Pride Is the Source of Quarreling

Proverbs 13:10: "Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice."


If one could peel back the facade of many of the churches in America today, one would see divisiveness about the most trivial matters. Whether the theme fueling the lack of harmony is the style of music or the color of carpet in the worship center, the deeper reason for such division can be found in personal pride. The original word for "pride" mentioned in Proverbs 13 is a word which means "boiling up"; that is, pride is a swelling of the ego to the point that the person ensnared by it believes himself and his opinions to be far superior to those around him. We also see in this prideful person a vehement anger that wells up when he does not get his way. The foundation of many arguments today is not necessarily the mere difference of opinion but the sinister clashing of unyielding personalities.

Again, since this boastful person sees himself as the center of the universe, to which all creatures are to bow in humble servitude, he is enraged when people do not surrender their wills to his perceived "perfect" will. And if one were to attempt to provide counsel to this arrogant person, in order that he might see his sin of pride, the confronting person is likely to receive a vituperative response. Why you might ask? Because the prideful person is unwilling to hear the wise counsel of others; he is too ensconced in his arrogance to see that he may in fact be wrong. This person often entrenches himself in his "cause" which in reality is his insistence that he get his own way. This type of person is the "cancer" of the church that eats away at God's will for the unity of the body (see Ephesians 4).


Sadly, many churches today are filled with people who are consumed with egocentricity. In fact, in my observation of church life today, I have noticed that many church attendees are connected to a particular church because they have been culturally conditioned there. They attend a particular church because they were reared in a social environment which expected church attendance and/or they have family alliances in a particular church. It may very well be that their dearly departed family members were instrumental in the development of the church. And in their opinion, this familial association gives them license to "run the church" the way that they expect it to be run. Seldom do they keep a pastor for more than a few years, for if the pastor has a vision from the Lord to direct the church in a direction that is different from the expectations of these "church rulers," then the pastor is run out of town. There is little desire for change (even if the Holy Spirit is a part of the change), for these wielders of church power want to maintain the norm in order that their power remains unchallenged.


How many times have I heard of or spoken with grieving pastors who have been called to a church by welcoming parishioners only to find that there is a centrality of power held by a few prominent families, and any deviation from the wishes of those few families brings the consternation and retributive wrath from them, that evolves into a campaign to replace that pastor with a "conformist."


Of course just the reverse can be true in that parishioners can call a pastor who at first seems to be the answer to the church's need for an overseer who will lead the people into faithful obedience to the Lord, when in fact, they soon find that the pastor is a tyrannical despot who seeks to dominate those to whom he believes himself to be called.


Whereas all of us have struggled with selfish pride in some manifestation, we need to remember that God hates a prideful spirit (it is one of the most detestable sins that God hates [see Proverbs 6:17]). Scripture compares an arrogant spirit to the evil of idolatry (see I Samuel 15:23), and we know that the Lord will punish all of those who place any other god above worship of the One True God! Of course, one can argue that an arrogant, prideful spirit is nothing less that worship of self above all other persons and things. Such idolatry is utterly abhorrent to the Lord, and He will judge such wickedness.


God tells us in Isaiah 66:2 that He esteems the one who is "humble and contrite in Spirit." Let us embrace a submissive spirit toward the Lord and others. Let us not push for our selfish agendas in prideful arrogance; instead, let us have teachable spirits that can receive the wisdom of the Lord to live lives of perfect obedience to Him as Lord. Were we within Christendom to renounce our selfish ways for the will of God Almighty, we would find unity rekindled and we would see the power of God released in truly miraculous ways.

They Did Not Understand About the Loaves

Mark 6:51-52: "Then he (Jesus) climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."


This passage recorded in the Gospel of Mark describes the events immediately following Jesus' miraculous feeding of the 5000 on a mountainside along the Sea of Galilee. Right after Jesus fed the people, He made His disciples get into a boat and sail for Capernaum. It was very late in the evening (Matthew's Gospel records it was about the fourth watch of the night [3-6am]). Jesus did not board the small sailing vessel with them, for He desired to retreat privately to a mountainside in order that He might commune with His Father in prayer.


Right in the middle of the disciple's four-mile sea trek, unexpected winds hurled down upon the helpless boat; the experienced seaman in the boat were terrified with the raging waters that threatened to capsize the vessel. As the disciples unsuccessfully strained to guide the boat with oars, they looked to the horizon and saw Jesus walking on the water towards them. Their first response was terror, for they thought that a ghost (possibly a spirit from Sheol, the place of the dead) had come to visit them and affirm their imminent demise.


Jesus quickly allayed His disciple's fears by extending peace to them; Peter was so amazed at Jesus' arrival, that he asked if he might come out to the Savior upon the water. When Jesus beckoned Peter out of the boat, the disciple (with eyes fixed upon Jesus) began to walk on the water toward Jesus. Of course, the wind and waves were still swirling about causing Peter to take his eyes off the Savior and look instead at the perilous condition in which he found himself. As soon as Peter was distracted by his circumstances and lost faith in the Savior, he began to sink into the turbulent waters. The disciple cried out to Jesus for rescue, and the Lord saved him; then Jesus rebuked His disciple for not having faith.


Jesus and Peter returned to the boat, and as soon as they boarded, the winds died down. The overwhelmed disciples began to praise Jesus, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Immediately, the boat reached the shore of Gennesaret, and Jesus continued His ministry with the people of that region.


As we read through the 3 gospel accounts that record this event, we are reminded that the disciples were amazed at Jesus' transcendence of natural law by His walking on water and His ability to calm the storm. One would think that the disciples, who previously had seen a number of miraculous events by the Savior (including the raising of a dead girl to life), would have not been so taken back by the events that unfolded on the Sea of Galilee. The Scriptures tell us that the disciples' amazement was fueled by their failure to understand Jesus' teaching about the loaves.


The "loaves" metaphor is mentioned by Jesus in John 6, when He instructed the crowds that He is the "Bread of Life who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world" (John 6:33). That is, Jesus is the Son of God who came into the world to be the eternal sustenance that would provide eternal life to those who would surrender to Him as Lord and receive His eventual gift of His very life as a ransom for their wickedness. His miracle of multiplying the 5 loaves to feed the 5000 was intended not only to feed the hungry people, but to teach those who would hear, that God has eternal nourishment for all who would come to Him by faith. The Bread of Life would be multiplied to feed everyone who would surrender his life to the Lord.


Thus, the feeding of the 5000 with bread, coupled with the subsequent events on the Sea of Galilee were intentional by the Lord, to teach His disciples of His role as the Source of True Life and Deliverance for the redeemed. We have already seen how Jesus would use the miraculous provision of bread for the crowds as a later teaching illustration, when He referred Himself to the Bread of Life (John 6). But even the storm event was used by the Lord to teach His disciples that He was the Sovereign Lord who would triumph over sin and who would be the source of salvation for all who would believe. In antiquity, the dark waters of the sea were seen as the abode of evil. Isaiah's eschatological prophecy recorded hundreds of years before, mentions the LORD punishing the great serpent, Leviathan, who lived in the abyss of the deep . . . the place representing darkness, evil, and chaos (see Isaiah 27:1).


Jesus' walking upon the waters symbolically declared His sovereignty and victory over all evil. Not only was He noticeably distinct from that which represented evil, but He was able to defeat evil in transcendent supremacy. Of course, the Apostle Peter wanted to walk upon the water to Jesus, and Jesus summoned him to come, but it would only be by faith in the Lord that Peter would triumph over the dark, murky waters. When Peter first left the boat, he walked on the very turbulent water that once was a source of fear for him and his companions in the boat. Peter's faith in the Lord brought the blessing of victory over the chaotic waters below. But with the crashing of the waves upon Peter, the disciple stopped looking to the Messiah and began to look around at his circumstances; as a result, he began to lose faith that Jesus could deliver him from his seemingly fateful demise. In an instance, Peter began to sink into the waters, and he cried out to the Lord for deliverance.


There is a tremendous teaching lesson for us in this story. Again, we understand that Jesus is the spiritual food for eternal and abundant life. Only He can provide our souls with the nourishment that will bring our salvation. He too is the one who can provide victory over the seemingly impossible situations in which we may find ourselves. As the wind and waves of tribulation crash around us, we must remember that only faith in Jesus will give us the power and strength to rise above the chaos and darkness of life to attain victory in an otherwise seemingly hopeless situation. Let us continue to "fix our eyes on Jesus (who is) the Author and Perfecter of our Faith" (Hebrews 12:2); for in Him alone will we find spiritual nourishment for the salvation of our souls as well as the strength to transcend the dark waters of despair that come upon us in our tribulations.


Of course, we must respond in faith to the Lord when our difficult times come; otherwise, we will find ourselves in the same proverbial predicament that the Apostle Peter found himself. We will start to sink into the abyss of the darkness that confronts us unless we put our trust exclusively in the Lord.


Then too we should not be so amazed that God is willing and able to provide us these spiritual victories in life. If we truly understand the significance of Jesus as the Bread of Life, we will come to anticipate His power made manifest in our lives, giving us the ability to triumph over any obstacle that may come our way.

Jesus . . . Our Spiritual Sustenance Leading to a Fruitful Life

Micah 5:2: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."


In the nativity story shared in Matthew 2, there is a citation of the prophecy from the prophet Micah, who seven hundred years before declared that a Ruler would come forth whose "goings forth have been from everlasting" (see Micah 5:2). Of course, we today see the prophecy fulfilled through the LORD Jesus Christ. It is He who came, not simply to fulfill the prophecy of Micah, but to offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world. It is through Him and Him alone that we have the hope of salvation (Acts 4:10-12).


What is quite fascinating is the name of the town in which Jesus would be born. Whereas this town in Judea at the time of Christ's birth was of little size and significance, its name was perfect for the advent of the Messiah. We see that the name of the town was Bethlehem Ephrathah. The name "Bethlehem" means "House of Bread." This reference reminds one of the exchange that Jesus had three decades later with some of His followers near the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had just taken 5 barley loaves of bread and multiplied them to feed five thousand people; then, later, Jesus would use this miraculous event to teach His hearers that He was the true Bread of Life from whom comes eternal nourishment (i.e. salvation). Jesus exclaimed that those who would "feast" upon Him by surrendering to Him as Lord would receive life everlasting.

Sadly, many of these people who followed Jesus because He was feeding them physically in truly miraculous ways (see John 6:26), now turned from the Messiah and no longer followed Him. Jesus' provocative call to repentance and surrender would require every person to decide who would be the ultimate ruler of his life . . . himself or Jesus. Jesus promised that for those who would choose Him as their Lord, He would produce within them an abundance of spiritual fruit which would glorify the Father and edify other believers. Specifically, Jesus used the illustration of Himself being a vine and His followers being branches grafted into the nourishment of the vine, and the Lord told His followers that if they remained in Him and He in them, then they would "bear much fruit (for) apart from (Him [i.e. Jesus] they) could do nothing" (see John 15). This is where the latter name of the town of Jesus' birth is so significant, for the name, "Ephrathah" means "fruitful."

It is no mere coincidence that the name of the town in which Jesus would be born was Bethlehem Ephrathah. Not only did the birthplace fulfill God's promise to David 1000 years earlier that from his seed would come One who would have an eternal reign (see 2 Samuel 7), but also the birthplace communicated to the world that Jesus is the Source of eternal life for the believer, leading him to a spiritually fruitful life for the glory of God and the furtherance of His eternal kingdom.

God Fulfills His Promises . . . In His Time Frame

Acts 7:5; Hebrews 11:13-16: "He (God) have him (Abraham) no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground. But God promised him that he and his descendants after him would possess the land, even though at the time Abraham had no child . . . . All these people (including Abraham) were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own . . . . They were longing for a better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."


The story of Abraham's life is an incredible testimony of faith in the promises of God, even though those promises would not be fulfilled in the patriarch's lifetime. If one remembers the story of Abraham in the book of Genesis, one recalls that God called Abraham to leave his homeland and travel to a distant place that the Lord would determine. Abraham would end up travelling hundreds of miles to an unfamiliar territory, with only the hope of the promise of God that he would receive the land to which God was sending him.

When Abraham arrived to the Judean territory, he did not take title to the land that the Lord seemingly promised him; in fact, he would wander around the land in nomadic fashion until the end of his days. The only land that he would own was a small burial cave for Sarah and himself that he purchased from the Hittites near Mamre.

One might conclude that Abraham could have been justified in any frustration at God for not delivering His promises during Abraham's lifetime. But Abraham's trust in God had been fueled by his intimate fellowship that he regularly had with the Lord. Hebrews 6:15 tells us that "Abraham waited patiently (finally) receiving what he was promised." This was faith in the midst of conflicting circumstances. Whereas Abraham could have capitulated to his dismal earthly circumstances (wandering around in the land to which God had promised him . . . and not taking ownership), Abraham, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to rise above his circumstances to press on in obedience to the Lord in spite of his circumstances. Abraham was able to see that he was still on journey even when he arrived in Palestine; in fact, he was just beginning the trek that would continue until the day of his death, when he would finally take possession of God's ultimate Promised Land! Abraham determined that his ephemeral earthly life was to be lived as a sojourner on pilgrimage. Abraham knew that the earthly life was not the end to which he should passionately pursue; rather, the patriarch knew that all of his determination should be on dwelling in God's presence in eternity. Abraham would not permit his earthly circumstances to dissuade him from his faith in the Almighty and His promise of eternal blessing . . . Heaven.

What is so incredibly telling is the above cited passage, that God "is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." God is so proud of those who would trust Him in faith no matter what their circumstances might be . . . those who would commit themselves to the promises of the Lord even if those promises are not realized until eternity. These are people who can see the bigger picture of life through the lens of God's eternal plans and purposes. God is not ashamed to be called the Lord of those who would demonstrate such faith in Him. And just as Abraham was strengthened through his intimate fellowship with the Lord (see Genesis 12 & 15), so too we should be strengthening our faith by being intimately connected to the Lord through His Word and through prayer.

Let's adopt a sojourner's attitude in this life. And as we travel through the painful ordeals that this world has to offer, let us embrace the promises of God that He has presented to those who have surrendered to Him as Lord and Savior. He has told us that He has prepared for us a Promised Land (see John 14:1-3). May we through faith and intimacy with our Lord press on to the goal of life . . . eternal fellowship with the Almighty!

Standing Firm

Matthew 24:10-13: "At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

The above passage is part of Jesus' teaching concerning the end of the age, when God, the Holy and Righteous Judge, will return to bless the redeemed and judge the reprobate. The setting of this teaching by the Lord took place as Jesus and the disciples were leaving the Jerusalem temple. The disciples were rambling on about the impressiveness of the temple buildings as well as the amount of offerings being given to the priests (see Luke 21:5). Of course, Jesus challenged the disciples' consumption with external display by telling them that the magnificence of the temple buildings would not endure into eternity. He then began His teaching of the coming day when His disciples would experience persecution for their allegiance to Him as the Messiah.


Most noteworthy are Jesus' words concerning the end of time, for He vividly presents the disposition of the world when He returns to the earth a second time in glorious splendor. Jesus tells His disciples that many professing Christians will "turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other." The context of this passage deals with the heightened persecutions that the true Church will experience at the end of the age. Many within the church walls will cave to the pressures of persecution, and they will both renounce the faith and betray those who remain loyal to Christ. Still others who are filled with hate will see opportunity to destroy those to whom their hate is directed. The Scriptures tell us that these people that harbor such hate are not true followers of Jesus Christ; instead they are apostates who mask themselves as Christians (see I John 4:19-21).

We also find in the Matthew 24 passage that with the increased wickedness of the world, the "love of most will grow cold, but (the one) who stands firm to the end will be saved." The parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke says, "by your endurance you will gain your lives" (Luke 21:19). In the last days, people will become consumed with love for themselves and will justify any behavior that promotes their own selfishness above all others, including God. They will not "put up with sound doctrine; instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear" (see 2 Timothy 3:2f; 4:3f). The persecution of the true Church of Jesus Christ will be great, for everyone who lives his life in godly obedience will be persecuted . . . and the intensity of persecution will get progressively worse (2 Timothy 3:12-13). Nonetheless, this persecution will have a purifying effect of separating the true followers of Christ from those who only label themselves as "Christian" but who in fact have no personal relationship with the Lord of Hosts.


Still, God expects faithfulness during this oppressive time. Followers of Jesus Christ must continue to turn away from wickedness, even though it may not be the popular thing to do. Tragically, the end of the age will bring vehement persecution upon the righteous at a level of distress that will be greater than the accumulated volume and intensity of persecutions from the beginning of time until that day (see Matthew 24:21; 2 Timothy 2:19). Fortunately for the elect, God will shorten the duration of that persecution with His unexpected return, which will be like a thief in the night (see I Thessalonians 5:2). For the majority of people who will have turned to wickedness and thus forsaken any allegiance to the One True God, the Lord's return will bring widespread mourning. This is because these recalcitrant ones will be judged for their rebellion against the Lord, and they will be assigned for eternity to the place where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:51).

Whereas the true Church of Jesus Christ has yet to experience the level of persecution that Jesus mentions above, this passage is a word of warning that it is coming. Our Savior entreats us to stand firm in our faith, no matter the level of intensity of persecution from wicked men, who hate Jesus Christ and anyone who claims to follow Him as Lord (see John 15:21). Although many will fall away from the faith due to the level of distress from persecution, Christ compels us to "keep watch" and to "be ready" for His return (Matthew 24:42,44). Our Savior's return will make our steadfastness in the midst of tribulation worth it all, for we will be ushered into His glorious presence for all eternity, never again to experience the level of pain that we experienced at the hands of ungodly men who are controlled by the Evil One.

Obedience to the End

Revelation 1-3: "And among the lampstands was someone like a son of man [Jesus Christ], dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet . . . . And the seven lampstands are the seven churches . . . . (The Lord said to the messenger of the church in Ephesus) 'Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place . . . . To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' . . . . (To the Church at Smyrna the Lord said), 'Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life . . . . He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.' . . . . (The Lord said to the Church in Pergamum), 'To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it.' . . . . (To the Church at Thyatira the Lord said), 'To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations.' . . . . (To the Church at Sardis, the Lord said), 'He who overcomes will . . . be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.' . . . . (To the Church at Philadelphia, the Lord said), 'Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.' . . . . (To the Church at Laodicea the Lord said), 'To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.'"

In modern Christendom, there is a false notion that God's grace somehow is obtained by church association or mere cognitive awareness of Jesus' death and resurrection for the atonement of sin. How many times have people rationalized their faith by concluding, "I don't want to go to hell, so I'm going to say the sinner's prayer, make it public before the church, and get my 'Get Out of Hell Free' card . . . . But I'm not going to surrender my life (with all of its selfish and carnal appetites) to God . . . . I still want to be on the throne of my own life." Some are even more brazen to the point that they identify themselves as Christian simply because they participate in a few ceremonious events each year at a "Christian" church and give infrequently to a "Christian" organization. It's as if people want God for His eternal benefits, but they are unwilling to surrender to Him as their Lord. People will relegate God to a small subset within their life experience, but they refuse to give Him everything through their submission to Him as Master and Savior.


The Holy Scriptures do not teach such heresy; in fact, the Scriptures inculcate that salvation is reserved for those who persevere in their obedience to the Lord of Hosts through the power of the Holy Spirit. No mere words or ritualistic observances will suffice for one's redemption, for in each of the above cited scriptural dictates, the Lord expressly commands that only those who overcome the power of sin through true repentance and obedience will be the ones receiving His eternal blessing.


This is not to suggest that Christians live perfect lives (the example of the Church at Laodicea should affirm this [see Revelation 3:15-16]). Still, the true believer in Christ lives his life in such a way that he strives for Godly perfection through the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:48). If the true follower of Jesus Christ begins to stray from obedience to the Lord, the Holy Spirit (who indwells the believer, giving him the power to overcome sin [see Romans 8:9]) will convict the believer of his sin and will lead him to the truth of repentance (John 16:8,13), and the true believer will respond with contrition, confession, repentance, and renewed obedience. One will not find a true believer straying very far and for very long from the path of obedience, for he willingly yields his own selfish will to the will of the Father, and he quickly returns to faithful allegiance, once the Holy Spirit begins to convict him of sin.


Therefore, we know that the true Christian is one whose mind, will, and body are controlled by the Spirit, because he is surrendered to the Lord of Hosts as his Master. God is the number one priority for the believer, and he cannot help but be faithfully obedient to Him as his Lord.


Romans 8:5-8 reinforces this fact by presenting the evidential difference between the reprobate and the redeemed. Specifically, the passage tells us that the reprobate "live according to the sinful nature . . . (being) hostile to God (by not) submitting to His (God's) law . . . (therefore) not pleasing God (and thus bringing) death" whereas those who are committed to Christ "have their minds set on what the Spirit desires (which brings) life and peace."


Let us not fall prey to the popular misconception of what it means to be a Christian. This identification is not flippantly assigned by the Lord to just anyone; instead, it is granted to those who have received the precious gift of grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ . . . and the benefits of this grace are experienced through faith, made manifest in repentance and complete devotion to God as the exclusive Lord of one's life.

Glorification in Judgment

Exodus 14:8,17b: "The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly . . . . (the LORD said) 'The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.'"


As one looks through Scripture, one finds that God is glorified in many things throughout His creation:


God is glorified by the heavens that He has created. They "pour forth praises day after day" for the Lord of Hosts (Psalm 19:1-2).


God is glorified when the righteous exalt His name through their praise and celebration of Him as their Lord and Savior (Psalm 34:3).


God is glorified through the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ, to provide salvation for those who would surrender to Him as Lord (John 13:31-32). This immeasurable act of love, which permits us the privilege of adoption as God's sons and daughters, praises God's glorious grace that He willingly "lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:8).

God will be glorified by the righteous elect when He returns to receive them into His heavenly abode. They will glorify Him as they marvel at the One in whom they believed as Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:10).


God is glorified through His works . . . they are "pondered by all who delight in them" (Psalm 111:2-3).


Of course the list of things that glorify God could continue for all eternity; however, one noteworthy point is found in the cited passage above, namely that God is glorified through the hardening of the disobedient, so that He might drive them to fulfill certain events that would declare His sovereignty over all things. This demonstration of judgment declares that His Holiness will prevail, no matter what stands in rebellion against Him.


We know from the Exodus account that Pharaoh and the Egyptians had held the Israelites in bondage in Egypt for many years; they dealt with them ruthlessly and enslaved them to forced labor so that the Israelites would not rise up against them. Of course, God had promised Abraham hundreds of years before that His descendants would dwell in the land promised to the patriarch (see Genesis 12); and God had promised that He would punish the nation that would force the Israelites to serve as slaves (Genesis 15:14).


True to His Word, God hardened Pharaoh's heart just after the Egyptian leader had released the Israelites to return to their promised land. Pharaoh quickly changed his mind as to the emancipation of the Israelites, and he summoned his army to pursue them and return them to bondage. God used Pharaoh's wickedness to lead him to an ultimate confrontation with the Lord. Pharaoh, who considered himself the god of the most powerful nation in the world, would engage in battle against the One True God; and God would be glorified through his victory over Pharaoh and the Egyptians army. God did this so that all people, including the Egyptians, would know that He alone was the Lord (Exodus 14:4).

Pharaoh summoned 600 of his chariots along with his soldiers and pursued the Israelites and caught up with them at the Red Sea. The Israelites were sickened by the approaching Egyptian army and complained to Moses for leading them out into the wilderness to die; however, Moses countered their grumbling by reassuring them that the Lord would "fight for them" (14:14). And true to His promises, the Lord moved in between the Egyptian army and the Israelites, and He defeated the Egyptians by using darkness, confusion, and disarray. The Egyptian army had followed the Israelites into the dry sea bed that had been formed when God moved back the waters to permit the Israelites to pass through to the other side. Once all the Israelites had reached the other side of the great sea, Moses stretched his hand over the sea, and the Lord responded by collapsing the walls of water that had been formed. As the Egyptian chariots started to fall apart, the army realized that the Israelite God was protecting His people, and they determined to return to Egypt to get away from this divine wrath. Unfortunately for the Egyptians, it was too late. The great waters engulfed the army, and none of them survived. The Scriptures tell us that when the Israelites saw the great power of God demonstrated through the destruction of the mighty Egyptian army, they "feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and Moses His servant" (14:31).

We see from this account that the Lord is not averse to using the wicked in such a way to demonstrate His Sovereign Reign over all. Even as the Egyptians were being utterly destroyed by God, He was being glorified. Certainly good came from this destruction as His covenant people were strengthened in their faith in the One True Lord of Hosts.

We must remember that the Lord will be glorified both through the praises of the righteous and through the judgment of the wicked. Let us renounce any wickedness in our lives that would bring a punitive response from the Lord; let us instead follow the Lord faithfully and obediently so that God's glory would be demonstrated through our surrender to Him as Lord!

Be Diligent

Hebrews 6:12: "We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised."


As I have had the opportunity of observing professing Christians in America for most of my life, I have come to the conclusion that the biggest impediment to spiritual growth has not been religious persecution or the lack of resources and opportunity to facilitate one's spiritual maturation; instead, it has been an apathetic spirit toward God and His wonderful grace that He has "lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding" (Ephesians 1:8). And this apathy has been manifest in an indifference to serving the Lord faithfully and obediently.


It seems as if many who label themselves as "Christian" see their tag as a sociological identifier of their religious persuasion. Since America traditionally has been associated with the Christian faith (with many churches being organized and buildings being constructed in the 19th & 20th centuries), a majority of people in our nation have assimilated themselves within the rubric of this "popular religion." Many will identify themselves with Christianity when in fact they have never come to the point of surrendering their lives to the One True Lord of Hosts! There is little intimate fellowship with God through prayer and Bible study, nor is there any association with a collective body of Christian believers in a church, with the possible exception of certain holidays. Serving others before oneself and being obedient to the expressed will of God in Scripture seems foreign to these people, who are ensnared by the cultural philosophy of competitive self-adulation and self-satisfaction at the expense of others.


Whereas there may be a number of determinants for this lack of true faith among these professing Christians, it may very well be that these people have relegated their spiritual experience to a rather insignificant place in their lives. It is as if these people have compartmentalized their alleged faith as a subset of their overall life experience rather than making it the foundation upon which all other areas of life are laid. In reality, these people may not be Christians, for they have continued to worship themselves over the One True God, and they have desired to satisfy their own self-centeredness over their service to the Lord Almighty!

Leon Morris, in his commentary on I Thessalonians has summed up well the true ethos of Christianity when he writes, "Becoming a Christian involves a very definite break with non-Christian habits. Whatever the believers' previous background, there must always be a turning from idols of some sort. The act of conversion involves a change of direction of the will. This is a decisive happening, a reorientation of the whole of life."


Of course, we know that the grace of God is not merited by us (see Ephesians 2:8-9); it is solely the gift of God, to reconcile us to Him through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Still, God does not expect us to treat this gift of grace with contempt by a spirit of indifference. The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us not to become lazy, but to "imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." If anyone reading this passage is concerned with how this "imitation" is made manifest, he need only to look at the verses in subsequent chapters of the book of Hebrews. In chapter 10, the writer of Hebrews praises his listening audience for manifesting their hope in their glorious Lord by facing persecution and suffering for their faith. Some of these people were subjected to public insult for their allegiance to Jesus Christ, others had their property confiscated for their faith. Still, they rejoiced in the midst of their painful experiences, for they were strengthened with the assurance that worshiping and serving God was everything. They were also assured that God would redeem His people for all eternity, providing them with a rich reward for their faithfulness to Him.


As the writer of Hebrews implores his audience not to become lazy but to remain diligent in their commitment to the Lord, he uses the illustration of the patriarch, Abraham, as an example for the people to follow. Abraham was summoned by God to move hundreds of miles away from his homeland to a new land. The only assurance that he received from the Lord was the promise that God would bless the patriarch for his faithfulness. Abraham could have chosen to refuse God's offering and instead decided to live his own life according to his own desires. In fact, he could have chosen to forsake any surrender to the Lord and still labeled himself a "follower of God." Of course, this is not what we find with Abraham, for he yielded his own will to the will of His Lord. This surrender was not easy for Abraham. I'm certain that the trek was an arduous one, with many obstacles along the way. The easier path would have been simply to do nothing and in a spirit of laziness just "exist" in life. Abraham's decision to follow the Lord in faith would eventually bring to him the eternal blessings of God's promises.

As we reflect upon our own relationship with the Lord, we have to assess whether or not we have merely labeled ourselves "Christian" or if we are in fact true followers of Christ. We must not be self-absorbed and thus apathetic to the will of the Lord. If we truly are surrendered to Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will yield our own wills to His will. We will follow Him obediently, no matter the personal price, for we know that to obey Him is the least we can to for the Savior of our souls. People are not lazy or indifferent towards those things that they esteem. Let us revere the One True God in such a way that we submit to Him with passion and thanksgiving, knowing that He is everything to us.

What Is Considered Greatness in God's Eyes?

Mark 10:42-45: "Jesus called them (the disciples) together and said, 'You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'"


In a day in which people measure greatness in terms of advancement, acumen, and affluency, we who have surrendered ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ would do well to be reminded that greatness in God's eyes has everything to do with love and servitude towards others.

In the above mentioned passage, the disciples had been bickering amongst themselves as to whom was the greatest; in fact, John and James had secretly petitioned Jesus to permit them the distinguished honor of sitting on either side of His glorious, exalted throne in heaven. They were rather brazen in their request in that they first asked Jesus to answer whatever they asked, without qualifying what the request was. One has to wonder if these sons of Zebedee were aware of the egregious arrogance of their petition even before they asked it of Jesus, for they seemed to use some deception to get Jesus to agree to their demand even before He knew what it was.

Of course, Jesus would not be fooled by their trickery, and He specifically asked what it was that they wanted Him to do for them. When their quest for personal veneration was exposed, Jesus questioned them if they could drink of the cup that He drank and if they would be baptized with the baptism He had received. Many have speculated as to what Jesus was referring when He used terms like "cup" and "baptism," but in light of Jesus' reference to the cup of suffering and crucifixion from which He would drink (see Mark 14:36), one convincingly can conclude that Jesus had in mind persecution for the cause of redeeming mankind. This certainly is the reference that Jesus uses for greatness in Mark 10:45; for we see that His purpose for coming into the world was not to be exalted by His creation, but to serve them by offering His life as a ransom for their sins.

What is amazing is the tension that James and John's request introduced among the disciples, for the rest of the twelve became rather indignant at such a pompous request. Of course, the other disciples were hoping for the very same blessing, and they were likely angered that they had not asked this of Jesus sooner. Jesus, knowing the arrogant disposition of His disciples, used this episode as an opportunity to teach His disciples that greatness to the Lord is not measured in personal accolades but in a spirit that is willing to put others first . . . loving and serving them with no expectation in return. Jesus informed His disciples that the places of honor in heaven were not being prepared for those who were exalting themselves on earth; rather, these places were being held for those who were willing to serve others before oneself.

Of course, the disciples did not learn the significance of Jesus' teaching here, for later in the Upper Room in Jerusalem they would continue their arguments as to whom was the greatest (see Luke 22:24). Rather than rebuking His disciples, Jesus took the opportunity to teach them of the importance of servitude by washing their feet. As the Messiah took off his outer garment and tied a towel around his waist to wash their feet, He told them, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." After Jesus completed this incredible teaching illustration, He told them, "Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, YOU also should wash one another's feet . . . you will be blessed if you do them" (John 13:14,17).

There is a tremendous word of direction from our Lord in these referenced passages. As true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to forsake the world's quest for personal exaltation as the expense of others. We need to be counter cultural by seeking the benefit of others over our very selves, just as the Messiah demonstrated when He came into the world. Jesus has informed us that we will be blessed if we follow this command; let us not miss out on the Divine blessings that come from obedience to our Lord.

Another Look at the Curse

Genesis 3:16: "To the woman he (God) said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."


The recorded events of Genesis 3 describe the infamous rebellion of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, against the sovereign rule of the One True God. Whereas God had given the couple the abundance of blessing in the Garden of Eden, God had also communicated to Adam the prohibition of consuming the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (with death being the consequence). Now there have been many opinions as to why God would put such a "test" before mankind, but I believe that the best conclusion is that God wanted to give humanity the opportunity of freely demonstrating its love and loyalty to the Creator. It has been said that love is only true when it is demonstrated by one's free will; thus, God gave man the opportunity to love Him by choosing to follow Him obediently.


Tragically, both Adam and Eve were consumed with the quest for their own lordship, for they had been informed by the Evil One that the forbidden fruit would make them "like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). After they defiantly ate of the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened to their nakedness; and as a result, they hid from the Lord when He came to visit them in the cool of the day. God's holiness would not be mocked by the rebellion of His creation; therefore, He pronounced curses upon the serpent, Adam, and Eve for their disobedience.


Whereas the curses were retributive and punitive in nature, one can see divine remedy in the latter half of each of the judgment directives for Adam and Eve. For example, Adam had previously enjoyed the pleasure of working in a perfected Garden . . . one that produced an abundant harvest, free from the encumbrances of thorns, disease, and drought. Now, these detrimental ingredients would be introduced to the now accursed ground, which would result in Adam having to work in difficult toil to see a harvest. Work now would not necessarily be a delight but would be painful and arduous. In the end, Adam (and all of his descendants) would die and their bodies would return to the dust from whence they were created.


Still, this pronouncement of death would be a deliverance in that Adam (and his descendants after him) would be freed from the ever-declining physical condition of the physical body and the physical world, both now subject to the curse. This is why God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden and placed cherubim with flaming swords at its entrance . . . to prevent Adam and Eve from eating the fruit of the Tree of Life and thus living forever in this perpetual physical decline. One can only imagine living in a body that had spent its physical strength and yet did not die. In fact, some of us have had the difficult experience of visiting an incapacitated person in a nursing home. After our visits to those who linger in such a state, without much hope for recovery, we conclude that death would be the blessing of emancipation from such physical bondage. We are not nearly as saddened when we hear of that person "passing on" into eternity; in fact, for the believer, we celebrate the new life of vitality that the person is now experiencing. Therefore, we can see in the latter half of the pronounced curse upon Adam, there is a offering of remedy for his despicable state of sin.


So too, we find that the latter half of the curse communicated to Eve provides remedy from the consequences of her sin. God declared that the woman would experience "pain in childbearing." The very experience that should be a total delight to the woman, now would involve a painful process before the delight of birth. God then declared that the woman's husband would rule over her as her desire would be for her husband. Most scholars would conclude that this continued sentence for sin is punitive in nature, but as with the latter half of Adam's judgment, we may be able to see God's love in providing a strategy that may mitigate the severity of the curse.


We first find that the husband would rule over his wife. If we see the husband/wife paradigm as a God-orchestrated, tangible illustration of Himself (husband) in marital communion with His bride (the Church), then we can see that this spiritual leadership role of the husband would have been God's model even before the pronounced judgment for sin. This certainly seems to be suggested by the Apostle Paul in I Timothy 2:12-13 & Ephesians 5:22-23. Just as Christ is the spiritual head of his family, so too He has mandated that the husband is to be the spiritual head of his family (Ephesians 5:22-24). Now we must clarify that this "ruling" of the husband is to be modeled in the spirit of self-sacrificing love that Christ Himself has presented to us (the Church) as His bride. And of course we know that Christ offered His very life for His bride, which is the greatest expression of love (John 15:13).


When we think of healthy marital relationships, we find two specific ingredients: one is a husband that knows that his wife finds him desirable. This man knows that he is loved by his wife, for she makes it a point to demonstrate to her mate that he is her sacred treasure. This man is showered with the affections of love that make him feel treasured and important. Equally true, the wife of a healthy relationship is one who knows that her husband loves her by providing the Godly, consistent, spiritual leadership for her and her children. She basks in the stability and security that her loving husband provides to her family. This wife never has to worry if her husband will do the right thing, because she knows that this familial leader is driven by the principle of obedience to his Lord and the principle of love for his wife and children. She is comforted in knowing that she is the treasure of her husband, as he will take all measures necessary to see that she is esteemed. Therefore, the sentence of "ruling" and "desire" may in fact be a remedy to unhealthy familial relations that were introduced into the world with the advent of sin.


Even with the pronounced curse against the deceiving serpent, God implicitly communicates rescue for humanity. Specifically, God states that He would put "enmity between the offspring of humanity and Satan, culminating with the crushing of the serpent's head by Eve's offspring (namely the Messiah). Even from outset of the first rebellion by humanity, our Lord was seeking to provide salvation for His people.


Whereas we should be contrite for the sin that we have perpetrated against the Holy God, we can be assured from these scriptures that God has provided ways to escape the full impact of these acts of rebellion. For those of us who have responded to God's offering of grace through Jesus Christ, we are assured that death is our deliverance from the bondage that sin has been introduced in this life. We also know that in God's design of the first relational institution that He created (the family), we would do well to respect the ingredients of desire and submission that can provide relational and emotional fulfillment in a rather dysfunctional world.

Our Redeemer Lives!

Job 19:25-27: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him . . . . How my heart yearns within me!"

If there is one person recorded in Scripture who experienced tragedy and heartache, it was Job. His sons and daughters had perished in an torrential windstorm. His impressive possessions either were stolen by Sabean and Chaldean marauders or were lost to fire. Job then was afflicted with painful sores all over his body and was in constant agony from his affliction. So overwhelming was the observable pain of Job's physical malady that three of his supposed friends sat with him for a week without saying a word.

Eventually Job's friends concluded that Job must have perpetrated some heinous sin for the wrath of God to be poured out upon him and his family. Job had lost family, fortune, and fame. Many of Job's friends abandoned him in his time of need; presumably, they did not want to be associated with such a loathsome person who was the recipient of such misfortune. These "friends" feared that Job's fate might visit them as well. As Job called out for his friends in his time of need, they would not respond.

Even Job's wife found his physical disposition offensive to her and encouraged him to give up on his integrity by cursing God. Job had become the recipient of corporate derision and rejection. No one was willing to minister to him in his time of need, and little boys would jeer him in the street. No one was there for Job; even God seemed to be noticeably absent.

Yet with all of this, Job found strength in these truths:

1. GOD lives!
2. GOD is Job's redeemer
3. GOD is in control [He will stand in the end]
4. GOD is good to those who are obedient to Him as Lord
5. GOD would receive Job into His eternal fellowship

And from these truths, Job's heart yearned for the day of his deliverance. His hope in God sustained him through this perilous time. Job concluded that his earthly purpose was not to experience happiness or success, but to glorify God . . . . even if that glorification meant his personal suffering and pain.

Of course Job did not have to wait for death to see the blessing of the Lord, for the end of the book of Job records that God rescued his servant from his misery and blessed him with a long life, a large family, and material prosperity twice as vast as he had owned before.

Although we will never experience the degree of misfortune that Job himself experienced, we all will be visited with disappointment and tragedy. This tragedy will be packaged differently for each of us, but it will nonetheless be very real and very painful. What we must reinforce in our lives today in preparation of the difficulties of life are the truths of God affirmed by Job. No matter what comes our way, we must remind ourselves that Our Redeemer lives, that He is in control, and that He ultimately will reward us with His eternal presence. We MUST hold on to these truths, so that we may weather the storms of life. Our hope must be anchored in the goodness and mercy of a loving Lord, whose love is even better than life itself (Psalm 63:3).

In What Does God Find Pleasure?

Psalm 147:10-11: "His (God's) pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love."

This brief excerpt from the book of Psalms is a good reminder for those of us who find ourselves ensnared by the wrong assumption that greatness is measured with human accomplishment. Whereas we may may be tempted to think that God is pleased most when we as the Church build large worship centers or design impressive worship services or develop expansive organizational programming, God in fact delights in those who put their faith in Him as their Lord and follow Him obediently. God does not look at the outward appearance of man; He instead sees the heart of man and can therefore judge his true motivations (see I Samuel 16:7).

The Church would do well to remember that inward transformation of the person (that is, one surrendering to the One True God as personal Lord and Savior), brings delight to the Lord. Buildings, services, and programming can be a means by which the Holy Spirit draws the soul into intimate fellowship, but these "things" are not ends in and of themselves.

If we ever fall prey to the fallacious notion that our own accomplishments as a Church are meritorious per se, we have crafted an idol out of our personal strengths and abilities. The focus then will have been redirected away from the Lord and upon ourselves as the source of worship, and God will not be pleased. Conversely, when we see that the Lord alone is the recipient of our faith, obedience, and worship, then our worship strategies can be catalytic in ushering us into the blessing of God's presence, and God truly will be pleased.

We must remember that God alone is to be praised, and He desires for His Church to revere Him and to put their hope in His unfailing love.

Ministry To Your Enemies

Exodus 23:4-5: "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it."


The Word of the Lord tells us that we are not to wish evil or to withhold assistance to those who are not kind to us. We are not to stand idly by, when we have the opportunity to amend our enemy's misfortune by our intervention. This is love at its finest; it is the willingness to bless those who do not have our best interests at heart.


Solomon echoes this dictate, when he writes "If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you" (Proverbs 25:21-22). Notice that the Lord rewards those who respond to the evil intent of their enemies with kindness and blessing. Nothing goes beyond the eyes of the Lord; He sees all things and is able to reward those who endure the hardships of their enemies by reciprocating love to them (see Hebrews 4:13).


Notice also that by bestowing blessing to one's enemy, one is "heaping burning coals on his enemy's head." Whereas one might think that this means that the enemy is even more enraged by this act of love, in reality, the responsive kindness will bring intense, burning pangs of conscience to the enemy for his wickedness. As he observes the generosity of the one to whom he has harmed, he himself will be overcome with contrition and regret for his debased behavior. In the end, this "enemy" may in fact repent of his waywardness and return to fellowship with the one he has once violated.

Jesus also teaches us how we are to relate to our enemies who would wish evil for us: "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven . . . . Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:43-45,48). One of the evidences of spiritual transformation for the believer is his ability through the power of the Holy Spirit to love and pray for his enemies. Jesus tells us that this disposition of love is one of the fruits of perfection that is demonstrated by the children of God. They do not permit the evil deeds perpetrated against them to cause a vehement hatred to well up within them so that they would wish evil for their enemies or even enact evil in return. And of course, the willingness to love others is made manifest in one's determination to help his enemies when they are in need. This is what the Exodus 23 passage above suggests.

As followers of Jesus Christ, let's live lives of love towards those around us, including our enemies. We know that this is the will of God for us; and He will bless us for loving our enemies and seeking to minister to them when they are in need.

What Again Is the Purpose of Those Trials in Life?

I Peter 1:3-9; 2:7-8: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of you souls. . . . But to those who do not believe . . . . they stumble because they disobey the message-which is also what they were destined for."

The purpose for Peter's first writing was to provide a word of encouragement to the Church in the midst of suffering. Persecution seemed to be a consistent theme in the lives of the first century believers, and Peter advised them not to be surprised, but to "rejoice that (they) participate in the sufferings of Christ" (4:12-13).


In the passage cited above, Peter communicated to his audience that trials would be a continuous part of their lives. God in His Providence would permit such struggles in life in order that faith (which is of greater value that gold) would be "proved genuine" and would bring even greater expression of glory and praise to the Lord in His eternal blessedness.


God in His infinite wisdom, understands that we grow most in our faith in Him as our Lord when we are faced with tribulation; our perceived need for God's strength and grace is heightened when we reach the valleys of difficulty and disappointment, for we are reminded that we are unable to find deliverance except by the mighty hand of God. When our trials take us to the depths of despair, we see the majesty of God and His ability to provide us with the strength to persevere.


What is reassuring is that the Lord provides us with His banner of protection, and He shields us from the onslaught of fear and discouragement that can arise when we are attacked by painful trials. Still, we must remember Peter's words that it is our faith in Jesus Christ that opens the floodgates of God's power in our lives to weather the storms of difficulty. As we reflect upon the assurance of our eternal inheritance that will never "spoil, perish, or fade," we reorient our focus upon the hope of our future with the Lord, and we are strengthened in our resolve to press on, no matter what painful experience befalls us.

Never forget that we must anchor our trust in the Lord alone. When misfortune comes our way, we must recommit ourselves to the hope to which we profess . . . namely the Lord Jesus Christ and His promise of our salvation. It is then that our faith will accomplish its ultimate purpose, which is the praise and glorification of the One True Lord of Hosts. And we in turn will reap the harvest of inexpressible joy, no matter what perilous state in which we find ourselves.

So Close Yet So Far (2)

Numbers 25:1-3: "While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD's anger burned against them. The LORD said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the LORD's fierce anger may turn away from Israel.'"


So close and yet so far . . . Numbers 25 records that the children of Israel were encamped in a village named Shittim. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that Shittim was only about 7 miles from the Jordan River, which was the threshold for entering God's Promised Land of blessing for His covenant people. Whereas the Israelites practically could see the blessing of the Lord on the horizon, they turned away from the Lord and began to worship their own carnal lusts and desire for personal preeminence. In their despicable, debased behavior, these people were defying God's right to supremacy in their lives. They in effect wanted to be gods themselves.


Of course, the Lord would not be mocked by such recalcitrance. He instructed Moses, the leader of the Israelites, to put to death those men who joined in the worship of the pagan deities of the Canaanites and participated in the grossly licentious acts of sexual immorality. Even as Moses was communicating this dictate of the Lord to the people, an Israelite man by the name of Zimri brazenly paraded a pagan woman in front of Moses and the people and escorted her to his tent to have sex with her. I can only imagine the shock on Moses' face to see the emboldened demonstration of defiance of Zimri; this wicked man from a prominent Simeonite family thumbed His nose at the Lord and wanted to flaunt His rebellion publicly.


It seems that Zimri's act of rebellion was the catalyst that triggered God's wrath; for soon after this incident, God sent a fierce plague among the Israelite camp, resulting in the death of 24,000 people. It was not until the sons of Aaron, the High Priest, put to death the brazen Zimri and his pagan prostitute that the carnage subsided. The righteous indignation of these priests in defending the honor of the Lord, seemed to be accepted as atonement by the Lord for the collective sins of the people, for God ended His judgment upon the people after the sin of Zimri and his cohort was judged.


The tragedy in this account was the nearness of the blessings of the Lord (the Promised Land) . . . blessings which would be shunned through the reckless acts of rebellion by the Israelites against the One True God. They were on the verge of entering God's rest in the "land flowing with milk and honey"; yet they were determined to turn their backs on the Lord in favor of their own wanton lusts.


We must be ever mindful that the Lord has blessings that He desires to lavish upon us . . . they lie on the horizon, but only the path of obedience will take us to them. For those who would choose to follow their own path of self-veneration, they can expect to be led away from the blessings of the Lord to the horizon of God's judgment.

Want to Know What You Should Be Doing? Here It Is!

Psalm 105:1: "Give thanks to he LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."

People regularly ask me, "What do you think is God's will for my life?" Whereas many times they are looking for specific guidance for their lives (an occupational path, a dating opportunity, etc.) I like to reorient their thinking to know that God's will is communicated directly to them through His Word. Although they may not find the level of specificity that they wanted when they inquired of me for their answer, I attempt to reassure them that their obedience to these prescribed commands will result in God's pouring forth His abundant wisdom for their specific questions.

Let's look at God's will for us:

Give thanks to the Lord: As true believers in Jesus Christ, we are to have a spirit of thankfulness to Him for His countless blessings that include (but are not limited to) His eternal life, His protection from the Evil One, His constant communion with us, His abundant wisdom (that He gives lavishly without reproach), His supernatural response to prayer, et al. These tremendous benefits are the reason why we can be thankful in everything (Philippians 4:6-7). Although we may not rejoice in some of our circumstances (for some are truly abysmal), we can maintain a spirit of thankfulness knowing that our loving Lord has blessed us already with more than we could ever comprehend.

Call on His name: God has given us the tremendous privilege of having opportunity to commune with Him. Whereas we may have heard this truth since infancy (and should be in a spirit of utter rejoicing that the Lord of Hosts grants us permission to approach His throne with confidence [Hebrews 4:15-16]), we are apt to minimize prayer's importance in our lives. Some in fact have relegated prayer to a brief, ritualistic formulation at the start of a meal or just prior to bedtime. The great 19th-century Baptist missionary, William Carey, once said, "prayer-secret, fervent, believing prayer-lies at the root of all personal godliness." If we want to experience the blessings of God . . . the power of God . . . the intimacy with God, then we would do well not to forsake out focused communion with our Lord in prayer. I'm sure that we would be overwhelmed if an earthly king were to contact us and grant us permission to meet him in his palace; how much more should we appreciate the perpetual invitation that the King of Kings has offered to us to approach His glorious throne of grace!

Make known among the nations what He has done: When the believer has been so impacted by His Lord, which has brought a spirit of thanksgiving to his soul and a desire to fellowship with His Lord in prayer, he cannot help but want to share what God has done (and is doing) in his life. Jesus in His infinite wisdom knew that for a person to experience the abundance of life, both on the earth and in eternity, then he would need to be in a personal relationship with the Lord. This must be why Jesus shared with His disciples the urgency of sharing the gospel with others; in fact, Jesus' last words on the earth just prior to His ascension were for the disciples to share His precious gospel with the world (Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:16f). The gospel is the "good news" that God is redeeming those who would respond to His offering of grace through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whereas our sin of rebellion against the Lord brought alienation from the Lord, God in His infinite mercy has offered us the gift of forgiveness for our sins and the hope of being adopted into His royal family (Romans 8:23).


Sing to Him, sing praise to Him . . . Glory in His holy name: We are called to worship the Lord exclusively and passionately. When our souls are filled with the joy of intimacy with the Almighty, we cannot help but praise Him for His awesome holiness and His abundant grace that He has lavished upon us through the Lord Jesus Christ. People who do not have the joy of the Lord in their lives and who do not find the overwhelming desire to worship Him personally and passionately would do well to re-examine their alleged profession of Him as their Lord. Although worship may take many different forms, what the worshipper will find irresistible is his longing to praise the Savior and marvel at the wonderful works He has done for His creation.


Look to the Lord and His Strength: We must never forget that our Lord is a "refuge for the oppressed . . . He is a stronghold in times of trouble" (Psalms 9:9; 46:1). When we are in trouble, we should pray for the Lord's strength and deliverance (James 5:13). When we are tempted to sin, we should petition the Lord for strength to rise above the lure of the temptation (Mark 14:38). When we seek the Lord in a spirit of contrition and humility, we should not fear that we will not hear from the Lord. He WILL answer us and illumine us with words of truth and strength that will carry us through any ordeal (Psalm 50:15).


Seek His face always: Our consumption should be in the Lord alone. We should meditate upon Him in every moment of our lives. The Psalmist has this disposition when he wrote Psalm 119:147-148: “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.” Whether early morning or late in the evening, we would do well to meditate upon the Lord and His Word of Truth to us, and we should fellowship with Him in a spirit of unadulterated devotion. We will never later regret such a path of communion with the One True God!


Well, here we have it . . . the very will of God for our lives. May we never attempt to excuse our wayward behavior by claiming that we had no idea what God desires for our lives. May we surrender our wills to His glorious will and be transformed by our intimate fellowship with our glorious and loving Lord!

What Were You Thinking?

Exodus 32: "When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, 'Come, make us gods who will go before us.' . . . . Aaron answered them, 'Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing' . . . He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up our of Egypt.' When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, 'Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.' So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry . . . . When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. He said to Aaron, 'What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?' 'Do not be angry, my lord,' Aaron answered, 'You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us' . . . . Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!' Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control . . . . So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, 'Whoever is for the LORD, come to me. . . . This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor' ' . . . . The next day Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.' "

If there has ever been a chapter that has demonstrated the spiritual depravity of mankind (a people who aspire to assert their own quest for lordship over the One True Lord), it would have to be Exodus 32. In this chapter, we find the Israelites, who had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt by the supernatural intervention of God Almighty. These Israelites had seen repeatedly the demonstration of the power of the Sovereign Lord, who performed truly miraculous acts in bringing deliverance to His chosen people: the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the turning of the bitter water to drinkable water at Marah, the provision of manna and quail for food, and many others.


Three months after the Israelites had been rescued from Egypt, God summoned Moses to the mountaintop and told him to convey to the Israelites that God had called them out of all nations to be His holy nation . . . His treasured possession . . . provided that they were willing to submit to His sovereign (and exclusive) reign as Lord. God then demonstrated His mighty power through thunder and lightning, trumpet blasts, earthquakes, and clouds of billowing smoke on the mountain. The sight was so impressive that the people, who were encamped some distance from the mountain, trembled at the demonstration of power by the Lord. Moses encouraged the people not to be afraid, as God's demonstration of His sovereign power was to instill reverential fear in the people to keep them from sinning.


The Lord then told Moses to get Aaron and bring him up to the top of the mountain in order that He might communicate His laws for His people. The Lord knew that it was important for Aaron, who would act as the priest (intercessor) for the people, to see the magnificence of God's presence and be motivated to obedience. One specific thing that God communicated to Moses (with Aaron nearby) was to "not make any other gods (to be worshipped) alongside the Lord" (Exod. 20:23). God was to be feared and worshipped exclusively as the One True Lord of Hosts. God would not tolerate any syncretism in their worship; He was to be worshipped exclusively, for He in fact was (and is) the only true God!


Still, God was not finished with teaching the leaders of the Israelites the importance of their faithful commitment to Him as Lord; thus, He again summoned Moses to the mountaintop and he told Moses to bring Aaron and the 70 elders with him. The further stipulation this time was that only Moses was to approach the Lord; Aaron and the rest of the leaders would have to "worship at a distance" (Exod. 24:1b). Moses spoke with the Lord and wrote down everything that the Lord communicated to Him; he then returned to share this information with the people. It was a ceremonious occasion, as Moses read to the people the Word of the Lord (from the Book of the Covenant) and the people offered burnt offerings to the Lord. During this worshipful experience, the people repeatedly exclaimed, "everything the LORD has said we will do."


Moses, Aaron, Aaron's sons, and the 70 elders returned again to the mountain, and they saw an incredible theophany of the Lord. Although they did not see the Lord in His glorious splendor (for no one can see God and live [Exodus 33:18-20], these leaders were able to see under the Lord's feet a magnificent display of beautiful sapphire. God was communicating to His chosen elders that He is exclusively majestic in His holiness (see Exod. 15:11)! All of the leaders were impacted by the sight and celebrated the covenant meal in the presence of the Lord.


Some time later, God again summoned Moses to the mountain in order that He might give His commandments to His people. This time, Moses left Aaron and the elders behind to settle any disputes that may arise in Moses' absence, and Moses departed with Joshua as his aide. Tragically, as Moses was gone for 40 days on the mountain to commune with the Lord, the people determined to forsake their submission to the Lord, and they crafted for themselves false gods that they could worship instead of the Lord. In reality, because these golden objects of worship were inanimate and thus non-responsive, the people could manipulate these objects to proclaim what they in their hearts really desired. In other words, these rebellious people asserted their own lordship over their own lives, and they simply crafted false objects of worship to legitimize their despicable behavior against the One True Lord.



Probably the biggest shock was from Aaron and the leaders. They previously had seen the magnificent display under the feet of God, and one would think that they would have rebuked the people when they approached them to craft false gods to worship. Instead, Aaron and these leaders joined in the evil revelry, and they not only crafted a golden calf to worship but built an altar for the people to worship it. Then as an act of cosmic treason against the Lord and His goodness to the Israelites, Aaron attributed to the golden calf the credit of delivering the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. These wicked Israelites determined to forsake any remembrance of the goodness of the Lord in their lives, and they instead attributed all previous blessings of the Lord to objects other than God Himself.

The people truly were committed to their new pagan deity, for they rose early in the morning to offer sacrifices to it; of course they still incorporated some ceremonial rituals that they previously observed when they served the Lord. They probably did this to attempt to legitimize their new abhorrent ways, for as soon as the religious ceremony was over, they went out and indulged in their grossly licentious behavior. Now they felt as if they could do whatever their depraved hearts desired, for they had "divine sanction" to do whatever they wanted to do. Scriptures record that the people were "running wild . . . getting out of control." Their behavior was so repulsive that even their enemies thought them to be a laughingstock (32:25).



God told Moses on the mountain to go down and address the people, for they had "become corrupt, quickly turning away from the Lord's commands" (32:7-8). God's anger burned to the point of desiring to annihilate completely these lawless people, but the petitions of Moses subsided the wrath of the Lord.



When Moses saw the people in their wickedness, his anger burned within him. He threw the tablets of the law down the mountain in a symbolic display that the law of the Lord had been broken even before the tablets arrived in the camp. Moses then took the golden calf and burned it to powder; Moses mixed it in the water supply and forced the people to drink the bitter mixture so that they might taste the bitterness of their sinful behavior.



Moses then went to his brother, Aaron, and in effect asked, "What were you thinking . . . that you would let these people lead you into such great sin?" Aaron started pointing fingers at everyone and everything else other than himself. He said, "Moses, you know how these people are so prone to sin . . . they gave me their jewelry and I threw it into the fire and amazingly out popped this golden calf." Aaron had gotten caught participating in this idolatry, but he was not willing to take ownership for his part in it.



God relented from His total annihilation of the people, but He would bring judgment against those who perpetrated such rebellion against Him as Lord. The time would come when the Lord would bring a devastating plague upon His people, and many of the people who were instrumental in organizing the recalcitrance against God would meet their demise.



There is a tremendous word for us in this most powerful passage of Scripture. Whereas the people of Israel knew that God was the ONLY TRUE GOD, Who alone was to be worshipped and obeyed, they determined within their hearts to go their own way and assert their own wills over the Lord's will. They wanted to be their own gods; and they wanted to do whatever their depraved hearts desired. God would not be mocked at such rebellion, and His Holiness would be vindicated in His judgment against such wickedness.



We must learn from this story that we must never seek to assert our own lordship over the One True God. We must surrender ourselves to His lordship in our lives, and joyfully seek to obey Him as our Great God and Savior. The blessing for us is that our surrender to Him is not burdensome (see I John 5:3), for God grants us His favor and blessing to us when we seek Him first above all other persons and things (including ourselves).

Decision Making

Exodus 39:21: "They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod-as the LORD commanded Moses."

The high priest, as intercessor for the people of Israel before the Lord, had to wear very specific garments when he entered the Lord's presence in the Tabernacle. Two of these garments were the linen ephod (made with strands of gold and blue/purple/scarlet yarn) and the breastpiece. The purpose of the ephod was to present the names of the 12 tribes before the LORD when the designated priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer the atonement sacrifice for the sins of the covenant community. Specifically, the names of the tribes were inscribed on two onyx stones in gold filigree settings mounted on the shoulder pieces of the ephod so that the priest could 'bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the LORD [Exod. 28:12].'


The breastpiece was made like the ephod; it contained gold, blue/purple/scarlet yarn, and finely twisted linen. The breastpiece contained four rows of 3 stones representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and it contained the Urim and Thummin so that the priest 'would always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord' [Exod 28:30].

So why would the Lord command that the breastpiece and the ephod be tied together? One could see the practical significance in that the priest would be sacrificing items on the holy altar, and thus he did not need to have the breastpiece swinging out wildly thus encumbering his ability to perform his duties. And the priest certainly did not want the briestpiece to touch inappropriately the altar of the LORD . . . . this would have brought desecration to the altar (and possibly the priest's death as well).

We can see another symbolic reason for this dictate from the LORD. The ephod was the garment piece that the intermediary would wear to bear the names of the chosen people and in effect represent them and their sins before the LORD. The breastpiece was used to represent the people in discerning the will of God. One can see the symbolic significance of the two being tied together, namely that when the Israelites were in a spirit of contrition and confession for their sins, they are able then to seek God's will concerning the direction that they were to take as a people.


We can find a parallel in the Christian walk today. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, is the one through whom we are able to receive forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 8:1-2). . . and He is the one through whom we ultimately find the answers to life's questions (Jeremiah 33:3) . To separate our decision making away from the one who provides forgiveness of sins is to seek solutions without the help of God Himself. This is because the Lord is unresponsive to those who would perpetuate their sinful rebellion against Him as Lord (see Psalm 66:18; I Peter 3:12; 4:7; Ezekiel 8:16-18).


Because the Lord Jesus Christ has made the solely sufficient sacrifice for our sins (I John 2:1-2), we like the high priests of ages past now can approach the "throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16); still, we must remember that we need to approach the Lord with a heart of confession and contrition for our sin. When we receive forgiveness for our sins, we then are able to find God and His will for our lives (Jeremiah 29:13). God, who is rich in mercy and love (Ephesians 2:4) will never let the righteous fall (Psalm 55:22). He will pour out His wisdom to the pure in heart so that they can follow Him in obedience and receive His Divine blessings for their faithfulness to Him as Lord.

Let us never forget that repentance and discernment of God's will go hand in hand. Just as the linen ephod and breastpiece were inseparable, so too are we to never separate our contrition and our petitions for wisdom.

How Would the Lord Teach Us to Pray?

Luke 11:1-4: "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord teach us to pray just as John taught taught his disciples. He said to them, when you pray say, 'Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins. And lead us not into temptation.'"

In this gospel account, Jesus and his disciples had just been in Bethany near Jerusalem, and Jesus had found a certain place to pray. Whereas we don't know exactly where this certain place was, we do know that Jesus made it a discipline to find a secluded place to pray, unencumbered by the distractions of both His disciples and to the crowds that sought His miracles (see Mark 1:35 & Luke 6:12). Jesus was modeling for his disciples the need to have focused prayer with the Father. Whereas breathed prayers throughout the day are appropriate, if our prayer life is relegated to these brief exchanges, then we will find ourselves devoid of intimate fellowship with our loving Lord. Prayer should never be a low priority in our hectic lives; rather, we should long to have focused time with the Lord each day and feast upon the fellowship that we have with Him.

Jesus' disciples were impressed with the way John the Baptist's disciples prayed, and they wanted to pray with the same power and eloquence that their counterparts demonstrated. Knowing that the disciples had just been arguing amongst themselves as to whom would be the greatest in God's kingdom (see Luke 9:46), we are led to believe that the disciples did not have the purest of intentions when they presented this petition to the Lord. Most likely, they wanted to be as effective in their prayer life as John's disciples so that they could increase their notoriety in the Jewish community. Jesus responded with instruction that struck at the very heart of the prideful disposition of His disciples; specifically, Jesus illustrated a prayer that was focused on God and not the disciples egocentric behavior:

"He said to them, 'When you pray say,

Father, hallowed be YOUR name (The Greek word for "hallowed" means, "let your name be regarded as holy." Notice that Jesus was drawing attention to the majesty of the Sovereign Lord of Hosts, not the pray-er).

Your Kingdom come (Jesus wanted His disciples to be focused on God, His will, and His kingdom, not their self-adulation).

Give us each day our daily bread (Jesus wanted His disciples never to forget that God is the Provider of their every need, and so their faith should be in Him alone . . . not their abilities or their circumstances).

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Jesus wanted His disciples to remember that they were sinners in need of the pardon of God. In fact, Jesus likely wanted to draw attention to the sinning that the disciples were perpetrating by seeking greatness over each another).

And lead us not into temptation (Jesus wanted His disciples to know the deliverance of God in protecting His disciples from sin).

Jesus then concluded the teaching by emphasizing the need for the disciples to be persistent in their prayer life, yearning for the very things mentioned above. Jesus told them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who asked for Him. The word "ask" in Greek is continuous aspect, meaning that it is ongoing and persistent; thus, God wanted His disciples to seek Him passionately and consistently. He knew that those who would have such a passionate disposition would appreciate even more the sweetness of the blessing of His presence.

Whereas the disciples were wanting to increase their effectiveness in praying most likely to exalt themselves, Jesus' teaching on prayer was designed to re-orient their focus away from themselves and to center upon worshipping God and surrendering to His Lordship. As we are reflecting upon our own prayer lives, we would do well to hear from the Savior how it is we are to pray.

Trust God When You Are Called

Exodus 3:11-12: "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' And God said, 'I will be with you.'"

The verbal exchange between God and Moses in chapters 3 & 4 of Exodus presents us with a interesting display of confident Divine calling and skeptical receipt of such calling. God called Moses (who had been away from his people for 40 years) to return to Pharaoh in Egypt and tell him to release the Israelites from bondage. God approached Moses while he was watching his father-in-law's flock in the desert near Horeb (Sinai). I'm sure that after 40 years tending to the flock in the desert, Moses had resigned himself to a rather uneventful life being a shepherd. Whereas he earlier had been reared in Pharaoh's palace and had experienced the privilege of royalty, he had fled from Egypt after killing an Egyptian. This Egyptian had been beating a Hebrew slave, and Moses' "intervention" brought Pharaoh's anger and his edict of death for Moses. Moses knew he couldn't stick around if he wanted to live, so he got out of town to save his life.

Forty years later, Moses was summoned by the Lord to go back to Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites from their bondage. Moses first response to God was "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh . . . " Moses doubted his own worthiness to be God's emissary to the most powerful ruler in the known world at that time. God replied by saying "I will be with you"; then God gave Moses a prophetic sign to confirm his calling.

Moses then questioned his ability to present a convincing message when he got back to Egypt. He asked God, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?" Again, God confirmed His calling by changing Moses' staff into a snake; God wanted to show Moses that He would work supernaturally through the messenger. Moses did not need to worry about proving himself to the people in Egypt; he simply needed to be obedient.

Moses then questioned his own eloquence in speaking. He lacked the confidence to speak in the presence of such powerful rulers. God told Moses, "Who gave man his mouth? . . . . Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and teach you what to say."

Finally, with one last desperate attempt to discourage God's calling, Moses simply said, "O Lord, please someone else to do it." This lack of faith brought the anger of the Lord upon Moses, and apparently this response from the Lord was enough motivation for Moses to surrender to God's calling. Whereas Moses had his eyes on his own abilities and believed himself not to be an effective messenger, God had to reorient Moses' focus away from himself so that he would look to the Lord Almighty and His ability to accomplish great things through His chosen servant. Moses needed only to respond in faith to this summons from the Lord.

What is telling is the epitaph that was written of Moses at the end of his life: "No prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt-to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). Even though Moses initially did not believe himself worthy or able to do what God called him to do, when he submitted to the will of God to go to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of captivity, he became one of the greatest prophets that the people of Israel would ever know.

This is a great word for us today. God in His sovereign power can take the ordinary servant and accomplish extraordinary things to accomplish His will. When God calls us, we must take our eyes off of our abilities and circumstances and surrender to the will of the Lord for our lives. When we are obedient to God's calling, we can expect that He will work supernaturally in us and through us to further His glorious kingdom.

Watch Your Towers!

Genesis 11:4: "Then they said, 'Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly.' They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.'"

This Biblical pericope is brief account of humanity unifying for the purpose of "making a name for themselves." More specifically, these people desired to thwart the sovereignty of the One True God by establishing themselves as supreme rulers of their own lives. Contrary to God's specific command for humanity to fill the earth (i.e. expand outwardly and settle throughout all regions of the earth [see Genesis 1:28]), the people collectively settled in the plain of Shinar (Babylonia). They were unwilling to listen to the will of God; instead, they determined that they would be in control of their own lives and would do whatever their own hearts desired.

Brazenly, the people determined to set up a towering edifice that would reach into the heavens toward God. In effect, these recalcitrant people were saying, "God, we've decided that you're not going to be supreme anymore in our lives. We're going to show you that we can be our own gods, and we can effectively challenge your right to be the supreme ruler of the world. We're going to build a tower up to your throne and prove that we are capable of challenging your claim to Lordship over us."

As these Babylonians began to build their tower, they swelled with prideful arrogance. They were impressed with their own coordinated accomplishments and said, "Look at us . . . . We're making a name for ourselves . . . nothing now is impossible for us. We are as powerful and able as God Himself; in fact, we are becoming like God ourselves. We now challenge God's command to fill the earth, and we now will be unified in purpose here in the land of Babel."

The Triune God would not permit this rebellion to continue; He saw that the people's unification and collective accomplishments were building within them a pompous attitude of defiance against His Holiness. God was able to see that these people swelled with the pride that they had made a name for themselves and determined in their hearts to assert themselves as co-equal with divinity. In response, God went down to the tower that they were building and confused the people's language. Suddenly the people could not understand each other, for each of them were speaking in strange, undiscernable tongues.

Although the people thought that they would vanquish their Divine foe, the Sovereign God would not be mocked. His purposes would be accomplished whether the people were responsive to His will or not; thus, God confused their language and "scattered them over the face of the whole earth." The construction of the brazen tower came to an abrupt halt, and the land was called "Babel," which sounds like the Hebraic word for "confusion."

There is a good word for us in this passage, namely that God has a divine purpose for us to be surrendered to Him as Lord and to follow His will willingly and obediently. Sadly, we are seeing in our culture a people not unlike the Babylonians of Genesis 11 . . . a people who desire to make a name for themselves and desire to assert their own quest for lordship over the One True God.

We can be assured that God is a God of constancy; just as He did not tolerate the rebellion of these Babylonians, so too He will not be mocked by the rebellion of people today (see Galatians 6:7). Anyone who determines to assert his own quest for divinity over the Lord will find himself scattered by the will of the Lord of Hosts! Proverbs 16:18 tells us that "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Let us renounce any desires to assert our own lordship and rather submit to the Lord through repentance and obedience. We will find that the Lord will bless our surrender to Him and will bless us for our faithfulness to Him