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Waiting on the Lord

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Psa. 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.

Psa. 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

Introduction

The waiting room, a land where time seemingly stands still. It is a place where life is put on hold. In my doctor’s office, it feels like hours have passed, and yet when I look at my watch, it’s been only 20 minutes. When we are in the waiting room, it seems as if progress has come to a screeching halt.1

This short, but excellent article by Mark Wheeler formed the incentive for this series on waiting on the Lord.

One of the important exhortations of the Bible is the call to “wait on the Lord.” Even though God promises special blessing for waiting, waiting is one of the most difficult exhortations of Scripture. Why is it so hard? Because, as a part of fallen humanity, we are so prone to take matters into our own hands, to follow our own schemes. Yet, over and over again we are told in Scripture “wait on the Lord.”

We don’t like to wait and when we think of waiting we are apt to respond with the pun, “Wait? That’s what made the bridge collapse!” Of course, that’s weight, not wait. But then these two words, weight and wait are not always unrelated because one of our needs in waiting on the Lord is the need to cast the weighty burdens of life on Him.

The comment about the bridge expresses our normal dislike for waiting, especially in our “I want it now!” society. Ours is a society that has grown accustomed to immediate gratification. Due to modern technology and all our conveniences—telephones, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, fast foods, airplanes, etc.—we have many things immediately at our fingertips. Just think of the speed of the latest computer technology in comparison with the computers of only a few years ago.

Even in our modern age of conveniences, waiting is still a big part of life. When we think of waiting, what comes to mind? We might conjure up visions of an airport terminal, a doctor’s waiting room, the line at the supermarket, or being stuck in rush hour traffic. The facts are, most of us are waiting for something most of the time:

  • Maybe you are in a job situation that’s really tough to endure and you are waiting and hoping that conditions will change for the better.
  • Maybe you are without a job and waiting for news on an application.
  • Maybe you are ill (or have a loved one who is) and waiting for your health to improve.
  • Maybe you are on a diet and waiting for your weight to drop a few pounds.
  • A single person may be waiting for Mr. or Miss Right.
  • Or maybe you are waiting for your spouse or child to become interested in spiritual things.

The simple fact is, in spite of our modern age and our dislike for waiting, life is full of waiting. And one of the most challenging exhortations of Scripture is “Wait.” But waiting, despite our impatience and our dislike for it, is a vital element in life. Indeed, waiting has a number of benefits that we will discuss in this study.

When we think of waiting on the Lord, there are a number of important questions that need to be answered and understood in light of the principles and promises of Scripture. Why? Because without these answers, we become like a long-tailed cat scurrying around in a room full of rocking chairs. We become fidgety, fearful, frustrated, anxious, and even angry. However, because the Lord tells us to wait, and since it has some wonderful benefits, we need to know what it means to wait and how that is to be done.

Some key questions we might ask are:

  • What does it mean to wait? What’s involved?
  • How are we to wait?
  • Who and what are we waiting for?
  • Why should we wait?
  • How long do we wait?

We will answer these questions with biblical answers so we can truly learn to wait for and on the Lord and experience the promised blessing of God. First, let’s take a quick look at the key words used in Scripture in connection with this subject.

Old Testament Words Used

In the NASB the word most often translated “wait” in the sense of waiting on the Lord is the Hebrew qavah. Qavah means (1) “to bind together” (perhaps by twisting strands as in making a rope), (2) “look patiently,” (3) “tarry or wait,” and (4) “hope, expect, look eagerly.”

The second most frequently used word translated “wait” is yachal. Yachal means “to wait,” or “hope, wait expectantly,” and is so translated in our English Bibles. The KJV sometimes translates yachal as “trust” as in Isaiah 51:5, but the NASB has “wait expectantly” and the NIV “wait in hope.”

A third word sometimes translated “wait” is damam. Damam means “to be dumb, grow silent, be still,” but it is sometimes translated “wait, tarry, rest” (cf. Psa. 62:5 KJV).

A fourth word for waiting is chakah, “to wait, tarry,” or “long for” (cf. Ps. 33:20; 106:13; Isa. 30:18).

The Old Testament emphasis is clearly on the daily walk and the need to wait on the Lord and His providential care in the pressures of life. As we will see, in the New Testament, the focus is on the promise of Christ’s return. The emphasis, however, in most contexts where the words for waiting occur, is on the impact waiting on the Lord’s return should have on our daily walk.

New Testament Words Used

Prosdechomai is the primary word used in the New Testament for the concept of waiting. It is a compound word from pros, “to or towards” and dechomai, “receive, accept.” Prosdechomai means (1) “to receive to one’s self, receive favorably,” (2) “expect, look for, wait for.”2 Compare its use in Mark 15:43; Luke 2:25; 12:36; Acts 24:15; Titus 2:13; Jude 1:21. The focus of this word is on the coming of the Lord in either His first or second advents.

The second most frequently used word is apekdechomai, a triple compound word made up of two prepositions, apo, “from,” and ek, “out,” and the verb dechomai, “receive, accept.” It means “to await, expect eagerly.”3 Compare its use in Romans 8:19, 23, 25; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Galatians 5:5; Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 9:20. Again, the waiting here is primarily prophetic of the return of the Lord and the glorious blessings that will follow.

The other word translated “wait” in the New Testament is anameno. Literally, it means to wait up as a parent might wait up for a child to come home. It means “to await one whose coming is expected, perhaps with the added idea of patience and confidence.”4 This word is used only once and, again, it is used of the return of the Lord (1 Thess. 1:10).

With these words in mind, let’s look at what waiting means in terms of some practical concepts. Each of these points are like strands woven into a rope which add strength in the process of waiting.

Essential Factors
in Waiting on the Lord

Waiting Necessitates the Passage of Time

When the psalmist wrote in Psalm 130:5-6: “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning,” he was comparing waiting expectantly on the Lord to the night guards of the city who watched the passage of time in anticipation of the coming dawn when they would be released from duty. The coming of the dawn was certain, but not without the passage of time. In our “I want it now generation” we must understanding and accept the fact that waiting on the Lord always involves the passage of time just as it does when we are waiting for the news, a special TV program, for a plane to arrive, or for retirement. Waiting on the Lord inevitably means enduring the passage of time, but it means more, much more.

Waiting Means Confident Expectation

That waiting includes the concept of hope is why the Hebrew word qavah is sometimes translated “hope” or “look expectantly,” and why yacha, which means “to wait” can mean either “wait” or “hope.”

WAITING and HOPING are wound together like the strands of a rope. Let me illustrate:

(1) When you wait for the inheritance you have been promised, you expect and hope the laws of the land will work to make it available to you.

(2) When you wait for the news on TV, you are trusting and expecting your TV to work, and that the station will be on the air and able to broadcast.

(3) When you wait to hear whether or not you have been accepted for the job you’ve applied for, you are not only hoping to get the job, you are hoping your credentials and qualifications are more than sufficient.

Compare again Psalm 130:5-6.

5 I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

When we, like the guards of the city, wait for the morning, we are waiting for more than simply time to pass. We are waiting for the sun to rise and day to break, for the light to replace the darkness, and the cold to be replaced with the warmth of the sun.

Waiting involves an expectation of something special. Waiting means anticipation, expectation, confident hope in something that will take place. Ultimately, waiting on the Lord is like waiting on the sun to rise—waiting expectantly for the Lord’s answers to human needs as the sun brings the warmth of the day.

This naturally leads us to our next point and the third strand in our rope which adds more strength:

Waiting Involves an
Expectation Based on Knowledge and Trust

Without knowledge and trust, we simply won’t wait—at least not without a great deal of anxiety—and usually not without taking matters into our own hands.

Based on its past performance, we wait for the news to come on at six o’clock because we believe the TV station will be operating. For many years they have continued to do so, and so we trust the staff to give the news at six o’clock.

Or, we know that throughout our lives we have seen the sun rise every single day. It has never failed even once. We know or believe, therefore, we can count on it based on its past performance, so we wait for the light and the warmth. But above all, we are expecting God’s laws of creation to continue to work.

Thus, the emphasis of the Bible is that our waiting is a waiting on or waiting for the Lord and His lovingkindness. At least 28 of the passages that deal with waiting have the Lord as the object waited for and as the confidence of the one waiting. Again note the emphasis and the object of the Psalmist’s confidence in Psalm 130:5-8:

I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. 7 O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

As the watchman waits for the sun because he knows it is reliable, so the Psalmist waits for the Lord even more because he knows the Lord is more reliable than the rising of the sun. In other words, waiting is fundamentally wrapped up with knowing, trusting, and believing in the Lord and His person (His character) and in His promises.

The ability to wait on the Lord stems from being confident and focused on who God is and in what God is doing. It means confidence in God’s person: confidence in His wisdom, love, timing, understanding of our situation and that of the world. It means knowing and trusting in God’s principles, promises, purposes, and power.

In each of the following passages, the call to wait and rest is based on God’s character and His faithfulness.

Psalm 52:8-9 But as for me, I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God forever and ever. 9 I will give Thee thanks forever, because Thou hast done it, And I will wait on Thy name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy godly ones.

Psalm 62:1-12 For the choir director; according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. 2 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken. 3 How long will you assail a man, That you may murder him, all of you, Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence? 4 They have counseled only to thrust him down from his high position; They delight in falsehood; They bless with their mouth, But inwardly they curse. 5 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

9 Men of low degree are only vanity, and men of rank are a lie; In the balances they go up; They are together lighter than breath. 10 Do not trust in oppression, And do not vainly hope in robbery; If riches increase, do not set your heart upon them. 11 Once God has spoken; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God; 12 And lovingkindness is Thine, O Lord, For Thou dost recompense a man according to his work.

Psalm 37:7-9 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

Psalm 39:7 And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.

Where is the Psalmist’s hope? In the who and what of the Lord!

But when we think of waiting, we often face the question, “What am I to do during the waiting process?” Does this mean we sit back and do nothing? Yes and No!

Let’s consider our next principle, the fourth strand needed to strengthen the rope.

Waiting Involves Negatives and Positives

When we think of waiting, we might envision just sitting back, not doing much of anything, just waiting for something to happen. But that is not the kind of waiting the Bible is calling for. Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of waiting is learning to hold the negatives and the positives in proper balance.

Waiting involves a passivity and an activity—negatives and positives—things we should do and things we should not do. These negatives and positives in relation to waiting are closely wound together like the strands in a rope. When wound together properly, they give great strength, courage, patience, and endurance.

As to activity, waiting involves three things:

(1) Things we do—doing the right things.

(2) Things we are not to do—refraining from the wrong things.

(3) Things that happen to us, in us, and for us in the process of biblical waiting.

These three elements are intertwined and can be difficult to sort out as we go through the process of waiting on the Lord, but basically, they involve careful obedience by faith in several biblical injunctions that are associated with the concept of waiting in Scripture.

Note the positives and negatives in this passage which are woven together as part of the waiting process as one trusts confidently in the Lord.

Psalm 37:7-9 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

Psalm 37:1-6 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday.

Waiting Involves Seeking the Lord

Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

On the positive side, waiting always means seeking the Lord. When we enter God’s waiting room we are not to just sit as one might in the doctor’s chair. Rather, we need to spend time seeking Him. This means:

  • Time in the Word studying, seeking answers, and claiming God’s promises;
  • Time in prayer praying about the issues, praying for wisdom and discernment;
  • Time meditating on who God is, what He is wanting to do in us and through us, and on what we need to do by way of answers and direction. Included in this might be our need to examine and evaluate our motives and attitudes, our values and priorities, and our goals and objectives in life.

Compare Psalm 119:43, 49, 74, 81, 114, 147 (yachal); 130:5 (uses qavah twice and yachal once); Lam. 3:21-24 (yachal).

Waiting Involves
Taking Action at the Right Time

There is a time to plow, a time to sow, and a time to reap, but they are never done all together or at the same time. For a few years, my father was a rice farmer and as a boy growing up on the farm, I had the privilege of working on the farm and being involved in the rice growing process. The most important and exciting seasons were when we planted and harvested the rice, but they were weeks and weeks apart. We would plow, disk, and harrow the soil, and then we would plant the seed. After the rice had sprouted a few inches, the fields with their levies were flooded with water. For the next months, the job was to maintain the proper level of water on the rice and wait for the rice to grow. Daily we walked and watched the fields to see that the water lever was just right. Finally, after weeks of waiting and watching and anticipation, it was time for the harvest and in would come the combines and the trucks. But the whole process involved doing the right thing at the right time.

Waiting on the Lord is like that. God is in the business of growing a spiritual harvest in our lives, but this takes time and our cooperation in doing the right things at the right time.

Waiting Involves
Resting in God’s Timing

Psalm 145:15 The eyes of all look to Thee, And Thou dost give them their food in due time.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

Waiting means resting in God’s timing and activity while taking care of our responsibilities—the things we can do and should do as set forth in the Word of God.

On the one hand we are to rest and be still. This stands opposed to running ahead of the Lord and taking matters into our own hands and turning to our own human strategies. For instance, when one’s spouse is acting in disobedience to the Word (as it is perceived by the other spouse) the great temptation is to nag and brow beat the other partner with arguments and complaining, etc., but Peter’s direction to us in such situations is far different. Our responsibility is to seek to win them by Christlike behavior while we wait on the Lord to work in their lives, using our testimony if He sees fit to do so.

1 Peter 3:1-2 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. …

With this in mind, let’s look at Psalm 37:7.

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.

“Rest” in this verse is the Hebrew damam which is sometimes translated “wait.” Its basic meaning, however, is “be or grow dumb, be silent, still, motionless,” or “stand still.” Note that it is given in a context where twice we are told to “wait on the Lord” (verses 7 and 9).

This word is used of the sun standing still in Joshua 10:12 and where it includes the idea of stopping normal activity. How we need time from our normal activity to get alone with the Lord.

So, damam is likewise used in the sense of getting quiet for the purpose of quiet meditation on the Word or on the Lord (Ps. 62:5 [uses damam with tiqvah, hope from qavah]; Ps. 4:4, “be still”).

We might compare a well-known verse, Psalm 46:10, “Cease striving (“be still”) and know that I am God …” Though a different Hebrew word is used, this verse stresses a similar idea. The key word here is rapha, “relax, become motionless, hang limp, let go.”

On the other hand, Psalm 37:34 points us to the other side of the coin. “Wait for the LORD, and keep His way, And He will exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.”

Waiting for the Lord includes keeping His way or doing what is right. It involves us in positive actions, but biblical actions of faith in God’s goodness and provision according to His promises and His timing. Again this stands in contrast to turning to man’s way or to our solutions which are the ways of death and defeat.

Waiting Means
Trusting in God and His Goodness

Lamentations 3:25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

Psalm 62:5-8 My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Isaiah 8:17 I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust (look unto, hope) in him. (NIV)

These verses and many others teach us that the essence of waiting is trust or faith in the nature and character of God. No one can wait on the Lord if he or she does not truly trust in God as the rock of their strength and refuge in all of life. Waiting means claiming God’s promises by faith and resting in what God is doing in our lives so we can faithfully follow God’s principles and keep His values, priorities, and pursuits.

The opposite of waiting and resting by faith is turning to our solutions of self-protection because of anger, fear, and jealousy. We fret, we moan and groan, we withdraw or run from the problem. We may try to control others, call attention to ourselves to bolster our feelings of inadequacy or to defend ourselves against the comments of others. Out of fear of failure or loss, we may compromise our convictions or what we know is right. But fear, which has displaced faith in the Lord, causes us to lean on the arm of the flesh.

Waiting Involves
Taking the Right Action

As we rest in God’s timing, goodness, and eternal purposes, taking the right actions includes avoiding the negatives like:

(1) Refusing to retaliate or take revenge (Pro. 20:22).

(2) Refusing to pass judgment, i.e., to judge the motives of others, or to evaluate by human standards (1 Cor. 4:5).

(3) Refusing to get a divorce rather than committing oneself to working on reconciliation and biblical solutions which is God’s way.

(4) Refusing to marry on the rebound.

(5) Refusing to change jobs or run from some other circumstance because of difficulties without first seeking the Lord.

(6) Refusing to resort to the manipulation of others (like one’s husband or wife or child) because we don’t want to wait on the Lord to work. We want change now!

(7) Refusing to fret over the prosperity of others, or be jealous, envious, resentful, frustrated, and angry when our situation is not so good. As seen above, such attitudes can cause us to turn to the typical human strategies like gossip, pouting, revenge tactics, or seeking our happiness by climbing the ladder of success in work, in a position, in popularity, etc., at the expense of family, health, or our walk with the Lord.

But waiting on the Lord also means doing the things we can and should without panic or running ahead of Him. For example, if we need a job or think we need a change of employment, we should pray and ask God for wisdom, for information, and for His sovereign leading, but we may also need to prepare for a job with education and training. Then we need to pursue looking for a job by putting together a resume, checking the classifieds, submitting applications, talking to friends, and going to employment agencies. We don’t expect an employer to come knocking at the door while we sit in front of the TV.

Waiting Involves Learning to be
Content with God’s Provision and Timing

To wait on the Lord means to be content and patient because we are clinging to God and resting in His love and wisdom. This element of waiting, however, is the most difficult aspect of all for two reasons.

(1) Contentment and patience are difficult because they are so contrary to fallen humanity and how we naturally think even after we are regenerated by the Spirit of God. It takes constant renewal in the Word, fellowship with the Lord, and growth through struggle to change.

(2) Contentment and patience fly directly in the face of the cunning delusion Satan constantly seeks to pass off on the human race, namely, that man does not need God and can find security, satisfaction, and significance apart from the Lord through his own solutions and human wisdom.

To wait on the Lord means learning to be content and patient as we cling to God in a fallen world and rest in His love and wisdom. Key to this is knowing that someday we will be in a perfect world that is everything this world is not.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. 17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

On the one hand, being content and patient means learning to be independent of the things we think we need for our significance, security, or satisfaction in life.

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

On the other hand, it means learning to cling to the Lord in the midst of a fallen world. It means resting in His goodness and being committed to His purposes and glory no matter how things seem.

Though believers generally recognize Satan’s big lie for what it is—a lie—we still tend to buy into part of his sales pitch concerning his substitutes and strategies for life. And to confuse or complicate matters, our susceptibility to Satan’s system is aided by our own natural God-given longings for happiness, joy, acceptance, love, meaning, and purpose in life.

Though God-given, these longings were never intended to replace our more fundamental and basic longing and need of God. Indeed, our ability to properly experience these longings rather than abuse them (make them into our gods) has always depended on our relationship and dependence on the Lord.

We naturally long for many things such as love, acceptance, purpose in life, food, clothing, comfort, pleasure, and security. And these are all legitimate desires. However, because of our natural needs and desires, we fall prey to Satan’s lies and follow Satan’s strategies (as well as our own) to meet our needs and fulfill our desires.

(1) We tell ourselves we can’t be happy unless we have certain of the details of life—a particular kind of car, or home, or furnishings for our home, etc.

(2) We believe the lie that we can’t be significant and find meaning in life unless we obtain the position we are coveting, unless we are accepted by a particular group of people, or unless certain people respect our opinions. (You fill in the blank.)

When we believe these kinds of lies, we become discontent as Eve was in Genesis 3. Then, in our state of discontent and false belief, we turn from waiting on the Lord to our own strategies as did Eve. We reach into our own little bag of tricks to get what we want. Regarding this Jeremiah wrote:

Jeremiah 2:12-13 “Be appalled, O heavens, at this, And shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD. 13 “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, That can hold no water.”

One of the greatest evidences of our fallenness is our propensity to seek to get from this world what only God can give us. God has given us all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17), but never apart from Him either as the source of our basic satisfaction in life or apart from His direction. Without the Lord, even in the midst of great prosperity, life becomes like parched ground and we end up like a gerbil on a wheel, running, running, running, but going nowhere and facing only discontent and boredom.

To wait on the Lord means to learn contentment with His provision and timing in any given situation through fellowship with God—knowing Him, clinging to Him, and trusting Him.

The Israelites were to be God’s people, distinct, and living under His protection, direction, and provision as they experienced His fellowship and manifested His glory.

Psalm 106:13-15 shares some insightful lessons from which we can learn much in the realm of learning to be content which is so vital to waiting on the Lord.

    The First Problem: “they quickly forgot His works” (13a)

I believe the two parts of this verse stand to each other as cause and effect with the effect, “forgetting God’s works,” placed first for emphasis. The emphasis is on the fact of their lost focus on the mighty works of God. “His works” is a reference to the mighty deeds of God’s love and deliverance beginning with Israel’s deliverance in Egypt through the Passover lamb, and then out of Egypt by God’s power at the Red Sea, and extending on into the wilderness in one great event after another.

And what did these works show? God’s works manifested God’s person as loving, gracious, powerful, and committed to His people by special covenants as first spelled out in the Abrahamic covenant and later in the Mosaic covenant (cf. Rom. 8:31-32).

So what happened? They quickly forgot all that the Lord had done. “Forgot” is the Hebrew word shakach which carries the idea of being oblivious to something. How sad! But they forgot because they lost their focus on the Lord, and they lost their focus because they failed to wait on God’s counsel.

    The Reason: “They did not wait for His counsel” (13b)

What is God’s counsel? The Hebrew word here is etsah, “counsel, plan, purpose, design.” Ultimately this refers to God’s Word, but in particular it refers to God’s purpose and plan for the nation as His people, along with His principles by which the plan would work, and the promises of God’s love and provision. This counsel was given that they might walk with Him through that counsel and manifest themselves as the people of God, a priesthood nation. But they forgot who they were as God’s people because they failed to reflect on God’s counsel. (Cf. Ex. 19:4-6; with 1 Pet. 2:5-11.)

How did they fail to wait? It means they failed to cling to the Lord and rest in the promises of His love, provision, timing, and wisdom as it pertained to their needs and His purpose for them. “Wait” here is chakah which originally may have meant “to adhere, cling to,” and then “to wait.”

When we fail to wait on God’s counsel (i.e., fail to cling to Him through prayer and fellowship with Him in the Word by which we reflect on His love, faithfulness, purposes, and resources), we quickly not only lose our focus and forget who God is and what He has done, but in a spirit of idolatry and human foolishness, we begin to look to and depend on (a) the details of life, the things of the world like pleasure, position, power, and prestige, and (b) our strategies to get what we want or think we need for our happiness, security, and satisfaction.

With verse 14, we turn to the second problem mentioned in this passage, the struggle we all face in learning patience and contentment in God’s provision, timing, and plan for each of us.

    The Second Problem: “But craved intensely in the wilderness” (14a)

First, notice the place where this occurred. It was in the “wilderness.” In Scripture, the wilderness or desert represents the testing places of life, the places and conditions God’s uses in our lives to train and develop our faith, enhance our walk with Him, and prepare us to be the people of God.

In addition, the term wilderness serves to remind us we aren’t in Eden. We are in a wilderness-like world filled with problems and barrenness; a world that, without the Lord, is a parched ground (Ps. 143:6).

“Craved intensely” shows they were anything but content with God’s lot for their lives or with His plan and direction at that particular moment. Rather than resting in what God was doing in their lives at that moment, they looked back on the past and craved after some of the pleasures of Egypt—the meat, fish, cucumbers (six inches of indigestion), the melons (ninety percent water), the onions, leeks and garlic (these speak for themselves). How quickly they forgot the slavery under the whip of their task masters. They were coveting the details of life, and the New Testament defines coveting as a form of idolatry (cf. Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5).

Why is covetousness a form of idolatry? Because when we covet the details of life (position, power, praise, pleasures, possessions, comfort, etc.), we value and worship them as though they were gods with the power to give security, significance, and satisfaction—things which only God can truly give.

Again, let’s remember that the desire for food, clothing, pleasure, comfort, love, significance, and security are all legitimate desires given to us by God who gives us all things to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17). These desires are not in themselves sinful. They only become sinful when they control our lives or when we seek our happiness in them rather than in God. They are sinful when they cause us to abandon God’s purposes and His timing so that we turn to our own strategies to grasp after our wants what we perceive as our needs.

With the words, “they tempted God” the Psalmist defined the nature of such coveting. When we fail to wait on the Lord and crave after the details of life as our source of happiness, we are tempting God. But what exactly does it mean to tempt God?

Men test God by behaviour which constitutes in effect a defiant challenge to him to prove the truth of his words and the goodness and justice of his ways (Ex. 17:2; Nu. 14:22; Pss. 78:18, 41, 56; 95:9; 106:14; Mal. 3:15; Acts 5:9; 15:10). The place-name Massah was a permanent memorial of one such temptation (Ex. 17:7; Dt. 6:16). Thus to goad God betrays extreme irreverence, and God himself forbids it (Dt. 6:16; cf. Mt. 4:7; 1 Cor. 10:9ff.). In all distresses God’s people should wait on him in quiet patience, confident that in due time he will meet their need according to his promise (cf. Pss. 27:7-14; 37:7; 40; 130:5ff.; La. 3:25ff.; Phil. 4:19).5

    The Results: “So He gave them their request” (15)

In other words, they received what they thought they needed to be happy. They finally got what they wanted. So now, they would be happy and satisfied, right? Absolutely not!

God does not force His will on us, and sometimes He allows us to get what we think we must have. He sometimes allows us to live by our own strategies and substitutes through the energy of the flesh. The results, however, are always disappointing and often disastrous to some degree. The only blessing to come from such self-centered, self-dependent living is when, in the face of our disappointment or the problems incurred, we come to the end of ourselves, repent of our rebellious ways, and return and cling to the Lord.

    Further Results: “But sent a wasting disease among them”

Literally, “but sent a leanness or scantiness of soul among them.”

Historically, the Psalmist had in mind the events of Numbers 11:1-35, and in particular, the incident of the terrible plague with which the Lord struck the people (vss. 3-34). Because of this incident, the place was named Kibroth-hattaavah, the graves of craving. This is a sad and tragic story, but very instructive for all people of all times. Especially is it true for us in our consumeristic country so filled with the details of life.

By the phrase, “a wasting disease” or “a leanness of soul,” I think the Psalmist had two things in mind—one spiritual and one physical. Perhaps through a kind of play on words he was pointing to the root and real cause of the plague.

The primary reference is to the plague as God’s judgment on their spiritual condition. But the plague was ultimately the result of a deeper spiritual problem—the problem of “a leanness of soul.” I think this is supported by the name given to the place where the plague occurred which meant “graves of craving.”

There was a spiritual leanness to their inner life. This portrayed (a) their erroneous belief that the things they craved would give them security, joy, and satisfaction, and (b) their lack of faith and confidence in the living Lord. Out of this leanness of their walk with God, they craved the details of life, and in their craving they turned to their human schemes. They reached into their bag of tricks to get what they wanted. They murmured, complained, and blamed both God and Moses.

Let’s turn to the historical passage which the Psalmist had in mind, at least in part, when he wrote Psalm 106:13f and see if we can glean more insight into this matter of man’s tendency to lustful cravings rather than trustful waiting. The children of Israel were complaining of adversity rather than waiting confidently in God’s goodness.

Numbers 11:1-20 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died out. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.

The children of Israel were testing God’s grace and love. Note the words “became like …” in verse one. The word “became” suggests a process, the result of their leanness of soul was the result of failing to wait on the Lord and feed their souls on God’s counsel.

Verses 4 and following concern a different set of events, but they are related and they show us something of the process and the cause.

And the rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 And when the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the LORD, “Why hast Thou been so hard on Thy servant? And why have I not found favor in Thy sight, that Thou hast laid the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which Thou didst swear to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ 14 I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me. 15 So if Thou art going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Thy sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”

16 The LORD therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you shall not bear it all alone. 18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

“Greedy desires” in verse four represents the same Hebrew words translated “craved intensely” in Psalm 106:14. In both cases, the Hebrew reads, “desired desires,” an idiom which means something like “they had intense cravings.” The point is they were being controlled by their desires because they believed Satan’s delusion that happiness comes in having one’s wants met.

Verse 4 also shows how people are easily and wrongly influenced when they are not personally in touch with the Lord. Israel was wrongly influenced by the “rabble” among them. This serves to remind us that we can’t get by on someone else’s spirituality. We each need to maintain our daily walk with the living God.

The weeping and the question regarding the meat to eat displays their discontent and is an obvious form of complaining rather than trusting.

Verse 5 illustrates the foolish and ironic product of a wrong focus. While they quickly forgot the pain of their slavery, their focus turned to the temporal delicacies of Egypt— the cucumbers, melons and onions, etc. Rather than remembering the mighty works of God which manifested His love, grace, and power, they were thinking about temporal things such as cucumbers and garlic. Think about it.

Verse 6 illustrates the discontent and dissatisfaction that occurs when we buy into Satan’s lies and take our focus off the person and plan of God. As you read this verse, keep in mind the great blessings God had in store for the nation once they reached the land, a land flowing with what? Milk and honey!

Verse 18 is a warning to get right with God. It shows them the problem was not their food or lack of what they wanted, but the condition of their heart, their focus, and their lack of faith.

Verses 19 and 20 reveal the disappointment and the irony. That which they thought they had to have for their happiness failed and left them empty. These verses serve to remind us again that the details of life, while they may give pleasure for a season, can never satisfy the primary and deepest longings of our heart. So the things they craved soon become loathsome.

Principle: Things cannot satisfy. Unless we enjoy a vital and dependent relationship with the Lord, we will invariably tire of “things” and end up in the never ending pursuit of new relationships, better working conditions, new hobbies, greater pleasure, etc. But something will always seem to be missing. We will never truly be happy or content. Why is that? Because we are looking for the right things but in all the wrong places. Our focus and our basic foundation for life must be anchored in the Lord. While waiting on Him, we need to prayerfully look to Him to lead us and supply our needs and wants in His timing and in the way He deems fit.

Verse 20b gives us the reason things cannot satisfy—“because you have rejected the Lord who is among you …” Note the “because” that introduces the last half of this verse. The meat became loathsome—they grew tired of it. It wasn’t because they had it every day, but because they were seeking their satisfaction and happiness from their food and the details of life rather than from a vital relationship with their Lord. Scripture calls this rejecting the Lord.

As the text shows us, their cravings, followed by their dissatisfaction, constituted the rejection of God in a number of ways. By their cravings and their complaining, they were saying in essence:

  • God is not enough
  • God is not sufficient for the adversity we are facing
  • God does not know what He is doing. He has brought us out here to die in the wilderness

In their complaining and questioning as to why they had ever left Egypt in the first place, they were not only failing to rest in God’s wisdom, love, and timing, but they were rejecting God’s purpose for them as His redeemed people who needed to be trained and developed as a nation of priests to the nations.

Why did and does God do this? Please note the following passage:

Deuteronomy 8:1-11 All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers. 2 And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 And He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. 5 Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. 6 Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. 7 For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; 9 a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you shall not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. 11 Beware lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you today;

Verse one reminds the children of Israel of God’s primary purpose for them as His people. Verse two reminds them of God’s plan and methods. Verse three declares the purpose of God’s testing as well as the reason things never satisfy. They are designed to teach us the need of contentment through a vital walk with the Lord whereby we learn to cling to Him as the foundation for all of life.

We were created for God with a vacuum which only He can fill. God created us so that we could enjoy the blessings of this life, but without a dependent walk with the Lord, one in which we are truly resting in His love and grace, we will be empty!

Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Why We Should Wait on the Lord

What are some of the benefits of waiting on the Lord and what are the consequences when we do not?

To wait on the Lord, we must know what waiting on the Lord means and involves. But we also need to know why. One of the keys to obedience or appropriation of something is motivation. There is, of course, great motivation to wait on the Lord.

Because of Who
God is and what He is able to do

Waiting on the Lord means learning to have a single and consistent focus on God as the source of life because of all that He is as God—holy, just, sovereign, good, righteous, merciful, gracious, loving, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, infinite, truth, and eternality.

Jeremiah wrote,

Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not Thou, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope (Hebrew = qavah, wait, look to, hope) in Thee, For Thou art the one who hast done all these things (Jeremiah 14:22).

David wrote,

My soul waits in silence for God only; From Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken (Ps. 62:1-2).

In Psalm 25:5 David said,

Lead me in Thy truth and teach me, For Thou art the God of my salvation; For Thee I wait all the day.

In each of these passages, we can quickly see it is because of who God is that we should wait on the Him rather than take matters into our own hands. As the familiar commercial might remind us, we are “in good hands” when we are in God’s caring, powerful, wise, and loving hands. But because of our natural tendency to wander and go our own independent way, one of the issues we face is how can we maintain a spirit of dependence with a single and consistent focus on the Lord.

Obviously, as mentioned above, we must recognize that waiting includes seeking the Lord. As we saw, that includes study and meditation on the Word and prayer, those spiritual disciplines that help to keep our eyes and confidence on the Lord. But still, how do we maintain consistency in seeking the Lord?

Several of the verses on waiting reveal some interesting reminders of a number of biblical principles that are quite fundamental to our spiritual life. These principles sometimes get lost in the busyness and routine of everyday life. Sometimes they get lost in our spiritual life too because we can so easily fall into the rut of a deadening religious routine. Remember, the only difference between a grave and a rut is a rut has the ends removed.

If we have been going our own way—too busy to take time with the Lord—we need to acknowledge that and return to the Lord with a view of waiting on Him. Hosea 12:6 looks at this very need of returning to the Lord in an attitude of confession with a view to looking to (waiting on) the Lord for His salvation. “Therefore, return to your God, Observe kindness and justice, And wait for your God continually.”

In Psalm 39:7 we see David’s determination to wait and hope in the Lord rather than the futility of anything he might be prone to trust in. But David’s determination is an acknowledgment based on the realization of the futility of his own resources to handle life, especially due to its brevity. “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.”

The words sometimes translated “wait” are at other times translated “look” in the sense of dependent expectation, and included are the ideas of focus and attention.

Note Psalm 123:1-2:

A Song of Ascents. To Thee I lift up my eyes, O Thou who art enthroned in the heavens! 2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress; So our eyes look to the LORD our God, Until He shall be gracious to us.

In Psalm 145:15 none of the regular words for “wait” listed earlier are used, but the concept is the same. “The eyes of all look (Hebrew = sabar, “to wait for, hope”) to Thee, And Thou dost give them their food in due time …” (cf. also Isaiah 5:17).

Psalm 52:9 reminds us again of why we should wait on the Lord: “For I will wait on Thy name, for it (God’s name) is good.”

What’s the point? How do we wait on God’s name? Remember that names in the Bible have great significance—especially the names of God. The reason for this is because the names of God stand for His character, for who He is, what He is, and will do. They stand for the principles and promises of the Bible. For instance, the name Yahweh means God is the self-existent and independent one, the God of revelation and redemption. As such, He has revealed Himself as El Shaddai, “Almighty God,” as El Elyon, “God Most High,” as Yahweh-Jireh, “the Lord will provide,” and as Yahweh-Tsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness,” among others.

So the Psalmist declares that he waits on God’s name because it reminds Him of God’s character and His promises.

Application:

(1) Are you in an impossible situation? Do things seem out of control? Then wait on God as the Almighty and as God Most High, the Sovereign One.

(2) Are you facing a problem of need? Then wait on the Lord as the One who will provide, but be careful to wait according to His timing and purposes.

(3) Do you lack assurance of your salvation, or are you facing feelings of guilt or insignificance? Then wait on the Lord as your righteousness, the source of significance through His provision in Christ.

Psalm 62:5-6 again reminds us of why we should wait on the Lord: “My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken” (emphasis mine). In this Psalm, David said he would wait on the Lord because He was like a rock and a stronghold. As names are used to portray God’s character, so pictures are used in Scripture to portray certain aspects of God’s character and provision and life’s situations. Here David used the pictures of an immovable rock and a impregnable stronghold.

Life is full of battles and enemy attacks. We need defenses that will be able to stand against the enemy. So we wait on the Lord for our security and our strength. But let’s turn to our next reason to wait on the Lord.

Because of Who We Are
and What We Are Not Able To Do

Obviously, as mere humanity, even though we are created in the image of God (an image flawed by sin), we have neither the wisdom nor the ability to get along without the Lord.

Psalm 52:6-7 And the righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, 7 Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And was strong in his evil desire.

Prov. 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

Jeremiah 10:23 O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man who walketh to direct his way

Psalm 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

In contrast to the mighty man is the godly one who waits on the Lord. The mighty man is the person who thinks he is sufficient in himself and thereby refuses to wait on the Lord. He’d rather trust in himself and his own plans or tactics for life. He works evil, and gets ahead (he thinks) by using others and by selfishness. But the Lord cuts him off, uproots him like a tree. God will meet the needs of those who wait on Him and fulfill their lives.

Why bother to wait on the Lord? What happens when we wait? A number of marvelous things happen to us, in us, and through us.

Benefits of Waiting on the Lord

Waiting Sustains and Satisfies
(or Allows the Lord to Do So)

Psalm 145:14-16 The LORD sustains all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to Thee, And Thou dost give them their food in due time. 16 Thou dost open Thy hand, And dost satisfy the desire of every living thing.

While the word “wait” is not found in this passage in the English translation of the NASB, the concept is clearly here. Note the words, “The eyes of all look to thee.” “Look” is sabar which means, “look, wait, hope” and is so translated in the KJV. Compare its use in Psalm 104:27-28 where it has the idea of “be dependent on.”

But can’t the words of Psalm 145:15, “in due time,” perfectly describe those periods in our lives when we are sitting in one of those places God has marked with the words “Waiting Room”? But how does it describe us? As fallen, bowed down, yet looking, waiting on the Lord to supply and sustain, but in His season, in His time! Every time we encounter one of the variegated problems of life, we are faced with a very important choice—to look up and wait, or focus on the problem and choose our own strategy—to worry, to run away, throw in the towel, or run ahead of the Lord.

When we react rather than respond by waiting (seeking, trusting, focusing, praying), we suffer various kinds of serious consequences. It is the law of sowing and reaping:

(1) Some are physical and we become prime candidates for ulcers, migraines, high blood pressure, etc.

(2) Others are financial (like the burden of debt or bankruptcy).

(3) Others are relational (like the heartache of a marriage in turmoil, divorce, or rebellious children).

(4) Still others are geographical and situational placing us in difficult circumstances and places.

(5) But always, when we refuse to wait, there are spiritual consequences—loss of fellowship with the Lord, loss of spiritual strength and wisdom, loss of our witness, loss of eternal rewards, and being out of the Lord’s will.

Waiting Strengthens and Enables

Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

As we look at this passage, we might think about the following:

(1) While there are obviously other causes, continued weariness and a lack of strength to carry on may be the result of failing to wait on the Lord as it’s defined above. (Cf. verses 29-30 with verse 31.)

(2) We all become not only physically tired and weary, but emotionally and spiritually depleted. That’s human. But God says part of the solution along with good health habits (diet, rest, exercise, etc.) is “wait for the Lord.”

Isaiah is telling us we often grow weary because we fail to wait on the Lord. When we run around in our own strength and operate by our own insufficient resources we are going to sooner or later run out of steam.

The key question is, why don’t we wait on the Lord? Often it’s because we do not believe sufficiently in God and all that He is. For some reason, we begin to think and act like God is simply not involved or doesn’t understand.

Isaiah 40 is a chapter designed to bring comfort to its readers. Let’s never forget—God is the God of all comfort. He wants to comfort His people, but this doesn’t mean He always removes the sources of our pain. This chapter is written against the background of 39 chapters announcing judgment against Israel, Judah, and the nations. Israel would suffer and go into captivity. In fact, even this captivity was a result of God’s love. But later God would take Israel back to the land, bring forth Messiah, deal with her sin problem, and one day establish the promised kingdom. In the meanwhile there was not only the comfort of what God would do, but strength for the present through who God was (and is for us).

Isaiah 40 is also the “Behold Your God” chapter. Six sections call on the reader to behold or lift up their eyes to see their God. People not only need the Lord, they need to possess the constant vision of their God in all the wonder of His being. This chapter contains 23 questions challenging us to calculate the greatness of God, to evaluate our understanding of God, and to realize nothing can compare to the God of the Bible. It demonstrates the effect this should have on our daily lives in our attitudes and actions.

Nothing or no one has God’s wisdom, or knowledge, or power—no nation, nor philosopher, no ruler, and certainly not our man-made idols. No one instructs Him. No one counsels Him. And He cannot be compared to any likeness created by man (which likeness would only distract from His infinite being). Not even the vast heavens can compare. They are His creation, He marked them off like the span of a man’s hand and stretches them out like a curtain or like a tent in which men dwell. He sits above the vault of the earth with its inhabitants like little grasshoppers.

Let’s look at the problem as it is explained for us in Isaiah 40:27-28.

Isaiah 40:27-28 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.

I dare say few Bible-believing Christians would ever openly say this. Indeed, we would emphatically affirm it. Yet we are saying exactly what this verse says every time we ignore God’s plan, ignore His principles of life, resort to our solutions or plans whether in the form of manipulation of others or by the use of some defense mechanism to protect our fragile egos, every time we lose our tempers because life isn’t going our way, or in any way run ahead of the Lord. Intellectually we acclaim God’s care, but practically, we often deny it.

So verses 28-30 challenge our knowledge and how well we are really listening to the Word, and then they quickly focus our attention on God as the one who is all-powerful, full of wisdom, and faithful to strengthen us in the struggles of life.

The idea of the questions of verses 28-29 is this: Since God is not only the Creator but also the Preserver of all things, even the heavenly bodies, nations, and individual men, why do you and how can you as God’s people with such privileges say and assert what you are saying, that God has forsaken you?

No information is given as to the precise circumstances under which this complaint is uttered … It is a universal complaint, raised in times of difficulty and adversity.6

It is a question designed to rebuke and expose in order to get them (and us) to evaluate their thoughts and actions in the light of God’s person, His principles, and His promises. Why? So they can see just how far off they had drifted from anchoring their hope in the Lord as those who wait on Him.

Let’s note the promises of verse 31:

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

First, there is a general promise, “… those who wait … will gain new strength”: It is the promise of new strength to do what is needed. This would include emotional, moral, and spiritual strength, and undoubtedly, physical strength is to be included since it is often affected by our spiritual condition.

Then there are three specific promises:

(1) “They will mount up with wings like eagles.” This would seem to point to the ability to rise above the problems of one’s life through one’s heavenly experience or relationship with the Lord by waiting on Him.

(2) “They will run and not get tired.” The analogy to running because of the stress involved would look at the strength God gives to handle particularly stressful situations that come up in life. The tougher the situation, the more we need to draw on the Lord and literally cling to Him.

Compare Deuteronomy 10:20, 13:4 and Joshua 23:8. The Hebrew word there is dabag, “to cling, cleave, keep close.” But also compare Deuteronomy 13:17 and Joshua 23:12. Jeremiah 13:11 gives us an illustration of the meaning of this word, like the waistband on a pair of trousers, or a belt around the waist.

(3) “They will walk and not become weary.” Walking portrays our everyday life with all of its daily and often humdrum activities or routines. Even when things aren’t particularly stressful, we still need to wait on the Lord.

What a beautiful and complete way to describe the blessed consequences of waiting on the Lord.

Compare Psalm 42:1-5.

For the choir director. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, and I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God, With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope (Hebrew = yachal, “wait, expect, hope”) in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

Picture in your mind a deer that has been running over the mountain terrain and stops at a water brook for rest, refreshment, and renewal. The word “hope” in verses 5 and 11 is the Hebrew yachal, which is often translated “wait.”

Waiting Straightens and Builds Character

One of the emphases in the following three passages is on what happens in us and to us as we learn to wait on the Lord. It builds our character because through the process of waiting, we learn to depend on the Lord alone and to find our source of strength, security, and joy in Him which is the lesson the Apostle learned and refers to in Philippians 4:11-13. But let’s look at Psalm 37.

Psalm 37:1-11 has three challenges:

(1) Look Ahead. Verses 2, 9a, and 10 are absolutely true of everything that is rooted in time and not in eternity. We must learn to wait on God’s time and purposes and turn away from human schemes (vss. 7-9). Compare Philippians 3:20.

(2) Look Up. An obsession with problems, with rivals, with painful circumstances and the consequent harmful attitudes and strategies cannot simply be switched off, but they can be exchanged or removed by a new focus which rests and waits on the Lord (vss. 3-8).

Remember our explanation of what it means to wait on the Lord? It included spending time getting to know and love the Lord. Look at verse four “…delight yourself …” This means “take delight” or “find delight.” Remember Paul and Silas in prison who were singing as well as praying.

(3) Be Productive. This is put forth both in the positive and in the negative. This is seen in “do good” and “dwell in the land” (verse 3), and in the negatives of verses 1 and 8.

  • Doing good involves living for the Lord and positive ministry. It means living out of deep dependence on the Lord.
  • Not fretting, ceasing from wrath and anger which leads only to evil doing means setting aside our strategies for handling pain or getting our desires (cf. vs. 4b).
  • Doing evil, the product of fretting rather than waiting and resting, constitutes our human substitutes and false routes to joy, a common ingredient:

All false routes to joy, …  have one thing in common: they represent strategies for living that in some measure we can control. They do not require us to yield our core commitment to independence. God’s message is consistent: utter dependency is the route to satisfaction.7

The results of all this is verse six, the Lord is free to bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as the new day. The result is nothing short of godly character with wise choices reproduced in the life of those believers who learn to wait on the Lord by way of patient faith rather than by self-assertion. These are the meek who will inherit the earth.

Psalm 39:7-8: Deliverance From Sinful Patterns.

Psalm 39:7-8 And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee. 8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; Make me not the reproach of the foolish.

Psalm 40:1-9: Stability With Obedience

Psalm 40:1-9 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD ;And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear, And will trust in the LORD. 4 How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. 5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count. 6 Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened; Burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me; 8 I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.” 9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest.

Waiting Lifts Us Out of
Despair and Causes Praise to God

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear, And will trust in the LORD.

Psalm 42:5-11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan, And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Thy waterfalls; All Thy breakers and Thy waves have rolled over me. 8 The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God my rock, “Why hast Thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” 10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile me, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 43:5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him, The help of my countenance, and my God.

Psalm 145:15-21 The eyes of all look to Thee, And Thou dost give them their food in due time. 16 Thou dost open Thy hand, And dost satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways, And kind in all His deeds. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The LORD keeps all who love Him; But all the wicked, He will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD; And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.

When we are in despair or depressed, we moan and groan, whine and complain. But waiting on the Lord gets our eyes focused on Him and our glorious future. It puts a song in our hearts and praise on our lips.

Waiting Encourages Others
and Gives Greater Ability to Witness

Psalm 40:1, 5, 9-10 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. …5 Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count. … 9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest. 10 I have not hidden Thy righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation.

Psalm 119:43-44, 74 And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Thine ordinances. 44 So I will keep Thy law continually, Forever and ever. … 74 May those who fear Thee see me and be glad, Because I wait for Thy word.

We must never discount the impact of our lives on others both for bad and for good. It is hard to have a positive word and a positive witness to others when we haven’t been waiting and aren’t resting on the Lord.

David wrote Psalm 40, a psalm of praise (vss. 1-10) and petition (vss. 11-17), while surrounded by trouble. First, he praised God for past deliverance and declares the blessedness of those trust God (vss. 1-4).

Psalm 40:1-12 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. 3 And He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear, And will trust in the LORD. 4 How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

Second, he declares the incomparable nature of God and offers his life in dedication to God and His purposes (vss. 5-10). Verses 6-8 go beyond David and apply to Jesus.

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, And Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They would be too numerous to count. 6 Sacrifice and meal offering Thou hast not desired; My ears Thou hast opened; Burnt offering and sin offering Thou hast not required. 7 Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me; 8 I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart.” 9 I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest. 10 I have not hidden Thy righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation.

Third, he then brings his present needs before the Lord, but it is his knowledge of the Lord and His truth which preserve his heart in the midst of his plight (vss. 11-12).

Thou, O LORD, wilt not withhold Thy compassion from me; Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth will continually preserve me. 12 For evils beyond number have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; They are more numerous than the hairs of my head; And my heart has failed me.

Finally, he cries out to God for deliverance and vindication from his enemies, but in it all, though asking God not to delay, his motive is “The Lord be magnified.” Therefore, he is committed to waiting on the Lord as his only help and deliverer (vss. 13-17).

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; Make haste, O LORD, to help me. 14 Let those be ashamed and humiliated together Who seek my life to destroy it; Let those be turned back and dishonored Who delight in my hurt. 15 Let those be appalled because of their shame Who say to me, “Aha, aha!” 16 Let all who seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; Let those who love Thy salvation say continually, “The LORD be magnified!” 17 Since I am afflicted and needy, Let the Lord be mindful of me; Thou art my help and my deliverer; Do not delay, O my God.

Conclusion

I don’t know what you may be going through at the moment, but whatever it is the challenge of Scripture is to wait on the Lord because, unlike temporal man and the fleeting world in which we live, the sovereign Lord of the universe loves us with a steadfast love and personally cares for us like a father. So David wrote in Psalm 103:13-19:

Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. 14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; And its place acknowledges it no longer. 17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To those who keep His covenant, And who remember His precepts to do them. 19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all.

Wait for the LORD;
Be strong, and let your heart take
courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14


1 Mark S. Wheeler, “Hurry Up and Wait,” Kindred Spirit, Autumn 1991, p. 11.

2 G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 3rd edition, T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1937, p. 384.

3 Ibid., p. 46.

4 Ibid., p. 31.

5 The New Bible Dictionary, J. D. Douglas, general editor, InterVarsity, Downers Grove, 1982, electronic format.

6 Young, The Book of Isaiah, Vol. 3, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1971, p. 64.

7 Larry J. Crabb, Understanding People, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, 1987, p. 109.

Related Topics: Spiritual Life

They Devour Widow's Houses

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There are any number of ways to take the life savings and/or money for daily living from the old, the gullible, or those who are zealous without knowledge. Con artists, crooks, shysters, sharpies, cheats, etc. make their living by fleecing people. The tactics they use are illegal.

However, there are others who have discovered a legal way to take money from the unsuspecting. They do it under the guise of Christianity. Following are two examples:

A daily paper recently revealed that a well-known TV evangelist wrote a letter to a widow in a nursing home asking for $200. His appeal was that if she did not have the money, she should borrow it and then send it to him. The letter was called to the attention of a reporter who published it in the newspaper. The evangelist defended his action by claiming that God had instructed him to send this letter to the widow. Unfortunately, the lady had been dead for three months.

Some years ago, an incident of solicitation by intimidation, which was reported to the police in Canada, was exposed in Christianity Today. The Executive Director of the New Brunswick Senior Citizens Federation charged that a popular evangelist in the United States took financial advantage of the sensitivity of seniors and preyed on them at a time in their lives when they are most susceptible. In his solicitation letter the evangelist warned the senior citizens that if they neglected to pay attention to what He (God) was saying , then Satan would take advantage and hit them with “bad things” and they would “wish they had never been born.” On the other hand, the evangelist stated, through the gift of prophecy he had been told that recipients could expect creative miracles: things seemingly dead in their body, their spirit, their mind, and their finances would come alive again. These tactics may be legal but they are far from Christian.

A Look at the Passage

Some pastors, and even church or mission boards, are also guilty of intimidating their congregations. Knowingly or unknowingly, they too use the Word of God deceitfully. By misinterpreting the Scriptures, they urge their people to do something contrary to sound doctrine. A perfect example is the manner in which the Biblical account of the “widow’s mite” has long been applied. Misinterpretations of Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 20:45-47 and 21:1-4 create guilt and persuade individuals and entire congregations to give beyond their means. This approach, giving motivated by guilt and fear, is a direct contradiction to Paul's doctrine of giving for the Church Age in II Corinthians 8:5-15.

Using the Mark and Luke passages of the widow and her gift as illustration, some preach, "You have not given anything until you give sacrificially." Others state, "Give till it hurts"--suggesting that God is not pleased with believers unless they are suffering. What a misrepresentation of the grace of God! Because of these and similar tactics the church of Jesus Christ has become known as money grubbing. And unbelievers have found another excuse to ignore God: "All they want is my money.” Sadly, all too often their complaint is accurate.

The context of the Biblical account of the widow who gave her last two mites is not meant to teach sacrificial giving. In fact, the Lord’s real point is virtually the antithesis of how the passage is usually treated. The Lord here teaches the crime--one of which any false religious system is guilty--of having no particular interest in the welfare of the individual, but a great deal of interest in exploiting the giver for the system's own gain. A brief exposition of Mark 12:38-44; 13:1-2 will demonstrate the point.

The Context

The context is critical to a correct interpretation of this passage. Jesus was in the Temple teaching. He had been discussing the character and the conduct of the scribes. The scribes mentioned in the gospels were the professional scholars of their day in the interpretation of the Old Testament. (It is well to note that they had no role during Old Testament times having come into being during and after the Babylonian captivity.) They were usurpers who took upon themselves the responsibility of interpreting the Old Testament for the people. Since the priests from the tribe of Levi were God's ordained teachers of Israel (Deuteronomy 24:8; 33:10), the scribes of Jesus' day were self-appointed leaders of a superficial and apostate religion: superficial in that it emphasized only the external show of religion and apostate because it had long since left the true purposes of the Word of God.

Jesus' opinion of the scribes can be seen in His own discourse concerning them:

“And He said unto them in his doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market place, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: these shall receive greater condemnation” (Mark 12:38-40).

Two important points need to be made from the above text. The Greek words blepete apo ton grammateon are literally translated “you see from the scribes,” interpreted: “you see with understanding by the way they dress, want to be noticed, how self-centered, and self-important the scribes are.” The Greek word apo from which the word “from” is translated means “away from,” “turn your backs on them.” This is the alternative to practicing their religion. Our Lord was teaching that God's people should not follow the way of the scribes and their teachings. The authority of the scribes should be rejected. In addition, they were guilty of shameful conduct: “They devour widow's houses.”

The Illustration

Jesus continued His condemnation of the scribes by the graphic illustration which follows in verses 41-44. Jesus was sitting opposite the trumpet-shaped chests into which the people threw their Temple offerings. He observed how the people cast money into the treasury, and the “rich cast in much.” Then Jesus continues, “And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing” (v. 42). The text continues to detail the financial condition of the widow and to show the difference between the offering of the rich and her offering. “Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury...all her living” (Mark 12:43b-44b). The rich would not miss what they gave, but the poor widow had given away all her living. She had given all she had to the apostate Temple worship of the Jews while the promised Redeemer sat but a step away.

There is an unfortunate chapter break at this point in the narrative, which interrupts the thought both here and in Luke's gospel. (Chapter breaks are not in the original text but placed by the translators.) The context continues in Mark 13:1-2 as one of the disciples, obviously not understanding Christ's lesson, urged the Lord to observe the impressive outward appearance of the Temple buildings surrounding them. And at that point, Jesus prophesied the destruction of the false religious system to which the poor widow had given her all. “Jesus said: Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2b). The buildings of the Temple area with all their splendor, along with the corrupt religious system which centered in them, would be destroyed, and those who had rejected their Messiah in favor of the false religious system would perish with it. Jesus' prophecy came to pass in 70 A.D. when the armies of Rome under Titus leveled Jerusalem and the Temple area, thus destroying the arena for the Jews’ false religious practices.

The most pathetic part of this account is that the misguided widow could have had eternal life had she turned from the false, put her money in her pocket, and embraced the Savior who was sitting nearby observing.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37-38).

The tragedy of life is always that Jesus is so near with the gift of life, but people seek either to buy or to work their way into heaven.

The widow gave all she had under the misguided impression that she was serving God. This is why the Lord said (v. 40) that the scribes were guilty of devouring widows’ houses. The scribes, with no apparent pangs of conscience, actively promoted the kind of extreme sacrifice exhibited by this poor widow. And Jesus clearly is teaching that the coercions and intimidations practiced by the scribes were evil. A further irony--the most tragic of all--is that the scribes of Jesus' day promoted such a heretical doctrine while this unfortunate person, as well as the rest of the nation of Israel, headed for destruction.

Observations

  • Jesus was teaching his disciples. (Luke 20:45).
  • The context is a discussion of the superficiality and malpractice of the scribes.
  • The account of the widow's mite was an observable demonstration of one method whereby the scribes devoured widow's houses.
  • The religion which she supported was replaced by the gospel of grace. The Temple and system to which she gave was destroyed in 70 A.D. and was replaced by the Church of Jesus Christ.
  • All her sacrifice was for nothing.
  • The widow could have received eternal life freely had she turned to Jesus.
  • Preachers who would follow the example of the scribes are not true to the Word of God.
  • Only a false, uncaring religious system would ask members who could not afford it to donate to their cause.
  • The widow's mite does not teach giving: A better application would be, ”Look out for the scribes and Pharisees in our own time.”
  • If the work is of God, God will supply: if it is not God's work, let it die.
  • Do not give if it hurts; God does not want--or need--that kind of giving.

Principles of Giving

Some years ago I was much impressed with the manner in which the offering was taken at Grace Bible Church in Dallas. Dr. Dwight Pentecost, the pastor at that time, reminded the people that it was a privilege to give. He explained to the congregation that giving to God was reserved for believers and asked the unsaved not to give. He then went on to explain the gift of salvation and extended an invitation to the unsaved to accept the free gift of salvation provided by God. There was no pressure exerted toward believers to give. They were simply asked to give as God had prospered them. They were not asked to tithe nor to give till it hurts. They were not intimidated nor made to feel guilty for not giving. That church employed the New Testament method of giving.

We are concerned that Christianity has lost sight of God's purposes for giving. Surely God is not so destitute that His work depends on us. He could supply in an infinite number of ways were that the only consideration. He has chosen personal giving. Why?

The Apostle Paul teaches New Testament giving in II Corinthians 8 and 9. In these chapters he sets forth the purposes for which believers should give, the method of determining how much one should give, and the blessings received by proper giving.

The occasion for writing II Corinthians 8 and 9 was the taking of a collection for the poverty-stricken saints in Jerusalem. From its very earliest days the church at Jerusalem had been confronted with the problem of poverty coupled with persecution. During the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15:22, Paul says that James, Cephas (Peter) and John reminded them that we should remember the poor (Galatians 2:10). Yet another reference to the collection for the relief of Christians at Jerusalem is in I Corinthians 16:1ff.

The Macedonian churches had responded with great generosity when Paul appealed to them on behalf of the Judean Christians. Although confident of the response by the Corinthian believers, Paul encouraged them to give by noting the example set by the churches in Macedonia. That example consisted of three parts.

Grace

The whole activity of their giving is characterized by the repeated use of the word grace. It appears seven times in II Corinthians 8. The grace given to the churches of Macedonia was apparent because of the circumstances under which they contributed. Being poor, they nevertheless gave with joy and abundance. There was a two-fold grace granted to the Macedonians: joy and generosity. Their liberality on behalf of their fellow Christians at Jerusalem was a manifestation of the joy the grace of God was producing in their own lives.

Paul points out to the Corinthian church that the Macedonian Christians “first gave of their own selves to the Lord” (II Corinthians 8:5). It was then that they gave “unto us by the will of God” (II Corinthians 8:5b). Paul then admonished Titus, his messenger to the Corinthians, that “he would finish in you the same grace also” (V. 6). Believers in this age of grace can have the same joy by exercising their generosity, but they should do so without pressure from greedy leaders.

Jesus was Paul's example of giving. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). Paul is not pointing the Corinthians to Christ's example to ask them to give to the point of becoming poverty-stricken. He is merely saying that the offering of Christ for the sins of the world was a work of grace motivated by love and that the giving of the Corinthians to the believers in Jerusalem was to be a similar work of loving grace in their thinking and attitude.

Commenting on this subject Hughes writes: “There is, however, no harsh note: he affectionately addresses them as his brethren, and he speaks not of something which the Macedonians have achieved, as though by some superior quality of character, but of the grace of God which was given and which, rather than any personal quality, was the mainspring of their generosity. There is no question of human resources, but only divine grace; and that same grace was equally available to the Christians in Corinth.” (Commentary on II Corinthians by Philip E. Hughes, Wm B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., Grand Rapids, page 287)

While the purpose of the Macedonian and Corinthian giving was to relieve the poverty of the saints in Jerusalem, and Paul used the occasion to teach the early Church how God employs His grace in this area, the practice of grace giving has other spiritual reasons for our involvement. If properly practiced there is blessing both for the giver and the receiver.

Fellowship

Fellowship means sharing, being a partaker with. This is the same word that is used in Acts 4:32 where it is said that the early church had all things “in common. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians the Church was likened to a body, and he states: “Whether one member suffereth, all the members suffer with it; or one member is honored all the members rejoice with it” (I Corinthians 12:26). There is to be a sharing within the body of Christ which draws the body together into a cohesive unit, with one purpose, one accord, and blessing for all concerned.

Fellowship and communion are both translated from the same Greek word, koinonia. Just as the taking of the elements of the bread and wine, which symbolize the body and blood of Christ, is real communion of the worshippers one with another and with Christ, even so is the taking of the offering. It is a communion or fellowship of believers one with another and with Christ in giving toward a common purpose, in order to accomplish shared goals. Thus, giving done apart from its true meaning of fellowship and sharing loses its purpose and results in the loss of spiritual benefit and blessing.

This fellowship in giving finds its source in the spiritual condition of the believer and can never be coerced. It begins in the mind and is carried out through an act of the will. Paul says: “For if there be first a willing mind . . .” (II Corinthians 8:12a). A believer in fellowship with God will have a mind willing to give, whether or not he holds much in his hand to offer. This is what God desires.

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (II Corinthians 9:7).

There must be real freedom in Christian giving or the mind and will react negatively. Each individual must make a personal decision as to how much to give. To give to Christ and then to grieve over or begrudge the loss robs one of the blessing of fellowship derived from giving. Grudge giving is outlined in the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-9. Genuine, free, and cheerful giving is the only offering God really accepts and blesses, no matter the amount.

Equality

Paul also teaches equality in giving. The Apostle is careful to explain to the Corinthians that it is not God's intention to relieve the Jerusalem believers by making it hard on those of Macedonia and Corinth. This time the Corinthians were to give because they had an abundance. Later the Corinthians may be short and other Christians will come to their relief. And so, by this spirit of reciprocity, a principle of equality should operate in the universal body of Christ.

“For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened. But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality” (II Corinthians 8:13-14).

According to Lenski:

“It is not at all a matter of giving as much as possible to others even to the point of impoverishing ourselves - as though the virtue of giving lay in that. But this is entirely a matter of equality or equalization. In Christian giving the matter of the giver and those to whom he gives is always made even, we may say, is balanced.” (The Interpretation of I & II Corinthians, R.C.H. Linski, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1963, page 1144).

The combination of freedom and equality in turn strengthens the fellowship and “a three-fold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). All are a result of observing God's method of operation for the Church Age: grace. We operate on faith that grace will work because God's Word directs it.

Method of Giving

Paul instructed the Galatians, too, in the proper method for Church Age giving:

“Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (I Corinthians 16:2).

The Old Testament tithe or tax is not for believers in the age of grace. The tithe was regulated because they were under Law. (They did have free-will offerings however.) There are times when a person's entire income is needed to meet personal expenses. School supplies for the children, medicine for a sick widow, food on the table, emergencies of all kinds sometimes limit a person's giving. Granted, to hide behind one's expenses to avoid giving is a way of lying to God, but to make a show of prosperity in times of want is equally false. The tithe, practiced as it is today, is an ungracious way of putting God's people in a strait-jacket, a form of legalism that destroys the individual's freedom before God and causes division in the body of Christ. (In some churches tithers are promoted as the elite of the congregation.) Grace giving should be voluntary, given on a weekly basis as God prospers and not subject to man's approval or disapproval.

Conclusion

Because New Testament giving is not practiced in many churches, the blessings of grace, fellowship, and equality are sadly lacking. The church has projected a reputation of they just want my money.

True Christianity gives, but it gives from the principle of grace--lovingly, not legally; freely, not through coercion; not to gain favor but to impart it, having received bountifully from the Lord. “God so loved the world He gave...”(John 3:16a). Jesus gave willingly, lovingly, and generously. Let us give first of ourselves: (like Jesus) freely, graciously, bountifully, and there will be equality in the body of Christ. Before the Lord, dare we do less?

Related Topics: Tithing

Financial Faithfulness

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Introduction

One of Satan’s most effective delusions is the idea that happiness consists in the things that we possess. Through his deceitfulness, he has erected a golden calf, an idol called materialism. Like a barker on the midway, he calls to every passerby, “come and worship at its feet, buy, sell, get gain, and possess, and it will make you happy.”

Christians, though a people with a spiritual calling and heavenly assets beyond compare, are not automatically exempt from Satan’s schemes nor inoculated against infection from the deadening disease of materialism. Like a plague, it stalks us from every corner—on television, the printed page, the display window, the showroom, the Jones’ driveway. Everywhere the seductions of materialism fill the air and seek to come into our lives through both conspicuous and subliminal messages.

In a context that instructs us to live as aliens and strangers (1 Pet. 1:17-18; 2:11), and as a people who are to live with a view to a heavenly inheritance that is untouched by decay, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time (1 Pet. 1:4), Peter also warns us to be sober and alert against Satan’s devices (1 Pet. 1:13; 5:8). Why? Because, if we are not on guard, Satan will distract us through possessions from our heavenly calling as a people for God’s own possession who are to proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness (the delusions of Satan) and into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9).

Money is a very little thing (Luke 16:10). Why? Because money cannot buy happiness. Money cannot give eternal life nor real meaning in life (Isa. 55:1-3; Rev. 3:16-18). Yet, there is nothing that reveals our spiritual orientation and relationship with God like our attitude toward money.

Jesus Christ made it clear that a mark of true spirituality was a right attitude toward wealth. The mark of a godly and righteous man is his preoccupation with God and heavenly treasure.

Scripture has a tremendous amount to say about money or material possessions. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables of Jesus deal with money. One out of every ten verses in the New Testament deal with this subject. Scripture has 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but over 2,000 verses on the subject of money. Money is an extremely important issue because a person’s attitude toward it is so determinative of his relationship with God, on fulfilling his purpose in this life, and on his character.

The Responsibility for Planning

Without planning based on biblical values, goals, and priorities, money becomes a hard taskmaster and, like a leaf caught up in a whirlwind, we get swept into the world’s pursuit of earthly treasures (Luke 12:13-23; 1 Tim. 6:6-10).

Financial planning is biblical and is a means to good stewardship, to freedom from the god of materialism, and a means of protection against the waste of the resources God has entrusted to our care (Prov. 27:23-24; Luke 14:28; 1 Cor. 14:40).

Financial planning should be done in dependence on God’s direction and in faith while we rest in Him for security and happiness rather than in our own strategies (Prov. 16:1-4, 9; Psalm 37:1-10; 1 Tim. 6:17; Phil. 4:19).

The Responsibility for Discipline

If our financial planning is to work, it will require discipline and commitment so our plans are translated into actions. We must follow through on our good intentions (Prov. 14:23). Financial faithfulness is an important aspect of complete, well-rounded spiritual growth and godliness (2 Cor. 8:7). But godliness requires discipline (cf. 1 Tim. 4:8; 6:3-8).

Good intentions are useless without plans that translate them into actions. The Corinthians had indicated their desire and willingness to give and had even been instructed on planned giving (1 Cor. 16:1-2), yet they had failed to follow through on their good intentions (2 Cor. 8:10-11).

The Responsibility for Stewardship

Financial faithfulness ultimately flows out of the recognition that everything we are and have belongs to the Lord (1 Chron. 29:11-16; Rom. 14:7-9; 1 Cor. 6:19-20). Life is a temporary sojourn in which Christians are to see themselves as aliens, temporary residents, who are here as stewards of God’s manifold grace. All we are and have—our talents, time, and treasures—are trusts given to us by God which we are to invest for God’s kingdom and glory (1 Pet. 1:17; 2:11; 4:10-11; Luke 19:11-26).

The Responsibility for Working

One of God’s basic ways to provide for our needs is through work—an occupation through which we earn a living so we can provide for ourselves and our families (2 Thess. 3:6-12; Prov. 25:27).

The money we earn is also to be used as a means of supporting God’s work and helping those in need, first in God’s family and then for those outside the household of faith (Gal. 6:6-10; Eph. 4:28; 3 John 5-8).

Guidelines Regarding Savings

Biblical Support

(1) God directed Joseph to save for the future (Gen. 41:35).

(2) Saving for the future shows wisdom and is demonstrated in God’s creation (Prov. 21:20; 30:24-25; 6:6-8).

(3) Saving for the future is responsible stewardship when designed to meet both the predictable and unpredictable needs of the family (1 Tim. 5:8; 2 Cor. 12:14).

Biblical Guidelines

(1) Maintain a proper view of ownership. Remember, all our wealth ultimately belongs to God. We are managers, not owners (1 Chron. 29:11-16; Luke 16:12).

(2) Maintain a proper view of our security. We are to put our trust in the Lord and not in our investments (1 Tim. 6:17).

(3) Beware of impure and unbiblical motives, priorities, and reasons for saving such as anxiety and hoarding as a result of insecurity or covetousness (Matt. 6:25-33; Luke 12:13-31).

(4) Decisions concerning future investments are to be made prayerfully in view of the Lord’s will (James 4:13-15).

(5) Don’t use money in saving/investment programs that God desires be used for giving. This occurs when savings or investments become extreme and for the wrong reasons as seen above (Luke 12:16-21; 1 Tim. 6:18-19; 1 John 3:17).

(6) Avoid high-risk investments or get-rich-quick schemes (Prov. 21:5; 28:20, 22; 1 Tim. 6:9).

(7) Watch those priorities. Make the kingdom of God your number one investment (Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:31; 1 Tim. 6:18-19).

Guidelines Regarding Spending

Contentment

We need to learn to be content (spiritually independent on the details of life for our happiness and security) with what we have (Phil. 4:11-13; 1 Tim. 6:6, 17-19; Heb. 13:5). When we are content with what we have, we are free from servitude to materialism. This means freedom to follow the Lord; freedom to pursue His values and objectives. How does one acquire contentment? Contentment is the product of possessing heavenly treasure and casting the whole of one’s care on the sovereign God as our loving heavenly Father (Matt. 6:19-33; 1 Pet. 5:6-7).

Temptation

Be on guard to the temptations and messages of the world (Rom. 12:1-2; 13:11-14; 1 Pet. 1:13-16; 5:8). There are thousands of messages every day that clamor for our attention through the press, television, radio, billboards, salespeople, and store displays—all designed to get us to buy things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t know, and to find happiness where it simply cannot be found.

Evaluate Purchases According to Biblical Principles

(1) Can we pay cash or will the purchase put us in debt? (See Guidelines Regarding Credit.)

(2) Do we have complete peace about it with no doubt? (Rom. 14:23; Col. 3:15) We need to watch our tendency to rationalize—giving ourselves deceptive answers to do a bad thing.

(3) Is it a real need or a matter of greed? (1 Tim. 6:9; 1 John 2:15) Will it be profitable to our family, our spiritual growth, our health, our ministry, the Lord’s reputation, and will it increase our love for the Lord or could it hinder it? (1 Tim. 3:4: 5:8; 1 Cor. 6:12)

(4) Is our lifestyle adequate or more than adequate? Do we need to reduce our spending by lowering our expected standard of comfort? (Matt. 6:33; Luke 12:15, 23; Prov. 15:16-17; 16:8; Eccl. 5:10-11).

Guidelines Regarding Credit

Basic Principles

(1) God favors lending (investing) over borrowing because it promotes freedom and wise stewardship (Deut. 15:5-6).

(2) Unwise borrowing can put us in a position of servitude (Prov. 22:7).

(3) Use credit wisely and avoid it whenever possible. Though not prohibited by Scripture, credit is generally mentioned in a negative sense. Romans 13:8 is often used as an absolute prohibition against borrowing, but it does not necessarily forbid the use of credit. It may simply teach the necessity to pay one’s obligations whether physical or spiritual as they come due.

(4) Concerning credit there are two basic alternatives: (a) Buy now on credit and pay the installments with interest. (b) Save now and buy later with cash and save the interest.

Keep Borrowing to a Minimum

(1) Interest adds to the cost of living and thereby reduces our capacity for wise stewardship. If we must borrow, we should seek low interest for short terms.

(2) Credit can be risky because it can place people in bondage to creditors and to their own desires rather than to God’s will. It makes impulsive buying too easy. The world system depends heavily on impulsive buying as a balm for being bored and frustrated with life.

(3) Credit can be used as a substitute for trusting God or to get what we want in place of waiting on Him. We use it to buffer ourselves from having to depend on the Lord. Why? Because we are often afraid He won’t give us what we want when we want it (Ps. 37:7-9, 34; 147:11; Matt. 6:30-34; Phil. 4:19).

(4) Credit reduces our ability to give to God and to those in need.

(5) The use of credit is often nothing more that a failure to be content with what we have (the sin of dissatisfaction) (Phil. 4:11; 1 Tim. 6:6-8; Heb. 13:5). The materialist is never content, but the godly learns contentment.

Don’ts for Borrowing

(1) Don’t purchase something on credit if it will jeopardize your financial freedom.

(2) Don’t go into debt today based upon a future event (such as a raise or a potential sale). This is presuming upon the Lord and His sovereignty.

(3) Don’t go into debt for a house before you have secured a source of income (Prov. 24:27).

(4) Don’t finance daily needs, living expenses, or pleasure items.

(5) Don’t finance items that depreciate quickly, except on very short terms (i.e., 30-90 days).

(6) On appreciating items, such as a house or for business investments, don’t borrow beyond your ability to cash out of the obligation through sufficient collateral plus the value of the item, should it be necessary to sell.

(7) Don’t allow debts (excluding mortgage) to exceed 20 percent of your take-home pay. Shoot for ten percent or less.

(8) Don’t allow a mortgage payment (including insurance and taxes) to exceed 25 or 30 percent of your take-home pay.

Questions to Ask Before Borrowing

(1) Do I really need it?

(2) Have I asked God for it and waited long enough for Him to supply?

(3) Am I impatient and seeking immediate gratification?

(4) Is God testing my faith, my values, my motives, etc.?

(5) Did I wrongly spend the money God provided for this item or have I violated God’s financial principles?

(6) Am I guilty of:

  • Stinginess: “There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want” (Prov. 11:24; 11:25-27).
  • Hastiness: “A faithful man will abound with blessings: but he who makes haste to be rich shall not go unpunished” (Prov. 28:20).
  • Laziness: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want like an armed man” (Prov. 24:34).

Guidelines for Giving

God Expects Us to Give

(1) By His Grace Work: Through fellowship with Him, giving is to be the product of God’s grace working in the life so that it first produces a commitment of one’s total life to God with giving as an overflow of that previous commitment (2 Cor. 8:1-2, 6-7; 9:9-11).

(2) In faith: He has promised to supply all our needs; our giving will not be our lack (2 Cor. 9:7f; Phil. 4:19).

(3) Purposefully: We are to give from careful and prayerful planning. “Let each one do just as he has purposed (planned beforehand) in his heart” (2 Cor. 9:7).

(4) Regularly: “On the first day of every week” helps promote diligence and disciplined giving. This creates a consistency and regularity that translates good intentions into actions (1 Cor. 16:2).

(5) Personally: “Let each one of you” brings out the need for every believer to take giving as a personal responsibility for which God holds us each responsible (1 Cor. 16:2).

(6) Systematically: “Put aside and save” brings out the need to have a method or system whereby money for the Lord’s work is specifically set aside, stored up for giving, so that it is not used for other things (1 Cor. 16:2).

(7) Proportionately: In the New Testament, set amounts of compulsory giving (as in the tithe) have been replaced by the grace principle of voluntary, purposeful, and proportionate giving. The new standard for today is “as He may prosper” (1 Cor. 16:2), “they gave of their own accord” (2 Cor. 8:3), “it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality …” (cf. 2 Cor. 8:12-15, Mark 12:41-44), and “let each one do … not under compulsion” (2 Cor. 9:7).

To Whom Should We Give?

The Local Church

“And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches” (Gal. 6:6; cf. also 1 Tim. 5:17-18). If the local church is to form a solid home base for other ministries of outreach, it is only logical that it should become a first priority for our giving.

Other Organizations and Individuals

This would include missions, para-church groups and individuals who are involved in these ministries (3 John 5-8).

Fellow Believers in Need

Those unable to support themselves or who have faced serious problems are to be helped as we are able. Those who refuse to work are not to be supported (1 John 3:17; Jam. 2:15-16; Gal. 6:10; Heb. 10:33-34; 13:1-3 with 2 Thess. 3:6-10).

Unbelievers in Need

Our first priority is to those who are of the household of faith, but we are also to reach out to others in need as we are able (Gal. 6:10).

The Tithe of the Old Testament

The word “tithe” means “a tenth.” In the Old Testament, however, there is good evidence that the Old Testament saint was required to give at least two tithes and possibly even three tithes per year.

(1) The first was ten percent of all one’s possessions (Lev. 27:30-33). This was given to the Levites for the temple ministry (Numb. 18:20-21).

(2) A second tithe was taken from whatever produce was left after the first tithe was given. This tithe was for the Lord’s feasts and sacrifices (Deut. 12:17-18; 14:22). “This command was considered by Jewish interpreters to be for a second tithe (see Lev. 27:30 and Num. 18:21 for the first; also the note on Mal. 3:8), which was brought to the central sanctuary either in kind or in money. Apparently the offerer could use a part of this tithe for a feast at the sanctuary (vv. 26-27).”1

(3) Another tithe was taken every third year for the welfare of the Levites, strangers, orphans and widows (Deut. 14:26-29). This third tithe may have been separate from the second, though we are not certain. At any rate, each Jewish family was responsible to give not ten percent, but approximately 19 percent.

If the tithe was God’s will for believers today, then believers who give ten percent are under giving.

Because the tithe was required in the Old Testament, it was more of an income tax than a gift given under the theocratic kingdom of Israel. In fact, the Old Testament often speaks of “tithes and offerings” which makes this distinction. Frieson says, “that is why failure to submit to the ‘whole tithe’ could be described as robbing God.”2 If one of God’s people wanted to express his worship through a voluntary offering, it had to be over and above the two tithes of his income which was owed (Deut. 16:6, 11; 1 Chron. 29:6, 9, 14).

The New Testament Economy of Giving

There is very good evidence the tithe is not for believers today. There are godly men who teach the tithe, but they are clinging to an Old Testament theology that does not apply to the church today. The following is presented as evidence in support of this position.

The tithe of the Old Testament was a part of the economic system of the Law but the New Testament specifically teaches that believers are not under law (Rom. 6:14; 7:4, 6; 8:3; 2 Cor. 3:11; Gal. 3:19-25; 4:21-31). There is a two-fold emphasis here.

(1) Believers today are not under the legal, economic, social, or religious system of the Old Testament Law. The Law was a temporary system until the coming of Christ. The coming of Christ and the New Covenant, as it applies to the church, supersedes the Old Covenant with a higher law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus which enables believers to fulfill the spiritual and righteous requirements of the Law but through the leading of the Spirit rather than by the imposition of legal regulations.

(2) “Law” in Romans 6:14 is anarthrous. It is qualitative. It is not talking about just one specific law, as the Old Testament Law, but any kind of law. This means we are not under any kind of legal system of external rules or legal regulations which we are to keep in relation to our walk with God. Though we are not without law, being under the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2), the standard for how much we give in the church age is not an amount set by some external law or some form of compulsion. This would include the tithe either under the Law or even before the Law, because either way, the moment a definite amount is established for believers to give, it becomes a legal and external matter rather than a matter of the inner man and the leading of the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:1, 18, 24, 25).

The New Testament teaches us that giving for the church age is to be proportionate by the grace work or leading of God through the Spirit (2 Cor. 8:1-3, 7; 1 Cor. 16:2; 9:7). In keeping with this concept, when we turn to the New Testament we find no New Testament regulation or commandment which continues the tithe for New Testament believers. The word “tithe” is never used in the New Testament as a command or regulation for the church. In fact, it is used only of historical occurrences where it pertained to Israel under the Old Testament economy, but never in such a way it could imply this is the rule of life for the church.

Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42. Both of these passages applied to Israel. Christ was speaking to Jews who were still at that time under the Law. They were also offering sacrifices in the temple.

Luke 18:12 is merely an historical reference of the prayer of a self-righteous Pharisee who was still under the Law and before the coming of the Spirit and the beginning of the church age.

Hebrews 7:5-9 is an historical reference to Abraham who paid tithes to Melchizedek. Some use this as proof the tithe is legitimate for today. They say it was pre-law, so it should be used as a guideline for all dispensations. But there are two things wrong with that line of reasoning:

Other Old Testament practices predated the Law, yet they are not used as norms or as requirements for the church. (a) The concept of the Sabbath predated the law (cf. Heb. 4:3-9), but it has been replaced by the first day of the week, and even that is not presented as a legal requirement. (b) Circumcision also predated the law (cf. Rom. 4:9-13), but it has been replaced by baptism. (c) Likewise the tithe which also predated the law (Heb. 7:5-9), has been replaced by proportionate giving (1 Cor. 16:2). To insist on a tithe is really a disobedience to the direction of 1 Corinthians 16:2.

Giving according to a tithe is a hindrance to proportionate grace giving as it is prescribed in the New Testament. Let me explain.

Many believers give their tenth and never even consider that they could (and perhaps should) be giving even more. Actually, to demand a tenth from all believers is disobedience to the principles set down in 2 Corinthians 8:12-15 because the tithe may become an unequal yoke. By that I mean it is a burden to some, and a limitation to greater giving by others according to the principles of equality and proportionate grace giving (1 Cor. 16:1-2). Please note the following:

(1) Giving ten percent for one man might be considered “sowing sparingly” if he was giving proportionately.

(2) Giving ten percent for another could be considered “sowing bountifully,” if he was giving proportionately.

(3) Giving ten percent for some would be giving beyond their ability and could be considered sacrificial giving, giving “according to what they do not have” (cf. 2 Cor. 8:12; 9:6).

(4) In essence this means some are being eased of their responsibilities because of their abundance and others afflicted by the tithe compulsion because of their lack (2 Cor. 8:13).

(5) Proportionate grace giving in the New Testament eliminates this and brings about what Paul calls “equality” (2 Cor. 8:14-15). See the illustration below concerning proportionate giving.

(6) This means to be a good steward of the resources God supplies, the more prosperous believers give more out of their abundance, not just in dollars but in the percentage (20, 30 percent and even more), while those with less give a smaller percent, one determined out of their walk with the Lord. They may decide to give sacrificially as did the Macedonians, but it should be the product of the work of the Spirit of God and not the legal demands of a church that insists on the tithe. Indeed, the tithe is an unequal yoke. Think about it. If you tithe, you may be sowing sparingly.

Proportionate Giving

The big question is, what does it mean to give proportionately? How does one determine how much (what percent) to give? It is easy enough to figure ten percent of something, but how much is “as he purposes in his heart,” or “as he has been prospered,” or “may prosper,” or “if there is a readiness it is acceptable according to what a man has …” How much is that?

(1) It is not a specific amount, or a certain percent, but a proportion based on what one has, one’s own needs, and on the needs of others, including the work of Christ or the ministry of the local church.

(2) Those who have little may give the little they are able (2 Cor. 8:2-3).

(3) Those who have nothing, if there is a readiness, are not expected to give anything (2 Cor. 8:12).

(4) Those who have less than enough (genuine needs) are to receive from those who have more than enough so there is a balancing out, a kind of equality (2 Cor. 8:13-15). This is not socialism or communism which is coercive and seeks for a total equality that does away with any variations in society based on individual differences in hard work, in giftedness, and personal incentive (cf. 1 Tim. 6:17f).

(5) God is not asking those who have plenty to become poor or burdened that others may be made rich (2 Cor. 8:13). The equality envisioned here through proportionate giving is twofold: (a) It involves aid to help people through a condition of need until they are able to get on their feet financially by working (Eph. 4:28; 2 Thess. 3:10-15). We do not give so others can live in ease or have the same standard of living as everyone else. (b) This creates an equality in the sense that those with less give proportionately less and those with more give proportionately more and are able to carry more of the load in giving.

(6) Those who have an abundance are to be rich in good works; they are to use their abundance liberally in the cause of Christ (2 Cor. 8:14; 1 Tim. 5:17-18).

(7) Increased prosperity should not result in a higher and higher standard of living, or wasteful spending, but in an increase in giving, not only in the amount but in the percent given. If believers today were committed to proportionate giving, many would be giving far in excess of ten percent. Statistics show, however, that most believers give no more than 3-5 percent.

Definition of Proportionate Giving

Proportionate giving is giving in proportion to God’s blessing, as a steward who wants to invest his life in heavenly treasure. Proportionate giving does not mean just giving more, but giving a greater proportion of one’s income—a greater percentage invested in God’s work.

In Proportionate giving:

(1) OUR MOTIVE for giving is God’s spiritual blessing, to increase fruitfulness and bring glory to God (2 Cor. 9:8-15).

(2) OUR MEASURE for giving is God’s material blessing (1 Cor. 16:2).

Illustration of Proportionate Giving

Believer A has an income of $20,000 per year and he gives ten percent which is $2,000. Believer B has an income of $50,000 per year and he gives ten percent which is $5,000. Believer B has given $3,000 more per year but this is not proportionately more because Believer A has $18,000 left to live on and Believer B still has $45,000 left, over twice as much. Believer B could give 20 percent ($10,000) and still have $40,000 left to live on which is still over twice as much as Believer A. Believer B would then be giving not only more, but proportionately more as well.

Promises for the Generous Proportionate Giver

Luke 16:10-11: Generally, God does not entrust more wealth to us to manage until we prove faithful with what we have now.

Second Corinthians 9:8-11: Our giving will never be our lack; God will not only resupply what we have given, but He will increase our giving capacity as we give abundantly. The goal here is not increased personal wealth, but greater giving.

Biblical Challenges Regarding Earthly Riches

Where Is Our Treasure?

Basic Principle: What we treasure is determined by our perspective or insight to the real values of life (Matt. 6:22-23).

Biblical Insight: Our treasures should be in heaven (Matt. 6:19-20).

Biblical Reasons:

(1) Our treasures in heaven are permanent (Matt. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:4).

(2) Our treasures on earth are temporary and can be lost. We can’t take earthly treasures with us (Luke 12:20-21; 1 Tim. 6:7).

(3) Our treasures on earth are really unfulfilling in that they cannot buy true happiness or significance (Isa. 55:1-3; Luke 12:15, 23; Eccl. 5:10).

(4) Our treasures on earth cannot prolong life or give security (Luke 12:16-21).

(5) Our treasures determine our pursuits and priorities. Without the right treasures, we will pursue the wrong things and waste our lives (Matt. 6:21; Luke 12:34; 1 Tim. 6:9-10; Luke 19:23-26).

(6) Our greatest treasure is godliness with contentment (1 Tim. 6:6; Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:11-12; Prov. 15:17; 16:8; 17:1).

Biblical Explanation: Heavenly treasures consist of crowns, rewards, and responsibilities given to believers at the judgment seat of Christ for faithful stewardship (Luke 19:16-19; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 9:25; 1 Thess. 2:19; 1 Tim. 4:8). The ultimate treasure is glory to God (1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 4:9-11).

Who Is Our Master?

A servant cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve God and mammon (materialism) (Luke 16:1-13, cf. Matt. 6:24).

Biblical Reason: It is impossible to hold allegiance to two masters at the same time. “For either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other” (Luke 16:13).

Biblical Insights:

(1) Luke 16:1-2: Life is a stewardship and we are each servants of God who will be held accountable for the way we have used our stewardship. Stop thinking like an owner. Start thinking like a manager.

(2) Luke 16:1, 11-12: Are we squandering God’s investment in our lives or investing it wisely for His glory?

(3) Luke 16:10: Money, in terms of true value, is a “little” thing, however, faithfulness in little things (money) is an indicator of our faithfulness in big things (eternal values).

(4) Luke 16:11: The use of money is a test of our faithfulness.

(5) Luke 16:11: Money does not constitute true riches.

(6) Luke 16:12: Money is to be used wisely and faithfully as part of our stewardship from God.

(7) Luke 16:12: Money and its acquisition, if we are not careful, can become our master.

Biblical Challenge:

(1) Am I a slave to money and earthly treasures? Is it possible that I am and do not even know it? We must choose between serving money and serving God!

(2) Do I sacrifice Christlike qualities and responsibilities in my pursuits for earthly treasures? (a) Clear conscience; (b) Honesty, moral character; (c) Friendships; (d) Family (wife, husband, children, in-laws); (e) Reputation; (f) God’s glory, etc.

(3) Do I care more about earthly treasures and money matters than I do about my relationship with the Lord and the pursuit of the kingdom of heaven? (a) Priorities; (b) Use of my time, how and where is it spent; (c) What do I think about most—money and what I think it will purchase or God and my trust in Him?

(4) Do I seek from money and earthly treasures (prestige, power, position, pleasure, possessions, etc.) those things that God alone can give? (a) Happiness, real joy; (b) Contentment; (c) Peace of mind; (d) Security; (e) Purpose or meaning in life.

If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, money has become your master to some degree!

Conclusion

Having studied these principles, let’s ask ourselves a question: Am I willing to commit myself to these concepts as a way of life in order to become a good steward of the grace of God? May God keep us from the altar of the golden calf of materialism.

And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:17-19).

Related Topics: Tithing, Finance

The Seven Laws of the Harvest

Related Media

Preface

I can still remember my grandmother warning me about my choices in life. In her attempt to see that her grandson would behave himself, she used to say, “Don’t forget, Hampton, you always reap what you sow … always.” And of course, she was right. But when most of us think of the concept of reaping what we sow, I have found we usually think of this in the negative sense. We think of paying the consequences for sinful actions or foolish choices, but the laws of the harvest are not just negative. These laws are also positive, very positive, and stand as a promise of blessing for sowing that which is good as well as a warning against sowing what is bad. We see this in Galatians 6:7-8.

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Several years ago, I had the privilege of being one of the speakers at a pastor’s conference with the late John Lawrence who was teaching at Multnomah School of the Bible, now Multnomah Bible College. While we were at the conference together, he gave me a copy of his book called Life’s Choices, published by Multnomah Press. I found John’s book to be tremendously rewarding and insightful. As a pastor, I have taught the principles of this book a number of times and have seen these principles really motivate and encourage a number of people in their walk with the Savior—not so much because of the negative connotations—but because of the positive. The seven laws as stated in the outline of this study come from John’s excellent book and this study is a summary of those principles. For a more thorough treatment of these seven laws, the reader is encouraged to get a copy of John’s book. John is now with the Lord and already reaping the blessings of a life devoted to teaching the Word of God.

Law 1:
We Reap Only What Has Been Sown

Life is filled with choices, choices that affect us on an everyday basis in everything we do which means our everyday choices are not without significance. Our choices affect us and others in dramatic ways whether we see it immediately or not. While earth remains, no man will mock God by changing for even one time these laws of the harvest.

This study is not meant to intimidate us from making choices, for even a failure to make choices is a choice. Rather, it is designed to motivate us to wise choices that we may redeem the time.

Ephesians 5:15-18. Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom.

Why do we need wisdom? So we can make wise choices!

Stop and think about this! All life comes from antecedent life: from the labor and sowing of others. What we reap was planted either naturally or purposely, either by God or by man, and for either positive or for negative results. We reap the fruit of much for which we have extended no labor because we enter into the labor of others either for good or for bad. In other words, this law of the harvest, We Reap Only What Has Been Sown, has both a positive and a negative side.

The Positive Side

Though we are benefactors of much for which we have extended no labor, we still have the privilege of entering into the labor of others (John 4:35-38).

    Blessings We Reap Because of What God Has Done on Our Behalf

(1) The Blessings of Common Grace (Matt. 5:45; Acts 17:24-28; James 1:17; John 3:27). God is gracious toward all men whether they realize it or not, or whether they ever give Him thanks for His blessings. In fact, every good gift we enjoy comes from God (Acts 17:24-28; Jam. 1:17; John 3:27).

(2) The Blessings of Salvation Grace (Matt. 21:37; John 3:16; 6:27-32; Rom. 10:6-8; Jam. 1:17-18; 1 John 5:9-12). Regardless of man’s lack of thankfulness, God has given man the greatest gift of all in His Son who became man that we might have life by faith in Him.

    Blessings We Reap Because of What Others Have Done In Our Behalf

The Fact (John 4:35-38; Deut. 6:10-11 and the laws of inheritance). Our Lord’s statements in John 4, though dealing with the ministry of evangelism, are nevertheless based on this general principle of life. Deuteronomy 6 and the laws of inheritance further illustrate this principle, but it is true even for that person who brags about being a self-made man in dozens of ways. Whether he realizes it or not, his talents, the opportunities for success, and the fruitfulness he has experienced are all given by the grace of God.

An Illustration: Not only are we blessed because of what God has done in our behalf, we are also blessed by what others have done. Others have labored and we have entered into the blessings of their labors. Any honest study of Western civilization must admit that the blessings we have enjoyed in the Western world, of freedom, of law, of ministering to the suffering, the poor and the like, are all the by-products of Christianity and our godly heritage.

A good number of years ago there appeared in the “Christian Advocate” the following:

America rests upon four cornerstones: the English Bible, the English language, the common law, and the tradition of liberty. But liberty, language, and the law might have been drawn from the Bible alone. Had we brought nothing with us across the sea besides this supreme book, we might still have been great. Without this Book, America could not have become what she is and when she loses its guidance and wisdom, she will be America no more.

Did we bring the Bible to these shores? Did it not rather bring us? The breath of the ancient Prophets was in the sails that drove the tiny Mayflower.

It has been said that South America was settled by the Spanish, who came to that land in search of gold, but North America was settled by the Pilgrim Fathers, who came in search of God. That is what made the difference.1

Application: Do we realize the far-reaching implications of our choices on the lives of others—children, family members, co-workers, friends? The teaching of Scripture on being an example to others stresses this very point (2 Chron. 17:3; John 13:15; 1 Thess. 1:7; 2 Thess. 3:7-9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 2:7). Being a good model is a form of sowing that can result in reaping Christlike changes in the lives of others.

The Negative Side

    We Reap the Wrong Others Have Sown

The law of sowing and reaping also has a negative side. We not only enter into the blessings God has bestowed, but we also reap the results of wrong others have sown both before us and around us.

(1) We reap a certain amount of wrong inherited from our parents (Ps. 51:5; 58:3; Gen. 5:3; Ex. 20:6; 34:6-7; Num. 14:18).

(2) We all reap the sin of Adam and we pass that along to our children. This means not only a sinful nature, but things children can learn like how to be critical from a fault-finding parent.

(3) We reap the wrong of foolish and corrupt leaders and the consequences of a decaying society (see Isa. 2:5-3:15). This often includes the judgment of God on society—past, present, and future.

What is happening in our cities across our nation is that we are treasuring up unto ourselves “wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Rom. 2:5). It is of concern to us because, if the Lord tarries, it shall affect us greatly. We were willing to settle for a “no win” policy in Korea and so we settled for a “lose the war” policy in Vietnam. The next step is to settle for “no contest” right here at home.

We are already reaping the consequences of living high on the hog—way above our means—and we have just begun this process of reaping the results of deficit spending. As a nation, whatever we do is wrong because we as a people are wrong spiritually and morally. We have forgotten that God takes the lid off of our cities, and what he sees is a stench to His nostrils!

Available to us is the work of Edward Gibbon who, in 1787, after 20 years of labor, completed his book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In it he attributed the fall of the Empire as being:

(1) The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.

(2) Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for free bread and circuses for the populace.

(3) The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.

(4) The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within, the decadence of the people.

(5) The decay of religion—faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life and becoming impotent to warn and guide the people.

Challenges and Implications

    A Call to Sowing What is Good

We need to be doing what we can while we can and leave the results with God knowing that our labor is never in vain (1 Cor. 15:10, 58) and also knowing it has consequential implications on others. Some may be involved in the sowing, some in the watering, and others in the reaping, but God is at work bringing the increase according to His purposes (1 Cor. 3:6-7).

    A Call to Thankfulness

Another challenge is one of thankfulness by acknowledging the fact of a personal God who has blessed us with His providential care and given us the privilege of not only sowing and reaping, but of reaping the blessings of what others have sown (Rom. 1:18f; Ps. 100:1-5; 107:1f)

    A Call to Moral Responsibility (Matt. 5:43-48)

(1) To love others and treat them in grace as we all experience the common grace of God who causes His sun to rise on the evil and good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike.

(2) To acknowledge our moral responsibility because we are created in the image of God.

    A Call to Trust God to Provide for Our Needs (Matt 6:25-34).

This has both a positive and a negative side.

(1) To rest in the reality of God Himself, in His personal care and supply by putting Him first and by using the resources He gives. To see and respond to this, Jesus challenges us to compare the birds of the air and the lilies of the field (Matt. 6:25-34).

(2) To trust God rather than lean on our own solutions and strategies for handling life or to find security, significance, and happiness (Jer. 1:13; 17:1f).

    A Call for Vigilance, Prayer, and Wisdom

1 Timothy 2:1-3 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Ephesians 5:15-18 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

Galatians 6:1-8 Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load. 6 And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Law 2:
We Reap the Same In Kind As We Sow

If anyone had told David before or even right after his affair with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11) that he would break every one of the laws of the second table of the Law, he would have denied it with all his might and replied that they were more than just a little crazy. But the laws of sowing and reaping and this law in particular, “we reap the same in kind as we sow,” strongly stress our need to follow the admonition to “take heed lest we fall.”

Before this incident was over, David:

  • coveted his neighbor’s wife—2 Sam. 11:2, 3,
  • committed adultery—2 Sam. 11:4,
  • committed murder—2 Sam. 11:15,
  • stole—2 Sam. 11:4 and,
  • bore false witness—11:8, 21.

David’s downfall into sin posts a serious warning to each of us of the deceitfulness of sin and its dire consequences in the law of sowing and reaping:

Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

This was just the beginning because each of these sins would be reaped within his own family.

Foundation for this Law

Genesis 1:20-24 Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so.

Genesis 5:3 When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

    Principle of Reproduction

In the six days of creation, God ordered everything to produce “after their kind” (Gen. 1:11, 12, 21, 24-25). We all recognize that this is true in the biological and zoological world, but what is true in the physical world is also true in the spiritual world. Adam was created after the image of God and he would reproduce that image from generation to generation.

Because he was created for fellowship with God and to walk in dependence on Him, Adam would likewise reap the results of his actions. When he took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he reaped the results: spiritual death in his own life and the life of his posterity. As a further consequence of his negative choice to live independently, his sinfulness was transmitted from generation to generation.

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.

Romans 5:12-18 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—13 for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.

Apart from divine intervention, the fall halted man’s ability to sow and reap spiritual fruit and experience any fellowship with God. Adam reaped spiritual death (loss of fellowship with God) and began to die physically.

    Principle of Regeneration

John 3:3-6 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Through God’s grace and the gift of spiritual regeneration, man gains the capacity to sow and reap spiritual fruit and reap the blessing of God on his life and in the world.

Note the words of John 3:6, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh (this is the law of reaping the same in kind as we sow), and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (the same law). Because of this, the natural man can only sow and reap according to the flesh. But in Christ, we become new spiritual creations, new creatures with the capacity to sow and reap of the Spirit (Gal. 6:7-8).

While human good can produce some benefits in society, in families and nations, without God’s Word and New Life in Christ, there are no absolutes, no solid foundation, and no spiritual capacity for the continuation of sowing good and reaping accordingly. So man faces the law of moral degeneration and decay since he reaps the same in kind as he sows.

Proclamation of this Law

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Whatever we sow, we reap; so that, if we sow good, we will reap good. This principle as stated in Galatians 6 is an absolute law .

“Be not deceived, God is not mocked.” These words introduce not only the law of sowing and reaping, but the fact that we reap the same in kind as we sow. This is a warning and stresses the absolute nature of this law.

“Be not deceived” is planao (planavw) “to cause to wander, lead astray, deceive.” It is a present passive, imperative and means, stop allowing yourself to be deceived, led astray, or never allow it to happen. The continuous present and the passive voice anticipates the constant threat and activity of our spiritual enemies seeking to wreck havoc on our spiritual walk with God. It warns and reminds us that Satan and the world system under his control is ever at work with his age-old lie, “you surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:4-5).

“God is not mocked.” “Mocked” is mukterizo (mukterivzw) from mukter (muktevr), “the nose.” It means “to turn up the nose at, to treat with contempt, to ridicule.” Man cannot ignore and treat with contempt God’s truth and laws by attempting to live by his own wisdom and tactics without serious consequences.

“For whatever.” “Whatever” makes this law all inclusive—it applies to any and everything we sow. Then, the words “this also” makes the connection in kind to what we reap.

Principle: Since everything reproduces after its kind, God can never be mocked. Just as no one can sow peas and produce watermelon, or breed donkeys and produce thoroughbred horses, so no one can sow evil and produce good. We cannot sow discord and produce unity. We cannot sow lies and produce truth. We cannot sow sin and produce holiness.

If we sow to the Spirit, we reap of the Spirit. If we sow to the flesh, we reap of the flesh. If we sow evil, we will reap evil. If we have filled our minds and hearts with what is evil, we cannot bring forth what is good.

Matthew 12:34-35 You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35 The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.

If we sow indifference to God and spiritual values and priorities, we reap the fruit of indifference—ignorance, hardness, greediness, futility, and frustration (Eph. 4:17-19). Here is something for us to think about:

Sow a thought, reap an act;
Sow an act, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character;
Sow a character, reap a destiny.

Biblical Illustrations of this Law

    Hosea 8:1-10

Put the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant, And rebelled against My law. 2 They cry out to Me, “My God, we of Israel know Thee!” 3 Israel has rejected the good; The enemy will pursue him. 4 They have set up kings, but not by Me; They have appointed princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and gold they have made idols for themselves, That they might be cut off. 5 He has rejected your calf, O Samaria, saying, “My anger burns against them!” How long will they be incapable of innocence? 6 For from Israel is even this! A craftsman made it, so it is not God; Surely the calf of Samaria will be broken to pieces. 7 For they sow the wind, And they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up. 8 Israel is swallowed up; They are now among the nations Like a vessel in which no one delights. 9 For they have gone up to Assyria, Like a wild donkey all alone; Ephraim has hired lovers. 10 Even though they hire allies among the nations, Now I will gather them up; And they will begin to diminish Because of the burden of the king of princes.

Verse seven says, “For they sow the wind, And they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.”

The phrase “they sow the wind is transitional. It alludes to the futility of Israel’s human solutions and strategies by which she sought to handle life and her problems, specifically, her idolatrous worship by which she was seeking to design God according to her own wishes (vss. 4-6) and her foreign policy independently of God (vss. 8-10). This she was doing in place of knowing and trusting in the Word and the true and living God (4:6).

“Wind” represents that which lacks substance and is, like all efforts of the flesh, futile, worthless, and of no assistance (cf. Prov. 11:28-29).

“Whirlwind” represents the harvest in kind which comes from sowing the wind. “The futility (wind) which she had planted like seed would yield a crop of destruction (represented by the whirlwind). All her efforts directed toward self-preservation would be self-destructive.”2

    Psalms of Promise

Psalm 1:1-6 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 32:1-2 A Psalm of David. A Maskil. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

Psalm 40:4 How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

Psalm 41:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.

Psalm 84:5, 12 How blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee; In whose heart are the highways to Zion! … 12 O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in Thee!

Psalm 112:1 Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.

    Psalms of Warning

Psalm 7:12-16 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. 13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts. 14 Behold, he travails with wickedness, And he conceives mischief, and brings forth falsehood. 15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. 16 His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

Psalm 9:15-16 The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16 The LORD has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah.

Psalm 10:2 In pride the wicked hotly pursue the afflicted; Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised.

Psalm 35:7-8 For without cause they hid their net for me; Without cause they dug a pit for my soul. 8 Let destruction come upon him unawares; And let the net which he hid catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall.

    Proverbs

Proverbs 11:18 The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward.

Proverbs 22:8 He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish.

Proverbs 26:27 He who digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

    Esther

Esther 7:10 they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.

    Jacob

Jacob schemed to get the blessing belonging to the firstborn, and Laban later tricked him with the rights of the firstborn.

Genesis 29:20-26 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed, that I may go in to her.” 22 And Laban gathered all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 Now it came about in the evening that he took his daughter Leah, and brought her to him; and Jacob went in to her. 24 Laban also gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25 So it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah! And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? Why then have you deceived me?” 26 But Laban said, “It is not the practice in our place, to marry off the younger before the first-born.”

Religious activity does not necessarily mean spiritual activity. We can be religious and still be sowing to the flesh. The following passage are a standing commentary on the barrenness of external religiosity or on what happens when we go through the motions of religion, but keep our hearts from God.

Isaiah 1:1-19 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judah and Jerusalem which he saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. 3 An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” 4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.

5 Where will you be stricken again, As you continue in your rebellion? The whole head is sick, And the whole heart is faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even to the head There is nothing sound in it, Only bruises, welts, and raw wounds, Not pressed out or bandaged, Nor softened with oil. 7 Your land is desolate, Your cities are burned with fire, Your fields—strangers are devouring them in your presence; It is desolation, as overthrown by strangers. 8 And the daughter of Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, Like a watchman’s hut in a cucumber field, like a besieged city. 9 Unless the LORD of hosts Had left us a few survivors, We would be like Sodom, We would be like Gomorrah. 10 Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the instruction of our God, You people of Gomorrah. 11 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams, And the fat of fed cattle. And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, or goats. 12 When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? 13 Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. 14 I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me. I am weary of bearing them. 15 So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. 19 If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land; …”

Isaiah 29:13 Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, …”

Law 3:
We Reap in a Different Season than We Sow

“Too many believers are sowing wild oats throughout the week and then going to church on Sunday and praying for a crop failure.”3 They hope their life-style won’t catch up with them, but of course, it always does. As seen from Galatians 6:7, God will not be mocked by man. No man can turn up his nose at God’s laws and get away with it. Sooner or later his choices will return to haunt him. What we sow, we reap, but the thing that is so deceptive is that we reap in a different season. Let’s first look at the fact of this third law of the harvest from several standpoints.

The Foundation for this Law

    The Creative Purpose of God

Genesis 8:22 reads: “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease.” The harvest never comes immediately after planting for, while the earth abides, there is seedtime and harvest, cold and winter, etc. There are seasons to life and the harvest never comes immediately.

Rome was not built in a day. Plants don’t grow overnight. Athletes don’t become strong or proficient in a week. Children aren’t born overnight. Wisdom isn’t gained overnight, and so it goes throughout all of life.

    “In Due Time” or “Season”

(1) Negatively

Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, In due time their foot will slip; For the day of their calamity is near, And the impending things are hastening upon them.

(2) Positively

1 Samuel 1:20 And it came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.”

Psalm 145:15 The eyes of all look to Thee, And Thou dost give them their food in due time.

Psalm 104:27 They all wait for Thee, To give them their food in due season.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

    The Necessity of Time and Growth in All Things

The following passage reminds us there is a time for everything which teaches us we can’t rush the laws of God nor should we try to ignore them.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—2 A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted. 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up. 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance. 5 A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing. 6 A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak. 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.

While the original creation was created with apparent age and maturity, Scripture and life itself teach us that for everything else, time is needed for growth and maturity in the biological, zoological, social, spiritual, mental, athletic, and economical areas of life (compare: Gen. 1:28; 3:18; 2 Kgs. 19:29; Ps. 104:19; 147:9; Phil. 3:11-14; Heb. 5:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 2:11-14, 18).

Applications of this Law

Without question we reap what we sow, but the principle mankind doesn’t want to face is we reap in a different season. There are several important factors here:

(1) Because we do not see the immediate results, we often think we have gotten away with something or can, but we never do.

Ecc. 8:11-12 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.

(2) We live in a self-oriented society that says “do your own thing,” or “to thine own self be true.” This is a society that is therefore given over to instant gratification. We have instant everything: instant tea, instant oatmeal, quick rice, TV dinners, and microwave cooking. We can jump into an automobile and either whiz across town in minutes, across most states in a few hours, or board a plane and 12 hours later be in Europe.

(3) We watch a TV program and see family conflicts or national conflicts resolved in one hour, or at the most in a mini-series, four hours, but in reality, these things often require months and even years to resolve or change.

The younger generation today has the mentality of wanting and expecting to have all the material blessings and advantages their parents have. The difference is the parents often had to wait years to accumulate what they have. Young people are not willing to save, do without, and wait.

We want what we want when we want it which is usually right now, or preferably, yesterday. So, because we are accustomed to immediate gratification, we are too often unwilling to wait for the results of biblical sowing—sowing what is good and waiting on the Lord and His timing. So we take matters into our own hands. We run ahead of the Lord. We employ our own strategies and methods:

  • We light our own firebrands to light our path (Isa. 50:11)
  • Build our own cisterns, but they are broken and hold no water (Jer. 2:13)
  • We lean on the arm of the flesh, our own ability, rather than lean on the arm of the Lord (Jer. 17:5-7)

We don’t want to wait on the Lord! We want to reap without sowing! But the Psalmist, in his determination to wait patiently on the Lord, wrote:

Psalm 130:5-6 I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. 6 My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning.

Unfortunately, because many Christians today tend to operate more on emotional sentiment rather than on biblical content, they have little or no faith and fail to sow for a later reaping or fail to have the perspective of laying up treasures in heaven. The Psalmist knew that envy, fretting over the prosperity of others, was really a matter of faith and seeing life from an eternal perspective. So he wrote:

Psalm 37:7-9 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.

In the context of the Lord’s exhortation for us to lay up heavenly treasure, we would do well to remember His words of rebuke to disciples, “oh men of little faith” (Matt. 6:30).

The Law of the Harvest says, “We sow in one season; we reap in another.” No harvest comes the moment the seed is planted, but it must wait for God’s appointed time. This should be both a warning against sowing evil (Pr. 9:16: “the wicked is snared by the work of his own hands”), and an encouragement for sowing good seed (1 Cor. 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord”).

In Faith and Patience, Sow What Is Good

James 5:7-8 Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Galatians 6:9 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.

Pray to the Lord of Harvest and Don’t Faint

Luke 10:2 And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

John 4:35-38 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.

Please note, we reap only what has been sown, but there are others who have sown.

Wait Patiently on the Lord Who Will Reward Your Labor

Psalm 27:13-14 I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. 14 Wait for the LORD; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.

Psalm 37:7-11 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land. 10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land, And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.

Psalm 147:10-11 He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man. 11 The LORD favors those who fear Him, Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

Compare also Isaiah 40:27-31; 49:22-23; and Lamentations 3:25-26.

Those who wait in true faith are renewed in strength so that they can continue to serve the Lord while looking for his saving work rather than take matters into their own hands. There will come a time when all that God has promised will be realized and fulfilled. In the mean time, the believer survives by means of his integrity and uprightness (biblical character) as he trusts and rests in God’s grace and power.

Law 4:
We Reap More Than We Sow

No fact is more significant and sobering than this one. When we sow good, we bountifully receive from the hand of God who is debtor to no man; for the harvest is always greater than the seed planted. If this were not the case, no farmer would ever plant a thing. If he only got back what germinated in the ground, he would be on the losing end and spend his life in utter futility.

Reaping more than we sow is fundamental to the laws of the harvest and this is not just true for the agricultural world, it is true for nearly every aspect of life: for the physical and the spiritual, for believers and unbelievers alike.

This law works in reverse as well. When we sow evil, we will generally reap more than we sowed as well.

Of course, there are some exceptions due to the fact we live in a sin cursed world with natural and economic disasters. A farmer may sow bountifully and have his crop destroyed by drought or a tornado, or he may reap a good crop and not be able to reap a reward from it because of economic factors in his country.

Also, due to God’s grace in this age, when there is genuine repentance and change, we may not reap the results of sin as bountifully as in Old Testament times, but the law still applies in general.

Declarations of this Law from Scripture

    Proverbs 22:8

He who sows iniquity will reap vanity, And the rod of his fury will perish.

There is a kind of play on words in this passage through alliteration in the Hebrew text. “Iniquity” is u*wl> and “vanity” is a*w#n.

“Vanity” here is better translated as “calamity” or “trouble.” It’s the Hebrew a*w#n, “trouble, sorrow, distress, misfortune, idolatry, emptiness.” “The primary meaning of this word seems to have two facets: a stress on trouble which moves on to wickedness, and an emphasis on emptiness which moves on to idolatry.”4

The most basic meanings is “trouble.” This is seen in Gen. 35:18. Just before Rachel died, she named her newborn son, Ben-oni, (son of sorrow). In Deut. 26:14 and Hosea 9:4, a*w#n is associated with death. So it is a word of calamity and adverse circumstances.

Proverbs 22:8 is telling us that when a person sows iniquity or wrong, they will reap trouble and sorrow.

    Hosea 8:7a

Hosea 8:7 For they sow the wind, And they reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; It yields no grain. Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.

This is the same in kind, but it is more. The phrase “they sow the wind” is transitional. It alludes to the futility of Israel’s human solutions and strategies by which she was seeking to handle life and her problems, specifically, her idolatrous worship by which she was seeking to design God according to her own wishes (vss. 4-6) and her foreign policy (vss. 8-10). This she was doing in place of knowing and trusting in the Word and the true and living God (4:6).

“Wind” represents that which lacks substance and is, like all efforts of the flesh, futile, worthless, and of no assistance (cf. Prov. 11:28-29).

“Whirlwind” represents the harvest in kind which comes from sowing the wind. But it also represents the concept of “more.” The futility (wind) which she had planted like seed would yield a crop of destruction (represented by the whirlwind). “Whirlwind” is a Hebrew intensive form and means “a violent whirlwind.” God’s warning here is that you do not just reap in kind, but you may reap much more. All her efforts directed toward self-preservation would be self-destructive. The idea then is “sow wind (your solutions), reap a tornado (your consequences).”

Illustrations of this Law from Scripture

    Negative Illustrations

(1) Jacob: As a result of sowing the wind, the scheming of Rebekah and Jacob to get the family blessing (Genesis 27), Jacob and Rebekah reaped the whirlwind—trouble and heartache.

  • Jacob was forced to flee because Esau had threatened that after his father’s death, he would kill Jacob.
  • Rebekah had said that Jacob would only have to be gone a few days and then she would send for him. But she never saw Jacob again and he was gone for twenty years.
  • Jacob had schemed to get the blessing, later he would receive in kind and even more from Laban. First he received Leah in place of Rachel whom he loved.
  • Jacob used the skin of a kid to deceive Isaac, and it would be used against him by his sons.

(2) David: We know the story of David and his sin with Bathsheba, but it is Nathan’s indictments and judgments against David that tell the story of sowing the wind and reaping the whirlwind or sowing iniquity and reaping trouble.

  • The indictment: You killed Uriah (2 Sam. 12:9).
    The judgment: The sword will never depart from your house (12:10).
  • The indictment: You took his wife (12:9).
    The judgment: Your wives will be taken before your eyes (12:11).
  • The indictment: You did this secretly (12:12).
    The judgment: Your wives will be defiled openly before all Israel (12:11-12).
  • The indictment: You gave occasion to the enemies to blaspheme the Lord (12:14).
    The judgment: Your child also born to you shall surely die (12:14).

(3) The Tongue or Words

James 3:5-6 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

Proverbs 10:19 When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.

Proverbs 12:13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble.

Proverbs 13:3 The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 18:6, 21 A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. … 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 21:6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.

Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hates those it crushes, And a flattering mouth works ruin.

    David: A Positive Illustration

Though David did sin against the Lord, as a whole, he walked with the Lord and sowed what was good. When confronted with his sin by Nathan, he quickly confessed. This made him a man after God’s own heart. Compare 1 Kings 15:5. Most of David’s life was sowing good, not evil, and as a result, God continued to bless him and many of the kings of Judah for many years.

Law 5:
We Reap In Proportion to What We Sow

The promise and warning of Scripture is that we reap what we sow. This means that life’s choices are filled with consequences both good and bad—temporal and eternal. Reaping what we sow means we reap only what has been sown, we reap in kind as we sow, we reap in a different season than we sow, we reap more than we sow, but we also reap in proportion as we sow.

In essence, the laws of sowing and reaping mean, “As Now, So Then.” Not “someday, and then I’ll get started.” Why is this? Because today we are becoming what we will be the rest of our lives!!

While the last two laws are related, there is a very important difference. The last two laws both deal with the fact we reap more than we sow. Both deal with quantity and amount, but the previous law where the seed sown is multiplied many fold has to do with God’s part, but this one with ours—with human responsibility. It has to do with living by faith, with being faithful, bold, courageous, venturesome.

Let’s ask ourselves a question: “How many burglars of faith and sowing do we allow to break through the doors and windows of our lives and rob us of the challenge of sowing to the fullest?” There is a sign along the Alaskan Highway that reads: “Choose your rut carefully, you’ll be in it for the next 200 miles.

God’s part is that whatever is sown is multiplied many fold. Man’s part is that, trusting in God’s sovereign providence, mercy, and promises, he needs to sow all the good he can and leave the results to God.5

Declarations of This Principle

    2 Cor. 9:6.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.

While this verse is not a direct quotation from the Old Testament, it is a clear statement and summary of this principle which is found throughout the Bible. Bountiful sowing leads to bountiful reaping. Lawrence stated the principle of bountiful giving this way:

If you want to be rich … GIVE!
If you want to be poor … GRASP!
If you want abundance … SCATTER!
If you want to be needy . . HOARD!

The world’s philosophy, that of man’s wisdom, is typically just the opposite. It can be described as:

GET ALL YOU CAN,
CAN ALL YOU GET,
THEN, SIT ON THE CAN.

The law that “we reap in proportion to what we sow,” like all the laws of the harvest, operates both negatively and positively. If we sow abundantly to the Spirit, we will reap abundantly in spiritual blessings and consequences. But if we sow abundantly to the flesh, we will reap an abundant harvest of the consequences of fleshly living—a life full of the weeds of unrighteousness.

David is a case in point: Because David continued to sow to the flesh, his sin snowballed. He went from coveting Bathsheba to one sin after another until he had broken every sin of the second half of the decalogue, the Ten Commandments. He sinned abundantly and reaped abundant consequences.

However, the primary motivation and emphasis of this principle and promise in the Bible is toward the good. It is a spiritual law of life that is inherent in the nature of God, but one that is contrary to the nature of man. So God encourages us through a number of passages to live as children of God according to this principle and promises that our generosity will not be forgotten.

Acts 20:35 In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life

Proverbs 11:24-26 There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want. 25 The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered. 26 He who withholds grain, the people will curse him,

One of the results of this principle is that we are to be:

  • Zealous for good deeds (Tit. 2:14),
  • Ready for every good deed (Tit. 3:1),
  • Careful to engage in good deeds (Tit. 3:8), and
  • Learn to engage in good deeds, to meet pressing needs, that they be not unfruitful (Tit. 3:14).

In other words, we are to be a people who sow bountifully or generously of our lives, of our talents, time, treasures, and truth.

Foundations for This Principle

    God’s Character

God’s divine essence, His character, forms the foundation and motivation for operating by this principle in life. We need to remember who God is, what He is like, and what He has promised. Not only is He omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, and sovereign, but He is a loving, kind, gracious, and a giving God. It is God’s nature to bless and give. The gift of His Son is the supreme illustration of this.

Since this is the case, we can expect God to be generous with us when we echo His character through our walk with Him (cf. Rom. 8:32).

Ephesians 3:20 is a case in point:

Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

Notice carefully what the Lord is able and wants to do for us:

  • according to what we ask and even think,
  • above all we ask and think,
  • abundantly above all we ask or think,
  • exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think. (2 Cor. 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you …”).
    Man’s Part and Need

Man needs:

  • Knowledge and insight
  • Faith and faithfulness
  • Hope and endurance
  • Love and labor.

Obviously, since bountiful sowing is the result of what we do, we need to say a bit about our part and what is needed in us if we are going to act on this principle of sowing bountifully.

Bountiful sowing is always to be the result or the outworking of biblical insight, values, commitment, and the Spirit-filled life.

2 Corinthians 8:3-8 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, 5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. 6 Consequently we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. 7 But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. 8 I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.

2 Corinthians 9:5-6 So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, that the same might be ready as a bountiful gift, and not affected by covetousness. 6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.

“Bountiful” in 2 Corinthians 9:5-6 is eulogia (eulogiva) from eu, (eu) “good” and logos, (logov”) “word.” We get our word “eulogy” from this Greek word. It meant “fair speaking, flattering speech,” then “praise,” and then, “blessing, benediction.” From this it came to mean simply “blessing.”

“Bountiful gift” is the Greek eulogia which means “blessing, benefit.” Why use this word? Paul probably chose eulogia here because it is a play on the word “collection,” logeia, (logeiva) in 1 Corinthians 16:1.

Principle: Paul wants our logeia, our collections (one of the ways we sow to the Spirit), to be a eulogia, a gift and a collection that is the result of the grace work of God and His blessing both spiritually and financially, but especially spiritually. Eulogia refers to the gift of money to be collected and sent by Corinth which, of course, was designed to be and would be a blessing to Jerusalem.

Our sowing is to be the result of faith from singleness of vision and devotion to God. We should give because we are trusting God for eternal treasures, trusting God both to supply our present needs, and increase our ability to give and be a blessing. Of course, we should always give out of love for God and people in need, but we also give in faith because we know God has promised to supply our needs, that our giving will not be our lack. In connection with the gifts given by the Philippians to supply his needs, Paul wrote:

Philippians 4:19 And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Other passages pertinent here are:

Matthew 6:21-23 for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

2 Corinthians 8:2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. 7 Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.

A point of clarification is in order here. The analogy of sowing and reaping in 2 Corinthians 9:6 does not teach that you will get back ten fold or a hundred fold of your giving so you can live in greater and greater luxury or prosperity. In grace sowing, you give so that God is glorified and others receive a blessing. There is a promise of return, but it is to increase our seed for sowing, greater giving, and increase the harvest of our righteousness, spiritual fruit for the glory of God (cf. 2 Cor. 9:1-11).

    Life’s Uncertainties

Ecclesiastes 11:4-6 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

Contrary to how man typically thinks, these verses and the conditions they describe are designed to promote bountiful sowing, not the opposite which is stinginess. These verses warn about the dangers of being overly cautious which hinders generous sowing.

The uncertainties of life are one of the things that keep most people from giving and ministering to others when they have the opportunity. They are afraid their giving will be their lack. Who knows what the future holds. If I give, I might not be able to meet the needs of my family. But these verses are given in a context that calls for casting our bread upon the waters, for generous giving knowing that our gifts will return to us later.

The point here is don’t try to second guess the sovereignty of God. Just trust the Lord. We can’t wait for conditions to be perfect. Nor can we wait for things to be free of all risks—absolutely free, absolutely safe. Instead of protecting ourselves, we have to take what appears to us as risks and live by faith.

Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. 4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

Law 6:
We Reap the Full Harvest
of the Good Only if We Persevere;
The Evil Comes to Harvest on Its Own

This is a sobering principle of life. Scripture and the experience of life itself teach us that we reap the full harvest of the good only if we persevere, but evil naturally comes to harvest on its own. It doesn’t need our help. This is easily illustrated in gardening. It takes perseverance in cultivation to keep the weeds out and provide for conditions that promote healthy growth and fruitful plants, but weeds will naturally grow and take over a garden without doing a single thing.

When it comes to knowing God’s Word, we face a number of problems:

  • There is the problem of ignorance. We need to know more of Scripture.
  • There is the problem of understanding Scripture correctly. We need to carefully and accurately handle the Word. But probably the greatest problem is our lack of application.
  • We need desperately to apply the truth we know. God’s truth sets us free, but not if we fail to apply it.

Lawrence gives the following illustration of this truth:

A large 18-wheeler was parked along a Kentucky highway. The driver was standing by the tractor from which a front wheel had been removed. A preacher stopped to see if he needed any assistance, but the trucker thanked him and said he had already sent for help. He had burned out a wheel bearing, and another was on its way. As the preacher pulled away, his eyes caught the lettering on the side of the van: Standard Oil Company of Kentucky, Lubricants Division. He had burned out a bearing—hauling grease.

Many a Christian has failed in his own life while seeking to minister to others. We do not dare let weeds grow in our own garden while we seek to hoe them out of others.

2 Timothy 2:6 The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.

There is an important principle in this verse. The farmer who labors must be the first partaker of the fruits of his own garden. This is not selfish: it is survival (cf. 1 Tim. 4:15-16).

Lawrence writes:

Somehow we have the feeling that if we do things right, there should be no problems. This is not so. Even the Son of man who sowed the good seed had an enemy come along behind and sow tares (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43). If this happened for Him, how can we expect less. Whenever the saints say, “Let’s rise up and build,” the enemy will be right behind to rise up and oppose …6

The Principle of Perseverance

The key passage for this study has been Galatians 6:7-8 and other passages have added to our understanding of the concept of sowing and reaping. But it is Galatians 6:9-10 which focuses our attention on the need of perseverance with a warning, an exhortation, and a promise.

Galatians 6:9-10 And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

As mentioned above, anyone who has ever planted a garden knows that it cannot be planted and then forgotten. If it is, very little will come from the planting because of the many forces that work against a good harvest. A garden requires continuous labor and care in order to reap an abundant harvest. Because of the entrance of sin with the fall of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3), and because the presence of Satan and his demon forces, with every opportunity for good there is always faced an accompanying problem, the problem of opposition. This is true in the spiritual world as well as in the physical world. Whether we are sowing the seed of God’s Word in the soil of human hearts or simply sowing seed in one’s garden in the backyard we are faced with opposition.

Mark 4:14-20 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16 And in a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

To use another metaphor, with building we are always faced with the need for battling the forces of evil. This is illustrated graphically in the life of Nehemiah when he was leading the people in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. They had to rebuild the wall “with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon” (cf. Neh. 4:1-23). This means the need for watchfulness and perseverance.

Why do we need this exhortation by the Apostle? Because of our natural tendencies to slack off and because of the actions of those spiritual enemies that stand against us. Satan sows tares right in the midst of our good sowing. Further, he attempts to get us to stop sowing or cultivating through the many problems we face that tend to produce discouragement. We usually do not see immediate results because it takes time to grow a crop. Ecclesiastes 11:1 tells us to “cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.” When? After many days. And sometimes we do not see results in this life at all.

To draw our attention to the need and the problem we face, Paul used two words to warn and encourage us against giving up in favor of perseverance.

    “Let us not lose heart” (enkakeo enkakevw)

This Greek word means “to act or treat badly, wrongly,” and then “to cease, give up, lose heart, despair.” It is used:

  • In Luke 18:1 of fainting as the only alternative to prayer.
  • In 2 Corinthians 4:1 of not fainting in the pressures of life because of the hope of experiencing Christ formed in the life by the Spirit as we behold Him in the Word (cf. 3:18).
  • In 2 Corinthians 4:16 of not fainting as the consequence of a biblical perspective of life kept alive by daily renewal and a biblical focus on the certainty of the future (see verses in context).
  • And in 2 Thess. 3:13 to exhort the Thessalonian believers against growing weary in doing good.
    “If we do not grow weary” (ekluo ekluvw)

This word is used only in the passive voice which points to the impact of something on one’s life which causes them to give up. This word was used of:

  • The waist and meant “be ungirded” (so used in an early church writing called the Didache) and so unprepared. It’s the opposite of 1 Peter 1:13, “gird up your loins.”
  • Becoming faint of soul, weary or slack, give out, lose moral courage (Heb. 12:3, 5; Deut. 20:3 [Septuagint]).
  • Growing physically weary or faint from hunger (Mark 8:3).

It seems the first word stresses the idea of discouragement, a failure of the will. The second word stresses failure in spiritual strength.

Reaping is related to the sowing, not only in the matter of the quality of the seed, but also in regard to the quantity sown (2 Cor. 9:6). But the quantity sown is related to the concept of endurance through the long haul. While diligence and perseverance in the present will produce proportionate abundance later, Paul is challenging us to remember that laxity and fainting now produce proportionate poverty later (2 Pet. 1:8f).

“For in due time” is lit. “in its own time.” This is the harvest time. Harvest time has its own time. This is God’s appointment, and is neither to be hastened nor delayed by the act of any of His creatures. The reference is to a fixed relation between seed-time and harvest; it carries on the idea of sowing and reaping.

A father and two children, a boy of eight and a girl of ten years, all good swimmers, entered the waters of the Atlantic at a New Jersey seashore resort a few summers ago. When some distance from shore, they became separated and the father realized they were being carried out to sea by the tide. He called out to the little girl: ‘Mary, I am going to shore for help. If you get tired, turn on your back. You can float all day on your back. I’ll come back for you.’

Before long, many searchers in boats were scurrying over the face of the Atlantic Ocean hunting for one small girl, while hundreds of people to whom the news had spread waited anxiously on shore. It was four hours before they found her, far from land. She was calmly swimming on her back and was not at all frightened. Cheers and tears of joy and relief greeted the rescuers with their precious burden as they came to land.

The child took it calmly. She said, ‘Daddy said he would come for me, and that I could float all day, so I swam and floated, because I knew he would come.’7

“In due time” refers to a right, proper, or a favorable time. The emphasis is on the quality of time and the things that characterize the time as: a time for harvest (Matt. 13:30; Acts 14:17; Gal. 6:9), punishment (Matt. 8:29), discharging duties (Luke 12:42), opportunity for doing (Matt. 26:18; Gal. 6:10; Eph. 5:16), or of a time suitable for a special purpose as in temptation (cf. Luke 4:13).

Note the contrast in the use of the Greek word kairos (kairov”), “time, opportunity.” In verse 9 it is used of the season for harvest, and in verse 10 where it is translated “opportunity,” it is used of the season for sowing. To miss or fail in one is to miss or fail in the other.

The apostle also stresses the importance and nature of sowing by the use of different terms for doing good.

(1) “In doing good” (vs. 9) is a combination of one word for “doing, executing, producing,” (poieo poievw) and another word which means “good” (kalos kalov”). Literally it is “doing what is beautiful, helpful, beneficial.”

(2) “Do good” (vs. 10) combines two different sets of words, synonyms, to drive home the point. The verb means “be active, work effectively, accomplish, carry out” (ergazomai ergavzomai), and the noun used refers to what is intrinsically good, valuable, fit, useful (agathos agaqo”).

Conclusion

The need is perseverance in sowing. It’s seldom easy, and sometimes we don’t see the fruit of our labors in this life. Hebrews 11:33-39 speaks of those who were severely persecuted for their faith, but they persevered because they looked for eternal rewards as sojourners and pilgrims (see Heb. 11:13-16). These, we are then told, “having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,” that is, in this life. A wonderful illustration of this truth is found in the life of John Wycliffe.

You and I have an English Bible in our possession largely because of a man named John Wycliffe. He was known not only as a builder, producing the first English text of the Bible, but also as a fighter. What a leader! When he died, his enemies burned him at the stake and took the ashes of his body and sprinkled them over the Thames River in London. “Forever, we’re rid of Wycliffe!” his enemies must have thought. They were wrong. The product of his labors, the English Bible, is with us today because he did more than fight. He stayed at the task.8

Wycliffe never saw the fruit of his sowing, but he persevered in faith and we today enjoy the product of his labors. But where does perseverance come from? It comes from knowing God through the Word and leaning on His promises by faith. It ultimately boils down to faith and staying focused on the Lord and His person, plan, promises, and purposes as given to us in Scripture.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

James 1:2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Thy lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Thy hands.

Law 7:
We Can’t do Anything About Last
Year’s Harvest, But We Can About This Year’s

Life is full of consequences both good and bad. Life is full of important choices because every choice has a consequence of some kind and to some degree. Actually, the most important choices are often the ones that seem small by comparison, but these are the ones which may either protect us from evil or expose us to choices that have tremendous repercussions (cf. Prov. 5:8-9; 6:21-24; 7:1-10 and Luke 16:10).

But how do we handle it when last year’s harvest is not so good, when we have fumbled the ball or failed? The tendency is to let our failure keep us from positive sowing today. What we must understand and act on is this final law of the harvest—we cannot do anything about last year’s harvest, but we can about this year’s.

This law translates into at least four important concepts that we need to understand and apply if we are going to be able to act on this law. Let me summarize them and then we will look at each one in more detail.

(1) We cannot do anything about last year’s harvest.

(2) We must learn to live with the consequences of our failures.

(3) We must commit ourselves to this year’s harvest.

(4) We must not judge our harvest by the standards of the world and its ideas of success.

We Cannot Do Anything About Last Year’s Harvest

Whatever we did last year, last month, last week, even yesterday is over and past. There are no time machines to take us back so we can change what we did yesterday. Nothing we do today can in any way change the record of what was sown and what was or will be reaped as a consequence. It is either a harvest that will be worthy of praise or burning—or perhaps portions of both—but whatever was produced stands as the record of the lives we live on this earth. The problem with all too many Christians is that they are not forgetting the past and reaching on to what is before (Philippians 3:13-14).

If we failed to produce a crop worthy of the Lord’s praise last year our brooding and wallowing in self-pity for having wasted this time will only cause us to fail to produce anything glorifying to the Lord this year. If we did use the opportunities the Lord gave us and produced a harvest of good things, we cannot rest on our laurels. This is another year; and just because the Holy Spirit led and blessed last year, as we were obedient to Him and the Word, does not mean that we automatically will produce anything good this year.9

We Must Learn to Live With the Consequences of Our Failures

When people believe they are failures or that their failures (evil sowing) forever ruin their chances for success and marks them for life, it neutralizes them and wipes out their ability to use their life and the gifts God has given them.

But how do we avoid this? By the following:

  • By confessing our failures to God (1 John 1:9; Ps. 32:5). This wipes the slate clean.
  • By knowing and resting in the fact we are forgiven through Christ and can move ahead for the Lord and in life regardless of the past (Ps. 32:1-8; 51:1-13).
  • By learning from our failures: use them as back doors to success (Psa. 119:59, 67, 71). The principle is we need to learn from our failures (Heb. 5:8).
  • By forgetting the past (triumphs and failures) so we can press on for the future with renewed commitment to God’s will (Phil. 3:13-14; Luke 9:62).
  • By seeing and using the trials caused by our failures as character builders. “The tests of life are to make, not break us. Trouble may demolish a man’s business but build up his character. The blow at the outward man may be the greatest blessing to the inner man.”10 Again consider Ps. 119:67, 71 with Jam. 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7.

As Lawrence mentioned, brooding and wallowing in self-pity for having wasted some part of one’s life will only cause us to fail to produce anything glorifying to the Lord in the year ahead. Therefore:

We Must Commit Ourselves to This Year’s Harvest

We must press on in our lives by sowing for the future and for the Lord. Whether we did or did not produce effectively in last year’s harvest, we must neither sit around in self-pity or guilt, or sit on our laurels. We must press on toward the upward call of God in Christ. The following passages illustrate what we need to do by way of pressing on whether we have experienced victory and growth, or failure, or a lack of growth.

Philippians 3:14-20 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; 16 however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained. 17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

Hebrews 5:11-6:8 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we shall do, if God permits. 4 For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. 7 For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; 8 but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Hebrews 12:5-14 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; 6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness. 11 All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. 12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Luke 22:31-34 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 And he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” 34 And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

We Must Not Judge Our Harvest By the Standards of the World

It is hard to face failure because it is so ugly and devastating, but our failures can become like a ladder to success. We often sing a great old hymn, “Victory in Jesus,” and have a hard time admitting that the road to victory is often filled with speed bumps, pot holes, accidents, and detours.

In his book, Failure, The Back Door to Success, Erwin Lutzer writes:

Perhaps we have forgotten that not many wise, noble, and mighty are chosen by God. We judge ourselves and others by a false standard.

A few noble, wise, and gifted are called. But they are exceptions. God usually chooses the weak, the ordinary, and the despised. Why, then, do so many of us believe we are failures? Perhaps we have a totally false notion of success11

Success comes in being obedient to the Lord and growing in character like the Lord Jesus, not in numbers, names, and noses, or position, power, prestige, and possessions, or activities, abilities, and acceptance by people. If we judge the Lord on the basis of His possessions, acceptance, names and number of noses that followed Him, He would be a failure.

But in our world, people typically use the wrong yardstick. They measure success by things like who they know, by comparing results, personal gifts and abilities, clothes, cars, houses, popularity, and fame.

Concerning results and abilities, I can remember when in seminary going to the mail room where we usually got our blue books with the results of our tests. Listening to the response of guys to their grades provided a good illustration of this. You could often hear something like this. One says, “I got an A,” while the other one says, “He gave me an F.” Notice how we are quick to take credit for our successes and to blame others for our failure.

But we can have everything that the world thinks makes us a success, and still be a huge failure in the eyes of God.

There is another class of failures: those who mistakenly believe they are successes! They may earn an honest living and be fine supporters of the church. They unconsciously (or sometimes all too consciously) consider themselves examples for others to follow. Yet they do not realize that from God’s perspective they are failures. One man put it this way: “I climbed the ladder of success only to discover that my ladder was leaning against the wrong wall!”12

Conclusion

We come then to the same truth emphasized in the sixth law, namely we must forget about the past and concentrate on that which is at hand. The “Illinois Medical Journal” carried an article that states why this (learning to forget the past, etc.) is so important.

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry—two days which should be kept from fear and apprehension.

One of these days is Yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its aches and pains, its faults and blunders. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back Yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds—but it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in Tomorrow, for it is as yet unborn.

That leaves only one day—Today. Any man, by the grace of God, can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities—Yesterday and Tomorrow—that we break down.

It is not the experience of Today that drives men mad—it is remorse or bitterness for something which happened Yesterday and the dread of what Tomorrow may bring. Let us, therefore, journey but one day at a time.13

Actually, by taking care of today we provide for tomorrow—or at least prepare for it. The call of Scripture is “Today, if you will hear his voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness.” The children of Israel miserably failed and wandered about in the wilderness for forty years because they failed to daily take care of their hearts so that they could keep their eyes on the Lord and trust in Him. The trials they faced were opportunities for growth and the glory of God, but because they failed to daily discipline their lives for godliness, they spent their lives going in circles in the wilderness (cf. 1 Tim. 4:7b).

The “War Cry” magazine reminds us of an important principle. “A loose wire give out no musical note; but fasten the ends, and the piano, the harp, or violin is born. Free steam drives no machine, but hamper and confine it with piston and turbine and you have the great world of machinery made possible. The unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up and we get power sufficient to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in this world.”14

What are the tests of life? They are tools in the hand of God designed to shape us into the character of Christ. Their design is not to break us, but make us by conforming us into His image. Again, while we should never want to fail, we all do and we need to learn to use our failures as stepping stones to growth and sowing a harvest for the glory of God.

We cannot control the length of our life,
but we can control its width and depth.
We cannot control the contour of our countenance,
but we can control its expression.
We cannot control the other person’s annoying habits,
but we can do something about our own.
We cannot control the distance our head is above the ground,
but we can control the height of the contents we feed into it.
God help us do something about what we can control
and leave all else in the hands of God!15


1 John Lawrence, Life’s Choices, Multnomah Press, Portland, 1982, pp. 22-23.

2 Robert B. Chisholm Jr., The Bible Knowledge Commentary, OT edition, John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck, Editors, Victor Books, Wheaton, IL, p. 1397.

3 Lawrence, p. 47.

4 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, Vol. 1, Moody Press, Chicago, 1980, p. 48.

5 Lawrence, p. 74.

6 Ibid., p. 86.

7 Ibid., p. 98.

8 Bible Illustrations for Windows, Parsons Technology, electronic format, 1990-1994.

9 Lawrence, p. 102.

10 Ibid., p. 115.

11 Erwin W. Lutzer, Failure, The Back Door to Success, Moody Press, Chicago, 1988, p. 15.

12 Lutzer, p. 17.

13 Lawrence, pp. 111-112.

14 Ibid., p. 113.

15 Ibid., p. 11.

Related Topics: Spiritual Life

Resting in God’s Sovereignty (Proverbs 16:1-4)

Related Media

Link Your Life to God’s Purposes

Introduction

In Psalm 103, a magnificent hymn of praise, David praises God for His blessings and compassion as a loving and forgiving father for his children (vss. 1-18). He concludes with a universal call for praise (vss. 19-22), but he begins this call with a declaration of God’s sovereignty (vs. 19) for it is God’s sovereignty that gives Him the absolute freedom to do what He does in His blessings and showing compassion to frail and temporal humanity (vss. 15-16).

Psalm 103:15-19 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more; And its place acknowledges it no longer. 17 But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, 18 To those who keep His covenant, And who remember His precepts to do them. 19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all. (emphasis mine)

Have you ever thought about how the physical heavens literally rule over the earth? They can ruin us or bless us. Warm us or cool us. Burn us or freeze us. Make our crops productive or destroy them. We have learned that climate and atmospheric conditions affect not only our health, but psychological behavior.

And what are the heavens? They are the creation of God, but they also illustrate God’s sovereign majesty over our lives.

Scriptures such as Psalm 103:19 often relate God to the heavens not because He is so far removed from us as to space, but because in His sovereign majesty He is so high above us in power, nature, and sovereignty.

One of our problems today is that we have lost the biblical perspective of the majestic greatness of God, and we have a completely wrong focus on God. As J. B. Phillips points out in his book, Your God Is Too Small, people today see God as: (a) the resident policeman; (b) the grand old man; (c) a parental hangover, or some other short-sighted, twisted view of God.

The sovereignty of God may be defined as the exercise of His supremacy, His infinite rule, His authority and power. Being infinitely elevated above the highest creature in authority, nature, and being, He is the Most High Lord of heaven and earth and all creation whether angels or the heavenly hosts.

Basically, God’s sovereignty means that He is the Supreme Ruler who immanently and personally rules over all the affairs of the universe—and this includes our personal lives both as individuals and as a local body of believers. God’s sovereignty is a place of rest for the child of God, as well as a cause of worship (cf. Ps. 48:1; 95:3, 6).

One particular place of rest and application in relation to God’s sovereignty and rule is His guidance and work to accomplish His purposes for our lives individually and corporately. Paul has this in mind, at least in part, in Philippians 1:6 when he says: “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Compare also Eph. 1:11-12.)

Such actions of God’s sovereignty are seen in the life of Naaman the leper as God worked to lead this man to Himself. Of course, men may resist and fail to respond to God’s grace, but even then God rules and uses them for His own purposes as He did with Pharaoh (cf. Prov. 16:5).

Let’s retrace the situation with Naaman in 2 Kings 5:

(1) He was afflicted with a horrible physical infirmity called leprosy. But what a blessing it turned out to be as it became a tool God used to lead this man into God’s plan, and probably ultimately to a ministry himself.

(2) By God’s sovereignty, there was a little Jewish slave girl in Naaman’s household who knew the Lord and His prophet, Elisha.

(3) Instead of going directly to Elisha, God’s man with God’s Word, Naaman went to the King of Israel where he found no help, only discouragement. But God has His ways and somehow Elisha, who was miles away in Jericho, hears and sends word, “send him to me.”

(4) Naaman became angry at Elisha’s command to go wash himself. His pride kept him from receiving God’s grace, but again God overruled and used Naaman’s own servant to show him the foolishness of his behavior. As a result Naaman was healed, not only physically but spiritually.

Exposition

Proverbs 16:1-4 The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. 2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the LORD weighs the motives. 3 Commit your works to the LORD, And your plans will be established. 4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Our Plans (vs. 1)

The overall emphasis of this verse is that man proposes (plans) but God disposes—the results are in His hands, His authority, His power—not ours.

“Plans” is the Hebrew m^u&r*K, which means “preparation.” The verb of this noun is a word of preparation, arranging, planning. It may mean to “arrange in order, to compare.” Though authorities disagree, the hiphil form may mean “to value, estimate.”

Our word, m^u&r~K occurs only here in Proverbs 16:1. It looks at the plans we make based on looking at all the issues, options, responsibilities, and consequences in order to compare them so we can choose the right course.

Our passage asserts this is a legitimate responsibility of man. Literally, “to man are (belong) the plans, preparations of the heart.” We are created in God’s image. God has given us minds and we are to use them wisely, but also submissively, recognizing God’s sovereign authority as the One who sits in the heavens.

So we read next, “But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” At first this does not seem to be related, but it is. The tongue is symbolic of our speech and acts by which we seek to carry out our plans. McGee says, “You may plan and I may plan or arrange things, but when the time comes to speak or act, God is the One who is going to have the last word. We may make a great boast, but only God can give the final answer.”1 It is the Lord who ultimately establishes our plans and allows them to come to fruition.

The meaning of this verse is akin to verse 9, “The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” This emphasizes that God not only has the last word, but also the soundest and best. And He has the power and authority to do it.

With this thought in mind, the passage develops three more principles pertinent to this subject—things that are related and important to our plans: Our motives; Our trust; and God’s purposes for our lives. Our planning should always bear these things in mind if we want to walk in God’s will.

Our Motives (vs. 2)

    Our Perspective

“All the ways of man [i.e., all he thinks and does] are clean [pure, innocent] in his own eyes” [in his own estimation and finite standards of evaluation they often appear innocent, okay, and pure].

The truth of the matter is, however, none of us can really know our own mind or motives. Because of man’s frailty and the finiteness of the human nature, the heart is easily deceived. Packer writes:

The Spirit leads within the limits which the Word sets, not beyond them. “He guideth me in the paths of righteousness”—but not anywhere else.

Even with the right ideas about guidance in general, however, it is still easy to go wrong, particularly in ‘vocational’ choices. No area of life bears clearer witness to the frailty of human nature—even regenerate human nature. The work of God in these cases is to incline first our judgment and then our whole being to the course which, of all the competing alternatives, He has marked out as best suited for us, and for His glory and the good of others through us. But the Spirit can be quenched, and we can all too easily behave in a way which stops this guidance getting through. It is worth listing some of the main pitfalls.

First, unwillingness to think. It is false piety, super-super-naturalism of an unhealthy and pernicious sort, that demands inward impressions that have no rational base, and declines to heed the constant biblical summons to ‘consider.’ God made us thinking beings, and He guides our minds as in His presence we think things out—not otherwise. ‘O that they were wise … that they would consider …’ (Deuteronomy 32:29).

Second, unwillingness to think ahead and weigh the long-term consequences of alternative courses of action. ‘Think ahead’ is part of the divine rule of life no less than of the human rule of the road. Often we can only see what is wise and right (and what is foolish and wrong) as we dwell on its long-term issues. ‘O that they were wise … that they would consider their latter end.’

Third, unwillingness to take advice. Scripture is emphatic on the need for this. ‘The way of the foolish is right in his own eyes; but he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel’ (Proverbs 12:15, RV). It is a sign of conceit and immaturity to dispense with taking advice in major decisions. There are always people who know the Bible, human nature, and our own gifts and limitations, better than we do, and even if we cannot finally accept their advice, nothing but good will come to us from carefully weighing what they say.

Fourth, unwillingness to suspect oneself. We dislike being realistic with ourselves, and we do not know ourselves at all well; we can recognize rationalizations in others and quite overlook them in ourselves. ‘Feelings’ with an ego-boosting, or escapist, or self-indulging, or self-aggrandizing base, must be detected and discredited, not mistaken for guidance. This is particularly true of sexual, or sexually conditioned, feelings …

Fifth, unwillingness to discount personal magnetism. Those who have not been made deeply aware of pride and self-deception in themselves cannot always detect these things in others, and this has from time to time made it possible for well-meaning but deluded men with a flair for self-dramatization to gain an alarming domination over the minds and consciences of others, who fall under their spell and decline to judge them by ordinary standards …

Sixth, unwillingness to wait. ‘Wait on the Lord’ is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting … 2

    God’s Perspective

God weighs our motives, intents, and purposes. The Lord alone has all the facts. He alone is able to judge the purity of our motives and the reasons for our plans (cf. 1 Cor. 4:4-5). This is a comfort as well as a warning, especially in view of verse 3. If we are really seeking God’s plan and His will for our lives, then we can, as Packer has pointed out, count on the Lord to work accordingly to carry out His purposes and direct our lives in spite of our own uncertainty and the difficulty of thinking through the issues. God wants us to know and it may be best to wait and learn what He is seeking to teach us (cf. Psa. 37:23-24).

This also emphasizes, as Packer pointed out, that we should seek to know our motives, give reasons, and order them according to God’s values and righteousness.

Our Trust (vs. 3)

    Our Responsibility

“Commit” means “to roll.” It is a picture of trust, of turning something over to another for management, letting them carry the load. The idea is that of rolling it from yourself (the place of self-trust) onto the Lord so that we are trusting Him with the issues, and resting in His sovereignty.

“Works” is m^U&s#h, “deed, work, acts, business, workmanship.” In this context, it includes our “affairs, pursuits, achievements, goals, purposes, plans.” The idea is to recognize the sovereignty, the majesty, the wisdom, the grace, the power of God and roll our plans upon the Lord and rest in His sovereign goodness in the matter.

    God’s Promise

“Plans” is the plural of the Hebrew word, m^j&sh*B>, meaning “thoughts, plans, inventions.” The verb form of the noun refers to thinking actively, especially in the sense of creating new ideas or planning.

“Be established” is the Hebrew word kun. The root idea is to bring something into being with the consequence that its existence is a certainty. The word moves from the ideas of provision and preparation to establishment and rightness. It was used of (a) meal preparation, (b) the provision of food, (c) preparing the heart, and (d) establishing something with certainty.

God tells us that if we recognize His sovereignty, trust in His goodness, and trust our plans and lives into His keeping, He will guide our steps and establish our plans to bring them about—but in accord with His purposes and His righteousness.

God’s Purposes (vs. 4)

Everyone of us exists for a purpose. God has a purpose (purposes) for our lives—a particular set of works He has ordained for each of us (cf. Eph. 2:10). Even the wicked who reject His plan and pursue their own lives, must eventually experience God’s retribution, which falls in line with God’s eternal plan. It is not my purpose in this short study to discuss all the issues here, but just to make this one emphasis. Our plans and decisions ought always to be made in submission to God’s purposes for each of us, looking to Him to accomplish His will in us. Our great need is to rest in God’s sovereignty and seek to link our lives with the purposes of God.

There are general purposes of God for all of us which include: (a) bringing glory to God, (b) walking righteously as His children, (c) walking in love, (d) using the spiritual gifts and talents He has given us, (e) being the fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, employers, or employees He has designed according to the Scripture. But as we move through life, the details of how we do this will change as God leads us, and we need to be open to the promptings and activity of God in these matters.

People are driven or motivated by the things they value. What they value become their priorities which in turn become the objects of their pursuits. Knowing that God has a purpose for each of us (i.e., an individual destiny) ought to motivate us so that it becomes our burning passion to fulfill His will. The plans of our hearts (vs. 1) ought to be directed always around the fact that God has a purpose for us today; a purpose which, if pursued, will lead to the overall objectives for which we have each been designed.

There are obviously many fundamentals for effectively seeking to follow God’s purpose so that at the end of life we can say with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Since values tend to establish priorities which in turn tend to direct and get us moving (or since wrong values lead to poor priorities biblically speaking), we should each ask ourselves, “Where are my values? What are the priorities of my life?”

May I suggest four things that are crucial as we each seek to examine our values and priorities:

(1) Jealousy for God’s reputation and glory. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him for ever. If that is not my number one value and goal, then I am going to have an extremely difficult time pursuing God’s purpose for my life. Knowing that he would be held accountable for his use of the life God had given him (2 Cor. 5:10), Paul wrote, “Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (vs. 9). Closely associated with this is number two. Perhaps they are part of the same concept, but it helps to distinguish the issues.

(2) Indifference to one’s own life or reputation from the standpoint of the praise of men. Shortly after the apostle expressed his aim to please the Lord, he said:

14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).

Earlier, in 1 Corinthians, the apostle made this important statement to the Corinthians who were evaluating him by human measures and comparing him with others:

1 Corinthians 4:1-5 Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy. 3 But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. 4 For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

Because Paul’s confidence and hope rested in God’s evaluation, he had learned to become indifferent to the opinions of men. Packer has an interesting insight in keeping with this focus:

To make present happiness one’s present purpose is not the path of biblical godliness. A quiet, sunny, tidy life without agony, free from distress at the quality of one’s walk with God and one’s work for others, is not what Scripture tells us to aim at or expect, and Scripture will not justify us if we do … Why are so many modern Evangelicals slower than other Christians to respond to their neighbors’ needs and to weep at the way God is dishonored in today’s world?3

(3) Love for God’s people. Why are our lives often so incredibly busy, yet lacking in purpose? Or do we really know what our purpose is? Are we caught up in the rat race of our society because of a pursuit of the so-called ‘good life,’ or because we are pursing peace and prosperity derived from things, power, position, and pleasure? Life in our society today may be likened to climbing a mountain. Those who do get to the top with fame and fortune, find only clouds; there is nothing there, not even a view. But that is not the end of the story. The evidence suggests that the climb is not only not doing the climbers any good, but they tend to walk all over those who get in their way. The climb envelops people in a totally selfish dream that causes them to neglect family, co-workers, and friends. But there is a mountain to climb with a purpose that brings blessings to others and to the climber himself. It brings glory to God, and has eternal rewards; it is the purpose of serving God and others.

Proverbs teaches us, “Where there is no vision (God’s revelation), the people are unrestrained” (Prov. 29:18). Every man does that which is right in his own eyes, and in the process, he pursues his own path at the expense of those who get in his way. But God has given us His inspired revelation that we might discern who we are and why we are here. In a chapter entitled, “Discerning Half-truths and False Vision,” Sine writes:

From the moment we arrive on planet earth, we begin struggling to discern who we are and what we are here for. We are all born into families, churches, and cultures with many different stories and expectations that early begin shaping the direction and character of our lives. Most importantly, they teach us what is the better future to which we should give our lives.

Implicit in all our lives are certain images, values, and assumptions which influence our actions and the decisions we make. When we become Christians, we begin the process of sorting out which of these are genuinely part of the Story of God and which we have simply absorbed from the world around us.4

The need is for a value system based on faith and a biblical perspective of life, one derived from a clear eye (actually, a single healthy eye) that enables us to walk in the light of God’s Word (Matt. 6:21-23; Ps. 119:105, 129-130).

(4) Coming to grips with the futility of life apart from God’s plan.

In 1 Samuel 12:20-21, Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And you must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile,” empty of any ability to provide what people expect to get from the things they are pursuing.

Surely, this is part of the message of Solomon’s “futility of futilities” in Ecclesiastes. This futility carries with it a message of serious irony. Why? Because it is full of surprises. Think about it for a moment. If our value system is not shaped by the Bible (Matt. 6:19-24), the things we value or treasure consistently let us down when we seek our significance, or satisfaction, or security in those things. The energy spent in pursuing what we think those things will provide—happiness, security, satisfaction—consistently lead to failure. The pleasures we think will satisfy us never really do—at least not for long. In fact, they typically just increase our thirst for more. What futile irony!! Such irony is plainly the very fabric of life when it is lived independently of God.

Perhaps a good passage to close with is Psalm 37:5-9.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment as the noonday.
7
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.


1 J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 3, Thru the Bible Radio Press, Pasadena, 1982, p. 55.

2 J. I. Packer, Knowing God, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1973, pp. 215-216.

3 J. I. Packer, Keeping in Step With the Spirit, Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, 1984, p. 153.

4 Tom Sine, Why Settle For More And Miss The Best? Word Publishing, Dallas, 1987, p. 21.

Related Topics: Theology Proper (God), Spiritual Life

Quenching Our Thirst at God’s Fountain

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Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

Matthew 5: 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

John 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water shall thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Revelation 7:16-17 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; neither shall the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.

Introduction

A word loaded with figurative meaning is the word, “thirst.” In the Bible, “thirst” is a translation of the Hebrew sama, and the Greek dipsos. We have an English word that is derived from dipsos, the word dipsomania used of extreme thirstiness, but especially of the insatiable craving for alcoholic beverages. Thirst refers to the sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by the lack of fluids which results in a desire to drink. From this sensation it seems that people of almost any language use the word thirst as a synonym for a strong desire or craving for whatever the object, like a thirst for knowledge, or a thirst for wealth.

Have you ever really been truly thirsty? To some degree we all know the sensation of thirst and the longing for a drink especially when expending a lot of energy. In the heat of summer when our bodies do a lot of perspiring they cry out for more fluids. But very few of us have ever been in the desert without water to the point of serious life-threatening dehydration and known the real pain of thirst or a craving for water like Hagar and her son in the wilderness of Beersheba (Gen. 21:14f).

Clearly, because of the obvious analogies, thirst is a prominent theme of the Bible. The term thirst or thirsty, etc., is found 57 times in the NASB. The word “drought” referring to a scarcity of water in the land and conditions that cause great thirst is used eight times. But in addition, three terms that refer to the arid and dry portions of the Middle East, the words desert, wilderness, and Negev (the wilderness or desert to the south of Palestine) are used altogether nearly 300 times. While these terms generally refer to specific locations, they are often used with the spiritual connotation of spiritual drought and barrenness.

The climate of Palestine, especially away from the coastline and the hill country, can often be hot and dry. Occasional Sirocco winds bring intense heat from the desert. Maintaining an adequate water supply for human and animal consumption, as well as for agriculture, was in biblical times a perennial problem. Thirst was a frequent and occasionally life-threatening concern.1

So obviously, the concept of thirst is naturally used in Scripture of both physical and spiritual thirst and naturally speaks of two things: (1) of the appetite, longing, or desire to quench one’s thirst, but also (2) of a state of dryness in which there is the need of liquid to quench the thirst, to refresh, and be protected from the life-threatening problems of dehydration. Statements like the one in Revelation 7:16, “They shall hunger no more, neither thirst,” speaks of the state of a perfect spiritual condition that leads to perfect and continued spiritual health and satisfaction that exists in heaven in the presence of the Savior.

We also know, however, that some things quench our thirst better than others. Yet water can never quench the thirst of some things such as salt regardless of how much you drink. So the concept of thirst becomes a powerful means of communicating spiritual truth in the Bible. And it is this that I want to address in this short study particularly as it might be used as a point of reflection in connection with the Lord’s Table. Why? Because in this memorial believers eat of the bread and drink of the cup which stand as pictures of feeding, sustaining, and satisfying one’s life through the person and work of Christ and that through the process of daily fellowship with Him, the abiding life.

Important Verses
on the Concept of Thirst

Psalm 42:1-2

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

The Context: Exiled in Jordan in the far north of Palestine, the Psalmist remembers and longs for the past experiences in Jerusalem in the temple which was, for ancient Israel, the special place of God’s presence and thus, the special place of worship and fellowship with the Lord and with the people of God.

The Psalmist expresses his longing and need. First, in verse 1, there is the analogy to the deer that, perhaps because it has been chased up into the hills by hunters, longs for and has to search long and hard for the water brooks on the arid hills of Palestine. Like the deer, the Psalmist longs for fellowship with God and His people in the temple at Jerusalem because only this can quench the thirst of his soul. Second, there is the specific statement expressing his thirst in verse 2, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Perhaps this expresses two things in the mind of the Psalmist:

(1) It expressed his theology or his biblical understanding and faith generally speaking. From the Psalmist’s knowledge and faith in the Word, he knew that he, as all human beings, had been created for God and for fellowship with God. There was in his life and at the core of his being a vacuum that only God could fill. There were other longings and needs, but no matter how successful he was in filling those other longings, without the knowledge of God and daily intimacy with Him, life would be, like a gerbil on a treadmill, without real satisfaction. Finding happiness without true and real fellowship with the living God (a cry for reality) would be like a dog chasing his tail (cf. Eph. 4:17-19).

(2) But there is a second truth here: These words expressed his longing based on his experience of separation from Jerusalem. In other words, God had used the afflictions of life to sensitize or to awaken the Psalmist to his need. Undoubtedly this statement expressed the despair of his soul brought about by his experience of the futility of anything else to satisfy the deep longings of his soul. Listen to the Psalmist’s concern and self-admonition to find his comfort in God:

Psalm 42:5-8 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence. 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan, And the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the sound of Thy waterfalls; All Thy breakers and Thy waves have rolled over me. 8 The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.

His despair was not just over his sufferings brought about by his enemies, but over his separation from the great place of worship where he experienced the presence of God at the temple. With the impossibility of that in the moment, he determines to remember reflectively on those days in the temple.

Application: We may know and believe the theology of the Psalmist and express his sentiment and even declare it to others, but I ask you as I ask myself, how well have we faced the reality of this in our own lives? How much have we experienced this thirsting like the deer panting for the water brooks? Or have we become desensitized, callused, and so unable to recognize the symptoms of seeking to quench our thirst at the wrong fountains?

To what degree has this reality, the reality of the barrenness of the details of life and the inability of other things to quench our thirst and give real satisfaction to our souls, truly affected us so that it has begun to change our values, priorities, and pursuits that we might, like Hagar, have our eyes opened to see the well that God has provided and go there to fill our skin with the water of His life?

Genesis 21:14-19 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand; for I will make a great nation of him.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink.

Psalm 63:1

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; My soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

This Psalm gives us a similar scenario to Psalm 42 only this time it is David who is separated not from the temple, but from the sanctuary of the temporary place of the Ark for the temple was not yet built. But the principle is the same as above. David was exiled in the desert, a dry and weary land which David saw as a picture of life without closeness and intimacy with God (cf. vss. 2-8). Without God, there is no water, nothing to quench the core need of one’s life.

Psalm 107:1-9

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary, 3 And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city. 5 They were hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them. 6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses. 7 He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city. 8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 9 For He has satisfied (or better as the NIV, “satisfies” as a general principle of life) the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled (or as with the NIV, “fills”) with what is good.

This Psalm describes the wanderings of Israel in the desert, again, a dry, thirsty, and a barren land, but it also calls attention to God’s faithfulness to take them out of the desert and into an inhabited city, a place of blessing with food and water. So the Psalmist closes this section with a statement that becomes a principle and a promise that extends over into the spiritual life as well—God alone, as a universal rule of life, is the one who satisfies the thirsty soul. Not only does He care about and meet our needs physically and spiritually, but He alone can meet the core desires of our lives—the source of our satisfaction.

Psalm 143:5-6

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy doings; I muse on the work of Thy hands. 6 I stretch out my hands to Thee; My soul longs for Thee, as a parched land. [Selah].

Again, we have a psalm of David in which David is under affliction or suffering and separated from the place of worship and intimate fellowship with the Lord before the Ark. Here again we have the same analogy. Without God and a life of intimate fellowship and dependence on Him, our soul becomes like a parched and thirsty land, thirsty for the refreshing waters of intimate fellowship where God is our prime source of life and happiness.

Isaiah 44:3

For I will pour out water on the thirsty land. And streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, And My blessing on your descendants;

This passage falls within the great Messianic section of Isaiah that looks forward to the coming of the blessings of Messiah. The section begins with God’s command to Isaiah, “Comfort, O comfort My people” (40:1). Instead of the judgment that so characterizes most of chapters 1-39, Isaiah 40-66 speak of restoration, the coming of Messiah, and the blessings of the millennium. So Isaiah 44:3 anticipates the outpouring of the Spirit of God on His people to quench their thirst, their inherent need of God as it exists in the hearts of men.

Isaiah 55:1-11 (cf. with Jer. 2:13)

“Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear and come to Me. Listen, that you may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, According to the faithful mercies shown to David. 4 Behold, I have made him a witness to the peoples, A leader and commander for the peoples. 5 Behold, you will call a nation you do not know, And a nation which knows you not will run to you, Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel; For He has glorified you.” 6 Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth, And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

The preceding chapters have foretold of the coming of the suffering servant who must die for our sins (52:13-53:12). This is followed by anticipation of coming blessing, of regathering and restoration of Israel. But essential to all of this is man’s response which consists of: a recognition of his need, repudiation of his own ability, and reception by faith of God’s way of salvation through Messiah.

Isaiah 55 begins with an invitation that accentuates man’s need and the futility of life without God. It declares the inability of the things men typically put their trust in to provide for meaning and satisfaction in life—things like money, professions, possessions, position, praise, and pleasure.

Note: man’s typical ways (pl.) of wickedness (cf. vs. 7) are really the product of one main way (sg.) of wickedness: seeking to quench our thirst by our own man-made cisterns (Jer. 2:13).

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Here is our Lord’s personal promise. Make no mistake. In the Bible, to pursue righteousness is to pursue God, to know Him through Jesus Christ as Savior and then intimately as one’s companion and Lord.

John 4:10, 14

The blessings and merits of Christ and of knowing Him are spoken as “the water of life.”

John 7:37-39

In this great passage, the blessings of the ministry of the Spirit that come to believers in Christ are seen as the only water that can quench the thirst that lies deep within a man’s soul.

Here the Lord invites us to do two things: first, to forsake our self-hewn cisterns to quench our thirst, that is, to turn from all the other routes by which we think we can find joy, and (2) He invites us to turn to Him for meaning and satisfaction through faith in Him and through fellowship with Him by the Spirit of God.

Conclusion

Why does the Lord do this? First, because the fact is He alone can quench our thirst. Man was created for God and at the core of our being is a vacuum that only God can fill.

But second, because all other routes to joy and meaning represent strategies for living that bypass dependence on the Lord alone. They are our means of trying to maintain, in some measure, the control of our own lives which we are so reluctant to turn over to God and rest in His care.

Why is that? Because we do not want to lose what we think we need for our happiness. We desperately cling to that which cannot fulfill our lives even though it means being eventually caught in the trap of our own making.

My friends, it is imperative that we evaluate and recognize the source and nature of our strategies by which we seek to make our lives work, our routes for joy, security, and significance. As to their nature they represent our greedy self-centeredness and self-indulgence by which we seek like mad to find happiness and satisfaction (cf. Eph. 5:17-19).

But what’s the source of our greedy selfishness, our self-centeredness, our self-indulgence? These things have their roots not from our basic needs or our deepest longings, but in a spirit of independence. They stem from our determined commitment to act independently of God in our pursuit of significance, security, and satisfaction.

Besides the basic immorality of many of the lusts of the flesh, it is this that make the lusts of the flesh so wrong and why coveting is defined as idolatry in the Bible.

Finally, we must recognize that most of our human strategies for quenching our thirst are centered in what is fleeting or passing away in a temporal world.

Ultimately then, when we face the variegated pressures of life, part of our pain and suffering comes from the fact we are seeking to live independently of the Lord and because we are looking to the wrong things for our happiness or for what only God Himself can give. The great purpose for the upward focus is to learn to be more Christlike and that means learning to live more and more dependently on the Lord and less dependently on the details of life (Phil. 4:11f).

So the next time you or I partake of the Lord’s supper to eat of the bread and drink of the cup, may it remind us that He alone can quench the thirst of our souls. Note the words of the wonderful song, Fill My Cup, Lord by Richard Blanchard:

Like the woman at the well I was seeking
For things that could not satisfy;
And then I heard my Savior speaking:
“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord,
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul,
Bread of heaven, feed me ‘til I want no more,
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!

In a world hot in pursuit of quenching its thirst with everything but God, Tozer wrote:

In the midst of this great coldness toward God there are some, I rejoice to acknowledge, who will not be content with shallow logic. They will admit the force of the argument, and then turn away with tears to hunt some lonely place and pray, “O God, show me thy glory.” They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.2

There is an ancient tale from India about a young man who was seeking God.

He went to a wise old sage for help. “How can I find God?” he asked the old man. The old man took him to a nearby river. Out they waded into the deep water. Soon the water was up just under their chins. Suddenly the old man seized the young man by the neck and pushed him under the water. He held the young man down until the young man was flailing the water in desperation. Another minute and he may well have drowned. Up out of the water the two of them came. The young man was coughing water from his lungs and still gasping for air. Reaching the bank he asked the man indignantly, “What did that have to do with my finding God?” The old man asked him quietly, “While you were under the water, what did you want more than anything else?” The young man thought for a minute and then answered, “I wanted air. I wanted air more than anything else?” The old man replied, “When you want God as much as you wanted air, you will find him.”3

We close with this solemn warning from the lives of two men:

Writers H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw were brilliant men, yet they rejected the message of Scripture. They placed their trust in their own systems of belief, which were based on human reason. Yet they could not find lasting inner peace, and they slowly lost confidence in what they believed. Wells’ final literary work, for example, has been aptly called “a scream of despair.” And shortly before Shaw died in 1950, he wrote, “The science to which I pinned my faith is bankrupt. Its counsels, which should have established the millennium, have led directly to the suicide of Europe. I believed them once. In their name I helped to destroy the faith of millions. And now they look at me and witness the great tragedy of an atheist who has lost his faith.”4


1 The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, general editor, Vol. IV, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1988, pp. 840-841.

2 A. W. Tozer, Pursuing the Knowledge of the Holy.

3 Bible Illustration for Windows, Parsons Technology, electronic format, 1990-1994.

4 Ibid.

Related Topics: Spiritual Life

The Purpose Directed Life

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A Truth that Transforms

Introduction

As this year winds down, may we each ask ourselves this question, “Do I have one single goal in life that consumes me, something that has become the primary force that stimulates and motivates me daily in everything that I do? Or do I feel like someone in a canoe being propelled along a raging river whose objective seems to change with the hazards around each bend as I try to navigate white water rapids, logs, and rocks? Life can be like that. It is far too easy for our goals and objectives to be set for us by the demands of the everyday forces of a world that is totally out of sync with the purposes of God. As we stand on the threshold of the last year of this century, indeed, of this millennium, there has never been a time when these contrary forces have been more at work than they are today.

Goals and objectives are tremendously important because they are so dynamic and determinative of what we do with the life God has given us. It has been said, “Aim at nothing and you will hit it every time,” and “People don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan.” Without defining goals and then the objectives needed to accomplish those goals, most people accomplish very little; certainly very little by the standards of eternity. Of course, we all have goals, even if we haven’t clearly defined them, and these goals determine a great deal of what we do. So this is not just a matter of having goals, but of having the right goal, one in keeping with the truth of Scripture.

A couple of equally important questions are, “Why are our lives so incredibly busy today, but lacking in a clearly defined biblical purpose? Do we really know what our purpose is or are we caught up in the rat race of our society because we have allowed the world to pull us, like a centrifugal force, into the pursuit of the so-called good life? We are in a world that is willing to pursue peace (the world’s kind of peace) and prosperity at any price (see 1 Thess. 5:1).

So again, let’s each ask the question, if I could reduce my life to one primary goal, what would it be? On a day-to-day basis, what am I actually focused on and seeking to accomplish? Be honest. Don’t answer this question with what we think the answer should be, such as, “My chief aim in life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever!” Or, “My goal in life is to please the Lord in everything I do!” We need to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves on this.

It has been said, “Man’s chief purpose is to glory God and enjoy Him forever” and certainly, this is true and this should be the great desire of our hearts. But in reality, if we reflect on the past week, what were our thoughts as we faced each new day? Were they on how we might change our spouse who doesn’t treat us the way we want to be treated? Or how we might handle our boss who is a bully and unfair? Perhaps our focus was on our car which keeps breaking down, or on some home appliance that would make life easier. Our objective might be to get through school with a 3.5 grade point average or better. Or maybe our goal is simply to keep our head above water financially. While all of these may engage us in concerns that need to be addressed, they are hardly the issues that should direct one’s life.

Like a thief, the world has a way of intruding into our lives to steal what should be our focus or the major objectives of life. These intrusions have a way of disturbing us, even though we may not realize the source, because in losing sight of God’s purpose or goal we fail to see the problems of life in accord with God’s overall purpose and consequent objectives.

The prophet Isaiah declares: “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (being sustained), because he trusts in you (continues to depend on you)” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV).

God doesn’t expect us to be oblivious to the problems and needs of life, but when our goals are God’s goals we are better able to look through our problems to the Lord and His supply. When our focus is the Lord, something wonderful begins to happen in us: God begins to change us and make us like His Son “who for the joy set before Him (consuming goal) endured the cross, despising the shame, …” (Heb. 12:2). In fact, there is a purpose that we need as Christians that is even more basic than seeking to glorify and please the Lord and one that really becomes the means of bringing the greatest glory to God.

Joy and Peace:
Consequences of God’s Purpose

Isaiah 26:3 The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee.

When we are truly focused on the Lord and trusting in Him, we will also be resting in God’s purposes even though we may not have the foggiest idea of what God is doing other than that He is at work working all things together for good, which includes our own personal growth (Jam. 1:2-4). As a result, one of the consequences of having God’s purpose, as we see from Isaiah 26:3, is a life of peace even in the midst of trials. To prepare His disciples for His departure and absence, the Lord instructed them concerning their purpose in the world (John 13-16). In the midst of this instruction, just a few hours before the Lord Jesus went to the cross to die that we might have peace with God and know the peace of God, He made this very illuminating statement: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27, emphasis mine).

Then, in Galatians 5:22, we are told that two character traits of the fruit of the Spirit are joy and peace. These verses teach us that when we are experiencing His life within ours (the Christ-exchanged life) we are going to experience joy and peace along with other Christ-like qualities.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Many Christians, however, seem to have little joy or peace. One of the reasons is found in the Lord’s statement regarding peace. We too often seek our joy and peace from that which the world gives rather than from the Savior who provides joy and peace in a very different way and from a very different source.

I am not at all suggesting that the goal of the Christian life is to be a self-centered focus like joy and peace. Joy and peace, however, do constitute part of the fruit of a life that is experiencing an intimate relationship with God and the spiritual transformation that He works within at the core of our being. When this happens He is truly the source of our trust, and joy and peace become barometers of how well we are resting all the various facets of our life on Him (Isa. 26:3). It is like taking our temperature. As a fever is indicative of an illness, so the absence of the joy and peace Christ gives is an indication something is wrong and we need the prescribed remedy of God’s Word and healing touch of the Great Physician.

As illustrations compare the following passages:

Isaiah 26:3 The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee…

Psalm 56:3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee.

Psalm 32:3-4 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, tell your requests to God in your every prayer and petition—with thanksgiving. 4:7 And the peace of God that surpasses understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

Two key notes sounded in the book of Philippians are joy and peace. Joy is found seven times, and though peace is found only three times, it is still a very important concept in the theme of this wonderful epistle (Phil. 4:6-7).

Two other books which were written in the same year as Philippians were Ephesians and Colossians. These are companion or sister epistles and there is an interesting relationship that can be observed between these three epistles that is pertinent to the issue of joy and peace, and the transformed life.

Ephesians gives us the truth stated—in Christ ascended, in the heavenlies, blessed with every spiritual blessing. It declares the sublime truth of the believer’s new position and identity in Christ. All believers are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the realm of the heavenlies in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

Colossians gives us the truth guarded—in Christ complete, sufficient in Christ. It protects the believer’s new and glorious identity and what it should mean to his faith and the walk of faith. Why? Because daily we are confronted with all sorts of systems (religious and secular) that claim to be the answer for the spiritual life or for satisfaction, peace, security, and significance. Colossians shows that, since believers in Christ are complete in Him (2:10) in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (2:3), they need nothing more for transformed lives than Jesus Christ. He is our hope of glory both for heaven and for transformed living. We don’t need the joy/peace killer of legalism nor the futility of any of man’s religious or philosophical system. As we have received Christ alone by faith in the message of the gospel (1:4-5), so we are to continue to walk by means of His life by faith in the truth of God’s Word (2:3-10).

Colossians 1:4-5 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel,

Colossians 2:3-10 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with persuasive argument. 5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith in Christ. 6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. 9 For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;

Colossians warns us against accepting man’s substitutes for either justification or for sanctification (transformed living) because man’s substitutes, or those of the world, are always faithless in our complete position in Christ and futile to our sinful condition.

Colossians 2:16-23 Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— 17 things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. 20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 which all refer to things destined to perish with the using— in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

But how does all this apply to Philippians and the issue of joy, peace, and God’s purpose?

Philippians gives us the truth practiced—in Christ satisfied, joy and peace in Christ. In a number of ways this epistle promotes the application of the messages of Ephesians (blessed with every spiritual blessing) and Colossians (in Christ complete). Philippians shows us how to know joy and peace as we walk down the path of life with its many ups and downs, its blessings and afflictions, its pleasures and pain, and the many false options offered to make life work. Knowing we have such a glorious identity in Christ is obviously a cause for great joy and the source of true peace, but so often Christians fail to experience true joy and peace. So enters the book of Philippians, which has much to say about joy and peace in Christ.

Philippians 1:4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,

Philippians 1:18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.

Philippians 1:25 And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,

Philippians 2:28-29 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly in order that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29 Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard;

Philippians 3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

Philippians 4:1 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

Philippians 4:4,7-9 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! … 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.

But what has all this got to do with the purpose directed life? Right in the middle of the book is an extended passage (Philippians 3) which points us to the heart of the issue being discussed here—experiencing Christ’s joy and peace. Biblically, joy and peace are related to the pursuit of the right goal—one that is to become the all-consuming goal of a Christian’s life. Too often, Christians see salvation as the end rather than the beginning of a new and a glorious pursuit. Evidently, false teachers were attempting to convince the Philippian church that salvation from sin’s penalty was the sole goal of salvation for each believer. In reality, however, that is only part of God’s purpose for the Christian. Rather, salvation is the introduction of a believer into a new pursuit and purpose for life. It includes the first, saved once and for all from the penalty of sin, but it also means the pursuit of a changed life by the power of God over the reign of sin. The same power that delivered us from sin’s penalty is available to deliver us from its deadly power and this too is God’s purpose.

Paul was like a man who, having found the greatest treasure imaginable, was willing to quickly abandon all that he had previously held as valuable. Indeed, he had come to see his past treasures, his faith in his own religious achievements, as liabilities. So note this desire as expressed in verses 8-15.

Philippians 3:7-15 But these assets I have come to regard as liabilities because of Christ. 3:8 More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!—that I might gain Christ, 3:9 and be found in him, not because of having my own righteousness derived from the law, but because of having the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is based on Christ’s faithfulness. 3:10 My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, 3:11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. 3:12 Not that I have already attained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. 3:13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: forgetting the things behind and reaching out for the things ahead, 3:14 with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 3:15 Let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view. If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways.

Verse 14 points us to the great thrust of the passage. Paul says, “I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul compared the Christian life to pressing onward to the goal in order to win the prize. In this we see the ultimate goal of the passage—possessing and pursuing God’s goal for one’s life. That goal is an upward, heavenward call. Included in that upward call is spiritual transformation through knowing Christ intimately and the power of His resurrection. The objective here is that we might be made like Him being conformed to or perhaps even, by His death—passing through death into new life, and at last to capture the coveted prize, being in Christ’s presence at the Judgment Seat, or Bema, to receive the awards that will be given on that day (see 2 Tim. 4:6-8). Paul was living not to gain heaven by his works, but to receive the prize, first of knowing the power of Christ’s life in his daily life and then, the eternal rewards that would follow after the resurrection of believers. The goal of the apostle was to live daily in view of the resurrection (literally, “the out resurrection from among the dead”) as mentioned in 3:11. Speaking of this same hope, John wrote, “Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3, NIV).

Pressing Toward the Goal
(Phil. 3:14)

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Explanation of the Text

“I press” is the Greek word, dioko, meaning “to pursue, chase, to press on.” It is used figuratively of one who runs swiftly in a race to reach the goal in order to obtain the prize. The verb is a present of continuous action which shows this pursuit is to be the pattern of the believer’s life on a daily basis.

“Goal” is the Greek, skopos, which refers to an observer, a watchman, or the distant mark on which to fix the eye, the goal or end one has in view. In this context it is defined as “the prize.” For emphasis, the text literally says, “Toward the goal, I press on” which highlights the concept of fixing one’s eyes on the goal.

“Prize” is the Greek, brabeion, a word that referred to “the award given to the victor in the ancient Greek games.” In this context, may I suggest that it refers to two things: (1) primarily, Paul’s focus is on the return of Christ for the church because that will mean (a) glorification and translation into heaven either by resurrection for those believers who have died, or transfiguration of those believers who are alive at that time (1 Thess. 4:13-18), (b) examination before the Bema for eternal rewards (1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-10), and (c) compensation, the bestowal of the rewards that await believers for faithful service. “The upward call of God in Christ Jesus” further defines the goal which is also the prize. But I believe this upward call also includes (2) the heavenly reward of Christ-like character, transformed lives. In other words, living in anticipation of this awesome event, or with this as the focus of life, should have a transforming impact on the way we live moment by moment (see also 1 Cor. 9:24-27).

This takes us back to the thought of verses 10 and 11, resurrection life, dying and rising with Christ in transformed living by the power of God through faith (cf. vs. 9 for the faith emphasis).

While there is some disagreement about the meaning of the words, “resurrection from the dead,” in 3:11, Paul probably has in mind his hope in the imminent return of Christ with all that event will mean for believers as mentioned above. This is supported in the context with 3:20-21, and by the factor of the doubt and uncertainty expressed in this verse. For instance, the NASB has “in order that I may attain,” but in the margin, it has the more literal translation, “if somehow” in place of “in order that.” The KJV has “If by any means.” The Greek text has ei pos (“if by any means”). This construction is found in only three other places in the New Testament (Rom. 1:10; 11:14; Acts 27:12), and in each case an element of doubt is expressed. This idea of uncertainty is further supported by the use of the subjunctive mood which expresses contingency, potentiality, anticipation, but not certainty, an element reserved more for the indicative mood in Greek.

Was Paul questioning the fact of the resurrection? Of course not, and that is evident from 1 Corinthians 15:1-34. I believe Paul is speaking of not the fact, but when. He had in mind something he might experience in his lifetime, the rapture of the church, his translation and consequent reward. The only thing uncertain is that he might experience it before his death.

Others believe that he is not speaking about the resurrection of the body or questioning it as a fact for the believer, but rather he wants more and more to realize in his daily walk what it means to have been co-identified with Christ in His death and resurrection. He has in mind experiencing the truth of Romans 6:4-14 and Galatians 2:20. But ultimately, both concepts are in the apostle’s view as part of the goal with the imminent hope of Christ’s return being one of the motivations that constrained or controlled the life of Paul.

Application of the Text
    We Need the Right Goal in Life

Our goals not only say a great deal about us but they also, from a Christian perspective, have everything to do with spiritual change and with our experience of joy, peace, and other Christ-like qualities. Lying close to the bottom of all we say and do are our basic aims, whether we are seeking to protect ourselves, meet our perceived needs or desired pleasures, or whether we are seeking to protect someone else. The point is simply that goals are dynamic and determinative. They will strongly affect how we live and how we affect others either positively or negatively.

    Goals Are Determined by Our Objects of Faith

This includes the concept of motives. Equally important with our goals is the question, why do we have the goals or objectives we pursue? The answer is, we all have certain goals because we believe these goals will somehow meet our perceived needs. We think they will give us joy and peace, security and happiness, significance and meaning. Behind our pursuits are often a variety of motives.

Robert McGee writes:

Many of us tend to approach Christian living as a self-improvement program. We may desire spiritual growth, or we may have one or more fairly serious problems from which we desperately want to be delivered. While there is certainly nothing wrong with spiritual growth or desiring to be rid of a besetting problem, what is our motivation in wanting to achieve goals like these? Perhaps we desire success or the approval of others. Perhaps we fear that God can’t really accept us until we have spiritually matured, or until “our problem” is removed. Perhaps we just want to feel better without having to struggle through the process of making major changes in our attitudes and behavior.

Motivations such as these may be mixed with a genuine desire to honor the Lord, but it’s also possible that deep within us is a primary desire to glorify ourselves. When self-improvement becomes the center of our focus, rather than Christ, our focus is displaced.

It is important to understand that fruitfulness and growth are the results of focusing on Christ and desiring to honor Him. When growth and change are our primary goals, we tend to be preoccupied with ourselves instead of with Christ. Am I growing? Am I getting any better? Am I more like Christ today? What am I learning?

This inordinate preoccupation with self-improvement parallels our culture’s self-help and personal enhancement movement in many ways. Personal development is certainly not wrong, but it is misleading--and it can be very disappointing to make it our preeminent goal. If it is our goal at all, it should be secondary. As we grasp the unconditional love, grace, and power of God, then honoring Christ will increasingly be our consuming passion. God wants us to have a healthy self-awareness and to periodically analyze our lives, but He does not want us to be preoccupied with ourselves. The only One worthy of our preoccupation is Christ, our sovereign Lord, who told the Apostle Paul, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).1

    An Adequate Goal

The only adequate goal for the Christian is knowing Christ (Phil. 3:8-10), Christ-like transformation, and eternal rewards (Phil 3:11-14). This means pursuing Christ which will result in growth in the experience of the character of Christ—his love, grace, mercy, endurance, values, priorities, pursuits, etc. To experience Christ’s life is also to begin to experience other goals like pleasing God and seeking to bring glory to Him, but such noble goals will only be experienced as we begin to experience Christ’s life.

Since knowing the Savior more intimately with the growth and maturity as an outworking of that are vital pursuits for the Christian, let’s take a short overview of what Philippians 3 teaches about having the right goal.

(1) As to its Source: Having the goal of knowing Christ and Christ-like maturity is a matter of spiritual insight or knowledge of the surpassing value of Christ over anything man or the world has to offer. Faith in Him is the product of that insight (cf. Phil. 3:8-9). But the text reveals several elements that are critical for a faith that has this goal.

  • We must repudiate our former confidences or sources of trust as meaningless and useless. None of our former confidences can provide salvation in any sense (Phil. 3:1-8a, quoted above). But how do we come to such a place?
  • We must come to the place where we recognize the surpassing value and total sufficiency of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and of His life in ours. Knowing Him and seeing the value of His person and work replaces all our former confidences or objects of faith—the things we trusted in for peace and joy, for salvation and spirituality, for significance and meaning, etc. (Carefully read Philippians 3:8b-9, quoted above).
  • We need to rest in his life as the source of ours rather than in the strategies people typically depend on for salvation and sanctification or for security, happiness, significance.

(2) As to its Value: As seen in verse 14, the apostle saw the goal as the reward itself, the prize worth the pursuit of all his being. In addition to the glory this brings to God, nothing is more rewarding, exciting, or causes more joy or peace than to experience fellowship with the Lord Jesus and the character of His life reproduced in ours. By contrast, compare this with the frustration, disappointment, the sense of futility and guilt that people face when they place their trust in the deceptive pursuit the world offers.

(3) As to its Attainment: For the Christian, the one who has placed his trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the pursuit of this goal is a process that never ends in this life because no one ever reaches perfect maturity. This is another principle taught in Philippians 3. Other than the Lord Jesus, who could have been more mature than the Apostle Paul? But Paul clearly declared that, though mature, he had not arrived at complete maturity or perfection (Phil. 3:12-15). There will always be room for growth. Understanding this can bring a balance that is important to peace and joy and continuation in the race set before us. Failures in our Christian walk can easily lead to discouragement. So while we should always take our failures seriously, failure is not the end. It part of the process of growth. We should learn from our failures, examine causes, and commit ourselves to the pursuit of knowing the Lord more completely.

(4) As to God’s Will: One question Christians (especially new believers) often ask concerns knowing the will of God. What does God want me to be? What does He want me to do? Usually these questions are aimed at the issues of vocation or occupation or some of the other details of life—marriage partner, geographic location, school, ministry in a church, etc. While these are important matters, they are issues that are resolved from the pursuit of the one great goal of this passage. God’s will is much more basic and is expressed in the words, “that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (emphasis mine). God’s goal in saving us, and that of Christ Himself, is not just heaven. Though heaven is assured for believers through the finished work of Christ, God’s desire is to make us like His Son. He wants to conform us into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Growing and reaching greater levels of maturity (another word for Christ-likeness) is God’s primary will for all believers. As that occurs, all the other aspects of God’s will fall into place to the degree we are experiencing His life in ours. The need and goal of growth and maturity are expressed in a number of New Testament passages. In addition to the verses below, see also 1 Corinthians 2:6-3:3.

Ephesians 4:11-16 It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God—a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ’s full stature. 4:14 The purpose of this is to no longer be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who with craftiness carry out their deceitful schemes. 4:15 But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. 4:16 From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.

1 Peter 2:2 And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation,

2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Hebrews 5:11-6:1. On this topic we have much to say and it is difficult to explain, since you have become sluggish in hearing. 5:12 For though you should in fact be teachers by this time, you need someone to teach you the beginning elements of God’s utterances. You have gone back to needing milk, not solid food. 5:13 For everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced in the message of righteousness, because he is an infant. 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice for discerning both good and evil. 6:1 Therefore we must progress beyond the elementary instructions about Christ and move on to maturity, not laying this foundation again: repentance from dead works and faith in God.

1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking. Instead, be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

The need for growth and maturity, or spiritual transformation, is in essence a call to sanctification. This is a call to the spiritual wholeness God has ordained for us as believers. But may we understand that such can only occur as we become more and more set apart to God and experience His life through the work and ministry of the Spirit of God in the light of the Word of God. The Word is our foundation and the light that illuminates our path.

1 Peter 1:14-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

Hebrews 12:10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.

This compelling pursuit of knowing the Savior more deeply can become engulfed in the day-to-day concerns of raising a family and seeking to cope with the never-ending details of one’s work and ministry. But not only that, the constant pull on us from our society can have a equally deadening impact the right pursuit. Stephen Eyre took a survey on the values and motivations of college students at campuses in the Southeastern United States. One striking discovery of the survey was that there was little internal sense of cause or duty among students. Primary motivations centered on personal enjoyment and development of job-related skills.2

To be like Christ. That is our goal, plain and simple. It sounds like a peaceful, relaxing, easy objective. But stop and think. He learned obedience by the things He suffered. So do we. He endured all kinds of temptations. So must we. To be like Christ is our goal. But it is neither easy nor quick nor natural. It’s impossible in the flesh, slow in coming, and supernatural in scope. Only Christ can accomplish it within us.3


1 Robert S. McGee, The Search for Significance, Rapha Publishing, pp. 128-129.

2 Stephen Eyre, Defeating the Dragons of the World, Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, 1987, p.10.

3 Charles R. Swindoll, The Quest For Character, Multnomah Press, 1987, p. 29.

Related Topics: Spiritual Life, New Year's

A Precedent for the New Year (Luke 2:13-20)

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Introduction

We stand on the threshold of a new year. Most people generally look at the new year as a fresh beginning, as an opportunity to kind of start over, to overcome a habit, or do a better job of something they see as important and that needs improvement. It may be parenting, being a better spouse, losing weight (which, by the way, is the number one resolution according to polls taken). It may be developing different priorities, using our time better, or a whole host of things that people would like to change.

So, we usually hear a lot about New Year's resolutions, resolutions which are usually broken in a matter of weeks. Many people are very pessimistic about the whole issue of making resolutions, and rightly so, because so many good intentions are followed by a history of past failures.

But the new year is a time to reflect and think about what the past year has brought and what the new year could bring. It is a time to stop and analyze, to take stock of our priorities, values, pursuits, and goals. We need to ask questions like "Who am I, what am I doing with my life? What should I be doing as a Christian with my life and the stewardship God has given me?" After all, according to the Word of God, all of life is a stewardship--a stewardship of our time, talents, treasures, and God's truth. In other words, since God's plan and our stewardships revolve around and through the life of His Son, Jesus Christ, we need to each ask "How well am I responding to the Savior and the spiritual life that He has given me?"

Review of the Context

As we will see from the passage before us, Luke 2:13-20 provides us with a tremendous precedent or example for the new year and the kind of issues we might consider.

The preceding verses, 2:1-12, give us the account of the birth of the Savior. This included the revelation of His birth to the shepherds by a heavenly messenger, an angel of the Lord.

In this study, I would like to focus our attention on what followed this announcement to the shepherds (vss. 13-20). In these verses we see a number of things which bring acclaim to the person of Jesus Christ, but they also provide us with both an example and a challenge. We see both heaven and earth responding to the news of the birth of Jesus Christ in such a way that it exhorts and challenges us in our lives: in our attitudes, priorities, values, pursuits, and actions as it pertains to worship. It also challenges us as to our behavior toward spiritual things and even our reasons for living

The response by the shepherds as seen in this passage sets a precedent (an act or instance that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent issues of life). The events here teach us how we should respond in view of the person and work of the Lord Jesus.

Acclaim to God and His Son and the impact of the news of the birth of Christ on others was demonstrated not only by words, but by the actions of the angels and the shepherds in the way they responded to the news of the birth of Christ. They provide some tremendous lessons and examples for us.

I also want us to note that the response of the shepherds was a result of the news of the angels. You may be saying to yourselves, "Well, if I saw a bunch of angels . . . , my life would be different too!" Let's put that idea to rest right now. Why? First, because the text makes it clear that it was not the angels they were excited about, but the news, the revelation which they viewed in faith as from God. Second, Scripture teaches us that it is not miraculous experiences that change men, it's the Word and the Spirit of God. The power of God is in the gospel--the Word of God--not in experiences (cf. Luke 16:27-31).

The response of the shepherds was the result of the proclamation of truth (Scripture). This provides a good analogy for our need to hear the Word on a regular basis, and, as a result of that, to act on what we learn and know.

Heaven's Response--The Heavenly Host
(2:13-14)

The fact and time of the response:

Immediately following the announcement given in verses 11-12 there was a heavenly response by a host of angels. This certainly sets a example for us for whom Christ was born. Christmas and all of life should be a time of thankful praise to God for the person and work of Jesus Christ if one truly understands the significance of His life and death to both God and to man (Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 Pet. 1:12).

But why angels? Angels were present at the rebellion of Satan and man. They observed man's failure and have, from the very first promise of the coming Savior (Gen. 3:15), been keenly interested in the coming of Christ because of what it would mean to God's glory and man's predicament (Eph. 3:10-11; 1 Pet. 1:12). Thus, at the announcement of the birth of the Savior, there was an immediate response from heaven.

The nature of the response:

It was an act of praise and adoration to God which manifested at least three things:

    1. It recognized God as the source or origin of the birth of Christ as that supreme gift of God, which more than anything else, manifested God's glory or His divine essence--His holiness, love, grace, sovereignty, faithfulness, wisdom, and power.

    2. It revealed and focused on the key outcome to mankind--it brought peace to men. The peace among men mentioned here undoubtedly includes all aspects of peace that ultimately come to men through the person of Christ and His work on the cross as they respond to Him by faith:

    (a) peace with God (reconciliation--from enmity to harmony),
    (b) the peace of God (of fellowship and provision),
    (c) the peace of harmony and unity with one another as men experience Christ, and
    (d) one day, universal peace through the reign of Christ on earth.

    3. It revealed the recipients of this peace: They are described as those "with whom God is well pleased." God is well pleased with whom? With those who know His Son by faith and walk in fellowship with Him because it is the Son and the Son alone who satisfies and pleases Him.

POINT: God is satisfied with us only when we are in His Son and when we allow His Son to live His life through us. As believers in Christ, we are in "The Beloved," the place where God's love and satisfaction abides (Eph. 1:6).

Earth's Response (2:15-20)
The Actions of the Shepherds, of Mary, and of All Who Heard

The Circumstances and Time of the Response:

Revelation from God always demands an adequate response in man, ALWAYS. This means we become even more accountable before God according to the revelation we have.

Thus, as soon as this angelic Bible class was over (as we might call it), the hearers faced a responsibility. Were they going to act on the news they had received or simply file it away as so much interesting information like the chief priests and scribes when the magi came and inquired about the place where Messiah was born (Matt. 2:1-6)?

The Shepherds Acted: This news and information became the center of their conversation. Too often when believers go to church and hear the truth of the Word, whether new or truth they already know, they may or may not listen, but even if they do listen--and even take notes in their effort to retain it--they may still fail to relate their lives to what they heard. We are far too often simply satisfied with our religious activity and erroneously think God is impressed too. As a result, people too often fail to act on or even think seriously about the study, message, or passage and its implications. We are basically untouched by the message. I am reminded of what God has said through Isaiah the prophet: ". . . "But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isa. 66:2b).

The Sunday morning message, for instance, could become a topic for the family on the ride home or at the dinner table.

  • What does this mean to our lives and what should we be doing about this?
  • What should we be doing differently in view of the truth we heard today?
  • How does this affect our relationships to God, to one another, and toward the world--our priorities, our values and pursuits, and those who live around us?

The character of their response, what they did (2:15b-16)

    1. They spoke EXCITEDLY

"Began saying" is what we might call an inceptive, progressive, imperfect in the Greek text. Instead of merely stating the fact of their conversation like a snapshot, the imperfect turned the conversation into a motion picture; it turned it into a story and it put the story in motion. It means they began and continued to speak with one another as men who were excited about what they had heard.

Two Implications Here:

First, their response demonstrates they had a heart for God and for what was truly valuable. I believe these men were most likely temple shepherds who understood the significance of what they did as shepherds of sacrificial sheep. They were Old Testament saints who had the hope of Messiah and who (undoubtedly by God's working in their lives and by their patterns of life), had been prepared to respond to this news. As the Lord teaches us in Matthew 7:6, God does not pour pearls before swine--those in capable of appreciating His truth. It is significant that the angels appeared to these shepherds rather than the chief priests and scribes.

Principle: We reap what we sow. "Draw near to God," the Bible says, "and He will draw near to you." Scripture teaches us, "You will seek Him and find Him when you search for Him with your whole heart" (Jer. 29:13), and "If any man is willing to do his will, he shall know . . . "(John 7:17). Compare the warning of Hebrews 2:1f.

Application: What are we doing through the week and on the day of worship or Bible study to prepare the soil of our hearts for the Word? Has there been prayer, meditation, honest and pin-pointed confession, daily reading of the Word, or do we come hurried and harried, mumbling and groaning, upset and out of sorts? Are we more occupied with the world, with business, with sports, with pleasure, with computers, with cars, or even with our problems than with the Savior?

Second, the Bible declares that we are justified by faith alone in Christ alone and never by our works or by our experience. As such, our primary concern is to live in vital relationship with Him through the Word and the indwelling Spirit of God. But fellowship with the living God means experiencing the living God and having an appreciation for who He is, what He has done, and is doing in us, for us, and to us through Christ. Shouldn't this produce an enthusiasm and an excitement about our life in Christ and what God is doing? Just think about the big picture we are a part of as believers in Christ!

Warning: Enthusiasm or living with a religious high should never be the focus of our attention, nor our pursuit, nor the basis of our assurance. In fact seeking a religious high does not serve the glory of God and advance His kingdom. It is too often, as we see in 1 Corinthians, self-serving. John the Baptist furnished the model of true spirituality when he said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).

Nevertheless, as believers and as a product of caring about the Savior, a certain amount of excitement about eternal values, about the Word and God's Son and our Savior is certainly in order. Why? Because it to some degree, it demonstrates the character of our faith and our values or at least, something of our spiritual condition.

Consider how the average sports enthusiast responds when his favorite team scores a touchdown, etc.

In keeping with this is our next point:

    2. They spoke RECIPROCALLY

Have you ever noticed how people naturally like to share good news or discuss important events in their lives--the birth of a child, the purchase of a new home, the landing of a new job, the winning of a key football game by their favorite team. This demonstrates how we are social beings and how we need to give and receive input from others; we need and like to share with one another. We all generally and naturally love to talk about the things we enjoy and love and that are important to us. This should remind us of the teaching of the New Testament which is based on the many "one another" passages which highlight the needs and responsibilities we have to one another as members of the body of Christ. We are to love one another, build up one another, serve one another, encourage one another, and the list goes on. Two principles are involved:

  • No man is an island, we need others and others need us. We all need the influence and fellowship of the body of Christ and we should each make being involved with others in the body of Christ (worship services, small groups meetings, one on one, Sunday School, etc.) a priority for the new year.
  • We need to share Jesus Christ and talk of Him with one another. While Christ and our relationship with Him does not have to be the exclusive subject of conversation, it should naturally become one of the key subjects of our conversations because He is at the center of our hearts.

Next, note that in this one another relationship they did something else that is very interesting.

    3. They spoke EXHORTATIONALLY

Notice, they said, "let us . . ." Grammatically, this is what we call a hortatory clause, one that calls others to join us in some action or responsibility. This gives us a good example of how in this one another setting we need the exhortation, comfort, encouragement, challenge, and sometimes loving rebuke of others. We need it from others and they need it from us.

Thirty-one times we find this hortatory "let us" in the New Testament. I remember hearing a good friend speak on some of these passages. He introduced his message in a very interesting way, by saying, "Today, I would like to feed you a healthy biblical salad that I have prepared out of the lettuce passages of the New Testament."

Notice the nature and results of this combined reciprocal action: these men were able to narrow their discussion and needs down to two crucial decisions about what they needed to do.

    4. They acted PURPOSEFULLY

They said, "let us go straight . . . and see . . ." Do you see the principle? They had received revelation from God and when responded to in faith, God's Word always reorients the direction of our lives. It changes our orientation. In the light of this news, they developed specific goals that controlled and directed their behavior and pursuits. Of course, behind these goals were values, but we will say more about that later.

Without biblical goals based on biblical values, people never go straight. Instead, they chase down rabbit trails and run from one thing to another. They go with the flow of humanity, but lack a purpose that will give meaning and true satisfaction.

Many people, especially today, are like a small corked bottle carried by the tides and the waves of life rather than like a ship that is being guided according to a set course, one set by the captain of the ship who knows where he is going, who has a destination--an objective in mind.

Goals (or the lack of them) determine what we do with our lives, with whether we count for God and for eternity or not. What are your goals for the new year? Do you have any? Do they go beyond self-centered desires? Do you see your purpose in life?

But what was their purpose? Their purpose was to see the Christ child; it was to see and know Him. Notice it was not to watch their sheep (carry on their occupation or put food on the table), it was not to make converts, it was not to write books, or preach sermons, or raise the kids--as important as all these things are.

We have here an illustration of what should become the supreme purpose for our lives. We were created to know and love God. Without this there will be a huge void that must of necessity leave us without meaning and without an adequate purpose for living. An inadequate purpose for living leaves us frustrated, always ill at ease, wondering what's wrong. And there is another important element here. An inadequate purpose will also leave us seeking happiness in all the wrong places.

Dr. John White, a Christian psychiatrist, points to the fact that three of the most common causes of depression and mental difficulties he constantly faced are: 1) guilt and the need of forgiveness, 2) inability to cope because of a lack of biblical confidence and faith, and 3) a lack of purpose and I think by that he means, a biblical purpose.

For most, it's life on a gerbil wheel. Why are our lives often so incredibly busy, yet lacking in purpose? Do we really know what our purpose is, but find ourselves caught up in the rat race because our primary pursuit is the good life--whatever that is. Perhaps the good life is really the pursuit of peace and prosperity, comfort and pleasure.

Tom Sine in his book, Why Settle For More and Miss the Best, points out that living in our society today is much like climbing a mountain, but when you do get to the top, there is nothing there, not even a view. Further, he goes on to show that there is good evidence that when you look at our society, the climb is not doing us any good because so many are living lives of hyper-stress and hyper-burnout.

And there is another side of this. Sine goes on to show that not only is this climb without reason and poison to the climbers, but it is not helping the non-climbers. It is a totally selfish dream that causes people to neglect God and others. But there is another mountain to climb, one that has a purpose, blessings at the top, one that is beneficial to the climber, and one that brings blessings to others.

  • What are those specific expectations that keep you climbing?
  • What is it costing you in terms of your time, your relationships, and your own mental or physical health to scale your peak? What motivates you to keep climbing?
  • Check it out. My friends, there is a longing within you to be a part of a larger cause, a longing to see God use your life in a way that makes a difference. Let me challenge you to describe your sense of what God's purpose for your life might be.

(See Sine's book, Why Settle For More and Miss the Best, pp. 1-17)

At one time America was a Christian nation, but today there is very little remembrance of the biblical Christ in the consciences of the majority of people. The result is a higher and higher suicide rate especially among teenagers (those in the morning of life). Next on the list are senior citizens (those in the evening of life). Why? A lack of purpose has a lot to do with it!

Jesus Christ is the very revelation of God and the means of knowing God. Christ said in John 17: 3, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

As we face this new year, with our compass in hand (our Bibles), let's examine our lives. Where have we been and where are we going? What kind of goals do we have and should we have? Let us chart our course and set some new goals based on the values and priorities of the Word of God.

    6. They acted IMMEDIATELY

They said, "let us go straight to Bethlehem" and then we read in verse 16, "and they came in haste." They were determined, undeviating, and non-procrastinating. Procrastination (putting things off until tomorrow), often results in not getting them done at all or getting them done when it is too late. How often we have good intentions, but, lacking in determination, purpose, and commitment, we get side-tracked by family, by laziness, by indifference, by pleasure, business, hobbies, or any of a host of things, and we fail to follow through on the priorities of life. Remember Mary and Martha in Luke 10:39-42.

As a result of this action, the shepherds found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby. And as a result of acting without delay and digression, their lives would never be the same.

    7. The acted SEARCHINGLY

I believe this is evident in the words, "and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." The word "found" is a compound verb, aneurisko, and implies searching in order to find or discover. It comes from the preposition ana, "up, upwards," and the verb eurisko, "find, discover." The idea is that of searching, looking up and down, in order to find something of great value.

The verb also looks at the culmination of their search. It is what grammarians call a culminative aorist. In this word we see their desire, their hunger and thirst to know the Lord and experience His life. It reminds us of our Lords exhortation, "seek and you shall find." It calls to mind the words Proverbs 2:4-5: "If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God."

I am also reminded of Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for Thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?" These lowly shepherds, in response to the revelation of God, went to appear before the baby who was God incarnate.

    8. They acted INSIGHTFULLY

They acted out of the understanding they received from seeing the Lord (vs. 17a). The text says, "and when they had seen, they made known the statement . . ."

In this we see the principle of cause and effect. Grammatically, the words "and when they had seen" represent a temporal participle in the Greek text which precedes the action of the main verb, "they made known." Sometimes, depending on the context, temporal participles also give us the cause as well as the sequence of events. Making know what they had seen was not merely the next event in the narrative. It was a product of seeing the blessed Savior.

"Had seen" is the Greek verb orao which means (1) "to physically see, observe, notice," but (2) it may also mean "to perceive, understand, and experience" in the sense of mental sight or understanding. Through the faculty of the eyes, i.e., through study and observation, one comes to see with his mind.

These humble shepherds came searching to see and know the Christ child and were rewarded for their efforts. They not only saw him with their eyes, but they went away with spiritual insight having seen the Lord, the one announced to them by the angels. The words or message of the angels had now come alive in their hearts. They experienced the knowledge of the Savior and acted appropriately, as men should always do who have met the Savior. The actions that follow show they were men who acted out of insight into the person of Jesus Christ.

What can we learn from their example?

First, we each need the same kind of interest and hunger for spiritual things that led these men to go and search for Jesus Christ. One of the greatest problems we face today is apathy or spiritual indifference. Many in the church of Jesus Christ are simply religious, like the religious leaders of Christ's time, but it seems they have no real interest in really coming to know the savior and experiencing Him.

Having seen the glorified Christ, what was the apostle Paul's attitude and goal? He said, "that I might know Him." This was the great obsession of His life. Why? Because he also said, "and the power of his resurrection." To know and have intimate fellowship with the Savior is to experience spiritual power which means, true spiritual change.

When we go to our Bibles, do we go seeking to see the Lord Jesus in order to have fellowship with Him, to hear what He is saying to us? Too often we are merely religious externalists. If we are not careful we can be like the church at Laodicea, lukewarm because we are satisfied with our material blessings or with our religious activities by which we substitute religiosity for personally knowing and seeing the Savior in the Word.

Modern religion can be characterized and contrasted to true biblical Christianity as follows:

Human Religiosity

versus

Biblical Piety

 

OR

 

Churchianity

versus

Biblical Christianity

The mere practice of religion is meaningless. It is an abomination to God and it "often promotes rather than alleviates guilt and anxiety. Scrupulous observance of the laws and codes of sacred tradition may grieve the Spirit. A beautiful liturgy may quench the Spirit. Scripture tells us that the only worship acceptable to God is worship `in spirit and in truth'" (John 4:23-24; Phil. 3:3). (Donald Bloesch, Faith and Its Counterparts, p. 18, InterVarsity Press)

Second, God rewarded their efforts to go and see the Christ Child. And so He does with us. Scripture says, "you will seek and find me when you search for me with your whole heart" (Jer. 29:13; John 10:17). God knows the hearts and gives to each of us according to our ways. "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds (Jer. 17:10).

As mentioned previously, I think, instructive that the angels did not appear to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Why? Perhaps because they were apathetic to information about the birth of the Christ Child and to know their God. They were merely religious. They even knew from the Old Testament where Messiah would be born (Matt. 2:4-6), but when they were questioned by Herod concerning the words of the magi, unlike the shepherds, they stayed in Jerusalem, and it was just business as usual. They just didn't care.

We reap what we sow for either good or for bad! Compare Galatians 6:7-8 and Romans 8:5-7.

How about it? How hungry are we? Are we just religious, doing our little religious bit for God? Are we playing church to soothe a few guilty feelings with a few religious activities, or do we really want to know the Savior so that, like the shepherds, it can really begin to transform us?

Third, knowing Jesus Christ, seeing and understanding spiritual truth, gives insight for living. It renews our minds and enables us to reevaluate our lives, our reasons for living, our values, goals, priorities, and the whole works (Eph. 3:16-19; Rom. 12:1-2)..

    9. They acted EVANGELISTICALLY

Again, remember the principle here of cause and effect. One of the immediate results of their insight from meeting with the Savior was the desire, indeed, the compulsion to tell others the good news of Christ. Here is the most important information in the world that needs to be told and shared. When something good happens to us we generally can't wait to tell others. But because Satan blinds the hearts of men to spiritual truth and because people do not always respond as we expect and because they often either do not want to talk about spiritual things or think we are a little odd, we tend to keep this information to ourselves.

    10. Those who heard acted AMAZEDLY

The news about the angels and the message about the birth caused a sense of amazement and wonder in the minds of men.

What are some the lessons we can learn from this?

First, the shepherds became like salt causing interest and maybe even thirst in some. The amazement of some may have bordered on skepticism while others may have marveled with a sense of joy and biblical expectation for after all such should have been anticipated among Jewish people. Our Lord said, "You are the salt of the earth." God wants us to be like salt. The kind of response we experience from people will vary as we share the truth of Scripture, but this should never affect our willingness and desire to share it. Much depends on the preparation of the hearts of men, but we should always look for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

Second, what is our response to truth as we here it? Are we like some who want to be entertained, who look only for the sensational, the curious, the extraordinary, for that which excites or amazes, or are we simply those who love God and His Word and find simple but profound satisfaction in His worship and in the study of the basic truths of Scripture because to us they are like hidden treasure?

This leads us naturally to the next point and to the action of Mary, a fitting example for all of us.

    11. Mary acted CHERISHINGLY

"Treasured up" is the Greek suntereo, "to keep, guard, keep safe." It means to preserve, hold, treasure up in one's mind or memory because of its value. Were these just the treasured memories of a mother, or did it go beyond this because this was no ordinary child? Certainly she treasured this information regarding the shepherds and their testimony because of the spiritual significance of these marvelous salvific events.

This illustrates the need to store or memorize the truth of Scripture because of its value; we are to treasure God's truth even more than gold because it contains the wealth that gives life and life abundantly (cf. Isa. 55:1-11).

Note that she treasured "all these things." She stored every tidbit, every morsel of the story and these salvific happenings. Again, not just because it was her son, but because it was about the Messiah Savior. So I am reminded of,

"Thy word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against thee (Ps. 119:11).

"I shall delight in thy statutes, I shall not forget Thy word (Ps. 119:16).

My son keep my words, and treasure my commandments with you . . . bind them on you fingers: write them upon the tablet of your heart (Prov. 7:1 & 3).

But that's not all she did with these treasured things. Why do we treasure or store up the Word? Our next point answers this question.

    12. Mary acted REFLECTIVELY

The word "pondered" is the present of continuous action. Pondering the things of Christ must become our practice, a constant part of our lives. "Pondered" is the Greek sumballo and means "to cast together." From this it came to mean to cast thoughts together in the mind, to reflect, to meditate. The suggestion of the grammar of the Greek text is that pondering these was both a design and a result of treasuring them ("pondered" could be classified as a verbal participle of intended result).

In this, Mary gives us an example of the principle of meditating on the things of God that we have read, studied, heard, and memorized for better understanding and application. Why do we learn the Word? So that we might reflect on it for greater understanding and application.

Let me suggest two things here:

First, biblical meditation is a lost art. People rarely take time for meditating on God's Word. They simply do not have the right perspective for it. We think only from the mind set of activity and business. That's the American way. If we are not busily engaged in something we are wasting time, or being lazy. Time, after all if for two things--making money and having fun. You've heard the statement, "Time is money." So we go go go, do do do, and then wonder why we burn out or up or become frustrated, tense and with high blood pressure.

Second, but Satan always has a counterfeit and today we occasionally do hear about meditation, but this by in large is of the Satanic variety. In this, the object of meditation is not on the Word and on the Christ of Scripture, but either on one's own desires and wants or on nothing at all. You are suppose to take your mind out of gear and put it on nothing and maybe also chant some supposedly meaningful words. This, people are told, allows them to reach out to the universal force by which they can solve all their problems, develop perfect health, and get rich. But the fact is, this opens a person up to demonic attack and they can end up making contact with demonic forces.

With verse 20 we return to the actions of the shepherds.

    13. They acted FAITHFULLY

"They went back" to their sheep or to their work, undoubtedly as changed men.

We again see in this the concept of cause and effect. Only a proper cause will produce a proper effect. The flesh cannot deal with the flesh. Change comes only from knowing Christ and relating our lives to Him in daily fellowship.

We also see the nature of the change that was effected. Undoubtedly, their experience with the Savior made them even more conscientious and faithful. It would give them greater capacity in their work.

When Christ comes into our lives and when we make His Word and life a priority, it changes us and gives us a new capacity in all the various areas of life. It makes men better teachers, ranchers, carpenters, engineers, fathers and mothers, husbands and wives because it gives us a new purpose in life and a new capacity to love and care for others in a Christian sense. Because of the new orientation knowing Christ gives, our professions become a place to serve the Lord and others, not just as a platform for the gospel, but as people who do what they do for the glory of God and out of love for others.

Whatever we may have been, with Christ at the helm of our lives, indeed as the new source of our lives, we will be better, more capable, more relaxed, more at peace, stronger, and more efficient.

Principle: When we make Jesus Christ a priority and allow Him to rearrange our values, schedules, and the way we use our time, taking time for instance for spiritual things, the Lord will always meet our needs according to what is best (Matt. 6:33). We never ultimately lose with the Lord even when we suffer for righteousness sake.

    14. They acted WORSHIPFULLY

They "went back glorifying and praising God . . ." These men returned with a song in their hearts and praise on their lips. Their lives would now be filled with a new dimension in every sphere, but especially would their worship be dramatically transformed. Our Lord told the women at the well, "they that worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." The point is that the knowledge of Jesus Christ makes worship real, meaningful, joyful, and significant. It is not dependent on stained glass windows, soft music, and a special setting. It depends on seeing Christ and having fellowship with Him.

These shepherds were common men living very common and ordinary lives. Yet, the rest of their commonplace lives would be filled with the music of praise and their night watches lit by the glory of God in their hearts, a glory that would never fade as long as they continued to have fellowship with this Savior they had seen. These men probably never saw the person of Christ after He began His ministry thirty years later, but their lives would still be filled with a new song.

Conclusion

Let's not fail to note that they went back to their sheep, to their occupations, and undoubtedly also to their families, but they went back changed men:

  • They would be better at their work and they would be better husbands, fathers, and sons because they would be working out of fellowship with their Savior in a new way and with a new vision and purpose for life.
  • Their would be a new song in their hearts and praise on their lips and a whole new character to the way they lived.
  • There would also be a burden on their hearts and a message on their lips for they wanted others to learn of and know this Savior of theirs.

How about us?

  • Can people see a difference in our lives because we have been with the Savior?
  • Are we preparing our hearts for the Word so there can be a proper response when we study or assemble together?
  • Do we get excited about our Lord and what God has done in Christ and wants to do in us, or has it become old hat?
  • Do we talk with one another about Him, or is the majority or our conversation on other things?
  • Are we goal oriented and undeviating and determined in our pursuit to meet with the Savior in the Word, or are we turned aside by other things because of wrong priorities?

As we face this new year how are we going to respond to the messages of Scripture? What difference is it going to make in our lives? Remember that it takes two to make a good message, one that reaches our hearts and has an effect on our lives--the one who prepares the message, and the one who prepares to hear it.

Let's do some careful examining as we face a new year . . .

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Preparing to Hear God’s Word

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“Therefore Consider Carefully How You Listen”
(Luke 8:18)

Introduction

We might begin by asking the question, “What exactly is the Bible?” Most Christians would answer with something like, “It’s God’s Holy Word, His special instrument of communication to man.” And they would be right. Then we need to ask another question. “If we believe the Bible is God’s Word and special means of communication, do we take the Bible seriously? Do we have a holy reverence for Scripture and the time we assemble together to worship and study this Word from God?”

Are we like the one God esteems or looks for in Isaiah 66:2? “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (NIV) Or as the KJV reads, “but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” God is looking for people who have a holy reverence for the Word and His plan for learning and applying it. This means truly hearing God’s voice in the Word. God is the master communicator and biblical history is not only the story of redemption but it is also the story of communication and revelation from God. He encodes and transmits, and we are to decode and receive.

Isn’t it true that one of the keys to life and good relationships is effective communication? And for effective communication to occur, there must be effective listening. This is just one of the reasons we must take the study of the Bible very seriously, whether privately or corporately. This is true not only in Bible study, but in our prayer life and in all aspects of corporate worship. Why? So we might truly listen to God through the various aspects of a worship service, and especially our time in the Word.

We so need to learn that we are here to listen to God even though He has chosen to use human instruments to communicate with us. It would be well for each of us to take to heart Paul’s praise to the Thessalonian believers in 1 Thessalonians 2:13: “And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”

The process looks something like this:

(1) COMMUNICATION: Listening to God

(2) COMPREHENSION: Understanding what God says

(3) CONFIDENCE: Trusting in what God says

(4) CHANGE: Being transformed by what God says

Without this process of communication, there simply cannot be any real spiritual change in the life of man. Because of this, God is deeply concerned about how well we listen when we are listening.

The Importance
Scripture Places on Listening to God

Have you ever noticed how often the Bible emphasizes the idea of listening? It is a concept that is repeated over and over in a variety of ways. This is obviously not without purpose.

Illustrations:

(1) The specific clause “hear the Word of the Lord” occurs 32 times in the NIV and 28 times in the NASB.

(2) The words “hear” or “listen O Israel” are found 6 times in the NIV and the NASB. “Listen” is found 331 times and the majority of these passages in some way deal with listening to the Lord. “Hear” is found 347 times and again, many of these also have to do with hearing God’s Word.

(3) We also find a number of comments like “Incline your ear,” or “give ear” or “pay or give attention” and similar expressions used in various ways to call man, and especially to God’s people, to listen intently to God.

(4) In the New Testament, the Lord warns us to consider carefully what you hear (Mk. 4:24) and how you hear (Lk. 8:18).

(5) The words “today, if you hear his voice,” are found three times in Hebrews and once in the Old Testament (Heb. 3:7, 15; 4:7; Ps. 95:7).

(6) Seven times, once in each of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 we read “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

(7) In Mark 4:9 the Lord warned, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” and again in verse 23 He said “if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” (NIV)

(8) And is it not significant that one of the titles of the Son of God is the Greek term logos which refers to some form of communication? It means “speech, word, saying, discourse.” As the Logos, Jesus Christ is the living Word of God to man. Of Him Moses wrote in Deut. 18:15, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.” (NIV)

(9) But not only is there the call to listen carefully to the Lord, there is the warning about listening to the wrong voices or influences in the world in numerous passages in both the Old and New Testaments.

The point is simple, God has much to say to us and because He is the all-wise and sovereign God and because of our finite humanity as well as our fallenness, it is imperative for us to listen carefully. But, as fallen people, even as fallen people now redeemed, we are ever so prone to be distracted and drawn away with other things, even with good things.

We can too easily be like Martha, who was distracted by so many things, rather than Mary who sat at the feet of the Savior to hear His Word.

Luke 10:38-42 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who moreover was listening to the Lord’s word, seated at His feet. 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him, and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

As portrayed in the parable of the sower, the soils, and the seed, we can be like the thorny ground, full of thorns and thistles which represent the cares of the world and which choke the Word and cause it to become unfruitful in our lives.

Mark 4:18-19 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Why do you suppose God created man with two eyes and two ears, but only one mouth? That in itself ought to be a visual object lesson worth a thousand words.

Listen to these words from Proverbs 20:12. The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made both of them.” You know, I find it significant and interesting that Solomon says nothing about the mouth. The Lord made that too, yet it seems Solomon purposely didn’t mention the mouth. He only mentions that which is a source or means of receiving instruction from the Lord. The fact is we are all too quick to reveal our minds and too slow to listen. James reminds us of this very fact: “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19). (NIV)

With this in mind, we might note Proverbs 18:2, “A fool does not delight in understanding (which comes by hearing), But only in revealing his own mind.”

Proverbs 22:17-19 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge; 18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips. 19 So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you.

The lesson is obvious: We are to listen so we can learn to trust the Lord. To fail to listen shows our determination to pursue life through our own resources and foolishness.

The Instruction
of Scripture on Listening to God

How God communicates should teach us something about how we should listen. So How does God communicate, and how should we listen? What do we need to do to be prepared to listen attentively and effectively?

God Communicates Through the Bible

The Bible is our index or guide for all the other ways God communicates. If we are going to listen to God and discern His voice in the other avenues He uses, we must be listening to His Word, the Bible. Of course, God communicates His Word in many ways: through those who teach it formally and informally as in counseling, in personal exhortation and encouragement, through song or music, through books, tapes, film, etc. However, the primary method God has chosen, and that which is foundational to all the other ways God communicates in the church age, is the local assembly when the church is assembled together for the hearing of the Word. Other things are involved, prayer, singing, praise, the Lord’s table, but at the center is the proclamation of the Word (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Tim. 4:11, 13; 2 Tim. 4:1-4).

God Communicates Through the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the resident teacher whom the Father has sent through the Son to indwell every New Testament believer as God’s special anointing to teach and make the truths of the Word understood and real to the heart or mind of believers. One of His primary ministries today is that of communicating the Word—the completed canon of Scripture. Since the cessation of the temporary, foundational, and miraculous gifts, He does not give special or new revelation, but He works through the Scriptures which is our index for belief and practice.

To be able to listen to God, to comprehend truth, to worship the Lord, and to be transformed by the Word through faith in God, God has given us the Holy Spirit. He is God’s special agent who takes the things of Christ and teaches them to us whether we receive them by personal study or through the human instruments who teach us the Word.

God Communicates Through the Events of Our Lives

(1) Special Times of Worship (singing, praise, prayer, teaching, ordinances).

(2) Blessings that reveal His love and grace.

(3) Trials and Irritations that become tools to get our attention and build character, but only as we hear and learn to relate and rest in the promises and principles of Scripture.

God Communicates Through the People in Our Lives

The Bible is full of illustrations of how God uses people to communicate His love, mercy, and grace. This comes in many forms: sometimes in the form of encouragement, sometimes in the form of godly example, and sometimes even in the form of rebuke. A few passages should illustrate the point:

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know (note the element of communication here) that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Malachi 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.

Ephesians 5:19-20 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Proverbs 27:5-6 Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, 2 the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Ephesians 6:4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Galatians 6:1-2 Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Peter 3:1-2, 7 In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, 2 as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. … 7 You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Primary Focus: Our primary focus in this short study is on how God communicates to us through the Word and the Holy Spirit and especially in relation to our times of worship together.

Question: What does this mean then in terms of how we listen to God? Two things:

(1) As already pointed out, listening to God must involve God’s Word and the Holy Spirit working together in the mind and heart of the believer. Even when God uses people and circumstances, we must always consider what God is saying to us in the light of His infallible Word. God never contradicts His Word. We must learn to examine everything in the light of the Holy Scripture. Further, this means I need to recognize that since the Spirit communicates to me through the Word of God, I need to expose myself to the Word privately, and corporately, as often as I can.

(2) But listening to God also means something else. Listening to God, really hearing what He is seeking to say, demands SPIRITUAL PREPARATION and ACTIVE PARTICIPATION on the part of the listener. In order to listen to God, one must be prepared to listen. Listening to the Lord is a spiritual matter. But any kind of learning involves preparation and active participation or concentration. Because of this, God is very concerned about HOW we listen and worship. He is concerned about our mental attitudes and our spiritual state when we come to worship or sit down with the Bible either privately or corporately.

The Problem: We can simply go through the motions of religious activity and deceive ourselves as James warns us in James 1. We can play church and do a kind of “nod to God” routine putting in our appearance physically while we are in essence absent spiritually. Result? We don’t even come close to truly hearing the voice of God. Why? Because we have removed our hearts from the Lord. We have become passive listeners because we aren’t really prepared physically, mentally, and spiritually to hear the Word of the Lord. Church attendance is often simply a part of our plan to pursue life on our own terms. We attend church not to really meet with God or listen in order to know, love, and serve Him, but to feel good, have an experience, to hear beautiful music, to hear an eloquent speaker, to see people or even to be seen by people. We attend church to soothe our consciences and maybe earn a little of God’s favor. In this case, one’s religious activity is a kind of insurance policy—a protection we think. But we are dead wrong if we think this way because such reasons do not line up with what God says to us in His Word.

Let’s look at a few verses:

Ecclesiastes 5:1-2 Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

Isaiah 29:1, 13 Woe, O Ariel, Ariel the city where David once camped! Add year to year, observe your feasts on schedule. 13 Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote, …”

Ezekiel 33:30-32 But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘Come now, and hear what the message is which comes forth from the LORD.’ 31 And they come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people, and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain. 32 And behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not practice them.

So, the Key Question: What is needed for us to be able to effectively listen to God? What can we do to prepare our hearts so we are in a position where we can hear what the Lord is seeking to reveal or communicate to us, i.e., understand the message and respond with faith and obedience whether the message comes through a hymn, or a testimony, or through the teaching of the Word?

May I suggest several things:

    We Need Spiritual Preparation

As we have already stated, God’s communication through the Word always involves the teaching/convicting ministry of God the Holy Spirit. This is evident in a number of passages but two will do to illustrate the point:

Ephesians 3:16-19 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.

1 Corinthians 2:9-3:3 but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. 14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. 15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. 16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.

1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?

That God communicates the Word through the ministry of the Spirit means I must be properly adjusted to or in right relationship to this divine teacher who indwells me. This is a relationship where, believing that He is present, I consciously depend on Him for insight to God’s Word (understanding and personal application). But as we can see from 1 Corinthians 3, the carnal believer, the believer who is not dealing with sin in his or her life, simply cannot and will not effectively listen or hear God’s message. The carnal believer is apathetic and simply cannot understand and respond to the things of God while in that condition.

Well why? Because known sin in the life, things like wrong attitudes (envy, jealousy, resentment, pride, unbelief, self-centeredness), self-protective ways of living, indifference or apathy to God, preoccupation with other things, and other forms of sin grieve the Spirit’s person (Eph. 4:30) and undoubtedly stifle or quench much of His ministry like teaching and making the things of Christ real (1 Thess. 5:19). His ministry is changed from leading and teaching to convicting the carnal believe of his or her condition. The Lord Jesus put it this way:

Mark 4:19 and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Martha gives us a classic illustration of this. Though in the very presence of the Lord Jesus, Martha in contrast to Mary had no ears to hear what the Savior was saying because she was distracted and drawn away by other concerns (Luke 10:38-41).

Another illustration can be seen in the disciples when the Lord fed the five thousand. Read Mark 6:30-52. They had failed to truly listen to what the Lord was teaching them through the events of the day because they too were occupied with other things, often with who was the greatest. The result is seen in the Lord’s rebuke in verse 52, “For they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”

    There Needs to be an Open Heart

There needs to be a heart open to personal, soul searching examination for the purpose of seeing our motives, our sources of trust or the things we depend on for our security, i.e., the condition of our lives as they really are. This needs to be done prior to personal study or a worship service to prepare our hearts for hearing God and then it needs to be maintained as the Spirit of God brings conviction or as other things or thoughts might seek to intrude to distract or hinder listening while studying or praying, or during a worship service (Ps. 119:18; 139:23-24; 1 Cor. 11:28f).

Often this is simply not done. People arrive at church harried and upset because of something that happened at home or even on the way to church. Or people get busy being friendly, talking, and so on, and that’s all good, but after they sit down they never give any thought to the condition of their heart or their need to secure a spiritual focus and to be sure they are controlled by the Spirit.

What’s the purpose of self-examination? The purpose for examination and self-revelation is honest to God, deep seated confession in a spirit of repentance. While people can’t see our hearts, God can and He rejects worship that is not in spirit and truth, where the heart is kept from Him (Isa. 29:13).

Regarding confession, we are talking about a confession which seeks to go to the root causes of sin in our lives, especially our stubborn determination to run our own lives and live by our own devices for peace, security, and significance (Jer. 2:13; 17:5; Ps. 66:18; Prov. 28:13-14; 1 Jn. 1:9; Ps. 51:5f; Jam. 4:6-10).

Both James 1:19-25 and 1 Peter 2:1-2 teach us that before there can be a proper response to the Word that leads to true spiritual deliverance through an active faith, a response where we are quick to listen, receive, and hunger as a new born babe for the pure milk of the Word, we must honestly deal with sin. In James 1:23, “receiving the word implanted” is dependent on “putting aside all filthiness …” In 1 Peter 2:2, the command to “long for the pure milk of the word” is dependent on “putting aside all malice and all guile, …” How do we deal with sin? By personal examination and honest confession of sin. Then we will be free to listen to God’s Word and depend on the Holy Spirit to give deliverance over sin.

    We Need Active Participation

In our TV generation we have become passive listeners. I think our term today is “couch potatoes.” We have forgotten how to think and stay actively involved in the listening process. We have become mentally lazy. Active listening means concentrating, searching, probing, questioning, thinking, interacting, responding and applying. God doesn’t want pious, passive spectators. He wants actively involved listeners. We aren’t receivers who turn ourselves on, tune ourselves in, and relax.

“Active involved listening is spoken of frequently in Scripture.”1 Note these passages for instance:

(1) 1 Corinthians 2:15 “But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.” The word “appraises” is a Greek word which was used of a lawyer in careful, diligent judicial investigation. Now, what does that involve? It involves careful thought, actively searching, comparing, and probing to get at the truth. In this context, the words “he that is spiritual” refers to a person who is Spirit-controlled, has grown spiritually, and is also somewhat spiritually mature (note the contrast in 3:1 to spiritual babies). In such a person the Holy Spirit is free to work in an active heart and mind because that person is in fellowship and responding to the Spirit’s ministry. Such a person is able to search, probe, compare, and apply God’s Word effectively.

(2) James 1:22-27 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

Having challenged us to deal with any sin so we can truly receive (hear) the Word, James then warns us about the difference between superficial and substantial listening. He is warning us against unprepared, passive, and uninvolved listening. James is teaching us we need the kind of active listening that is diligent to understand and respond to God’s Word in order that its truth so touches the heart that it begins to bring change, not of course by our own strength, but by the power of the indwelling Spirit of God through faith.

The words “looks intently” in verse 25 represent a different word for “looking” than the one used previously in this section (vss. 23-24). This is the Greek parakupto which refers to a very intent and concentrated look. Literally parakupto means “to stoop down in order to have a close look.” It is used in John 20:5 and 11 of the disciple’s investigation of the empty tomb, and in 1 Peter 1:12 of the Angels intense interest and study of the person and work of the Savior. So parakupto suggests keen interest, close attention, and active investigation.

(3) 1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all.” Here Paul told Timothy to “take pains” and “be absorbed” in these things, a reference to the previous commands regarding his ministry in teaching, being an example of Christlike character, and using his gift (4:11-14). One simply cannot “take pains” and “be absorbed” and remain a passive listener. “Take pains” is the Greek word melataw which means “cultivate, think meditate, attend to carefully.” “Be absorbed” is literally, “in these be,” and connotes the idea of “be totally enveloped, absorbed, give yourself totally to them.”

But note the next verse: “Pay close attention to yourself …” Bible study or hearing the Word is to be aimed at personal application for changed living from the inside out.

Passive, uninvolved listening to God is inadequate and judged by God as futile religiosity. Believers are always to be on the alert—probing for meaning and application, for lethargic, half-hearted listening just doesn’t cut it with God nor can it result in spiritual deliverance. In practical terms what does this entail?

What does this mean in terms of my listening to God? When I read and study the Word, I must put everything else aside and concentrate on what He is saying to me. I must give Him my undivided attention. I should do this on a regular basis, for that is the only way I can develop my listening skills. I should do this in a place where I have minimal distractions. I should read and meditate out loud and take notes and ask questions, for these are the kinds of things that make me an active participant.

I should observe carefully to whom God is speaking, what He is saying and why He says it. I should interpret accurately what God means. I should apply these truths personally and practically in my own life.2

Finally, to round out our preparation, there are two more things we need so we can listen carefully.

    We Need a Biblical Kind of Participation

Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.

The nobility refers to the fact that the Berean Jews, in contrast to Jews in Thessalonica, were teachable, open, though not gullible. They listened attentively as active participants, but they tested Paul’s teaching against the Scripture as their index for truth, always a noble and biblical attitude. Their authority for what was truth was the Word. They sought to set aside or block out their prejudice so God’s Word could speak for itself. The result was many came to trust in the Savior.

When we come to church, God wants us to be Berean-like listeners, those who are good listeners and teachable, but who are also biblically active participants who search and probe the Scripture whether these things are so.

(1) Mark 7:7-13 stresses the ever present problem of prejudice and background whether religious or secular which we all bring to church and to our background. This passage shows how our background, tradition, experiences, prejudices, etc., can nullify the power and truth of the Word on one’s life.

(2) 2 Timothy 3:15 teaches again the value of active participation in the words “be diligent” or “study” (KJV), but to that it adds the importance of applying sound principles of Bible study so we are truly listening to God and not the ideas of man that are so often based on man’s tradition or human experience, including our own (cf. 2 Pet. 1:17-21). We need to be precise in our study or in our hermeneutics so we truly hear what God is saying.

Why did the Apostle say this? Because Timothy was faced with false teachers who were neither diligent nor accurately handling the Word and that leads to hearing man’s voice and not God’s. When we apply poor methods of Bible study and poor methods of listening, we can end up hearing man’s voice rather than God’s.

There is simply no place in God’s plan for lethargic, passive listening, or listening carelessly.

    We Need Physical Preparation

In Luke 22:7-14, we find that the Lord sent Peter and John to make preparations for the Passover meal that they might observe it according to its meaning and significance. The word prepare is used three times in these verses (vss. 9, 12, 13). The Lord saw to it that everything needed was properly prepared so He could observe the Passover with His disciples. Worship and being in a position where we can truly listen to God involves physical as well as spiritual preparation. Certainly without spiritual preparation, the best physical preparation in the world accomplishes little. But we often fail to see the need to be physically prepared to listen to God. Physical preparation needs to be seen as a part of the spiritual preparation needed to listen to God.

(1) Noise, people moving around, poor lighting, and other physical conditions can certainly be distractors which hinder our ability to concentrate.

(2) Being physically tired from not getting enough sleep the night before for whatever reason can create a real block to good listening.

(3) Those who have a part in the worship service as song leader, pianist or organist, ushers, the speaker, the leader of the praise and prayer time certainly need to be prepared so they do not become a hindrance to hearing God for others because of a poor and unprepared presentation.

(4) Preparation needs to start at home even the night before through little things like getting to bed early, getting the kids clothes ready, and by even planning breakfast. For many families, getting to church becomes a frantic and harried experience with Mom and Dad looking for socks, shirts, and trying to feed the family. In such condition, who is prepared to listen?

(5) Preparation can include something as simple as seeing to it that the children go to the bathroom before the service. It can include bringing certain things for smaller children to help them take part and stay occupied during the service. But bring it in something that doesn’t wake up the dead when the child starts opening it to get to his or her things.

The bottom line is that listening to God is no small issue. If we are not prepared to listen so we can respond with our hearts, let’s face it, we are simply playing church and we are withholding our hearts from the Lord. Our religious activities then become an experiment in futility.


1 Grant Howard, The Trauma of Transparency, Multnomah Press, Portland, 1979, p. 91.

2 Ibid., p. 92.

Related Topics: Bibliology (The Written Word), Basics for Christians, Bible Study Methods

Prayer: Sense or Nonsense?

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Have you ever listened to yourself pray? Did it ever occur to you to think through and analyze your prayers, to examine precisely what you are saying? Do it sometime. Listen carefully the next time you or someone else is asked to pray. Then make notes. You might be convinced that those prayers did not make much of an impression on God.

Since 1963 I have been giving full time to an itinerant Bible conference ministry in churches, colleges, seminaries, and camps. I enjoy my work thoroughly, sometimes coming away spiritually refreshed in my own soul. But I returned from one conference that left me mighty low. It was attended by more than two thousand, including about three hundred ministers, at every service. All of the sessions were recorded on cassette tapes. I purchased the complete set of tapes, and frankly I find it hard to believe all that I am hearing.

For one thing, some of the prayers both amaze and amuse me. If some of the brethren who prayed were really talking to God, I cannot see how our heavenly Father could have been favorably impressed with their ability to hold an intelligent conversation. If one brother preaches the way he prayed, God pity his congregation. His words were dull, lifeless, at times theological and academic, but mostly incoherent. He sounded like a walking ghost. I thought to myself, It must be a frustrating experience for God to listen to millions of prayers that say nothing, ask for nothing, and expect nothing.

Right here, I am reminded of a story about an author who needed money and wired his publisher, "How much advance will you pay for my latest novel of fifty thousand words?"

The publisher wired back, "How important are the words?"

I like that! Some of the words that make up our prayers are not very important.

I must tell you about a good doctor who attended that conference to which I just referred. I met him for the first time over a cup of coffee between sessions. He seemed like a regular and normal kind of fellow. We returned to the auditorium for the next session, and as we entered the main hall, the chairman approached him, asking him to lead in prayer.

Well, he led all right, but to where, I will never be able to tell you. He had not uttered a dozen words before I was convinced that the man who had spoken to me at that coffee break was not the man who was praying. It was the sound of his voice that threw me off. He sounded as if he had developed a steeple in his throat, or as if he were talking through a stained glass window. Now, I have never heard the voice of an angel, but he left me with the idea that he was trying to come through in angelic tones. It all sounded unreal, so unlike the man himself.

Later that day, some of the boys gathered for a "rap" session. I stood on the fringe of the group and listened to a bit of--shall I say--gossip. The discussion was about the brother's prayer. One of the men said he felt it was wrong to criticize a minister's "public prayer voice." I called a moratorium on that one and quietly slipped out of the room.

During a series of Bible studies in a southern city, the host pastor called on a college professor to lead in prayer. The professor stood before the microphone, and what he said is here recorded, in part, word for word:

God, You created the heaven and the earth. You created man, and You didn't do it by some evolutionary process. (That bit of news must have been an eye-opener to God.) And now, God, we thank You for sending the speaker. Bless the message of Dr. Strauss because we pray in his name. Amen.

Ah, brethren, that one touched my heart.

A tragic plane crash resulted in the death of all persons aboard. I was at a conference in northern Pennsylvania at the time. The conference director called on a man to pray. He apparently wanted to pray for the families who survived those who had died in the crash. Unable to recall the location of the crash, he said: “Lord, bless that plane crash out there in--out there in--out there in . . . Well Lord, You know where it is; You must have read it in the morning newspaper.”

While I was in Europe to minister to servicemen in the United States Armed Forces, several couples met for prayer in the apartment of a Christian officer. After we had been formally introduced and were seated, the leader began, "We have a special way of praying. No one is permitted to pray for more than one request at a time. If someone has forty-seven requests, he may pray forty-seven different times, but only one request at a time, please. And we don't say amen at the end of the prayer."

Come to your own conclusions about such restrictions people put on praying.

A pastor in a large city church invited me to conduct a Bible conference for one week, with sessions planned for both mornings and evenings. On Monday morning the service was well attended. Tuesday morning the attendance was about half that of the preceding day. Came Wednesday, and the crowd grew to a new high.

One young woman approached me with the question, "Did you miss some of us yesterday?"

“Yes," I replied, "the attendance was smaller than it was on Monday."

She proceeded to tell me why. "A group of us have our conversational prayer meeting every Tuesday morning."

I apologized for my ignorance and then asked what she meant by a "conversational prayer meeting."

"Oh, it's a new way of praying. God revealed it to a friend.”

"I am interested. Will you explain it to me?" I asked.

She paused and then said, "Well, it is not something I can explain. You would have to be there to experience it."

Now I have tried to be sincere in improving my prayer life, so I asked if she would arrange for such a meeting when I could attend.

Rather nervously she replied, "Oh no! That won't be possible. You see, when we meet for conversational prayer, it is for women only."

I might have been wrong in my conclusion, but somehow it just did not make sense to me. Since that experience, I have heard several different explanations of this "new" way of praying, but I cannot recall having read anything quite like it in the Bible. But I do have an open mind for the Lord to teach me. The desire to learn more about prayer is a growing one.

One of my favorite authors has written several books on prayer. In one of them, he has a chapter entitled, "Prayer Can Do Anything that God Can Do." Now that might sound good, but does it really make sense? Apart from our Lord Jesus Christ, there never has been a praying man, nor is there a praying man alive today who, through prayer, can do anything that God can do. There are things God has done, and can repeat, but He has not repeated them and possibly never will. Moreover, there are things God can do but which He will not do, notwithstanding our much praying. Still, there are Christians who have adopted as their favorite, "Prayer can do anything that God can do."

When I was pastor in Pennsylvania, I was called to the bedside of a dying man eighty-nine years old. His body was full of cancer. It was a family dream that he might live to be a hundred years of age. A daughter asked me if I would pray and ask God to raise up her father and spare him for eleven years more. I told her that I had no leading to make such a request.

Some bitter resentment showed as she snapped back, "Pastor, prayer can do anything God can do." In her expressed opinion, I was not a man of prayer. Yet, neither she nor the other members of that family could produce through prayer the result she expected of me.

In my opinion, she was misled by someone's nonsensical statement about prayer. Of course I believed that God was able to heal that old gentleman and keep him alive until he reached a hundred, but He did not do it. Nor did I have a sound reason to ask Him to do it.

Let Paul tell us why many of our prayers contain so little sense. He wrote, "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Rom. 8:26).

Do you believe that statement? Will you admit that it is true in your own experience?

The text says that we have an "infirmity." The King James Version says infirmities, but the word is in the singular in the original, and should read infidelity.

In the midst of the turmoil, trials, and sufferings in this life, we are placed in a position of disadvantage which sometimes renders us ignorant when it comes time to pray. Under just such circumstances, Paul himself prayed ignorantly, three times, for the removal of his thorn in the flesh. But God had to say to him, "Paul, you are not praying right. You have asked me to do something I am not going to do."

Concerning this experience, Paul wrote:

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Cor. 12:7-9).

Romans 3:26 tells us that we all have a weakness when it comes to the matter of praying. Whether this weakness is in the thing we request, in the phrasing of the request, or in the motive, makes no difference. "We know not what we should pray for as we ought."

The heathen philosopher Diogenes gave this as a reason why men ought not to pray. But he was wrong! Instead of our ignorance silencing our prayers and leaving us in despair, we have the help we need in the person of the Holy Spirit, who serves in the role of advocate in our behalf. We do not know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit wants to teach us. Without Him, we Christians are powerless in our praying.

In the pages which follow, we will examine some Scriptures on the subject of prayer. I am particularly anxious to cover only those things which will instruct and edify God's children. If it is true that many mighty successes come to God's cause through prayer, then we should be willing to learn all we can about this important subject.

Recently I read again that passage on prayer in Luke 11. Our Lord had just finished praying to the Father. The disciples were close by, listening. No doubt they had watched and heard Him pray on other occasions. They knew the value and importance of prayer, so they came to Him with the request, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Lk 11:1).

The late Dr. G. Campbell Morgan emphasized the importance of their simple request. He suggested that we lose its meaning by adding to the disciples' words. They did not say, "Lord teach us how to pray." A great many people know how to pray, but they do not pray.

Lord, teach us to pray.

Prayer and Unconfessed Sin

In my travels, I usually try to read the church ads appearing in Saturday's newspaper. On one occasion, a minister announced as his sermon title, "When Praying Is Sinful."

I started to do some serious thinking about that topic. I asked myself the question, Is it ever wrong to pray? Now, I have no idea how that minister dealt with his subject, but I am convinced that there might be occasions when praying at least does not make sense.

It does not make sense to pray for anything if there is unconfessed sin in the heart.

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me (Ps 66:18).

Sin unconfessed and unforgiven hinders prayer. Many a prayer bounces off the roof of the mouth, never rising any higher, for this reason. It is impossible for any Christian to experience a successful and fruitful prayer ministry if the sin question is not faced squarely.

This is not to suggest that God demands sinless perfection before He will answer our prayers. If that were the case, none of us would have our requests granted. But we do know that sin in a believer's life breaks that sweet fellowship between himself and God.

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy (Pr 28:13).

Among the children of Israel, there were those who believed that God no longer answered prayer. They were saying "He answered prayer in Elijah's day, but He isn't doing it now. His arm is no longer mighty; His ear has become dull of hearing." But the prophet Isaiah said,

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear (Is 59:1-2).

The prophet was saying, "Don't blame God because He refuses to give you your requests. His power to save has not lessened; He is not losing his hearing. God never changes. He still wills that all men be saved, and His hearing is as keen as ever. He can hear the faintest cry of His weakest child. You are responsible for God's silence. The blame rests with you, not with God. Those sins you have not repented of have cut the lifeline of prayer. You raised the barrier between God and yourselves, and He will not answer you until you confess and forsake your sins."

Our churches could do with prophets like Isaiah, men who will tell it like it is, not fearing to expose sin. Not often do we hear men of God tell us that God hates worship and praying which are phony. It is brazen presumption which dares to ask anything of God while sin is in the heart. And if anyone feels I am putting it too strongly, then read the following verses:

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood (Is 1:13-15).

Those are God's words, directed to His own people. Has it ever occurred to you that God hates sham in worship and prayers? That is right, God can and does hate. He tells His people they are wasting their time going through religious forms and ceremonies when their hearts are not right. He pays no attention to them.

There is, then, such a thing as sinful praying. If we refuse to judge and forsake our sins, we know that our prayers are an abomination to God. It is sheer nonsense to go on pretending, when all the while we have disqualified ourselves by refusing to meet God's requirements for successful praying.

And then Isaiah added the following exhortation from God:

Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil (Is 1:16).

You should read the prayer Ezra prayed. One feature that stands out prominently is the confession of guilt and the genuine repentance. Get alone in a quiet place and read Ezra 9:6-15. Before you begin to read, search your heart before God and ask Him to speak to you personally. Then read quietly and meditatively. Read those verses more than once if you must, but read them until the message grips your soul. The opening words of that prayer will make one stop and think seriously. Ezra began,

O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens (Ezra 9:6).

Now, there is a prayer God will hear and answer. Ezra put himself on praying ground. He qualified himself to ask and receive.

Read the prayer Daniel prayed. It is much like Ezra's. What a searching prayer it is! That holy man of God said,

And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said . . . We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments (Dan 9.4-5).

The apostle James wrote,

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Ja 5:16).

Our prayers can be earnest and heartfelt, yet never avail if there is unconfessed sin in us. We are not heard for our much zeal and fervor and emotion and agony. Praying when we are disobeying God is powerless praying. Let us never forget that right living is a necessary condition for the person who prays.

Can you imagine God forbidding a man to pray? Well, He did. He gave a clear command to Jeremiah not to pray for his own people. And God told Jeremiah that if he persisted in prayer, he would not be heard.

Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me: for I will not hear thee (Jer 7:16).

By sins, I am not thinking only of those acts we put in the category of gross immorality. What about those sins of lying, wrath, stealing, corrupt communication, bitterness, evil speaking, and malice (Eph 4:25-31 )? These are followed by fornication, uncleanness, coveteousness, filthiness, foolish talking, and jesting, "which are not convenient" (Eph 5:3-4). Some of these things we refer to as "little sins," but do not forget that it is "the little foxes that spoil the vines" (Song of Solomon 2:15), and the "little member" that can spoil the membership (Ja 3:5).

The New Testament counterpart to the Old Testament exhortations to confess sins is in the first epistle of John:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1:9).

After David's disastrous fall into sin, he was cut off from fellowship with God. He had no liberty to pray or to worship God. He learned that it was useless to masquerade. So he came to God with an honest confession of his evil thoughts and deeds. And once again, David was in a position to pray. (Spend ten minutes in a quiet reading of Psalm 51.)

What God did for David, He wants to do for you and me, so why not go to God now, name that sin that has remained unconfessed, and start on the course that could revolutionize your prayer life. Let us search out and correct the causes of our prayer failures.

No one can both sin and pray. True prayer will prevent us from sinning, or sin will prevent us from praying. My own Christian experience is spotted by those occasions when I grieved God through sinning. Those were bad experiences which left a great deal to reflect upon. They were sad and disappointing times. But I am deeply grateful to my Lord for providing the means of restoration, whereby prayer could once more become effective.

It does make sense to confess our sins if we expect God to give us our requests.

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight ( 1 Jn 3:22).

Prayer and Selfishness

It does not make sense to pray with a selfish spirit.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts [pleasures] (Ja 4:3).

We are all naturally and basically selfish. Honesty must admit that even our prayers are selfish. It is possible that some of the good things we do are motivated by a selfish spirit. We will do well to examine our motives periodically, especially with regard to this matter of praying. James tells us that one reason for our spiritual poverty and powerlessness in prayer is a wrong motive. It is not necessarily the thing for which we are asking that is wrong, but rather the reason we ask for it.

A member in a church where I was pastor expressed a concern for the salvation of her husband. She had gone to several members of the church, asking them to pray for his salvation--a legitimate request supported by 1 Timothy 2:1-4.

One day I asked her why she wanted her husband to get saved.

She answered, "Because we would be so much happier in our married life. We could share the same interests, and life for me in the home would be much easier."

I am not critical of that woman for wanting those things. A home is doubly blessed when husband and wife walk together in the Lord. But to pray for her husband's salvation for the reasons she gave was selfishness on her part.

How different our prayer life would be if only we were genuinely unselfish! And when the Holy Spirit succeeds in teaching us this lesson, our prayer life will be free from a major hindrance.

Our Lord said,

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Mt 6:21).

If we are carnal and desire material things merely to gratify the desires of the flesh, we cut the lifeline of prayer. It seems from James 4:3 that those to whom James was writing might have placed more value on material things than on spiritual things. They were putting last things first and first things last, thereby preventing their prayers from being answered. To pray amiss means to pray with wrong intent. What folly it is to bother God for our desires, rather than asking for that which is His desire for us. The psalmist said,

Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Ps 37:4).

Now do not make the mistake of attaching the wrong meaning to that verse. It does not mean that God will give to us all those things we desire. I have thanked Him more than once for not giving to me every desire of my heart.

When my mother sustained an injury which resulted ultimately in her death, it was my desire that she would live. But apparently my desire was not God's desire. I did a lot of heart-searching then, discovering that my desire was for Mother's recovery first. But it was God's time to take her to Himself. My desire was natural, human and therefore selfish. I failed to put God's desire first and mine last.

Now, as I look back on that experience, I can see my mistake. It was not wrong to desire life for my mother rather than death, but my motive was selfish, without any consideration for God's will. Therefore He did not give me that for which I prayed.

Have you ever tried to hide your selfish behavior behind a verse in the Bible? Many Christians do this, you know. Take, for example, Matthew 7:7, a frequently quoted prayer verse:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

The majority of Christians will tell you that this is a verse that does not work for them. They are correct; however, there is a reason why it will not work. No verse in the Bible is intended to stand by itself--that is, it must be studied in its context. Now, if we fail to note that Matthew 7:7 follows Matthew 6:33, and that the two verses are contextually related, we can get into difficulty. Jesus had just said,

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt 6:33).

If we obey the exhortation in Matthew 6:33, we will pray only for those things which concern God's kingdom and God's glory. The self-seeking person fails to put God's glory first; therefore when he asks, his request is not granted, and then he wants to charge God with not keeping His promise.

I am thinking of the man who came to Jesus with the request, "Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me" (Lk 12:13).

Now, there is a selfish spirit, if ever there was one. That fellow did not have God's glory at heart. He was a self-seeker; his request was a selfish one. The thing for which he asked could have been legitimate, but it was not motivated by a desire to glorify God. We know the man asked amiss, because Jesus did not grant him his request. Instead He rebuked the man when He replied,

Take heed, and beware of covetousness, for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Lk 12:15).

This man's request was motivated by a covetous spirit. The true purpose of prayer is not to obtain the things we want from God but rather to make us content with the things He wants us to have.

I know businessmen who have prayed that God would make them successful and prosperous. A prayer like that can be right or wrong, depending upon the person's motive. Suppose prosperity should come to a man who prays for it. What will he do with the money after he gets it? Will he honor the Lord in the disposition of it? Or will he spend it on himself and his family for pleasure, luxuries and material goods? To pray from a heart that is set on things merely to gratify the desire of the flesh, is senseless.

Check up on yourself the next time you ask God for something. Examine the motive for that prayer request, and see if you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You might discover that you are asking amiss. Surely, you do not want selfishness to rob you of answers to your prayers.

A mother prayed amiss for her two sons--a prayer Christ could not answer. Salome, the mother of James and John, desired a place for both children in Christ's future kingdom.

Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, "What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom (Mt 20:20-21).

No doubt Salome believed she had some warrant for her petition. Moreover, she must have been sincere, because she came "worshipping Him," but her request was denied. Jesus said to her, "Ye know not what ye ask" (Mt 20:22). Let us be careful how we pray. Sincerity and a spirit of worship are insufficient to make up a valid petition.

And right here, self-examination is very important, lest we offer a prayer of pretense. The scribes and Pharisees were quite hypocritical in their prayers, but Jesus knew their hearts and motives. He pronounced a woe upon them for trying to fake it in their prayers. (See Mt 23:14; Mk 12:40; Lk 20:47).

It makes sense to examine our motives before we ask anything from God.

Prayer and the Holy Spirit

It does not make sense to pray if we do not pray in the Spirit:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Eph 6:18).

Prayer and the Holy Spirit are vitally linked together. This is a truth taught in the Old Testament as well as in the New. Jehovah said to His prophet,

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the [S]pirit of grace and of supplications (Zec 12:10).

I have spelled the word Spirit with a capital S because I believe the reference is to the Holy Spirit. Possibly this verse has reference to the future outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Israel. He is called the "Spirit of supplications" because it is He who awakens us to the desire and need to pray. He quickens the believer to pray now as He will in the day of Israel's spiritual awakening.

In the little epistle of Jude, we have an exhortation like that in Ephesians:

But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20).

In these two phrases, "praying in the Spirit" and "praying in the Holy Ghost," we have one of the truly great secrets of prayer. If anyone were to ask me, what was the first great secret of a successful prayer life, I believe I would answer, "Praying in the Holy Spirit."

But what does it mean to pray in the Holy Spirit? The superhuman task of praying according to the will of God demands more than mere human reasoning. It needs the wisdom and power which only the Holy Spirit can supply. Human wisdom and human desires can achieve human results, but praying in the Spirit produces divine results. In praying in the Holy Spirit, the child of God has the power and wisdom of God to offset the power and wisdom of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Real prayer is a spiritual warfare.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12).

Here the praying Christian is between God on the one hand and the devil on the other. He is engaged in prayer warfare, and in his own strength he is no match for the enemy. Satan is a strong man, mightily armed (Mt 12:28-29), and only as we pray in the Spirit can we overcome him. The power to be victorious in prayer was promised by our Lord when He said,

Behold, I give unto you power . . . over all the power of the enemy (Lk 10: 19).

We Christians are in a conflict, and prayer is our mighty weapon. But we must view prayer not as a ritual but as a relationship with the Holy Spirit. The spiritual weakness that plagues most of us grows out of our failure to enter into that experience which Paul called "the communion of the Holy Ghost" (2 Cor. 13:14). Effective prayer is found only in the experiential knowledge of this blessed communion.

When we are praying in the Holy Spirit, we will not be trying to talk God into doing something He does not want to do, but rather we will be yielding to the Holy Spirit, who knows what is best for us. If we are not praying in the Spirit, we must be praying in the flesh. All spiritual prayers have their source in the Spirit. It does not make sense to pray if my prayers originate with me and not with the Spirit.

There are some things to remember if we are to pray in the Spirit:

(1) There are times when we Christians do not know how to pray or for what we should pray.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself [Himself] maketh intercession for us . . . according to the will of God (Ro 8:26-27).

Here we are told that we have an infirmity which arises from our ignorance. We do not know what is best for us. It is right here that we need guidance, the guidance of the only Person who always and at all times prays "according to the will of God." The Holy Spirit assists us in our praying by giving to us the right desire and direction. Some of our prayers do not correspond to our needs. This is the infirmity that He "helpeth."

The word for helpeth occurs here and only one other time in the New Testament (Lk 10:40), where Martha requests help in the kitchen. What we need is the practical kind of help Martha was asking for.

(2) We need to know and be aware of the fact that the Holy Spirit dwells in us.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (I Cor. 3:16).

There are some professing Christians who claim to be saved but who say they have not yet received the Holy Spirit. If such persons have been saved, they have the Holy Spirit. It is not possible for one to be saved and not have the Holy Spirit.

Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (Ro 8:9).

It will not be possible to enlist the Spirit's help in prayer if we do not have Him, or if we have Him and are not aware of His presence. It is common to hear someone pray, "Lord, send Thy Holy Spirit among us to bless us in this meeting." Such a request does not make sense. The Holy Spirit is here. Christian, He is in you. You can know Him and experience and enjoy His teaching and leading ministry. Do not treat this truth lightly. It is a mighty and holy truth to know. Your body is His temple (I Cor. 3:16; 6:19-20). The more closely we associate our praying with the Holy Spirit, the better will be our praying.

(3) To "pray in the Spirit," we must be careful that we do not grieve Him.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God (Eph 4:30).

How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? Look at the context of Ephesians 4:30. We grieve Him through lying, anger, stealing, dirty and useless conversation, malice, unkindness. These sins are repulsive to His holy nature and thus grieve and offend Him.

In all of our praying, we need the Holy Spirit's help. But if we have offended Him and our sins remain unconfessed and unforgiven, we cut ourselves off from the Spirit's help, which is necessary for effective praying.

(4) In order to pray in the Spirit, we must be filled with the Spirit.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).

To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. When we are praying in the Spirit the mind and the will are subjected to His control. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Ro 8:14) and in no area of our lives do we need His leading more than in prayer.

I am not a master in the important business of praying. The difficulties I encounter are so insurmountable that I need the great Teacher. At times the work of prayer becomes burdensome, and it is then that I am keenly aware that I must look to the Holy Spirit to seek His help. At other times prayer is a hard and bitter struggle, and my prayers are empty. Then I thank Him for His indwelling presence. I search my heart for any sin that might have caused Him grief, and I ask Him to take control of my prayers and my praying.

If we cultivate praying in the Spirit, it will bring about a change in our prayer life which we hardly thought possible. Prayer will no longer be a tedious and tiresome experience.

It does make sense to avail ourselves of the privilege of praying in the Spirit.

Related Topics: Prayer

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