Perfected For All Time

Posted on September 11, 2024 by Pete

Not so much hovering over a phrase this morning as I am soaking in it. A reminder that re-centers reality. A truth I can take through the day. A word (actually, four words) that can’t help but evoke a bit of wonder.

For by a single offering [Christ] has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

(Hebrews 10:14 ESV)

Perfected for all time . . . Marinate in that, child of God! Your salvation isn’t about being “new and improved”, it’s about being perfected for all time.

It’s not our state yet. But it is our standing at this very moment.

While we are being sanctified . . . or, as the NIV puts it, being made holy . . . or, as Peterson renders it, taking part in the purifying process . . . for us works-in-progress, our perfection isn’t measured by how far we’ve progressed. Instead, it depends wholly and solely on a single offering. Our justification isn’t a matter of just eventually doing enough to warrant the “perfected” designation, but our completeness, our wholeness, is realized only because we are in Christ. Because He is perfect, so too are we in Him.

Not that I don’t want to cooperate with the Spirit’s transforming and conforming work in me, not that I don’t want to reflect Jesus more, but it’s also not that my perfection is somehow dependent upon my performance. I enter this day, fully accepted in Beloved. Nothing I do today can make me more acceptable to God, nothing I do today can make me less acceptable to God. My perfection is not rated on a sliding scale but is realized only because of a finished work — the work of a single offering on the cross of Calvary.

Perfected for all time . . . Let it sink in afresh. Let it wash over you anew. Let it bring the rest of the redeemed. And then let that once forever finished work spur us on to the daily work of taking part in the purifying process.

All by God’s grace. All for God’s glory.

Posted in Hebrews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bringing Forth Justice

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Pete

I read the familiar verses, and I reach for my dark green colored-pencil to underline the phrase. But then I pause, and instead grab my red colored-pencil.

Behold My Servant, whom I uphold,
My chosen, in whom My soul delights;
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry aloud or lift up His voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed He will not break,
and a faintly burning wick He will not quench;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till He has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for His law.

(Isaiah 42:1-3 ESV)

A thrice-repeated word, justice. A three-peat promise, He will bring it. But I think a two-part fulfillment.

Does God care about justice? I’m thinkin’ . . . It’s why He sent His Servant — His chosen One, the One in whom He delights — clothed in His Spirit.

And there’s a day coming, when He will establish justice in the earth. A day when His reign is established for all to see, a day when justice will be the world-known norm. A day to look forward to, a day to anticipate, a day to watch for. A day to be underlined by my dark green colored-pencil, the day of His second coming.

But the Servant in these first couple of verses isn’t characterized by power, might, and majesty, but by quietness, meekness, and humility. Not by proclamation but by a lowly presentation. And so, I instead pick up my red colored-pencil — the one I use for salvation — and underline the phrase repeated in verses one and two, He will bring forth justice.

Isn’t that what Jesus accomplished on the cross? Justice?

The price paid in full for the transgression. The penalty appropriate for the crime. He who knew no sin becoming sin for us (2Cor. 5:21). Christ, coming as the lowly Servant, appearing “once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26b).

Cancelling sin’s due judgment through full atonement. Removing any lasting recrimination through full and faithful reparation. Bringing forth justice so that all who trust in His finished work might rest under the judicial declaration, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)

He has faithfully brought forth justice to the nations! That’s a gospel truth, amen?

But wait . . . there’s more . . .

He will not grow faint or be discouraged
till He has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for His law.

(Isaiah 42:4 ESV)

He will establish justice in the earth. The operative dynamic of heaven will one day be the operative dynamic of earth. That’s a second coming truth, amen?

Okay, time to grab my dark green-colored pencil.

Because of grace. For His glory.

Posted in Isaiah | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

An Indestructible Life

Posted on September 9, 2024 by Pete

This morning? A bit of resurrection appreciation. Easter’s not just for the spring.

Reading in Hebrews. Reading about Jesus as priest. More specifically, that He’s “a priest forever.”

Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? . . . For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of Him,

“You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”

(Hebrews 7:11, 14-17 ESV)

Forever. It’s kind of an important word in the book of Hebrews. Think about it and it’s kind of an important word for us too. If we what we believe, if what we follow, if what we hope in isn’t something that lasts forever, then what’s the point? Without forever, then the life stories we are writing really have no greater context, no greater narrative to fit into. But if there is forever, then what we do now matters beyond now. So, what we believe in now — and in whom we believe now — better be about forever too.

Jesus is a priest forever. Just as He is king forever (Heb. 1:8), Jesus also “holds His priesthood permanently” (Heb. 7:24). And how come? Because Jesus Himself “continues forever.”

Forever . . . like I said, it’s kind of an important word.

And forever is the number one qualification for someone who is going to be identified as a priest like the priest portrayed in the story of Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20, Heb. 7:1-10) — the qualification of “having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Heb. 7:3). Thus, Jesus is entitled to the Melchizedek priesthood not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.

Okay, it’s taken a while for me to get there, but that’s what I’m chewing on this morning, the power of an indestructible life. It’s kind of important, isn’t it?

A reminder that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a pretty big deal. For without it, there is no forever. No forever king, no forever priest, no forever sacrifice, no forever advocate. Thus, no forever hope.

A reminder that we need the power of an indestructible life. We need, as Peterson puts it, “the sheer force of resurrection life” (Heb. 7:16 MSG).

Jesus holds His priesthood permanently “because He continues forever” (Heb. 7:24). Attested to by an empty tomb, the proof of an indestructible life.

As such, Jesus is able to “save to the uttermost” those who have placed their faith in Him because “He always lives” to intercede on their behalf (Heb. 7:25) — possible only because of an indestructible life.

We look forward in anticipation of a certain forever, because of the power of an indestructible life. Amen?

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Hebrews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Waiting Game

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Pete

Hovering over a verse in Isaiah this morning. More so, hovering over a particular word. An action word, a verb. A verb twice used. First about something that God is doing, then about something His people should be doing. And as I chew on it, it seems to me it’s a waiting game.

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you, and therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.

(Isaiah 30:18 ESV)

Context? Assyria is threatening and the people of God are calculating. Assyria is laying siege and about to strike, and God’s people are eyeing Egypt for safety (Isa. 30:1-2). “Don’t do it,” says the LORD through His prophet, “Don’t go there.” Salvation won’t be found in running to and realigning with Egypt, instead it will be realized in returning and resting in Me (Isa. 30:15).

How come? Because the LORD waits. So, wait for Him.

Seems like there’s a number of Hebrew words that are translated as “wait” in the Old Testament. The word used here has the sense of waiting as in tarrying, but it also has the sense of longing for, so much so that there’s a sense of lying in wait in order to ambush. So, God is longing to pounce with grace. And God’s people should be waiting to spring up and ambush grace in return. The LORD waits to be gracious . . . wait for Him.

Okay, think about it . . .

The LORD is longing to be gracious; He wants to rise up and show mercy. So what conditions are necessary for “unmerited favor” to spring forth? Unmeritting (not a word) behavior? I’m thinkin’. What’s needed for compassionate forgiveness to pounce? Transgressions needing compassion and forgiveness? Yup, thinkin’ that too. So, is the LORD waiting, tarrying, and longing for us to get our act together? I don’t think so.

Sure, His desire is that we be conformed to the image of His Son, and that works been started (Rom. 8:29). He has determined a day when the bride is presented to His Son “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27). But today isn’t that day. Today is the day of jars of clay figuring out how “to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2Cor. 4:7). Today’s the day of God patiently, yet anticipatorily (yeah, that’s a word) tarrying to be gracious. Today’s the day of God longing to show mercy. Because of the finished work on the cross of Christ, today’s the day when, where sin is still way too present, His limitless grace is waiting in ambush (Rom. 5:20b). The LORD waits . . .

So, what are we to do? Well, it’s a waiting game. Wait for Him . . .

Rather than longing and tarrying in readiness to ambush grace, we are going to be tempted to run to Egypt. Could be the Egypt of denial (not of de Nile). The pagan world that tells us what’s been done isn’t so bad, that being who we are is really what matters. Don’t go there.

Or we might want to find refuge in the Egypt of just trying harder and working at it more. The Egypt of slavery to self-righteousness which, it turns out, isn’t righteous enough. The religious world that tells us that it’s in getting our act together where we find the grace of God. That doesn’t make sense, does it? Paul makes it clear, “It is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Rom. 11:6). Don’t go there either. Stay away from Egypt. Wait for Him . . .

I’m not waking up every morning planning on how to mess up. Not seeking out weakness and failure. Not inviting guilt and shame. But somehow, every day I seem to put on Nikes and I Just Do It. And the LORD’s waiting to be gracious, longing to show mercy. For the sake of His steadfast love towards those He has brought into covenant relationship and for the glory of His name, He waits.

Thus, I want to wake up every morning ready to ambush the grace of God that awaits. In those skirmishes with the old nature where victory in Jesus is not quite realized, I’m longingly waiting on the grace of Jesus. Ready to tread again that well-known and well-worn path to the foot of the cross where the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin (1John 1:7), and where triumphant power rests on thorn-infested weakness (2Cor. 12:7-9).

I’m waiting, with longing, for grace. He’s waiting, with longing, with grace. We are both, with longing, waiting.

Like I said, it’s a waiting game. Isn’t it? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

Amen?

Posted in Isaiah | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Don’t Give In

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Pete

The cross was on the horizon and Jesus had set His face toward the horizon (Lk. 9:51). Though His disciples didn’t see it, the shadow of impending death hovered over Jesus. It was going to get hard — really hard — very soon. Not just the physical suffering of Roman execution but the unimaginable spiritual anguish of being forsaken of the Father (Matt. 27:46) as He who knew no sin became sin for those He loved (2Cor. 5:21). And though they were yet to fully appreciate it, if it was going to get hard for Jesus, it was going to get hard for those who had decided to follow Jesus. And that’s why Jesus told them to pray.

And [Jesus] came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. And when He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”

(Luke 22:39-42 ESV)

Pray that you may not enter into temptation . . . that’s what I’m chewing this morning. Well, not just the what, but more so the why.

Jesus didn’t say His disciples should pray not to be tempted. Jesus was tempted (Lk. 4:1-13). Jesus knew we would be tempted; that’s the human experience. That’s why we’re told He was tempted just like us, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15).

No, Jesus told His followers, Pray that you may not enter into temptation. Pray that you don’t give in to it (MSG). Temptation’s gonna come knockin’ . . . pray for power not to answer the door. It’s gonna whisper in your ear . . . pray for the awareness to recognize its voice and then plug your ears. It’s gonna look like the right thing to do . . . pray for discernment to deny it. The night they were together in the garden, that’s what Jesus counseled His friends to do.

But why? Because things were going to get very tense very soon. The pressure cooker was about to be set on high. On a scale of 1-to-10, the testing was about to become an eleven. And when the going gets really, really tough, it’s really, really easy for us mere mortals to enter into temptation. Combine high levels of uncertainty with low levels of control and the crucible has a way of surfacing gut-level, instinctive reactions — what Proverbs refers to as “a way that seems right to a man” (Prov. 14:12) . . . what Paul often refers to as “the flesh.”

Jesus knew that. It’s why He prayed. In His flesh He knew the intense, blood-sweating longing for some way to bypass the cross (Lk. 22:44). Yet, He prays, “Nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done.” And, it’s why He tells us to pray. So that when (not if) the temptation, testing, and trial brought on by the fire of ambiguity and angst comes, we will not enter into it.

What Jesus’ disciples were about to walk through was unprecedented. It defied their understanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah. They knew that to follow Jesus was to swim upstream, but they hadn’t expected to have to scatter. They knew they were a minority, but soon they would fear they too were on the Jews’ most wanted list. And in that confusion, they would be placed in a crucible, they would be tested, they would be tempted. Pray, says Jesus, that you don’t give in.

Don’t give into the temptation to just give up and go away. Don’t give into the temptation of addressing evil with evil, even if you can rationalize it as leveraging the lesser of two evils (Rom. 12:17, 21). Don’t give into the temptation to fight fire with fire and do something crazy like pulling out a sword and taking off someone’s ear with it (Mt. 26:51).

So, pray. Pray, because things are going to get crazier. Pray, because things are going to get harder.

A word for our current, crazy, seemingly out-of-control cultural moment? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Pray that you don’t give in.

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Luke | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Gracing It Out

Posted on September 4, 2024 by Pete

I’m thinking there’s probably any number of reasons why a runner might slow down, or even stop, before crossing the finish line. Could be because of an injury. Could be because they are overcome with weariness and feel like there’s no more gas in the tank. On a marathon in particular, it might be because they view themselves as having fallen so far behind others that they wonder, “What’s the point?” Or, maybe they slow down simply because they’ve become distracted and have focused on something else. We could brainstorm more “how comes?”, but you get the idea.

The Christian life is a likened to a race, isn’t it? Yeah, it is. Check out Acts 20:24, 1 Corinthians 9:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Hebrews 12:1.

For those of us who have run the race for a while, we know it’s not a sprint. It’s not even just a marathon. Instead, it’s a lifelong race. Crossing the finish line is not something we are going to attain this side of eternity, but something we press on toward in anticipation of eternity (Php. 3:12-14). And in running that race, there are a number of reasons why we might pull up before the end. But this morning my reading in Hebrews whispers, “Don’t do it. Don’t slow down. Don’t stop running the race.”

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for His name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

(Hebrews 6:10-12 ESV)

Don’t be sluggish . . . that’s the meat for this morning.

Literally, don’t be slow or languid. Keep up the enthusiasm and energy.

Tired? Weak? “Keep on keepin’ on,” as my friend, Wynn, would always say.

Don’t be sluggish. The original word is pretty rare, found only one other place in the New Testament — in yesterday’s reading, where it’s translated as “dull”, as in “dull of hearing” (Heb. 5:11). Don’t be dull. Don’t be lazy. Don’t stop leaning in. Don’t stop pressing forward. Don’t be sluggish.

Okay! I get it! Boy, do I get it. Beat up sometimes? Exhausted other times? Been there, experienced that. So far behind at times I can’t even imagine, must less see the finish line? Yup! Distracted? Oh yeah! That too!

So how do I do it? How do I gut it out? How do I press through the wall when I hit it? How do I not be sluggish?

Well, as I noodle on it a bit, I’m reminded that it’s not really about gutting it out as much as it is about gracing it out.

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28 ESV)

Wait on the LORD . . . and you won’t be sluggish. Fall on the LORD and you won’t faint. Rely on the LORD and He will renew your strength.

Dealing with sluggishness, dullness, weariness, and fear of coming up short is not found in anxiously asking, “Lord, how I do I press on,” but in believing with quiet confidence the question really needs to be, “Lord, how do WE keep on keepin’ on?” For we have been crucified with Christ, our life hidden in His, so that it is no longer we who run, but Christ who runs in us (Gal. 2:20, Col. 3:3). The One who declared “It is finished” (Jn. 19:30), securing our victory on the cross, is also the One who will see to it that we cross the finish line (Php. 1:6).

Mine is to recognize the sluggishness. Mine is to have a holy disdain for the dullness. And then, mine is to abide. Abide in the Vine, apart from Whom I can do nothing (Jn. 15:5). Abide in my weakness, for it is there that the power of Christ, by His all-sufficient grace, will rest on me (2Cor. 12:9).

Not gutting it out but gracing it out.

By His grace overflowing without end.

For His glory all-deserving forever and always.

Amen?

Posted in Hebrews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Addicting

Posted on September 3, 2024 by Pete

Here’s the problem I think is being addressed in my reading this morning: if we consider the gospel something that relates only to “getting saved” and is not an active dynamic in how we think about “being saved”, then we’ll fail to mature. We’ll remain children in our faith. While we should be growing up to speak in full sentences, if the gospel is only for the un-saved, we’ll find ourselves content to just repeat our ABC’s.

But the gospel is not just the good news of how our sins before Jesus were dealt with. It is, just as importantly, the good news — the current news — of how the gospel continues to deal with our sin as we seek to follow Jesus. And when we see our need for the gospel every day, it’s addicting.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

(Hebrews 5:11-14 ESV)

Trained by constant practice . . . That’s the phrase I’m chewing on this morning.

Training by constant usage. Trained by leveraging it, over and over again. Trained until it becomes habitual, until it becomes addicting. That’s the idea I think the author is going for here.

Trained in what? Trained in the word of righteousness. The word in which “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith”, the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17). Thus, the gospel is to be “constantly used.” It is to be “practiced”, over and over again. It is to become habit forming. Something we lay hold of afresh when we wake up in the morning. Something we cling to throughout the day. Something that helps us know the rest of the redeemed at night.

But good news is only active as we live in the acknowledgment of the bad news. It is only power where there is weakness. If the gospel is just about sins past, then there’s no need to put it into play today. No need to practice it again and again. No need for it to become addicting.

If, however, we have sin and weakness and failure and great need to deal with today, and tomorrow, and the day after that, then we will be casting ourselves continually upon the grace found in the gospel. We won’t be able to get enough. Thus, we’ll find ourselves trained in the word of righteousness by constant practice and growing up in Jesus just as we were saved to do.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

(1John 1:8-2:2 ESV)

Confession, forgiveness, cleansing. An Advocate and an Atonement. Not just something we needed to kick in when we “prayed the prayer” back in the day. Not just something for our past. But a desperately needed, on-going, ever-present dynamic for our present. And when we admit we need it, and we seek to apply it, then it becomes addicting. And it’s then that we grow up in our faith.

If I know what it is to be forgiven, over and over and over again, than I can testify to others with a fresh testimony of what it means to be forgiven. If I know what it is to ultimately rest in His righteousness which was credited to my account and not have to rely on my own good works — over and over and over again — then I can build on my ABC’s and learn to form sentences which convey “the reason for the hope that is in me” (1Peter 3:15). If I am regularly confessing my sin, then by “constant practice” I am learning “to distinguish good from evil.” For, when I recognize it within myself, I can recognize it around me.

The gospel should be addicting. Shouldn’t it?

And when it is addicting, we mature in the things of Christ and His kingdom.

All by His grace. All for His glory.

Posted in Hebrews | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Stream of Water

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Pete

Hovering over a proverb this morning. At first its flavor is that of God’s sovereignty. But as I keep chewing, I start to taste the sweetness of God’s Son.

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.

(Proverbs 21:1 ESV)

Initially, it hits me as an apt verse for an election year. A good reminder that whether it’s a David, a man after God’s own heart, or a Pharaoh, a man with a hardened heart, God channels the hearts of those to whom He has given earthly kingdoms and reign (Dan. 4:17). A good reminder that while we care who gets into office, we are also confident that whoever rules is still but a stream of water in the hand of the LORD.

But chew on it a bit more, and what if “the king” spoken of here is The King? What if the verse is not just about a sovereign God directing kings as He please, but about a saving king who willingly places his heart wholly in the hands of a sovereign God? A king whose heart is ready to be turned wherever the LORD wills?

When Christ came into the world, He said, “Sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but a body have You prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book.'”

(Hebrews 10:5-7 ESV)

Isn’t Jesus the King whose heart is fully in the hand of the LORD? I’m thinkin’ . . .

His “food” was to do the will of the One who sent Him and to accomplish His work (Jn. 4:34). He neither claimed nor sought independence from the Father, refusing to do anything on His own. Rather than seeking His own will, He instead set His face only to “carry out orders” (Jn. 5:30 MSG).

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” ~ Jesus

(John 6:38 ESV)

The heart of Jesus is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, channeled as the Father determines.

But more than His heart being a stream, from His heart flows a stream. Yet, not just a stream but a river — a river of living water able now to satisfy every imaginable (and unimaginable) thirst. Self-perpetuating water, water becoming “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (Jn. 4:13-14, Jn. 7:37-38). Not only providing soul-quenching water today, but promising a tomorrow when He will be our guide to greater “springs of living water” where the Father will Himself wipe away every tear (Rev. 7:17). Jesus is King of kings, the stream of water who will bring His own to “the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1).

Jesus, the root and descendant of David, the bright Morning Star, is the King with a heart fully disposed to God’s determination to show His eternal mercy, grace, and steadfast love.

And the One who is Himself the channel of the goodness of God beckons, even this morning, “And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Rev. 22:16-17).

Be exalted my King! Flow heaven’s Stream! Spring up O’ Well!

With overflowing grace!

For Your everlasting glory!

Posted in Proverbs | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Burden is Lifted

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Pete

It is the burden of the message the prophet, Isaiah, was called to carry. The words no one wants to say to his people yet were strained from his platform. And, as one commentator puts it, “with dirge-like monotony” the words echo this morning as I read.

The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. . . .

. . . for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. . . .

. . . Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim devours Manasseh; together they are against Judah. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. . . .

. . . Nothing remains but to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain. For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still.

(Isaiah 9:12, 17b, 21; 10:4 ESV)

Do I dare type it again? For all this His anger has not turned away, and His hand is stretched out still. What heavy, heavy words. What a burden!

His people’s persistent rebellion had invited God’s reluctant retribution. Their stiff-necked determination to pursue sin’s degraded way must finally be addressed with His disciplining wrath. Though repeatedly pled with to repent, they refused. Though beckoned to turn, they would not. Though called to stretch out their hand to their Maker and Deliverer, they instead gave Him their back. And so, holy justice demanded that His anger be not turned away, and that His hand of wrath be stretched out upon them.

And there, but for the grace of God, would I be found, as well.

Yet, because of the grace of God, His anger HAS turned away and His hand is stretched out NO LONGER. Read about that also this morning.

Therefore [Jesus} had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

(Hebrews 2:17 ESV)

Propitiation . . . the removal of divine wrath. A sacrifice made which satisfies God’s holy anger toward hard-hearted, unholy rebellion. An offering presented that meets the just demand of a holy, holy, holy God. And my Savior was both the Offerer and the once-forever Offering.

Thus, the prophet’s strain is displaced by faith’s salvation. Dirge-like monotony replaced with joy-filled assurance that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). Or, as Peterson puts it, that “with the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud” (MSG).

Because the work is finished (Jn. 19:30) and sin’s debt has been paid in full, gone is the “continuous, low-lying black cloud” of fear that His anger has not turned away. Because not even an iota of condemnation hangs over the head of those made righteous through union with Christ (2Cor. 5:21), there is no suspicion that His hand is stretched out still.

The burden is lifted. What is left is to believe. The price has been paid. Ours then is to praise. The offering once-forever made to take away our sin. The only fitting response to such overwhelming mercy, hearts that long to walk in obedience.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Aman, Aman (2022 Rerun)

Posted on August 26, 2024 by Pete

I don’t normally rerun posts which are relatively recent. Making an exception this morning.

How come? Because, while it is the ancient Scripture in Isaiah that caught my attention this morning, it’s a recent post from two years ago that I am chewing on.

How come, again? Because these 2022 thoughts were typed only a few months before my world came crashing down. Not trying to be dramatic, but neither can I look back on the events of late ’22 as anything less than traumatic. And so, sitting where I’m sitting today, thinking back on the train wreck that I started going through back then, the abiding principle I wrote about two years ago rings even more true today. More true because experience has born it out. More true because having the truth of August ’22 “in my pocket” when November ’22 unexpectedly occurred is ultimately what allowed me to get past ’22. “Firm in faith” . . . that’s the foundation that holds fast when other foundations are ripped away.

By His grace . . . for His glory.

It was an ancient prophecy, but it contains an abiding principle. And in the original language, it looks like at its core is a twice-repeated word. Aman, aman.

Back story: In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, the kings of Syria and Israel came up to Jerusalem to wage war against it. And, in the face of this massive military aggression, the hearts of Ahaz and the people of Judah “shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind” (Isa. 7:1-2). Appropriate response, I would think. Makes sense to me.

The LORD, however, sends Isaiah the prophet to the king and commands him, “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint” (7:4a). How come? Because, declares the LORD, though they advance together to conquer Judah, “It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass” (7:7a).

Hmm . . . An enemy army is advancing. Their intent is to terrify us, conquer us, and rule over us. But we’re not to fear, faint, or fret. Because Isaiah says that You have said, Lord God, “It ain’t gonna happen.” Your word, is that all we’ve got to go on? Apparently.

And here’s the abiding principle. The LORD God then says,

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.”

(Isaiah 7:9b ESV)

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all (CSB). If you will not believe, you surely shall not last (NASB). If you will not confide (aman in the original), you shall not abide (aman in the original). Aman, aman — a Hebrew play on words.

Believe and be still. Believe and be strong. Not complicated. Not easy either.

To be faced with what would naturally bring fear but to stay calm, be quiet, and trust that what God has said will be, will be. To face a situation that rightfully causes the heart to faint, and yet, by switching out just one letter, stand firm because of faith. That’s the principle I’m reminded of in this passage.

It is the way of the people of God. The way since the beginning of God choosing for Himself a people. Check out the first occurrence of aman in the Scriptures:

And [the LORD] brought [Abraham] outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed (aman) the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness.

(Genesis 15:5-6)

Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). Without faith it is impossible to stand before God (Eph. 2:8-9). Without faith it is also impossible to stand with God (Isa. 7:9). Lord, I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24).

Chewing on this ancient prophecy. Confessing how often I fail to rest in this abiding principle.

Believe and be still. Believe and be strong. Aman, aman.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

Posted in Isaiah | Tagged , , | Leave a comment