 The Eclipse
It seems that there are many different emotions and opinions surrounding the upcoming solar eclipse. Many people are excited about the opportunity for what, for many of us, will be a once in a lifetime event. On the other hand, many others are pursuing an economic profit from the visiting spectators. Still, many others are concerned about problems that could range from minor inconveniences to full on catastrophes. Finally, I am sure that many people are just ready for it to all be over. However, it does seem that those who have experienced a total eclipse almost universally report a significant experience. I am sure that that type of experience is a mix of expectations and surprises. Those who come to the eclipse with scientific interest probably are impressed by what they can learn and observe in the event. Others who come to the eclipse with spiritual, even pagan or mystic expectation, will probably have some sort of sensual experience. Still others will witness the rare and incredible product of our awesome and sovereign God through His own creation. Remember, the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). Danger It is amazing to me how everyone is so attracted to some fleeting moments of darkness. I know that there will be interesting things to observe in the daytime sky which are usually obscured by the sheer brilliance of our sun, but still, we do experience darkness every night. The fascination with the totality of darkness illustrates a Biblical truth. Jesus tells Nicodemus that the light of God had come into the world. He meant that He was the light meant to lead those who could see and love the light to eternal life by trusting in Him (John 3:19-21). But Jesus also points out in this same text that humanity loves darkness because man’s deeds are evil. The point is that darkness helps us to hide both our sin and the shame and guilt that comes with our sin. Even in a society that seems to flaunt even grotesque sin in the broad daylight, it is still true that men love to hide away their sins in the darkness. Darkness is dangerous not only because it affords us the opportunity to hide our sin from others but we can often even deceive ourselves as long as the light does not expose our evil deeds. As long as we remain trapped in the practice of wicked works we will continue to seek out the darkness rather than the light because we know that our deeds are evil. However, when by God’s grace and through faith in Jesus, we are delivered from the domain of darkness by having all our sin forgiven, we now come to the light (Colossians 1:13-14). This sudden attraction to the light is not to show off that we are now doing right and true things but rather to glorify God who is the source of these righteous actions (John 3:21). Impact So what should we do with this eclipse as believers? First, we should seek to behold the glory and grandeur of God in the breathtaking beauty and vastness of His creation. Second, we should not be looking for this eclipse to fulfill biblical prophecies. Let me give you a couple of reasons. The texts dealing with the darkening of the sun or signs in the moon and stars were primarily figurative and most, if not all, have already been fulfilled in the immediate context of the Bible. But even if that is not the case there is no reason to interpret prophecies given to Israel or the first century Roman world about signs in the heavens to be fulfilled over North America. Finally, we should look for every opportunity to use this eclipse to tell others about the true light who has come into the world. The greatest experience a person could have on April 8, 2024 is to come to a saving faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:12).
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 We often think about inheritance in terms of the will of the deceased. What I mean is that each person gets what someone left to them in their last will and testimony. The will functions to express the wishes of the person who owned the assets. I suppose our reasoning is that since the property belonged to this person, their personal property rights extend to their posthumous will. I must admit to my modern sensibilities this seems correct. This post is not intended to be a full treatment of a Biblical view of personal property rights. To be clear, I think that the Lord gives us the privilege, authority, and responsibility of personal property ownership in the pages of Scripture. But this post is about what God may be teaching us through the rules of inheritance in the Scriptures.
In Numbers 27, we see God amending the inheritance stipulations for Israel so that daughters can inherit in the absence of any brothers. The context goes on to explain how the nearest relative of a person had the right of inheritance. What is interesting about this is that God did not leave it up to the will of the individual to decide who would receive the inheritance but rather God chose through the mechanism of the legal code. It is clearly true that many of these kinds of civil laws given to Israel are specific to Israel in that they are meant to show the distinction of Israel from the other peoples around them. These laws also serve to preserve the tribes and their allotments which is an important part of why the familial connections are so important. Keeping the land or possessions in the family also keeps them in the tribal portion. But what if there is still another reason for this instruction? Could this other reason be that God is showing us that the requirement for the true heirs is relationship? I think so! Heirs of Abraham After God initiates His covenant relationship with Abraham and the promises that belong to the future new covenant, all the believers throughout the Old Covenant period recognize their inheritance comes through their relationship to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is because God made and reestablished His covenant relationship with them and their descendants (Genesis 12;15;17;26;35). However, not all the physical descendants were spiritual heirs of the New Covenant promises. Even while they were under the external demands and privileges of the Old Covenant. This is why the opponents of Christ are so adamant that they are not illegitimate but are Abraham’s children, because their relationship to Abraham truly is their relationship to God (John 8:39-45). They truly thought that God was more concerned with external obedience and genetic connection than true love of God and man from the heart (Matthew 22:34-40). But the true sons of Abraham may not have the blood of Abraham but they have his faith (Romans 4:13-25). Heirs of Christ The reality is that now after Jesus has come and brought us into the New Covenant through His mighty death and resurrection, we are made true heirs of Abraham because of our relationship with Christ (Galatians 3:23-29). The inheritance we receive as believers is the result of the relationship we have with God. Because we are now in Christ and indwelt with the Holy Spirit and at peace with God the Father, we are therefore, fellow heirs with Christ and heirs of God (Romans 8:12-17). So, dear Christian, rejoice! For you are an heir of God by sheer grace and according to the electing, redeeming, and adopting will of God. This inheritance is sure because it is kept in heaven where no capture or corrosion or corruption can ever happen (1 Peter 1:3-5).  Services
I am writing this blog on Wednesday evening, March 20, 2024. Today, I attended two funerals. As a pastor, I assume that I probably attend more funerals than the average person. But, of course, not as many as the folks who work for the funeral homes. But two funerals in one day is unusual for most of us. These experiences are made more difficult because none of us attend them passively or casually. We attend these services usually because of what this person who has passed away meant to us or because we care deeply for someone who was close to this person. Regardless of the precise reason, we are engaging in grieving to some degree. Memories The first service I attended today was for Randall Gardner. Randall was my father’s first cousin’s husband. But they were married when I was still an infant so I have never known our extended family in any form that did not include Randall. Today at the service and during the conversations afterward many stories were told relating his wit, his diligence, and his dedication. All true and admirable qualities. I always thought of Randall as the kind of person you can really count on. I remember a time when he really came through for me. Laura and I had been married less than 3 months, and I was in college at the time. That summer, I had started a young filly, but of course I hadn’t ridden her since Labor Day because of school. It was early October and I was going to ride her up the river road. As I rode along I saw Randall at the back of the field cutting wood and I went to speak with him. As I came back from our conversation, just before getting back to the road, the filly threw me and injured my shoulder. I tried to get back on (you know how cowboys are supposed to), but because of my injury I couldn’t. I walked back across the field, and Randall hauled me out so that I could get to the hospital. I remember how encouraging and reassuring Randall was as he came to my rescue. The second service I attended today was for Clarence Phillips. Clarence has been the music leader at Immanuel Baptist Church in Clinton, Arkansas for many years. Clarence was a ball of energy. He was not a very large man, trim and not tall. But from the first handshake, to him belting out those wonderful hymns, he always gave one hundred percent effort and enthusiasm. Clarence had an evident love for the Lord and for praising the Lord through gospel music. Clarence was also a man that could be counted on. Both of these men had impacted many lives and it will take many people to fill their shoes. But even more important than the things they did, these men are going to be missed for the people they were and that is irreplaceable. Hope Many things are being accomplished through the process of having funeral services. One thing is the opportunity for people to show their love, support, and respect for the deceased and the family. Another purpose is to give a point of closure. Though it is certainly not the end of the grieving, it marks the move into the new era of life without this person. But still another purpose is to encourage us all to grieve with hope. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul encourages the Christians that they are not to grieve like the unbelievers but rather with great hope because of their faith in the powerful salvation provided to all believers by our Lord Jesus Christ. We grieve differently because of our hope of resurrection and eternal life. Paul also tells the Corinthian Christians that because of the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection promise for believers, death has lost its sting and power having been overtaken by the victory of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:50-58)!  Common
We tend to think of things that are common as ordinary. Common things are not considered special or exciting things. Things that are common occupy a place among the regular or mundane aspects of life. In our hypersensitive and over stimulated culture we tend to crave things that are new and exciting. We may think that modern experience is unique but the Bible tells us that the Athenians also spent their time seeking after the next new thing (Acts 17:21). So, maybe it is not just our modern age but rather the joint inheritance of this age of sin following the exile from the garden of Eden that attracts us to the next new thing. If that is the case then we should expect that those of us who have been rescued from the tyranny of this sinful state would be free also from this lusting after something new. Is it possible that in Christ we have been given regenerate hearts that have an affinity and appetite for a common experience. Fellowship In Acts 2:42, Luke records for us the very first experience of Christians being together after three thousand were saved at Pentecost. In this passage, Luke refers to them being devoted to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. The word that is translated as fellowship is koinonia. The root of this word is koine. You may have heard people refer to the particular dialect of Greek that the New Testament is written in as koine greek. That means it is the common Greek, the word on the street. But the word koinonia means partnership or fellowship. The common part is in reference to the relationship. Those first converts to the way of Christ were from many different parts of the Roman world and even spoke many different languages, but they had this one thing in common and that one thing is Christ! Human beings are traditionally very tribalistic. By this I mean that we tend to form associations around various shared backgrounds and experiences. But for the Christian our deepest and strongest fellowship must be with the saints who along with us have experienced regeneration (Titus 3:5). We share the common purpose of knowing Christ and making Him known.(Philippians 3:8-11) We share the common joy of worshiping Christ and praising God for the great things that He has done (Luke 1:46-49). We have a common source for truth and the wisdom to apply that truth in the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). We have in common the love of God that the Holy Spirit of God has put into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The list could be endless of all the things that we who are in Christ now have in common because we have Christ! Spectators So much more could be said about our mutual love for one another. But we will save that for another post. But maybe you are reading this post and you don’t have the experience of grace mentioned above. Possibly as you have read these prose about the joy of knowing and worshiping Christ no affections have been stirred in you. Could it be that to base everything about the way you live on the Bible seems strange or radical to you? Does it seem impossible for you to love other Christians to a greater degree than your extended family or your friends? May this be because you are not a Christian? If you do not have any of these common traits that are the normal fruit of the Christian experience then friend let me urge you and exhort you to turn to God from your sins and self and trust full in Jesus to save you by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)!  Normal
Most of us think of ourselves as “normal.” I know that our culture is overrun with a victim mentality that causes people to believe that they are truly afflicted in some special way. Others are convinced that they are genuine snowflakes, as unique as their own fingerprint. Still some are filled with hatred and pride because they belong to a particular tribal affiliation. But in truth, we all think that we are rather normal. We assume that our experiences, thoughts, understandings, and emotions are like most other people’s. Or, more accurately, we believe that other people are like us. We are even likely to do things purposefully or subconsciously to try to fit in when we feel like we are outsiders. I believe that this sense of normalcy is closely connected with our innate understanding that we are made in God’s image. This goes deeper than just our outward, corporeal existence because the image of God is reflected in our whole being including both our rational mind and soul. Even though because of sin we are plagued by the sins of partialism, kinism, and tribalism, we all also have a common understanding of our connection as human beings. Excluded Because we have this natural sense of belonging, we tend to think that to be excluded is somehow unfair. But when reading through the many laws given in the Old Covenant to the nation of Israel, it becomes very apparent that God took very seriously who could and could not come near to worship Him. For a specific example, consider Leviticus 21:16-13, in this text the Lord is giving specific instructions about who is prohibited from serving as priests because of physical deformities. To understand these exclusions, we must remember the external nature of the Old Covenant. But still reading the list it is striking to see these people excluded from this service and access to God because of physical defects. For the most part these are not necessarily the outcome of any moral or ethical failure on the part of the individual person. I am sure that many enemies of God would want to use this as evidence that God is capricious and unfair. However, we must understand that the purpose of these holiness codes and ceremonial commandments were to communicate the perfection and holiness of God Himself. God is not condemning people because of these things nor is He being unfair because in truth no one should be allowed to approach His holiness, rather He is communicating His greatness and holiness to His people and to the world through the law code which is a revelation of His righteousness (Romans 3:21). Accessible I must admit as I was reading the text in Leviticus 21, I was reminded that in that covenant I would have been excluded from the service and access to Yahweh. This thought caused me to immediately reflect on the amazing grace of God. In Christ, I am given free access to the very throne of grace and presence of God (Hebrews 4:14-16)! I must add that this access has nothing to do with my calling or vocation being in service to the church but rather it is the heritage of every member of the New Covenant (1 Peter 2:9). In Christ, all believers are priests and have access to God through Jesus. This last Sunday, we considered Paul’s teaching about the fact that through the doctrine of adoption Christians have been brought into God’s family. Paul goes on in Ephesians 2:18-21, to tell us that through Christ we have access in the Holy Spirit to the Father. He then explains that we are therefore, citizens in God’s kingdom, saints in God’s service, and members in God’s household. When we come to God through the transforming power of the gospel and the sanctifying work of God we are given access to God both free and forever! That is something worth singing about, worth preaching about, worth living for with our whole life!  False Teachers
The Scripture is clear that we should expect false teaching in the world (1 John 4:1) and false teachers to even arise among us (2 Peter 2:1-2). Therefore, we should be vigilant that there are wolves who would seek to devour the sheep with the infectious disease of their heretical teaching. Many of these wolves even disguise themselves in sheep’s clothing and bring reproach upon the name of Christ (Matthew 7:15-20). In the passage just mentioned, the Lord Jesus instructs us to judge the teachers according to the accuracy of their teaching. Of course the only way to measure the accuracy of their teaching is against a sure and common standard. The only perfect and inerrant standard by which to judge Christian teaching must be the eternal word of God (2 Timothy 3:14-17). The Apostle Peter is quick to remind us that it is the living and abiding word of God that is the imperishable seed by which we have been born again (1 Peter 1:22-25). False Teachings Several heresies exist which have been repeated over the centuries since the establishment of the church. Heresies are different from errors. Error in doctrine or Biblical teaching is simply a wrong or ignorant view of a particular doctrine. But heresy is the denial or contradiction of an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. The distinction is about the serious nature of the specific incorrect teaching. For example, a differing view on the administration of baptism and the Lord’s supper would usually fall into the category of being in error, while denying the full humanity and deity of Christ would be heretical. The kingdom of God will be full of believers who had differences in this life of practices regarding the ordinances of the church. But everyone will have believed in the perfect God and man mediator, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:3-6). This means that with the world full of both religious and secular false teachers we must be on our guard against every doctrine that conflicts with the message that has been given to us by our great God (Galatians 1:6-9). Historically, the doctrines that have been attacked by heretics are those dealing with the person and work of Christ, as well as the nature and extent of the gospel. So, the target of the enemy is Christ and His bride, the church. The doctrines are essential to the hope of salvation and so they are malined by the debased and demonic enemies of God. True Teachings However, the danger of false teachers is not only the dissemination of false teachings, but also in introducing confusion about true teaching. False teachers do not only teach lies but also teach some things that are true. This is of course necessary for one purpose of making their false teachings believable. But this mixture of truth and error can also cast doubt on true doctrines. Just because a teaching was taught by a prideful and abusive false teacher does not mean that the doctrine itself is an error or a heresy. It also does not mean that the teaching is itself abusive or harmful. For example, a hammer can be used as a torturous tool of abuse or even murder, but it can also be used to build a home. Remember even Satan attempted to utilize and twist Scripture while tempting the Lord Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). My point in this post is that while we must be careful not to just accept every plausible or hopeful teaching that comes along (Ephesians 4:11-14), we also should not discount or disregard everything that may have been taught by a false teaching on the basis that it was taught by them, but we must test the teaching by the measure of the Scriptures.  What time is it?
I have heard a few different interviews with Rosaria Butterfeild over the last several months. Rosaria is the wife of a presbyterian minister who was formerly a lesbian activist and professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University. (You can read more about her here, she was also recently featured in a video called “He saves us” made in response to the He gets us ad during the Super Bowl.) In these interviews, she has pointed out repeatedly that as Christians we don’t realize what time it is. What she means is that in response to so many culturally divisive and spiritually damaging topics of our day we still act like we are living in the quasi Christian culture of twenty or thirty or fifty years ago. A couple of examples might help us to understand this point. In terms of thinking about gender and sexuality, many of us are thinking that the argument is over ethics. Meaning is this behavior right or wrong. Or we may be thinking that the debate is about truth, such as is this gender claim true or false. But actually, the disagreement is much more fundamental, because it is about identity. Our response to the sexual promiscuity and gender fluidity of our day must be with the understanding that the true identity of each and every person is found in being made in the image of God as both male and female (Genesis 1:26-27). A second example would be our understanding of racialism or tribalism. For many of us the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the term ‘racist’ is a person who hates and persecutes other people because of their skin color or ancestry. But again this is because we don’t understand what time it is. Racism is now defined in terms of power and oppression. In this way of thinking, the needs of the oppressed should always be favored over the rights of the privileged because the privileged are benefiting from the plight of the oppressed. Our argument cannot simply be personal or inalienable rights because again that misses what time we are in. Rather, from the Bible, we must remember that prejudicial partialism is condemned whether it benefits the rich or the poor (Deuteronomy 1:16-18,James 2:1-13). What these examples and Rosaria’s point about knowing what time it is should help us realize are that often the problems that our lost and sinful culture are bogged down in are not the presenting preversions or the surface sins to which we often react. Rather, we must realize that there are deeper problems which these outward manifestations are revealing. These sins are the result of misplaced beliefs and worship. Human beings are created to be believers and worshippers but when that believing and worshiping nature is corrupted and polluted so that we believe lies and worship false deities then we are left with only emptiness and brokenness (Romans 1:18-32). Now What? So, if we realize what time it is, what should we do? First we need to tell the truth out of love for people and not out of fear or anger. Have you noticed that speaking out against most sins has become labeled as fear in many cases? Words such as “homophobic” are used to refer to those of us who would say that homosexuality is sin. But we are not afraid so why this label? I think it is because our opposition is understood as angry and hateful. Of course, no matter our tone, no one likes being told that they are sinning or that they should repent. However, we must still convey the only salvific gospel of Jesus Christ by calling out sin and commanding repentance out of love for sinners and not anger at sin or fear that we are losing our country or culture. It really does sometimes seem to me that many professing Christians just want the sinners to go back into the closet and out of sight. But we must love people enough to engage them with the life changing and hope giving message of the gospel (Titus 3:1-11). I could give a list here of things that we all know we need to do more. We need to share the gospel more, pray more, etc. But really what we need to do is love more. And loving more means loving enough to say hard things and even risk losing the relationship for the sake of the other person’s soul.  Wedding Practice
We usually think of wedding practice as something you do before the ceremony. But maybe we should think about marriages from the perspective that we are always seeking to improve. A physician or an attorney is said to be practicing their field, not before they enter the occupation, but while they are engaged in the work. In the same way, we, as fallen and sinful people, must be practicing at being better spouses and having better marriages. Maybe you are thinking, “How do we have better marriages?” Well, first let me tell you that affection alone is not enough. What we need is real love that causes us to do the hard things. In the world of real estate the answer is “location, location, location” in the realm of Biblical interpretation or reading comprehension the rule is “context, context, context” and after counseling many couples and a couple of decades of wedded bliss I can tell you that in marriage and relationships the issue is “communication, communication, communication.” Communication is built on two key components. The first key is that content must be expressed. If no message is being sent, then no genuine communication can happen. For us to have better communication, especially in our homes and marriages, we must focus on expressing ourselves clearly and coherently. The other necessary aspect of communication is receiving the message that has been sent. This means practicing good listening skills. If we desire to have more harmonious homes and deeper relationships, then we must listen with the attention and intention to know what was actually said. Sadly miscommunication is at the core of so much hardship and heart ache in many homes and marriages. Using our good communication skills we then must have the confidence and the vulnerability to talk about every portion of our lives. We must communicate to our spouse about our fears, our dreams, and our priorities. A marriage is not a joint venture or a mere partnership but a covenantal unity that cannot be undone or dissolved. In the first marriage in the garden of Eden, Adam said she is my bone and my flesh (Genesis 2:18-24). Also God Himself pronounced them one flesh and the Lord Jesus said that what God has joined let man not separate (Matthew 19:6). But why should we work so hard to have strong marriages? Let me give you three reasons. First, God has given you a precious gift in your relationship with your spouse. Imagine that you were given a delicious pie as a gift from your grandmother. You decide that you aren’t really hungry now so you will save it for later. But you end up simply leaving it in the fridge till it is spoiled and must be thrown out. You received the gift but you didn’t really enjoy the blessing. The Lord has given you a gift but you must enjoy it! Secondly, to not give effort and intention to your covenant relationship is to rob others. Certainly when we do not seek to have God honoring Biblical marriages we are robbing the people in our community, especially our in church, of the testimony that a godly marriage brings. Even more so we are depriving our extended family and especially our children of the blessing of a godly marriage. But most of all we are stealing the covenantal blessings that God gives in marriage from our spouse with whom we have unitied our lives. Finally, we should seek to have strong Biblical marriages for God’s glory. In Ephesians 5, Paul is clear that earthly marriages are a reflection of the relationship between Jesus and His bride, the church. Men we must love our wives sacrificially just as Christ does the church. Wives, you must respect and honor your husband, rightly reflecting the beauty of the church. Christ loves His bride! Jesus gave Himself up to save the church and to make the holy and pure. Let us not fall into the cheap frivolous view of marriage promoted by our culture but rather honor marriage as what it really is the greatest typological picture of the gospel. Let me urge you that if you are far from Christ, He is ready to welcome you when you come to Him with humble repentant faith. He will give you full salvation, sanctification, and ultimately glorification forever!  Valentine
I was looking back over the posts from previous years and it seems that I have not really written anything themed around the Valentine holiday. I must admit that I am not really all that well educated on the origins of the day that we set aside to celebrate romance and love. However, the true love story is a fundamental tale deep in the heart of all people and cultures. The reason it is so common and shared among all people is because the Lord has written it into His glorious redemption story. Wedding Bells Remember that the first human relationship fashioned and facilitated by God ever was a wedding between the man and the woman (Genesis 2:15-24). God brought the woman to the man as the father escorting his daughter to her groom. The Lord also presided over the establishment of the covenantal bonds. Here in the perfect environment of the Edenic garden, the Lord placed the perfect couple in perfect purity and innocence. In some sense, all our love stories are trying to recapture the reality of the gift of pure love that God had given to mankind when no hint or tint of sin had crept in to defile and deform His precious gift. Think about the way that even our modern western marriage traditions reflect this modeling. The purity of the bride dressed in white gown. The fruitful fertile garden is represented in the floral bouquet. Even naming is represented when the woman takes on the name of her husband. All of these practices may seem to many like old fashioned and meaningless traditions. Certainly they are old but they are not meaningless as they harken back to the beauty of God’s original masterpiece. Arranged Marriages We live in a very emotional and maybe sentimental age. Our concepts of personal autonomy and entitlement cause us to be very arrogant and selfish. This being the case, we tend to think that truest and purest relationships must be the ones with the most freedom. We see this illustrated in many ways in our society. A couple of examples would include that in most of our stories we see so much premarital promiscuity. This is so common in modern stories that most people, even Christians, don’t even notice it. A second example would be the prevalence of pornography in our society. I don’t want to dwell on this point, but much of this is about a person's desire for sexual options that they do not have in real life or physical attention that they are not receiving in real life. All of the above noted realities would make most recoil at the idea of arranged marriages. Now, I am not going to argue here for arranged marriages, but I do want to point out that the three most important marriages ever were arranged marriages. The first one is the one noted above from Genesis 2. Adam and Eve had an arranged marriage. God purposely formed Eve for the forming of this marriage and ultimately through them all other marriages. The second and most important arranged marriage ever is that of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:22-33). Remember that Jesus said that everyone who comes to Him was given to Him by the Father (John 6:37). The doctrine of election is the arrangement of the marriage between Jesus and His bride, the church. The last marriage I would point to is yours. You see, if you are in a biblically legitimate marriage, then that is the marriage to which God’s providence has brought you. I am not minimizing nor excusing sin or suffering. But if God is in control, and He is, then He ordained your marriage. He arranged it. Why? He did it because He has a good intention for you in this marriage. I, of course, can’t tell you what that is. But it is. He also has brought you as a believer to this marriage for the display of love and sacrifice to His church, because all Christian marriages are meant to do that. Finally, your marriage exists for God’s ultimate glory!  Envy
So many of the problems that we face today in our world stem from greed and pride. We have expectations about how we deserve to be treated. I believe that this sense of justice comes from the fact that we know that we bear God’s image even in our fallen state, and that image bearers should be treated appropriately for the Lord’s sake. The problem is that, since we are fallen, we have abdicated and abandoned the state of righteousness that deserves favorable treatment. In our current sinful condition humanity deserves justice. But we envy those who are receiving something we want or who we think deserve less than us. This sinful attitude does great harm to our relationships with others as we feel mistreated and abused. Even worse, this has destroyed our relationship with God because, even if we would not say it this way, the only one who we could be blaming for our wrongful mistreatment is God Himself. Of course, God is not at fault, but that is what we are implying when our desire gives birth to sin (James 1:12-15). Brotherly Rivalry We see many occasions in the scripture that teach us about this kind of envious sin. One example is in the account of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37. My intention is not to exegete this entire passage here but only to make a couple of relevant points. First, the brothers are predisposed to envy by Jacob’s blatant favoritism. The Bible has much to say about the sin of partiality (Leviticus 19:15; James 2:1-13). It is not true that we owe everyone the same affection regardless of the state of the relationship. And Israel was within his rights as a father to give to one son and not give to all. But it is clear in the text that Jacob was favoring Joseph with a kind of implicit disregard for the other sons. I am not making an excuse for them, only desiring to deal fairly with the account. The brothers are next driven to great anger by Joseph’s disclosure of his prophetic dreams. I think that many of us assume something that the text doesn’t say. Often when I read this I think that I read Joseph as having a smug or arrogant tone. But I don’t think the text supports this analysis. Instead upon careful reading it seems that Joseph is simply reporting dreams that he believes are or could be from the Lord. But as we often do with news we don’t like, the brothers take out their displeasure on the messenger. The point is that the men who were destined to be the headwaters of the individual tribes of Israel succumbed to violent and heartless sinning against their own brother because of their pride and envy. Jacob was plunged into great grief and despair. Ultimately, they were not immediately served by their treacherous sin. If God had not sovereignly appointed Joseph to this saving ministry then they would have perished in the coming famine. Humble Homes Under the affliction of the severe famine that God brought on the world in those days the patriarchs were humbled into seeking relief in the wealth of Egypt. But in God’s glorious providence they not only found food but also that God delivered Joseph and established him as leader over the affairs of Egypt. It was Yahweh’s provision and not simply Egyptian wealth that saved the Hebrew people. As the brothers came in necessary humility to the feet of Joseph, just as he had dreamed, it was not Joseph who was exalted but Yahweh who was vindicated in fulfillment of His great and powerful promises (Genesis 42-45). |