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God’s Response to a Nation’s Sin

Isaiah 1-2 and Psalm 96

Over the next few weeks or so we’ll read Isaiah, the first of the major prophets, “the vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” Isaiah 1:1

Isaiah begins by setting the stage:

Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not understand.”
Isaiah 1:2-3

The prophetic words are for the ears of Israel, especially the kings who are trying to follow the Lord, but they sound contemporary in many ways. The Creator speaks through Isaiah with harsh words:

Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
Isaiah 1:13

Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 1:16-17

Historically, this is an awful time for God’s chosen people. Around 1,400 BC Moses is sent to deliver God’s people from Egypt. Amos, Jonah and Hosea prophesy to the northern kingdom in an attempt to warn them about the pending exile around 750 BC. Isaiah’s ministry begins around the same time for those in the southern kingdom. Nearly 700 years have past since Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. Now our ancestors, our forefathers, have been greatly reduced and to a large extent, lost again in the Promised Land with great and wonderful memories of God’s provision.

We read through 700 years of history in a matter of hours and perhaps we shake our heads and point our fingers at their deplorable actions. God speaks through his prophets to warn, to rebuke, to chastise because he loves his people! Again and again, he attempts to bring about reconciliation:

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Isaiah 1:18-20

If we are willing and obedient. A big “if” some days. Certainly not something we like to preach about! I prefer to highlight the positive statements. I keep looking through the Old Testament for the remnant, the few who heard and listened to the warnings. I know there were some, perhaps many, who were unnamed, they simply went about their lives in complete loyalty and devotion. Their sphere of influence small, but committed. I’m grateful for their legacy that seeped into the DNA of the first disciples and apostles.

Deep inside, there we so many just waiting for Jesus to come, for the One who would provide answers to Isaiah’s words, he who would fill in the blanks. Mere humans could not do this!

Stop trusting in mere humans,
who have but a breath in their nostrils.
Why hold them in esteem?
Isaiah 2:22

Though many would promote themselves, no mere mortal could provide the solution. When we collectively turn our eyes on Jesus, the solution begins to come in focus. I can’t fully wrap my mind around the concept of fully human and fully divine–I’ll just have to wait until I’m on the other side of eternity–but here is the answer to all questions for those who are willing to listen. May we have childlike innocence with the wisdom of Isaiah, a crazy request perhaps, just my earnest desire for the day.

Open our hearts, Lord. Help us to hear your words through your prophets of old as we live in this crazy world today.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
Psalm 96:1-3

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Somber Saturday

Read: Isaiah 53:10-54:17

Two thousand plus years ago, this was the worst Saturday conceivable. Did the disciples begin to hear dismissive thoughts from those who called them out time and time again: “Didn’t we tell you? He was just a man.”

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
11 After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:10-12

Did they gather together and compare stories? Just a few days earlier, they were having supper with Jesus and Passover was upon them, another grim reminder of the great and mighty God they serve. In my imagination, I hear them going over everything Jesus said, how he changed the progressive Passover meal to end differently than Jewish custom. He washed all of their feat, even the feet of Judas, and told them clearly:

“I am telling you now before it happens,
so that when it does happen
you will believe that
I am who I am.
John 13:19

I wonder if one of them thought about Isaiah 54. I don’t know how they kept the scrolls back in those days, but I’m confident they knew the words of the prophets better than I do. I can see them scrambling for the parchment, “here, read this…”

“Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
Isaiah 54:4

Don’t listen to the voices of the naysayers that never heard the wisdom of Christ nor witnessed the love and compassion for those hurting, the lame, the blind and the lost. They weren’t with you over the course of three years. Jesus walked with them more than 1,000 days on earth, we get just a glimpse in the Gospel records. “You will not be humiliated,” affirms Isaiah — 700 years before the crucifixion, even before death on a Roman cross was invented.

I hope someone remembered Isaiah’s words:

9 “To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:9-10

Yes! The unfailing love of God will not be shaken!

This is a somber Saturday, the time between the cross and resurrection, a time to reflect. Lord, help me to feel the pain the disciples felt that day. I can’t imagine the grief anymore than I can understand the pain a mother feels in childbirth, but I know the joy far outweighs the momentary hurt.

My prayer is to remember this pain as a way to understand the harsh reality for those who don’t know Christ; those who have abandoned beliefs they were taught from childhood or perhaps never understood in the first place. Help me, Lord, to grieve for those who don’t know you, to have a heart for the lost, those far from Christ, that don’t even know what Good Friday or Easter means.

 

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Good Friday

Read: Isaiah 53

Good Friday. Horrible Friday. Necessary Friday. I’ve always had trouble with the name we labeled for this day as we stop to remember that our savior was brutally tortured on a cross. Last night, Hope Fellowship provided a somber reminder of the process through The Way of the Cross, an expanded version of Stations of the Cross, that invites us to walk with Jesus from condemnation to the cross and beyond. At Hope Fellowship, the journey ends with an image of the resurrected Jesus, communion and an opportunity to pray. If it weren’t for resurrection of Jesus, all of this would be in vain as the Apostle Paul reminds us, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14) The Way of the Cross reminds of the resurrection and gives us images to ponder today, Good Friday.

I simply can’t begin to think about Good Friday without knowing we will soon celebrate Great Easter!

Beginning next week we’ll read Isaiah’s vision, rich prophecies that spoke to people in the southern kingdom (Judah) as the northern kingdom was swept away into Assyrian exile. Isaiah’s words were incredibly important to the kings who listened in his day, but for our benefit he was given visions of the future that speak to us today. The timeless nature of his words provide an overwhelming assurance that God has a plan, has always been in control and will bring the story of humanity to a close at some point according to his word.

1 Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:1-9

We have the great advantage of knowing the rest of the story when we read this incredible text. Jesus grew up like a root out of the ground, ordinary, unremarkable. As Brett Andrews alluded to in his sermon last week, Jesus’ entrance was anything but spectacular. If we would have written the story we would have had music, lights, parades, etc.–the world would know this is the king! But this is not God’s way of wooing back his people.

We held him in low esteem, we are the ones who had lost our way; sheep who have no clue. Who protested? No one could undo what was about to be done. Roman oppression was absolute. Once the process started, there was no undo.  Some realization along the way was far too late. The Roman strategy of publicly humiliating those they punished served their earthly rule well. Those that might have been on the fence would immediately turn away from this man who is apparently a criminal.

Some were still convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Somewhere in the crowd Bartimaeus was watching with eyes renewed by this man Jesus (Mark 10:46-52). Others who were lame, lost, lonely–all could do nothing but let the spectacle of their savior unfold. Confused. Sad. Despondent.

Despite our inability to grasp what was happening, Jesus went to the cross. Whipped and beaten, unable to even carry the wooden device that would serve to hang him naked in front of everyone, Jesus accepted the journey.

For us.

Darkness.

Not the end.

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Lovers Revel in Each Other

Song of Songs 5-8 and Psalm 95

As we read through the second half of Song of Songs, we should take a diversion and consider how the poem should be interpreted. Is this a story of two lovers? Or is this a love story of Christ and his church? Or God and Israel? In other words, is this an allegory that depicts God’s great love for his people and therefore the church or is this a book that simply honors sexual relations within the bounds of holy matrimony?

There are lots of resources available, this one appealed to me most: link. I especially like the concept of this being an ancient musical in which the beauty of intimacy in marriage is both honored and used to teach young couples. It’s impossible for me to understand a woman’s perspective, but it is reasonable for me to know that hers is different than my own.

I was surprised to see such an array of interpretations as I searched for answers. One one extreme, the appeal of the allegory is rather safe. By taking this approach I don’t have to talk about sexual intimacy and I can safely discuss Song of Songs 5:2-8.

I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
I have taken off my robe—
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
must I soil them again?
Song of Songs 5:2-3

As an allegory, this would be interpreted as Christ stands at the door knocking and by disregarding the knock, the subsequent withdrawal is painful:

I opened for my beloved,
but my beloved had left; he was gone.
My heart sank at his departure.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer.
Song of Songs 5:6

Interesting, yes? While this might be the right approach, it seems to me that a more literal view is in order. There are many lessons to be learned about intimacy in marriage. No matter how I want to approach the subject it’s awkward. Do I sit down with my daughters and exposit this text? For pre-marital counseling, do we ask the man and woman to write their interpretation and guide them along? Can we use this text to explain the copulation of virgin bride and groom?

We would do well to learn when and how to properly address the subject in a safe environment, but not to shy away from a more literal perspective. Young couples who are committed to honor a marriage covenant, seeking to maintain their virginity for their marriage, would benefit from mature and wise counsel.

They would learn that it’s ok to be excited about their spouse and find comfort in expressing their love in words:

You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Song of Songs 6:4-5

While I might not say my wife’s hair is like a flock of goats, or teeth like sheep, the words here provide a prompt: say something man! Somehow we have to erase the Hollywood version of lust and sex and enter into a place of love and intimacy. In our culture, this is a stretch, but the reward of a lifetime of love between one man and one woman is worth the struggle.

I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.
Song of Songs 7:10

Simply said, these words are incorporated in our marital vows in one way or another.

Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
Song of Songs 8:7

Perhaps we need to be reminded that love is truly precious, we can’t buy love. We may know this intellectually, but love is not an cerebral commodity. The very nature of love is emotional and these emotions are a gift from God, deeply wired in our DNA. We were meant to love and the pleasure that is found in marriage should not be understated.

How amazing is our God that he would wire us this way. How wonderful and glorious is our Lord:

Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
Psalm 95:6-7

I prefer to read Song of Songs as a literal love song between husband and wife. It reminds me to show my wife affection and encourages me to enjoy our time together. When we’re apart for days or weeks, the anticipation of reuniting is better by reading these words.

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Lovers’ Anticipation

Song of Songs 1-4

Today and tomorrow we quickly read through the Song of Songs, the best of all songs — a celebration of true love and intimacy found in marriage, the wonderful union of one man and one woman in the eyes of God. This beautiful poem uses words to describe that which is rather indescribable. The writer wastes no time in setting the theme:

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
Song of Songs 1:2

Have no doubt, these are words designed to describe perfect love, an amazing relationship between husband and wife, two lovers that hold nothing back; complete devotion to each other.

He: How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
She: How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
He: The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are firs.
She: I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
He: Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
Song of Songs 1:15-2:2

Genuine love, intimacy found within the bonds of marriage is based in mutual desire. Images of our wedding album come to mind as I read these words. It’s so good to look back, to discard the issues of today long enough to remember that which transcends time and space. I’m convinced that marriages would be saved if we could stop and soak in these words more often.

Until it so desires:

Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Song of Songs 2:7, 3:5, 8:4

Three times this refrain is repeated in Song of Songs. Intimacy is not fabricated or rushed. Our current society portrays love in a different light more graphically than the ancient text here, but the words are timeless and reveal a treasure for those who will be patient.

These words seem to describe a dream, a place where pressures of the world are gone and there are only two people in the world:

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling,
my beautiful one, come with me.
Song of Songs 2:9-10

I hear the swell of the orchestra play as the lovers dance in the fields without a care in the world. Complete joy and full of love. A time to remember, a day to long for. Really, it’s ok to daydream for a bit. Let the sweetness of the words fill your mind and delight in what our Creator, the Lord of the universe has wired us to enjoy.

Finding this kind of love is an adventure, I’m sure we all have a story to tell, but it is worth the struggle, a prize worthy of searching for. She searched the city and when she found him:

I held him and would not let him go
till I had brought him to my mother’s house,
to the room of the one who conceived me.
Song of Songs 3:4

What else can I say? Linger again and let your thoughts fill in the space.

My sister, my bride.

You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride;
you have stolen my heart
with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
more than any spice!
Song of Songs 4:9-10

True love is so full when we are both found in Christ, children of God, brothers and sisters indeed. My heart belongs completely to my bride. Delightful, pleasing, precious. Complete.

This is our God. He wired us to love as He loves. His unrelenting desire to reconcile us to himself is amazing and unearned, yet He continues, even to the point of death on a wooden cross. That’s how much he loves us, how much he wants us to love.

 

 

 

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Remember Your Creator; Conclusion

Ecclesiastes 12

The last chapter in Ecclesiastes begins with a beautiful poem, an allegory that paints a vivid portrait of growing old and eventually leaving this mortal frame behind. Memories of my mom’s last days return and the mirror doesn’t lie, we all have a limited number of days on earth. Though mixed with sadness, my preference is to find inspiration in this reminder.

Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”
Ecclesiastes 12:1

Time is waning. We have a story to tell, a song to sing, people who are far from Christ to invite. The poem continues to describe the loss of sight, strength, hearing, even teeth are gone. Gray hair announces old age.

Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:6-7

We are eternal beings caught up in flesh and bone for a time. Our world entices us to be far too concerned about outward appearance when it is our soul, our spirit that separates humankind from all others. Psalm 139 comes to mind again,

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

Lead me in the way everlasting, Lead me in the way of the cross as David Moore puts it in his song based on this psalm.

It’s so quiet in the early hours of the morning, the primary reason why I get up early to let scripture wash over me. I hope you have space in your day to let the words of Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 wash over you. I pray that you would be motivated to reach out to that one person who is far from Christ that comes to mind as you read the words, as images come to mind. Don’t delay.

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Lord, help us to share the great news of the Gospel, especially this Holy Week! Put opportunities in our path, in our daily walk and open our eyes to see those who are willing to listen if we would but utter the words. You have chosen us as your ambassadors, inspire us to act.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:22-25

Hope. We have hope. Share the news!

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Wisdom and Joy

Ecclesiastes 9-11

This is Holy Week, Palm Sunday to Easter, the week that separates Jesus Christ from all others, Christ-followers from every other religious group. As we share the Gospel with those we love, friends and family that we desperately want to see in the arms of Christ, I pray they will cheat death and enjoy eternity with those who accept Jesus:

For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6

These particular verses, and the ones that follow, are rather blunt, unfiltered, even difficult to read. Verse 12 reminds us that “no one knows when their hour will come,” so we pray, earnest and with great haste. Yesterday was a full day of music, praise and worship for the one who defeated death once and for all. The lyrics washed over me again and again, tears seeping out as wave after wave of thoughts of those who I know have not accepted Christ, have not embraced grace so freely offered. I was reminded to pray for the lost, the ones who don’t even know they are lost, for loved ones and others I have yet to meet.

Wisdom, it seems, is at our fingertips, waiting to be grasped if we would but let go of vanity and selfish pride.

Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise,
and he saved the city by his wisdom.
But nobody remembered that poor man.
Ecclesiastes 9:15

No one remembered his name because, in my view, he was merely doing what he was called to do, his name was unimportant. Mother Teresa once said, “I’m a little pencil in the hand of a writing God, who is sending a love letter to the world.” This from a servant of God that gave her all for the least, the lost and the lonely. Amazing.

Perhaps too many times I think this should be my life verse:

If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
Ecclesiastes 10:10

The way I read this is simple: I’m not very smart, but I will work harder than most until I succeed. It’s encouraging to read this proverb, especially with the work that is before me this week. Lord, I know my axe isn’t the sharpest, but give me strength and skill to pound through that which needs to be done for your glory!

Here’s a proverb I didn’t want to include, would just as soon erase it from my Bible and look the other way:

A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
Ecclesiastes 10:19

Really? Money is the answer for everything? Solomon’s words throughout Ecclesiastes are completely polar: good vs bad, right vs wrong, black or white, no in between. The wisdom of such is to stay out of the gray-zone, the land of indecisiveness. Just yesterday I said to Zoë, “I hate money,” and today I read this verse. Sigh.  Money is just a tool, love of money for the fool. It’s easy to think I have nothing when I look at bills and debt, but I know better. Forget the pity-party! This is just a season. It will pass. There are so many with so little and we have been blessed beyond comprehension. Lord, help me to be a better steward of the incredible wealth you have given me.

So we end with this benediction:

However many years anyone may live,
let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness,
for there will be many.
Everything to come is meaningless.
You who are young, be happy while you are young,
and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
So then, banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off the troubles of your body,
for youth and vigor are meaningless.
Ecclesiastes 11:8-10

Enjoy, be happy, banish anxiety, cast off the troubles for as the Message version puts it: “Youth lasts about as long as smoke.” This isn’t a call to be frivolous, but it is a reminder that we don’t know the number of our days and we should not be so self-absorbed that we miss the joy that God has in mind for us. Satan wins if we buy into the opposite argument. Three times we see the word heart in this paragraph. My earnest prayer is that God would change hearts, make them more attuned to His ways. Then we can fully live with joy.  Lord, change my heart and help me to enjoy the limited number of days you have given me. May I lift up those around me who are sad, whose face is downcast.

The Road to Emmaus

I can’t help but append this post with an epilogue, I guess it’s just the season that reminds me of this amazing story:

As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
Luke 24:15-18

The risen Jesus Christ walked with them seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus…seven miles. The sad faces, the broken hearts of many are seen in these two as they cannot comprehend the impossibility that Jesus walks with them, that He is their resurrected savior. I completely understand them; I’m sure I would have done the same thing. I wish I had time this morning to unpack the whole Emmaus experience–powerful stuff!

Here’s the truth to be spoken over and over again:

Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Do not let your faces be downcast! Let the joy of He that is far greater show in our faces this Easter season!

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Life Under the Sun is Unfair

Ecclesiastes 7-8 and Psalm 93

In many ways it seems that this life on earth is unfair, biased against us. One day, all is fine; the next, not so good. Most of this is likely due to our own experience and our myopic perspective — we are simply too self-absorbed and too concerned about what others think. The words in these chapters remind me to relax a bit, to take a break from being so critical of myself and others around me. I’m so thankful for these words, though it took a few times reading through them to get to this conclusion. Take your time. See if you agree with that concept. Enjoy.

Deep in the heart of Ecclesiastes, these two chapters reveal the struggle Solomon must have wrestled with constantly. On one hand he proclaims the day of death is better than the day of birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1), followed by the idea that we should just enjoy life, party on! (Ecclesiastes 8:15). In between there is a lot to consider in this short narrative. Here are some thoughts that spoke to me today:

Some times are good, some times are not so good:

Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.
Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

This is not a call to sit and watch the grass grow, rather, it’s a reminder that we are not in control. As I drive past the palm reader signs I know that there is no need to stop–no one truly knows the future other than God himself. Well, for that matter, God is beyond time so there is no future or past for God himself. We are the only ones bound by time. A philosophical argument for another day!

This I find is a warning worthing of engraving on a plaque and mounting above the door:

Do not pay attention to every word people say,
or you may hear your servant cursing you—
for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Ecclesiastes 7:21-22

Can I get an amen?? That verse will definitely preach!! One of the great sci-fi themes includes the ability to read another person’s mind. Lord, I’m glad we can’t do that! It’s bad enough that we are tossed and turned by words people say, I can’t imagine how I would handle what people are thinking! I’m even shocked by my own thoughts at times, so I’m glad to know this is impossible. More to Solomon’s point, it’s good to be reminded that we should be careful to put much weight in words we hear from others–especially criticism. If there’s a continuum between creative and engineer, I would tend more to the creative side, perhaps 60:40. It’s hard to hear words of criticism and not be affected. Lord, help me to learn from this wise advice.

Here is a truth that is impossible to refute:

Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow. Ecclesiastes 8:12-13

This is like the beginning of Pascal’s Wager: better to confess Christ and be wrong than to be wrong by not confessing Christ. Obviously, or at least I hope it’s obvious to anyone reading this blog, I don’t think it’s a trivial thing to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior–that takes real commitment. Solomon reminds us that God will deal with those who choose otherwise, it’s simply not up to us to think about. It will not go well with them.

After all is said and done:

No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it. Ecclesiastes 8:17

This from the wisest man who walked on earth. I find comfort in this thought, though I truly seek to become wiser today than yesterday, I won’t know it all. It is impossible. When I think about the vast knowledge that God has compared to my tiny brain, I am humbled, but not discouraged. If I can gain some wisdom, let it be that which helps others see the magnificence of Jesus Christ.

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God is Needed to Enjoy Life’s Blessings

Ecclesiastes 4-6 and Psalm 92

We were designed to enjoy our time on earth, the blessings that God has given us, however great or small. For those who come to an understanding the God is the creator, the joy that comes is not measured by certificates on the wall or money in the bank. True friends and a loving family are worth more than any of these. There is more pleasure staying up too late playing dominoes with friends than driving the latest model whatever car. I’m so very thankful for the blessings God has given me that cannot be counted in human terms.

I waded into the discussion of friends a few weeks ago, so I won’t repeat that today, but I can’t pass up one of my favorite passages:

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Most often this description is used in terms of a marriage relationship and that is a great thing, but when we extend our circle of influence to include others, the strength gained is incredible. Stranded cables are much stronger than single wires. Some years ago we visited a shipyard museum that included a mock-up of how ropes were created in ancient times. The twisting and turning of strands into incredibly strong ropes were essential for all kinds of purposes for ships, etc. The strength came combining strands, tightly twisting individuals together. The imagery is something I really enjoy and the memories are from a time when we traveled with our four children. Joyful for our blessings, these are fond memories indeed.

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord;
I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
Psalm 92:4

The book of Ecclesiastes seems to have a lot of meaningless statements, but it includes some positive notes as well:

This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart. Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

What a concept, “God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.” What’s it like to be so busy being glad that I don’t have time to sit and think about old age?

A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. Ecclesiastes 6:3

We get to enjoy this life. Sure, there will be troubles, tough times, even horrible times, but we need to invest time in enjoying the blessings God has provided. The key is that God is the provider and without God there are no real blessings.

I stumbled upon this video by actress Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory, that provides some great insight that I’m sure hundreds, if not thousands, of people have watched.

Mayim simply states that she is Jewish and rather boldly and gently explains that her joy is found in her relationship with God through religious traditions steeped deep in ancient heritage. As a scientist and celebrity (whatever that really means), she took time last year to add the video to the volumes of YouTube archives. She does a great job of explaining that we’re not here by accident, that humans have a God-given soul designed to love, laugh, reason, create, sing and enjoy life.

It’s a great first step for many who are far from God, who are turned off by religion or perhaps judged by those who call themselves Christians. The video encourages me to think about how I might describe the reason for the hope I find in Christ (1 Peter 3:15). Peter exhorts us to be prepared. Mayim gives us a great outline to gently and eloquently state our case for Christ. Lord, help me to joyfully explain my faith with such simple eloquence.

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All is Meaningless Under the Sun

Ecclesiastes 1-3 and Psalm 91

Before diving into Ecclesiastes, here’s some assurance:

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91:14-16

These last few weeks have been challenging, not the end of the world, but difficult nonetheless. We faced the trials knowing that God would be with us and his perfect plan was in action, even though we have a hard time understanding just what that plan is at times! It’s comforting to read the words of the psalmist, “I will be with him in trouble.” Thank you Lord–all glory to God in the highest!

Meaningless

In January of 2015, Pastor Mark Gasque led Hope Fellowship through an 11-part series titled Meaningless, Applying Meaning Through a Study of Ecclesiastes. It’s kinda funny when I think this was the first teaching series we heard after moving to Anderson. Welcome to South Carolina, everything in meaningless! We had no idea what was in store for us over the course of the past two years. Life is interesting.

Before diving in and getting completely depressed by Ecclesiastes, I had to fast-forward to Solomon’s conclusion:

Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

As we read through Ecclesiastes, it’s important to remember Solomon’s fundamental point: without God, everything we do is indeed meaningless.

I imagine that King Solomon, as the ultimate wise judge, heard it all. Reading through 1 Kings we discovered that surrounding countries were amazed at his wisdom, so they came to him to ask the toughest of questions. Rather than just dismissing them with the phrase, “believe in God you fools,” or some such rhetoric, Solomon heard their arguments and wisely provided answers for those earnestly seeking an answer. In my mind, this was one of the motivations for writing Ecclesiastes, a remarkable book that lays out all the cards on the table — all face up — no secrets.

For those who are far from God, I hope these words will encourage you to seek the truth found in the Bible. For those who are committed to Christ, I hope we will gain understanding of what it must be like to live without the assurance we have in Jesus, increase our empathy, and become a better witness. Without God, all is indeed meaningless. Here we go!

Wisdom, pleasure, folly, toil — all meaningless

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
Ecclesiastes 2:16

What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 2:22-23

I’ve read through a handful of books on Christian Apologetics which explore the arguments for the existence of God to encourage the atheist or agnostic to consider such philosophical ideas. If I were to embrace a worldview in which God does not exist, I can imagine reading Ecclesiastes and nodding in complete agreement. It’s easy to move toward moral relativism if there is no centerpiece.

Ecclesiastes challenges us to consider what a world would look like without God. There is much wisdom in the words here. I still hear the song by the Byrds playing in my head, Turn! Turn! Turn!, that uses the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
He has also set eternity in the human heart;
yet no one can fathom
what God has done
from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

No one can fathom, but all can observe and see the beauty that God was placed before us. We are curious beings, bent on asking questions and filling our minds with lofty thoughts. We’re wired to question everything. Solomon feeds that hunger with words that entice us, the invite us to partake. The song, Beautiful Things, has been playing in my mind all morning. Lord, you make beautiful things out of dust–an amazing thought.

The featured image for this post is that of a banquet hall for a feast, tables and chairs with white linen are set anticipating a great party. The door is open for those who would choose to venture in, there are plenty of seats. Lord, help us to learn through your words here, to gain understanding and insight into the hearts that are far from you so we can be the ambassadors of Christ you have called us to be.

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