Galatians 4:21-5:1 – Slavery and Freedom

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

²¹Tell me, ones desiring to be under law, do you not hear the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. ²³But, on the one hand, the one out of the slave woman was born according to flesh, [while] on the other hand, the one out of the free woman [was born] through promise.

²⁴These are an allegory, for they are two covenants. On the one hand, one [is] from Mt. Sinai giving birth into slavery, which is Hagar, ²⁵and this Hagar is Mt. Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶On the other hand, the above Jerusalem, which  is [the] mother of us, is free, ²⁷for it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one, the one not having children, the one not giving birth, break forth and exclaim, because many are the children of the desolate one rather than the one having the husband.”

 ²⁸And we, brethren, are children of promise, according to Isaac, ²⁹but just as the one born according to flesh was then persecuting the one [born] according to spirit, thus also now. ³⁰But what does the Scripture say?

“Cast out the slave woman and the son of hers, for the son of the slave woman will never inherit with the son of the free woman”.

 ³¹Wherefore, brethren, we are not children of slavery but of the free woman. ^5:1Christ freed us to the freedom, therefore be standing firm and do not be being bound again to a yoke of slavery.

I’m really glad I finally got a chance to actually study this passage. I have of course read it over and over through the years, but I would have to say I’ve always found it a little intimidating. Paul clearly and specifically identifies the Sarah/Hagar account as an allegory and, if I may add, a rather detailed one at that. It leaves one wondering, “Where are all the other ‘allegories’ in the Bible?” Does this mean we should go back through the OT and look for an allegory in every story that’s told? Who did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego really represent and what was the significance that David selected five smooth stones and on and on, ad nauseum. I think that unanswered question is what always left me feeling a little intimidated by the passage.

What to make of this? Of course the blanket explanation of it all is that Paul is writing under inspiration. If the Holy Spirit intended Sarah and Hagar’s experience as an allegory, He is certainly free to explain it to us through Paul. Since I don’t write under inspiration, I must limit my understanding of the Bible to what is clearly presented. In this case, we are told that it was an allegory. When it comes to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, I may find interesting parallels, but I could never say with authority, “This is an allegory, and Shadrach stands for this, etc.”

I would suggest it to be spiritually presumptuous to take this one passage and, based on it, to run through the Bible declaring allegories wherever my supposedly sanctified imagination found them. Apparently that has been a problem down through the centuries. Luther said, “[Allegories] are dangerous things. Unless a person has a thorough knowledge of Christian doctrine he had better leave allegories alone.”

Then I like what Luther went on to say, “Allegories are not very convincing, but like pictures they visualize a matter … Having first fortified his case with invincible arguments, [Paul] can afford to inject the allegory to add impressiveness and beauty to his presentation.”

“Allegories are not very convincing.” I think Luther is right and herein would be some wisdom, I think. It would be far better for us to study the Bible to mine the clear truth it presents, than to spend our time looking for allegories. As Luther says, “They are not very convincing anyway.” I certainly would never change my life for some “truth” I imagined I found in an allegory. The allegory can only, as in Paul’s case, illustrate truth already presented “with invincible arguments.” Only rightly divided truth bears on my heart and makes me different.

For whatever it’s worth, before I leave the matter, I want to assert that looking for practical applications is an entirely different business from looking for allegories. The Bible is a book of discipleship and I believe we should read every line with a heart longing to see the world through God’s eyes, to learn from other people’s lives as we observe the choices they make and God’s evaluations thereof. As it says in I Corinthians 10:6-11, “⁶Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”  ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. ¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

I think this is something entirely different than looking for allegories, trying to find “secret” truths, which will only prove to the rest of the world how smart I am …and do nothing to make me a sweeter, more humble, Christ-like person.

So if the Holy Spirit, in Scripture, declares something to be an allegory, wonderful. So it is. Beyond that, I should spend my time mining for the clearly presented truth. Then when I see the lives of the people of the Bible illustrating that truth, I should take heed to their example. But beyond that, I officially accept that it is the truth that matters and not my imaginations.

The other thing that I find interesting is Paul’s observation, “… just as the one born according to flesh was then persecuting the one [born] according to spirit, thus also now.” I suppose it is a maxim of note that the Law will always persecute the Spirit. I actually don’t mean that exactly but you get my drift – those who are of the law, legalists, will always persecute those who enjoy the freedom of real Holy Spirit-filled life. Even in the secular world, the people who guard “the rules,” cannot bear people who actually live for the goals. People are forever making up rules to “help” the rest of us accomplish our goals. But having done so, they immediately lose all ability to see the goals and care only for their rules. I realized some time ago that even at work goals are far more important than rules and that sometimes you actually have to break the rules to accomplish the goals. But what I also realized is that doing so exposes you to the wrath of the rule-keepers who usually have the authority to punish you in one way or another when you do break their rules. Never mind that what you did actually accomplished the goal. As my old boss often said, “No good turn goes unpunished.” Jesus’ most bitter enemies were not the Romans but rather the “religious” Jews. Through the book of Acts there are only a couple of instances where the Apostles got in trouble with the secular people. It was almost always the “religious” Jews who opposed them or stirred up the secular people to oppose them. The whole matter is somewhat of a paradox to me right now but it is interesting to note Paul’s “even so now.”

Finally, I love the opening verse of chapter 5: “It is for freedom Christ has set us free.” Reminds me of “And when you know the truth, the truth shall set you free,” and “And if the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed!” Interestingly, this morning I laid down this study, headed to church and our pastor’s message was “beware of false freedom.” His point was solidly out of Gen 3 and supported by the passage from II Peter 2:19, “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.” I suppose it would be worth an entire post just to distinguish between the freedom Christ gives and the false “freedom” that sin allures people with. Don’t know if I’ll wade into that but I certainly enjoy the real freedom I have in Christ. It is a freedom even to study a passage like Galatians 4:21-5:1 knowing when I’m done I’ll be glad I did … and I am!

Galatians – Thankful

I want to pause at this point in my study of the book of Galatians and just thank the Lord. When I started this book I blogged that in a way I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. I mainly picked it because I have a commentary on the book by John Eadie and I wanted to study through the book with him. He is by far and away my favorite commentator of all time, but he only wrote on about five NT books. So whatever he wrote on, I knew I would eventually study, Galatians being the one I looked forward to the least.

I said in that earlier blog that I knew already the book is basically a fight and I am not a fighter. I just didn’t look forward to spending hundreds of hours studying someone else’s fight.

On the other hand, I said back then that was exactly a reason why I was excited to study the book. One of the major reasons I enjoy studying the Bible is because it makes me think about things I wouldn’t have otherwise have even considered. It makes me think through things I really don’t want to think about. And whenever I come to those points, I am excited because I know the Lord is going to teach me something!

With that I launched into it apprehensive on the one hand but excited on the other.

As I studied, I certainly enjoyed learning whatever the Lord had for me, but on the other hand I found the book very tedious. Not only is it a fight but it is a fight over legalism which is a very unpleasant subject to me. I found in a sense I wasn’t enjoying studying the book. I was just slogging my way through.

Then I came to chapter 4, verses 1 through 7, which I blogged under the title “Overcoming Legalism, Jesus’ Way.” Those seven verses were a huge turning point for me! Paul there basically explains the OT, the Law, and the reason for it. I of course have read the section many, many times and I was familiar with the analogy of the Law being a pedagogue to lead us to Christ. But never having “studied” it, I totally did not comprehend the enormity of it all.

Wow. I am so pumped. This is exactly why I study the Bible! I feel like I’ve learned so much! The Lord has allowed me to understand so much! As He so often does, I feel like he stuffed my head with dynamite and lit the fuse!

I’ve never understood the difference between OT and NT believers. I have always and still do believe they were saved by their faith in the coming Messiah just as we are looking back to Him. But then it seemed to me they had to live out that faith the same as us. In fact, I have thoroughly enjoyed studying so many of their lives and learning from their faith. But still it seemed, this side of the Cross, something ought to be different. One thing I have noticed in the OT was that somehow their faith didn’t overcome their vindictiveness. Numerous times they plead for the cursing and/or death of their enemies, like Jehoiada’s son who lay dying, telling Joash’s appointed killers, “The Lord require it of you.” How different from Stephen, who prayed, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

I also just simply didn’t understand the OT itelf, why people of faith even needed a pedagogue. I could understand the Law’s necessity to lead people to Christ, but then why, having found Him, did they still need 618 laws to live by?

And then I’ve never understood why we are all so easily allured by legalism.

Now it all makes perfect sense. The Messiah-purchased, NT-outpoured Holy Spirit is the difference. “…when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made out of a woman, made under law, ⁵that He might redeem those under law, that we might receive the adoption of sons ... God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.” ⁷Thus you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son [you are] also an heir of God through Christ. The human heart is so desperately wicked, the only possible ultimate cure (short of death) is to have that heart indwelt by the very third Person of the Trinity! Until that time, whether Jew or Gentile, saved or not, we had to be kept under law. It’s the only language our darkened hearts can understand. “Do this. Don’t do that. Or else!” But blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, because of the great love with which He loves us, is willing to actually come and take up personal residence in the dark, filthy stench of our evil hearts! Think of it! The Holy Spirit living in a desperately wicked heart! But He does! And that means, this side of the Cross, we have a power to actually live Christ, a power this world has never known. And unlike our OT brothers and sisters of faith, for us it is not an outside/in thing. We have available within us (!) the infinite power of the very Godhead to change our lives and help us be different!

No wonder Stephen was so like Christ when Jehoiada’s son was not. It wasn’t just the example of Christ (“Father forgive them, they know not what they do”) that made the difference for Stephen. It was the very presence of the Spirit of Christ in his heart!

This all explains too why Paul had to write this letter, why this was a fight he had to fight. For believers to live in legalism is a cosmic tragedy. It is missing the whole point of it all. And it guarantees that, in the end, they probably won’t live Christ well at all, which unfortunately is exactly the prevailing case today.

I am so excited now to study the rest of the book. I know that at least beginning in chapter 5, Paul will be talking about what it means to live out this life in the Spirit. I’m quite sure at this point I don’t really understand what that means. But I am so pumped to think, at least in some ways, I am going to begin to really learn.

I no longer feel the book is tedious and I am no longer slogging through. I am excited to go on.

Thank the Lord. This is so much like Him. It is exactly why I study. Hopefully He is preparing to pack my head with more dynamite and light the fuse again!

What a trip it will be to be in Heaven and learn from Him!! If it’s this good on earth, what will it be like then??

He’s so awesome!

Galatians 4:19 – “Cause It’s All About You Jesus

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of this verse:

¹⁹My little children, for whom I am in labor again until Christ be formed in you …

Over the years, I have become more and more thankful for musicians. In every generation, the Lord raises up scores of people He has gifted to encourage the rest of us with their music. One of those musicians is Michael W. Smith who wrote “Heart of Worship.” The song is so appropriate to this generation, as the chorus says:

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

It’s true of me and I think of pretty much our entire generation that we got so caught up in “religion” that we missed the point of it all. Jesus.

And I quote the song here because I think that’s what Paul is trying to tell the Galatians. They’re missing the whole point of it all. Jesus. The Judaizers have them thinking it’s about the rules. And even though what they’re talking about is the very OT itself, when it takes the place of Jesus, even the OT law, inscribed by the very finger of God, becomes “weak and beggarly elements.” As he says in Colossians, those things “were a shadow of things to come; the reality however is Christ.”

Thus in his emotional frenzy of concern, Paul blurts out, “My little children, for whom I am in labor again until Christ be formed in you…!” and never finishes his sentence. “Until Christ be formed in you …” The point of it all. Jesus.

Alas, for us! Children of Adam. Born with dark hearts. Alienated from God. Enslaved to our own desires. Literally hell-bent in self-destruction. Made in the image of God but twisted and broken.

But from the very beginning, God promised the Seed of the Woman who would come and crush the head of the serpent! At that time, God covered them with the skins of animals but He intended so much more. He is a saving God, a Redeemer. From the beginning, He planned to send Jesus to win the victory of the Cross, pay the penalty of our sins, and make it possible not just to somehow cover our sins, but to send the Holy Spirit, the very third Person of the Trinity, to literally take up residence in our dark hearts, and empower us not just to “do right” but to be right.  Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, fallen, darkened, self-destructive, hopeless sinners can actually become like the perfect man, Jesus. Christ can be “formed in us.”

I confess until I studied this book of Galatians, I never really understood the enormity of all of this. The New Covenant Holy Spirit indwells us to actually empower us not just to do right but to be right, to be Christ-like. I’m not just a redeemed sinner trying to live a Christ-like life. I have Divine power living in my heart, there to totally change who and what I am! That I might be not Adam but Christ! Not a child of sin but a son of God!

“Until Christ be formed in you.” Back in Deut 5:25-29, Moses gave the people God’s law, and they responded, “… tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.” The Lord told Moses, “I have heard what this people said to you … Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always …”    “Oh, their hearts …” Even then, the Lord wanted their hearts. What they failed to realize was they could not make such a promise, “We will listen and obey.” While a few Israelites (David, Daniel, etc.) rose to exemplary lives, yet the nation as a whole was living proof that there was something grossly lacking. 1400 years after Moses they proved the depths of their depravity by crucifying the very Messiah Himself.

Jesus quoted Isaiah 54:13 when He reminded them of a time of future blessing, “It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’” And of course Joel prophesied, “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (2:28-29). And Peter explained this was exactly what was happening on Pentecost: “These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:15,16).

What was going on? The Lord was fulfilling His own desire, “Oh their hearts …” Jesus' victory on the Cross meant He could now send the very Holy Spirit of God to not only “help” people but to literally take up residence in their hearts! Born children of Adam? Yes. Still their natural heart rotten even with faith? Yes. But when indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God they can be said to be “born again!” The change is so dramatic, Paul could actually tell the Thessalonian believers, “Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other” (I Thess 4:9). Again this is the very change of which Jesus quoted Isaiah 54:13, “It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’”

Holy Spirit indwelling. That our heart may be changed. That “Christ be formed in you!”

This is in one sense “the point of it all!” Not just “shadows of things to come” but “the reality which is Christ!”

This is the profound difference between Old and New Testament believers. Again, the Holy Spirit obviously helped OT believers, taught them, empowered them, and changed them. But there was an “outside/in” sense to it all. They still had those rotten hearts. This side of the Cross, He literally takes up residence in our hearts! We all have the indwelling presence of a power to put on Christ that simply didn’t exist before! We are no longer under the tutelage of the Law because we are children of God, we are the heirs. The time of tutelage ended. It is time to stand up and accept the inheritance, the estate.

Again, I have to confess I’ve never understood the enormity of all of this before. I think I have always seen myself much as an OT believer, working from the “outside/in,” trying to figure out how to live Christ, but in sense “on my own.” “Oh, yes, the Holy Spirit is there,” I would have acknowledged, but somehow it was still an outside/in thing.

But this is the glorious age of the outpoured, indwelling Spirit! I have dwelling within my very heart infinite Divine power to be changed, to be different, to be like Christ, to not just “learn” God’s heart, but to actually share it, to see the world through His eyes, to see myself through His eyes, to see others through His eyes!

This is all why Paul can say later in the book, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (5:22,23). “Against such things there is no law.” Why not? Because people who understand don’t need laws. People indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God have the power available within them to see God’s big picture, to see the goals, and to rise above the power of their flesh, to rise above the power of indwelling sin, and be controlled instead by the indwelling Holy Spirit!

In a sense, I only need to let Him! I still need to feed on the Word. I still have to make choices to live according to that Word. I still must “choose” to love. But it is also true in a sense it’s not up to me. I am indwelt. There is a sense in which the choice is only to “walk in the Spirit.” 
 

As John Eadie said, “Christ is the one principle of life and holiness, -- not Christ contemplated as without, but Christ dwelling within by His Spirit; not speculation about His person or His doctrine, nor the vehement defense of orthodox belief, not the knowledge of His character and work, nor profession of faith in Him with an external submission to the ordinances of His church. Very different – Christ in them, and abiding in them: His light in their minds, His love in their hearts, His law in their conscience, His Spirit their formative impulse and power, His presence filling and assimilating their entire inner nature, and His image in visible shape and symmetry reproducing itself in their lives.

This is all so liberating and encouraging! It is the “freedom for which Christ has set us free!” And it is the very reason Paul is so distraught about the Galatians resorting to legalism – which is totally an “outside/in” thing, at best, even when the Laws were God’s! They’re missing the “point of it all.” God wants us to be like Christ. And in the NT, it isn’t just a “hope so.” It is as present and real as the indwelling Holy Spirit Himself. My old rotten spirit (my “flesh”) is still there, but the infinitely greater Holy Spirit is there too and He will empower me to be like Christ!

I hope you see why I so identify with Michael W. Smith, as I quoted his song back at the beginning:

 I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus

May we not waste our NT blessing. May Christ truly be formed in us!

Galatians 4:8-20 – Love and Legalists

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁸But you, not then knowing God, were enslaved to ones not being gods by nature, ⁹but now, knowing God (or rather being known by God), how are you turning to the weak and beggarly basic principles to which you are desiring to be enslaved once more? ¹⁰You are observing days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹I am afraid of you lest I have labored in vain into you. ¹²Brethren I ask of you, become as I [am] because [I became] as you [are].

 You have not injured me at all. ¹³But I know that I preached to you at the first through weakness of the flesh ¹⁴and you did not treat me with contempt neither rejected my affliction in my flesh but you accepted me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Therefore, where is your pronounced blessing? For I testify to you that, if [you had the] power, you would have given to me, plucking out your eyes.

 ¹⁶Thus am I become your enemy telling you the truth? ¹⁷They are not earnestly desiring you rightly but they are wishing to exclude you that you might earnestly desire them, ¹⁸and [it is] fitting to be zealous always in fitting things and not only in my presence with you. ¹⁹My little children, for whom I am in labor again until Christ be formed in you … ²⁰and I was wishing to be being present now with you and to change my voice because I am perplexed with you.

In my last post I noted how much one sees the love of Paul in these verses. This is seen even the fact that verse 19 is actually an unfinished sentence. And obviously Paul’s love for these people had evoked a response of love in them. If they could have, they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to him.

But another thing I can’t help noticing is the effect of legalism on them. Particularly notice Paul’s question, “Thus am I become your enemy telling you the truth?”  Wow. One sure way to make yourself a Pharisee’s enemy is telling them the truth. Jesus did and they crucified Him for it. Legalists purport to be champions of the truth. Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, they may memorize extensive portions of the Bible. They’re all about the Truth. Yet, try just once telling them truth they don’t want to hear and watch the fangs and claws come out! They love to say, “I know I’m a sinner.” But if you ever point out any specific instances, watch them get immediately defensive. How can someone be a sinner who doesn’t sin? Interesting.

I guess it’s something that always bears watching in our own hearts. Does other people’s “truth” easily offend me? Do people make themselves my enemy by telling me the truth? Or can I honestly say, “Let the righteous smite me; it will be a kindness” and “faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Definitely food for thought.

Notice too what Paul says of the legalists in verse 17: “ They are not earnestly desiring you rightly but they are wishing to exclude you that you might earnestly desire them.”  As I’ve said before, Paul’s emotion-charged Greek doesn’t translate well, but I think the “obvious and simple” meaning is just that. The legalists present themselves as very interested in these people. They’ll travel over land and sea to make one disciple. But their real goal is not to help people become faithful followers of Jesus. It is to make people followers of them! They are “wishing to exclude you” or “separate you out.” They want you for them. Cults of course are always that way. But Pharisees never see themselves as cultists. Yet that is exactly what they are. Once again, we should turn this on our own hearts and ask, “What do I really want for others? Do I sincerely want them to enjoy God’s blessing whether it gains me anything or not?” Back to the matter of love – that is the difference between Paul and the Judaizers. He really did love the Galatians and his ministry produced a love response in them. But the Judaizers rob the people of love while purporting to do them good.

Hmmmmm. A lot to think about.

Galatians 4:8-20 – Love and Reality

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁸But you, not then knowing God, were enslaved to ones not being gods by nature, ⁹but now, knowing God (or rather being known by God), how are you turning to the weak and beggarly basic principles to which you are desiring to be enslaved once more? ¹⁰You are observing days and months and seasons and years. ¹¹I am afraid of you lest I have labored in vain into you. ¹²Brethren I ask of you, become as I [am] because [I became] as you [are].

 You have not injured me at all. ¹³But I know that I preached to you at the first through weakness of the flesh ¹⁴and you did not treat me with contempt neither rejected my affliction in my flesh but you accepted me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. ¹⁵Therefore, where is your pronounced blessing? For I testify to you that, if [you had the] power, you would have given to me, plucking out your eyes.

 ¹⁶Thus am I become your enemy telling you the truth? ¹⁷They are not earnestly desiring you rightly but they are wishing to exclude you that you might earnestly desire them, ¹⁸and [it is] fitting to be zealous always in fitting things and not only in my presence with you. ¹⁹My little children, for whom I am in labor again until Christ be formed in you … ²⁰and I was wishing to be being present now with you and to change my voice because I am perplexed with you.

I have found this string of verses very interesting. It is very instructive both as a whole and also in parts.

As a whole, what we see is a very real and specific application of I Cor 13:4-7, a love that is “patient and kind, seeks not its own, always protects, always hopes, always perseveres.” Paul says, “You have not injured me at all.” We could obviously say, “Oh yes they have!” But here we are seeing a love that is overcoming judgment. Like Jesus Himself, though nailed to a cross of their foolishness and ingratitude, Paul’s heart is saying, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” He’s not taking it personally, even though their offense against him is in fact quite personal.

I have to confess, this passage is deeply convicting to me. My heart knows little of a love like this. I certainly enjoy “loving” people, doing whatever I can for them, even sacrificing on their behalf; but what happens when those same people, instead of accepting and appreciating that “love” instead turn on me, accuse me and malign me? My heart naturally doesn’t have “the time of day” for them. “Shake the dust from your shoes and move on,” my angry selfish heart piously quotes. And maybe I should, but what about my heart? Love always perseveres. Hmmmm. Mine certainly doesn’t. I noted early in the book that it amazes me that God committed an entire book of Scripture to confronting these foolish Galatians, that Paul wrote this entire 6-chapter letter energetically trying to reclaim this errant church. I said then, I hope God teaches me something that will help my own love be more like His. I can’t say I’m any different yet, but the Holy Spirit in my heart is certainly calling me to this Christ-like standard of love. I guess at this point, my conclusion is that we are here talking about a love that truly is heart business, that is a fruit of the Spirit, not a “rule” I can live out. I am praying, asking Him to in fact help me live this kind of love, and as I face these very situations, I am grieving at my hard heart and trying to let Him change me. But, again, I have to admit, such a love is “high, I cannot attain unto it.” By the power of His indwelling Spirit, may the Lord work His heart-changing miracles in this sinner’s heart!

Exegetically speaking this is another passage where the Greek is challenging to translate. Verse 19 is actually an unfinished sentence while the logic throughout this section seems abrupt and difficult. Concerning verse 19 Calvin notes, “The style is abrupt, which is usually the case with highly emotional passages. Strong feeling, from the difficulty of finding adequate expression, breaks off our words when half-uttered, while the powerful emotion chokes the utterance …[Paul] is now so oppressed with grief, that he almost faints from exhaustion without completing his sentence.” Barnes notes regarding this section, “There is great brevity in this passage, and no little obscurity, and a great many interpretations given of it by commentators …” However, Barnes goes on to say, “The sense of the passage, however, it seems to me, cannot be difficult”. And Eadie recommends, as always, the “obvious and simplest explanation” which can be derived “without resort to grammatical torture, undue dilation, or remote reference.” My translation offered above is very wooden as I’m trying to leave it as literal as possible. But I think all of the major translations offer reasonably good representations of the text, as Eadie says presenting the “obvious and simple.”

A couple of things that jump out at me in the text: Paul asks them in v9, “How are you turning to the weak and beggarly principles to which you are desiring to be enslaved once more?” He specifically points out, “You are observing days and months and seasons and years.” The obvious understanding is that they are embracing the Jewish habit of observing the Sabbaths, and new moons, and the various feasts (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, etc.). This is the very thing Paul addresses in Col 2:16, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day,” and  he goes on there to explain in v17, “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”  Once again, a person could take offense at these OT-ordained practices being called “weak and beggarly elements”. But in this new dispensation of the risen, victorious Messiah and the outpoured and indwelling Holy Spirit, that is exactly what they are. They are the rules of the old childish tutelage. A Spirit-indwelt NT believer would be perfectly free to practice any one of these things if they wish, but only from the perspective of a mature heir doing so within the freedom of living out their very real and personal heart-relationship with God. The Galatians are practicing these things legalistically, as if they are a relationship with God. “Why in the world,” he asks, “would you grasp at the shadow, when the reality stands before you?”

Who would hug at the shadow of their child while the child themself stands before you? But that is exactly the absurdity of legalism. Why clutch after rules to somehow define our relationship with God, while as NT believers we are sitting in His very lap? Embrace Him! I would suggest the best place from which to discern His will, the best place from which to discern what truly is right and good and important, is to be found wrapped in His big arms with our face buried in His big strong loving chest. When we’re close enough to hear His beating heart, to feel the rise of fall of His breathing chest, so close He has only to lean down and whisper in our ears, then, and only then, can we expect to truly understand. And that is our place and our privilege as NT believers. Why on earth should the Galatians, and why on earth should we settle for anything less?

May my heart be filled with the reality of Christ, not grasping after shadows! And may my relationship with Him help me learn the kind of love that rises above and sees through to the need behind people’s sometimes unloving responses.

He’s so awesome. “Nearer my God to Thee”.

Galatians 4:1-7 – Overcoming Legalism, Jesus’ Way

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹But I am saying the heir differs nothing from a slave, as long as he is a child [though] being lord of all, ²but he is under guardians and managers until the time appointed by the father. ³Thus also we, when we were children, were being enslaved ones under the basic principles of the world. ⁴But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made out of a woman, made under law, ⁵that He might redeem those under law, that we might receive the adoption [of sons]. ⁶And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.” ⁷Thus you are no longer a slave but a son and if a son [you are] also an heir of God through Christ.

Well, I’ve been hiding for several months in the Psalms. But alas, it’s time to leave my glorious refuge and face the storms again. Back to Galatians and the battle of legalism. I must say, these first seven verses of chapter 4 have been an explosion of truth for me. To anyone who stumbles across this post, I will apologize ahead of time because it’s going to be a long one. I am sincerely sorry I can’t seem to be brief. However, for me, the issues are enormous, and I want to try to record my thoughts in some kind of orderly fashion. So here we go:

The Galatian Issue

In this passage Paul is basically addressing the purpose of the law and the OT. The Galatians are being persuaded that they should continue to practice OT Judaism and obviously they have found the proposition alluring. Why wouldn’t they? Our hearts are naturally and incorrigibly legalistic. “Give me the rules and I’ll follow them.” Then make those rules the OT itself , with the very endorsement of God, and it becomes irresistible. How utterly compelling to have a religion of rules ordained by God Himself! I just follow the rules and I’m good!

It would be a very weak and fruitless argument for Paul to simply say, “You don’t need that. You don’t need OT law anymore.” “But,” they would object, “These are God’s rules! How can you dismiss them??”

Knowing such an approach would be fruitless, Paul instead tries to help them understand the purpose of law, hoping they will see it was only a means to an end; and now that the “end” has come (Christ), they need to move on. As he told the Colossians, “[The OT rules were] a shadow of things to come; the reality however is Christ” (2:17).

How It Affects Us Today

May I inject at this point that this very discussion is no small matter for us today? We may not be enamored with OT law, but I would suggest we are still naturally and incorrigibly legalistic. We still love a religion of rules and if we can convince ourselves they’re God’s rules, then we think we’re in religious hog heaven. And this problem, I would observe, is pervasive across the human race. People love a religion of rules, whether they are Islamists, Hindus, Mormons, Amish, Roman Catholics, or run-of-the-mill American church-goers. Of course it is easy to see the error in the sad, cruel bondage of the Islamists and the Amish. But it is no less sad and cruel when this fetish for legalism is the modus operandi of the modern evangelical church. American churches are typically built around their own unique combination of positions, traditions, and rules. “Come to our church and do it our way – God will be pleased with you!” “Principles” and “applications” are taught from the pulpit as if they are God’s rules, when in fact there’s not a shred of Scripture to support them. It is an enormous grief in my own heart that I have too many times committed this very sin when given the opportunity to supposedly speak on God’s behalf. But, knowing my own heart, I am all too aware how pervasive is this sad but utterly toxic misunderstanding of God, His Word, and His will.

As with Paul and the Galatians, the problem for us, I think, is that you cannot simply say, “The rules we’ve made were not good. We need to dismiss them and follow these.” That is exactly what’s been going on in American churches for the last 30 years. We realize some old “rules” are not valid and dismiss them, then congratulate ourselves we are not legalists like “those people” who still cling to those things. But have we addressed this fundamental problem of legalism itself? Have we truly realized and confronted the awful error of thinking true religion is fundamentally about “rules” at all?

In fact, I would suggest, this is the entire issue Paul is confronting here in Galatians 4:1-7. Go back and read it. What the Galatians are missing is the whole point of it all. They are failing to see the whole point of “religion,” the whole point of life!

Understanding Life Without the Holy Spirit

Here is what I’m understanding from this text: First of all, our biggest problem (and it’s true of the entire human race) is that we are born of Adam, born sinners, born without a heart that understands God’s. The basic result is that we don’t “get it.” We don’t at all understand how it all fits together. We don’t at all understand the big picture. And so what did God do? He basically allowed our world to be ruled by law. “Here are the rules. Keep them. Or else!” It is the only language our fallen hearts understand.

This is true whether Gentile or Jew. In Romans, Paul says even the Gentiles “show the work of the law written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or excusing one another” (2:15). The Gentiles naturally live under the rule of law. They have to. Their fallen, unregenerate hearts are capable of inexpressible cruelty and self-destruction. And they have no heart to really see it or change. So God gives them a sense of law. “Do this. Don’t do that. Or else!” It is the only restraint available.

The Jews, though perhaps born-again people, still had the same rotten hearts as their Gentile compatriots. Though they might come to genuine faith, as many obviously did, yet they were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit obviously moved on them, taught them, helped them, and changed them in many ways, yet they still had the fundamental problem of their darkened hearts without the indwelling Holy Spirit. So, like the Gentiles, God placed them under law.

This is where our text vv. 1-3 enters. Paul compares the time under law to a child. The child is in fact the heir, the “lord of all,” but he is not ready to handle the responsibilities or the freedoms of actually possessing that estate. Thus he is kept under tutors and guardians to protect him from his own childish inadequacy and to train him to be becoming a young man who will be “ready” when the father’s appointed time comes. Thus Paul describes this time under law as being “in bondage under the basic principles of the world.”

Now why does Paul call OT law the “basic principles of the world?” I think he does this here because whether it was the Jews under the Law itself or these Galatian gentiles under the more general rule of law – either way this is the basic system of moral restraint in a fallen, Adamic world. As Paul describes in Colossians 2, the “basic principles of the world” are “touch not, taste not, handle not; (2:21) – rules to follow. “Do this. Do that. Or else!” When the Galatians wish to place themselves under OT law, they are simply exchanging their general rule of law and replacing it with the Jews’ more specific rule of law. As impressive as OT law may be, it is still just law. It is still just the basic principles of this world. And it is still the tutelage intended to bring people to Christ. It is still life without (yet) the Holy Spirit.

Understanding Life With the Holy Spirit

And so verses 1-3 presents us all “enslaved” under law. And what did God do? “… when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, made out of a woman, made under law, ⁵that He might redeem those under law, that we might receive the adoption [of sons]”. The time of the tutelage ended. The time appointed by the Father finally arrived. Jesus came. Jesus was born like us. He was one of us. He lived life under the rule of law like us. Only He didn’t fail. And in bearing our sins He redeemed us and freed us from that tutelage.

But in order for us to in fact be free from the tutelage of the law, something very important happened. Jesus didn’t just give us better rules or somehow make us better rule-keepers. He “sent His Spirit into our hearts, crying Abba! Father!” One of the prerogatives of the Messiah was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The victorious Messiah Jesus returned to Heaven and on that first day of Pentecost, He did just that. He poured out His Spirit.

A new day dawned. The tutelage ended. The “child,” people with only darkened Adamic hearts suddenly came of age. Suddenly they now had the very Holy Spirit of God living inside those hearts. Now they can understand. Now they can see the big picture. Now they can understand God’s heart. Now they can understand how the entire law can be summed in two commands, “Love God, Love others.”

As Paul goes on to say later in the book, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (5:22,23). “Against such things there is no law.” New Testament believers are not supposed to be “rule-keepers.” They have the indwelling Spirit to help them see God’s goals, to know His heart, and to understand what truly is important and what is not. Like the full-grown heir they are able to handle the responsibilities and freedoms of spiritual adulthood.

This is the people God wants us to be; not ignorant, immature people who can only be given rules, but rather people who see His goals, embrace them, and thus need very little “rule” to guide their lives.

Slaves or Heirs?

Thus understanding all of this, it is foolish, unnecessary and even spiritually counter-productive for the Galatians to cast aside this Spirit-given freedom in Christ only to return to a demeaning system of childish rule-keeping. Paul hoped they would understand that. I hope I understand it!

I would suggest we do err greatly when we see life as a lot of rules. Rules are for children. Rules are all a dark Adamic heart can understand. “Rules are for rule-breakers,” says Paul in I Tim 1:9. Part of the reason why we’re given the indwelling Spirit is to raise us up so we understand “The goal of the commandment is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (I Tim 1:5). Mature people see goals, not rules. And where there are rules to “keep,” still the mature person sees the goal behind them. Thus Jesus could say all the Law and the Prophets hang on just two commandments. As Paul says, “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law,” (Rom 13:10). Jesus’ desire is for His people to embrace first of all the goals behind His laws, shall I even say the heart behind the laws. And He wants us to share His goals, His heart. Such is His intended dignity for a people made in the image of God, to rise above mere rule-keeping and rather be enamored with Him. The victorious Messiah sent His Spirit into our hearts crying, “Abba! Father!”

“So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”

Understanding the Choice

The Galatians needed not only to let go of their pauperly OT rule-keeping, they needed to see that in Christ they’ve been raised to something far greater. They have been raised to the dignity of heirs, the dignity of mature people equipped to live out the image of God. This is the age of the Spirit, the indwelling, enlightening, empowering Holy Spirit, and so, like them, we need to utterly reject legalism in all its debasing manifestations and lay hold of a life driven by faith, hope, and sincere love.

Such a life will still care very much about God’s “rules,” about obeying Him as Lord and Master. How could we be less? We are enamored with Him! We are as Paul describes himself if in I Cor 9:21, “ … not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ” – happily under the law of the One whom my soul loves! On the other hand, the Law itself will still always be there as a wall to block our way when we lose our grip and find ourselves not walking in the Spirit. The “Thou shalt nots!” still meet us on the way to sin.

But such is not the groveling tutelage of childish rule-keeping. It is the wide-eyed, deliberate, intelligent life of mature people made in the image of God. It is a life of dignity and freedom.

But What About …?

In my mind, two matters must be quickly addressed. Number one: What about David and the other OT believers who rose to impressive levels of spiritual maturity? How could this happen under the days of “childhood” and the “tutelage of law” and without the indwelling Spirit? I think the answer is in understanding tutelage itself. Say a father sets the date of maturity as the son’s 21^st birthday. Under that tutelage, there would be on the one hand a 3-year old and on the other hand a young man of 20 years and 364 days. Even under tutelage there should have been growth toward the goal. The older son should have begun to look and act and think like the heir. And thus we see, even under OT tutelage there could have been and should have been people like David, believers of impressive spiritual maturity.

Then the second question begging address: If all of this is true, why are there so few people today that seem to exhibit any spiritual maturity at all? If this is the glorious age of the Holy Spirit-infused faith, why does the church look little different from carping, griping, faithless Israel in the desert? I would suggest a big part of the problem is this very legalism itself. Just as the Galatians, though Spirit-indwelt, were “biting and devouring one another,” a modern legalistic church misses the whole point of it all, themselves practicing and teaching a system of religion which is, though appealing, in the end toxic to any real growing relationship with God. It is cosmically sad that legalism always has and always will eclipse the face of God in peoples’ hearts.

Pulling It All Together

I think today we should take a passage like this and see its immediately practical application in our own lives. The Galatians obviously found legalism alluring. Unfortunately, we’re no different. But Paul’s counsel is not that they should turn away from the OT legalism and embrace some other system of law. Christ redeemed them from law! What they need to embrace is the enormity of this Spirit-driven, heart-changed exaltation from slave-like child to heir of God’s estate. I don’t know whether they did or not. But let us turn from our rule-keeping religion and let that indwelling Spirit cry “Abba! Father!” from our very heart. Let us stop thinking like the child and instead embrace our divinely endowed role as heir of God’s estate. Let us stop living by rules and instead lift up our heads to see God’s goals, His heart, His big picture.

May we really, truly love and serve and follow Christ from our hearts!

He deserves no less.

Psalm 43:5 – The Good Fight

As usual, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁷You were running well. Who cut in [on] you to not be obeying the truth? ⁸This persuasion [is] not out of the One calling you. ⁹‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump’. ¹⁰I am persuaded concerning you in the Lord that you will think nothing differently but the one troubling you, whoever he is, will bear the judgment. ¹¹But, brethren, if I am yet preaching circumcision, why am I yet being persecuted? Consequently the scandal of the Cross is negated. ¹²O that the ones opposing you would castrate themselves!

In my last two posts, I looked at verses 7 & 8. I also want to record some thoughts from the little proverb in verse 9, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”. My impression is that this was a fairly common proverb in the ancient world, much like our “What goes up must come down.” Like them, we all “know what it means” and we can use it to apply to many different situations. I would also observe that the proverb itself apparently possessed no connotation negative or positive. Jesus quoted it in Matthew 13:33 as an illustration of the Kingdom of Heaven: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”  Paul quotes it here and also in I Cor 5:6 in the context of the immoral church member: “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” 

Obviously, it was simply a way of pointing out that seemingly small influences often can grow into pervasive impacts. Jesus was saying the Kingdom of Heaven can be that way; and it is certainly true that one person’s good influence can transform an entire family, a business, a church, even a nation. On the other hand, as Paul uses it in I Cor and here in Galatians, he is applying it to evil influences, which can themselves grow to corrupt entire people groups.

As I have pointed out earlier, it seems to me Paul is no longer writing in any kind of smooth logical flow. He has already built his case logically over five chapters and now, in verses 7 through 12, his passion seems to erupt in a series of exclamations, this proverb being one of them.  I think it is fair to say the consensus would be that he has in mind the teaching of the Judaizers, that in his mind there are only a handful of them, or perhaps he is thinking of their emphasis on the rite of circumcision – as if that were the “only” requirement the Galatians will have to submit to – when, as he has pointed out earlier, once you embrace legalism there will be no end to it.

Regardless, Paul’s point, Jesus’ point, and the point of our proverb is that we should ever be aware, both for better and for worse, that small influences should never be discounted or underestimated. Here in Galatians, the point is obviously, one way or another, the influence of false doctrine, and this is precisely where my blog devolves into more questions than answers.

Here’s my rub: on the one hand, it makes perfect sense to me that we must ever be on our guard against doctrinal error. Truth is truth, and, as I have said before, to be in error will be at least frustrating and may in the long run prove fatal. On the other hand, there is some measure of wisdom in knowing what “truth” is worth fighting for and what “truth” can be delegated to the realm of giving others the space to learn themselves. As a Christian, I have been “learning” for over 30 years. I don’t even agree with me from a month ago, much less from 5 years ago, or 10 or 20. And it should be that way. God help us if we can be around the Bible and Truth and not be constantly learning. But to learn is to realize I’ve been wrong. Was it “okay” that I was wrong? Was it “okay” that I myself had to learn to get where I am today? And then, what about the people around me? When is it okay for them to be wrong? When does the “wrong” call for correction? When is the “wrong” the little leaven that (dangerously) may leaven the whole lump?

What particularly brought this to mind was reading Marin Luther’s comments on this passage. He makes the statement, “This goes to show again how much importance Paul attached to the least points of Christian doctrine, … What right, then, have we to make little of doctrine? No matter how nonessential a point of doctrine may seem, if slighted it may prove the gradual disintegration of the truths of our salvation. Let us do everything to advance the glory and authority of God’s Word. Every tittle of it is greater than heaven and earth. Christian love and unity have nothing to do with the Word of God. We are bold to curse and condemn all men who in the least point corrupt the Word of God, ‘for a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.’”

Again, on the one hand, what Luther is saying makes perfect sense. Truth is truth. What isn’t truth is error and may grow into the very destruction of an entire people group. But where is the balance? “No matter how nonessential a point of doctrine …,” Luther said. Is that true? Hmmmm. While I deeply appreciate Luther and Calvin and their championing of the Scriptures such that there could be a Protestant Reformation, I am utterly unimpressed with the vituperative spirit they all seemed to do it with. If you go back and read their writings and the history of the Reformation, you will find they all hated and cursed each other. Luther tacked up his 95 theses on the Wittenberg Chapel door in 1517, and only 10 years later, in 1527, the first protestant was martyred by protestants. Felix Manz was drowned because he differed with them on the mode of baptism. Drowned? Executed? Really? Go back up to the last paragraph and read again what Luther said. Would he have someone executed because they differed with him on the mode of baptism? Yes.

Once again, I can read what Luther is saying and it can make perfect sense. Yet, somehow, I cannot and will not accept such a condemning spirit. Yes, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump;” but which leaven can be left to the process of sanctification in others’ lives and which leaven is worth going to the mat over?

Frankly, I don’t think I know the answer to these questions. I hope I will always be a champion for truth; but somehow I also want to live out the graciousness of a God who’s big enough to give me space to grow and still love me through it all.

For whatever it’s worth, I think the issues I’ve raised are of monumental significance. As I would live my faith, I have to live it in a world that is broken. The best anyone (including me) can be is learning. The best anyone can be is to be about the business of trying to fix the brokenness. So therefore there is no perfect church or church group. There are no perfect Christians to fellowship with. Therefore, and I think this is an enormous “therefore,” I cannot take Luther’s position to “curse and condemn all men who in the least point corrupt the Word of God.”  Somehow grace must be willing to overlook much, much, much in my church, my immediate Christian acquaintances, and even in the broader circle of who I align myself with – not to mention the non-christian world I live and work in.

On the other hand, the devil, like a roaring lion, still wanders about, seeking whom he may devour. A little leaven still leavens the whole lump. Error is still in the short run frustrating and in the long run fatal. To be wrong is still a dangerous thing. As in Paul’s case here in Galatians, sometimes error is serious enough to get a godly man into an emotional froth – to even start proposing castration! Love of people sometimes gives them room to grow, but it may also need to call error error and sin sin. How can we, for the love of grace and truth, determine where to draw these lines?

Once again, I don’t think I know the answers to these questions. Guess that is where I’ll have to leave this one. God grant us the wisdom to live, to love, and to fight well.

Psalm 43:5 -- The Real Battle of Faith

O my soul! Why are you downcast? And why are you groaning within me? Hope in God: for I shall yet praise Him, the salvations of my face and my God.

As I study Psalm 43:5 I enjoy the advantage that Psalm 42:5 and 11 and essentially identical. So when one goes to read the thoughts of all my old buddies, I can go to three different places to see what they said. I am enjoying feasting at such a sumptuously set table! One commentator who very often speaks directly to my heart is John Calvin. His comments on these words as they're found in Psalm 42:5 are so thought-provoking, I would like to record them in their entirety here. If you find yourself discouraged and your soul groaning within you, if the troubles of this life seem currently to be robbing you of joy, read slowly and thoughtfully what Calvin has to say. Every single line is another pearl on a string of help and hope:

"O my soul! why art thou cast down? From this it appears that David contended strongly against his sorrow, lest he should yield to temptation: but what we ought chiefly to observe is, that he had experienced a strong and bitter contest before he obtained the victory over it; or we might rather say, that he was not delivered from it after one alarming assault, but was often called upon to enter into new scenes of conflict. It need not excite our wonder that he was so much disquieted and cast down, since he could not discern any sign of the divine favor towards him. But David here represents himself as if he formed two opposing parties. In so far as in the exercise of faith he relied upon the promises of God, being armed with the Spirit of invincible fortitude, he set himself, in opposition to the affections of his flesh, to restrain and subdue them; and, at the same time, he rebuked his own cowardice and imbecility of heart. Moreover, although he carried on war against the devil and the world, yet he does not enter into open and direct conflict with them, but rather regards himself as the enemy against whom he desires chiefly to contend. And doubtless the best way to overcome Satan is, not to go out of ourselves, but to maintain an internal conflict against the desires of our own hearts. It ought, however, to be observed, that David confesses that his soul was cast down within him: for when our infirmities rise up in vast array, and, like the waves of the sea, are ready to overwhelm us, our faith seems to us to fail, and, in consequence we are so overcome by mere fear, that we lack courage, and are afraid to enter into the conflict. Whenever, therefore, such a state of indifference and faint-heartedness shall seize upon us, let us remember, that to govern and subdue the desires of their hearts, and especially to contend against the feelings of distrust which are natural to all, is a conflict to which the godly are not unfrequently called. But here there are two evils specified, which, however apparently different, yet assail our hearts at the same time; the one is discouragement, and the other disquietude When we are quite downcast, we are not free of a feeling of disquietude, which leads us to murmur and complain. The remedy to both of them is here added, hope in God, which alone inspires our minds, in the first place, with confidence in the midst of the greatest troubles; and, secondly, by the exercise of patience, preserves them in peace. In what follows, David very well expresses the power and nature of hope by these words, I shall yet praise him; for it has the effect of elevating our thoughts to the contemplation of the grace of God, when it is hidden from our view. By the term yet, he confesses that for the present, and in so far as the praises of God are concerned, his mouth is stopped, seeing he is oppressed and shut up on all sides. This, however, does not prevent him from extending his hope to some future distant period; and, in order to escape from his present sorrow, and, as it were, get beyond its reach, he promises himself what as yet there was no appearance of obtaining. Nor is this an imaginary expectation produced by a fanciful mind; but, relying upon the promises of God, he not only encourages himself to cherish good hope, but also promises himself certain deliverance. We can only be competent witnesses to our brethren of the grace of God when, in the first place, we have borne testimony to it to our own hearts. What follows, The helps of his countenance, may be differently expounded. Commentators, for the most part, supply the word for: so that, according to this view, David here expresses the matter or cause of thanksgiving — that yet he would give praise or thanks to God for the help of his countenance This interpretation I readily admit. At the same time, the sense will not be inappropriate if we read the terms separately, thus: helps or salvations are from the countenance of God; for as soon as he is pleased to look upon his people he sets them in safety. The countenance of God is taken for the manifestation of his favor. His countenance then appears serene and gracious to us; as, on the contrary, adversity, like the intervening clouds, darkens or obscures its benign aspect."

May we all today find His countenance serene and gracious and may the joy of the Lord truly be our strength!

Psalm 43:3,4 – With Him

As usual, here is my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³Send forth Your light and Your truth. Let them guide me. Let them bring me to the mountain of Your holiness and to Your dwelling places, ⁴and I will come in to the altar of God, to God the joy of my rejoicing, and I will praise You with a lyre, God my God.

In my last post I noted how the Psalmist here desired to be in God’s presence. Verse 4 adds, “And I will come in to the altar of God …” Once again, note that the context of this psalm is trouble. Yet, while the psalmist wants the trouble to end, it makes his heart long for God’s presence.

It is interesting to me to realize that first of all God wants to be in our presence. He wants us with Him. Jesus said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2,3). “…that you also may be where I am”-- There is no question Biblically speaking whether God wants to be with us. The question is whether we want to be with Him! In a sad sense, hell is God giving people what they wanted all along – to get away from Him. Thankfully, a believing heart has been redeemed from such eternally fatal foolishness. But still, the business of “practicing God’s presence,” of deliberately seeking His presence, is a learning process. What trouble does is jumpstart that business. As long as this world is all pleasant and wonderful, we can simply leave God out. When someone throws us in a lion’s den or a fiery furnace, all of sudden it is easier to treasure God’s presence! But I would suggest that maturity is to learn to value His presence whether in trouble or not. Maturity is desiring to be with Him constantly. He wants to be with us. Maturity is when we begin more and more to want to be with Him.

It is interesting to note in verse 4, the name God is used four times. There’s certainly no question where is this psalmist’s focus!

It is also interesting to note how he sees God. He calls Him, “the joy of my rejoicing.” The Hebrew here uses two words that are different yet very close synonyms. You could translate it, “joy of my joy” or “rejoicing of my rejoicing,” “delight of my delight,” or any combination thereof. I think we get the picture! He has grown spiritually to the point where it really is true that God is a delight to him. Once again, it is Biblically apparent that God delights in us: “The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over you with singing” (Zeph 3:17). Zephaniah uses the same two Hebrew words which occur in our passage. It is simply a fact, the Lord delights in us. The only question is whether we delight in Him! As soon as we do, the feelings are mutual. And that is exactly the relationship He intended from the beginning.

As with Adam and Eve, sin clouds that relationship. Our sins and our sinful nature leave us with a twisted view of God, seeing Him in some way as sinister or threatening or disinterested. But as we allow the blood of Jesus to wash those sins, as we hear Him calling to us to come boldly before the Throne of Grace, as we feed on His words and grow to truly know Him, we find Him everything our hearts ever desired. We find Him to be the “the joy of our rejoicing.”

One sad interjection here is to note that when we allow legalism to be our sanctification, it also clouds our view of God. Just as with the Pharisees, we may make up rules which appear very religious, which appeal to the others in our group, and which allow us to feel we’ve attained quite a level of spirituality. The problem is they’re not God’s rules. They’re not His truth. When we believe they came from Him we think they reflect Who He is. But He isn’t. He is YHVH, “I am that I am.” He is who He is and any other view of Him is simply in error. Legalism eclipses the face of God. The only hope is to diligently read and study and and let the Bible say what it says. Let it tell us Who God is, what He’s like, and what in fact He expects from us. When Jesus was here, He spoke to some of the most legalistic people who ever lived and said, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). I would suggest His “rest” comes from truly knowing Him for who He really is – this God who delights in us and Whom we will also find a delight to us, the more we truly know Him.

The key is to be “with Him.” He is with us. He said He’d never leave us. The only question is whether we’re with Him. To see Him as our psalmist sees Him, as the joy of our rejoicing, is the privilege and the end of a believing heart. In fact, Heaven itself will be the consummation of such a relationship here on earth. There we’ll forever be with Him, delighting in Him as He delights in us.

Here on earth, our adversities move us to desire His presence. Here in our psalm, the writer’s affliction moves Him to desire God’s dwelling place and His altar. But may the relationship we find there continue on, even after “these calamities pass by”.

Isn’t it great we can enjoy such a relationship now? Lord help us know You better and better and may it be true that whether in adversity or not we find in You “the joy of our rejoicing.”