Randy Green's Blog, page 446
April 9, 2013
No Wiggle Room Allowed – Part 1
Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted [Isaiah 53:4].
Emotions are a funny thing. If I ride the emotional roller coaster, I am up one moment and down another. Sometimes the ups and downs aren’t so far apart, in which case I appear to be “normal”, whatever that is! At other times though the ups and downs are so distant, it would take the Hubble telescope to make the two meet. Does the medical term bipolar disorder come to mind?
I’m really not a raving maniac, honest? Not even in the worst of times, if I may be so forward as to borrow from Dickens. It’s just that sometimes I realize I am not the cause of all the evils in the world, in which case I am having a good day. Then there are those times where my emotions tyrannize me into thinking everything is my fault. Those are not the good days, believe me.
You see, I suffer from the same affliction which all of us share to one extent or another. It appears in the Spiritual Dictionary of Medicine wearing a decorative three-piece suit “s-i-n”. Some of us blame self for every wrong. Sin is at the root of this malady. Others of us blame everyone else for the wrongs they encounter. Sin is also at the root of that malady.
What is so baffling about such a state is this: though we blame the world when things go wrong, we take all the bows when things go right. One side of the coin is our inability to look in the mirror and see self as the culprit. The other side of the coin is our ability to look in the same mirror and see self as the hero. “Never at fault and always in the right!” Such is the motto of sinful man.
When the Lord Jesus came on the scene circa 3 B.C., sinful man was bedecked in the same three-piece suit. The Son of God simultaneously became Jesus the Son of man. At circa 27 A.D. He went about the Promised Land sharing the Good News. He healed the sick and gave sight to the blind, restored hearing to the deaf and raised the dead. He even feed multitudes with food He called into existence by His mere Word.
Oh, no. We’re out of time once again…and just when we finally met up with Jesus too! We will continue this topic tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Emotions are a funny thing. If I ride the emotional roller coaster, I am up one moment and down another. Sometimes the ups and downs aren’t so far apart, in which case I appear to be “normal”, whatever that is! At other times though the ups and downs are so distant, it would take the Hubble telescope to make the two meet. Does the medical term bipolar disorder come to mind?
I’m really not a raving maniac, honest? Not even in the worst of times, if I may be so forward as to borrow from Dickens. It’s just that sometimes I realize I am not the cause of all the evils in the world, in which case I am having a good day. Then there are those times where my emotions tyrannize me into thinking everything is my fault. Those are not the good days, believe me.
You see, I suffer from the same affliction which all of us share to one extent or another. It appears in the Spiritual Dictionary of Medicine wearing a decorative three-piece suit “s-i-n”. Some of us blame self for every wrong. Sin is at the root of this malady. Others of us blame everyone else for the wrongs they encounter. Sin is also at the root of that malady.
What is so baffling about such a state is this: though we blame the world when things go wrong, we take all the bows when things go right. One side of the coin is our inability to look in the mirror and see self as the culprit. The other side of the coin is our ability to look in the same mirror and see self as the hero. “Never at fault and always in the right!” Such is the motto of sinful man.
When the Lord Jesus came on the scene circa 3 B.C., sinful man was bedecked in the same three-piece suit. The Son of God simultaneously became Jesus the Son of man. At circa 27 A.D. He went about the Promised Land sharing the Good News. He healed the sick and gave sight to the blind, restored hearing to the deaf and raised the dead. He even feed multitudes with food He called into existence by His mere Word.
Oh, no. We’re out of time once again…and just when we finally met up with Jesus too! We will continue this topic tomorrow. See you then.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 8, 2013
Busted!
(Israel asked the Lord), “Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?”(The Lord answered), Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers [Isaiah 58:3].
I recall back in the day when I was a young tyke, barely knee-high to a grasshopper. I had a not so unusual way of obeying my dad. When he told me to clean my room, I did…sort of. Everything on the floor I swept under my bed. Everything on the chair and bed and dresser I tossed into the closet, abruptly closing the door behind the mess.
“Ah, I cleaned my room in short shrift,” I applauded myself. “Dad will certainly be pleased with my diligence in obeying his directions.” After all, when I looked around the room it appeared clean. I saw nothing out of place and in need of redirection. If possession is 90% of the law, appearance ought to be 90% of clean. Right?
Too bad for me I wasn’t the law. Dad was! And he didn’t buy what I was selling. He didn’t settle for poking his head through the door to have a look-see and settle on appearances. He had the audacity to actually enter my bedroom, open the closet door for a peek, and raise the bed skirt to see what was under the bed.
Busted! Dad knew my propensities better than I did. When I “cleaned” my room, I acted without thinking. Dad, contrariwise, recognized my puerile predilection for appearance over essence and cut to the chase. It didn’t take many of those inspections to learn that going through the motions in my obedience to Dad didn’t cut it. I learned to clean my room for real at a very early age.
In Isaiah’s day the Lord’s kids, the Israelites, behaved in much the same way to Father God’s instructions. They were very religious, you see. They tithed mint and cumin, dotted their “i’s” and crossed their “t’s”, and fasted at every conceivable opportunity. And then they parked their carcasses on all the street corners and every other high profile place, and prayed out loud to God, “See how good we are, God? No need to thank us. It’s our pleasure.”
Yes, indeed. These guys were holy rollers and Father God just had to be proud of them! Or were they? And was He? According to the Biblical text quoted at the start of this study, God wasn’t buying what they were selling. He actually had the audacity to enter their room, open the closet door for a closer look, and peer behind the bed skirt to discover the truth. Who’s He think He is anyway? The nerve of some people!
The Biblical text records Israel’s hurt feelings by the words “fasted” and “humbled ourselves”, while the Lord didn’t acknowledge the holiness of their behaviors. Despite the Israelites’ protest, it would seem the Lord had a good reason. His indictment of their religious activity was this: On the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers.
This means that, while the Israelites were going through the motions of fasting, they were cavorting in their own pleasures. They were also oppressing their fellow Israelites who worked for them. The whole point of fasting is to temporarily set aside our indulging of the flesh, in order to strengthen the spirit. In this manner we attempt to draw closer to the Lord in our personal relationship with Him.
The Israelites, you see, outwardly performed religious functions, but inwardly they were still living to please the flesh, to please themselves. Father God gave them quite specific instructions about obeying His Word, but only from the heart, only out of love for Him. They preferred to sweep the mess under the bed and hide it in the closet for appearances’ sake. In this way they had more time to please themselves. Alas for them, but Father God took a closer look into their hearts. Busted!
So how about you and me. Are we busted too? Or do we truly love the Lord and obey His Word as the outworking of our love for Him? It wouldn’t do to be busted at the Bema of Christ and lose our eternal rewards.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
I recall back in the day when I was a young tyke, barely knee-high to a grasshopper. I had a not so unusual way of obeying my dad. When he told me to clean my room, I did…sort of. Everything on the floor I swept under my bed. Everything on the chair and bed and dresser I tossed into the closet, abruptly closing the door behind the mess.
“Ah, I cleaned my room in short shrift,” I applauded myself. “Dad will certainly be pleased with my diligence in obeying his directions.” After all, when I looked around the room it appeared clean. I saw nothing out of place and in need of redirection. If possession is 90% of the law, appearance ought to be 90% of clean. Right?
Too bad for me I wasn’t the law. Dad was! And he didn’t buy what I was selling. He didn’t settle for poking his head through the door to have a look-see and settle on appearances. He had the audacity to actually enter my bedroom, open the closet door for a peek, and raise the bed skirt to see what was under the bed.
Busted! Dad knew my propensities better than I did. When I “cleaned” my room, I acted without thinking. Dad, contrariwise, recognized my puerile predilection for appearance over essence and cut to the chase. It didn’t take many of those inspections to learn that going through the motions in my obedience to Dad didn’t cut it. I learned to clean my room for real at a very early age.
In Isaiah’s day the Lord’s kids, the Israelites, behaved in much the same way to Father God’s instructions. They were very religious, you see. They tithed mint and cumin, dotted their “i’s” and crossed their “t’s”, and fasted at every conceivable opportunity. And then they parked their carcasses on all the street corners and every other high profile place, and prayed out loud to God, “See how good we are, God? No need to thank us. It’s our pleasure.”
Yes, indeed. These guys were holy rollers and Father God just had to be proud of them! Or were they? And was He? According to the Biblical text quoted at the start of this study, God wasn’t buying what they were selling. He actually had the audacity to enter their room, open the closet door for a closer look, and peer behind the bed skirt to discover the truth. Who’s He think He is anyway? The nerve of some people!
The Biblical text records Israel’s hurt feelings by the words “fasted” and “humbled ourselves”, while the Lord didn’t acknowledge the holiness of their behaviors. Despite the Israelites’ protest, it would seem the Lord had a good reason. His indictment of their religious activity was this: On the day of your fast you find your desire, and drive hard all your workers.
This means that, while the Israelites were going through the motions of fasting, they were cavorting in their own pleasures. They were also oppressing their fellow Israelites who worked for them. The whole point of fasting is to temporarily set aside our indulging of the flesh, in order to strengthen the spirit. In this manner we attempt to draw closer to the Lord in our personal relationship with Him.
The Israelites, you see, outwardly performed religious functions, but inwardly they were still living to please the flesh, to please themselves. Father God gave them quite specific instructions about obeying His Word, but only from the heart, only out of love for Him. They preferred to sweep the mess under the bed and hide it in the closet for appearances’ sake. In this way they had more time to please themselves. Alas for them, but Father God took a closer look into their hearts. Busted!
So how about you and me. Are we busted too? Or do we truly love the Lord and obey His Word as the outworking of our love for Him? It wouldn’t do to be busted at the Bema of Christ and lose our eternal rewards.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 7, 2013
Homework 101 - Part 2
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We concluded our last study by noting how Solomon found study and learning to be “grievous” and an “affliction”. Now let’s learn why.
We humans (i.e., creatures or created things) are created by God the Creator to have fellowship with Him. When He made us, He included this ability. No other created thing has it. Humans alone are created in the image of God.
Ergo, when we reject fellowship with the Lord and go off on our own to do our own thing, we cannot find fulfillment because we are not filling our lives full of the One for Whom we are made. We are like an automobile which has H2O in the gas tank. We just don’t run right!
If we want to drive down the road of life with any fulfillment, we need to drain the H2O and instead fill our tank with H2S (i.e., Holy Spirit fuel). We can’t buy H2S at just any corner gas station, you know. It can be purchased only through the Word of God. It is much more affordable than gasoline. “Come, buy…without money and without cost” (cf., Isaiah 55:1).
Oh, but we mustn’t leave out any of the essentials. To know the Lord and grow in the Spirit, we require the Word of God. This isn’t a superstition thing, dear friends. We don’t learn a few adjurations and prayers and invocations and then call it quits with learning. We need to feed on the Word of God day in and day out 24/7/365, and this lasts for an entire lifetime.
Consider that we don’t eat once and then stop, nor do we eat occasionally when it is convenient. We eat several times a day every day, and no one has to make us either! The same applies in the spiritual realm, dear friends. The Bible is the Christian’s spiritual food. How can we expect to stay alive, much less grow and mature spiritually, if we don’t eat our spiritual food?
Let’s not adopt the teacher’s words and profess Bible feeding to be “grievous” and an “affliction”! Rather, let us rejoice in the Lord and thank Him for preserving His Word for us. Let’s chow down on the good things He wants to share with us. Let’s appreciate Him and His Word. Now is an excellent opportunity for us to do so. I’ll race you to the prayer closet.
Oh, but I must add an addendum before taking my leave. For all you teachers and would-be teachers in the Church, this study holds immeasurably more relevance for you. When the Lord gives a Christian the gift of teaching, He accompanies this with a craving for study and learning His Word.
If anyone wants to wear a coat and tie, be held in honor as a wise and spiritual person, receive a sizable paycheck, and hang out in the church building so as to avoid the unpleasantness outside its walls—listen up: don’t apply for a preaching/teaching position. You don’t belong! The Lord didn’t call you to the pastorate. You don’t have the spiritual gifts which accompany such a ministry.
Every Christian should grow in grace so that he truly wants to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But a teacher of the Word of God must do much more than that. He must crave the Word. He mustn’t be satisfied with what he has and stop wanting more.
He mustn’t become distracted with activities and visitations to the extent he cannot be alone with the Lord Jesus daily, being fed by Him with the whole counsel of God. Only then will he be equipped to feed the flock of Christ with real spiritual meat. Only then will he be excited by the Word so that he can pass on his enthusiasm to the flock. Only then will the flock be piqued to follow his example.
Think on these things, O thou would-be Bible teachers. Don’t you dare usurp a teaching ministry. Beware lest you fall into the hands of the living God!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 6, 2013
Homework 101 - Part 1
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with [Ecclesiastes 1:13].
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
There are many fine things in life, but there is not a universal consent as to what is on the list! For instance, some folks love football and hate baseball. Others love baseball and hate football. Some love both, and then there are the gainsayers who have no use for either.
Joe likes pizza and Ron likes cabbage (go figure). Sally prefers dresses while Nell won’t be caught dead in one. Ken enjoys a good read in Shakespeare but Barbie can only stomach Dickens. Then there are the folks who love any and all fields of study, as contrasted with those who hate learning anything intelligent! They can’t even be persuaded to lift a finger to turn the page in a book.
The quoted text which began this study contains a sharp contrast. Funny thing is only one person is involved. The one and the same person both loved and hated learning! And he didn’t have a split personality either. Behold the contrast:
1. I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven
2. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with
Point #1 depicts a lover of learning. This dude (aka Solomon, the teacher in Jerusalem) established as his goal to know everything there is to know about everything under heaven. Now that is a tall order! Indeed, it was a bit much to take on, I do believe.
The teacher learned this truth for himself. In Point #2 he confessed as much. He found his tall order to be “a grievous task”, one with which he felt “afflicted”. His task at hand was not merely difficult, nor annoying, neither frustrating. It was “grievous”. That word hints of burdens and oppression, even great pain and suffering. Does the idiom “to bite off more than I can chew” come to mind?
As we ponder Solomon’s words, let’s be sure to keep the context of the Book of Ecclesiastes in mind. He repeatedly states that what he records in Ecclesiastes is from the standpoint of things “under the sun”. The phrase denotes what occurs on earth as understood from earth’s perspective. This is not the Lord’s invisible spiritual insight. It is man’s visible material sight.
If I may be permitted to paraphrase a bit, Solomon essentially said, “I really wanted to learn everything there is to know about everything, so I put my mind to accomplish this. But alas, it wore me out in no time. I mean, no matter how much I learned, there was always so much more to know. I was always running behind, trying to catch up. O! my aching head! Grievous ‘tis.” Such were the efforts and the results of the teacher’s attempts at learning.
Here’s the thing, dear friends. Learning is a wonderful thing for us. We cannot fill our time in a more profitable manner. However, it is what we learn that is important, not learning for the sake of learning. And yes, some folks do detest having to learn anything new, while others crave new knowledge. But in both cases it is an essential of life to learn throughout life. We must never graduate from learning.
Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Solomon taught in Ecclesiastes how everything under the sun can only lead to boredom, ennui, lassitude, apathy. In the context of Ecclesiastes he is unqualifiedly correct. If we live for the things of the world (i.e., for created things), regardless of what they are, we cannot find any real and lasting fulfillment. This is what the teacher meant in today’s Bible verse.
Sorry. We’re out of time again. We will continue this topic in our next study. See you then. Enjoy time with the Lord now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 5, 2013
Violin Music – Part 2
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter [2 Corinthians 7:10-11].
We stopped yesterday on the topic of godly sorrow vs. worldly sorrow. We were in the midst of analyzing godly sorrow. Let’s continue there now.
If I have true godly sorrow, I won’t shuffle the feet and mumble under my breath, “If I’ve ever done anything to hurt you, I didn’t mean to.” That is no apology. Suchlike talk doesn’t express repentance and seek forgiveness. It doesn’t own up to my responsibility for wrongdoing. It is not prompted by godly sorrow, dear friends. Its motivation is to convince myself that I am a godly person and in that way to make myself feel better, but without any real belief that I’ve done wrong.
We understand godly sorrow all the better by comparing it with worldly sorrow. In the case of worldly sorrow I do throw a pity party and invite everyone I know to play me violin music. I even play some choice tunes on the violin myself! I bemoan my fate and rue the day I was born. I paint pictures of gloom and doom and wallow in the mire of self-pity.
The longer the party lasts, the closer to death I am driven…while the chauffeur driving me to that destination plays more violin music on the car radio! Worldly sorrow, you see, isn’t really sorry for anything related to the person enduring the sorrow, unless it be his own pathetic condition. He experiences only self-pity, not pity for others.
In the second verse of our quoted text, Paul itemizes several details we can employ to know whether our sorrow is godly or worldly. Let’s list them:
1. what vindication of yourselves
2. what indignation
3. what fear
4. what longing
5. what zeal
6. what avenging of wrong
After presenting this list, Paul noted the results of those six details: In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
Here’s the context for the two verses. The Christians in Corinth faced sin in their church. Were they complicit in the sin or no? Paul challenged them to judge the sinner and absolve themselves of complicity in the sin.
The Corinthian Christians were wounded by Paul’s castigation of both the sin and the sinner, but even more by his castigation of them for winking at the sinner in his sin. They saw the error of their ways and demonstrated they were not participants in the sin by judging the sinner and prompting him to repent and be forgiven. In doing so they “vindicated themselves”.
After receiving Paul’s rebuke they became “indignant” about the sin and “feared” God’s judgment on them, as well as on their sinning brother. They “longed” for his repentance and restoration, and accordingly they “avenged” the wrong, doing so with “zeal”. In doing all this (i.e., “in everything”), you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
Do you see how pity parties demonstrate worldly, not godly, sorrow? Do you see how violin music only leads us to cry in our beer, but never to repent and be forgiven for our sin? Godly sorrow puts the onus on us for sinning against God and doing wrong to God and/or man.
Worldly sorrow, contrariwise, feels sorry for self. We are misunderstood. It’s our parents fault: they didn’t raise us right. It’s the world’s fault: we’re poor, we’re women, we’re minorities. And then there’s the ace card: the devil made us do it…etc. etc. ad nauseum ad infinitum.
Let’s keep this distinction in mind and heart, the next time we are hurting. Sometimes it is the fault of others, but even then it’s our choice whether to experience godly sorrow or worldly sorrow. Wallow in self-pity or do what is in our power to make things right, that’s our choice. And in all things we must be sure to give glory to God, rather than seek our own revenge. Can I get an amen?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We stopped yesterday on the topic of godly sorrow vs. worldly sorrow. We were in the midst of analyzing godly sorrow. Let’s continue there now.
If I have true godly sorrow, I won’t shuffle the feet and mumble under my breath, “If I’ve ever done anything to hurt you, I didn’t mean to.” That is no apology. Suchlike talk doesn’t express repentance and seek forgiveness. It doesn’t own up to my responsibility for wrongdoing. It is not prompted by godly sorrow, dear friends. Its motivation is to convince myself that I am a godly person and in that way to make myself feel better, but without any real belief that I’ve done wrong.
We understand godly sorrow all the better by comparing it with worldly sorrow. In the case of worldly sorrow I do throw a pity party and invite everyone I know to play me violin music. I even play some choice tunes on the violin myself! I bemoan my fate and rue the day I was born. I paint pictures of gloom and doom and wallow in the mire of self-pity.
The longer the party lasts, the closer to death I am driven…while the chauffeur driving me to that destination plays more violin music on the car radio! Worldly sorrow, you see, isn’t really sorry for anything related to the person enduring the sorrow, unless it be his own pathetic condition. He experiences only self-pity, not pity for others.
In the second verse of our quoted text, Paul itemizes several details we can employ to know whether our sorrow is godly or worldly. Let’s list them:
1. what vindication of yourselves
2. what indignation
3. what fear
4. what longing
5. what zeal
6. what avenging of wrong
After presenting this list, Paul noted the results of those six details: In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
Here’s the context for the two verses. The Christians in Corinth faced sin in their church. Were they complicit in the sin or no? Paul challenged them to judge the sinner and absolve themselves of complicity in the sin.
The Corinthian Christians were wounded by Paul’s castigation of both the sin and the sinner, but even more by his castigation of them for winking at the sinner in his sin. They saw the error of their ways and demonstrated they were not participants in the sin by judging the sinner and prompting him to repent and be forgiven. In doing so they “vindicated themselves”.
After receiving Paul’s rebuke they became “indignant” about the sin and “feared” God’s judgment on them, as well as on their sinning brother. They “longed” for his repentance and restoration, and accordingly they “avenged” the wrong, doing so with “zeal”. In doing all this (i.e., “in everything”), you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
Do you see how pity parties demonstrate worldly, not godly, sorrow? Do you see how violin music only leads us to cry in our beer, but never to repent and be forgiven for our sin? Godly sorrow puts the onus on us for sinning against God and doing wrong to God and/or man.
Worldly sorrow, contrariwise, feels sorry for self. We are misunderstood. It’s our parents fault: they didn’t raise us right. It’s the world’s fault: we’re poor, we’re women, we’re minorities. And then there’s the ace card: the devil made us do it…etc. etc. ad nauseum ad infinitum.
Let’s keep this distinction in mind and heart, the next time we are hurting. Sometimes it is the fault of others, but even then it’s our choice whether to experience godly sorrow or worldly sorrow. Wallow in self-pity or do what is in our power to make things right, that’s our choice. And in all things we must be sure to give glory to God, rather than seek our own revenge. Can I get an amen?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 4, 2013
Violin Music – Part 1
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter [2 Corinthians 7:10-11].
I believe each of us can remember times like this:
I went to visit a friend. He appeared a bit bummed out, hair disheveled, grizzled whiskers look, sunken eyes with hanging bags—an all-around haggard appearance. His clothes matched his face too: raggedy, patches showing, obviously in search of the lost iron.
I was taken aback and queried, “What gives, bro? You look the mess!”
Wrong question to ask. Wrong question indeed. I spent the next who knows how long getting an ear full. I don’t believe there was a topic in all creation I didn’t hear about!
He began, “Oh, man, the world is all wrong. I just cannot catch a break. The TV’s on the blink, the car needs repairs, my cat was run over, and the dog chewed up my shoes.”
If you think that was it, sorry to disappoint you! He continued, “I lost my job, and the bill collectors rented the house next door so as to be near me. My wife went back to her mother and took the kids. What’s next?!”
Admit it. You’ve encountered such a scenario once or twice yourself, haven’t you? Well, guess what? You were invited to a pity party with lots of violin music. All you needed to do to attend was to join in with the sympathizing. Your attendance was much appreciated, but it probably accomplished nothing worthwhile.
Pity parties are usually thrown because the one issuing the invitations feels sorry for himself. He might very well have a right to do so. That per se isn’t the problem with pity parties. The problem is they just don’t accomplish anything…unless it be to drive people to drinking!
When problems attack, either we can sit around and mope or else we can do something constructive about them. Moping and throwing pity parties only compounds the problems by dwelling on the problems as if they last forever and are unsolvable. The accompanying violin music merely serves the same function as Job’s three “friends”!
The Apostle Paul addressed this very issue in the two verses quoted at the beginning of this study. He even followed Biblical Hebrew poetic convention in doing so. He employed parallelism in his narrative form of writing, antonymous parallelism to be exact. Let’s diagram it:
A. the sorrow that is according to the will of God
B. produces a repentance without regret
A. the sorrow of the world
B. produces death
Notice the two “A’s” and the two “B’s” at the front of each of those four lines. The “A’s” depict two opposite types of sorrow, while the “B’s” portray two opposite results of sorrow. On the one hand there is godly sorrow, on the other worldly sorrow.
Godly sorrow is demonstrated by its result, viz., repentance. This repentance brings with it no regrets for having to repent, and no regrets for being made sorrowful in the first place. This type of sorrow doesn’t throw pity parties and invite everyone to play violin music.
If I have true godly sorrow, I accept that I did something wrong and was made sorrowful because of it. In consequence I own up to my sin and repent. I receive the sorrow as justly deserved. I am thankful that it accomplished its desired effect in me, viz., my repentance and restoration into fellowship with the Lord and with anyone whom I wronged.
We are out of time today, so we will pause and return to the topic on the morrow. Enjoy some quiet time with the Lord Jesus now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
I believe each of us can remember times like this:
I went to visit a friend. He appeared a bit bummed out, hair disheveled, grizzled whiskers look, sunken eyes with hanging bags—an all-around haggard appearance. His clothes matched his face too: raggedy, patches showing, obviously in search of the lost iron.
I was taken aback and queried, “What gives, bro? You look the mess!”
Wrong question to ask. Wrong question indeed. I spent the next who knows how long getting an ear full. I don’t believe there was a topic in all creation I didn’t hear about!
He began, “Oh, man, the world is all wrong. I just cannot catch a break. The TV’s on the blink, the car needs repairs, my cat was run over, and the dog chewed up my shoes.”
If you think that was it, sorry to disappoint you! He continued, “I lost my job, and the bill collectors rented the house next door so as to be near me. My wife went back to her mother and took the kids. What’s next?!”
Admit it. You’ve encountered such a scenario once or twice yourself, haven’t you? Well, guess what? You were invited to a pity party with lots of violin music. All you needed to do to attend was to join in with the sympathizing. Your attendance was much appreciated, but it probably accomplished nothing worthwhile.
Pity parties are usually thrown because the one issuing the invitations feels sorry for himself. He might very well have a right to do so. That per se isn’t the problem with pity parties. The problem is they just don’t accomplish anything…unless it be to drive people to drinking!
When problems attack, either we can sit around and mope or else we can do something constructive about them. Moping and throwing pity parties only compounds the problems by dwelling on the problems as if they last forever and are unsolvable. The accompanying violin music merely serves the same function as Job’s three “friends”!
The Apostle Paul addressed this very issue in the two verses quoted at the beginning of this study. He even followed Biblical Hebrew poetic convention in doing so. He employed parallelism in his narrative form of writing, antonymous parallelism to be exact. Let’s diagram it:
A. the sorrow that is according to the will of God
B. produces a repentance without regret
A. the sorrow of the world
B. produces death
Notice the two “A’s” and the two “B’s” at the front of each of those four lines. The “A’s” depict two opposite types of sorrow, while the “B’s” portray two opposite results of sorrow. On the one hand there is godly sorrow, on the other worldly sorrow.
Godly sorrow is demonstrated by its result, viz., repentance. This repentance brings with it no regrets for having to repent, and no regrets for being made sorrowful in the first place. This type of sorrow doesn’t throw pity parties and invite everyone to play violin music.
If I have true godly sorrow, I accept that I did something wrong and was made sorrowful because of it. In consequence I own up to my sin and repent. I receive the sorrow as justly deserved. I am thankful that it accomplished its desired effect in me, viz., my repentance and restoration into fellowship with the Lord and with anyone whom I wronged.
We are out of time today, so we will pause and return to the topic on the morrow. Enjoy some quiet time with the Lord Jesus now, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Joshua: Volume 6 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 3, 2013
Affluenza and Penuritis – Part 2
Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God [Proverbs 30:8-9].
Yesterday we noted the concept of parallelism in Proverbs 30:8-9. Let’s diagram the two verses now and see what this means.
The location of the verse break between v.8 and v.9 is unfortunate. The first parallel ideas are marked off by the semicolon and read, Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches. Here’s the diagram:
A. deception
B. lies
B. poverty
A. riches
Note the letters “A” and “B” before each of those four words. The two “A’s” go together, as do the two “B’s”. The parallelism is between the “A’s” and the “B’s”. It is not a comparison but a contrast, making this antonymous parallelism. On the one hand is affluenza, on the other penuritis. They are opposites.
The remainder of vv.8-9 define how the two “A’s” and the two “B’s” fit together. Following our diagram “riches” are “deceptive” to the writer, while “poverty” leads to “lies”. Let’s consult the remaining words of the verses and see just what the writer’s was alluding to.
The phrase “feed me with the food that is my portion” goes with both ideas expressed in the remainder of verses 8-9. The phrase is the writer’s prayer to the Lord that He give him only his daily bread, no more and no less. The phrase “the food that is my portion” refers to what he requires for each day, one day at a time. Now let’s diagram the remaining two concepts.
A. I am full
B. I am in want
A. I deny my need for the Lord
B. I steal and so profane the Lord’s name
Remember, the phrase “feed me with the food that is my portion” goes with both of these ideas.
If the Lord allowed the writer to experience affluenza, instead of giving him just the amount he needed (i.e., “my portion”), then he would be full. In this case he would have no need, which leads sinful man to depend on himself, thus denying his need for the Lord. That is how the two “A’s” of v.8 fit together with verse 9. His riches deceive him, you see.
Contrariwise, if the Lord, allowed the writer to experience penuritis, instead of giving him just the amount he needed (i.e., “my portion”), then he would be tempted to steal and thereby blaspheme the name of the Lord upon him. This is how the two “B’s” in v.8 fit together with verse 9. His hunger and other needs would be a temptation to him to take matters into his own hands and fill his needs by hook or by crook.
Moses broached these selfsame concepts in Deuteronomy 8:16-18. I suggest you turn there in your Bibles and read it. This is an ongoing concern with sinful man, bringing with it the infestation of either affluenza or penuritis. I doubt any of us would consciously volunteer as Guinea pigs for medical research into the two diseases.
I have a wonderful idea. Let’s make use of the writers own words and invoke them as our prayer to the Lord right now. How about it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Yesterday we noted the concept of parallelism in Proverbs 30:8-9. Let’s diagram the two verses now and see what this means.
The location of the verse break between v.8 and v.9 is unfortunate. The first parallel ideas are marked off by the semicolon and read, Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches. Here’s the diagram:
A. deception
B. lies
B. poverty
A. riches
Note the letters “A” and “B” before each of those four words. The two “A’s” go together, as do the two “B’s”. The parallelism is between the “A’s” and the “B’s”. It is not a comparison but a contrast, making this antonymous parallelism. On the one hand is affluenza, on the other penuritis. They are opposites.
The remainder of vv.8-9 define how the two “A’s” and the two “B’s” fit together. Following our diagram “riches” are “deceptive” to the writer, while “poverty” leads to “lies”. Let’s consult the remaining words of the verses and see just what the writer’s was alluding to.
The phrase “feed me with the food that is my portion” goes with both ideas expressed in the remainder of verses 8-9. The phrase is the writer’s prayer to the Lord that He give him only his daily bread, no more and no less. The phrase “the food that is my portion” refers to what he requires for each day, one day at a time. Now let’s diagram the remaining two concepts.
A. I am full
B. I am in want
A. I deny my need for the Lord
B. I steal and so profane the Lord’s name
Remember, the phrase “feed me with the food that is my portion” goes with both of these ideas.
If the Lord allowed the writer to experience affluenza, instead of giving him just the amount he needed (i.e., “my portion”), then he would be full. In this case he would have no need, which leads sinful man to depend on himself, thus denying his need for the Lord. That is how the two “A’s” of v.8 fit together with verse 9. His riches deceive him, you see.
Contrariwise, if the Lord, allowed the writer to experience penuritis, instead of giving him just the amount he needed (i.e., “my portion”), then he would be tempted to steal and thereby blaspheme the name of the Lord upon him. This is how the two “B’s” in v.8 fit together with verse 9. His hunger and other needs would be a temptation to him to take matters into his own hands and fill his needs by hook or by crook.
Moses broached these selfsame concepts in Deuteronomy 8:16-18. I suggest you turn there in your Bibles and read it. This is an ongoing concern with sinful man, bringing with it the infestation of either affluenza or penuritis. I doubt any of us would consciously volunteer as Guinea pigs for medical research into the two diseases.
I have a wonderful idea. Let’s make use of the writers own words and invoke them as our prayer to the Lord right now. How about it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 2, 2013
Affluenza and Penuritis – Part 1
Keep deception and lies far from me, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is my portion, that I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the Lord?” or that I not be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God [Proverbs 30:8-9].
In growing up today young people are faced with a situation never before faced by American youth. The medical term for it is affluenza. It runs rampant through a goodly percentage of the population.
And then there are those young people with the opposite medical condition, viz., penuritis. This condition also permeates a goodly percentage of the population. It is much less appreciated by those infected than is affluenza to those with its condition. Though it doesn’t usually result in death, it does universally result in dearth.
It wasn’t long ago that growing up meant finishing high school and, for some folks, going to college and beyond. The goal in either case was to acquire the skills needed to enter the work force and become a productive citizen of society. Which position in the work force a person sets his sights on determined what education was required.
Until just recently the predominance of young people knew what they would become after the educational years were concluded. Some knew they would work at a local factory, others at an office as clerical or administrative staff, and still others became brain surgeons or mad scientists!
It doesn’t work that way much anymore, not since the affluenza infestation. The CDC has yet to get a handle on this plague. Affluenza is characterized by a superfluity of options and the concomitant choices to be made in life. It is so overwhelming that it leaves our young folks’ heads spinning. The end result is that they become insensitive to decision-making, wallowing their lives away in indecision.
In the case of penuritis the infected youths also become insensitive to decision-making, but for very different reasons. These young folks don’t face the problem of having too many options to choose from. They have too few!
The young people infected with penuritis reconcile themselves to the fact they will never have the opportunity to better themselves. Such choices are not available to them. The bottom rung of the ladder is their lot in life. Whether they are relegated to this because of society or because of their own mental prison, it is still their lot in life.
The writer of Proverbs 30 employed Biblical Hebrew parallelism to express these two extremes. He recognized the dangers involved in both maladies and prayed to be delivered from each.
The term parallelism has to do with poetry. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines to form poetry. The Hebrews back in the day rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. We will diagram the two verses in our next study. But for now we must take our leave and spend some time alone with the Lord Jesus. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
In growing up today young people are faced with a situation never before faced by American youth. The medical term for it is affluenza. It runs rampant through a goodly percentage of the population.
And then there are those young people with the opposite medical condition, viz., penuritis. This condition also permeates a goodly percentage of the population. It is much less appreciated by those infected than is affluenza to those with its condition. Though it doesn’t usually result in death, it does universally result in dearth.
It wasn’t long ago that growing up meant finishing high school and, for some folks, going to college and beyond. The goal in either case was to acquire the skills needed to enter the work force and become a productive citizen of society. Which position in the work force a person sets his sights on determined what education was required.
Until just recently the predominance of young people knew what they would become after the educational years were concluded. Some knew they would work at a local factory, others at an office as clerical or administrative staff, and still others became brain surgeons or mad scientists!
It doesn’t work that way much anymore, not since the affluenza infestation. The CDC has yet to get a handle on this plague. Affluenza is characterized by a superfluity of options and the concomitant choices to be made in life. It is so overwhelming that it leaves our young folks’ heads spinning. The end result is that they become insensitive to decision-making, wallowing their lives away in indecision.
In the case of penuritis the infected youths also become insensitive to decision-making, but for very different reasons. These young folks don’t face the problem of having too many options to choose from. They have too few!
The young people infected with penuritis reconcile themselves to the fact they will never have the opportunity to better themselves. Such choices are not available to them. The bottom rung of the ladder is their lot in life. Whether they are relegated to this because of society or because of their own mental prison, it is still their lot in life.
The writer of Proverbs 30 employed Biblical Hebrew parallelism to express these two extremes. He recognized the dangers involved in both maladies and prayed to be delivered from each.
The term parallelism has to do with poetry. Today we rhyme words at the end of lines to form poetry. The Hebrews back in the day rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. We will diagram the two verses in our next study. But for now we must take our leave and spend some time alone with the Lord Jesus. See you tomorrow!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
April 1, 2013
A Tale of Two People
Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, but happy is he who keeps the law [Proverbs 29:18].
Charles Dickens is one of the finest novelists ever. He has a way with words to which few have ever attained, or ever will. We come away from reading his novels deeply stirred. The range of emotions Dickens evokes encompasses all which are known to man…and a few yet to be discovered! You just must dive in and relish the time spent in a Dickens novel.
One of his novels, A Tale of Two Cities, is particularly graphic in its historical exposé. The tale begins with the all too familiar words, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Indeed, the remainder of the novel demonstrates the veracity of the statement.
The times involved occurred circa the American Revolution, but the location was not America. It was England and France during the French Revolution. The French peasants were driven to abject penury by the French aristocracy, until finally all hope was lost for the peasants. With nothing else to lose, they revolted.
The history of the French Revolution—and Dickens’ novel paints the scene with personalized detail—but the French Revolution stands in stark contrast to the American Revolution. This contrast is best understood by the verse quoted to start this study. The verse takes the Biblical Hebrew poetic form of parallelism.
Today we rhyme words at the end of lines to create poetry. The Hebrews back in the day rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. The rhymed ideas were in some sense “parallel” to each other. If they were comparable, they formed synonymous parallelism. If they stood in contrast or were opposites, they formed antonymous parallelism.
In the case of Proverbs 29:18 the two rhymed lines are contrasts. Hence they form antonymous parallelism. Let’s diagram the two lines now.
A. where there is no vision
B. the people are unrestrained
B. happy is he
A. who keeps the law
Notice the “A” or “B” before each line. The two “A’s” are antonyms, as are the two “B’s”. Let’s analyze the “A” lines first.
On the one side are those who have no vision of reality. They see no hope for the future. They haven’t a clue as to how to conduct their lives under the conditions in which they find themselves.
On the other side are those who know the Word of God (i.e., the law) and embrace it as God’s revealed truth. The Word of God, you see, is their vision. They have vision and they conduct their lives according to their vision. Accordingly they have hope for the future as well as for the present.
Now let’s see how these two types of people function, how their vision or lack thereof works itself out in life. This is the substance of the two “B” lines.
The people without vision “are unrestrained”. Nothing exists to hold their visceral inclinations in check. They are up one minute and down the next. We might label their lifestyle “roller coaster living”. Sometimes when we observe suchlike folks, we cannot help but be certain they are manic-depressive!
What a drag and a drudgery it is, to go through each day with no idea of right and wrong. Everything is relative and dependent on how they feel at the moment. What they feel like doing defines “right”, while what hampers them from doing what they feel like doing defines “wrong”. This is what it means to be “unrestrained”.
Not so for the people who embrace the Word of God however! We are not “unrestrained” at all. We willingly accept the Bible as the definition of right and wrong and restrain ourselves accordingly. In doing so we are “happy”. We have the joy of the Lord for our strength, and nowadays that is an enviable position to be in.
The first category of people, those without a vision, portrays the peasants of the French Revolution. The second category of people, those who obey the Bible, depicts the people who made up the American Revolution. This explains why American democracy has lasted so long, while French democracy has succumbed to European socialism long long ago: France = no vision; America = vision.
So which category of people describes you? Does your daily living correspond with your verbal identification? Only daily time alone with the Lord and His Word can make us real in our daily living, dear friends. Let’s commit to a rigorous spiritual regimen with the Lord daily and stick to it. To God be the glory!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Charles Dickens is one of the finest novelists ever. He has a way with words to which few have ever attained, or ever will. We come away from reading his novels deeply stirred. The range of emotions Dickens evokes encompasses all which are known to man…and a few yet to be discovered! You just must dive in and relish the time spent in a Dickens novel.
One of his novels, A Tale of Two Cities, is particularly graphic in its historical exposé. The tale begins with the all too familiar words, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Indeed, the remainder of the novel demonstrates the veracity of the statement.
The times involved occurred circa the American Revolution, but the location was not America. It was England and France during the French Revolution. The French peasants were driven to abject penury by the French aristocracy, until finally all hope was lost for the peasants. With nothing else to lose, they revolted.
The history of the French Revolution—and Dickens’ novel paints the scene with personalized detail—but the French Revolution stands in stark contrast to the American Revolution. This contrast is best understood by the verse quoted to start this study. The verse takes the Biblical Hebrew poetic form of parallelism.
Today we rhyme words at the end of lines to create poetry. The Hebrews back in the day rhymed ideas between lines to create their poetry. The rhymed ideas were in some sense “parallel” to each other. If they were comparable, they formed synonymous parallelism. If they stood in contrast or were opposites, they formed antonymous parallelism.
In the case of Proverbs 29:18 the two rhymed lines are contrasts. Hence they form antonymous parallelism. Let’s diagram the two lines now.
A. where there is no vision
B. the people are unrestrained
B. happy is he
A. who keeps the law
Notice the “A” or “B” before each line. The two “A’s” are antonyms, as are the two “B’s”. Let’s analyze the “A” lines first.
On the one side are those who have no vision of reality. They see no hope for the future. They haven’t a clue as to how to conduct their lives under the conditions in which they find themselves.
On the other side are those who know the Word of God (i.e., the law) and embrace it as God’s revealed truth. The Word of God, you see, is their vision. They have vision and they conduct their lives according to their vision. Accordingly they have hope for the future as well as for the present.
Now let’s see how these two types of people function, how their vision or lack thereof works itself out in life. This is the substance of the two “B” lines.
The people without vision “are unrestrained”. Nothing exists to hold their visceral inclinations in check. They are up one minute and down the next. We might label their lifestyle “roller coaster living”. Sometimes when we observe suchlike folks, we cannot help but be certain they are manic-depressive!
What a drag and a drudgery it is, to go through each day with no idea of right and wrong. Everything is relative and dependent on how they feel at the moment. What they feel like doing defines “right”, while what hampers them from doing what they feel like doing defines “wrong”. This is what it means to be “unrestrained”.
Not so for the people who embrace the Word of God however! We are not “unrestrained” at all. We willingly accept the Bible as the definition of right and wrong and restrain ourselves accordingly. In doing so we are “happy”. We have the joy of the Lord for our strength, and nowadays that is an enviable position to be in.
The first category of people, those without a vision, portrays the peasants of the French Revolution. The second category of people, those who obey the Bible, depicts the people who made up the American Revolution. This explains why American democracy has lasted so long, while French democracy has succumbed to European socialism long long ago: France = no vision; America = vision.
So which category of people describes you? Does your daily living correspond with your verbal identification? Only daily time alone with the Lord and His Word can make us real in our daily living, dear friends. Let’s commit to a rigorous spiritual regimen with the Lord daily and stick to it. To God be the glory!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
March 31, 2013
Tweedledum and Tweedledee – Part 2
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law strive with them [Proverbs 28:4].
We ended our last study by noting how folks without a basis for absolute morality end up praising the wicked. Let’s continue at that point and ask, “Huh? Why would they do that?”
It’s like this. In the Bible the Lord defines who are “the wicked”. He doesn’t base wickedness on whether or not anyone drinks, smokes, or curses. Those are only a small sampling of the fruits of wickedness, not the source.
Determining who is wicked and who is not is a question of morality. If we have a relative understanding of morality, we believe it changes with the situation—which leaves us with no real morality at all. If we have an absolute understanding of morality, we need someone who is always absolute to legislate what true morality is.
Voilà! the Bible, God’s Word, fits the bill. God alone is always absolute. He alone can define absolute morality. This is where the Biblical distinction between the wicked and the righteous comes into play, dear friends.
God defines the “wicked person” as “those who forsake the law”, i.e., those who reject the Bible in order to live as they please. Suchlike folks are those who eat fruit from the kogae tree, rather than from the life tree. They determine right and wrong based upon how they feel about the matter, not upon any outside source.
Contrariwise, the Biblical definition of the righteous is “those who keep the law”, i.e., those who reject man’s dithery efforts to determine right and wrong in favor of the Lord’s express teachings in the Bible. Because the righteous reject man’s claims to determine morality, they clash with the wicked, who by definition insist on tossing out the Bible in favor of making their own decisions of what is moral and what is not.
So what has this to do with politicians and who to vote for come November? Well, if a candidate talks a good spiel, don’t be taken in! Listen for him to present his position vis-à-vis the Bible. Does he want to spend us into bankruptcy, under the guise that it is immoral not to feed and clothe everyone in this country (and outside of it too)?
Where in Scripture does the Lord call for government to do these things? Scripture calls for each individual to willingly help others, but only as he sees fit and to the extent he is able. Calling for government to forcibly take our money from us and give it to whomever the government feels deserves it—this is anti-Bible. It is the social gospel and it is socialism. Beware the antichrist lurking nearby!
Does the politician disguise himself in the garb of “women’s rights”, to justify the murder of innocent lives in the womb? The Bible condemns the practice of abortion as murder.
Does he favor unconditional divorce and want the government to pay for all the social injustices which derive from the destruction of the family? The Bible defines marriage as a lifetime contract, for better or for worse.
Does he espouse homosexuality under the smokescreen of alternate lifestyles and natural inclinations? The Bible denounces it as sin of the most debasing kind.
If we vote for proponents of anti-Bible morality and behaviors, we will continue to move ever deeper into the morass of antichrist living. We’ve already reached extreme social depths the way it is. This makes it excruciatingly difficult to reverse course. Only a Holy Spirit revival in the house of God will suffice. Nonetheless, with God all things are possible. So vote, but first listen carefully to what the candidates say…and don’t say.
And before we listen to politicians harangue us, let’s be sure we listen to the Lord in His Word so we know truth from error. See you at the polls in November.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
We ended our last study by noting how folks without a basis for absolute morality end up praising the wicked. Let’s continue at that point and ask, “Huh? Why would they do that?”
It’s like this. In the Bible the Lord defines who are “the wicked”. He doesn’t base wickedness on whether or not anyone drinks, smokes, or curses. Those are only a small sampling of the fruits of wickedness, not the source.
Determining who is wicked and who is not is a question of morality. If we have a relative understanding of morality, we believe it changes with the situation—which leaves us with no real morality at all. If we have an absolute understanding of morality, we need someone who is always absolute to legislate what true morality is.
Voilà! the Bible, God’s Word, fits the bill. God alone is always absolute. He alone can define absolute morality. This is where the Biblical distinction between the wicked and the righteous comes into play, dear friends.
God defines the “wicked person” as “those who forsake the law”, i.e., those who reject the Bible in order to live as they please. Suchlike folks are those who eat fruit from the kogae tree, rather than from the life tree. They determine right and wrong based upon how they feel about the matter, not upon any outside source.
Contrariwise, the Biblical definition of the righteous is “those who keep the law”, i.e., those who reject man’s dithery efforts to determine right and wrong in favor of the Lord’s express teachings in the Bible. Because the righteous reject man’s claims to determine morality, they clash with the wicked, who by definition insist on tossing out the Bible in favor of making their own decisions of what is moral and what is not.
So what has this to do with politicians and who to vote for come November? Well, if a candidate talks a good spiel, don’t be taken in! Listen for him to present his position vis-à-vis the Bible. Does he want to spend us into bankruptcy, under the guise that it is immoral not to feed and clothe everyone in this country (and outside of it too)?
Where in Scripture does the Lord call for government to do these things? Scripture calls for each individual to willingly help others, but only as he sees fit and to the extent he is able. Calling for government to forcibly take our money from us and give it to whomever the government feels deserves it—this is anti-Bible. It is the social gospel and it is socialism. Beware the antichrist lurking nearby!
Does the politician disguise himself in the garb of “women’s rights”, to justify the murder of innocent lives in the womb? The Bible condemns the practice of abortion as murder.
Does he favor unconditional divorce and want the government to pay for all the social injustices which derive from the destruction of the family? The Bible defines marriage as a lifetime contract, for better or for worse.
Does he espouse homosexuality under the smokescreen of alternate lifestyles and natural inclinations? The Bible denounces it as sin of the most debasing kind.
If we vote for proponents of anti-Bible morality and behaviors, we will continue to move ever deeper into the morass of antichrist living. We’ve already reached extreme social depths the way it is. This makes it excruciatingly difficult to reverse course. Only a Holy Spirit revival in the house of God will suffice. Nonetheless, with God all things are possible. So vote, but first listen carefully to what the candidates say…and don’t say.
And before we listen to politicians harangue us, let’s be sure we listen to the Lord in His Word so we know truth from error. See you at the polls in November.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Deuteronomy: Volume 5 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
