The Puzzle, October 1-6, 2009
Promises the Hard Way
Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold,
and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.
Egypt was glad when they departed,
for dread of them had fallen upon it.
He spread a cloud for a covering,
and fire to give light by night.
They asked, and he brought quail,
and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.
He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
it flowed through the desert like a river.
For he remembered his holy promise,
and Abraham, his servant.
So he brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
And he gave them the lands of the nations,
and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil,
that they might keep his statutes
and observe his laws.
Praise the Lord!
Psalm 105:37-45
God often does things “the hard way.” But then, what’s a “hard way,” to God?!
If the end goal is for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be in Canaan, isn’t it easier to just leave them there?! After all, it took considerable sacrifice and effort for Abraham to leave every vestige of comfort and security behind in order to follow God’s call into the unknown in the first place. After all the trouble of prying someone loose from his family in order to live by faith, and then promising him that his descendants would possess the land, wouldn’t it be prudent to just let them stay in the Promised Land and multiply, and then you’re done?
(Page One)
How God Keeps Promises
Not God. He wants His chosen people to appreciate what it is to have a land He has flat-out given to them, and He wants them to understand salvation, and divine leading, and obedience, and He wants them to know how awesomely strong He is. SO.....
He tells them, while they are still in Canaan, that they are going to end up in Egypt for 400 years.
He gives Joseph dreams, which irritates his brothers and they sell him into slavery, which lands him in Egypt. Now there’s one Hebrew in Egypt.
He helps Joseph interpret dreams, when Joseph is in prison in Egypt as a result of doing the right thing.
He arranges the whole “Pharaoh’s dream” thing, the Joseph solution, Joseph’s promotion, the years of plenty, the years of famine... everything—in order to get 70 people to go to Egypt! That’s a lot of trouble to go to, in order to move 70 people around!
God’s just getting started, though. Now He’s going to bring them back! First, He waits 400 years (which, I guess, is less than half a day, to Him). He prepares Moses, which takes 80 years; He does the burning bush thing; He does the ten plagues; then the Red Sea; manna; water coming out of rocks; quail storms; cloud by day; pillar of fire by night; the giving of the Ten Commandments and the Law; 40 years of time-out in the Wilderness for the disbelieving people; He leads their children across the Jordan River on dry land; He makes the walls fall down at Jericho; He helps them conquer the rest of Canaan; voila! They’re back where they started.
But these are not the same people they would have been, had God left them to prosper and assimilate into the heathen culture of Canaan land for 400 years. These are people who know what it is to have a Savior, and who know what it is to follow God. This is a nation which crossed the river while God held the water back, who watched city walls simply fall down because God knocked them down with their praise. God knew what He was doing. I’ll wager He still does.
An Uncomfortable Resemblance
We are so much like the Israelites that it hurts. The Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock in 1620 were refugees who had come to a new land seeking the freedom to worship God without hindrance. They were believers. God has done astounding things for this nation, from the very beginning. We haven’t been perfect, but overall we have maintained a loyalty to God which has ratcheted us up to become the world’s only remaining superpower. We are the people we are because of what we’ve come through, as a country.
(Page Two)
And now what? We’re like Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, who inherited one of the greatest kingdoms of the world. Asked how we are going to use our privileges, we confer among our equally spoiled peers, ignoring the sage advice of those who paid for our freedoms, and we retort that America will continue to be great because “we always have been.” However, we’re going to proceed into the future without the constraints of prudish Christianity. We’ll still keep God on as a figurehead—kind of a national mascot—but we’re certainly beyond any sense of allegiance to Him. We can take it from here—we’re America! Like Rehoboam, if we’re even left with one tribe, it may be due to God’s appreciation for our ancestors, and nothing more.
Repent and Relax
We’re in trouble. But we can do two helpful things which seem in contradiction to one another: We can repent and we can relax.
First of all, “repent.” It’s a gift of God, repentance. We can’t force ourselves to be genuinely sorry for our own sins or the aggregate sins of our nation; only God’s grace even gives us the good sense to realize we’re wrong. When the guilt hits, though, we can allow it to lead us into full-blown repentance or we can rationalize it away, searing our consciences to seal in the juices and firewall against the cleansing of the Holy Spirit. Opening the door to the Holy Spirit is like ushering a tornado into your living room. Don’t expect to be able to recognize your life afterward—but it’ll be clean. Repentance is yanking the door to our heart open and letting God’s Spirit in. When He comes in, it’s not to advise but to take over. That’s a good thing.
Now that our old lives have been trashed by repentance, and God is in charge of the new spirit He installed within us, we obey—but we also can relax.
What am I talking about? God will accomplish His purposes. He just will! He might do it “the hard way” and take 40 or 400 years, but if God promises something, it’s already happened, at least from His perspective. We just have to wait around for evidence of the reality, ‘cause we’re on Earth.
(Page Three)
Fateful Prophecy
Let me pose a few questions for us. Would it have done the Israelites any good to have toughed it out and stayed in Canaan during the famine? How about if they’d decided to do the same thing Joseph was doing in Egypt, and maybe saved up seven years’ worth of food, in wise anticipation of a bad famine coming along? Would that have prevented the tribe of Israel from ending up in Egypt? Don’t think so. They might have gone for a different reason, but they still would have gone! Why? God said they were going.
Had Moses been a more skillful negotiator instead of a hotheaded prince, would he have been able to cut a deal with Pharaoh and gotten the Israelites out of Egypt without having to resort to plagues? I don’t think so. God was going to do plagues. The Pharaohs thought they were gods; God was going to show what a real God could do. And it wouldn’t be until the 400 years was up, because that’s how long He had said.
So, it wouldn’t have done any good to have a slave rebellion after just 200 years in captivity, and it wouldn’t have made any difference if Moses had played his cards right, earlier in life. Certain things were going to happen, simply because God had promised they would; all the sincerity, hard work or devotion in the world would not have ultimately changed it. This is not to say that we should forget about sincerity, devotion or hard work! But in the midst of it all, we might as well relax, too. God is in charge. If we’re supposed to go to Egypt, we’ll go, no matter how smart we are. And if He’s getting us out of Egypt and it’s time, the most powerful forces on earth won’t prevent our leaving. Our job is to pay attention to the Lord, listen to Him and obey—and while we’re at it, we might as well relax. This could take a while—especially if God said it would.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 7, 2009
I Get It!
They made a calf in Horeb
and worshiped a metal image.
They exchanged the glory of God
for the image of an ox that eats grass.
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,
wondrous works in the land of Ham,
and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
Therefore he said he would destroy them–
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
Psalm 106:19-23
For many years the passages about God telling Moses He was going to kill the Israelites He had just delivered out of Egypt have confused me. God is love. Right? How does this jive with wiping out hundreds of thousands of people who are just acting rebellious, ungrateful, sinful and stupid? So Moses talks sense to Him, gets Him to change His mind, and the Israelites are spared. It’s a good thing Moses was there, to help God not throw a tantrum and annihilate His own people. The weirdness of that whole picture has been one of the many anomalies which has made me avoid that and other passages which I can’t explain, and which I’ve feared would provide fodder for caustic God-haters looking for ways to discredit the God of Israel, whom they already see as neurotic, if they even believe He exists. So, it’s been “on to the next passage”—and God goes back to normal, again—His old, loving self, who does miracles and forgives people and makes great promises which He then proceeds to keep.
It finally makes sense to me. This is not an aberration in God’s character, but a really good display of it! Re-read the story in Exodus 32 and the recounting of it in Deuteronomy 9. God is multi-tasking, again—helping His people to understand His mercy and forgiveness; letting Moses do what He was born for—rescuing people; and all the while, setting the stage for Jesus, who would copy the actions of Moses, but do it perfectly and for all time.
Huh? (Explanation, tomorrow).
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 8, 2009
Save Your People, Again
Therefore he said he would destroy them–
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
Psalm 106:23
The scenario: Exodus 32. The Israelites have been miraculously led out of slavery in Egypt, through the Red Sea, and out into the Wilderness. Moses is winding up forty days on Mount Sinai, where God has given him the Ten Commandments. The Israelites become restless in the camp in Moses’ absence, talk Moses’ brother Aaron into making them a symbol of the God who led them out of Egypt so they’ll have something to worship, and Aaron comes up with a golden calf. The calf doesn’t seem to mind “worship” turned debauchery.
It is at this point that God informs Moses of what’s going on, back at camp.
And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” Exodus 32:7-10
Question. Would God have done it? Wasn’t He just bluffing? Would God
really have toasted the whole nation of Israel and just started over with Moses?
I think the answer is, “Yes.” But I don’t think He wanted to, at all. If God didn’t love Israel, He would have just left them in miserable slavery. If He wanted to destroy them, He could have let the Red Sea roll back while they were still in it, instead of timing it to dispatch their pursuing enemies.
So why does God send Moses down to the camp, rather than letting him visit the smoldering ruins later? The same reason God refers to the Israelites as “your people” when talking to Moses. This is about knowing what it is to be a savior and what it is to have one. God wanted Moses to, once more, save his people—for real.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 9, 2009
This is Not a Drill
Therefore he said he would destroy them–
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
Psalm 106:23
God didn’t want to destroy the nation of Israel. That’s why He told Moses what was going on, and what He intended to do. He knew exactly what Moses’ response would be.
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give it to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people. Exodus 32:11-14
Moses! What did you just do?! You saved your people, that’s what. You had the chance to really be the big guy, with God starting all over with you, and instead you pleaded with God to spare them and forgive them, and He did. Moses, if you hadn’t done that, would God have wiped out the nation of Israel? It sure looks like it! Moses, you saved your nation from God’s wrath, even though they definitely deserved it. Know what that makes you—again? A savior. The people know what it is to have a savior, because if it wasn’t for you, they wouldn’t even be alive. You stood in the gap and you deflected God’s wrath. This was not a drill.
And once again, God was multi-tasking.
The Exodus 32 episode is not an aberration in God’s character, but a really good display of it! In this scenario, God was helping His people to understand His mercy and forgiveness; letting Moses do what He was born for—rescuing people; and all the while, setting the stage for Jesus, who would copy the actions of Moses, but do it perfectly and for all time. Does it make sense, now?
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 12, 2009
Trinity Lessons
They forgot God, their Savior,
who had done great things in Egypt,...
Psalm 106:21
Certain groups are quick to point out that the word “trinity” isn’t found in the Bible. Though the word is missing, the concept isn’t. Even the Israelites got lessons on the Trinity, as they were led out of Egypt and across the wilderness.
First, they learned about a Father who can do anything. The old playground assertion of “My father can beat up your father!” was elevated to a contest of gods—Pharaoh vs. Yahweh. The Israelites saw for themselves: “My God is a lot stronger than your god!” Yahweh (“I am”) is a wonderful Provider, Protector and a Maker and Keeper of Promises. He’s a Father you can trust.
Then there’s a savior. In this case, the savior was Moses, who came back to Egypt just to set the people free, at the command of God the Father. This “savior” is one who rescues; who intercedes; who risks everything for his people, when he wouldn’t have to; one who is willing to die for them and try to stand in the way of God Himself in order to spare them. Deuteronomy ends with a statement about how there had so far never been another prophet like Moses. There wasn’t—until Jesus. Moses was a very good example of what it’s like to have a savior; Jesus came along later as a perfect, once-and-for-all Savior.
The Israelites also got a lesson on what it is to be led by the Holy Spirit. They were guided day by day on their journey by a physical manifestation which represented God’s presence: A pillar of cloud by day; a pillar of fire by night. They didn’t go anywhere except where the cloud led them. They were learning to follow God—literally. In the process, they were learning of the surpassing mystery of God—how He is uncontainable; beyond human understanding; not subject to man’s control, regardless of how united or powerful mankind can esteem himself. When God’s glory filled the tabernacle, even the priests couldn’t enter. The Israelites knew what it was to witness God’s power over and over again, yet never be able to see Him. It was a good primer on the Holy Spirit.
All-powerful Father, loving Savior, guiding Spirit. All there. Still is.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 13, 2009
Intercession or Intervention?
Therefore he said he would destroy them–
had not Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach before him,
to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
Psalm 106:23
God saved the Israelites from Pharaoh; Moses saved the Israelites from God—or at least, His wrath. This was not a drill. Nor was God bluffing. I believe He really would have destroyed the Israelites and started over with Moses, had not Moses pleaded with God to spare them. God accepted Moses’ intercession.
When Christians talk about “intercession,” the implication is often that intercession is no more than just “praying for someone else.” What Moses did for his people was far beyond that brand of “intercession”—it was, in fact, more like “intervention.” Moses wasn’t merely praying “God bless the Israelites;” he was willing to have his own name blotted out of the Book of Life if their names were going to be! There’s a difference between encouragement from the sidelines and stepping in front of someone to take the hit intended for them. I’m thinking that true intercession is more like “intervention.”
Know what Moses did? After the near-miss the Israelites experienced, Moses proceeded to go back up the mountain and lie on his face for 40 days, pleading with God not to destroy them! That’s commitment! That’s intervention. It’s what Christ did for us. With the wages of sin facing all of mankind, Jesus stood in the gap and turned away the wrath of God by taking upon Himself the punishment for all our sins, so we could go free. He intervened on our behalf.
Two things turn away God’s wrath: Repentance and intercession. If we don’t have one, we’d better have the other!
The Ninevites were stuck with a prophet, Jonah, who was actually disappointed that God didn’t fry them like He’d said He would! Their repentance saved them, even though they had a prophet who refused to intercede for them.
Lot wasn’t smart enough to repent, but he had an uncle, Abraham, who was willing to bargain with God on his behalf, and that did the trick. In both cases, God wanted to spare people, but either repentance or intercession was required.
Whom do we know who needs to repent but hasn’t gotten there, yet? We should intercede for them. Intercession/intervention turns away His wrath.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 14, 2009
The Delightful Word
Forever, O LORD, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
by your appointment they stand this day,
for all things are your servants.
If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
Psalm 119:89-93
There is life in the Word of God. I wish people knew that. Here in America, we used to be people of the Bible. Not any more. Now we’re a nation of biblically illiterate folks who claim to be Christians or at least “believe in God.” Meanwhile, all the answers we need are in the Bible! There is so much life just in the Word alone—then add in the joy of having the Holy Spirit live in us, and the reality of having a Savior who forgives all our sins—we’re set!
We really do have it all—everything we need for spiritual victory here on earth. The textbook for life God has delivered to us can be like an anchor for our soul, if we choose to use it. His Word spares us so much misery when we follow it! There is so much hope in its pages. There is life in His Word.
If we aren’t at the point where we delight in His Word, we could at least read it! It wouldn’t take long of reading and applying the Bible to our daily lives before it would become a delight to us. In this world where “change” is consuming us, there is something which is firmly established and will never be moved: the Word of God.
We could be people of the Book, if we chose to. Or we could slog along, blown around by the whims of the world, until we get desperate enough to hunger for truth. Either way, God’s Word remains. It isn’t going anywhere; it is established. Those who realize that find in it great delight.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 15, 2009
Flashlight from God
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105
The Word of God gives us wisdom and information others don’t have. It helps keep us out of misery and trouble. It is sweet. It’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us. The Word is a light in a dark world.
The ancient Hebrews so appreciated the worth of scripture that the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, is completely devoted to the glories of the Word of God. The psalm is 176 verses long, arranged in acrostic form for ease in memorization. All 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet are utilized, in order. Each letter has eight sentences which begin with that letter, followed by eight sentences beginning with the next letter, and so forth, all the way through the alphabet. The theme of the entire psalm is the importance and majesty of the Word of God.
The greatness of God’s Word is expressed 176 different ways. Then they memorize it! That’s dedication. I don’t think I even want to compare the attitude of your average American Christian toward the Word of God.
I keep telling the young people I teach that “all the answers are in this Book.” I say that because I believe it! In a dark world, wouldn’t it be good to use a lamp if we have one? We do. But in order to be helpful, a lamp must be used. “Owning” one does not equal using one. The Word of God is glorious. It sheds unbelievable light on all of life. The scripture helps us to know things it would otherwise be impossible for us to know or understand. With the Bible, we outshine our enemies and even our humanistic, Bible-shunning teachers. Our Father wants us to know things, so He has told us in His Word. He wants us to understand the way to eternal life. He wants us to know Him. He has given us the Bible as a lamp for our feet. When we open our lives to the scriptures, we’re opening our lives to the Light.
If we chose to, we could be people of the Book. We could learn and practice God’s Law, and have an amazing effect on the society around us. Or we could continue to pay lip service to the Bible, but seldom read it or study it or follow its teaching. Then we would have.... well, what we have.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 16, 2009
Hell in a Handbasket
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
Psalm 119:99
There was a day when nearly all of American society was somehow tied to the moral standards of the Bible. That day is not today. While it grieves me to see our country distancing itself more all the time from the God who has blessed us, what disturbs me even more is the ennoblement of sin. I saw it again last night.
If there has been one dominant, seemingly obligatory feature in TV series in recent years, it has been the presence of the noble gay. Invariably, the most sensible, strong, caring character is the one with the homosexual lifestyle. Christians are portrayed as crabby, judgmental and vicious. Oh, and hypocritical.
In last night’s drama the writers had the homosexual character seize the moral high ground from her scripture-quoting father by countering with “Jesus” statements: “Love one another,” “He that is without sin cast the first stone,” etc.
To those unfamiliar with the Bible the message was clear: The gay is the one truly living out the commands of Jesus. High ground goes to the homosexual. The bigoted father sheepishly concedes at the program’s conclusion. End of sermon.
I used to just get angry when I saw something like this. More and more, I’m just getting sad. I’m seeing that writers, producers and actors are assuming the moral high ground because they’re convinced it’s theirs! Some must honestly think they are doing good by promoting the homosexual lifestyle. They style themselves moral warriors standing up against “bigotry and hatred”—in the name of Jesus.
It’s what happens when you don’t read the whole Book. If all you’ve ever read or heard is “Love one another” and “Don’t judge,” and you haven’t a clue about the Law or the awful consequences of sin—and what it cost Jesus to pay for our sin; if you don’t understand, even as a Christian, that it’s not just those who live out the homosexual lifestyle who are headed for hell and in need of a Savior, but
every single one of us, including the nicest sinners we’ve ever met... Without a Savior, we’re all headed for hell in a handbasket, not just Hitler and the people whose sins seem worse than ours.
Reading the Bible, accepting it as truth, will make us wiser than our teachers—even the clever but misguided Hollywood ones. We have the Book because God wants us to know the real answers—and avoid hell. And make heaven.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 19, 2009
Klutz Insurance and a Great Tutor
I am your servant; give me understanding,
that I may know your testimonies!
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
Make your face shine upon your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
My eyes shed streams of tears,
because people do not keep your law.
Great peace have those who love your law;
nothing can make them stumble.
Psalm 119:125,130,135-136,165
Wouldn’t it be nice to have klutz insurance? We do. If we love God’s law, nothing can make us stumble. Even if we do, He picks us up. No disciple left behind. Not only that, but personalized instruction is available to each one of us.
Those struggling with a difficult subject in school do well to find a tutor. There’s something about one-on-one guidance which practically assures success.
What if God were our tutor? Suppose we’d get it? Think He’s smart enough to teach us what we need to know? We’d be home free, if God was our tutor!
Isn’t that exactly what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do—teach us, one-on-one, reminding us of His commands, helping us to understand? We have everything we need. We have a Father who loves us, a Savior who gave us a perfect example, an ever-present Holy Spirit to guide us, and a textbook for life!
God Himself is willing to tutor us, if we’ll accept it. We’re going to get this!
God really wants us to understand His Word. If we will ask Him to reveal Himself to us through the Word, God Himself will tutor us until we understand it.
If we chose to be people of the Book, we would also gain the reputation of being people who had great understanding, great wisdom. Why? Because the answers are all in the Book! We have a God who loves to answer our prayers for wisdom and understanding. When God is our tutor, we can be sure we’re going to get this! And we don’t have to worry about stumbling. We have klutz insurance.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 20, 2009
Commanded Blessing
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
Psalm 133
Wouldn’t it be nice if God ordered blessing to fall upon us and our friends? Actually, it’s clear from the scriptures that He likes to do this! Whether He does or not is mostly left up to us.
What am I talking about? Unity. God loves unity. Where there is unity, God commands blessing. And when God commands stuff, it gets done! I can see Him in heaven pointing at a praying group of pastors from multiple traditions, gathered to intercede for their community, walking together in love and unity. The Lord says to His angels, “See those people? Bless them!” The angels immediately begin to follow orders, using their imagination to come up with all sorts of ways to bless believers who have chosen to live in unity.
God wants us to walk together with our brothers. Life will be more pleasant when we do. God wants to bless us, but first we need to get together.
I think He has made unity our responsibility. Instead of forcing it on us, He invites us to seek out our brothers. When we make that effort, when we take the first step and it succeeds, the result is a commanded blessing from God, and an indescribable joy which accompanies unity.
Right now, America is very short on unity. At all levels of society, including the Church, Americans are fractured and fractious. There seems to be little agreement on anything, with scant desire to even seek common ground. This would be a great time for Christ-followers to humble ourselves, build bridges to one another and discipline ourselves to walk as brothers instead of rivals. We could really use some of that commanded blessing. God is just waiting to say the word.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 21, 2009
Becoming Boring
The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them!
Psalm 135:15-18
The pastor from the Philippines said it well, this morning. This first timer in America observed that recessions are not nearly as scary if you live in a country which is already poor. He also commented on how bored Americans seem to be.
He was right. We are rich and we are bored. It’s because of the investment we’ve made in dumb idols. The trouble with dumb idols is they’re so... dumb! They’re also boring.
The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. Can anyone say, “America?” We are so self-reliant. Our economy is supposed to solve all our problems. We have conditioned ourselves (it’s called advertising) to believe that materialism is the answer to all of life’s questions. What materialism doesn’t fix, education will. So we’ve been taught.
Here’s the reality coming at us from the Bible concerning idol makers: Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them!
What does that make us? If the focus of our life is on money, possessions and the work of our hands, we’re getting dumber by the minute, I guess. We’re becoming boring! Each day we bear a closer likeness to a dumb idol. Smart, huh?
Meanwhile, our God does exciting stuff! He is good and He can do anything.
This includes being able to do anything through us! Ponder that a minute. It has to be true, doesn’t it? If God can do anything without us, I’ll bet He could also do anything through us!
We could trust in a living God who can do anything! He’s exciting, creative. Unlike the speechless idol, when God speaks, entire worlds spring into existence! He calls us to trust in Him, to be His disciples. It won’t be boring.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 22, 2009
7-11 Scriptures
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1
It was humorous the first few times I heard it. Unfortunately, that was about a hundred times ago. The clever senior who first quipped, “Is that one of them 7-11 choruses?” with accompanying punch-line: “Seven words sung eleven times!” I rank right up there with whoever wrote “Father Abraham.” Yeah, some of the choruses are repetitious, overly simple and even dumb, but then, so are some of the hymns! It’s just that most loser hymns were weeded out decades ago, while fresh loser choruses are still fresh. And there’s something to be said for songs one can sing without consulting a dictionary and a licensed theologian.
Who should be in the winner’s circle, the connoisseur of fine hymns or the trendy chorus meister? If you ask God, I think He’s like the father who doesn’t care what you play on the radio—he’s just wanting you to quit taunting each other in the back seat!
Back to repetition. Yes, it can get tedious, but is it wrong? Is it somehow an affront to God to sing, “Yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, Lord” a couple dozen times, especially if we mean it? I would think He would accept that kind of praise better than some flowery verses telling Him “No,” wouldn’t you? And if God despises repetition in our worship, what do we do with Psalm 136? Stick that one up on the overhead and listen to the reaction! What?!
It starts out, Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Then there’s another short phrase about the greatness of God, followed by for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136 is 26 verses long—and every verse contains the words, for his steadfast love endures forever. Anybody want to grouse at God, “Is this one of them 7-11 scriptures?” His reply might be, “No, it’s a 6-26 scripture—six words praising me, repeated 26 times. And I’d be offended at your comment, but my steadfast love endures forever.”
Try, just try, to get through Psalm 136 without getting the point! His steadfast love endures forever! The repetition thing really works! And talk about easy scripture memorization! Oh, and one more thing. Let’s lay off the 7-11 joke—and each other. Instead, let’s keep our eyes on the One whose love endures forever. Hmm. Wonder why it says “endures.”
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 23, 2009
God Repellent
For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
but the haughty he knows from afar.
Psalm 138:6
Does God seem far away?
The attitude of our heart may have a lot to do with it. There’s a principle which keeps popping up in scripture:
Humility attracts God; pride repels Him.
If you want to feel far from God, just try copping an attitude with Him! Pride is really repulsive to Him. It’s no wonder—when you have all power and all knowledge, it must be hard to stomach having something you created spout off about their own personal grandeur. Add to that the audacity of denying your very existence or placing themselves on or above your level, and it must be difficult to refrain from just flicking them off the globe!
The counterpart of the haughty, “self-made” man is the lowly one. This is the appreciative individual who regards his God with respect and genuine, loving worship. He is ever-mindful of God’s mercy and his own unworthiness. But rather than groveling or engaging in self-deprecation, he focuses on adoration of His Maker. Humility is not so much thinking little of ourselves, but thinking of someone other than ourselves. Humility seems to attract God’s favor and presence like nothing else.
We get to choose—will we be haughty people or lowly people? Our choice will determine how close we feel to God. We can choose to adore God, humble ourselves before Him and enjoy His unmistakable favor. Or we can choose self adoration. That one gains a cold response from God. If we choose pride, God is going to feel distant—either that or He will be in our face, and not happy!
We need major humility in the U.S.! Even within the Church we are haughty people. No wonder God seems so far off, at times. Pride is like God repellent. Self adoration leads to God’s disgust. What’s the solution?
Become lowly.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 26, 2009
Ridiculously Safe
Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning,
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
Psalm 139:7-10
There’s more, much more. These musings of David from Psalm 139 are just part of a grand worship poem which reminds me a lot of his most famous one, Psalm 23. Psalm 139 is, to me, sort of like a reprise of Psalm 23. The beautiful, poetic language, the intimacy, the wonder of considering God’s majesty and love, it’s all there, again (Read the whole thing). There is the focus on not only this present life, but God’s creation— His role in creating each of us as individuals. And there is a beautiful, underlying theme of total security, of safety.
Do you suppose we’re safe with a God like that? One who formed our body in the womb, One who not only knows our last day of earthly life, but has seen it? Do you think someone who knew the day of our death before the day of our birth could successfully thread us through the minefield of this life, should we ask Him to? We are unbelievably safe with God. We are ridiculously safe.
Unlike cell phones, there is no place—even Sheol, the place of the dead, where we are out of range of God’s “coverage.” His amazing love follows us all the days of our lives, then switches over to forever.
He knows us—everything about us. He knows our heart, our thoughts—He knows what we will say before we say it. He knows what we will do before we do it. He knows everything there is to know about us, and He has chosen to love us. He doesn’t guarantee that we will avoid suffering, injury or death because we trust in Him, but He absolutely guarantees our spiritual safety. We will be with Him forever, if we want to be. He has chosen to keep spiritually safe those who love Him. Combine that with omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence, and we are not “kinda safe”—we are ridiculously safe! Praise God!
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 27, 2009
Doubtful Doubts
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Psalm 139:13-14
We could be the people who appreciate God—as Creator, Friend, Judge of all the Earth, Savior, Guide. We could be people of purity, who on a continuing basis allow God to search us, clean us up and lead us down the path He knows is best. Or we could swallow the lies of the world and try to convince ourselves that we are self-made humans, that we are the masters of the universe, and that somehow, relying on ourselves, our intellect, our strength, we’ll make it and everything is going to be O.K. Yeah, right.
We need to decide who really is smart—us or God. Then we should live consistently with that choice, rather than hoping God will ignore the way we discard His truths in favor of more palatable manmade opinions. For instance, is God going to be O.K. when we plead ignorance to when human life begins, giving convenience the benefit of a (doubtful) “doubt,” when it comes to the unborn? Especially when He has made it pretty clear from passages like this one and others that we don’t suddenly become a real person when the doctor signs our birth certificate and announces, “I think it’s a baby!”
When it comes to sin—such as the taking of innocent human life—God
is really intolerant. We would do best to avoid sin in our own lives at all costs, repent of it when we mess up, and leave the judging of other people’s sins to God.
Sometimes—for instance, in the voting booth—we do get to make a choice having to do with righteousness. Often, that choice is between “more righteous” and “less righteous,” but at least it’s a choice. We need to pray! Then choose according to God’s truth, not the prevailing cultural wind (or bag of wind).
What should we pray? It’s hard to top what David prayed in the final verses of Psalm 139. The way to a relationship with God is honesty before Him—and humility. This psalm is a splendid example of both, especially those last two verses, Psalm 139:23-24:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
He will. There’s a prayer God will answer!
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 28, 2009
God’s GPS
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!
Psalm 143:8,10
She saved our marriage. I’m talking about the traveling nag we now plug in to the cigarette lighter, who chirps out instructions right and left about where we are, where we’re going and how soon we should be there. If we drive 150 miles past our exit, she doesn’t even scold us or yank somebody’s license—she just says “recalibrating” a lot and comes up with a new plan.
Of course, I’m talking about the GPS system we now have. It was purchased shortly after a cross-country family vacation two years ago, the lowlight of which was when one of us retorted to the other one who had just driven past the correct exit, “Fine! Read your own map!” Now, when the electronic guidance system steers us wrong (which sometimes happens), we both have someone to gripe at besides each other. Priceless. And if I were knowledgeable about GPS programming (which I’m not), I would customize a GPS with various accents and celebrity voices, plus insert sighs and comments like “You never listen to me!” Our GPS would have lots of personality, as well as a pretty good idea of where we were going.
David needed a GPS, too. I have the feeling when he wrote this psalm he was still stuck in the cave, hiding from Saul. In between pleas for mercy and protection, David asks God for guidance, expecting it. He gets it, too. My experience is that God always answers my prayers for guidance. When I ask Him to show me what to do, He always makes sure I know.
Men get the rap (often deserved) of refusing to stop and ask for directions, even when hopelessly lost (thus the invention of the GPS). We don’t tend to like to ask for help! Help is available, though, for both male and female. We can plug into God’s Positioning System, whereby we humble ourselves before Him, ask Him for directions and He shows us exactly what to do. God on board? Never lost.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 29, 2009
Marathon Praise
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
Psalm 145:1-3
I just spent four hours praising God publicly. I didn’t mean to, and neither did Scott, my new friend, but that’s how it ended up.
How did it happen? Scott, a local pastor whose church we have recently attended, wanted to get better acquainted with me, so he invited me to lunch at a restaurant. We started telling each other stories from our lives about the important stuff—family, friends, ministry. It turned out that in every single story God was the Hero. Another subject just brought on another God story. Some were funny. Some were emotional. In every single one of them, God came through. It turns out that for both of us, God is our ultimate Hero and best Friend. We praised Him publicly for four hours—and all we did was just talk about how good He is, how smart and loving He is, and what He has done for us, personally, in our lives. People came, ordered, ate and left, as we talked on and on about all the great stuff God has done for us. Behind us for the first couple hours was another pastor doing the same thing with his lunch guest. (Both these men are doing a fantastic job of shepherding their churches and touching the community, by the way).
We were in public, but I don’t know if anyone else was listening or not. I don’t really care. What mattered was that we were sharing out loud the stories of God’s greatness. Just hitting a few of the highlights took us four hours; recounting all of God’s blessings in our lives would have taken, well, forever and ever. And seeing as how the blessings never stop—such as a delightful afternoon of praising God in public with a new friend—that means we’ll never get caught up. We’ll never be done praising God. Hmm. Maybe that’s the point. And if somebody at the teriyaki place ends up in heaven because they overheard people talking about how great God is, it’s just one more blessing to add to an endless pile!
Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. That’s a good plan. And we’ll never run out of stories where God is the Hero.
Dave Ness
The Puzzle, October 31, 2009
Who Taught You to Fight?
Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for war,
and my fingers for battle;
he is my steadfast love and my fortress,
my stronghold and my deliverer,
my shield and he in whom I take refuge,
who subdues peoples under me.
Psalm 144:1-2
When it comes to battles in the spiritual realm, Halloween is as in-your-face as it gets. The customary reaction of Christians to what is too often a celebration of all things ungodly is to cower, compromise or cringe. None of those responses feels very courageous. Aren’t most of us just glad when it’s over?
How about the rest of the year? When it comes to spiritual warfare, how many followers of Jesus “don’t go in for that sort of thing,” tending always to veer toward the sedate aspects of the Christian life? We won’t even pray for patience, fearing God might answer our prayer and give us some, then make us use it!
I’ve heard people try to apologize for God’s violent past, as if it were something He had to outgrow, like a tribal deity herded into anger management.
David, author of Psalm 144, thanks God for some things. One of them is for teaching him to fight. Talk about a politically incorrect passage! But think who this is—this is the psalm-writing harp player with a bear skin rug and Goliath’s sword over the mantle before he was full-grown. Who taught David to fight? God did. The same One taught him to make music and write the grandest psalms in the history of mankind.
Are we being trained for anything? If not, why not? Does God “not do that sort of thing anymore”? I’m not advocating some sort of physical violence against anyone in the name of Christ. I’m talking about spiritual warfare, when we stand up to Satan and rescue people in Jesus’ name. I’m talking about prayer, tearing down spiritual strongholds we can’t even see, by talking to a God we can’t see, either. I think God wants us to submit to Him for training. What would He do with us?
In a world where the devil is trashing lives with cruel abandon everywhere we look, I just can’t see God training us to sit, and nothing more. If we let Him teach us spiritual warfare, I’ll bet we’ll have our chance to actually use those skills.
Dave Ness
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