Neither Death Nor Life...

Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. [Psalm 44.5-6] 

Psalm 44 is a tough one. As much as we would like to make a poster for the wall with the passage above on it, we must first consider the entire context of Psalm 44 to get the full impact of it.

Ready?

What follows the passage above, starting in verse 9 and going through verse 16 sets an uncomfortable stage for what is coming afterwards:

But now you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer lead our armies to battle. You make us retreat from our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder our land. You have butchered us like sheep and scattered us among the nations. You sold your precious people for a pittance, making nothing on the sale. You let our neighbors mock us. We are an object of scorn and derision to those around us. You have made us the butt of their jokes; they shake their heads at us in scorn. We can’t escape the constant humiliation; shame is written across our faces. All we hear are the taunts of our mockers. All we see are our vengeful enemies. [Psalm 44.9-16]

 And what comes after Psalm 44.9-16?

All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us in the jackal’s desert home. You have covered us with darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart. But for your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep. [Psalm 44.17-22]

How can this be reconciled? The Bible clearly teaches that blessings will chase those who obey God. It also teaches that curses will chase those who disobey God (see Deuteronomy 28). 

The last part of Psalm 44 gives little comfort...

Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever. Why do you look the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression? We collapse in the dust, lying face down in the dirt. Rise up! Help us! Ransom us because of your unfailing love. [Psalm 44.23-26]

Psalm 44 should be seen as a momentous Psalm of true heart commitment. Think of Daniel at this point. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego at this point. They were arrested and put in deadly situations even though they had done absolutely nothing wrong in God's eyes. And yet, there was the time between their righteous living and their undeserved punishment (persecution) where they could easily and appropriately cry out the words of Psalm 44.

The presence of mind necessary to quote Psalm 44 in the midst of undeserved trials is other-worldly. Nominal Christians will never understand it. Anyone who idolizes life will never understand it. Anyone who is not one hundred percent committed to God will never understand it. Anyone who has not given up everything, taken up their cross, and followed Jesus will never understand it. And yet... the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman Church actually quoted from Psalm 44:

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8.35-39]

And this brings us back to the subject passage above from Psalm 44.5-6...

Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. [Psalm 44.5-6] 

We all understand the "neither death..." part of Paul's words in Romans 8, but do we understand the "nor life..." part of it? Are we as willing to disallow life from separating us from God's love as much as we are willing to disallow death from it? Before answering this question, should we not consider the degree to which we strive to "live" in spite of God's promise to care for us only in His name without the aid of our own devices (our bow and sword)? We should.

It is here where we see our "bow and sword" idol industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology manifest. We REALLY don't believe Psalm 44.5-6! When faced with lack, disaster, sickness or discomfort, we quickly (and whorishly, in God's eyes) turn to the idols mentioned herein negating any possibility of us quoting Psalm 44 with any integrity of commitment. And worse, we look just like the world having completely missed the opportunity to give witness to a Daniel-in-the-lion's-den moment. We miss a fiery-furnace opportunity like the three Hebrews to refuse to bow regardless the outcome.

Yes, the reason we don't see the miraculous today is because we don't "need" to (or, so we think). Who needs God when we have debt, insurance medicine and technology to keep us alive and thriving? These man-made solutions for "living" - staying alive - (our bow and sword) render us independent of God - whether we admit it or not.

Let's look at what Jesus demanded:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

If giving up "your own way" is not clear enough, taking up "your cross" makes it crystal clear that not even death (our cross) is a deterrent to following Jesus. Aaaaaaand that is where most people draw their line. After all, doesn't it say somewhere in the Bible that God helps those who help themselves??? In a word, "No."

Is our commitment to God only good as long as it does not hurt? It's a good thing Jesus did not have that attitude.

The Bible reveals God's desire to bless His people. This is indisputable.

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. [2 Chronicles 16.9]

How far are we willing to go to fully commit to Him? 

Father, for as many times as I have struggled with Psalm 44, today, I feel like I get it (at least to some degree). May Your power manifest in me - whether it is the power to live or the power to die. May my life glorify You and ONLY You. So be it.

Speak Up

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. [Proverbs 31.8-9] 

Aside from the 6th Commandment, no other scripture in the entire Bible justifies preserving the lives of unborn children more than this verse in Proverbs.

Father in heaven, may Your blessing be obvious upon those who speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. As the deadly war on unborn children continues across the world, strengthen the unyielding warriors who tirelessly and selflessly champion the cause for life. So be it.

Sparks Need To Fly

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.. [Proverbs 27.17] 

Do our friends make us sharp? Or, do they make us dull?

Here's another way to view this...

Do we make our friends sharp? Or, do we make them dull?

The bottom line is this: sparks need to fly. Otherwise, no sharpening is going on.

Maybe this explains the value of some marriages that seem to create so many sparks!

And, maybe it explains why some "friendships" never create any sparks and are worthless.

Perhaps our true friends are those with whom we make sparks. It would make sense then, that we "follow the light" gravitating to those people where the sparks fly.

Just a thought...

Father, thank You for those in my life who make sparks fly. May we never shy away from the sparks. So be it.

May We Be Healed

And the LORD listened to Hezekiah’s prayer and healed the people. [2 Chronicles 30.20] 

When God answers prayers, powerful things happen.

Sadly, many today do not believe the statement above.

Too bad.

Father in heaven, forgive us for allowing our faith to become so abstract that we do not even expect Your power to manifest when we pray. Help us to see, from Hezekiah's story that abstract (powerless) faith comes from diluted or abandoned worship of You (idolatry). May we be found getting rid of our idols like they did in Hezekiah's day. May we be found pleading for, and receiving, Your pardon in Jesus Christ, and, as we give up our own way, take up our cross and follow Him, may we be healed. So be it.

Isaiah: Babylon, Industrialization, Satan, Pride, And Man

“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. [Isaiah 14.12] 

All my Christian life I have believed this passage is directly referring to Satan. But today, I see it much deeper than that...

Yes, the passage above can be interpreted to address Satan, but the context is not about him. The context is about Babylon. If Isaiah 14.12 is kept in context, the more accurate broad "association" (besides Babylon) would be industrialized people in general.

Babylon was just another kingdom. Babylon became strong, formidable, and successful. God used Babylon to accomplish His will toward Israel. Babylon served a time and purpose. However, Babylon became proud.

As best we understand from the Bible, Satan indeed fits the description of Babylon above. However, we should not become distracted with Satan (who, by the way is a deceiver) and fail to see that Isaiah 13-14 just as accurately describes any advanced, industrialized nation (or entity) who forgets God - or worse, attempts to displace God. In fact, Isaiah 13-14 can just as easily address any individual raised up and used by God for a particular role who then becomes proud and falls.

When we think of "industrialization" we tend to think of factories and machines and such. But that thinking is shortsighted because industrialization includes much more than just factories and machines. Industrialization also includes finance, insurance, medicine and technology - all industries unto themselves. See where this is going?

Should we not raise an eyebrow at the following indictment upon "the world" (underlined below) in the midst of God's address specifically to Babylon?

“I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. [Isaiah 13.11]

In the midst of God's judgment upon Babylon, we see that God's disdain for pride is universal. In fact, when God wrote His rules, He was quite clear Who was in charge in rule #1:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3] 

It is pure pride and arrogance to even give consideration to another god, starting with the god of "self" (as the Bible attests in the Garden of Eden). It doesn't matter whether it's Adam and Eve, Babylon, Satan, the United States, or "me." The decreed reward for pride is devastation.

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. [Proverbs 16.18]

Babylon is simply the "poster-child" of Isaiah's day for God's opinion about pride. Pride abuses power and displaces God (or, so it thinks). Satan did it in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve did it in the Garden of Eden, and Babylon did it in Isaiah's day. What does it in our day? Dare we ask?

As industrialization represents power, we must understand the propensity for pride to enter the picture. The industrialization ("empowerment") of mankind today is best seen in the areas of finance, insurance, medicine and technology. Stay with me... We need only look at these industries' advertisements to see their pride... let me say that another way... to see their "Pride" displayed before the world in their advertisements depicting God-forbidden lifestyles. The so-called "Pride" movement, in self-prophecy, embraces an in-your-face attitude toward the world and toward God. The industries mentioned herein that show support for the "Pride" movement make themselves "Babylon" deserving every devastating loss described in Isaiah 13-14. And, any person associated with these industries will ultimately suffer the same loss.

To be certain, even if the industries mentioned above did not embrace alternative lifestyle "Pride" they have still become proud. They genuinely believe they are "God's gift" to society and that God will not work without them. And, that is where they are wrong. That is where they have become proud. That is where they, like Babylon, took it too far becoming an abusive burden upon the people - yes, God's people. That is where they have sealed both theirs and their followers' fate.

Nothing would please Satan more than for us to 'check out brains at the door' reading Isaiah 13-14 as a narrative about him while failing to realize that it is a warning to God's people about pride (including "Pride"). Satan does not care what we say about him as long as we are following him.

So, while Isaiah 14.12 can indeed be a reference to Satan, it can just as easily and appropriately be a reference to anyone anywhere as they are empowered by the Most High and then become proud.

Just like Satan and Babylon, the industries of finance, insurance, medicine and technology served a time-and-place purpose. However, in their eventual and overwhelming empowerment, pride entered in and, at that moment, they became God's enemies - idols unto themselves and costly idols to all who depend upon them.

I don't like where this is going any more than anyone else. But, without question, that's why Jesus' no-pride demand is so uncomfortable:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Father, as You are so faithful to do, You have allowed my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to understand Your Word just a bit deeper today. And, it causes me great discomfort. Now, what will I do with it? May I see that every Old Testament writing points me to Jesus, and, may I be found giving up my own way, taking up my cross, and following Him. So be it.

Isaiah And Idolatry

See how Jerusalem, once so faithful, has become a prostitute. Once the home of justice and righteousness, she is now filled with murderers. Once like pure silver, you have become like worthless slag. Once so pure, you are now like watered-down wine.. [Isaiah 1.21-22]

Today's One Year Chronological Bible reading speaks to the problem of idolatry. Having other gods makes people spiritual prostitutes. This is the very thing the 2nd Commandment warns against.

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

 As seen in most all of today's OYCB reading from Isaiah, there are distinct results (signs) of idolatry, one of which is seen immediately following the subject passage above:

Your leaders are rebels, the companions of thieves. All of them love bribes and demand payoffs, but they refuse to defend the cause of orphans or fight for the rights of widows. [Isaiah 1.23]

Corrupt leadership is the direct result of idolatry. Isaiah goes on in chapter 2 to define some other results of idolatry:

Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD! For the Lord has rejected his people, the descendants of Jacob, because they have filled their land with practices from the East and with sorcerers, as the Philistines do. They have made alliances with pagans. Israel is full of silver and gold; there is no end to its treasures. Their land is full of warhorses; there is no end to its chariots. Their land is full of idols; the people worship things they have made with their own hands. [Isaiah 2.5-8]

Then, in the 5th chapter of Isaiah, we find another result of idolatry:

What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. [Isaiah 5.20] 

The thing is, we could go on for days listing the results of idolatry and still people today refuse to see the obvious signs all around them. They do so because they are ignorant of God's Word. Anyone who genuinely wants to see and know God can see and know Him in His Word. But instead, they are those Jesus spoke of:

And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. [John 3.19-20]

There is only one solution to the idolatry problem in the Bible and in our day. It is the solution God saw fit to make the 1st Commandment:

“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. [Exodus 20.2-3] 

This demand for singular devotion and commitment is, as would be expected, exactly what God-in-the-flesh, Jesus, demanded:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

It is not enough to look around and complain about the results of idolatry all around us... there is the matter (and demand) of repentance. What that looks like is found back in Isaiah 1:

Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness. But rebels and sinners will be completely destroyed, and those who desert the Lord will be consumed. You will be ashamed of your idol worship in groves of sacred oaks. You will blush because you worshiped in gardens dedicated to idols. [Isaiah 1.27-29 underline for emphasis]

Until there is shame for idolatry, there will be no repentance - no turning away from idols. But there will be no shame if people remain ignorant of what idolatry is:

Idolatry is trusting anything other than, or in addition to, God. 

People will remain ignorant of what idolatry is as long as they remain ignorant of God's Word. God's people simply must become students of His Word - not students of colleges (even Bible colleges), not students of denominations or churches, not students of doctrines and theology - but students of God's Word. They simply must avoid contamination or dilution of God's Word with the opinions of man. They must stop quoting men, and start quoting God. Genuine believers in God (followers of Jesus) must make every effort to give up every way of their own - the ways of man's self-serving ingenuity and academia -  and instead determine that God's supernatural power must and will be their trademark - their defining characteristic - the distinction that they are God's ALONE - even if it costs them their lives (Matthew 16.24 above and Daniel 3.16-18).

The problem with everything said heretofore is that when we finally set out to identify the idols of our day so that we might give them up, then, and only then, do we realize just what wretched, whorish, adulterers against God that we really are. And then is when our proud religious theologies and academia (not to be confused with the actual knowledge of God's Word only) lulls us back into our idolatrous comfort zone fulfilling exactly what Jesus said in John 3.19-20 above.

Do we trust man's industry of finance to meet our needs? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

Do we trust man's industry of insurance to protect ourselves and our assets? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

Do we trust man's industry of medicine for our health? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

Do we trust man's industry of technology for our convenience? Then we are trusting man and not God. We are idolaters.

How do we know this is true? By considering all the implications of the following question: "Does God want me to trust Him ALONE to meet my needs without debt, insurance, medicine or technology?" The answer is as plain as day in God's Word.

We might also consider where our money goes... The Biblical pattern is that "where our money goes is where our god is." This is especially true where God, in His Word, said He would provide for us, protect us, heal us, and meet our every need if we obey Him (which, by the way, is better than sacrifice - 1 Samuel 15.22). In contrast, man's idol industries of debt, insurance, medicine and technology all demand monetary sacrifices made directly to them in exchange for their "benefits" - and, they require no accountability to God whatsoever.

The signs are all around us, and, sadly, the Church is saturated with them. God's Word calls us to repentance... but then, to know that, we must necessarily know God's Word. Hosea's words on behalf of God keep coming to mind:

My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me... [Hosea 4.6]

Father in heaven, our eyes to see and our ears to hear will not be functional until Your Word is not just a priority, but our life (or, death as the case may be). May we walk in Your grace to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it. 

Jesus, God's Poster-Child Against Idolatry

“Who does the LORD think we are?” they ask. “Why does he speak to us like this? Are we little children, just recently weaned? He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!” So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language! God has told his people, “Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.” But they would not listen. So the LORD will spell out his message for them again, one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, so that they will stumble and fall. They will be injured, trapped, and captured. [Isaiah 28.9-13] 

Isaiah's writing here is addressing the underlying current of idolatry in God's people. The reference, "He tells us everything over and over—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there," is a direct reference to God's Word (Scripture) up to that time. Based on all the cumulative Scripture being referred to—one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there, the repeated warnings against idolatry found therein indeed broadly reveal the theme of the Old Testament writings preparing the way for Jesus.

While basic "Sunday School" knowledge may find the transition from Old Testament idolatry to New Testament "Jesus" a difficult task, the true student of the Bible will recognize that the very context of Isaiah's writing above prophesied of Jesus.

Therefore, listen to this message from the LORD, you scoffing rulers in Jerusalem. You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.” Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. [Isiah 28.14-16] 

Is it ironic that this prophecy of Jesus says, We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave? This is a direct reference to the benefits offered by Israel's idols, "life" from a source other than God. Why is this noteworthy? Because man's modern idols (man's way) of debt, insurance, medicine and technology today offer the same benefits!

As a matter of pure fact, all of today's One Year Chronological Bible reading addresses Israel's (and Judah's) betrayal of God for idols. It is simply willful ignorance among God's people not to see this fact. But when they finally consider the underlying theme of idolatry (man's way, as revealed when they finally read God's Word in its entirety), Jesus' words take on revelatory meaning:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Further proof that the Old Testament, with all its warnings against idolatry, is preparation for Jesus, is found in Jesus' own words as recalled by John:

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! [John 5.39] 

Jesus is God's literal "poster-child" against idolatry. When God's people finally make this connection between Jesus and the Old Testament, the most famous scripture of the Bible unfolds in amazing revelation:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” [John 3.16-21] 

The default judgment upon those who do not believe Jesus is judgment upon idolatry: they do not want to admit their own way of idolatry (trusting anything other than or in addition to God) because they would have to admit it is wrong. So, they avoid "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" Who is Jesus, the Light of the World so as not to expose their idolatry. They love the darkness of their (way-of-man) idols more than the Light of Jesus. In this condition, they are not followers of Jesus (although they may indeed be "religious").

Isaiah, in concert with all the Old Testament writings, and from the platform of God's disdain for man's idolatry, prophesies of Jesus.

Father in heaven, may our eyes and ears be opened to the Truth Who is Jesus. May we be enlightened by Your Word, understanding that "our own way" is the way of idolatry. May we then be found giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Jesus. Really. So be it.