Theology Proper - Father - Adonaic Theology

Outline

  i.    Existence

1.    Natural theology – discovering the Creator in the creation

2.    The limits of natural theology

                                        ii.    Character

                                       iii.    Nature

                                       iv.    Spirituality

                                        v.    Gender

                                       vi.    Holiness

                                      vii.    Goodness

                                    viii.    Justice

                                       ix.    Infinity / Eternity

                                        x.    Immutability

                                       xi.    Sovereignty – the will of God

                                      xii.    Omnipotence

                                    xiii.    Omnipresence

                                    xiv.    Omniscience

                                      xv.    Wisdom

                                    xvi.    Transcendence

                                   xvii.    Immanence

                                  xviii.    Inconceivable

                                    xix.    Unknowable

                                      xx.    Providence

Knowing God

We frequently hear a common refrain: "My God is not like that." Even people who deny they have ANY religion have opinions about what God is like or not like.

Different religions are all around us—Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, Islam—and every religion has its own set of beliefs about God. As Adonaic Christians we believe in the God of Abraham, the God and Father of Jesus Christ. But who is he, and what is he like?

We’re going to go into the issues of misconceptions of God more fully at a later point so I don’t want to get into a whole lot of detail now. However some common opinions of what God is like would be.

God the cuddly grandfather
God the avenging judge
God the distant and uninvolved watchmaker
God the weak and needy
1,871 Americans who described themselves as “Christian” were interviewed. 25% of them indicated agreement with the following two phrases:

“everyone is god”
“god is the realization of human potential”

Although a core teaching of the Christian faith is the divinity and perfection of Jesus Christ, tens of millions of “Christians” do not accept that teaching. 22% strongly agree that Jesus Christ sinned when He lived on earth, with an additional 17% agreeing somewhat. 6% did not have an opinion.
38% of self-described “Christians” do not believe the Holy Spirit is a living being with a further 20% agreeing somewhat that the Holy Spirit is “a symbol of God’s power or presence but not a living force.”

In contrast to these wide ranging and hugely erroneous views, the prophet Isaiah provides comforting words that present a dramatic portrait of God.

a.    God is strong. (Isaiah 49:24-25)
b.    God strength establishes his rule – He is in charge. (Psalm 2:6-12; Isaiah 53:12; 59:16; Hebrews 2:14)
c.    God rewards. (Isaiah 62:11; Matthew 16:27; Luke 14:13-14; Hebrews 11:6)
d.    God comes bearing gifts. (Matthew 7:11 [cp Luke 11:13]; Luke 12:32; Romans 11:29; 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4, 9, 28; Ephesians 4:8)
e.    God is protective (Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 31:23; Psalm 146:9; Isaiah 49:14-15)
i.        He gathers lambs (Ezekiel 34:15-16; Matthew 18:12; Luke 15:4, 7)
ii.        Those He finds he carries (Isaiah 46:3-4; 63:7-9; Matthew 11:28)
f.     He understands there is a growth process (Isaiah 42:3 [cp Matthew 12:20]; Mark 8:17-18; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Hebrews 5:11-14)

How do Isaiah's questions encourage us to trust God? Let’s read Isaiah 40:12-14.

Isaiah 40:12-14 HCSB Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in scales? (13) Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or who gave Him His counsel? (14) Who did He consult with? Who gave Him understanding and taught Him the paths of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding?

Note the contrast between oceans and space; dust and mountains – God is aware of the low and high, the small and the great.

The words “measured”, “marked”, “gathered”, “weighed” not only indicate the completeness of God’s understanding but also that HE measures us – not the other way around. He is OUR judge – not vice versa.

The prophet is using irony here, for the Spirit of the Lord IS Wisdom.[1] The Spirit is the source of all knowledge. Anything we know we got from the Spirit so we can rest assured that if anyone in the know; if anyone is in control; it is God.

By the way, none of the masculine pronouns “he” or “him” appear in the original text but have been supplied by the translators as clarifiers. However, if we read the text as it appears in the original it reads:

Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or who gave counsel? (14) Who took counsel? Who gave understanding and taught the paths of justice? Who taught knowledge and showed the way of understanding?

Read that way it is oddly reminiscent of the questions God directed to Job. “Tell me again, Who created everything? Since you’re so smart remind me – Who taught who?”

Isaiah provided great comfort for Israel as they were held captive by the superpower Babylon. Read Isaiah 40:15-17. What comfort is there for Israel as they are held captive by the superpower Babylon?

Isaiah 40:15-17 HCSB Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales; He lifts up the islands like fine dust. (16) Lebanon is not enough for fuel, or its animals enough for a burnt offering. (17) All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are considered by Him as nothingness and emptiness.

Contrary to modern practice, truly righteous people adopt this attitude of themselves. Abraham considered himself dust and ashes.[2]

Bildad the Shuhite, though an uncompassionate counselor, was yet an elder in the nation of Israel and he held that compared to God a human is no more than a worm![3]

David also considered himself a worm in view of God’s glory.[4]

Apparently the Lord God agrees with this view for He said,

Isaiah 41:14 HCSB Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel: I will help you--the LORD's declaration. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.

It may seem strange to post-modern ears but this was intended to give us comfort and hope! Again and again we are told by the Lord, “I am with you. I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will hold on to you. I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand and say to you: Do not fear, I will help you. I WILL help you. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”[5]

It is by knowing who we are and who God is and by faith grasping the revelation that even though we are but dust and ashes, worms, quickly dying grass, and yet God loves us anyway[6] that we can fully appreciate grace.

When we come to realize that God is high above all seeming gods, high above all nations, supreme over all principalities and powers then we realize that we need fear only Him. Godly fear drives out all other fears.[7] However that same godly fear should compel us to holy and righteous living.

2 Corinthians 7:1 HCSB Therefore dear friends, since we have such promises, we should wash ourselves clean from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, making our sanctification complete in the fear of God.

Knowing Who and what God is; knowing that He is sovereign over the nations, should give us tremendous comfort. As empires have risen and fallen, two things have remained constant throughout human history: God and His people. In spite of all the attempts to destroy us, to sublimate us, to assimilate us, to seduce us and erase us…we remain. Why? Certainly not out of our own strength – for we are a small and weak people. I believe that God has chosen us precisely because in raising us, He gets all the glory![8]

As economies boom and crash, as markets become either bearish or bullish, as our investments or our mortgages rise and fall, rise and fall, we can rest in the stable hope that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He has made us His heirs.[9]

As wars rage and revolts explode, as man’s hatred for fellow-man is revealed in all its explicit and gory revulsion we can lay down at night with a centered calmness, our spirits floating like a leaf above the hurricane because nothing will touch us without our Father’s consent, and anything that is allowed through His shield will be strictly controlled so that it only accomplishes His will – our good.[10]

In comparison to the Living God, the idols of the rich and poor fare pretty badly. Listen to:

Isaiah 40:18-24 HCSB Who will you compare God with? What likeness will you compare Him to? (19) To an idol?--something that a smelter casts, and a metalworker plates with gold and makes silver welds for it? (20) To one who shapes a pedestal, choosing wood that does not rot? He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not fall over. (21) Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundations of the earth? (22) God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in. (23) He reduces princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth to be irrational. (24) They are barely planted, barely sown, their stem hardly takes root in the ground when He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind carries them away like stubble.

You could also consider reading Isaiah 44:9-19; 46:5-7; Jeremiah 10:1-16; Psalm 115:3-8 or 135:15-18 to see how the prophets compared Yahweh to the false gods of their day.

When confronted with the challenge that the Assyrian gods had made mincemeat of all the other country’s gods, King Hezekiah conceded the Assyrian allegations that none of the other gods had offered protection but explained that it was because they were not actually God.[11] As clear proof the Angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Sennacherib returned home with his tail between his legs and shortly thereafter was assassinated by his own sons.[12]

What kind of idols do we worship in our culture? We tend to worship pleasure, power, possessions, or people. Why? Why does worshiping idols often seem preferable to knowing the living God?

I believe that it is because it is easier to understand abstract concepts when you can look at a personified icon and say, ah ha! That is why the world behaves thusly. Such thinking has its pro's and con's, just like any other method. Idols provide a focus, a representation of a much larger concept. This opens up certain ways of thinking that might be closed otherwise, while at the same time closing paths that might have been left open

Can anybody think about something which has got no form? But can we truly realise the formless? To realise the formless one needs a form to look into it and make a relationship. Can we make a relationship with someone whom we cannot imagine or personify? If there is no personification and there will be no realisation.

For all those who pray the formless God, how can you think about the formless God and make a relationship? Are you thinking within your mind? The mind cannot think anything without a form.

Consider the following example of this problem.

Exodus 32:1-5 HCSB When the people saw that Moses delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us because this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt--we don't know what has happened to him!" (2) Then Aaron replied to them, "Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them to me." (3) So all the people took off the gold rings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. (4) He took the gold from their hands, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into an image of a calf. Then they said, "Israel, this is your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!" (5) When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; then he made an announcement: "There will be a festival to the LORD tomorrow."

Most commentators seem to think that the people of Israel were returning to the worship of one of the Egyptian gods in this incidence. I would like to beg to differ. Notice that they were not questioning the departure of God but of Moses. They were looking for some kind of visible figure head. If anything, Aaron should have been disappointed and angered in that no one seemed to consider him as a potential candidate. He was apparently considered less worthy than a metal lump!

Aaron seemed to be implying that the people would still be following Yahweh through the use of this external focal point when he said, “This is your God, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Not only did he identify the deity as the one who had just rescued them but the word he used for God was “Elohim”, the name always used for the one true God.

“Why is this distinction important?” you may ask. I think that it is important because it warns us of a much different and, to my mind, more dangerous and subtle form of idolatry. Most of us would instinctively shy from pagan idolatry. However, I am afraid that many “Christian” churches today get so focused on the external forms of their worship that they are no longer Ransomed.

We need to be aware of the danger of the cult of personality. No human should be the focal point of a church. No single spiritual gift should become so important that everyone’s salvation is judged by whether they speak in tongues or not.

We need to be cautious that the FORM of worship does not take precedence over the One worshipped. Whether our congregation is highly liturgical or free-wheeling and post-modern is irrelevant. Are we still worshipping Christ and obeying His teachings? There is only one standard, one Lord, one faith, one baptism.[13] Anything else is just so much cow dung.[14]

If we want form; if we want something visible; if we want something tangible to worship we should look to Jesus. He is the image of the invisible God.[15]

Some people view God as an uninvolved Creator who stands at a distance to watch his world. What does Isaiah 40:26 reveal about God's involvement?

Isaiah 40:26 HCSB Look up and see: who created these? He brings out the starry host by number; He calls all of them by name. Because of His great power and strength, not one of them is missing.

When talk about Jesus being the image of the invisible God; talk about God’s intimate involvement with His creation, what we are discussing is the doctrine of God’s “immanence.” “Immanence” literally means “to be within” or “near” in relation of creation. Immanence is balanced by the doctrine of “transcendence” and is closely related to God’s omnipresence.

Transcendence means literally to “climb across”. It is defined as “exceeding the usual limits.” When we speak of the transcendence of God we are talking about that sense in which God is above and beyond us. He is higher than the universe. He has absolute power over the universe. This universe has no power over Him. Transcendence describes God’s consuming majesty; His exalted loftiness. He is an infinite cut above everything else as Hashem Himself stated.[16]

This view of God does not preclude His involvement for immediately before Isaiah 55’s clear statement of God’s transcending wisdom He states in verses 6 and 7 that He can be found; there are times when He is near; He is emotionally involved and is willing to forgive those who are repentant.

How is this possible? God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are Spirit.[17] Unlike us, Adonai is not limited by time and space. He is not bound by a body. We are created in God’s image, fashioned according to His plan, and we have some of His characteristics (intelligence, compassions, a spiritual essence) but God the Father does not have hands, feet, a body. He is not confined to the space/time continuum.

Yet, God is also “immanent”. He exists in, and extends to all parts of the created world. When we say that God is immanent we are affirming that though He transcends the universe in many ways, His omnipresence allows Him to be simultaneously very close to us. Though God is great and far superior and different from us, He is also personal. He condescends (willingly lowers Himself) to be close to us and known by us. If it helps, consider a large man getting down on one knee so that he can speak to a child face to face.[18]

The balanced view is thus that God is always present within the universe but He is distinct from it. God is within the universe but is not bound by the universe. In fact, the universe is bounded by God for “In Him we live and move and exist.”[19]

[1] Deuteronomy 34:9; 1 Corinthians 12:8; Ephesians 1:17
[2] Genesis 18:27
[3] Job 25:5-6
[4] Psalm 22:6
[5] Isaiah 41:10-14
[6] Psalm 103:13-18
[7] Romans 8:14-15
[8] 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Isaiah 31:1, 4-5
[9] Psalm 50:10; Romans 8:16-18
[10] Job 1:9-12; 2:4-6; Jeremiah 2:9-11; James 1:2-3
[11] Isaiah 37:18-19
[12] Isaiah 37:36-38
[13] Ephesians 4:4-6
[14] Philippians 3:8 – Paul considered it all just “skubalon” (Strong’s #4657) i.e. dung or crap; for its use cp Isaiah 36:12; 1 Kings 14:10; 2 Kings 18:27
[15] Colossians 1:15
[16] Isaiah 55:8-9
[17] John 4:24
[18] Deuteronomy 4:5-7
[19] Acts 17:26-28; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Colossians 1:15-17; 1 Kings 20:23, 28; Psalm 113:4-9; 139:1-17; Ezekiel 20:32-37

Will We See God Or Not?

Question: I find the verses about no man can look upon God and live and again in John 1:18, 1 Timothy 6:16- 17, and Exodus 19:9, 21 and I seem to recall you saying that we will not see God in Heaven. Yet, in Numbers 12:8, Moses spoke face to face, seeing the form of God. Exodus 24:10 men DID see God and lived. Ezekiel 1:26 indicates the man sitting on the throne was God and he saw Him. How can this seeming discrepancy be explained?

not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God. He has seen the Father. - John 6:46 HCSB

The words of God the Father, God the Son, Paul and John are too clear, too unequivocal to be taken any other way than literally. No human has ever or will ever see God the Father in His full glory.[1] I say human because apparently the angels are capable of seeing God the Father.[2]

Since in several of the verses Christ is being quoted and since Christ is God and we see Him, obviously He was referring to the other aspects of the Trinity – God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In fact, He makes it clear that He is here to “explain” God the Father to us.

It was commonly understood by Old Covenant saints that to see God would bring death.[3] They expressed shock when they witnessed a visitation by God and survived. Yet survive they did![4] We see passages where humans saw God! Adam and Eve evidently were in the habit of walking with God at a certain time of the day.[5] Early in his ministry the Lord’s servant Moses was afraid to look at God.[6] Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel saw God, though they did not see God in the fullness of His glory.[7] Later, Moses would meet with God on Mount Sinai[8] and in spite of his initial trepidation, even ask to see God’s glory.[9] We are told that God had to take special pains just so Moses could see the receding edge of God’s glory without dying.

God’s revelation does not come with equal clarity to His servants. There may be oracles of the Lord that a prophet might not fully understand at the time; to him they may be riddles and mysteries.[10] But to Moses, God spoke with special clarity, as though face to face.[11]

King Nebuchadnezzar gives us a very good clue to our mystery when he looked into the fiery furnace into which he had just thrown the three amigos, Shadrach, Meschac and Abed-nego. There he saw a fourth person who looked to him like “a son of the gods!”[12] Nebuchadnezzar was speaking as a pagan polytheist and was content to conceive of the fourth figure as a lesser heavenly being (v.28) sent by the all-powerful God of the Israelites.

Ezekiel was also granted a vision of God. But you can sense him struggling with the words, trying desperately to describe something unspeakable. He admits to only seeing the “appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”. Again, he did not see God the Father in all His glory.[13]

So who are these people seeing, if they say they see God but God says that’s impossible? The only answer is the one that Christ Himself gave to the disciples when they asked to see the Father.[14] He said that to see Him was to see the Father. No one can know the Father without knowing the Son.

We must remember that God is Triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). To see one is to see the others. To know one is to know the others. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are invisible to us.[15] However, Christ is God incarnate – God in flesh.[16]

What these people witnessed, when they said that they “saw God,” was what is called a “theophany.” A theophany is an appearance of God in visible form, temporary and not necessarily material.[17] Such an appearance is to be contrasted with the incarnation, in which there was a permanent union between God and complete manhood (body, soul, and spirit). I believe that many times, however, what they were witnessing was pre-incarnate Christ. I know that Christ existed before His incarnation. After all, He said so Himself.[18]

I further believe that Christ became immanent long before His incarnation. I believe that it was through His immanency that the rest of the universe was created.[19] Before the creation of the universe, Triune God decided to make one aspect immanent – that is to say limited to a particular location. The Son of God volunteered for this position.[20] Though He was God, He didn’t feel He had to cling to certain aspects of His divinity. He shed those for our sake and became the first immanent object. Through Him were all things made and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Thus it was Christ who came walking in the Garden of Eden. It was Christ who “came down to look over the city and the tower (of Babel) that the men were building.”[21] Such an action would have been completely unnecessary for the omnipresent Father or Holy Spirit! It was Christ who found it necessary to go down to see if what the people of Sodom justified the cry that had come up to Him. He said “If not, I will find out” as if He wasn’t sure.[22] Since only the Son ever admitted to possessing limited knowledge[23] that indicates that Abraham was actually speaking to Jesus! This sheds tremendous light on Jesus’ statement to the Pharisees that “Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced.”[24] I believe that it was Jesus that Jacob wrestled with.[25] It was Jesus who came and loosed the bonds of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace.

The entire Bible is about the history of God’s interaction with man and He has consistently done it through Christ.

Romans 11:36 For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

[1] Exodus 33:20; Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 1:18; John 6:45b-46; 1 John 4:12
[2] Matthew 18:10
[3] Exodus 19:9, 21
[4] Genesis 16:13; 32:30
[5] Genesis 3:8
[6] Exodus 3:6
[7] Exodus 24:9-10
[8] Exodus 19:3
[9] Exodus 33:17-23
[10] 1 Peter 1:10-11
[11] Numbers 12:5-8; Deuteronomy 34:10
[12] Daniel 3:24-25
[13] Ezekiel 1:27-28
[14] John 14:6-9; Matthew 11:27
[15] 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16; John 4:24 cp Luke 24:39
[16] John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15
[17] Exodus 33:20 ff
[18] John 8:56
[19] John 1:1-5; Proverbs 8:22-31
[20] Philippians 2:6-7
[21] Genesis 11:5
[22] Genesis 18:21
[23] Mark 13:32
[24] John 8:56
[25] Genesis 32:24-30

Who Is God?

Today there is no agreed definition of "God," and ideas about him vary from person to person. Some view him as the soul of the universe. Others believe he is a kindly grandfather in the sky, or an absentee landlord who created the world and then went off to a celestial Acapulco.

People in Paul's day were just as confused about God. In Acts 17 Paul visits polytheistic Athens, the intellectual capital of the world. There he is given the privilege of speaking in the Areopagus, Athens' oldest and most prestigious institution: a Senate-like court with special jurisdiction in moral and religious affairs. Paul's crash course in basic Christian theism helps us to understand who God is.

The first question in your work book asks, “What are some common misconceptions people have about God?” I’d like to list eleven for you.

a.    God the teddy bear. God will always forgive my sins.

When the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah disregarded God’s warnings, God’s patience, after a long while, ran out and those evil cities were eternally destroyed.[1]

When the people of Noah’s day rejected God’s messages, the world was destroyed with a great flood.[2]

It doesn’t just happen to the unsaved. The people of Israel balked at crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. They said, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!”[3] They wished to die in the wilderness; God made their sin their ruin, took them at their word, and their carcasses fell in the wilderness.

When Moses lost his cool and ruined God’s show and tell lesson, Moses was kept from the Promised Land.[4]

It didn’t just happen in the Old Covenant. The Corinthian believers who were turning the Passover into a wild drunken party were made sick. Those who insisted on their “liberty” were killed.[5]

b.    God the vindictive thrower of lightning bolts. God can never forgive my sins.

God will certainly never leave the guilty unpunished[6] and God may allow the consequences of our sins to spill over to three to four generations. However, if we will only turn and obey Him, He ensures that the results will influence a thousand generations![7]

It is not up to us to decide whom God will or will not forgive. He is just as much an independent free-will agent as we are. He told us, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”[8]

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. And anyone who will repent of their sins will find a gracious and merciful Father.[9]

c.    God the problem solver. God will not allow any problems to occur in my life.

God is far more concerned with our character than He is with our comfort. He will purposefully introduce difficulties into our lives in order to test our hearts, humble us, discipline us, build character in us, or simply to glorify Himself by lending us strength and hope in the midst of our trials.[10]

d.    God the joyless party pooper. God is against all pleasure.

God’s first command to mankind was to have sex. [11] To say that He is against it is ridiculous. Having said that, sex is a powerful gift; one that can cut two ways. Within the right context it promotes intimacy and results in life. Experienced outside God’s healthful boundaries it will separate and may result in sickness and even death.

God also gave us wine – simply in order to make our hearts glad. He wants to give us good things that we can enjoy. But they must be enjoyed in moderation. The gift must never take precedence over the Giver.[12]

Jesus wants to give us good “pasture”. He wants us to fully experience life in all its abundance. The devil, who keeps telling us to “live it up” is actually wanting to destroy us.[13]

When we consider the lush biosphere that we enjoy, and view with awe the wonders of our universe, it is difficult if not impossible to conceive what our God has promised. The gifts God gives to His people will only keep on coming and get better and better. He is truly the generous “Good Giver.”[14]

e.    God the maker of perfect zombies. God will instantly make me perfect.

Those who expect this to be true will certainly not find any validation for their theory in the real world. There is certainly no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.[15] If we say, “we have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.[16]

The Teacher promised that those who seek righteousness will find themselves growing and improving over time.[17] As the sun first glimmers in the east and steadily increases until it has reached noontime splendor, so is the course of the tzaddik. His knowledge, purity and holiness will gradually increase and the light of his pious example will shine more and more. At long last he will be exalted by his God in the third heaven where he will shine in a blaze of pure joy.

The rasha on the other hand, though they may amuse themselves with many worldly baubles and be referred to as “stars” by Lowlander culture, will suffer a steady increase of thick, gloomy darkness; a compendium of ignorance, error, sin and misery, until at length their life will terminate in the blackness of eternal darkness and torment.[18]

Even the great Apostle Paul admitted his own sinful frailties. He struggled with understanding why he didn’t fully practice what he wanted to do. He confessed that he was unable to consistently do what was good.[19] Even at the end of his life he admitted that he had not reached his goal of maturity in Christ; but he was still trying.[20]

For this reason, not only because those around us are “works in progress”, but because WE ARE TOO, we should practice forbearing patience toward one another.[21]

f.     God the perfect nanny. God will keep me from all harm.

This idea is pushed primarily by the “health and wealth”-preaching charismatic groups. They teach that if only you will have enough faith, God will ensure you success in every endeavor, and perfect safety from all harm. Apparently, the Apostle Paul did not have sufficient faith, because he went through a whole HOST of troubles![22]

Apparently the Holy Spirit was mistaken to include suffering, poverty-stricken brothers and sisters in the Hall of Faith.[23]

God has different priorities than we do. He considers our faith to be a valuable commodity and He thinks it’s far more valuable than gold. Like gold, faith is refined in fiery trials. To seek a life of ease is to turn one’s back on faith; to turn one’s back on God’s values.[24]

g.    God the purveyor of gurus. God will instantly make my leaders perfect.

This is an excuse many people give for leaving the church and living lives that by and large disregard Hashem’smitzvoth. “I got burnt in church.” Or “There are too many hypocrites in church.” But this presumes that we are without sin too. The church never claimed to have perfect leaders. There is only One who is Good – and He holds an equal status with two other members of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit went to great lengths to help us choose the best, most principled leaders out of a bunch of degenerate sinners. Those qualifications are not only necessary to gain leadership in God’s “charaktocracy” but to keep that position.[25]

The early church was not only told to carefully examine the lives of those who were being considered as potential candidates for leadership, but to provide for their dismissal if they failed to continue in righteous living.[26]

h.    God the builder of fortress sanctuaries. God will not allow any vampires in His church.

This is a variation of “God the purveyor of gurus.” In this one, people stupidly believe that because their children are in a church Sunday school they are completely safe from predators. That is not the case. In fact, I believe that Satan introduces wicked people to the church (using their predatory instincts) specifically to destroy churches.[27] Because we are “sheep in the midst of wolves” we are in greater danger of attack – not less.[28]

This is also true about bad teachers; false prophets who are simply considering the pastorate as a means of personal gain or profit.[29] As we approach the end times, I believe that particular problem will get worse, not better.[30]

One of the principle reasons is that “we get the leadership we deserve.” If the people from who the leadership are chosen are corrupt, then the leadership will also be corrupt.[31] If the people (the pool), are interested in righteous living and do not tolerate sin, then they will choose wise leaders.

i.      God the finicky. God’s people should never hang out with Lowlanders.

This one is more popular among the “KJV only, hyper fundamental, so separated we are of no earthly good” types. These are the ones who are even too righteous for each other! It’s also a primary driving factor among such as the Amish and Quaker. But if it were true – if God wants us to be separate from Lowlander culture, then why did the Master Himself live and move among them?[32]

It wasn’t that Jesus simply went slumming to pass out tracts and then scuttle back to the relative safety of His white, middle class neighborhood. He didn’t simply try to save “the little black babies” all the while despising their parents. His enemies referred to Him as a glutton and a drunkard. [33] Because He was faced with all the same temptations as us yet without sin, we know their accusation was false. Yet the fact remains, He did like a good meal and He did drink alcoholic drinks and He remained “a friend of the untouchable.”

Having said that, there is a big difference between “hangin’ out” with, and lovingly ministering to sinners. Jesus never hesitated to put His finger right on our moral sore spots. And He always kept in mind the Father’s will and obeyed it fully.[34] He simply wasn’t “over-righteous” as Solomon put it.[35]

Besides, it would be impossible to fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission[36] if we were to remain completely separated from sinners! We not only need to go out among sinners but we need to tailor our approach to their proclivities so that we can be more effective witnesses.[37]

What’s really interesting to me is that the only clear and categorical statement on the issue of separation teaches that it is not the worldly Lowlanders from whom we must separate. It is from hypocrites who call themselves believers but live like their father the devil that we must separate.[38]

j.      God the blankie. God’s people will always feel close to God.

This error presumes that we will never sin, an obvious fallacy. When we sin, Holy God will separate from us – even if we are His children.[39] The fact that we are His children INCREASES the chance of this happening because He is our Father and will, like any good Father, discipline His children.[40] The Father even separated Himself from His only begotten Son when the Son became sin for us. How much more will He deal with our sins?[41]

k.    God as Miss Manners. God’s people should all talk like the Stepford Wives.

This usually is heard among the true “cultural Christians”; those who regard the Way as being strewn with rose petals and saturated in saccharin sweet speech. The Scriptures agree that we are to speak lovingly, but maintain that we must balance the graciousness with truthfulness.[42]

The prophet Isaiah warned against condoning sin in an effort to remain “united”. He said,

Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (21) Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight.

We all know that we can count on our truest friends to speak the truth to us – sometimes bluntly.[43] It is to enemies that we speak in an overabundance of care: witness the statements our presidents have made concerning the former Soviet Union, or Iran or Korea.

Those who push the “Stepford Wives” argument tend to have a burr under their saddle about “judgmental Christians”. Their favorite verse is:

Matthew 7:1-2 HCSB "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. (2) For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

But they fail to balance it with:

John 7:24 HCSB Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."

True believers are allowed to practice good judgment but it must not by hypocritical and it must be according to the truth.[44] We are not only allowed but encouraged to call out those who are wicked teachers.

John exposed the Pharisees as vipers.[45]
Jesus exposed the Pharisees.[46]
Paul exposed Jannes and Jambres.[47]

It is all right to “name names”.

Paul named Peter,[48] Demas,[49] Hymenaeus and Alexander,[50] Hymenaeus and Philetus,[51] Alexander the Coppersmith,[52] and Jannes and Jambres[53] publicly.
John named Diotrephes.[54]
Moses, Peter, Jude and John named Baalam.[55]
Nathan named David.[56]
Hanani named King Jehoshaphat.[57]

Believers are required to expose error and to oppose those who peddle it.

We are to MARK them and AVOID them.[58]
We are to SEPARATE from them.[59]
We are to KEEP AWAY from them.[60]
We are to REBUKE them.[61]
We are to REJECT heretics.[62]
We are to TRY them.[63]
We are NOT to RECEIVE them.[64]

Take a look at your second question. Why would the synagogue and the market place,[65] two very different venues, be logical places for discussions about God? The term used of what Paul was doing was “reasoned.” Although the word dielexato is frequently translated “reasoned,” “disputed,” or “argued,” this sense does not come from its classical meaning where it was used of philosophical disputation, including the Socratic method of questions and answers. There is no contextual evidence for this kind of debate. What was happening was the simple derasha or midrash that any qualified member of a synagogue or even a visiting rabbi might give. We see the Master doing the same thing during His stay on Earth.[66] Other examples may be found at:

As we saw in Acts 17:21, the Athenians loved to sit around and dispute about “new things”. Sounds kind of like the origins of Facebook to me: a whole lot of talk about nothing. Paul specifically spoke out against that type of thing.[67] Paul, a master debater and evangelist says we need to understand the following about wrangling over mere words, splitting hairs, delighting in casuistry, sophistry or polemics:

It is useless.
It leads to the ruin of those who listen to it.
It leads to the furtherance of ungodliness.
It ends up spreading like gangrene.
It will produce quarrels.

Christians should actually avoid controversies over foolish matters, because they realize they are “unprofitable”, “worthless” and give credence to those who say that Christians are constantly fighting and forming splits.[68]

A person who is“factious” is addicted to forming cliques, groups or parties (as in political parties – not the fun kind). They are seditious, divisive and characterized by contentiousness, self-seeking and reckless of the common good. Being divisive they have a party spirit and seem to delight in argument for argument’s sake. They foment intrigue and are marked by irreconcilable conflicts that are unrelated to sound doctrine, logic or even common sense. It may take a time or two before you realize what kind of person you are dealing with, but once you have you are commanded to have nothing more to do with their games. You do not want to participate in or encourage their sin.

So – going back to Acts 17:17, when we hear that Paul was going to the synagogues and the marketplaces, reasoning with people – we are not talking about the foolish type of soap box preaching some cultural Christians do today that is actually an embarrassment to the cause of Christ. Paul was using a common practice of his day’s culture and turning it to the good of the Kingdom.

Why the synagogue? The Apostle Paul had a great love for his racial kin. He wished that they might all come to realize that their long wait for the Mashiach’ had come to an end.[69] But he also realized that many of the racially Jewish people had rejected their rightful King and would continue to do so, but Hashem would use their stubbornness as a way to illustrate both His great mercy and His continued commitment to make Abraham a “blessing to ALL nations.”[70]

So, Paul would reach out to those in the synagogue first, and then when he was rejected (though not universally for it says “some worshipped God” or were “devout”) he turned to “Israel that was not Israel”, Goyim who were, like their spiritual ancestors Ruth and Rahab, willing to convert and turn to Yahweh Yeshua as their Savior/King.

Epicureans believed that pleasure is the chief end of life. Stoics emphasized that we should be rational and self-sufficient. How did these philosophers respond to Paul's preaching?[71]

The Epicureans were a well-known school of atheistic materialists, who maintained that the universe is the product of chance and that pleasure was the chief end of human existence – a principle which the more sober disciples of this school interpreted in a refined sense, while the sensual explained it in its courser meaning.

The Stoics were the followers of Zeno, an equally celebrated but opposite school of philosophy, essentially pantheistic, whose principle was that the universe was under the law of an iron necessity, the spirit of which was what is called the Deity; and that a passionless conformity of the human will to this law, unmoved by all external circumstances and changes, is the perfection of virtue. While therefore the Stoical was in itself superior to the Epicurean system, both were alike hostile to the Gospel.

They heard bits and pieces of Paul’s message and, though hostile and condescending, they invited him to the Areopagus and on the surface spoke civilly to the Apostle.

Why did they responded this way? Like many today, they were perfectly happy to entertain the possibility of multiple deities, multiple philosophical systems, even contradictory ideas, and include them in a synchretistic mishmash of spiritual, philosophical and intellectual odds and ends. They were the post-moderns of their day. There truly is nothing new under the sun.

The Ruach’ ha Kodesh gives us what their true purpose was in all their philosophical meanderings. The Spirit tells us their sole motivation was “telling or hearing something new.” As with many post-moderns, their hearts were not intent on discernment of truth. Their goal was self-aggrandizement (i.e. telling something new) or entertainment (i.e. hearing something new). Small wonder Paul warned Timothy,

2 Timothy 4:3-4 HCSB For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. (4) They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.

Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and made known the "unknown god",[72] stressing the following facts about God.

v. 24 There is a single ultimate God.
v. 24 That God is the origin of all things both heavenly (to the Stoics) and earthly (to the Epicureans).
v. 24 Though God is the origin of all things material, He is in fact Spirit and uncontainable. He is transcendent.
v. 25 This God is not only the source of material things, but also of life itself. He is El Ch’aim, the God of Life.
v.25 All our earthly works are insufficient
v. 26 He began humanity through one man.
v. 26 He is the founder of every nation, both Greek (they probably all nodded in sober agreement) and Barbarian (they probably started at this point and gave a small frown).
v. 26 God reigns supremely over all nations. He raises empires and casts them down.
v. 27 In view of His sovereignty, power and omnipotence we should seek a relationship with Him.
v. 27 D’vekut is not far from any man. God may be sovereign but He is also gracious and loving.
v. 28 God is not only transcendent, but He is also immanent and omnipresent.
v. 28 He considers Himself to be our Father. In Greek society that gave him the power and life and death over each of His children and allowed Him to even choose their career paths and spouses.
v. 29 We cannot put God in our mental boxes, regardless of the form we give those boxes. We must simply take Him as He presents Himself.

Paul’s statements seriously challenged the Athenian views about the gods. In typical Jewish Christian style, Paul informed them of the true God, of whom their idols were an ignorant reflection. In this bluntness he reflected the influence not only of his culture but of his Master.[73]

Make no mistake; Adonaic culture is about “demolishing arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God. It’s about taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.[74] We are to be so rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, that we are invulnerable to being taken captive through philosophy and empty deceit based on human tradition, based on the elemental forces of the world and not based on Christ.[75]

Epicureans – Atheistic materialists. In the Epicurean view, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship and living a virtuous and temperate life. Their founder lauded the enjoyment of simple pleasures, by which he meant abstaining from bodily desires, such as sex and appetites, verging on asceticism. He argued that when eating, one should not eat too richly, for it could lead to dissatisfaction later, such as the grim realization that one could not afford such delicacies in the future. Likewise, sex could lead to increased lust and dissatisfaction with the sexual partner.

To the Epicureans Paul pointed out that there is a Mind behind the matter; that the spiritual aspect is as critical in our personal formulas as the material. He showed them that our knowledge falls fatally short in contrast to an omniscient God. He demonstrated that it is not our pleasure that is of primary importance but God’s. Paul’s message was that salvation lies not in moderation but in total abnegation of human rights.

Stoics - The stoics considered destructive emotions to be the result of errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not undergo such emotions. Because of this, the Stoics presented their philosophy as a way of life, and they thought that the best indication of an individual's philosophy was not what a person said but how he or she behaved.

To the Stoics Paul preached that it was not about salvation by good works. We could never behave well enough to satiate the holiness of Yahweh Kadosh. It was not principally about a lifestyle but about a conversion experience.

Paul’s statements not only challenged the Athenian views, but also the principle modern misconceptions about God. To the atheists with their philosophy of scientific reductionism, Paul argues that there is far more to existence than may be perceived by man or man’s machines.[76] He reasons that values and ethics, though intangible, are real and effective because they reflect the underpinnings of the universe. They give us hints and clues. Where science answers what, where and when, God’s Way tells us how. Further, he warns that the values and ethics revealed in the Scriptures are perhaps even more crucial because they reveal WHY the universe functions as it does.

To the religious liberals, with their philosophy ofreligious pluralism, Paul throws out a challenge to demonstrate the proof of their so-called religiosity. With James, he states “Faith without works is dead.” He opposes their claim of multiple paths to a single Truth with “There is one God and one mediator between God and man; the man Christ Jesus.”[77]

Your seventh question asks, “What has God done so that people might seek Him?”[78] I offer four answers:

a.    God has left proof that we all came from one source. He left clues as to the singular origin of mankind. Paleoanthropology and mitochondrial population genetics agree with the Scriptures. Both approaches largely support the Recent African Origin model which states that all humans originated on the continent of Africa and migrated from there across the Sinai Peninsula, spreading out across the European and Asian continents. In Paul’s words “He has from one man made every nation of men.”

b.    He has left proof that He is transcendent. He told prophets hundreds of years in advance what kingdom would rise and how they would fall. We can never hope to “get one over on” God. He is in complete command of every situation, and we can prove that – archeologically, linguistically, lexically.

c.      He has left a deep imprint upon mankind – as Ecclesiastes puts it, “He has also put eternity in their hearts…”[79] Or as Paul said in Romans 1, there is truth in our hearts that must be suppressed.[80]

d.      He has demonstrated He is the one universal God. He is no mere local deity. No one escapes this call. The call Hashem has upon our lives is an active, disturbing one. Again we know this because we see that every nation, regardless of their technological advancement, believes certain fundamental truths:

1) There is life after death;

2) what we do in this life affects the next life;

3) there is some kind of supernatural force or forces to whom we must answer;

4) there is an absolute standard of morality by which we are being judged.

e.    He has left a spark of His personality and creativity in us. He has left traces of art, poetry and music for which value cannot be determined from a materialistic, evolutionary standpoint. What would mere genes, driven by an irresistible drive to procreate, care for art, poetry, music or philosophy? These exist to show us that “we are His offspring”.

Finally, Acts 17:30-31 helps us understand Paul’s distress about idolatry[81] and his motivation to proclaim the true God if we compare that to his Lycaonian experience[82] and his own personal experience of conversion. He had been tremendously zealous in his religiosity. Unfortunately his zeal was only matched by his ignorance and he did a lot of damage as a result.

In Lycaonia, he saw how people were ready to worship other humans and how quickly they turned from worship to murderous rage. Now he sees the same religiously ignorant zeal again. You can imagine where his mind was going!

Further, he knew that though God is patient, Elohim would not fail to punish evil doers. Now God commands all people everywhere to repent. Those that fail to recognize this fundamental truth will be as surely crushed as the wicked people of Sodom.[83]

As the Psalmist put it, “Pay homage to the Son, or He will be angry, and you will perish in your rebellion, for His anger may ignite at any moment.”[84]

[1] Genesis 19:12-13
[2] Genesis 6:5-7
[3] Numbers 14:2
[4] Numbers 20:12
[5] 1 Corinthians 11:29-30
[6] Nahum 1:3
[7] Exodus 20:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:9-10
[8] Exodus 33:19
[9] Ezekiel 18:21-24, 32
[10] Deuteronomy 8:2-3; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; John 9:1-3; 1 Peter 4:12-13
[11] Genesis 1:28
[12] Psalm 104:14-15; Romans 14:16-18
[13] John 10:9-10
[14] 1 Corinthians 2:9; James 1:5
[15] Ecclesiastes 7:20
[16] 1 John 1:8
[17] Proverbs 4:18
[18] Romans 1:21-32; Jude 1:10-13
[19] Romans 7:15, 18
[20] Philippians 3:12-13
[21] Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Colossians 3:13
[22] 2 Corinthians 11:24-26
[23] Hebrews 11:35-40
[24] 1 Peter 1:6-7
[25] 1 Timothy 1:15-16
[26] 1 Timothy 5:19-20
[27] Matthew 13:25; 1 Peter 5:8
[28] Matthew 10:16
[29] Matthew 24:11; Acts 20:29-31; Philippians 3:18-19; 2 Peter 2:1; Jude 1:10-13
[30] 2 Timothy 3:13
[31] 2 Timothy 4:3-4
[32] Matthew 9:11; Mark 2:16
[33] Matthew 11:18-19; Luke 7:33-35
[34] Luke 5:30-32
[35] Ecclesiastes 7:16
[36] Matthew 28:18-20
[37] 1 Corinthians 9:22-23
[38] 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
[39] Psalm 42:1-3; 63:1
[40] 1 Peter 4:17
[41] Mark 15:34
[42] Ephesians 4:14-15
[43] Proverbs 27:6
[44] Matthew 7:3-5
[45] Matthew 3:7
[46] Matthew 12:34; 23:3, 15-17, 27, 33
[47] 2 Timothy 3:8
[48] Galatians 2:11-14
[49] 2 Timothy 4:10
[50] 1 Timothy 1:18-20
[51] 2 Timothy 2:17
[52] 2 Timothy 4:14-15
[53] 2 Timothy 3:8
[54] 3 John 1:9-11
[55] Numbers 25:1-3; 31:14-16; 2 Peter 2:15-16; Jude 1:10-11; Revelation 2:14
[56] 2 Samuel 12:7
[57] 2 Chronicles 18:1; ; 19:2; 21:1-6
[58] Romans 16:17; 2 Timothy 3:5
[59] 1 Corinthians 5:9-11
[60] 2 Thessalonians 3:6
[61] Titus 1:13
[62] Titus 3:10
[63] 1 John 4:1
[64] 2 John 1:10-11
[65] Acts 17:16-34
[66] Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:21
[67] 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:14-17, 22-26
[68] Titus 3:9-11
[69] Romans 9:1-8
[70] Romans 11:7-11
[71] Acts 17:18-21
[72] Acts 17:22-29
[73] John 3:9-10; Matthew 16:9-11; Mark 4:13
[74] 2 Corinthians 10:5
[75] Colossians 2:7-8
[76] John 3:8
[77] 1 Timothy 2:3-6
[78] Acts 17:26-28
[79] Ecclesiastes 3:11
[80] Romans 1:18-19
[81] Acts 17:16
[82] Acts 14:15-18
[83] Jude 1:5-7; Hebrews 2:1-3; 12:25
[84] Psalm 2:6-12

Will We See God?

…not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God. He has seen the Father. - John 6:46 HCSB

The words of God the Father, God the Son, Paul and John are too clear, too unequivocal to be taken any other way than literally. No human has ever or will ever see God the Father in His full glory. (Exodus 33:20; Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 1:18; John 6:45b-46; 1 John 4:12) I say “human” because apparently the angels are capable of seeing God the Father. (Matthew 18:10)

Since in several of the verses mentioned in the first paragraph, Christ is being quoted and since Christ is God and He was seen by humans - obviously He was referring to the other aspects of the Trinity: God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. In fact, He makes it clear that He is here to “explain” God the Father to us.

It was commonly understood by Old Covenant saints that to see God would bring death. (Exodus 19:9, 21) They expressed shock when they witnessed a visitation by God and survived. Yet survive they did! (Genesis 16:13; 32:30) We see passages where humans saw God! Adam and Eve evidently were in the habit of walking with God at a certain time of the day. (Genesis 3:8) Early in his ministry, the Lord’s servant, Moses, was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:6) Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders of Israel saw God, though they did not see God in the fullness of His glory. (Exodus 24:9-10) Later, Moses met with God on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:3) and in spite of his initial trepidation, even asked to see God’s glory. (Exodus 33:17-23) We are told that God had to take special pains just so Moses could see the receding edge of God’s glory without dying.

God’s revelation does not come with equal clarity to His servants. There may be oracles of the Lord that a prophet might not fully understand at the time; to him they may be riddles and mysteries. (1 Peter 1:10-11) But to Moses, God spoke with special clarity, as though face to face. (Numbers 12:5-8; Deuteronomy 34:10)

King Nebuchadnezzar gives us a very good clue to our mystery when he looked into the fiery furnace where he had just thrown the three amigos, Shadrach, Meschac and Abed-nego. There he saw a fourth person who looked to him like “a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:24-25) Nebuchadnezzar was speaking as a pagan polytheist and was content to conceive the fourth figure as a lesser heavenly being (v.28) sent by the all-powerful God of the Israelites.

Ezekiel was also granted a vision of God. But you can sense him struggling with the words, trying desperately to describe something unspeakable. He admits to only seeing the “appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord”. Again, he did not see God the Father in all His glory. (Ezekiel 1:27-28)

So who are these people seeing, if they say they see God but God says that’s impossible? The only answer is the one that Christ Himself gave to the disciples when they asked to see the Father. (John 14:6-9; Matthew 11:27) He said that to see Him was to see the Father. No one can know the Father without knowing the Son.

We must remember that God is Triune (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). To see one is to see the others. To know one is to know the others. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are invisible to us. (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16; John 4:24 cp Luke 24:39) However, Christ is God incarnate – God in flesh. (John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:15)

What these people witnessed when they said that they “saw God,” was what is called a “theophany.” A theophany is an appearance of God in visible form, temporary and not necessarily material. (Exodus 33:20ff ) Such an appearance is to be contrasted with the incarnation, in which there was a permanent union between God and complete manhood (body, soul, and spirit). I believe that many times, however, what they were witnessing was pre-incarnate Christ. I know that Christ existed before His incarnation. After all, He said so Himself. (John 8:56)

I further believe that Christ became immanent long before His incarnation. I believe that it was through His immanency that the rest of the universe was created. (John 1:1-5; Proverbs 8:22-31) Before the creation of the universe, Triune God decided to make one aspect immanent – that is to say limited to a particular location. The Son of God volunteered for this position. (Philippians 2:6-7) Though He was God, He didn’t feel He had to cling to certain aspects of His divinity. He shed those for our sake and became the first immanent object. Through Him were all things made and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Thus, it was Christ who came walking in the Garden of Eden. It was Christ who “came down to look over the city and the tower (of Babel) that the men were building.” (Genesis 11:5) Such an action would have been completely unnecessary for the omnipresent Father or Holy Spirit! It was Christ who found it necessary to go down to see if what the people of Sodom were doing justified the cry that had come up to Him. He said, “If not, I will find out,” as if He wasn’t sure. (Genesis 18:21) Since only the Son ever admitted to possessing limited knowledge (Mark 13:32), this indicates that Abraham was actually speaking to Jesus! This sheds tremendous light on Jesus’ statement to the Pharisees that “Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced.” (John 8:56) I believe that it was Jesus that Jacob wrestled with. (Genesis 32:24-30) It was Jesus who came and loosed the bonds of the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace.

The entire Bible is about the history of God’s interaction with man and He has consistently done it through Christ. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36 HCSB)

God's Glory

Charles Spurgeon once said: "The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God is the name. . . of the great God whom he calls his Father." God's names in Scripture are more than labels—they are revelations of his covenant character. As God proclaims his name, we come to know him more intimately.

This story in Exodus 33 narrates a slice of Moses' unique experience as a prophet of God. He has pleaded with God to spare the people and continue his support and presence among them. Elated by God's answer, Moses asks to see God's glory. When God appears, Moses sees only his "back" not his "face," but he hears words of definitive self-revelation. These words reveal the nature of the God we worship.

1. What is the difference between being acquainted with someone and really knowing that person?

Acquaintances will barely open the door for you. Real friends will be there when you need them, not just when it’s convenient.
Acquaintances will shy away from you as soon as you become a social liability. Real friends will love you even when your life or your appearance is a mess.
You can have a good time with them, but you can’t have a good cry with them.
An acquaintance you might say “I know them.” But you could say of a real friend “They know ME.”
They might be someone you would say hi or have a social time with but they would not be someone you would get into a deep, intimate conversation with.
Acquaintanceship is usually built on points of commonality. They’re usually a lot like us on the surface. Friendship can exist even when you have differences of opinion. Many times outsiders will look at two friends and shake their heads in confusion. “What do they see in each other?” They ask.
Acquaintances are usually limited to group encounters or public settings. Friendship is usually more private and intimate.
Acquaintances judge you on surface issues (clothes, tattoos, club you belong to). Friends judge you on your character and your belief system.
Acquaintances you can have a polite conversation with. Friends you can get rude or crude with and they’ll love you anyway.
With acquaintances you share gossip. With friends you share secrets.
With acquaintances you have to always worry about where your communication will go. You can share secrets with friends with no fear of it being spread around.
You can usually have a LOT of acquaintances but usually only a few real friends.

The challenge I want to give you is “Based on these criteria” how good a friend is God to you?” God frees us from our enemies.[1] God died for us even though we were sinners.[2] He is concerned about us and tracks every tear we shed.[3] He knows every detail about us and loves us anyway.[4] He is willing and able to tell us the hard truths we need to hear.[5] Though we are puny He is willing to elevate us.[6] Though we are sinful He is willing to make us holy.[7] He likes to spend time with us. He is willing to meet with us privately.[8] He sees beyond our outward appearance. He is not put off by our physical or mental shortcomings.[9] He has no problem fellowshipping with down and outers.[10] He is willing to share His counsel with those who fear Him. He will rescue them, turn toward them and be gracious to them. He reveals His covenant to them.[11] He always loves and supports what is right and His love is unfailing.[12] Though all our human friends may turn against us, if we maintain our integrity and righteousness, God will never forsake us.[13] What a truly great Friend we have in Yahweh!

Psalms 55:22 HCSB Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will support you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Now – based on the same criteria, how good a friend are you to God? Are you an acquaintance or a real friend?

2. Read Exodus 33:12-23. In Exodus 33:3 the Lord threatens not to go with the people into the Promised Land because of their wickedness. How does Moses respond? (Exodus 33:12-13)?

Exodus 33:12 HCSB Moses said to the LORD, "Look, You have told me, 'Lead this people up,' but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.'

Look. Consider Hashem’s command in Exodus 32:34 and note that it began with “see” (hinneh; pronounced hin-nay; Strong’s #2009; demonstrative particle). It means “look, notice, see, take note, consider, pay attention to or beware.” Moses is reminding the Lord of that command. In view of 32:34 I believe the punctuation of this passage should read “’Look’, you told me, ‘Lead this people up…’” Moses quoted God’s promise back to Him.

You have not let me know whom. Moses was unsatisfied by anything but God Himself.[14] Up to now the Christophany had been leading them. If Hashem was to leave them, even if it were in the hands of a holy angel, Moses was going to be at a loss. Our brother had learned to cherish the Giver over every potential gift.

Exodus 33:13 HCSB Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight. Now consider that this nation is Your people."

Teach me Your ways. The prayer uses the Hiphil imperative of the verb “to know.” Cause me to know” is “show me, reveal to me, teach or inform me.” Moses wanted to know more of God’s dealings with people, especially after all that has happened in the preceding chapter. It could be understood thus: Show me:

1.    how you deal with humans
2.    your purpose and will concerning me and your people
3.    the method you will choose to fulfill your promises
4.    the course you would have me take
5.    how I should conduct and lead your people.

Consider David’s requests. He too asked the Lord to make His ways known; to be taught the paths of righteousness; to be given an undivided mind on the matter; to have the meaning of God’s statutes revealed.[15] Isn’t it interesting that these two men, one who was referred to as “God’s friend” and the other “a man after God’s own heart” both repeatedly made this request?

Now consider this nation is your people. The verb “see” (an imperative) is a request for God to acknowledge Israel as His people by providing the divine leadership needed.[16] So his main appeal will be for the people and not himself.[17]

What magnificent hubris! Yet Moses has spent enough time with the Lord to know His mind. He would later write,

Deuteronomy 4:33-35 HCSB Has a people ever heard God's voice speaking from the fire as you have, and lived? (34) Or has a god ever attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of another nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? (35) You were shown these things so that you would know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides Him.

He knew the Lord’s intent and was determined to join in those efforts. Later generations were also told that if they prayed according to God’s will, that their prayers would be positively answered[18] but Moses knew that truth thousands of years before the rest of us.

3. Why is Moses so concerned about God's Presence with Israel (Exodus 33:14-16)?

Exodus 33:14 HCSB Then He replied, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Presence.

The presence of God is the presence of power.[19]

The presence of God is the presence of victory.[20]

All true authority is delegated from the presence of God.[21]

Exodus 33:15 HCSB "If Your presence does not go," Moses responded to Him, "don't make us go up from here.

Don’t make us go up. Moses understands that victory is impossible without the sanctifying presence of the Lord.[22]

These were a people habituated to submission by generations of slavery. These were no warriors yet. They were barely able to handle freedom much less defend it! Oh that all of Adonai’s people would read and learn. We must have the Lord’s presence and blessing in our lives or we face nothing but defeat and sorrow. If we cannot go forward with His blessing, let us not go forward. Even the promise of rest falls short of the blessings of the presence of the Name.

Exodus 33:16 HCSB How will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight unless You go with us? I and Your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth."

Distinguished by this. We are made wonderful, or eminent or glorious above all other peoples– not by our own merit but by the presence and favor of Yahweh. [23]

Titus 3:5 HCSB He saved us--not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

4. Why is it important today as well as then for God's Presence to be the distinguishing mark of his people?

He is the source of Light and life.[24] Dust and distance dim our view of the stars. Sin and spiritual distance dim our view of God and keep His life-bringing light from shining on our lives.

Outside the camp may be disgrace but that’s where salvation is.[25]

God’s presence means victory.[26]

but…

Joshua 5:13-14 HCSB When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?" (14) "Neither," He replied. "I have now come as commander of the LORD's army." Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, "What does my Lord want to say to His servant?"

It’s interesting how everyone wants God and his church to support their views or needs while criticizing the church’s supposed support of the status quo. The established culture wants Christianity to give its blessing to, and the church to act as chaplain of the status quo. Subcultures take issue with this and commonly regard the Church as a tool of the “establishment”, soundly criticizing the Church for failing to support their chosen views. So apparently they would welcome the Church’s blessing if THEY were the status quo.

For example, Marxists may resent the Church for not supporting their ideology. Similarly, the typical right-winger may dismiss the suggestion that the Scriptures do not necessarily support laissez-faire capitalism! But Adonai is on neither side. He does not choose sides. He just IS. We must choose whether or not we are on HIS side.

We must be willing to admit His absence. A wealthy man lost all he had. He was so greatly ashamed of being poor that he informed no one of his situation, and eventually died of malnutrition. The local tzaddik consoled the ashamed townspeople: “That man did not die of starvation, but of excessive pride. Had he been willing to ask others for help and admit to his situation, he would not have died of hunger.”

Revelation 3:17-19 HCSB Because you say, 'I'm rich; I have become wealthy, and need nothing,' and you don't know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked, (18) I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, and white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. (19) As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be committed and repent.

5. What does it mean that God knows Moses by name (Exodus 33:12, 17)?

Exodus 33:12 HCSB Moses said to the LORD, "Look, You have told me, 'Lead this people up,' but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.'

I know you by name. That is, “chosen you”.[27] I know you distinctly and familiarly. Your name is written in My book.[28] The term here connotes approbation and affection.[29]

The verb “to know” here translates the Hebrew word “yada” (Strong’s #3045) and can connote not only mere perception but also to also make one’s self known or to reveal one’s self. It is an extremely passionate, intimate word. In fact it is also used in the carnal sense (i.e. “he knew his wife and she conceived”). Hashem knows us better than we know ourselves. Our innermost being is fully revealed to Him. Solomon wrote:

Proverbs 20:27 HCSB A person's breath is the lamp of the LORD, searching the innermost parts.

Note: I disagree with the HCSB team’s decision to render this “breath.” The Hebrew term it is supposed to represent is נִשְׁמַת (nishmat), which is a feminine noun in construct. This is what God breathed into humanity at creation (Genesis 2:7) and differentiates us from animals. It is the inner spiritual part of human life that constitutes humans as spiritual beings with moral, intellectual, and spiritual capacities.[30]

Hebrews 4:12-13 HCSB For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart. (13) No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

This is why we should be primarily concerned about our inner beauty.[31]

You have found favor in my sight. Clearly, the fact that Moses was standing in the very presence of Yah without being destroyed indicated that favor had been extended.

Exodus 33:17 HCSB The LORD answered Moses, "I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name."

I will do this very thing. Yahweh Yireh has a reputation for granting requests to those who trust His provision. He has granted security.[32] He has granted the gift of a child.[33] He is willing to generously grant wisdom to those who ask in faith.[34]

Apparently faith, stability, decisiveness and righteousness go hand in hand and together bring great influence with God. This is what Moses was seeking.[35]

For you have found favor. As did Noah,[36] Abraham,[37] Lot,[38] now Moses,[39] later Gideon.[40] What is the common characteristic of each of these? Humble obedience. This trait characterizes each man (in spite of their individual sins and peccadilloes) as a ch’asid.

6. What will it mean for Moses to know God by name (Exodus 33:18-22)?

Exodus 33:18 HCSB Then Moses said, "Please, let me see Your glory."

Then Moses said. The Hebrew reads “and he said”; the referent (Moses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

Let me see Your glory. Moses now wanted to see the glory of Yahweh, more than what he had already seen and experienced. He wanted to see God in all his majesty.[41]

The LXX chose to translate glory in Exodus 33:18 without a word for “glory” or “honor”; instead they used the pronoun seautou, “yourself” – show me the real You. God tells him that he cannot see it fully, but in part. It will be enough for Moses to disclose to him the reality of the divine presence as well as God’s moral nature (cp “my goodness” in v.19). The glory refers to God’s majesty, might, and glory, as manifested in nature, in his providence, his laws, and his judgments. It would be impossible for Moses to comprehend all of the nature of God, for there is a boundary between God and man. But God would let him see his goodness, the sum of his nature, pass by in a flash.

Consider Moses’ request in view of what things He had already seen:
1.    He was the sole witness of the burning bush where he was obliged to remove his shoes due to the sanctifying presence of the Lord.
2.    He had personally participated in all the splendorous miracles performed in Egypt.
3.    He had daily access to the tent of meeting where he stood in the very presence of God and spoke face to face with the Lord as to a friend.
4.    Along with Aaron and the Israeli nobles he had eaten in Hashem’s presence without harm.
5.    He had been up on Mt. Sinai for forty days where there were such thundering, lightning and earthquakes and sounds of trumpets that the people feared for Moses life!

That such a man would long for ever more is instructive. Once we have truly tasted of the Lord, we will never be fully satisfied with anything less.

Why do you think Moses desires this so much?

Names hold power in the Bible.[42] They come with inherent promises.[43] The idea is that to know someone’s true name is to hold some influence with them.[44] This is why it is so crucial that we carry the Name well and that we proclaim it to all people.[45]

The “name of Yahweh” refers to his divine attributes revealed to his people, either in word or deed. What will be focused on first will be his grace and compassion.

7. In what ways can we demonstrate our desire to know God?

  We can:

Seek to establish regular time with Him.
Read His love letter regularly and with kavanah.
Obey what we discover.
Conform ourselves to Him. Admire what He admires. Hate what He hates. Pursue His goals for the world single-mindedly and whole-heartedly.
Love and fellowship with His family.

8. God places limits on the extent of his self-disclosure because no one may see God and live (Exodus 33:19-23). Why do you think this is so?

Exodus 33:20 HCSB But He answered, "You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live."

Sometimes a negative statement takes the place of a conditional clause; here it is equal to “if a man sees me he does not live”.[46]

Exodus 33:23 HCSB Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen."

My face will not be seen. The Niphal imperfect could simply be rendered “will not be seen,” but given the emphasis of the preceding verses, it is more binding than that, and so a negated obligatory imperfect fits better: “it must not be seen.” It would also be possible to render it with a potential imperfect tense: “it cannot be seen.”

John 1:18 HCSB No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son--the One who is at the Father's side--He has revealed Him.
1 John 4:12 HCSB No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in us and His love is perfected in us.

The following four questions are left open to the students to answer and are not explicitly dealt with in the text.

9. Read Exodus 34:1-8. God told Moses to bring the stone tablets with him to the mountain (Exodus 34:1-4). How were the Ten Commandments a partial answer to Moses' request in Exodus 33:18?

10. In Exodus 34:6-7 the Lord passes in front of Moses. How is God's goodness revealed in each attribute he mentions?

11. In what ways does God reveal his goodness and glory today?

12. In response to God's glory, Moses worships (Exodus 34:8). Take a few minutes to worship God for his presence, goodness and glory.

[1] 2 Samuel 22:49
[2] Romans 5:8
[3] Psalm 56:8
[4] Psalm 139:1-17
[5] Psalm 39:4
[6] Psalm 8:3-6
[7] Isaiah 6:5
[8] Matthew 6:6; Genesis 32:24
[9] 1 Samuel 16:6-7; Matthew 23:28
[10] Matthew 9:10-11; 11:19
[11] Psalm 25:14-16
[12] Psalm 33:4; Proverbs 11:13
[13] Psalm 41:9-10; 55:12-17
[14] Hebrews 11:24-27
[15] Psalm 25:4; 27:11; 86:11; 119:33
[16] Deuteronomy 9:29; Isaiah 63:8-10
[17] Deuteronomy 9:24-27; Joel 2:17
[18] 1 John 5:14-15
[19] Deuteronomy 4:37; Isaiah 63:11-12
[20] Numbers 32:20-22
[21] 1 Samuel 10:25
[22] Joshua 21:44; 23:1; Psalm 95:10-11
[23] Exodus 34:10; Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 4:6-8, 34; 2 Samuel 7:23; 1 Kings 8:23; Psalm 147:19-20
[24] John 1:4-5
[25] Hebrews 13:11-13
[26] Joshua 1:3, 7; 6:2
[27] Jeremiah 1:5; 1 Peter 2:9-10
[28] Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 56:8; 87:5-6; Isaiah 43:1; 49:1; Philippians 4:3 cf Psalm 69:28; Matthew 7:21-23
[29] Psalm 1:6
[30] Proverbs 23:16 (expressed positively); Jeremiah 13:17 (expressed negatively)
[31] 1 Peter 3:4
[32] Genesis 19:20-21
[33] 1 Samuel 1:20
[34] James 1:5-8
[35] James 5:16
[36] Genesis 6:8
[37] Genesis 18:3
[38] Genesis 19:19
[39] Exodus 33:12-13, 16; 34:9
[40] Judges 6:17-18
[41] Daniel 2:22; 1 Timothy 6:16; Revelation 1:16-17 cp Exodus 24:10; Revelation 22:3-5
[42] Malachi 1:11, 14; 2:2
[43] Genesis 12:2; 17:5, 15; 32:28; Isaiah 62:2, 12; Revelation 2:17
[44] Genesis 32:29; Psalm 91:14-16; Romans 10:13; 1 Corinthians 6:11
[45] Matthew 28:19; Acts 9:15
[46] Genesis 32:30; Deuteronomy 4:33; 5:24-26; Judges 6:22; 13:21-23; Isaiah 6:5

The Father and the Son

"No one may see me and live," the Lord said to Moses. "No one has ever seen God," John echoes in his Gospel. "Whom no one has seen or can see," says Paul. Yet how can we relate to an invisible God? We cannot see Him or touch Him. Is He listening? Is He even there? At times we feel as though we are talking to ourselves!

At the Last Supper, on the night of His betrayal, Jesus told His disciples He was returning to the Father. He explained His gracious purpose in going there. Then He made a bold and startling claim: the invisible God had become visible. We can see Him if we know where to look. We can come to Him if we know the way. It is vital for us, as it was for those disciples, to grasp what Jesus is saying.

1. What are some of the difficulties you experience in relating to an invisible God?

Our minds were built to create pictures; four dimensional maps of our environment. Even in our sleep our brains take the random firings of neurons, the chaotic connection between synapses, and try to stitch them together into coherent story lines – dreams. When we approach something we cannot conceive our minds tend to balk. They tend to shy away from what our psyches consider to be unreasonable, illogical, and even psychologically painful!

God understands that about us. He never left us without a way to connect with Him. From the very beginning, before the very foundations of the world were laid, God became immanent so that we would have an interface, an exact imprint of the invisible God, to deal with.

Moses said that Hashem has been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before He gave birth to the universe He made sure we knew He was our God.[1]

Peter informs us that the Messiah was destined before the foundation of the world.[2]

John says that Jesus preceded the universe and it was through Him that all things were created.[3]

His pre-existence, His pre-eminence, His status as our Creator led the Spirit to ask in Psalm 2:

Psalms 2:1-12 HCSB Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain? (2) The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers conspire together against the LORD and His Anointed One: (3) "Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints." (4) The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. (5) Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath: (6) "I have consecrated My King on Zion, My holy mountain." (7) I will declare the LORD's decree: He said to Me, "You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. (8) Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession. (9) You will break them with a rod of iron; You will shatter them like pottery." (10) So now, kings, be wise; receive instruction, you judges of the earth. (11) Serve the LORD with reverential awe, and rejoice with trembling. (12) Pay homage to the Son, or He will be angry, and you will perish in your rebellion, for His anger may ignite at any moment. All those who take refuge in Him are happy.

When the Son was chosen to be the immanent aspect of the Godhead, we too were foreseen, predestined and adopted. Paul said that Adonai, in His choice of the Messiah, also chose us in that Messiah before the foundation of the world. He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ.[4] John quotes Jesus as saying that we were given to Him before the world’s foundation.[5]

2. Read John 13:31-14:11. God is glorified when His character is revealed. How will Jesus glorify God, and how will God glorify Jesus (John 13:31-32)?

Notice two elements in John 13:31. “When he (Judas) had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now…” These two elements, Judas leaving and Jesus beginning with “NOW the Son of Man is glorified…” indicate that the presence of the traitor had brought a tremendous restraint to Jesus’ conversation.

It’s like when you are speaking of confidential issues with a close friend and suddenly a third person walks in. The conversation ebbs, and then swings in a different direction because a limit that didn’t previously exist was just imposed on the line of discussion.

That this was true was hinted at by the Master when He said, “Not all of you are clean” and “I speak not of you all.” Now that terrible restraint had been lifted, Jesus breathed a deep sigh of relief and of what does He speak? His betrayal? No. Does He describe the terrible sufferings that are about to take place and ask for sympathy? No. He bursts into a panegyric statement that the hour of His glory had arrived! In five brief clauses He repeated the word “glorify” five times! And how is this to take place? The zenith of the Trinity’s glory is found in His death on the cross! Jesus said that if He could glorify the Father in this manner, that the Father would in turn glorify Him. We see this clearly in:

Philippians 2:9-11 HCSB For this reason God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, (10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow--of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth-- (11) and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When we elevate the Messiah in our minds; glorify Him with our mouths and exalt Him with our lives, we are glorifying God the Father.

Matthew 5:16 HCSB In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
1 Peter 2:12 HCSB Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do evil, they may, by observing your good works, glorify God in a day of visitation.

3. If you had been with Jesus for three years and had placed all your hopes on him, how would you respond mentally and emotionally to his statement in John 13:33?

Jesus said, "Children, I am with you a little while longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, 'Where I am going you cannot come,' so now I tell you.”

What a terrible loss they must have felt! What a tragic foreboding! Small wonder they were demoralized and ran.[6] We tend to look at them with a slight hint of condescension and an inner impression that we would not have left the Messiah unattended in His time of torment. However, He had already told them, “I’m going and you can’t come with me. I’m going to die and there’s not a blessed thing you can do about it.” In fact, when Peter protested, Jesus rebuked him for it and called him a tool of Satan![7] How confused and lost they must have been. In that type of mental environment most people simply lock up in despair and do nothing. That’s exactly what we see happened with most of the disciples.

Two major differences were Peter who turned his despair into anger, denying the Messiah,[8] and John who (though he ran away that fateful night of Judas’ betrayal) remained steadily at the foot of the cross, ready to serve the Lord however he could.[9]

4. To what extent can you identify with Peter's response (John 13:36-38)?

At first Peter didn’t seem to understand that Jesus was referring to His death. He said “where are you going?” He seemed to think that they were going to move their proceedings to a different locale. Once Jesus repeated “you can’t follow me now but you will later” Peter finally seemed to get that the Master was referring to death because he responded with “I will lay down my life for you.”

I don’t think Peter was particularly proud or brash as he is often portrayed. I don’t think, as some, that he simply ignored Jesus’ admonition to love one another and went straight to his own agenda. I believe Peter was responding to that admonition. It’s as though he was saying, “Love you? You actually question my love and loyalty for you? Let me make it clear. I would DIE for you.”

The difficulty with Peter’s response (and unfortunately all too often mine) is that love is not just how we feel. We are moved to heights of passion at various times. We are equally moved to passivity at others. Love must be a willfully chosen attitude that reveals itself in action. In our enthusiasm we quickly make bold statements of love and affection for the Christ. In our worship songs, with our hands upraised, we mouth all types of extreme commitments to His cause (and rightfully so). However, just as Jesus knew Peter would betray Him, He is all too aware of our proclivity for betrayal.

If we want to truly demonstrate our love for the Lord we need to “not think more highly of ourselves than we ought.”[10] Instead of bragging we should demonstrate simple, quiet, humble obedience to whatever the Lord commands. Like John we should patiently wait at the foot of the cross, ready to serve the Lord in whatever capacity. Like John the odds are that we will receive a command to care for another person or persons on the Lord’s behalf.

5. How would Jesus' words in John 14:1-4 calm the troubled disciples? How can these words be a special comfort to people approaching the end of physical life?

Knowing that there will be an end to our sufferings can be a tremendous source of hope. Placing our faith in and drawing near to the God who is the rewarder of those who seek Him, [11] means that there is nothing in this world so horrible that He can’t give us the strength to overcome it. If we turn our despair and confusion into an opportunity to more fully seek God, at some point God will step up and say “Congratulations! You sought me! You found me! Let me reward you with Myself. Welcome into the joy of your Master!”

6. Thomas asserts they do not know what Jesus claims they know (John 14:4-5). What had Thomas failed to grasp (John 14:6)?

Like all humans, Thomas tended toward too much literalism, too small a mindset. It takes time and the help of the Holy Spirit to realize the full depths and riches of the words of the Master. However, we need to give Thomas this; he was honest and plainly told the Lord what he didn’t understand. On both occasions when Thomas expressed doubt or confusion, here and after the Master’s resurrection,[12] the Lord answered his questions. We should take courage from this. After all, James the half brother of our Lord said,

James 1:5 HCSB Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

7. How would you explain each aspect of Jesus' claim in John 14:6?

As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. As the truth, He is the reality of all Hashem’s promises. As the life, He is the spark that ignites life in our dead, dark and forsaken souls.

8. What is involved in embracing Jesus as our way to the Father?

In any study of Jesus’ teaching on salvation what is striking is His constant focus upon Himself as the source of salvation. ‘Come to me, follow me, believe in me, drink of me’[13] are his constant cries. He says, ‘I am the way the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me’.[14] According to Jesus, it is through a personal relationship with Him that one comes into the experience of salvation.

He says that none can come to him except the Father first draw them[15] and yet he calls men to repentance and faith.[16]

He emphasizes faith in himself and his atoning work as the sole basis for salvation and complete deliverance from judgment and condemnation.[17]

He preaches the absolute necessity for the new birth,[18] for conversion[19] and for sanctification.[20]

He tells men that it is only those who do the will of God who will enter the kingdom of heaven, that those who truly belong to him will manifest the reality of that relationship by bearing the fruit of obedience in their lives.[21]

However, He balances that by teaching that justification is not by works but based solely on the mercy of God.[22]

The best summary of this balance can be found in

Ephesians 2:8-10 HCSB For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift-- (9) not from works, so that no one can boast. (10) For we are His creation--created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

We are not saved by works,[23] but our salvation should inevitably lead to works or we may properly doubt the saving power of our faith. Again, quoting Jesus’ half-brother,

James 2:17-20 HCSB In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself. (18) But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. (19) You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe--and they shudder. (20) Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?

Or as Jesus Himself said,

Matthew 3:8 HCSB Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance.

9. Philip assumes they have not seen what Jesus claims they have seen (John 14:7-8). What has Philip failed to realize (John 14:9-11)?

That Jesus is mysteriously one with the Father. In essence they are one and the same, though they are distinct persons. Since the Father and the Spirit are invisible, to see God one must look toward the Son.

It’s as though Jesus was saying, “Believe my words (isn’t that the fundamental duty of all men?); but yet if you cannot bring yourself to believe My statement that I am one with God, remember the miracles I have performed. Remember that you have seen Me do things that only God could do. If you cannot believe Me for my word’s sake, believe Me for My works.”

He that has seen Jesus has seen the Father; has seen all of the Father that can be or ever will be seen; has seen the incarnate manifestation of the godhead.

Colossians 1:19 HCSB For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,

On a daily basis, how can we get to know the Father through Jesus?

A fundamental truth that must be understood for spiritual growth to take place is that each of us is a part of the Church and that the Church is the Bride of Christ. Those things that make for a good marriage thus make for good d’vekut.

1.    Prayer. Talk things over with Him. Matthew 6:6
2.    Meditation. Listen to Him Psalm 77:11-15
3.    Be His helpmeet. Genesis 2:18-25
4.    Say “I love you” often by obeying Him. John 14:21
5.    Include Him in your daily life. Make the carnal holy. 1 Corinthians 10:31
6.    Plan special times together. Find time for devotions. Ephesians 3:14-21 cp Jeremiah 29:13-14
7.    Use symbols and rituals to remind you of your Love. 1 Corinthians 11:23-34
8.    Be quick to say I’m sorry. Practice confession and repentance. Psalm 51:1-17
9.    Trust Him. Have faith. 2 Chronicles 20:20
10. Bear Him children. Witness. John 3:3-8 cp John 15:5-8
11. Raise those children. Disciple. John 8:31-32
12. Be faithful to Him. Maintain doctrinal purity. Worship and trust Him only. Exodus 20:1-6
13. Fix Him good meals. Practice good works. John 4:31-34
14. Keep a clean house. Be pure and holy. Matthew 5:8
15. Keep spiritually fit. 1 Timothy 4:6-9
16. Stay passionate. Maintain your first love. Acts 2:42-47 cp Revelation 2:2-5
17. Remember it’s “till death do you part.” Remain steadfast in your faith. 1 Corinthians 15:58
18. Be humble. Daniel 9:4-7a
19. Serve those He loves. Deuteronomy 11:26-28
20. Praise Him. Luke 19:21-45
21. Follow Him. Mark 1:14-20

[1] Psalm 90:1-2
[2] 1 Peter 1:18-21
[3] John 1:1-4
[4] Ephesians 1:3-6
[5] John 17:24
[6] Mark 14:50-52
[7] Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33
[8] First – John 18:15-18; Matthew 26:69-70; Mark 14:66-68; Luke 22:55-57; Second – Mark 14:69; Matthew 26:71-72; Luke 22:58-59; John 18:25; Third – Mark 14:70-72; Matthew 26:73-75; Luke 22:60-62; John 18:26-27
[9] John 19:26-27
[10] Romans 12:3
[11] Hebrews 11:6
[12] John 20:25-28
[13] Matthew 11:28–30; Mark 8:34–38; John 6:35; 7:38
[14] John 14:6
[15] John 6:44
[16] Mark 1:15; John 3:16; Luke 13:3; John 4:15–18
[17] John 3:14–16; 6:35, 47–58, 5:24, 10:27–29
[18] John 3:3-6
[19] Matthew 18:3
[20] Matthew 7:21–24
[21] John 15:1–8; 8:31
[22] Luke 18:9–14
[23] Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16; 3:2

God Beyond Compare

Read Isaiah 40:12-31

A. W. Tozer wrote: "The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of him." We all have unworthy thoughts about God—especially during times of stress or difficulty. Does God care? Has he given up on me? Can he really help me out of this mess?

"Your God is too small!" Isaiah tells us. In this passage he challenges our puny thoughts, overwhelming us with the majesty, wisdom, grace and power of our incomparable God.

1. There are many times for all of us when God seems distant or uncaring. How do you respond when God feels far away?

James 4:7-10 HCSB Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! (9) Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow. (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

God is holy and He is repulsed by human pride. If we want God to draw near to us we must:

1.    Submit to God.
2.    Resist the Devil.
3.    Draw near to God.
4.    Cleanse our hands. Change our behavior or carefully choose our actions.
5.    Purify our hearts. Check our motives.
6.    Become single-minded.
7.    Show remorse for our sins and sorrow for the separation.
8.    Humble ourselves before God. This differs from submitting to God. Submitting to God is obeying His mitzvoth. Humbling ourselves before God entails formal, ritualistic ways of demonstrating our need for Him like fasting, public celebrations like Pesach’ or Simch’at Torah or public confession and contrition like at Yom Kippur.

Consider the following passages.

Luke 19:8-10 HCSB But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, I'll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I'll pay back four times as much!" (9) "Today salvation has come to this house," Jesus told him, "because he too is a son of Abraham. (10) For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost."

It was not when Zacchaeus was a “seeker”; when he showed interest or curiosity in Jesus that he was saved. It is not when he invited the Lord into his home to eat that he was saved. It was not until he realized his sin, confessed it publicly and took steps to demonstrate true contrition by making restitution that finally Jesus said “Today salvation has come” and Zacchaeus truly became a son of Abraham. When we are feeling distant from the Lord we need to take a careful look at our lives and determine whether or not we are doing someone wrong. If we are we need to confess it and do something about it.

In Halakha we discover the following command:

Leviticus 19:18 HCSB Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

Jesus, who carefully told us that His coming did not abrogate the Law He had given to Moses, approved of and amplified this law.

Matthew 19:18-21 HCSB "Which ones?" he asked Him. Jesus answered, Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; (19) honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself. (20) "I have kept all these," the young man told Him. "What do I still lack?" (21) "If you want to be perfect," Jesus said to him, "go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me."

He put His stamp of approval on the Law and then defined it as care for the poor. Perhaps if Hashem does not feel close it is because we are not taking to heart His love for social justice?

When He was asked,

Matthew 22:36-40 HCSB "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" (37) He said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. (38) This is the greatest and most important commandment. (39) The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. (40) All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

Note: cp Mark 12:31-33; Luke 10:25-28

Jesus responded by saying that all of Halakha depends on two underlying principles,

a. Ahavat Adonai – love of Adonai and
b. Ahavat Olam – love for the world, for humanity.

Later, the Apostle Paul affirmed that principle.

Romans 13:8-10 HCSB Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (9) The commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment--all are summed up by this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.

Where Jesus defined Ahavat Olam positively (care for the poor), Paul defined it negatively (doing one’s neighbor no harm). Later Paul affirmed,

Galatians 5:14 HCSB For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

The entire Law, all of God’s mitzvoth can be summarized in the principle of avahah - love. That is why the Mashiach’s half-brother referred to it as the Royal Law; the Law of Freedom.

James 2:8-13 HCSB If you really carry out the royal law prescribed in Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well. (9) But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (10) For whoever keeps the entire law, yet fails in one point, is guilty of breaking it all. (11) For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. So if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you are a lawbreaker. (12) Speak and act as those who will be judged by the law of freedom. (13) For judgment is without mercy to the one who hasn't shown mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

If I am not feeling close to Adonai I must consider that perhaps my relation with other humans is in the way. So I ask myself the following ten questions:

1.    Am I caring for the poor?
2.    Am I doing what I can to bring about justice in the world?
3.    Is anything I am doing or saying harming any of my neighbors?
4.    Do I owe anyone anything?
5.    Are my motives toward any of my neighbors covetous, jealous or angry?
6.    Am I stealing anything from my neighbor? Time? Credit? Labor? Honor?
7.    Am I showing favoritism to anyone? Am I bigoted or prejudices against anyone?
8.    Am I being judgmental?
9.    Have I truly forgiven those who have transgressed against me?
10. Am I demonstrating or withholding mercy?

2. Read Isaiah 40:12-31. What do the vivid images of God in Isaiah 40:12 emphasize?

God’s hand being larger than all the oceans or the heavens themselves.
God capable of measuring all the dust of the earth is a measuring cup.
God weighing whole mountain ranges on a scale.
God not beholden to anyone for counsel or instruction.
All the world’s empires being a drop in a bucket; a speck of dust on God’s scales.
All the island chains being fine dust sprinkled from His hand.
All of Lebanon’s trees and all the animals of the world being insufficient to make an adequate sacrifice.
All the people’s of the world being like grasshoppers under His feet.
All of space being just a tent He set up for us.
Him knowing every star in space by name and number and sustaining them all.

All of these emphasize that His strength, knowledge and wisdom are without limit.

3. Even small problems can seem overwhelming while we are experiencing them. How can God’s portrait in Isaiah 40:12 encourage us at such times?

Isaiah 40:12 HCSB Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in scales?

After going through a long list (see above) of images declaring His supremacy, omniscience and omnipotence, the prophet tells us…

Isaiah 40:29-31 HCSB He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. (30) Youths may faint and grow weary, and young men stumble and fall, (31) but those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.

All that vast power and wisdom is ours for the asking. He is willing to share it with us.

4. What aspect of God's character is stressed in Isaiah 40:13-14?

Isaiah 40:13-14 HCSB Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or who gave Him His counsel? (14) Who did He consult with? Who gave Him understanding and taught Him the paths of justice? Who taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding?

a.    The greatest minds in the universe are nothing to Him.
b.    The universe is an expression of Himself. Consider how vast the universe is and then realize that the heavens, even the heaven of heavens themselves cannot contain Him.
c.    His laws are a revelation of Himself. No one counseled Him in their legislation. He is not right because He conforms to some standard. He IS the standard. If He does it or thinks it – IT IS RIGHT.
d.    He is answerable to no one. His omniscience and omnipotence imply complete independence from humanity.
e.    The greatest institutions in human society are nothing to Him.
f.     The greatest products of human labor are nothing to Him. The greatest works of our greatest geniuses or even the product of the combined minds of all the geniuses of the world together are nothing in contrast to the most average, commonplace star.

5. When are you most likely to tell God how to run the universe—especially when it relates to your life?

When tragedy strikes, whether personal, national (like this whole Haitian debacle), or global (like the global push for transnationalism or globalism), I sometimes catch myself wondering how God could allow such things to happen. What can He be thinking? Is God really in control? Can we trust him to run the universe if He would allow this? At those times I must remember:

Isaiah 55:7-9 HCSB Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive. (8) "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." This is the LORD's declaration. (9) "For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are they even like ours. We aren’t even in the same neighborhood.

We’re thinking, Preserve the body;

He’s thinking, Save the soul.

We dream of a pay raise.

He dreams of raising the dead.

We avoid pain and seek peace.

God uses pain to bring peace.

“I’m going to live before I die,” we resolve.

“Die so you can live,” He instructs.

We love what rusts or rots.

He loves what endures.

We rejoice at our successes.

He rejoices at our confessions.

We show our children the Nike star with the million-dollar smile and say, “Be like Mike.”

God points to the crucified carpenter with bloody lips and a torn side and says, “Be like Christ.”

Our thoughts are not like God’s thoughts. Our ways are not like His ways. He has a different agenda. He dwells in a different dimension. He lives on another plane. When what He does or allows seems to contradict what I consider to be reasonable or even helpful, I need to remember that I am no more than a vapor that soon dissipates.[1] I am a worm[2] that is blissfully ignorant of the grand scheme of things. I must humble myself before His vastly superior world view and obey my Master.

6. Why in Isaiah 40:15-17 does Isaiah start talking about the insignificance of nations in comparison to God?

We usually feel small and powerless before the might of kings, presidents or corporate giants. The prophet reminds us of how mind-boggling Hashem’s power and influence is. He agrees with the Psalmist who says.

Psalms 62:9 HCSB Men are only a vapor; exalted men, an illusion. On a balance scale, they go up; together they weigh less than a vapor.

Psalms 146:3-6 HCSB Do not trust in nobles, in man, who cannot save. (4) When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die. (5) Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, (6) the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever,

7. Why is an idol a pitiful substitute for God (Isaiah 40:18-20)?

1.    God is self-existent. He is eternal and thus beholden to no one for His existence.; idols must be fabricated.
2.    God is personal (possessing mind, will and emotions); idols are mindless.
3.    God is the Creator of all things; the Prime Mover; the First Cause; idols are thus dependent upon Him for their existence.

Compare this to:

Psalms 115:3-8 HCSB Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases. (4) Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. (5) They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. (6) They have ears, but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. (7) They have hands, but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot make a sound with their throats. (8) Those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

At what point do people or things become substitutes for God?

Whenever anything begins to take precedence over our love for and obedience to God that thing becomes an idol. An idol is anything that takes the focus off of God and puts it on something else.

The amazing plasticity of this concept; our minds’ incredible capacity to turn nearly anything into an idol demonstrates Moshe’s wisdom in warning us “Be extremely careful, for your own good – don’t make an idol for yourself in any shape at all!”[3]

8. People with authority and power (political leaders, supervisors, teachers) can exert significant control over our lives. Why can we trust God to overrule the world's rulers (Isaiah 40:21-24)?

He reduces princes to nothing and makes the judges of the earth to be irrational.[4] The wicked can neither tell the future nor thwart any of Hashem’s plans. They’re foolish; deceived; mixed up and confused. They’re only good at leading their people astray and making them stagger and vomit like drunkards.[5]

On the great Day of the Lord, He will not only punish the earthly kings who have harmed His people but even the heavenly hosts will not escape His wrath.

Isaiah 24:21-22 HCSB On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below. (22) They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon; after many days they will be punished.

Job 12:16-25 HCSB True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. (17) He leads counselors away barefoot and makes judges go mad. (18) He releases the bonds put on by kings and ties a cloth around their waists. (19) He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders. (20) He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders' good judgment. (21) He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the strong. (22) He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light. (23) He makes nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges nations, then leads them away. (24) He deprives the world's leaders of reason, and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland. (25) They grope around in darkness without light; He makes them stagger like drunken men.

9. Traveling at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second), it would take 137,000 years to reach the nearest galaxy. How does this help us feel the impact of Isaiah 40:26?

According to our current measurements the universe is approximately 156 billion light years wide. Let's see why the size is a number you've never heard of before.

The universe is about 13.7 billion years old. Light reaching us from the earliest known galaxies has been travelling, therefore, for more than 13 billion years. Therefore, one might assume that the radius of the universe is 13.7 billion light-years and that the whole shebang is double that, or 27.4 billion light-years wide.

However, the universe has been expanding ever since the beginning of time.

Isaiah 42:5 HCSB This is what God the LORD says--who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk on it--[6]

All the distance covered by the light in the early universe gets increased by the expansion of the universe. Think of it like compound interest.

Need a visual? Imagine a movie hero who is crawling along the top of a racing train, desperately trying to get to the locomotive to stop the runaway machine or kill the bad guy or rescue the damsel in distress or whatever. While he is crawling along the roof, the train is rolling at 60 miles an hour. In the time he covered 100 feet of train, he may have covered 30 miles of ground!

In a similar vein, the light that travels through the expanding space/time ends up traveling far, far further than it would in a static universe.

Imagine the universe just a million years after it was born; a batch of light travels for a year, covering one light-year. At that time, the universe was about 1,000 times smaller than it is today; thus, that one light-year has now stretched to become 1,000 light-years.

All the pieces add up to 78 billion-light-years. The light has not traveled that far, but the starting point of a photon reaching us today after travelling for 13.7 billion years is now 78 billion light-years away. That would be the radius of the universe, and twice that -- 156 billion light-years -- is the diameter. That's based on a view going 90 percent of the way back in time, so it might be slightly larger.

Now – in the face of all this vastness we are told:

The highest heaven cannot contain Adonai (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18; Acts 7:48-49)
Heaven is God’s throne and earth nothing more than His footstool. (Isaiah 66:1) The implication is that God “sits on” the universe. He is outside the universe, greater than the universe.

10. Why do you think God challenges us to compare him to counselors, nations, idols, princes and rulers?

11. Israel complained that God seemed distant and uncaring (Isaiah 40:27). How does Isaiah 40:12-26 answer this charge?

The context is relationship and thus the text must be interpreted from this point of view. He indignantly asks “Why do you say this?”

Also consider:

Deuteronomy 4:7 HCSB For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call to Him?
Jeremiah 23:23-24 HCSB "Am I a God who is only near"--this is the LORD's declaration--"and not a God who is far away? (24) Can a man hide himself in secret places where I cannot see him?"--the LORD's declaration. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?"--the LORD's declaration.
Matthew 10:30-31 (cp Luke 12:7) HCSB But even the hairs of your head have all been counted. (31) Don't be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Acts 17:28 HCSB For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'

12. What even richer encouragement does God give us when we feel weary and without strength (Isaiah 40:28-31)?

Isaiah 40:29 HCSB He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless.
Isaiah 38:14 HCSB I chirp like a swallow or a crane; I moan like a dove. My eyes grow weak looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed; support me.
Isaiah 41:10 HCSB Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.

Conclusion:

I would like to bring this to a close with a brief illustration of how the Adonaic mindset and theology is relevant to this issue. In Isaiah 41 we read:

Isaiah 41:8-10 HCSB But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, My friend-- (9) I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are My servant; I have chosen you and not rejected you. (10) Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.

Most interpreters will say that the prophet was simply comforting the Jewish people by saying that their exile would not be forever. I too believe that this is one level of interpretation. However, using the “near-far” method that the prophets often use, I believe that it also looks forward to when Yahweh Ra’ah would bring His flock back to Canaan from the Great Diaspora. Furthermore, I believe that it alludes to the Adonaic concept of Ezrach’. Only when we realize that when we claim Christ as King and are adopted into His family, His people, do we fully realize the beauty of the promise here. All those who belong to Christ are Jews – sons of Abraham. Thus God has literally brought a people (that were not previously a people) from the farthest corners of the earth. Combined, we, His people, His servant, have been chosen. We need not fear for Hashem is our God. He will strengthen us. He will help us; He will hold on to us with His righteous right hand.

With that in mind, turn now to:

Matthew 16:17-19 HCSB And Jesus responded, "Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. (18) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.

Each passage sheds light on the other. Isaiah 41:8-10 helps us identify the rock in verse 18. Some claim that it is Peter. Others say that it is the truth to which Peter just alluded. From an Adonaic standpoint and with the light of Isaiah 41 shining upon it, I must say point out that the Church stands on the rock and that this rock is renders it immovable and unbeatable. What is then that rock? It has to be the unconquerable truth of the Gospel. We are Isaiah 41’s unconquerable Israel brought together from the four corners of the earth. We are the victorious Church, laughing as Hades futilely rages at the door. This is Hashem’s gift to His people. Most kings receive gifts on their coronation day. Ours gave gifts. What King! What a God!

[1] Psalm 39:5, 11; 62:9
[2] Job 25:6; Psalm 22:6; Isaiah 41:14
[3] Deuteronomy 4:15-16
[4] Isaiah 40:23;
[5] Isaiah 19:12-14
[6] Cp Isaiah 44:24; 45:12; 51:13; Zechariah 12:1

God Is Love

Why are we so infatuated with love? It dominates our songs, poems, movies, and novels. We value it above every virtue. We long to find it and fight to keep it. Everyone has an opinion about it, but no one seems to have enough of it. How can we explain our insatiable appetite for love?

Love is central to the Apostle John's first letter. He helps us to understand its source, its nature, and its significance for our lives as Christians. Most importantly, John enables us to see what the often-quoted statement "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16) really means.

1. Why do you think love dominates music, movies, literature, and so many other aspects of our lives?

God our Creator said “it is not good for man to be alone” and created a helper who was like Adam to be with him. Hashem has made us social creatures. We instinctively recognize this in ourselves and thus experience externally imposed “aloneness” as psychic pain. Consider the use of solitary confinement as a punitive measure.

However, humans need more than human companionship. We were created to experience d’vekut with God. God’s original intent was for humanity to bear His image and to be in communion with the Godhead. We see what made that essential difference in humanity’s creation. In Genesis[1], we read, “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

All the other creatures were created with souls, but only in humankind was the “nephesh,” the breath of God, breathed. The original golem named Adam received a spirit to complement his soul and passed it on to all other humans ever since. Unfortunately, that wonderful gift is a double-edged sword because it was passed on infected with sin[2].

However, it is in our spirit that true worship takes place. After all, doesn’t it say “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth”?[3]

That communion, that mystical union between the spirit of man and of God called “d’vekut”, was exemplified when the Son of God came walking in the Garden in the cool of the day[4]. We lost the right to a full enjoyment of that communion when Adam and Eve willfully and unrepentantly chose to disobey their Creator.

However, God is always prevenient, which means He always initiates the relationship. Adam and Eve sinned and sought to withdraw and hide. God came looking for them. He sought Abraham’s friendship[5]. He referred to David as a man after His own heart[6], let John lean against His chest[7], and restored traitorous Peter to fellowship[8]. He even used mass-murdering[9] Paul who “ravaged the church”[10] to write two-thirds of the New Testament and bring the Good News to the Gentiles[11].

It was never God’s intent that any should perish, but that all should come to everlasting life[12]. If we end up in hell, it is literally over His dead body[13]. However, if we are willing to submit our will to His and trust His Son’s sacrifice on the cross to be sufficient for our salvation, we can go to heaven.

Yet, He’s not satisfied with that. He wants to give us more. According to the Master, He is inviting us into d’vekut – a deep, intimate, passionate communion, a mystical union with the Godhead[14].

2. Read 1 John 4:7-5:5. Children usually resemble their parents. How does this principle relate to those who claim to be God's children (1 John 4:7-8)?

1 John 4:7-8 HCSB Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (8) The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

As Moshe stood in Yahweh’s presence and as a result walked away with a shining face, so only those who are to some degree like God truly know Him. If you are “humanish” it is likely that you only hang out with humans. If you are “devilish” it is because you’ve been listening to and following the Devil. Those who have been truly following the Lord become “godly” or “god-like”. As it is written,

Leviticus 11:45 HCSB For I am the LORD, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy.
Matthew 5:48 HCSB Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Romans 12:2 HCSB Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Now, here in 1 John, the Apostle John essentially tells us “You must be loving because God is loving. Be loving as your heavenly Father is loving. Do not be conformed to this self-centered, narcissistic, egocentric age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you can be loving.”

3. Does this mean that everyone who loves is God's child, regardless of his or her beliefs? Explain

All humans are God’s children in the sense that He created them all. However, Hashem does not claim all His creatures as His. Here, Jesus identifies the religious leaders who were refusing to accept the Mashiach’ on His own terms as children of the Devil.

John 8:43-44 HCSB Why don't you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to My word. (44) You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars.

He identified them as Lowlanders. [15]

John 8:23 HCSB "You are from below," He told them, "I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

In fact, He not only challenged their identity as God’s children, but even as Jews! Only those who exercise the same faith as Abraham and imitate Abraham’s obedience are truly “sons of Abraham.”

John 8:38-39 HCSB I speak what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and therefore you do what you have heard from your father." (39) "Our father is Abraham!" they replied. "If you were Abraham's children," Jesus told them, "you would do what Abraham did.
Romans 9:6-8 HCSB But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. (7) Neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants. On the contrary, in Isaac your seed will be called. (8) That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children, but the children of the promise are considered seed.

We are only sons of Abraham’s legitimate wife Sarah when we do good and practice faith.

1 Peter 3:6 HCSB just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You have become her children when you do good and aren't frightened by anything alarming.

4. What does John mean when he says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8)?

Lowlander culture encourages a shallow and selfish view of love. It has turned these words around and contaminated our understanding of love. Lowlanders think that love is what makes them feel good and that it is acceptable to sacrifice moral principles and even others’ rights in order to obtain such “love”. However, that is not real love; it is in fact the direct opposite – selfishness. God is not that kind of love. God is real love. He is holy, just, and perfect. If we are His children, we will strive to love in the same way that He does.

5. How does 1 John 4:9-10 emphasize the nature and depth of God's love?

Jesus is God’s only begotten son. The rest of us are adopted. All believers are sons and daughters of God, but only Jesus possesses this especially unique relationship. Yet, the Father was willing to sacrifice the sanctity of the Trinity, the special d’vekut that He shared with the Begotten Son, in order to make d’vekut with us possible.

Nothing sinful or evil may exist in God’s presence because besides being love, He is also absolute goodness; absolute holiness. He cannot overlook, condone, or excuse our sin as though it never happened. He will not wink at our immorality, our pride, our addictions. He loves us but His love does not mean He will be morally lax in order to be with us. However, if we “kiss the Son”; “bow the knee” and acknowledge His kingship; sacrificially become the Mashiach’s disciples; then we will not have to bear the penalty of our sins.[16] We will be acquitted by His atoning sacrifice.[17]

6. "Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another" (1 John 4:11). In what small or large ways can we sacrificially love each other?

a.    We consider each other family and show family affection for each other. (Romans 12:10)
b.    We are not afraid to say “I love you” or to show physical affection. (Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14)

c.    We seek unity of doctrine, spirit, and goals. (Philippians 2:2; Ephesians 4:3)
d.    We speak loving truth to each other. (Jeremiah 9:5; Zechariah 8:16; John 16:13; Romans 9:1; Ephesians 4:25)
e.    The only competition we have is in outdoing each other in honor. (Philippians 2:3; Romans 12:10)
f.     The greatest love is demonstrated by being willing to die for one another. (John 15:13)

7. How does our love for each other make the invisible God visible (1 John 4:12)?

As the Mashiach’ became the “image of the invisible God”[18] and did so by demonstrating humility and sacrificial love, so we too can help others to better understand the Father by not only humbly serving others but also by living holy lives.

1 Corinthians 14:24-25 HCSB But if all are prophesying, and some unbeliever or uninformed person comes in, he is convicted by all and is judged by all. (25) The secrets of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall down on his face and worship God, proclaiming, "God is really among you."

8. In 1 John 4:13-16, what tests does John give us for determining whether "we live in Him and He in us"?

a.    We possess the Holy Spirit. We are demonstrating the Spirit’s fruit.
b.    We are testifying of what we have personally seen and experienced.
c.    Our testimony matches that of the Word of God.
d.    We publicly and proudly confess the deity of the Son and the claims that truth makes upon our lives.
e.    We know and believe in God’s love regardless of our external circumstances.
f.     We imitate that love.

9. If our lives are characterized by love, why can we be confident rather than fearful on the Day of Judgment (1 John 4:17-18)?

We know that if we are (to whatever limited degree is possible) “as He is here in this world”, where sin is the norm and the Devil is the “god of this age”[19] then the same will be true in Ach’arit ha yamim (Lit., “after the days”; the end of days) when olam hazeh ends and olam habah begins for everyone.

There is no fear in true love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. Because the Messiah has taken our punishment, has removed the “sting of Death”, then there is no need for fear as we approach the Bimah Seat.

10. It certainly seems possible that we could love God and yet hate one of our brothers and sisters. According to John, why is this impossible (1 John 4:19-21)? Explain.

We may be able to do so temporarily, but God will prick our conscience. If need be, He is willing to even make us sick or even kill us if we stubbornly refuse His discipline.[20] In other words, He will conform us to the image of His Son if He has to kill us to do it!

11. If someone is really born of God, what will be true of that person (1 John 5:1-5)?

a.    They will believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
b.    They will believe that He was born of God.
c.    They will believe that the Father loves Him as His child.
d.    They will love all of God’s children. (cp 1 John 2:9)
e.    They will love God.
f.     They will keep His mitzvoth.
g.    They will not consider this to be an onerous duty but a joy.
h.    They will have demonstrable results of victory over the “world”.

12. If some of these things are not true, does that mean a person is not a Christian? Explain.

The Bible does command us to be sinless and expects us to push for that goal just as Paul pursued his goal of Christ-likeness.

1 John 1:6 HCSB If we say, "We have fellowship with Him," and walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.
1 John 2:3-4 HCSB This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. (4) The one who says, "I have come to know Him," without keeping His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Having said that, all humans sin, and no one may claim to have achieved perfection – even after salvation.

1 John 1:8-10 HCSB If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say, "We have not sinned," we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
Philippians 3:13-14 HCSB (13) Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, (14) I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus.

So, the proper balance to hold is to understand God’s demands for holiness and righteous living, to set our hearts to the pursuit of that goal, but to juxtapose those two things against the knowledge that we will often need an Advocate.

1 John 2:1 HCSB My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father--Jesus Christ the righteous One.

We should not use the fact that we will undoubtedly sin at some point and that God has already provided an Advocate as an excuse for sin.

Romans 6:15 HCSB What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Absolutely not!

Victory over sin is ours for the taking. The only thing we lack is a sufficient desire to possess that victory.

Genesis 4:7 HCSB If you do right, won't you be accepted? But if you do not do right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it."
Romans 6:13-14 HCSB And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. (14) For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law but under grace.

13. How has this passage deepened your understanding of God, the children of God and love itself?

[1] Genesis 2:7
[2] Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10
[3] John 4:24
[4] Genesis 3:8
[5] 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8
[6] Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 13:13-14
[7] John 21:20-24
[8] John 21:17
[9] Acts 9:1-2
[10] Acts 8:3
[11] Acts 9:15-16
[12] 2 Peter 3:9
[13] Romans 5:8
[14] John 17:20-21
[15] Highlander/Lowlander: Genesis 13:5-17; John 8:23; Galatians 4:26 (cp Philippians 3:20 and Revelation 21:2ff); Hebrews 11:9-10 (cp John 14:2-3; Hebrews 12:22-24), 13
[16] 1 Peter 2:24
[17] Romans 5:18
[18] Colossians 1:15
[19] 2 Corinthians 4:4
[20] 1 Corinthians 11:30

Holy, Holy, Holy

Going to God in time of crisis is a natural response. Isaiah went to the temple to pray when his nation was in grave trouble. Uzziah, Judah's strong king for half a century, was dying. Assyria, the evil empire to the East, was restless and threatening. However, when Isaiah prayed for the people, he didn't get the answer he expected. He received a vision of the holy God that shook him to the core of his being.

1. Many people imagine that God is like a kindly old grandfather in the sky. How do you think he got that reputation?

2. After reading Isaiah 6 describe in your own words what Isaiah saw and heard in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-4).

Isaiah 6:1-4 HCSB In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. (2) Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. (3) And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. (4) The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

In the year that King Uzziah died. King Uzziah had ascended the throne at the age of sixteen. That means that he had been Judah’s king for 52 years! Talk about a source of stability! He was a very able king who led the nation to a period of great prosperity. He was well known, even in Egypt (2 Chronicles 26:8-14). He was generally faithful to Yawheh and followed the Lord’s mitzvoth (2 Kings 15:3; 2 Chronicles 26:4-5). However, around 751-750 BC he became prideful and took it upon himself to burn incense on the altar of incense (2 Chronicles 26:15-16). So Azariah the high priest and 80 other priests confronted Uzziah on the issue and he was miraculously struck with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:19-21).

According to Josephus,

In the mean time a great earthquake shook the ground and a rent was made in the temple, and the bright rays of the sun shone through it, and fell upon the king's face, insomuch that the leprosy seized upon him immediately.[1]

There is biblical support for the occurrence in Amos 1:1 and Zechariah 14:5. Geology has since discovered further evidence that supports the claim.

He was therefore forced to cease functioning actively as king c.754-758 BC (2 Kings 15:5, 27; 2 Chronicles 26:3).[2] His son Jotham took over but likely primarily acted as regent until his father’s death around 740-739 BC.

I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne. Isaiah is outside the Temple. The doors open and the veil separating the principle chamber from the Holy of Holies is pulled back, revealing Adonai Melek as King.

Traditionally, the claim to have seen the Lord God was the pretext Manasseh used to execute Isaiah. In order to make this as painful as possible Manasseh ordered that Isaiah be sawn in two with a wooden saw.[3]

[4]Martyrdom of Isaiah 3:5 And the servants of Hezekiah accused him, and he made his escape to the region of Bethlehem. 6 And Belchlra accused Isaiah and the prophets who were with him, saying: 'Isaiah and those who are with him prophesy against Jerusalem and against the cities of Judah that they shall be laid waste and (against the children of Judah and) Benjamin also that they shall go into captivity, and also against thee, O lord the king, that thou shalt go (bound) with hooks 8 and iron chains': But they prophesy falsely against Israel and Judah. And Isaiah himself hath 9 said: 'I see more than Moses the prophet.' But Moses said: 'No man can see God and live': 10 and Isaiah hath said: 'I have seen God and behold I live.'

Martyrdom of Isaiah 4:12b he sent and seized Isaiah. 5:1b, 2 And he sawed him asunder with a wood-saw. And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder Balchlra stood up, accusing him, and all the false prophets stood up, laughing and rejoicing because 3 of Isaiah.
Martyrdom of Isaiah 5:14 And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain.
Hebrews 11:37 HCSB They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated.

We Adonaists believe that the person Isaiah saw was a theophany, the incarnate Son of God, for no one has seen the Father at any time[5] and the Spirit is…well…spirit, without flesh and bone!

His robe filled the Temple. A flowing train was a traditional symbol of monarchy in the Middle East. Servants ministered to the King, eliminating the need for movement.

Seraphim. The singular would be one seraph These were not the winged creatures we are used to seeing in human art. The Hebrew term saraph is used of the biting snakes in Numbers 21:6. It literally means to burn and is understood in that particular context to imply the burning pain inflicted by the serpents. In this context it can indicate either the burning zeal or the brightness of the seraphim (2 Kings 2:11; 6:17; Ezekiel 1:13; Matthew 28:3). It would seem only right that a God describe as a “consuming fire”[6] would be attended by such fiery beings.

Interestingly, one of the very first seraphim of light was Lucifer, and he also appeared in the guise of a beautiful and wise serpent-like creature in Gan Eden. Further, in Egyptian mythology the head of a serpent represented wisdom.

Were standing above Him. The entire angelic host gathers about Yahweh’s throne, to the left and to the right.[7] The positioning of the Seraphim above the throne would seem to imply some form of authority or privilege. Perhaps they serve as something like ministers of state.

Each one had six wings.[8] Cherubim apparently have four faces and wings.

Ezekiel 1:6 HCSB but each of them had four faces and four wings.

In contrast, seraphim have six wings. Two were ready for mobility, two for veiling their faces and two for veiling their lower bodies.

His glory fills the whole earth. Jesus confirmed Isaiah’ vision when He said,

John 12:41 HCSB Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him.

The phrase can be put another way in Hebrew as “The fullness of the whole earth is His glory.” In that sense it matches Psalm 24:1 that says that “the earth and everything in it, the whole world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord.” Small wonder that when He returns He will “destroy those who destroy the earth.”[9]

The temple was filled with smoke. Perhaps this was the Shekina glory, the visual signal of the presence of the Ruach’ ha Kodesh?[10]

Psalms 97:2-3 HCSB Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. (3) Fire goes before Him and burns up His foes on every side.

What do we learn about God from this vision?

We see:

1.    The majesty of God
a.    His supremacy and dignity – He is seated while all others are standing and worshipping.
b.    His ease and perfect security – He is firmly seated on the throne. He is clearly in charge and without challengers.

2.    The ineffable and incomprehensible nature of God

3.    The adorable and awful holiness of God

3. What does it mean that God is holy (Isaiah 6:3)?

Kadosh (Strong’s 6918) means set apart, sanctified, different from the common, holy, sinless by nature. True holiness inevitably carries over into personal conduct. Thus God is described as not even tempted by evil (James 1:13), and as the Father of lights in whom there is no variation or shadow (v.17). It is used to describe Christ’s sinlessness (Romans 1:4). Jesus said “there is only One who is good.” (Matthew 19:17). That would include angels (Job 4:18; Galatians 1:8). Holiness can be imputed however. For instance, holy places would include the tabernacle and temple (Leviticus 6:16; 7:6; Psalm 46:4; 65:4; Ecclesiastes 8:10; Ezekiel 42:13). Objects and sacrifices can be made holy (Leviticus 21:6, 8; Numbers 5:17). Fortunately Yahweh M’Kadesh (God Who Makes Holy; Exodus 31:13; Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) is willing to impute holiness to those who will submit to His Son’s Kingship.

4. What effect does this vision have on Isaiah, and why (Isaiah 6:5)?

Isaiah 6:5 HCSB Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.

Woe is me. “Before honor is humility.” Conversely, “Humility leads to exaltation.” The sight of the Lord’s glory brought intense, painful self-realization to Isaiah. The dazzling light of the Lord’s presence only underscored the darkness of the prophet’s heart.

There was dismay. “Woe is me, for I am ruined.”

There was self-loathing. “I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips.”

My eyes have seen the King. Compare Isaiah’s experience to Job’s.

Job 42:5-6 HCSB I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. (6) Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes.

The Apostle Peter had the same reaction:

Luke 5:8 HCSB When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, because I'm a sinful man, Lord!"

In view of these biblical experiences I think it should be safe to say that anyone who has truly encountered holy God will readily drop to their knees in humble, contrite consternation, beat their chest and cry for mercy.

Luke 18:13-14 HCSB "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even raise his eyes to heaven but kept striking his chest and saying, 'God, turn Your wrath from me--a sinner!' (14) I tell you, this one went down to his house justified rather than the other; because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

5. The seraph ("burning one") touches Isaiah's lips with a live coal. How does this action relate both to Isaiah's vision and to his future ministry (Isaiah 6:6-7)?

Absolution is integrally connected with confession (1 John 1:9). I’d like to compare this encounter with the experience of salvation by pointing out three things:

a.    The cleansing worked.
b.    The cleansing required a sacrifice.
c.    The removal of sin was immediate.

The mouth of the prophet was touched because it was the part to be used by the prophet. In other words the sanctification will always be in regards to our means of ministry. Thus,

1 Peter 4:10-11 HCSB Based on the gift they have received, everyone should use it to serve others, as good managers of the varied grace of God. (11) If anyone speaks, his speech should be like the oracles of God; if anyone serves, his service should be from the strength God provides, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

6. In what ways has the Lord purified and prepared you for ministry?

7. Why do you think the Lord asks for volunteers in Isaiah 6:8?

In 1 Chronicles 29:5 we read “Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the Lord today?” God’s will is never forced upon us. He graciously allows each of us to refuse Him. Having said that, His will is good, pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2). Every time we have rejected His will and substituted our own in its stead we have found nothing but pain, misery and death at the end of the path.

The task to which Isaiah was being called was not an easy one. His resulting martyrdom would prove to be one of the most horrifying examples of human depravity and cruelty. However, when all is said and done, Isaiah will have all of blissful eternity in the presence of his King to forget his pains. On the other hand, sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death (James 1:15).

8. Isaiah's ministry is to make people spiritually blind and deaf (Isaiah 6:9-10). Why would God give him such a strange task?

Isaiah 6:9-10 HCSB And He replied: Go! Say to these people: Keep listening, but do not understand; keep looking, but do not perceive. (10) Dull the minds of these people; deafen their ears and blind their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.

We must preach the gospel regardless of anything other than the fact that Adonai Melek has commanded it. We are not to modify the message in order to make it more palatable to our hearers. We must proclaim the message; persisting in it whether convenient or not, “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). We must not stop delivering the message, even when we can actually see the intended audience hardening themselves against it.

Some of us will be “witness to” and some of us will unfortunately “witnesses against”. Some will choose to use the gift of free-will to refuse the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, the General Revelation available through nature and the internal moral code, the Special Revelation of the Holy Scriptures and finally the testimony of the Ransomed.

Those who want to do the will of the Lord will understand the teaching and identify its divine source (John 7:17). Those who are blind in spite of their eyes and deaf in spite of having ears (Isaiah 43:7) will receive what they want – a life without the God of Light and Life. They will experience eternal damnation in the “outer darkness”.

This is a terrifying thought but it can bring some sense of comfort to the faithful witness. Like Isaiah we may ask “what more could I have done?” (Isaiah 5:4) but it is not up to us to “convert” or “proselytize”. We merely bring the message and strive to live it in our lives. The decision to accept or refuse lays completely in the minds and hearts of our audience. Even Hashem Himself will not overcome them. Who are we to think we can strong-arm a soul into heaven?

9. Spiritually speaking, what leads people's senses to become dulled and their hearts to become calloused?

The Law of Light. God offers each of us a certain amount of light or enlightenment. When we obey it we get more. When we refuse it, we not only do not receive any more – we actually lose some of our ability to perceive more and our minds become “darkened.”[11]

10. How does Isaiah 6:11-13 emphasize a terrible aspect of God's holiness for those who reject him?

Isaiah 6:11-13 HCSB Then I said, "Until when, Lord?" And He replied: Until cities lie in ruins without inhabitants, houses are without people, the land is ruined and desolate, (12) and the LORD drives the people far away, leaving great emptiness in the land. (13) Though a tenth will remain in the land, it will be burned again. Like the terebinth or the oak, which leaves a stump when felled, the holy seed is the stump.

This passage reminds me of Moses’ Deuteronomic curse:

Deuteronomy 28:15-29 HCSB (15) "But if you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commands and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overtake you: (16) You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. (17) Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed. (18) Your descendants will be cursed, and your soil's produce, the young of your herds, and the newborn of your flocks. (19) You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. (20) The LORD will send against you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything you do until you are destroyed and quickly perish, because of the wickedness of your actions in abandoning Me. (21) The LORD will make pestilence cling to you until He has exterminated you from the land you are entering to possess. (22) The LORD will afflict you with wasting disease, fever, inflammation, burning heat, drought, blight, and mildew; these will pursue you until you perish. (23) The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron. (24) The LORD will turn the rain of your land into falling dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed. (25) The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You will march out against them from one direction but flee from them in seven directions. You will be an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. (26) Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land, and no one will scare them away. (27) "The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt, tumors, a festering rash, and scabies, from which you cannot be cured. (28) The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness, and mental confusion, (29) so that at noon you will grope as a blind man gropes in the dark. You will not be successful in anything you do. You will only be oppressed and robbed continually, and no one will help you.

It further brings to mind the warning of the Holy Spirit in:

Proverbs 1:24-31 HCSB Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, (25) since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction, (26) I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you, (27) when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you. (28) Then they will call me, but I won't answer; they will search for me, but won't find me. (29) Because they hated knowledge, didn't choose to fear the LORD, (30) were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction, (31) they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes.

11. How does this passage shatter many of our preconceived notions of what God is like?

12. Give one example of how God's holiness should affect your life or ministry.

[1] Josephus Flavius, Antiquities IX 10:4
[2] 2 Chronicles 26:19-21
[3] The Martyrdom of Isaiah is the first part (chapters 1-5) of the pseudepigraphical 2nd century book called The Ascension of Isaiah. The same claim is made in the 6th century book titled Lives of the Prophets.
[4] The Martyrdom of Isaiah from a medieval illuminated manuscript
[5] John 1:18
[6] Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; 2 Samuel 22:9; Psalm 18:8; Isaiah 29:6; 30:27, 30; 33:14; Hebrews 12:29
[7] 1 Kings 22:19
[8] Depiction of a seraph in the mosaic tiles of the ceiling of a 13th century cathedral.
[9] Revelation 11:18
[10] 1 Kings 8:10; Ezekiel 10:4
[11] Proverbs 1:25-28; 6:23; 13:9; 18:1; 29:13, 18; Isaiah 66:3b-4; Matthew 25:28-30; Luke 8:16; 12:47-48; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12

God's Wonderful Goodness

On September 8, 1860, The Lady Elgin sank in Lake Michigan. A young ministerial student named Edward Spencer dove repeatedly into the icy waters and rescued seventeen people. The prolonged exposure permanently damaged his health however, and he was unable to complete his studies. Some years later, at his funeral, it was noted that not one of the seventeen people he saved ever returned to thank him.

Thankfulness is basic to godliness. This psalm shows us how much it means to say that God is good, and calls us to thank Him for His goodness to us in the past and the present. Note the repeated refrain in Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31.

1. Why do you appreciate it when someone thanks you for something special you have done?

2. Read Psalm 107. How does Psalm 107:1-3 provide the theme and tone of the psalm?

Psalms 107:1-3 HCSB Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. (2) Let the redeemed of the LORD proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe (3) and has gathered them from the lands--from the east and the west, from the north and the south.

David begins by telling us the purpose of the Psalm, “Give thanks”. We are to be a grateful people. Why?

He is good. He could have been an arbitrary, cruel deity. He could have created a black and white universe devoid of color and joy. He could have rendered creation silent; deaf; mute. Instead, He filled it with music and sound. He is good. One argument people make against God is “How can you believe in a good God when there is so much cruelty and evil in the world?” My response is that the fact that there is both good AND evil in the world argues for a beneficent deity. In human experience, evil, powerful despots do not give their subjects a choice. It is the benevolent rulers who allow their citizens to vote and, if they choose, even leave the country. Because we see that choice available to humanity, we argue that God is at the very least benign, probably benevolent, and possibly even loving!

His faithful love endures forever. He does not tire. He was lovingly referred to by the English poet Francis Thompson as the “Hound of Heaven.” Isn’t that an odd name? It’s disturbing at first to refer to Yahweh as a “hound”. It is initially repelling. However, when you think about it the strangeness disappears. The meaning is understood. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and unperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. Like our parents in the Garden of Eden, in sin the human spirit seeks to hide itself but Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit. It is Christ’s love that compels us.[1]

3. The psalmist describes four different incidents in Psalm 107:4-9, 10-16, 17-22 and 23-32. What brief title would you give to each incident?

Psalm 107:4-9 – The Wanderers
Psalm 107:10-16 – The Prisoners
Psalm 107:17-22 – The Fools
Psalm 107:23-32 – The Sailors

4. What elements do they have in common?

They are lost and without hope outside of Yawheh. Each one is separated not only from Yahweh but also from other humans in some way. The highest command “Love God/Love neighbor” is tacitly implied.

5. How is God's unfailing love demonstrated in each account?

Psalm 107:4-9 – The Wanderers
a.    were rescued from their distress
b.    were led home by the right path
c.    were shown faithful love and wonderful works
d.    found their hunger and thirst satiated.

Psalm 107:10-16 – The Prisoners
a.    were saved from their distress
b.    were brought out of darkness
c.    found their chains, bronze gates, and iron bars broken apart
d.    were shown faithful love and wonderful works

Psalm 107:17-22 – The Fools
a.    Were rescued from their distress
b.    Were sent the Word
c.    Received healing
d.    Were rescued from the Pit
e.    Were shown faithful love and wonderful works

Psalm 107:23-32 – The Sailors
a.    He showed them His power through the storms
b.    He saved them from their distress
c.    Their storms were stilled; their found quietness
d.    Were guided to the harbor they longed for
e.    Were shown faithful love and wonderful works

Rescued from distress. In each case, Hashem’s purpose was rescue. He does not desire than any should perish but that all should come to everlasting life.

Shown faithful love and wonderful works. The methods may differ but they are all faithful love and wonderful works because of Hashem’s purpose or motive. He is just as faithful and loving when He raises the storm (v. 25) as when He calmed the storm (v.29). He forms light and creates darkness; He makes success and creates disaster. It is the Lord who does all these things (Isaiah 45:7).

Derash for the four examples would include:

Wanderers: God provides sustenance during our desert experiences.

Prisoners: He provides deliverance from our addictions, our sins, and ultimately from Death itself!

Fools: He rescues our spirits from the calamity of the yetzer hara.

Sailors: The sea often represented chaos to ancient writers. God offers guidance to safe harbor when we are distressed by life’s chaotic experience.

6. Each scene begins by describing a calamity and a cry for help. Why do we often hit bottom before we cry out to God?

Unfortunately, we must come up against situations that we cannot overcome in our own strength, or with our own wisdom. We need to be shown our need for a strength and a wisdom that comes from Above, that comes from Beyond, that comes from Another outside of us and yet rises up from within us.

In at least one area of our lives, at least once, we have to come to recognize our inability to save ourselves, and surrender to Christ, trusting Jesus to do in us and through us what we cannot do on our own. That surrender is, in essence, “taking up the Cross” with respect to salvation.

We must die to saving ourselves. We cannot save ourselves and determine that since we cannot, we will not. We must only trust in the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Kingship of the Lord to do what we have (at last!) learned that we cannot do. This is what is means to “embrace the Cross” in the area of salvation.

When we see that the death to Self is thorough and complete – that is, when we stop trying to save ourselves and cast ourselves upon the grace of God, then God raises us from the dead. That which was impossible before is now accomplished by God. The curse of the Law (Galatians 3:10-13) at that point is transformed into the Law of Freedom (James 1:25; 2:12). We become the thankful recipients of His grace, and He receives all the praise and the glory since we have done nothing and He has done everything. This is the principle of the Cross.

7. What kind of help do you need from the Lord at this time?

8. Each scene concludes by describing God's salvation and by calling us to give thanks for His unfailing love. Why do we often forget to thank God for answered prayers?

When we express gratitude we are in part verbalizing our need for help. We must acknowledge our dependence. Gratitude is humbling. The humble are grateful. These are two sides of the same coin.

Expressing gratitude can be quickly exhausting because it runs so contrary to the yetzer hara. In the short term, gratitude and worship are exhilarating. In the long term, however, it can be draining.

To express gratitude one must take a careful and introspective interest in one’s life and environment. Far too many people live in “blissful” ignorance and are prone to staying in that mode by default out of sheer intellectual laziness.

9. What prayers has God answered recently for which you are thankful?

According to Psalm 107:22 and 32, what are some ways we can give thanks?

Offer sacrifices of thanksgiving.
Announce His works with shouts of joy.
Exalt Him in the assembly of the people.
Praise Him in the council of elders.

As there were four illustrations, here we see four directives, four mitzvoth we must keep in mind, one for each experience. These would include:

Wanderers: It is precisely when we are in our “desert” that we should offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. Instead, we tend to grumble. We should acknowledge God’s past favors and, in faith, look forward to His favors being renewed.

Prisoners: Those who are struggling with addictions, regardless of their form, should constantly be reminding themselves of God’s great power and His ability to perform what the human spirit cannot. Another derash would be those who are prisoners for the Christ’s sake should rejoice in their sufferings as Paul and Silas did.

Acts 16:22-25 HCSB Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. (23) After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. (24) Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. (25) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

And as James commands:

James 1:2-3 HCSB Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

Fools: The fool says in his heart “No God” says Psalm 14:1. All of us have been guilty of this particular brand of foolishness. When God graciously saves us, we should begin by confessing the name of His Son, and proclaiming His grace to the assembly of the people. We practice there, where it is relatively safe, so that we can be proficient when we do it out in the rather unsafe “world”.

Sailors: Those who would guide others must first acknowledge that God guides them. As Joseph did:

Genesis 40:8 HCSB "We had dreams," they said to him, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Don't interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."
Genesis 41:15-16 HCSB Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it." (16) "I am not able to," Joseph answered Pharaoh. "It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."

And as Daniel did:

Daniel 2:26-28 HCSB The king said in reply to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, "Are you able to tell me the dream I had and its interpretation?" (27) Daniel answered the king: "No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. (28) But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these:

10. What does Psalm 107:33-42 reveal about the ups and downs of life?

God can:

a.    turn rivers into deserts and back again.
b.    turn fruitful land into salty wasteland
c.    turn a desert into a pool or spring of water.
d.    cause civilizations to rise and/or fall.

He is the source of blessing. He is above our leadership and can cause them to lead us well or astray depending on our attitudes. As it says it,

Proverbs 21:1 HCSB A king's heart is a water channel in the LORD's hand: He directs it wherever He chooses.

In darkness or light, blessing or disaster, we must continuously acknowledge our utter dependence upon the one who created and sustains all things; for all things were created through Him and for Him, He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [2] From Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Him be glory forever.[3]

11. Psalm 107:43 states that if we are wise we will "heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord." What things does the psalmist want us to heed?

We are to remember the Lord…Jeremiah 51:50
He is to be remembered in every generation…Exodus 3:15
May our tongues stick to the roof of our mouths if we do not remember Him…Psalm 137:6

We are to:

1.    Remember and obey…Numbers 15:40
2.    Remember and not forget…Deuteronomy 9:7
3.    Remember for the rest of our lives….Deuteronomy 16:3
4.    Remember these things and be brave…Isaiah 44:21; 46:8
5.    Remember Him in the distant lands…Zechariah 10:9
6.    Remember to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in us…2 Timothy 1:6

We are to remember and heed:

1.    God’s unfailing love, for it is Christ’s love that compels us….2 Corinthians 5:14
2.    The days of deliverance…Exodus 13:3; These days are to be remembered and celebrated by every generation…Esther 9:28; the days of old…Psalm 143:5
3.    His Sabbath rest…Exodus 20:8
4.    All the Lord’s commands…Numbers 15:39
5.    That we were slaves…Deuteronomy 5:15
6.    What the Lord your God did…Deuteronomy 7:18
7.    That the Lord your God led us… Deuteronomy 8:2
8.    That the LORD your God gives us the power to gain wealth…Deuteronomy 8:18
9.    The days of old…Deuteronomy 32:7
10. What Moses commanded us…Joshua 1:13; The instruction of Moses, His servant…Malachi 4:4
11. The wonderful works He has done…1 Chronicles 16:12; Remember the five loaves for the 5,000…Matthew 16:9; Mark 8:18-21
12. His covenant forever…1 Chronicles 16:15
13. The great and awe-inspiring Lord…Nehemiah 4:14
14. That we should praise His work…Job 36:24
15. That He remembers us…Psalm 42:6
16. To cause His name to be remembered for all generations…Psalm 45:17
17. The Lord’s works …Psalm 77:11
18. That God is our rock…Psalm 78:35
19. To observe His instructions…Psalm 103:18
20. The wonderful works He has done…Psalm 105:5; What happened long ago…Isaiah 46:9; Hebrews 10:32
21. His judgments from long ago and find comfort…Psalm 119:52
22. His name in the night…Psalm 119:55
23. Our Creator in the days of our youth…Ecclesiastes 12:1
24. His name alone…Isaiah 26:13
25. Lot's wife!...Luke 17:32
26. Paul’s ways in Christ Jesus…1 Corinthians 4:17
27. How Jesus sacrificed His body for us…1 Corinthians 11:24
28. That those who sow sparingly…reap sparingly... those who sow generously…reap generously….2 Corinthians 9:6
29. The poor…Galatians 2:10
30. That at one time we were Gentiles…Ephesians 2:11
31. The Apostle’s instructions on the coming of the Lord Jesus…2 Thessalonians 2:5
32. The prisoners…Hebrews 13:3
33. Our leaders…Hebrews 13:7
34. The words previously spoken…2 Peter 3:2.
35. The words foretold by the apostles concerning end times…Jude 1:17; What we have received and heard…Revelation 3:3

Good leaders will remind us of these things even though we know them…2 Peter 1:12; Jude 1:5

[1] 2 Corinthians 5:14
[2] Colossians 1:16-17
[3] Romans 11:36

Pleasing God

Read Matthew 6:1-18

"Look what I did, Daddy!" the child squeals, delighted that her father notices and approves. Children love praise—especially from their parents. Our heavenly Father understands this. In fact, he encourages us to seek his praise and gives it to us freely. But God also knows how desperately we seek to impress others. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus presents personal godliness as life in God's family—a life in which there can be no true substitute for our Father's praise.

1. Why do you think children are especially responsive to praise?

Most people respond well to praise, especially if it is perceived as actually deserved. Children are less independent and thus have a built-in need for praise from their care-takers. Some common sense principles to follow in doling out praise would be:

1.    Reward performance, not merely participation.
2.    Ensure the praise is deserved. If you ever lie they will no longer believe you.
3.    Praise small advances. If you wait for perfection, you’ll be waiting forever.
4.    Be specific with praise. Don’t just say “good job”. Tell them what made it a “good job.”
5.    Balance criticism with praise. Most counselors agree that the ratio should be 6:1, that is six praises for every criticism.
6.    Praise progress in relation to their past progress, rather than in relation to others’.

2. Read Matthew 6:1-18. God is called our Father ten times in this passage. How does our relationship with the Father provide the context for understanding Matthew 6:1-18?

If the words “which is in heaven” are meant to strike a keynote of reverence, the words “our Father” give us the dominant notes of trustfulness and love. Knowing that we have a loving Father in heaven watching us should lead us to:

1.    Honor, love and obey Him. Malachi 1:6
2.    Try to imitate Him. Ephesians 5:1; Matthew 5:48
3.    Rid ourselves of all Lowlander concerns. Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:31-32
4.    Be patient in our afflictions. Deuteronomy 8:5; Hebrews 12:9
5.    Live up to the dignity of such a noble relation. Philippians 2:15
6.    Love our spiritual family. 1 John 3:14
7.    Be heavenly minded, remembering that there is no concealing our faults from Him, as we can our earthly parents. Psalm 69:5; Hebrews 4:12-13

Thus the emphasis Matthew 6 gives us on the issue is “tzedekah” or righteousness, rather than “tzedakah” or charity.

3. How does Matthew 6:1 relate to what Jesus says in Matthew 6:2-18?

The desire to be righteous and holy supersedes all other desires. It is the overarching principle. In fact it may be THE overarching principle. The greatest command “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself” is implicitly preceded by the desire to be righteous.

4. In Matthew 6:2 Jesus describes how hypocrites in his day gave to the needy. In what ways can our giving be hypocritical today?

a.    Pretending to be close to God, when not desiring or enjoying a relationship with Him
b.    Practicing religious activity to be seen and praised by men Mattew 6:2, 5, 16
c.    Pretending to be excited about fellowship with other believers, when in reality only wanting to impress them with our spirituality.
d.    Giving money to gain the praise of men Matthew 6:2; Acts 5:1-2
e.    Praying to impress others with our spirituality Matthew 6:5
f.     Fasting to impress others with our spirituality Matthew 6:16
g.    Pretending to be excited about service for the Lord, when merely doing it out of obligation
h.    Pretending to live a holy life, but inwardly wishing we didn’t have to
i.      Pretending to be a spiritual person when we’re really not
j.      Saying we love God, but not obeying His mitzvoth Luke 6:46
k.    Saying we have d’vekut with God but seldom actually speaking to Him in prayer
l.      Obeying God because of a fear of what others will think of us
m.   Making spiritual decisions based on other’s expectations

What kind of giving pleases God, and why (Matthew 6:3-4)?

It should be done:

a.    without ostentation
b.    as unobtrusively as possible
c.    humbly
d.    cheerfully 2 Corinthians 9:7
e.    promptly Proverbs 3:28
f.     efficiently Ecclesiastes 9:10
g.    generously Ecclesiastes 11:6
h.    in a balanced manner 2 Corinthians 8:12-15

Why?

a.    Because the wrong aim in tzedekah alters its nature and may invalidate it.
b.    Because the harvest we hope to get is in olam habah, the other world.

5. In what ways do hypocrites love to pray today (Matthew 6:5)?

The problem with the praying habits of the pagans (other than the fact that they pray to demons[1]) is that they feel their prayers will be more effective if they are lengthy utterances. The notion is that if you drone on in prayer long enough, you will eventually get whatever it is you request.

Unfortunately, this false idea of merit through duration has crept into the prayer habits of various disciples of Christ. Jesus soundly rejects the opinion that in order to be effective our petitions must be long or loud. The longest recorded prayer in the New Testament comes from Jesus and lasts approximately two minutes.[2] Many others were only one sentence long.[3]

6. In contrast to hypocrites and pagans, what does the Father desire from us, and why (Matthew 6:6-8)?

God is more concerned with the content of the prayer and the attitude of the petitioner than with the duration of the petition. God knows our need before we utter a single syllable. Praying does not bring God up to date with our condition. Rather, it gives us an opportunity to participate in those works of God that will satisfy our needs. Prayer is a way of expressing our confidence in the love and provisions God has for us personally.

There were three times each day that the Jews set aside for formal prayer – 9:00 AM, noon, and 3:00 PM.[4] Regardless of the place or the circumstances, the devout Jew was to drop everything and pray.

It was commonly believed (though scripturally unsupportable) that the prayers offered in the Temple were the most effective; next in line came the prayers made in the synagogue. If neither of these places were convenient, the individual could pray wherever he found himself. It seems that numerous Jews, especially the Pharisees, often found themselves wherever the largest audience was – too often for it to be considered coincidence. A hypocrite’s prayer is worthless. Being spoken to men and not to God, their reward will come from those to whom they pray.

Granted, there is a proper place for public prayer in the will of God[5], but here Jesus emphasized our need also to pray privately. This is secret prayer – unannounced and unattended by others.

7. In Matthew 6:9-13 Jesus teaches us how to pray. What do we learn about prayer and about our Father in heaven?

After specifying the wrong ways to pray, Jesus proceeded to give a sample of the right way to pray. Every necessary element for a richly spiritual life is contained in these few words. First, as ought to be expected, God and His Kingdom are given the initial place in the prayer. Second, our own needs – both physical and spiritual – are mentioned in the spirit of expectancy. Note that Christ’s disciples do not hoard things – “i.e. daily bread”. Third, our relationship to people is covered with the grace of forgiveness. Finally, in the fourth position, the desire for protection from Satanic forces is confidently expected.

8. In what ways do your prayers need to become more balanced?

9. In what sense does our forgiveness from God depend on our forgiving others (Matthew 6:14-15)?

1 Peter 4:7-8 HCSB Now the end of all things is near; therefore, be clear-headed and disciplined for prayer. (8) Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength, since love covers a multitude of sins.

We often hear “love covers a multitude of sins” quoted as a suggestion to overlook sin. However, when taken in context, the true meaning of the verse is that if we pray for others in a disciplined and clear-headed manner and work at loving each other, many of OUR OWN sins will be covered in Hashem’s eyes. This fits very neatly with the principle of “forgiven as we forgive.”

Matthew 6:12 HCSB And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Luke 6:37 HCSB "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

So, the Adonaic Christian needs to work steadily at finding ways to gently restore those who have fallen into sin. Why is this principle so important? It is because an unforgiving spirit is a proud spirit. It says “I would NEVER do such a thing.” As it harbors its root of bitterness, it stores sin in its core and God cannot, will not set that aside.

10. In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus assumes we will fast. Why and how should a Christian fast today?

Give Fasting handout.

11. Jesus mentions earthly and heavenly rewards seven times in this passage. Why this emphasis?

There is no other but present temporal reward to be expected for such who do their good works in order to be seen by men. On the other hand, there is a certain and glorious reward for them who do their good works with one eye on God.

When our duty to God is done He will take care that it be duly recognized; but when done purely for ostentation’s sake, God cannot own it. God accepts only what is done to Himself.

12. How has this passage helped you to better understand life in God's family?

[1] 1 Corinthians 10:20
[2] John 17
[3] Matthew 14:30; Luke 18:13; 23:42; Acts 7:60; Ephesians 3:14-19
[4] cp Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10; and Acts 3:1
[5] Acts 3:1; 4:24-31

The Lord Is King

Dr. Seuss tells a story about Yertle the turtle. Yertle prided himself on being king of all he could see. But from his little throne he couldn't see much, so one day he decided to build it higher. He summoned all the turtles in the pond to stack themselves on top of each other. Reluctantly they obeyed. From his new vantage point atop this turtle throne, Yertle was now king of the pond, king of a tree, king of a house and king of a bee. But Yertle wasn't satisfied. More turtles were summoned and more and more, and Yertle was lifted up in magnificence and glory. Then at the bottom of the stack an insignificant turtle named Mack burped, and Yertle was toppled from his throne. Dr. Seuss concludes: "And today the great Yertle, that Marvelous he, is King of the Mud. That is all he can see."

In Daniel 4 we read about another king, like Yertle, who thought he was someone special. Then one day something shook his throne and the king saw things he'd never seen before.

1. In your opinion, why is Yertle the turtle both an amusing and pitiful creature?

You are likely already aware that the literature that you read, regardless of the subject, possibly conveys themes and lessons that apply to various life situations and experiences. What may surprise you, however, is that young children’s stories also impart important themes and lessons. The Dr. Seuss books are particularly apt examples of this. Despite being written for young children, Dr. Seuss’ books contain powerful messages about important themes in American history and society.

For example, Horton Hears a Who was written while the United States occupied Japan after World War II, while we were attempting Japan’s democratization. Horton thus spoke on the issue of treating the Japanese people with respect and really listening to them.

The Sneetches had as its themes anti-Semitism, racism and tolerance. Remember that the Nazis often required Jews to wear yellow stars on their clothing to identify themselves as Jewish? Dr. Seuss argued that we need to beware going along with such social identification because it can lead to ostracization.

The Cat in the Hat dealt with the general subversion and rebellion against authority and the artificial optimism and optimism that characterized the 1960s.

The Butter Battle Book had as its background the Cold War and argued against silly conflicts that escalate into dangerous situations.

The Lorax deals with power, corruption, greed, environmental stewardship, and pollution.

Yertle the Turtle, one of Dr. Seuss’ earlier books, had as its themes Hitler and his thirst for power. Like Hitler, Yertle thought that the rise to power was on the backs of his subjects rather than acting as a servant to his people. They both thought that increasing their personal power would lead to increased security and stability when in fact the direct opposite was happening. The higher Yertle was, the more precarious he was. The more battle fronts Hitler opened, the more vulnerable Germany was.

Throughout human history, “lust for power” has caused more death and destruction than any other reason. In fact, some estimate that it may be responsible for as much as 95%. It has certainly resulted in at least 40 million deaths and an incomprehensible amount of “collateral damage”. Countries have been decimated, cities left smoldering in total ruin, innumerable people afflicted by the loss of loved ones, being wounded or crippled for life, millions left homeless and starving, others raped, tortured and imprisoned. All this to satiate a handful of madmen.

Every one of these despots faced the very same fate as the lowest, poorest subject. It is appointed to every man once to die after which comes the judgment.

2. In Daniel 4:1-3 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, begins his letter. How do his words differ from what we might expect from a pagan king?

Every people, nation and language. As King Nebuchadnezzar addressed this soliloquy to “every people, nation, and language” so King David said, “Praise the Lord, all nations! Glorify Him, all peoples! For great is His faithful love to us; the Lord’s faithfulness endures forever. Hallelujah! (Psalm 117).

May your prosperity increase. In Aramaic this phrase is literally “may your peace increase” but carries the lowlander connotation that with prosperity comes peace. It was a normal salutation in the Near East: “Shalom”, leading to “Salaam.”

I am pleased to tell you. There is a note of real joy, of true delight in the language. He was actually excited about this letter. When you go on to find out what happened to him and how humiliating his experience was, it is surprising that he takes this tack. Yet he had encountered God in a real, experiential, literal way that many humans go through their entire existences never experiencing. May each of us display the same delight!

The miracles and wonders the Most High God has done. Note that each is plural. These included the dreams, interpretations and outcomes that he experienced. Nebuchadnezzar had become a lynchpin in human society and the wonderful “Hound of Heaven” was after him!

Most High God. This is the Aramaic title of God ‘Illay ‘Elah (Strong’s #5943 +426). Elah is used by Hebrew authors to indicate the one true God but it was used by other cultures as a general term for a god of any kind.[1] ‘Illay however is a title which indicates Yahweh’s supreme status and power which leads me to believe that at this point in his life Nebuchadnezzar had come to understand the nature of the one true God.

Eternal kingdom, dominion from generation to generation. This is the truly surprising point to hear coming from a pagan king. That he would wish peace and prosperity on his own kingdom is not particularly shocking. That we would find a convert among the pagans is also not that unusual for God has always desired to reach all nations.[2] No – what surprises me is his humble willingness to acknowledge a superior King, one whose kingdom is eternal.

3. If you had been Nebuchadnezzar, what would have disturbed you about the dream (before you knew its meaning)? (Daniel 4:10-18)

A tall tree. (v.10) A tall fruit tree at the center of the world was a common element in many ancient Near Eastern stories.[3]

Grew large and strong. (v.11) On the walls of one of Nebuchadnezzar’s buildings there is an inscription in which Babylon is compared to a spreading tree. Cp. V. 22

Leaves, fruit. (v.12) Nebuchadnezzar’s empire faced no threat of war and could thus pour all of its gross national product into peacetime activities. It was an age of great art, culture and architecture. These were the “leaves and fruit” of the tree.

Food for all…every creature fed. (v.12). Many people from many nations came to the Babylonian cities to find jobs. These are the animals and birds that found shelter under the “tree” in vv.12 and 14.

Holy angel. (v.13) In Aramaic the word here is actually “ir”, which means “guard” or “watcher” and may indicate a particular class of angel. See also vv. 17, 23

Cut down, chop off, strip, scatter. (v.14) The words are deliberately violent. What would happen would be rapid and the effects would be brutal.

Leave the stump with roots in the ground. (v.15) As a stump left with intact roots may possibly grow again, so the possibility of restoration is extended to Nebuchadnezzar by the Watcher. For further exploration of this theme consider Isaiah 10:33-11:1; 14:4-8; Ezekiel 17:1-10; 31:3-14

Band of iron and bronze. (v.15) In Assyrian culture trees that were considered sacred were sometimes marked by metal bands around them.[4] What the Assyrians considered to be a connection between the cosmic tree and divine kingship, Hashem turned into a fetter. A banded tree cannot grow any further. Even if anything above or below the band grows, the tree remains limited by the diameter of the band. The message is clear. Not only is God in control, but He can take what we think is our greatest strength and turn it into our weakness. He can not only cut us down, chop off and strip our branches and scatter our fruit to rot and STILL allow us recover – this process is done at HIS leisure not ours.

Let his mind be changed. (v.16) No simple change of attitude or approach is implied here. Nebuchadnezzar was to lose his mind, given the mind of an animal. Some basic survival instincts would remain, a certain primitive cunning perhaps, but no sign of the former intellectual glories of a man who had built a great empire would remain.

Given the mind of an animal.[5] (v.16) Perhaps God afflicted Nebuchadnezzar with clinical lycanthropy, a rare psychiatric disorder in which the victim suffers from the delusion of having been transformed into an animal. The more general term is “zoanthropy” or “therianthropy” if the delusion is not specifically related to a wolf.

Seven. (v.16) The number seven is often associated with the concept of completeness or wholeness in ancient literature. Cp. 3:19; 4:25.

Periods of time. The term was associated with a particular part of the year and so was used to indicate an entire year. It would be like saying “You will undergo this process for seven winters.”

By decree of the observers, command of the holy ones. (v.17) Job referred to Elohim as Natsar ‘Adam, “Watcher of Mankind” (Job 7:20). Hagar named Him El Ro’I, “All Seeing God” or “God Who Sees” (Genesis 16:13). Whereas a single “watcher” made the pronouncement he stated that the decree was authorized by the “holy watchers” (plural). There is no evidence of angels ever making decrees or pronouncements. Indeed, they serve both God and us (Hebrews 1:7, 14; 1 Peter 1:12) and we will be judging or ruling THEM (1 Corinthians 6:3) so perhaps this is a reference to the Trinity.

Spirit of the holy gods. (v.18) At that point in Nebuchadnezzar’s life, although he acknowledged Adonai’s power, he was not yet willing to admit that Adonai is the ONLY God. He was simply willing to add the Lord to the Assyrian pantheon, perhaps somewhere near the top of the polytheistic food chain but still one God among many.

4. What is even more disturbing about Daniel's interpretation of the dream (Daniel 4:19-27)?

Daniel stunned and alarmed. (v.19) Daniel was known for his tremendous courage. He continued praying as was his habit regardless of the threat of becoming lion food. I doubt that he was afraid of telling the king the truth as some would suggest. I think that two things caused his alarm. First, like many others, when he came face to face with the omnipotent sovereignty of God he shivered. Second, being a great leader and a person of tremendous power and influence under the reign of several succeeding kings, he understood the ramifications this would have on the Babylonian empire. Imagine the turmoil and chaos caused by the sudden void on the throne and the many factions vying to fill it! This midrash is supported by Daniel’s response to the king indicating that the fate would apply to his enemies instead.

Don’t let it alarm you.(v.19)Nebuchadnezzar likely thought Daniel’s fear was of the consequences of telling the powerful king bad news. It probably would have upset the king even more to know that Daniel’s first fear was of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7) and not this human sovereign.

May it apply…to your enemies. (v.19) For then the kingdom would remain stable and many thousands of innocents (including the captive Jewish population) would not have to reap the consequences of King Nebuchadnezzar’s hubris.

Sentence passed. (v.24) Yahweh Shaphat is the Judge of all the Earth. (Genesis 18:25; Psalm 7:18; 96:13; Isaiah 33:22) How disconcerting this statement must have been for a man who was used to being the ultimate court in the empire. As king Belshazzar had been weighed in God’s balance and found deficient (Daniel 5:25-26) so no king Nebuchadnezzar was to be judged.

Until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler. (v. 25) As must all men (Philippians 2:9-11).

Gives kingdoms to whoever He wants. (vv.25 and 26) Cp 1 Samuel 15:28; Job 34:24; Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 2:37; 4:17, 31; 5:21

Separate from sin by doing what’s right. (v.27) Daniel and the Apostle Paul must be reading out of the same playbook for Paul advised “Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good” (Romans 12:21). This playbook was written by the One who advised Cain to master his yetzer hara (Genesis 4:7); clearly stated His desire that justice flow like water and righteousness like an unfailing stream (Amos 5:24); and told us that righteousness, like any other skill, must be practiced (Psalm 106:3) – but with the right heart attitude (Matthew 6:1).

5. Why would it be especially easy for someone in Nebuchadnezzar's position to become proud?

In a time when ascension to positions of power were marked by brutality and treacherousness he had survived to the ultimate position. His other name was Bakhat Nassar, which means “fate winner.”
He was a conqueror. He and his father Nabopolassar had freed Babylon from its Assyrian dependence and had left Nineveh in ruins. In 605 BC he personally beat Egypt and brought Syria and Phoenicia under his control. Of much less import on the global scale but of supreme importance to us, he had also laid waste to Judah and Jerusalem and had sent our people into exile.
He was a political genius. Through his marriage to Amytis of Media, the daughter of Cyaxares, king of the Medes, he had united the Median and Babylonian dynasties.
He was credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens, one of the great Wonders of the ancient world.
He was regarded by many as a deity and worshipped as such. (cp. Daniel 3:1-5)
When he captured Jerusalem and deposed king Jeconiah in 597 BC, he destroyed the Beit ha Mikdash, so he may have considered himself superior to Yahweh Himself!

How does this relate to Jesus’ admonition to the rich (Matthew 19:24)?

Outside of God’s help it is impossible for a prideful person to be saved. They must either voluntarily humble themselves or be humbled by God before they can admit their need for a Savior. We can only be a candidate for salvation if we recognize that we have nothing to offer God and come crawling on our knees with our empty hands outstretched, begging for the crumbs off his table.

Matthew 15:25-28 HCSB But she came, knelt before Him, and said, "Lord, help me!" (26) He answered, "It isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to their dogs." (27) "Yes, Lord," she said, "yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table!" (28) Then Jesus replied to her, "Woman, your faith is great. Let it be done for you as you want." And from that moment her daughter was cured.

6. What did Nebuchadnezzar need to learn about himself and God?

One night,

Daniel 4:30 HCSB the king exclaimed, "Is this not Babylon the Great that I have built by my vast power to be a royal residence and to display my majestic glory?"

But what are such trifles compared to the glory of the universe. What is having a city be your residence in comparison to having the entire universe be insufficient to contain You? (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 6:18)

Like Herod Agrippa at Caesarea he failed to give God His praise. (Acts 12:23)

7. In what areas might we be tempted to be proud, and why?

8. Read Daniel 4:28-37. After receiving this vision, Daniel's interpretation and sound advice, why do you think Nebuchadnezzar failed to repent (Daniel 4:28-30)?

I feel that like many, Nebuchadnezzar at first took Daniel’s advice to heart, but that with time he gradually forgot for the “spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38)

9. In Daniel 4:31-33, what statements and experiences indicate the extent to which God humbled this proud king?

It was sudden – (cp Psalm 78:33; Proverbs 3:25-26)
It was unexpected – (cp 1 Thessalonians 5:3)
It was terrible – It would have been a control freak’s worst nightmare. It would have been awful for a man who spent his entire life trying to not show his enemies (both foreign and domestic) any weaknesses. (Proverbs 1:26-27; 10:24)
It was incurable – there would have been no possible hope offered by the physicians of his day. In fact, schizophrenic lycanthropy REMAINS incurable to this day. It may be treated with drugs but the slow descent into madness remains a perpetual sword of Damocles. However what is impossible for man remains well within the capabilities of omnipotent God.

10. In what ways is Nebuchadnezzar's experience both a warning and an encouragement to us?

11. What evidence is there in this chapter that he learned his lesson?

12. What does this chapter teach us about genuine humility?

[1] Daniel 4:8; 6:7
[2] Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; Ezekiel 33:10-11; 2 Peter 3:9
[3] i.e. the tree that grew from Tiamat’s first drop of blood; cp also Genesis 2:9; 3:3; Revelation 22:2
[4] As seen in the art drawn in Khorsabad depicting Assurbanipal II and by the embossed bronze-banded “sacred” trees at the entrance to the temple of Shamash. There are also bands of metal around the trunk of a tree on some cylinder seals and slabs from the palace of Ahurnasirpal at Nimrud as well as similar depictions on the mural reliefs of the palace’s alabaster walls.
[5] Nebuchadnezzar; 1795; by William Blake

God's Severe Mercy

Twenty-six miles is a long way to go. You've been running for over two hours; your heart is pounding, your chest is heaving, your body aches, and your pace begins to slacken. How nice it would be to quit, to lie down and rest, to take it easy. You begin to wonder whether the race is really worth all the effort.

The Hebrew believers wondered that about Christianity. Within the Jewish community their lives had been tranquil and carefree. However, now as Christians they were ridiculed, rejected, persecuted—and ready to give up. Like an experienced trainer, the author encourages them to keep on running. He helps them and us to understand why hardship can be God's severe mercy.

1. What do athletic training and parental discipline have in common?

In both areas the discipline must:

a.    have a clear goal in mind
b.    take place before the “big event”
c.    occur on a daily basis for years; become a habit
d.    be both positive and negative
e.    be holistic; involving body mind and spirit
f.     teach how to be part of a team, that it takes all together to succeed
g.    teach the necessity of staying out of trouble
h.    require deep, systematic research; it can’t be ad hoc and be successful

2. Read Hebrews 12:1-13. In what ways is the Christian life like a marathon (Hebrews 12:1-4)?

The race. (v.1) The word “race” used here (agon) is the word from which we derive our English word “agonize”. Anyone who has run any long distance race knows the agony referred to. You may do everything right: train hard, eat right, and obey your coaches. You may do everything right and STILL struggle with the agony of the race. Those who fail to invest the time and effort before the race will certainly fail.

As with any footrace, it doesn’t matter how fast you start if you don’t finish. I believe that the author of Hebrews was the apostle Paul and it was he who said,

2 Timothy 4:7 HCSB I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

The goal of the race must not be understood to be the attainment of heaven and only those who win get in. What every original reader understood was that one did not get to compete unless they were already a citizen. Our citizenship in heaven is settled the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. Then the race to inculcate more and more of Him into our lives begins. Salvation and imputed righteousness achieved, the race for practical holiness begins.

3. How can the "great cloud of witnesses" in the stadium (those described in Hebrews 11) motivate us to keep on running?

When we are struggling in our walk we should turn to Hebrews 11.

When we “grow weary in well doing” we need to listen to Noah tell us, "How long do you say you’ve been waiting? It took me 120 years to build the ark, and it was never easy. People ridiculed me and said, `Are you sure you really heard God? Maybe you just heard someone else.’ I tried to warn them of the judgment that was coming, but no one would listen. So, I kept on building, and when the floods came the ark became the vehicle of our salvation. You need to keep on, keeping on, too."

When we become discouraged, our father Abraham is likely whispering in our ear. "Listen, if you follow God, the world will probably think you’re crazy because God’s ways are not their ways. However, listen carefully to what He tells you, follow in His steps, be true to His will and it will all work out."

Listen to Joseph saying, "Look, it doesn’t take much to be faithful when things are going your way.However, when you are at the bottom, and everything seems to be falling apart, make sure that you’re still faithful."

Each story has something to offer. Each life experience should encourage us in our personal walk. There is a tremendous potential available in just that one chapter of the Bible. I believe we could study it for years and not fully plumb its depths.

4. What kinds of things can hinder or entangle us as Christians?

Lay aside the weight. (v.1) The “weight” (onkos) is not intrinsically evil. It is simply something which weighs us down, diverts our attention, saps our strength, or dampens our enthusiasm for the things of God. How terrible that most people spend most of their time and energy on trifles while setting God aside. As the Puritan preacher Richard Baxter put it, “He who is all seems to them as nothing, and that which is nothing seems to them as good as all.”

I have a huge winter topcoat that extends all the down to my calves. It is very thick and heavy. It’s great to wear when I need to walk around in the cold but it would be terrible to wear in a race! The long coat would entangle my legs. The weight would bear down, causing my lungs to burn and my heart to pound – awful! We need to realize that everything that hinders our race must be set aside. It’s just making life more difficult than it needs to be.

We have the unfortunate capacity of turning nearly anything into sin. A mother should love her children but if that love becomes so overwhelming that she fails to deal with their sin, mother-love just became an entrapping weight. We must put away the human disposition for turning these things into temptations.

5. Jesus has already completed the race. How can fixing our eyes on him keep us from growing weary and losing heart?

Keeping our eyes on Jesus. (v.2) The word “looking” comes from a Greek word (aphorao) that has the idea of concentrating one’s gaze.

In much the same way a coach will tell his runners, “When the gun sounds, start running as hard as you can. Don’t look back. Don’t look around. Keep your eyes on the finish line and keep on running.” Every time the runner glances sideways, at the crowd, at another runner, he slows down a little. His mind is not wholly focused on the action and his body consequently reflects the divided attention.

We are to deliberately lift our eyes from those things which might distract us and focus with utter concentration on Jesus. Jesus is the “image of the invisible God.”[1] If we want to see the Father we must look at the Son.[2] We are to make our attitude that of Christ Jesus.[3] We must do this until we too can say,

Galatians 2:19b-20a HCSB …I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me...

Source. (v.2) The term here is “archegos”, literally “pioneer”. Jesus is the initiator of our faith.

Consider. (v.3) When we are asked to “consider” Jesus in verse three it means to make a careful reckoning by comparing. The reader is asked to compare their suffering and hardships with His. The sufferings of Christ’s followers, however severe they may be, are always incomparably light when weighted against the suffering of the Master Himself. Jesus was opposed. He was persecuted. He was mocked. Yet, He stayed the course, ran the race and paid the price. So, when we get weary we need to “keep our eyes on” and “consider” Him.

6. In Hebrews 12:5-13, the imagery changes from a race to a family. What "word of encouragement" does the Father give us about hardships in life (Hebrews 12:5-7)?

When we face hardships we don’t have to face them alone. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
When we face hardships they don’t have to be meaningless.
When we face hardships we can trust the counsel of our heavenly Father.
When we face hardships that are not the natural consequence of our own sins, we should be encouraged that our Father thinks we are ready to step up to the next level and is investing in us.

As James said,

James 1:2-4 HCSB Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, (3) knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. (4) But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

7. We often want our lives to be free from hardship or difficulty. How does Hebrews 12:8 challenge such an attitude?

If without discipline…you are illegitimate. (v.8) Chrysostom was much closer to the Greek culture that formed the context of this writing than we are. He explained that Roman fathers did not concern themselves with the education or advancement of their bastards. He said, “Since, then, not to be chastised is a mark of bastardy, we ought to rejoice in chastisement, as a mark of our genuine sonship.”

The bastard may enjoy the fact that he does not have to go to school, is not subject to the harsh disciplines of the household, and does not get spanked. Yet, he is not provided for either and his lack of discipline and education means he has no real future.

8. How does the discipline of our human fathers compare with God's discipline (Hebrews 12:9-10)?

We respected them. (v.9) Usually our punishment from our parents was short and deserved. In contrast, sometimes God’s discipline is long lasting and perhaps in our own minds undeserved. All of us understand being punished for doing wrong but it is very difficult for our yetzer hara to accept that discipline for discipline’s sake is for our own good.

Unfortunately, we have plenty of examples of undisciplined children. We see homes in which the children are in control, and schools in which the children are in control. If God were to allow us to go undisciplined, eventually we would be in control, and then we would be doomed.

He does it for our benefit. (v. 10) When I was in the Marines I didn’t particularly enjoy getting up at “zero dark hundred” to do PT in the cold wet grass, run five miles, do a surf swim, and then have to do twenty pull-ups (last one pulling all the way up and flipping myself over the bar) in order to earn the right to eat breakfast. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the process. Nevertheless, as a warrior, I recognized the benefits. I realized that it would enable me to survive what would likely kill most other men. So I endured. I disciplined myself to accept discipline.

If we can do this with human, sinful, often wicked humans, who at their best are limited in their knowledge, how much more should we submit to omniscient, perfect, and holy God? Paul said in

1 Corinthians 11:32 HCSB but when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

God is not trying to harm us. He is trying to save us.

9. If we endure God's discipline now, how will our lives be different later on (Hebrews 12:11-13)?

Hebrews 12:11-13 HCSB No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (12) Therefore strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, (13) and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed instead.

Seems. (v.11) It only “seems” so to those whose judgment may be clouded by their pain. However, when the difficulty fades, a new clarity emerges and we see the truth that was staring us in the face the whole time: God is on our side. He loves us, cherishes us and is constantly seeking our good.

Fruit of peace and righteousness. (v.11) This is the same fruit that comes when we can

Philippians 1:10-11 HCSB … determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, (11) filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Seeing as we are the branches and He is the vine, that fruit can only come through Christ.

John 15:5 HCSB "I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 HCSB (10) Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness, (11) as you are enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

Isaiah tells us

Isaiah 32:17 HCSB The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.

If we will only endure life’s hardships without compromising our relationship with the Giver of Life, following the Good Shepherd up the steep, rocky paths, we will soon find ourselves in lush green pastures, enjoying the quiet peace of the Lord’s provision and care.

10. Read Hebrews 12:14-29. What factors can lead us, like Esau, to miss out on God's blessing (Hebrews 12:14-17)?

Hebrews 12:16-17 HCSB And see that there isn't any immoral or irreverent person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for one meal. (17) For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected because he didn't find any opportunity for repentance, though he sought it with tears.

Immoral. (v. 16) Immorality is very similar in nature to gluttony, Esau’s particular sin. It is allowing a natural desire to take such prominence in our lives that it overrides common sense and good judgment.

Irreverent. (v. 16) He despised his birthright. He didn’t sufficiently value it. He was careless with it. Too many Christians today hold a similar attitude toward grace. Esau took his father’s blessing so lightly that we became a mocker.

Genesis 25:32 HCSB "Look," said Esau, "I'm about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?"

Obviously, he ran no risk of dying of starvation within the boundaries of his father’s property. The tone was facetious, joking. What we joke about we can sometimes come to despise. We mustn’t treat the sacrifice of the Lord, His kingship and the gifts He has given to His people as something to be scorned and mocked. That is why believers are enjoined to be “sober-minded” (1 Thessalonians 5:6, 8; 1 Peter 5:8).

11. Looking at Hebrews 12:18-24, describe in your own words the vivid differences between Mount Sinai (symbol of the Old Covenant and Mount Zion (our heavenly home).

Mount Sinai              Mount Zion

Touchable                 only accessible through Christ

Blazing fire                freedom from hell fire

Darkness, gloom      everlasting light

Storm Peace

Trumpet warning      Triumphant Trumpet calling us home

Sound of words        Physical presence of the Messiah

Death Life

Terror Festivity (v.22b)

Jesus as Judge        Jesus as Mediator of a New Covenant



12. In light of the glorious destiny of the righteous, why is it perilous to refuse to listen to God's encouragement and warning in this chapter (Hebrews 12:25-27)?

Hebrews 12:25-27 HCSB See that you do not reject the One who speaks; for if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven. (26) His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven. (27) Now this expression, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what is not shaken might remain.
Hebrews 3:12-13 HCSB Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. (13) But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception.
Proverbs 1:24-33 HCSB Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention, (25) since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction, (26) I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when terror strikes you, (27) when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you. (28) Then they will call me, but I won't answer; they will search for me, but won't find me. (29) Because they hated knowledge, didn't choose to fear the LORD, (30) were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction, (31) they will eat the fruit of their way and be glutted with their own schemes. (32) For the waywardness of the inexperienced will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. (33) But whoever listens to me will live securely and be free from the fear of danger."
Jeremiah 11:10-11 HCSB They have returned to the sins of their ancestors who refused to obey My words and have followed other gods to worship them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah broke My covenant I made with their ancestors. (11) "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring on them disaster that they cannot escape. They will cry out to Me, but I will not hear them.
Ezekiel 5:5-9 HCSB "This is what the Lord GOD says: I have set this Jerusalem in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. (6) But she has rebelled against My ordinances with more wickedness than the nations, and against My statutes more than the countries that surround her. For her people have rejected My ordinances and have not walked in My statutes. (7) "Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: Because you have been more insubordinate than the nations around you--you have not walked in My statutes or kept My ordinances; you have not even kept the ordinances of the nations around you-- (8) therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: See, I am against you, Jerusalem, and I will execute judgments within you in the sight of the nations. (9) Because of all your abominations, I will do to you what I have never done before and what I will never do again.

13. Look back over the whole chapter. What have you learned about how discipline can be God's severe mercy?

14. Our God is not only a loving Father but also a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28-29). Take time now to thank and worship him with reverence and awe.

[1] Colossians 1:15
[2] John 14:8-9
[3] Philippians 2:5

God's Triumph

Read Romans 8:26-39

At the end of the movie Patton we hear the famous general say, "For over a thousand years Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph, a tumultuous parade. In the procession came trumpeters, musicians and strange animals from the conquered territories, together with carts laden with treasure and captured armaments. The conqueror rode in a triumphal chariot, the dazed prisoners walking in chains before him. Sometimes his children, robed in white, stood with him in the chariot or rode the trace horses. A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory is fleeting."

In Romans 8, Paul describes Christians as conquerors, who by God's love and grace overcome all forces that are hostile or harmful to us. However, the glory we receive can never be taken from us! Our triumph is God's triumph in us.

1. Why is it easy for Christians to feel more like the conquered than the conqueror?

We have all grown up being slaves to sin. We are used to the feeling of condemnation. The witness of nature, the voice of our conscience and the verdict of God’s Word all combine to testify to our condition.

We see the destruction of random chaos, the rise of incurable diseases that we thought were conquered long ago, the lingering and malignant diseases brought on by sin and greed, and in our ears ring the old curse but with a whole new emphasis: “The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you. You will eat by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground. You are dust and you will return to dust.” (Genesis 3:17-20).

Our consciences testify to our guilt. Whole systems of idolatry are based upon the persistent feeling of condemnation and the perceived need for deliverance. The baskets of the Druids,[1] the wheels of the Juggernaut,[2] the shrines where the firstborn have been slain for the sins of the parents,[3] all testify that man’s conscience says that he is in a state of condemnation. The priests of these false religions could not have made a trade of their snake oil if this were not true.

The Word of God is crystal clear on the matter.

Romans 3:23 HCSB For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
1 John 1:8 HCSB If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
Galatians 3:10-11 HCSB For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, because it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue doing everything written in the book of the law. (11) Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.

2. Read Romans 8:26-39. What words would you use to describe the mood of this passage?

Initially, it begins with: dependent, reliant, subordinate, subservient, vulnerable.

Then, surprisingly, it swings toward: assured, buoyant, enthusiastic, expectant, hopeful, optimistic.

3. Are there ever times when you feel at a loss about how to pray (Romans 8:26)? Explain.

The word “weakness” is correctly translated in the HCSB as singular. I only have one principle, root problem in my prayer life, i.e. unbelief.

Having said that, I have found that the root of unbelief sprouts and demonstrates itself in the following ways:

1.    Lack of persistence (Matthew 7:7)
2.    Lack of concentration (Deuteronomy 5:32; Psalm 1:2; 1 Corinthians 6:12)
3.    Unknown sin (Psalm 19:12; Philippians 3:15)
4.    Unconfessed sin (Psalm 19:13; Isaiah 59:1; John 9:31)
5.    Not asking (James 4:2)
6.    Selfishness (James 4:3)

In my weakness and faithlessness I can echo the father of the demon-possessed boy:

Mark 9:24 HCSB Immediately the father of the boy cried out, "I do believe! Help my unbelief."

4. How can we be encouraged by the Spirit's prayers for us (Romans 8:26-27)?

Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would help us. “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.” (John 14:16).

How does the Holy Spirit help us in prayer?

1. Reminds us what to pray. (John 14:26).
2. Reminds us of the Truth, remains in and with us. (John 14:17).
3. Guides us in prayer and gives wisdom as to the future. (John 16:13).
4. Will point us to Jesus. (John 15:26).
5. Gives us strength to love and thus pray compassionately. (Col. 1:8-12)

5. In Romans 8:28, Paul speaks of "the good" and "his purpose." What is God's good purpose for us (Romans 8:29)?

The grand aim of the Gospel is not to give men theological knowledge and material civilization. Its aim is something much higher, infinitely grander – it gives us the character of Christ. It is to create us anew in Christ Jesus in good works. It is to inspire us with the Spirit of Christ, without which we are none of His. “Follow me” is the Messiah’s clarion call to this very day. This is the burden of the whole Gospel. Are we like Christ? This is the ultimate question of our existence.

Assimilation to the image of Christ is our supreme duty and it is by far the most attainable. Why?

a.    Because we are made by imitation. It is how we grew up. It is what babies do naturally.
b.    Because Christ is the most imitable of all examples.
c.    He is the most admirable;
d.    He is the most transparent;
e.    He is the most unchanging;
f.     He is the most intimate. He is always with us in the lives of good disciples, in the writings of the prophets and the apostles, and in the influence of our consciences.

6. How do words such as foreknew, predestined, called, justified and glorified (Romans 8:29-30) help us to understand how God accomplishes his purpose for us?

As we studied before in the classes on the Trinity, the Father wills, the Spirit empowers, and the Son accomplishes. Our transcendent Father, being outside of time, was able to foreknow every human act, every human desire, every human decision. Those He knew would submit to the sovereignty of His Son were immediately set aside for greater things; namely conformity to the image of His Son. Through the Spirit He called those people. As He already knew they would, they responded positively and He immediately justified them. At once, the process of glorification began. In all of this we see that:

His purpose is good because it is the work of a wise God. He knows all things.
His purpose is safe because it is the work of a powerful God. Unless He chooses he cannot.
His purpose beneficial because it is the work of a loving God.

7. Paul claims that God is working in every situation and circumstance in our lives to accomplish his good purpose (Romans 8:28). How do you respond to this claim?

Romans 8:28 HCSB We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

The apostle says “we know.” “We know” is used 5 times in the book of Romans and the word “know” alone is used thirteen times. All these references taken together indicate that it refers to that which should be common knowledge among the talmidim. Where human knowledge “puffs up”, love edifies (1 Corinthians 8:1). This is knowledge that is implanted deep in the heart of the believer who “loves God.”

“For those who love God” is the identifier. All does not work well for the rashaim, regardless of their present circumstances. To them the Lord calls “You fool! Your soul will be required this night! What good is it to own the whole world and yet lose your soul?” Clearly, if Hebrews 11 teaches us anything it is that loving God and having all things work together for the good does not preclude calamities in this present world. The principle the Apostle is referring to is the same James brought up. James said,

James 1:15 HCSB Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.

The flip side to that is “righteousness, when it is fully finished, gives birth to life and goodness.”

8. In Romans 8:31-34 Paul imagines a courtroom in which God is the judge and Jesus is our defense attorney. How and why would they respond to any accusations brought against us (Romans 8:31-34)?

How can their verdict encourage us when we feel unacceptable before God?

9. Many first-century Christians, including Paul, experienced many of the hardships described in Romans 8:35-36. Why might these experiences cause us to question God's love for us?

10. How can Christians who are led like sheep to be slaughtered be considered "more than conquerors" (Romans 8:37-39)?

11. In what ways can this passage help us appreciate our triumph in God (Romans 8:26-39)?

[1] Julius Caesar reported that anyone suffering from a serious disease, or about to face the perils of battle, would offer, or vow to offer a human sacrifice, which would be carried out by the Druids. One method was for victims to be burned alive in huge wicker baskets. Usually criminals were chosen for sacrifice.
[2] A crude idol of Krishna worshipped at Puri and throughout Orissa and Bengal. At an annual festival the idol is wheeled through the town on a gigantic chariot and devotees are supposed to have formerly thrown themselves under the wheels.
[3] Child sacrifice was practiced by the Irish Celts, the Gauls, the Scandinavians, the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and, in certain periods, the Israelites. Thousands of bones of sacrificed children have been dug up by archaeologists, often with inscriptions identifying the victims as firstborn sons of noble families, reaching in time all the way back to Jericho of 7,000 B.C. Sealing children in walls, foundations of buildings, and bridges to strengthen the structure was also common from the building of the wall of Jericho to as late as 1843 in Germany.

Misconceptions About God

God the teddy bear. God will always forgive my sins.

When the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah disregarded God’s warnings, God’s patience after a long while ran out and those evil cities were eternally destroyed.

Genesis 19:12-13 HCSB Then the angels said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, (13) for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is great before the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."

When the people of Noah’s day rejected God’s messages, the world was destroyed with a worldwide flood.

Genesis 6:5-7 HCSB When the LORD saw that man's wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, (6) the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. (7) Then the LORD said, "I will wipe off the face of the earth: man, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky--for I regret that I made them."

It doesn’t just happen to the unsaved. The people of Israel balked at crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. They said,

Numbers 14:2 HCSB All the Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron, and the whole community told them, "If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this wilderness!

They wished to die in the wilderness; God made their sin their ruin, took them at their word, and their carcasses fell in the wilderness.
When Moses lost his cool and ruined God’s show and tell lesson, Moses was kept from the Promised Land.

Numbers 20:12 HCSB But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust Me to show My holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given them."

It didn’t just happen in the Old Covenant. The Corinthian believers who were turning the Passover into a wild drunken party were made sick. Those who insisted on their “liberty” were killed.

1 Corinthians 11:29-30 HCSB For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. (30) This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.

God the vindictive thrower of lightning bolts. God can never forgive my sins.

God will certainly never leave the guilty unpunished (Nahum 1:3). And God may allow the consequences of our sins to spill over to three to four generations. However, if we will only turn and obey Him, He ensures that the results will influence a thousand generations!

Exodus 20:5-6 HCSB You must not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers' sin, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, (6) but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commands.
Deuteronomy 7:9-10 HCSB Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands. (10) But He directly pays back and destroys those who hate Him. He will not hesitate to directly pay back the one who hates Him.

It is not up to us to decide whom God will or will not forgive. He is just as much an independent free-will agent as we are.

Exodus 33:19 HCSB He said, "I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

God does not delight in the death of the wicked. And anyone who will repent of their sins will find a gracious and merciful Father.

Ezekiel 18:21-24 HCSB "Now if the wicked person turns from all the sins he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is just and right, he will certainly live; he will not die. (22) None of the transgressions he has committed will be held against him. He will live because of the righteousness he has practiced. (23) Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?" This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. "Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives? (24) But when a righteous person turns from his righteousness and practices iniquity, committing the same abominations that the wicked do, will he live? None of the righteous acts he did will be remembered. He will die because of the treachery he has engaged in and the sin he has committed.
Ezekiel 18:32 HCSB For I take no pleasure in anyone's death." This is the declaration of the Lord GOD. "So repent and live!

God the problem solver. God will not allow any problems to occur in my life.

God is far more concerned with our character than He is with our comfort. He will purposefully introduce difficulties into our lives in order to test our hearts, humble us, discipline us, build character in us, or simply to glorify Himself by lending us strength and hope in the midst of our trials.

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 HCSB Remember that the LORD your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. (3) He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 HCSB especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. (8) Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. (9) But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me. (10) So because of Christ, I am pleased in weaknesses, in insults, in catastrophes, in persecutions, and in pressures. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
John 9:1-3 HCSB As He was passing by, He saw a man blind from birth. (2) His disciples questioned Him: "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (3) "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," Jesus answered. "This came about so that God's works might be displayed in him.
1 Peter 4:12-13 HCSB Dear friends, when the fiery ordeal arises among you to test you, don't be surprised by it, as if something unusual were happening to you. (13) Instead, as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah rejoice, so that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation of His glory.

God the joyless party pooper. God is against all pleasure.

God’s first command to mankind was to have sex. To say that He is against it is ridiculous. Having said that, sex is a powerful gift; one that can cut two ways. Within the right context it promotes intimacy and results in life. Experienced outside God’s healthful boundaries it will separate and may result in sickness and even death.

Genesis 1:28 HCSB God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth."

God also gave us wine – simply in order to make our hearts glad. He wants to give us good things that we can enjoy. But they must be enjoyed in moderation. The gift must never take precedence over the Giver.

Psalms 104:14-15 HCSB He causes grass to grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, producing food from the earth, (15) wine that makes man's heart glad--making his face shine with oil--and bread that sustains man's heart.
Romans 14:16-18 HCSB Therefore, do not let your good be slandered, (17) for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (18) Whoever serves the Messiah in this way is acceptable to God and approved by men.

Jesus wants to give us good “pasture”. He wants us to fully experience life in all its abundance. The devil, who keeps telling us to “live it up” is actually wanting to destroy us.

John 10:9-10 HCSB I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. (10) A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.

When we consider the lush biosphere that we enjoy and view with awe the wonders of our universe, it is difficult if not impossible to conceive what the Apostle promised. The gifts God gives to His people will only keep on coming and get better and better. He is truly the generous “Good Giver.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 HCSB But as it is written: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and what has never come into a man's heart, is what God has prepared for those who love Him.
James 1:5 HCSB Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

God the maker of perfect zombies. God will instantly make me perfect.

Those who expect this to be true will certainly not find any validation for their theory in the real world.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 HCSB There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins.
1 John 1:8 HCSB If we say, "We have no sin," we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The Teacher promised that those who seek righteousness will find themselves growing and improving over time. As the sun first glimmers in the east and steadily increases until it has reached noontime splendor, so is the course of the tzaddik. His knowledge, purity and holiness will gradually increase and the light of his pious example will shine more and more. At long last he will be exalted by his God in the third heaven where he will shine in a blaze of pure joy.

Proverbs 4:18 HCSB The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

The wicked on the other hand, though they may amuse themselves with many worldly baubles and be referred to as “stars” by Lowlander culture, will suffer a steady increase of thick, gloomy darkness; a compound of ignorance, error, sin and misery, until at length their life will terminate in the blackness of eternal darkness and torment.

Romans 1:21-32 HCSB ONE For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. (22) TWO Claiming to be wise, they became fools (23) THREE and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. (24) FOUR Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. (25) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (26) FIVE This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual intercourse for what is unnatural. (27) The males in the same way also left natural sexual intercourse with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and SIX received in their own persons the appropriate penalty for their perversion. (28) And because they did not think it worthwhile to have God in their knowledge, SEVEN God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. (29) They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, disputes, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, (30) slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, (31) undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. (32) EIGHT Although they know full well God's just sentence--that those who practice such things deserve to die--they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.
Jude 1:10-13 HCSB But these people blaspheme anything they don't understand, and what they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals--they destroy themselves with these things. (11) Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah's rebellion. (12) These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts. They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn--fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots; (13) wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever!

Even the great Apostle Paul admitted his own sinful frailties.

Romans 7:15 HCSB For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.
Romans 7:18 HCSB For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.
Philippians 3:12-13 HCSB Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. (13) Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,

For this reason, not only because those around us are “works in progress” but because so are we, we should practice forbearing patience toward one another.

Matthew 6:12 HCSB And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Matthew 6:14-15 HCSB "For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. (15) But if you don't forgive people, your Father will not forgive your wrongdoing.
Colossians 3:13 HCSB Accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also you must forgive.

God the perfect nanny. God will keep me from all harm.

This idea is pushed primarily by the “health and wealth” preaching charismatic groups. They teach that if only you will have enough faith, God will ensure you success in every endeavor, and perfect safety from all harm. Apparently, the Apostle Paul did not have sufficient faith.

2 Corinthians 11:24-26 HCSB Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. (25) Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea. (26) On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers

Apparently, the Holy Spirit was mistaken to include the following brothers and sisters in the Hall of Faith.

Hebrews 11:35-40 HCSB Women received their dead raised to life again. Some men were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection, (36) and others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. (37) They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. (38) The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts, mountains, caves, and holes in the ground. (39) All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, (40) since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

God considers our faith to be a valuable commodity – more valuable than gold. And, like gold, faith is refined in fiery trials. To seek a life of ease is to turn one’s back on faith.

1 Peter 1:6-7 HCSB You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to be distressed by various trials (7) so that the genuineness of your faith--more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

God the purveyor of gurus. God will instantly make my leaders perfect.

This is an excuse many people give for leaving the church and living lives that by and large disregard Hashem’s mitzvoth. “I got burnt in church.” Or “There are too many hypocrites in church.” But this presumes that we are without sin too. The church never claimed to have perfect leaders. There is only One who is Good – and He holds an equal status with two other members of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit went to great lengths to help us choose the best, most principled leaders out of a bunch of degenerate sinners. Those qualifications are not only necessary to gain leadership in God’s “charactocracy” but to keep that position.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 HCSB This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them. (16) But I received mercy because of this, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate the utmost patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

The early church was not only told to carefully examine the lives of those who were being considered as potential candidates for leadership, but to provide for their dismissal if they failed to continue in righteous living.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 HCSB Don't accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses. (20) Publicly rebuke those who sin, so that the rest will also be afraid.

God the builder of fortress sanctuaries. God will not allow any vampires in His church.

This is a variation of “God the purveyor of gurus.” In this one, people stupidly believe that because their children are in a church Sunday School they are completely safe from predators. That is not the case. In fact, I believe that Satan introduces wicked people to the church (using their predatory instincts) specifically to destroy churches.

Matthew 13:25 HCSB But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
1 Peter 5:8 HCSB Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

Because we are “sheep in the midst of wolves” we are in greater danger of attack – not less.

Matthew 10:16 HCSB "Look, I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.

This is also true about bad teachers; false prophets who are simply considering the pastorate as a means of personal gain or profit.

Matthew 24:11 HCSB Many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.
Acts 20:29-31 HCSB I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. (30) And men from among yourselves will rise up with deviant doctrines to lure the disciples into following them. (31) Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears.
Philippians 3:18-19 HCSB For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. (19) Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things,

2 Peter 2:1 HCSB But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves.
Jude 1:10-13 HCSB But these people blaspheme anything they don't understand, and what they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals--they destroy themselves with these things. (11) Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah's rebellion. (12) These are the ones who are like dangerous reefs at your love feasts. They feast with you, nurturing only themselves without fear. They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn--fruitless, twice dead, pulled out by the roots; (13) wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever!

As we approach the end times, I believe that particular problem will get worse, not better.

2 Timothy 3:13 HCSB Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.

The reason is that “we get the leadership we deserve.” If the people from who the leadership are chosen are corrupt, then the leadership will also be corrupt. If the people (the pool), are interested in righteous living and do not tolerate sin, then they will choose wise leaders.

2 Timothy 4:3-4 HCSB For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. (4) They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.

God the finicky. God’s people should never hang out with Lowlanders.

This one is more popular among the KJV only, hyper fundamental, so separated we are of no earthly good types. These are the ones who are even too righteous for each other! It’s also a primary driving factor among such as the Amish and Quaker. But if it were true – if God wants us to be separate from Lowlander culture, then why did the Master Himself live and move among them?

Matthew 9:11 HCSB When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
Mark 2:16 HCSB When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples, "Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

And it wasn’t that Jesus simply went slumming to pass out tracts and then scuttle back to the relative safety of His white, middle class neighborhood. He didn’t simply try to save “the little black babies” all the while despising their parents. His enemies referred to Him as a glutton and a drunkard. Because He was faced with all the same temptations as us yet without sin, we know their accusation was false. Yet the fact remains, He did like a good meal and He did drink alcoholic drinks and He remained “a friend of the untouchable.

Matthew 11:18-19 HCSB For John did not come eating or drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' (19) The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
Luke 7:33-35 HCSB For John the Baptist did not come eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!' (34) The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' (35) Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."

Having said that, there is a big difference between “hangin’ out” with, and lovingly ministering to sinners. Jesus never hesitated to put His finger right on our moral sore spots. And He always kept in mind the Father’s will and obeyed it fully.

Luke 5:30-32 HCSB But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" (31) Jesus replied to them, "The healthy don't need a doctor, but the sick do. (32) I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

He simply wasn’t “over-righteous” as Solomon put it.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 HCSB Don't be excessively righteous, and don't be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Besides, it would be impossible to fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission if we were to remain completely separated from sinners!

Matthew 28:18-20 HCSB Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

We not only need to go out among sinners but we need to tailor our approach to their proclivities so that we can be more effective witnesses.

1 Corinthians 9:22-23 HCSB To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. (23) Now I do all this because of the gospel, that I may become a partner in its benefits.

What’s really interesting to me is that the only clear and categorical statement on the issue of separation teaches that it is not the worldly Lowlanders from whom we must separate. It is from hypocrites who call themselves believers but live like their father the devil that we must separate.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 HCSB I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- (10) by no means referring to this world's immoral people, or to the greedy and swindlers, or to idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. (11) But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. (12) For what is it to me to judge outsiders? Do you not judge those who are inside? (13) But God judges outsiders. Put away the evil person from among yourselves.

God the blankie. God’s people will always feel close to God.

This error presumes that we will never sin, an obvious fallacy. When we sin, Holy God will separate from us – even if we are His children.

Psalms 42:1-3 HCSB For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. (2) I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? (3) My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, "Where is your God?"
Psalms 63:1 HCSB A Davidic psalm. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah. God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.

The fact that we are His children INCREASES the chance of this happening because He is our Father and will, like any good Father, discipline His children.

1 Peter 4:17 HCSB For the time has come for judgment to begin with God's household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

The Father even separated Himself from His only begotten Son when the Son became sin for us. How much more will He deal with our sins?

Mark 15:34 HCSB And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

God as Miss Manners. God’s people should all talk like the Stepford Wives.

This usually is heard among the true “cultural Christians”; those who regard the Way as being strewn with rose petals and saturated in saccharin sweet speech. The Scriptures agree that we are to speak lovingly, but maintain that we must balance the graciousness with truthfulness.

Ephesians 4:14-15 HCSB Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. (15) But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ.

The prophet Isaiah warned against condoning sin in an effort to remain “united”.

Isaiah 5:20-21 HCSB Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (21) Woe to those who are wise in their own opinion and clever in their own sight.

And we all know that we can count on our truest friends to speak the truth to us – sometimes bluntly. It is to enemies that we speak in an overabundance of care: witness the statements our presidents have made concerning the former Soviet Union, or Iran or Korea.

Proverbs 27:6 HCSB The wounds of a friend are trustworthy, but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.

Those who push the “Stepford Wives” argument tend to have a burr under their saddle about “judgmental Christians”. Their favorite verse is:

Matthew 7:1-2 HCSB "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged. (2) For with the judgment you use, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

But they fail to balance it with:

John 7:24 HCSB Stop judging according to outward appearances; rather judge according to righteous judgment."

True believers are allowed to practice good judgment.

Matthew 7:3-5 HCSB Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye but don't notice the log in your own eye? (4) Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and look, there's a log in your eye? (5) Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

A. It must not be hypocritical.
B. It must be according to truth.

We are not only allowed but encouraged to call out those who are wicked teachers. John exposed the Pharisees as vipers.

Matthew 3:7 HCSB When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Jesus exposed the Pharisees.

Matthew 12:34 HCSB Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
Matthew 23:3 HCSB Therefore do whatever they tell you and observe it. But don't do what they do, because they don't practice what they teach.
Matthew 23:15-17 HCSB "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are! (16) "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever takes an oath by the sanctuary, it means nothing. But whoever takes an oath by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by his oath.' (17) Blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that sanctified the gold?
Matthew 23:27 HCSB "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every impurity.
Matthew 23:33 HCSB "Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?

Paul exposed Jannes and Jambres.

2 Timothy 3:8 HCSB Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith.

It is all right to “name names”. Paul named Peter Publicly.

Galatians 2:11-14 HCSB But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned. (12) For he used to eat with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. (13) Then the rest of the Jews joined his hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. (14) But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas in front of everyone, "If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel Gentiles to live like Jews?"

Paul named Demas.

2 Timothy 4:10 HCSB for Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

Paul named Hymenaeus and Alexander.

1 Timothy 1:18-20 HCSB Timothy, my child, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by them you may strongly engage in battle, (19) having faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and have suffered the shipwreck of their faith. (20) Hymenaeus and Alexander are among them, and I have delivered them to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

Paul named Hymenaeus and Philetus.

2 Timothy 2:17 HCSB And their word will spread like gangrene, among whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus.

Paul named Alexander the Coppersmith.

2 Timothy 4:14-15 HCSB Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. (15) Watch out for him yourself, because he strongly opposed our words.

Paul named Jannes and Jambres.

2 Timothy 3:8 HCSB Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith.

John named Diotrephes.

3 John 1:9-11 HCSB I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have first place among them, does not receive us. (10) This is why, if I come, I will remind him of the works he is doing, slandering us with malicious words. And he is not satisfied with that! He not only refuses to welcome the brothers himself, but he even stops those who want to do so and expels them from the church. (11) Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Moses, Peter, Jude, and John named Baalam.

Numbers 25:1-3 HCSB While Israel was staying in Acacia Grove, the people began to have sexual relations with the women of Moab. (2) The women invited them to the sacrifices for their gods, and the people ate and bowed in worship to their gods. (3) So Israel aligned itself with Baal of Peor, and the LORD's anger burned against Israel.
Numbers 31:14-16 HCSB But Moses became furious with the officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who were returning from the military campaign. (15) "Have you let every female live?" he asked them. (16) "Yet they are the ones who, at Balaam's advice, incited the Israelites to unfaithfulness against the LORD in the Peor incident, so that the plague came against the LORD's community.
2 Peter 2:15-16 HCSB By abandoning the straight path, they have gone astray and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, (16) but received a rebuke for his transgression: a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
Jude 1:10-11 HCSB But these people blaspheme anything they don't understand, and what they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals--they destroy themselves with these things. (11) Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, have abandoned themselves to the error of Balaam for profit, and have perished in Korah's rebellion.
Revelation 2:14 HCSB But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the sons of Israel: to eat meat sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.

Nathan named David.

2 Samuel 12:7 HCSB Nathan replied to David, "You are the man! This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

Hanani named King Jehoshaphat.

2 Chronicles 18:1 HCSB Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he made an alliance with Ahab through marriage.
2 Chronicles 19:2 HCSB Then Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, "Do you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the LORD's wrath is on you.
2 Chronicles 21:1-6 HCSB (1) Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. His son Jehoram became king in his place. (2) He had brothers, sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariah, Michael, and Shephatiah; all these were the sons of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. (3) Their father had given them many gifts of silver, gold, and valuable things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. (4) When Jehoram had established himself over his father's kingdom, he strengthened his position by killing with the sword all his brothers as well as some of the princes of Israel. (5) Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king; he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. (6) He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for Ahab's daughter was his wife. He did what was evil in the LORD's sight,

Believers are required to expose error and to oppose those who peddle it. We are to MARK them and AVOID them.

Romans 16:17 HCSB Now I implore you, brothers, watch out for those who cause dissensions and pitfalls contrary to the doctrine you have learned. Avoid them;
2 Timothy 3:5 HCSB holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people!

We are to SEPARATE from them.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 HCSB (9) I wrote to you in a letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- (10) by no means referring to this world's immoral people, or to the greedy and swindlers, or to idolaters; otherwise you would have to leave the world. (11) But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother who is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a reviler, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person.

We are to KEEP AWAY from them.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 HCSB Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks irresponsibly and not according to the tradition received from us.

We are to REBUKE them.

Titus 1:13 HCSB This testimony is true. So, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith

We are to REJECT heretics.

Titus 3:10 HCSB Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning,

We are to TRY them.

1 John 4:1 HCSB Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

We are NOT to RECEIVE them.

2 John 1:10-11 HCSB If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home, and don't say, "Welcome," to him; (11) for the one who says, "Welcome," to him shares in his evil works.

Does God Change His Mind?

In short, no. His unchangeability is critical to our ongoing survival.

Malachi 3:6 HCSB "Because I, Yahweh, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
Hebrews 13:8 HCSB Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

His fundamental nature, the way that He presents Himself, does not change from generation to generation. This was tested and found to be true over a span of thousands of years.

Exodus 3:15 HCSB God also said to Moses, "Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.
John 8:58 HCSB Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am."

There is no one else like Him. He is the only God and thus the only one to possess this characteristic. We and angels may be eternal in the sense of from now on – but God is eternal even into the past. Having never been born, and never experiencing death, He is truly the ONLY unchangeable thing about the universe.

Isaiah 43:10 HCSB "You are My witnesses"--the LORD's declaration--"and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. No god was formed before Me, and there will be none after Me.

His omnipresence, His eternality, and His transcendence imply that He lives in block time and is without separate, moving parts. In His transcendent aspect, there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.

James 1:17 HCSB Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.

His sheltering arms are described as everlasting. If He were to, as some would say, be modal, or as others would say, evolve, then He would no longer be the same. His fundamental essence would remain but He would change. He would no longer be the same and His protective arms might at some point no longer be available.

Deuteronomy 33:27 HCSB The God of old is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, and commands, "Destroy!"
Psalms 90:1-6 HCSB A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation. (2) Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God. (3) You return mankind to the dust, saying, "Return, descendants of Adam." (4) For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by, like a few hours of the night. (5) You end their life; they sleep. They are like grass that grows in the morning-- (6) in the morning it sprouts and grows; by evening it withers and dries up.
Psalms 102:24-27 HCSB I say: "My God, do not take me in the middle of my life! Your years continue through all generations. (25) Long ago You established the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. (26) They will perish, but You will endure; all of them will wear out like clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will pass away. (27) But You are the same, and Your years will never end.
Cp Hebrews 1:10-12 HCSB And: In the beginning, Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; (11) they will perish, but You remain. They will all wear out like clothing; (12) You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like a robe. But You are the same, and Your years will never end.

The Spirit is also described in similar, eternal terms.

Hebrews 9:14 HCSB how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?

Since God is perfect and immutable, His commands do not change. Those who believe that all of the Old Covenant commands were invalidated by the coming of the Messiah should remember that He did not destroy them or set them aside, but instead fulfilled them.

Matthew 5:17-19 HCSB "Don't assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (18) For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. (19) Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commandments will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Luke 24:44 HCSB Then He told them, "These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you--that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled."

Since God is the author of the Scriptures, they too are eternal, immutable, and unbreakable.

Matthew 24:35 HCSB Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
1 Peter 1:23 HCSB since you have been born again--not of perishable seed but of imperishable--through the living and enduring word of God.
John 10:35 HCSB If He called those whom the word of God came to 'gods'--and the Scripture cannot be broken--

The Scriptures do not contain truth. They ARE truth. There are not errors here and there. His commands do not contradict themselves. If at first glance they seem to, we must humbly understand that we are simply not smart enough yet to see how they work together. Humble, consistent scholarship will soon illuminate the way forward for us.

Psalms 119:160 HCSB The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
John 17:17 HCSB Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

God’s essence, nature, presentation, or purposes do not change. However, being a Person, He will respond to the changing will of man. He reacts when we exercise our free wills.

Jonah 3:5-10 HCSB The men of Nineveh believed in God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth--from the greatest of them to the least. (6) When word reached the king of Nineveh, he got up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. (7) Then he issued a decree in Nineveh: By order of the king and his nobles: No man or beast, herd or flock, is to taste anything at all. They must not eat or drink water. (8) Furthermore, both man and beast must be covered with sackcloth, and everyone must call out earnestly to God. Each must turn from his evil ways and from the violence he is doing. (9) Who knows? God may turn and relent; He may turn from His burning anger so that we will not perish. (10) Then God saw their actions--that they had turned from their evil ways--so God relented from the disaster He had threatened to do to them. And He did not do it.

Nevertheless, His ultimate purpose did not change.

2 Peter 3:3-9 HCSB First, be aware of this: scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, following their own lusts, (4) saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation." (5) They willfully ignore this: long ago the heavens and the earth existed out of water and through water by the word of God. (6) Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded by water. (7) But by the same word the present heavens and earth are held in store for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (8) Dear friends, don't let this one thing escape you: with the Lord one day is like 1,000 years, and 1,000 years like one day. (9) The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.