Delight thyself in the Lord

Psalm 37:4 (KJV) provides a powerful pronouncement,

Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

That sounds so simple! We need to "delight" ourselves in God. And that verse also promises great rewards for doing so!

Then why is that so difficult? We fail to "delight" ourselves in God when the distractions of this world move us away from God. As Jesus notes in his explanation of the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:22, KJV),

...the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

Achieving this "delight" should be our goal every day. The key, as with most things spiritual, is to pray without ceasing. 

Leprosy from head to foot

Leprosy, a word that the bible uses to refer to various infections of the skin, posed a major concern amongst the ancient Israelites. Chapter 13 of Leviticus provides methods to diagnose and treat leprosy.

But verses 12 and 13 (KJV) present something strange:

If a leprosy break out abroad in the skin, and the leprosy cover all the skin ... from his head even to his foot ... and ... if the leprosy have covered all his flesh ... he is clean.

What? This sounds like the most severe form of leprosy, one that covers the entire body. Yet a person in that state should be deemed "clean"? Many bible commentators have puzzled over this seemingly contradictory pronouncement. But it's important to realize that, in the bible, "leprosy" also sometimes represents the state of "sinfulness."

So the passage -- which is every bit as directed to us as it was to the ancient Israelites -- seems to be stating that once we recognize out complete and total state of sinfulness, then (and only then) are we ready to receive God's grace. If we perceive any part of ourselves -- even one square inch of ourselves -- to be righteous, then we haven't really reached that state of spiritual humility required by God.

This is very difficult for us! We tend to take pride in certain things. We tend to celebrate our "goodness." Like the Pharisee in chapter 18 of Luke (KJV), we tend to say "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men." But we must eliminate those impulses and see ourselves for what we really are: totally leperous. 

Fasting

Various forms of fasting have become fashionable for health-related reasons. I cannot comment on those medical implications, nor do I offer specific advice on how to fast.

But the bible clearly places a special emphasis on fasting for spiritual purposes. In Matthew 17:20 (KJV), Jesus speaks of the power of faith,

If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

But he adds a rejoinder in the following verse (Matthew, 17:21, KJV),

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

The practice of fasting often gains renewed attention during Lent. And I must confess that I do not understand the full implications of fasting. But if Jesus attests to its importance, then it's something we can't ignore.

Of course, hunger is a very base, lower-level urge, and one that is intricately linked to our very survival. So perhaps the process of confronting that sensation, even for a short period of time, forces us to refocus on spiritual concerns.

Whatever the importance and consequences of fasting might be, the bible does not appear to prescribe a "correct" way in which to go about it, suggesting that the specific parameters are probably up to us. Perhaps a small-scale fast can enhance our prayer lives. 

Noah was a just man

Genesis 6:9 (KJV) says,

Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

But then Genesis 9:21 (KJV) recounts an unsavory affair,

[Noah] planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

It's by no means the worst offense recorded in the bible, but it does run counter to the idea that "Noah was a just man." How do we reconcile those seemingly conflicting verses?

Well, Noah had already gained God's favor not by his perfect behavior, but rather by his faith. Genesis 8:20-21 (KJV) says,

And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savour.

The phrase "smelled a sweet savour" implies that God approved of Noah's offering. And Noah offered those sacrifices as a faithful show of gratitude toward God.

The same applies to us. We are "just" before God not because we're good, but rather because God has declared us just. Thankfully, we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices to show our gratitude for that. Jesus took care of that once and for all. Instead, as we are instructed in 1 Samuel 15:22 (KJV),

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

The writing on the wall

The "writing on the wall" account in Daniel 5 is endlessly fascinating. It's worth reading the whole thing.

As a brief summary, the Babylonian kind Belshazzar was throwing quite the rowdy party, when he decided up crank things up a notch by using drinking vessels that were stolen out of the Jerusalem temple.

God, angered by that show of disrespect, issued the ominous "writing on the wall." Belshazzar summoned Daniel to interpret the writing.

That account is famous. But in this post, I'd like to draw attention to one detail. As part of Daniel's rebuke, he notes that Belshazzar's father, Nebuchadnezzar, also had angered God. The difference, though, was that Nebuchadnezzar had humbled himself and repented, and God then forgave him. Belshazzar, by contrast, had never shown such humility and repentance.

Then comes this chilling line (Daniel 5:22, KJV),

And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this.

Yikes! It's the "though thou knewest all this" part that should scare us. Because we also know the story of Nebuchadnezzar! In fact, we know a lot more than that. We have the entire bible, including the gospel accounts! We're no better than Belshazzar. In fact, we're worse! We have access to much more spiritual information and insight than he did.

We have no excuse. Let us not delay. Let us "humble thine heart" before God.

Make confession unto the Lord God

Chapter 10 of Ezra finds the post-exilic Hebrews entering into marriages that have been expressly forbidden by God. Verse 11 (KJV) records Ezra's advice on how the people should correct that situation. That verse reads,

Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.

Although that verse applies to that particular point in Jewish history, the message is general enough to apply to any sins in our own lives. Just substitute the phrase "strange wives" for whatever transgression we have committed.

That is, when we sin, we should (1) make confession to God, (2) adjust our behavior so that we "do his pleasure," and (3) separate ourselves from the source of our sinful activity.

Thou art careful and troubled about many things

In Luke 10:41 (KJV), Jesus tells Martha,

Thou art careful and troubled about many things.

(The word "careful" appears as "worried" in other translations.) Jesus essentially is saying that Martha is being distracted by earthly things. We all fall into that trap, every day! But 1 John 2:17 (KJV) says,

The world passeth away, and the lust thereof.

Those words are important to reflect upon as we become "careful and troubled" by worldly things. It's not that we should completely ignore earthly things. That's not possible. Rather, we should prioritize heavenly things. As Jesus stressed (John 16:33, KJV),

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The Lord in the midst of thee

Zephaniah (3:17, KJV) is a famous verse, and one worth memorizing.

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

This short verse promises that God is near to us, but it goes beyond that. The verse also highlights that God takes great joy in us, and that is something that's easy to lose sight of.

Let us take comfort not only in God's nearness, but also in his declaration that he delights in our very existence.

 

The bible as literal "truth"?

The bible contains many instances of supernatural, seemingly-implausible events. And those passages inevitably lead to debates about whether the bible offers literal truths about those events. Those debates are frustrating, in part because spiritual debates almost never break one way or another based on scientific evidence. But those debates also can be frustrating due to way in which they seem to inflame passions on both sides.

So at the very risk of inflaming those very passions, let me state how I see things.

First, I think it's wrong to ask whether the entire bible is divinely inspired. Rather, we should ask whether, despite being crafted by humans, the bible contains a single word, a single turn of phrase, a single punctuation mark, or a single capitalized letter that might have received divine guidance to appear that way. (If your answer is "No," then you're probably at the wrong blog!)

If we accept any morsel of the bible as divinely inspired, then we must conclude that God intends the bible as a communication device. Consequently, even the parts that appear supernatural or implausible must contain important truths. But perhaps those truths are spiritual rather than scientific. After all, if one wishes to learn calculus, one should read a calculus book. But the bible exists to teach us spirituality.

Take the fascinating story of Jonah and the fish. Is that story trying to convey information about some heretofore unknown sea creature, as well as insights about a human's ability to survive inside that creature? I don't know. Maybe. It's a fascinating argument, but not one that we'll resolve (or win).

More importantly, I think, is that the story of Jonah is trying to convey that God's will cannot be thwarted. Jonah tried to ignore God, as we all do sometimes, but it didn't work. (The three-day banishment inside the fish also foreshadows Jesus' death, as Jesus himself noted.)

Or take the part of the bible that really gets people worked up: the Genesis account of creation. Is God trying to give us a point-by-point scientific description of how existence came to be? Again, I don't know. Maybe.

Or is God trying to convey spiritual truths of how existence came to be, that God controlled everything from the beginning, while giving humans and their attachment to that existence central importance.

I think, when reading the bible, it is more useful to focus on spiritual truths than scientific truths.

If any of you lack wisdom...

Job 28:12 (KJV) questions,

Where shall wisdom be found?

The answer, provided throughout the entire bible, is God. Paul refers to God as (1 Timothy 1:17, KJV),

The only wise God.

The word "wisdom" is used throughout the bible to refer to a type of obedient spiritual insight. James goes a step further, by outlining how we can access that very wisdom (James 1:5, KJV),

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God ... and it shall be given him.

So we can access that wisdom by simply appealing to God! Let us try exactly that through prayer.

 

But if not...

Chapter 3 of Daniel finds Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tossed into the fiery furnace for their refusal to worshop a Babylonian pagan idol. Prior to being put in the furnace, they explain to the Babylonian king that God will save them (Daniel 3:17, KJV),

Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand.

But they don't stop there. They continue in the next verse (18), which has become famous,

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

This is fascinating. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego essentially state that God is perfectly capable of saving them, but he is not obligated to do so. And, crucially, even if God doesn't save them, they still refuse to disobey God's commandments.

Simply, we are commanded to believe and obey. We cannot expect individual rewards for doing what we're already supposed to be doing. Jesus touched upon this theme (Luke 17:10, KJV),

When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Achieving that mentality displayed by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego is not easy. But that's the level of faith that God wants from us.

Why does God care about us?

If God created the infinite expanse of the entire universe, then how, and why, would he possibly care about each of us on an individual level. This is a very obvious, and frequent, concern for anyone taking a journey through faith. And it's by no means a new concern. Indeed, David, himself, struggled with this (Psalm 8:4, KJV),

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Again, David says (Psalm 62:9, KJV),

Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie: To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity.

So why does God care about us on an individual level? Truth is, the bible never provides a complete answer, but from the front cover to the back cover, God is constantly trying to communicate that he does care. Genesis 2:7 (KJV), describes God's physical and intimate involvement in our existence,

The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

And that theme continues throughout the bible.  In Jeremiah 23:23 (KJV), God says,

I am God at hand ... and not a God afar off.

So let's not get lost in philosophical arguments about whether God pays attention to us. The bible emphasizes repeatedly that he does. Let's accept that closeness, and take comfort in it. As God says in Isaiah 43:2 (KJV),

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Yet they were not afraid

The bible repeatedly commands that we should "fear" God, which might seem like a strange, even uncomfortable, concept. The idea is that we are all sinners (Psalm 14:3, KJV),

There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

But God has not punished us as we deserve (Psalm 103:10, KJV),

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

We should there be thankful to God, but with a "fearful" attitude, realizing that we deserve much worse (Psalm 2:11, KJV)

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

For the exact opposite attitude, turn to Jeremiah 36, which finds the king deliberately burning an early draft of Jeremiah's warnings. Despite such egregious behavior on the part of the king (Jeremiah, 36:24, KJV),

They were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

Yikes! Let's not mimic that behavior. Rather, let us pray for forgiveness with a fearful attitude.

Ye have not looked unto the maker

In Isaiah 22, God comments on how the Israelites have undertaken great effort to protect themselves. God says (verses 10-11, KJV),

Ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool.

Important efforts, no doubt. Unfortunately, the Israelites had not done something more important: appeal to God, himself, for protection. God complains (verse 11, KJV),

But ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

This is a major problem for all of us. Getting caught up in the rhythms of life, we assemble our own efforts to protect and provide for ourselves. But in the process, we forget God's role in bring things into existence in the first place. A presence that power surely can protect and provide for us. So why are we so quick to forget that?

Rather than to try protect and provide for ourselves, let us learn to appeal to God. As David says in Psalm 62:8 (KJV),

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.

Rejoice in the Lord

Following God is not about adhering to a set of rules. It's about achieving righteousness through faith. After all, Abraham was declare righteous not because he was a good guy. Rather, as stated in Genesis 15:6 (KJV),

He believed in the LORD; and [God] counted it to [Abraham] for righteousness.

Then, once we achieve that righteousness through faith, it doesn't end there. Rather, we have the opportunity to "rejoice" in our newfound union with God. Paul instructs in Philippians 4:4 (KJV),

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

So we should pursue faith, and in that process, we should also "rejoice"!

Psalm 50

Psalm 51, in which David repents for his actions with Bathsheba, is one of the most famous Psalms, and therefore it tends to overshadow the Psalm immediately preceding it. But Psalm 50 is densely packed with spiritual insights, and it is useful exploring in detail.

In this post, I'll focus on a handful of verses from Psalm 50 (all from the KJV), taking them a bit out of order. Starting with verse 21, God states that, while the people were sinning,

... I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.

Just because God doesn't immediately punish us for our sins doesn't mean he's not paying attention. He "will reprove" eventually. Verses 3 and 4 look ahead to that time,

Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

Yikes! Verse 23 puts forth what we must do to avoid that dreadful judgement, 

... him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.

The word "conversation" means behavior. And if our behavior is "aright," verse 15 promises,

Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Note that, once we're delivered from our troubles, we will "glorify" God. But what does that (very biblical-sounding) word "glorify" mean? Verse 23 provides the answer,

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me.

So, when reading Psalm 50, one must bounce around a bit, but a theme emerges. God pays attention to our behavior, and we'll have to answer for our behavior eventually. Therefore, we should try to order our lives according to his will, and if we do, he'll save us from trouble. And when he does save us from trouble, we should praise him, which brings him glory.

With that outline in mind, try reading the full Psalm 50, and let it guide your prayers.

Thou knewest my path

God can sometimes feel like a distant, abstract force, unfamiliar with our experiences as humans. When we feel that way, let us consider three things.

First, those feelings are almost always the direct result of our own sins. So we should consider whether those distant feelings are actually our fault.

Second, never forgot that Jesus came in human form, so that he actually directly experienced the feelings, thoughts, and emotions of humans. Isaiah (63:9, KJV) states

In all their affliction he was afflicted.

Third, God has explained to us, in many places, that he completely understands life on earth. Just to pick on example, Psalm 102:19-20 (KJV) reads

He hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth; To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death.

And to pick another, consider the famous verse in John 11:35 (KJV),

Jesus wept.

God certainly knows our thoughts and emotions. Here's near to us. So let us draw near to him ... by praying without ceasing!

 

 

After they had rest

Nehemiah (9:28, KJV) summarizes God's dealings with the post-exile Hebrews, but his discourse speaks exactly to our own interactions with God. Specifically, what happens when God has given us some relief or peace or success? Nehemiah addresses God,

After they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the land of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies.

On one hand, it's depressing that we do "evil again," which inevitably brings some kind of chastisement. Then we return and cry until God. He hears and delivers. And this cycle repeats, as indicated by the phrase "many times." On the other hand, the passage is encouraging, because it speaks to God's abundant mercies. He delivers "many times"!

We're sinful. We're going to repeatedly sin. And God is going to repeatedly forgive. Our job is to humble ourselves before him, because we don't deserve that mercy. As stated in Psalm 34:18 (KJV),

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Separate yourselves from the people of the land

Toward the end of Ezra, Israel finds itself having intermingled with non-Hebrews. God had expressly forbidden this, knowing that such fraternization would lead to sin. To their credit, the Hebrews repented, without making excuses (Ezra 10:2, KJV),

We have trespassed against our God.

This cycle of sin leading to repentance happens throughout the bible, but what's interesting about Ezra 10 is the extent to which the Israelites plot to change their behavior. Starting in Ezra 10:3 (KJV),

Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God ... and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.

The main corrective action comes in verse 11 (KJV),

Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land.

Our modern ears should equate "people of the land" with sin in general. That is, we should "make confession" for our sins, seek to "do his pleasure," and separate ourselves from further sin. Thankfully, God gives us many repeated opportunities to follow the path put forth in verse 11. So let's take that path today.

 

 

Be holy, for I am holy

In Leviticus 11:44 (KJV), God commands,

Ye shall be holy; for I am holy.

But then Job complains about everyone's lack of holiness (Job 15:15-16, KJV),

The heavens are not clean in his sight. How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

Yikes! We're supposed to be holy, but we're so far removed from that standard that it might seem hopeless. Paul laments this situation (Romans 7:24, KJV)...

O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

 ... and then answers the question for the reader (Romans 8:1, KJV)...

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.

And that, itself, is the message of the gospel! It is impossible for us, through our actions, to achieve the level of holiness that God demands. Even the very best people are "abominable and filthy." How then do we achieve the impossible? Though faith in Jesus. As Jesus himself said (Matthew 19:26, KJV),

With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.