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.
Eternal Eyes (Mark 8:31-34)
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.
Daily Reading Notes 4/20/2016
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
As God commissions Joshua for his new role as leader of the nation of Israel, God gives him the command above. Joshua is to meditate on the law of God every day, day and night. In fact, Joshua’s success is directly tied to his obedience to the word of God as he learns it and remembers it daily.
This is a good reminder for us that God has called us to know his word. We do not learn God’s word because we want financial success. We are not health, wealth, and prosperity preachers. But, there is no doubt that we love God better, obey God better, and find greater joy when we are regularly in the word of God, loving him by hearing his voice in Scripture, and glorifying him through obedience.
Joshua 2:17-19
17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.”
Note the glimpse of the gospel that is here. Rahab had hidden the spies from the people of Jericho. The spies promise her that her life and the lives of her family will be spared when the army of Israel takes the city. But, this will only be true if two things happen. First, it will only happen if Rahab ties the scarlet chord in her window. Second, the only people who will be safe are those who stay in Rahab’s house during he taking of the city.
I’ve never been one for reading great symbolism into Scripture. I do not generally make every red thing into an image of the blood of Christ. But I wonder if this might not be a good place for me to make an exception. Like the blood of Jesus, the scarlet chord points us to a place of safety, of mercy. As in the gospel, perfect provision is made for all who will be rescued. Like the gospel, those who wish to be rescued must enter the place of safety; there is no other place of safety.
Daily Reading Notes 4/19/2016
Mark 7:5, 9 (ESV)
5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
The encounter here between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel is interesting. Mark points out to us in the first verses that the religious leaders had developed many rituals that were based, not on the word of God, but on their traditions. One such tradition had to do with a type of ceremonial washing before meals.
Many would here try to talk about the details of the washings. I’m not so concerned about how they washed or whether or not such washing was effective for health. What I find interesting is that the religious leaders found a practice to be helpful. However, instead of simply implementing that practice into their own lives as a helpful tool for personal use, they developed that practice into a rule to which they would hold others.
Later, in his response to the religious of his day, Jesus made it quite clear that these men were elevating the tradition of their elders above the word of God itself. And Jesus has no tolerance for such a thing. He does not affirm the practices that the scribes and Pharisees put in place. This is not because washing was not OK. Rather, the reason that Jesus was opposed to their practices was that they developed rules that God did not make, and then they acted against others who did not hold to their rules.
It would be wise for us to recognize that we are very likely to have the tendency of the Pharisees and scribes here. All of us, as we mature, will develop mental lists of things we consider to be right and things which we consider to be wrong. In many instances, these lists of ours will be directly influenced by the word of God and thus binding. For example adultery is always going to be wrong, because God’s word condemns it. Breaking the law—where that law is not in violation of the word of God—is always going to be wrong for us, because God’s word commands that we obey the laws of the land. Gathering with Believers for worship is always going to be a right thing for believers to do, because God’s word commands us not to forsake the practice of assembling together. Such rules are right because they are Scripture.
But, we will also develop rules and practices that are not required by God. For example, the Bible does not command multiple Sunday worship services. Should we then look down on those who come on Sunday morning to a service but who do not make a Sunday evening Bible study? The Bible forbids drunkenness. Should we then forbid the drinking of alcohol in any form? The Bible forbids adultery. Should we then not permit men to speak with women who are not their spouses?
How about a simple discussion of modesty? We all know that women (and men) should not dress in sexually provocative ways, ways that might cause lust in others. Does this then give us, as believers, the right to expect all other believers to agree with us on what is and is not modest? Unfortunately, this will not be possible. Clearly, God did not intend it to be possible, or he would have made a clear standard for hem lines and neck lines. It seems that God intends us to be wise, loving, and careful without developing a standard to which we hold others.
Of course, in that last paragraph, I am not saying that a family should not make standards that they follow as a household. A dad has every right to tell his children what they are allowed to wear. But, the dad will be in violation of biblical principle if he declares his standard to be the demand of God’s word if that demand is not actually present in the word of God.
As Larry Osborne declares, it is very easy for us to accidentally become Pharisees. We look at the rules God has given us, we find them to be less clear than we want, and we try to help God out. But we cannot help God here. God’s word is perfect. God’s standards are perfect. The freedoms God has given us are perfect. And we must not pretend that God’s law says something it does not say.
Instead, we need to be gracious and wise. Yes, we can determine what we will and will not do. Some Christians will decide never to drink alcohol. Some will decide that drinking in moderation is OK. Some Christian women will wear clothes that never expose their legs above the knees. Others will choose not to make skirt length a law while still being careful not to present themselves in a way that would lead someone to stumble. Some Christians will choose to live in the smallest homes they can handle in order to have more funds to give to missions. Other Christians will live in larger homes and use those as tools for the glory of God in showing hospitality. In all these cases, people will choose to honor God in obedience to his commands. At the same time, we need the wisdom not to make our solution to hard-to-define rules be that we develop a standard for ourselves and then demand that all good people everywhere agree with us.
Lord, I pray for wisdom here. I want to obey your commands. I also want to develop wise standards for myself and my family where your word is less clear. Help me to do so, but to also be gracious toward those whose standards do not match my own. Help me to be gracious, but never to accept sin as OK. God, only you and your Spirit living in me can give me what I need here. I trust you for the wisdom I will need.
Daily Reading Notes 4/18/2016
Mark 6:30-33
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
I have just a quick thought from today’s reading. The disciples went out and worked for the sake of the gospel. They returned to Jesus and shared with him the results of their ministry. It has been a busy time. It had been a time of hard work.
What did Jesus do with them? Jesus suggested to his disciples that they all get away for a little while, to rest and recharge. Jesus was recommending a retreat, a little rest and relaxation. Jesus called his disciples to take a vacation.
What’s cool about this is that Jesus did not tell his disciples how sad it is that they needed to get away. He did not bemoan the sin condition of the world that would require such a time away. Nor did Jesus make the disciples feel guilty for not being able to hack another full month of ministry. He just told them to come with him somewhere else.
Now, for those who know the context, the rest that the guys planned was interrupted. But, I do not think that is relevant to the truth that Jesus encouraged his disciples to take a rest and recharge.
God has made people and patterned for us rest. The Lord himself rested from labor on the seventh day, and he made that a practice for humans to model. This was not the result of sin, but simply of goodness. Later, with the nation of Israel, God set a pattern of work and rest. He set a pattern of months of labor followed by celebration and feasting. God is not anti-rest or anti vacation.
Of course, it is quite possible for a person to make an idol of leisure. It is possible to become so into the down time that you have no up time. But, it is important to understand that work and rest are both part of the good human existence.
Lord, I would ask that you help me to work well and to rest well as glorifies your name. Help me to know when I need to press into work and when I need to take time away. Let me be used for your glory in all that I do, at work and at rest.
Daily Reading Notes – 4/15/2016
In my reading this morning, I came across this passage with one of the most misapplied verses in Scripture. I include a good deal of text below, because I want to show it in its context.
Psalm 50:7-15
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Verse 10 is the misapplied verse: “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” Most often, you will hear this verse used by fund raisers and church planters who desire the comfort of knowing that God is rich beyond our wildest imaginings. We want to know that God can and will supply every need that we have. He already has the funds in his account. We have a rich Father, and thus we need not fear financial failure.
By the way, it is most certainly true that God has all the resources we need. He could not possibly lack the ability to provide for us. But, that is not what God is saying in verse 10.
In verse 10, God is talking to the people of Israel who were proud of the sacrifices they were making. God wanted them to know, in no uncertain terms, that he did not need their sacrifices. While sacrificing to God is right, it does not benefit God in any way.
Consider that, in ancient times, people who sacrificed to idols often believed that their sacrifices were food for their gods. The people were feeding their deities. God wants it to be known that he does not need Israel to feed him. He does not eat their meat. Nor would he need them to provide for him if he did. He owns the world and everything in it. No person bringing him a sacrifice is in any way enriching him.
Friends, we should give to God in worship. We should sing his praises, read and obey his word, and give financially to the ministry. These things are right, and they greatly honor God. But do not think for a moment that they enrich God. The Lord is over all. He already owns everything. We do not give because he needs it. We give because we desire to display that God is our God, worthy of our praise and our lives.
The Real Heaven – A Review
Chip Ingram and Lance Witt. The Real Heaven: What the Bible Actually Says. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016. 192 pp. $12.99.
Heaven is a popular topic, and it has been for a while now. With books and movies depicting journeys beyond and back again as well as depictions of angels, it is no wonder that people are fascinated by the topic.
Of course, far more important is the fact that God created humans for eternity. We need to know what happens to us and our loved ones after death.
The Real Heaven is a new, accessible work that helps to put the importance of knowing about eternity in its proper place. The authors work to help answer important questions about what happens after we die, what heaven will be like, and how can we be sure we are going there.
On the positive side, this book is a helpful reminder of the fact that we exist for eternity. God has created us for far more than this earthly life. The authors also point out the significant truth that heaven is not some sort of cloudy, harp-playing existence that nobody really wants to experience. Instead, they accurately show that heaven, the final heaven, will be God with us on a recreated earth. I applaud the clarity of the authors in declaring that we only go to heaven when forgiven by God by grace through faith in Christ.
By means of a caution, the authors of this book clearly write from one point of view regarding end times events and their order. This book presents a very standard, dispensational, pre-tribulational view of how the end times will work out. For some readers who have a differing eschatological view regarding the tribulation or the millennium, the lack of any acknowledgement of an alternative view in this work could be off-putting.
My recommendation of this work is cautious. I certainly believe that this book has much to recommend it regarding our need to think eternally and to actually look forward to and long for heaven. At the same time, the lack of mention of alternative views to some frequently debated positions such as dispensationalism and predestination leave me unimpressed. Obviously, a person who holds positions in agreement with the authors will likely enjoy this work. Those who disagree with the authors will struggle.
In general, I recommend Heaven by Randy Alcorn as a more thorough look at the afterlife. However, in fairness, Alcorn’s book is twice as long as Ingram and Witt’s, and thus it may not be an apples to apples comparison.
I received a free audio copy of this book from ChristianAudio.com as part of their reviewers program. As always, the audio quality of the product is excellent.
Daily Reading Note – 4/12/2016
Psalm 49:7-9 (ESV)
7 Truly no man can ransom another,
or give to God the price of his life,
8 for the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and never see the pit.
No ordinary man has the ability to ransom the life of another man. Why? The cost is too high. The need is too great. We lack both the value and the perfection.
This passage is a good look at the gospel mystery, hidden but present, in the Old Testament. The psalmist understood that our lives are in need of rescue. We all have earned death. The death that we have earned is because of the sin of humanity in general and our own in in particular. And none of us can say to God that we will give our lives in order to purchase the pardon of another.
Imagine two death-row inmates. Both are guilty of murder. One says to the judge, “Take me. Execute me. Let him live!” What would you expect the judge to say. If both men are guilty, if both are headed for execution, it makes no sense. The judge would have both executed, because that was the destiny and just punishment for both.
Or, how about another scenario? Two heads of state have warred. One captures the other and sentences him to death for his war crimes. Now, the guilty one says, “Instead of punishing me, here is a private in my military. He will stand in my stead.” The victorious leader would reject this offer, as the private is not nearly of a rank to purchase the pardon of a president or king.
What could serve as a sacrificial substitute? Only one who is of equal or greater value and only one who was innocent could serve as a sacrificial substitute. We see that in this psalm, and it points us to Jesus.
This helps me to consider better how to present the gospel, and I look forward to trying to share it with others.
Lord, thank you for Jesus and his perfect sacrifice. I ask that you will help me to live in gratitude for you and what you have done. I also ask that you give me the opportunity, quite soon, to share this with others.
Daily Bible Reading Notes – 4/11/2016
Mark2:28
“So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus is here making a pretty big claim. As the religious teachers were scolding his disciples for snacking on some grain on the Sabbath day—an act which was perfectly legal—Jesus begins to talk about the Sabbath. He first points out that David did something far more questionable when he ate day-old show bread. Jesus then pointed out to the religious leaders that the Sabbath was actually put in place for the good of man, man was not created to serve the Sabbath.
Here, Jesus was not attempting to say that the laws of God do not matter. Neither did he allow his disciples to break any of God’s actual laws. Though, for certain, Jesus did not require his disciples to submit to man-made, extra regulations.
At the end, however, is the amazing statement. Jesus, referring to himself as the Son of Man, claims to be lord of the Sabbath. That is a huge claim. As we read this Sunday in church, Genesis 2:1-3 describes God’s resting on the seventh day and his setting that day apart for man to rest. God is lord of the Sabbath. No man could claim this lordship. However, Jesus does. Yet again, Jesus claims equality with God. Logically, to claim equality with God is to claim to be God.
The application here is simple. We worship Jesus. He is God. He is lord over all the law, because he is the originator and giver of the law. He knows exactly what the law is for and to what the law applies. And, by his life, death, and resurrection, he perfectly fulfilled the law of God on behalf of those who come to him for grace.
Jesus, I worship you. I believe you to be God in flesh. I believe that you are lord over all rules and all law. You are King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray that you will help me to live to follow you faithfully, under your grace, for your glory.
Daily Reading Extra Notes – 4/10/2016
Deuteronomy 14:21
“You shall not eat anything that has died naturally. You may give it to the sojourner who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.”
This was an interesting one today. As God gave commands about how Israel could live, we get the verse above. Israelites were not allowed to eat any meat that died of natural causes. I’m not totally sure what that would say about road-kill deer, but that is a good way in the future from when the verse was penned.
OK, here is what I found interesting. God did not forbid the Israelites from giving that meat to those who were living among them but who were not Israelites. And God explains that the Israelites are to be holy to the Lord.
This is a really helpful verse as we consider some of the laws of the Old Testament about being clean or unclean. God was not saying that it was morally wrong to eat the meat of an animal that had died naturally. Nor was God declaring it to be dangerous or harmful. If he were, it would be sinful for the people to give such meat to their sojourning neighbors, as it would be cruel to allow them to give others something that is actually sinful or harmful.
Instead, note what God says is his reasoning. He forbids this stuff from Israel because he wants them to be holy, which means set apart or different. This is not about right or wrong. It is about different. It is about doing what God says, not because there is a big moral mandate about everything, but simply because God says so.
The application is pretty simple. The Lord is God. He has the right to make commands. We do not have to justify those commands. He is God. He has the right to tell us what to do. No matter how logical an alternative position to God’s commands may seem, if God has made the commands, they are right and perfect. He has the right to command that those who follow him look and act differently from others.
Lord, I thank you for your word here, even in a passage that sounds strange to me from this age. You have shown that you want your people to be different. You have every right to make such a command. I also thank you that you have chosen to call believers to follow you, but you have also declared all foods to be clean. You have chosen a new way for us to look different. Help me, I pray, to be set apart for your glory as you wish. Forgive me for the times when I have looked like the rest of the world. I pray that you will be glorified in my life and the lives of my family.
Pastor Travis Peterson 