Trust in the Lord

Many Christians have memorized Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." It’s good that these verses are so well known, but unfortunate that they are often misunderstood and misapplied.

One of the keys to interpreting these verses is the phrase “all your heart.” In the Bible, the heart encompasses our entire being. It includes all of our faculties, including the mind. For example, the heart is where we learn and follow godly parental teaching (Proverbs 3:1). The heart is also where God’s promises are absorbed and integrated into our lives (Proverbs 3:3). The heart has the capacity to remember and retain truth. It’s not merely the seat of our emotions but also of our intellect and will.

So when we come to the second half of verse 5 and read that we are not to lean on our own understanding, it obviously doesn’t mean we should shut off our minds. It can’t be a statement against the intellect, because we are to trust the Lord with all our heart, which includes the mind. What then is our “own understanding”? It’s the judgments and perceptions and insights of the world. We are not to lean on – we are not to trust, rely upon, put our confidence in – the philosophies of the world. We’re not to make choices based on a secular worldview, or society’s values, or anything else that might shape our heart apart from God’s revelation of reality. I think verse 7 makes the meaning clear: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” To lean on our own understanding is to be wise in our own eyes and not fear God.

Thus, to trust in the Lord is to rely upon the revealed truth of God. It’s to place our full confidence in God who has revealed himself in the Bible. We are to lean upon the ways of God, and wholeheartedly follow the will of God as revealed in the word of God. Or as verse 6 says, we are to acknowledge God – know God – in all our ways.

When we trust God and follow him in every realm of life, he will make our paths straight. This is a better translation than “he shall direct your paths.” It doesn't mean God will make the course of our life smooth. The word “straight” has the idea of uprightness. So this is not a promise that all our problems will be smoothed out; rather that we will walk in the way of righteousness, knowing right from wrong, reality from deception, truth from falsehood.

An Outline of Jonah

Theme: The Compassionate Love of God

How far does God's love pursue? (Jonah 1:1-17)

A. God's love for a rebellious servant (1:1-4)

1. What God wanted of Jonah ... he called Jonah to proclaim judgment against Nineveh
2. Why Jonah ran from God ... he had a problem with God giving Nineveh the opportunity to repent

B. God's love for an indifferent servant (1:5-12)

C. God's love for a guilty servant (1:13-17)

How deep does God's love reach? (Jonah 1:17-2:10)

A. God's love reaches to the depth of Jonah's distress ... and ours (2:1-2)

B. God's love reaches to the depth of Jonah's guilt ... and ours (2:3-4)

C. God's love reaches to the depth of Jonah's hopelessness ... and ours (2:5-6)

D. God's love reaches to the depth of Jonah's stubbornness ... and ours (2:7-10)

E. God's love reaches to the depth of Jonah's death ... and ours (1:17)

How wide does God's love stretch? (Jonah 3:1-10)

A. The simplicity of God's message (3:1-4)

B. The conviction of God's message (3:5-9)

• The people of Nineveh believed God
• They humbled themselves
• They repented of their evil ways
• They hoped for mercy

C. The grace of God's message (3:10)

How high is God's love magnified? (Jonah 4:1-11)

A. A superlative description of God's love (4:1-3)

1. God is gracious
2. God is compassionate
3. God is slow to anger
4. God is abounding in love
5. God is a God who relents from sending calamity

B. A profound lesson about God's love (4:4-11)

1. The lesson ... from a vine, a worm and a windstorm
2. The point ... "Should God not be concerned* about that great city?"
   

*The translation "concerned" does not bring out the emotion of the word; it has the idea of being concerned with tears running down your face.

Faith Is....

I prefer this translation of Hebrews 11:1 ...

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (NKJV).

Over this translation ...

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (NIV).

The latter translation focuses on the subjective element of faith: Faith is having assurance and certainty that the promises of God will come true. The former translation, on the other hand, focuses on the objective element of faith: Faith is the substance and evidence that the promises of God will come true.

We usually think of faith as needing evidence, not as the evidence itself. The word translated “evidence” (or “certain” in the NIV) is used only here in the New Testament. Outside the New Testament it is used with the meaning “proof” or “argument” or “test.” How is faith the evidence or proof or test of things not seen? I think it means that faith demonstrates the truth of heavenly things. We don’t physically see the promises and rewards of heaven yet. But when we see with spiritual eyes, the resulting life of faith is the proof that these unseen realities are indeed real. Or to say it another way, if we have banked everything on heaven, then the visible expression of our confidence is faith.

Observing What You Read

Making observations is an important step in all reading. From a workbook called Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day (p. xi):

This step - making observations - is essential because your observations (what you notice) lead you to logical inferences about what you read. Inferences are conclusions based on reason, fact, or evidence....

If you misunderstand what you read, it is often because you haven't looked closely enough at the text. As a result, you base your inferences on your own ideas and experiences, not on what's actually written in the text. You end up forcing your own ideas on the author (rather than listening to what the author has to say) and then forming your own ideas about it. It's critical, then, that you begin to really pay attention to what writers say and how they say it.

Unfortunately, this step often seems to get bypassed when people read the Bible.

Parable of the Sower

In Matthew 13:1-9, Jesus tells the parable of the sower:

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear."

Then in verses 18-23, Jesus gives the meaning of the parable:

"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

In the verses in between Jesus explains to the disciples why he speaks in parables. But it's not an aside; it's integral to the parable. Notice the connections:

Verse 12: "Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance."
Verse 23: "But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Verse 13: "This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'"
Verses 18-19: "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. "

If those connections are legitimate then I think there is a clue in verse 11 about the heart that is like "good soil": "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them." The "good soil" of understanding is the result of God's grace in our lives, and the way one gains such a heart is through repentance and faith.

The Significance of the Transfiguration of Jesus

Daniel Wallace offers Some Biblico-Theological Reflections on the Transfiguration of Jesus:

The following comments are only preliminary; frankly, it would take years, perhaps a lifetime, to explore the depths of the meaning of the transfiguration. (a) It symbolized and foreshadowed both the resurrection and parousia. (b) It was a temporary unveiling of the Son of God’s eternal glory. (c) That this glory was seen and not just expounded on was so that “the disciples could taste in part what could not be fully comprehended” (Calvin). That is, as the old Chinese proverb says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” (d) Moses and Elijah were a part of the picture to show both continuity with the OT in the ministry of Jesus and his own uniqueness and absolute authority (hence he alone wore the brilliant clothing, and he alone is identified from heaven as the one to be obeyed). (e) The cloud was a continuation of the Shekinah glory: the presence of God has returned fully in the person of Jesus Christ. And Moses and Elijah are there, silently endorsing him as the one in whom men meet God.

Paul Tripp on Psalm 73

Paul Tripp has begun posting again. This time he is working through Psalm 73. Here's a sample from his first post, Too Good to Be True?

When sin takes awe away from you, that sense of divine wonder that is meant to shape every person's life, you look for ways to fill the void. Now think about it, if you are not getting your wonderment vertically, that is, from the Creator, then you will look for it somewhere in the creation. You will be shopping for the buzz of wonder where it simply is not to be found. Your friends and family cannot give you the awe you seek. That new restaurant will blow you away, but it won't introduce you to the heart satisfying wonder of God. That new car will make you happy for a while, but it has not the capacity whatsoever to fill your soul with glory. The Psalmist here gets at the dilemma in a single word, "good." You're looking for "good," pure, unadulterated, imperishable, unending, and unfailing good; because you're wired that way. You're looking for the kind of good that can lift you out of your boredom and quiet your longings. And that good is only to be found one place; God. God is good in every possible way. He is good in righteousness. He is good in power. He is good in grace. He is good in his faithfulness. He is good in mercy. He is good in holiness. He is good in justice. He is good in his rule. All his words are good and true. All his actions are good and right. When he is angry he is good. When he preserves life, he is good. When he takes life he is good. When his words are hard, they are good. When his words are gentle, they are good. His promises are good. His provisions are good. His plan is good. In all of the universe, you can only say this about God; he is good all the time and in every way.

"The central theological principle of the Bible [is] the rejection of idolatry."

(Moshe Halbertal and Avishai Margalit, Idolatry, p. 10)

- HT to Ray Ortlund.

Obedience Is Better than "Worship"

I'm reading through the Bible again, this time using the Today's New International Version. This morning I was reading about the rejection of Saul as Israel's king in 1 Samuel 15.

Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.' "

So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. Then he said to the Kenites, "Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.

Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: "I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night (1 Samuel 15:1-11).

When Samuel went to confront Saul, Saul had many excuses for his disobedience. Here are a few of my thoughts arising from those excuses:

1. Partial obedience is not a substitute for full obedience. It's frightening to hear Saul's self-delusion on this point:

• Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD's instructions" (v. 13).
• Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest" (v. 15).
• "But I did obey the LORD," Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king" (v. 20).

2. "Worship" is not a substitute for obedience. Repeatedly Saul claims that his disobedience is motivated by a desire to honor God.

• "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest" (v.15).
• "The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal" (v. 21).

But here is God's assessment of Saul's professed intent to worship the Lord: "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (v. 22).

Seven Days of Creation

Robert McCabe argues A Defense of Literal Days in the Creation Week.

What Is Ecclesiastes About?

As a follow up to a previous post, here is Robert McCabe's summary of The Message of Ecclesiastes:

Having made a thorough study of life to discover meaning and purpose, our author has presented the results of his study in Ecclesiastes. He has presented the subject of his work in 1:2 and 12:8, “Everything is frustratingly enigmatic.” This is to say, everything about life is a burdensome mystery. This subject was not based simply on empirical observations, but his observations were sifted through his theological grid. Qohelet understood that God created an originally perfect cosmos, but he subsequently imposed a curse on his cosmos and its inhabitants. However, he also recognized that God is working to restore his creational design. Because of his theological understanding of the early chapters of the Torah, his subject in Ecclesiastes has been shaped by his theological a prioris. In his search, Qohelet had attempted to master life but was faced with one frustration after another. He came to realize that he could not accomplish his objective and that the object of his search was not the creation but the Creator. As a result, he has used a dialectical structure to reflect the conflicts he encountered and to commend the enjoyment of life from a theocentric perspective.

In responding to his subject, Qohelet in summary form has exhorted us to judiciously and reverentially use and enjoy our divinely bestowed gifts. The primary thrust of his response focused on his Leitmotiv of enjoying life. From the placement and content of this Leitmotiv, four responses were synthesized. First, the placement of this motif highlighted our limitations as depraved, finite beings. Because of our limitations, we should not attempt to master life but to make the most of and enjoy what God has given us. Second, each of the refrains exhorting the celebration of life reflected a theocentric perspective on life. Third, the enjoyment-of-life motif has emphasized that we be actively engaged in and enjoy our food, drink, work, fruits of our labor, spouse, clothes, perfume, and youth. Because of this theme’s coordination with God’s judgment and the fear-of-God motif, this is a judicious and reverential use of God’s gifts. Fourth, Qohelet regarded his exhortation to enjoy life as normative truth. In the midst of a sin-cursed world and a veiled providence, Qohelet has counseled us to have a submissive faith in our sovereign God, to be diligently involved in our responsibilities of life, and to enjoy God’s blessings.

"Vanity of Vanities"

How should we translate the Hebrew word hebel in the book of Ecclesiastes? KJV translates it "vanity." NIV has "meaningless." But I like what Robert McCabe writes about this word:

Though it would appear that no English term provides an equivalent to [hebel], the closest of the options is probably “incomprehensible” or a synonym such as “enigma” or “mystery.” However, a limitation of “incomprehensible” is that it does not necessarily account for the emotive connotations of [hebel]. This is expressed in 2:17 where Qohelet states that he hates life because his work had been grievous. We would grant that this is hard to comprehend, but it is more than that. Life with its difficulties and vicissitudes as a result of the Fall is a puzzle that finite man cannot figure out and it frustrates Qohelet in his search for meaning and purpose. In his attempt to master life, Qohelet eventually realizes with defeated expectations that he cannot understand God’s scheme of things. Though in English we do not have a precise word equivalent to the meaning associated with this Hebrew term, I would prefer to translate it something like a “frustrating enigma.”

The First Noel

Ray Ortlund comments on Luke 2:19.

But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. "Treasured up" means that she prized and guarded and preserved in her thoughts everything that happened. "Pondering" means that she began connecting the dots between the Old Testament prophecies and now these astounding events, reaching by faith for what it all meant.

The Purpose of Parables

When Jesus was asked by his disciples why he taught using parables, he responded, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"(Mark 4:11-12).

The last part of Jesus' answer is a quotation from Isaiah 6:9-10. It declares the purpose of parables, not their nature. Jesus' parables had the same intended effect as Isaiah's prophetic ministry. Parables are not esoteric teachings. They do not contain hidden meanings that only the initiate can decipher with a secret code. Rather the purpose of parables is to challenge its hearers to respond to Jesus' promise of the kingdom. The challenge includes - either explicitly or implicitly - a warning of God's judgment to those who refuse to follow Jesus (we should take "perceiving" and "understanding" in the sense of biblical wisdom - that is, they are the responses of those who fear God). In this light, parables serve to confirm the hardness of heart of those who hear but do not believe.