God's Steadfast Nature
There’s an idea that David uses continually to describe God’s character: steadfast. God is steadfast in His love for His people. He’s steadfast in His protection of His people. He’s steadfast in His discipline of His people. Over and over, God proves Himself to be consistently God, and David understands that. So in times of trouble, David reaches out for God as a solid rock in the middle of a raging river, knowing that that rock will consistently support him as he fights the current. In the 89th Psalm, David exalts God for His steadfast love and faithfulness, His strength of arm among the nations, and His righteousness. David understood something about God that was said by many but lived by precious few: God’s character doesn’t change and our lives should reflect that. Man's Impatience So, when Ahab—a king of Israel during the period where Israel and Judah were divided and not a part of David’s line—makes moves on a man named Naboth’s vineyard, he is rebuked harshly by Elijah. Elijah promises that the wrath of God will be visited upon Ahab in the same manner that Ahab’s—through Jezebel—was upon Naboth. Jezebel orchestrated Naboth’s death by maneuvering him to a place of prominence at a feast to be publicly maligned and subsequently killed by mob voilence. And the reason? Naboth’s family had a vineyard adjacent to Ahab’s property, and Ahab wanted to purchase it. What began as a conversation about giving—absolutely fair—trade to one of us subjects quickly became a smash and grab ending in Ahab taking possession of the vineyard by default after the death of Naboth. Here was the king of Israel throwing a temper tantrum because his neighbor didn’t want to play ball, and Jezebel was quick to use violence and manipulation to satiate her husband’s impatient wants. Practicing Patience James suggests a different tact. In an accusation laid at the feet of Israel, the brother of Jesus likens Her to a rich man abusing the laborers in his fields in the last days. While the rich man lays aside riches in his storehouses he withholds the wages owed to his workers. By Her impatience and selfishness, Israel has slaughtered the only One who could save Her—and James points out that He did not resist. Where he goes with this, though, is not a treatise on being generous to one’s neighbor or to mourn one’s sin. Instead, he lands on patience. He encourages his readers to be patient as a farmer would with his crops. In the same way a farmer cannot hurry the growth cycle his crops—he isn’t God, after all—a follower of Christ must practice patience and reliance on God’s provision and timing. Then he hammers home an idea that many of us know but precious few of us live out: as image bearers of God we must clothe ourselves in His character. And what character trait does James latch onto for this? Steadfastness. James encourages his people to remain steadfast and to lean into the compassion and mercy of God. He takes the time to point out the huge gap between impatience and emulating God's character in our lives. The moment we begin to lose our reliance on God's character, we subvert and denigrate our identity as image bearers. So what are some examples of the steadfastness of God in your life? What chapters in your story are overtaken by selfish impatience? Where is God calling you to be steadfast? Let’s talk about it! Sound off in the comments below or send me a message. Sincerely, Chaz
0 Comments
As I think about the amount of Scripture that I read throughout the year, it would be clear to anyone that I get a fair amount of Bible in my diet. However, the grand majority of that Scripture reading tends to be related to either lesson writing or classwork. An embarrassingly small amount of it is dedicated to strictly personal development and alone time with God. So, last year I started journaling through Scripture. What I mean by this is that I read a couple chapters of Scripture—highlighting and marking in my Bible as I go—and then write a handwritten page about what I just read. I’m strict about not making this study time, so what I write is normally filled with personal insights or questions that I’d like to study and research later. The results have been interesting. What I end up with is a “bird’s eye view” of a book, filled with starting points for sermons, papers, and further study. It’s been really invigorating, and I get more and more excited about opening my Bible because it’s like reading it for the first time again! Below is an entry from John 11 and 12. I’ll periodically add these as I go if I find that they’re particularly interesting or helpful. Do you journal through Scripture? Comment below with some techniques you’ve used to make it enjoyable and personal! John 11-12This is such a packed couple of chapters, so many questions… First, why does John write as if we are supposed to know that Jesus and Lazarus are close? Is this an indicator for who the original audience would have been? On that topic, why would John break sequence and talk about what Mary had not yet done? The whole narrative points to Jesus’ love and our proper response, but these are odd details.
There is an interesting play on the word light between 11:8-10 and 12:35. The first reads like a rebuke, the second a warning. In both instances, Jesus is clear: walking with Him is the most important thing we can do. Another play on words comes in 11:24-25 with resurrection. In all of this, Jesus’ authority is on display. My biggest question for these chapters, though, is regarding the intention of Caiaphas and the crowd as Jesus and His disciples entered the city. The way that John describes Caiaphas’ thinking suggests he knew why Jesus needed to die. If this is the case, that changes the tone of Jesus’ trial and execution. A lot. That would mean that God revealed His plan—something well within His character—and that the Jewish response was a righteous attempt at saving the world. More likely, this is a Pharaoh-and-the-hardened-heart situation, with God influencing the situation without necessarily enlightening the one being influenced. And with the crowd, their reaction--“Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”—is often taken as positive, but the words they use are quite volatile. Again, there are two logical scenarios: they were so excited that they forgot themselves and used language that they wouldn’t otherwise use out loud or they intentionally called Him king in order to incite the Romans. Again, the normal reading is probably the correct one, but fun thoughts all the same! Sincerely, Chaz |
ChazLearner, Sojourner Archives
January 2019
Categories
All
|