Psalm 86:16,17 – Conclusion of the Matter

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

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me. Give Your strength to Your servant and deliver the son of Your handmaid. ¹⁷Make with me a sign to good and ones hating me will see and be ashamed because You LORD have helped me and comforted me.

This entire prayer has been motivated by a particular incident in David’s life where the hate-brigade has him in their sights. No one knows exactly what is the particular nature of their hatred but, for the sake of Scripture, that really isn’t important. Obviously David’s prayer is suited for any such attack, whether it be the hate-brigade, the devil himself, or whatever kid of threat it might be.

David prays in conclusion, “Turn to me.” One should remember that the Lord is a great King with many, many people seeking audience with Him and with many matters of great import demanding His attention. In the midst of all of that, David asks Him, “Turn to me.” “In the midst of all Your kingly business, I would ask a moment of Your attention.”

And then he implores, “Be gracious to me.” The Hebrew word translated “be gracious” is exactly that, the act of a superior granting favor (not necessarily merited in any way) to an inferior, as a king granting to a subject or a master to his servant. That is truly what each of us needs. We need the great King to grant us acts of favor, regardless of whether we deserve it or not. We simply need it.

The particular grace David asks for is the Lord’s strength and deliverance. Strength is certainly what we all need to face the trials and threats and challenges of our life. I so easily lose sight of love. I so easily lose sight of treasuring relationships. I so easily lose sight of the things that really matter. And I am so easily confused. I so easily give up. Lord, grant me the strength to keep my gaze fixed on Jesus and to be Your representative, no matter what it costs or what I have to fear.

He adds that he is the “son of Your handmaid.” In the times of slavery, if a child was born to a master’s slave-girl, he automatically became the servant of that master. He could potentially be seen as especially valuable to his master since he was actually born in his house. If he had some need, he could remind the master that he was not just a slave who had been bought along the way, but actually born in his house. So David alludes, apparently, to his own mother. This is, as far as I know, the only allusion in the Bible to David’s mother’s character. I don’t believe we are ever given her name. His father was Jesse, of course, but I don’t believe we’re ever given his mother’s name. But here, apparently, David reminds the Lord that his mother was a godly woman, and that being the case, he was then “born in the Master’s house.” Certainly anyone who can attest to godly parents and grandparents can certainly bring that before the Lord as further reason for Him to come to our aid. He wants to bless “thousands of generations of them that love Him.” Godly parents and grandparents invest a lifetime of prayers and heartlove for their children and grandchildren. Whether they are still living or not, it is a kindness of the Lord that he will bless their children for their sake, just as He blessed many of Israel and then Judah’s kings “for the sake of my servant David.” So may we implore that blessing if we’ve enjoyed the benefit of godly ancestors.

Finally David asks the Lord to help him in such a way that his enemies will see it and somehow know that it was the Lord who helped him and comforted him. I don’t know how much other people have been able to see “it was the Lord who helped me” but I am certainly aware of many, many, many times when He has helped me face whatever He put in front of me. At 55, I am amazed how much he has helped me at work. He has made me way better than I am. I have faced so many problems and projects where I really didn’t know what I was going to do, or where things could have gone really badly or really well. And again, and again, He has helped me. And once again, what I see is that He has made me way better than I am. I’ve accomplished so much that really was far beyond me. But again, and again I am very aware of specific ways and instances where he stepped in helped me see something I could never have seen, helped me figure out something I could never have figured out, moved other people to do things I could never have somehow extracted from them, made things work that were simply far out of my control.

He is just so good that way. I am just floored by His kindness. Like David, every time I face new challenges, I need to remember all that past kindness and be the more determined to be loving and faithful right through it, no matter what.

I think that is the big point of Psalm 86. We need to keep in the very focus of our minds that our God is gracious, compassionate, forgiving, faithful, and abounding in loving-kindness. Then as we face our various challenges throughout our day, big or small, we need to keep on loving, assured that our good God will giv us joy and strength and help at just the right times.

He’s that kind of God. May our hearts be so full of His love that we find trusting Him habitual. He certainly deserves it.

And now, unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above anything we could ask or think, to Him be the glory throughout all the ages, world without end. Amen.

Psalm 86:14,15 – Contrasts

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

¹⁴O God, proud ones rise against me, and a group of violent ones seek my soul, and they have not set You before them, ¹⁵but You Adonai [are] a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and great [in] loving-kindness and faithfulness.

Last post I noted the existence of the hate-brigades, the people who will oppose you no matter how good or right your cause. As I noted there, unfortunately, if we don’t vigilantly, prayerfully guard our own souls against the sin of pride, we actually ourselves become the hate brigade for someone else’s good cause. The problem with us people is we’re just a fallen, wrecked bunch, all desperately in need of a Redeemer.

But, against this backdrop of human maliciousness, in verse 15 David contrasts it all with who God is: but You Adonai [are] a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and great [in] loving-kindness and faithfulness. Wow. What a combination of attributes. What more could we ask for? Just pause a moment and think about these five qualities and then marvel that this is who our God is! It is the very salvation of our souls that our God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and great in loving-kindness and faithfulness. If He was anything less we’d have all long since dropped into hell. But thankfully for us, He is who He is.

What better God could we ask for? And what better friend? What better Father? If only we could get this knowledge, this image of God fixed in our minds. If only we could so believe it and embrace it by faith that our minds never lost sight of such divine beneficence. Then we’d have no trouble trusting Him implicitly. I’m reminded of the words to the song, “You’re everything I’ve hoped for; You’re everything I need. You are so beautiful to me.” I would pray again, “Lord, unite my heart, give me a single focus, to see You clearly for who You really are. May my heart never lose sight of the wonder of Your compassion, graciousness, patience, loving-kindness, and faithfulness.

Incidentally, I just want to interject that the Hebrew word translated “compassionate” is from the same root letters as the word for a mother’s womb. In Hebrew, the idea of compassionate includes the whole picture of the very deep love, the affection, the feelings of a mother toward her tiny baby. Again, pause and consider that is how our God sees us. Amazing love. How can it be?

Back to the contrast, what is both sad and encouraging is that we were made in God’s image. We were made to be like Him. It is sad that people are proud and violent and inject misery into each other’s existence, when from their very creation they were intended to be compassionate, gracious, patient, and great in loving-kindness and faithfulness. But there is a Redeemer! And He came to redeem! That very God of compassion, graciousness, patience, loving-kindness, and faithfulness came to earth to be our Savior, to redeem our broken perverted race, to call us to Himself, and to restore us into that image. And for those who embrace that love, He promises that all things will work together for the amazing good that we should be conformed to that image – the image of Christ – the One who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and great in loving-kindness and faithfulness!

Oh that we would be that kind of friend, that kind of parent, that kind of boss and co-worker. Oh to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer. Adam’s image now efface, stamp Thine image in its place.

On the one hand, for now reality has to be that I simply cannot expect to escape people’s meanness and cruelty. But even as I see it and suffer from it, may my heart be all the more enamored with the wonder of who my God is. And as I learn to fix my gaze on Him, may He change me into His likeness.

Second Adam from above, reinstate us in Thy love!

Psalm 86:14 – Opposition

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

¹⁴O God, proud ones rise against me, and a group of violent ones seek my soul, and they have not set You before them.

Hmmmm. Several thoughts cross my mind. First is that Jesus Himself could have prayed this exact prayer. We shouldn’t be surprised to suffer the same fate. Jesus never did anything but love people. He taught them the truth, healed them, fed them, and sought always to do them good. Unfortunately there was a group of proud, violent men always waiting in the shadows for a chance to kill Him! And kill Him they did.

It has long been my observation in this world that no matter how good a cause you may champion, no matter how worthy a project you might try to implement, no matter how sincere your love for a group of people, there will always be fierce, mean, hateful opposition. A man told me once about a particular issue which he felt he should confront and asked my opinion. I told him he was right but, if he chose to pursue it, he should realize that, before it was over, it would cost him his life. If it was worth that, then, yes, he should dive in. I didn’t say that to discourage him, but only to make him count the cost. Too often people (including myself) dive into such things imagining that a good cause will enjoy the support of most people. Instead, you get seemingly nothing but opposition and hatred. The better part of wisdom is to realize that going in.

When we see that is what Jesus got, it should sober us all. No more imagining ourselves carried along on a wave of adulation. Even when we do seem to enjoy widespread public support, we’d better remember that’s what Jesus got on Palm Sunday. Less than a week later they crucified Him.

I’ve heard them called the “hate-brigade.” In one town, the clerk told me they are the C.A.V.E. people – Citizens Against Virtually Everything. No matter what you try to accomplish, they are always there, fighting against you.

David was a good man. He was a good king. He intended to do his people good. Yet here we find him deeply afflicted by his own personal hate-brigade. It is interesting to note that his response was not to give up the cause but rather to take the matter to the Lord in prayer. Just like Jesus.

A disturbing thought is to realize the very people who opposed Jesus and who were in fact responsible for His murder were the religious establishment of His day. The very group from which Jesus should have enjoyed the most sincere support instead were His most bitter enemies. The Pharisees were the “fundamentalists” of their day – the people who seemed most committed to the Scriptures and to living a religious life. But the truth is, as much as they all impressed each other, their religion was a totally external sham, a religion of do’s and don’ts, of legalistic self-righteousness, and devoid of any real relationship with God. As a result, they had no heart for a man like Jesus, a man who was too busy loving God and people to pay any attention to their “rules.” So they crucified Him.

The scary fallout from this is to realize that, even if we think we are the champions of faith in this world, we’d better take serious stock of our hearts before God. David exposes in this verse the root problem – pride. Presumption, arrogance, insolence. The most hideous thing about pride to me is that, even though it is horrifically ugly, if it’s my problem I can’t see it. Pride blinds me to itself. I never detect it because I see it in my life. I first detect its symptoms, then as I pray for God’s help, I will actually finally see it, so I can repent of it. But it is an elusive evil. The Pharisees didn’t think they were proud. They were quite sure they were right! Yet they crucified the Messiah Himself.

If we are not vigilant, if we don’t sincerely try to guard against this subtle sin, then one way or another we will join the hate-brigade. Yes. Us. We need to beg God to deliver us from the sin of pride. Even the religious establishment itself becomes satan’s minions when their hearts are full of pride. God help us.

So, as I live my life, even if I think I’m pursuing good causes, I shouldn’t be surprised when I get not adulation but rather bitter opposition. Before I take up a cause, I should honestly count the cost – am I willing to endure the opposition? Can I proceed expecting it? And will I stay the course to the end, regardless? Rather than giving up in the middle, can I resolve to take the opposition to the Lord in prayer?

Secondly, God deliver me from the sin of pride. I don’t want to join someone else’s hate-brigade. Obviously from this verse, if I allow myself to live in the sin of pride, one way or another I will become one of the “violent” ones and fail to set the Lord before me. I will one way or another oppose someone sincerely trying to do good. I could even end up crucifying the Messiah! I DON”T want to do that. I don’t want to be that kind of person. Yet pride is the very skin I live in. Good thing His name is Jesus. “… for He shall save His people from their sins.”

Lord help us to stay the course even when proud people oppose us – even if it is the very religious establishment itself – and God deliver us from our own pride, lest we become the opposers. Give us the grace instead, to truly be supportive and encouraging to those who are trying to do right.

Psalm 86:11-13 – The Anatomy of Trust

 As I included in my last post, here is my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹¹Teach me Your way, LORD. I will walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name. ¹²I will praise You, Adonai my God, in the all of my heart. I will honor Your name to ages, ¹³because Your lovingkindness [is] great toward me and You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.

As I said last time, as I study these verses, so many thoughts flood my mind. I’ll try to record a few more here:

In verse 11 David prayed, “Unite my heart to fear Your name.” In verse 12 he goes on to say, “I will praise You, Lord, with all my heart.” First he wants his heart united, then he would praise the Lord with all of that heart. All our heart. That is what the Lord desires and certainly what He deserves.

I’m reminded of the Rio Grande River which flows down through the West and into the Gulf of Mexico – except for one problem. It never makes it. All along its path, so many people draw out its water that it never reaches the Gulf. So like our hearts. We would praise God with all our hearts except that after so many other allurements we never quite make it to His throne. Lord, deliver us. May we not squander our hearts gathering straws but rather give them totally to You. Grant us grace to rise above ourselves so that in fact we truly can praise You with all our hearts.

David then adds that he would “honor Your name to the ages.” Back in verse 9, he noted how all the nations (the Gentiles) would honor His name. But David would not be left behind. He too has every intention of joining that happy throng of angels, Israelites, and Gentiles as they honor the Lord’s name together one day. And he intends to start the practice now. In verse 11 he desired the Lord to unite his heart to “fear Your name.” Here he would “honor Your name.” Fearing, honoring, praising – they all coalesce in the wonder of who God is.

Perhaps from a slightly different angle, honoring the name of the Lord is a very immediate and practical affair. We want not only our words but our lives as well to bring Him honor. I want to always be aware that the choices I’m making, the words I’m saying, the way I’m living is all something that can actually honor the Lord’s name. So much of what supposed Christians do actually dishonors God’s name in this world. It’s a wonder that anyone ever comes to the Lord. But I am certainly no different. I am deeply ashamed of what an idiot I have been. Proud, self-righteous, arrogant, cruel legalist. I’ve been way too much of that. Like I said, it’s a wonder anyone ever comes to the Lord when we believers live such dishonorable lives. If we’re the only Jesus they ever see, it is an eternal tragedy they don’t see who He really is.

But God help me (us). I (we) would be different! I want my life to honor Him. God help me as I go to work that love and faithfulness would never leave me. As I interact with my family and friends, may I be a loving, forgiving, encouraging person. Take this feeble twisted wreck of a soul and truly let Jesus live through me.

Then David goes on to explain himself. He has said he would praise the Lord with all his heart and honor His name to the ages. Then he adds “because …” These are always blessed places to pause. David was a man after God’s own heart. He was a genuine believer. As I have related above, I can concur with David in his desire to praise and honor the Lord. Those things I understand. But when one of God’s people says “because…” we are offered the unparalleled treasure of knowing their heart. Why, David? Why exactly are you moved to want to praise and honor God? What in particular moves you? All we have to do is keep reading. When he says, “because…,” he is about to share his heart with us!

So “because” why? Why would you praise and honor God? Read verse 13 again. It is because “great is Your loving kindness to me and You’ve delivered my soul from the deepest Sheol.” Back in verse 3 David said he would lift up his soul to the Lord “because You are good and forgiving and abounding in loving kindness to all who call on You.” Pause and think about this. What David is saying is that love begets love. What we have before us is a real relationship. I suspect that for too much of my life and for too many people, we think we should praise God simply because we should. It’s the right thing to do. Or perhaps in some people’s heart of hearts they see Him as sitting on His throne demanding it. Praise Him or else. But this is something so much better. David had it and we can too. A real relationship with God. A love relationship. A mutual love relationship. I feel like in a lot of ways I’ve just begun to understand this in the last few years.

I know I should trust God. I want to trust Him. But I am more and more convinced that trust should be born of love. On the one hand I can try to “trust” Him because I know the facts – that He is great and all-powerful, that He is omniscient, that He has promised to do me good, etc., etc. But how much better to constantly feed on His great love, His great goodness and forgiveness, the amazing deliverance I’ve already enjoyed in so many ways. When I am seeing His love for me, the way He has already delivered me, why shouldn’t I trust Him?

Perhaps this is part of the united heart, the single-mindedness, the fixed gaze. As discussed above, we need to be looking to Him. But who is the Him we’re looking to? What are we seeing when we’re “looking”? I would think that, when Peter was looking at Jesus, he was seeing Him, that he was seeing the assurance of His great love. As long as he saw that, he could walk on water. To look away and see the wind and waves wasn’t just “looking away” but it was actually losing sight of this great love that would have carried him.

Right now, in my own life, I am under an enormous amount of pressure coming from several different directions at once. Way more than I’ve ever experienced in my life. I am quite sure without God I simply couldn’t handle it. But I want to do more than just “handle” it. I want to enjoy life and enjoy God even as I work my way through all of it. I know the key is to trust Him. But that seems like a very fragile grasp for me. I suspect herein is at least part of the answer – what I need to do is try to constantly feed on His great love. I need to try to keep my mind filled with it. And when I see the wind and the waves, it is this great love I need to look back to and cling to. If I’m seeing this great love, then it isn’t that hard to trust Him.

Lord help me be like David. Help me praise You and lift up my soul to You because You are good and forgiving and great in loving kindness to all who call on You, because I already know You’ve delivered me from the deepest Sheol.

I’m really going to try to keep this focus. The particular pressures I’m under right now are probably going to be here in raging intensity for at least a couple or three months. I know I’m going to fail. Like Peter I will see the wind and waves and lose it. But I pray for the grace to get up again and again and keep trying to focus my mind of this great love. When this is over, may it be true that I trusted Him because I love Him, because He loves me. And may it be true that I learned to trust Him – and to love Him – more than I ever have before!

Psalm 86:11-13 – Students

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

¹¹Teach me Your way, LORD. I will walk in Your truth. Unite my heart to fear Your name. ¹²I will praise You, Adonai my God, in the all of my heart. I will honor Your name to ages, ¹³because Your lovingkindness [is] great toward me and You have delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.

As I study these verses, so many thoughts flood my mind. This section will take more than one post, I’m sure. Here are some thoughts to start with:

In verse 11, David says, “Teach me Your way, LORD. I will walk in Your truth”. Remember that the context here is that David is in trouble of some kind. He could simply pray, “Lord, get me out of this!” Instead, he prays, “Teach me Your way.” As much as I may want to “get out” of my troubles, it is actually far more important that I let God teach me through them. Although He may have other purposes, it is generally true that He allows trouble in my life specifically because He is trying to teach me something. So am I a willing student? Or am I too busy whining to see the value in what is happening? The greatest regret from any trouble will not be that it happened but that I failed to learn what the Lord could have taught me. Lord help me be a willing student in Your school of life.

Then David adds, “I will walk in Your truth.” Shifting gears a little, when it comes to God’s teaching, the appropriate response is that we should walk in the truth He teaches us. Herein is a great deficiency in our sin-sick souls. Like the “Sower and the Seed,” so much teaching falls on bad ground. Apparently, one of the deepest traps is, having heard teaching, we therefore think we’ve “got it” and go merrily along. It is beyond shocking to me how people can spend years and years in church, hear sermon after sermon, sometimes three or four (or more) a week, and be utterly unchanged. Perhaps they attend church simply as a religious checklist. Just being there makes them “okay.” Perhaps they’re so mired in the politics and relationships and programs of the church, they simply don’t hear what’s being taught. There are no doubt as many explanations as there are sin-cursed hearts. But here is one sure remedy – that we would sincerely pray, “Lord, teach me Your way and I will walk in Your truth.” Always our hearts should be intent on application as we sit under Bible teaching, and as we read and study our own Bibles.  We should have a holy discontent until the “lights come on,” until we see clearly how this teaching affects my daily life. We should say, “I want God to teach me His way, but that job isn’t done until I can actually walk in that truth.” God deliver us from our sin-sick heart and the ignorant stupor it breeds. May our hearts truly remain restless till they find rest in Thee.

David goes on to say, “Unite my heart to fear Your name”.  Ah, here we have another affliction of our fallen souls. Double-mindedness. Hebrews 12 urges us to have our “gaze fixed on Jesus.” The only rightful place to fix our gaze is on Jesus. He alone deserves our undivided allegiance. Looking at Jesus, Peter could walk on the water. It was when he looked instead at the wind and the waves that he began to sink. In Isaiah 41:10, we are instructed to “Fear not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God.” The phrase, “Be not dismayed,” could actually be translated, “Don’t be furtively glancing around.” “I am thy God.” “Look at Me.” “Look to Me.” “Whatever it is you’re fearing, quit focusing on it. Quit glancing around hoping for some other deliverance. Look at Me.”                      

This is what our hearts need. Singlemindedness. “Unite my heart to fear Your name,” David prays. Our sinfulness can be described as pride or as selfishness or a lot of other things. But “fearfulness” is another way of seeing it. When we don’t fear God aright, then our poor hearts get slain by a million other lesser fears. And sinful fear drives us to make very bad decisions, which only get us into deeper trouble, which only leads us to fear more, which only leads to more bad decisions … What I need is a heart that single-mindedly gives fear only to Him who deserves it. And fearing Him liberates me from all those other fears. It gives me a clear mind to make good decisions, even when seemingly drowning in troubles and threats. Fear makes us sniveling, pathetic creatures. A right fear of God will raise us up into courageous, resolute people who can face trouble head on and standing up straight. None of us wants to be like the double-minded man in James who is “unstable in all his ways.” But unfortunately, our very existence as believers is a war between our flesh and the Spirit. We must be resolved to let the Spirit win, but first, we must realize our utter helplessness and cry out to our Deliverer, “Unite my heart to fear Your name!” Give me an undivided heart. Help me to be single-minded. Left to myself, I am a hopeless mire of pride, selfishness, and fear. Raise me up. In those moments of decision, give me a heart to walk in Your truth. When I fail, forgive my foolishness and raise me up stronger. Unite my heart, O God.

May You find us willing students. May you find us practicing students. And may You find us single-minded students. You certainly deserve it.

Psalm 86:8-10 – Prayer and Our God – 2

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

⁸[There] is none like You among [the] gods, Adonai, and none like Your doings. ⁹All [the] Gentiles which You have made will come and bow down to Your face, Adonai, and honor Your name, ¹⁰ because You [are] great and doing amazing things. You [are] God alone.

As I study these verses, it strikes me that really the Psalm consists of requests in vv. 1-5, which then pick up again in verse 14, while the section from verse 6 through 13 is basically a study in the Doctrine of God.

These words may sound threateningly dry, “a study in the Doctrine of God,” but as I noted in the last post, as Spurgeon says, “Prayer itself derives from the nature of God.” Certainly the youngest child or the most uninformed adult can cry out to God in their distress, but how much better to actually know Him. How much better, like David, to be able to frame our praying, even our cries, upon a sure knowledge of this God with Whom we have to do.

Many years ago, I noticed in the Psalms how the writers, mingled with their requests, often pause to rehearse in their minds just who God is. It was clear to me this is an excellent practice. It is essentially worship but it necessarily gives a supernatural strength to those prayers. When I come to pray, I am so often nearly overcome with the griefs and pains of life, like David when he prayed, “The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in darkness, like those long dead” (Ps. 143:3). I can simply rehearse all my sorrows to God and beg His deliverance – and walk away not encouraged at all.  But if I will stop myself and ponder on the person of this God to Whom I cry, I find my heart lifting, the despair lightening, and even a strength (and even a wee little bit of joy) arising in my trembling heart.

What David does here in this Psalm is case-in-point. In verse 1 he opened with, “Extend Your ear, LORD; answer me, because I [am] miserable (afflicted) and needy (in dire straits)”. Later in verse 14 he will say, “The arrogant are attacking me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life …” How could anyone find encouragement in such a situation? That is exactly my point. David’s encouragement doesn’t come from the simple fact that he prayed, that he told God his troubles. His encouragement comes from the truths of verses 5 through 13 – the Person of God.

In verse 5, he rehearsed that the Lord is good, forgiving, and abounding in love to all who call on Him. As I wrote in the last post, each of those truths is a jewel of strength and encouragement even in the midst of our storms. But David goes on now in verses 8-10. In a sense verses 5-7 established that God is good – which is a good thing. But I think verses 8-10 establish that He is great. To truly be encouraged, one needs to be assured of both! We must be assured that our God is both great and good! What comfort would there be to know our God is good if He were not great, if He somehow lacked the power to actually deliver us? On the other hand, what a scary world it would be if our God were great but not necessarily good??? I have known times when it seemed my dying breath was to remember that “all things work together for good.” And why is that so absolutely true? Because God is good. And I can be assured it will “work together” for good because God is great. “He can work it out” we remind ourselves.

Go back and read verses 8-10 again. All over the world, the “nations” and peoples have embraced gods of all sorts of names. But there is none that even compares to our God. “There is none like You.” How unlike satan, who said, “I will be like the Most High!” But how like the archangel Michael, whose very name means “Who [is] like God?” (Mi-cha-El?). In fact, our God is so great, that although the nations worship a pantheon of their fabricated gods, the day will come when all will recognize their folly and come to worship at the throne of our great God. He alone is God.

We can pray, we can be encouraged in prayer, we can emerge from those prayers actually helped and encouraged and strengthened because of Who God is. But it requires that we, like David, pause in our tears to deliberately rehearse in our minds the greatness and goodness of our God, to ponder His love, His forgiveness, His power, His wisdom. Only in the light of Who He is, can we find the strength and the joy to face another day with hope.

One final thought is – I hope the more I know such a God as this, the more I enjoy the blessings of His love, the more it will make me like Him toward the people around me. I can come to Him assured I’ll find Him good and forgiving and abounding in love when I call to Him. I hope my children always felt free to climb in their Daddy’s lap assured they would find me good and forgiving and abounding in love toward them. I hope my wife finds me that way, and the people I work with. The world is a hard, cold place. But, as we would know this great and good God, as we would treasure the love of our Christ Who died for us and rose again, as we would come again and again to Him in our prayers and find Him embracing us, may we more and more be made in His image.

Psalm 86:5-7 – Prayer and Our God

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

⁵Because You, Adonai, [are] good and forgiving and abounding [in] love to all ones calling on You. ⁶Hear, LORD, my prayer and be attentive in the voice of my request for favor. ⁷In the day of my distress I will call to You, because You will answer me.

Some miscellaneous notes: In verse 5, as in verses 3 and 4, David refers to the Lord as Adonai. This is the name that actually gets translated in the OT as “Lord” as opposed to the name Yahveh (YHVH, Jehovah) which gets translated “LORD.” Adonai means literally “master.” I’ve always loved this name Adonai, Master. One old commentator once noted (since he still lived in the days of slavery) that one could see a group of servants and they were all well dressed, healthy, and cheerful, then see another group that was shabbily dressed, sickly, and bedraggled. What was the difference? Their master.  The Lord is my Master – and I’m one of those well-cared for, loved servants. “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not lack.”

Interesting too, in verse 5, the word for forgiving is a word only used of God. That makes me think of Isa 55:7-8, “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.” Only God forgives like He forgives. True believers long to forgive like He does but it is ever an effort of faith. God forgives because He is forgiving. Unlike us, it is His nature.

… Which leads me to probably my major thought rising from these verses, which is to marvel at Who God is. I remember noticing many years ago that prayer is a very doctrinal business, a very theological business. What I mean is, I realized that practically every doctrine we study, every point of theology all coalesces in the business of prayer. Prayer is all about Who God is. Spurgeon said, “Prayer itself derives from the nature of God.” David says, joining verses 4 and 5, “… I lift up my soul to You, because You Lord are good and forgiving and abounding in love to all who call upon You.” We could pause here and spend weeks studying the goodness of God, then the forgiveness of God, then His love, then the very fact that He allows people to call on Him. Such a study could only make us better pray-ers. Spurgeon was right, “Prayer itself derives from the nature of God.”

We can pray because of Who God is. To know Him better can only be to pray to Him more.

One commentator suggested that people must not be pray-ers who can study theology and turn it up dry and uninteresting. The very act of prayer makes theology live. Our prayers will be “good” prayers only to the extent we understand our theology, or should I say to the extent we truly know God. To know Him better can only make us to pray more.

The Psalm before us is case in point. David is coming to God in a time of distress. He himself is confident he can lift up his soul to the Lord, because He is “good and forgiving and abounding in love”. In the ancient world, many of the people’s gods were not good. Many of the ancient gods were fickle and vindictive and even sometimes sinister. But we need have no such worry. Our God is good. Every fiber of His being is good. He is all goodness. And we can go to Him in prayer with confidence because of that absolutely faithful goodness. It is sad to hear believers talk about God as if He were fickle or capricious. Such thoughts only reveal that person’s immaturity. But thankfully they can grow out of such thoughts because the God to Whom they pray is good. The more they know Him the more they themselves will find Him good. Because He is.

But, as Spurgeon also said, “It were not enough for God to be good in general, did He not also extend to sinners His forgiving mercy …” He is good and forgiving. Once again, David can go to God in his distress confidently because our God is forgiving. Perceived guilt is one of the great hindrances to prayer during times of distress. I have heard people weeping in deep distress say things like, “I don’t know if God will hear me because of …” Once again, it is a matter of knowing God. Perhaps I have unconfessed sin in my life. Perhaps I really do. But how hard is confession? I only need to own my sin and ask His forgiveness. And He is forgiving. But what if the problem is not any particular sin but simply my sinfulness? I can still go to Him confidently because He is forgiving. The entire plan of redemption and the Cross are driven by the forgiveness of God. God longs to have relationships with His creation. He is forgiving. So He Himself made a way that a fallen creation could be forgiven. Then He Himself says, “… since we have a great High Priest, Jesus, … let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:14-16). Prayer is possible for us misfits because our God is forgiving!

And He abounds in love to all who call on Him. Abounds. He abounds in love to all who call on Him. I dare say we cannot ponder enough the love of God. The more one truly knows God the more and more we stand amazed at this incomprehensible love. Oh the depth and the height and the length and the breadth of the love of Christ, which passes knowledge! I love Zeph 3:17: “The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” The more we believe this, how can it not draw us more constantly into prayer?

As Spurgeon said, “Prayer itself derives from the nature of God.” … and what a nature that is! To know Him more is only to wonder more, to love Him more, and to find more and more that He fills all of our minds all of the time.

Psalm 86:3,4 – Pondering Joy

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

³Be gracious to me, Adonai, because to You I call all the day. ⁴Gladden the soul of Your servant because to You, Adonai, I lift up my soul.

Practically every word or phrase in these two verses is loaded with instruction and encouragement. But for me personally, what stands out is the reference here to joy. David says in verse 4, “Gladden the soul of Your servant.” The Hebrew word I’ve translated “gladden” is a root word that means literally “to brighten” or even “to lift up.” It can be translated “Give joy.” David is asking the Lord to give him joy in the midst of whatever he is facing.

Joy. An interesting subject. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace …” I noticed several years ago that I could read through the list of the fruits of the Spirit and feel I definitely know the presence of each one in my Christian life … except joy. I feel I’ve learned very little of real Holy Spirit joy. I certainly know what it is to be happy, to have happy (even joyful) things in my life. I know what joy is specifically when I’m thinking about God, about His love for me, His gracious oversight of my life, etc. But I feel those are like fleeting glimpses compared to the real thing. I know that real joy is something much deeper than that. And I just haven’t felt I knew much about it.

I have compared it to the man standing in the Wal-Mart parking lot with three fingers slammed shut in his car door … which unfortunately is also locked. As he stands there in pain, one could ask, “Are you thankful for the beautiful sunshine today?” “Are you thankful you have a wife and three wonderful children?” “Are you thankful you have a job?” He could answer yes to each of those questions. “So would you describe yourself as a joyful man?”  “What do you mean joyful?” he asks, “IT HURTS!!”

That is where my enigma has entered. How can I be “joyful” when life is so full of pain? Do I have things that make me joyful? Yes. Do I find joy in the Lord? Yes. But I also have a lot of pain that never seems to let up. This world is truly a “Valley of Bacah.” So how does one have Holy Spirit joy in the middle of it all? At this point, one can throw out pat answers and clichés, but I’m talking about being real. Really. How can I actually really have some kind of on-going, underlying Holy Spirit joy even while the fingers of my life are pinched in the door?

The first time I began to glimpse the answer to my question was the first time I realized that Peter walked on the water in a storm. Peter experienced that miracle in a storm they all thought would drown them. He walked on the water in the storm as long as he kept his eyes on Jesus. But it was in the storm. While we’re in the storms – while our fingers are pinched in the door – like Peter, we have to keep our eyes on Jesus. We have to prayerfully, sincerely try to never let up seeing Him in the storm with us, see His sovereign hand over it, see His great eternal purposes in it, embrace His love even in it. Then I find there is in fact a supernatural strength, even a joy in that storm, in that pain.

 I feel like I’m barely touching this truth. My soul grasps it feebly. And yet it is there. And I believe it really is Holy Spirit joy – the fruit of the Spirit. Not just the fleeting joy of happy circumstances but a joy that lives and breathes even as I’m dying, even as the pain of life seems unbearable. I feel what I need is just more “practice,” more time deliberately spent sincerely trying to keep my focus, to keep my gaze fixed on Jesus, to be seeing Him even in the storms. I don’t like the fact that this means I need more storms to practice in (!). I don’t want any more storms. I don’t want any more pain. But then again, I do want to see Jesus in the storm. I want to walk on the water with Him. And that takes storms. I’m glad in His own trials, He prayed, “Not my will, but Thine be done.” I’m not asking for pain, but I am asking for the strength and grace to learn a joy that really is above circumstances, good or bad. “Bring joy to Your servant, Adonai, for I lift up my soul to You.”

Another thought before I stop: as I pointed out above, the Hebrew word means literally “to brighten” or even “to lift up.” That’s really what joy is. From within one’s soul, joy is a brightening, a lifting up. The opposite is of course “to darken” and “to push down.” The natural effect of pain and trouble is to darken our lives, to push us down, even to crush us. And we all have plenty of that. I think this is why it has to be Holy Spirit joy. It can’t just be happy circumstances. Those are great but they don’t help when suddenly something else darkens my world and knocks me down. Something supernatural has to happen for me to be brightened though my world goes dark, to feel “lifted up” while troubles are crushing me down. And what is that something? It is essentially faith. Faith practiced. Faith applied. Standing on the promises. Seeing Jesus, truly seeing Him, in the storm. I’m thinking it helps to know exactly what is this Holy Spirit joy, what exactly it is that I might experience – and this is what it is – a brightening or a lifting up of my heart at all times, good or seemingly bad.

And finally, knowing this, it is interesting that David asks the Lord to brighten his world, to lift him up. We want God to do that for us. But shouldn’t we do that for others? Wouldn’t it make a great goal to actually seek opportunities all through our day to deliberately “brighten” someone else’s world? We can’t give them Holy Spirit joy, but still we can sincerely try not to be a dark cloud, try to be a brightening presence – by saying things to brighten someone else’s day, to do something that “lifts” their spirit. Only God Himself can give Holy Spirit joy, but I am thinking that, while I try to let Him do that in my life, I should be constantly aware of how much it means to me, then try in my own feeble way to do the same for others. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” (Prov 12:25). “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov 17:22).

Joy is a good thing. Our worlds could all use a whole lot more of it.

Psalm 86:1,2 – Blessed Assurance

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

¹A Prayer of David.

Extend Your ear, LORD; answer me, because I [am] miserable (afflicted) and needy (in dire straits). ²Keep close watch over my soul because I [am] a loved one [of You]. You, my God, deliver Your servant, one trusting recklessly in You.

Lots of things cross my mind as I’ve pondered these verses.

First of all, I have to pause and ponder the unspeakable blessing of who our God is. In verse 15, David will say, “But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”    How can I be anything but eternally grateful that my God is not a stern heartless cruel king? He could be. Too many people thing He is. Too many people teach such that is what people think He is like. But the true God is “compassionate and gracious.” He said so Himself in Exodus 34:6,7, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, …”

David, like us, finds himself “miserable and needy.” How can I ever thank God enough, that in those times, I can call to Him, “Incline Your ear, O LORD, hear me …” in the assurance He actually cares?? Hmmmm. “Love divine, all loves excelling.” Blessed assurance!

I like the metaphor “extend your ear, LORD.” We could translate it, “Incline Your ear” but I chose “extend” because that is the basic meaning of the Hebrew word. Think about it. So often, when someone actually cares, when they actually want to hear what you’re saying, they “incline their ear” toward you. It’s probably rarely something we do consciously, but when we do it, we are in fact communicating to a person that what they are saying is important to us. So, drawing from this human inclination, David asks God to do the same thing, “Extend Your ear.” Isn’t it amazing that we could even dream the God of the Universe, while He keeps the galaxies spinning, would incline His ear to us when we call? How amazing to find such tenderness in The Infinite?

David asks God for this gracious favor because he is “miserable (afflicted) and needy (in dire straits).” I chose to offer some explanation in parenthesis because it is hard to communicate in English the Hebrew word pictures. The first word pictures someone actually being afflicted in some way with the attending sense of misery. The second speaks of someone lacking some necessity, as someone facing bills with nothing to pay them. If you pause and ponder on those pictures, you’ll realize they overlap to a large extent, though their root meanings differ. They both speak of the whole problem of human miseries, whatever their source.

We all know what it is to be miserable and needy. Again, what an inestimable blessing, that in those times we can call out to God!

It is a good thing to know I’m needy. It is a good thing to be in dire straits if they draw our hearts toward God. No one wants to suffer (definitely including me!) but it is sadly true that is often what it takes for us humans to seek our God. Then, in our misery and needs, let us in fact “come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need!”

In verse 2, David implores the Lord to “guard” his soul. The word mean to “keep a close watch over” something, and thus to guard, keep, protect. We live our lives in a world of mortal physical and spiritual dangers. May in fact God be the guard over our souls!

He then says literally, “because I [am] a hassid.” Hassid comes from the word for love, hesed. If one consults commentaries and lexicons, this is one of those words that gets a few hundred translations, varying from “loved one” to “devoted,” to “holy,” to “godly,” and a whole host of others. I think this is just another case where there simply is no English word suitable to translate all the color and meaning of the Hebrew “hassid.” The root idea definitely seems to me to be the love relationship between two persons, which then easily morphs into “devoted” as in a marriage, which then easily morphs into “holy” or “godly” in one’s relationship with God. But still I think the root idea is that strong love relationship. David is asking God to guard his soul because of the relationship the two enjoy. Of course, the Lord would want to guard and protect him. He loves him.

Finally, I love the last line, “You, my God, deliver Your servant, one trusting recklessly in You.” English translations usually just say “trust” but I like to add the “recklessly” since that is the meaning of the Hebrew verb “batach.” It is not only “to trust” but actually to cast your soul, your life, your hope, your future on God.

Salvation itself begins when we literally hang our eternal souls on the nail of God’s promise, goodness, and love in Christ. We literally entrust to Him the difference between an eternity in Heaven or hell. But that kind of reckless trust doesn’t stop there. It is the very blood that runs in a true believer’s veins.

And, if I may bring this all full circle, we can in fact confidently and recklessly cast our hope on the God of the Bible, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because He is a God of love, compassion, mercy, and faithfulness. It’s just who He is … praise His name!

“Nothing is more suitable to the nature of God than to succour the afflicted: and the more severely anyone is oppressed, and the more destitute he is of the resources of human aid, the more inclined is God graciously to help him.” (John Calvin)

Galatians 3:19-29 – Pondering Legalism and Faith

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

¹⁹Then what is the law? It was added on account of the deviations, until the Seed to whom it was promised should come, being arranged through angels in hand of a mediator. ²⁰But the mediator is not of one, but God is one.”

²¹Therefore, [is] the law against the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law was given [which was] able to impart life, then truly the righteousness would have been out of law. ²⁰But, on the contrary, the Scripture bound together the all under sin in order that the promise might be given to the ones believing out of faith of Jesus Christ. ²³But we were all being kept under guard [as] ones bound under law before that faith came, kept for that faith about to be revealed; ²⁴so that the law became our pedagogue into Christ that we might be justified out of faith, ²⁵but we are no longer under a pedagogue coming of that faith.

²⁶For [you] all are sons of God through that faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For whoever of you were baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. ²⁸There is not Jew nor Greek. There is not slave nor free. There is not male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus; ²⁹but if you [are] of Christ, then you are seed of Abraham, heirs according to promise.

Up to this point, Paul has been arguing forcefully for the superiority of faith over law, of the Abrahamic promise over the Mosaic law. One might rightfully start to wonder, then what good was the law at all? Or perhaps Paul’s opponents could make the case that he was denigrating the Mosaic Law, in spite of the fact that it came from God Himself.

So Paul wisely anticipates these questions and pauses to address them. “Then what is the law?” he asks.

If someone wants to trace the flow of logic through these verses, there are of course thousands of commentaries. Of the ones I read, I found William Hendriksen the best. He explains the truth of this passage in a very clear yet reasonably short presentation.

The short of it all is that the purpose of law was to show people their need of a Savior. It was never intended to be that Savior. It served the Jewish people in much the same way John the Baptist served them in Jesus’ day. “Are you the Christ?” they asked him. “No,” he replied, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord!’” To know God’s law is to see that I fall hopelessly short. My response should then not be, “I’ll try harder,” but rather, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there not another way?” Obviously I need a way of salvation that can somehow supersede the law I cannot keep. Enters the Savior, “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “You shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The law and faith become rivals only when law itself is viewed as a means of salvation. But the law was never intended for that. When it is seen in its rightful place, that of, like John the Baptist, pointing people to Christ, then law can be seen as a very good thing.

Since this is my blog and since other far more able men have provided commentaries on these verses, I will record some of my own perhaps random thoughts.

All this discussion of law and its place raises a question I would like to ponder. It concerns the whole matter of legalism. I believe over the years I have heard men assert that the issue of legalism in Galatians concerns only the event of salvation itself. In other words, they would hold that this book and all it says is only applying to how one becomes a born-again Christian to begin with, that it has nothing to do with Christian living. Such men would typically be those of the fundamentalist camp who particularly like the whole gamut of rules for which they are known. They feel there is great value in all the rules they teach and so they can’t accept that Galatians is calling such teaching legalism and that Paul is actually arguing against it.

So is Galatians only addressing legalism in the event of salvation itself?

I would suggest the answer is no, that the problem of legalism is not only present in salvation but it continues to compete with faith all through a believer’s life. The principles being presented apply not only to salvation itself but to the totality of a believer’s existence. The passage says, “… the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law … you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according the promise.”

We are “no longer under the supervision of the law.” And what does Paul 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.”

The true life of faith is not a life of “keeping the rules.” It is a matter of faith. It is a relationship. It is a business of promises. Here is what I’m thinking: Every time my mind ponders what is the “right” thing to do, it should be a matter of faith. First of all, since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, I ought to be asking myself where in the Bible is this matter addressed. If I can’t find it in the Scriptures, then I need to admit that it isn’t a matter of “right” and “wrong” but simply some other human invention that I may or may not choose to embrace. If there is a Scriptural directive involved, then I ought to immediately realize I cannot do it myself. I need a Savior. I need my Savior, my God, my Jesus to help me choose the right and do the right. I can in fact do the right because of the promises of my God. I want to do the right because I love Him.

Do you see what has happened? We moved from the typical legalistic cold “right and wrong” to a matter of relationship and love – faith.

That is, in a sense, why we are all “one in Christ.” No one can “do” faith any better than anyone else. All who own Christ should be filling their minds not with “the rules” but with a real, living relationship of faith in Him and His promises.

I suppose it is an advantage to me that my own children are grown and gone, but I think this whole matter would be worth some deep thought as it bears on child-rearing. I wonder if it isn’t easy to simply teach children “the rules” and hope they grow up to be “nice” Christians, rather than, even in our own minds, be realizing that all “rules” should be pointing to Christ, pointing to faith and a relationship? It is of course important to understand “the rules” and to grow up able to live under rules. But Jesus is a redemptive God. And simply seeing “the rules” so easily misses seeing Him. Hmmmm. I think I’m glad my children are raised. This seems to me a very deep, but very important business.

I guess I can turn it all even from family and let it bear on how I see the whole world around me, how I see other people and the choices they are making. Do I simply see whether people are keeping “the rules” or do I see people as ones desperately needing redemption? Of course they break “the rules.” Since the Fall, we humans are broken “rule-keepers.” Like the Prodigal, we die a thousand deaths breaking “the rules.” People should keep “the rules.” The world would be a better place if people kept “the rules.” But God has something far better for them (and us). He wants to redeem them, reclaim them, restore them. And that is not a business of rule-keeping. It is a business of faith and love and a real relationship with the Redeemer.

I hope as I try to learn these things myself, as I see it’s not about “the rules,” but about myself embracing the Redeemer, I hope I can more and more see people through His eyes. I hope it can be true of me that I really have a redemptive heart.

That is what I think. I think the issue of legalism, and all that is said here in Galatians, goes far beyond the simple (though eternally important) matter of salvation itself. It is the very life of a child of God. Faith, not law, is the heart of a true believer.

This brings me to the end of chapter 3. I think it is a good place to take another break. I think I’ll go study a Psalm then come back.

“Oh to be like Thee, blessed Redeemer.”

Galatians 3:15-18 – A Day in Court

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

¹⁵Brothers, I am speaking according to man. No one annuls or adds to a covenant even though having been ratified of man. ¹⁶And the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It is not saying, “…and to your seeds” as upon many, but “…and to your seed” as upon one, who is Christ. ¹⁷But I am saying this: The law, which came into existence after four hundred and thirty years, is not invalidating a covenant confirmed beforehand by God, so as to void the promise. ¹⁸For if the inheritance [is] out of law [it is] no longer out of promise. But God had graciously granted [it] to Abraham through a promise.

Paul’s obvious point here is that God’s blessing is a grace-gift not merit-pay. He’s using normal human contract standards to prove his point, thus his “…I am speaking according to man... even though having been ratified of man.”

But his logic has always puzzled me. I’ve always found this passage very hard to follow. Once again, I just figured that one of these days I’ll get to actually study this carefully and perhaps then it will make sense to me. Well, here I am and I actually think it does make sense.

First, before I get into that, I think it’s worth noting that Paul begins with “Brethren …” He started the chapter by addressing them as “foolish Galatians.” Clearly that was intended as a appellation of fact, not an immature anger-driven denigration. Paul never loses sight of love, even for people who are clearly being foolish. Lord help us to never lose sight of love, even when we’re dealing with people’s foolish behavior.

Back to the logic of the passage. Here is my thought: The reason this passage at first seems logically elusive is because we read it in a theological mindset. Granted, Galatians is an intensely theological book. It’s like a little Romans. But the passage before us is not primarily theological. The context is secular contract law. Human contract law. In the ancient world they called it a covenant, but, in modern secular language we call them contracts. Again, Paul clearly identifies this distinction: “I am speaking according to men.” I would suggest that fact is critical to understanding this passage.

I spend an enormous amount of time immersed in contract law. As an engineer, that is one of the most important functions we provide for clients. We design a project for them, then help them put it out to bid, then help them compare the bids and select a contractor with whom they wish to enter into contract for the work. Then we provide them with a proposed contract to consider. Their attorney reviews it, the contractor’s attorney reviews it, sometimes changes are made, and when it is agreeable to both parties, they each sign it and they are thereafter legally bound to its terms. You almost couldn’t believe the legal minutiae that has to be spelled out, beginning with the dollar amount of the contract (of course), the time in which it must be completed, and working all the way down to the requirement that the contractor has to provide a porta-john at the job-site! One of the very important aspects of the contract is identifying exactly who are the parties involved. As you can imagine, if there is going to be a contract, it is of paramount importance to identify exactly who is involved in this legally binding document. More on this later.

As long as projects go well, you don’t hear too much about the contract. But the minute there is a problem, that contract becomes like God Himself. Everyone rushes back to it because it carefully and specifically defines the obligations of each party. The contract, once signed, is very, very important.

That is all contract law in the human sense. What Paul is doing is arguing from the lesser to the greater. He’s saying, “If human contracts are so clearly spelled out and binding, how much more would be a contract (or covenant, in theological terms) ratified by God Himself?

So back to the passage. “No one annuls or adds to a covenant even though having been ratified of man.”  Once a contract is signed by both parties, its conditions are binding as written. The only way it can be altered is through a “change order,” which is a formal document which again must be signed by both parties. Paul’s point is that, even in human contracts, the terms are binding.

Then he says, “And the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It is not saying, “…and to your seeds” as upon many, but “…and to your seed” as upon one, who is Christ.” Now Paul is addressing the question of exactly who were the parties to the contract. Remember, this question is of paramount importance even in a human contract. Exactly who is bound by the terms of this contract? Certainly there was God and the promises (the covenant, the contract) were made between Him and Abraham. But then there is this matter of his “seed.” Gentlemen, the court is in session. We will now hear arguments to clarify that person or persons identified as “his seed.” Paul notes it was written in the contract as “seed” not “seeds.” At first glance that appears to be a very poor argument, since “seed” is a collective singular and never is written “seeds.” But I think Paul is writing like a lawyer. The opposition shouts, “That argument holds no water! The word is a collective singular!” “Ah, yes,” says Paul, “I agree. Now let’s consider how singular.” Did it include all of Abraham’s immediate seed? Well, no. Only Isaac. What about Ishmael and the sons of Keturah? Of course not. “Ah,” says the wily lawyer, “So it doesn’t refer to all of his seed.” Well, no. “Then your honor, I submit, that we must establish just how singular the word “seed” must be before we can conclusively determine the parties bound by this contract. “Sustained,” says the judge, “Proceed, counsel.” Paul could then work his way down through Jewish history to a continuous process of singularizing the singularity of “seed.” Jacob but not Esau. Judah but none of the other 11 brothers. Jesse, then David, but none of the other millions of Israelites. At some point, it becomes obvious that the “seed” included as a party in the contract was never intended to be all of Abraham’s seed and in fact, the winnowing process was obviously headed for the Messiah. I’m an engineer, not a lawyer, but I have no doubt Paul’s argument would hold up in any court of law. What appears to be a fallacious argument (that “seed” is singular) turns out to be a rather a crafty legal device to force the court to officially and legally scrutinize the singularity of “seed” and recognize that the third party of the Abrahamic covenant was not the Jewish people but rather the Messiah himself (and thus all that are found in Him).

The theological objection is offered that, in other places, the term “seed of Abraham” is, in fact, used to refer to the Jewish people collectively. Granted. But remember that those are not passages where the legal specifics of the contract are under consideration. In modern contract law, once the terms of the contract are specified, then things get capitalized. Suddenly there is the Owner, the Contractor, the Engineer, the Work, the Contract Times, even the Contract itself. Why do we do this? Because in common parlance, every one of those words has a general meaning. It is extremely important to realize when we are and are not speaking in terms of the Contract. That’s why today the words get capitalized when they are meant to be understood as referring to the legal aspects of the contract, not to their general meaning. In the verse before us, Paul makes it clear we are talking legal contract language. The fact that some of the terms get used more generally in other passages has no bearing on their use in this passage. Once again, I personally think seeing this passage theologically is what creates the confusion. It must be understood in its legal context.

Therefore, I would maintain that Paul is on entirely legally defensible grounds to assert that “seed” refers to Christ. The “parties” specifically included and bound by the Contract are God, Abraham, and the Messiah, Christ.

Once again, speaking of contract law, Paul states, “The law, which came into existence after four hundred and thirty years, is not invalidating a covenant confirmed beforehand by God, so as to void the promise.”  Whatever the Law meant, whoever it applied to, whatever legal grounds it may have held is legally irrelevant with regard to the Abrahamic Covenant. The Abrahamic Covenant, the Contract, was ratified and continues binding. The Promise, as part of that Covenant, cannot be proffered on new terms just because someone introduces something new, even if it be Law from God Himself. The Contract has been signed.

Finally, the Contract involves a promise, not law: “For if the inheritance [is] out of law [it is] no longer out of promise. But God had graciously granted [it] to Abraham through a promise” “Promise” brings us back to faith. As I’ve noted before, faith requires a change of relationship and a change of heart. Part of the reason for that is the fact that it is all based on this thing of “promise.” That is the nature of a real relationship with God, building our lives around His promise(s). Salvation itself is to hang our very souls on a promise. “He that believes in me has everlasting life” (John 6:47). Law has nothing to do with promise. Faith has everything to do with it. God has given us “great and precious promises” whereby we “overcome the corruption that is in the world.”

Your honor, the defense rests its case.

Galatians 3:10-14 – The Far, Far Better Way of Faith

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

¹⁰Whoever is out of works of law is under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed [is] everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them,” ¹¹but [it is] evident that no one is being justified in law before God because “the just shall live out of faith.” ¹²But the law is not of faith, but rather, “The one doing these things will live in them.” ¹³Christ redeemed us out of the curse of the law, becoming a curse on our behalf, because it is written, “Cursed [is] everyone hanging on a tree,” ¹⁴in order that the blessing of Abraham might be into the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, in order that the promise of the Spirit might be received through that faith.

In these few verses the truth presented is literally the chasm between Heaven and hell.

Part of me could write for days on the truth presented here.

Another part of me wants to acknowledge the infinite importance of this Truth and then move on. As important as salvation by faith is, yet one of my first thoughts rings from Hebrews 6:1: “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, …” For over thirty years I have been thoroughly convinced that salvation is by faith and not works.

So like it says in Hebrews, let’s move on.

On the other hand … I do have a thought I want to record. Again, I could write pages exegeting the truth in this passage, literally word by word. Seriously. But a thousand or two good commentaries have already done that. So I will just record my thought.

I’ve always thought it odd that Hab 2:4 “The just shall live by faith” was used to support salvation by faith. It seems that meaning would render the verse something like, “The just shall derive their life from the faith that saved them.” But that is reading a lot into it. It just says, “The just shall live by faith.” The more obvious sense would be that just people conduct their lives by faith,” they literally “live by faith.” That would certainly be true of just people but wouldn’t necessarily address the event of their salvation.

Obviously the Holy Spirit, the Author, thinks it makes perfect sense and applies directly to salvation. For years I have contented myself with that thought and just figured someday I’d study it and see if I couldn’t figure it out. Well, here I am.

Having studied it (finally), read a lot of commentaries, and thought about it a lot, here’s what I think. First of all, the statement, “The just shall live by faith” is a fractal. Its truth repeats itself in a million different ways on a million different scales. It is an all-encompassing statement that defines the very existence of a born-again person. They literally “live by faith” in every possible dimension of their existence. Their salvation came about through faith and it was in fact an event. It occurred in a moment when their heart was first awakened to sincere belief. But the very fact that faith facilitated their salvation itself immediately became the very life-principle of their existence, so that day after day, throughout their days (and nights), in a million different ways, some large, some small, some realized and some not, they thereafter live a life infused and empowered by faith.

So whether you read “The just shall live by faith” as a salvation text or as a life text, the statement is still completely true.

Now, why is it so important that faith is actually the “life principle” of born-again people? This is where I think things get profound. Oh the depth and the height and the breadth and length of the love of God. Earlier in the book I noted that faith is far superior because it requires a relationship, while works does not. Here is another angle where faith is a far better way. As important as “works” might be, they, in and of themselves, do not require any change of heart. As I have alluded before, anyone can go to church, read a Bible, say prayers, give to the poor, build cathedrals, even preach sermons and go to mission fields. Anyone. Born-again or not. But our great and awesome God has no interest in heartless acts of religion. He wants our hearts.

The heart of course is the real problem to start with. “Out of it are the issues of life,” yet unregenerated it is “desperately wicked and deceitful above things.” “My son,” cries the Father, “Give me your heart.” “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” “This people draws near Me with their mouths, but their hearts are far from me.” When the Israelites swore their obedience, God’s response was, “O that they had such a heart in them.”

Works require no change of heart. But the very essence of faith itself is a change of heart. Abraham believed God, therefore it was counted unto him into righteousness.” He believed God. At the very core of his being, in the dark unknowable chambers of his depraved heart, Abraham heard God’s truth and believed it. In his own heart, he believed it. In that tiny yet titanic moment, Abraham’s soul experienced the very change God truly desires. He believed. His heart changed. He saw things differently. He could thereafter never be the same person. He would forever act differently because he was different. His heart was changed.

This all explains why “without faith, it is impossible to please God.” It is also why “the just shall live by faith.” To have true faith is to have a heart changed. To not have a heart changed is in the end useless, no matter how positive, or admirable, or benevolent a given act might be. It is also why the whole “faith/works” debate is really frivolous. People will acknowledge, “Yes, faith is important, but then you must add good works.” What that argument fails to see is that good works are the invariable outcome of true faith. When a person’s heart is changed, their works will change. There is no “must” to it. They will. People whose lives are not changed by their “faith” have not yet the faith they claim.

I have said for years that is one thing I love about studying the Bible, about knowing God. There are those moments when He “turns on the lights” in my heart and even in that moment, I know I shall never be the same. I cannot be the same. He has changed my heart.

Christ became a curse for us, that He might redeem us from the curse of the Law, not so we could turn into Pharisees and legalists, but so that the very promise of the Spirit may be ours, so that we might be indwelt by a life-force that would overcome our evil Adamic hearts, and that through the only means whereby we are ourselves truly changed – by faith.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. “Desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow by it.” May we all feast on that Word and may God grant us the grace that we understand and believe it in our hearts. Because faith is real, then may “good works” not be a cloak to be worn but the inescapable fruit of truly godly hearts.

May we treasure the love of a Father who isn’t satisfied by external behaviors but rather desires our genuinely changed hearts.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.