Monthly Archives: March 2011

A little bit of tongue-in-cheek explanation of this Psalm in parts after the opening paragraph, but I decided to pass it on to you anyway. There is a real point being made though and I hope you get it.

Psalm 105:6-11 (ESV)

[6] O offspring of Abraham, his servant,

children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

[7] He is the Lord our God;

his judgments are in all the earth.

[8] He remembers his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,

[9] the covenant that he made with Abraham,

his sworn promise to Isaac,

[10] which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,

to Israel as an everlasting covenant,

[11] saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan

as your portion for an inheritance.”

The Psalmist in Psalm 105 has been calling the chosen people to worship God, give thanks to God, broadcast the Name of God, seek the LORD, remember His works (Verses 1-5). Verses 6-11 comprise some reasons why the covenant children of Abraham (which is what all true believers In Jesus Christ are), should be so filled with praise and worship. God keeps His promises. His covenant is an everlasting covenant and the covenant He made with Abraham, which was far more than land in the Middle East, shall not be broken. God shall keep His covenant for a thousand generations (verse 8). This is one way of saying forever.

But let’s take things literally for a minute. A thousand generations is a very long time. If we take a generation as forty years then we have had only 100 generations since the covenant was made with Abraham. Some say a generation is 25 years. OK. In that case there have been 160 generations since the covenant was made with Abraham. This may not be the best method of interpretation, but if we are in the one hundredth generation since Abraham and God has said that the covenant shall be kept for a thousand generations, then that means there are nine hundred more generations to go until all the children of Abraham are gathered in. That’s 36000 years. That would be around the year 38000.

Well, the Scriptures are clear that we do not know when the Lord is returning, so we shall not speculate about the year 38000. But if it is the case that God is going to be winning people to the Gospel for another 36000 years, the Word of God will still be around and it will still be being believed and no amount of technology and progress will prove it wrong.

There is nothing in the Bible which demands that the second coming cannot be 36000 years away. There is nothing that says that the world cannot last until then. Every generation insists that it is the last. Even secular scientists maintain that at the present level of consumption of resources the world cannot continue to sustain the current population, not to mention the fact that the population of the world is growing at an astronomical rate. It is hard to see how the planet could last for another 36000 years. But there is absolutely nothing in the Bible that maintains that it cannot. We do not know what God’s plans are. And we do not know what might happen to allow it to last that long.

We do know that the predictions about Jesus having to come very soon have been made in every generation since the first one after He ascended to heaven. These predictions are based on misunderstandings of the Scriptures and incorrect ways of interpreting them.

It may be that taking 1000 generations literally is a silly way to interpret the Psalm. But its no worse than seeing the end of the world in every earthquake that occurs.

If I had to choose inane interpretations, I like the one I just put forward to you. It may be that someone as stupid as I am has already come up with it. I like it simply because it makes all the postulating about Christ’s return look rather lame. I like it because it gives a picture of God laughing at all our prognostications about the environment and world politics and how much water is left to drink. I like it because at the present rate of Bible translation and obedience to the Great Commission, it just might take that long to get the Gospel to all the people groups of the world, which will happen before Jesus comes.

We are infinitesimally small and God is unimaginably great and He can cause the world to last another 36000 years and save a truly innumerable host of people, all sons of Abraham and all the product of a flawless plan that will prove itself to be perfect and prove man’s predictions about things to be a silly as they really are.

It is going to be very great to find out just how glorious God’s plan for the world really was, is and will ever be. And I will be there to learn about it and so will all who have come to Christ by faith.

Proverbs 23:4 – Do not toil to acquire wealth.

Be careful interpreting Proverbs.

“Do not toil to acquire wealth” cannot mean that it is wrong to go to work to earn money. But it does mean that we must get our priorities right. The acquisition of wealth is not to be the prime directive for our lives. Doctors should pursue their craft, not for the money, but for the sake of healing and discovering cures. Lawyers are to have the good of their clients and the society at large higher on their priority list than $400.00/hour. Pastors should be content with the necessities of life and work for the glory of God and the salvation and maturation of their flock. The list is very long.

The person who toils at his or her craft primarily for the money is an empty soul. God has much better in store for us. He does not call us to such meaningless pursuits as toiling just for the money. He calls us and gifts us so that we may be for the praise of His glory; so that we may enjoy Him; so that we may fulfill the mandate for which He created mankind in the first place. How we rob ourselves!! The pursuit of wealth is a hollow and shallow and unsatisfying goal. God has much better for us.

Today, do not go to work simply for the purpose of the money that it garners. Have higher purposes and find true fulfilment as a believer who works for the glory of God and the good of others.

Luke 8:15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

Now we come to the seed which found good soil. This alone, out of the four soils described by Jesus, is real conversion to Christ and real salvation. Only here do we find true faith and the fruit that such faith brings. Three things mark this good response to the Word that is cast:

1) They hear the Word of God. Lots of people hear the Gospel without believing it, but Jesus’ point here is that this hearing results in faith. They hear it, not just with natural human ears, but with the ears of faith.

2) They hold it fast in an honest and true heart. When they hear it they will not let it go. It is precious to them. Their hearts are honest and true in that they know that they are sinners and can do nothing to save themselves. They see that if Jesus does not die for them they are without hope. They see that the Gospel is their only hope and so they refuse to give it up. Nothing will make these people surrender up the great truth to them that Jesus has come and lived a life they could not live, died as the punishment for their sins, rose as a vindication of His work for all them, guaranteeing their own resurrection. Let this go? How could they ever let this go? Take their lives if you choose, but they would rather die than lessen their grip on this soul liberating Gospel.

“…in an honest and true heart”. Does this mean that it is possible to hold on to the Gospel in a false manner? Is it possible to hold fast to something that one thinks is the real thing when in fact it is not? The Scriptures indicate that this is indeed the case. Consider those in Matthew 7:21-23 who stand before the great judge and exclaim how they preached and healed and cast out demons. They are not lying. They really did those things. And even though they did them they are not admitted into the Kingdom. They held fast in their preaching and miracle working and healing for a long time and yet they were never saved. Paul exhorts the Corinthians to examine themselves to see if the are truly in the faith. They have professed Christ, been baptized and serve in the church. But Paul knows that it is possible that some of them are not true believers. True believers are those who hold fast in an honest and true heart. There is no show, no put-on for others to be impressed with. They have responded to the call of the Gospel with heartfelt honesty and truth. And this is the only way that we can come to salvation.

3) They bear fruit with patience. A seed is cast into the ground and when it bears fruit, that fruit will contain hundreds of seeds. But they do not appear overnight. You do not plant seed in the morning and pick fruit or vegetables that evening. It takes time. There must be watering, weeding, sun, and time. Months later, after much backbreaking work, there will be reward for the work. But one must be patient. God does not zap us with instantaneous sanctification. We are going to be fruitful but there is much spiritual watering (getting under the sound of the Word), weeding (seriously tackling the sins that tempt us), sun (exposure to the things that will help us – Christian fellowship, prayer, Bible reading, the Lord’s supper). There will be setbacks and disappointments. But there will always be progress and faith and perseverance and resolve, for this is what a real believer does.

There is no such thing as a fruitless believer. There is no one going to heaven who does not produce spiritual fruit. This does not necessarily refer to leading others to Christ. There is other fruit than soul winning. The fruit of the Spirit as outlined in Galatians 5:22-23 is part of that and even that list is not all the fruit that a believer will show in his life (Romans 8:5-8). There is love for neighbour, including enemies, love for all who belong to Christ (John 13:35), holiness of life (Hebrews 12:14), the proper use of the gifts (I Corinthians 12:7). The New Testament is full of examples of what the fruit is that true believers will demonstrate.

It is easy to claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, especially in North America where we have rights and freedoms to believe as we wish. But God looks on the heart. The Parable of the sower shows us what He will find in those who truly believe in Him. Accept no substitutes – especially in yourself.

Luke 8:14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

The problem with weeds is that they suck the soil of its nutrients. They prosper at the expense of the plant that you are hoping will flourish. The weeds in the parable of the sower are the cares, riches and pleasures of life. Cares here, refers to worry. It refers to excessive concern over one’s welfare. These are people who get so concerned with the affairs of life that they have no time to think about the more important matters of the soul and their walk with God. They hear the Gospel and may even find it attractive, but they have no time. Maybe later when they get settled, when the children get grown, when life calms down somewhat. Weeds that choke the Gospel seed.

And then there are the constant allurements of money and comfort. Life goals are restricted to getting a house, a career, college for the kids. It takes so much energy and time to get ahead, to get out of debt, to keep oneself out of the poor house. Who’s got time to focus on the immaterial matters of the soul? And therein lies the problem. It is not wrong to work to pay the mortgage or the rent. One should think ahead regarding one’s retirement and college expenses for the kids. People need to care for themselves and their families. But when the desire for things and worry over things become the primary concern then there is no room for God and that is what Jesus is describing here. Materialism, love of money, comfort, things, fame …. As Jesus said, you cannot love both God and money. They both demand your complete allegiance as Masters. You cannot serve two masters.

But those who serve the gods money and pleasure and excessive worry are not just those who overtly reject the Gospel. Churches are full of people who have enough religion to satisfy them but who never allow God to get in the way of their pursuit of money and things. They are those who believe that people of faith are promised wealth and health. The wealth and health however, become more important than God. They love the gift more than the Giver and if the Giver does not come through for them they bail. They are those who find status in their church or who have power there that they would never surrender. Suggest that they step down from their position and you just might get hurt. They all have one thing in common. They love something more than they love God. Jesus Christ is not the passion of their hearts. Their comfort and influence are. They do not have Christ. They are not saved and as long as these other concerns remain as strong as they are, they never will be. It is a tragedy of immense proportions.

This is what characterizes our culture. Giving the Gospel to such people is challenging but it is not impossible. These people need to hear that there is something that is more satisfying, more lasting, more real than the things that have captured their hearts. Jesus is better. We need to emphasize that when we leave this world we go out empty. They need to ask themselves the question that Jesus posed “What will it profit a man if he gain the whole world but lose his own soul?” For those who are rich this is a great obstacle. It is why Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom.

It is also a great obstacle to those who are bombarded constantly with messages that they should be be rich, since they are not. The message to them is that “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” (I Timothy 6:9)

In a culture whose God is money, which is what our culture is, we need to pray that God will unplug the ears of those who can only hear the sound of money; to open the eyes of those who are blinded by the glitter of gold; to enable them to smell the aroma of Christ and find it desirable. Only God can overcome the power of the worries of life and the enticement of riches. And He does. We know He does because He has done it so many times already.

We need to be on constant guard that we do not bow down to the idols of money and pleasure. What our culture needs is living examples of people who value something far more than they value money or fame or popularity and who show real faith in God when things are tough and do not give in to worry. Jesus is worth more than money and in Him do we find our greatest delight. Let us not be marked by the thinking and behaviour of those who are damning their own souls in their commitment to everything but Christ.

Exodus 18:21-23 (ESV)

Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. [22] And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. [23] If you do this, God will direct you, you will be able to endure, and all this people also will go to their place in peace.”

Moses sets up a makeshift office for the people to come to him and have him judge for them in their disputes and questions. His father-in-law, Jethro, sees that the work is too much for one man and proposes a solution so that Moses is not the only one who does the judging. He suggests that Moses choose men who “fear God, are trustworthy and hate a bribe”. Some of these men will be over thousands, some over hundreds, some fifties and some tens. So let’s interview Jethro for a minute:

TBC - “Jethro, you have come up with a plan to help Moses mediate disputes and make rulings for the people of Israel. What led you to do this?”

Jethro – “Well, I noticed that Moses was spending all day meeting with people and when the day ended the line was still very long. He wasn’t spending the right amount of time with my daughter and my grandchildren. I don’t want them without their husband and father”.

TBC – “What did you come up with to alleviate the problem?”

Jethro - “I devised a plan for qualified men from the community to share the judging load with Moses. Moses will still be directly involved with the more difficult cases, but the easier ones can be handled by these men.”

TBC – What qualifications did you come up with?

Jethro – Israel is the community of the people of God so I knew that they had to have the right spiritual qualities. This would ensure that they judge according to God’s ways and the people will be able to trust their judgements.

TBC – So what specifically did you arrive at for these qualifications?

Jethro - First and foremost, these men must fear God. They must have the trust of the people. And they must not be susceptible to bribery from those who think they can buy a good decision from them.

TBC – We notice that you have organized these judges in terms of how many people they will be responsible for. What additional requirements are you making for those who will oversee more people?

Jethro – None.

TBC – Surely those looking after thousands of people will need greater administrative and organizational skills than those only caring for thirty.

Jethro – Look, these men are called to make rulings for the people according to the will of God. The organizational abilities, while of some importance, are a distant second to the all important matter of character and godliness. Their character will guide them in the matters of logistics when the time comes. It does not matter how many people they care for. A worldly greedy man overseeing thirty people will negatively effect the whole nation. A highly efficient leader caring for ten thousand people, without the necessary spirituality will be of no use to Moses as he attempts to help his people. I am shocked that you do not understand this.

Some men are called to lead thousands and some are called to lead just tens. But they must all fear God and be men of impeccable morals. But there is nothing said here that the more gifted ones should be given more people to lead.

What God wants from His ministers is holiness, the fear of God, integrity. It is what He wants from all His ministers. Some of those holy men he will bless with thousands of people to lead. Others He will bless with a few. Those who only get a few are not to think that they are deficient in some manner and those who have many are not to think that God has called them to teach the world how they can have thousands in their churches too, if only they will do what he did and does. Nor are those with only tens supposed to look longingly into the future hoping that one day they will have thousands as well.

Measure your church by the content of its messages, the usefulness to you in your daily walk with Christ, its faithfulness to the Gospel. Read its doctrinal statement. If God should use something said in this little unknown site to help you in some way then the purpose for it has been accomplished.

God has chosen the leaders of many churches to lead tens and fifties , not hundreds or thousands. They have no radio programme, no worldwide ministry, no impressive budget that enables them to save starving masses around the world. But they have leaders who take their holiness seriously. They have men and women who are utterly trustworthy and who long for a revival of their churches and the communities that God has given them to serve. Sounds pretty biblical to me. But they better watch out that it doesn’t get them thinking that they are better just because they are small. Pride knows no barrier.