A serious theological blunder - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 1:6-7,

"Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used."

The Lord announced his judgment of the northern kingdom of Israel. His indictment against Israel is her idolatry, her abandonment of the Lord. The Lord will use the Assyrians to destroy the nation. Military action, conquest, destruction, genocide. There will be a slaughter of the people and devastation to all that Israel had built.

This is God and this is who he is, what he does, what he is like. So many folks, who don't read their Bibles, have no idea what God is like or what God is about. In a huge blunder of assumed theology, they perceive God as some kind of cosmic disciplinarian. Those who "do good" in this life go to heaven and those who don't go to hell. When man acts really bad, he might come down to take care of business. In a Hallmark holiday card fashion of the misunderstood "peace on earth" announcement from the heavenly host at Jesus' birth, folks feel that God condemns war as evil... and, yet, here he is, making it happen.

What do these folks make of this? How do they reconcile their notion of God with what we are told God really does? Israel is going to be slaughtered by Assyria at the hand of God. This prophecy was literally fulfilled in 722 BC.

A few thoughts come to my mind. First of all, God is not some kind of cosmic disciplinarian. God is our Creator and will be our Judge at the end of the age. Having said that, he is not carrying out some kind of divine social experiment to see if man will behave or if he can get man to behave in this life. The reality is that we are all infected with a sinful nature and we all sin. We all face his judgment. 

Out of God's unfathomable love, he sent his Son to die a miserable death to pay the penalty for our sins. What God is looking for are those who are looking for him. What he is looking for are those who will embrace him in faith. All who do so will not only be spared of his judgment, but will also be given eternal life, a place in his family and a share in the inheritance of all those who are his.

Far from some kind of divine social experiment to see who might behave or if he can get us to behave, he is building his family, his kingdom. This is what this life is all about - God is building his kingdom. All who receive him in faith join his family. His effort is what we may call his program of redemption. He sent his Son to pay the price for our sins, and then he invites us. All who respond to his invitation by faith join his family and go to heaven after this life. All who reject him will have their place in a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8.

When the affairs of this world impinge negatively on his program of redemption, the Lord steps into his creation to bring about changes that provide the opportunity for it to continue, to proceed. This is what took place when Israel was judged by God when he sent the Assyrians against them. His covenant people had placed themselves beyond the opportunity for redemption to move ahead, and so the Lord came and brought about some changes. This is what we see in the flood during Noah's day, and so much else we read of in our Bibles.

War is not the problem. God uses war. It is rejection of God that becomes a problem. And, when a nation places itself in the position of being an imposition to the gospel, look for some serious and fearful changes to come by the hand of God.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The two aspects of God's nature on display in Micah - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 1:6-7,

"Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations. All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images."

Throughout the Scriptures the Lord reveals much of himself. We call the Scriptures God's revelation because he reveals himself, his intentions and his agenda within its pages. One theme he revisits over and over again is the two primary aspects of his nature: justice and love.

When God revealed himself to Moses on Mount Sinai, he proclaimed this of himself, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7. Love and justice. In another place, the Lord said though the prophet Jeremiah, "Let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," Jeremiah 9:24. Love and justice.

These two primary aspects of God's nature are on full display in Micah. The book begins with the announcement of the Lord's judgment of Israel's northern kingdom. Micah 1:6-7. This the Lord completes in 722 BC when the Assyrians destroyed Samaria. The book ends with the expression of the Lord's love and kindness, "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago." Micah 7:18-20. This will find its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus Christ returns to bring his salvation for all those who are his, Hebrews 9:28.

Love and justice. As we read in Jeremiah 9:24, these are the qualities the Lord wants us to know of himself. Some have God all confused. Some think he is a god of justice in the Old Testament and a god of Love in the New. Hardly an accurate conclusion to arrive at if we read our Bibles. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Lord is consistently both thoughout the ages. The closing book of the New Testament describes Jesus Christ as not only like a lamb who had been slain, but also, "He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." Revelation 19:15.

The Lord wants us to know of him. He wants us to know of his justice and his love. He also wants us to know what his plans are for mankind and just what it is he is up to during our day - he is building his kingdom!

To read our Bibles is to know the Lord. To read Micah is an excellent place to start to begin to understand who our Lord is - what he is like.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

God's interruption of mankind - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Micah 1:1,

"The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."

As I read the opening words of the book of Micah, I note this is a book of prophecy from a man the Lord used as a prophet. I am reminded of Peter's observation about the prophets such as Micah, and their inspired writings, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

Micah was just such a man. He was a prophet and his message did not originate within himself. He was hand-picked by God who had a message for the northern kingdom of Israel, the southern kingdom of Israel, all mankind of the day and all mankind for all ages.

Therefore, when Micah speaks of the judgment to come, it is not simply a weather forecast of an insightful person, but an announcement by God of things to come. As Micah recounts the transgressions that have triggered the Lord's coming judgment, it is not a theological deduction of Micah, but an indictment of God himself against his creation. Israel and Judah have sinned and the Lord has taken note and now he will respond.

The entire consequence of rebellion bringing the Lord's judgment speaks to the "interactive" nature of God with his creation. I causes me to think of something the Lord had to say through his prophet Jeremiah, "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it." Jeremiah 18:7-10.

Some folks feel uncomfortable with the idea that man's actions can, and will, have an impact on the things our Creator says and does relative to man. The notion that the Lord will respond in one way or another, in real time, to the things we think, do and say gets lost in their confusion over the sovereignty of God. May I suggest that we all leave our theology at the door when we enter into the pages of Scripture in favor of just accepting what they have to say. Good advice for myself and anyone.

If we do not understand this involvement of the Lord in the affairs of mankind, responding this way and that way to the things mankind does, we will never understand the message of Micah, as well as much of the Scriptures. What this book represents is God's interruption of his creation to effect his ultimate purposes in creating it in the first place: to populate his kingdom, his family.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

It is confidence, not arrogance - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Timothy 4:14-15,

"Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message."

Paul encountered opposition to his message, the gospel. Not only did he face opposition, he also experienced the grief of having everyone abandon him, "At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me." Verse 16.

Nevertheless, Paul stood confident. He said  as he faced his impending death, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day..."

Even though there were those who opposed Paul and his message, those who advanced other ideas, Paul remained confident and assured in his message. He knew the Lord, he knew the truth, and he knew what was consistent with that truth.

We live in a world today that might view anyone with the confidence Paul had, as arrogant. How can anyone know for sure what the truth is? One church teaches this, another teaches that. Who's to say? I have a feeling Paul might find such an outlook with disdain, and even disgust. Paul took the trouble to find the truth. After his encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, he sent time with the Lord, learning directly from him.

Paul had an expectation of Timothy that he do likewise by spending time in the truth. "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:14-16.

I am thoroughly convinced we are to do as Timothy was to do. For those who claim "Jesus is Lord", he has an expectation that we get ourselves equipped in the Scriptures. Sitting in the pew, listening to the pastor tell us what the Scriptures have to say won't do. Reading commentaries and books by our favorite theologians won'd do. Although these things may be helpful, it is to the Scriptures we must go. It is in the pages of our Bibles we need to be instructed, we need to be informed, we need to be prepared, we need to be equipped.

When we do, we develop, not an arrogance, not a conceit, but a confidence. When we know what truth is, we need not be embarrassed by it, but to proclaim it. When we know the Scriptures we need to be confident, assured and firmly settled in it. Anything short of this demonstrates we really don't know the truth... maybe we have only had a passing encounter with it.

"How dare you think you know more than those theologians that debate these things..." "Greater minds than ours have struggled with these things..." These are the kinds of things spoken by those who have not invested in the effort Paul asked of Timothy.

Time to put on our big-boy pants, thoroughly investigate the Scriptures, learn them well and be confident and entirely assured about the things they speak to. There is no room in the kingdom of God for mamby-pamby weenies who either neglect the Scriptures, or supplant them with what others have to say about them and feel the need to challenge anyone who might have the "audacity" to know and proclaim the truth. 

After all, why do you think the Lord went to all the trouble to provide the Scriptures to us? 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Here is something to put on your calendar (only we don't know which day!) - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Timothy 4:1,

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge..."

Paul couches his charge to Timothy in view of, among other things, his "appearing." What is this appearing? Popularly, this has been referenced as the "second coming of Christ." We read about it in various places in our Bibles, such as Hebrews 9:28, "... Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Jesus' disciples asked him when he would be coming back to planet earth, and what the signs would be accompanying his second coming, "Tell us... when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" Matthew 24:3. Jesus responded that there would be many impostors who would claim to be him and "deceive many." About his return, he said, "... as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:27.

Jesus taught that when he comes, there would be a great mourning - as the people of the world see him return. This is due to their rejection of Jesus Christ when they had the chance to embrace him in faith and inherit eternal life. When Jesus comes again, it will be too late for anyone to turn to him. This age will be brought to a close and when he comes, "he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." Matthew 24:31. The "elect" here is a reference to all God has chosen for himself: those who exercised their free will to embrace him in faith. God has chosen for himself all who chose him.

Jesus will return to planet earth to bring judgement against all unbelievers and to bring his salvation for those of us who have embraced him in faith. Until then, as Peter said, "Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets." Acts 3:21.

Just as surely as the first coming of Jesus Christ was prophesied and fulfilled, so also will be his second coming. For the world, it will be a day of gloom and darkness. For believers, it will be the wonderful fulfillment of excited anticipation. Jesus Christ is coming for us, and, as the writer of Hebrews says, he will be bringing with him the salvation he has for all who have trusted in him.

Today we face in anticipation one of the greatest of all events in human history: the return of Jesus Christ!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

The big picture! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Timothy 4:1,

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge..."

Paul tells Timothy to discharge the duties given him and to be prepared at all times. As Paul does so, he does "in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who will judge the living and the dead." In short, everyone faces this judgement.

Some folks have not figured out what Christianity is all about - the bigger picture. As we all know, some attend church as the "spiritual" component of an otherwise healthy lifestyle. Much like going to the gym, reading informative books, attending career-enhancing seminars, investing wisely, etc. Its just "good" to insure we are addressing what we might consider to be those "spiritual things" in our lives. Others, I am quite certain, attend church to make sure their teenage children get started on the right foot, hoping that youth group will keep the kids from drugs, alcohol and sexual promiscuity. Many may attend because it is the way they were raised, that it is the right thing to do. Some may get involved in church in an effort to save their marriage, to straighten out their husbands or wives. Some may go to church as they face a frightening illness or infirmity, or due to the bereavement of losing a loved one - a place to find solace. Church is also a great place to make friends and meet the right kind of people when moving into a new area.

I'm sure there are many reasons why folks get involved in a fellowship. While many of these reasons are legitimate and needful, none of the ones I mentioned approach what Christianity is primarily about - "the bigger picture."

The bigger picture is that we are all sinners. Since Adam and Eve, all have sinned. Because of this, we all face God's judgment, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." Hebrews 9:27. This is what Christianity is all about, bottom line. The big picture is that God is both a God of love and a God of justice, "let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight." Jeremiah 9:24. Because of God's justice, we all face judgement. Because of God's love, he has made a way for us to escape the punishment of his judgement (to be cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur, Revelation 21:8), and beyond that, to be included in his family, forgiven of all sins, given eternal life, a place at God's table and an inheritance for all those who are his. This is the big picture.

The big picture is that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, John 14:6. Jesus said, "No one comes to the Father except through me." Christianity is not just another religion - it is the only way to God and the only way to escape his judgement. It is the way of faith in Jesus Christ, "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..." John 1:12.

This is the big picture. And those other things people may attend church for? All of that is wonderful icing on the cake! However, don't miss the cake! Otherwise the really important thing will be missed!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com

Are you politically correct or righteous? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Tiimothy 4:8,

"Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

A crown of righteousness.... what is "righteousness"? The definition in the dictionary is "free from quilt or sin... morally right or justifiable." Very simply it means to be in good standing with God. However, it can be a term used to describe the standing of someone in relation to something or someone else (not necessarily God): a good standing. A good standing in the community can be thought of as having a righteous standing with that community.

Who or what that something or someone is that extends the standing is all important. To have a good standing with someone corrupt, lazy and shiftless doesn't mean much, but to have a good standing with God is everything.

The whole notion of being "righteous", of having "a righteous standing" is rampant in our current culture. The term is not used, but the evaluation and designation inherent in the concept of having a "righteous standing" is applied to everybody, in terms of our culture. Think of the political candidate that may "misspeak", violating some "politically correct" perspective.

Politically correct speech is a big example of this. In our culture, "climate-change deniers" like me are not considered to have our "head right." We are not considered to have a right standing with our culture. "Homophobes" (whether you are afraid of homosexuality or just disgusted with it doesn't matter) is a term used to designate one's righteous standing with today's pop culture. Racist, bigot, misogynist, "one-percenter", are all terms used to describe someone's lack of "righteousness" with today's society.

Of course, these examples of evaluating everyone's "rightness" or "righteousness" are based on our culture's perspective on what is just, fair and appropriate - how we measure up with what our culture deems appropriate and "good". Considering the reality that our culture's standards are simply the collective expression of the sinful nature of society, I'm not too worried whether I fit in, and I hope you are not as well.

Where the culture has absolutely no basis for its fickle, capricious, fluid and inconsistent standards to evaluate someone's good standing, and particularly when there is no reasonable justification for the supposed standards, how different it is when the Scriptures speak of a standing of righteousness with God: it is always based on God's expression of himself within its pages. If God considers us acceptable to him - it is everything!

God never changes, so what he finds as acceptable never changes. He won't "evolve" on the question of same-sex marriage.  What he finds acceptable is rooted in his never changing character and nature. When we are righteous in his sight, we have his acceptance, he makes a place for us in his family, he gives us eternal life in his kingdom.

Unfortunately for me, I don't measure up to God's standards. I have thought, said and done things that God finds sinful. The life I have lived does not merit me God's acceptance, a place in his family, eternal life. What my life merits me is a place in the "fiery lake of burning sulfur" that is mentioned in Revelation 21:8.

Very, very fortunately for me is that God loves me. He loves all of us and sent his Son, Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for every one of my sins and every one of your sins. Having all my sins paid for provides me with a right standing with him, provides me all he has promised for those having that right standing with him, the standing of a "crown of righteousness." This he offers us if we simply place our faith and trust in him.

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Romans 3:21-11. How wonderful is that?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.

Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com