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O Theophilus, Jesus Will Restore Again the Kingdom to Israel!

February 23, 2013

Together, Luke-Acts comprises a larger portion of the New Testament than do the writings of any other Scripture writer (unless Paul wrote Hebrews). Because Luke wrote both books to the same man, Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-2), he has the unique distinction of being the one person to whom the Spirit directed more of the New Testament than He did to any other person.

Luke ends his Gospel with an account of Jesus’ instructing His disciples prior to His Ascension (Luke 24:15-49). He begins Acts by reminding Theophilus of what he had previously written to him, including an explicit reference to Jesus’ instructing them before He ascended: “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen” (Acts 1:1-2; cf. Luke 1:1-4). The explicit references to Jesus’ instructing them before His Ascension (at both the ending of Luke and the beginning of Acts) underscored to Theophilus the importance of that instruction.

JESUS’ FOCUS ON THE KINGDOM PRIOR TO HIS ASCENSION

Luke then related to Theophilus that prior to His ascension to heaven, Jesus appeared repeatedly to His disciples over a 40-day period: “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). This statement communicated to Theophilus that during that entire time, Jesus was speaking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God. In fact, Luke said that His appearing to them and His speaking to them about precisely that subject were the infallible proofs that He was alive after His passion.

Based on this singular emphasis of Jesus’ communications to His disciples during this 40-day period, Theophilus understood that the preeminent subject in the minds of both Jesus and His disciples during that entire period was the kingdom of God. Keeping this fact in mind is vital for a proper interpretation of the subsequent events.

THE DISCIPLES’ QUESTION ABOUT JESUS’ RESTORING THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL

Theophilus learned next that Jesus gathered His disciples together and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit that the Father had promised (Acts 1:4-5). In response to His interactions with them throughout this post-Resurrection, pre-Ascension period and specifically to His specific instructions to wait for the giving of the Spirit, His disciples asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

Noting the earlier emphatic statement about Jesus’ speaking about the kingdom to His disciples (Acts 1:3), Theophilus certainly would have understood this question in relation to that emphasis. He would thus have known that the disciples were not bringing up a matter that was important only to them but not so to Jesus.

JESUS’ ANSWER TO HIS DISCIPLES

Theophilus then read of Jesus’ answer and of His Ascension:

“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (1:7-9).

Clearly, he would have interpreted Jesus’ answer and Ascension from the standpoint of not just the disciples’ question but also from the standpoint of Jesus’ singular emphasis on the kingdom of God throughout that 40-day period. On this reading of Acts 1:1-9, we can only interpret Jesus’ answer properly by seeking to understand it in the same way that Theophilus did.

A “THEOPHILIC” UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISCIPLES’ QUESTION AND JESUS’ ANSWER

To assess rightly how Theophilus understood Acts 1:6-9, we must consider key truths about the kingdom from both Luke and Acts, the two books that Luke wrote specifically to him:

(1) In his Gospel, Luke informed Theophilus that an angel instructed Mary to name Him Jesus before He was even conceived and explained the significance of that naming in a way that can only be rightly understood as pointing to the restoration of the kingdom to Israel (Luke 1:30-33). Theophilus therefore would have believed that Jesus’ sitting on the throne of His father David and ruling forever over the house of Jacob was central to the mission that His name reveals (Luke 1:32-33).

(2) Theophilus learned at the end of Luke that the disciples expected Jesus to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21), which certainly hearkened back to the confident expectation that he had read about of Israel’s national deliverance from those who were oppressing her (cf. Zacharias’ Spirit-filled prophecy that spoke of his thanking God for redeeming and saving him and his people (Israel) from their enemies and from the hand of all those who hated them [Luke 1:68-79]).

(3) Theophilus did not read in Acts 1:7-8 that Jesus told His disciples that they were mistaken in thinking that Israel still has a glorious national future. Nor did he read that Jesus informed them that they were wrong in expecting that He would be the One to bring about the glorious restoration of the kingdom to them.

(4) Instead, what Luke wrote to Theophilus told him that Jesus pointed them to the Father’s sovereignty over the timing of that glorious event and instructed them that they were not to focus at this time on the timing of that event.

Viewing Jesus’ answer to His disciples from this “theophilic” (the consistent focus on the kingdom from Luke 1 to Luke 24 to Acts 1) viewpoint, we should understand that Jesus upheld to them the validity of their expectation but redirected their focus to the present priority of their testifying for Him throughout the world. Doing so, they would faithfully occupy until He would gloriously return to restore the kingdom to Israel, just as He said (implied in Acts 1:6).

WHY THE OPPOSING VIEW IS WRONG

Many deny this understanding of Jesus’ answer because it does not fit with their overall theological understanding of Scripture. They hold that Israel has no national future. As seen above, however, a consideration of how Theophilus, the original recipient of both Luke and Acts, would have understood this matter shows that this view is erroneous.

CONCLUSION

Despite the arguments of those who for theological reasons deny that Israel has a national future as a kingdom, Jesus’ answer interpreted through the eyes of Theophilus shows that Luke wrote to him to inform him (and us) of this glorious truth: Jesus will restore again the kingdom to Israel at the precise time and season that the Father has put in His own power. O Theophilus, Jesus will restore again the kingdom to Israel!

In Exposition, Theology

The Profound Emphasis in the Psalms on Human Enmity against God and His People

February 2, 2013

Sacred history records that God’s people have experienced profound enmity from people virtually throughout human history. At least 218 verses in 91 Psalms speak directly about human enmity against God and against other humans, especially the righteous.

This profound emphasis in the Psalms should instruct us to give careful and thorough attention to this subject. At a time when it seems that open persecution of righteous people may soon take place here in the U.S., we who know God should immerse ourselves in the teaching of the Psalms about this vital topic.

To that end, I have compiled these references and listed them with a new line for every ten Psalms:

Ps. 2:2; 3:1, 6, 7; 4:2; 5:8, 10; 6:7, 10; 7:1, 4, 5, 6, 13; 8:2; 9:3, 6, 9;

Ps. 10:2, 5, 8, 18; 11:2; 12:5; 13:2, 4; 14:4; 15:3, 5; 17:7, 9; 18:1, 3, 17, 37, 39, 40, 43, 48;

Ps. 21:8, 11, 12; 22:12; 23:5; 25:2, 19; 27:2, 3, 6, 11, 12;

Ps. 30:1; 31:8, 11, 13, 15, 18; 35:1, 3, 4, 7, 15, 19, 20, 21, 26; 36:11; 37:12, 20; 38:16, 19, 20;

Ps. 40:14; 41:2, 5, 7, 9, 11; 42:9, 10; 43:1, 2; 44:5, 7, 10, 16, 24; 45:5;

Ps. 50:20; 53:5; 54:3, 5, 7; 55:3, 12, 18, 20; 56:1, 2, 5, 9; 57:3; 59:1, 3, 10;

Ps. 60:12; 61:3; 62:3; 63:9; 64:1; 66:3; 68:1, 21, 23; 69:4, 12, 18, 19, 26;

Ps. 70:2; 71:4, 10, 11, 13; 72:4, 9; 73:8, 9, 14; 74:3, 4, 10, 18, 21, 23; 78:42, 53, 66; 79:1;

Ps. 80:6; 81:14; 82:3, 4; 83:2, 3, 5, 15; 86:14; 89:10, 22, 23, 42, 51;

Ps. 92:9, 11; 94:21; 97:3;

Ps. 102:8; 103:6; 105:24; 106:10, 11, 42; 107:2, 39; 108:13; 109:2, 3, 4, 16, 20, 29;

Ps. 110:1, 2; 112:8; 118:7, 10, 11, 12, 13; 119:23, 69, 84, 86, 98, 121, 122, 134, 139, 157, 161;

Ps. 120:2; 123:4; 124:2, 3; 127:5; 129:1, 2;

Ps. 132:18; 136:24; 137:3, 7, 8; 138:7; 139:20, 21, 22;

Ps. 140:1, 4; 141:9; 142:3, 6; 143:3, 9, 12; 144:7, 8; 146:7

In Exposition

Behold! Jesus Has a Profound Relationship with His Churches!

January 25, 2013

Revelation 2-3 provides striking information about the ongoing relationship between the glorified Jesus and His churches. Walking among His churches (Rev. 2:1), He knows them profoundly (Rev. 2:23).

If you belong to any kind of church that professes to be one of His churches, you would do well to meditate on all that Jesus knows about you and your church:

He knows the leaders of the churches (Rev. 2:1; 3:1)
He knows the works of all those who are in His churches (Rev. 2:2, 9, 13, 19, 22, 23; 3:2, 8, 15)
He knows of those who cannot bear evil people (Rev. 2:2)
He knows of their efforts in dealing with false teachers in the churches (Rev. 2:2)
He knows the profound dedication to His name that some in His churches have (Rev. 2:3, 13; 3:8)
He knows their minds and hearts (Rev. 2:4, 10, 23; 3:16)
He knows the causes of the problems that all who are in His churches have (Rev. 2:4, 20; 3:2, 15, 17)
He knows the solutions for their problems (Rev. 2:5, 10, 16; 3:2, 3, 18, 19)
He knows their righteous hatred of the deeds of evil people (Rev. 2:6)
He knows the importance of their overcoming (Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 26: 3:5, 12, 21)
He knows their past, present, and future (Rev. 2:4, 10, 13, 19; 3:5, 10)
He knows their enemies, both human (Rev. 2:2, 10) and supernatural (Rev. 2:10, 13)
He knows the blasphemies of their enemies (Rev. 2:9)
He knows their sufferings (Rev. 2:13)
He knows those among them who hold to false doctrines (Rev. 2:14, 15) and those who are false teachers (Rev. 2:20)
He knows who are His bondservants (Rev. 2:20)
He knows those among them who have accepted the false doctrines of the false teachers among them (Rev. 2:22, 23)
He knows those who have not known the depths of the false teaching that some have taught among them (Rev. 2:24)
He knows who among them are not true believers (Rev. 3:1)
He knows the weaknesses of those who are in His churches (Rev. 3:2)
He knows their failures (Rev. 2:4, 14, 20; 3:2)
He knows what they have received and heard (Rev. 3:3)
He knows when those who refuse to get right with Him will not be watching for His coming (Rev. 3:3)
He knows those who have not soiled their garments (Rev. 3:4)
He knows those who will be worthy of walking with Him in glory (Rev. 3:4)
He knows those whose names are in the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5)
He knows what open doors He has set before those who are in His churches—doors that no one can shut (Rev. 3:8)
He knows what their enemies know and who they really are (Rev. 3:9)
He knows the faithfulness of those who have devoted themselves to Him (Rev. 2:13; 3:10)
He knows what all the people who are in His churches do not know about their own true state before Him (Rev. 3:17)
He knows those who are zealous for His sake and those who are not (Rev. 2:3, 19; 3:15, 16, 17, 19)
He knows the glories that await those who are truly His, which they have no ability to know about apart from what God has revealed to them in His Word (Rev. 2:7, 10, 11, 17, 26, 27, 28; 3:4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 21)

Because of Jesus’ amazingly profound relationship to His churches, we who are in His churches should commit ourselves wholly to the cause of Christ’s glory in the world through His churches!

In Exhortation, Exposition

Correcting a Wrong Handling of the Accounts of David's Music Ministry to Saul

January 16, 2013

Scripture provides three accounts of David’s music ministry to Saul (1 Sam. 16:14-23; 18:10-11; 19:8-10). Because the results of his ministry to Saul in the first account were different from the results in the other two, some have wrongly concluded that David’s music was unreliable and even have dismissed the value of the first account for addressing the issue of the morality of music without words.

A close examination of key differences between the first account and the latter accounts, however, provides the right explanation of the differing outcome in the latter accounts and underscores the value of the first account.

David’s Music Ministry Delivers Saul from Demonic Affliction (1 Sam. 16:14-23)

God judged Saul by sending an evil spirit to afflict him (1 Sam. 16:14). To relieve him of his affliction, Saul’s servants sought a skillful harpist to minister to him (1 Sam. 16:15-16). In some unexplained way, they had confidence that such a ministry of music would deliver Saul from his affliction.

Saul’s servants found David and brought him to Saul (1 Sam. 16:17-22). Whenever the evil spirit troubled Saul, David’s playing made Saul better and caused the demon to depart (1 Sam. 16:23).

The passage does not say anything about David’s singing any words to Saul as he played his harp. In fact, the passage stresses David’s playing through three explicit references about the playing of the harp (1 Sam. 16:16, 18, 23).

It was David’s instrumental harp music, therefore, that caused the evil spirit that tormented Saul to depart from him. Had his music been amoral, it could not have had this effect for good.

Because the music did drive out the evil spirit, it was a force for good. We thus learn that David’s instrumental music was not amoral.

Saul Tries to Kill David Twice in spite of David’s Music Ministry to Him (18:10-11)

Whereas David’s music ministry had previously delivered Saul on repeated occasions for an unspecified amount of time (1 Sam. 16:23), the next account (1 Sam. 18:10-11) records that Saul tried to kill David twice (18:11) in spite of his ministering musically again to Saul (18:11). What caused there to be such a dramatic difference on this occasion compared to the previous ones?

In between these two accounts, we read of David’s valiant defeat of Goliath (17:1-54). Following several verses that speak then of Saul’s inquiry about whose son David was (17:55-58), we read of the covenant that Jonathan and David made (18:1-4).

The next five verses provide key information that explains the differing outcome of David’s music ministry to Saul on this later occasion:

1Sa 18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

⁶ ¶ And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick.

⁷ And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.

⁸ And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?

⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

These verses reveal that Saul became very upset when the women lauded David more highly than they did Saul (18:8). He then became jealous of him and suspicious of him from then on that he would seek to take the kingdom from Saul (18:9).

Right after reading about this key change in Saul’s attitude toward David, we encounter the first of two accounts that record that David’s music ministry to Saul did not benefit him as it had done before:

1Sa 18:10 ¶ And it came to pass on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house: and David played with his hand, as at other times: and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand.

¹¹ And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.

This passage specifies that this account took place on the very next day after Saul’s becoming intensely upset at David and becoming suspicious of him (18:10a). This time when the evil spirit came on Saul, he raved madly in his house. The text also specifies that Saul had a javelin in his hand on this occasion.

Prior to this point, we never read of Saul sitting in his house with a javelin in his hand. Nor do we read of him being afflicted by the spirit to the point of his raving madly. Both these differences point to the same reality—a vital change in Saul’s disposition toward David.

The natural explanation for Saul’s having a javelin in his hand now is that he apparently was so suspicious of David’s potentially trying to take the kingdom from him that he wanted to have a weapon to protect himself should David try anything to harm him. Because of the dramatic change in Saul, David’s music ministry that was the same to him “as at other times” (18:10) did not deliver Saul now from his spiritual affliction.

Saul’s intense jealousy and mistrust of David prevented him from benefiting from David’s music ministry as he had done before. He now degenerated to letting the wickedness of his heart come out in two attempts to kill David.

David’s music thus was not unreliable or ineffective on this occasion. Rather, Saul, as the listener, forfeited on this occasion the value of David’s ministry to him because of his hardness of heart toward David.

Saul Again Tries to Kill David in spite of His Music Ministry to Him (19:9-10)

Saul’s two attempts to kill David show that Saul was now not just opposing David—more importantly, he was also actively fighting against God, who had chosen David to become king in place of Saul. Saul had thereby now set himself in opposition to the Lord and His anointed one (cf. Ps. 2).

Because Saul was now opposing both God and David, he continued to degenerate spiritually and be hardened in his sinfulness (1 Sam. 18:17, 21, 25). He became more and more afraid of David and became his enemy continually (1 Sam. 18:29).

In spite of further events (1 Sam. 19:1-5) that led Saul even to swear by the Lord that David would not be killed (1 Sam. 19:6), we read of another time when Saul tried to kill David despite David’s music ministry to him while he was being afflicted by the evil spirit:

1Sa 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.

¹⁰ And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

This final account shows that Saul’s hardness of heart toward David and opposition to God again caused him to forfeit the benefit of David’s music ministry to him.

David’s Instrumental Music Was Not Amoral and It Was Not Unreliable

A careful analysis of the flow of these various events in the lives of David and Saul shows that David’s earlier music ministry profited Saul by delivering him from spiritual affliction caused by an evil spirit. Because Saul was delivered by David’s instrumental music, we understand that it was not amoral.

Moreover, the latter accounts do not show that David’s music was unreliable or lacked the spiritual ability to deliver Saul consistently. Rather, the greatly heightened wickedness of Saul’s heart on those occasions prevented him from receiving the benefit of David’s music ministry to him.

For the same reason, the latter accounts also do not negate the importance of the first account for showing that David’s instrumental music was not amoral. David’s instrumental music ministry to Saul thus was not amoral and it was not unreliable.

In CCM, Exposition, Music

Natural Revelation, Music Related to God’s Providence, and the Debate about the Morality of Music without Words

January 12, 2013

Whether music without words is moral or not is a question that is widely debated today among believers. This post treats biblical teaching about natural revelation and music related to God’s providence to answer this question.

Natural Revelation

Psalm 19:1-6 provides clear teaching about natural revelation:

Psa 19:1 <To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.> The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

² Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

³ There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

⁵ Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

⁶ His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

David teaches that God is continuously providing worldwide revelation of His glory and handiwork.

Paul corroborates his statements and further teaches that all are without excuse because they are suppressing God’s infallible communication of moral truth through His creation:

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

²⁰ For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.

Scripture thus makes clear that God is continuously infallibly communicating moral truth to every person through natural revelation that involves no words. Wordless communication of moral truth, therefore, is a pervasive worldwide reality that every human being experiences on a nonstop basis.

Music Related to God’s Providence

Building on the foundation of God’s communication of moral truth through wordless natural revelation, related teaching about God’s providence provides additional relevant information. Psalm 104 highlights God’s creating and sustaining His Creation. In that context, the Psalmist provides an important statement about music related to His providence:

Psa 104:10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.

¹¹ They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.

¹² By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.

¹³ He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.

The Psalmist makes known that God provides water to every animal to satisfy its thirst. In that context, he speaks of birds that sing among the branches of trees located by the springs that God sends.[1]

Statements that God satisfies His creation (Ps. 104:11, 13) on both sides of the statement about the singing of the birds show that it is not an incidental “filler” statement. Rather, the clear implication is that the birds sing in grateful response to God’s satisfying them by providing water and habitation (cf. Ps. 104:16-18 and the command for the flying fowl to praise the Lord [Ps. 148:7, 10]).[2]

Furthermore, no humans taught the birds to sing—we thus rightly infer that they continue to do what God created them from the beginning to do. What’s more, He created them (Gen. 1:20) before He created man (Gen. 1:26-27). Because God said that His creation of the birds was good (Gen. 1:21), we rightly deduce that their singing at that time was good, as was also everything else taking place in God’s universe at that time.

Moreover, after He had created man (Gen. 1:26-29), God pronounced that everything that He had made was “very good” (Gen. 1:31). We infer correctly, therefore, that the singing of birds that took place after man was created—but before he fell—was also very good.

Both before man was created and after he was created but before he fell, birds thus sang wordless moral music to the praise of their Creator! Furthermore, even after he fell, Scripture provides revelation about birds (Ps. 104:12) that points to their communicating a wordless moral message through music.

In addition, the clear teaching treated earlier about God’s present-day worldwide communication of wordless moral truth through natural revelation provides a supportive universal backdrop for interpreting the present-day singing of birds as still communicating a moral message without words.

The Debate about the Morality of Music without Words

God is continuously providing infallible moral truth wordlessly to every human being through the heavens and the firmament that He created (Ps. 19:1-4). He is also providing moral truth wordlessly through the singing of the birds that He created (Gen. 1:20) to praise Him (cf. Ps. 148:7, 10) for His providential care for them (Ps. 104:12).

Scriptural teaching about natural revelation and music related to God’s providence thus establishes that the default Scriptural position is that music without words is moral.[3] Christians who hold the position that music without words is amoral thus have the burden of proof to demonstrate the validity of their view from Scripture.

[1] Because the Hebrew here does not use a specific word for singing (cf. “Heb ‘among the thick foliage they give a sound’” [NET Bible translation note on Psalm 104:12]), some hold that this verse does not establish that birds sing music. The context, however, makes clear that singing is in view. Furthermore, Zephaniah 2:14 explicitly uses a Hebrew verb to speak of the singing of birds. See also my post Do Birds Sing Music or Merely Make Sounds for additional explanation of why the position that birds do not sing music is not tenable. Moreover, numerous videos available on the Internet abundantly attest to the fact that birds sing songs with multiple pitches, rhythm, rests, etc.

[2] Many commentators concur with this interpretation: “The birds, also, in their nests among the branches are able to pour forth their melodious notes as the result of the God-directed valley-springs. Singing among the branches should inspire us to sing where we dwell—even if it be like Paul and Silas in a prison cell. . . . Said Izaak Walton, great lover of birds, especially the nightingale, ‘Lord, what music hast thou provided for the saints in heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on earth?’” (Herbert Lockyer, Sr., Psalms: A Devotional Commentary, 409).

“Among them the fowls of the air dwell. That is, among the trees which spring up by the fountains and water-courses. The whole picture is full of animation and beauty. . . . Which sing among the branches. Marg. as in Heb., give a voice. Their voice is heard—their sweet music—in the foliage of the trees which grow on the margin of the streams and by the fountains” (Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Explanatory and Practical, 9:85).

“’Everything lives whithersoever water cometh,’ as Easterners know. Therefore round the drinking-places in the vales thirsty creatures gather, birds flit and sing; up among the cedars are peaceful nests, and inaccessible cliffs have their sure-footed inhabitants. All depend on water, and water is God’s gift. The psalmist’s view of Nature is characteristic in the direct ascription of all the processes to God” (Alexander MacLaren, The Psalms, 3:116).

“How refreshing are these words! What happy memories they arouse of plashing waterfalls and entangled boughs, where the merry din of the falling and rushing water forms a solid background of music, and the sweet tuneful notes of the birds are the brighter and more flashing lights in harmony. Pretty birdies, sing on! What better can ye do, and who can do it better? When we too drink of the river of God, and eat of the fruit of the tree of life, it well becomes us to ‘sing among the branches.’ Where ye dwell ye sing; and shall not we rejoice in the Lord, who has been our dwelling-place in all generations. As ye fly from bough to bough, ye warble forth your notes, and so will we as we flit through time into eternity. It is not meet that birds of Paradise should be outdone by birds of the earth” (Charles Spurgeon, Treasury of David, 2:305).

“The music of the birds was the first song of thanksgiving which was offered from the earth, before man was formed” (John Wesley; cited in Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings on 104:12 in Treasury of David, 2:319).

“They sing, according to their capacity, to the honour of their Creator and benefactor, and their singing may shame our silence” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 893).

[3] See also my post David’s Instrumental Music Was Not Amoral for further Scriptural teaching that establishes this point.

In CCM, Exposition, Music, Theology

Let Us Sorrow Not without Hope!

December 29, 2012

In a small Midwestern town, a fierce ice storm raged. The howling of the frigid winds was suddenly joined by the piercing ringing of a telephone. In the wee hours of the morning, the phone call informed a family that they needed to come to the hospital immediately.

Because their car was not working, a police car took them to the hospital. As they walked into the hospital room, a far greater storm began to rage in their souls. Lying there on the hospital bed was my dad dead of an apparent heart attack. Seeing him dead, our world suddenly fell apart.

The immense sorrow of that time was accompanied by times of longing and dreaming that somehow, someday, I would see my dad again. But, our sorrow was without hope because none of us were believers at that time.

As I did for many years after my dad died in 1982, many in this world sorrow without hope for their dead loved ones. Praise God that He does not want believers to sorrow without hope for their believing loved ones who have died:

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This passages teaches us that in order for us to sorrow not without hope for our loved ones who have died, four things must be true.

1. We must believe that Jesus died and rose again (1 Thess. 4:14a).

2. Our loved ones must believe that Jesus died and rose again, so that when they die, they will be asleep in Jesus (1 Thess. 4:14b; cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 51).

3. We as believers must not be ignorant concerning those who are asleep in Jesus (1 Thess. 4:13a).

4. We as believers must comfort one another concerning the dead in Christ so that we will not sorrow for them without hope (1 Thess. 4:18).

Brethren, let us sorrow not without hope for our loves ones who sleep in Jesus!

In Exhortation, Exposition, Testimony

The Exceeding Preciousness of Every Unborn Child

December 6, 2012

Through David, God intends to teach every willing recipient of Psalm 139 that every unborn child is exceedingly precious to Him. At a time when ungodly people are pushing their false views about abortion upon people in an unprecedented way, we who prize the Bible should immerse ourselves with a renewed fervor in its infallible teaching about this vital subject.

Based on God’s amazing knowledge of all of David’s ways (Ps. 139:1-5), including even what he would say before he would say it (Ps. 139:4), he acknowledged that God’s knowledge of him was far beyond any possibility of his understanding it (Ps. 139:6). He further remarked that his escaping God’s presence was impossible regardless of wherever he might seek to go (Ps. 139:7-12) and whenever he might seek to go there (in the daytime or at nighttime [Ps. 139:11-12]).

Using the word for (Ps. 139:13) to begin his teaching in the rest of the psalm, David then explains his previous teaching in a way that many of its readers overlook. In fact, I had done so until God illumined me to the importance of that truth this morning.

He explains that he could not escape God’s presence because God was the One who formed him in the womb (Ps. 139:13-16), a dark place in which there is no light (cf. Ps. 139:11-12). In that secret place, God formed his body in a fearful, wonderful, and marvelous work of God about which David’s soul knew very well (Ps. 139:13-14)! He thus testified that he had no question about the truth of God’s having created him so magnificently in the womb.

David then testified that his frame was not hidden from God when He skillfully created him (Ps. 139:15). God saw his substance when it was yet unformed (Ps. 139:16a). Moreover, God had written down in His book all the days that he would live even before he existed (Ps. 139:16b).

Beyond speaking both of God’s marvelously creating Him and of God’s preordaining all the days that he would live, he extolled the preciousness of His doing these things: “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” (Ps. 139:17). The word also in this statement and David’s use of how to modify precious show that David regarded God’s forming him in the womb, His ordaining exactly how long he would live, and His thoughts toward him (Ps. 139:17-18) all to be exceedingly precious.

We learn from David’s teaching in Psalm 139 that he knew very well that he was an exceedingly precious creation of God from the very time that God created him in the womb. What was true of him is also true of every unborn child because God is the One who forms every child in the womb.[1]

Rejecting all the counsel of the ungodly, we who know the Bible must unwaveringly believe what God says about the exceeding preciousness of every unborn child!

[1] See Psalm 94:9; 127:3; Jeremiah 1:5; and Matthew 1:20.

In Exposition

The Vital Importance of Psalm 31:23 for Every Christian

December 3, 2012

Jesus taught that the first and greatest commandment was to love God with all one’s being (Matt. 22:37-38). Because He made known that loving God properly is the greatest priority of all, believers must focus foremost on loving God in their lives.

In keeping with that supreme priority and based on much Scriptural teaching, contemporary theology, preaching, teaching, and music all highly stress loving God because of what He has done and is doing to provide salvation for sinners through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Similarly, believers today highly emphasize loving God for His care for His own.

Although appreciation for God’s providing salvation for sinners and for His caring for His own are both certainly reasons that we should love God, they are not the only reasons we should do so. To understand why, we must consider a key command that David gave to all believers:

O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer” (Ps. 31:23).

David here does command all believers to love God because He preserves the faithful (31:23a-b). He, however, does not stop there; he adds that all believers must love God also because He plentifully rewards the proud doer (31:23c).

To understand further this teaching from God, we must consider a closely related statement in the Psalms:

Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud (94:2).

Psalm 94:2 makes clear that God is the Judge who rewards the proud by judging them.[1] Based on the teaching, therefore, of Psalms 31:23 and 94:2, every believer must love God for His work as the Judge who fully repays proud doers!

Psalm 31:23 thus provides us with a vital insight into an essential aspect of our loving God. Because God gives us this truth in His inspired hymnbook, the Psalms, we must adjust our music so that we teach believers this truth through our singing.

Our theology, preaching, and teaching must also be adjusted so that we properly instruct all believers that loving God properly involves loving Him both for caring for His own and for judging the proud (cf. Paul’s love for the appearing of the Lord, the righteous Judge [2 Tim. 4:8]). Doing so, we will help disciple them fully to be the saints that Jesus wants them to be (Matt. 28:18-20).

Let us all love God properly by loving Him because He is the Judge who plentifully rewards the proud doer.

[1] Many other passages confirm that His doing so is His judging. For examples, see Leviticus 26:19; 1 Samuel 2:3-10; 2 Samuel 22:28; 2 Chronicles 32:25; Psalms 75:7-10; Proverbs 15:25; Isaiah 2:11; Daniel 5:20; and Luke 1:51.

In Exhortation, Exposition, Ministry, Music, Preaching, Theology

An Illustration That Helps Explain the Greatness of Our Sinfulness

December 1, 2012

When queen Vashti refused to heed the commandment of her husband, king Ahasuerus (Esth. 1:12), the king consulted with his wise men about what should be done to her (Esth. 1:13-15). Memucan, one of his princes, remarked that the queen had not only wronged the king by her disobedience to his commandment, but also she had wronged all his princes and all the people in all his provinces (Esth. 1:16). He thus regarded her rebellion against the king as a sin against him and all who were in his kingdom.

Scripture teaches that God is the eternal King of the universe (Ps. 29:10; Dan. 4:34-35; 1 Tim. 1:17). When we sin even once by breaking one of His commandments, we sin not only against God but also against all His subjects throughout His universal kingdom.

Viewed from this perspective, it is clear that all of us are exceedingly great sinners who have sinned against God and His universal dominion countless times. The infinite greatness of our sin required the payment of an infinite penalty if we were to be forgiven.

Praise God that Jesus is “the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2)! Thank you, Lord Jesus, for paying it all!

In Exposition

Counsel from Psalm 62 for People Disheartened by the Recent Elections

November 17, 2012

The outcome of the recent elections has left many dedicated, honest people who love their country greatly disheartened. Psalm 62 provides some biblical counsel for such people.

Assailed by murderous (62:3), lying opponents (62:4), David counseled both himself (62:5) and others (62:8, 10) about who and what to turn to in such times of trouble. His counsel may be summarized in the following points:

1. Wait in silence for God alone to save you (62:1, 5)

David begins the Psalm by declaring that he was waiting in silence for help from God (62:1a) because his salvation was from God (62:1b), who alone was his rock, salvation, and stronghold (62:2a). In light of these realities, he was confident that he would not be greatly shaken (62:2b).

After inquiring of his enemies about how long they intended wickedly to assail him (62:3-4), he challenged himself to do the very thing that he had already been doing—wait silently for God only (62:5a). He understood that he should do so because his hope was in God (62:5b), who alone was his rock, salvation, and stronghold (62:6a). Being mindful of these truths, he assured himself that he would not be shaken (62:6b).

Repeating these truths in the psalm (62:1-2; 5-6), David emphasized their importance. He then added that his salvation and glory were resting on God (62:7a). His refuge, the “rock of his strength,” was in God (62:7b).

Believers should wait confidently and in quite repose for God’s deliverance. Despite the advancement of evil that is taking place, God is on the throne, and He alone is worthy of our hope and trust. In His time and way, He is going to deal righteously with the vicious, lying people who are assailing ordinary, God-fearing people with their media propaganda and pernicious policies.

2. Trust in God at all times (62:8a)

Based on God’s being both David’s refuge (62:7) and a refuge for His people (62:8a), they are to put their trust in Him at all times. Whether we experience political defeat or victory, our trust must be in Him. Now is the time for us to turn to God all the more.

3. Pour out your heart before Him (62:8b)

David conjoined trust in God with praying earnestly to Him with our whole heart. We need now to turn to God in prayer individually and corporately like we never have before. He is our only hope in these dark times.

4. Counsel yourself to think properly about people (62:9)

David reminded himself that both lowly men, who are only vanity, and men of high rank, who are a lie, are ultimately vain beings who are hopelessly underweight on God’s balances; in fact, both individually and corporately, they are lighter than breath (62:9). The recent advancement of many people to positions of power and influence, many of whom sadly will likely prove to be unrighteous public officials, should not deceive us into thinking more of them than is fitting. God is in control, and we should turn our entire focus towards His exaltation over all men, righteous and unrighteous, poor or rich, lowly or powerful.

5. Do not put your trust or hope in any evil means of earthly advancement (62:10)

David warns us not to trust in oppression, robbery, or increasing wealth. Although many oppressors are prospering materially in our day, their earthly advancement through unrighteous means is vain and will not be lasting. In a time when temptations to be unrighteous in our dealings with other people will undoubtedly increase, we must resolve that we will only advance in godly ways that display that our hearts are trusting wholly on God as our hope.

6. Hear what God has repeatedly spoken about His power and lovingkindness to repay every man according to his work (62:11-12)

Repeatedly hearing God’s speaking to him, David was solidly grounded in key ultimate realities: both power and lovingkindness are God’s because He is the Lord who is over all (62:11-12a). Because He righteously repays every man in keeping with his deeds, lovingkindess is His (62:12b).

Although evil men may advance in power, they do so only because God’s power has put them there for His own purposes. He will repay them for all that they do in their exercise of their God-given authority.

Similarly, when the righteous do not advance politically, they can yet be assured that God will repay them for their righteousness in spite of His not advancing them in that sphere. His lovingkindness will not allow them to be ashamed ultimately of their trust in Him.

God’s Counsel for Our Times

In the midst of the increasingly trying circumstances that righteous people will undoubtedly face as a result of the outcome of the recent elections, we must entrust ourselves wholly to the supreme power and lovingkindness of our God. No evil man will ultimately prosper because God the righteous Judge of all will repay him for his evil.

Moreover, no righteous man will ultimately fail to prosper because our Judge’s power and lovingkindness will repay us for our trust and hope in Him. Our God reigns—let us take heart, trust, pray, and do good to all men, especially our brethren, until our Lord comes.

In Exposition, Prayer

Archives For Exposition

JESUS’ FOCUS ON THE KINGDOM PRIOR TO HIS ASCENSION

THE DISCIPLES’ QUESTION ABOUT JESUS’ RESTORING THE KINGDOM TO ISRAEL

JESUS’ ANSWER TO HIS DISCIPLES

A “THEOPHILIC” UNDERSTANDING OF THE DISCIPLES’ QUESTION AND JESUS’ ANSWER

WHY THE OPPOSING VIEW IS WRONG

CONCLUSION

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