Category: devotional

Exodus 8:19 (ESV)

Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

What is your evangelistic methodology? Do you believe that, if your argument is convincing enough, people will come to faith? It won’t happen, not unless God has already changed the heart.

Take as an example the actions of Pharaoh above. He has already seen the clear power of God at work in Egypt. Here, his own best magicians are looking at him and telling him that the events they are witnessing are the “finger of God.” Men whose lives had been devoted to false gods in the land have admitted to the king that the real God is behind what is happening. But, because his heart was hard, Pharaoh does not believe.

Yes, we are called by God to be ready to answer anyone who would have questions for us about the hope in us (1 Peter 3:15). We are to speak graciously and be ready to answer the world around us (Colossians 4:5-6). But we are crazy if we think that our answers are the things that will bring people into the kingdom. Our answers matter, do not get me wrong, but our answers are only tools that God may choose to pick up or lay aside as he chooses to make alive a dead heart or not.

What should we learn then? God is in control. His power is sovereign. He is the only one who can break through a dead, hard heart. And so we give him all the glory at anyone’s salvation. We certainly learn to defend the faith and clearly present the gospel. We pray with all our hearts. Yet, we know that, in the end, God is the ultimate decision-maker. 

Genesis 44:32-33

32 For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’ 33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

I think the story of Judah is one of the more fascinating stories in the latter part of Genesis. Of course, from chapters 37-50, Joseph is center-stage. But, as that story develops, we have chapter 38 totally focused on Judah.

Back in chapter 37, Judah shows himself to be a scoundrel. He suggest the sale of Joseph to traders. In chapter 38, we see him even worse in the whole incident with Tamar.

But, at the end of chapter 38, Judah shows genuine repentance. Now, in today’s reading, Judah steps up and pledges that he will be accountable for Benjamin’s safety in Egypt. When things go badly, we see Judah actually go up to Joseph and ask to be taken in Benjamin’s stead.

By the way, is it not interesting that it is the tribe of Judah from which the Messiah would come? Judah’s line will bear the greatest one to ever say to another, “Let me stand in their place; punish me instead.” The Lord Jesus is foreshadowed in the action of his ancient ancestor.

So, should this all be to the praise of Judah? Of course not. God is the one in control here. We have seen too much to think otherwise. What we see is how God uses circumstances, even our most horrible and embarrassing failures to shape in us the character he wants in us for his glory. God allowed Judah to be who he was, and that was sinful and devastating. God worked change in Judah over years, and by God’s hand, Judah became the brother who would carry the Messianic promise and a neat reminder of the coming Christ’s substitutionary atonement. 

Today’s Bible reading took me through two of the oddest chapters in the book of Genesis, perhaps in the whole Bible. Genesis 36 shares with us the genealogical record of Esau, Edom. Genesis 38 shares with us the very odd story of Judah and his family. Both chapters are the kinds that preachers skip. Both lead us to ask why they might be in the Scripture. And, I would argue, both demonstrate for us the sovereignty of God.

The Edomite chapter is not one of the more exciting chapters in all of the word. However, it is a chapter that shows us Esau becoming a great nation. There are tribes, leaders, and lots of children. The thought hit me, as I was reading this chapter, that God indeed could have used Esau to carry his promise. Esau fathered a nation just like Jacob fathered a nation. Esau’s character was not actually worse than that of Jacob. Yet, God, by his will, for his glory, out of his plan, chose to place the promise on Jacob and not on Esau. God reversed the natural order, making the younger son carry the promise, in order to remind us that he is the one who chooses, not us.

Then we watch the story of Judah in chapter 38. This story is fascinating, not dull at all. It is, however, also the kind of story that preachers often skip simply for its PG-13 rating. Judah is a scoundrel. Nothing he does is good until the very end. In fact, the only other thing we have seen him do is put forward the suggestion to sell Joseph to slave traders in chapter 37. Yet, we do see repentance in Judah’s life at the end of the chapter, and that will mark a real change of character.

The ending of the story in chapter 38 is where a great deal of the value in the story comes. Tamar is having twins. One of those two twins will carry the covenant promise of God. One of those two will be the one through whom Messiah will come. What happens? One comes to the point of birth and is marked with a thread on his wrist. Then, God reverses the birth order, bringing Perez out first. This is a miracle of God, one where we see that God chose the exact order of those two children. God chose who would carry his covenant promise. God moved those children so that Perez would be the firstborn and would be the covenant carrier.

Lord, I recognize here and now that you are in control. You choose your way. So often we think that our lives are the center of the universe and our decisions are the hinges upon which the world turns. But the truth is, you are far mightier than all that. You are in control. For this reason, along with infinitely more, you are worthy of praise and worship. You are so much greater than any of your creatures. Help me to remember and rest in your sovereignty.

Matthew 12:7-8

7 “And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

It’s always lovely to watch Jesus do the things that he does. He reminds us that his grasp of truth and of the desires of God is accurate while ours is often quite lacking.

I think that one of the biggest helps to me in reading this passage in Matthew is to remember where I likely would have stood given my natural bent. I think it likely that, at least for most of my life, I would have stood with the teachers of the law. I am used to having a set of rules that I want others to follow. When somebody brings my understanding of the rules into question, that bothers me.

But here we see two major things from Jesus. On the one hand, we see the deity and supremacy of Christ. Jesus is over the Sabbath. That is a radical claim for anyone to make. No mere man could declare himself to be Lord of the Sabbath, since I think anybody would recognize that only God is Lord of the Sabbath. Thus, we see Jesus claim equal footing with the God who gave the Ten Commandments.

On the other hand, we see a tremendous amount of grace on Jesus’ part. He pointed out that it is not at all unheard of for a general rule to be compromised for the good of the people of God. David ate bread that was not technically lawful for him to eat. But, it seems that God was more concerned about David’s survival than the rules regarding day-old show bread. Similarly, Jesus’ disciples were going to be allowed to pick some grain and sustain themselves while walking across the countryside. Jesus is over such rules anyway.

Jesus tells us that God desires mercy more than sacrifice. That is a mind-blowing statement of grace for me, someone bent toward rules, to hear. God loves mercy. He loves to rescue sinners. He loves to care for his children. He is more concerned with our hearts for him and our love for others than he is for us being sticklers for the rules that we love so much.

Jesus shows me that he is bigger than I tend to realize. And, I do not know exactly what to do with it. Obviously, this statement does not give me the right to compromise the commands of God. I cannot relax the requirements of Scripture that we heard Jesus say will never pass away until all are fulfilled in Matthew 5. I cannot condone intentional rebellion against God and his ways. Yet, I also must understand that God is more interested in me being merciful than he is with me getting everything exactly right. Such balance is impossible for me to figure out. Yet, this is God’s way, and it is full of kindness, love, and grace.

Lord, I thank you for the kindness you have shown in Jesus. I think you that you desire mercy above sacrifice. You desire my kindness and love toward you and others far above my doing everything exactly right. Help me to figure this out and to be as merciful as you desire me to be. Help me also not to confuse being merciful with being lawless. Help me strike the balance that will help me to properly reflect your glory to the world.  

Matthew 4:23

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.

Matthew 9:35

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.

It is neat to see clues as to how Matthew arranged the gospel he was writing. He put things together on purpose. The verses above show a set of bookends for this section in which Jesus both teaches the people and heals, he declares truth and displays compassion.

For the truth declaration, we get the Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5-7. We certainly do not see any more densely packed section of teaching from our Lord anywhere else. Think of all the things that are covered in that section: marks of kingdom citizenship and blessing, a call to live so that we make a difference, a high view of Scripture, anger, lust, divorce, vows, kindness, giving, prayer, fasting, devotion to God, anxiety, judging others, exclusivity of the gospel, obedience to the commands of God, and still more. Clearly, teaching the truth of God, the truth of Scripture, was important to Christ.

In chapters 8-9, we see the other side of the ministry of Christ, displaying the compassion and kindness of God. As Jesus traveled around, he did things that only God can do. As he did these things, he showed people that the kingdom of God was at hand, that he personally was bringing it to earth. He was turning back the effects of the fall by the power of a loving God. Think of what we see him do: healing a leper, healing the centurion’s servant with a command, healing Peter’s mother-in-law (I suppose Peter asked?) (And, look, the Pope had a wife!), casting out demons, calming a storm with a word, driving multiple demons out of some men (and causing a bacon shortage—collateral damage?), healing a paralytic, demonstrating his authority to forgive sins, healing a woman with a chronic and long-standing illness, raising a girl from the dead, giving sight to blind men, and restoring speech to a man who could not speak because of a demon.

What do you get when you find a person who speaks with the authority of God, who forgives with the authority of God, and who turns sickness to wellness and death to life? What do you have when you find a person who can declare the kingdom of God and then demonstrate that it is present in him? What do you get when you have a person who does all that the Old Testament promised that the Savior would do? Clearly, you have the Messiah. You have God with us.

Lord Jesus, you are worthy of praise. Your wisdom is beyond compare. You speak the word of God, because you are God in flesh. You do the works of God, because you are God in flesh. You bring the kingdom of God, because you are King of kings and Lord of lords. You are worthy of my life, and I affirm again my commitment to follow you. Please, be my Lord and allow me to be your servant.

Acts 1:9-11 (ESV)

9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

This very familiar passage which I worked through on Sunday reminded me of something that I find quite important. Jesus will return. That return will be literal, physical, and visible. And, that return has most certainly not happened yet.

Sadly, I have recently been reminded that there are those in and among the global church who teach that the prophesied return of Jesus Christ has already taken place. Unbeknownst to many, that return is supposed to have been a spiritual occurrence, invisible to our mortal eyes. To some, this happened at the fall of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD.

In general I would not take any time to write about this topic except for the fact of the verses I recently read and the fact that some are doing harm to the body of Christ by misleading others.

When Jesus left his disciples in Acts 1, he was literally, physically, and visibly lifted up into heaven before their eyes. The disciples stared in amazement. Angels came from God to pry them from the spot and to get the disciples moving again. But, the angels left the disciples with the promise that Jesus, the very same Jesus, would return in the very same way as the disciples just saw him leave.

What is the promise of those angels? The promise is that Jesus will return. How? He will return literally, not figuratively, because he left literally, not figuratively. He will return physically, not spiritually, because he left physically, not spiritually. He will return visibly, not invisibly, because he left visibly, not invisibly.

While I do not deny that 70 AD is a very big year in human history, and I do not deny that prophesies in the New Testament may well refer to the temple’s destruction, Jesus has not returned yet in the same way that the disciples saw him go. Jesus will come again. This was the hope of the disciples, and it is the hope of our faith. While Jesus may be raining as king—his kingdom has come—we also know that Jesus will reign as king—hiss kingdom will come.

What did this truth do the disciples? It led them, not to gaze at the heavens and try to predict Jesus’ return, but instead to get back to work. They were to be filled with the Spirit of God and communicate the message of God as they obeyed the revealed will of God. What are we to do? We are to yield ourselves to the Spirit of God as we are filled with the word of God, as we preach the word of God, and as we obey the commands of God. And, like the apostles, we can look forward to the promise of God, yet to be fulfilled, that the Lord will return just as the men saw him depart, and we will all see it happen.

Genesis 19:9-11

9 But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. 10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. 11 And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

By the time we get to the story of Lot at Sodom, the story has gotten about as ugly as we ever see it. God is planning to destroy a city for the rebellion of the people. What I notice is the sickness of rebellion.

During the exchange between the men and Lot, who honestly looks no better to me, the angels God sent to the city blind the men of Sodom. What grabbed my attention is what the men did next.

Just imagine. You have been rebelling against God. You are doing something that is pretty obviously inappropriate. As you try to do it, God strikes you blind. You are now unable to pull off the evil you intended to do. Would you not think that you would stop? But the Bible says to us, “so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.” They wore themselves out trying to finish the evil action they had started. This is utter madness!

Here we see something about the sinfulness of sin. We see something similar in the book of Revelation when people, after suffering the plagues of God, refuse to repent. When we are stuck in our sin, we do not learn. We, as often as not, double-down.

Do you grasp how gracious this shows us that God is? You and I could have been left in our sin. With each successive sin, we could have, instead of turning from it, doubled-down and gone for more. With each hurt in our lives, instead of learning, we could have been hardened in our dead hearts until we earned the fire of God just as the men of Sodom did.

If you are saved, know that it is only by the grace of God that you did not become someone who was like the men of Sodom. I’m not here talking about their perversion or aggression, but generally about their utter sinfulness. You could have become so covered in sin that there was no hope that you would ever let a genuine conscience help you not do foolish things. You could have been blinded, but still groping for the chance to sin a little more. This would be us all without the sovereign grace of God making our dead hearts alive and pulling us back from the brink.

            What also caught me this morning is that God shows us that he does hold people back from their sin from time to time. In Genesis 20:6, God said to Abimelech, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch her.” God is sovereign. He chooses some to rescue. Others, he allows to continue on their way, their chosen path to destruction.

Lord, I confess to you that my heart, if left alone, would not be better than that of the men of Sodom. I see, from your word that humanity, when given over by you, simply becomes more and more sinful. Thank you for grace. Thank you for rescuing me. Thank you for holding me back from the destruction I would have walked into. Thank you for Jesus’ sacrifice to rescue me. Your grace is astounding.