The New Testament contains a number of apostolic prayers. Like the others, this one in Eph 3 is full of precious gold. It is more than worth the trouble mining this portion of God's revelation thoroughly. Let us first just consider v.14.
A SMALL TECHNICAL ISSUE
❏ When you compare v.14 in various translations, you will see that they vary. Certain translations, such as the KJV and NKJV, have "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". Most translations, however, only have "the Father" (with "our Lord Jesus Christ" ommitted).
This has to do with the different Greek texts which were used to translate from. The KJV was translated from the Textus Receptus, a 500 year-old Greek text. Since then a great number of older manuscripts and fragments have been found. These show that the shorter version probably corresponds to the original text as the apostle wrote it. We accept it as such, and consequently do not consider the longer version further. In any case it hardly makes any difference to the meaning of the text.
"FOR THIS REASON"
❏ A careful reading shows that Eph 3:1 also begins with the words "For this reason". The apostle interrupts himself, however, and digresses in v.2-13 from his original point, describing his calling and apostleship. And then here in v.14 he returns to what he wanted to say originally in 3:1.
❏ This indicates that Paul's prayer follows on something which he said prior to 3:1. Seen as such, it is clear that Paul prays for the Ephesians because Christ is gathering a church for Himself from all nations - building them up together to constitute a house in which He, through His Holy Spirit, can dwell (2:11-22). This is why he, as a Jew, can pray for them, a church consisting mainly of Greeks.
THE HOW AND TO WHOM OF PAUL'S PRAYER
❏ The apostle writes that he is kneeling in prayer. This brings the issue of posture or physical carriage during prayer to mind. Is it important?
• We can indeed say, especially on account of the New Testament insistence on worship "in Spirit and truth" (John 4:20-24), that the primary concern in prayer is the attitude of a person’s heart. Our physical posture is thus not of the essence. One could stand, sit, lie down or kneel. There are, after all, examples of all this in Scripture.
• However, it is also true that the attitude of the heart is reflected in the posture of the body. It stands to reason that this is subject to culture, but in our society there are many physical attitudes that unambiguously express a degree of disrespect. What does it signify if a man prays with his hands in his pockets? What about chewing gum open-mouthed while praying?
• Furthermore, it is often true that your physical posture can help in preparing the right frame of mind. If all of us would go on our knees as we pray during the service today, I can assure you that many of us would be touched to such an extent that we would have difficulty holding back our tears.
But, of course, very soon going on our knees can become a show and hypocritical.
• We have to avoid two extremes in our praying, whether in private or in a gathering. On the one hand we must always guard against formalism and showing off. On the other, flippancy and disrespect are always to be regarded as deplorable.
❏ When Paul says he kneels "before" the Father, he uses a very specific and exceptional word (Gr. pros). It is hard to translate, but the famed commentator, R.C.H. Lenski, puts it as follows: "... the face-to-face preposition which is used in intimate personal relations."
❏ Paul prays to the "Father". This is significant.
Certainly we may and should pray to the Lord Jesus Christ in His majesty. There are, after all, instances thereof in the New Testament. And the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Divine Trinity, although there are no examples in Scripture of a prayer addressed to Him. His passion, after all, is the exaltation of Christ.
But if you - like so many Christians - pray almost exclusively to the Lord Jesus, something is amiss in your relationship with the triune God. No, the New Testament teaches us plainly that we should pray primarily to the Father - admittedly based on the merits of the Son and through the strength and faith granted by the Holy Spirit. Just think about the model prayer - the Our Father. "This, then, is how you should pray", says Jesus, "Our Father …" (Matt 6:9; also compare Rom 1:8; 15:5; 13; 1Cor 1:4-7; Eph 1:17; Philem 1:4-6).
• The Biblical revelation of God as our Father in Christ is inexpressibly glorious and precious. The highlight of the Old Testament lies in the fact that the living God engages in a covenant with insignificant and sinful people. But in the New Testament we have a dramatic further developement: this living God is his chosen people's Father! We are not only His people; we are also His family, His children, and His heirs! Whereas He was virtually inaccessible in the Old Covenant, He now commands us to boldly enter into the Most Holy Place again and again through the torn curtain (Mark 15:38; Heb 10:19).
• In his famous book, Knowing God, the theologian, J.I. Packer, writes: "You sum up the whole of New Testament religion if you describe it as the knowledge of God as one's holy Father. If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. ... For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. "Father" is the Christian name for God."
• Luther put it like this: "If I could just genuinely believe that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is my Father - I would never forget that Christ is my brother, that everything belongs to me, and that my Father has sent out angels to serve me."
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?
1. The worldwide unity of the body of Christ transcends cultural and national identities.
Paul was never ashamed of being Jewish. And he had a very, very fervent zeal for the salvation of the Jews (Rom 9:1-5). But he never allowed this to prevent him loving the gentiles. In fact, he considers himself primarily an apostle for the gentiles. And how he did toil and labour to ensure that the Greeks and Romans would hear the gospel!
What was behind it all? Undoubtedly his passion for the gospel of the Lord Jesus, His kingdom and His church. And he was profoundly convinced that the honour of Christ was closely linked to the universal nature and unity of His church.
How much would the current worldwide reach of the Christian church have delighted Paul! Yes, the church in the western world is in trouble - because over the past two centuries it has lent its ears to unbiblical and man-centred theology. But two thirds of the church today is to be found in the Third World. Almost a hundred million Christians in China! Korea, which is only beaten by America as far as foreign missions are concerned! South America! Africa!
2. No circumstances can hinder us from reaching the entire world through our prayers.
Paul is writing here as a prisoner. How eagerly he would have liked to visit and encourage the Ephesians personally! But his shackles cannot thwart him in his prayers for them. And never think that this is an inferior and inconsequential ministry!
Often our ideas of how to serve the Lord and His body are too narrow. Those of you who are confined to a wheelchair or a bed; those of you spending day after day in a room in an old people’s home - do you realise that you can reach the entire earth, as well as the decades to come, with your prayers? Remember, the Lord never disregards the sincere and biblical prayers of His children. Admittedly, He does not always grant our prayers immediately - but every one of our sincere prayers are woven into the execution of His eternal council.
3. Note how highly Paul values prayer.
The apostle doesn’t stop at teaching so wonderfully in his letter to the Ephesians; he also prays for them. And not just once either. Consider his heartfelt prayer in 1:15 and following. In fact, there he says that he never stops praying for them at all (1:16).
Moreover, he pleads with the Ephesians to pray for him too. And notice his request - Paul of all people: that he may fully comprehend the mystery of the gospel, and preach it fearlessly (6:18-20). Truly, for Paul, prayer was a key!
4. Let us observe the sensitive balance between reverence and boldness in our relationship with God - also in our prayers.
There are two precipices flanking the narrow road of prayer: on the one side a reticent timidity, and on the other a bombastic, irreverent and brash impertinence.
On the one hand Paul prays to his Father - which implies intimacy, confidence and boldness. On the other he bows his knees - which reflects his deep sense of respect and awe.
The same balance can be found in the model prayer: "Our Father" … "in heaven".
5. Let us make it a matter of the highest priority to know the triune God precisely as He has revealed Himself to us.
May the Lord in His grace protect us from creating a God for ourselves according to our own image. There are countless church-goers who are to all intents and purposes idolaters. Only think of the epidemic proportions of man-centredness - as if the Lord exists to dance to our tune.
To know God is indisputably our highest calling. But then we need to bow before His self-revelation in humility and with a desire to learn. There can be no scope for self-wilfulness and selective preconceptions.
And let us always keep in mind that we can only know God in Christ - His highest and final revelation of Himself to us (John 1:1-18; Heb 1:1-3).
Nico van der Walt
Sunday, March 3, 2013
EE6 - RM 1:17 - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT GOD GIVES
Nothing in the Bible is unimportant. However, some scriptural truths are of such fundamental importance that, if they do not form the core of your convictions, the question would arose as to whether you could call yourself a Christian at all.
Consequently, it is truly disconcerting when I meet good and loyal church-goers throughout the country, only to realise that a great many of them do not understand the first thing about many of these truths.
Therefore I want to yet again discuss a gospel truth that not only lies at the heart of our holy faith, but is also the inexhaustible source of comfort to anyone who takes refuge in Jesus Christ for life and death. We have often pondered this, and for most of you I will not be saying anything new - but I shudder to think that I might one day, when I stand accountable before God, be rebuked for my failure to impress this upon you sufficiently.
I’m talking about justification through faith alone. It is this truth of which Luther said that it determines whether the church stands or falls. And indeed, there is scarcely a more reliable litmus test to assess the authenticity, or not, of a congregation.
Moreover: I cannot think of a truth that has a more drastic and practical effect on a person's life. Therefore, be sure to understand it, embrace it in faith, think about it again and again, and live according to it.
The righteousness of God
❏ Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic priest and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Amongst other things he had to lecture on the epistle to the Romans. But he struggled to grasp the true meaning of the apostle's writing. He did, however, know that the theme of the entire book was found in Rom 1:16-17, and that, as such, it was the key to understanding the whole. He read the two verses over and over again, and every time he stumbled over the expression in v.17: "the righteousness of God". Throughout the Middle Ages the Catholic Church taught that these words here in Rom 1 describe a character trait of the Lord - that His wrath burns against the sins of men.
If there was one issue that burned in Luther's soul, it was Job's question: how can a mortal be righteous before God? (Job 4:17; 9:2). He writes in his autobiography that he consequently came to detest the expression here in Rom 1:17, and he became increasingly angry with God. For Luther struggled with an intense sense of sin for many years, powerless to live a holy life. The last thing he needed to hear, especially from this book that claimed to carry the secret to eternal salvation, was that he was faced with a God to whom sinners were completely intolerable.
One day - probably in the autumn of 1514 - this priest-professor was reading over and over these verses again. And there in the tower of the Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg, it suddenly hit him like a bolt of lightning: in Greek this expression can also indicate that God is the source of righteousness - that He gives righteousness.
Instantly the message of the book of Romans became clear to Luther. He later wrote: "Then I felt born again like a new man, and I entered God’s Paradise through open doors."
And so the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century began. Nothing would ever be the same again. Europe's windows were thrown open and the truth of grace flooded in like sunlight, dispelling the darkness of the Middle Ages. In the following years this true gospel would lead to the salvation of many thousands.
What did Luther see?
In order to understand what Luther saw, we have to go back to some fundamental Biblical truths.
❏ Adam acted as head of all humanity when he fell into sin. He represented each of us. The effect of his sin on all humanity is called original sin or inherited sin. This has two components: guilt and corruption. (Rm 3:9-20; 5:12-19).
• All Adam's descendants are considered by God to be "co-responsible" for the fall. They are equally guilty in God's sight, and equally punishable - even before committing a single sin. It can be compared to, as an example, Hitler causing millions, even small babies, to die during the war - simply because they were part of the German nation.
To put it technically: Adam's guilt is imputed (debited) to all people. This is a forensic or legal problem. It is an objective truth; it happens outside of us - in God's books, as it were.
Of course, this culpability increases as one personally sins day after day.
• Secondly, this has to do with man's corruption, his moral pollution. Every descendant of Adam is born with a morally distorted nature. He therefore has an inborn inclination to go against the Law and the will of God. This makes him a rebel before his Creator. Moreover, he is incapable of living up to God's will and standards. This makes him a failure before the Lord.
Here we have an irrefutable fact of life. It is true universally, and through all ages. Even in babies it is unmistakable: Mine! No! Give! I Won't! (Ps 58:3).
The corruption due to Adam's sin is therefore imparted to all his descendants - all people. This is a moral problem - therefore subjective, inside us.
❏ Christ came as "second man", as "last Adam" (1Cor 15:45, 47) - and as Head of God’s new humanity - to eradicate the effects of the Fall for His people (Rm 5:12-21). When a sinner places his faith and trust sincerely and earnestly in Christ, he is, by way of speaking, taken out of Adam and planted into Christ. Just as Adam's sin was charged, or debited, to him, just so Christ's righteousness is now counted, or credited to him.
❏ To understand how Christ addresses the problem of our lost righteousness before God, we have to discuss the nature of sin first (our own sin and our sin in Adam).
All sin falls into one of two categories: that which one does (sins of commission), and that which one doesn’t do (sins of omission). We violate God’s commandments, and we fail to measure up to His standards. My trespasses are one thing, but what about all the things that the Lord commands, that I don’t do? I don’t hate Him anymore - and it’s wonderful - but what if I do not love Him with my whole heart, mind and strength?
• Most of us are well aware of the fact that Christ paid for all sins that His people have done, do, and will do. The punishment that He suffered, He bore as Substitute in my place. My guilt was imputed or debited to Him - it was charged to His account. And when He paid it, it brought an end to all my debt!
But how many of us realise that this acquittal alone is not enough?
If we were only acquitted, we would have been were Adam was prior to the Fall - yes, without guilt, but that would not have been enough. No! The Lord still had to earn eternal life for us! Through positive obedience he had to gain access to the Tree of Life.
It is not enough simply not to violate God’s commandments, we must keep them! There is not only a punishment to be averted; there is also a reward to be earned! If you would inherit eternal life, you have to obey God perfectly. And this is man's greatest problem! Nobody can achieve it.
❏ This insurmountable dilemma of the sinner is also addressed by Christ. He obeyed God perfectly - from the moment of His birth, up to His final breath. Not one single sinful thought, desire or motive! Even in the tiniest detail He did everything - exactly everything - that His Father commanded Him.
This obedience is imputed to each one who truly believes in Christ! The Lord's perfect obedience is credited to his or her account! This is the good news of the gospel: Place your faith and trust in the Substitute and His merits, and you are credited with His flawless righteousness!
Exactly this is what Rm 1:17 talks about. This is the righteousness that God gives. This is the essence of justification through faith alone. This is what Luther saw.
What does this boil down to?
❏ When someone else has paid your debts, what do you owe? Nothing!
And when you have something to do, but a substitute does it in your place - do you still have to do it as well? Of course not!
Do you realise what this means? In God's books, by way of speaking, you who are in Christ have the status of someone who has never sinned - because all your debt has been paid. Moreover, in God's books you have the status of someone who has kept the law perfectly - because Christ's righteousness has been credited to your account.
❏ Note that I say "in God’s books". Remember, this is a judicial affair. Paul constantly uses legal and accounting language. Therefore this is an objective matter. It is not subjective. It occurs outside of you (in God’s books), not in you. It is not an experience; it is something that you have to accept in faith - because God's gospel promises it.
To turn our eyes from ourselves, and fix our gaze on Christ and His merits, is one of the first and most important lessons that a Christian must learn. It is the essence of faith (do you remember the bronze snake in Num 21:5-9 and Jh 3:14-15?).
Countless Christians are milling about on one place due to their constant introspection. Being forever inward-looking is being self-centred. And it is a sin - amongst other things the sin of doubt. You do not believe God’s promises! As if He is a liar!
❏ That which the first Adam should have done, but couldn’t, the Last Adam achieved. He obeyed His Father absolutely to the end. And those of us who are united with Him through true faith, receive exactly the same reward as our Head.
Hence there is hardly a more blessed or more meaningful promise in the Bible as the one found in Rev 22:2: the tree of life! The angels who were to guard the Garden of Eden so that none of Adam’s descendants could enter it, have become a guard of honour to welcome each one who has sought refuge in Christ and continue to abide in Him.
❏ The famous American church leader and theologian, Gresham Machen, understood the message of this sermon. On January 1, 1937 his dying words were: "I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it."
Nico van der Walt
Consequently, it is truly disconcerting when I meet good and loyal church-goers throughout the country, only to realise that a great many of them do not understand the first thing about many of these truths.
Therefore I want to yet again discuss a gospel truth that not only lies at the heart of our holy faith, but is also the inexhaustible source of comfort to anyone who takes refuge in Jesus Christ for life and death. We have often pondered this, and for most of you I will not be saying anything new - but I shudder to think that I might one day, when I stand accountable before God, be rebuked for my failure to impress this upon you sufficiently.
I’m talking about justification through faith alone. It is this truth of which Luther said that it determines whether the church stands or falls. And indeed, there is scarcely a more reliable litmus test to assess the authenticity, or not, of a congregation.
Moreover: I cannot think of a truth that has a more drastic and practical effect on a person's life. Therefore, be sure to understand it, embrace it in faith, think about it again and again, and live according to it.
The righteousness of God
❏ Martin Luther was a Roman Catholic priest and professor at the University of Wittenberg. Amongst other things he had to lecture on the epistle to the Romans. But he struggled to grasp the true meaning of the apostle's writing. He did, however, know that the theme of the entire book was found in Rom 1:16-17, and that, as such, it was the key to understanding the whole. He read the two verses over and over again, and every time he stumbled over the expression in v.17: "the righteousness of God". Throughout the Middle Ages the Catholic Church taught that these words here in Rom 1 describe a character trait of the Lord - that His wrath burns against the sins of men.
If there was one issue that burned in Luther's soul, it was Job's question: how can a mortal be righteous before God? (Job 4:17; 9:2). He writes in his autobiography that he consequently came to detest the expression here in Rom 1:17, and he became increasingly angry with God. For Luther struggled with an intense sense of sin for many years, powerless to live a holy life. The last thing he needed to hear, especially from this book that claimed to carry the secret to eternal salvation, was that he was faced with a God to whom sinners were completely intolerable.
One day - probably in the autumn of 1514 - this priest-professor was reading over and over these verses again. And there in the tower of the Augustinian monastery in Wittenberg, it suddenly hit him like a bolt of lightning: in Greek this expression can also indicate that God is the source of righteousness - that He gives righteousness.
Instantly the message of the book of Romans became clear to Luther. He later wrote: "Then I felt born again like a new man, and I entered God’s Paradise through open doors."
And so the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century began. Nothing would ever be the same again. Europe's windows were thrown open and the truth of grace flooded in like sunlight, dispelling the darkness of the Middle Ages. In the following years this true gospel would lead to the salvation of many thousands.
What did Luther see?
In order to understand what Luther saw, we have to go back to some fundamental Biblical truths.
❏ Adam acted as head of all humanity when he fell into sin. He represented each of us. The effect of his sin on all humanity is called original sin or inherited sin. This has two components: guilt and corruption. (Rm 3:9-20; 5:12-19).
• All Adam's descendants are considered by God to be "co-responsible" for the fall. They are equally guilty in God's sight, and equally punishable - even before committing a single sin. It can be compared to, as an example, Hitler causing millions, even small babies, to die during the war - simply because they were part of the German nation.
To put it technically: Adam's guilt is imputed (debited) to all people. This is a forensic or legal problem. It is an objective truth; it happens outside of us - in God's books, as it were.
Of course, this culpability increases as one personally sins day after day.
• Secondly, this has to do with man's corruption, his moral pollution. Every descendant of Adam is born with a morally distorted nature. He therefore has an inborn inclination to go against the Law and the will of God. This makes him a rebel before his Creator. Moreover, he is incapable of living up to God's will and standards. This makes him a failure before the Lord.
Here we have an irrefutable fact of life. It is true universally, and through all ages. Even in babies it is unmistakable: Mine! No! Give! I Won't! (Ps 58:3).
The corruption due to Adam's sin is therefore imparted to all his descendants - all people. This is a moral problem - therefore subjective, inside us.
❏ Christ came as "second man", as "last Adam" (1Cor 15:45, 47) - and as Head of God’s new humanity - to eradicate the effects of the Fall for His people (Rm 5:12-21). When a sinner places his faith and trust sincerely and earnestly in Christ, he is, by way of speaking, taken out of Adam and planted into Christ. Just as Adam's sin was charged, or debited, to him, just so Christ's righteousness is now counted, or credited to him.
❏ To understand how Christ addresses the problem of our lost righteousness before God, we have to discuss the nature of sin first (our own sin and our sin in Adam).
All sin falls into one of two categories: that which one does (sins of commission), and that which one doesn’t do (sins of omission). We violate God’s commandments, and we fail to measure up to His standards. My trespasses are one thing, but what about all the things that the Lord commands, that I don’t do? I don’t hate Him anymore - and it’s wonderful - but what if I do not love Him with my whole heart, mind and strength?
• Most of us are well aware of the fact that Christ paid for all sins that His people have done, do, and will do. The punishment that He suffered, He bore as Substitute in my place. My guilt was imputed or debited to Him - it was charged to His account. And when He paid it, it brought an end to all my debt!
But how many of us realise that this acquittal alone is not enough?
If we were only acquitted, we would have been were Adam was prior to the Fall - yes, without guilt, but that would not have been enough. No! The Lord still had to earn eternal life for us! Through positive obedience he had to gain access to the Tree of Life.
It is not enough simply not to violate God’s commandments, we must keep them! There is not only a punishment to be averted; there is also a reward to be earned! If you would inherit eternal life, you have to obey God perfectly. And this is man's greatest problem! Nobody can achieve it.
❏ This insurmountable dilemma of the sinner is also addressed by Christ. He obeyed God perfectly - from the moment of His birth, up to His final breath. Not one single sinful thought, desire or motive! Even in the tiniest detail He did everything - exactly everything - that His Father commanded Him.
This obedience is imputed to each one who truly believes in Christ! The Lord's perfect obedience is credited to his or her account! This is the good news of the gospel: Place your faith and trust in the Substitute and His merits, and you are credited with His flawless righteousness!
Exactly this is what Rm 1:17 talks about. This is the righteousness that God gives. This is the essence of justification through faith alone. This is what Luther saw.
What does this boil down to?
❏ When someone else has paid your debts, what do you owe? Nothing!
And when you have something to do, but a substitute does it in your place - do you still have to do it as well? Of course not!
Do you realise what this means? In God's books, by way of speaking, you who are in Christ have the status of someone who has never sinned - because all your debt has been paid. Moreover, in God's books you have the status of someone who has kept the law perfectly - because Christ's righteousness has been credited to your account.
❏ Note that I say "in God’s books". Remember, this is a judicial affair. Paul constantly uses legal and accounting language. Therefore this is an objective matter. It is not subjective. It occurs outside of you (in God’s books), not in you. It is not an experience; it is something that you have to accept in faith - because God's gospel promises it.
To turn our eyes from ourselves, and fix our gaze on Christ and His merits, is one of the first and most important lessons that a Christian must learn. It is the essence of faith (do you remember the bronze snake in Num 21:5-9 and Jh 3:14-15?).
Countless Christians are milling about on one place due to their constant introspection. Being forever inward-looking is being self-centred. And it is a sin - amongst other things the sin of doubt. You do not believe God’s promises! As if He is a liar!
❏ That which the first Adam should have done, but couldn’t, the Last Adam achieved. He obeyed His Father absolutely to the end. And those of us who are united with Him through true faith, receive exactly the same reward as our Head.
Hence there is hardly a more blessed or more meaningful promise in the Bible as the one found in Rev 22:2: the tree of life! The angels who were to guard the Garden of Eden so that none of Adam’s descendants could enter it, have become a guard of honour to welcome each one who has sought refuge in Christ and continue to abide in Him.
❏ The famous American church leader and theologian, Gresham Machen, understood the message of this sermon. On January 1, 1937 his dying words were: "I am so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it."
Nico van der Walt
EE5 - EX 17:1-7 - JESUS CHRIST, ROCK BROKEN FOR US
It is soon after the departure of the covenant people from Egypt - before their arrival at Sinai. They are grumbling against the Lord - and it isn’t the first time.
• In ch.15 the people reach Marah, where the Lord put them to the test. The water is too bitter to drink. They grumble, and the Lord shows Moses a piece of wood which he has to throw into the water. He does this, and the water turns sweet.
• In ch.16 the Israelites long for the meat they had in Egypt and grumble against Moses again - but also against the Lord (3, 7, 8). The Lord now begins to send them the manna and quail that would sustain them throughout the next decades. It was a sign that God had freed them from Egyptian oppression, that He was the Almighty, and that He had noticed their revolt against Him.
THE EVENTS AT REPHIDIM
❏ The rebellion here at Rephidim (later called Massah and Meribah), so soon after their previous two insurrections, is shocking. Would not He who had split the sea in two, who provided manna and quail, also supply the people with water? After all, it is He who had led them to Rephidim.
❏ The people are furious with Moses. They are threatening to stone him (4). But he protests vehemently: their quarrel is with the Lord, not with him (2b). He is right. In fact, the people are sinning in two ways against God.
• The Israelites are provoking the Lord. When they want Moses to give them water their tone is challenging: "Is the Lord among us or not?" (7). In other words, if He is in our midst - and that is an open question - you should just have to snap your fingers and we would have water!
• Secondly, the term "quarrel" (2) indicates in Hebrew to lodge a charge. It is the stem for the name Meribah (7), and Micah (6:1-8) uses it for the Lord’s court case against Israel.
The people are accusing Moses. But he is only the Lord’s representative. In reality, they are placing God in the dock!
❏ God is just. The people are accusing Him. Very well then, the case will be heard!
But who will sit at the bench? Moses will be the judge! And the elders the jury! (5).
Moses must take his staff with him (5). It is a symbol of authority and the administration of justice. It is the staff with which the waters of the Nile were turned to blood, which cleaved the sea, and controlled the fight against the Amalekites (9).
❏ The following is certainly one of the most astonishing incidents related in the Bible. The Lord stands upon a rock. Moses has to strike the rock, after which water will gush from it (6).
The NASB; Amplified; AV; NKJV translates the preposition more accurately than the NIV: the Lord stood upon the rock.
People stand in front of God, never the other way around! And yet, here the unthinkable is taking place: the Lord stands in front of the people - to assume the place of a wrongdoer and be judged.
❏ Is God guilty then? Absolutely not! It is the Israelites who are guilty. What is happening here? God is a just God. His law must be fulfilled. But as God of the Covenant He also wishes to save His people. There is only one solution - He will have to take the condemnation upon Himself in their stead!
"Is the Lord among us …?", the people asked gloatingly. O yes, He is indeed! But in a very different way to that which they expected. He is not only standing amongst them - He is standing in their place. He carries their guilt!
How did Moses manage to perform what the Lord commanded him to do? What passes through his thoughts as he lifts the staff above his head - and then brings it down with all his strength? If ever someone had faith, this would be it. Here is unparalleled obedience!
❏ As Moses's staff hits the rock, it bursts open and a stream of life-giving water gushes out. It was assuredly not a half-hearted little trickle. After all, the Israelites were an immeasurable throng. And their livestock had to drink as well.
Our text does not describe the stream, but Ps 105 - which extols God’s great works of deliverance - sketches the picture: "He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert" (41).
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS EVENT
❏ It stands to reason that one should not read Christ into every line of the Old Testament. But many of us are so intimidated by contemporary sceptical theology that we are too timid to see Christ at all in the Old Testament. This attitude completely disregards undeniable New Testament testimony, however. If you want to remove Christ from the Old Testament, you must first dispose of the New Testament entirely.
For instance, consider the following: "And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Lk 24:27). Also: "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture (Is 53) and told him the good news about Jesus" (Act 8:35). Also compare Jh 5:39 and 1Pt 1:10-12.
❏ Concerning this passage of Scripture, we have a clear as glass mandate from the New Testament to read Christ into it: "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1Cor 10:4).
In Ex 17 God promises the coming atonement of His Son! Verse 6 anticipates the entire gospel!
Listen to 2Cor 5:21: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us …" He was the innocent bearer of our punishment!
NUMBERS 20:1-13
❏ Forty years later Moses finds himself in a similar confrontation with the people. Again there is no water, and again a rock and a staff are involved. Yet some details of the command he receives from God contrasts sharply with that of the previous one.
As opposed to the previous occasion when he had to hit the rock, he now has to speak to it. And now he has to take Aaron with him, and use, not his own, but Aaron's staff (8, 9; 17:10). Whereas the first occasion was legal in nature, this occasion has a priestly character.
But, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hits it - twice - in his anger at the Israelites (11). Still, enough water comes out to satisfy the people and their livestock. How gracious God is!
However, Moses's violation is no small matter. He (and his brother) will never enter Canaan!
If we are honest with ourselves, it feels as if Moses's punishment is completely out of proportion to his disobedience. He had served the Lord faithfully for forty years - as few, if any, had done before him. For decades he had lived for one purpose only - to lead the Lord’s chosen people into the Promised Land. And now, on the eve of the fulfilment of his dream, he is thwarted!
Why this severe punishment? Was it simply because he was disobedient in front of the entire Israelite host? No! No! Much more is involved: the prophecy of Christ that was supposed to be enacted on this occasion in front of the chosen people, was violated in a terrible way!
Christ was crucified once only - once and for all (Rm 6:9-10; Hb 9:26, 28). It was a perfect work - and was to be the entire and sufficient source and basis of all blessings for those who would be united to Him through faith. And all that is necessary to get a part in this, is to speak to the Lord - to ask it in faith, on the basis of Christ's once-and-for-all completed and finished work!
• Two different Hebrew words for "rock" are used: tsur (Ex 17) and sela (Num 20). Although they are often interchangeable, one wonders whether it is significant that tsur refers more to a solid rock, whereas sela is often used for a cleft rock .
• In this tragic event we see firstly how non-negotiable and important the gospel is to God. Secondly, we see how it revolts Him when someone tries to add something to the perfect work of His Son. We see thirdly how high He values Old Testament foreshadowings of the gospel.
❏ In spite of the people's constant grumbling, and in spite of Moses’s disobedience, water still gushes from the rock. How merciful is the Lord! (2Tm 2:13).
CONCLUSION
❏ A while ago a famous journalist publicly rejected the gospel - apparently because it doesn’t make sense. She cannot see why God - if He is indeed sovereign and almighty - cannot simply forgive our sins without further ado. Why was it necessary to let His Son die such a grotesque death? A father - to quote her - doesn’t treat his children like that!
It is tragic ignorance that speaks thus!
Never will God act in a way that is in conflict with any of His attributes. Whatever He does, is in accordance with all His character traits. Therefore, since He is also a holy and just God, His redemption cannot and will not take the shape of a simple free pardon. He will never just sweep someone's debt of sin furtively under the carpet. Sin has to be punished - all sin, every sin.
This is why the Son was sent - to carry the sinner’s punishment for him or her. That is why He had to be wholly man, for only a man could serve as substitute for men and women. That is why He had to be wholly God, because only God can carry the sins of millions and so pay their debt.
Either Christ suffers your punishment, or you do so yourself. And faith - embracing Christ - is the determining factor.
❏ Lastly and very important, the substituting mediatorship of our Lord Jesus Christ was not just a last resort - a plan B. No, He was "handed over … by God's set purpose and foreknowledge … and put ... to death by nailing him to the cross" (Act 2:23). And this gospel was prophesied to Israel for centuries before Calvary. In fact, long before that Abraham already saw the coming Saviour (Jh 8:56). And even long before him, Adam and Eve were told that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Gn 3:15).
Nico van der Walt
• In ch.15 the people reach Marah, where the Lord put them to the test. The water is too bitter to drink. They grumble, and the Lord shows Moses a piece of wood which he has to throw into the water. He does this, and the water turns sweet.
• In ch.16 the Israelites long for the meat they had in Egypt and grumble against Moses again - but also against the Lord (3, 7, 8). The Lord now begins to send them the manna and quail that would sustain them throughout the next decades. It was a sign that God had freed them from Egyptian oppression, that He was the Almighty, and that He had noticed their revolt against Him.
THE EVENTS AT REPHIDIM
❏ The rebellion here at Rephidim (later called Massah and Meribah), so soon after their previous two insurrections, is shocking. Would not He who had split the sea in two, who provided manna and quail, also supply the people with water? After all, it is He who had led them to Rephidim.
❏ The people are furious with Moses. They are threatening to stone him (4). But he protests vehemently: their quarrel is with the Lord, not with him (2b). He is right. In fact, the people are sinning in two ways against God.
• The Israelites are provoking the Lord. When they want Moses to give them water their tone is challenging: "Is the Lord among us or not?" (7). In other words, if He is in our midst - and that is an open question - you should just have to snap your fingers and we would have water!
• Secondly, the term "quarrel" (2) indicates in Hebrew to lodge a charge. It is the stem for the name Meribah (7), and Micah (6:1-8) uses it for the Lord’s court case against Israel.
The people are accusing Moses. But he is only the Lord’s representative. In reality, they are placing God in the dock!
❏ God is just. The people are accusing Him. Very well then, the case will be heard!
But who will sit at the bench? Moses will be the judge! And the elders the jury! (5).
Moses must take his staff with him (5). It is a symbol of authority and the administration of justice. It is the staff with which the waters of the Nile were turned to blood, which cleaved the sea, and controlled the fight against the Amalekites (9).
❏ The following is certainly one of the most astonishing incidents related in the Bible. The Lord stands upon a rock. Moses has to strike the rock, after which water will gush from it (6).
The NASB; Amplified; AV; NKJV translates the preposition more accurately than the NIV: the Lord stood upon the rock.
People stand in front of God, never the other way around! And yet, here the unthinkable is taking place: the Lord stands in front of the people - to assume the place of a wrongdoer and be judged.
❏ Is God guilty then? Absolutely not! It is the Israelites who are guilty. What is happening here? God is a just God. His law must be fulfilled. But as God of the Covenant He also wishes to save His people. There is only one solution - He will have to take the condemnation upon Himself in their stead!
"Is the Lord among us …?", the people asked gloatingly. O yes, He is indeed! But in a very different way to that which they expected. He is not only standing amongst them - He is standing in their place. He carries their guilt!
How did Moses manage to perform what the Lord commanded him to do? What passes through his thoughts as he lifts the staff above his head - and then brings it down with all his strength? If ever someone had faith, this would be it. Here is unparalleled obedience!
❏ As Moses's staff hits the rock, it bursts open and a stream of life-giving water gushes out. It was assuredly not a half-hearted little trickle. After all, the Israelites were an immeasurable throng. And their livestock had to drink as well.
Our text does not describe the stream, but Ps 105 - which extols God’s great works of deliverance - sketches the picture: "He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert" (41).
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS EVENT
❏ It stands to reason that one should not read Christ into every line of the Old Testament. But many of us are so intimidated by contemporary sceptical theology that we are too timid to see Christ at all in the Old Testament. This attitude completely disregards undeniable New Testament testimony, however. If you want to remove Christ from the Old Testament, you must first dispose of the New Testament entirely.
For instance, consider the following: "And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Lk 24:27). Also: "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture (Is 53) and told him the good news about Jesus" (Act 8:35). Also compare Jh 5:39 and 1Pt 1:10-12.
❏ Concerning this passage of Scripture, we have a clear as glass mandate from the New Testament to read Christ into it: "They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ" (1Cor 10:4).
In Ex 17 God promises the coming atonement of His Son! Verse 6 anticipates the entire gospel!
Listen to 2Cor 5:21: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us …" He was the innocent bearer of our punishment!
NUMBERS 20:1-13
❏ Forty years later Moses finds himself in a similar confrontation with the people. Again there is no water, and again a rock and a staff are involved. Yet some details of the command he receives from God contrasts sharply with that of the previous one.
As opposed to the previous occasion when he had to hit the rock, he now has to speak to it. And now he has to take Aaron with him, and use, not his own, but Aaron's staff (8, 9; 17:10). Whereas the first occasion was legal in nature, this occasion has a priestly character.
But, instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hits it - twice - in his anger at the Israelites (11). Still, enough water comes out to satisfy the people and their livestock. How gracious God is!
However, Moses's violation is no small matter. He (and his brother) will never enter Canaan!
If we are honest with ourselves, it feels as if Moses's punishment is completely out of proportion to his disobedience. He had served the Lord faithfully for forty years - as few, if any, had done before him. For decades he had lived for one purpose only - to lead the Lord’s chosen people into the Promised Land. And now, on the eve of the fulfilment of his dream, he is thwarted!
Why this severe punishment? Was it simply because he was disobedient in front of the entire Israelite host? No! No! Much more is involved: the prophecy of Christ that was supposed to be enacted on this occasion in front of the chosen people, was violated in a terrible way!
Christ was crucified once only - once and for all (Rm 6:9-10; Hb 9:26, 28). It was a perfect work - and was to be the entire and sufficient source and basis of all blessings for those who would be united to Him through faith. And all that is necessary to get a part in this, is to speak to the Lord - to ask it in faith, on the basis of Christ's once-and-for-all completed and finished work!
• Two different Hebrew words for "rock" are used: tsur (Ex 17) and sela (Num 20). Although they are often interchangeable, one wonders whether it is significant that tsur refers more to a solid rock, whereas sela is often used for a cleft rock .
• In this tragic event we see firstly how non-negotiable and important the gospel is to God. Secondly, we see how it revolts Him when someone tries to add something to the perfect work of His Son. We see thirdly how high He values Old Testament foreshadowings of the gospel.
❏ In spite of the people's constant grumbling, and in spite of Moses’s disobedience, water still gushes from the rock. How merciful is the Lord! (2Tm 2:13).
CONCLUSION
❏ A while ago a famous journalist publicly rejected the gospel - apparently because it doesn’t make sense. She cannot see why God - if He is indeed sovereign and almighty - cannot simply forgive our sins without further ado. Why was it necessary to let His Son die such a grotesque death? A father - to quote her - doesn’t treat his children like that!
It is tragic ignorance that speaks thus!
Never will God act in a way that is in conflict with any of His attributes. Whatever He does, is in accordance with all His character traits. Therefore, since He is also a holy and just God, His redemption cannot and will not take the shape of a simple free pardon. He will never just sweep someone's debt of sin furtively under the carpet. Sin has to be punished - all sin, every sin.
This is why the Son was sent - to carry the sinner’s punishment for him or her. That is why He had to be wholly man, for only a man could serve as substitute for men and women. That is why He had to be wholly God, because only God can carry the sins of millions and so pay their debt.
Either Christ suffers your punishment, or you do so yourself. And faith - embracing Christ - is the determining factor.
❏ Lastly and very important, the substituting mediatorship of our Lord Jesus Christ was not just a last resort - a plan B. No, He was "handed over … by God's set purpose and foreknowledge … and put ... to death by nailing him to the cross" (Act 2:23). And this gospel was prophesied to Israel for centuries before Calvary. In fact, long before that Abraham already saw the coming Saviour (Jh 8:56). And even long before him, Adam and Eve were told that the offspring of the woman would crush the head of the serpent (Gn 3:15).
Nico van der Walt
EE4 - PHIL 1:21 - TO DIE IS GAIN
People fear death. Nobody enjoys thinking or talking about it. Hb 2:15 describes such people as "those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death".
But this text confronts us with the issue directly. And rightly so. It is crucial that we consider this topic, for death inevitably awaits us all. Moreover, reflecting on this scripture brings about wonderful liberation, encouragement and comfort for true believers.
SOME GENERAL COMMENTS
❏ Contrary to the opinion of many, the Bible does not teach about only two states of existence, namely this present life and the life following resurrection. There is also a third state: the one following directly on death, until the resurrection - as a disembodied spirit.
Paul is discussing this in-between or intermediate state.
❏ We tend to think about death as a loss. Indeed, it is often an inexpressible loss to those who stay behind. And what shall we say about an unbeliever who dies? But the death of a true Christian counts as "profit" for him or her. Life following death is better for us than the life we have here - "better by far" (23).
❏ Paul does not have a morbid desire for death. Nor does he disregard the value of this life on earth. On the contrary, he is too aware of the mountains of meaningful work still to be done by him here and now (22-24).
When he describes his internal struggle in v.23 - to move on, or to stay here - he isn’t torn between good and bad, but rather between good and better. He is like a good soldier who longs for the end of the war so that he can return home, but who dutifully grits his teeth, sticks it out, and refuses to even consider deserting.
❏ Nowhere in the Bible will you find death itself described as a blessing. Before it was defeated by the redemptive work of Christ, it was a ruthless enemy. It is a predator that cruelly tears the spirit from the body (Ecc 12:7).
Death remains the last enemy for those of us who are united with Christ (1Cor 15:26). The prospect of death must have been abhorrent and frightening for the apostle - as it is for us. Even to the true believer to die is to cross a dark and deep river without a bridge - as Bunyan described it.
In terms of God’s original creation death is not natural. It is a result of the Fall. The cost of sin is death. But redemption in Christ is all about abolishment of sin and its consequences. Therefore it is also about the annihilation of death (1Cor 15:51-57).
❏ Even the intermediate state in heaven is temporary. The spirit is still without its glorified body. As such, this is still a state of imperfection and incompleteness (2Cor 5:1-10).
This is why the New Testament almost without fail ignores this intermediate state - it is only a temporary thoroughfare, one step further on the road to my perfect inheritance in Christ. This is why the apostles keep their sights fixed directly on - the resurrection!
Yet Paul says to die is gain! Even the in-between phase is preferable to this current life.
❏ The phrase in v.23, "to depart" is apt. One of its meanings used to be to break up camp. Here, and elsewhere in the New Testament, it suggests the end of a temporary, nomadic life fraught with insecurity.
Listen to 2Cor 5:1: "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." Also 2Pt 1:13-14: "I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know I will soon put it aside ..."
The Bible frequently emphasises that this life is temporary; in truth, the believer is only an alien and a strange here (1Pt 2:11). We are merely pilgrims. This world is not our home.
WHY IS IT GAIN TO DIE?
❏ For the believer, dying is to return home. It is to quit the habitation of our body so that we can live at home with the Lord (2Cor 5:6-9). It is to depart for our eternal house (Ecc 12:5) - our fatherland and our own city (Hb 11:13-16). Where are you more content than at your own place? That is where we belong - with the Lord!
❏ One of the greatest blessings awaiting us after we have breathed our last is that we will, at long last, have done with sin. What causes more sadness and frustration in the life of a believer than failures in the struggle against his or her sin? But once we are with the Lord, it will be impossible to sin any longer.
❏ The wife of a King shares his possessions and status.
When Christ rose from the dead, He did not do so only in His personal capacity, but as Head of the new humanity (Eph 2:5-6). When He ascended to heaven, He did not take possession of the reward and inheritance just for Himself, but also for His bride. For us to take possession thereof is a process - and we have scarce begun - but the principle is certain and clear: those who are in Christ are already “co-heirs with Christ” (Rm 8:17).
Exactly how much of our inheritance in Christ we will receive immediately after death, and how much will have to wait for the final resurrection, is not revealed. But we do know that "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade" is secured for us in heaven (1Pt 1:4). "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1Cor 2:9).
❏ Death is a portal to the knowledge and understanding of the Lord, the likes of which we cannot grasp at the moment. Once again, we do not know how much of it will only be revealed when our salvation is perfected with the second coming and resurrection. But assuredly, immediately after death, we will be overwhelmed with new truths and revealed mysteries while our loved ones are busy, in grief, with funeral arrangements. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Cor 13:12).
We will spend eternity in the land of astounding and inexhaustible discoveries! And at the heart of this will be an ever deeper knowledge of our triune God. To know Him is the heart of eternal life (Jh 17:3). To glorify Himself before His creatures is after all what it is all about for God. Will there ever come a point where our fascination and joy in Him will wane or level out? The answer is surely, "No, never!" Truly, eternity is not long enough to fathom God and His works!
❏ This text reveals the real reason behind Paul's eagerness to depart from this life: it will take him to Christ! (23). The essence of the hereafter for the believer is to go and be "at home with the Lord" (2Cor 5:8). Jesus told the criminal: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23:43).
Since we are Christ's bride, how great will be our welcome in heaven! Unquestionably, there we will experience a very close relationship with Him - much closer than even the relationship He had with His disciples here on earth.
❏ However, we will not only delight in the Son - we are also going to the Father.
The messianic Psalm 16 articulates it like this: "... you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Ps 16:11, NIV). On the day of Pentecost Peter quotes these verses and applies them to Christ and His heavenly Father (Act 2:25-28).
However, in their unity with Christ, the saints will share in this joy. They too are adopted as children (Gal 4:4-7). In fact, they are even more. As bride of Christ they are, so to speak, the Father's daughter-in-law! They are completely part of the family!
CONCLUSION
❏ We must be sure not to deceive ourselves. Millions do so. What can be more foolish than the vain hope, not grounded in the Word, that everything will eventually turn out fine?
When we dare to think about it, many questions concerning our death arises: When? Where? What will the cause be? But according God's Word only one question is really important: How? Here I am not referring to what will be stated as "cause of death" on my death certificate. I refer to the spiritual state in which I will die. And there are only two possible answers: in faith, or in sin (Jh 8:24).
The worst conceivable thing that can happen to a person is not dying as such, but dying in sin. Remember, when you die you go somewhere from where no return is possible. And there are two, in fact only two, destinations according to God's Word.
❏ Verse 21 is an unbreakable unity. Thus, only those for whom life is Christ have reason to believe that death will be gain.
The pagan prophet, Balaam, prays: "Let me die the death of the righteous…" (Num 23:10). What he forgets is that one can only die the death of the righteous if you have been justified - and this always shows very clearly in a person's life.
So many imagine grace is only something you receive when you appear before God after death. That is a fatal misconception. Grace is something you receive in this life, or not at all. It is now or never. And when you truly receive it, it changes you completely - because it makes life Christ for you.
But those of us for whom life is indeed Christ can meet our coming death with confidence and eager anticipation. We are merely going to follow our Lord through the portals He has already passed.
Of course, when the time comes, we may experience momentary dismay. But for us it will not be a fatalistic leap over an abyss in the dark. We will pass through the gates in faith. Psalm 23:4 will become true for us: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
❏ The old Puritan, Richard Baxter (1615-1691), put it as follows: "If a man is miserably ill, but knows that he will be well in the morning; or if he is penniless, but knows that he will be a prince in the morning when he wakes - will he be afraid of going to bed?"
The pioneer missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), saw it in this way: "I am not exhausted from work, nor am I in the least tired of this world - but when Christ calls me, I will go with the exuberance of a schoolboy who runs out of the school gates for the summer holidays."
Nico van der Walt
But this text confronts us with the issue directly. And rightly so. It is crucial that we consider this topic, for death inevitably awaits us all. Moreover, reflecting on this scripture brings about wonderful liberation, encouragement and comfort for true believers.
SOME GENERAL COMMENTS
❏ Contrary to the opinion of many, the Bible does not teach about only two states of existence, namely this present life and the life following resurrection. There is also a third state: the one following directly on death, until the resurrection - as a disembodied spirit.
Paul is discussing this in-between or intermediate state.
❏ We tend to think about death as a loss. Indeed, it is often an inexpressible loss to those who stay behind. And what shall we say about an unbeliever who dies? But the death of a true Christian counts as "profit" for him or her. Life following death is better for us than the life we have here - "better by far" (23).
❏ Paul does not have a morbid desire for death. Nor does he disregard the value of this life on earth. On the contrary, he is too aware of the mountains of meaningful work still to be done by him here and now (22-24).
When he describes his internal struggle in v.23 - to move on, or to stay here - he isn’t torn between good and bad, but rather between good and better. He is like a good soldier who longs for the end of the war so that he can return home, but who dutifully grits his teeth, sticks it out, and refuses to even consider deserting.
❏ Nowhere in the Bible will you find death itself described as a blessing. Before it was defeated by the redemptive work of Christ, it was a ruthless enemy. It is a predator that cruelly tears the spirit from the body (Ecc 12:7).
Death remains the last enemy for those of us who are united with Christ (1Cor 15:26). The prospect of death must have been abhorrent and frightening for the apostle - as it is for us. Even to the true believer to die is to cross a dark and deep river without a bridge - as Bunyan described it.
In terms of God’s original creation death is not natural. It is a result of the Fall. The cost of sin is death. But redemption in Christ is all about abolishment of sin and its consequences. Therefore it is also about the annihilation of death (1Cor 15:51-57).
❏ Even the intermediate state in heaven is temporary. The spirit is still without its glorified body. As such, this is still a state of imperfection and incompleteness (2Cor 5:1-10).
This is why the New Testament almost without fail ignores this intermediate state - it is only a temporary thoroughfare, one step further on the road to my perfect inheritance in Christ. This is why the apostles keep their sights fixed directly on - the resurrection!
Yet Paul says to die is gain! Even the in-between phase is preferable to this current life.
❏ The phrase in v.23, "to depart" is apt. One of its meanings used to be to break up camp. Here, and elsewhere in the New Testament, it suggests the end of a temporary, nomadic life fraught with insecurity.
Listen to 2Cor 5:1: "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." Also 2Pt 1:13-14: "I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know I will soon put it aside ..."
The Bible frequently emphasises that this life is temporary; in truth, the believer is only an alien and a strange here (1Pt 2:11). We are merely pilgrims. This world is not our home.
WHY IS IT GAIN TO DIE?
❏ For the believer, dying is to return home. It is to quit the habitation of our body so that we can live at home with the Lord (2Cor 5:6-9). It is to depart for our eternal house (Ecc 12:5) - our fatherland and our own city (Hb 11:13-16). Where are you more content than at your own place? That is where we belong - with the Lord!
❏ One of the greatest blessings awaiting us after we have breathed our last is that we will, at long last, have done with sin. What causes more sadness and frustration in the life of a believer than failures in the struggle against his or her sin? But once we are with the Lord, it will be impossible to sin any longer.
❏ The wife of a King shares his possessions and status.
When Christ rose from the dead, He did not do so only in His personal capacity, but as Head of the new humanity (Eph 2:5-6). When He ascended to heaven, He did not take possession of the reward and inheritance just for Himself, but also for His bride. For us to take possession thereof is a process - and we have scarce begun - but the principle is certain and clear: those who are in Christ are already “co-heirs with Christ” (Rm 8:17).
Exactly how much of our inheritance in Christ we will receive immediately after death, and how much will have to wait for the final resurrection, is not revealed. But we do know that "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade" is secured for us in heaven (1Pt 1:4). "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1Cor 2:9).
❏ Death is a portal to the knowledge and understanding of the Lord, the likes of which we cannot grasp at the moment. Once again, we do not know how much of it will only be revealed when our salvation is perfected with the second coming and resurrection. But assuredly, immediately after death, we will be overwhelmed with new truths and revealed mysteries while our loved ones are busy, in grief, with funeral arrangements. "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Cor 13:12).
We will spend eternity in the land of astounding and inexhaustible discoveries! And at the heart of this will be an ever deeper knowledge of our triune God. To know Him is the heart of eternal life (Jh 17:3). To glorify Himself before His creatures is after all what it is all about for God. Will there ever come a point where our fascination and joy in Him will wane or level out? The answer is surely, "No, never!" Truly, eternity is not long enough to fathom God and His works!
❏ This text reveals the real reason behind Paul's eagerness to depart from this life: it will take him to Christ! (23). The essence of the hereafter for the believer is to go and be "at home with the Lord" (2Cor 5:8). Jesus told the criminal: "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23:43).
Since we are Christ's bride, how great will be our welcome in heaven! Unquestionably, there we will experience a very close relationship with Him - much closer than even the relationship He had with His disciples here on earth.
❏ However, we will not only delight in the Son - we are also going to the Father.
The messianic Psalm 16 articulates it like this: "... you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Ps 16:11, NIV). On the day of Pentecost Peter quotes these verses and applies them to Christ and His heavenly Father (Act 2:25-28).
However, in their unity with Christ, the saints will share in this joy. They too are adopted as children (Gal 4:4-7). In fact, they are even more. As bride of Christ they are, so to speak, the Father's daughter-in-law! They are completely part of the family!
CONCLUSION
❏ We must be sure not to deceive ourselves. Millions do so. What can be more foolish than the vain hope, not grounded in the Word, that everything will eventually turn out fine?
When we dare to think about it, many questions concerning our death arises: When? Where? What will the cause be? But according God's Word only one question is really important: How? Here I am not referring to what will be stated as "cause of death" on my death certificate. I refer to the spiritual state in which I will die. And there are only two possible answers: in faith, or in sin (Jh 8:24).
The worst conceivable thing that can happen to a person is not dying as such, but dying in sin. Remember, when you die you go somewhere from where no return is possible. And there are two, in fact only two, destinations according to God's Word.
❏ Verse 21 is an unbreakable unity. Thus, only those for whom life is Christ have reason to believe that death will be gain.
The pagan prophet, Balaam, prays: "Let me die the death of the righteous…" (Num 23:10). What he forgets is that one can only die the death of the righteous if you have been justified - and this always shows very clearly in a person's life.
So many imagine grace is only something you receive when you appear before God after death. That is a fatal misconception. Grace is something you receive in this life, or not at all. It is now or never. And when you truly receive it, it changes you completely - because it makes life Christ for you.
But those of us for whom life is indeed Christ can meet our coming death with confidence and eager anticipation. We are merely going to follow our Lord through the portals He has already passed.
Of course, when the time comes, we may experience momentary dismay. But for us it will not be a fatalistic leap over an abyss in the dark. We will pass through the gates in faith. Psalm 23:4 will become true for us: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
❏ The old Puritan, Richard Baxter (1615-1691), put it as follows: "If a man is miserably ill, but knows that he will be well in the morning; or if he is penniless, but knows that he will be a prince in the morning when he wakes - will he be afraid of going to bed?"
The pioneer missionary to Burma, Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), saw it in this way: "I am not exhausted from work, nor am I in the least tired of this world - but when Christ calls me, I will go with the exuberance of a schoolboy who runs out of the school gates for the summer holidays."
Nico van der Walt
EE3 - PHIL 1:21 - TO LIVE IS CHRIST
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says in a sermon on v.21: "We stand here face to face with one of the sublimest and greatest statements ever made, even by this mighty Apostle of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ."
In Greek the verse constitutes only nine words, but how can one plumb the depths of such a laden statement?
Let us now consider the first half of v.21.
INTRODUCTION
❏ In this epistle Paul is trying to dispel the worries of the Philippians about him.
To be sure, he is in prison, he says, and has suffered many trials. But in His sovereignty the Lord has used all this to glorify His name. Contrary to expectation, this has even led to the gospel being spread wider (v.18). As to his future, everything still hangs in the balance: he might be released, but likewise he might be executed. Ultimately, whatever happens is not very important. The only thing that matters is that Christ be exalted. As long as that one goal is achieved, it is immaterial to the apostle whether he lives or dies (v.23) - because to live is Christ and to die is gain. Therefore the Philippians need not be anxious about him.
In v.22-26 the apostle reveals something of the attitude of his heart. If it were up to him, he would prefer to die and be with Christ. But he also knows that his brothers and sisters still need him - and thus he believes that the Lord will spare him.
❏ It is revealing to analyse v.21a more closely:
• Paul’s statement begins with "for", and as such it is the continuation and explanation of what preceded it. He is therefore saying: "Christ will be exalted in my body" (v.20) … because for me to live is Christ, etc.
• In the Greek the emphasis is placed on the words, "for me". Christ is therefore not glorified in every person's life as a matter of course. No, this only happens when life is Christ for you.
• Also in the Greek the expression "to live" indicates a continuous action. Paul is clearly not just talking about an opinion, but rather he has a way of life in mind.
What exactly does the apostle mean with this short comment that involves such a great deal? Perhaps it is easier when we regard the question as two separate, more specific, questions: Firstly, what does he mean when he talks about his way of life? Secondly, what does he mean when he says that it is Christ?
LIFE TO ME IS CHRIST
❏ What is life? Why do I live? First of all just three general comments.
• Firstly, there are of course a multitude of people who never consider the meaning of life. They have received this staggering gift of existence, of personality, of individuality, of being (as the philosophers would say) - and they never marvel at it! They just plod on from day to day - like animals. They simply float along like corks on the waves.
• Secondly, the way most people view life is described in 1John 2:16: "…the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…" (NKJ). These are the three things around which the world revolves for the average Dick, Tom and Harry.
~ For some, life is about fulfilling the lower passions and desires of the flesh. Their motto is wine, women and song! They are Epicureans, following the philosophy: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. They are hedonists who toil through every week's work just to earn enough money for the pleasures of the weekends. They are adrenaline junkies, and for them the summum bonum of life can be anything from a bottle of wine to a 4x4.
~ For others life is all about so-called good and elevated things: human rights (and animal rights), benevolence, generosity, the arts, scholarship, science, the environment, etc. Now most of these things are, of course, admirable. But when the creation is considered more important than the Creator, it becomes idolatry.
~ And for others again life is all about status and power. Ambition, promotion, more possessions, more awards! That is what makes everything worth while for such people. And beware anybody or anything that stands in their way. Business is business!, is their slogan; All is fair in love and war!, their motto.
• Thirdly, for many millions religion is their life. Our time on earth, they say, is granted so that we can spend it climbing up to God - by the ladder of morals and ceremonies and sacraments. One has to render oneself acceptable to one’s Maker.
❏ If you ask the apostle Paul, "What is life? What is it about for you?", his answer is short and sweet and without hesitation: Christ!
To understand the full implication of the apostle's answer we have to ask: How does life come to expression, how is it experienced?
• Firstly, one's life comes to expression in what you think and believe, in your thoughts and convictions. The centre of Paul's convictions was Christ and the work of Christ - His kingdom, His gospel, His church, His glory. Over and over again it takes precedence in the apostle's mind. When he is pondering, it is Christ; when he talks with friends, it is Christ; when he writes, it is Christ.
• A person's life is expressed in how he feels, in his emotions. Nothing brought about stronger passions in Paul's life than those things which please the Lord Jesus Christ and serve His glory. To know Him ever more intimately was his daily longing.
• A person's life is expressed in what he does, in his everyday activities, in the priorities that he pursues. For Paul Christ was in the centre. It was for Him he laboured, for Whom he employed every ounce of energy. For the extension of His gospel he gave all he had. No hardship was ever too much.
CHRIST IS MY LIFE
❏ What is true of a person for whom Christ is his life? How did Paul experience it? How have Christians throughout the centuries experienced it?
• Christ is the unwavering security of your life. The most important question of all - how can I one day stand justified before my Maker? - is no longer the cause of daily fear. Now there is an everlasting Rock beneath your feet.
• Christ is the joy and meaning of your life. Christ in your life is the wisdom granted by God, the righteousness, the sanctification and the redemption (1Cor 1:30-31). In short, He is your everything.
You can be stripped of everything you value - your possessions, your dignity, your loved ones, and your freedom - and still you find meaningful joy in Christ. In fact, even more so.
• Christ is the source of your life. He is the vine and you are the branch (John 15). You no longer live on your own; Christ lives in you (Gl 2:20). That is why the apostle can say in Phil 3:10 that it is his desire to live in the power of Christ's resurrection.
Millions know this as an experiential reality. One has only to read the life stories of God's people through the ages to see this.
• Christ is the purpose of your life. To know Him, to spread His gospel, to give yourself for the welfare of His church and the expansion of His glory - these are the things, more than anything else, that drive and motivate you. This is what Paul means in Rom 14:8: "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord".
Vice versa, remove Christ, and life becomes like death. Why? Because He became for you the way, the truth and the life.
This is what it means to love the Lord Jesus Christ with your whole heart, soul, mind and all your strength. This is what a personal relationship with the Lord entails. This is true Christianity! Christianity is not primarily a set of convictions or moral values - it is a passionate relationship with a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ!
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?
❏ This verse gives us what can be considered perhaps the most fundamental litmus test for authentic Christianity that can be found anywhere in the Bible.
Even when they cannot verbalise it, all true Christians recognise from experience something of what has been said. By contrast, the non-Christian doesn't understand it at all - except that he knows that it does not apply to him.
The testimony of the history of missions and the church is indisputable: those whose lives are governed by the things we have discussed, are those who truly make a difference in this world. They bear eternal fruit. They are the ones through whom the Lord does His greatest works.
Remove 90% of churchgoers from the past 2000 years in church history, and the coming of God's kingdom would have been just as far advanced as it is today. In fact, without these passengers, the church would have been much, much stronger. In the Lord’s service a small but valiant band almost always achieves more!
❏ It is of cardinal importance to notice that the apostle is not issuing a command; he makes a statement of fact.
What the apostle discusses here, we can not simply pretend or fabricate. No, it is the result of God's grace at work in a person. Only those who have been touched by the Lord experience it.
As we have noticed, what the apostle writes here, is really what it means to love the Lord. This love is a love of gratitude and awe. It is a love of enduring fascination, devotion and dedication.
Is there nothing I can do to experience this then? O yes, there is. Do what God's Word tells you: give yourself, sincerely and absolutely, for time and for eternity, to the Lord Jesus Christ as great Prophet, Priest and King. And you will experience what a host of people have experienced through the ages. The Lord will certainly through His Spirit pour out His love into your heart. And your life will never be the same again.
Nico van der Walt
In Greek the verse constitutes only nine words, but how can one plumb the depths of such a laden statement?
Let us now consider the first half of v.21.
INTRODUCTION
❏ In this epistle Paul is trying to dispel the worries of the Philippians about him.
To be sure, he is in prison, he says, and has suffered many trials. But in His sovereignty the Lord has used all this to glorify His name. Contrary to expectation, this has even led to the gospel being spread wider (v.18). As to his future, everything still hangs in the balance: he might be released, but likewise he might be executed. Ultimately, whatever happens is not very important. The only thing that matters is that Christ be exalted. As long as that one goal is achieved, it is immaterial to the apostle whether he lives or dies (v.23) - because to live is Christ and to die is gain. Therefore the Philippians need not be anxious about him.
In v.22-26 the apostle reveals something of the attitude of his heart. If it were up to him, he would prefer to die and be with Christ. But he also knows that his brothers and sisters still need him - and thus he believes that the Lord will spare him.
❏ It is revealing to analyse v.21a more closely:
• Paul’s statement begins with "for", and as such it is the continuation and explanation of what preceded it. He is therefore saying: "Christ will be exalted in my body" (v.20) … because for me to live is Christ, etc.
• In the Greek the emphasis is placed on the words, "for me". Christ is therefore not glorified in every person's life as a matter of course. No, this only happens when life is Christ for you.
• Also in the Greek the expression "to live" indicates a continuous action. Paul is clearly not just talking about an opinion, but rather he has a way of life in mind.
What exactly does the apostle mean with this short comment that involves such a great deal? Perhaps it is easier when we regard the question as two separate, more specific, questions: Firstly, what does he mean when he talks about his way of life? Secondly, what does he mean when he says that it is Christ?
LIFE TO ME IS CHRIST
❏ What is life? Why do I live? First of all just three general comments.
• Firstly, there are of course a multitude of people who never consider the meaning of life. They have received this staggering gift of existence, of personality, of individuality, of being (as the philosophers would say) - and they never marvel at it! They just plod on from day to day - like animals. They simply float along like corks on the waves.
• Secondly, the way most people view life is described in 1John 2:16: "…the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life…" (NKJ). These are the three things around which the world revolves for the average Dick, Tom and Harry.
~ For some, life is about fulfilling the lower passions and desires of the flesh. Their motto is wine, women and song! They are Epicureans, following the philosophy: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. They are hedonists who toil through every week's work just to earn enough money for the pleasures of the weekends. They are adrenaline junkies, and for them the summum bonum of life can be anything from a bottle of wine to a 4x4.
~ For others life is all about so-called good and elevated things: human rights (and animal rights), benevolence, generosity, the arts, scholarship, science, the environment, etc. Now most of these things are, of course, admirable. But when the creation is considered more important than the Creator, it becomes idolatry.
~ And for others again life is all about status and power. Ambition, promotion, more possessions, more awards! That is what makes everything worth while for such people. And beware anybody or anything that stands in their way. Business is business!, is their slogan; All is fair in love and war!, their motto.
• Thirdly, for many millions religion is their life. Our time on earth, they say, is granted so that we can spend it climbing up to God - by the ladder of morals and ceremonies and sacraments. One has to render oneself acceptable to one’s Maker.
❏ If you ask the apostle Paul, "What is life? What is it about for you?", his answer is short and sweet and without hesitation: Christ!
To understand the full implication of the apostle's answer we have to ask: How does life come to expression, how is it experienced?
• Firstly, one's life comes to expression in what you think and believe, in your thoughts and convictions. The centre of Paul's convictions was Christ and the work of Christ - His kingdom, His gospel, His church, His glory. Over and over again it takes precedence in the apostle's mind. When he is pondering, it is Christ; when he talks with friends, it is Christ; when he writes, it is Christ.
• A person's life is expressed in how he feels, in his emotions. Nothing brought about stronger passions in Paul's life than those things which please the Lord Jesus Christ and serve His glory. To know Him ever more intimately was his daily longing.
• A person's life is expressed in what he does, in his everyday activities, in the priorities that he pursues. For Paul Christ was in the centre. It was for Him he laboured, for Whom he employed every ounce of energy. For the extension of His gospel he gave all he had. No hardship was ever too much.
CHRIST IS MY LIFE
❏ What is true of a person for whom Christ is his life? How did Paul experience it? How have Christians throughout the centuries experienced it?
• Christ is the unwavering security of your life. The most important question of all - how can I one day stand justified before my Maker? - is no longer the cause of daily fear. Now there is an everlasting Rock beneath your feet.
• Christ is the joy and meaning of your life. Christ in your life is the wisdom granted by God, the righteousness, the sanctification and the redemption (1Cor 1:30-31). In short, He is your everything.
You can be stripped of everything you value - your possessions, your dignity, your loved ones, and your freedom - and still you find meaningful joy in Christ. In fact, even more so.
• Christ is the source of your life. He is the vine and you are the branch (John 15). You no longer live on your own; Christ lives in you (Gl 2:20). That is why the apostle can say in Phil 3:10 that it is his desire to live in the power of Christ's resurrection.
Millions know this as an experiential reality. One has only to read the life stories of God's people through the ages to see this.
• Christ is the purpose of your life. To know Him, to spread His gospel, to give yourself for the welfare of His church and the expansion of His glory - these are the things, more than anything else, that drive and motivate you. This is what Paul means in Rom 14:8: "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord".
Vice versa, remove Christ, and life becomes like death. Why? Because He became for you the way, the truth and the life.
This is what it means to love the Lord Jesus Christ with your whole heart, soul, mind and all your strength. This is what a personal relationship with the Lord entails. This is true Christianity! Christianity is not primarily a set of convictions or moral values - it is a passionate relationship with a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ!
WHAT DOES THIS TELL US?
❏ This verse gives us what can be considered perhaps the most fundamental litmus test for authentic Christianity that can be found anywhere in the Bible.
Even when they cannot verbalise it, all true Christians recognise from experience something of what has been said. By contrast, the non-Christian doesn't understand it at all - except that he knows that it does not apply to him.
The testimony of the history of missions and the church is indisputable: those whose lives are governed by the things we have discussed, are those who truly make a difference in this world. They bear eternal fruit. They are the ones through whom the Lord does His greatest works.
Remove 90% of churchgoers from the past 2000 years in church history, and the coming of God's kingdom would have been just as far advanced as it is today. In fact, without these passengers, the church would have been much, much stronger. In the Lord’s service a small but valiant band almost always achieves more!
❏ It is of cardinal importance to notice that the apostle is not issuing a command; he makes a statement of fact.
What the apostle discusses here, we can not simply pretend or fabricate. No, it is the result of God's grace at work in a person. Only those who have been touched by the Lord experience it.
As we have noticed, what the apostle writes here, is really what it means to love the Lord. This love is a love of gratitude and awe. It is a love of enduring fascination, devotion and dedication.
Is there nothing I can do to experience this then? O yes, there is. Do what God's Word tells you: give yourself, sincerely and absolutely, for time and for eternity, to the Lord Jesus Christ as great Prophet, Priest and King. And you will experience what a host of people have experienced through the ages. The Lord will certainly through His Spirit pour out His love into your heart. And your life will never be the same again.
Nico van der Walt
EE2 - AMOS 8:11-14 - THE WORST FAMINE
We have all seen heartrending photos of people suffering in famine. One can hardly imagine a more horrible fate - to die slowly of hunger, to see children wither to skin and bone, and to have to bury loved ones every second day.
Famine is terrible! But a shortage of food is not the worste kind of deprivation. Amos here writes about a more severe need - the need for the Word of God. It doesn't always feel as urgent; on the contrary, it is actually scarcely noticable. What, then, makes it so critical? The effects thereof, and the long-term consequences - not just for yourself, but for your children and your children's children. And only the merciful intervention of the Lord, a Spirit-driven revival, can rectify this.
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND IN BRIEF
It is during the time following the division of the nation after Solomon’s death. Amos was a farmer at Tekoa, about 10 km south of Bethlehem in the southern kingdom of Judah. From there he was sent, approximately seven and a half centuries before Christ, to the northern kingdom of ten tribes - called Israel - to prophesy against their sins.
In our text we read that he talks about a spiritual famine awaiting Israel on account of their sin. That is, if they do not repent.
A WARNING
❏ Amos is not describing the current situation. "Behold, the days are coming", he says (11). It's a warning.
Biblical prophesies of the future aren’t aimed at satifying idle curiosity; it tells of the future so that people can live in the light of that knowledge. The nature of biblical prophesy is always moral.
In fact, a person's beliefs concerning the future effect their current sense of morality directly. Without the anticipation of the future, and the ensuing sense of accountability, morality disappears. If you do not have to account for your life one impending day, and if you do not believe that your current life will influence your future, why would it matter how you behave yourself now?
That is why Paul says in 1Cor 15:32 that, if there is to be no resurrection from the dead, we might as well eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, or the day after, we die (Isa 22:13).
THE FAMINE (11-12)
❏ The Lord had sent famine in judgement before (4:6-8), but the people did not heed Him. Now He will send a much worse famine: the people will not be without food; they will lose the truth. They will no longer find the words of the Lord (11-12).
❏ In their search for the Word of God, the people will "stagger from sea to sea" and "wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord" (12, NIV). They will be without direction, uncertain, perplexed, without wisdom or insight.
The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee lie to the East and the Mediteranean Sea to the West. Then they will be searching in the North - and then again in the East by the sea. The South is not mentioned. Why not? That is where the temple lies, and God’s truth. The obstinacy and pride of the northern kingdom will prevent them from seeking the Lord and His Word in the south - in Jerusalem!
What picture is Amos sketching here? The headstrong, stubborn blindness of man without the Word of God. Yes, they will look everywhere - but by no means in Jerusalem, where God and His revelation is found. They will try anything, except to search through the Word and submitting to what is found there.
Observe that these people are still very religious. And they are still searching - even frantically. But they are choosy; they do not long for genuine truth, and thus they cannot find it.
MAN-MADE RELIGION (14)
❏ If you seek but do not find, you will begin to conjure up your own pretenses in order to satisfy your hunger.
Three things are practised in Israel: the mixing of religions (syncretism); distorting and abusing religion; and superstition and idolatry.
Note that these things are in consequence to God’s people losing the truth. Because they refuse to seek it, their misery increases. And so their spiritual deprivation intensifies. It becomes darker. Hopelesness takes over. And the more blind they become, the less they grasp of the truth. It is a vicious cycle!
• Syncretism. They "swear by the shame of Samaria" (14, NIV). Probably Amos says that the worship of Ashima has become part of Israel's religion (2 Kings 17:30). The Hebrew word for "shame" has exactly the same consonants as the name of this idol (classical Hebrew did not have vowels). It can therefore also be translated as: they "swear by Ashima of Samaria" (see footnote in NIV).
Religious syncretism is to pick out a portion from an array of religions each, and making a new conconction with them. Israel still claimed to worship Jahweh, but also dragged in a number of idols.
God, however, is holy and jealous. Whoever wishes to worship Him, must worship Him alone. He will never yield in this.
• The distortion and abuse of religion. They say: "As surely as your god lives, o Dan!" (14).
According to 1Kings 12:26-29 Jerobeam, king of Israel, set up calves of gold at Bethel and Dan - to prevent the people from going to worship in Jerusalem, in the southern kingdom. Jerobeam was obviously frightened that the people would be attracted to Judah again - and so religion was used to serve political purposes. God is used as a means to an end. It is the distortion of worship for personal gain. The Word is clear, however: you serve God for who and what He is - as He revealed Himself to us - or you leave it completely. God will not allow Himself to be misused for human or worldly gain!
• Superstition and idolatry. They swear: "As the Way of Beersheba lives!" (14, ESV).
Beersheba was one of the places of worship in Israel. The journey there was long, expensive, and filled with hardship. Apparently they saw in this some kind of religious merit. Moreover, there were probably a number of high places of sacrifice along the way (2Kings 23:8).
And now they go even further. They swear by this road. An almost divine power is attributed to it. What else is this but idolatry and superstition?
THE YOUTH ARE THE VICTIMS (13)
❏ It is unclear from the original text whether the young people are guilty of the faults described in v.14, or whether v.13 is simply a statement concerning the youth while v.14 concerns the people as a whole. The last-mentioned is probably correct.
Whichever it may be, it remains true that it is the youth that is struck hardest by general religious apostasy. It is them, more than anybody, that "faint because of thirst" (13). Therefore, when God gives up society to its sin (Rom 1:24, 26, 28), when He withdraws His mercy from a community, it is most clearly visible in the youth.
There are many reasons for this. On one hand many young people follow their parents blindly. On the other, they are searching for authenticity and reality. Moreover, they are eager to experiment with new things. This makes them vulnerable to deception. Because they are inexperienced, naïve and unwise, they have little discernment and fall easily for any new gimmick - even in the church.
However, religious degeneration is always linked in some way to the faithlesness of previous generations - without, of course, absolving the young generation of their guilt. And if the Lord does not intervene, this results in a vicious cycle. It degenerates from bad to worse. After all, these youths were the parents and grandparents of those who suffered the Assirian exile.
You and I have an enormous responsibility towards our descendants! The church that must lead our children and grandchildren on the road to salvation is being formed today!
TO CONCLUDE
❏ How does God bring about a hunger for truth? History teaches that He uses many means.
• Sometimes the Bible is simply taken away. Sometimes the language of a people gradually undergoes a change, without new translations being made. This happened during the middle ages. The simple people had to struggle with the Latin Vulgate - a language that previous generations could speak well, but which slowly died away. One of the fruits of the sixteenth-century Reformation was the new Bible translations cropping up everywhere.
At other times repressive governments prohibited the printing, distribution and even ownership of a Bible. Twentieth-century communism was especially guilty in this regard.
• Sometimes theology steals the Bible from the people. The authority and reliability of the Bible is constantly being eroded by unbelieving theologians who have a hankering for saying something new. This undermines the faith of many. And in time it causes terrible ignorance, confusion, and scepticism. Once that happens, you can have a bookcase filled with Bibles and still expire from spiritual starvation.
• When the Lord gives a people over to their sin, one of the means He uses, is to stop giving preachers of Biblical truth. What is described in Eph 4:8-16 simply stops happening. And without continued preaching - Word-based, God-centred and Christ-focussed preaching - nothing remains of the true church.
• People lose their apetite for real truth. Note that they continue searching, but they will embrace just about anything. But like Israel of old, they will refuse to venture close to "Jerusalem" - where true truth alone can be found.
❏ Consider our current situation. Many people are still very religious. But just about anything is acceptable - except Jesus Christ, the only answer, the way, the truth and the life.
❏ You, are you a faithful and frequent visitor to "Jerusalem"?
Nico van der Walt
Famine is terrible! But a shortage of food is not the worste kind of deprivation. Amos here writes about a more severe need - the need for the Word of God. It doesn't always feel as urgent; on the contrary, it is actually scarcely noticable. What, then, makes it so critical? The effects thereof, and the long-term consequences - not just for yourself, but for your children and your children's children. And only the merciful intervention of the Lord, a Spirit-driven revival, can rectify this.
THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND IN BRIEF
It is during the time following the division of the nation after Solomon’s death. Amos was a farmer at Tekoa, about 10 km south of Bethlehem in the southern kingdom of Judah. From there he was sent, approximately seven and a half centuries before Christ, to the northern kingdom of ten tribes - called Israel - to prophesy against their sins.
In our text we read that he talks about a spiritual famine awaiting Israel on account of their sin. That is, if they do not repent.
A WARNING
❏ Amos is not describing the current situation. "Behold, the days are coming", he says (11). It's a warning.
Biblical prophesies of the future aren’t aimed at satifying idle curiosity; it tells of the future so that people can live in the light of that knowledge. The nature of biblical prophesy is always moral.
In fact, a person's beliefs concerning the future effect their current sense of morality directly. Without the anticipation of the future, and the ensuing sense of accountability, morality disappears. If you do not have to account for your life one impending day, and if you do not believe that your current life will influence your future, why would it matter how you behave yourself now?
That is why Paul says in 1Cor 15:32 that, if there is to be no resurrection from the dead, we might as well eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, or the day after, we die (Isa 22:13).
THE FAMINE (11-12)
❏ The Lord had sent famine in judgement before (4:6-8), but the people did not heed Him. Now He will send a much worse famine: the people will not be without food; they will lose the truth. They will no longer find the words of the Lord (11-12).
❏ In their search for the Word of God, the people will "stagger from sea to sea" and "wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord" (12, NIV). They will be without direction, uncertain, perplexed, without wisdom or insight.
The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee lie to the East and the Mediteranean Sea to the West. Then they will be searching in the North - and then again in the East by the sea. The South is not mentioned. Why not? That is where the temple lies, and God’s truth. The obstinacy and pride of the northern kingdom will prevent them from seeking the Lord and His Word in the south - in Jerusalem!
What picture is Amos sketching here? The headstrong, stubborn blindness of man without the Word of God. Yes, they will look everywhere - but by no means in Jerusalem, where God and His revelation is found. They will try anything, except to search through the Word and submitting to what is found there.
Observe that these people are still very religious. And they are still searching - even frantically. But they are choosy; they do not long for genuine truth, and thus they cannot find it.
MAN-MADE RELIGION (14)
❏ If you seek but do not find, you will begin to conjure up your own pretenses in order to satisfy your hunger.
Three things are practised in Israel: the mixing of religions (syncretism); distorting and abusing religion; and superstition and idolatry.
Note that these things are in consequence to God’s people losing the truth. Because they refuse to seek it, their misery increases. And so their spiritual deprivation intensifies. It becomes darker. Hopelesness takes over. And the more blind they become, the less they grasp of the truth. It is a vicious cycle!
• Syncretism. They "swear by the shame of Samaria" (14, NIV). Probably Amos says that the worship of Ashima has become part of Israel's religion (2 Kings 17:30). The Hebrew word for "shame" has exactly the same consonants as the name of this idol (classical Hebrew did not have vowels). It can therefore also be translated as: they "swear by Ashima of Samaria" (see footnote in NIV).
Religious syncretism is to pick out a portion from an array of religions each, and making a new conconction with them. Israel still claimed to worship Jahweh, but also dragged in a number of idols.
God, however, is holy and jealous. Whoever wishes to worship Him, must worship Him alone. He will never yield in this.
• The distortion and abuse of religion. They say: "As surely as your god lives, o Dan!" (14).
According to 1Kings 12:26-29 Jerobeam, king of Israel, set up calves of gold at Bethel and Dan - to prevent the people from going to worship in Jerusalem, in the southern kingdom. Jerobeam was obviously frightened that the people would be attracted to Judah again - and so religion was used to serve political purposes. God is used as a means to an end. It is the distortion of worship for personal gain. The Word is clear, however: you serve God for who and what He is - as He revealed Himself to us - or you leave it completely. God will not allow Himself to be misused for human or worldly gain!
• Superstition and idolatry. They swear: "As the Way of Beersheba lives!" (14, ESV).
Beersheba was one of the places of worship in Israel. The journey there was long, expensive, and filled with hardship. Apparently they saw in this some kind of religious merit. Moreover, there were probably a number of high places of sacrifice along the way (2Kings 23:8).
And now they go even further. They swear by this road. An almost divine power is attributed to it. What else is this but idolatry and superstition?
THE YOUTH ARE THE VICTIMS (13)
❏ It is unclear from the original text whether the young people are guilty of the faults described in v.14, or whether v.13 is simply a statement concerning the youth while v.14 concerns the people as a whole. The last-mentioned is probably correct.
Whichever it may be, it remains true that it is the youth that is struck hardest by general religious apostasy. It is them, more than anybody, that "faint because of thirst" (13). Therefore, when God gives up society to its sin (Rom 1:24, 26, 28), when He withdraws His mercy from a community, it is most clearly visible in the youth.
There are many reasons for this. On one hand many young people follow their parents blindly. On the other, they are searching for authenticity and reality. Moreover, they are eager to experiment with new things. This makes them vulnerable to deception. Because they are inexperienced, naïve and unwise, they have little discernment and fall easily for any new gimmick - even in the church.
However, religious degeneration is always linked in some way to the faithlesness of previous generations - without, of course, absolving the young generation of their guilt. And if the Lord does not intervene, this results in a vicious cycle. It degenerates from bad to worse. After all, these youths were the parents and grandparents of those who suffered the Assirian exile.
You and I have an enormous responsibility towards our descendants! The church that must lead our children and grandchildren on the road to salvation is being formed today!
TO CONCLUDE
❏ How does God bring about a hunger for truth? History teaches that He uses many means.
• Sometimes the Bible is simply taken away. Sometimes the language of a people gradually undergoes a change, without new translations being made. This happened during the middle ages. The simple people had to struggle with the Latin Vulgate - a language that previous generations could speak well, but which slowly died away. One of the fruits of the sixteenth-century Reformation was the new Bible translations cropping up everywhere.
At other times repressive governments prohibited the printing, distribution and even ownership of a Bible. Twentieth-century communism was especially guilty in this regard.
• Sometimes theology steals the Bible from the people. The authority and reliability of the Bible is constantly being eroded by unbelieving theologians who have a hankering for saying something new. This undermines the faith of many. And in time it causes terrible ignorance, confusion, and scepticism. Once that happens, you can have a bookcase filled with Bibles and still expire from spiritual starvation.
• When the Lord gives a people over to their sin, one of the means He uses, is to stop giving preachers of Biblical truth. What is described in Eph 4:8-16 simply stops happening. And without continued preaching - Word-based, God-centred and Christ-focussed preaching - nothing remains of the true church.
• People lose their apetite for real truth. Note that they continue searching, but they will embrace just about anything. But like Israel of old, they will refuse to venture close to "Jerusalem" - where true truth alone can be found.
❏ Consider our current situation. Many people are still very religious. But just about anything is acceptable - except Jesus Christ, the only answer, the way, the truth and the life.
❏ You, are you a faithful and frequent visitor to "Jerusalem"?
Nico van der Walt
EE1 - LUKE 12:1-59 - THE LESSON OF THE RICH FOOL
Thousands of people crowd around Jesus to hear what he says. He warns them against hypocrisy - the leaven of the Pharisees (1-3).
Jesus then addresses a problem plaguing many of his listeners: if we should resist the Pharisees and their religious system, we would be persecuted. The intolerance of these religious leaders for dissenters is displayed in their actions later against Jesus. This is why the Lord continues from verse 5 to tell his audience about the loving kindness of his heavenly Father for all those who should suffer persecution for his Son’s sake, and why He warns prospective disciples not to deny Him (9-10).
However, while Jesus is busy teaching this essential message, a man rudely interrupts Him. Rather than taking the words of Jesus to heart, this chap is preoccupied with entirely different affairs: he is embroiled in a scuffle with his brother concerning their inheritance (13).
Jesus does not deny that this could be a grave problem, but the legal system was put in place to address this kind of issue. Jesus notices that this man has a greater and more profound problem: avarice! Consequently Jesus tells the parable, and in the process discusses something that, throughout centuries, but especially today, robs the church of vitality and causes many to miss eternal salvation.
THE PARABLE IN A NUTSHELL
A rich man harvests a vast crop, and ends up with an enviable problem: his sheds are too small. He builds greater barns, and that done, sits back contentedly and, so to speak, pats himself on the back: "Old chap, you finally have enough to retire! There is plenty to keep you from wanting in your old age. How well you did for yourself! This is everything of which you’ve ever dreamed: after all your hard work, you deserve to enjoy your life!"
After all, in our society, that is every man's dream, isn't it? This is the castle in the air for which millions slave away all their lives.
That night, however, the man unexpectedly dies. Of all that stored wealth he cannot take a cent, not a crumb, not even a wisp into eternity with him.
This was not the worst, however: for nothing can be more terrible than God's judgement of him: "You fool!" The old chap had one life and one chance - but wasted it. All that remains is unutterable woe for eternity.
WHY IS THIS MAN A FOOL?
What is foolishness? It is the refusal to see and judge the world around you for what it really is. It is to apply an untrue yardstick; it is to pursue the wrong priorities; it is to convince yourself that good is bad and bad, good; it is to deceive yourself.
This man is a fool because he holds two basic assumptions that are very wide of the mark. And here the issue is not secondary; it is an issue of vital, and eternal, importance.
The man's views on material property are essentially flawed; and His opinion about what life really is, holds fatal consequences.
Concerning possessions he errs in four ways.
• Firstly, the man imagines that his earthly possessions belong to him - that he therefore has full authority over it. This is shown in the way he talks about his harvest, his barns, his wheat, his things, his soul. But he misleads himself: nothing is actually his. Whose ground was it that yielded the crops? Who was it that sent the rain? Who was it that even granted him wisdom and skills and strength? What do we own that we have not received?
Truly, when the Lord gives, and when He takes, He does so as sovereign Owner - and who can dispute it? We are merely servants, stewards, at most managers, in the Lord's service.
• Secondly, the man takes it for granted that his wealth will last forever - or, in any case, "for many years" (19). He does not calculate on fires destroying his barns, earthquakes devastating his house, or the stock market crashing.
• Thirdly, the man is convinced that his possessions are there for his enjoyment - to make the world a more pleasant place. But God lends us possessions to serve Him - in His interest, for His glory, for His gospel, His church, His poor.
• Fourthly, the man believes that his possessions can satisfy his soul. Indeed, he addresses his soul when he anticipates the pleasures awaiting him (19). But the human soul can enjoy neither a sumptuous steak, nor a glass of good wine. Peace of the soul cannot be achieved by owning gold rings or satin dressing gowns. Nor can an adrenaline rush satisfy a soul.
Concerning life, he errs in three ways.
• As far as the life of the here and now is concerned, the man only takes his bodily existence into account. Even as he addresses his soul, he tries to satisfy it with fleshly delights: rest, eating, drinking, and pleasure. The internal man and his spiritual well-being does not even feature on his list of priorities. But in essence it is man’s spirit that is of importance; it is that part of you that is indestructible and immortal.
• Moreover, the man lives his life as if this life is all there is. He lives, as Ecclesiastes puts it, "under the sun". He does not prepare himself for the life to come at all. He ignores the fact that this life and the next are directly linked - that our lives here will decide where and how we spend eternity.
• Thirdly, as with every one who lives as this man does, he fails to take his coming death into account. When, from time to time, he is confronted with his own physical mortality, he convinces himself that that time is surely so far away in the future that it is completely unnecessary to consider it now.
• Such is the life of a fool. He chases after wind, living in a fantasy world of his own making. He only deals with those realities that suit him. He always chooses the path of least resistance.
TO BE RICH IN GOD
❏ If one reads this parable inattentively, it would seem as if Jesus only issues a warning, but does not go on to give a positive alternative. But the punch line here is the last verse (21). In this parable the Lord confronts us with an unavoidable and radical decision. It cuts to the quick of our being. Are you hoarding up treasure on earth, or are you rich towards God?
Once one has worked through all the options available on this earth, only one final choice remains that must be made: are you living for this life, or are you giving all for the next? And a compromise is not possible: you can live for only one of these two alternatives. This is the message of Jesus.
And this is what He talks about in the rest of the chapter. Although it is impossible to consider it here in detail, an overview is useful to give the general impression.
• Jesus firstly assures his disciples not to be concerned about their sustenance should they choose to pursue richness in God (22-34). Compensation in this world always equates money and possessions. How can one survive without scrimping and saving compulsively? No, Jesus guarantees us: your heavenly Father will care for you in the tiniest detail - providing you seek the kingdom of God devoutly (31).
Thus, says Jesus, do not hoard, but give liberally and cheerfully (33). This is not only a way of overcoming the suction power of this world, but is a wonderful way of investing in heaven, and becoming rich towards God.
The Lord reminds us, in conclusion, it is the intention of your heart that is crucial - and it is an inescapable rule: where your treasure is, your heart will also be (34).
• The Lord says, secondly, that this is not a hobby or sideline event that can be taken up or dropped at your leisure (35-48). Not at all! He describes an expectant waiting on the Lord that utilises every day for the glory of the Lord and earnestly desires the coming of His kingdom. It is like a slave who knows that his master might return on any day, and therefore makes sure that everything is constantly perfect for his arrival. Nothing is as important as pleasing his master.
Jesus' disciples live everyday with single-minded devotion in the light of eternity, unlike the farmer who simply wants to sit back and enjoy.
• Thirdly, this lifestyle and devotion has serious implications (49-53). It wars with the values of this world and causes strife with those who live according to those values. And this fallen world does not easily tolerate non-conformists - those who would appeal to its conscience.
Disciples of Jesus must therefore realize that this life will as a rule not be a bed of roses. After all, they are investing in heaven, and not the earth.
• The Lord Jesus concludes this crucial teaching with a reproof and an urgent call (54-59).
Why are His listeners blind to the importance of the moment? Why do they not realise that it is the long-awaited Messiah addressing them? Why can they not realise that God’s kingdom has arrived with radical new values and priorities? Why would they want to continue in the same way as always? Why do they wish to continue marching to the beat of this world?
Come, Jesus calls to the people, judge for yourself. Do my words not echo what the Word of God has always taught? (57). Does it not make sense? Of course, of course!
❏ Therefore careful consideration is urgent, and people cannot defer making crucial decisions. Nobody knows how much time he still has on this earth. And to arrive in the hereafter with no investment in heaven is too terrible to contemplate. To appear naked before God’s tribunal - while all your possessions lie rotting in storage on earth - would be a worse fate than anything that can befall one on earth. From the prison of God’s judgement one cannot escape!
One word will echo again and again through the halls of judgement one day: Fool! Fool! Fool!
Truly, nothing, nothing at all, is as important at this moment as hearing the word of King Jesus clearly and living fervently according to it.
Nico van der Walt
Jesus then addresses a problem plaguing many of his listeners: if we should resist the Pharisees and their religious system, we would be persecuted. The intolerance of these religious leaders for dissenters is displayed in their actions later against Jesus. This is why the Lord continues from verse 5 to tell his audience about the loving kindness of his heavenly Father for all those who should suffer persecution for his Son’s sake, and why He warns prospective disciples not to deny Him (9-10).
However, while Jesus is busy teaching this essential message, a man rudely interrupts Him. Rather than taking the words of Jesus to heart, this chap is preoccupied with entirely different affairs: he is embroiled in a scuffle with his brother concerning their inheritance (13).
Jesus does not deny that this could be a grave problem, but the legal system was put in place to address this kind of issue. Jesus notices that this man has a greater and more profound problem: avarice! Consequently Jesus tells the parable, and in the process discusses something that, throughout centuries, but especially today, robs the church of vitality and causes many to miss eternal salvation.
THE PARABLE IN A NUTSHELL
A rich man harvests a vast crop, and ends up with an enviable problem: his sheds are too small. He builds greater barns, and that done, sits back contentedly and, so to speak, pats himself on the back: "Old chap, you finally have enough to retire! There is plenty to keep you from wanting in your old age. How well you did for yourself! This is everything of which you’ve ever dreamed: after all your hard work, you deserve to enjoy your life!"
After all, in our society, that is every man's dream, isn't it? This is the castle in the air for which millions slave away all their lives.
That night, however, the man unexpectedly dies. Of all that stored wealth he cannot take a cent, not a crumb, not even a wisp into eternity with him.
This was not the worst, however: for nothing can be more terrible than God's judgement of him: "You fool!" The old chap had one life and one chance - but wasted it. All that remains is unutterable woe for eternity.
WHY IS THIS MAN A FOOL?
What is foolishness? It is the refusal to see and judge the world around you for what it really is. It is to apply an untrue yardstick; it is to pursue the wrong priorities; it is to convince yourself that good is bad and bad, good; it is to deceive yourself.
This man is a fool because he holds two basic assumptions that are very wide of the mark. And here the issue is not secondary; it is an issue of vital, and eternal, importance.
The man's views on material property are essentially flawed; and His opinion about what life really is, holds fatal consequences.
Concerning possessions he errs in four ways.
• Firstly, the man imagines that his earthly possessions belong to him - that he therefore has full authority over it. This is shown in the way he talks about his harvest, his barns, his wheat, his things, his soul. But he misleads himself: nothing is actually his. Whose ground was it that yielded the crops? Who was it that sent the rain? Who was it that even granted him wisdom and skills and strength? What do we own that we have not received?
Truly, when the Lord gives, and when He takes, He does so as sovereign Owner - and who can dispute it? We are merely servants, stewards, at most managers, in the Lord's service.
• Secondly, the man takes it for granted that his wealth will last forever - or, in any case, "for many years" (19). He does not calculate on fires destroying his barns, earthquakes devastating his house, or the stock market crashing.
• Thirdly, the man is convinced that his possessions are there for his enjoyment - to make the world a more pleasant place. But God lends us possessions to serve Him - in His interest, for His glory, for His gospel, His church, His poor.
• Fourthly, the man believes that his possessions can satisfy his soul. Indeed, he addresses his soul when he anticipates the pleasures awaiting him (19). But the human soul can enjoy neither a sumptuous steak, nor a glass of good wine. Peace of the soul cannot be achieved by owning gold rings or satin dressing gowns. Nor can an adrenaline rush satisfy a soul.
Concerning life, he errs in three ways.
• As far as the life of the here and now is concerned, the man only takes his bodily existence into account. Even as he addresses his soul, he tries to satisfy it with fleshly delights: rest, eating, drinking, and pleasure. The internal man and his spiritual well-being does not even feature on his list of priorities. But in essence it is man’s spirit that is of importance; it is that part of you that is indestructible and immortal.
• Moreover, the man lives his life as if this life is all there is. He lives, as Ecclesiastes puts it, "under the sun". He does not prepare himself for the life to come at all. He ignores the fact that this life and the next are directly linked - that our lives here will decide where and how we spend eternity.
• Thirdly, as with every one who lives as this man does, he fails to take his coming death into account. When, from time to time, he is confronted with his own physical mortality, he convinces himself that that time is surely so far away in the future that it is completely unnecessary to consider it now.
• Such is the life of a fool. He chases after wind, living in a fantasy world of his own making. He only deals with those realities that suit him. He always chooses the path of least resistance.
TO BE RICH IN GOD
❏ If one reads this parable inattentively, it would seem as if Jesus only issues a warning, but does not go on to give a positive alternative. But the punch line here is the last verse (21). In this parable the Lord confronts us with an unavoidable and radical decision. It cuts to the quick of our being. Are you hoarding up treasure on earth, or are you rich towards God?
Once one has worked through all the options available on this earth, only one final choice remains that must be made: are you living for this life, or are you giving all for the next? And a compromise is not possible: you can live for only one of these two alternatives. This is the message of Jesus.
And this is what He talks about in the rest of the chapter. Although it is impossible to consider it here in detail, an overview is useful to give the general impression.
• Jesus firstly assures his disciples not to be concerned about their sustenance should they choose to pursue richness in God (22-34). Compensation in this world always equates money and possessions. How can one survive without scrimping and saving compulsively? No, Jesus guarantees us: your heavenly Father will care for you in the tiniest detail - providing you seek the kingdom of God devoutly (31).
Thus, says Jesus, do not hoard, but give liberally and cheerfully (33). This is not only a way of overcoming the suction power of this world, but is a wonderful way of investing in heaven, and becoming rich towards God.
The Lord reminds us, in conclusion, it is the intention of your heart that is crucial - and it is an inescapable rule: where your treasure is, your heart will also be (34).
• The Lord says, secondly, that this is not a hobby or sideline event that can be taken up or dropped at your leisure (35-48). Not at all! He describes an expectant waiting on the Lord that utilises every day for the glory of the Lord and earnestly desires the coming of His kingdom. It is like a slave who knows that his master might return on any day, and therefore makes sure that everything is constantly perfect for his arrival. Nothing is as important as pleasing his master.
Jesus' disciples live everyday with single-minded devotion in the light of eternity, unlike the farmer who simply wants to sit back and enjoy.
• Thirdly, this lifestyle and devotion has serious implications (49-53). It wars with the values of this world and causes strife with those who live according to those values. And this fallen world does not easily tolerate non-conformists - those who would appeal to its conscience.
Disciples of Jesus must therefore realize that this life will as a rule not be a bed of roses. After all, they are investing in heaven, and not the earth.
• The Lord Jesus concludes this crucial teaching with a reproof and an urgent call (54-59).
Why are His listeners blind to the importance of the moment? Why do they not realise that it is the long-awaited Messiah addressing them? Why can they not realise that God’s kingdom has arrived with radical new values and priorities? Why would they want to continue in the same way as always? Why do they wish to continue marching to the beat of this world?
Come, Jesus calls to the people, judge for yourself. Do my words not echo what the Word of God has always taught? (57). Does it not make sense? Of course, of course!
❏ Therefore careful consideration is urgent, and people cannot defer making crucial decisions. Nobody knows how much time he still has on this earth. And to arrive in the hereafter with no investment in heaven is too terrible to contemplate. To appear naked before God’s tribunal - while all your possessions lie rotting in storage on earth - would be a worse fate than anything that can befall one on earth. From the prison of God’s judgement one cannot escape!
One word will echo again and again through the halls of judgement one day: Fool! Fool! Fool!
Truly, nothing, nothing at all, is as important at this moment as hearing the word of King Jesus clearly and living fervently according to it.
Nico van der Walt
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