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Mark 14:4-6

4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”

Not long before the death of Jesus, a woman poured out an expensive perfume over the Savior. This was an extravagant gesture, as the perfume would have been worth a great deal of money. Jesus’ disciples, at least some of them, could not believe what had happened. They wondered why the woman was allowed to be so wasteful.

Jesus, as usual, blows the minds of his followers. He commends the woman for what she has done. Yes, she poured out her financial future as an act of worship. No, that does not make sense in the way that many consider it. But, the Savior says that she has done a beautiful thing. He rebukes the pragmatic disciples and commends the extravagant gesture.

I can think of many times in my Christian life where I have been much like the disciples here. I have looked at the choices of other believers and determined where I thought they were making the wisest use of their resources. I can recall a particular time when I waxed eloquent on whether or not it was acceptable for a local church to spend the money to own a pipe organ—those are very expensive instruments. Of course, just like the disciples, I had in my argument all of the things that those tens of thousands of dollars could be used for. And, just like the disciples, I had my own preferences as to where the money of the imaginary churches should go. At that time, I was more into guitars than into high-church organ music, so of course, the idea did not even appeal to me—funny how things change.

What should I learn here? Jesus applauded an action of a woman, an action that his followers could not understand. He loved the woman’s willingness to pour out her very life-savings in worship. While I do not think that any of us is called to be foolish with our resources, it is most certainly true that God will give people different desires for ways to worship and follow him with our lives.

Some folks will give money to care for orphans, and that is good. Some will give money to plant churches, and that is good. Some will give to stop human trafficking, and that is good. Some will take a group of students to play paint ball and build discipleship relationships, and that is good. The truth is, there are going to be a lot of different ways that we spend ourselves for the Kingdom of God. May we know that Christ is honored when we pour out our best for him and his glory. May we hold nothing back from him and worship him with extravagance. And, may we be less quick to tell others how it is that we think they should  spend themselves for the Kingdom. 

Joshua 17:16

The people of Joseph said, “The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”

In the latter chapters of Joshua, we see that God is doling out the allotments of land to the different tribes of Israel. We are to see quite clearly that God has kept his promises and fulfilled his word.

In the midst of this very happy time, we come across something that seems utterly ridiculous. The people of the tribe of Joseph are complaining that their parcel of land is too small. That is no big deal. Joshua tells them to go take the surrounding hill country as well. But the people fire back that they cannot take that country because the inhabitants of the land have iron chariots. And Joshua responds by showing them that this complaint is ridiculous.

Remember what the people who are afraid of chariots have seen. They have seen God provide for the nation miraculous food in the desert. They have seen God miraculously stop the flow of the Jordan River to allow the nation to cross on dry ground. They have seen God miraculously knock down the massive walls of the city of Jericho in order to give it to the nation. They have seen the sun stand still in the sky at the command of Joshua as Israel defeated her enemies. They have seen God rain hailstones down on their enemies to give victory to his people.

Now, all the sudden, a few folks in the hills with chariots are too much to defeat? To risk a movie quote, “What in the wide wide world of sports is a’goin’ on here?”

Now, before we get too hard on the folks of the tribe of Joseph, let’s make the application. How many times have we seen God take care of us? How often has he provided? How often has he forgiven us? How faithful has he been to us? How victorious has he always been?

Lord, help me never to forget your faithfulness. Help me also never to allow my fears of supposedly big problems to keep me from obeying your commands in the here and now. 

Joshua 17:3

Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.

This verse reminds us of a situation that has been going on since late in the life and ministry of Moses. Four times—according to my quick search—the Old Testament lists the names of these five sisters whose father had no son. Repeatedly in the biblical account, these women are said to have taken their situation to Moses who took their request before God. God provided that these women would not lose their inheritance simply because there was no brother to protect them.

The reason this stands out to me is because it flies in the face of a very false statement that is often made about the Bible and specifically about the Old Testament. I have heard it said many times that women were seen as the property of men in biblical days, or at least during the Old Testament period. But those who make this claim fail to see passages like this one which actually show the great value placed upon women by the word of God. God elevates women to a position unheard of by other cultures of that day.

The proper response here is two-fold. First, it is appropriate to see that God has truly made both men and women in his image. It is good to see that we are to protect those who are often neglected in the world around us. It is good for men to remember that we are here to protect women and never to take advantage of or use them.

It is also good to recognize that such a view has been God’s way from the beginning. God was not late to the party when it comes to the issue of equal worth between men and women. While God defines differing roles for men and women, he most certainly shows that we both have value in his sight. So, please, let none of us make the faulty statement that God did not treasure women or elevate their value far above that of the culture surrounding Israel.

Mark 10:43-45

43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The context of this passage is Jesus speaking with James and John. These two disciples had come to Jesus, just after Jesus announced his coming sufferings, and had the audacity to ask him to grant them the two highest positions of authority in his kingdom. In responding to them, Jesus showed them that, in the kingdom of God, we do not jockey for position and power. Instead, the ones who truly are great in his kingdom are the ones who are more concerned with serving others.

In verse 45, Jesus uses his own life as the example of perfect service for others. Clearly Jesus is the greatest in the kingdom. Yet, Jesus did not come to earth to be served by others. He did not come to live in comfort and ease, to boss people around and be taken care of by them. Instead, Jesus came to serve others. The ultimate act of Jesus’ service is that he gave his life as a ransom for many.

** Disclaimer – the following couple paragraphs are a theological pondering of mine that this passage led to. These are not always in my daily journaling. They are also quite reformed, so if that is not your position, please do not let them distract you from the things in the passage with which you can agree and from which you can benefit. **

In a quick theological side note, I find Jesus’ use of the word “many” here significant. Jesus could have said that he was giving his life as a ransom for all, but he did not. Only one place in the New Testament is it said that Jesus is a ransom for all, and that is 1 Timothy 2:6, the context of which appears to have more to do with all classes of people rather than with all individuals. Truly, it makes sense that the death of Christ is a ransom only for the saved, as it would make his ransom insufficient for the lost if Jesus died to pay their ransom and still they remained lost. Thus, it seems to me that Jesus’ words here affirm a particularity to his redemptive work.

Now, what does that mean? It means that the ransom of Jesus is perfect. Any person who comes to Jesus in faith has been ransomed by Jesus. That ransom is paid and perfect. This leads us to understand the security of our salvation and the sovereignty of God over our election. It helps us to praise God even more deeply for the fact that Jesus would be our ransom even though we could do nothing to earn it. It leads us to evangelism, as we can know that there are people out there who need to hear the command of Christ to come to him for salvation. It gives us confidence in evangelism, because we know that God will most certainly save those Christ has ransomed. It does nothing to deny human responsibility, as it is incumbent on all to come to Christ for grace—those who come do so because of the grace of God and those who do not refuse because of their own personal desire not to do so. It shows us the absolute perfection of the work of Jesus who fails in nothing.

** Excurses over **

While I find thinking about issues like the previous fascinating, I am not actually most drawn to this passage because of it. What got my attention most is the fact that Jesus makes it plain that the key to greatness in his kingdom is not success in this life. Big houses, recognition, and worldly success are not what make one great in God’s kingdom. Neither do church buildings and large congregations make a minister great in the kingdom of God. What makes one great in the kingdom of God is a willingness to follow God and to lay down our lives for the good of others and the glory of God.

Lord, I thank you for the fact that greatness in your kingdom is not about any measure of greatness that this world recognizes. I ask that you help me to love the family and flock that you have given me. Help me to serve you by giving of myself for your glory and the good of others. Help me to remember that nobody in the world needs to know my name so long as you know it.

I also thank you, Jesus, for giving your life to ransom me. I deserve judgment. You took it in my place and bought me into your family. Help me to be a part of taking this grace to others. I know that you have made it clear that all people everywhere are commanded to repent and turn to you for mercy. I ask that you will give me the chance to share this call with all I possibly can. I ask that you allow me to see people come to you in faith. And, I acknowledge that any success that I will ever see in evangelism is because you have already done the work and thus you are worthy of all of the glory.  

Joshua 11:18-20

18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.

In this chapter, we see the end of the major battles between the Hebrews and the inhabitants of the land. God had commanded that his people drive out of the Promised Land all who lived there. And, over the past couple of chapters, we have seen that God miraculously worked with his people to bring about these victories.

Here, we see that all of the kings of the land eventually came out against the Israelites for battle. Not one of them thought to make peace with Israel except for the leaders of the Gibeonites who tricked the leaders of Israel in Joshua 9.

What stands out to me, however, is the fact that God is completely clear in this passage that the reason that all the kings wanted to war with Israel was because God hardened their hearts to lead them to do so. God, by his sovereign power and for his perfect and holy purposes drew these leaders of cities to war. God moved their hearts to do the things that God had planned for them to do, and God accomplished his plan.

It is, in my mind, significant that we see this clear depiction of God’s sovereignty at work. This is a passage that is more about the history of what has been done than it is about the theology of man’s free will or God’s sovereignty. Yet, in the very way that the Bible tells us the history of Israel, we see that God is sovereign over his creation, and that sovereignty includes the hearts of men.

Did God lead the kings to do something they did not want to do? Nothing in the text says that to us. There is no indication of a set of men who were, deep down, wanting to run away or make peace. There is nothing to indicate that they wanted to avoid a fight but just had an overwhelming desire to battle that they could not control. No, there is simply the statement that God hardened their hearts.

What, then, did God do? God worked in these men his will by strengthening or perhaps changing their desires. He can do that, you know. Were they all already aimed at fighting Israel? We do not know. What we do know is that God makes a claim here to have interfered with the workings of these men’s desires in such a way that their own actual desires were to battle against Israel in order that God might sovereignly oversee his plan’s accomplishment.

By the way, this is actually the same thing that I believe God did with me in order to bring about my salvation. I believe that, according to Scripture, I had a heart that was dead in sin and fully opposed to the things of God. I would not, on my own, have ever chosen God, as I lacked in myself the very goodness to do so. Yet God, because of his own will, moved my heart from death to life. God granted me the desire to come to him, drawing me to himself. Only he could have done this. And so, I, out of a strong desire to come to Jesus, confessed my sin, trusted in Christ, and asked for forgiveness and salvation. God granted that salvation. The desires were mine, yet I also know that those desires were ultimately given to me by God.

Some would now want to stop and judge the morality of God working his will by hardening or softening human hearts toward himself. But, as Paul said to the Romans, who are we to question God? His actions are right, because he is the Holy One. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His actions are right by definition, because he is the Creator and Lord over all.

This passage is a strong reminder for me of the power and sovereignty of God. He is good and mighty. He can change the hearts of men, of kings. He can move entire peoples and entire nations. Thus, I need not fear that his will is ever to be thwarted. God is over all. He cannot lose.

This passage in Joshua encourages me, like Joshua, to continue the mission that God has given me. He calls me to preach the word, to love the church, to make disciples, and so much more. I can know that God will empower his work to be done. I can know that people will come to faith in Christ and will follow God’s plan because I know that God is sovereign even over human hearts. I also know that some will oppose the work of God, and such are the kinds of people God will use still to accomplish his plan as we see in Joshua. Thus, in all this, I am called to trust the Lord and press on for his glory.

Joshua 9:14-15

14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.

In Joshua 9, we see a really interesting development in the taking of the land of Israel by God’s people. The people of Gibeon, a group of people that God had commanded Israel drive out of the land, trick the nation. They convince the leaders of the nation that they have come to them from far off in order to make peace. And the leadership buys it. The leaders examine the evidence in front of their eyes—the clothing and supplies of the Gibeonites—but they do not enquire of the Lord to find out what God thinks of the matter.

Later, we find out that the vow that the people of Israel made to the Gibeonites was a mistake. They had been tricked. But, even though the vow was rash and foolish, it was a vow that had truly been made. God held the Israelites to it, and even judged the people years later after King Saul had broken that vow.

By means of application, the call here I think is for us to see that finding out what God thinks of a matter is far more important than our best reasoning. There will be times in our lives in which things will appear to be right based on our best assessment of the evidence. However, our reasoning is not always the same as God’s plan. We need to look to God to find out about his opinion of choices that we would make.

Now, in Joshua’s day, the enquiring of the Lord was something that was a very direct thing. Joshua, like Moses, has a pretty direct line of voice to voice communication with the Lord. Today, I believe that God has given us a different means of communicating with him, namely his word. Yes, the Lord will guide our desires as we seek his glory and ask for wisdom in prayer. But, the best way to know if something is truly allowed or not allowed by God is to prayerfully read and rightly apply the Scripture, God’s perfect and sufficient word.

Lord, I thank you for your word. I thank you for giving me what I need to know your will. I thank you for the privilege of praying to you and for your promise of wisdom. I ask that you will help me to not make assumptions about the world around me without first looking to your word for your ways and your wisdom. 

Mark 8:31-34

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Peter, when he hears that Jesus expects to die, pulls him aside. He wants Jesus to stop talking like that. Peter does not like this plan.

Jesus, for his part, strongly rebukes Peter. He tells Peter that Peter is more concerned about the things of men than the things of God.

Of course Jesus was right. His death was to be the means through which God would rescue all who are forgiven. Without Jesus going to the cross, we all go to hell. There is no hope for humanity without the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Jesus. So, Peter was speaking against a huge good even though there was a temporary and tragic hardship.

Now, here is the question: How often is this us? How often do we look at life, tell God how it should go, and never consider the things of God. There very well may be an eternal good present in a short-term hardship for us.

Perhaps we need for the Lord to remind us that, when we face pain and trouble, that he is in control. Perhaps we need for the Lord to remind us that his plans are bigger than our present comfort. Perhaps we need to have a lot more “your will be done” in our prayers than prayers begging not to face what looks difficult.

For sure, we need to talk to God honestly. We should make our requests known to God. But we also should recognize that not all our requests have eternal eyes. We also need to ask for eternal eyes to see that God is in control and that God will not lose.

So, will God turn America to himself? Maybe or maybe not. Either way, eternally, God will be glorified. Will God give my family health? I hope so, and I pray for it, but I need to know that his will is best. Will God grow our church? Maybe he will—I certainly ask him to—but I know that however large or small God’ makes our church, he will accomplish his will for his glory.

Lord, I pray for eternal eyes. Help me to think of the things of God more than the things of man. Help me not to be so limited in my perspective that I cannot see your hand at work, even in the hard things.