Deuteronomy 7
Nations to be destroyedverses 1-5
When the LORD your God shall bring you into the land whither you go
to possess it – and has cast out many nations before you the
Hittites – Girgashites – Amorites – Canaanites – Perizzites
Hivites – Jebusites – seven nations greater
and mightier than you
When the LORD your God shall deliver them before you
you shall smite them – and utterly destroy them
you shall make no covenant with them
you shall not show mercy to them
you shall not make marriages with them
neither shall you make marriages with them
your daughter you shall not give to his son
nor his daughter shall you take to your son
FOR they will TURN AWAY your son from following ME
that they may serve other gods
SO will the anger of the LORD
be kindled against you
and destroy you suddenly
BUT thus shall you deal with them – you shall destroy their altars
and break down their images – and cut down their groves
and burn their graven images with fire
Israel smallest of all nationsverses 6-11
FOR you are an HOLY people to the LORD your God
the LORD your God has CHOSEN you to be a SPECIAL
people to HIMSELF
above all people that are on the face of the earth
The LORD did not set HIS LOVE on you – nor CHOOSE you
BECAUSE you were more in number than any people
FOR you were the fewest of all people
BUT because the LORD LOVED you
and BECAUSE HE would keep the oath
which HE had sworn to your fathers
has the LORD brought you
out with a MIGHTY HAND and REDEEMED
you out of the house of bondmen
from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt
KNOW therefore that the LORD your God – HE is God
the FAITHFUL God – which keep covenant and mercy
with them that love HIM
and keep HIS commandments
to a thousand generations
and repay them that hate HIM to their face
to destroy them
HE will not be SLACK to him that hates HIM
HE will repay him to his face
You shall therefore keep the commandments – statutes – judgments
which I command you this day to do them
Obedience brings blessingverses 12-21
Wherefore it shall come to pass
IF you hearken to these judgments
and keep and do them
that the LORD your God shall keep
unto you the covenant and the mercy which HE swore
unto your fathers – and HE will love you
and bless you – and multiply you
HE will also bless the fruit of your womb – and the fruit of your land
and your corn – wine – oil – the increase of your kine
the flocks of your sheep – in the land which HE swore
to your fathers to give you
You shall be blessed above all people – there shall not be male or female
barren among you – or among your cattle
And the LORD will take away from you all sickness
and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt
which you know upon you
BUT will lay them upon all them that hate you
And you shall consume all the people which the LORD your God
shall deliver you -your eye shall have no pity on them
neither shall you serve their gods
for that will be a snare to you
IF you shall say in your heart
These nations are more than I – how can I dispossess them?
You shall not be afraid of them
BUT shall well remember what the LORD your God did
to Pharaoh – and to all Egypt
The great temptations which your eyes saw
and the signs – wonders – mighty hand – stretched out arm
whereby the LORD your God brought you out
so shall the LORD your God do unto all
the people of whom you are afraid
Moreover the LORD your God will send the hornet among them
til they that are left – and hide themselves from you
be destroyed
You shall not be affrighted at them
FOR the LORD your God is among you
a MIGHTY God and TERRIBLE
Deliverance from all nations promisedverses 22-24
And the LORD your God will put out those nations before you
by little and little – you may not consume them at once
LEST the beasts of the field increase on you
BUT the LORD your God shall deliver them to you
and shall destroy them with a MIGHTY destruction
until they be destroyed
And HE shall deliver their kings into your hand
and you shall destroy their name from under heaven
there shall no man be able to stand before you
until you have destroyed them
Warning to not desire gold and silver idolsverses 25-26
The graven images of their gods shall you burn with fire
you shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them
nor take it to you – LEST you be snared therein
FOR it is an abomination to the LORD your God
NEITHER shall you bring an abomination into your house
LEST you be a cursed thing like it
but you shall utterly detest it
and you shall utterly abhor it
FOR it is a cursed thing
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 For they will turn away your son from following me, that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and destroy you suddenly. (3249 “turn away” [yacuwr] means to turn aside, to change direction, to go off, retreat, to fall down, to abandon desist from, to stand aloof from, to cause someone to orient or direct away from something)
DEVOTION: One of the facts that the LORD knows is that it is easy for people to go in a different direction than the direction to follow HIM. HE knew this before HE created man and HE still knew it regarding the children of Israel and HE knows it concerning us today.
Humans seem to walk the path of least resistance. They go with the flow of those around them rather than standalone against the flow of what is happening around them. If there is a group that wanted to follow false gods they would go with that group. If there was a group that wanted to follow the LORD some would even choose to go in a different direction just to be different.
Here we find Moses warning the people to watch the direction they were going because there are consequences to walking away from the standards the LORD has set by giving the Ten Commandments to the children of Israel.
Each generation has to make the choice of who they are going to follow. We see this happening today with the children and grandchildren of our generation. If the grandparents were followers of the LORD. The children might be followers of the LORD. Then the grandchildren might not be followers of the LORD because the society they live in is so different from their grandparent’s generation.
The churches today seem to be more interested in numbers and music than in the preaching of the Word of God. If the sermon is more than twenty minutes long people get bored with the Word of God.
Many of today’s believers are not studying the Word of God on a regular basis on their own to make sure their church is teaching what the Bible is teaching. Many see society breaking the standards the LORD has set for believers and think it is OK.
God will not bless a church or individual who compromises with the world. HE wants all believers to be ones who are looking to HIM for guidance through the Bible and through the teaching of individuals who genuinely teach the truth of the Word of God.
Are you checking out the teachings of your church with the Word of God? Are you studying the Word of God on your own to find out if what is being taught is genuine to the teaching of the Word of God?
CHALLENGE: The Bible is still true. Each of us needs to study to show ourselves approved by the LORD!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 For you are an holy people to the LORD your God: the LORD your God has chosen you to be a special people to HIMSELF, above all people that are on the face of the earth. (5459 “special” [cagullah] means peculiar treasure, jewel, valued property, possession, personal wealth, or proper good)
DEVOTION: We have a description of the people of God in the Old Testament.
First they are a holy people or they are separated unto God to live their life in a way that is pleasing to the LORD. They are separate from any other group of peoples. No other people group can please the LORD like they can.
Second, they are chosen by the LORD. HE looked over all the peoples of the world and selected them as the group that HE would give HIS blessings. They were not the biggest group but the smallest group, so that, HE could manifest HIS great power through them over more powerful nations. There was no way that this small group should take over such a great land except through HIS power alone.
They are HIS peculiar treasure. Indeed if anyone looked at this group of people they would think “why them.” HE valued them over any other group of people. HE had made a promise to Abraham when he had no children to make him a great nation. HE always keeps HIS promises.
God has HIS reasons for picking HIS people both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.
We are called a peculiar nation as well in the New Testament. HE has chosen us out of every nation on this earth to be HIS people. We are to manifest works that are pleasing in HIS sight. HE has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We have HIS presence with us at all times.
We are also very much like Israel in that HE has to correct us on a regular basis because we are a disobedient people even today. We have the example of what is right in the Old Testament and we still don’t serve HIM wholly.
CHALLENGE: Somehow we have to get through our brain that we are a peculiar treasure to HIM and therefore act that way for HIM.
: 8 But because the LORD loved you, and because HE would keep the oath which HE had sworn to your fathers, has the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (6299 “redeemed” [padah] means ransom, rescued, to buy out, be released, to deliver form harm or evil, to loose, or to set free)
DEVOTION: Why doesn’t the LORD want HIS people to intermarry with those who are not followers of HIM? What is going to happen to our children if they marry individuals who don’t love the LORD? Why shouldn’t Christians date unbelievers? Can someone who is HOLY in the eyes of the LORD marry someone who is UNHOLY?
God wanted HIS people to understand that HE always has a reason for HIS standards. This standard is basic to the growth of HIS people. If someone who is HOLY marries someone who is UNHOLY in the eyes of the LORD HE knows that the UNHOLY one will be the one who influences the HOLY one away from the LORD because they will present sin as something that is fun.
The LORD warns HIS people that HE will have to judge their actions with HIS anger. HE will have to quickly destroy those who are not living according to HIS standard.
Today we find that there are many marriages between those who are HOLY in the eyes of the LORD with those who are UNHOLY. This marriage produces children who are confused by the different standards of their parents. The majority will follow the standard of the one who is UNHOLY because it is an easier lifestyle. It is one that basically has no rules. Sin is not a problem and our old nature likes sin.
The human nature is one that doesn’t want to honor the LORD. So obeying rules is no fun to a majority of people. God’s standards are rules. Rebellion comes naturally when there are rules set in front of us.
The Bible says that judgment is something that the LORD does to those who are not faithful to HIS standards. The majority of the people who live in any generation will spend eternity in the lake of fire. Only a small minority will even try with the help of the Holy Spirit to live holy lives that are pleasing to the LORD.
Remember no Christian is perfect. They are sinners who have trusted in the blood of Jesus Christ to forgive their sins. They are trusting in the help of the Holy Spirit to help them live a life that is pleasing to the LORD with a lot of confession along the way.
CHALLENGE: Warning: Watch who you marry!!! Remember each date is a potential mate!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 You shall not be affrighted at them: for the LORD your God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. (3372 “terrible” [yare] means awesome, held in honor, reverence, godly fear or respect)
DEVOTION: The LORD gives special instructions regarding the seven nations that presently occupied the Promise Land. They were to be utterly destroyed.
Why? Because if they were not utterly destroyed, they would influence the children of Israel to sin against the LORD. The LORD knows what man is made of. HE understands how easy it is for HIS people to go away from HIM. HE didn’t want this to happen.
The only solution to the problem was for the children of Israel to kill all and occupy the land. The marching orders are given to the children of Israel. They are to destroy the people of the land.
What made the children of Israel distinct? They were a holy people. They were a chosen people. They were a special people to the LORD. HE didn’t choose them because they were the largest group of people. They were not. HE chose them because HE had made a promise and HE was going to keep HIS promise.
They were going to have all the blessings of the LORD. They were going to be able to conquer the land slowly, so that, the land will not be taken over by the beasts.
In the process they are to stay away from the people of the land and their false gods. They were not to covet the gold and silver of which the idols were made. God was going to give them all they needed. HE was going to provide all the wealth they would need. They could burn up the idols without worrying about the precious metals they were made of.
The reason for them to avoid their false gods was that the LORD would be angry toward them. The children of Israel were not to be afraid of the people, even though they were greater and stronger than them. The LORD was going to fight for them. The LORD was going to keep them healthy. The picture is one of Israel knowing what God has done in the past and the promise of what HE will do in the future. Their responsibility is to reverence HIM by obeying HIS commandments. HE is and was an awesome GOD. People were not to be feared, only HE was to be feared or given reverence for what HE was capable of doing to HIS enemies or the ones who hated HIM.
Our responsibility is to reverence HIM. Our responsibility is to realize that HE is still an awesome God. We are to practice the fear of the LORD. We are not to be afraid of others. The LORD sends us strength. Victory comes from HIM alone.
CHALLENGE: When we look around our world do, we experience fear or trust? Are we willing to realize that we serve an awesome God? Do we move in the strength of that belief?
: 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire, you shall not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it to you, lest you be snared therein, for it is an abomination to the LOR your God. (2530 “desire” [chamad] means covet, delight, pleasant, delectable things, wish, long for, crave something to a fault or detrimentally, treasure, or selfish desire.)
DEVOTION: Money is not the root of all evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. Money is necessary to life. In our society you need money to buy your food and clothing that are necessary to survive in our world.
The nations around Israel had made their false gods with gold and silver. When they conquered a nation, they took the booty from that nation which included these false gods made of silver and gold.
The LORD told them to burn their false gods in a fire. It would melt them down to nothing but liquid metal. Moses took the golden calf and melted it down and mixed it with water and made the children of Israel drink it.
There has always been a temptation related to precious metals. We can hoard coins and other things that are made of gold and silver and then trust in our storehouse of these metals instead of trusting in the LORD.
God wants us to trust ONLY in HIM for our treasure. If our treasure is something here on this earth, we will turn to it in a time of trouble instead of the LORD.
Is it wrong to have a savings account? NO!! It is wrong to trust in the saving account to get you through a time of trouble. Money can be a snare rather than an asset.
False gods in the homes of the children of Israel was an abomination in the eyes of the LORD. HE didn’t want them worshiping their possessions but HIM alone. HE doesn’t want us worshiping a sports team more than HIM. HE doesn’t want us worshiping our car more than HIM. HE doesn’t want us worshiping anything more than HIM.
HE doesn’t even want us to worship the Bible more than HIM. HE needs to be the center of our life.
CHALLENGE: If we count on anything other than HIM, we are worshiping a false god. That is a hindrance in our service to HIM and that doesn’t bring glory to HIM alone.
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)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandmentsverses 10, 11
Statutesverse 11
Judgmentsverses 11, 12
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 4, 6-8, 12, 15, 16, 18-23, 25
God (Elohim)verses 1, 2, 6, 9, 12, 16, 18-23, 25
LORD thy Godverses 1, 2, 6, 9, 12, 16, 18-23, 25
Anger of the LORDverse 4
Keep an oathverse 8
Faithful Godverse 9
Mighty Godverse 21
Terrible [Awesome]verse 21
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)
Hittitesverse 1
Girgashitesverse 1
Amoritesverse 1
Canaanitesverse 1
Perizzitesverse 1
Hivitesverse 1
Jebusitesverse 1
Seven nationsverses 1, 17, 22
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Covenant with seven nationsverse 2
Mercy to seven nationsverse 2
Marriage with seven nationsverse 3
Other godsverses 4, 16, 25
Imagesverses 5, 25
Grovesverse 5
Hate Godverse 10
Evilverse 15
Snareverses 16, 25
Afraid of nationsverse 18
Abominationverses 25, 26
Cursedverse 26
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Inheritanceverses 1, 13
Deliveranceverses 2, 16, 23, 24
Holyverse 6
Chosenverses 6, 7
Specialverse 6
Lovedverses 7, 8, 9, 13
Redeemedverse 8
Covenantverses 9, 12
Keep HIS commandmentsverses 9, 11
Mercyverse 12
Blessedverses 13, 14
Take away all sicknessverse 15
No evil diseasesverse 15
No fear of peopleverses 18, 19, 21
Remember God’s past deedsverse 18
Presence of the LORDverse 21
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Lay diseases against those who hate Israelverse 15
Saw great temptations, signs and wondersverse 19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
Because he loved them and kept the promise of his covenant with their forefathers, the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt and redeemed them from the land of slavery and the power of Pharaoh (v.8). Why God loved them is not stated in the Pentateuch, but the focus of thought is obvious—it is the character of God rather than any excellence in the people that accounts for the choice. This is more evident by the reiterated assertion that the Lord their God was God, was faithful and true in himself and true to his covenant-treaty, and would be true in his covenant love toward his people into the distant future—“to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands” (v.9). But those who hate him, who do not love and obey him, he will repay with destruction “to their face”—viz., individually (v.10). Both the singular suffix on “face” and the figurative use of “face” suggest the meaning “to each personally.” (Kalland, E. S. (1992). Deuteronomy. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 71). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
7:7–11. Moses meant for the Israelites to draw two conclusions from God’s choice and redemption of them. First, the Lord alone is God. He is able to control history, to raise up nations, and to bring them down. Second, He is the faithful God. The thousand generations is a proverbial expression meaning “endlessly” or “forever.” Though He will never abandon His covenant of love (cf. v. 12) to Israel, rebellious individuals within the nation will be judged for their sin just as His enemies in other nations (those who hate Him) are judged by Him. Therefore, each individual Israelite needed to be careful to follow His commands. (Deere, J. S. (1985). Deuteronomy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 276–277). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Thirdly, the choice of Israel brought obligations. God had made a covenant because of his love, and he would show his faithfulness in it, but he expected in return a love which was willing to be obedient (9). God’s undertaking to expel the Canaanites was quickly followed by a stern warning to Israel not to take their own relationship with him for granted. The sign that that relationship was true would not be the name of ‘Israel’, nor any outward mark, but only a willingness to do the commandments of God (10–11). This is the other side of ‘holiness’. The same warning still echoes in the NT (e.g. Rom. 9:30–32), and comes today not only to Jews but also to Christians. (McConville, J. G. (1994). Deuteronomy. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 208). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
Separation means blessing (Deut. 7:7–16). The Lord’s choice of Abraham and Sarah was an act of sovereign grace. They were idol-worshipers in Ur of the Chaldees when “the God of glory” appeared (Acts 7:1–3; Josh. 24:1–3). They had no children and yet were promised descendants as numerous as the sands of the seashore and the stars of the heavens. They later had one son, Isaac, and he had two sons, Esau and Jacob; and from Jacob’s twelve sons came the twelve tribes of Israel. When Jacob’s family gathered in Egypt, there were seventy people (Gen. 46), but by the time they were delivered from Egypt, they had become a great nation. Why did this happen? Because God loved them and kept the promises that He made to their ancestors.
We must not overlook the parallel between Israel and the church. All who are born again through faith in Jesus Christ are “chosen in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). This salvation came to us “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy” (Titus 2:5). One of my seminary professors once said, “Try to explain divine election and you may lose your mind, but try to explain it away and you will lose your soul.” Like Israel, the church is God’s chosen people and His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:5, 9); and like Israel, we are called to be a light to the lost world (Matt. 5:14–16).
Privilege always brings responsibility, and Israel’s responsibility was to obey God’s commandments, for then He could bless them as He promised. God’s covenant was a covenant of love, and He would show His love by blessing them if they obeyed and chastening them if they disobeyed. The Lord would bless them with children and grandchildren and increase their numbers greatly. He would also increase their crops and livestock so they would have enough to eat and a surplus to sell. Because of their obedience, Israel would escape the terrible diseases they saw in Egypt as well as the plagues that God sent to the land.
All these blessings on Israel would bring glory to the Lord. The other nations would see the fruitfulness of the land and the people and ask, “What is the reason for this?” The Jews would then reply, “This is the blessing of the Lord on His people!” It would give the Jews opportunities to share the truth about Jehovah with unbelievers and perhaps persuade them to trust the true and living God. Their national blessings would also give parents the opportunity to teach their children the importance of obeying God’s Word. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1999). Be equipped (pp. 52–53). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub)
Ver. 9. Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God, &c.] The only true and living God, and not the idols of the Gentiles, who are false and lifeless ones, and therefore not the proper objects of adoration: the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy; as appeared by fulfilling the promise made to their fathers, in bringing them out of Egypt, and now them to the borders of the land of Canaan given them for an inheritance: with them that love him, and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, see Exod. 20:6. which are not the causes or conditions of his covenant and mercy, nor of his keeping them, but descriptive of the persons that enjoy the benefit thereof. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 32). London: Mathews and Leigh.
9. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God. The verb might have been as properly translated in the future tense; and, if this be preferred, an experimental knowledge, as it is called, is referred to, as if he had said that God would practically manifest how faithful a rewarder He is of His servants. But if the other reading is rather approved, Moses exhorts the people to be assured that God sits in heaven as the Judge of men, so that they may be both alarmed by the fear of His vengeance, and also attracted by the hope of reward. This declaration, however, was appended to the Second Commandment, and there expounded; for since it is comprehended in the Decalogue, it was not right to separate it from thence; but since it is now repeated in confirmation of the whole Law, it is fitly inserted in this place. It will not be amiss, nevertheless, slightly to advert to what I there more fully explained. The promise stands first, because God chooses rather to invite His people by kindness than to compel them to obedience from terror. The word mercy is coupled with the covenant, that we may know that the reward which believers must expect, does not depend on the merit of their works, since they have need of God’s mercy. We may, however, thus resolve the phrase—keeping the covenant of mercy—or the covenant founded on mercy—or the mercy which He covenanted.
When it is required of believers that they should love God before they keep His Commandments, we are thus taught that the source and cause of obedience is the love wherewith we embrace God as our Father. With respect to the “thousand generations,” it is better that we should refer to the Second Commandment, because it is a point which cannot be hurried over in a few words. (Calvin, J., & Bingham, C. W. (2010). Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony (Vol. 3, pp. 224–225). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
While the word occurs only eight times, it is filled with theological and spiritual treasures. Qoheleth reports that the accumulation of the finest of personal possessions is sheer vanity. Those who fear the Lord become his peculiar possessions whom he will never forget, even in that time of great judgment (Mal 3:16–18). (Patterson, R. D. (1999). 1460 סגל. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.)
The CHURCH in an age of CRISIS by James Emery White
Internet users in the United States jumped from just over 22 million in 2000 to 245 million in 2010, (p. 138)
Pulling from the Stanford and UCLA studies, Nicholas Carr drew a startling conclusion in his book: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brain: the internet is weakening our comprehension and transforming us into shallow thinkers. (p. 139)
Or as Challies writes, “We have become scanners rather than engagers, shimmers in place of readers. It brings to mind something the late historian Daniel Boorstin once suggested: ‘The greats menace to progress is not, ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.” (p. 140)
Anyone with an axe to grind or a grudge to nurse can launch a website for global consumption. It can be done with complete anonymity, virtually no cost, and most important of all, no accountability or consequences. (p. 143)
2 Timothy 4
Paul charges Timothy to preach the Word of God and offset the ministry of false teachers.
INSIGHT
We think of Paul as being one of the great spiritual giants of the ages. Because of this, most of us don’t expect to receive the same reward that he will. However, we need to realize that the Lord does not reward talent or results – He rewards motive and faithfulness. At the end of his life, Paul wrote: “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (v. 8). That means you and me!
(Quiet Walk)
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HOW WE KNOW GOD
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
1 John 4:13
How do we have knowledge about God? “Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us.” How? The answer is, “because he hath given us of his Spirit.” So it all comes down to that in the last analysis. How do I know I have received God’s Spirit? How may I know for certain that I have been given and received something of the Holy Spirit of God?
Are you concerned about these things, and have you a desire to have them? Are you concerned about the life of your soul? Are you concerned about knowing God? I assure you that if you are, the Holy Spirit is in you, for people apart from God “mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:19)—carnal, fleshly things. Are you concerned about immortality and the things invisible and eternal? If you are minding these things, that is a proof that the Holy Spirit is in you.
Do you have a sense of sin? Are you aware that there is an evil principle within you? Not simply that you do certain things you should not do and feel annoyed with yourself because of it. No; rather, I mean that you are aware that you have an evil nature, that there is a principle of sin and wrong in your heart, that there is a fountain emitting unworthy, ugly, and foul things, and in a sense you hate yourself. Our Lord said that the man who loves himself is in a very dangerous condition. The apostle Paul was a man who could say about himself, “In me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing….O wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:18, 24). If you have ever felt yourself a sinner, and if you have hated this thing that gets you down, that is proof that you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Thought to Ponder: If you have ever felt yourself a sinner, that is proof that you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(From The Love of God, pp. 96-98, by Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Watch in Prayer
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.” (Colossians 4:2-3)
This strong command is composed of two very similar Greek terms—gregoreuo, meaning “vigilant” or “alert,” and agrupneo, meaning “be awake.” A similar emphasis is at the end of the classic passage identifying the armor of God: “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:18).
Our watching must also be with a conscious attitude of thanksgiving during “every remembrance” of each other (Philippians 1:3), particularly since the intercessory request should be focused on asking our Lord Jesus to provide an open door (Revelation 3:8). The Lord is indeed the One who opens the door, but the process for obtaining His action is recorded in Luke 11:9-11. We must ask for the gift of the open door, seek to find the door that He is opening, and then knock once we are at the door that He is ready to open for us.
However, as Paul notes, when the Lord opens a “door of utterance,” the spoken Word of God conveys the power of God—and that message and its power will bring the attention of the Enemy. “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9).
Any fear that might lurk in our minds should be overridden by the necessity to be spokespeople for this wonderful “mystery of Christ.” There is no “salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
Why Our Most Important Conversations Have to Begin with Who We Are
Perhaps the most helpful framework I know of in wrestling with moral issues comes from T.S. Eliot. Before we can know what to do with something, we must know what that something is for. For example, before we decide what we should do with human life (whether we should take it, make it, or remake it), we should know what human life is for.
The opposing sides of contemporary debates around bioethics, i.e. abortion, doctor-assisted suicide, in-vitro fertilization, and other assisted reproductive technologies, often proceed from very different beliefs about what it means to be human and, therefore, what it means for humans to flourish.
That is essentially the very important argument made by Notre Dame Professor O. Carter Snead in his new book What It Means to Be Human, which was recently called “the most important book of moral philosophy so far this century” by public intellectual Yuval Levin.
(Now, if you’ve already checked this off as too academic because of phrases like “moral philosophy” and “public intellectual,” I will have failed. My interview with Snead on the BreakPoint Podcast should change your mind.)
Our laws and policies and debates about beginning and end-of-life technologies are proceeding these days, says Snead, without a shared or articulated vision of “what it means to be human.” Or, to use T.S. Eliot’s framework, we are greenlighting incredible technologies and freedoms about how to begin life and how to end life, without a foundation for understanding what humans are for.
Absent any official conversation, contemporary bioethics merely assumes the dominant cultural narrative about human existence: that we are autonomous individuals living in moral isolation from everything and everyone. As Snead profoundly argues, “everything” includes our own bodies. In other words, some of the most profound moral decisions are made as if people are “disembodied wills.” Philosopher Alisdair McIntyre put it simply, “We have forgotten our bodies.”
Here’s why that matters. If we aren’t bound by our bodies, then we aren’t bound by the bodies of others, which means we have no responsibility for anyone for anyone or for any obligations that are not chosen. No relationship, not with fellow citizens, not with family members or friends, not with tradition or religion, can define for us who we are or how we live.
This view of what humans are for, or perhaps what humans are not for, has been dubbed “expressive individualism,” and is the dominant worldview shaping our laws and our cultural imagination when it comes to what humans should do, and what we should be able to do with humans (including those not yet born, or who are infirmed and elderly, or who perceive themselves to be “born in the wrong body,” or who are fertile or infertile when they don’t want to be).
This caricature of real people and the way we live fails to take into account one of the most basic realities of human existence: that we live and encounter each other as bodies, not just as desires and wills. And our bodies are vulnerable. They are fragile. They get sick, and they eventually die. This reality creates mutual obligations within families, friends, and neighbors. Namely, to give without expectation of getting anything back and, also, and this is important, to receive without being able to give back.
In What It Means to Be Human, Snead makes clear that simply debating the morality of abortion, euthanasia, and assisted reproduction is not sufficient. Moreover, it’s not enough to train our kids or disciple Christians just in the morality of these issues. We have to ground our definitions, debates, and catechisms in anthropology, in what it means to be human.
If we are to love our weak, vulnerable, and dependent neighbors, if we are to defend them, we ought also remember that we, too, will be weak, vulnerable, and dependent someday. This is what being human is, and our laws and policies should reflect it.
My interview with Professor Snead can be heard on the BreakPoint podcast. Please listen, and then buy two copies of What It Means to Be Human: one for yourself and one for your pastor. Both the Podcast and the book are available at BreakPoint.org.
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