 poem God’s Controversy With New England, he wrote:

For thinke not, O Backsliders, in your heart. That I shall still your evil manners beare: Your sinns me press as sheaves do load a cart, And therefore I will plague you for this geare Except you seriously, and soon, do repent Ile not delay your pain and heavy punishment.

And later,

Consider wel & wisely what the rod, Wherewith thou art from yeer to yeer chastized, Instructeth thee. Repent & turn to God, Who Will not have His nurture be despised.

Though the spelling left something to be desired, and the message was grim, the poem was an immediate best-seller (up there with his other poem, The Day of Doom). The scenario was one of disaster and punishment for disobedience, reminiscent of Lamentations: “The LORD has brought her [Zion] grief, because of her many sins” (Lamentations 1:5b); and “In his winepress the Lord has trampled the Virgin Daughter of Judah” (Lamentations 1:15c). In fact, the jeremiads did not pour on as much punishment as the biblical message of judgment they echoed. The verse just quoted paints a very dreadful image, but, of course, some statements in Jeremiah and Lamentations make this one seem rather mild.

Some things call for strong medicine. The New England “prophets”—the ministers—demanded repentance, as did the prophet of Lamentations (though in Lamentations, calamity was a foregone conclusion). They saw unrepentant sin as a serious threat to their social stability and warned that a disastrous punishment would inevitably follow if the people did not turn. The pattern of God’s dealings which the ministers saw in the Old Testament experience of Israel were applied to their own situation; the medicine they sought as remedy came from the mouths of the prophets.

Unfortunately, the decline the ministers sensed was real. From the once pure soil of the holy commonwealth one day would spring such ugly weeds as unitarianism—a “Christianized” form of unbelief. The founders, perhaps naively, thought they were on the threshold of the Millennium, and they hoped for a heaven on earth, but alas, the way to the garden was barred.

Fortunately for those who weathered the storm of decades of accusatory sermons (however well deserved), the final word was not one of gloom, doom, and bitterness but one of hope. Though God was a holy judge and not about to stand by while His people trampled on their covenant with Him, He was supremely a merciful, forgiving Father, who would not stay angry forever. The fact that He was concerned was proof that they were His children; the anger was for their chastisement, not their eternal destruction.

Lamentations, not surprisingly, offers the same hope: “Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed.… For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love” (Lamentations 3:22, 31–32).

In the midst of the darkness of chastisement for sin comes the promise of hope and deliverance. When in your inner ear you hear a jeremiad on the blackness of your sins, remember the unfailing love of the One who has washed them white as snow.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22–23)

Jeremiah began prophesying during the reign of the good king Josiah. Though many of the priests and prophets refused Jeremiah’s message, Josiah and others listened. After Josiah died, however, people began to turn away from Jeremiah. The prophet lived to see Jerusalem and the temple sacked and burned, and the people he had sought to save dragged off into captivity. Jeremiah lived beyond this time and ministered to those left behind; but they too rejected his message and finally dragged him off to Egypt with them, where he eventually died.

As Jeremiah sat outside the ruins of Jerusalem, he composed five poems that comprise the book of Lamentations. Each of these five poems has 22 stanzas, for the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The first, second, and fourth poems (chapters 1–2 and 4) have one verse per letter, following the alphabet. The third poem has three verses for each letter. The last poem has 22 stanzas, but does not follow the alphabet.

This is an alphabet of God’s work. The city deserved destruction because she had played the harlot and refused to repent. She had rejected Jeremiah, calling him “Terror on Every Side” (Lamentations 2:22), and thus she had rejected God.

But because of all his daily sufferings, Jeremiah had learned something about God’s mercies in the midst of affliction. The people were going to be afflicted in much the same way Jeremiah had been. Jeremiah reminded himself, and told them in the process, that God is faithful. If they sought Him, they would find Him. Jeremiah had learned that God’s love means that His people will not be completely consumed. Every morning brings a new sign of God’s love and compassion, for it gives a new opportunity to repent and serve Him.

Thus, in the heart of his book, in the center of the third poem, Jeremiah told them that if they wait on the Lord, they would find Him faithful. Those who seek Him will find Him. Those who wait quietly will see His salvation. Those who accept His judgments as just, and do not kick against them, will find His peace (Lamentations 3:19–33).

If God really wanted to destroy us, He would not send prophets to warn us. He would not let us live and daily give us new opportunities to change our ways. As long as we still live, God is showing us mercy. If there is some change you have been postponing, strive to set that change in motion today.

3 Minutes to a Stronger Faith - Ep. 19 - "Is Gender on a Spectrum?"

Do you have three minutes? In episode 19, we ask the question, "Is Gender on a Spectrum?" Join me today as we explore the answer to this question and invest 3 minutes today and grow your faith!

Jeremiah: The Mark of a Prophet

"I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Report him! Let’s report him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him” (Jeremiah 20:10).

Jeremiah was no different from you and me. Made in God’s image, he loved beauty and peace and enjoyed the companionship of others. He did not enjoy bringing God’s message of woe to the people, and he did not like being persecuted by them. His soft heart never hardened under persecution, and he did not become an embittered loner, rejecting human company. Rather, he continued to suffer when he was rejected.

Jeremiah might have given up. He might have become one of the false prophets preaching only “peace and love.” These never said anything that would upset anybody. After all, they said, Isaiah told us to comfort God’s people and speak peace to Jerusalem (Isaiah 40). There are plenty of such preachers today who say, “God loves you just as you are.”

The Bible’s message is, “God loves you and demands that you change your ways.” Isaiah was being told to comfort the afflicted; Jeremiah was told to afflict the comfortable. Those who groan over sin and wickedness are those who are to be comforted. Those who are at ease in sin and who perpetrate evil in society need to be afflicted.

From time to time true prophets experience affliction from angry sinners. Jeremiah experienced it a lot. Yesterday we saw Jeremiah tell the wicked Pashhur that in the future his name would be “Mr. Terror on Every Side.” In fact, that was the name Jeremiah was being called (Jeremiah 20:10). The leaders of the city were out to get Jeremiah, and when people saw him on the street, they would say, “Here comes Mr. Bad Luck. Let’s turn him in and get him in trouble.”

Jeremiah’s associates (the “friends” of verse 10) also conspired against him. They hoped he would commit some sin so they could discredit him. His fellow priests hated him because his faithfulness exposed their unfaithfulness. They had to condemn him in order to keep looking good in the public eye. So it is today. If you stand up for what is right, whether in the pulpit or on the job, there will be those who attack you. Such is one mark of a true disciple of the holy God.

The media delights to expose the sins of ministers of God’s Word. Gossip grapevines inside the church run rampant with exaggerated tales and lies about those in authority. As Christians, we should not be so prone to uncritically believe scandalous reports. Even when such tales turn out to be true, we should grieve and pray for the person involved, resisting the temptation to gloat and gossip.

In the Potter's Hands

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6).

God told Jeremiah to visit a potter (Jeremiah 18). The potter was working with a wheel which was turned by a pedal operated by his foot. He threw his clay into the center of the wheel, but perhaps he did not get the clay precisely centered, because as he tried to work with the clay, it became lopsided. The potter had to smash it down and start over. Then, he shaped the clay into a pot pleasing to him.

God told Jeremiah that He was the potter and Israel was the clay. If God announced destruction to a nation and it repented, God would spare it. On the other hand, if God announced blessings to a nation and it forsook Him, God would destroy it. The message was clear: Though God had not yet chosen any Gentile nation, He might well turn to the Gentiles if they repented. By the same token, though He had originally chosen Israel, He would surely destroy her if she continued on her wicked paths. 

Moreover, through Jeremiah God had been announcing destruction for Israel; but if Israel repented, God would relent. The clay was His, and He could shape it any way He chose.

The people responded to Jeremiah’s message by mounting a campaign of defamation against him (18:18). They started spreading lies about his character and behavior in order to discredit him. It was clear that they were rejecting God’s offer of peace.

In response, God told Jeremiah to return to the potter and buy a nice pot (Jeremiah 19). Jeremiah was to take it out to the place where broken pots were thrown and hurl it into the heap, shattering it. Under God’s direction, Jeremiah informed the people that this was God’s intention for them.

How did the people react? Pashhur, who was “chief officer” among the priests of the temple, had friendless Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks, not only brutally wounding him but also exposing him to public ridicule (Jeremiah 20). When Pashhur had Jeremiah released the next day, Jeremiah told him that God had given Pashhur a new name: “Terror on Every Side.” In the future, disaster would surround this man, and he would find out what it was like to have no friends, being hated by everybody.

The book of Jeremiah shows the prophet giving Israel one opportunity after another to repent, just as Moses gave Pharaoh many chances to change his mind. God still deals with us that way today. While He is longsuffering, God’s patience is limited. Is there something you need to change—before it’s too late?

Strengthened by Grace - Ep. 12 - "God's Revelation - Part 2"

In episode 12 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling continues the discussion on God's revelation, by wrapping up the discussion of general revelation.

Jeremiah's Temple Sermon

"Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” (Jeremiah 7:4).

Early in his sad career, Jeremiah was told by God to go to the gate of the temple and denounce the people. Imagine the scene. The temple liturgy has begun, rich with God-ordained pageantry and music. As part of the liturgy, the people sang three times, “This is Yahweh’s temple.” But their worship was hollow because the people were really looking to Egyptian gods and ways. Suddenly, the young prophet Jeremiah cried out a series of judgments against the people and the temple.

Jeremiah told them that their worship was worthless because they dealt unjustly with each other and oppressed foreigners, widows, and orphans. They sacrificed blood to strange gods, they stole, murdered, committed adultery, perjured themselves, and burned incense to Baal (Jeremiah 7:6–9).

They thought they could do all of this, and then show up at church and say, “We are safe” (7:10). They commited these abominations right in God’s face and expected Him to accept them anyway. They had a new, perverse hymn: “Free from the law! Oh blessed condition! We can sin as we please and still have remission!”

“That is not how it is going to be,” said Jeremiah. “Remember Shiloh?” he asked. Surely they did. The story is found in 1 Samuel 1–4. The people lived in sin, and only a few came to the feasts. The godly high priest Eli did not restrain his sons from fornication and blasphemy. God, therefore, brought in the Philistines to destroy the defiled tabernacle and it was never rebuilt. A century later the temple was built, but the tabernacle was never set back into operation.

“This is how it is going to be,” said Jeremiah. “God is going to bring in new Philistines, in this case the Babylonians. They will destroy this defiled temple because you have made an idol of it.”

The people did not like this message. The priests knew he was attacking them and so did many of the nobility. They began to conspire against Jeremiah and sought to have him put to death. Later on Jesus came with the same message, quoting Jeremiah 7:11 against the temple of His day. The priests put Him to death for it, too.

Jeremiah’s task was extremely unpleasant. When your preacher speaks against sin, are you critical or supportive? Does your preacher speak against sin? Any true preacher of the gospel has to preach this way occasionally. Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and help you confront and confess the sin to which you may be blind.

Strengthened by Grace - Ep. 11 - "God's Revelation - Part 1"

In episode 11 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling begins a new discussion on God's revelation, which includes both God's general and special revelation. God would have been just to not reveal Himself, and yet He did - wonder of wonders!

Jeremiah: The New Moses

"Ah, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child” (Jeremiah 1:6).

Jeremiah was the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the temple. Because there were so many priests, God instructed David to set them up in 24 “courses” or groups (1 Chronicles 24). Each course served for two weeks in the year under its own chief priest. During the rest of the year, members of the courses resided in towns through Israel as teachers and preachers (compare Luke 1:8–9). Jeremiah grew up in the town of Anathoth in Benjamin.

God appeared to him, saying He had predestined Jeremiah to be a prophet. “Before I formed you in the womb,” said God, “I set you apart. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

Jeremiah protested that he was both too young and a poor speaker. Nobody would listen to him. God should find someone else. This response reminds us of Moses who also protested that he had no speaking ability, but God called him to service anyway (Exodus 3–4).

God’s response to Jeremiah was similar. “Don’t say you are only a child. You will go where I tell you, and you will say exactly what I tell you to say.” This would have reminded the people of Jeremiah’s day of what God told Moses: “You will go to Pharaoh and tell him what I say.”

This is a chilling analogy. The call of Jeremiah establishes that Judah had become Egypt in God’s eyes. Her worship was like the Egyptian worship of false gods. Just as God made war on the gods of Egypt through Moses, so He will make war on the temple through Jeremiah.

This was not only a spiritually appropriate analogy. The people of Judah at this time were strongly drawn to Egypt. They looked to Egypt for protection against Nebuchadnezzar, rejecting God’s statement that He had given the world into Nebuchadnezzar’s hands (see Jeremiah 27). Judah was also adopting Egyptian worship practices when they put Egyptian gods in the temple; all the while they also pretended to worship the Lord. Just as God led His people out of Egypt, so God was going to lead the remnant out of Judah into the wilderness of Babylon and eventually restore them to the land.

Secular humanism is “Egyptian,” and many churches have sold out to this Egyptian leaven. We need Jeremiahs who will call God’s people out of such churches and into faithful remnant churches. Where do you stand? In Egypt or in a true church?

SERMON: "The Gospel of God: To the Nations" (Romans 1:5-7)

If you are not able to worship at your own local church this morning, or your congregation does not have a second service in the evening, you might enjoy my sermon today from Romans 1:5-7 titled "The Gospel of God: To the Nations." This is the third sermon in an expository sermon series from the book of Romans.

3 Minutes to a Stronger Faith - Ep. 18 - "Can the Bible explain the Ice Age?"

Do you have three minutes? In episode 18, we ask the question, "Can the Bible explain the Ice Age?" Join me today as we explore the answer to this question and invest 3 minutes today and grow your faith!

The Messiah's Reign

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned" (Isaiah 9:2).

In the days of the judges, the northern tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali were oppressed by Sisera the Canaanite, until God raised up Deborah and Barak to deliver His people (Judges 4–5). Barak means “lightning bolt,” and Isaiah drew from the history of Barak to prophesy concerning the coming Messiah in Isaiah 9. He said that in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali a “great light” would be seen, a greater Barak who would deliver the nation from sin and enslavement, the consequence of sin.

Then Isaiah moved forward in the history of judges to the story of Gideon, who delivered Israel from Midianite oppression (Judges 6–8). Isaiah said that the future Messiah would save Israel “as in the day of Midian’s defeat” (Isaiah 9:4).

What would bring this about? “For to us a child is born,” said Isaiah. The coming Messiah would be a greater Barak, a greater Gideon, and He would deliver the people once and for all. Gideon refused the crown saying, “I will not rule over you.… The LORD will rule over you” (Judges 8:23). The greater Gideon, however, is God Incarnate, and “the government will be upon His shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6).

The Bible speaks of rule as a heavy weight. Rebels think that it is nothing to rule over people. They seize the robe of office, never realizing that the robe is extremely heavy. Young people do not have the maturity and strength to hold up such a heavy garment. The Bible reserves the weight of office for elders, those who by means of experience have learned wisdom and discernment. In a sense, the fullness of government is too heavy for any mere man to shoulder. In order to bear such government, one would have to be like Atlas, holding the entire world on one’s shoulders. Such a person was the coming Messiah. He would have the strength and wisdom to bear the governmental weight of the whole world.

Some liberal expositors have maintained that Isaiah 9 is only predicting the coming of Hezekiah, the good king who would restore Israel in the near future. But the language of Isaiah 9 cannot possibly be intended for any mere human king: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (9:6). Only the Incarnate Son of God merits such ascriptions.

Knowing Christ as we do, and walking in more light of revelation, should cause us to long all the more for His second coming. To what extent do you anticipate His full and complete reign when His kingdom comes in power?

Strengthened by Grace Podcast - Ep. 10 - "God's Attributes - Part 2"

In episode 10 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling continues the discussion of the attributes of God, the perfections of God's being as apprehended by human beings. He divides them into the communicable and incommunicable attributes and explains what this means.

The Message of Isaiah

“Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him” (Isaiah 1:4).

Isaiah began his message with some heavy words. He brought God’s indictment against the people. He said that Israel was like a bunch of rebellious sons, like wild animals that could not be tamed. He accused the people of being sinful, loaded with guilt, evildoers, and corrupt.

The people Isaiah addressed saw themselves as loyal Israelites, people bound in covenant with God (as they chose to understand Him), better than other nations. Then Isaiah came along telling them that they were filthy sinners.

What if a preacher today talked like this in a congregation of Christians? “Hellfire and brimstone” preaching has just about disappeared in our day. Yet Isaiah was one of the most educated men of his time. He was a member of the nobility, traveling in the highest circles of Israel. There is some evidence that he was of the royal house, though this inference is contested by some scholars. When Isaiah spoke his fiery words, he was not a crazy preacher standing on a street corner with a sign. His words carried weight. We see from this passage that there is indeed a time and a place for wise, educated preachers to talk straight to their congregations about sin.

Isaiah called them Sodom and Gomorrah (1:10). He told them that God was sick and tired of their religious activities, their sacrifices and festivals, because they were ignoring true social justice (1:11–15). He told them that they needed to start defending the good, seeking justice, reproving the ruthless, defending the orphan, and pleading for the widow. He did not tell them to take the easy way, to set up a political bureaucracy to do these things. Rather, he told them that each of them needed to stand up publicly and be counted on the side of justice for the oppressed.

God’s invitation is issued in 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together.” God told them that if they repent, their sins would be washed away, and they would eat the best of the land. He also told them that if they continued to rebel, it was they who would be eaten—by the sword. Clearly what is reasonable is heartfelt repentance.

What Isaiah delivered was part of the “whole counsel of God,” the rest of the story we often prefer not to hear. There are times when pastors must speak the whole counsel. Do not stifle or intimidate your pastor; give him the freedom to speak all of God’s Word to you.

The Message of the Prophets

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).

Very often the New Testament speaks of “the Law and the Prophets,” which leads some people to think that these were opposed to one another. Indeed, much of liberal theology is based on the notion that the prophets were at war with the Law and with the priests who maintained the Law. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The biblical perspective states that God is sovereign, and every word He speaks has the force of law. Thus, whether God speaks through Moses or Isaiah, His Word is law. Preeminently, the Law, the five books of Moses, is the foundation of God’s revelation. The prophets God raised up throughout the Old Testament had as their fundamental mission the task of calling the people back to the revealed Law of God. We see this most fully in Jesus Christ, the greatest Prophet, when He says that He has no intention of abolishing either Moses or the prophets, but rather that He is going to fulfill them. Immediately after saying this, Jesus began calling the wayward people back to the true meaning of the Mosaic law in His Sermon on the Mount.

The prophets denounced Israel’s social sins when the nation departed from the social aspects of God’s law. Most notably, however, the prophets denounced Israel’s religious sins, for worship is the heart of society. They decried such ecclesiastical abuses as ritualism, externalism, and formalism. They told the people that God hated their merely going through the motions of worshiping Him. They told the people that true worship expressed fearful love for God and love-filled fear of Him.

But the prophets never attacked the Law, either in its social or in its ecclesiastical dimensions. After all it was God who set up the rituals, externals, and formalities in the first place. Too often today we throw the baby out with the bathwater. We don’t want any forms or any liturgy. However, we cannot worship without some kind of forms. The prophets knew that it is possible to have externals without the internal, but it is never possible to have the internal without the external. If our heart-attitude does not issue in external obedience to God’s laws, including His rules for worship, we have nothing.

The Protestant Reformers sought to reform the church, not to reject everything from the past. This was true of their approach to worship as well. How well do you know the great forms and structures of worship that God has given the church through the ages? How does your worship properly honor the biblical forms for the church?

Strengthened by Grace Podcast - Ep. 9 - "God's Attributes - Part 1"

In episode 9 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling begins a discussion of the attributes of God, the perfections of God's being as apprehended by human beings.

When the Gospel Goes, What Else Goes?

Atheists like Richard Dawkins have come round to the idea that getting rid of Christianity is a bad idea. It would “give people a license to do really bad things.” In other words, secularism fails to provide a coherent moral framework for good and evil. 

Douglas Murray recently admitted that the idea of human rights cannot long survive being cut off from its Christian roots. Western society has been living on the inheritance of a Christian heritage but now the capital is running out. This is what Murray describes in his book The Strange Death of Europe. These benefits derive not just from Christian influence but from the gospel itself. The Bible warns that when a people send the gospel into exile, it will not be long before their own exile follows.

Thomas Brooks drew attention to this at a time when he along with thousands of other gospel preachers were being silenced by the state. He asks the question: “When the gospel goes from a people, what goes?” He also helps us to go beyond the bleak reality of answering that question. He highlights both encouragements and challenges that arise from this. It should make the gospel even more valuable to us. We also need courage and zeal to proclaim the gospel faithfully in the face of opposition.

1. PROSPERITY GOES WHEN THE GOSPEL GOES

In the northern kingdom of Israel, they were without the law and the true God. They had no teaching priests, only Jeroboam’s false priests (compare 2 Chronicles 15:3 with 2 Chronicles 13:9). The following verses go on to show that there was no peace in the nation but rather disorder, destruction and adversity (2 Chronicles 15:5 and 6).

2. SAFETY GOES WHEN THE GOSPEL GOES

When the Ark was taken away, their strength and safety was gone (2 Chronicles 15:6). When the Jews rejected the gospel, the Romans came and took away both their place and nation. About forty years after Christ’s crucifixion, Titus and Vespasian took away the Jews’ city. They had cried, if we do not deal with this man [Jesus] the Romans will take away our nation (John 11:48). But to do so was the quickest way to bring the Romans on them.

3. CIVIL LIBERTY GOES WHEN THE GOSPEL GOES

When the Jews slighted the gospel and turned their backs on it, they quickly became bond slaves to the Romans.

4. NATIONAL HONOR GOES WHEN THE GOSPEL GOES

When the gospel goes, the honor, glory, splendor, and beauty of a nation go. It is the gospel that is the honor and beauty of a nation. When that goes, all the glory goes. When the Ark was taken away, the glory was departed from Israel (1 Samuel 4:22). When a people exchange the true worship of God for things that do not profit (the traditions of men) they abandon their glory (Jeremiah 2:11-13).

What is it that lifts up one nation above another, but the gospel? Our nation has been lifted up to heaven above all nations of the earth because of it.

5. TRUE HAPPINESS GOES WHEN THE GOSPEL GOES

When the gospel goes, all soul-happiness and blessedness go. The gospel is the means appointed by God to bring souls to acquaintance with Christ, to acceptance of Christ, to a claim to Christ, to assurance that He is theirs and they are His. Now when this goes, all soul-happiness and blessedness go.

6. GOD’S SPECIAL PRESENCE GOES WHEN THE GOSPEL GOES

When the gospel goes, the spiritual presence of God goes, for that always goes with the gospel. There is a general presence of God which the Psalmist speaks of (Psalm 139:7-8). This presence of God reaches from heaven to hell; in that sense, God is included in no place, nor excluded out of any place. 

But what is the benefit of this general presence when the gospel goes? When it goes, the special presence of God goes.

THE GOSPEL HAS NOT GONE YET

(a) The Gospel cannot be taken out of our hearts.

It is in the understanding, affections, and consciences of sinners as well as saints. It has got so deep a root in the hearts of many thousands that it is beyond the power of hell to pull it out.

(b) The Gospel still has preachers.

There are many of God’s servants in this nation to preach the everlasting gospel. They would be glad to preach it on the hardest terms. They will keep God and a good conscience to preach it freely as the apostles did. God has deposited this treasure for a purpose.

(c) The Gospel has not been destroyed.

All previous attempts to destroy the gospel have been ineffective. They have only helped the gospel to advance, flourish and spread.

(d) The Gospel does not go till a people reject it.

God never takes the gospel away from a people until the body of that people have thrust the everlasting gospel away from them. Although God’s messengers were abused, He continued to provide the Jews with the everlasting gospel until they thrust it away from them (2 Chronicles 36:15-23; Jeremiah 25:1-14 and Acts 13:45-47).

(e) The Gospel is promised to the children of believers.

Will God not fulfill His engagements to them (Deuteronomy 30:6; Psalm 112:2)?

THE GOSPEL MUST BE PERSONAL

(a) Make sure of your salvation.

Make it your great business, your work, your heaven to make your claim to salvation in Christ sure and secure. This is not an age or hour for someone to be between fears and hopes, to be between doubting and believing. Do not depend on outward practices or privileges. Make Christ and Scripture the only foundation for your souls and faith to build on (1 Corinthians 3:11; Isaiah 28:16).

(b) Rejoice in the Gospel.

Rejoice with trembling (Psalm 2:11). Rejoice that God has done your souls good by the everlasting gospel. Rejoice that He did not leave you until He brought you to accept it and to commit your souls to Christ. Rejoice that you have had the everlasting gospel in so much light, purity, power, and glory as you had had. Rejoice in the riches of grace that has brought it to you in such a way. But weep that you have provoked God to take away the gospel and that you have not made best use of it.

THE GOSPEL FACES OPPOSITION

Brooks also addresses the issue of why there is such opposition to the gospel that people want rid of it. People hate plain, powerful and faithful preaching of the gospel. This is because it shows up the nature of their lives. They hate the light and do not want to come towards it because their sinful actions and lifestyle will be exposed (John 3:20). Sinners also hate the gospel because their sin is restrained where the gospel shines in power and glory.

The gospel also requires things that sinners consider too hard. They must abandon darling sins to live according to it. This is hard for them even to hear (John 6:60).

The effect of the gospel is different. It softens one and hardens another sitting right beside them. It wins one and enrages the other. It is like the sun which has different effects on the things on which it shines (living things flourish, corrupt things increase in corruption).

Opposition to the gospel ultimately comes from Satan himself. He knows that the tendency of the gospel is to shake his kingdom. Thus, he and those of his kingdom do all they can to oppose and show their hatred against the everlasting gospel. This makes them to be in such a rage against the gospel.

CONCLUSION

This brings an implicit challenge to us. Is the gospel we proclaim faithful enough to stir up inevitable opposition? Or have we toned down the aspects that stir up such antagonism? Are we in danger of helping those who want rid of the gospel because we do not present it fully? Have we prized the gospel or just taken it for granted? Is it so personal for us that we rejoice in it and live in the light of it?

SERMON: "The Gospel of God: Described" (Romans 1:2-4)

If you are not able to worship at your own local church this morning, or your congregation does not have a second service in the evening, you might enjoy my sermon today from Romans 1:2-4 titled "The Gospel of God: Described." This is the second sermon in an expository sermon series from the book of Romans.

Song of Songs: Delighting in Beauty

"Your navel is a rounded goblet that never lacks blended wine. Your waist is a mound of wheat encircled by lilies" (Song of Songs 7:2).

The Song of Songs progresses from Solomon’s courtship of his bride through the early days of their marriage. In chapters 1–2 we find Solomon wooing the Shulamite maiden, and her affectionate response to his advances. In 2:4 and 3:6 we find Solomon taking her to the palace to present her to the court.

Then in chapter 4 Solomon praises her beauty as she stands fully dressed and veiled. He mentions her beautiful eyes, her raven hair, and what he can see of her body as it moves beneath her garments (4:1–5). He even says that she smells good to him (4:10–15—a locked garden is one that captures good scents).

Chapter 5:1 says that the marriage has been consummated. The new wife yearns to be with her husband, but he is about his business (5:2–6:3). Later in the day Solomon remembers her beauty and longs to be with her also (6:1–9). Next we find her public presentation before the people as their queen. They fall in love with her and want to see her more often (6:10–13). In chapter 7 the newly married couple is alone, and Solomon admires her physical beauty in privacy. The language in chapter 7 is naturally more intimate.

What we see throughout the Song is the delight that both the husband and the wife take in each other and in each others’ bodies. There is no hint of comparison here, as if the husband compares his wife’s body to other women he has known. His eyes are for her alone. Happy is the man who has never known another woman intimately, and so has no basis for unwanted comparisons.

The negation and depreciation of the human body, which is still present among some Christians, is characteristic of pagan culture, but not of the Bible. The Bible teaches us that God made human beings in His own image, as the crown of His creation. While God is a Spirit without a physical body, in some ways our physical bodies do reflect His beauty and glory. We should delight in this and in one another within the strict confines of marital privacy. Both clothed and unclothed, adorned and unadorned, scented and unscented, married couples should regard the loveliness of one another.

The abundance of exposed flesh in our public marketplace today makes it difficult for most spouses to believe their spouse only have an eye for them, and vice versa. With Job, covenant with your eyes (Job 31:1) that you will not gaze or long for someone outside of your marriage partner.

Song of Songs: The Beauty of Compliments

“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves” (Song of Songs 4:1).

Low self-esteem is regularly stated to be one of the most pervasive emotional conditions of women today. It is not only women, however, who suffer from bad self-images; men do as well.

As a “manual of love” the Song of Songs shows us the importance of compliments, and surely true praise and valid compliments will do wonders to restore a sense of real self-worth to the partners in a marriage. For the most part, the Song of Songs is simply an exchange between two lovers, back and forth, one compliment after another. The Song is a celebration of the good points of the other person.

How many marriages begin on a basis of compliments and end in an exchange of insults? Your spouse has the greatest power in this world either to affirm you or to destroy you. The comments of people we love weigh heavily upon us, either for good or for bad. Studies have shown that the compliments and criticisms we receive as children from those we respect have a great deal to do with shaping our later lives.

The Song of Songs also shows us that we should openly receive true compliments. We should believe the good things our spouse and friends say about us. In 1:5 the bride frankly says, “Dark am I, yet lovely.” She goes on to say that her darkened skin has come from working in the sun, but that in spite of this she knows she has true beauty.

I pointed out yesterday that the Song is not to be regarded as a simple allegory of Christ and the church, but since the church is married to Christ, we can gain useful insights into our celestial marriage to Him. In our praise we compliment Him; but notice in the Bible that He also compliments us. We were made as the very images of God, and we’d better not despise that, in spite of the problems sin has introduced. Also, notice how Paul, the Groom’s spokesman, addresses the trouble-torn bride in 1 Corinthians 1:1–9. The bride is sanctified, holy, enriched in every way, lacking in no spiritual gift, preserved to the end, and destined for blamelessness. Only after affirming believers in this way does Paul go on to point out some areas in which improvement is needed.

Are you the kind of husband or wife who compliments your spouse, or are you mostly critical? How about on the job? In the classroom? In the church? The principles of the Song apply in marriage, but they are also applicable in every one of our covenantal relationships. Affirm and encourage one another.

The Song of Songs

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—for your love is more delightful than wine" (Song of Songs 1:1–2).

The Song of Songs, also called “Canticles” or the “Song of Solomon,” has a history of controversy. It is clearly a song about love between a man and a woman, including the physical dimension. Indeed, it celebrates the joys of the marital relationship. Because of this, there have been those through the centuries who have questioned whether or not it belongs in the Bible. It does not seem to be spiritual enough to be included in the canon of Scripture; indeed, in places it is downright embarrassing.

Early on Jewish expositors decided that what the Song was really talking about was the relationship between Yahweh and Israel. According to them the marriage of the Lord and His people was set forth in the book as an allegory. Early Christian expositors continued to look at the book allegorically, seeing it symbolically describing Christ’s love for His church, and her’s for Him. But while certainly the Song can be applied, in a general way, to the relationship of Christ to His bride, there is no reason to believe that such a symbolic application is the book’s primary focus.

One of the worst results of the influence of Greek and pagan philosophy on the early church was the idea that sexual love is always tainted with evil. Perpetual virginity came to be prized more than marriage. This represents a departure from the Bible, where virginity is a gift to be given away to the beloved on the wedding night. Many in the church came to believe that sex, even in marriage, is sinful, and should be endured only for the sake of having children. Naturally, a book like the Song of Songs which celebrates the joy of physical love had to be reinterpreted.

According to the Bible, however, the marital relationship in all of its aspects, including the physical, is a great gift of God. It is not to be despised but enjoyed. God did not create anything bad. Genesis 2 explicitly says that it was “not good” for the man to be without a wife. From the biblical perspective marriage is good and the act of marriage is good. Therefore, we should not be surprised to find a book in the Bible that celebrates this union, setting forth one of the benefits of God’s grace to us as His children.

The Song of Songs can help us have a healthy view of the goodness of romance in courtship and marriage. If you are married, consider doing a study of the book with your spouse. If you are single, read it with the view of preparing to commit yourself totally to the one God might give you in marriage.

3 Minutes to a Stronger Faith - Ep. 17 - "What's the Deal with Extraterrestrials?"

Do you have three minutes? In episode 17, we ask the question, "What's the Deal with Extraterrestrials?" Join me today as we explore the answer to this question and invest 3 minutes today and grow your faith!

Strengthened by Grace Podcast - Ep. 8 - "God's Names - Part 4"

In episode 8 of the SBG podcast, I wrap up the discussion of the names of God by looking at what it means to confess that God is our Father.

Ecclesiastes 9-12: The Bottom Line on Life

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

As the Teacher concludes his teaching, he provides us with the foundations of a biblical philosophy of life. First, he tells us that death does indeed pervade our existence. Not only so, but death is the destiny of each one of us.

Second, God is good. Death is not the whole story. God provides times of joy as well as times of sorrow, and because this life is not the last word, we can and should enjoy the good things God gives us as well as mourn the hard things He finds necessary to send our way. “Enjoy life,” says the Teacher, “because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat, drink and be glad” (Ecclesiastes 8:15).

Third, death is not the last word, because after death comes the judgment. Therefore, says the Teacher, in the midst of enjoying life, we must not break God’s law, because God will bring everything into judgment. The young person can and should rejoice in his strength and vigor. We should be happy in our youth, because as we become older we will no longer have the ability to do as much. The body will decay, and our vitality will fade away (12:1–8). The young man should bear this fact in mind, and live accordingly.

Fourth, the wise man should expose himself to the words of sages, because they are like goads that drive him to think seriously about life. The words of sages are also like nails that firmly fix the realities of life in place. These two benefits of godly wisdom arise from the fact that such wisdom comes from the Great Shepherd (12:11).

Finally, as the Teacher has shown repeatedly throughout his treatise, true wisdom shows us the limitation of human knowledge and understanding. This should cause us to live by faith, confident that even if we don’t understand all of life, there is One who does, and He is firmly in control.

The bottom line is this: We are to fear God and obey Him, knowing that He will evaluate everything in our lives. God sovereignly disposes our lives here below, “under the sun,” and He sovereignly judges our lives when we stand before Him.

On the Lord’s Day, we take a break from the treadmill of our work, and we eat and drink and rejoice before God, as the Teacher commends. In what other ways should the weekly experience of worship reinforce the fundamental wisdom and insight of Ecclesiastes?

Strengthened by Grace Podcast - Ep. 7 - "God's Names - Part 3"

In episode 7 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling continues the discussion on the names of God by looking at some of the Hebrew names of God in the New Testament.

Ecclesiastes 6-8: A House of Mourning

"It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart" (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

The first three chapters of Ecclesiastes lay out the foundational perspectives of the book: meaningless life perceived “under the sun” versus purposeful life perceived “under heaven.” The rest of the book illustrates and amplifies these two perspectives.

One of the most pervasive characteristics of human life is suffering. Virtually all pagan religions and philosophies try to reject or ignore the fact of suffering. Hinduism and Buddhism treat it as unimportant or even as an illusion. Stoicism, as we have seen, tries to ignore suffering. Epicureanism tries to bury it in pleasure. Political philosophies try to alleviate it. Modern existentialism tells us to embrace death in a form of psychological suicide. But only biblical religion faces pain and suffering squarely.

The Teacher tells us that it is better to spend time in the house of mourning than in the house of mirth. This is because death comes to all men, and it comes to us in many forms. Not only will we all eventually die physically, but we experience a form of death when we lose loved ones, when our dreams die, when we fall into horrible diseases, when we lose our jobs, and when we experience social disruptions and church splits. As we noted when we looked at Leviticus several months ago, the Old Testament symbolized this pervasiveness of death by making many aspects of life ceremonially “unclean,” which meant symbolically dead.

Romans 5:14 tells us that death reigns under the sun. Jesus Himself was known as a “man of sorrows,” and while the Bible tells us that Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb and wept over Jerusalem, it never tells us that He laughed (though doubtless He did).

Too much of modern Christianity partakes of this attempt to deny death. We often hear a kind of “prosperity gospel” preached over radio and television. Disagreeable subjects like sickness, suffering, and death should be avoided if we want church growth. We don’t sing the psalms, but instead, sing songs full of superficial happiness. The Teacher invites us to take the reality of life more seriously than we often do.

Certainly the Bible teaches that we are to be joyful, and we are not to cultivate a long-faced outlook on life. But our joy is to be realistic, not artificial. The perspective of life “under heaven” enables us to face death squarely as the last enemy and fight it through prayer and good deeds. What are the lessons you have learned by approaching the subject of death in a biblical fashion?

Strengthened by Grace Podcast - Ep. 6 - "God's Names - Part 2"

In episode 6 of the SBG podcast, host Matthew Dowling continues the discussion on the names of God by looking at some of the Hebrew names of God in the Old Testament!

Ecclesiastes 3: The Inscrutability of History

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Because we as human beings exist in time, the meaning of our lives is intimately connected to historical events and realities. When the Teacher looked at life from the secular perspective, he saw only a meaningless treadmill of futility. Now, however, he shifts perspective. In Ecclesiastes 3:1 he says that there is an appointed time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.

God has appointed a diversity of experiences for us. The New Testament provides us two different words for time. The first word, chronos, refers to the mere passage of time. The other word, kairos, refers to time as events or special times. Ecclesiastes 3 is speaking of God’s appointed times for us: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from so doing. For the Christian, every event in his life comes from the loving providential hand of God. As Ecclesiastes 3:11 puts it, God has made everything beautiful in its time.

Because we are made in God’s image, we have a built-in desire to understand the world and history. We want to grasp the big picture. We want to know the end from the beginning. As we grow and mature throughout all eternity in heaven, we will increasingly understand that big picture. In this world, however, we are still mere babes in understanding, and we only know a few things.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 points to this limitation of human knowledge. It says that though God has put eternity into our hearts so that we desire to know all things, we cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. We must be satisfied to know in part (1 Corinthians 13:9), confident that as we grow and mature God will gradually reveal all things to us throughout eternity.

The claim to know all things right now is sinful and arrogant. When men claim to understand the whole picture, they have inevitably reduced the world to the dimensions of their own minds. This is the origin of secular ideology and the wellspring of much cruelty as men seek to impose their distorted worldviews on others.

The world of knowledge multiplies at an alarming rate, causing us to despair of ever really knowing much at all. God, however, encourages us to explore His world; the first vocation given to man was a scientific one as Adam classified the animal kingdom. God delights in our exploration of creation and history, but mandates that we pursue knowledge “according to truth.” Outside of your vocation, how are you pursuing such knowledge?

SERMON: "The Gospel of God" (Romans 1:1)

If you are not able to worship at your own local church this morning, or your congregation does not have a second service in the evening, you might enjoy my sermon today from Romans 1:1 titled "The Gospel of God." This is the first sermon in an expository sermon series from the book of Romans.

Ecclesiastes 3: Everything Has a Purpose

"I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed” (Ecclesiastes 3:17).

In the ancient world, the primary concern of philosophers was the nature of reality and the essence of things. We call this “metaphysics.” Since the ancient pagans rejected the truth that God created the world out of nothing, they sought to understand the world in terms of itself. Eventually, this investigation broke down, since no one could explain how the presumed oneness of all things could be reconciled with the evident diversity of things in the world.

When pagan thought revived in the modern world, it shifted its attention to the problem of knowledge, a concern we call “epistemology.” How is it possible to know anything?—was the question. The biblical answer is that God designed the mind of man to understand Him and the world and that the Spirit of God works with our minds to give us knowledge. Rejecting this answer, the early humanists tried to imagine ways in which data from the world “entered” the mind of man. 

Eventually, this investigation also broke down, since there seemed no way to explain how man knows anything, and in fact, it may be that all our knowledge is mere illusion and insanity.

Thus nineteenth-century philosophers shifted their attention to the question of the philosophy of history. Under the influence of Christianity, they accepted the notion of linear time and destiny, but they rejected the idea that history was an unfolding plan of God. Eventually, their investigation broke down, because they had no reason to assume the truth of linear time and destiny.

Thus twentieth-century philosophy returned to the concerns expressed in the book of Ecclesiastes: What is man and what is the meaning of human life? Martin Heidegger, in his book Sein und Zeit (Being and Time), said that man experiences a sense of having been thrown into life, not knowing where he came from or where he is going. He lives in a meaningless and terrifying here and now. Jean-Paul Sartre carried forward this notion in his book Being and Nothingness.

By way of contrast, the biblical view is that time is moving toward a final judgment when God will evaluate every single thing that has ever happened. Thus, everything in history has meaning.

Not only is our end significant, but all experiences of life leading to that end are similarly significant. Nothing—nothing—in your life lacks meaning. Share this profound truth with someone today who could use encouragement in the faith.