Too Wonderful to Understand

In Judges 13, God's angel announces to Manoah and his wife that they will give birth to Samson. Manoah asks the angel (verse 17, NLT),

What is your name?

The angel answers (verse 18, NLT),

Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful for you to understand.

Different translations phrase that verse in various ways. Here are a few alternate renderings:

NIV: Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.
ESV: Why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful?
KJV: Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
NET: You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it.

The notes to the NET Bible explain that the original Hebrew adjective denotes something in a category of its own, something beyond full human comprehension. The NET Bible also notes that the same word appears in Psalm 139:6 (NLT),

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!

So the point is, although we can ponder God's design, because we are limited in our human form, we can't completely grasp it. Indeed, it is too wonderful for us to know! Even the names of angels, evidently, are beyond our grasp.

These passages highlight the need for humble submission before God. Let us make that the theme of our prayers today.

God Rejoices Over Us

Psalm 100:2 (NLT) says,

Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.

That is, not only should we praise God, but we must do so with "joy." That theme is repeated throughout the Bible.

But that "joy" flows both ways! Several days ago, a stranger saw me holding a Bible, and he told me to check out Zephaniah 3:17. (Evidently, this is a famous passage, but I wasn't aware of it.) Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT) reads,

For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

So God rejoices over us! But why? In the grand scheme of this universe, we are lowly and insignificant. It's a testament to God's love that he views us as something special.

I wish I could find that stranger who pointed me to that passage in Zephaniah, so that I could thank him. I'm convinced that God used that person to point me to a passage I needed to see.

Follow Thou Me

John 21 finds Jesus issuing a great piece of spiritual advice to Peter. To set the scene, Jesus has just offered a hint to Peter about how Peter will die. Peter, understandably rattled, asks Jesus to give John the same treatment.

Instead, Jesus evades Peter's request for information about John's death by saying (John 21:22, KJV),

...what is that to thee? follow thou me.

What great advice for all of us! It's easy to become distracted by complexities of this world. But spiritual living need not be complicated. Simply, we must obey him when he says, "follow thou me."

Maintaining Spiritual Focus

Luke 10:38-42 finds Jesus visiting two sisters, Mary and Martha. During the visit, Martha works hard preparing a big meal, while Mary just sits listening to Jesus. Naturally, this irritates Martha, who complains to Jesus (verse 40, NLT),

Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.

Jesus responds (verses 41 and 42, NLT),

My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.

Do we sometimes become distracted by the busy events of daily life? Do we spend our days working, cooking, cleaning, etc., only to arrive at the end of the day, and realize we never even took time to pray?

Jesus is saying that, whatever happens in our lives, we must maintain spiritual focus. We must pray without ceasing!

Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Different Bible translations adopt various approaches in interpreting Psalm 84. I believe the NLT, from which I cite in this post, makes the message of the psalm clearest.

Verse 5 says,

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
    who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Does this mean we physically must visit Jerusalem? Revelation speaks of heaven as a sort of "New Jerusalem," so this verse probably refers to the pilgrimage of life, and its end goal of ascension to heaven.

So what rewards await those who embark upon such a pilgrimage? Verses 6 and 7 say,

When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
    it will become a place of refreshing springs.
    The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
 They will continue to grow stronger,
    and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

These verses provide us excellent focus as we navigate through life. Let us not become distracted by the ways of this world. Rather, let us recall that we are sojourners, maintaining a focus on heavenly matters.

Eliphaz Offers Job Some Advice

I, like many others before me, remain fascinated by the book of Job, and I continue to be drawn to its main message (or my interpretation of its message!).

In this post, let's turn to chapter 5, which finds one of Job's friends, Eliphaz, issuing advice. Now, all of Job's friends, at various parts of the book, make some good points and some questionable points. Indeed, that's one of the defining features of the book.

But chapter 5 finds Eliphaz offering some truly beautiful advice. In verse 8 (KJV),

I would seek unto God,
and unto God would I commit my cause.

That is, whatever pains, anxieties, worries, sorrows, and even joys we experience, we should seek God and commit our efforts to him.

Then, in verses 18-19 (KJV), Eliphaz acknowledges God's infinite power both to afflict and to heal,

he maketh sore, and bindeth up:
he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles:
yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

Read the entire chapter 5, but focus on verse 8 and the stuff that follows. That material makes for a very nice prayer!

Nebuchadnezzar's Conversion

Paul's conversion stands as one of the Bible's (and history's) defining moments. But Nebuchadnezzar's conversion is another remarkable moment.

Nebuchadnezzar was the Babylonian king during the early years of Israel's captivity in Babylon. The early chapters of Daniel record several of Nebuchadnezzar's interactions with the exiled Israelites, but his full-blown conversion comes in Daniel 4.

Ignoring a warning to stop sinning, Nebuchadnezzar walks on the roof of his palace, gazing out across his kingdom. He says (verse 30, NLT),

Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.

How many times have we been guilty of this exact same sin! We attribute our successes to our own cleverness, while forgetting about God. As punishment, Nebuchadnezzar is afflicted with some kind of mental illness.

But to his enduring credit, he recognizes that punishment for what it is, and he reforms his ways. Verses 34 and 35 (NLT) record his conversion,

After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.

His rule is everlasting,
    and his kingdom is eternal.

All the people of the earth
    are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
    among the angels of heaven
    and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
    ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’

And just like that, a person who seemed like an instrument of evil becomes a believer! Let us learn from Nebuchadnezzar's example.

What Does God Want from Us Today?

I've been working through Deuteronomy, a book that lacks exciting narratives, but contains immensely important life advise.

Upon waking up in the morning, we might ask ourselves: What does God want from us today? What can we do to please God? How do we conform to his will?

Deuteronomy 10:12,16 (NLT) contains the answer,

What does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul ... Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.

A similar message appears in the final chapter of Ecclesiastes. Note that God's demands are not complicated or onerous. Nor should we view them as optional! Today in our prayers, let us reflect upon the message in Deuteronomy 10:12,16.

Sins of Omission

In confessing our sins to God, we tend to list things we've done wrong, or commandments we've violated. But it's harder to list the right things we should have done.

In this post, let's turn to Deuteronomy 22:1-4 (NLT), and let's take this one verse at a time. In verse 1,

If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner.

Hmm. But what if the owner lives far away? Or what if we don't even know the owner? In verse 2,

If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it.

OK. But does this apply only to farm animals? In verse 3,

Do the same if you find your neighbor’s donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don’t ignore your responsibility.

OK. So these commandments just deal with lost items, right? In verse 4,

If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help your neighbor get it back on its feet!

By this point, the message is clear. We must help others, regardless of who those others might be, and regardless of what the circumstances might be. Not helping others is a sin.

If we add those "sins of omission" to our other transgressions, the list grows infinitely (and depressingly) long. It becomes clear that we cannot ever become righteous in God's eyes through our own works. Instead, our only hope is to appeal to God's infinite forgiveness.