Contrasts provide clarity

Tunnel vision is a real thing, especially when we get wrapped up in the stress of our present circumstances.  Often times, we need a contrast to help us see clearly.  Noticing the difference between two places, two things, or two people helps us better understand both sides of the issue at hand. 

As we’ve walked through Psalm 62, we read about the attacks that David was under – threats, lies, and curses from two-faced people.  Instead of being consumed with thoughts about his attackers, David turned his attention toward God:

Psalm 62:5-8
Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.
                                           Selah

After looking to God and recognizing everything that He means to him…when David looks back at his attackers, he has a different perspective:

Psalm 62:9
Common people are only a vapor; important people, an illusion.
Together on a scale, they weigh less than a vapor.

David’s first contrast is a strong one: Compared to the rock-solid refuge he finds in God, David sees common people as a simple vapor.

The Hebrew word for vapor is also the word translated in Ecclesiastes as “meaningless”.  The word hebel indicates something with no substance, something that is either empty or futile.  A physical example to demonstrate this term is a vapor or a soap bubble – hebel things are without value and unstable.

David’s contrast points out that the common, regular people we meet (and allow to have influence in our lives) are hebel – and clearly not as reliable as the “rock” or the “refuge” that God has been described as.  Hebel people are only around for a short time, and they are neither powerful nor reliable.  Within this illustration, we recognize that a vapor is also subject to the circumstances around it.  A puff of air is enough to disrupt a vapor and change its shape.  Similarly, people are too easily disrupted by circumstances and selfishness for David to expect them to provide shelter or rescue.

David’s second contrast continues the theme: Important people = an illusion

How do we recognize an “important” person?  Those that have power or money or fame or lots of followers?  However, when life gets tough, we often find that what we considered to be “important” was not actually what we should have valued the most.  As David looks at the important people around him, he realizes something about their importance: It’s not real.  “Important” is a misnomer at best because no one can claim to be important when we are comparing any of us to God himself.

Since a vapor has no meaningful stability and an illusion has no physical substance, together they don’t amount to much.  If they were weighed on a scale or balance, they would have no value…what we find is that the current social-status of a person has no true eternal worth.

This line of thinking brings to light some very real questions that we all must deal with:

What/Who are you relying on? 
What/Who defines you? 

If it is God, then your foundation is strong and secure.  David’s contrast shows us that if it is something/someone else, you cannot find the rest, peace, or security we all seek. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A make or break moment

Have you ever sensed that you were in a critical moment…and that your next words or actions were going to be hugely impactful for everyone going forward?  It’s in those moments you realize the potential damage that could be caused by the powder keg of emotions and authority.  We most commonly see these situations arise between parents and children, bosses and employees, and political leaders and citizens. 

Ancient Israel’s newest king, Rehoboam, found himself in this kind of situation soon after he succeeded his father Solomon.  While we mostly know of King Solomon’s reputation for wisdom and wealth, he also led massive building and upgrade projects across the nation of Israel, both for development and fortification.  To achieve these large-scale projects, Solomon had worked the people hard for decades.  After Rehoboam became king, the weary people wanted to know if he was going to bring more of the same or if the new king was willing to provide some relief.

1 Kings 12:3-6
the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam: “Your father made our yoke harsh.  You, therefore, lighten your father’s harsh service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”  Rehoboam replied, “Go away for three days and then return to me.”  So the people left.

Rehoboam knew that this was going to be a pivotal moment so early in his kingship.  He needed time and advice to determine how to respond.  First, he went to the elders who had served his father.  They would have personally known the history of King Solomon’s projects and the effort the people made over the years. 

1 Kings 12:7
They replied, “Today if you will be a servant to this people and serve them, and if you respond to them by speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”

Not liking what he heard, King Rehoboam asked for advice from the young men he had grown up with.  Their advice was in line with the bravado of youth.  During their lifetime, they had only observed the hard leadership style of King Solomon.  This was their response:

1 Kings 12:10-11
This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist!  Although my father burdened you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with barbed whips.’

Can you guess which advice he took?

In this make-or-break moment, Rehoboam chose the brashness of inexperienced leadership and, as a result, the people rebelled.  The 10 northern tribes formed their own country of Israel, and Rehoboam was left to rule over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.  The 12 tribes never fully recovered from this…eventually, both Israel and Judah were defeated and exiled from the land.

Look back at what the people were asking Rehoboam to provide – a lightening of their work load.  They needed relief, and although the king had the authority to grant it, he chose not to.  Instead, he piled even more burdens on them.

This isn’t the first time I’ve read this story from Israel’s history.  It’s not the first time I’ve mentioned it in a blog post, either.  However, when reading through it this time, my mind jumped ahead to something Jesus said.  The people of the first century were worn down, both politically and spiritually.  Every new generation of rabbi had their own teaching and additions to a Jew’s religious responsibility…and the politicians were selfishly corrupt.  In the midst of this cultural climate, Jesus made the following offer:

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Jesus’ offer was in stark contrast to how the nation’s leaders treated the people, but it was exactly what the people needed.  Ultimately, Jesus’ offer was what the Israelites were asking for from Rehoboam.

From here, my mind jumped ahead to today’s world.  People are still weary.  Life weighs heavy on us.  The events of our time, as seen through the non-stop news cycle, are always in front of us.  Burdens don’t seem to be getting any easier, and our political leaders aren’t providing relief. 

And what of Christianity’s reputation?  Don’t do this, you must do that.  You won’t be accepted until you promise to stop screwing up.  Thou shalt not.  Thou should do.  Repent.  Commit.  Give things up.  More.  And.  More.  Rules.  And.  Conditions.

But Jesus had no such qualifiers for His offer.  His rest is available, if we take Him up on His offer…just as we are.  Throughout the centuries, people have sought relief – Jesus is the only one who can both offer it and come through on His offer.

We need to make sure that we’re not making it harder to find Him because we burden others in ways that Jesus would not.  Learn from Him and then display the same grace to others.  You never know – it could be a make or break moment for them.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Put on your detective's hat, part 2

Last time, we put on our detective’s hat and looked for our first two clues: things that are emphasized and things that are repeated.  Now we move on to our next two clues, which rely on something we humans do, almost without thinking about it – compare and contrast.  Typically the first thing we notice in any given situation are things are that are alike or things that are unlike, and those are great skills to use when we’re studying Scripture.

Text Clue #3: Look for things that are alike.

There are two major categories for things that are alike, and they are as simple as remembering your grade-school grammar. 

Our first comparison tool is finding similes.  These are super easy to find, because all you’re looking for are the terms like and as.  When you find them, you’re going to have a word picture that draws a comparison between two things.  A couple examples:

1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation

With this like comparison, we immediately get what Peter is trying to convey to his readers – our desire for God’s word should be just like that of a newborn’s desire for milk…because we recognize Scripture as that important and life-giving for us.

John 3:14-15
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.

Jesus is drawing the parallel between those who looked at the bronze snake and believed for their temporal healing with those who will look at Him and believe for their eternal salvation.  His use of an as comparison removes any doubt that belief is the only requirement for us to be restored because of His death on the cross.

Related to the simile is the metaphor, but this time we don’t have a clue word to look for.  Instead you’ll see some figure of speech that describes something in a way that isn’t necessarily true but helps explain an idea or make a comparison.  Even without the words like or as, if you’re looking for them, trust me, you’ll see them.  Any of Jesus’ “I am” statements are good examples:

I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (John 15:1)
I am the good shepherd (John 10:11)

Jesus is obviously talking figuratively, not literally.  He’s using a metaphor to illustrate His point in a way that we can identify with.

Similarities have a ways of drawing attention to themselves, so get in the habit of looking for them.  Whenever you find one, write it in your notebook.  The biblical author is trying to communicate with you through the effective tool of comparison.

Text Clue #4: Look for things that are unlike.

The flip side of comparison is contrast – so we’re now looking for things that are unlike.  While there are several ways the biblical writers signify contrast, the main one to look for is the use of the term but.  The word but is a solid clue that a change in direction is coming. 

Many Proverbs use contrast to teach their wisdom:

Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. (Proverbs 10:12)
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)

Another example of contrast is found in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus repeatedly says, “You have heard that it was said…but I tell you” (Matthew 5).

Similar terms include however, yet, and now.  These are variations of the term but – so it depends on the translation you are using.  Although it is a small word, but is one of the most important words you’ll ever come across in your study of Scripture.  Whenever you see it, always stop and ask, “What is the contrast being made?”

Things that are alike and unlike make use of the strong human tendency to compare and contrast.  They are huge clues to help us understand what the author is trying to communicate in the text.  Let’s stop here and try looking for these two Text Clues in our text from Joshua. 

What things are alike?  As with any step, if there’s nothing obvious, don’t force anything.  Move on to looking for your next clue.

What things are unlike?  Scan the text for the word but.  Even if you don’t find that exact word, there are some contrasts made here.

Remember, if you find things that are alike or unlike, be sure to write it down.

Joshua 1:6-9
“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.  Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.

This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.  For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.  Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Useless chaff

Throughout Psalm 1, we’ve found out a lot about what happens to those who seek God through His Word.  But what happens to those who do not do this? 

 Psalm 1:1-3
How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked or
stand in the pathway with sinners or
sit in the company of mockers!

Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.

He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams
that bears its fruit in its season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

And now, the psalmist provides a contrast:

Psalm 1:4
The wicked are not like this;
instead they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

The wicked do not look to the Lords’ instruction and instead rely on the advice/direction of godless others.  But honestly, if they’re avoiding God and godly advice…who else is there to turn to?  If we are not getting God’s plan for our lives constantly added to us, what other source of fuel is there?

As one of my former bosses was inclined to repeat: In the absence of truth, people will make up their own.  There is plenty of advice, paths to take, and company to keep out there…but not all of it is beneficial for guiding a person’s life.

This chaff analogy may be little strange to us non-farming society folks, so here’s what chaff really is – a non-fruit part of a grain plant, which includes the seed-covering husks.  

Chaff is ultra-light and easily blown away by the wind.  Chaff is not the useful part of the plant.  Chaff is the total and complete opposite of the tree planted beside flowing streams.  Also keep in mind that chaff is never a “good” comparison in Scripture.

But does chaff or husks serve any purpose?  Albeit a temporary good or help to the plant, it has no lasting impact.  Without God’s word consistently soaking into our lives, people eventually become like flittering-in-the-wind chaff…no root, no life, no fruit; a missed or ruined opportunity, wasting the time given to us.

God takes very seriously how humans approach His word, how we regard His revelation of both Himself and the purpose of human creation.  God is so serious about it, that He warns us of both present life and future consequences.  When the wicked ignore the Lord’s instruction, not only will their lives amount to useless chaff, but they also will not receive a favorable judgment from the Lord:

Psalm 1:5
Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

Both the wicked path and the righteous path have short-term (in this life) and long-term (eternal) consequences.  However, we still must reject the urge to interpret this psalm as “saved vs not saved”.  We are not talking about eternal destinies here. 

Remember the context of the psalm – it was written by and for God’s chosen nation, Israel.  We’re dealing with an in-house situation here.  Similarly, can a church-age believer waste his or her life?  Absolutely.  And how would we expect God’s evaluation of their life go?

The wicked are not godly.  They may do kind acts or charitable deeds, but God’s evaluation of how they spent their lives is that they had no eternal impact.  Chaff has no root or strength to stand on its own, therefore the wicked and sinners are incapable of standing.  It’s not so much that God prevents them from standing, rather they do not have the capacity to do so.

The contrast used by the psalmist is almost absurd, when you think about it – a prosperous, full-of-life tree vs chaff.  There’s no comparison here.  Given the choice between the two, no one would choose to be the chaff.

And that’s the psalmist’s point – the choices we make, how we walk the path that we walk, affects not only this life, but our standing in the next life.  Joe often reminded me that “this life is just boot camp for the next”.  I’ve also heard the analogy that this life is like being in the womb, and we are developing now what we will need when we are born into the next life. 

For those who walk the righteous path and fuel their life with God and His word, their choices will be vindicated when God does His evaluation.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Imitations and contrasts

It’s often said that imitation is the best form of flattery.  Although typically meant to be a compliment, I think it depends a lot on whom we’re imitating and what kind of behavior we’re attempting to emulate.  I can remember times when my boys came home and imitated some other child’s whiny tone or disrespectful behavior.  Yeah, that wasn’t as cool and complimentary as he may have imagined…

As a parent, we confront this kind of behavior with both questions and contrasts: Why are you acting like them?  Are they saying encouraging things, or are they rude?  Why would you want to do the same thing?

But it’s not just our kids who need a talk like this from time to time.  Remember, we’ve been making observations about this particular verse:

Revelation 22:14
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.”

We’ve taken a close look at this verse in order to fully understand the blessing Jesus is announcing.  We’ve observed that this blessing is obtained by those who wash their robes, those who do the commandments of Jesus, and that there are specific, big-deal rewards available to those who do so.

Remember that whenever we do a deep dive, our best next step is to zoom out and place our new understanding within the surrounding context. 

Revelation 22:12-14
“Look, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me to repay each person according to his work.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

And then Jesus offers this contrast:

Revelation 22:15
Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

This contrast is almost identical to the one we observed back in 21:6-8; in fact, the earlier section contains all these descriptions and adds a few more.  Previously, this description was pertaining to unbelievers.  The same contrast is made here as well – and we understand that because of the phrase everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 

But why does Jesus insultingly refer to unbelievers as “dogs”?

Dogs during ancient times were not pets; they were tolerated as scavengers of unclean things.  I’ve read that even today, most every town in Palestine has lazy, filthy curs that will hardly move out of anyone’s way in the daytime, but are prone to howling throughout the night.  These degenerate animals show no qualities of intelligence or morality, as they tend to be mean-spirited and greedy.  Any time you read of dogs in the Scriptures, it is never in a positive light.

So we see that the contrast Jesus makes in 22:14-15 is between those who will be blessed in Heaven and the unbelievers who are going to the lake of fire.  Although there will be believers in the New Jerusalem who do not receive the blessings listed in verse 14, Jesus makes this contrast in order to get their attention now…so then Jesus is essentially asking the question:

Whom do you wish to imitate, the ones who will be blessed or the ones who act like dogs?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

To run or to fight?

Some battles are worth fighting, and other times we’re better off just walking away.  It would be easy to talk in these terms about conflict with other people…but let’s ask the harder question instead:

How do we know the difference – when to run and when to fight – when it comes to our internal struggles and desires?

Because here’s our dilemma:

If we run when we should fight, it is a clear loss.
If we fight when we should run, then we waste time in a losing battle and risk injury or ruin.

Last time, we looked at Paul’s warning to Timothy regarding the seductively destructive desire for money and wealth.  Paul’s advice for dealing with money-love? RUN AWAY

1 Timothy 6:9-11
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.

Now you, man of God, run from these things;

Loving money and what money can do for us will inevitably pull us away from God.  That pull can be as subtle as a distraction or as painful as a trap.  As such, Paul says having money as our primary driver is something to get away from.  And rather than dreaming of riches, Timothy needs something better to chase after:

1 Timothy 6:11-12
Now you, man of God, run from these things;
but pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.

Fight the good fight for the faith;
take hold of eternal life,
to which you were called
and have made a good confession
before many witnesses.

Paul has presented a practical contrast for Timothy:

He is to run from the trapping desire to get rich and get away from loving/craving money.
Instead
He is to fight to acquire the eternal life qualities of God and what God has called Timothy to do.

Beyond the direct application of Paul’s instruction (which would be extremely helpful), we can also draw out these principles:

We are to run from – the attitudes and actions that pull us away from God, from those things that try and take His top place in our lives.

We are to fight for – the attitudes and actions that draw us closer to God, for those things that keep Him in the top place in our lives.

When (not if) we find ourselves presented with an internal conflict, we need to check which direction we’re being pulled in…and then choose to either run or fight accordingly.

Keep Pressing,
Ken
 

His origin story isn't what you would expect

We love a good origin story, don’t we?  A movie does well in the box office and instead of providing us with what happens next, Hollywood is ready to film a “prequel”.  We want to watch these backstory accounts because they help us get to know a character better, and they explain a character’s motivation and influences, for better or worse. 

We want to hear how someone “came from nothing” and bettered himself.  We want to know how she “beat the system”.  Stories like that give us hope that, somehow, some of us will “make it” and be successful.  But it’s the impossible-odds stories that really make us sit on the edge of our seat and silently wonder: I’m not sure I could have done what they did.  That much effort, for that long?  To risk like that?

We have the same tendency to revere mature Christians like that.  From a distance, they look like peaceful giants; yet we have a sneaky suspicion they could pray for thunder on a clear day and God would answer with a downpour.

However, when we drum up the courage to ask them about their faith’s origin story, how they learned to trust Jesus as much as they do…their answer has very little to do with themselves.  Instead, their focus is much like Paul explained to Timothy:

1 Timothy 1:12-16
I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry – one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. 

Notice how all of Paul’s “I’s” and “me’s” point back to Jesus.  Everything that Paul has done as a missionary found its start in Jesus:

thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord…[He] has strengthened…He considered…[He] appointed…

The only portion of his origin that Paul contributed was his actions as a blasphemer (someone who either credited God’s work to Satan or wrote it off as simply evil), a persecutor (someone who actively sought to harm and kill Christ followers), and his own arrogance (being full of pride and insolence).

As Paul continues, he will marvel at this contrast and Jesus’ acceptance.  For reasons unclear to the human eye, Jesus was willing to accept someone with that monstrous of a history…and then strengthen him, because Jesus considered that Paul would be trustworthy for, of all things, ministry!

A modern day equivalent to Paul’s origin story would be the leader of ISIS becoming a missionary for Jesus.  Can you even imagine it?  Paul knew that Jesus was entirely responsible for his backstory, and he wanted Timothy to share that with the believers in Ephesus.

Since the Ephesian believers only saw Paul during the missionary and letter-writing phase of his life, they could have been tempted to believe that Paul had always walked closely with God or that being a Christian came easy for Him.  However, Paul dispels that notion and doesn’t gloss over who he was without Christ.

So if we’re tempted to think the mature Christians we know have had it easy, or that they survived because of how strong or good or caring they naturally are…just ask them about their origins.  And then listen for all the ways Jesus moved in their life.

Keep Pressing,
Ken