Category: Shadows (Page 16 of 26)

I checked my notes and found that I had never actually heard a sermon from Solomon’s book called the Song of Songs. Song of Songs is not a book we even read a lot. It is not only hard to interpret, but its subject matter is also of a romantic, sensual nature. The question comes as to whether we can trust that King Solomon who had 700 wives and 300 concubines can offer any advice about a loving relationship between a man and a woman. Even a harder question is whether there is any Godly advice in Song of Songs.

The Song of Songs, sometimes also called the Song of Solomon, is one of two books in the Bible that does not mention God. The other is the book of Esther. It was written approximately 940-960 BC as advice for married couples and singles contemplating marriage. The story is about the courtship and marriage of a maiden referred to as the Shulammite and takes place in ancient Israel, in the woman’s garden and the king’s palace. The Song of Songs is a beautiful love story between a man and a woman, bride, and bridegroom. King Solomon poetically declares his love for a beautiful Jewish maiden. She responds to the king’s advances and adds her heartfelt desire for him. It is written as a dialogue, a conversation, between two people who love each other. Let’s meander through the poetry and find a few bits of wisdom for today!

God Will Take the Initiative

(Song of Songs 2:13)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”

Solomon is stating that he is taking the initiative. It is just like our God who takes the initiative and comes to us. Just as Solomon refuses to be deterred from the pursuit of his beloved, so is God determined to pursue us with His love. While this is a beautiful image when attributed to human lovers, once we take the time to understand that God is determined to come to us, we should be humbled. In that determination, any obstacles and deterrents are removed. Nothing stands in God’s way except us.

(Psalm 53:2) – “God looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”

Grace is God’s favor toward the unworthy (God’s benevolence on the undeserving). In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously. However, grace may be received “in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10; 2 Corinthians 6:1). If we refuse the grace that God offers or presume to receive it on anything other than His terms, the opportunity for salvation could pass by. There was no greater tragedy than to hear Jesus’s lamenting those in His day who had refused His grace:

(Matthew 23:37) – “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.”

Love is a Pursuit

(Song of Solomon 5:2-3) – “I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: ‘Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.’ I have taken off my robe—must I put it on again? I have washed my feet— must I soil them again?”

The above verses could easily have come from a comedy sitcom. In the scene, a wife is pursued by her husband for an evening’s pleasure.  However, she is ready for bed. Hence, the clean feet comment. There is a common theme in the Song of Songs. It involves seeking each other. The husband and wife each have the drive to discover and enjoy the other. From this, we see love is active. It is an attitude to serve rather than be served. Hesitation leads to lost opportunity. The same holds for our God. We need to pursue our God with full energy. Waiting for tomorrow can lead to the loss of eternal opportunities.

By the time the Shulammite overcomes her hesitation, she realizes she is too late. Her king has left the door. Our learnings here are that resentment or just regret is foolish emotion. She instead pursues reconciliation, going to search for him. When God knocks, we should answer. If we have missed the opportunity somehow in life, then pursue, pursue, pursue.

(Psalm 119:2) – “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart”

A Healthy Relationship is Protective

(Song of Songs 2:3) – “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.”

The Shulamite woman uses a metaphor, comparing Solomon, her king, and a warrior, to an apple tree within a forest of trees. Such a tree would have been strong and sturdy. Its shade offers protection from the scorching rays of the sun. Its fruit is nourishing and refreshing. She sees Solomon, her bridegroom, In the same way. Strong, protective, and nourishing to their relationship.

(1 Corinthians 13:6-7) – “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. t always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always persevere.”

The metaphor can be extended to include the love of God and our Savior, Jesus. It is through God’s grace and Jesus’s sacrificial love for us that we are offered protection from our enemies. God loves us more deeply than any experience or expression we can relate to in our life. God’s love is abounding, encompassing, and transformative. There is nothing that can interfere with God’s love except for our obstructions. God came to us in human form and removed all barriers between Himself and us. The young woman simply records “Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love.” (Song of Songs 2:4). This is the relationship to be held between husband and wife and between ourselves and Jesus. Jesus, our perfect Bridegroom, shelters us with the power of his unfailing love. God’s Word is there to nourish us!

(Ephesians 5:25-27) – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

True Love is Worth Waiting For

(Song of Songs 2:7) – “Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”

It must have been the ultimate ego trip to find herself pursued by Solomon. He was King, the world’s wealthiest man, and the wisest too. The Shulamite bride repeats her plea two more times in the book of Song of Songs. She is urging her fellow maidens to wait for love’s perfect timing. The Hebrew word for love in this verse is believed to mean sexual desire. Today, society laughs at this idea. God, however, encourages us to follow His advice:

(Romans 12:2) – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Even the best relationships fall short of the glory of God. Human love always falls short. There is One whose love will never falter; whose love will never let us down. The Song of Songs was never meant to focus on the imperfect love of humans, but to direct us to the perfect love of Jesus Christ.

The True Love of God Will Never Fail

The end of this love song concludes with the resounding melody of the strong, unrelenting love of the king and his fair maiden. In (Song of Songs 8) his beloved bride describes the great power and depth of true love. We see the same passion in the greatest love story ever told, the story about the Son of God. The humble human who came to us and carried the sins of the world on His shoulders to His death so that you and I could have a relationship with our Creator. While speculative, it is thought Solomon wrote Song of Songs early in his life. Solomon would later lose much of his tenderness. Too many wives and concubines would corrupt his view of the purity of love. In his book Ecclesiastes, Solomon would claim that life has no meaning. He was right in a sense, without God’s love in the forefront, life has little meaning!

Contemplations

• Where do you think the permissive attitudes come from in our society about sex and marriage?
  • Ideas to Explore: Do we learn them from our parents? Do we learn them from our educational institutions? Do we learn them from social media, news, or the entertainment industry? Are they learned on the street?
• God holds the leaders of a nation accountable for the moral values of that nation. What are our leaders doing to strengthen the institutions of marriage and family?
  • Ideas to Explore: Be specific in your thoughts. Are the people our nation is electing acting responsibly for the moral values of its people? If so, what are they doing? If not, what should they be doing?
• How do these attitudes help or hinder the strength of a marriage and family?
  • Ideas to Explore: Who is supporting the philosophy of living together before marriage? Does this strengthen or weaken family relationships?
• Are churches too tolerant in their attitudes towards marriage and sex?
  • Ideas to Explore: Are churches too concerned over financing? Do churches tolerate ungodly things to keep their congregations together? Are churches just modeling the world today rather than the world God wants for today?
•  Denominations today no longer exclude people from their leadership that would have been excluded just a few years ago. Does this strengthen or weaken the church?
  • Ideas to Explore: Since all people are sinners, shouldn’t our church be a melting pot of society? Should someone who openly disobeys the Bible become a church leader? How does leadership affect the congregation?
• Do weak families impact future generations in negative ways?
  • Ideas to Explore: Does divorce, children born out of wedlock, and children raised in single-parent family homes cause societal issues in later years? How does crime impact families? How do drugs impact families?
• Do you think that people believe there is a loving God?
  • Ideas to Explore: Do people even think about God these days? Why are fewer people going to church? Is the family structure weaker or stronger these days?

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In Genesis, we can find the roots of deception used by Satan when our world was first created. Who’s Satan? Satan is the angelic enemy of God and the enemy and opponent of those who follow God. Although everything God created was good (Genesis 1:31), Satan chose to rebel against God taking other angels with him in his rebellion (Ezekiel 28:15; Isaiah 14:12–17). Satan is a murderer and the father of lies. He promotes false doctrines and craftily seeks to keep unbelievers in spiritual bondage (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:14; 1 Timothy 4:1). Let’s look at how Satan handled the first lie!

(Genesis 3:1)¹NIV New International Version Translations– “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

The above verses in Genesis are the famous “fall of humankind” verses resulting in humans separation from God. We need to use this first deception to understand the strategy used by evil in our world. The analogy of the infamous Trojan Horse²Trojan Horse – Wikipedia is perfect for explaining Satan. Hidden within the wooden horse were enemy soldiers. The horse seemed safe and was brought inside the walls of the city of Troy. Once the darkness of night came, the enemy inside the horse slipped out, opened the gates, and let the Greek army into Troy to destroy the city. Satan’s first lie was a trojan horse! He opens to Eve with a challenge, Did God say you must not eat from any tree? That is the setup, the use of a derogatory challenge to make Eve question her beliefs. To peel back the onion, what Satan is asking Eve is if she believes God’s Words to her were true. Beware, that type of questioning is nothing more than a hollow  wooden horse with evil hiding inside. Satan is always actively working to nullify the effects of the Word of God in our world.

Satan tricked Eve into opening the gates to her beliefs and letting doubt in. Satan is still doing it to people’s hearts today. Eve accepted the challenge and brought the Trojan Horse into her heart. She assumed that God did not mean what He said and did not accept God’s own Words as Truth. The rest is history.

(Matthew 13:3–4, 19) – “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. . . . . . When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.’“

Satan is not some omnipresent power. He oversees a horde of demons, called “the powers of this dark world and . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). He uses this network to tempt and deceive people. Satan actively works to nullify the effect of the Word of God in people’s hearts (Matthew 13:3–4, 19), and he blinds the intellect of those who do not believe so they cannot understand the gospel’s message of salvation (2 Corinthians 4:4). Once the people of Troy brought the wooden horse into their city, they were no longer secure. While they slept, their lives and the kingdom were being set up for destruction.

Metaphorically, a “Trojan horse” has come to mean any trick or strategy that causes a target to invite a foe into a securely protected bastion or place. A malicious computer program that tricks users into willingly running it is also called a “Trojan horse.” This metaphor holds for our acceptance of God’s Word and of Scripture as the Truth. Once you open your heart to doubt, you are no longer safe. You have let the enemy into your beliefs.

It is important to know that Satan is not the opposite of God because only God is all-powerful, and Satan is lower than God. He is a created and limited spiritual being. Satan needs God’s permission to do anything and everything. Satan cannot read our thoughts (Isaiah 40:28; 1 Kings 8:39; Psalm 94:11). Satan does not know the future (Isaiah 46:9-10). And above all, Satan is a coward (James 4:7). Yet humans are still prone to doubting God. Why? Because we fail to see God at work in all our circumstances. We asked, and nothing happened. But God is not some snake oil salesperson or cosmic ATM ready fund to our requests. God sees past, present, and future and knows the right timing for every petition. 

Psalm 119 is the longest of the psalms and certainly the longest chapter in the Bible. In this Psalm, there are at least three essential characteristics we should believe about God’s Word.

God’s Word is the Truth

(Psalm 119:42) – “then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.”
(Psalm 119:142) – “Your righteousness is everlasting, and your law is true.

God’s word is firmly fixed in the heavens (Psalm 119:89); it doesn’t change. There is no limit to its perfection (Psalm 119:96); it contains nothing corrupt. All God’s righteous rules endure forever (Psalm 119:160); they never get old and never wear out.

God’s Word demands what is right

(Psalm 119:75) – “I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”
(Psalm 119:82) – “All your commands are trustworthy; help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.”
(Psalm 119:128) – “and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.”

We are to humbly accept God’s Word as the Truth. It is not ours to pick and choose how to define our Creator’s rules.

God’s Word provides what is good

According to Psalm 119, the word of God is the way of happiness (Psalm 119:1–2), the way to avoid shame (Psalm 119:6), the way of safety (Psalm 119:9), and the way of good counsel (Psalm 119:24). The word gives us strength (Psalm 119:28) and hope (Psalm 119:43). It provides wisdom (Psalm 119:98–100, 130) and shows us the way we should go (Psalm 119:105).

Keeping the Trojan Horse outside Your Gates

A recent Gallup Poll³https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx shows that a record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017. There is a new high of 29% who say the Bible is a collection of “fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.” Interesting isn’t it, there is record crime, drugs, human trafficking, hatred, and poverty growing inversely to our nation’s lack of belief that God’s Word is True. All God has ever asked is to place our trust in Him first.  It is tough once the enemy climbs out of the Trojan horse and he is in your heart, isn’t it?

Contemplations

• Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God?
  • Ideas to Explore: As a foundational question, does being a disciple of Jesus require this belief? Why is it important to believe that God gave us His Word? Can you exist as a believer of Jesus and His gospel if you don’t believe in the Bible?
• Do you believe in Satan?
  • Ideas to Explore: Where do your opinions come from? Is evil a real thing in the world? Why does evil exist?
• Can we make up our own rules for God?
  • Ideas to Explore: With humankind existing as a flawed creation, can humanity ever make a rule that supersedes God’s rules that make sense?
• If you have doubts about God’s Word, where does that doubt come from?
  • Ideas to Explore: What are the sources of doubt in our world today?
• Is the Church today making up rules contrary to those given to us by God? What do you think the ramifications of that will be?
  • Ideas to Explore: Can you think of a rule that humankind has created that supersedes God? Why would such a rule even be necessary?

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  https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx

“Law” is defined in the Concise Oxford Dictionary as “a rule or system of rules recognized by a country or community as regulating the actions of its members and enforced by the imposition of penalties”. The Law which is most critical to people today should be God’s Law. One first may think of God’s Law as the Ten Commandments. Found in Exodus 20:1-17, God’s Law establishes a set of “regulations” for His people to live by. Ecclesiastes 12:13 states, “Here is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” These regulations, our duties, are nicely summarized for us by the Apostle Paul:

(Romans 13:10)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”

Jesus did not come to do away with God’s Law because laws offer all of us directions for living. The Apostle Paul also reminds us that we must obey God’s Law in his first letter to the church of Corinth. The city of Corinth was prominent in the first century. It is in Greece on an isthmus between the Aegean and Ionian Seas. This location guaranteed its importance both militarily and commercially. Corinth was the capital of the Roman province Achaia. It was a prosperous city but also known for its immorality. Corinth was a vile place to visit or live. Because of its sleazy reputation, a new Greek word was coined, korinthiazomai, which meant “to live immorally like a Corinthian.”

The Christians at Corinth enjoyed friendly relations with outsiders. Believers dined with nonbelievers (1 Corinthians 10:27), and outsiders might have attended some of their Christian meetings (1 Corinthians 14:24-25). Christianity at Corinth was quite comfortable with the dominant culture surrounding them. It was maybe too comfortable for Paul’s liking. By patronizing prostitutes and participating in pagan cultic meals, the Corinthians were conforming to the behavior patterns of the larger society that surrounded them. In his first letter, Paul urged them to foster a sense of being at odds with the world, giving them perfect advice, to live as Jesus lived.

Paul’s letters to the Corinthians make up his largest body of work directed to an individual congregation. His two letters address problem areas that are still often problems in churches today. The church at Corinth had divided loyalty to different leaders. Paul rejects this disunity, telling the church members to focus on Christ. There was gross immorality in the Corinthian church, and it was being tolerated. Paul tells the church they must exercise church discipline (1 Corinthians 5—6). Also, believers were taking each other to court, and Paul says they should handle disagreements among themselves (1 Corinthians 6). There was some confusion about whether it was better to be married or single, and how married people should relate to each other. Paul clarifies those issues for them and the church today (1 Corinthians 7).

(1 Corinthians 11:1) – “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Paul simply says, if you want to know how to live, if you want to live a life pleasing to God, then look to Jesus. Our Lord was a teacher, a teacher of God’s Truth. He promoted eternal life through His life over the lure of promises coming from our world. Jesus taught us how to pray and exist in tumultuous times. The best part of Jesus’ life is that He defeated death and showed us that the way to eternal life was through Him. Because of His sacrifice on the Cross, our sins are forgiven. Now, as pure creations of God, we can be at peace with God. This relationship with Jesus is meant to bring us hope and joy. We all know these things because Jesus, the Son of God, the Word became flesh and presents to us the perfect model of a holy life.

(John 5:19) – “Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

Jesus reveals what God is really like. He does so by revealing what we should be like. Because Jesus was fully human, fully alive, He teaches us how to live by the way He lived. Jesus teaches us how to pray by the way He prayed. Through Jesus’ examples of mercy, He teaches us to be merciful. By His temptations, Jesus teaches us how to fight temptation, cope with life’s traumas, and find courage. As Christians, we need to model Christ and show people what life in this world is about. Life is not all about taking, receiving, or taking advantage of opportunities. Life is also about helping and serving others. In John 13:1-17, there is the example of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. He gave us this example because life needs to involve service to others, especially service to one’s family.  We need a map to guide our journey through this world. The life of Jesus is our map because He shows us, God, in human flesh.

Our world is fortunate because the map of Jesus’ life is well published. The Word of God is available, in print, multi-lingual, on tape, on CD, in movie form, and found in churches, homes, bookstores, and human hearts everywhere!

(Luke 2:40-47) – “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him. Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished.”

Here in the Apostle Luke’s Gospel, we get a glimpse of exactly how Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. He fulfilled all expectations of righteousness and represents the perfect human being. Everything that we would rightly hope to experience and become can be seen in Jesus and how He lived His life. Jesus is completely holy and healthy as a person. That is why Jesus is our example. Luke points out that Jesus had a loving family who took his education on religion seriously. Jesus spent time in church (the temple courts) where he listened, learned, and shared His faith with others. Jesus took His education seriously! What a wonderful adventure and spiritual pilgrimage our life can become if we follow in the steps of Jesus Christ!

Contemplations

• How would you develop a map of Jesus’ life to follow for yourself?
  • Ideas to Explore: Read God’s Word. Avail yourself and your family of the resources of a local congregation to learn about who Jesus is.
• What societal pressures are there today that make it difficult to lead a Christ-like life?
  • Ideas to Explore: The hate and lawlessness in our society. The desire for pleasures. The power of evil. What else can you think of?
• What has personally impressed you about the human side of Jesus’ life?
  • Ideas to Explore: He took no shortcuts because He was God. He was obedient to an earthly mother and father. His life’s journey, map, is not much different than that of many other humans. Jesus was a peaceful person, always obeying God’s Law.
• What do you think Jesus struggled with the most?
  • Ideas to Explore: Same things you struggle with? What do you think those struggles were?
• What is the best way to establish a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
  • Ideas to Explore: Believe He is alive! Know that He loves you! Know that He knows you!
• How is our environment today like the city of Corinth?
  • Ideas to Explore: Our churches must exist within a pagan world yet must be different than the world. The affluence of our environment often corrupts our religion.

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The tribes making up Israel, twelve, had a history of getting on the wrong side of God! Their propensity to sin offers us a chance to see exactly how God holds nations accountable and to see God’s threshold of patience for sinful behavior. Ten of the northern tribes separated from the Kingdom of Judah and set up their own kingdom in about the 10th century BC.

Less than 2 centuries later they were exiled and punished by God. Today, these tribes are non-existent. The Ten Tribes had become nothing more than a group of barbaric gentiles. Rather than changing the world, they managed to drag the rest of the world down with them. It is important to understand that God had assigned to the tribes of Israel, the task of maintaining the knowledge of who God was and spreading the knowledge throughout the world. The breakup for the tribes was over who was to become their king. It was all about politics! Two of the tribes, Judah, and Benjamin, did not agree with the proposed king of Israel being Rehoboam. As a result, those two tribes gave up their inheritance (lands) given to the tribes by God and became the southern Kingdom of Judah. The northern 10 tribes remained as one group and kept the name of Israel.

Problems for Israel, the northern nation, began when King David ruled the land. It all started when he committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, before killing him. In 2 Samuel 12:10, God told David that the sword wasn’t going to depart from his house because of this sin. Even though the punishments by God were carried out during David’s reign. Solomon, David’s son, and his grandson Rehoboam experienced problems as well. All three rulers were indirectly responsible for the division that was to come upon the tribes of Israel.

Throughout the Old Testament, these two nations fought with one another. Each became strong and independent and created two distinct lineages of people in history. Each nation had its kings and even its prophets. History documents that both Israel and Judah eventually fell into captivity (slavery). God sent the Babylonians to capture the House of Judah, and He sent the Assyrians to conquer the House of Israel. The Babylonian captivity of Judah lasted for 70 years. Assyria did the same for Israel. However, Israel never fully came out of the Assyrian captivity. The Exile of the Israelites is described in (1 Chronicles 5:26, 2 Kings 15:29, 17:3-6, 23, 18:11-12).

What were their specific sins?

The theme of sinful and selfish leadership is woven throughout world history. Of the many sins to list, the one that comes to mind first is that the kings of both Israel and Judah led their people away from God.  Remember, the covenant given to kings (leaders) by God was to lead their people to Him!

When a nation’s wealth becomes nothing more than the purse for its leaders, God considers that sin. In Judah’s case, there was an argument over the wealth that was due to the priests maintaining the temples for religious teaching.

(2 Kings 12:16)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings[a] was not brought into the temple of the Lord; it belonged to the priests.”

The Northern Israelites also lost connection with their ancestry, becoming part of the peoples of Western Europe. We find that even in their places of exile, they continued to sin in the same way as they had done before being exiled. Their unique covenant with their God did little to differentiate them from their neighbors.

(2 Kings 17:7-17) – “All this took place because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of Egypt from under the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They worshiped other gods and followed the practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before them, as well as the practices that the kings of Israel had introduced. The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that was not right. From watchtowers to fortified cities they built themselves high places in all their towns. They set up sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree. At every high place they burned incense, as the nations whom the Lord had driven out before them had done. They did wicked things that aroused the Lord’s anger. They worshiped idols, though the Lord had said, ‘You shall not do this.’ The Lord warned Israel and Judah through all his prophets and seers: ‘Turn from your evil ways. Observe my commands and decrees, in accordance with the entire Law that I commanded your ancestors to obey and that I delivered to you through my servants the prophets.’ But they would not listen and were as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who did not trust in the Lord their God. They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statutes he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, ‘Do not do as they do.’ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal. They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens and sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.”

The Israelites had a bad habit of absorbing the local gods of the citizens around them, even giving reverence to deities apart from the One God of Israel. The northern nations assumed the customs of their neighbors. Yet, God, Himself drove those same neighbors out so that Israel would gain their land. Many of these practices were of the Canaanite peoples that had been expelled before them.

The people had set for themselves sacred pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree. These would go on to survive in Britain in the form of maypoles. “Asherim” were sacred groves of trees such as the Druids of the British Isles worshiped in. The groves were also associated with a goddess named “Asherah.” A form of this goddess was known to the Angles and Saxon under the name Eostre. The peoples of Israel made molded images, even two calves, and they also claimed to serve the pagan god of Baal.

The Israelites served many types of idols, even though God had said to them, “you shall not do this thing.” Humanity is still quick to worship anything that sounds good except the one real God. The Israelites did not keep the ten commandments.  God had warned them over and over! It was a simple list of ten and they could not do it. Unfortunately, neither can we today!

They sacrificed their sons and daughters by fire. This was a physical sacrifice, leading to the death of the child. Frightening to think that any society would just destroy the next generation with such barbarism. We are still doing it today. Crime, drugs, human trafficking, and abortion greatly affect today’s youth.

The Israelites also practiced divination and sought omens. They sinned as if they had sold themselves out to Satan.

Translating Sins into Our Contemporary Times

The idea of forgetting their covenant with God, forgetting their ancestry, and becoming a foreigner are interesting sins. God expects us to live in a fallen world but not be overcome by it. That process, it seems, leads to the abandonment of one’s beliefs in God. We can see that trend today. Without the guidance of God’s Truth in society, we become obsessed with consuming rather than serving. God’s commandments become meaningless, and our society sells itself to Satan. We are told every day through social media that sin is fun. Just watch the news, the entertainment industry, and even our educational institutions. That is what we feed to our children. It is no different than throwing them on a burning fire! That should bring us to tears. What is your list? Mine includes abortion, drugs, pornography, an ungodly educational system, gaming, trafficking, and the rampant consumption by society that is spending their future!

God’s Tolerance to Sin

Clearly, history shows us that God has a limit to His patience with a nation’s sinfulness. God loves His Creation! As any loving parent would do, punishment is meant to save. And to save, God sent His children into exile. Exile by the way is not something fun. You will not find it advertised on Airbnb. It is slavery at its worst. To avoid it means going back to basics. God, our Creator, loves us. Our response must be to Love God with all our heart and soul. We are to fear God with all our hearts and soul. We are to serve God with all our hearts and soul. We are to worship God with all our hearts and soul. Do you see any other way than to seek God’s Truth?

Contemplations

• Do you believe in God?
  • Ideas to Explore: What is necessary to maintain a belief in God? How does faith help future generations? What is the evidence that a nation believes in God?
• Do you believe that God would still punish a country that abandoned Him for Satan?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is there any country in history that abandoned God that lasted more than a few hundred years? How do the internal sins of a nation weaken its ability to survive?
• God is very protective of children – Why?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is it the compassionate nature of our Creator? Children are weak, they do not have power. Is it that Jesus came as a child and knew the world’s abuses of its children?
• What can concerned and faithful people do to help a nation with its faith walk?
  • Ideas to Explore: Practice discernment. Learn to recognize God’s Truth. Learn to recognize Satan’s deceptions. Protect children! Hold its leaders accountable to God’s Truth!

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  NIV New International Version Translations

The Ten Commandments have been the foundational structure of many nations of the world for the last several thousand years. They have established the very character of morality and civility for nations. Sadly, our society has been trying to remove the ten commandments from public use and replace them with a culture dedicated to self-interests, excessive indulgences, and sensual pleasures. God’s commands were written on stone for a reason, they are non-negotiable and permanent. They were nothing like the Mosaic Laws written on parchment that has long ceased to exist due to decay. For this lesson, we ask the question, why was the first commandment first?

(Exodus 20:1-3)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.’”

To begin with, firsts in life are things people tend to remember! One’s first car, first home, or first date are often easy to recall. Can you remember your 8th date? Yes, we are a society that places an extra emphasis on first-place finishes, and first-time experiences. Being first holds special importance in so many areas. First in sports means you are the best. First in line means you will not be disappointed if there is a limited supply. With that as a backdrop, we can look at the first commandment from our God and assume that He does not want us to ever forget this specific command!

The first four Commandments relate between God and humanity. The last six are about our relationships with each other. This doesn’t mean that the last six are any less or more important. They all are important, but there does seem to be a ranking or prioritizing in the order in which they are given. To put any other god before the one True God is idolatry. Idolatry is all about economics. When reading about the Israelites worshiping the god called Baal in (1 Kings 18), there is a tendency to think of them developing a preference for wooden idol images. However, their attraction to Baal wasn’t about a pretty statue. It was about an economic promise.

The nations around Israel considered Baal the “rider of the clouds,” who brought the rains and blessed the earth. When Baal showed up, the heavens rained oil, the rivers ran with honey, mothers gave birth to healthy children, and even the dead could be raised. Little wonder, then, that when King Ahab (See Lostpine’s Study: Who was Ahab?) chose to marry a woman from Baal territory, the farmers in Israel built a house for this new god and welcomed him to the neighborhood (1 Kings 16:31).

The Israelites never totally rejected God. They continued going to the temple, paying their tithes, and saying a prayer or two now and again, especially on holidays. This was called “hedging your bets.” They just slipped Baal into their worship time to cover their bases. After all, if you’re a farmer, it’s only practical to invest in getting insurance policies in case the clouds didn’t like you. We still worship our idols today. They could be sports, cars, money, or oneself. Anything that supersedes God, is an idol, anything! And we are still hedging our bets!

What are a few of today’s idols?

• Security – The relinquishing of freedom and rights to others for the promise of a more secure world is a falsehood. Only God can make the promise of security! (See Lostpine’s Study: Does the End Justify the Means?)
• Money, Riches, Wealth – The pursuit of opportunity was one of the founding pillars of our country. Through hard work and enabled by liberty, people sought to improve their economic status. God allows for wealth provided that a person’s riches were not gained at the expense of his relationship with God. In Matthew 6:24 when Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
• The Automobile – For some, the automobile is a symbol of freedom to come and go, get to work, and a useful tool. For others, it is a symbol of money, sex, and power, with a clear hierarchy identifiable by model and price. The automobile has become a divider of those who have from those who have-not.
• Fame through Sports, Media, and Entertainment – Thank the Internet for social media. How many “Friends” do you have? Is becoming a celebrity something to aspire to? Many parents will sacrifice virtually anything for the chance for their child to become famous. Ever seen a child beauty pageant or a little league baseball game?

Take a test of how much time, devotion, and unquestioned loyalty are given to any of the items above. Is there a conflict between prayer, worship, and one’s Tee Times? One’s loyalty can often be tested by a quick audit of your logos, flags, caps, T-shirts, and other clothing items. Or how about this hard question, where does Jesus sit priority-wise with your interests, time and money use, amount, and attention? Is He first, second, third, fourth?

(2 Corinthians 13:5) – “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

Jesus obeyed every law of God and that includes the Ten Commandments. He too emphasized the first commandment by saying, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38). The First Commandment is listed first because God knows our hearts.

(Jeremiah 17:9) – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

It is human nature to create idols that we put before God. Our duty, however, is to place God first and strive to live a life that is pleasing to God. Then leave everything else up to Him, knowing that whatever happens in our life, it’s going to be okay (Romans 8:28-29). Jesus also emphasizes this point in the parable of The Wise and Foolish Builders.

(Matthew 7:24-25) – “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Jesus uses the Greek word “petran”, meaning rock in His parable. The rock Jesus is talking about is not about the house or its foundation. The rock is about the most important choice we make in life, to honor God with all our heart, soul, and strength. The rock (God) is all about where we choose to build our life and about choosing God first as our construction site. It is all about choices, idols, and distractions, that insulate us from our one and only God. Has any human being ever kept the First Commandment? No, because only Jesus was without sin. But without Jesus, there can be no rock upon which to build one’s life. Without the Rock, there is no everlasting life! Need a visual example for a group? See Lostpine’s Study: Rocks and Things.

Contemplations

• What idols in our world today would you add to our list? 
  • Ideas to Explore: Gaming, technology like cell phones, televisions, or what about homes, clothes, jobs? Is the size of your sanctuary important to you? What about electric cars or the Green New Deal?
• Do you think you can get through this world without honoring God?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is that really the point? Do we even care about a few commands on stone these days? What are the true motives of a person who picks God over this world?
• What evidence do you think you should see in someone’s life if they have placed God First?
  • Ideas to Explore: Make a written list of what you do well and where you falter. That could be a game plan for life! Take advantage of your strengths and fix your weaknesses!
• What is your house built upon?
  • Ideas to Explore: List everything you have done to secure your life: then sort them into two lists, sand, and rock. The Rock List are those things that you did solely for God’s benefit. The Sand list is those pursuits you took for your glory.  Now, which is longer?

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  NIV New International Version Translations

The concept of teaching with parables is not a new thing. Parables are allegorical relations or representations from which a moral value is drawn out for instructional purposes. While they are typically simple narratives or short stories, they can be used to illustrate a universal truth. Jesus used 35 parables¹https://abujacatholicarchdiocese.org/catholics/why-were-parables-important-in-the-development-of-christianity.html in His ministry. They represent approximately one-third of His teaching. When asked by the disciples, why He used parables? Jesus replied:

(Matthew 13:11–17)²NIV New International Version Translations – “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Parables work for teaching because they go directly to the heart of their message. Jesus used them effectively to challenge people in identifying a moral dilemma or a poor decision. A common description for a parable is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus explained to His disciples that His use of parables had a two-fold purpose:

• to reveal the truth to those who wanted to know it; and
• to conceal the truth from those who were indifferent.

In the previous chapter (Matthew 12), the Pharisees had publicly rejected their Messiah and blasphemed the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:22–32). They fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of a hardhearted, spiritually blind people (Isaiah 6:9–10). Jesus’ response was to begin teaching in parables. Those who, like the Pharisees, had a preconceived bias against Jesus’ teaching would dismiss the parables as irrelevant nonsense. However, those who truly sought the truth would understand them.

(Proverbs 1:1–7) – “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young—let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance—for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Some guidelines are useful when reading parables. First, try to identify the spiritual truth that is being taught. You might even find hints in the verses before the parable. Jesus often set the stage in verses noted just before the parable. Next, separate the actual lesson from the story. With each parable, there is both a deep spiritual meaning as well as the dressings for an interesting story. You will find facts that lead to truth and information that add window dressing. Seeing both helps with understanding the intended message. All parables are consistent with Scripture. They are illustrations of God’s Truth. You should find a sense of consistency between any parable and the rest of the Bible.

Are parables true stories? Parables, like poetry, were never meant to be taken literally. Remember, their purpose was to teach the eternal Truth of God’s Word to those who believe in God. There are parables in the Bible other than those found in the Gospels. The book of Proverbs is full of them. Many theologians also place the story of Jonah and the whale into the category of a parable. We know that Jesus was probably history’s greatest teacher. Jesus is also God incarnate (in human form). He has no rivals, no equals. Jesus is also our Creator! The lessons of biblical parables are God’s Truth in the form of stories. Jesus made sure His disciples understood the meaning of any parables He used.

(Mark 4:34) – “He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything.”

Example – The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14)

While the parable starts on Luke 18:10, verse 9 sets a pretext:

9 “To some who were confident of their righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:”

Jesus is establishing that the teaching within this parable is about self-righteousness and spiritual pride. There are at least three sins that will be brought forward within people of wealth, position, and power.

10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.”

Jesus then combines two interesting people in this lesson. One is a priest, a holy man who has been dedicating his life to avoiding sin (so he claims) by following God. The other was the ever-hated tax collector who was granted the power by the Romans to collect even more than was due to expand his profits and wages.

11 “The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’”

Verse 11 and 12 find the Pharisee expressing pride over his spiritual purity, even to the point of comparing himself to a hated profession, like tax collecting and other sinful professions. This might extend the parable to include a lesson on the sin of being judgmental. Surely, everyone would recognize the Pharisee as better than a tax collector! That is the false pride example of sin.

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’”

Jesus then adds a fact of humility and a request for mercy from the tax collector. We might summarize the essence of this parable as two people, one expressing false pride, bragging of his perfection before God, being judgmental, and the other, humbly accepting that he was a sinful person, begging for God’s forgiveness. If we examine Scripture for other evidence of consistency, we might use:

(1 Corinthians 1:28-29) – “God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”
(1 John 1:9) – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
(Matthew 7:1) – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Jesus sets the point of the parable, humility, repentance, not boasting, not false pride will get you to heaven. He makes sure that the disciples understood the example, the story, and the teachings.

Closing Ideas

What are we to take with us from a brief look at parables? Our Savior chose parables as one of His principal methods of sharing the Gospel’s message. Just as Jesus walked the sinful streets of Jerusalem, so are our streets filled with sin. Sin, evil people, are not waiting around for someone to share the gospel with them. Jesus held an open contempt for the self-righteous religious leaders of his day. He knew that spreading the Gospel in and around the people who needed to hear it was no easy task. His parables were no doubt just silly stories to the leaders of Jesus’ time. They were just out for themselves. His stories would have never passed the fact-checkers. Parables would have been censored had the leaders understood the real purpose and messages.  But the people whom Jesus loved understood His truthful advice to them. That is the power of the parable!

If you think for a minute that our leaders today are not out for themselves, then you have been tuned to the wrong source of news. All get rich at the expense of the people they serve. Over 2,000 years since Jesus walked our earth, we have not progressed very far. The Apostle Paul tells us that we all must put on our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6) and prepare for a spiritual battle! After telling one of His parables, Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Mark 4:9, 23). This was our call to listen to the parables of the Bible, not just as one would listen to ordinary stories but to listen as a people seeking the Truth from God!

Contemplations

• Thinking about your acceptance of Jesus, how would you create a parable about yourself?
  • Ideas to Explore: What areas in your life did Jesus affect the most? How did you first become aware of your separation from God? What were the events that led up to your “Ah Ha” moment?
• Which of the parables in the Bible do you like the most?
  • Ideas to Explore: Why were they easy to remember? Why were they meaningful to you?
• Who were the greatest teachers in your life?
  • Ideas to Explore: Why do you still remember them? What was it about the teaching style that made them effective?
• Where in society today are parables still in use?
  • Ideas to Explore: Education. Advertising. Family stories and history.

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  NIV New International Version Translations

Fake news has been around for a long time. Satan must be given the “First Fake News Award” when he told Eve that she could be as knowledgeable as God if she sinned and ate the apple. The problem with fake news is that it represents nothing more than lying to accomplish nefarious goals. It divides people, creates anger and, for those who cannot control their emotions, the spreading of hatred results in crimes against our society. Today, there are those who celebrate violent acts against those with differing opinions. This should never happen in a civil society. 

This study is not going to look at opinion news or commentary that just take differing sides. Any democracy thrives on opinion and civil discourse. Instead, lets take a few of the warnings that God Himself extended throughout history and see how to apply them today to our media, politicians, teachers, and anyone else who seeks to falsify information to enhance their agenda.

(Proverbs 29:4)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “By justice a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.”

Where is the peace and stability that we all seek today? One might say that there is complete chaos in our economy, world affairs, borders, and personal safety.  Who is complicit? If someone spreads untruths or the withholding of truths (both are lies) that result in crimes against the innocent, does God hold the deceiver accountable?

(Proverbs 28:10) – “Whoever leads the upright along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.”

First, it is important to establish that there is aways going to be accountability with God. If deceit is present, punishment is inevitable. It doesn’t matter what you may personally believe. God’s Truth is God’s Truth. To look at a biblical example, Jeremiah comes to mind. Jeremiah prophesied during the 7th century BC, when there were great political problems. It is the longest book in the Bible.  He has a lot to say. While Jeremiah loved God and loved his country, many people attacked him personally, even to attempt to take his life. What was going on? The northern Jewish kingdom, Israel, had been defeated. The southern kingdom called Judah, were having a leadership problem. King Manasseh and King Amon had allowed all kinds of pagan acts into their nation’s religion. Leaders had even allowed people to sacrifice children. 

We see today that religion is still under attack and being forced to accommodate our sinful world. God’s original idea was that “religion,” belief in God, would make a positive difference in His world. Instead, the world is busy convincing people that the Bible is nothing special and is not God’s inspired Word. One might argue about subtilties such as the use of the word “literal” in a recent Gallup poll.²https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx However, if fewer people are believing there is a God and only about twenty percent of the people in the US believe the Bible is God’s inspired Word, we are really in trouble.

Just look at the impact of the changing beliefs in our country on children. It is not hard to agree that they are being sacrificed to drugs, trafficking, and an educational system that makes everyone hateful about their sex, color, ethnic origin, and family history. Our society is no longer accommodating to people with special needs and mental illness. We may be entering a period in history where it is no longer safe to send a child into public education. History tells us that when deception becomes an accepted practice and a prized skill, the slippery slide into Marxism, Communism and Atheism is usually not far behind.

(Jeremiah 9:6) – “You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me, declares the Lord.”

Speaking on God’s behalf, Jeremiah is quick to point out that deception, lying, fake news, is paramount in affecting the opinions of the people. Is the deception wining? According to Gallup, yes. Jeremiah shares an important insight into Satan. 

(Jeremiah 14:14) – “Then the Lord said to me, ‘The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries, and the delusions of their own minds.’”

In verse 14:14 above, the first thing God points out to Jeremiah is that others are claiming his credentials as a “prophet.” They lie but do so by claiming that their own lies are coming from Jeremiah. Have you heard this before? Might be something like, “unnamed sources have heard what Jeremiah really said!” The first clue God is giving us in the sorting out of His Truth is to watch for someone usurping the credentials of others. We have entire industries established on that premise. God says their own credentials are false. What do we get then from this group, delusions of their own minds? That is an interesting sentence Jeremiah uses. What could be considered delusional? Men getting pregnant.! Over fifty sexes. One race is better than another. What about no longer requiring repentance and reparation for crimes. And then there is the big delusion, the Bible is not the inspired Word of God!

(Jeremiah 23:32) – “Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,’ declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,’ declares the Lord.”

Here Jeremiah shifts to looking at the results. There are no benefits for the people that are coming from those who claim their high positions. We see it now. Can you name the benefits we are receiving from our institutions today? As a result of our government, are you better today, safer, healthier, happier? You don’t live longer by the way! The average life span is dropping not rising! What about our educational systems? Are the students prepared for life with basic skills, can they work, can they contribute to society or just confused about things? How’s the supply chain been treating you? And then there is the elephant in the room, our media. Can you be sure what you hear is truthful? Is it consistent? Does it bring people together in peace or is it spawning more violence and hate?

(Jeremiah 27:14-16) – “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying lies to you. ‘I have not sent them,’ declares the Lord. ‘They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you.’”

Jeremiah himself is appealing to the king that he should not listen to the false prophets. God did not want His people to die in war or die because of hunger and disease. The king and other leaders ignored Jeremiah. So, he went directly to the churches and people. The false prophets, the leaders were telling the people, everything is going to be just great. All your existential threats will be mitigated. However, no one listened to Jeremiah. History remains Jeremiah’s only witness to the truth of his prophecies!

The Bible was penned by human hands, but its Truth was inspired by our Creator Himself. It is time God’s people turned to His Word, not away. It is time churches taught His Word, not their own opinion. It is time to elect leaders that respect God and His Truth once more! Without God and His Word, Jeremiah’s prophetic warnings are but a noise in the wind. Jeremiah’s prophecies were right!

(2 Timothy 3:16) – “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”

A few Facts about God’s Word

• The word “bible” is from the Greek ta biblia, which means “the scrolls” or “the books.” The word is derived from the ancient city of Byblos, which was the official supplier of paper products to the ancient world.
• The full Bible has been translated into over 500 languages. It has been partially translated into over 2,800 languages.
• The Bible has more sold copies than any other book in history, over 100 million copies each year. One hopes that it has been the most read book in history!
• The Bible is not a single work but a collection of works from a wide variety of authors, such as shepherds, kings, farmers, priests, poets, scribes, and fisherman. Authors also include traitors, embezzlers, adulterers, murders, and auditors. There are over 40 contributors. Yet their messages are amazingly consistent.
• The Bible was written over 15 centuries with the New Testament originally written in Greek and Old Testament originally written in Hebrew. Yet it is ageless, wisdom even for today.
• There are approximately 2,500 prophecies in the Bible with over 2,000 prophecies that have already been fulfilled. With that track record. You would think people would notice!

Only a world with a Creator can be blessed to have His wisdom packaged neatly to share with each other. The Bible is the greatest story ever told because the Bible is True! 

Contemplations

• Are people today just too lazy to research what they hear and see if it is the truth?
  • Ideas to Explore: Are sources we use for proof unreliable? Do we rely too much on media? Are those profiting from deceit too powerful? Is it fear that keeps us ignorant?
• Why do people believe what they hear in the news and read on the Internet?
  • Ideas to Explore: Are we too trusting of sources? Should we do more reading of alternative sources for comparison? Is it the inherent sinful nature of humans that keeps us from God’s wisdom?
• Are people just biased?
  • Ideas to Explore: Have we been educated and trained to harbor specific biased opinions? Where might our biases come from? How should we remove them?
• Why do people allow themselves to get so worked up that they hate someone and are willing to hurt them?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is it mental illness? Is it a poor education? Has hatred been planted by family experiences? Are they whipped up into a murderous frenzy by deception and lies for a nefarious purpose?
• Are we too busy to care?
  • Ideas to Explore: Why do we tolerate harm to our country and families from poor leadership? What causes a city like Chicago to tolerate death every weekend for years and years?
• Do you personally believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God?
  • Ideas to Explore: Why or Why not? Do you think it is time for you to form a decision? Your decision will have eternal consequences!

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  NIV New International Version Translations
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  https://news.gallup.com/poll/394262/fewer-bible-literal-word-god.aspx

A bribe is money, favor, or other consideration given in exchange for one’s influence against what is true, right, or just. The Bible is clear that giving or receiving a bribe is wrong. After witnessing our news media cover the negotiations of the last several US Governmental bills, the evidence indicates that bribery and vote buying are alive and well in politics today. It is worth our time to review God’s opinion of those tactics and see if we can find clarity. How in the world did we get to where we are today? God’s Law, given to Moses for the people of Israel, had been very specific about taking a bribe.

(Exodus 23:8)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the innocent.”

We find this very same command repeated in Deuteronomy 16:19: “Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent.” The negative effects of taking a bribe are clearly outlined in these two passages. First, bribery perverts justice (it is wrong, a sin). It is a slap in the face of wisdom and discernment (we all know that it is wrong and will bring the wrong outcome). It distorts the truth and perverts the words of those who are trying to be righteous in the sight of God (it is destructive to those who work for honest gain). Bribery is a characteristic of a corrupt society.

The Old Testament added an interesting twist to the Law on bribery. The Law went even further in the case of a bribe involving the killing of an innocent person. A judge who took a bribe to condemn to death an innocent person was as guilty as a paid assassin. He was to be “cursed” (Deuteronomy 27:25). When high officials gave and received bribes, it disrupted society. “By justice, a king gives a country stability, but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.” (Proverbs 29:4).

In biblical times, people became quite used to bribery. It became rooted in the fabric of how they even worshipped God. How did the Israelites try to bribe God? The Israelites imagined that by giving thousands of animals and massive quantities of oil to the Temple, they could bribe God into being pleased with them. The reality was that most of the political and religious leaders of Israel were being bribed through offerings (gifts). The Prophet Micah 3:11 records: “Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money.” Micah 3:11 ends, however, with this: “Yet they look for the Lord’s support and say, ‘Is not the Lord among us? No disaster will come upon us.’” The bribes resulted in the perfect worldly outcomes, giving those who offered the bribes what they wanted!

(Isaiah 1:23) – “Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them.”

Isaiah prophesied against the evil of Israel when they had turned from the one true God and His laws. Isaiah used a metaphor, calling the city of Jerusalem no different than an unfaithful harlot. Isaiah commented that Jerusalem was once full of justice, but it had become a place of rebellion, murder, and thievery. Her leaders were those who loved bribes and chased after the money bribery brought them (Isaiah 1:2–23). It is no different than what we see today. Can you argue that our nation once was the “Shining City Upon a Hill” as written by John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts in 1630? Its luster has been diminished lately. Rebellion, murder, and theft seem to dim our glorious light. The people of Israel were to emulate God in their dealings with one another: “For the Lord, your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” (Deuteronomy 10:17).

Probably the worst bribe in history was the thirty pieces of silver that Judas received to betray Jesus. The bribe resulted in the arrest and crucifixion of our Lord. Eventually, even Judas realized that his acceptance of a bribe was evil. But when he tried to return the money to the chief priests and elders, they refused it, correctly calling it “blood money” (Matthew 27:3–9). There are a lot more stories of bribery. We could add dozens more. But shouldn’t the point of this lesson be about how we got here and how to change direction?

How then do we change our society and stop bribery? Is that even possible? Humankind is a fallen creature, quick to believe Satan’s lies. There must be a few proven biblical methods that work. God has spent 6,000 years trying to get our attention. Promoting honesty must go beyond mere ethics training. Even small lies or a little bit of cheating are like a leaking dam. It does not take long for the foundation to wash away. Humanity must seek God’s Truth!

(Proverbs 17:23) – “The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.”

History tells us that the purpose of bribery is the perversion of justice. Therefore, demanding justice, measuring leaders for their fairness, lawfulness, and for their mercy will help us stay clear of those who are corrupt.

(Amos 5:12) – “For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. Some oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.”

Amos the prophet points out that God knows what is going on in our world. He stresses that the purpose of bribery is to take advantage of the innocent. Notice that the “courts” are used, the legal system is used for nefarious purposes.

(Isaiah 33:15-16) – “Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them.”

Isaiah, whose name means “Yahweh is salvation,” is best known for writing the book that bears his name in the Old Testament. His writings are especially significant for the prophecies he made about the coming Messiah, hundreds of years before Jesus was born (Isaiah 7:14; 9:1-7, 11:2-4; 53:4-7, 9, 12). Isaiah goes right to the heart of the issue with his people. Isaiah called out those who rule for partnering with untrustworthy people and taking advantage of those who were the weakest. This behavior led Israel’s leaders to believe that their safety rested in their relationships with others. However, it was God who decides the destiny of nations, and security is for God to grant and for humans to deserve. Isaiah held the daring view that the best defense is the reconciling response to moral demands. No one is secure when some are being denied justice and security.

Corruption and other forms of crime are interconnected. To keep corruption in check, a nation needs stability, the rule of law, human rights, and freedom. A moral nation promotes economic growth and levels the playing field for its citizens to succeed. There must be respect for the laws and those laws must be equally applied to all. To curb bribery, either those giving them or receiving them requires serious punishment. A long time ago, King David figured out what it takes for his nation to prosper: “who lends money to the poor without interest, who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.” (Psalm 15:5).

Contemplations

• Do you believe that the people’s representatives sell their vote?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is bringing results to one group at the expense of another fair? When a political figure accepts gifts of any kind, such as stock tips, favored loans, trips, or even cash, should this be against the law? (by the way, it is against the law–just no one bothers to hold them accountable)
• What do you think it will take to remove corruption from business and politics?
  • Ideas to Explore: Putting God back into our Nation. Harsher penalties. More transparency. More laws?
• God responds negatively to the worldly statement, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Why?
  • Ideas to Explore: God considers all with equal justice! God favors the weak.
• Why do people keep supporting businesses and politicians who basically are criminals?
  • Ideas to Explore: Is it some kind of master plan of Satan? Are humans inherently broken? Can we save our Nation without Godly leadership?

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What is your perspective on life? Most would agree that if you see life as half full, your interpretation of reality is in a positive context. Those who might see life as half-empty are associated with the interpretation of reality in a negative context. But there is a subtle trick being played on us. Our interpretation of the world is heavily influenced by what we see and hear every day. People aged 16 to 24 spend the most time on social media, over 3 hours daily (Source: Digital Information World). Adults spend more than 2 hours daily on social media and cable news. This fact should lead us to ask a very important question:

(1 Corinthians 15:33)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”

Paul was quite specific about his concerns over where the information came from, how it was presented, and how it influenced us. Humans are most impacted by something called negative bias. It comes to us early in life. As very young children, we are constantly told “NO” over and over and given warnings about the dangers attributed to the world around us. Through education and then as working adults, people will hear and remember the negative more than the positive. Our media, our news, the books we read, the movies we watch, and our chats with our friends are unfortunately dominated by negativity. Why? It sells, sells, sells. Think this is too bold a statement? If one considers just a single social media program, Twitter (now called X), the 140 million tweets posted daily would fill a 10-million-page book. Yes, that is daily! Have you read some of those tweets yourself? There is a definite negative bias written into the messages. That is why people love it so much. Remember, it sells. It sells so well that people are willing to give away their privacy and personal information to get Twitter for free. A caution here, however: nothing is ever free except for God’s grace!

As humans, we remember traumatic experiences better than positive ones. Our memories recall insults quicker than praises. Thoughts are generally about negative events, brought forward by emotions such as envy, greed, anger, lust, or fear. Nobel Prize-winning researchers Kahneman and Tversky found that when making decisions, people consistently place greater weight on negative aspects of an event than they do on positive ones. Why do people use negative bias? It works! By overemphasizing the negative, the choices you make and the risks you are willing to take can be influenced. That is why social media is free! It is all about the influence!

(Titus 3:10) – “Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them.”

The Letter to Titus, written by the Apostle Paul, is saying if there is division because of the influence or if it is causing you to hate, change channels, and cancel the social media app! We have already witnessed in our world that a single event quickly dominated the news and then accelerated into rioting in our streets. This psychological phenomenon explains why bad first impressions can be so difficult to overcome and why past traumas can have such long-lasting effects. In almost any interaction, we are more likely to notice negative things and later remember them more vividly. Satan has our number, and we don’t even see him lurking behind the screens and keyboards.

(Proverbs 10:11) – “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”

Media is a prominent source of negativity, hatred, and division, especially in the news and reality shows. Today, the increase in violent crime, the racism that is stoked like a fiery furnace, and dozens of new things to fear every day are dividing our nation. It may not be true of every social media application or technology. For a few good ones, the jury is still out! It just means that the responsibility is on you always know the Truth. If you are getting angry, if you are starting to hate someone or some group, it is time to stop and do a “Truth Check.” If you’re a Christian dealing with negativity in your life, the best way to overcome this is to submit your concerns to God. Don’t conform to the world, and don’t hang around, read, or watch bad influences. Balance your wisdom with God’s Word. Setting our minds on Christ is intended to rid ourselves of the worries of life. We are to meditate on God’s promises to help with depression, not medicate it!

(Matthew 6:34) – “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

One overarching test for any information you have is to assess its impact on you and others. Solomon’s wisdom from the Proverbs tells us:

(Proverbs 15:4) – “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”

Whether we are choosing a candidate for a political office or picking which cable news anchor to watch, apply this test. Does it build up or destroy the human spirit? Are God’s commands honored? Where is the peace? And the number one test: is it True? What we watch and read will influence how we believe and act. If you hate your neighbor, hurt your neighbor, or fail to help your neighbor, it may be worth a little self-examination to see what the information sources are in your life. The bad information usually comes with a channel changer or an on/off switch.

(Philippians 4:8) – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Closing Concerns

How much of the world’s knowledge has been captured by technology? If you said all, you are wrong. Only a small, small fraction is available via online technology. Significant amounts of information remain exclusively on paper in libraries, whether public, private, or personal. Then there is knowledge protected by copyright. Many detailed works (including mistakes) are cataloged only in personal notebooks, dooming future researchers to continue to repeat those mistakes since they are not published. Therefore, it is a common misconception that almost all knowledge is on the Internet. What the Internet holds is a lot of good and bad facts. Not questioning the information is laziness. Combining what we know with observation and revelation, the boundaries of what is yet to be learned are exhaustive. Wikipedia and Google are just nice places to start. But what happens when we take this vast storehouse of information and filter it through the human mind? Oh yes, here comes that negative bias again! Letter.ly is a journalism blog that tracks statistics on messaging coming from the news media. Here is what they find:

• Approximately 90% of all media news today is negative.
• Sensationalist stories form 95% of media headlines.
• Media reports with negative news or statistics catch 30% more attention.
• 26.7% of people exposed to negative news go on to develop anxiety issues.
• 63% of kids aged 12–18 say that watching the news makes them feel bad.
• 39% of Americans believe the media exaggerated the COVID-19 coverage.
• A staggering 87% of the COVID-19 media coverage in 2020 was negative.

Contemplations

• Where do you go to find uplifting news and stories showing how God works in this world?
  • Ideas to Explore: Church, a special list of friends, Christian-themed media. Or can you even find any news like this today?
• Are you angry after watching a news show?
  • Ideas to Explore: What is righteous anger? How do you keep focused on God’s Truth?
• Where do your opinions come from?
  • Ideas to Explore: Are they based on family history? What about friends? Work? Does the church influence your opinions?
• What do you do to control your time with technology?
  • Ideas to Explore: Are there Godly uses, worldly uses, and what constitutes too much time?
• How do you find reliable sources for your information?
  • Ideas to Explore: How do you test the Internet? What about cable news? Books and other resources
• What would you expect to find if you were trying to validate God’s Truth?
  • Ideas to Explore: Consistency within the Scriptures. Consistency of opinion with people you respect. A poor track record on news that is usually biased.

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Where does real wisdom come from? Real wisdom is the kind that guides one’s life through the turmoil of our world. Many may wonder exactly what happens as we close our eyes for the last time, slipping away from those at our bedside. The good news is that the wisest man in history shares his knowledge with us!

(Ecclesiastes 12:7)¹NIV New International Version Translations – “and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

Here is an explicit statement from Solomon on death and the afterlife. There is impressive consistency in the Scriptures as to the meaning of this verse from Ecclesiastes. Let’s look at a few of them.

(Genesis 2:7) – “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

God’s creation of Adam and his name carries some similarities to the word for earth in Hebrew. The Hebrew for a man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah). For the rest of creation, God had simply spoken things into existence (e.g., Genesis 1:3, 14, 20, 24), but God does things differently with Adam. God could have chosen to create humans in any way He desired. However, God used both natural, inert material (dust) and supernatural power (His breath) to give humans a unique composition in the universe. This simple fact of creation separates us from all forms of matter and life. God chose to create humanity to be unique!

Because of the recipe for humanity’s creation used by God, we are dependent on both the fragility of our world and on God Himself. Dust signifies a sense of insignificance here on earth. It is meant to bring about humility that we should never forget. Genesis 3:19 reiterates humanity’s dependence upon God and the fragile nature of human life: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Because we are completely dependent upon God for life, we are called to worship our Lord and to only serve Him. Again, Solomon is specific here, in Ecclesiastes 3:20, he states: “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.” If King Solomon had ended there, the world would be filled with just atheists. However, there is a part two in Solomon’s statement that defines further the uniqueness of humankind. “The spirit returns to God who gave it.”

While we exist in this world, we are body and soul. The word “soul” in the Bible is a translation of the Hebrew word neʹphesh and the Greek word psy·kheʹ. The Hebrew word means “a creature that breathes,” and the Greek word means “a living being.” A soul, then, is part of the entire earthly creature. It is important to admit that the word “soul” is not merely a disembodied entity. In the Bible, the combined “body” and “soul” is defined as who you are!

(Matthew 10:28) – “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

We are left to sort out what happens to the soul, call it the spirit if you must. If the body returns to dust, where does the soul, the spirit go? In other words, where do YOU go after death? There is hardly anyone who is not afraid of death. The reason for this is that death is the end of life and existence as we see it. All that we enjoyed in this world, the precious moments we spent, our dear ones, our experiences, our memories – they all come to an end with death. Traditionally, science has viewed death as the end of life. According to science, if the brain functions and the heart beats, life exists. The moment the heart ceases and the brain function stop, a person is dead and that’s the end of their life.

The Christian then should ask what happens to the soul (spirit) after the death of the body? Just before Jesus was to die on the cross, He said to the thief dying next to Him, “… today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The term “Paradise” is used twice in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelation 2:7) and it is about heaven. Jesus explicitly tells the thief that when he dies, his soul will be with Him in heaven. We can conclude, therefore, that when the body ceases to function, the Christian’s soul separates from the body and goes immediately into Jesus Christ’s presence. That is what the Bible is telling us. Yet we are also told that there is more to come. This leaves us to conclude that while we wait for the restoration of the world, we will be with Jesus, and this will be a good thing for all who are with Christ!

At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the General Resurrection will begin. The redeemed bodies are rejoined with their eternal souls. The final Judgement takes place. Our Advocate, the Christ, stands up for us. Jesus’ atoning death on Calvary’s Cross provides the blood sacrifice of the one and only Son of God. Punishment for sins has been placed upon the Second Person of the One True and Holy God. The redeemed are acquitted, and the unredeemed are cast into eternal separation from God, Christ, and all that is eternally good.

(Revelation 20:11) – “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.”

The prophet Jeremiah points out that God had a plan for him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5). The human soul, from its first breaths of life at conception to the eventual demise of the body, remains part of God’s plan. However, any soul without Christ is in peril. The soul of anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord to be saved will be gloriously transformed for eternity. This is the Good News of the Gospel’s message.

(John 5:24) – “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”

But what about that last breath and what happens until Christ comes again? The Apostle Paul simply says, “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). We will be with our Lord! God’s promises are our destiny. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we will be in the arms of Jesus now and for eternity. We believe that while we wait, we will be comforted by Jesus Himself until the New Order of our world is created. “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”(Philippians 3:20-21)

(Psalm 16:9-10) – “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.”

(Acts 2:27-28) – “because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your essence.”

Whether you were David of the Old Testament or Luke of the New Testament, God remains responsible for the creation and protection of each human soul. Our prayer each day is to be confident in the knowledge that God will not abandon us and has a glorious plan for eternal joy awaiting each of us who trust His Word. However, there is one Truth that cannot be denied, “No Jesus, No heaven!” Oh, poor soul!

(1 Corinthians 15:17-19) – “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.”

Contemplations

• Do you think of yourself as existing without a body? A soul of sorts, somewhere else?
  • Ideas to Explore: Where do our ideas of death, resurrection, and life after death come from? Who are the influencers of our thoughts? Are there any fears and, if so, what are they?
• How can you replace your fears of death with joy?
  • Ideas to Explore: Do you understand why you believe what you believe? Which do you find more fearful, the world or the Bible? Why do you feel that way?
• Where does hope for eternal life come from?
  • Ideas to Explore: Implanted by God; our families, experiences, the world?
• Jesus assures us there is a morning after death. Why do you believe Him?
  • Ideas to Explore: How strong is your faith that Jesus is real? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? Is Jesus someone to be feared, revered, or both?

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