April Quotes

Today I'm blogging for my online Bible study group. You can head over to our blog and check it out HERE. :) God bless.

God never denies us our hearts desire except to give us something better.

-E. Elliot

Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend. 

-Charles H. Spurgeon

Thou hast created us for Thyself, 

and our heart is not quiet until it rests in thee. 

-Augustine of Hippo

He who calls us must also equip, 

and extraordinary commissions require extraordinary endowments, 

which the Lord alone can impart.

-A.W. Pink

The great Lover of his children gives indefinitely, 

though he will not take from man his suffering 

until strength is perfected in weakness.

-George McDonald

Remember that thought is speech before God.

-Charles Spurgeon

Be careful how you spend your time: Spend your time in nothing which you know must be repented of; in nothing on which you might not pray for the blessing of God; in nothing which you could not review with a quiet conscience on your dying bed; in nothing which you might not safely and properly be found doing if death should surprise you in the act. 

-Richard Baxter

It was an easy thing to hold with Christ while the Prince and the world held with Him; but now the world hateth Him, it is the true trial who be His. Wherefore, in the name and in the virtue, strength, and power of His holy Spirit, prepare yourselves in any case to adversity and constancy. Let us not run away when it is most time to fight. 

-John Hooper

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety. 

-George Mueller

All of life is a calling, a vocation from the Lord. 

-Brian Borgman

We find comfort among those who agree with us—growth among those who don’t. 

-Frank A. Clark

You can’t stay mad at someone who makes you laugh. 

(That last one doesn't really have anything to do with Scriptural principles, but it's true, you know. ;)

The Courage and Faith of Caleb

I actually forgot to write a blog post yesterday. 

And I don't think I have ever done before. 

I finished reading Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua this week. These books include very familiar territory for me, as I've taught through them all  in my Sunday school within the past year.

I noticed Caleb's story more this time as I taught his story and as I read about him when I started into Judges. Once of the first times he is mentioned is when the 12 spies are commissioned by Moses to search out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). We know Caleb's from the tribe of Judah--the tribe from which Christ would later come--and he's the son of Jephunneh. Moses sent out the spies, and the majority of them came back terrified. Ten of them were sure they'd be devoured by the inhabitants. Two men had faith and clung to the promise that God would give them their Promised Land immediately, but they were rejected by their fellow Israelites. One of those two was Caleb. He tried to calm the people and persuade them to trust God, but they just decided to try and stone him (and Joshua) instead, thus sealing their consequence of wandering for 40 years in the desert. Caleb had faith in the yet-to-be-fulfilled promises. 

Because of his faith, he was one of the only two who were allowed in the Promised Land from that generation. "But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it." (Numbers 14:24) He feared and trusted the Lord fully. His fear was the opposite of the terrified fright of the Israelites, rather it was a reverence and courage in the God he had followed for so long. 

And now after the initial conquest of Canaan, we find Caleb again in Joshua 6. He steps out in faith to ask Joshua for his inheritance. He reviews the history of his life so far, reminding Joshua and the Israelites that though the previous generation had lacked faith in God, he had fully followed the Lord. He tells them that he has remained strong physically and spiritually, and that the Lord has kept him alive because of his faithfulness. So, before Joshua divides the rest of the land between the tribes, Caleb asks Joshua for the hill country called Hebron. Hebron was the first city they spied out, and it was later captured by Joshua. This place held much history for the Israelite nation, for Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were buried here. But not only were their forefathers buried here, but this place was now home to the Anakim's--a generation of "giants" known for their height and greatness, along with their intimidating presence. But Caleb wasn't afraid. He said, "give me this hill country...It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said" (Joshua 14:12). And he says this at 85 years of age.

And because of Caleb's courage, and because of God's promise to provide Caleb an inheritance for him and his children, the Lord granted him this land through Joshua. Joshua divided the land among the rest of the tribes and commanded them to destroy the remaining Canaanites, but most of them didn't. The Canaanites remain in the land in certain areas and plagued the Israelites and led them into false worship time and time again. But Caleb obeyed. He drove out the Anakim's and their descendants, just as he said he could because God was with him.

Caleb's faith, courage, and boldness was passed on to the next generation, for his daughter, Achsah, also exercised these traits when she asked her father for a portion of land. Caleb blessed her and gave her the land. Like father, like daughter. Caleb had chosen that his house would serve the Lord, and he lived it out, causing it to be passed on to the next generation. [Caleb's younger brother eventually became one of the judges who brought temporary peace to the Israelites (Judges 3:7-11).]

And though the writer of Hebrews "ran out of time" to list all those who lived by faith, I think Caleb is indirectly included in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11:27-40). He left Egypt by faith. He would have celebrated the first Passover, watched the Egyptians drown in the Red Sea, wandered the deserts and mountains, seen the walls of Jericho fall, and acknowledged Rahab's faith. He would have crossed the Jordan on dry land, and he would have been there when the sun stood still. He helped to conquer the kingdom of Israel. He enforced justice. He was a mighty man of war, and he put foreign armies to flight. And he obtained promises. The promise of the land of Canaan, and the promise of his inheritance. And he lived with the knowledge of a future Savior, a promise that he would not see fulfilled. But he was saved by faith. A faith that is assured of things hoped for, and has the conviction of things not seen. Caleb walked by faith, literally and figuratively.

   

Laws for a Lawless People

I covered Genesis 29-Numbers 8 in this week's reading. It was interesting to again read all the "rules" God laid out for His people. God didn't institute laws and commands for other people like He did for the nation of Israel. You come to the end of reading Exodus and Leviticus and you wonder if the Israelites had any time to "just live" with all the laws about restitution, slaves, social justice, Sabbath practices, feasts and fesitivals, temple building, endless sacrifices (I always wondered how they didn't run out of bulls, sheep, goats, and oxen!), offerings, clean and unclean animals, purification, sickness, atonement, relationships, diets, property, redemption, and numerous other categories.

Some of the first listed commands God gave His people was the night of the first Passover. He instructed them carefully on how to prepare the lamb and other food, and how to put the blood of the Lamb on the sides and top of the door if they wanted their firstborn spared from death. The Israelites obeyed these commands and their children were spared. But even though they saw the rewards of obedience many times, they also later found out the consequences of disobedience, for time and time again they turned from serving God to worship other gods.Yet, God chose them, an unruly people, and gave them His rules. He knew they couldn't keep them, but that showed them their dependency on God and paved the way for a needed Savior.

And in the middle of all the rules, you see the words "I am the LORD" or "because I am holy". The rules were given, not to hem them in unnecessarily, but to show the nation of Israel that they were set apart from the rest of the nations. They were called to be holy, as God was holy, because He chose them. Because He made them in the image of Himself. And though they defaced that image repeatedly, grace did come. The law showed them that they deserved to die--they could not keep the law even though their life depended on it. They were dead in their sin, but they had faith in God and looked for the day when the promise of their Savior would come. And He did, but not in their time.

The law was good, for it showed sin, but when Christ came, He fulfilled the law. That is why today we live under grace. Not grace to sin, but grace to become holy. That is why we're free from sin and death. That's where there is no condemnation. We've been released from the law, to live under grace. Grace binds us to a merciful God, not permitting sin, but destroying it, and holding us captive to the One who rescued us. We couldn't keep the law any more than the Israelites could, but we have a Mediator and a Savior who could and did. And He provided the life we needed to conquer the death of sin and be holy as He is holy.

Free from the law—oh, happy condition!

Jesus hath bled, and there is remission;

Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,

Christ hath redeemed us once for all.

Children of God—oh, glorious calling,

Surely His grace will keep us from falling;

Passing from death to life at His call,

Blessed salvation once for all.

But now are we released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

(Romans 7:6)

Generational Sin, but Generational Redemption

I completed reading through the Bible at the end of March, so now I'm back in Genesis. Perhaps one of the things I have noticed several times now, is the generational sin that was passed down through our very first parents.

Because God's image in us and our relationship with Him was marred by the sin of Adam and Eve, we, too, carry the curse of brokenness and disunity in all we do. And this time in Genesis I saw more clearly the pattern of sin repeated in generation after generation. We see the results of Adam and Eve's sin in their son, Cain, when he murdered his brother. And it appears that people lived in sin until Seth's son, Enosh, was born. Then the people again began "to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). After man increasingly multiplied on earth, God destroyed them and their wickedness with the Great Flood, saving only Noah and his family. The curse of sin traveled down through the generations, even with Noah and his sons, and people live in general paganism until God called Abram out from his land, promising him a greater blessing if he would follow God's leading. But even in Abram we see his lying about Sarai carried on to his son Isaac, who also lied about his wife in the same manner. Laban is known for his deceit, and his sister, Rebekah evidences her own abilites in trickery, as well. This in turn was passed down to Jacob, who lived a life of deception, demonstrated even by the meaning of his name ("deceiver"). Jacob's deception was carried down into his son's lives, and he reaped what he had sowed when his sons deceived him about his favorite son, Joseph.

And as the nation of Israel multiplied and moved out of Egypt to claim the Promised Land, we see the first generation continually complaining and grumbling against Moses and the Lord. This generation died, and the second generation crossed the Jordan to claim the Promised Land, but even they didn't obey God in removing the Canaanites from the land, as God had commanded. Really, it goes on and on, perhaps only breaking it's routine when godly kings, judges, and families return to the Lord. But overall, you see the broken fellowship with one another and broken relationship with the Lord God...the lack of faith, the disobedience, and turning away from God.

And yet, somehow and in someway, God calls out a specific nation and specific people and families to bear His name and carry it forward, despite the sin that defaces God's design for mankind. Because He chose a nation and because He set His name among them and promised to love them, He sent a Man to provide a way to restore all the brokenness. He sent a Restorer and a Repairer to bring healing to sin's curse. And the promise of this Savior also carried on through the generations, despite the generational sin. The Savior's line carried further and higher than sin could ever go, for it overthrew sin's power and hold on the generations past, present, and future.

It's our mission today to continue  to carry that Name through the generations. The Name above all names. The God-Man who brought redemption to a dying people, commissioned His followers to spread His message to the world, so that the sin every person is born with would have a way to be conquered. This is where the healing begins: when the Light meets the dark and when redemption collides with sin. 

The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice.

He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede;

then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.

The sun shall be no more your light by day,

nor for brightness shall the moon give you light;

but the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your glory.

Your sun shall no more go down, 

nor your moon withdraw itself;

for the Lord will be your everlasting light

and your days of mourning shall be ended.

(Isaiah 59:15b-16; 60:1-2, 19-20)