Amos 8

Vision of basket of summer fruit verse 1- 3

Thus has the Lord GOD showed to me

and BEHOLD a basket of summer fruit

AND HE said

Amos – what see you?

AND I said

A basket of summer fruit

THEN said the LORD to me

The end is come upon MY people of Israel

I will not again pass by them any more

AND the songs of the temple shall be howlings

in that day says the Lord GOD

here shall be many dead bodies in every place

they shall cast them forth with silence

Condemnation of LORD for treatment of poor verse 4- 6

Hear this – O you that swallow up the needy

even to make the poor of the land to fall

SAYING

When will the new moon be gone – that we may sell corn?

AND the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat

making the ephah small – and the shekel great

and falsifying the balances by deceit?

That we may buy the poor for silver – and the needy for a pair of shoes

yea- and sell the refuse of the wheat?

Wicked deeds affect even nature verse 7- 8

The LORD has sworn by the excellency of Jacob

Surely I will never forget

any of their works

Shall not the land tremble for this

and every one mourn that dwells therein?

And it shall rise up wholly as a flood

and it shall be cast out and drowned

as by the flood of Egypt

Judgment day is coming verse 9- 10

And it shall come to pass in that day – says the Lord GOD

that I will cause the sun to go down at noon

and I will darken the earth in the clear day

and I will turn your feasts into mourning

and all your songs into lamentation

and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins

and baldness upon every head

and I will make it as the mourning of an only son

and the end thereof as a bitter day

Time of famine of hearing word of the LORD verse 11- 13

BEHOLD – the days come – says the Lord GOD

that I will send a famine in the land

NOT a famine of bread – NOR a thirst for water

BUT of hearing the words of the LORD

AND they shall wander from sea to sea

and from the north even to the east

they shall run to and fro

to seek the word of the LORD

and shall not find it

IN THAT DAY

shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst

False gods will be no more verse 14

They that swear by the sin of Samaria

and say Your god – O Dan – lives

and

The manner of Beer-Sheba lives

even they shall fall

and never rise up again

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? (4651 “refuse”

[mappal]

means flakes, what falls off, waste, sweepings of grain, or chaff.)

DEVOTION: Rich people who have no standard or morals do everything in their power to cheat those who are poor. Here we find that they would like to buy poor people for a little silver. They would like to purchase those who are needy for the price of a pair of shoes. They have no regard for those who are suffering in their society. They just don’t care.

They would like to take all the chaff that is supposed to be thrown into the air and fly away when they are harvesting the grain. It is worthless but when you sell by the pound it gives more money to those farmers that don’t care about anyone but themselves.

God loves the poor and judges those who mistreat them. The ones who swallow up the needy are condemned by the LORD. HE wants those who are HIS servants to be givers not takers. Our responsibility is to help those who are poor and needy not to just drive away and say that the government should take care of them. There are people who are genuinely poor. There are also people who will take advantage of the system.

As believers we are to help those who are poor and needy by not enabling them but helping them find a way to earn a living. Many that live at the city missions of our cities can work. They just need an opportunity. If they are willing to work and can work we should give them a fair wage for their work.

If we are in business we can help them with products. Farmers used to allow people to gleam their fields after the machines had harvested the product. This should still happen. Lawyers have taken advantage of this practice to cause it to stop in some places. Many times I have had fresh fruits and vegetables left at our door while the children were growing up. This can still happen.

CHALLENGE: Help where you can those who have less than you do without taking advantage of them.

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: 7 The LORD has sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works. (1347 “excellency” [ga’own] means pride, pomp, arrogancy, unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem, height, or loftiness.)

DEVOTION: Do we want the LORD to remember all the sins we have committed in our lifetime? Do we want to remember all of our sins? The problem is that the enemy reminds us of our past sins, so that, we think that we can never really serve the LORD because we have been so bad.

God doesn’t work that way. HE is stating that HE will never forget our wicked acts if we never ask HIM to forgive us. The children of Israel were not asking for forgiveness but thought they were OK with God because of their fake worship of HIM. They worshipped false gods and thought that the LORD wouldn’t mind if they gave HIM a little attention.

HE is a forgiving God. HE sent HIS Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that HE could forgive us. Christ died as our substitute if we follow the LORD. HE is willing to forgive those who are willing to recognize HIM for who HE is and honor HIM.

First, there has to be repentance of our sins. Second, with a regular time of self – examination to see how we are doing from HIS perspective. If there is sin HE will forgive if we confess them. HE will forgive and our fellowship with HIM is restored.

Our salvation is sure if we made a genuine commitment to HIM and not just a prayer that meant nothing to use a day later.

We need to daily walk with HIM to serve HIM properly. If we are not willing to forgive others then HE states that HE cannot forgive us.

CHALLENGE: We have ask for forgiveness for our sins and then be a forgiving people because we serve a forgiving God.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, says the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day (935 “cause” [bow’] means to lead in, to carry in, cause to come in, bring to pass, bring to justice, or bring about.)

DEVOTION: The LORD is in control of nature. There is no “mother nature” as the world likes to refer to someone who is in control of nature. We see commercials on Television with a woman with animals all around her and she seems to command them into actions. It is false.

The LORD created our world in six twenty-four hour periods and then rested. HE never sat down but continues to hold every breath that we take in HIS hand. HE knows what is happening in our world because HE hears creation groaning for a time when HIS Son Jesus Christ will come and reign. There will be a new heaven and new earth in the future.

Before this happens there is going to be a time period of darkness on this earth. It is a time of judgment for the majority rejecting Jesus Christ. It will be a time of purification of those who are genuine believers during a seven year period called the Tribulation. There are minor tribulations happening all the time.

Israel is going to go through one because of their sin in the near future in Amos’ time. God uses tribulation to help change the perspective of those who think they are in control of their lives. They find out that the LORD is the one who is really in control.

CHALLENGE: To many people think that they are in control when in reality only the LORD is genuinely in control of what is going on in this world. HE allows man to think he is in control to his own judgment.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 11- 13 Behold, the days come, says the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst.

(6772 “thirst” [tsama] means a state of extreme dehydration, dryness, or parched)

DEVOTION: Amos is dealing with the sins of Israel. The people couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to end so they could sell things for high prices. They were weighing their products with false balances. They were buying the poor for silver. They were buying the needy for a pair of shoes.

The LORD said that the land was going to mourn and tremble before HIS judgment because of these actions. The sun was going to be darkened. They were not going to celebrate their feast anymore. Their songs were going to be sad. Their clothing was going to be full of holes.

The worst thing that could happen was that they were going to look for a word from the LORD and there would be none. Here we find that the land of Israel was going to have a famine. In a famine there is usually no water and no food. What is repeated in these three verses is that there is a state of extreme dehydration in the land. It was dehydration for the word of God. People are looking for the living water that Christ talked about to the woman at the well. This living water is only available through the gift of God. The people in the land of Israel were going to search for some living water and find none. The time had passed for the living water to be presented to the people. They were going to be parched. They were going to be dry. They were going to be without any comfort.

The time is coming when we will no longer be able to share the truth concerning the living water that Christ provided through HIS death on the cross. Are we going to share the Word while there is still time? Are the people around us parched? Are they without comfort from the Word of the LORD?

CHALLENGE: Are you hungry for the Word of God? If not, start asking the LORD to give you a hunger. If so, ask the LORD to instruct you daily.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Temple verse 3

Songs verse 3, 10

New moon verse 5

Sabbath verse 5

Feasts verse 10

Hearing of the Words of the LORD verse 11

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Word of the LORD verse 11, 12

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

Lord – Adonai (Owner, Master) verse 1, 3, 9, 11

GOD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 3, 9, 11

Lord GOD verse 1, 3, 9, 11

LORD – Jehovah verse 2, 7, 11, 12

God’s people – Israel verse 2

I will not again pass by Israel verse 2

There shall be many dead bodies in every place verse 3

they shall cast them forth with silence

Hear this verse 4

Sworn by the excellency of Jacob verse 7

Never forgets works verse 7

Judgment verse 9- 14

It shall come to pass in that day

I will cause the sun to go down at noon

I will darken the earth in the clear day

I will turn Israel’s feasts into mourning

I will turn your song into lamentations

I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins

I will bring baldness upon every head

I will make it as the mourning of an only son

I will make the end thereof as a bitter day

I will turn your feasts into mourning

I will send a famine in the land

Not a famine of bread,

nor of thirst for water

but of hearing the words of the

LORD

I will turn all your songs into lamentations

I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins

I will give baldness upon every head

I will make it as he mourning of any

only son

The end thereof as a bitter day

Day will come that I will not send

famine of bread nor a thirst

for water but of hearing the words

of the LORD

They shall wander from sea to sea from

north even to the east, they shall

run to and fro to seek the word of

the LORD and shall not find it

Words of the LORD verse 11

Word of the LORD not found verse 12

In that day shall the fair virgins and young

Men faint for thirst verse 13

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Floods of Egypt verse 8

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Swallow up the needy verse 4, 6

Make poor fail verse 4, 6

Want Sabbath gone verse 5

Falsifying the balances by deceit verse 5

Buy poor for silver verse 6

Buy needy for a pair of shoes verse 6

Sell refuse of the wheat verse 6

Sward by sin of Samaria verse 14

False god in Dan verse 14

Manner of Beersheba verse 14

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Hear verse 4, 11

Seek the word of the LORD verse 12

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Amos verse 2

Sees basket of summer fruit

End has come to my people

Israel verse 2

Excellency of Jacob verse 7

Land tremble verse 8

Every one mourn that dwells in land verse 8

Israel will wander form sea to sea and

from the north even to the eat

they shall run to and fro to seek

to seek the word of the LORD

and shall not find it verse 12

fair virgins and young men faint for

thirst for word of the LORD verse 13

Sin of Samaria verse 14

Dan verse 14

Beersheba verse 14

Never rise up again verse 14

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Many dead bodies in Israel verse 3

cast forth with silence

In that day verse 13

Manner of Beersheba lives even they

Shall fall, and never rise up again verse 14

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QUOTES regarding passage

8:7 The Lord indicated his determined stand against the greedy merchants by putting himself under oath. Earlier he swore by his holiness (4:2) and by himself (6:8). Now he put himself under oath by “the Pride of Jacob.” One swears by something precious or unalterable (cf. the full oath formula in Ps 137:5). “The Pride of Jacob” may refer to the city of Samaria here as it does in 6:8. Samaria was Israel’s most prized possession. But the Lord was about to destroy it, so he could not swear by it, unless the expression is broadened to refer to the land generally as Israel’s promised inheritance (Ps 47:4; Isa 58:14). The oath could be ironic and refer to Israel’s unalterable pride. Some argue that since elsewhere the Lord swears by himself or one of his attributes (Gen 22:16; Pss 89:35, 49; 95:11; Jer 44:26), that is likely the intent here (cf. Gen 49:24; 1 Sam 15:29). Whereas Israel’s pride was in themselves and their own accomplishments, it should have been in the Lord, the Pride of Jacob (cf. 8:14) (Smith, B. K., & Page, F. S. (1995). Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (Vol. 19B, p. 147). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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7–8 In the oath formula, the “Pride of Jacob” (v.7) is best understood as an appellation for God (cf. 4:2; 6:8; cf. also Hos 5:5; 7:10). “Glory” is used as a surrogate for God in Jeremiah 2:11. It is the pride of Jacob—i.e., the Lord, Jacob’s glory—that guarantees this oath. The judgment to follow (v.8) would surely come because God does not allow his glory to be sullied. Verse 8 describes the convulsions the land would suffer. The striking metaphor of an earthquake represents the calamity Amos has referred to throughout the book. (McComiskey, T. E. (1986). Amos. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Daniel and the Minor Prophets (Vol. 7, p. 325). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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8:7–8. The Lord, however, had sworn by Himself (see comments on 4:2; 6:8; unlike its use in 6:8, the Pride of Jacob occurs here as a title for God; cf. 1 Sam. 15:29). God swore that He would never forget any of the evil things they had done. Because of their heartless greed and dishonesty, because of these covenant violations, their Warrior-God would advance against them and the land would tremble under His steps. The quaking tremors would be so violent that the whole land would rise … and then sink like the annual swelling and receding of the Nile … the river of Egypt. The shattered ruins of farms and buildings would cause all who lived in the wake of His path to weep and to mourn. (Sunukjian, D. R. (1985). Amos. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1448). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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How the end is coming (vv. Amos 8:7–14). The prophet used four pictures to describe the terror of the coming judgment. The first was that of an earthquake (v. 8) with the land heaving like the rising waters of the Nile River. (The Nile rose about twenty-five feet during its annual flooding stage.) Even the land would shudder because of the people’s sins. Earlier Amos referred to an earthquake (1:1), but we aren’t sure whether it was the fulfillment of this prophecy.

God would also visit them with darkness (Amos 8:9), perhaps an eclipse. (There was one in 763 b.c.) The Day of the Lord will be a day of darkness (Isa. 13:9–10; Joel 2:30–31). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (p. 69). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor.)

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THE opening verses (1–3) contain the fourth vision, and its application. It will be noticed that, with the exception of the last of these object-lessons, all are of such a character as would readily come before the mind of a young man who had been reared in a rural district, and was familiar with agricultural life. Locusts are the dreaded plague of the Eastern farmer. Often too Amos may have helped combat a brush or forest fire, threatening destruction to crops and herds alike. The use of the plumb-line would be quite familiar to him, as stone walls were used almost exclusively both in dwellings and enclosures under special cultivation. And the subject of this fourth vision would be as familiar as the rest.

The Lord showed him a basket of summer-fruit; that is, overripe fruit, which could no longer be preserved. In reply to His inquiry, “Amos, what seest thou?” the prophet answers, “A basket of summer-fruit.” Then comes the explanation of the simple symbol. Israel had become like a decaying fruit. The end was near—the time of being cast away. No longer would grace be extended to those who had rejected it so repeatedly. The temple songs would be changed to woeful cries of anguish and despair, while the dead bodies of the despisers of God’s message would fill the cities, and be cast out in silence.

Accompanying this declaration that the end had come, we have a solemn summing-up of the sin of the people. They swallowed up the needy in their covetousness, making the poor of the land to fail, as in the last days of James 5:1–6, where the word is, “Ye have heaped treasure together in (not for) the last days!”

This same covetous spirit made the appointed feasts and the sabbaths a burden. Outwardly they observed them, but they longed for the close of the day to come, that they might buy and sell, and get gain.

For this the Lord sware, saying, “Surely I will never forget any of their works.” All were under His holy eye. All were noted in His book. All should be faced at His judgment-seat! If the eye of an unsaved sinner rests on this page, oh, let me press upon you this statement in all its solemnity. You may forget your own works, so great may be the number of your sins; but God has declared He will ever remember them. And if He thus remembers, you must be banished from His presence forever. But of all who now judge themselves and own their guilt, trusting the One who died to save, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 10:17). Are your sins then, remembered or forgotten, dear reader?

For Israel’s sins the land had to tremble, and its people were to be carried away as by the overflowing river of Egypt, when the sun should go down at noon, and the earth be darkened in the clear day. It is a poetic figure for utter desolation; the result of their grasping selfishness, their heartless misconduct toward the poor, and God’s displeasure upon their ways. Bitter would be the mourning in that day, when, alas, repentance would come too late to avert the threatened calamity, which was to be as the mourning for an only son, and the end be a day of woe (vers. 4–10). (Ironside, H. A. (1909). Notes on the Minor Prophets. (pp. 178–180). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)

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Ver. 7. The Lord hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, &c.] Not by the ark, as R. Japhet; nor by the temple, as Kimchi; but by himself; which sense Kimchi also mentions, and Aben Ezra; the God of Jacob and his glory, the most excellent of all Jacob’s enjoyments, and of whom he had reason to boast and glory; see ch. 6:8: surely I will never forget any of their works; their wicked works, especially those now mentioned; God forgets when he forgives them, or suffers them to go unpunished; but though he had done so long, he would do so no more; on which they might depend, since he had not only said it, but swore to it. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 6, p. 515). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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FROM MY READING:

From: One Minute After You Die by Erwin W. Lutzer

The Great Deceiver wants to have people think that one’s relationship with Jesus Christ has no bearing on the beauty and bliss that awaits everyone. (p. 25)

There is a Hebrew word that can only be translated “grave” – kever – but the writers often preferred the word sheol because it encompassed the region of departed spirits who were conscious, either in bliss or torment. The word sheol never means just a physical grave. (p. 32)

But after the ascension of Christ believers are said to go directly into heaven. In other words, the two regions of hades no longer exist side by side; there is reason to believe that Abraham’s bosom is in heaven today. (p. 40)

The doctrine of purgatory is not found in the Bible but was accepted as a tradition in medieval times because of a faulty doctrine of salvation. (p. 41)

The fact that we don’t view death with optimism just might be because we think of death as taking us from our home rather than bringing us to our home! (p. 55)

Will a baby always be a baby in heaven? James Vernon McGee has made the interesting suggestion that God will resurrect the infants as they are and that the mothers’ arms that have ached for them will have the opportunity of holding their little ones. The father who never had the opportunity of holding that little hand will be given the privilege. Thus the children will grow up with their parents.

Whether that will be the case, we do not know. But of this we can be confident: A child in heaven will be complete. Either the child will look as he would have if he were full grown, or else his mental and physical capacities will be enhanced to give him full status among the redeemed. All handicaps are gone, for heaven is a place of perfection.

….

James Vernon McGee again says that when a shepherd seeks to lead his sheep to better grass up the winding, thorny mountain paths, he often finds that the sheep will not follow him. They fear the unknown ridges and the sharp rocks. The shepherd will then reach into the flock and take a little lamb on one arm and another on his other arm. Then he starts up the precipitous pathway. Soon the two mother sheep begin to follow, and afterward the entire flock. Thus, they ascend the tortuous path to greener pastures. (p 74,75)

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From OLD TESTAMENT WORDS FOR TODAY by Warren W. Wiersbe

A temptation is Satan’s offer to give you something he claims that God hasn’t given you.

… A temptation is Satan’s cheap substitute for the real gifts from heaven the Father has given us.

… Adam showed up, he sinned with his eyes wide open because he wanted to remain with his wife. It was his deliberate disobedience that plunged the human race inot sin and judgment (Rom. 5: 12-21) (p. 8, 9)

A godly and experienced evangelist told me, “If loving one another is the mark of a believer, then I don’t think half of the people who belong to our local churches are truly born again.” (p. 11)

The blessings God gives us must in turn become blessings to others, because Christians are supposed to be channels, not reservoirs. (p. 12)

The next time we question the Lord because life is difficult and we can’t understand his ways, let’s remember young Joseph’s trials and God’s gracious, providential control of all things. (p. 15)

When Aaron and his sons were dedicated as priests, Moses put some of the blood of the sacrificial ram on the right ear, thumb, and big toe of each man, a symbol of total dedication to the Lord. (p. 17)

To fear the Lord does not mean to cringe and crawl for fear our Father will destroy us. But to practice loving respect and joyful obedience toward our heavenly Father because we love him and want to please Him. (p. 21)

It’s important that God’s servants take time to wait on the Lord and not grow overconfident because of past victories. (p. 23)

Faith accepts God’s strategy, no matter how bizarre it may appear, and obeys God’s orders. (p. 23)

A friend sent me a bit of poetry that I find summarizes this meditation:

Look at circumstances and you’ll be distressed;

Look at yourself and you’ll be depressed;

But look in faith to Jesus and you’ll be blessed. (p. 25)

All leaders, no matter how successful, need others at their side who can help expedite their plans. Aaron and Hur held up Moses’s hands as he prayed for Joshua and the Jewish army in battle (Exod. 17: 8-16), and Jesus asked Peter, James, and John to watch with him as he prayed in the garden (Matt. 26:36-46). (p. 31)

Any true believer who honors the Lord and lets the light shine will be attacked by people who prefer the darkness. (p. 33)

God in his mercy doesn’t give us what we do deserve and in his grace he gives us what we don’t deserve – forgiveness! (p. 37)

“Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking,” D. L. Moody said. “The only way to trouble God is not to come at all.” (p. 39)

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One of the most repeated themes of science fiction movies is humans merging with or being replaced by machines. Entire movie franchises are built around these ideas, such as “The Matrix” and “The Terminator.” One of “Star Trek’s” most iconic antagonists were the “Borg,” a blend of biological and technological elements that were pretty-near invincible. They told every species they encountered that “resistance is futile.”

In movies, the merger of man and machine is sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse. In real life, however, there’s an entire movement committed to seeing this synthesis all the way to its logical and biological end, which—they promise—will be terrific. It’s called Transhumanism.

Transhumanism is the subject of the most recent, must-read two-part series by Dr. Glenn Sunshine at BreakPoint.org. There’s a lot more in his articles than I can cover here, so I’ll limit my discussion today to the Transhumanist dream, or as I’d call it, “nightmare,” of merging humans and computers.

Popularized by the 2005 book, “The Singularity is Near,” futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts that advances in computing will eventually allow machines to match and then exceed the ability of the human brain to process information.

In a parallel development, technologies such as PET scans and MRIs will enable us to “reverse-engineer” the human brain. While this may sound like science fiction, Kurzweil insists that it’s inevitably “science fact.” After all, as he put it, our brain is a complex hierarchy of complex systems, “but it does not represent a level of complexity beyond what we are already capable of handling.”

As our computational power increases, the “reverse-engineering” of the human brain will supposedly make it possible to “upload” a human brain into a computer. To oversimplify what is a very complicated prediction, “uploading” our brains will result in neural implants that will “augment” our natural abilities. Over time, this “augmentation” will blur the line between the natural and the synthetic until any distinction is meaningless.

Of course, trusting in Kurzweil’s scenario (especially that, even if it is possible, it will also be good) is every bit an act of faith as believing in the Second Coming, only without a Resurrection.

Underlying the Transhumanist faith is a purely materialistic worldview. As Glenn Sunshine writes, materialism “assumes that matter and energy are all that exist. Our minds are thus a product of our brains, which are nothing more than highly complex computers.” In such a world, it only makes sense that we could eventually create machines that can do everything human brains can do, and maybe even more.

And if, as materialism suggests and Kurzweil predicts, there is no “essential difference between our brains and computers . . . we should be able to create interfaces between our brain and the super-intelligent computer network, allowing us immediate access to all the information on whatever replaces the internet.”

Still, as Glenn reminds us, this is quite an assumption. Not to mention is such a worldview forced to regard human consciousness—the awareness of ourselves and the world around us—as an illusion of sorts because, as physicist Adam Frank has written, it can’t explain consciousness or even the nature of the “matter” in “materialism.”

To put it in computer terms, for the materialist, there is no software. There’s only hardware. It’s like answering the question “What’s a MacBook?” by listing components such as processor and storage drive, but completely ignoring its operating system.

Go ahead, by the way. Delete the operating system from your computer and see how well it works. (Hint: it won’t…)

Though Transhumanism should remain the stuff of science fiction, a lot of money is being invested in order to make it science fact. Just this week, for instance, Microsoft invested about a billion bucks in one of Elon Musk’s Transhumanist projects.

Which is just another reason for all of us to understand the worldview behind Transhumanism—before resistance becomes futile. (Break Point – ministry started by Chuck Colson)

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Psalms 19
The works of God are declared in the heavens, and the words of God lead to righteousness.
INSIGHT
A creator is known by his creation; an artist is known by his art; a musician by his music; and a sculptor by his sculpture. God can be known by the universe that He has created. Psalm 19:1says: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Romans 1:20 says: “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen.” Judging from nature, God exists and has power, intelligence, and a flair for beauty! (Quiet Walk)

Psalms 90
God is eternal in time past and future—while man is temporal and weak.
INSIGHT

In this psalm, Moses declares the eternality of God in verses 1-2. Then he contrasts the frailty of man in verse 3. God’s displeasure with sin next occupies his attention: “We have been consumed by Your anger . . . You have set our iniquities before You” (vv. 7-8). Based on these three realities, Moses calls upon God in a series of petitions: “Teach us to number our days . . . Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy . . . Make us glad . . . and establish the work of our hands” (Psalm 90:12, 14-15, 17). You can make these petitions your own. (Quiet Walk)

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Psalms 63
Spiritual thirst is satisfied only by spiritual intimacy with God.
INSIGHT
There is a God-shaped vacuum in every human heart. Man was made for God, and his soul will be restless until it finds its rest in Him. Our longings for love, relationships, belonging, security, meaning, purpose, and identity are ultimately met only in the Lord Jesus Christ. We find temporary fulfillment in the pursuit of people, possessions, and circumstances; but eventually, these will pass away or we will change and they will no longer satisfy. We have been made for God, and we will find our deepest longings met only in Him. Make David’s prayer your own prayer for spiritual fulfillment. (Quiet Walk)

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WHY DOES GOD ALLOW WAR?

From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? James 4:1
As I contemplate human nature and human life, what astonishes me is not that God allows and permits war, but the patience and the long-suffering of God. “He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). He suffered the evil, perverse ways of the children of Israel for centuries; and now for nearly two thousand years He has patiently borne with a world that in the main rejects and refuses His loving offer, even in the Person of His only-begotten Son. The question that needs to be asked is not, “Why does God allow war?” but rather, “Why does God not allow the world to destroy itself entirely in its iniquity and its sin?” Why does He in His restraining grace set a limit to evil and to sin, and a bound beyond which they cannot pass?
Oh, the amazing patience of God with this sinful world! How wondrous is His love! He has sent the Son of His love to our world to die for us and to save us; and because men cannot and will not see this, God permits and allows such things as war to chastise and to punish us, to teach us and to convict us of our sins, and above all to call us to repentance and acceptance of His gracious offer. The vital question for us therefore is not to ask, “Why does God allow war?” The question for us is to make sure that we are learning the lesson and repenting before God for the sin in our own hearts and in the entire human race that leads to such results. May God grant us understanding and the true spirit of repentance, for His name’s sake.
A Thought to Ponder
As I contemplate human nature and human life, what astonishes me is not that God allows and permits war, but the patience and the long-suffering of God. (From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 100-101, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Blind Guides
“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!” (Matthew 23:16)
The 23rd chapter of Matthew contains some harsh denunciations as Jesus delivers the eight “woes.” Even the Greek word is a bit eerie; it is pronounced “oo-ah-ee!” Can you imagine this series of stern admonitions delivered to the faces of these self-righteous manipulators of truth? “Oo-ah-ee you scribes and Pharisees and Sadducees, hypocrites!” It must have given chills to everyone there.
The blindness that Jesus was condemning has both a practical and spiritual impact. Obviously, if one does not understand simple truth, the result is going to be either embarrassing or painful. “They be blind leaders of the blind,” Jesus said. “And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14).
The great Creator of the universe knows best how to guide His creation. If we, the stewards (Genesis 1:28), do not know or understand the Creator’s instructions, we are bound to get into trouble. That “truth blindness” often results in “blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24).
But the greater blindness is spiritual. Peter listed attributes on how to grow in faith and gain assurance. Then he advised, “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Peter 1:9).
In His messages to the seven churches, Jesus warned Laodicea, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17). His counsel: “Buy of me gold . . . and white raiment . . . and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see” (Revelation 3:18). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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THE MECHANISM OF THE PROMISE

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
We must look at what I choose to call the mechanism of the promise–the way in which it works. The apostle says that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” He says that we “know” this, that it is something that is well-known and acknowledged, something that to the Christian is self-evident. How is this so? The answer is partly doctrinal and partly a matter of experience.
The doctrinal answer starts at the end of our text–“to them who are the called according to his purpose.” It continues at the end of the chapter. We know that all things work together for good to believers because their whole position is dependent upon God and His activity. Our salvation is God’s work. Listen to the argument: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (verses 29-30). There is nothing accidental or fortuitous or contingent about God’s work. It is all planned and worked out from the beginning right until the end. In our experience it comes to us increasingly, but in the mind and purpose of God, it is all already perfect and entire. Nothing can frustrate it.
But it is not merely a matter of high doctrine. There is a fact that confirms it all: “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Is God, who actually delivered up His only Son to that cruel death on Calvary’s cross for us, likely to allow anything to stand between us and His ultimate purpose for us? Impossible.
A Thought to Ponder: There is nothing accidental or fortuitous or contingent about God’s work. (From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 122-123, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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THE REALM OF EXPERIENCE, PART 1

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
But God be thanked, we can also answer the question with regard to the mechanism of this glorious promise in an experimental manner, from the realm of experience. That our text is true is the universal testimony of all the saints whose histories are recorded both in the Bible and in the subsequent history of the Christian church. The ways in which this promise works out are almost endless; but the principle that is common to them all is that there is but one ultimate good–the knowledge of God and the salvation of our souls. Holding that in mind, we see that trials and tribulations work out in the following ways:
They awaken us to the fact of our over-dependence on earthly and human things. Quite unconsciously, oftentimes we become affected by our surroundings, and our lives become less and less dependent upon God, and our interests become more and more worldly. The denial of earthly and human comforts and joys often awakens us to the realization of this in a way that nothing else can do.
Our trials also remind us of the fleeting nature of our life here on earth. How easy it is to “settle down” in life in this world and to live on the assumption that we are here forever. We all tend to do so to such an extent that we forget “the glory which shall be revealed” (verse 18), and that, as we have shown, should be the frequent theme of our meditation. Anything that disturbs this sloth and reminds us that we are but pilgrims here therefore stimulates us to “set your affection on things above” (Colossians 3:2).
A Thought to Ponder: There is but one ultimate good–the knowledge of God and the salvation of our souls. (From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 123-124, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd=-Jones)

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AN ALL-INCLUSIVE PROMISE

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Let us look at the all-inclusiveness of the promise–“all things work together for good.” It is generally agreed that the “all things” has special reference to trials and tribulations. Here is one of the most remarkable claims ever made for Christianity. Here is certainly the boldest justification of God’s ways to man.
Let us observe what this verse says. Perhaps we shall best be able to grasp its significance if we approach it along the negative route. We see clearly that, as Christians, we are not promised an easy time in this world. Our Lord Himself in His teaching told the disciples that they would have tribulations and trials and sufferings. And in the same way Paul teaches that “unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29). The Christian’s view of life and of the world is realistic, not romantic. He does not avoid troubles and problems. Neither does he try to minimize the seriousness and the greatness of the troubles and problems. The glory of the gospel is that it faces the whole situation without shirking anything, and yet shows the way out.
Some of the older versions bring out this feature in our text very clearly by adding the word “God” to “all things work together for good”–i.e., that “God works all things together for good to them who love him.” And that is undoubtedly what the apostle teaches. These trials are not to be ignored; neither are they without any explanation whatsoever. God uses them to our advantage in order to bring His own great purposes to pass. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.” That is the ultimate justification of God’s ways; that is the ultimate answer to all our questions as to why God allows certain things to happen.
A Thought to Ponder: God uses our trials to our advantage in order to bring His own great purposes to pass.

(From Why Does God Allow War? pp. 116-117,119, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Weighty Matters
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” (Matthew 23:23)
This particular “woe” among the eight in Matthew 23 is often only partially proclaimed. Usually, sermons are delivered about the “judgment, mercy, and faith” that are indeed the “weightier matters of the law”—but Christ’s somewhat offhand remark on the responsibility to tithe is either ignored or downplayed.
Surely the legalistic and public display of “obedience” to the law is condemned by Jesus. He rebuked these same men for their desire to show their spirituality. “Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men” (Matthew 6:2). But Jesus also said in our text that they “ought . . . to have done” the tithing of their wealth.
The condemnation is that this kind of hypocrite seeks only his name in a bulletin, or a plaque on a wall, or a brick in a walkway, or a wing in a hospital or museum, and is indifferent to the quiet, background work of ministry that doles out judgment, mercy, and faith.
Jesus measures “weightier matters” this way: “I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Matthew 25:35-36). “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).
If we wish to honor and please our Lord, He expects us to do both—faithful tithes and offerings, and judgment, mercy, and faith.

(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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