Psalm 123: I Lift Up My Eyes to the Heavens

Today’s reading is Psalm 123.

Higher Than the Hills

In Psalm 121, our pilgrim lifted his eyes to the hills. That was a bit vague. Were the hills an encouragement, reminding him of God who dwells on His holy hill? Or were they an obstacle on His journey to God’s house? Were they a reminder of the false gods and idols whose shrines and high places peppered the hills?

In Psalm 122, the pilgrim stood in Jerusalem. He had climbed his way up the hill to the Lord’s city. Yet, even here he still fears the contempt of the proud. Standing on the hill, he looks even higher. Now he looks to the heavens, but this time without ambiguity. He does not look to the “hosts of heavens.” He isn’t distracted by “heavenly beings” or “heavenly bodies.” He looks to the One enthroned in the heavens.

The pilgrim does not see God, of course. That doesn’t change where he looks. Like Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:12, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (ESV). In other words, both Jehoshaphat and the pilgrim psalmist did know precisely what to do. Look to the Lord. Wait on God. The pilgrim did the next right thing. He left Meshech and Kedar. He entered the Lord’s city. He called on the Lord. He trusted the Lord. Having done what God has asked him, he now waits on what the Lord promised him.

That is, at times, a hard wait. In those moments, we want to try harder. We want to do more. This leads us to do things like try to have a child with a concubine because Sarah hasn’t had a child yet. This leads us to do things like lie to the prince of the land about whether she is our wife or not. This leads us to do things like compromise with enemies or call on other nations like Egypt to deliver us. Yes, we are to do what God has asked. Yes, we are to fulfill our responsibilities. However, at that point, we rest in our merciful God to fulfill His covenant with us–no matter how long it takes.

Let us keep our eyes locked on the source of all strength, victory, and mercy. Let us look to the One who is enthroned in the heavens.

Praise the Lord!

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

How does Psalm 123 prompt or improve your praise of God?

Psalm 113: The Lord Blesses the Barren Woman

Israel

Sadly, since the industrial revolution took most of us off the farms, children have become, for many, a nuisance and a burden. Sure, we love them when we have them, but few moderns see children as the amazing blessing the Bible calls them. We live in an age in which our culture is willing to execute children before they are born and call it a woman’s right. While faithful Christian parents do not opt for that, more and more are opting to simply avoid having children.

In Psalm 113, we are surprised to find the barren woman as one of the poor and needy, sitting in the dust and the dung heap. The one specified example of uplifting and exalting accomplished by God is providing children to her.

On the one hand, this may be a metaphor for Israel as the bride of God. In Isaiah 54:1, the prophet uses this imagery to refer to the nation:

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD (ESV).

Recall when we studied Revelation last season, this was the chapter in which we saw the mixed metaphors of the Bride and the City of God (see Isaiah 54:11-14) which paved the way for the imagery at the end of the apocalypse.

Hannah

On the other hand, the psalmist may be calling out a repeated theme in God’s work among His people. On multiple occasions, God blessed a barren woman with child as part of His plan to bless His people.

Consider Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Samson’s mother, the Shunnamite woman in Elisha’s day, Elizabeth. Over and over again, God blessed a barren woman with child as part of His plan.

The one most directly referenced in Psalm 113 is Hannah, barren wife of Elkanah in 1 Samuel 1-3, whom God blessed with a son named Samuel. In fact, when she had been blessed with child and brought him to the tabernacle to serve the Lord, she prayed a psalm. Smack in the middle of it, she said:

He raises up the poor from the dust:
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes…
1 Samuel 2:8a (ESV)

Sound familiar? I hope so. Our psalmist says the exact same thing in Psalm 113:7. And while she doesn’t ask the Exodus question exactly as the psalmist did, she does pray, “There is none holy like the LORD; for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2, ESV).

Mary: Not Exactly Barren

Of course, the theme of the blessed barren is not simply a way God demonstrates His blessing on people. Rather, that theme was paving the way for an even more amazing miracle. Yes, God blessed these female saints with child in such a way to demonstrate God Himself is in control of seed and womb (see Deuteronomy 28:4). More than that, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Ms. Manoah, the Shunnamite, Elizabeth, and especially Hannah paved the way for Mary.

Mary wasn’t barren. She was a virgin. Yet, the Lord appeared to her, poor and needy though she was. He once again demonstrated His control of the blessing in the womb and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, produced a son: Jesus.

In Luke 1:46-55, Mary prayed what we call “The Magnificat” in which her soul magnified the Lord. Her prayer is very similar to Hannah’s. The Lord scatters the proud and lifts up the humble. And notice specifically, “his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50, ESV). Some were upset the Blessed Man who feared the Lord in Psalm 112 was…well…a man. But the blessing is for the one who fears the Lord, man or woman. Mary is blessed. Her Son is blessed.

Though “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” the Lord blessed Him and lifted Him up to sit above every throne, rule, and authority and gave Him the name above every name.

May we bow before Him in order to be lifted up with Him.

Next week’s reading is Psalm 114.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier.

PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family

What do you want to share with others from Psalm 113?

Why Look to Jesus?

Today’s reading is Hebrews 12.

Our author tells us to look to Jesus. Why? I don’t mean that in the general sense. Obviously, we look to Jesus because He’s our king, our savior, our Lord. He is the example. I mean that in the contextual sense. Why does he tell us to look to Jesus right now? He has told us about the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. He’s told us about great things accomplished by these ancient examples. Why isn’t it look to them? And why are they called a great cloud of witness? Why not a great cloud of examples?

Special thanks goes to my friend, brother, and fellow-worker in the kingdom Jason Longstreth for pushing me in this direction. This great cloud of witnesses is not a group of people witnessing us run the race. This is a great cloud of people whose lives testify or witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son, the Chosen of God. In one chapter, our author has shown how Jesus the Christ fulfills not merely the words but the very lives of all these ancients.

Abel who died at the hands of a jealous brother, who offered a better sacrifice, and who being dead still speaks. Who does that sound like to you? Doesn’t that sound like Jesus? Wasn’t Jesus crucified over jealousy? Wasn’t His sacrifice better? Didn’t this entire letter begin with the statement that God is now speaking to us through Jesus, the Son? Enoch walked with God and was not because God took him. Where is Jesus again? Is He in the tomb? Is He in the temple? No, He was taken from the tomb. He was taken from the earth. Noah who condemned the world by his faithful obedience and became an heir of righteousness. Doesn’t Jesus’s entire life condemn sin in the flesh? Isn’t Jesus the greatest heir of righteousness? Abraham who left his homeland and tabernacled with Isaac and Jacob. Did anyone do this more than Jesus who left heaven and tabernacled among men on earth?

We could go through the entire list and see Jesus is the epitome of the example set by the men and women of faith. As Melchizedek foreshadowed the Christ, the Son, Jesus our High Priest, each of these folks in Israel’s history did the same.

However, there is one significant difference. Each of the people in the list of Hebrews 11 failed. They sinned. They did some great things. However, none of them did great enough things to be the sacrifice, Savior, and Lord we need. Jesus, however, did. He is the author, the perfecter of faith. He lived it out completely, faithfully, perfectly. Therefore, He endured the cross, and is now seated at God’s right hand.

Let us look to Him. The others are bush league compared to Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t let go of Him. He is the only one who can save, deliver, and lead.

Tomorrow’s reading is Hebrews 12.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. What are some other connections you see between the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 and Jesus?
3. How does looking to Jesus help us maintain our own faithful pursuit of life?
4. What advice would you give to others to help us keep our eyes on Jesus?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

Faith is the Victory?

Today’s reading is Hebrews 11.

I love to sing “Faith is the Victory.” Don’t you? It stirs my blood and motivates me to move forward. I mean, victory, am I right? Overcoming the world is fantastic. And if Hebrews 11 shows us anything, it shows us victory comes by faith.

Just consider. Enoch got to skip death by faith. Noah wasn’t condemned in the flood by faith. I mean, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah didn’t actually get to see the promises fulfilled, but their lives weren’t all bad. They were pretty wealthy most of the time. They experienced victories along the way. And Moses…wow…Moses. He didn’t actually get to go into the Promised Land and two-thirds of his life were spent in the wilderness, but He did get to witness the defeat of Egypt. And he saw the hind parts of God’s glory. That’s something, right? The Israelites defeated Jericho by faith. Rahab survived Jericho’s defeat by faith. These are victories. Some people conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong despite their weakness, put foreign armies to flight. That’s victory by faith, isn’t it? Then there were those who were tortured and refused to be released. Others were mocked and flogged and thrown in prison in chains. Then there were those folks who were stoned, sawn in two, killed with the sword. And don’t forget the homeless servants of God who went about in sheep and goat skins destitute, afflicted, mistreated hiding out in caves. I mean, VICTORY!!!! Right?

Are you, like me, wondering where the victory is? Sure, there were plenty of events that were victorious along the way. But sometimes it didn’t seem like victory at all. You recall the entire list actually started with Abel who was killed for his faith, right? What’s the deal? The deal is the victory faith offers is not a long, healthy, wealthy life. The victory faith offers is a reward when this life is over. That is why some of those tortured who could have secured release if they just caved to the pressures of the persecution refused to accept release. They were faithful until death because they were looking forward to resurrection and a better life in it.

Most of people reading this blog are probably opposed to the health and wealth, prosperity gospels. Yet, do we sometimes fall prey to the same fixation on the present life? Maybe we don’t expect riches in Christ, but how many of us want Jesus because we are sure He’ll provide us with great feelings in this life, feelings of meaning and psychological fulfillment? I wonder if the guy who was being sawn in two took comfort in feelings of psychological fulfillment? I wonder if the guy being stoned took comfort in having lived a meaningful life? Or did they simply believe the reward was something yet to come that made the vanity of hanging on to anything in this life, the meaninglessness of earthly possessions pale in comparison to being in the presence of Jesus Christ and around God’s throne for eternity.

Yes. Faith is the victory. But not because it means we always escape the fire. Not because at the last second Jesus will always swoop in and save us from death at the hands of persecutors. Not because when God closes a door on one really good job He is actually just opening a window for a job that will pay us more. Faith is the victory because the resurrection life is greater reward than anything we have in this life. Between now and the victory, we may face a great deal of what feels like meaningless, unfulfilling defeat. But the victory is coming.

Praise the Lord! Don’t let go.

Next week’s reading is Hebrews 12.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. What is the ultimate victory for those who believe God?
3. Why does it seem like those who escaped the sword by faith had more victory than those who were killed with the sword by faith? Did they really? Why or why not?
4. How can we grow and maintain a faith that will let us die even at the hands of God’s enemies so that we will attain the true victory?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

Dying in Faith

Today’s reading is Hebrews 11.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah were all given promises. A land would be theirs. Descendants like the stars of heaven and sands of the seashore would be theirs. All nations would be blessed because of their seed. Wow!!! That’s simply amazing. What phenomenal promises!

However, though we wade through four even five generations (if we count Jacob seeing his grandchildren), the promises had not come to pass. In fact, when Jacob’s children and grandchildren died, they were not in their own land. They were in Egypt. Their family was not as the stars. Even Jacob, though the family had grown, only had 70 with him when he went into Egypt to live under Joseph’s protection (see Genesis 46:27).

Each of these died while still in the interim–the interim between when God gave the promise and God fulfilled the promise. However, though they had not seen the promises fulfilled, by faith they lived by those promises. They saw them afar off. They greeted them. At the same time, they declared they were strangers and aliens even while living on the promised land (see Genesis 23:4).

Our author draws a conclusion from this. While God had promised them the land on which they walked, they were actually looking for something greater. They saw in God’s promises something beyond the land under their feet. They were strangers and sojourners on the land not because their citizenship was in the land from which they had traveled to Canaan. If that is what they meant, they could have just gone back to that. Rather, they were looking forward to a heavenly country, a God-built city. They were looking for something real, something that could not be shaken.

Why were Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah willing to hang on to their faith in God’s promises even though they hadn’t received them even up to the point of their death? Not because they knew the promises would be fulfilled in their descendants, but because they were looking forward to the heavenly realities behind the earthly promises.

Our author is writing to Hebrew Christians who had by faith determined Jesus is the Messiah. Yet, some of the Messianic promises had not been fully realized. Righteousness does not dwell in the present heavens and earth. Our world is not governed by peace. Not everyone is experiencing the blessing. They had been able to hang on for a time, but as that situation lingered, our author feared they would drift away or even veer off into rebellion. Our author is reminding his audience to be like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Sarah. They weren’t actually looking for the blessings and promises to be fulfilled in this life. They knew there was a heavenly reality behind the earthly promises. They were looking for that city. Therefore, with faith and patience they pressed on instead of shrinking back. Therefore, they have life.

They died in faith because their faith wasn’t anchored in this life. May we hang on until God’s promises to us are fully revealed and realized, not in this life, but in the resurrection. May we live by faith. May we die by faith.

Tomorrow’s reading is Hebrews 11.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. What does it mean to live by faith?
3. What does it mean to die by faith?
4. Why is it difficult to avoid the distractions of the earthly cities and hang on to the promise of the heavenly city built by God until we die?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

The Fruit of the Spirit

Today’s reading is Galatians 5.

How many sermons and classes have we been through on the fruit of the Spirit? How often have we jumped to Galatians 5:16ff, to discuss the spiritual walk, and forgotten Paul has been leading to this for an entire letter? When we argue and discuss what it means to walk by the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, let us not forget he has already given us an illustrating contrast.

In Galatians 4:21-31, he reminded us of Hagar and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac. Remember Ishmael was born according to the flesh, but Isaac was born according to the Spirit (Galatians 4:29). Yet, also recall being born according to the Spirit meant being born according to the promise (Galatians 4:23). When Abraham and Sarah came up with the plan to impregnate Hagar on Sarah’s behalf, they were pursuing the flesh. They were attempting to accomplish God’s plan through their own strength. When Abraham and Sarah merely believed God’s promise of a son and conducted themselves properly in their marriage, they were following the lead and guide of the Spirit.

Take a look at that list of works of the flesh. How many of them came out in the story of Hagar and Ishmael? Immorality, impurity, and sensuality. Perhaps, through some technicality, making Hagar a concubine was lawful under that old system, but we know that was not God’s full intention for marriage. Without doubt, we find enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalry, dissension, division, envy. All of those works of the flesh increased by Abraham and Sarah’s plan with Hagar.

This is what we discover from that story. When we try to accomplish God’s plan by our own strength; that is, when we are try to justify ourselves by the strength of our own flesh, we are going to find the works produced by our flesh won’t be righteousness, godliness, holiness. Even when that is our goal. When relying on our own strength and our own plans, we will inevitably fall into immorality, impurity, sensuality, etc. That is what relying on our strength produces.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are the fruit of the Spirit. They are not the fruit of the flesh. They are not the fruit of our extreme effort and work. They are not what we will ultimately produce when we try to white-knuckle our way to justification. We will only have these fruit in our lives when we hear the promise God has revealed through His Spirit and respond in faith to His promises.

We really have a bit of a litmus test here. To the degree those works of the flesh are still present (and no doubt they are still present in all of us), we are relying on our own strength. To the degree the fruit of the Spirit are growing in us, we are relying on the Spirit.

Let us dig in to God’s promises. Let us believe God’s promises. Let us respond to God’s promises. In so doing, we will be led by God’s Spirit and God’s Spirit will grow His fruit in us.

Tomorrow’s reading is Galatians 5.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Why are the works of the flesh so appealing?
3. What advice would you give to others to avoid the works of the flesh?
4. Do you want the Spirit’s fruit in your life? If so, how will you follow the lead of the Spirit?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

Children of the Free Woman

Today’s reading is Galatians 4.

I admit it. The allegory in Galatians 4:21-31 can be confusing for us. We’re not quite sure why Paul teaches this way or why he can even make the points he does from this story. However, getting bogged down in questions about allegories misses the point. Paul wasn’t trying to give us an example of how to study the Old Testament in general or how to apply Scripture in general. He was simply driving home his point.

He asks if those who are making so much of the Law are even paying attention to the Law they are pursuing. In that law there was a branch of the Abraham family that was enslaved. There was a branch that was free. Hagar was a slave. Sarah was free. Though Hagar was fertile while Sarah was barren, it was better to be Sarah than Hagar. Further, it was better to be Sarah’s son than Hagar’s.

Think about how awful the whole situation really was with Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham starts trying to make God’s plan work by Abraham’s own strength. And in the attempt he really perpetrates an evil against Hagar. This relationship with Hagar was certainly not a loving, caring marriage. It was taking advantage of a slave. When they were done, rather than actually producing a son for Sarah and Abraham who would be free and inherit as Sarah initially suggested would be the case, Ishmael was simply a slave. This was not a shining moment in Abraham’s life. It is a further indication that the power in the story is God and His grace, not Abraham and his personal righteousness.

As shocking as it might seem, Paul says those who want to pursue the Law, are opting to be Ishmael instead of Isaac. Isaac was a child of the promise. This is the promise Paul talked about in Galatians 3. In Christ, we are children of the promise. However, if we decide to pursue the Law or try to be justified by Law, we become nothing more than children of the flesh and of slavery.

Take into account what Paul had said just before this allegory. He spoke of the Judaizing teachers. “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them.” This is exactly what Abraham and Sarah did with Hagar. Sarah made much of Hagar. On the surface, it was as if Sarah was lifting up Hagar in honor. She could be a wife of the master. However, this was not good for Hagar or any children that would come through her. Sarah made much of Hagar, but only for Sarah’s own personal benefit. That is the case when we follow teachers who would lead us back under the Law. They make much of us. They act as if they are helping us. They aren’t. They are only trying to help themselves. They are enslaving us. Don’t follow them.

We are children of the free woman. And know this: though the free woman was barren, by God’s work and power, she will have more children. Further, be aware. The children of the flesh will persecute us as Ishmael did Isaac. But Ishmael will not inherit with Isaac. Don’t pursue the flesh. Don’t try to find justification through your own effort by keeping the Law. Pursue the promise of God through Jesus Christ. That is freedom. That is salvation.

Tomorrow’s reading is Galatians 5.

PODCAST!!!

Click here to take about 15 minutes to listen to the Text Talk conversation between Andrew Roberts and Edwin Crozier sparked by this post.

Discuss the Following Questions with Your Family

1. What are your initial reactions to the chapter and the written devo above?
2. Why is freedom better than slavery?
3. Why do you think the Galatians and some people even today want to go back to the slavery of the Law or add the slavery of the Law into the gospel?
4. Consider the implication of Galatians 4:30. What was Paul encouraging the Galatian Christians to do with those who were going to distort the Gospel with the Law?
5. What do you think we should pray for and about in light of this chapter and today’s post?

The Faith of Jesus

Today’s reading is Hebrews 11.

Think about it from the Jewish perspective. How could the Messiah suffer and die? Surely, if He were really God’s chosen one, life would have been a little more blessed and filled with less suffering and sacrifice, right? How can you expect me to believe this guy, Jesus, who died on a cross is actually the Messiah? Because, in reality, His story fulfills the story of every “chosen one” God ever brought into Israel’s past. Like Abel, He offered an acceptable sacrifice and was killed at the hands those who were angry and full of sin. Like Enoch, He was taken and no one can find His body. So don’t be surprised that like Noah, He provided the way of salvation for all His household. Like Abraham, He left His home and “tented” among us (see John 1:14). Like Sarah, He was able to have life from death so that innumerable offspring according to the promise could be found. Yes, He died in faith, not having received the promise, but by doing so, He demonstrated that His kingdom and home were not of this world. Like Abraham offering Isaac, God offered His Son Jesus and would receive Him back from the dead. Like Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, Jesus had the faith to offer blessings, worship, and give directions regarding the future of His body even at the point of death. We could go on, but perhaps you get the picture. God’s chosen ones have always suffered. God’s faithful, God’s judges, God’s deliverers, God’s patriarchs have always suffered. Jesus walked in the footsteps of all God’s faithful, may we walk in Jesus’ footsteps of faith as well.

Tomorrow’s reading is Hebrews 12.