The dispensation of justice in this world is a difficult thing. We are all aware of folk stories of the Hatfields and McCoys. Generally it runs that one family begins to feel wronged by the other family, so they retaliate. The retaliation is a little bit stronger than the original offense in order to communicate to the other that they should not be messed with. Gradually or suddenly the retaliations explode until the acts toward each other are indeed horrendous. History is full of examples of this cycle as one nation rises up against another. Palestinian and Israeli confrontations are ones that are constantly in the news now. What really surprises me is that the media vociferously attacks Israel as an aggressor, when often (not always) Israel’s damage upon the aggressors is less than the Palestinians and is more surgical in hitting a military target than the Palestinians, and almost always in response to a Palestinian aggression. This passage addresses justice. Justice is a balance of the scale where moral acts are equal. Justice requires equality. The terms ‘life for life’, ‘eye for an eye,’ and ‘tooth for a tooth,’ are examples of equality. For justice to be dispensed, it must not be more than or less than the equivalent act. Under the rule of law, justice must be equal. Israel was to be a country under the rule of law. They were to be sure that as such, justice was equal.
Jesus refers to verse 21 in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:38,39, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As followers of Jesus, we are to understand that justice was carried out upon our sin but not upon us. In as much as He Himself bore our sins upon Himself, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed.”-1 Peter 2:24. Justice was carried out, but it was carried out upon Him in our place. We who have repented and believed in Him have received mercy not justice. Because we have received mercy, we likewise are to extend mercy to others. In so doing we reflect His glory in our lives. His mercy endures forever. May it also do so through us! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 13
I have a friend who recently felt like he was cheated out of $15.00 in an undisclosed set up fee from someone else who is also a friend of mine. He called the one up and complained. Whether he meant to or not, he came across as “yelling and screaming” on the phone. It all escalated. Both friends are currently in difficult situations. Both felt unjustly used by the other. I told the one friend that he was within his rights to complain about the $15.00 dollars, but the manner in which he did it was wrong, and he owed the other an apology. You can imagine how that went. He is obsessed with his rights and the $15.00. He is convinced that he did not yell and scream at the other. Yet I cannot understand how the other friend can be so upset if he did not in some fashion raise his voice. Anyway it is a big enough deal between them both that they are emotionally stressed out over $15.00. What’s going on here?
What is going on here in Psalm 13? On the one hand, the Psalmist seems to be in the depths of despair. The enemy seems to have surrounded him. He has daily sorrow. He is genuinely afraid of dying. On the other hand, he concludes, “The Lord has dealt bountifully with me.” What made the difference? Three statements separate the two outlooks.
The first statement is that he will trust in the mercy of the Lord. The word that is here translated as ‘mercy’ refers to the abundant loving kindnesses of God’s eternal nature. It may also have reference to the covenant relationship with Yahweh. As David looks at his situation, he makes the choice to take his focus off of his situation and put it on the eternal character of God. He knows how God is, and he is willing to wait upon the appearance of those loving kindnesses.
The second statement is that he will rejoice in the Lord’s salvation. He makes a willful choice to rejoice. He is on the verge of dying and he makes a choice to rejoice! May his tribe ever increase! How I need to learn to rejoice in the midst of dramatic struggle, especially facing death.
The third statement is that he will sing to the Lord. Nothing lifts the spirit like singing to the Lord. Remember the Dallas Holms song?
When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams,
And your hopes are cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes,
And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears,
Don’t let the faith you’re standing in, seem to disappear.
Praise the Lord! He can work through those who praise Him.
Praise the Lord! Our God inhabits praises.
Praise the Lord! The chains that seek to bind you,
Serve only to remind you they fall powerless behind you when you praise Him!
That is the glory of our Lord! Our measly $15.00, $15,000.00, $15,000,000.00, $15,000,000,000.00 or even $15,000,000,000,000.00 is nothing compared to His glory! We can let it go. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
JEREMIAH 39
“Is there any Word from the Lord?” Zedekiah’s question still echoes down through the ages to us. Two days ago we read the question, when Zedekiah secretly inquired of Jeremiah. There was a word, but it was not what Zedekiah wanted to hear. That Word came true. Zedekiah’s eyes were put out. The last thing he saw was the execution of his sons in front of him. He was put in chains and hauled off to Babylon. He lived the rest of his life with that vision in his mind and with the knowledge that according to the word of the Lord, it could have been different. In sharp juxtaposition Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech are rewarded with their lives. It is the glory of the Lord that He ALWAYS keeps his Word. For Jeremiah and Ebed-Melech, it is what C.S. Lewis called, “A severe mercy.” For Zedekiah it was judgment. It could have been different, but Zedekiah would not receive it. The result is that we see the severe mercy of the Lord and the severe judgment of the Lord. Lord, enable me to hear your word and do it! I receive your mercy. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
ACTS 19:1-20
Ephesus, the Roman center of power for Asia, was indeed quite a religious city. The temple of Diana (or Artemis as the Greeks would say) was there. The Ephesians wanted an impressive temple for her. So, they built a structure that was a replica of the Parthenon found on the Acropolis of Athens. But they made it much larger! Its foundation still stands today. It was 425' long and 220' wide and contained 127 pillars to support the roof and its colonnade was 60' high. Diana was the mother goddess of the earth. As happens in many areas where pagan religions abound, the city was also filled with much occultic activity. Within the city was a strong contingent of Jews. Even within that contingent was a strong contingent of people who had traveled back to the Holy Land, heard the preaching of John the Baptist and were baptized by him signifying their preparing themselves for the coming of the Messiah.
How would the glory of our Lord outshine the glory of such a religious establishment? The Lord doesn't deviate from the principles that He has established in the church thus far. His glory is going to shine through His people as they speak His glory and do His works. For three months Paul spoke the message in the synagogue. Twelve men from the disciples of John believed the message and turned to Jesus. Then the rest of the synagogue hardened their heart toward the message. Paul remained in that city 2 more years preaching the message of Jesus. The way it is written here it seems to imply that after the message was rejected by the Jews that Paul began doing the glorious works of Jesus. Seven unbelieving sons of a Jewish chief priest sought to use the name of Jesus to work the same works. The glory of the Lord will not be compromised. Their exorcism worked -- to their own detriment, for they did not have the authority and protection of the Lord. Their failure increased the glory of our Lord. The result? Many left their magic and occult to follow Jesus. The glory of the Lord was so evident to them that the burned their books. They didn't sell them. They burned them. They needed no profit from their past acts of darkness. All that was important to them was the glory of Jesus.
How much money are we talking here? 50,000 pieces of silver. Assuming that the piece of silver referred to here is the drachma, this would equal 50,000 days wages. Now that would be a different figure in different areas. Assume in our area that a days wage for a laborer is $80. That would equal about $4,000,000. That's a lot of money! Why not sell it and give it to the poor or for building a temple to Jesus or something else? Isn't this a waste? They needed no profit from their past acts of darkness. All that was important to them was the glory of Jesus. Selling the books would allow others to be enslaved by the powers of darkness. Selling the books would continue to give the enemy a foothold in the lives of others. They needed a clean break from the past and they needed to not provide a door for others to go where they went. This was a way to proclaim the glory of Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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