What thoughts come to mind when you think of the word “adoption”? To me, “adoption” is a word of the heart. I believe that the motivation for most people who consider adoption is love. They have love to give and they long to give it to a child who needs it. When we adopted our daughter Amanda, it was because of love. When two of our sons and their wives adopted children, it was because of love. The Bible tells us that as believers, God adopted us and that He adopted us in love, a love far beyond our human understanding. In Ephesians Chapter 1, as Paul lists our spiritual blessings in Christ, the third one is adoption as sons. In Ephesians 1:4-5, the apostle Paul wrote, In love He [God] predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. It was because of His love for us that God chose to adopt us into His family. Later in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reminds us that before we were adopted we were aliens and strangers. We had no hope and were without God in the world (Ephesians 2:12), but Jesus Christ, through His blood (2:13), broke down the wall that separated us from God so we would no longer be strangers, but members of the household of God (2:14, 19). In his letter to the Galatians Paul explained, ….when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, in order that He might redeem those that were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5). The apostle John proclaimed, Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God (1 John 3:1). We, as believers, are objects of God’s love and have received the adoption as sons, as one of our precious spiritual blessings in Christ. In his letter to the Romans Paul wrote, For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father’ (8:15). We are blessed with an intimate relationship with God the Father. In the ancient world, the purpose of adoption was to preserve the family by providing an heir. The Greek word “huiothesia”, which Paul used, means to "place as a son". Under Jewish law there was no provision for adoption. When a man died without a son to continue his family line, his closest male relative was to marry the widow and produce an heir (the law of levirate marriage). So Paul’s term, adoption as sons, is not a reflection of Jewish law, but a metaphor reflecting Roman law that allowed a man to provide an heir from outside his family. An adopted son was released from any debts or previous obligations and, as an heir, received all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of sonship. In Romans 8:14–17, Paul wrote that as God's adopted sons, we become His heirs (see also Ephesians 1:11, 14). If we are His children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Furthermore, according to Roman law, a naturally born baby could be disowned from the family. But an adopted a child was chosen as a family member and, according to law, could not be disowned. He was a permanent member of the family. As believers, we are God’s heirs and will never lose that privilege. Paul’s term adoption as sons reflects another wonderful truth. At first glance, you may think he is leaving women out or slighting them when he doesn’t write “children” or “sons and daughters”, but that is not the case at all. In his letters to the churches, Paul always includes all believers, both men and women. In Galatians 3:28 he wrote, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. There is no partiality with God. When God adopts us into His family, we all receive the rights of sons. This is important because in the Roman world, although female citizens had certain limited rights, they were far less than those of a man. Girls were rarely adopted because they did not provide a political advantage nor could the family line be carried on through them. But when we are adopted into God’s family we all are given equal rights! We all have the rights of sons! So far in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul has written that God has chosen us to be His (1:4) and predestined us (1:5) to be adopted as sons. It is not because of who we are or what we have done or anything we could ever do for Him. He adopted us because He loves us. Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us, that we should be called the sons of God (1 John 3:1). Are you a grateful for this blessing of sonship? How does your life reflect your sonship? With love as your sister in Christ, Suzie
1 Comment
In reading through the Old Testament, we find many instances referring to God as being the “portion” of His people. God told Aaron, at his consecration as high priest, that he would have no portion among the people. He told Aaron, "I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel" (Numbers 18:20). The Book of Deuteronomy tells us that the tribe of Levi (the priestly tribe) did not have a portion or inheritance with his brothers for the LORD was his portion (10:9). David prayed in Psalm 73:26, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever, and Jeremiah wrote, "The LORD is my portion", says my soul, therefore I have hope in Him (Lamentations 3:24). Portion is an archaic word that was used to denote one’s destiny. Have you ever thought about your destiny, what your portion is in this world and what the future will bring? Do you believe you have a destiny? The reason I ask is because the spiritual blessing we’re going to talk about this week is predestination. Ephesians 1:5 says God predestined us [believers] to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, and 1:11 tells us that we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. So according to Paul, at least part of our portion (or destiny), as believers today, is to be adopted sons of God, along with obtaining an inheritance in Christ. We'll look into the blessings of adoption as sons and our inheritance in future blogs. So what does it mean to be predestined? To start at the beginning, the word “predestined” is derived the Greek word "pro'horizo". “Pro”, means “beforehand”, and “horizo” means “to mark out boundaries”, “to determine”, or “to decree”. “Horizo” looks forward to our destination, the place we are ultimately trying to reach, the end of our journey, what is out there for us on the horizon. “Pro” means that this destination was determined beforehand. The fact that God predestined us means that somehow, in some way, He determined who would be His child and who would not. He has determined a “destiny” for His children, and He did this, before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 5,11). As His children, we can have confidence that all His promises to us in His Word will be fulfilled. Someone has put it this way. God’s will is embedded in our DNA. As God’s children, we can trust our destiny to Him because He is sovereign. He created all things and He has absolute authority over all He has created (Genesis 1:1). God is omniscient. He has knowledge of all things and His knowledge is perfect (Job 37:16). God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful to carry out his plan and purpose throughout eternity (1 Chronicles 29:11). God is omnipresent. He has the ability to be everywhere all the time (Psalm 139:1-12). Most Christians agree that the Bible teaches all of these attributes of God, and we agree that we can be thankful and confidently put our destiny in His hands. However, scholars have put forth two views on the doctrine of predestination that are quite different, and they need to be mentioned here. The first is the “prescient view”. The word “prescient” is made up of the words, “pre” (beforehand) and “science” (to know). So prescient means “to know beforehand”. The prescient view says God knows beforehand who will choose to believe and who will not and He predestines those who believe to be His. According to this view, the decision to believe rests with us. The second is the Augustinian view which says people are not predestined “because” they believe, but are predestined “to” believe. According to this view, the entire decision rests with God. Are you familiar with these two differing doctrines concerning predestination? Do you hold to a certain doctrine of predestination? This is something that requires a committed study of the character of God and our own sinfulness (see Romans 1:16-32). It is a worthwhile study which yields truths that become self-evident as we faithfully study God’s Word. In closing, let’s thank God that according to the kind intention of His will (Ephesians 1:5) He determined beforehand to adopt us as His children and give us an inheritance as part of His family (1:11). What greater blessing than to be God’s adopted sons and daughters -- to be "washed in the fountain, cleansed by His Blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,…. part of the family of God" (Bill Gaither). It is our destiny that God is our portion. Our strength and our hope are in Him who is sovereign over all things, all-powerful, all-knowing, and ever present with us. Praise the Lord! Enjoy your blessings, Suzie P.S. If you would like to delve deeper into the different views of predestination, I recommend this video as a good place to begin. http://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/predestination/what-is-predestination/ If someone asked you to name the biggest blessing in your life, what would you say? There could probably be as many answers to that question as there are people who answer it.....but I wonder how many would name a spiritual blessing? That is what I want us to consider today -- our spiritual blessing[s] in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Last time we looked at the first chapter of Paul’s letter to the believers in Ephesus where he named those blessings one by one. I’m so excited, this week, to begin reflecting on those spiritual blessings, taking one at a time as Paul listed them. But before beginning the discussion of these blessings, we need to remember that Paul was writing to the church at Ephesus. He was writing to Christians, those who had turned to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And if you are a believer in Christ, then these blessings are yours too, and all that Paul has written here is for you as well. All believers are recipients of these blessings. Paul began in Ephesians 1:4 with the blessing of being chosen by God, the blessing from which all the others flow. He wrote, just as He chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Notice first that we were chosen in Christ. What does this mean? I think it is easiest to explain by taking a look at the nation of Israel. In Deuteronomy 7:6, Moses told the people of Israel, for you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth. The Hebrew people believed that their privileged status as the people of God came from the fact that they were descendants of Abraham. Because Abraham was their “father” (1 Chronicles 29:18, John 8:39), all that God had promised to Abraham was theirs. God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17) included them and so all the covenant blessings were theirs. In the same way, it is our relationship of being “in Christ” that is the ground for all of our spiritual blessings. As believers, our blessings come in Him and through Him. We see two other important facts about this blessing also. First, God chose us before the world began, before we ever existed except in the mind of God (we’ll talk more about that next time). Second, God's purpose in choosing us was to bring us to the state of holiness, to make us blameless in His sight. This is a process that is known as sanctification, and it is taking place in the lives of believers as we go about our daily living. It is a process that will be completed when Christ comes again. Because God’s purpose for us is holiness, we can be sure it will be brought to completion. But lets get on to the blessing of being “chosen”. What does it mean to be chosen? To be sure, there has been much discussion on this topic, but lets look at it in Scripture from the apostle Paul’s point of view. In 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5, he wrote, for we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. Paul’s point was that when the Thessalonians believed the gospel message he preached to them, he knew they had been chosen by God. It was because God had chosen them that they received His message in the power of the Holy Spirit and came to faith in Christ. Later, in his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul wrote, we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you to be saved (2:13). Paul thanked God for the Thessalonians’ salvation. He did not thank them for choosing to be saved. Paul’s writings clearly show that when he speaks of being chosen, God is the chooser. God is the One who chooses to save us and call us to Himself. Our salvation is not the result of anything we did or could possibly do. This teaching is even more clear in Paul's letter encouraging Timothy to be strong in his suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began (2 Timothy 1:9). In Ephesians 2, Paul explained, that before we believed, we were spiritually dead - until the Spirit of God called us. We were not able to respond to anything outside the realm of sin (2:1-3). Remember Lazarus who was dead until Jesus called his name (John 11)? In the same way, you and I were spiritually dead until the Spirit of God called us. And just as Lazarus could not boast, "Jesus couldn't have done it without me," neither can we. God overcomes our spiritual insufficiency and grants us faith that we might believe. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God--not because of works, lest any man should boast (8-9). Remember what Jesus said: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). Wayne Grudem, in his book Systematic Theology, writes that the Bible’s teaching about the blessing of being chosen should be a comfort and encouragement to all believers. It is an assurance of our salvation by the sovereign choice of God. Being chosen is a gift by His grace, unconditional and guaranteed by the truth of His Word. In addition, it should give us encouragement to share the gospel with others. The apostle Paul, who resolutely preached the gospel across Asia and Europe, wrote, for this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10). Paul endured grievous hardships to preach so the chosen would hear the gospel and believe. Paul wrote that he was beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). But Paul persevered in preaching because he knew that God did not call him to endure these things in vain. God knew the chosen would respond -- and so did Paul. Knowing there are people whom God has chosen all around us in this world guarantees there are souls hungry and waiting for God’s truth. You were once one of those people. But now you have heard and received the gospel message by faith. Who needs to hear the gospel through you? Who has God placed in your life who is ready to hear His truth right now? Who will you bless this week through the blessing God has bestowed upon you? May we all, like the apostle Paul, endure all trials and hardships and persevere to share God's spiritual blessings with others, Suzie One of my favorite Bible passages is in the Book of Ephesians, a letter written by the apostle Paul for and about the church, the body of Christ, those who believe. That includes, not only the church at Ephesus, the original recipients, but every Christian. The letter is filled with the truth of God’s love, grace, and mercy toward us. Someone has said that the theme of the whole Bible can be found in the first 14 verses. When I first read those verses, I knew I had to memorize them, and they have uplifted and encouraged me many times over in my life. They have become a favorite of mine, for it is here, in the beginning of his letter, the apostle Paul proclaims our spiritual blessing[s] in the heavenly places in Christ. It is pleasant to enjoy the physical, material blessings of this life. Those blessings are the focus of the world. There is nothing wrong with physical and material blessings and I hope you have many and count yours and give thanks for them often. But as believers, we have something better, something above and beyond the blessings of this world, and it is glorious to know them, understand them, and store them in our hearts. They are the spiritual blessings we have been granted in Christ Jesus. So I would like to go through this passage with you, taking just one of these blessings at a time. I want us to look at them, think about them, tuck them away in our hearts and minds, and let them become sustaining food for our souls. In recounting our blessings, Paul begins, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Notice how many blessings we have been granted. Not just one or two, not just a few, but God has lavished us with every spiritual blessing. Paul goes on, in one long elaborate sentence (in the Greek), to enumerate those blessings for us. As you read the verses, notice a key phrase that stands out and is repeated 11 times - in Christ (or in Him, or in the Beloved). Notice that it is in Him, through Him (1:5), and for Him that we have been blessed. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention of His will, which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Today, I would just like to list the blessings for you, so you can be thinking about them, meditating on them. Next time, we will begin at the beginning and consider each blessing in turn and what it means to us. Of course, you can probably think of more blessings God has bestowed upon us, and Paul actually mentions more in the rest of his letter, but these are the ones that stand out as the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ. Chosen (1:4) Predestined (1:5) Adopted (1:5) Graced (1:5,7) Redeemed (1:7,14) Forgiven (1:7) His will revealed to us (1:9) Given an inheritance (1:11) Sealed with the Holy Spirit (1:13) You will notice from the list that Paul immediately introduces some words that one commentator noted “take discussions to the ‘deep end of the pool’ very quickly,” words such as He chose us (1:4), He predestined us (1:5).” What the commentator means is that these words have been known to stir up controversy. But lets go back and look at Ephesians 1:3 to see the context in which Paul uses those words. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. They are words that inspire Paul to bless the name of God! They are words that bring joy to Paul’s heart and praise to his pen as he writes. For Paul these words are not controversial. For Paul these words bring a sense of joyful praise to God and words that inspire him to bless the name of God! They are words that describe the depth of God’s love for us, words that should stir our hearts to praise too! I’ll look forward to looking into our spiritual blessings and praising God with you in the weeks to come. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. May all of these blessings be yours and evident in your life, ~Suzie We have been going through Psalm 119 for many weeks now, months actually, taking a stanza at a time from this longest chapter in the Bible. The psalmist has written about God’s Word, using the words law, testimonies, way, statutes, commandments, precepts, ordinances, and sayings to depict different aspects of God’s Word. Now, in the last stanza of the psalm, he closes with a humble prayer. It is a prayer we can use as a model for our own. The psalmist asks to be given understanding according to Your Word (119:169). He knows God’s Word and the promises it contains and he wants to understand how God is honoring those promises. So he prays in accordance with God’s will revealed in His Word and asks God to listen to his prayer and move in his life. He says, deliver me according to Your word (119:170). He expresses his desire to be taught and to sing praise for God’s righteous commandments. His heart is ready to burst out in praise simply because of the righteousness of God’s Word (119:171-172)! 169 Let my cry come before You, O Lord; Give me understanding according to Your word. 170 Let my supplication come before You; Deliver me according to Your word. 171 Let my lips utter praise, For You teach me Your statutes. 172 Let my tongue sing of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness. 173 Let Your hand be ready to help me, For I have chosen Your precepts. 174 I long for Your salvation, O Lord, And Your law is my delight. 175 Let my soul live that it may praise You, And let Your ordinances help me. 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, For I do not forget Your commandments. In verses 173 and 175, the psalmist confesses his need for God’s help. The word “help” is the Hebrew “’azar” whose primary root meaning is “to surround” or “to gird”. Used as a noun, the word ‘azar is translated “girdle”. The psalmist’s prayer is for God’s hand (119:173) and God’s Word (ordinances, 119:175) to encircle and enclose him in a protective way. His grounds for asking are that he has chosen to obey God’s precepts (119:173), He longs for God’s salvation, and he proclaims, Your law is my delight (119:174). He confesses his sin (119:176) and pleads for God’s help on the basis of his relationship to God’s Word: he has chosen it (119:173), he delights in it (119:174), and he does not forget it (119:176). The closing of the prayer is a poignant plea for God’s salvation (119:174). The psalmist's desire is that his soul might live and praise Him (119:175). Let my soul live that it may praise You. A soul that lives and praises God is the purpose of his prayer and His purpose for living. What is your purpose for living? As a believer it should be no mystery. To know our purpose is not a problem or a puzzle. As believers, our purpose in living is the same as the psalmist’s. We live to praise God. And we have the ability to praise Him every living moment of our lives. We offer Him praise as we take time every day to read His Word, listen, and pray. We offer Him praise as we ask for His guidance in interacting with our families, raising our children and caring for aging parents. We praise Him at work as we cheerfully carry out every task and treat our co-workers with love and respect. We praise Him in our neighborhoods as we demonstrate in tangible ways our concern for others as we listen attentively when they share their burdens, promise to pray, and then REALLY do pray....and also drop by or call to find out how they are doing. We can do practical things such as share avocados from our tree or flowers from the garden, bake cookies, offer to babysit or help pull weeds. Every single thing we do in the course of a day can be done to the praise of God. All we need to do is step out and let Him lead. During the last years of her life, my mom was confined to a wheelchair. She couldn’t go out unless my husband or I took her. And we loved taking her because she was a shining light to everyone she met. She began every day by singing “This is the day the Lord has made….let us rejoice and be glad in it.” And every day she did exactly that. My mom NEVER complained. She read her Bible every day. She smiled a LOT. She was always interested in how other people were doing. She prayed for everyone she knew. People who lived in her apartment building stopped by often just because she brightened up their day. Her great-grandchildren considered a treat to visit her. They sang Sunday School songs together. You know, we all go through times of suffering and struggle, but that doesn’t mean we can’t praise God right where He has placed us. We have God's Word available to sustain us, and when we praise Him, it makes a big difference in us. It makes a difference in the world around us. The psalmist closes by throwing himself upon the mercy of God. He humbly admits his failures. He is nothing but a stupid, miserable lost sheep. Yes, sheep are stupid. They get lost and are totally helpless without a shepherd. The psalmist knows that without God’s help he can do nothing, so he begs for God to come and find him. He knows the depth of his need for God and His Word. The Word of God has been the focus and theme of his psalm. And that needs to be the focal point of our lives as well. It is in God’s Word that we learn about Him, about the great gift and sacrifice of His Son, and about our Helper, the Holy Spirit. So you see, our ability to rejoice begins as we as we spend precious time in the Bible, meditating and asking God to speak to us and teach us through His Word. Then, as we fall on our knees before Him, confess our need, and ask Him to come and find us and lift us out of our selfishness and sin, we will have the power to live lives of rejoicing in the Lord, fulfilling the purpose for which we were made. It’s not a question of whether or not God is calling you or even what He is calling you to do. It is a question of your willingness to linger in His Word, to listen, to learn, and then obey. Are you willing to heed what the psalmist has been telling us through the 176 verses of this Psalm? Then make this prayer yours and make it a part of your life, and, as the apostle Paul encourages, let us rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will say, REJOICE (Philippians 4:4). With love and joy in the Lord, Suzie Acts chapter 5 is one of my favorites in the whole Bible because it gives an amazing picture of the power and pluckiness of Jesus’ apostles. Momentous miracles of healing were taking place as needy people were brought to the apostles. But this upset the religious leaders so much that they had Peter and John arrested and thrown into prison. Then another miracle occurred. In the middle of the night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, brought them out, and commanded them to “go stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life [the gospel]” (Acts 5:20). Peter and John obeyed the angel, but the religious leaders again had them arrested and took them before the high council. The council accused them of filling Jerusalem with their doctrine and gave them a harsh reminder that they had been commanded not to teach about Jesus. Peter’s response to the charges was, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). I thought of this incident as I read the penultimate stanza of Psalm 119. Like the apostles, the psalmist was being persecuted, and like the apostles, he continued to stand on the Word of God. He was in awe of God’s Word and was reverently determined to obey it in spite of those who fought against it and harassed him. Take a look at what the psalmist wrote. 161 Princes persecute me without a cause, But my heart stands in awe of Your word. 162 I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure. 163 I hate and abhor lying, But I love Your law. 164 Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments. 165 Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble. 166 Lord, I hope for Your salvation, And I do Your commandments. 167 My soul keeps Your testimonies, And I love them exceedingly. 168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies, For all my ways are before You. Those who persecuted the psalmist were not just “nobodies”. He calls them “princes”. They were men who demanded earthly respect, and surely they had high opinions of themselves. But the psalmist was not in awe of them or the threatening and hateful words they hurled against him. He was in awe of [God’s] word (119:161). He hated the lies the persecutors spread against him (119:163), but his main emphasis in these eight verses is not on the persecutors but on God’s Word. Notice what he says about it. I rejoice at Your word (119:162_ I love your law (119:163) I praise You……seven times a day, because of your righteous judgments (119:164) I hope for Your salvation (119:166) I do your commandments (119:166) I love them [Your commandments] exceedingly (119:167) I keep Your precepts and your testimonies (119:168) Don’t you love the psalmist’s positive hopefulness? And the apostles in Acts chapter 5 reflected that same positive hopefulness in God and His Word. I wonder how I might change the world if I had that same attitude of heart and mind? How might you? What difference would it make in our own lives if we loved God’s Word as much as the psalmist and the apostles did? The answer is right here in Psalm 119:165: Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. If we love God’s Word enough to rejoice in it, praise God multiple times a day because of it, obey it, and find our hope in it, we are promised great peace. Does your heart ever long for great peace? You’ve probably heard the Hebrew word for peace, “shalom”. It is a word often used as a greeting, and it is the word used here. Shalom is derived from a root word denoting wholeness, completeness, perfection. Shalom is a blessing, a manifestation of divine grace that bestows well‑being, tranquility of spirit, contentment with life, prosperity, consummate security, and amity with God. That does not mean life will be perfect. The Bible teaches us that problems, persecutions, and trials will come. But what it does mean is that when those things do come, we will have a peace about us that empowers us to deal with them triumphantly. God’s peace will be with us because of God’s presence with us! He will go before us and make the rough places smooth so we do not stumble. As the Amplified Bible puts it, God will go before us and level the mountains….shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron (Isaiah 45:2). Let us commit our lives to shalom by embracing God’s Word. Let us read it faithfully, rejoice in it, obey it, and praise God for it as its precepts and promises give us peace throughout the day. I believe that as we humbly and wholeheartedly commit to these simple acts, we will come to love God’s Word in the way the psalmist and the apostles did. We will have shalom, and by God’s grace we will spread it out to the world around us. Shalom, Suzie Have you ever felt so alone, so anxious, so weak, so needy, so fearful of the future, or so down in the dumps that you knew you were absolutely helpless to lift yourself up out of your despair, grief, anxiety, or pain? I’ve been there. And two times I will never forget. There was the morning my husband went out for a run and never came home - the doctors called it sudden cardiac death. Then a few months later, the call from my doctor, “I’m sorry, Suzie, you have breast cancer”. I think most of us have gone through tough times, and it seems the psalmist was experiencing particularly hard times when he wrote this portion of Psalm 119. He says he is afflicted (the Hebrew word conveys depression or misery), and he asks God to deliver him (119:153). He feels unable to help himself and asks God to plead his cause and redeem him (119:154). He is being persecuted by wicked enemies who shun God’s words (statutes) and (testimonies) (119:155-157), and people he had trusted betrayed him (119:158). Three times in this passage, the psalmist cries out to God, “revive me”. It seems he is at the end of his rope. But along with his troubles, these verses also reveal where the psalmist found hope. And his hope is our hope too. 153 Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law. 154 Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word. 155 Salvation is far from the wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes. 156 Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your judgments. 157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. 158 I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word. 159 Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness. 160 The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. As you read his words, did you see what gave the psalmist hope? What kept his hope alive in the midst of affliction, persecution, helplessness, treacherous enemies, and betrayal? The first thing that stood out to me was his remembrance of and reliance upon God’s Word: I do not forget your law (119:153), revive me according to Your word (119:154), and revive me according to Your judgments (119:156). He knew that God could lift him up from the depths of despair and revive him. He had found that hope in God’s Word. Help, hope, and revival come as we remember God’s Word, immerse ourselves in it, and believe it. By filling himself with God’s Word, the psalmist had learned of His lovingkindness (119:159) and His tender mercies (119:156). Do you remember what we learned previously about God’s lovingkindness? His lovingkindness is a gentle, unchanging, loyal love. It is a grace that overlooks sins, imperfections, and unworthiness. So the psalmist knew he could count on God to pass over his own sins and shortcomings as he humbly cried out for mercy. From God’s Word, he had learned that God’s mercies are great (or many) and tender (caring, compassionate, warm, generous, and giving). Yes, God’s mercies are great and they come to us through His Word and His lovingkindness. When we are in need of blessed assurance and are desperate for relief, rescue, redemption, and revival, we can know from God’s Word that He is there and generously ready to pour forth His lovingkindness and tender mercies. We can turn to Him and we can trust Him. The psalmist assures us that the entirety of (God’s) word is truth. And every one of (His) judgments endures forever (119:160). He has heard God’s word, read it, taken it to heart, trusted it, relied upon it, and has never been disappointed. He knows he can always rely upon God’s word because every single word of it endures forever. So he remembers it (119:153), clings to it (119:157), loves it (119:159), and trusts what it says. He is confident that in His mercy, God will revive Him. Do you have that confidence because you, like the psalmist, have immersed yourself in God’s Word? God’s Word is our hope when we despair (Psalm 119:114), it is our light in the darkness (Psalm 119:105), our strength when we are weak (Psalm 119:28), and in it we find redemption for our souls (Ephesians 1:7, see also Psalm 107). So read your Bible, study it, and store it away in your mind and in your heart. Then you will always have hope -- like the psalmist. with love~ Suzie Psalm 119 is an exaltation of the excellence of the Word of God. It is the longest of all the psalms (176 verses) and the longest chapter in the Bible. Some have called it the “Mt. Everest” of the Psalms, as it takes us to the very heights of God’s Word. And I feel that the 19th stanza (verses 145-152), which we are looking at this week is the crest of that mountain. In this passage the psalmist is in prayer, and we are given a glimpse into how he prayed, why he prayed, when he prayed, and what his prayers were about. But most of all we learn about the important interconnection between prayer and God’s Word. Studying this short portion of Psalm 119 has been a great inspiration in my own prayer life. I hope it will be for you too. 145 I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes. 146 I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies. 147 I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word. 148 My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word. 149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O Lord, revive me according to Your justice. 150 They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law. 151 You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth. 152 Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever. The psalmist’s prayers are whole-hearted, not half-hearted. He cries out to God (119:145, 146, 147) with his whole heart and in humble submission to God’s word (I will keep Your statutes, 119:145). The psalmist prays to be saved (119:146), saved from error, saved from sin, saved from following his own selfish desires - saved from all these things so he would keep God’s Word (Your testimonies, 119:146). The psalmist gets up early to pray, before the dawning of the morning (119:147), with hope in his heart - a hope anchored to God’s word (119:147). He continues to pray through the night watches (119:148) as he meditates on God’s word, the source of His hope. He prays for God to hear his voice according to His lovingkindness (119:149). He does not ask to be heard because he is deserving but because of God’s lovingkindness. This is the Hebrew word “hesed”, a word intimately connected to God’s love for His people. It encompasses a gentle, unchanging, loyal love. Hesed is a grace that overlooks sins, imperfections, and unworthiness and it is an integral part of the Jewish “tikkun olam”, meaning “repair the world”, a concept that calls God’s people to responsibility in establishing “Godly qualities throughout the world.” God’s hesed is something that none of us deserve but all of us desperately need if we are to shine forth Godly qualities in our own lives. We learn about hesed in God’s Word and we come to experience it through prayer (like the psalmist’s) along with a hope that is anchored in God’s Word. The psalmist went on to pray for God to revive him (119:149), to give him more life and give it in the way He judged best. The psalmist was aware of the ungodly who were all around him. He knew they were up to no good and had no love for God’s word - no desire to obey Him (119:150). But he was also aware that God was near to him and he had the strong conviction that His word is truth (119:151). And so the psalmist prays with great confidence in God’s eternal and unchanging word (119:152). I have known of old probably means the psalmist had been learning about God’s word since he was young. He has learned from experience that it is true and forever, like a mountain that is immovable and eternally the same. Through the centuries and down into the 21st century, there have always been those who try to water down God’s Word, find some new “interpretation”, or read their own ideas into it (eisegesis). But God’s Word, as the psalmist has discovered for himself, is unchanging. GOD'S WORD NEVER CHANGES! So will you cling to it, trust in it, and pray for the wisdom, strength, and purity of life to live by it? His Word and prayer are two precious gifts God has given us to help repair ourselves and repair the world. With much love for God’s Word and thankfulness for prayer, Suzie It seems that we hear a great deal about “fake news” these days, doesn’t it? If you regularly read the newspaper, watch network news, or spend much time on the internet, you've probably encountered some of it yourself. However, if you do much reading about history, you probably know that “fake news” is really nothing new. The news media has often been controlled, or at least swayed, by the pressure of politics or special interest groups, and even if we, the public, are not fed “fake news”, we are often denied the full truth. For those who value truth, this can be frustrating, even disheartening. How do we know for sure that what we read is true? Who can we count on to be right? All the time!! We have been learning the answer to that question in making our way through Psalm 119. The psalmist has been lifting up God’s word as being trustworthy (119:42), sweeter than honey (119:103), the rejoicing of his heart (119:112), and a light to his path (119:105). He has found it to be the way of truth that keeps him from the way of lying (119:29-30), and the standard that keeps him from sin (119:11). God’s word teaches him good judgment and knowledge (119:66), makes him wiser than his enemies (119:98), and gives him more understanding than all his teachers (119:99). The psalmist’s conclusion about God’s Word is: all Your precepts concerning all things, I consider to be right (119:128) and God’s word is forever…. settled in heaven (119:89). In the stanza we’re looking at this week, verses 137-144, the psalmist describes God’s word as being righteous and upright (119:137), faithful (119:138), and very pure (119:140). He proclaims, Your law is truth and Your testimonies are righteous forever (119:142, 144). It is in understanding God’s word that the psalmist finds life (119:144). 137 Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments. 138 You have commanded Your testimonies in righteousness And exceeding faithfulness. 139 My zeal has consumed me, Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words. 140 Your word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it. 141 I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. 143 Trouble and anguish have come upon me, Yet Your commandments are my delight. 144 Your testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live. I hope, in this world of uncertainty, these words of the psalmist will assure you and uplift your soul. In a world where words are often vague, misleading, and disingenuous, those who fear God and follow Jesus Christ have an inexhaustible source of pure, untainted truth in God’s Word. Everything we find in God’s Word is righteous and fully trustworthy (119:138, NIV). When the psalmist says it is very pure, he means it has been tried, it has been tested, and it has been found to be free of all impurity. It is inerrant in all it says. It is incapable of being false. It is undiluted, unalloyed, clean, fresh, sparkling, one hundred percent truth. At the end of the day, we do not find our life in news reports, whether true or “fake”. We find life in understanding the Word of Truth, the Holy Bible. And when we read and understand it, God’s Word becomes our delight in times of trouble (119:143). We come to love the Word because it strengthens us when we feel weak and small and despised in a world that has turned its back on God’s truth (119:139, 141). Won’t you take to heart what the psalmist is telling us? Each day, let it be God’s Word that teaches you, guides you, molds you, and uplifts you. Do not be swayed by those who have forgotten His words (119:139). It is God’s Word that will light your way and lift your soul. With love, Suzie Have you ever had the experience of being alone in a room that is so dark you can’t even see your hand in front of your face? If you have, you know that darkness causes you to become disoriented. Your mind becomes perplexed and loses perspective. It becomes impossible to make rational judgments because EVERYTHING is unknown, untested, untried, and unsure. Even if you’re not alone, if someone else is in the room with you, it actually doubles the problem because you both lose your bearings and become confused. Try to imagine living in a world with no physical light -- no sun, moon, stars, electric lights, flashlights, or candles -- just pitch darkness. How grateful would you be for one small match to light your way? Did you ever think that is how the world would be without God’s Word? John 1:15 tells us that in Jesus is the Word, in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. In Acts 26:18, God sent the apostle Paul to preach the gospel to the Gentiles to open their eyes, in order to turn them from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sin. Colossians 1:12-13 tells us that as believers, our inheritance is in the light because God has delivered us from the power of darkness and Ephesians 5:8 reminds us to walk as children of light because we were once darkness, but now we are light. Our world is filled with darkness. But the Bible also tells us that God has given us the prophetic word made sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place….(2 Peter 1:19). It is His Word that lights the world and enlightens our hearts. In this stanza of Psalm 119, the psalmist writes of God’s wonderful (119:129) words giving light. 129 Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul observes them. 130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. 131 I opened my mouth wide and panted, For I longed for Your commandments. 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, After Your manner with those who love Your name. 133 Establish my footsteps in Your word, And do not let any iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Redeem me from the oppression of man, That I may keep Your precepts. 135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes. 136 My eyes shed streams of water, Because they do not keep Your law. Do you remember back in Psalm 119:105 the psalmist wrote that God’s word was a lamp to his feet and a light to his path. It lit his way so he could see clearly. But in the present stanza, he reveals that God’s word is also an inner light to his soul. This inner light gives understanding, even to simple folks (119:129-130). It also instills an inner longing for more of God’s word (commandments, 119:131). The psalmist’s longing for God’s word is so intense he says, I opened my mouth wide and panted (119:131). This made me think of a thirsty traveler in the desert panting for water. Just as a human body needs water to survive, the soul is sustained by God’s Word. How intense is your longing for the sustenance of your soul? The psalmist loves God’s name (119:132), meaning he loves God himself and everything about God. He longs to stay true to God’s word, where God reveals Himself to us, so he does not sin. He asks God to establish is footsteps in Your word (119:133) and to protect him from those who might lead him away from it (119:134). How much do you love and honor God’s name? How much of a priority is it for you to establish your footsteps firmly in His Word so you do not fall into sin (119:132-133)? How often do you pray and ask God to keep you from sin so you can stay true to His Word (119:133-134)? In this dark world, there are many who walk in darkness because they have no desire for God’s word to light their path and illumine their soul. The psalmist says it causes him to mourn (my eyes shed streams of water) when others do not keep God’s law. Would he shed tears for you? Who would you shed tears for now that you have read this portion of Psalm 119? What truths of God’s Word will you share with that person this week to bring some light into their world? God’s words are indeed wonderful (119:129). They give light in the darkness. Without them, people are hopelessly lost in the dark. Blessings, Suzie |
SUZIE KLEIN
I have been involved in Disciplers since 1987, as a discussion leader, teacher, writer, and now as director. I am profoundly committed to the stewardship of this ministry which God has entrusted to me for a time. God’s word is the chief joy of my life. I cherish my personal time in the word, and I am filled with gratitude to be able to share His word with you, my fellow disciples in Christ. Categories |