THE LORD SPOKE (July 14)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: Nehemiah 4-6

The Bible gives us more of Nehemiah's prayers than any other individual in Scripture. There are longer prayers recorded but Nehemiah holds the record for the most. Some are "crafted" prayers which show planning and organization (1:4-11) and may have been written out. Several are sentence prayers (e.g. 5:19; 6:9), uttered spontaneously in a moment of need. Seven tell God to remember something (1:8; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14,22,29,31). Does He forget?

The imprecatory prayers (4:4-5; 6:14; 13:29.31) are interesting because we often feel uncomfortable about praying that way (e.g. 4:4-5 - calling for the destruction of our enemies), but they follow a solid biblical tradition (e.g. Psalm 5:10; 10:15; 31:17-18; 40:14-15; etc.).

A frequent element in Nehemiah's prayers is the emphasis on praying and preparing (2:5; 4:9; 6:9). Like the patriots of the American Revolution ("Pray to God and keep your powder dry."), Nehemiah leads the people by doing everything he could/should to answer his own prayers. God is pleased when we use all the strength and resources that He has given us, but our actions are always to be preceded by prayer (James 4:13-15).

Prayer is a "spiritual discipline" because...

1. it makes me wait (gives me new priorities)
2. it clears my vision (gives me a new perspective)
3. it activates my faith (gives me new power)
4. it quiets my heart (gives me new purpose)

So, why don't we do more of it?


New Testament: I Timothy 5

Such instances are not rare, but in I Timothy 5:18 we have two quotations taken from different parts of the Bible. One is from the Old Testament and, what’s rare, is the other one is from the New Testament. They’re both equated as Scripture and that’s significant since the New Testament had not yet come together as a collection. Various parts were already circulating, in this case the Gospel of Luke, but some had not yet even been written. Still, Paul calls both quotes “Scripture”. At least in some cases, there was near-immediate recognition of inspiration.

Paul’s quote, “Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain”, comes from Deuteronomy 25:4. He used this same passage previously in his writing to the Corinthians. In a similar context he told them to provide a material harvest for those who ministered among them in spiritual things (I Cor. 9:7-14). The principle had been laid down in OT law: the worker should be paid for his labor.

This was confirmed in NT precept, in the very words of Jesus. He said, “the worker deserves his wages” (Lk. 10:7). It might seem obvious to us that this too is “Scripture” but it wasn’t a foregone conclusion at the time. Luke told us that “many have undertaken to draw up an account” (Lk. 1:1) and there were several spurious “gospels” circulating at the time. Paul’s citation is loaded with significance for a proper understanding of NT canonicity.

But, be sure to remember the point he’s making. The work of preaching and teaching is work indeed. The labor that goes into an hour of preaching has been calculated as equivalent to an 8-hour day of manual labor. The muscles may not be sore but the psyche is often sore at the end of the day and the same amount of calories have been spent. The worker is worthy of being well cared for.

In fact, Paul says the elder should be evaluated and, if he is doing a good job, he should be paid double (I Tim. 5:17). His incentive must come from above but it’s appropriate that there be a temporal reward for him here below.

THE LORD SPOKE (September 23)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Isaiah 11-13

The Day of the Lord. Never a very easy subject and especially in Isaiah where it is sometimes presented as a bright shining hope (e.g. chapters 11 & 43) and other times as a day of doom and judgment (e.g. chapters, 2, 24, & 34). The key to unlocking this difficulty is found in understanding the Hebrew concept of a day. Already in Genesis 1, we find the calculation of a day to begin with the hours of darkness. Six times it says, “there was evening, and there was morning - the _______ day”. The Jewish reckoning of a day began with the night and ended with the daylight.

So too “the Day of the Lord”. It will begin with judgment and then turn to the dawning. That is not to agree with the chorus of the well-known hymn, We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations. There it says that “the darkness shall turn to the dawning and the dawning to noon-day bright, and Christ’s great kingdom shall come to earth....” The error of that song is it’s amillennial eschatology. The idea there is that our missionary endeavors - preaching to the nations - will bring in Christ’s kingdom.

But Scripture teaches that Christ’s kingdom will come in with great judgment upon the nations and all who have rejected Him. This is the many-times-repeated message of Isaiah, starting in Is. 2:11 & 17...

The eyes of the arrogant men will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

The book of Revelation confirms this view. Revelation 6-19 speaks of great judgment upon all the earth and her inhabitants before the glorious appearing of Christ (Rev. 9:11-16) and the establishment of His millennial kingdom on earth (Rev. 20:4-6).

Here in Isaiah 11 we read of the mid-point dawning of the Day of the Lord. The messianic introduction (Is. 11:1-5) tells of His judgment in striking the earth but then there follows a description of millennial conditions (Is. 11:6-9) and, in particular, the restoration of the remnant of Israel to the Land (Is. 11:10-16). Twice (Is. 11:10 & 11) it speaks of “that day” which will be glorious.

A most significant phrase is used in Is. 11:11. It says that God would do this “a second time”. Some would say that the first time was from Egypt (prior to Isaiah some 750 years) and the second time was in the days of Ezra (about 230 years after Isaiah). But Is. 11:11 eliminates that possibility when you consider from where the people return! They come from the four corners of the earth.

The better interpretation is that the first return in Isaiah’s prophecy happened in the days of Ezra and the second is that which is happening before our very eyes today. That leads us to the conclusion that the current return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel is the not-yet-completed fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Note further, there will only be two such returns according to Isaiah so we should expect this one to lead into the Day of the Lord. We are not to expect or suggest that what’s happening now could all fade away and start over again at some future time - a third, fourth, or more return. No, we are seeing prophecy fulfilled in our time and the next event on God’s prophetic calendar is the return of Jesus Christ to take His Bride before the judgment of the Day of the Lord begins. Are you looking up?


Psalms 13-14

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

Like a child tired of traveling in the car, David begins Psalm 13 with a whine. How long? How long? How long? How long? Four times! Should you talk to God like that? Do you?

How do you think He feels about that kind of questioning? Just as we get perturbed at our nagging child, it seems He must grow weary of listening to such whining. If the psalm did not progress and then end as it does, there would be just cause for divine disfavor. If the whining did not stop and then turn to joyful praise, there would be reason for the wrath of heaven to fall.

Psalm 13 is composed like a Richard Strauss symphony. Eine Alpensinfonie is written like a climb up a mountain side, beginning during the darkness just before dawn. The ascent takes you through a forest, by a brook, near a waterfall, and through flowery meadows. From the glacier near the summit you see rising mists and then an approaching storm. The thunder strikes and passes before a swift descent to get off the mountain before nightfall. All that with music.

David does the same with words, expressing a shift in spiritual mood:

I. In the Valley (Ps. 13: 1-2)
II. Starting to Climb (Ps. 13: 3-4)
III. At the Peak (Ps. 13: 5-6)

It describes our common experience, does it not? It’s so important that we follow through in the symphony of life and don’t stay down in the valleys. Just as David turned his eyes to the Lord and called out to Him for help, so must we. This will bring us also to say, “I trust in your unfailing love” (Ps. 13: 5).

Simply trusting every day,
Trusting through a stormy way;
Even when my faith is small,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting as the moments fly,
Trusting as the days go by;
Trusting Him whate’er befall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Singing if my way is clear,
Praying if the path be drear;
If in danger for Him call;
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

Trusting Him while life shall last,
Trusting Him till earth be past;
Till within the jasper wall,
Trusting Jesus, that is all.

                              Edgar P. Stites