1 John 4:9-10
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
In the middle of writing about how Christians are to demonstrate their faith by showing love for one another, John points out to believers how God has loved them. God has not merely loved us with kindness or by overlooking our faults. No, God has loved us by sending Jesus so we could live. God has loved us by, as we see in verse 10, making Christ our propitiation.
Propitiation is not a word that we use daily. It’s a big word, and maybe kind of scary—after all, it is 5 syllables. But, if you will get to know that word, you will have a much clearer understanding of the love of God shown you in the gospel.
The word propitiation literally means to appease the anger of a deity through means of a sacrifice in order that the deity may look upon you with favor. In this definition, three things are happening:
· God is rightly angry [wrathful] toward us for our sin against him.
· God receives the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ as an atoning offering for our sin. That sacrifice covers our sin and satisfies God’s anger toward us so that God no longer has wrath toward us because of our sin.
· God now not only has let go of anger toward us, but he actually looks upon us with great affection, love, and kindness. Where there once was wrath, there is now only love. God may now be propitious toward us, meaning that he may now be loving and kind to us.
We must see all three of the above in order to see the truth of the glory of Christ’s death and resurrection. Were God not genuinely wrathful toward us because of our sin, God would not be truly as righteous and holy as he is depicted in Scripture. God shows us time and time again that he hates sin. He declares before us that we, in our sinful state, were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). And were this not the case, it simply makes no sense for god to have sent Jesus to die on our behalf.
Second, if we miss the fact that an atoning sacrifice is what covers our sin and satisfies God’s wrath, we miss the significance of the cross. Jesus shed his blood in order to pay the price for our sin. Jesus took upon himself the anger, the wrath, the righteous fury of God for the evils that we have done and for the good that we have failed to do. Missing this point makes the cross confusing. If this is not what happened on the cross, exactly what transaction took place? Why did it have to be the Son of God who died for sin if not because only the Son of God could fully pay for the sins of many others?
Finally, we need the third aspect of propitiation above in order to understand the greatness of the love of God. Not only is God’s anger averted, but it is replaced with his overwhelming love. Where before we stood in judgment, now we find ourselves totally forgiven, totally welcomed, totally made into children of God (cf. John 1:12). Where before we were marked by sin, we are now seen by God as bearing his very own righteousness (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:21). And now, the one thing we know about our lives is that, if we are in Christ, and if Christ is truly raised from the dead, God is no longer angry toward us because of our sin. God has fully satisfied that anger by pouring it out on Christ. Now God can look at us with perfect love, because he has spent all the anger he had for our sin.
For those who dislike the concept of propitiation because they do not like the concept of God having anger or the concept of God pouring his wrath out on his innocent Son in our place, let us remember that this was the plan of the triune God from before creation. God did this on purpose. He shaped creation for this. Jesus took the wrath of God in one afternoon, and then he cried out “It is finished!” Jesus did not remain under God’s wrath for our sin for eternity. Jesus finished the wrath of God for our sin when he died. He did not go and suffer in hell after his death (remember, Jesus told the thief that he would join him today in paradise). Instead, Jesus finished God’s infinite wrath for our sins while on the cross and with his perfect death. But Jesus also rose from the grave. He proved that the wrath of God was satisfied. He proved that he does not live under the wrath of God, but now is glorified as the Son of God who Redeems God’s people by his blood. He is forever glorified as the Lamb who was slain to purchase people for God from every nation of the world (cf. Revelation 5:9-ff).
Yes, propitiation is a big word, but it contains a giant concept. We earned God’s fury for our sin. Jesus died to pay the price for our sin. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God no longer has fury for us, but only fatherly love. This is the gospel. It is a gorgeous concept. And we all will be stronger in our faith if we understand and praise God for it.
So, have you gotten under the propitiation of Jesus? What Jesus did is not automatically applied to your life without any response on your part. The Bible is clear that only those who express faith in Jesus and who are willing to turn from their sins are under the grace of Christ. You only have the effects of propitiation if you have looked to Jesus, believed in his sacrifice and resurrection as your only hope, decided you want to follow him and not your own whims, and asked him to have mercy on you. This gift is available for any person in the world who will believe in Jesus and turn from his or her sin. This gift is available for you if you will believe. Why not get under the grace of Christ today if you have not done so before now?
Why is Unbelief Such a Big Deal? (John 3:31-36)
John 3:31-36
31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Why is a refusal to receive Jesus Christ through faith such a big deal? Have you ever wondered about that? A person’s eternity, so far as they have anything to do with it, rests on their response to Jesus. If they receive Christ, they are rescued, forgiven, and granted eternity with God forever. If they refuse Christ, they find themselves under the judgment of God and are punished for their sins against the Lord.
In the passage above, we see a logical hint at why faith is such an issue. God has come to earth. God has made only one way of salvation. Jesus, during his earthly ministry, testified to this truth. And, as we see in the passage above. Jesus testified that God is true.
Then we watch the implications of the fact that Jesus testifies that his Father is true. The one who believes Jesus and who receives his offer of salvation puts his seal on the contract that declares, “God is true! God is good! I believe him!” However, the one who rejects Jesus puts his seal to a different form. That one declares that they believe God to be false, untrustworthy, unworthy of faith and worship. For such a one, there is no longer any hope of salvation. Unless they repent and testify that Jesus is who he claimed to be, that God’s plan is salvation through faith in Jesus, such a person will be lost forever. They will have chosen to set themselves in opposition to the God who made them.
Is this really the logical implications of faith or a lack thereof? I think so. That is how we can see in verse 36 something very simple. The one who believes in Jesus has life. They have rightly allied with God as the True One. The one who does not receive Jesus also does not obey him (see verse 36), and such a one has set themselves in opposition to God. God is not required to make for us more ways that his way. The one who does not obey God by trusting in Jesus is lost.
It may seem little to us to not choose to believe in Jesus. However, in point of fact, it is extremely large. God knows that we cannot do enough good to get in to heaven. He has to do all the work to rescue us. And, at the end of the day, the one who is rescued is the one who testifies that God is true by trusting in Christ. The one for whom God’s justice is their future proves God to be just by refusing to trust in Jesus, to obey Jesus, and to declare God true.
Inconsistent Thinking (John 3:27)
John 3:27
John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.”
Are we inconsistent thinkers? I think we often are. We declare the Bible to be completely inerrant. We know it to be the word of God. Yet, when we see what the Bible claims to be true of us, we both acknowledge it and ignore it.
John the Baptist, speaking in the passage above, makes a very clear declaration of who we are and how we grow to success. He makes it plain that we can do nothing, accomplish nothing, receive nothing that is not given to us from God above. John is clear that his fame, his ministry success, his accomplishments all came from God. This is why John could so easily accept that he would diminish in the light of the coming of the Son of God.
But what about us? Do we see that we are without hope on our own? Do we realize that we can accomplish nothing apart from the gifts of God? Do we recognize that we can shape nothing for success on our own? Do we acknowledge that anything good we have, anything worthwhile we do, all things that are good come to us from God?
For me, these words of john the Baptist help me to remember that I am nothing on my own. I cannot succeed on my own. I cannot accomplish anything of worth without the power of God. While I could be tempted to think that I can train, learn, and work my way to life success, this is a falsehood. I cannot succeed apart from that success being granted me by my God. I need him in everything, not just the big things. And anytime I fail to remember that I totally need the Lord to accomplish anything, I lie to myself, I make a dreadful mistake, and I think in a way completely inconsistent with the Bible.
The Importance of the Resurrection (John 2:18-22)
John 2:18- 22
18 So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John’s account of Jesus cleansing the temple is a pretty well-known event. Jesus uses a whip to drive out men who are profaning a holy place by using religion for personal gain while disregarding the glory of God.
What I do not often hear taught is the response of the Jews to Jesus and of Jesus back to the Jews. The Jews want to know from our Lord just what gives him the right to do what he is doing. They ask what miracle he will do, what sign he will give, to show that he has the authority to command people to leave the temple of the Lord.
This is, by the way, a very good question. How can Jesus prove that he has the right to tell people how to worship God? How can we know that what Jesus claimed about himself was true? How can we know that Jesus is the only way to God as he claims elsewhere? If Jesus lacks the right to command people to leave the temple, he certainly lacks the right to tell people that he is the only way to God.
Jesus’ answer is simple and straight-forward. He declares that his resurrection is the proof-sign that he has the right to claim authority over the temple. If Jesus can claim authority over the temple, he has established his claim to be God, as the temple is, in fact, God’s. So, if Jesus’ body can be killed and then he rise from the dead, he is proving that he is God, that is claims are true, and that he has every right to tell us how to come to God.
And, of course we know, Jesus did die and rise from the grave. Because Jesus rose from the grave, he has proved that he has certain rights. He has the right to be called God—God the Son. He has the right to tell us how to worship God. He has the right to tell us that he is the only way that anyone is ever forgiven by God. He has these rights because he has shown that he is everything he claimed to be.
Christians, we often talk about the sacrificial death of Jesus. We love the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. But let us not forget that all such claims would be hollow were Jesus dead. If Jesus is not alive, we have no reason for any faith at all as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15. But, because Jesus is alive, we have a sure gospel. Because Jesus is alive, we know he is the only way to God. Because Jesus is alive, we worship under his authority and under his direction. So let us remember to lay our hopes of the efficacy of Jesus’ death on the sure foundation of the resurrection of our Lord.
Marks of Conversion in the Old Testament (2 Kings 5:15-19)
2 Kings 5:15-19a (ESV)
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mules’ load of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. 18 In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” 19 He said to him, “Go in peace.”
After Naaman, the Syrian military commander, was healed by God of his leprosy, he made the 25 mile journey back from the Jordan River to the house of Elisha. Naaman is overjoyed. Naaman is also changed. He knows that from now on, there is only one God he can worship, the Lord, the God of the Bible.
Naaman tries to give Elisha a gift in return for his healing, but Elisha will not accept anything from Naaman’s hand. Elisha certainly does not want Naaman to think that he had paid for what God had done.
When Naaman asks to take home a load of earth from Israel, he is showing a changed form of worship. Many people in those days thought that the only way to worship a god was on the land of that god. Naaman, whose theology has not yet been all worked out, knows that he only wishes to worship the Lord, and so he will build an altar out of the dirt that he brings home from Israel. This is serious stuff, Naaman is changed.
But there is one odd request that Naaman has. He asks for understanding and pardon in regard to somewhere he has to go as he works. Naaman is a servant of the king of Syria. This king worships a false god in Syria. Naaman knows that his job will require him to assist the king, physically offering the king support or giving him an arm to lean on as the king goes into the temple of his false god. When the king bows down to his false god, Naaman has to bow too. This is not that Naaman wants to worship the false god, but he cannot stand and still help his king. Nor would it be acceptable in any of those cultures for the army’s general to remain standing and have his head above the head of his king. Thus, in order to be the general, Naaman has to bow down.
Naaman asks Elisha to pardon him in this, because he has no intension of worshipping that false god. Naaman wants to do his job, but not to dishonor God. Elisha simply tells Naaman to go in peace, which seems to indicate that Elisha understands Naaman’s request and is allowing him to go with the peace of God upon him.
We learn certainly that Naaman is changed, but we also learn here that anyone who has come to faith in Christ will also be changed.
Saved people worship only the one true God.
As Naaman said in verse 15, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.” Similarly, anyone who truly comes to faith in Jesus Christ will realize that there is no other god in the universe. There is one God, the Lord. You cannot be both a Christian and a Buddhist or a Muslim or a Hindu. Part of trusting in Jesus is forsaking all other religions for saving faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Saved people are grateful to God, but do not try to repay God for grace.
When Naaman tried to give Elisha a gift, Elisha would not receive anything from his hand. It is very good to be grateful to God for saving your soul just as Naaman was grateful to God for his healing. However, we cannot repay even an ounce of what God has done for us.
Imagine for a moment that your favorite musician comes to your house to play for you a private concert. The musician tells you that he or she is doing this out of kindness to you. What would it say to the musician if, at the end of the concert, you offered them a five-dollar-bill? If you did that, you would insult the musician. He or she already has enough money. Your puny little gift would only serve to cheapen the event and rob the musician of his or her kindness.
In our sin against God, we owe an infinite debt. Only the infinitely glorious Son of God, Jesus Christ, could ever pay our debt. For us to think we are going to pay Jesus back for his work is insulting, and it is insulting on a major level. We are to be humbly grateful to Jesus, but we dare not think even for a moment that we are repaying him for his work on the cross.
Salvation always leads to worship.
Naaman wanted to take earth home from Israel to build an altar. This is because, once you are saved by God, you will worship God. No person who has truly had their life changed by God will refuse to worship God. And no person who has been truly changed by God will refuse to worship God in the way that God requires. To the best of their ability, those who have been saved by God will obey the commands of God to worship God.
So, for example, when we tell a new Christian to be a regular attendee in church, we are not telling that person to earn his or her salvation. When we call on believers to be in church, all we are doing is inviting them to do what all believers will naturally do. All who are saved will worship. God commands us to worship together as a body. Thus, if a person is saved, he or she should worship in church. Salvation always leads to worship.
Salvation causes us to examine every aspect of life.
Naaman raised the question about bowing down as he helped his king. Why that question? Naaman was doing what saved people do. When you have been cleansed by God, it will lead you to look at all that you do. Everything you think, everything you enjoy, every part of your job, all of it will be stuff you examine to see if you are doing what pleases God. Saved people examine their lives and look to see if they are able to do what they do and still please their Lord.
Ask yourself if these things are true of you. Christians, have you totally recognized that no other gods exist and that no other religions in the world will lead to salvation other than salvation by grace through faith in Christ? Is your life full of gratitude to Jesus for his work but not full of attempts to repay Jesus? Has your faith led you to genuinely worship Jesus as often as you can? Have you examined all aspects of your life to see if they are honoring to God?
God Rejoicing over Us (Zephaniah 3:17)
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
The above is another verse that is often quoted out of context and applied without discernment. However, it is also an amazingly sweet verse that we should consider.
In the context of Zephaniah’s prophecy, we find that God is promising some radical judgment for the people of Judah for their rebellion against him. These people call on the name of the Lord and then turn and bow to Baal. They break the covenant that they made with God on a regular basis. So it is no surprise that God will promise them judgment.
What is a surprise, to those who do not know God, is that God would follow the promise of judgment with promises of mercy. God warned people to repent in order that they might be spared his wrath. Then, as we see in 3:17 above, God promises more than mere forgiveness for his people who will turn to him and repent of their sins. God promises a rescue that will lead to him singing for joy over his beloved people.
Now, I’m not going to suggest that every Christian put this verse on a t-shirt and make it a common symbol of our faith. Sadly, such sloganizing cheapens the meaning behind such a beautiful promise of God. In the verse above, God told rebellious Judah that, if they would repent, he would not only forgive them, he would effusively love them. In a similar way, we who are believers can see the gospel.
The good news is that, though we all rebelled against God just like Judah and earned his wrath, God has offered mercy in Jesus. All who come to know Jesus by grace through faith are forgiven children of God. As John points out in John 1:12, those who put their trust in Jesus are more than forgiven, they are given the right to become children of God. God loves his children. He effusively loves his children. So, just as Zephaniah promised the people of Judah that God would sing for joy over the remnant that he rescued, so too we can rejoice that our God rejoices over us as his children if we are in Christ.
The Hermeneutical Danger of Over-Interpretation (Habakkuk 1:13)
5 “Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.
6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans,
that bitter and hasty nation,
who march through the breadth of the earth,
to seize dwellings not their own.
Habakkuk 1:12-13
12 Are you not from everlasting,
O Lord my God, my Holy One?
We shall not die.
O Lord, you have ordained them as a judgment,
and you, O Rock, have established them for reproof.
13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil
and cannot look at wrong,
why do you idly look at traitors
and remain silent when the wicked swallows up
the man more righteous than he?
Sometimes we let familiar, biblical phrases become part of our doctrine only to find out that the application of such phrases are hermeneutically unsound. So, for a few paragraphs, I intend to show how a failure to use proper context leads to confusing interpretation of the Bible and inconsistent doctrinal stances.
Let me set the stage before working to make a hermeneutical point about the passage above. Habakkuk is a prophet of God who is amazed and even frustrated that God would allow the people of Judah to dishonor God so much. He wonders where the justice of God is. He wonders why God is not, as the law has promised, judging the rebellious nation for their sin. This is found in the first 4 verses of chapter 1.
When God responds, he tells Habakkuk to be ready to be shocked. Habakkuk has no idea what is coming. God is about to do something amazing, something unheard of. God is going to use the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, to come in and judge the nation for sinning against God. That is verses 5-6 above.
Then Habakkuk is shocked and even more dismayed. Of all the nations that God might choose, Habakkuk cannot stomach the concept of God using Babylon to punish Israel. In verses 12-13, the argument Habakkuk is basically making is, “No way; they’re worse than us!” Later in the book, God will show that he is both planning to use the Babylonians and to judge them for their wickedness.
Now, let me make the hermeneutical point that has my attention. Have you ever heard someone talk about and even express wonder at the fact that God cannot look upon evil, his eyes are too pure? That concept comes from Habakkuk 1:13 which asks, “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” Time and time again, I get questions like, “If God is too pure to look on evil, how could Satan have been in his presence in Job 1?” Sadly, those questions come from an over-application of Habakkuk 1:13 that goes well beyond the author’s intent.
Look at the verse in its context. Habakkuk is expressing his utter chagrin that God might use the Babylonians of all people to judge Israel. So, speaking poetically, Habakkuk is trying to say, “Hey God, you are better than that. You can’t use those awful people to judge us. You can’t dirty your hands by using them as tools.” Habakkuk is not trying to make some sort of theological point about God not somehow being able to look at evil. The point he is trying to make is that, to Habakkuk’s mind, using the Babylonians as a tool for God’s will seems to be unthinkable.
Think hermeneutically. What is the author intending to communicate to his readers with that sentence? He wants his readers to grasp that Habakkuk, like many people, struggles with the fact that God uses what appears to be dark and evil to accomplish his plan without himself being tainted with darkness or evil. God uses the evil actions of evil nations to swirl together to somehow accomplish perfectly righteous ends. God does not do evil. God does not author evil. God is not corrupted by evil. God is holy. And this concept of God working his will in this way is just beyond what human minds can fathom. God is god and we are not. God is totally good, even when we cannot understand how that can be.
The hermeneutical point that I want to make ,then, is to show how a single verse like the one above is very often taken to mean far more than the author intends to communicate. To pretend that God somehow cannot see evil is inconsistent with the fact that God is omniscient. He knows us. He knows our thoughts. He never fails to see us, even when we are evil.
Now, don’t get me wrong, God is pure. His purity cannot b compromised by the evil that you and I do. In fact, were you and I to be thrust into the unveiled presence of God without a covering for our sin, we would be destroyed by his holiness. God told Moses that we cannot look on him and live. God will never be corrupted by us, but he will eventually destroy all sinful corruption from the world.
So, my caution here is to be careful as you read and apply passages. Whenever you come across a verse like Habakkuk 1:13, don’t take it out of the flow of the author’s discussion. Yes, I know that many phrases like “you who are of purer eyes than to see evil” are really catchy and will preach well. But please, let context and author’s intent drive the way that you handle the passage. Don’t rip phrases out of their context and make your theology from them. While the one I’m using as an example is not greatly harmful, it is confusing and inconsistent when taken out of the prophet’s poetic meaning. And the truth is, God’s word is far better, far stronger, far more powerful than our pithy little quips. God’s word does not need for you and me to find meaning beyond its clear meaning in its true context.
True Political Change (2 Kings 23:31-32)
2 Kings 23:31-32 (ESV)
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
Political change does not and cannot change the heart of a nation. While I would certainly agree that we want to be involved in the political process, voting for men and women of character and promoting laws that promote righteousness, no amount of political reform will ever make the people of a nation have different hearts toward God and the things of God.
One example of this truth is found near the end of the narrative of 2 Kings. In chapters 22-23, we find the record of the reign of King Josiah. King Josiah is described in the Bible in a very unique way. No king before him or after ever turned to God with all his heart as did Josiah. Josiah was also incredibly zealous for the name of God. He enacted political and religious reform in Judah and even over the land of Israel in ways that nobody had seen in history. He tore down altars to pagan gods and did away with practices which God declared to be evil. It was one of the greatest house-cleanings that ever happened.
But, when Josiah died and his son Jehoahaz took over, things went right back to the way that they were. The verses above tell us that Jehoahaz, unlike his father before him, did evil in the sight of the Lord. Just one generation after the greatest outer reform Israel had ever seen, the people and the leaders again dishonored God with their hearts and actions.
All this reminds us of a simple truth. We cannot reform the nation or even our town with outward changes. We reform only when God changes hearts. Only the Lord can see into the hearts of men. Only the Lord can change the hearts of men. And without that kind of God-sized heart-change, true national reform does not take place.
So, let us pray that God change the heart of our nation. Let us join God on mission to make disciples. These acts are the only things that will change our world.
God’s Name, God’s Plan, God’s Power – (2 Kings 19:34)
2 Kings 19:34
“For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David.”
Have you ever looked at our society and thought that it was hopeless? Have you ever looked at a lost friend with whom you have tried and tried to share the gospel and thought the task impossible? Have you ever looked at battles in the culture war of today and thought that there was no way they would turn out right? Have you ever looked at the progress of the church and thought that she has lost?
Ponder the situation of 2 Kings 19. The enemy was all around. There was no hope. No way was the outcome of this battle going to be positive. The people of God were outnumbered. The warriors of the Assyrians were too skilled. Jerusalem was going to fall. That is, unless God showed up.
But God did show up. He sent an angel to get rid of an army of 185,000 men. God won a mighty victory. And in that act, God did 3 things. God defended his name. God defended his plan. And God did the impossible.
In the verse above. We see that God promised that, what he was about to do, he was going to do for the sake of his own name. That may sound strange to the person who has never studied that topic through Scripture. However, if you have been exposed to it, you know that God does what he does for the sake of his own glory. God will be honored. He will not give his glory to another. He will always do what brings glory and honor to his name. This is right, as God is the most glorious by far, and for God to seek another’s glory above his own would be completely improper. And it is good for us, as God’s magnifying of his own glory is the way that we receive the greatest joy as we see the glory of the One who made us for his glory.
God also says that he was going to do what he was going to do for the sake of his servant, David. Language like that in the Old Testament is a reference back to the covenant that God made with David in 2 Samuel 7. There God promised that a descendant of David’s, part of David’s kingly line, would reign on the throne forever. With New Testament eyes we can see that this was a promise of the coming of Jesus, God’s Son, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Simply put, God would not let Jerusalem fall because God was actively preserving his people, at least a remnant of them. So that he could bring his promised King into the world through the lineage that he had promised for all of the Old Testament. God had promised and promised a rescuing King to come through a specific people and specific family, and God would not fail to bring that promise to pass.
So, because of God’s passion for his own glory and his preservation of his promise, God did the impossible. God simply took out the undefeatable army. God did something only God could do. God showed his glory. God kept his promise alive. God was not defeated, no matter how strong the worldly opposition appeared to be.
You know, we live in a world that tries to make our faith look small and ridiculous. Sometimes, when we are not careful, we can begin to fear that somehow God’s church and God’s plan will not be victorious. But let us be careful. Let us remember how God, in one moment in Old Testament history, took out a nation’s army for the sake of his name and his plan. If God could do that, he can certainly do mighty things through us for the sake of his name and his plan. Let us have hope and courage in the face of opposition. Let us not stop sharing our faith or championing the cause of justice and morality. Let us be sure that the things we would wrestle for are God’s glory and God’s plan. Then, let us work and watch and know that God will not ultimately be defeated. He will be victorious. He will do the impossible. He will see his plan completed and his name glorified.
Minor Prophets and Dirty Cops (Micah 3:5, 8)
Micah 3:5, 8 (ESV)
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
The minor prophets are often difficult for us to read today. We just don’t live in their world. Thus, sometimes, we fail to see the significance of the things being said. When we read words like those above, we know that something important must be happening, but how are we to deal with that for today?
Here is an illustration that might help you understand the situation of Micah’s day. Think for a moment about a gangster movie, any mob flick from years gone by. In all of those movies, there were dirty cops who took bribes from the mob in exchange for ignoring the lawless behavior of these powerful men. But, for the movie to have a hero, there would be a few good cops who stood for justice no matter what.
One way to think of the prophets is as the law enforcement officers of God’s holy covenant. Israel made some very clear agreements with God at mount Sinai. In those agreements, God spelled out how he would rule Israel as their God and how he would protect Israel as his people. The protection was contingent on Israel’s following the commands of God as spelled out in the covenant law. At the same time, the covenant contained clear stipulations for what God would do to the nation should they decide not to follow him and turn to false gods.
During Micah’s day, the people of God who had agreed to the covenant provisions were refusing to follow God. They and their leaders were doing evil in God’s sight. Thus it was the duty of the prophets of God to remind the people of the law. The prophets were to tell the people that God was going to do what God had promised to do if they failed to turn from their sin and return to the Lordship of their God.
What was happening, however, was something entirely inappropriate. The people who were claiming the office of prophet or teacher in Israel were actually refusing to declare the clear word of God to the people. These charlatans would speak well to any person who paid them, fed, them, or otherwise treated them like royalty. They would speak harshly to anyone who dared oppose them or who refused to give them whatever they wanted. So, like dirty cops in a gangster flick, most of the supposed prophets were using their position for personal gain and were ignoring the clear word of God.
Micah, however, was not like the other prophets. He spoke God’s word to God’s people, Micah would clearly declare to Israel that they were living outside the bounds of the contract that the nation had made with God. He clearly warned them of the consequences of their behavior, including the coming judgment of God as promised in the law. Micah was not mean, just honest. And because of Micah’s devotion to the clear word of God, he was the true prophet of God.
With this picture in mind, we can see at least two ways to handle a passage like Micah 3. First, we can see that the word of God is true and priceless. Like Micah, we dare not compromise the clear teaching of Scripture, regardless of the supposed rewards offered us by our society. While some of the things that God’s word declares will not be in favor in society, we must not compromise the Scripture. Attempts to make the teachings of God more palatable to a people who are already rejecting God only lead to the kinds of compromises, heresies, and flat-out sin that we see in the false prophets of that day. Honor God by clearly, ,lovingly, and powerfully upholding his word.
Another take on this passage has to do with its gospel implications. Every minor prophet passage, including this one, shows us that there is a standard and that people never fully meet it. Thus these passages point us to the coming Son of God who will fully satisfy the law of God on our behalf and who will fully and perfectly take upon himself the penalty that we should have had to pay for breaking that law. What a joy it is to have a Savior who keeps us from living in a world of dos and don’ts. Now, because of the Savior, if we are in Christ, we live in a state of grace, the requirements of the law fully done, the wrath of God fully satisfied. There is no longer a fear that we can do the wrong thing and be outside of the covenant that God has made with us. The New Covenant makes all who are in Christ part of God’s forever family.
Pastor Travis Peterson 