THE LORD SPOKE (June 26)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: II Chronicles 9-10

Moses warned the people against a king who would act inappropriately and drag down the nation (Deut. 17:16) in three specific areas. He would:

• "acquire great numbers of horses"
• "take many wives"
• "accumulate large amounts of silver and gold"

Solomon's record is painfully on target:

• II Chron. 9:25, 28 - "Solomon had 12,000 horses...imported from Egypt and from all other countries"
• I Ki. 11:3 - "he had 700 wives...and 300 concubines"
• II Chron. 9:13-20 - "the weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was [25 tons]...[and] silver was considered of little value"

How could someone who started so right go so wrong?? How? Solomon nurtured a love for dominating everything and everybody throughout his entire life. His wealth and place in life gave him a position in which he was always in the front, the object of deference and respect from all others. He had total liberty in devising and shaping policy and it went to his head. Read Ecclesiastes! He had the means to try every possible avenue of human experience and, in doing so, he missed the road to genuine, sustained, spiritual growth. His soul withered. He stooped to the lowest imaginable extremities and was accountable to no one.

Thankfully, it does appear that Solomon came back to his spiritual senses before dying. The chronicler doesn't tell us anything about this but some of Solomon's last written words were, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.... Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man..." (Eccl. 12:1, 13). Jesus said, "It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." We may not be anywhere near as rich but, like Solomon, we will ultimately be judged not so much for how we used our resources but for what we didn't do that we could have done with them. That's why it's of no value to compare your output with someone else's. The standard of judgment will be different. It will examine what you could have done for the Lord with what you have. He has given you abilities and resources to use for His glory. How well do you rate on that scale?


New Testament: Philippians 3

He went from being self-centered to being centered in Christ. Paul’s pilgrimage began on the road to Damascus though most would have thought him a spiritual man long before that. To be sure, he was on a religious journey but it was in the wrong direction. He describes that in Philippians 3:5-6.

But he came to recognize that it was a “righteousness of [his] own” (Phil. 3:9). Though he could say it was “faultless” (Phil. 3:6b), he also had to say it was extremely shallow. The trajectory would never reach up to God. He needed more than a transfusion; he need a transformation. And he found that in Christ.

It means “sharing in His sufferings” and “becoming like Him in death” but that only turned out to be greater gain. In fact, everything that Paul had previously thought of as most valuable and important was really only “rubbish” (Phil. 3:8). It was the pursuit of Christ that put him on a different plain.

Switching to athletic imagery, Paul likened it to a race. Fixing his eye on the goal, he began his kick. At sprint speed he pressed forward to the finish line, not looking aside or back (“forgetting what is behind”). What was/is the goal? It is our “citizenship in heaven and the moment when, through resurrection, Christ will “transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Phil. 3:2-21). We eagerly await the resurrection from the dead. This is “the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

Twice Paul speaks of the awesome power that will bring this about. In vs. 10 he expresses his desire to know/experience “the power of his [Christ’s] resurrection” and again in vs. 21 he anticipates the power that “will transform our lowly bodies” to be like His. This will be the greatest “rush” known or knowable to man. What Hemmingway and others have foolishly sought in their own power, is promised to every believer. “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

THE LORD SPOKE (May 19)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Kings 10-11

A foreigner, the Queen of Sheba, recognized that Solomon's glory did not come from any human source. She gave praise to God and attributed everything she saw to the Lord "who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel" (I Ki. 10:9).

Just as Samuel had predicted (I Sam. 8:11-18) and Moses had cautioned against (Deut. 17:14-20), King Solomon was enticed to excess in his personal life. He greatly multiplied his gold (I Ki. 10:14-22), his giddy-ups (I Ki. I0:26-29), and his gals (I Ki. 11:1-8) and this quickly multiplied his headaches (I Ki. 11:9-14). Worse, it drew God's anger and destroyed Solomon's legacy (I Ki. 11:9-11).

Possessions easily become idols to us and this was Solomon's great downfall. Rather than turning "to God from idols" as the Thessalonians (I Thess. 1:9), he went the opposite direction and had to cry out in old age, "don't forget God" (Eccl. 12:1), cautioning us to:

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Eccl. 12:13-14)

How refreshing that "One greater than Solomon" (Mat. 12:42) has shown us a better way. He gave up everything and "made himself nothing" (Phil. 2:5-8). Of Him the Father could say,

This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! (Mat. 17:5)

From whom or from where do you draw your cues? From some human icon? from Hollywood? The Lord Jesus "humbled himself and became obedient". We can do no better than to follow Him.


New Testament: I Corinthians 6

Do you remember the olden days when we still used film in our cameras? Remember how sometimes it didn’t seem to advance properly and you wondered if you had gotten it engaged properly on the sprocket? After taking several pictures you finally decided to open the back of the camera, hoping to discover that the film tail was still disengaged and you could fix it. Remember your disappointment when you found that, in fact, it was properly fed and something else was causing the problem? But by opening the back of the camera you had let light in and ruined all those first pictures on the roll of film inside. Once exposed like that it was finished and could never produce the pictures you intended.

Pre-marital and extra-marital sex is like that. Once the film is exposed improperly, it can never be fully recovered. Something is lost forever.

Though any sin is evil and every sin will bring condemnation, all sins are not equal. Even one “little” sin makes you a sinner and God’s wrath abides upon you unless you are justified through the blood of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, all sins are not the same. Paul clearly tells us that sexual sins fall into a category of their own (I Cor. 6:18).

Yes, like any other sin, they can be forgiven. Also, like any other sin, sexual sins have consequences. But that’s what’s different. Sexual sins are “against the body”. Sometimes that is in a very real and physical sense. Sexually transmitted diseases are an immediate form of God’s judgment on sexual sin (see Rom. 1:24-27; esp. vs. 27).

But there’s more. God does forgive sexual sin when confessed and abandoned, but the exposing of that film brings permanent scars that cannot be removed. It you’re reading this and are being tempted in this are but have not yet yielded, consider it very carefully. Do not burn your film and enter a lifetime of regret and painful memories. It’s not worth it! Remain a virgin and enjoy proper marital sex at the right time as God intended it.

If you’ve already sinned in this area, confess your sin to God and ask for His for forgiveness and cleansing. Then, long for the day when your glorified body will no longer have those scars. Do everything you can now to warn your children and others of the permanent pain that this sin brings.

THE LORD SPOKE (May 18)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Kings 8-9

When should we pray? Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the new Temple is neatly outlined by "when...they pray...then..." and provides a clue for when we should seek God's face.

WHEN

• someone has wronged us (I Ki. 8:31)
• we have suffered defeat at the hands of the Enemy (I Ki. 8:33)
• we sense that our relationship with God has been broken (I Ki. 8:35)
• we suffer hard times (I Ki. 8:37)
• we are estranged from God's people (I Ki. 8:41)
• we are facing a big challenge (I Ki. 8:44)
• we sin (I Ki. 8:46)

THEN, He restores...

• our innocence (I Ki. 8:32) Note: innocence does not mean sinlessness; it means pure relationship.
• our spiritual footing (I Ki. 8:34)
• our proper habits - a godly lifestyle (I Ki. 8:36)
• our heart relationship (I Ki. 8:39)
• our testimony before a watching world (I Ki. 8:43)
• our strength for battle (I Ki. 8:45)
• our daily walk with the Lord (I Ki. 8:49)

In each case, God's response is to restore us! He "turn[s] our hearts to Him" (I Ki. 8:58) and "teach[es us] the right way to live" (I Ki. 8:36). The result is that we are "joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord [has] done" (I Ki. 8:66). Isn't that a better way to live?!


New Testament: I Corinthians 5

Was Paul writing this around Passover time? It seems that all the matzah he was eating could be what gave occasion to his comment about yeast (I Cor. 5:6) and that led naturally to the reference to keeping the festival. Then it was no great leap to speak of “Christ, our Passover lamb” who has been sacrificed for us.

But don’t miss the context and basic matter of this chapter. Though Paul has plenty to say about it, it’s not even sexual immorality. The main topic is what to do about a sinning brother.

Church discipline! The very mention stirs a dissonant cord. There’s an immediate hesitation that borders on resistance. It’s not a fun thing to consider. Perhaps it’s easier if the sin is so blatantly gross (I Cor. 5:1) but that wasn’t the case here at Corinth. They actually prided themselves that they could keep such a one in their fellowship.

Paul is very clear in his judgment: such a one should be “put out of your fellowship” (I Cor. 5:1). In fact, he goes much further: he should be handed over to Satan for the destruction of his body, and the ultimate saving of his soul (I Cor. 5:5). Such language would be rare indeed in church business meetings nowadays.

“Put him out of your fellowship” implies first that there is such a fellowship, that there is such a union of like-minded believers who are jealous for truth and righteousness, and that there is some standard for being “in” and that just causes for being put “out” have been established. That’s a lot of implications!

We’ve nearly lost the meaning, purpose, and value of church membership today. Church hopping is so common and easy that few still feel any sense of community or responsibility to the body of believers in a local church. For sure, there’s precious little authority left. “Members” may come and go and pretty much do as they please with no fear. Excommunication? That’s something from the Catholics in the Middle Ages.

Not so in Scripture. The Bible teaches the importance of committed members of a body that functions together. When one member hurts, all feel it. When a member falls into sin, there are consequences. There’s no place to hide or skip off to when a whim leads you to move on. Responsibility, service, faithfulness, dependability, and accountability are key words. More than words! They are God-honoring principles that define church membership.

THE LORD SPOKE (October 22)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Jeremiah 27-29

“You’re going to be there for awhile so get used to it.”

That was Jeremiah’s advice to the people of Israel as they contemplated the 70-year captivity. Many were probably thinking they could get time off for good behavior. After all, God is a gracious God. Can’t we just repent and get it over with quicker?

And there were plenty of other prophets around to encourage them in this thinking. In fact, there were also diviners, interpreters of dreams, mediums, and sorcerers to promote this lie (27:9-10). Hananiah was a popular and respected prophet. He didn’t like Jeremiah’s negativism. Without a word from the Lord, he prophesied relief within two years (28:2-4). Not only did he contradict Jeremiah, he publically demonstrated against him (28:10-11) and led the people to rebel against the Lord (28:16). God took his life away!

Jeremiah told the people to “serve the king of Babylon” (27:18 - he’s even called “my servant Nebuchadnezzar” in 27:6). Jeremiah tells them to...

• build houses and settle down
• plant gardens and eat what they provide
• marry and have sons and daughters...and grandchildren
• seek the peace and prosperity of that place - “Pray to the Lord for it.”

He says, “It will be a long time [so] settle down” and get used to it (29:28). Is there an application here for us? While “this world is not my home - I’m just a passin’ through”, nevertheless, God has placed us here for a time and for a purpose. We too should settle down and lead productive lives. While our citizenship is in heaven, we should be involved in our present location, contributing to our community.

Before reading these chapters, would you have recognized any of these names:

• Hananiah, ben-Azzur
• Ahab, ben-Kolaiah
• Zedekiah, ben-Maaseiah
• Shemaiah the Nehelamite
• Zephaniah, ben-Maaseiah

They’ve been long forgotten. But have you ever heard of Jeremiah? He was just “one of the priests of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin” (1:1) - a small village in the smallest tribe and off the beaten track. But, “the word of the Lord came to him” (1:2) and he faithfully proclaimed it. You can do no better!


Psalms 71-72

If Psalm 72 is just about Solomon, it rings rather hollow. Earliest interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, have seen messianic overtones in this psalm.

It’s what is commonly called a Royal Psalm or a Coronation Psalm. The superscription tell us it’s “Of Solomon” but therein lies part of the problem. The Hebrew means of indicating a possessive is to attach the preposition ל (lamed) as a prefix on the noun. However, that same prefix can mean both “of” in the sense of being “derived from” or “of” in the sense of “dedicated to”. Both would carry the sense of “belonging to”. In either case, it’s a psalm “of Solomon”.

It’s quite possible that both are true in this case. Solomon may well have written this psalm for his own coronation. It was used by Israel as a dedicatory prayer for later kings in the Davidic dynasty. But the messianic applications stand out in nearly every verse:

• righteousness and justice (vs. 1-2,7)
• prosperity (vs. 3,7)
• endure through all generations and forever (vs. 5,17)
• rule from sea to sea, ends of the earth, distant shores (vs. 8-10)
• deliverance of needy, afflicted, and oppressed (vs. 4,12-14)

Perhaps the clincher comes in vs. 17b where it says that “all nations will be blessed through him”. That’s a not-so-veiled reference to the Abrahamic Covenant. In Genesis 12:3, God told Abraham that “in you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed” and Paul picked up on that exact phrase in Galatians 3:8 where he says it constitutes “the gospel in advance”. A clear messianic reference!

The very idea of all the nations participating in God’s plan for mankind speaks of the Messianic Age when Jesus Christ shall reign. He is the ultimate King who will bring eternal justice and righteousness.

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen!

Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.

With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th’oppressor in the dust:
His worship and His fear shall last
Till hours, and years, and time be past.