Matthew 6:12 “Debtors”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹²and forgive to us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.

This is an interesting study – to think about sins as “debts.” In Luke’s version in 11:4, our sins are actually called “sins,” while what others have done to us are still called “debts.” More on that later.

Debts. What is a debt? It is something owed. In our world, there is a creditor and there is a debtor. Basically, debts must be repaid. The matter is so serious there used to be “debtors’ prisons,” where people were sent to “work off” their unpaid debts. If a debt isn’t repaid, who loses? The creditor, of course. In our world today, if a debt cannot be repaid, a person can declare bankruptcy, but, other than that the only hope would be for the creditor to willingly “forgive” the debt. Having said that, however, let us be reminded that, in so doing, it is still true the creditor is the loser. Financially speaking, forgiving debts is a wonderful thing for debtors, but for creditors it is a losing business.

As we turn our hearts toward God, it’s not hard to see that our sins are each and every one a debt. We, the created, owe to God the Creator our obedience and our worship. When we fail to give to Him those things, we have sinned. We “owe” Him for those sins. And what is the punishment for sin? “In the day you eat thereof, you shall surely die.” “The wages of sin is death.” The problem, which we fail to consider, is that we are sinning against and offending an infinite God – which means what we “owe” is an infinite price. We’re in BIG trouble. God is just. How long would it take us to pay an infinite debt? How long must we “die?” Infinity. Forever. Hell is no “purgatory.” It is forever. We cannot repay our debt to Him.

Our only hope is that somehow, someway He would forgive our debt. However, in this case, that is theologically impossible. God is just. He must punish sin, since He said He would. His justice demands payment. In order for Him to simply “forgive” our debt, He would have to lose His justice – but He cannot do that. The price must be paid. There must be an infinite death for God to “balance” His books.

Who can pay an infinite price, die an infinite death and yet be able to say, “Paid in full?” Only God Himself! The wonder of grace is He did exactly that. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth…and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:1,14,17). Jesus went to the Cross for us and what were His last words? “It is finished!” What was finished? Our sin debt was paid. Someone paid it for us.

Oh, yes. Above I said our only hope as debtors is for the creditor to forgive our debt. I forgot one other option – when another person steps forward and says, “I’ll pay that for them.” Why would anyone ever do that? Instead of the creditor, now it’s that person who is the loser. Why would anyone willingly be a loser? Love, of course. Any of us who are parents know that feeling. How many times have we each stepped in and said to one of our children, “Don’t worry. I’ll pay for that”? Why did we do it? Love. We made ourselves “losers” and never regretted it for one second, and why? Love.

Isn’t it, in a way, a strange feeling to lose, to willingly make ourselves “losers,” and yet feel happy we did? Once, one of our adult children went to move out of an apartment, only to be told they owed $1,000.00. At that time, they were penniless and called us distraught at what to do. Although we weren’t rich either, it was wonderful to be able to say to them, “Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.” It cost us $1,000.00 we probably could barely spare, but we didn’t care. It was for a person precious to us. We were actually glad to be “losers.” The truth is, we didn’t “lose” at all. We just exchanged money for love – and that is an exchange that pays a lifetime of dividends!

So with Jesus. He emptied Himself. He made Himself a servant. He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” then made it possible for God the Father to answer His prayer because He said, “I’ll pay that.” And why did He do it? The book of Hebrews says He did it for “the joy that was set before Him.” He did it for love. Love for you and love for me. Paul exemplified that when he told Philemon, concerning Onesimus, “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” Paul learned it from Jesus.

Now, when we said to our child, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that,” they could have said, “No. I won’t let you,” and gone on in the misery of their unpaid indebtedness. Back in John, it says, “He came unto His own, but His own received Him not…yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (1:11,12).

The wonder of His grace is that “Jesus paid it all.” However, you and I are left with the choice to accept His offer or not. Whether we like it or not, we are all debtors before God, owing a price we cannot repay. And what does the Bible tell us? Why did God the Father willingly give His Son to pay our debt? “He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the Justifier of those who have faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).

In this world, it is an awful thing to be indebted for a price we cannot repay. In God’s world, the good news is the price is already paid. We only need say, “Thank you” and accept His wonderful kindness in Jesus.

You and I don’t need to be debtors!!

Matthew 6:11 “Bread 3”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹¹Give to us today our daily bread.

In the last post, we looked at how no request or concern is too small for prayer. My next observation, in a way, grows out of all of that. Psalm 145:15,16 says, “The eyes of all look to you, O Lord, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” 

Food. Eating. We humans spend a great deal of our time and energy making sure we have food. Today, groceries take up a significant chunk of our income, especially if you add that it’s not only the groceries themselves, but we need a refrigerator/freezer to keep them in, a stove to cook them on, all the plates and silverware and such, and then we have the time it takes to cook it, serve it, eat it, and clean up afterwards. Consider how it wasn’t that long ago, people lived on farms where most of their day was spent growing their crops, caring for the livestock (much of which would later appear on their dinner table), gardening and canning, etc. Today there is a restaurant on every corner, it would seem, and their parking lots are often full, but then “eating out” certainly isn’t cheap, so we’re back to hours working just to be able to pay for it all.

So, we have to work a LOT at this simple, basic business of eating. To us, it appears it is entirely our doing. We must do the work and then we will be able to eat. Yet, what is the prayer we’re considering? “Give us this day our daily bread.” Notice the “Give.” Combine that with the words of Psalm 145 noted above, and here we are again with this business of faith and sight. By sight, it appears to be completely up to us whether we eat or starve. Yet, what are we being told to see by faith? In spite of what we think we see, even a slice of bread is a gift from God! 

While an unbeliever thinks it’s all on them, what does faith remind us? Who gave you the very breath to work at all? Who makes crops to grow or not? Who protects those crops and livestock all the way to our dinner table? I don’t think it’s any mistake that the old farm families were people of deep faith – they lived (and worried their heads off) in the realization that they could only plant the seeds. Whether or not there would be a crop was completely dependent on God Himself! They were very aware they could not make it rain or the sun to shine. They were terribly vulnerable to insects, weeds, storms and seemingly a thousand other threats that could mean starvation for them the next winter. They lived in the constant realization they need God.

Perhaps it was easier for them to see it, yet it is true for them and us both that we are totally dependent on the Lord even for the food on our tables. Even the simple word “Give” is for us a grace word. By faith, we can see, if He does not “give” us our food, we’ll not have it! “He opens His hand and satisfies the desires of every living thing.”

When we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are acknowledging, by faith, our utter dependence on God even for the food we eat. It is good for this man to sit here and let these thoughts swirl in his head. I want to remember this all day every day. I want to be totally dependent on the Lord for even my food, in spite of the fact that it may look like “it’s all up to me.” It reminds me I am not alone. I am a man with a God. All of life is about this constant companionship. Without Him “I can do nothing,” yet He calls me to work, even for the food I eat. He says to the world, “If a man will not work, neither shall he eat” (II Thes. 3:10). And still, as it says in Psalm 145, “the eyes of all wait upon You, O Lord, and You give them their food at the proper time.”

I admit I’m just rambling now, but I really do want these truths to sink deeply into my heart. I must work (a lot) for my food, yet still it is a grace gift from my God that I can eat at all. I owe Him humble thanks for every morsel that passes through my teeth. As I sit here pondering, I’m reminded, as it is always true, that my “work” is actually a privilege. The Lord could leave me lying in my recliner and just drop food in my mouth. Yet from the very Garden of Eden (even before sin), the Lord in His wisdom and kindness put man there “to keep it and to till it.” He called us to work for that which was, in reality, a grace gift straight from His hand. He rained down manna for the Israelites to eat, yet they had to go out every morning and gather it. He could have just dropped it in their pots.

I’m reminded once again that it is actually an enormous dignity for us humans that He does not just “drop it in our mouths,” but instead calls us to work for that which He gives us. Back to our companionship with Him. He’s so kind, He allows us to be a part just like the rest of our lives and everything we do.

The only thing He must do alone is to save us. “For by grace are you saved, through faith, and it is not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not by works…” (Eph. 2:8). Yet even that glorious passage goes on to say of those He has saved by grace, that we are “created in Christ Jesus to do good works…” (v.10). I guess we can say the plan always is that He wants us to work as much as we can, but He does for us that which we cannot. In salvation, He must do it all. In the rest of life, He calls us to this “God and me” companionship.

I know, especially at work, it is an enormous comfort for me to remember that. There is so much that needs to be done. Yet, while I can meet with people, discuss projects, do the calculations, design even entire water and wastewater plants, yet I can’t make the money appear to pay for them. I can’t make deliveries show up on time or equipment show up without serious defects. I can’t control the weather. I often have no control over whether other people do their part. I cannot ultimately control whether any project gets done on time, in budget, and is well built and a good solution. I can only “do my part.” As Daniel told us all, “Wisdom and power belong to God.” It is a great peace to know I am not alone, that I am a man with a God.

This simple little prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” reminds me all of this is true, even for the very bread I eat.

I want to be reminded of this every time I eat – every time I put food in my mouth, even as I’m “working” to even make it possible. It’s God and me. He is very present. We work together. He doesn’t need me, but I desperately need Him. He allows me to join Him and grants me the dignity to “do my part.”

What a good, kind, and wise God He is! “Give us this day our daily bread.”

 

Matthew 6:11 “Bread 2”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹¹Give to us today our daily bread.

As I said in my last post, I fear this simple little verse is so pregnant with truth, I doubt if I can do it justice, but I will try. Over the years, too many times, I have heard people say things like, “You shouldn’t bother God with “little” things, that you should only pray about “important” things. That sentiment has always horrified me. Life is mostly made up of “little” things. If we shouldn’t pray about those things, to me we might as well cut off the arms and legs of our prayers.

For anyone subscribing to that opinion, what will you do with this line of the Lord’s Prayer? “Give us this day our daily bread.” Bread. How much simpler can that get? No, no, no, and a thousand times no. Who ever told their two-year old not to bother them with “little” things? All they know is “little” things. They ask for silly things and does that bother us? “Of course not,” you say. “I just love to hear their little voice!” And do you think God our Father is any different?

Proverbs 15:8 says, “…the prayer of the upright is His delight.” Elsewhere, the Bible tells us our prayers are like incense to the Lord. Later in the Sermon on the Mount (ch. 7), Jesus Himself compares prayer to a child asking his father for bread or a fish. In Luke’s version, the child asks for an egg. Does Jesus say, “They’re so foolish! They shouldn’t bother their father about such simple things!” No, and rather what does He say? “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him?”

Simple things. Based on the words of the Lord Himself, let us all be encouraged that no request, no problem, no question is too “small” for prayer. Instead, He says, “…in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). 

Pray on, my friends! Give Him your squeaky little voice and tell Him anything and everything that crosses your mind. Remember, your prayers are His delight. He’s your heavenly Father. 

"Give us this day our daily bread." 

Pray on, my friends!

Matthew 6:11 “Bread”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹¹Give to us today our daily bread.

When I first embarked on studying this verse, I didn’t think there would be much to find in such a simple request. However, now I fear it is so pregnant with truth, I doubt if I can do it justice. I will try. One of the best commentators on these verses is Matthew Henry. He obviously thought deeply about the verse and had lived it.

Where do we begin? Jesus has just taught us in vv. 9,10 to acknowledge God as our Father, to pray for Him to be glorified, and to express our submission to His rule. Having said that, what will come next? You would think we’d go straight to “forgive us our debts…” However, where does He go? “Give us this day our daily bread.” He teaches us, after attributing glory to God, to ask Him for bread. This simple truth leads in about a million directions. I’ll try to express at least the most important lessons I think I’m seeing.

I fear that our natural understanding of faith is an example of where the Lord says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts.” And that is precisely why we must study the Bible. It alone teaches us how to see our lives through the Lord’s eyes. Our natural understanding of life and faith is that our basic needs “don’t count.” In other words, we think all that matters, really, is the spiritual issues in our lives and in our world. Our very basic needs are a sort of a natural evil that “take up time and only get in the way of what really matters.”

I once heard a pastor say from the pulpit, “Your job is just the way you make money.” What he was saying was that people’s jobs are no more than a necessary evil that they should dispense with, then get on to the “important” things – especially showing up at the church building to report for duty. If jobs are so unimportant, I wonder why the Lord Himself says they are the one place where we can “adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things?" (Titus 2:9,10). Adorn.

That pastor was reflecting what I believe is perhaps a very subtle error that weaves its way through modern Christianity. It is actually a form of asceticism – despising and minimizing the importance of our basic needs, supposedly to allow us to focus on what “really matters."

How does all of that square with this simple request, taught us by the very mouth of Jesus? “Give us this day our daily bread.” As usual, the Lord is way smarter than us and doesn’t have His head filled with illogical and frankly stupid ideas. He knows that when He formed Adam, He “formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7). God gave Adam a body and breathed into him a spirit. Adam had a body. Within that body, God placed his spirit, but it was, in fact, in a body.

The fact is, in order to exist in this world, you and I have to live in a body. What happens when this body dies? Our spirit leaves this world and goes to be with the Lord (II Corin. 5:8). That means our opportunity to do good in this world is over. Done. Past tense. We humans must live in bodies in order to even have spiritual influence in this world.  If I don’t have a body here, I can’t do anyone any good. If I want to do good, I need to keep this body as healthy as I can.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” If I don’t eat, I will eventually die. In the meantime, I think we all know how hard it is to concentrate, to do anything at all, when I’m hungry. I need to eat. Is that “unspiritual?” Is it a “necessary evil” to be dispensed with as quickly as possible so we can get on with the “important” stuff? Or would the Lord have us to acknowledge the importance of this body He gave us, keep it as well fed and healthy as we can, and see all of that as part of the life we live before Him? He says to pray about it.

And note again the order. After teaching us to pray about God’s glory, His very next line is “Give us this day our daily bread.” Even before we address the issue of our sins (“debts”), He addresses our most basic physical needs. So then, how should you and I think about those “physical needs?” Are they important or not? Are they just “necessary evils?” Does God care about them? Should we?

For me personally, I remember when I first became a Christian. I was a runner. Immediately, I had to address whether that was a good thing or not. I remember feeling it was not, that I should rather be spending my time doing “spiritual” things. Running takes time. As I thought about it, I realized that it makes me much healthier. I realized, if I want to do any good in this world, I need to be as healthy as I can. I realized, to whatever extent I was not healthy, I couldn’t do anyone any good. I of course had no Bible to back that up at the time. It just made sense to me. So I kept running.

The result is that now, nearly fifty years later, I’m not overweight. I basically have no major physical conditions. At 68 years old, I am still working full time. One of my delights has been our interns at work. I love young people and am very glad to still be able to interact with them. Hopefully I’m able to be a positive presence in their lives. Looking back over the years, running has given me the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with all three of my children, as they wanted to run also. In addition, I have been able to spend time with other men, running together (and discussing God, the universe, and other subjects!). Even with the ladies, just the fact that I was a runner gave me a common interest with them and often has given me a subject to discuss with them and hopefully establish a relationship.

Obviously, not everyone can be a runner. My point is simply that I can clearly see the advantages I have gained by trying (my best) to be healthy. It was not “a waste of time.” It was not a “necessary evil.” To be as healthy as I could be has afforded me many opportunities to build relationships and to hopefully see the Lord use those relationships in some way to do them good, to draw them to Himself.

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Bread.

A basic need.

What does our Lord think about that? What should we?

 

Matthew 6:10 “Desires”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹⁰Your kingdom come; Your desire be done on earth as also in heaven.

As I am studying these lines of the Lord’s Prayer, it strikes me we are uttering far more than simple wishes. In a sense, these words express the most basic difference in a born-again heart. Satan’s words were, “I will ascend my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High,” then ever since the Fall, we have all been born “children of disobedience.” Rebellion against the Lord is now the very essence of life in this fallen world. God’s advice to us all is, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way” (Ps. 2:12).  That Psalm then goes on to say, “Blessed are all those who take refuge in Him.”

Thus, there are those in this world who refuse to “kiss the Son,” and those who do “kiss” Him and “take refuge in Him.” To kiss the Son and to take refuge in Him are the very essence of salvation itself. Romans 10:9 assures us, “That if you will confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.” Confessing “Jesus is Lord” is the same as to “Kiss the Son,” both reflecting submission to His Lordship over us. Believing in our heart that “God raised Him from the dead” is the same as “taking refuge in Him.” It is accepting the salvation He offers.

I would assume anyone reading these thoughts has, in fact, kissed the Son. It is then us who pray, “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In light of Daniel’s prophecies, to pray, “Thy kingdom come” would look forward to the end when “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (2:44), and when Jesus is finally crowned King and “His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey Him” (7:27). We all look forward to that day when “every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil. 2:10,11). There will be a very real kingdom where Jesus Himself is the King and we believers long for that day to come. We will happily bow the knee to Him – as we already have!

In my own opinion, however, I see no reason to limit our understanding to that coming literal kingdom. As a believer, my heart is His kingdom (or at least should be).  My redeemed self today totally accepts that Jesus is the rightful King over this world and over all Creation. He may be an exiled king, but he is still King. That fact spills into the second line of this verse: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” As a believer, I want God’s will to be done. Even here in this Fallen world of hate and violence, in every way possible, I want to see God’s will to prevail – and so we pray for an end to wars, for good government over us, for the health and well-being of others.

However, it goes far deeper than that, as I know my own Adamic self is still there wanting rather to rebel against what I know to be God’s will. To pray, “Thy will be done” actually starts with my own heart, my own life. One thing I like is that the Greek word translated “will” could actually be better translated “desire.” People get all twisted up, sorting between the Lord’s “sovereign” will versus what is called by some His “moral” will. His sovereign will is simply that which He has decreed and which will happen. His moral will would be what He desires and that part of His will where we must decide if we will cooperate with Him or fight Him.

Obviously, since the word “will” here is best translated “desire,” we’re considering the latter, His moral will or what He desires for us and from us. We’re praying that people would do what God desires, be the kind of people He wants us to be, to treat others the way He wants us to, to be the kind of spouses and parents and children and workers, etc. He wants us to be. We long for a world where everyone acts like Jesus is already King.

That is where this prayer gets personal. If I’m praying that God’s desires would be accomplished here on earth just as they are in heaven, then apparently I intend to be a willing part of that! My redeemed self will say, “Yes! I want my desires to be God’s desires. I want to live my day today cooperating with Him. If I want others to live like Jesus is King, then, for me, it starts with my heart and my life.” That said, I know myself too well to have any hope whatsoever that I’ll actually accomplish that.

It then becomes part of our individual prayers: “Lord, I know, without You, I can do nothing. However, today I do want to be a willing part of whatever it is You are doing in my life and in this world. Let Your desires be my desires. Make me holy like You. Help me, every word I say, everything I do, to please You. May Your will be done today in this world and may You help me every minute to be a happily willing servant in whatever way You choose to use me.”  

Only a redeemed soul can sincerely pray such a prayer and mean it.

One last thought on this subject – this matter of “desires” is critically important. It is really our problem. It is, in one way, our whole problem. What exactly is a “sin-nature?” How exactly does that weave its poison through us and drag us down to hell? Here’s my thought: It is specifically this matter of our desires. What do I want? What allures me? If all I had in my soul were holy desires, sin would hold no attraction for me. To have a sin nature is to be driven by unholy, wrongful, sinful desires. And that is the engine that drives our “bent for sinning.”

It’s like this: If I take a wriggling worm, put him on a hook, and drop him in the water, how does that affect fish? Well (hopefully), it allures the fish. He sees it as very desirable. That wormy shape and the way it wriggles to him is irresistibly attractive. He thereupon resolves in his little heart that he will have it and darts after it, only too late realizing it contains a hook.

If I happened to be snorkeling in the area and saw the same hook and worm, would I have to struggle desiring it like my fish friend did? Would my soul see it as delicious? Would I resolve to dart for it? Of course not. And why not? Because we don’t see worms as delicious and frankly have no desire for them. The fish goes for the worm and gets hooked. You or I simply have no desire, so that hook holds no danger for us. We simply have no desire for worms.

That is, at the root of it all, the difference between being holy or being a sinner. If we only desire what the Lord does, we’ll have no struggle with sin. When our hearts are filled with evil desires (like even us believers now), then sin (and its hook) will be a constant struggle. It’s all a matter of our desires. So, then, when we pray, “Thy will (desire) be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we’re longing for a world where I don’t even want to sin – when it holds no more attraction to me than a wriggling worm.

As we find in II Peter 1:4, “…He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” Another reason to study and know our Bibles is to know our Lord’s “very great and precious promises.” Knowing His Word strengthens our “shield of faith” by helping us desire only what God desires.

And that is the root of the problem.

Matthew 6:9 “Father”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁹Therefore, you (pl.), pray thus: Our Father who [is] in the heavens, may Your name be hallowed.

The Lord’s prayer, as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13, is something most of us in America have heard and repeated our entire lives. At first glance, my heart looks at it and thinks, “I already know that.” However, I realize I have never actually studied it or made any real effort to understand its various lines – which all means there is probably a treasure chest of truths just awaiting my deliberate perusal!

That I am finding to be exactly the case.

First of all, however, I want to comment on something I’ve observed. Over the years I have heard people say that all our prayers should be modeled after this prayer. They then assert that we must follow this order exactly. I agree that approach would seem to be what Jesus is intending, as He does say, “Pray thus:” However, there is one huge fact that utterly militates against any such ideas. If you read through your Bible from cover to cover, you will find many, many prayers uttered by godly men and women, not to mention Jesus Himself.

What you will note is that there is not a single prayer in that entire Bible which scrupulously follows this model. We ourselves can assert, on the authority of the entire Word of God, that there is no pattern which we are somehow required to follow in order for God to hear us. Just an example is the entire book of Psalms. Each one is a prayer. However, you’ll note there is no common pattern to the Psalms.

The reason I’ve pointed this out is that I believe this “prescribed pattern” idea actually discourages people from praying. Prayer is nothing but talking to God. That being the case, He just wants us to come to Him and pour out our feeble prayers. This is the thought behind the familiar Romans 8:26, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”  The fact is, prayer is like our two-year-old talking to us. We don’t care if they make any sense at all, or if their requests are silly. We just love to hear their little voice! So it is with our God.

These thoughts lead us right into the prayer’s opening words: “Our Father, who is in heaven…” What a blessing – to have the Lord Himself encourage us to address our prayers to Him as “Father.” He, of course, has many other names: God, Lord, King, Master, … Each is very important and emphasizes something about our Lord. However, the particular one that He Himself encourages us to use is “Father.”

It is one the many blessings which Jesus purchased for us – to be uniquely able to address the Creator of the Universe as “Father.” As we read in Romans 8:15, from Jesus, we “received the Spirit of sonship, and by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” For me personally, I have the great advantage of having had wonderful parents. One of my earliest memories is of always being able to crawl into my father’s lap and enjoy his big strong arms around me. He was my hero and always there to provide for us, protect us, correct us, teach us, show us – whatever was needed. And as with both of my parents, there has never been a second of my human existence where I ever questioned whether they loved me.

That said, it’s never been difficult for me to embrace God as my Father. I say that particularly because I know too many people didn’t have that kind of childhood. Because of that, many struggle with this idea that God is their Father. Instead of my memories of love, too many think instead of abuse or neglect. That is too bad, but, no matter where we come from, we can all pray to a God who is everything a father should be.  

To know God as “Father” is all about grace. It’s all about that “unmerited favor.” A father’s love is not dependent on anything the child does or doesn’t do. Just like a mother, a father loves his children simply because they’re his. He may at times deal with them sternly (because they need it), while at other times affectionately (just because), but always in love.

As the old country song went, “Daddy’s hands weren’t always gentle, but I’ve come to understand, there was always love in Daddy’s hands.” Thus is God our Father’s heart toward us. That is the thought behind Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then come boldly before the Throne of Grace, that we my obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

I am so thankful for this verse and God’s gracious fatherhood behind it. I think it’s always true, when I come to pray, that I am keenly aware of my unworthiness. I know I’m an idiot, that I have failed miserably in this life God gave me, that I am a proud, selfish, lustful excuse for a servant of God. Yet He beckons me, because of Jesus, to “come boldly!” I certainly need to “obtain mercy” and to “find grace to help,”  since I’m constantly “in time of need.” So, I do just that. Just come to Him and revel in that grace, climb up into His lap and enjoy His big arms around me, even if sometimes it’s my sins and failures that draw me to that lap!

What a pleasure to be able to remind myself that, because of Jesus, I never have to come to God as Judge, but as Father. The Judge only cares about the rules. Our Father loves us.

That leads us back to grace, because a true believer’s response to God’s fatherly love is to love Him in return. That is why our very next line is “Hallowed be Thy name.” Us recipients of His wonderful grace can only long to see Him glorified in this world. Though I may do a terrible job of it, yet that is my heart’s desire, that He should be glorified through my puny life. Part of coming to Him in prayer is to ask Him to use me for His glory, knowing full well if He doesn’t help me, I will fail. “For without Me, you can do nothing,” Jesus said.

It all circles back to the name He urges us to use: Father. As we will see, that name, and all it means – and the grace it carries – will infuse every line of this prayer. Then let us find a quiet spot and in fact, “pray thus” – to God our loving Father!

 

Daniel 11:40-12:1 “The BIG Picture”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁴⁰And in [the] time of [the] end, the king of the south will make war with him, and the king of the north will storm upon him in chariot and in horsemen and in many ships. He will come in lands and he will overflow and he will pass over. ⁴¹And he will come to the glorious land and many will be stumbled and these will be escaped from his hand: Edom and Moab and the first of the sons of Ammon, ⁴²and he will send his hand in lands and the land of Egypt will not be [one] to escape. ⁴³And he will rule in [the] treasures of gold and silver and in the all of the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Ethiopians in his steps. ⁴⁴And news will trouble him from [the] east and north, and he will go out in great fury to exterminate and to destroy many. ⁴⁵And he will plant the tents of his palace between seas to [the] glorious holy mountain, and he will go out upon his end and no one helping him. 

Chapter 12

¹And in that time will stand Michael the great prince, the one standing for the sons of your people, and it will be a time of distress which has not been from the existence of a nation from that time, and in that time your people will be delivered, the all of a one being found written in the book.

As I said in the last post, I believe that, from 11:40 on, we have morphed from Antiochus Epiphanes to the Antichrist. It is a bit challenging and certainly debatable where one stops and the other begins, but that is because they are both fractals of Satan’s perfect man. The pattern is the same. It’s just a matter of how thoroughly they express that pattern. Antiochus went a long way toward perfecting it. However, just as Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being,” even so the Antichrist will be in every way “like his father the devil and the lust of his father he will do.” Jesus is love and grace and truth incarnate, while the Antichrist will absolutely personify his father’s lying and stealing and murder.

Many writers debate whether, in fact, Daniel’s prophecy here ends in Antiochus or the Antichrist, but, in my [absolutely convinced] opinion, we have morphed into the time of the end. Throughout the book of Daniel, practically every prophecy given was clearly tracing human history to the end of time. Beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2, prophecies have run until “the rock struck the statue and became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.” Daniel prophesied “seventy weeks” upon “his people and the holy city.” The 69^th week ended when “the Anointed One was cut off,” and there yet remains that 70^th week to be accomplished – the “Day of Jacob’s Trouble,” the “time of great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again,” what we call “The Great Tribulation.”

I believe, as I’m reading the text before us, that is what we are currently observing in our Bible. As for these verses 36-45, someone may ask, “What does all this mean?” My answer is, “Beats me.” I’ve expressed some opinions earlier for the section of verses 36-39, but I find, the further I wander along, the more cryptic it all becomes. I suspect that is because, as Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that, when they happen, you will believe.” “When they happen.” The obvious fact here is that the Lord is speaking of a time yet future. I don’t need to understand every word of it. When it does happen, these words will be a great comfort to believers watching events unfold exactly as Daniel predicted. Just as with John, I don’t need to understand what “666” means, but the people who live under the Antichrist will undoubtedly see it flashing like a neon sign.

Having said that, I am personally satisfied to have studied it, to know what it says, to admit I don’t know what it all means, and move on. That said, however, I still feel there is much to learn from what we read here.

First of all, may we all observe, the Lord knows. Daniel’s grand lesson throughout this book has been “the Most High rules in the nations of men.” Here we are reading about the end of the world as we know it, reading about a “time of great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again,” the horrifying “Great Tribulation,” …and being told exactly how those events will unfold. The Lord knows. Even when He momentarily allows evil to seemingly triumph in this world, He will still be absolutely in control. As for even the AntiChrist himself, we’re told, “Yet, he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” As the song says, “Our God reigns!”

Then consider as we spill on over into chapter 12. What do we read? “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.” We’re back to angels. We’re back to seeing what no eye can see, except by faith – the great cosmic spiritual battle that is raging “behind the scenes.” Here we are again. This time, what people’s eyes will see is “a time of great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again.” However, what do they not see? “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise.” Only believers will read or remember these words and take heart because of them – they’ll “see” by faith that “more are they that are for us, than they that are against us!”

We saw in chapter 10, how an angel fought against “the prince of Persia” for three weeks until Michael came to his aid. We see in Revelation how there was war in heaven and Michael and his angels fought against Satan and threw him and his demons out of heaven. It has always been true, still is, and always will be that “greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world” (I Jn. 4:4). What we’re seeing here in Daniel is perhaps the greatest display of God’s power ever to protect His people. Even in the Great Tribulation, our Lord raises up Michael to defend His people. “Fear not,” He says, “for I am with you!” (Isa. 41:10). You and I may not have to face that “Great Tribulation,” but the same God can raise up whatever power is needed to protect you and me, no matter how small or great our fears and troubles!

Then notice it says that Michael is “the great prince who protects your people.” When the angel speaks to Daniel and says, “Your people,” to whom is he referring? Back in 10:14, he said to him, “Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future…” In 9:24, Gabriel had told him, “Seventy ‘weeks’ are decreed upon your people and your holy city…” To whom is the angel clearly referring? “To the Jewish people,” you correctly observe.

I am belaboring this point, since many very fine Christian writers believe the Church today is Israel, that the Jewish people were rejected and the Lord turned to the Church – that it is the Church which has inherited all the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. One of the first rules of hermeneutics when studying Scripture is to ask the questions, “Who is speaking, and who’s he speaking to?” In my opinion, if words mean anything, when angels speak to Daniel and refer to “your people,” and especially when they add “and your holy city,” they are clearly referring to the Jewish people.

In passage after passage of the Old Testament, the prophecies are given not to the Church, but very specifically to the people of Israel. The “Seventy Weeks” refer to Jewish history, not the Church’s. The “Seventieth Week of Daniel,” yet to come, concerns Jewish history. That is precisely why that last seven-year period, that “time of great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world,” is called “the Day of Jacob’s Trouble” (Jer. 30:7).

As important as the Church may be, we must all appreciate that we live today in “the Times of the Gentiles,” (Luke 21:24-28). This is why it says, “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you [Gentiles]” (Col. 1:27). This “time of the Gentiles,” the Church age, was a mystery to the Jewish people and their prophets.

When we turn to the book of Revelation, beginning in chapter 4, as we read the prophecies of the Seventieth Week, we are reading about the completion of Jewish history. It is their Seventieth Week, not ours. We must humbly admit that this “Times of the Gentiles” is but a parenthesis in God’s plan for Israel. As wonderful as this Church Age may be for us, the “Great Tribulation,” the “time of great distress” is for them, not us. If we would understand our Bibles, if we would understand prophecy, it is very important to distinguish when the Lord is speaking to and of the Church and when to Israel. Here in Daniel 12:1, when Michael is called “the great prince who protects your people,” we should understand it is specifically the Jewish people for whom Michael is the great protector.

At this point, you and I don’t need to somehow feel deprived. Back in 10:13, Michael was called, “one of the chief princes.” Notice the “one of…” I am quite sure we all really do have “guardian angels.” Michael is specifically assigned to protect the people of Israel, and the Lord has other angels assigned to protect us all.

Once again, Daniel calls us to see with the eyes of faith – to read the Word of God – and from it to “see” that the events of this world (which we see with our eyes) are only the visible expressions of a much greater world, the spirit world. Although that world may express itself here even as a “Great Tribulation,” yet our God is in total control and even has angels assigned to protect you and me. Speaking of that terrible time, the angel can assure Daniel, “…everyone written in the book – will be delivered.”

Although you and I will be no part of that “time of great distress,” we all face daily myriads of times which to us are frightening. May we, in those times, even minute by minute at work, at home, at church, strive to see the BIG picture, and fall into “the Everlasting Arms” of our Savior God Jesus who rules it all, and enjoy “the peace that passes understanding!” 

 

Daniel 11:36-39 “Patterns and Choices”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³⁶And the king will do according to his will and he will exalt himself and he will magnify himself above every god and upon the God of gods. He will speak things being amazing and he will succeed until the fury is accomplished according to what is decreed shall be accomplished. ³⁷And he will not regard upon the gods of his forefathers, nor upon the desire of women, nor will he regard upon any god because he will magnify himself upon all. ³⁸And a god of fortresses he will honor upon his place, and he will honor a god which his forefathers have not known, in gold and in silver and in precious stone and in desirable things. ³⁹And he will do to fortresses of fortresses with a foreign god which he will regard. He will increase glory and he will make them rule in many and [he/they will] divide the land in a price.

As I said at the start of my last post, at this point, commentators differ over whether the angel is still talking about Antiochus Epiphanes or if he has morphed ahead to anticipate the Antichrist himself. After studying almost all the way through the book of Daniel, along with all the other reading and studying of the various prophetical sections of the Bible, I would like to record a number of thoughts I have on the subject.

After all these years, I have come to two observations regarding prophecy. First of all, I am amazed how all the prophecy of the Bible fits together. If we just let it say what it says, we believers have a very thorough outline for the course of human history right into eternity. I feel I have not sufficiently appreciated what a blessing that is. We may not know all the particulars, but we can literally watch history unfold before our eyes and say, “Yup. That’s exactly what the Lord said would happen.”

At the same time, the other thing that amazes me is how cryptic most prophecy is. The passage in front of us is “case in point.” Read it again and ask yourself, “What on earth does this mean?” It seems to me,very often, the overall thrust and meaning of a prophecy can be clear enough, while particular words and phrases are simply baffling. As Jesus said, “I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe…I have told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I warned you” (John 14:29; 16:4). “When it does happen…” Prophecy is just cryptic enough that we all should hold our interpretations “with an open hand,” waiting for their fulfillment to reveal for sure what they meant.

Then, I suppose that should have at least two impacts on us. One is to keep us humble. When someone has a different interpretation, I should be “quick to listen and slow to speak.” I need to constantly remind myself that what is “true” is not necessarily my interpretation of prophecy, but rather the Bible itself. In fact, as those “cryptic” passages unfold before our eyes, I need to be quite ready to shuck my preconceived notions and believe what the Lord Himself reveals. I can only say, “God, help me to hang on tightly not to my interpretations, but rather to Your words, whether they make sense or not.”

The second impact should be to drive us to personal study. I need to know His words. Though we may not know what Daniel 11:36-39 means, still we are greatly profited just to know it. As I read books and listen to sermons, I want to know when what they’re saying is true to Scripture. The “test” is not my interpretation, but rather the Scriptures themselves. That is only possible if I actually know the Scriptures – and that can come only from my own personal study and/or reading. It may sound cliché, but we believers need to “know our Bibles” – including prophetical sections that may not appear today to make any sense at all.

Another thought that bears on this passage is this business of the morphing. As I said, at this point, many commentators differ whether this is still about Antiochus or if it has morphed into the Antichrist. I’ve addressed this before, but most exegetes call this sort of thing “types.” They might admit that it is hard to tell whether it is the former or the latter, but they explain the first was a “type” of the last. That is all well and good, but I personally think it’s missing an enormous reality of the Lord’s entire created universe.

This entire Creation is fractal. A fractal is a pattern that repeats itself a million different times, in a million different ways, and on a million different scales. If we have the eyes to see, everywhere we look, we see fractals. When Adam fell, he set about a pattern – his image – which would thereafter define the human race. We all naturally act like Adam. The prayer from the old hymn was “Adam’s image now efface; Stamp Thine image in its place.” One of the Lord’s purposes in saving us is “that we might be conformed to the image of His Son.” Our lives either follow the fractal (pattern) of Adam’s rebellion or that of God’s Son Jesus. The longer I live, the more clearly I realize how all true believers are Jesus people. They may express that in a million different ways, but there’s no mistaking a person who is clearly “like” Jesus.

I could go on and on. Trees are trees. A whole forest is full of trees. We look at each one and say, “That’s a tree.” They are all following a pattern which we recognize as a “tree.” Yet, no two trees are exactly alike, even though they follow that same pattern. Then there are different kinds of trees – oak trees, maple trees, sycamore trees. Although they are all trees, yet there is a different pattern that defines which kind of tree they are. We can go further and notice there are different kinds of oaks – white oaks, and red oaks, and black oaks – still following patterns of their own – yet still all “oaks” and all “trees.” We could even talk about a family “tree.” We call it a tree because it follows that same pattern.

The very logic of life itself is fractal. We exist as and in a world of endlessly repeating patterns. Those are fractals. To say one thing is a “type” of another is to recognize a repeated pattern, but it limits that pattern to those two seemingly similar things. It misses the fact that the fractal is much, much bigger than just one thing being a “type” of another.

When we observe Antiochus and then see so much similarity in who he is and what he does, we shouldn’t be considering whether he is a “type” of the Antichrist; we should be recognizing a fractal. Stop a minute and ask yourself, what is that fractal? What is the pattern they both follow? “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard of things against the God of gods” (v.36). Who does that remind you of? “I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High…” (Isa. 14:13,14).

Both Antiochus and the Antichrist are Satan’s men. They are like their father, the devil. They’re not similar because one is some sort of “type” of the other. They’re similar because they’re both like their father! Then step back and realize that pattern isn’t limited to those two men. It is Satan’s pattern – the pattern of total rebellion against God. They are both examples of what men (and women) become when, like the devil, they purposefully and willfully spit in God’s face.

One of the things that leads me to believe the text has, in fact, morphed ahead to the Antichrist is how commentators struggle, from v.36 to the end of the chapter, trying to say Antiochus fits this description. The fact is he does, but then he doesn’t. Much about him is similar, yet it takes some hermeneutical gymnastics to squeeze him into this mold. Like two oak trees, though they are both oaks and are very similar, and though they follow forever the same distinct fractal pattern, yet they are not the same.  

In II Thes. 2:3,4, Paul says, “Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and man of lawlessness is revealed…He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.”

Sound familiar? It should. Anyone who has studied Daniel would say immediately, “It’s the little horn! – the one with “the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully” (7:8). Paul is speaking some two hundred years after Antiochus died and yet speaks of the future. When Jesus spoke of the “Abomination of Desolation,” He specifically referenced the one foretold by Daniel (Matt. 24:15), and, at that time, it was yet future. Even John’s prophecies of Revelation were yet future. All was long after Antiochus was dead. Interestingly, commentators observe that much about the Romans and their destruction of the temple fits “the pattern” of these verses, yet, again, it takes a lot of hermeneutical wiggling to “make them fit.”

Later expositors tried hard to make these passages refer to the Catholic Church and the popes, and to this day, people find them fulfilled in Adolf Hitler and even Barack Obama! How can this be? It is because all these people or situations may fit the pattern in some way or another, yet not quite. As in Paul’s day, though “the spirit of Antichrist” may abound around us, yet, as far as we know, his coming is yet future. One thing you can be assured – when he finally is revealed, if we’re still around and if we know our Bibles, it will be obvious “he’s the man.”

As far as I’m concerned, all of this explains the constant struggle of commentators to see in these passages all sorts of different historical figures who “fit” the pattern, yet don’t. The reason why is because they are all part of the same fractal, the same infinite pattern. Yet, may we all be reminded what pattern it is – the pattern of the father of lies, the devil. It is Satan’s image which permeates this world, with all it’s lies and murder and stealing and rebellion against God. And who is the Antichrist? He is the ultimate, totally unrestrained version of a human being completely yielded to the image of his father, the devil.

I believe it explains much about prophecy to understand fractals and to see that their patterns define the world around us. In fact, if we have the eyes to see, fractals greatly define us. Anyone who knows my family will immediately note that I look like my father and my son looks like me. Much is the same, but, then again, we are not the same. I am me and they are them. Human history proceeds pretty much as it always has. “People eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” Buying and selling, fighting and killing, civilizations rising and falling. It’s all fractals.

If I could end with a practical observation, one of the biggest questions this leaves with each of us is simply this: Who’s image do you want to bear? In this one case, it is your choice – and there are only two. You’ll either bear the image of Jesus or you will bear the image of Satan. This is a fractal world. Most of the fractals you cannot control, but this one you can. Unfortunately, we were born in the default position – Adam’s image, which is ultimately Satan’s. To think we do not have to make a choice is to have already chosen. Romans 10:9 echoes down through the centuries, “That if you will acknowledge Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” “Whosoever will may come.” Having made that choice, each of us will find that “the fruit of the Spirit is love and joy and peace,” a world where the Lord Himself has promised us “a future and a hope.”  To refuse the choice is to already have chosen to live in Satan’s fractal – a world of broken relationships and endless frustration and confusion, a world of constantly dashed hopes, a world of “ever learning, yet never coming to a knowledge of the truth.”

Prophecies are fractal. Our world is fractal. Our lives are fractal. In one case alone, we choose the fractal we’ll live (and die) in. It’s either Jesus or the devil. No other choices.

What have you chosen?

Daniel 11:36-37 “Love of Babies”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³⁶And the king will do according to his will and he will exalt himself and he will magnify himself above every god and upon the God of gods. He will speak things being amazing and he will succeed until the fury is accomplished according to what is decreed shall be accomplished. ³⁷And he will not regard upon the gods of his forefathers, nor upon the desire of women, nor will he regard upon any god because he will magnify himself upon all.

At this point, commentators differ over whether the angel is still talking about Antiochus Epiphanes or if he has morphed ahead to anticipate the Antichrist himself. I will come back to that discussion, but first, I want to note what is a particularly cryptic portion of v. 37. We’re told “He will have no regard for the gods of his forefathers,” then the next phrase is variously translated. The old KJV (and many others) translates it “nor the desire of women.” The NIV translates it “or for the one desired by women,” while others say something like, “or for the God women love.”

The problem, as is often the case in Hebrew (and especially in prophecy), is that Hebrew is a picture language. There are actually only two Hebrew words that make up the phrase, which then explains the wide variety of translations. In Hebrew, you just have to “get the picture.” Things are almost never “spelled out” like we do in English – hence the variety of translations of these two Hebrew words. Notice that the old KJV had to use five words, while the NIV uses up seven! They’re all trying to express “the picture” presented in two simple words.

Just to make life interesting, I’ll throw my own translation/interpretation into the cacophony. What is the picture obviously being presented by these verses? Is it not clearly trying to present to us an extremely unusual man? Especially in the ancient polytheistic world, it would have been unheard of that any man had no regard for the gods of his forefathers. Each nation had their own god, and I’m sure each family only further reinforced that practice. It goes on, in fact, to say he won’t regard any god, but magnifies himself above them all! Especially in that ancient culture, the picture is a man who doesn’t fit anyone’s mold.

Right in the middle of all of this we’re told he’ll also think himself above something like “the desire of women.” As we saw above, that can be translated many ways, but what fits “the picture?” In regard to something to do with “desire” and “women,” what would make him shockingly unusual? …that he would have no desire for women. When was there ever a king who didn’t want a harem? When was there any man who gained riches or power and didn’t immediately use those things to secure to himself a beautiful woman (or women)?

I personally think this person will be shockingly unusual in that he rejects his own people’s “god,” even claiming to be God himself, and that he exhibits absolutely no desire for women. These things (and especially the latter!) would mark him out, so that, knowing this beforehand, believers will have no doubt recognizing him whenever he does appear.

I try to always be warned by John Eadie’s observation, “Interpretations are generally false, in proportion to their ingenuity.” In this case, I am certainly vulnerable to the accusation of ingenuity – since I don’t think I’ve found anyone else who proposes it. However, I also have to study the Bible, know what exactly it does (and doesn’t) say, consider what others suggest, then make my own final decision what makes sense to me. I freely acknowledge that others can draw their own conclusions, especially when we’re all talking about how to translate two Hebrew words and then offer an interpretation of them. So, I may be wrong, but I personally think that the best understanding is that this man will stand out as unusual in that he gains riches and power, then exhibits no desire at all for women.

What I’d like to do now is stray into an excursus which, in my mind, only further reinforces this understanding. Again, I acknowledge that others can differ with me and their thoughts are certainly worthy of consideration, but I offer the following as a man who has been studying the Bible for nearly fifty years.

That thought – “He has no desire for women” – reminds me of I Tim. 4:1-3, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons…They forbid people to marry…”

“They forbid people to marry.” “Things taught by demons” Why would demons forbid people to marry? Because demons hate babies. People are God’s creation. God’s desire is that we should be “fruitful and multiply.” God loves people. God loves babies. In God’s world, He would say, “The more the better!” Satan hates God’s creation. He hates people. If he could, he would kill us all in a heartbeat. Obviously, the Lord won’t let him, so he turns to a thousand other strategies of how to destroy us.

What happens if people don’t marry? One of two things. You either then get no babies, or you have children being born out of wedlock. God’s plan from the very beginning was for one man to marry one woman, to commit themselves to each other for life, then to bring babies into a world where their parents love each other and their parents love them. God’s plan is for children to grow up in a wonderfully secure world of love and nurturing and guidance, where their parents model for them all that a person should be.

I am no psychologist, but I believe the majority of them would say that any other model will be brutal for the children. It is very hard on children to grow up with no father, or in a home where every month or two there is another “man” in the house. Most of the time, they struggle in “step” families. Obviously, in our fallen world, the Lord can help any “family,” but would we not all agree that the Lord’s basic plan is the best for babies?

So Satan and his minions discourage marriage because he hates people and he hates babies. We have before us a man who has “no desire for women.” What would happen if that were true of all men? The entire human race would be extinct in a single generation! In this case, Satan’s man is the ultimate baby hater. Demons would teach people not to marry and Satan’s man has “no desire for women,” precisely because they all hate us humans and they hate babies.

Just to keep my excursus going, if we all understood this, we would understand a LOT of what else goes on in this world. We believers shudder at even the thought of abortions. How could any mother want to kill the baby in her own womb? Why is it that people of faith tend to have more children, while, in a godless society, the birthrate dwindles to nothing? Why is it invariably the case that when a nation forsakes the Lord, the young people stop marrying and just “move in” together? Why is there suddenly an explosion of “single mothers?” Why does the divorce rate skyrocket? Why is there suddenly so much child abuse and neglect? How could America ever become a nation where there is any such thing as child sex trafficking?

Satan hates babies. We live in the very crossfire of a massive but unseen spiritual war. The Bible would tell us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” And why is that? Because, whether we realize it or not, He is our only hope. “My enemies are too strong for me!” (Ps. 142:6). If we would care at all about our children, about their happiness, about their own futures, then we cannot recognize enough, “We need the Lord!” Without Him, everything about our country, our culture, even our families are doomed to devolve into baby-hating, to providing an environment that destroys our children’s lives, even before they know why. Solving the problem is not about some new government program. We live in the crossfire of a massive, swirling spiritual war!

So, back to our text, Satan’s man is “the exact representation” of his father. What characterizes him is the ultimate attack on the human race – a man with no desire for a woman, when God’s plan was for us to “be fruitful and multiply.” Once again, if only Satan could get all men to that point, the human race would be extinct in a generation and the devil could celebrate the victory of his malevolence.

In this sense, I don’t think it matters exactly who this man is -- what we all need to recognize is that he will be the very picture of evil. When he appears, one of the very unusual qualities he will possess is his complete disinterest in women.

I again allow for the fact we’re trying to understand the meaning of two Hebrew words. Maybe I’m wrong and, even for myself, I would want to simply remember the words which are literally just “nor for the desire of women.” However, I believe my understanding “fits the picture.” Even if I am completely wrong, I hope anyone reading this realizes that what I have written is true. While God loves babies and just wants us to have more, every expression we see of baby and child hating comes straight from the pits of hell. Every expression we see of baby and child hating should only remind us we live in the midst of a spiritual war.

Oh, how dearly we need to pray for our families! Oh, how dearly we need to pray for revival across our country, when the Lord “turns the hearts of the fathers to their children and children to their fathers.” In the end, we believers live in the wonderful confidence that “the rock, cut without hands, … will become a huge mountain and fill the whole earth.” However, in the meantime, may we all be the more committed to prayer for our families, our nation, and our world. May we take every opportunity to encourage people to love babies, to build strong families, and do all possible to provide for our children a world that encourages them to worship the true and the living God!

Daniel 11:32-35 “The People Who Know Their God 3”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³²And he will corrupt evil doers of [the] covenant in flatteries, and [the] people ones knowing their God will be strong and do. ³³People being wise will instruct many, and they will be staggered by sword and in flame, in captivity and in spoiling [for] days. ³⁴Those being staggered will be helped [with] a little help and many will join themselves to them in hypocrisy. ³⁵And [some] from ones being wise will be staggered to refine them and to purify and to make white upon [the] time of the end, because yet [will be] to the set time.

During my lifetime, the idea of a “prosperity gospel” has done considerable harm in the Church. I imagine most of us would say, “Yes, that’s right. Those charlatans hurt a lot of people with the idea that the Lord wants to make you rich and happy!” However, I would suggest those ideas are woven deeply in all of our hearts. We just naturally seem to think, “If I’m a Christian, I shouldn’t have to suffer.” Then we would no doubt add, “Well, of course, there will be some suffering, but nothing too bad.” We’re anxious for the world to see that we are just very happy, blessed people.

In this passage, the Lord gives us a dose of reality, if we would just listen. He just said “the people who know their God will instruct many.” Our foolish hearts would then assume that kind of people will be carried along on a wave of adulation and applause. We’re talking about good people here, right? If they truly know their God, they will be very kind, very patient, humble, giving people. Everyone will love them, right? And the Lord will bless them with a sweet, quiet life, right?

What does our passage say? “…for a time, they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.” Reality time. Jesus was the perfect man, and what happened to Him? According to tradition, all of the Apostles were eventually killed with the exception of John, but even he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos in his old age. What did Jesus warn us? “In this world, you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33). What did Paul say? “As it is written, ‘For Your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter’” (Rom. 8:36). That sure doesn’t sound like “prosperity gospel!”

Now I want to go in what may be a very different direction from here. Usually, if we even get on this subject, we’re all left asking ourselves, “How would I do? If I ever faced such awful times, would I be able to stand?” Then we’re supposed to beat ourselves up with the realization that lurking in our hearts is more weakness and cowardice than we’d prefer to admit.

In the real world, it seems to me the vast majority of Christian people do live and die relatively quiet lives. Very few of us are actually martyred for their faith. It could happen. It might happen, but more than likely it won’t. If we would profit from this passage and from Jesus’ words, I would suggest we scale these truths down to the world we actually live in.

What do I mean? The fact is there is little chance that today I will be threatened with martyrdom. However, I will face trouble. Even in small ways, I will be harassed with fears and plagued with all sorts of disappointments, pains, and difficult situations. How often do you and I have to quote to ourselves, “All things work together for good”? Are not all these “troubles” just training grounds for the larger troubles which might come? If you and I don’t learn to trust the Lord through all these lesser troubles, how can we expect to trust Him if we are ever called to face the kinds of horrible trials that some have suffered?

Rather than beating ourselves up about being burned at the stake, let’s ask the Lord to help us not to get irritated at our spouse or kids. Let’s ask Him to help us not to worry over our bills or show our temper at work. I need Him to help me listen and be patient with others even when I’m bone tired or to be kind to the cashier, even if she isn’t nice at all.

Are those not the kinds of “troubles” you and I face every day? Do they not all call for the same decisions of faith? Martyrdom or even cancer or family tragedies are very real possibilities, but is it not true we have plenty of opportunity every day to learn to trust God when it seems life is not what we hoped? And, I would assert again, those days are the training ground for the possibility of true tragedies. “If you have run with the footmen, and they wearied you, how will you contend with horses?” (Jer. 12:5). “He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10).

Jesus warned us, “In this world, you will have tribulation,” and this very passage in Daniel teaches us the same – to expect trouble and not to allow in our hearts that discouraging fantasy that, if I’m a Christian, life should be easy.

Then, look too at the passage and be reminded of two things: There is always an end to trials and we can always be assured the Lord is using them to make us better people. Note that verse 29 starts with “at the appointed time,” and verse 35 ends with the same words. “At the appointed time.” What do even those words teach us? That the Lord has His schedule and everything will happen according to that. The forces of evil (whether human or demonic) may seem very powerful, yet they remain completely under the Lord’s control.

Then second, what do we learn the Lord is up to with His people? His plan is that “they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end…” (v.35). Of course, this is just an example of Romans 8:28,29: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose…” And what is that purpose? “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son…”  Once again, we see, God’s purpose is to make you and me better, to make us holy. When sin is gone forever, He’ll give us heaven – perfect love, joy, and peace forever – but, in the meantime, rest assured even the slightest irritation He allows specifically to make us better.

Last of all, notice one more dose of reality. In verse 34, we’re warned, “Many who are not sincere will join them.” One of the greatest discouragements in this world is to know so many people who call themselves Christians, who even occupy positions of importance in our churches, only to be disappointed (and sometimes even shocked) by their un-Christian behaviors. We could write volumes on that subject, but at least let us now be reminded that “the gate is small and the way is narrow, and few are they that find it.” No matter how discouraging people like that may be, let us always remember we were warned it would be true, and what matters is that you and I make sure we’re not part of them. I suspect you and I have no idea how important our lives are – either to discourage others or to raise their spirits and urge them along the right path!

“The people who know their God.” Let each of us not run past this passage in Daniel, but take the time to drink deeply of its wonderful lessons. Though, in this world, we may in fact face terrible trials, we are the people of God…and as Daniel has taught us again and again, “The Most High rules in the lives of men and nations.” Our God is in control and working all things together for the eternal good of His people!

“A good person will have no fear of bad news,

confident in the Lord”

(Psalm 112:7)

 

Daniel 11:32-35 “The People Who Know Their God 2”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³²And he will corrupt evil doers of [the] covenant in flatteries, and [the] people ones knowing their God will be strong and do. ³³People being wise will instruct many, and they will be staggered by sword and in flame, in captivity and in spoiling [for] days. ³⁴Those being staggered will be helped [with] a little help and many will join themselves to them in hypocrisy. ³⁵And [some] from ones being wise will be staggered to refine them and to purify and to make white upon [the] time of the end, because yet [will be] to the set time.

As we’re observing Daniel’s “people who know their God,” there is yet much to learn from these few simple verses. First of all, isn’t it interesting to remind ourselves it is the angel speaking in these verses? He is the one who actually calls us “the people who know their God.” Wow. Here is a perfect, holy angel. Once again, I can’t even imagine what we must look like to him. He sees us in all our struggles. He sees the numberless ways we fail God all day every day. He sees our rebellion, all the times we cringe in fear when we ought to be trusting. He sees our lust and our laziness. He sees our ignorance. As I’ve said before, I wonder if we even stink!

And yet, this perfect holy angel who stands in the presence of God can look at you and me and call us “the people who know their God!” How can that be? He’s an angel. He truly does “know God.” Surely he can see how far we fall short of even that simple appellation. And yet still he calls us “the people who know their God!” How can that be? I hope we all know the answer: Grace. Here before us is just one more example of an angel showing us the same grace, the same undeserved love and kindness and mercy of Jesus Himself.

For me, somehow I can understand God showing me grace, but it amazes me to think these angels who are even now standing around me actually truly love me – that, like Jesus, they see me in all of my sinfulness and yet look past it all. It’s not as if they do their ministry for me, disgusted and wishing God would give them another assignment, like singing in the heavenly choir. No, they’re glad to do it! They actually love you and me. How amazing God is! Grace flows out of His giant heart and fills heaven itself, all the way to the very angels who are even now protecting you and me. What a day it will be when we join them, finally delivered from our sinfulness and standing beside them, ourselves in their same perfect holiness! What will it be like to meet those who’ve known us best in this world, the ones who were always there, protecting us, helping us? We’ll meet them, learn their name, give them a hug, then get to spend all eternity thanking them!

Then, he says, “Those who are wise will instruct many…” “Those who are wise” could be translated as “ones who understand.” Where does wisdom and understanding come from? From knowing our Bibles. And when we’ve invested time in those Bibles and as we’ve let the Lord teach us, what is an inevitable result? “They will instruct many.” What a hopeful thought! I think I speak for all of us when I would say anytime the Lord teaches me something, there’s that part of me that wants to shout it to the whole world! His love and joy and peace are so wonderful, I look around and wish everyone else could see what He has shown me!

Yet, like probably most of us, I certainly don’t feel like I make much difference. I’m not a Billy Graham. When I even try to tell someone else what God has taught me, I rarely ever walk away with any sense that they understood what I was saying. To put it bluntly, if you’re like me, you probably feel pretty useless. However, verses like this have for many years been my encouragement. As you and I grow to be more like Jesus, even if we don’t know it, the fact is we are “instructing many.” We simply don’t know what the Lord is doing with our example. We don’t know who is watching. We don’t know who the Lord has been drawing.

I would suggest that most of the time we don’t even know the Lord used us. When Jesus says, “When I was naked, you clothed me…,” what do the people on His right ask? “When did we see you naked and clothe you?” Whatever it was they did, they don’t even know they did it! Looking at my own life, that is not hard to understand. I would say the greatest influences in my life have come from people who didn’t know I was watching, and it wasn’t necessarily anything they even said. It was who they were, the way they were. The Lord used a particular man to soften my stony heart so that a short time later He could save me. He was “just” a pipe salesman, but as he hung around our job site I was moved by what a kind, peaceful person he was. Somehow I could tell he was a Christian and it left me wishing I could be like him. But he will only know in heaven that the Lord used him in my heart!

I once became aware of a book that I was quite sure would teach me a lot. I knew it was written like 400 years ago and hard to find (back before the days of the internet). However, I did find it and purchased a copy of my own. In the introduction, the author recorded a prayer that said something like, “Lord, long after my body lies moldering in the grave, may You use this book to help others…” As I read those words, it struck me I was an answer to that prayer! And not only was I an answer, but it was 400 years later! I am quite sure that man would have never dreamed his little book would still be “instructing many” 400 years later!

Those “who are wise” will “instruct many.” There will always be a few people who can actually teach, people who can explain things so that others actually understand and “get it.” However, they will always be the few. The vast majority of believers will forever be us simple people who probably feel useless. To fight that sense of uselessness, may we take passages like this in the Bible and be encouraged to know and believe that God says we will instruct many.

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, 

because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”

 (I Cor. 15:58).

 

Daniel 11:32-35 “The People Who Know Their God 1”

 Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

²¹And a despised one shall stand upon his place and the honor of the kingdom shall not be given to him and he will enter in quietness and he shall seize the kingdom in slipperiness. ²²And the arms of the flood will be overwhelmed from before him and they will be broken and also [the] prince of [the] covenant. ²³And from joining themselves to him, he will make deceit and he will go up and he will be mighty in a few people…²⁹To the appointed time, he will return and he will come to the South and it will not be as the former of the latter, ³⁰And the ships of Kittim will come to him and he will be pained and he will return and he will be enraged upon the holy covenant and he will do and he will return and he will discern upon ones forsaking [the] holy covenant. ³¹And forces from him will stand and they will (intensely) profane the sanctuary of the fortress and they will take away the regular [sacrifice] and they will set the abomination of desolation. ³²And he will corrupt evil doers of [the] covenant in flatteries, and [the] people ones knowing their God will be strong and do. ³³People being wise will instruct many, and they will be staggered by sword and in flame, in captivity and in spoiling [for] days. ³⁴Those being staggered will be helped [with] a little help and many will join themselves to them in hypocrisy. ³⁵And [some] from ones being wise will be staggered to refine them and to purify and to make white upon [the] time of the end, because yet [will be] to the set time.

As we’ve seen throughout the book of Daniel, events on earth are in reality only expressions of that great spiritual battle swirling around us, the battle between good and evil. In the last post, we observed how that battle expresses itself through humans who choose to be evil. We particularly observed that through the life and profound wickedness of Antiochus Epiphanes. In this post, let’s see how that battle expresses itself in the lives of those who choose the good.

In a world awash in deceit, of hating and being hated, in a world where it even seems that evil is winning, who are the people who stand? Verse 32 tells us they are “the people who know their God.” There is much to learn here from them, but first I want to focus on this simple designation the Lord grants them: “the people who know their God.”

These are real born-again people. And what is it that distinguishes them from everyone else? They “know their God.” It would do us all well to pause and ask ourselves, “Is this my faith?” Is my faith about knowing God? Notice it’s not about all the rules and practices of whatever faith group with which we happen to identify. It’s not about whether we attend church or teach Sunday School. It isn’t even about whether or not we claim to be saved. The thing about anyone of these kinds of “faith” is that none of them require a genuine change of heart. None of them necessarily change anything about our real personal relationship with God.

Can you or I make Paul’s simple statement, “I want to know Him…” (Phil. 3:10)? Jesus said, “For this is eternal life, that they might know Thee, the only true God…” (John 17:3). This is eternal life. To know Him. I’m drawn again to the contrast between Mary and Martha. Martha was busy and "troubled," but Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. And what was Jesus’ response when Martha complained? He told her, “You’re stressing about many things, …but Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her” (Luke 10:41,42).

Real faith doesn’t call us to be busy first of all. Instead, it hears Jesus’ invitation, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest…” (Matt. 11:28-30). I love how one man described his devotional time. He said it’s when “Jesus comes to meet with me.” What a wonderful thing it is to just be still in prayer and enjoy the wonder of who God is! It is peace itself to just know Him, to dwell in the infinity of His love and wisdom and justice. It is strength itself to have spent that time with Him and be thus prepared to face the world of our daily lives!

What a wonder to know that 2,200 years ago, the true believers could be recognized as “the people who know their God.” They stood strong in their generation. May you and I be strong because the Lord has done that same wonderful work in your life and mine – to call us into a very real, very personal relationship with him. May you and I be today “the people who know their God.”