Questions For God

Habakkuk 1:1-6, 12-13, 2:1-4

Have you ever wondered why things happen the way they do?  Do you wonder why God ordains things the way they happen, or perhaps why He doesn’t seem to act at all, and things that you think should happen, don’t?  I think we all have had thoughts like that.  We look around the world today and wonder why God allowed this or that to happen, or look at the horrible things going on and wonder why God isn’t doing anything.  The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk had similar questions that he asked of the Lord God.  Our Old Testament Scripture for this week comes from his book in the Bible.

Habakkuk lived in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and his ministry was between around 612 - 588 BC.  This was during the reigns of the last few kings of Judah before the Babylonian captivity, primarily King Jehoiakim.  Habakkuk, who preached and ministered in the capital of Jerusalem, wondered why God seemed indifferent in the face of all the evil that was happening around him, and why the wicked would so often go unpunished.  We’ve all probably felt the same way, and in our Scripture passage, he went to the Lord in prayer with these questions that had been troubling him.

As our Scripture begins, Habakkuk had long been speaking out against the moral depravity of Judah, and calling for the Lord’s help against it.  He was discouraged that God didn’t seem to hear or answer him.  The people of Judah had fallen into great wickedness by their actions (vs. 2-3).  The prophet mentions several sins.  There was violence, which would include murder; plundering or stealing and robbing one another; strife or fighting; contention or quarreling and feuding between people; iniquity or sinning in general; and all sorts of trouble.  That sounds a lot like many of the cities of today.  Why would the people of Judah, who had God’s Word and revelations, turn so far away from Him?  However, where the Bible does not rule in the hearts of the people, injustice will.

Habakkuk prayed, and waited for the Lord to answer.  The answer that the Lord gave our prophet, though, was one that astonished him.  Yahweh revealed to Habakkuk that He was going to send the nation of the Chaldeans (Babylon) to bring His judgment upon the people of Judah (vs. 5-6).  The prophet was shocked that God would use an even more wicked country and people than Judah was to punish them.  Habakkuk knew that God could not abide evil, yet he wondered why He would use a very wicked nation to chastise His people (vs. 13).  However, as God showed the prophet, He may use whatever unusual instrument He chooses to correct or punish us.

Despite his perplexity and lack of understanding why God would do what He was choosing to do, Habakkuk had complete faith and trust in Him.  He knew God’s character was unchangeable, and that He was eternal, sovereign, and holy (vs. 12).

Habakkuk was going to be patient and wait for God to answer.  He spiritually prepared himself to receive God’s reply (Hab. 2:1).  A watchman in a watchtower should be prepared to warn of what is coming.  Our prophet wanted to be in the best position to receive God’s message.  Though he didn’t understand, he would wait patiently for God’s response and answer.  When it came, he would write what the Lord told him, so that all would know that what God says will happen, will happen at His appointed time (vs. 3).

So many of us are impatient.  We look around us, seeing what is happening, and want a response from God to our prayers right away.  Habakkuk’s example teaches us to be patient.  God will work out His plans in His perfect timing.  God hates sin even more than we do.  Punishment for sin will certainly come.  We need to trust God fully, even when we don’t understand why things happen as they do.

Our Scripture ends with a verse that will resound throughout the New Testament - “The just shall live by his faith” (Hab. 2:4).  The proud trust in themselves for everything, including when it comes to salvation.  They find out, often too late, that we can’t earn salvation by ourselves, that salvation is only through faith.  The just put their faith in God.  The one will thus have eternal life, while the other won’t (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).  Pride comes from the belief that we know better than God does.  Faith understands we are completely dependent on God.

The Rich Man And Lazarus

Luke 16:19-31

The discussion of hell is not a favorite one among many people.  I would guess that most church-goers don’t look forward to a sermon or a Bible study all about hell.  And over the years even the belief in hell has dropped some.  However Jesus spoke more about hell in the Gospels than He did about heaven.  In our Gospel reading for today the Lord Jesus gives an account about two men and their eternal destinations, and the reality of each destination.  If He spoke about it as often as He did, it is well worth our taking a look.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus is telling His audience about two men.  Nowhere is this account called a parable, a fictional story that just teaches a moral lesson.  This was an actual account, as Jesus called one of the men by their actual name.  In none of Jesus’ parables does He name one of the characters.  He never named the Good Samaritan or the victim, the prodigal son and his father, nor even the sower of seeds.  But in this account, Jesus gives the poor man’s name, Lazarus.  He was not, though, the same Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead, the brother of Martha and Mary.

These two men were opposites.  One was extremely wealthy, wearing fine clothing and eating the best meals.  Lazarus, on the other hand, was a homeless and hungry man, in poor health with sores all over his skin, and who sat at the gate and begged (vs. 19-21).  He was so poor and hungry that he would have gladly gathered up the crumbs and scraps that were discarded from the rich man’s table, yet that rich man was oblivious to him and his needs.

As Jesus continued, both Lazarus and the rich man died around the same time.  Because of his faith, Lazarus was given a place of honor after death, despite his poverty (vs. 22).  Society at that time thought that the rich were blessed by God, both in this life and in the next, but the poor were neither.  Jesus showed that belief was wrong.  The rich man also died, and because he had no faith in God, found himself immediately in hell.  God did not judge him because he had wealth.  It was because he had cared only for that life, and had cared nothing for his soul.  These two men were opposite in this lie, and also in the next.

Jesus proceeded to describe some of the torment that the rich man was going through (vs. 23-26).    Unlike many jokes that are often passed around about hell, such as that it’s like a tavern with friends, hell is a place of terrible torment.  This man probably had people he had known and were friendly with, who were also in hell, but he wasn’t enjoying himself with them.  This man had memories of his previous life, and screamed out for mercy, but it was too late.

Though hell is filled with people, each one is alone and solitary.  It is a place of flames and great thirst (vs. 24), and a place of torment (vs. 28).  Jesus described in the Gospel of Matthew that it is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12).  And in Mark’s Gospel He says that it is a place of unquenchable fire and where worms never die (Mark 9:48).  It is a place of darkness (Revelation 9:2), a place of eternal damnation (Mark 3:29), of everlasting destruction (II Thessalonians 1:9), and where God’s wrath is poured out (Revelation 14:10).

This rich man was a success by earthly standards, but discovered too late that his riches and comfort were only temporary.  He lived for himself, but ignored the Lord.  After he died, he experienced the consequences of his choices, which was eternal separation from the Lord.  The rich man was treated very well in life, but he showed no thankfulness for his blessings.  He didn’t allow his blessings to bring him to the Lord.  Lazarus, as poor and destitute as he was, didn’t allow his poverty to keep him from the Lord.

The rich man, while in hell, and realizing that there was nothing he could do then for himself, begged God to send Lazarus or someone from the dead to speak to his still-living brothers so they wouldn’t end in hell (vs. 27-31).  God told him that they have God’s Word, and if they won’t believe that, they won’t believe a messenger from the dead.  People have been given the Word of God.  They do not need voices from the dead, which is a type of spiritualism (vs. 29-30).  Even when Jesus had risen from the dead, most of the religious leaders of His day, and even today, do not accept Him (vs. 31)

There is a heaven, and there is a hell.  Every soul who has ever lived has gone, or is going to go, to one or the other.  The only way to make heaven one’s eternal home is to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s Savior.  He, alone, is the Door.  Everything else leads one to hell, exactly as the rich man found out to his eternal dismay.

A Good Confession

I Timothy 6:11-19

Are you giving a good confession?  I’m not talking here about confessing your sins to God, or talking to a priest or some other minister about the things you have done wrong and are struggling with.  This is the confession of your faith by both word and the way you live your life or your actions, of what you believe.  In our Scripture today from the first letter Paul wrote to Timothy, he wanted to make sure that the young man was continuing to give a good confession.  Timothy was Paul’s frequent companion on his missionary journeys, and the one he was instructing to be a church leader.  Let’s take a look at what Paul taught.

As our Scripture opens, Paul wanted Timothy to make sure that he wasn’t falling into some of the sins he had mentioned earlier in the chapter, such as envy, strife, arguing, and a selfish love of money.  Rather, believers should be pursuing righteous living, love, patience, and other virtues (vs. 11).  As we live out our Christian lives day by day, we need to remember that the unsaved, those of the world, are constantly watching us.  Some are eager to see us slip up.  Others want to see if the faith we talk about and profess is really genuine.

As believers, we are also called to fight the good fight of faith (vs. 12).  This isn’t a fight with fists.  Paul wasn’t telling Timothy to go out and clobber those who don’t believe, or those who oppose or mock him.  There is a spiritual battle we are engaged in, as Satan, the enemy of our souls, is actively trying to destroy the Christian Faith, and the faith that every believer has.  This is a spiritual conflict with Satan’s kingdom of darkness in which all true believers are involved in.  Every attack by Satan against believers is to destroy or seriously weaken our faith.  He wants to push our faith from Jesus and on to other things, whether they are material possessions, ourselves, or other people.

This is where Paul told Timothy, and us as well, to look at the confession, the testimony and witness we are giving.  As believers we need to be unreservedly committed to Jesus.  This will lead to spiritual victory and eternal hope.  We need to be obeying Jesus, standing firm for Him, and representing Him well in the world so others will believe in Him and be saved.  Christians should have an active faith, obeying God with courage, and doing what we know is right.  Live a life, and minister with a heavenly and eternal perspective.

Paul then reminded Timothy that Jesus gave a good confession in front of Pontius Pilate (vs. 13).  The confession of Jesus before Pontius Pilate was a bold confession of the truth.  Jesus didn’t back down out of fear.  He knew that Pilate had the authority to let Him go free, and was even wavering and thinking of opposing the Jewish religious leaders, and setting Him free.  However, Jesus didn’t compromise the truth and say things that might lead Pilate to let Him go.  Instead, Jesus gave a good confession of faith, even with the sentence of death before His eyes.

We are instructed to keep God’s Word without spot and blameless (vs. 14).  We must not compromise the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.  Paul then reminds us of exactly who we worship (vs. 15-16).  God is absolutely sovereign, and omnipotently rules everything and everywhere.  Only He is worthy of worship.  God is a Spirit and invisible.  He is unapproachable, as sinful man has never seen, nor can he ever see, God’s full glory (Exodus 33:20).

In the final verses of this passage, the Apostle Paul warned Timothy against having a desire for money and to be rich, and for those who do have riches to not be proud (vs. 17-19).  This is an important warning for us, as well.  We are to shun a love for money and striving for material wealth, with all of its resulting woes, and instead to conform to God’s will in one’s thinking and acting.  One can be rich in this world and not in the other.  It is very difficult to have great wealth without trusting in it.  We need to remember that God is our Source, not money!  We need to use our money to take the Gospel to the world, and thus lay up treasure in heaven, and not here on earth (Matthew 6:19-21).

In closing, God’s Word reminds us that we can follow the Lord or we can follow other things.  We can’t follow both.  We must make a choice.  If you choose to follow the Lord, give that good confession with your life, your words, and your actions.

The Only One To Trust

Psalm 146

Here in the U.S., we are holding elections this fall for congressional offices, with many states also holding elections for governors and various other state offices. Where I live in Illinois, very near to Chicago, we are having elections for our governor and several other political races.  The advertisements on TV tell us to trust this candidate, and not the other one.  Political fliers tell us to trust in this person or that political party, and not the other.  It’s probably the same where you live.  Who can you trust, especially when the economy is doing so poorly, crime is on the rise, criminals being let out of jail as political maneuvers, and so many issues getting people worked up to the point of rioting?  Can you really trust any candidate?  Every time there is an election for president, governor, or for any political position, we ask ourselves that question.  God gives us an answer in our psalm for today.  Let’s take a look.

After an introduction of singing praise to the Lord, which the last several psalms in the Bible focus on, the psalmist then gives us a warning to not put our trust in princes (vs. 3).  Princes and kings were the political rulers of the day.  The king held absolute power, and the princes were his advisors, and helped in the administration of the country.  The people would look to them for help in times of trouble, and depended on them to muster an army in times of war.  However, like any political leader, some were good and godly men, and many were not.  The Southern Kingdom of Judah had several good kings, and several bad ones, but the Northern Kingdom of Israel had only bad, ungodly kings.

Even a good political leader, though, has their failings and is not without fault, as they are human.  Will their decisions always be perfect for everyone?  Can they always protect against a bad economy?  Will their decisions continually keep crime down, keep everyone in a good job, and with good healthcare?  And will they always be able to protect the country in times of war?  These were questions then, and they are the same today.   Who then can we trust in?   We are in desperate times.  People are oppressed.  Their wallets and bank accounts are empty.  They or their children are sick, and can’t pay for medical care.  There is little or no justice in the courts.  And we see that our political leaders cannot be trusted to help.

The psalmist gives us the answer, and that is for us to not put our ultimate trust in princes or in any person, for we can’t find help with any of them.  Man is an inadequate savior, and a false hope.  Even good national leaders cannot truly help.  The psalmist tells us to put our trust in Yahweh, the God of Jacob (vs. 5).  God is the hope and help of the needy.  Our allegiance should not be to things of this world.  As believers, we are a people whose hope is in the Lord.  Unlike a human leader who lives and then dies, God is eternal.  He is all powerful, the King of Kings, and Creator of all (vs. 6).  Unlike any human leader, He alone can give true justice for those who are oppressed, and we can trust Him to provide for our needs, such as for food, and our health (vs. 7-9).  Help from man is temporal and unstable, but help from God is lasting and complete.

For this the Psalmist urges us to bring praises to the Lord.  Praising God helps to center us, and reminds us of where our true help lies.  Praising God should inspire us, also, to acts of compassion as we follow and imitate our Lord Jesus, who gave justice, who fed the hungry, and who helped the orphans and widows.  If He cares for the vulnerable in the world, so should we.

God’s plans frustrate the ways of the wicked and evil people of this world because His values are opposite that of society today (vs. 9).  Jesus turned the people of His day’s values upside down when he said the first will be last and the last first (Matthew 19:30).  Also when He said that those who try to save their life will lose it, but those who lose their life for the Lord will save it (Matthew 16:25).  Those who follow the Lord and His ways, whether it is us or even a political leader, will find opposition from the world.  Let us be sure that we place our trust in Him for our needs and ultimate protection, and not in the hands of any human.

The Danger Of Complacency

Amos 6:1-7

Everyone likes for things to go well in their lives, in their neighborhoods, and with their country.  Nobody likes to see trouble looming ahead.  Nobody wants to go through trials and problems.  However, the more at ease one’s life is, the easier it is to forget God and grow complacent.  This was one of the problems that the Prophet Amos sought to address with the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  Let’s take a look at our brief passage from Scripture today.

The prophet Amos preached his messages from the Lord to the nation of Israel during the mid-8th century BC.  The two kingdoms of Israel and Judah had split from one another during the early years of King Rehoboam, son of King Solomon, about two hundred years earlier.  The northern Kingdom of Israel was a rather prosperous country, with the vast, fertile fields of the area of Galilee.  Very soon after the split of the two countries, the majority of the people of Israel fell into idolatry, and forsook the rightful worship of Yahweh.  What did they need Yahweh for, they felt.  Their fields were producing, their businesses were going well, they were prosperous, and becoming very wealthy.  They had nice houses, fancy clothes and jewels, their dinner tables held the choicest of meals, and their children had the best of everything.  They had no need for God in their life, as everything was going fine without Him.

We see a lot of that today.  When everything is going fine in one’s life, they quickly forget God.  When one’s job is going well, the paychecks keep rolling in, and often with increases in salary, they have a nice house or two or three, several nice cars, the best clothes, the best food, etc. they feel there is no need for God.  Even if they get sick, they can afford the top doctors and hospitals in the country.  That is the condition of countless people today, very content, complacent, and careless.  That was the condition of the nation of Israel when Amos preached to them between 765-755 BC.  However, God had a warning for them, as He does for us today.

Great wealth and comfortable life-styles may make people think they are secure, but God is not pleased if we turn away from Him and from other’s needs, as the Israelites did.  Amos warned that if they did not return to the Lord God, they would face His judgment, and the kingdom would soon fall.  God had destroyed other kingdoms and cities in the past because of their pride.  What happened to them would happen to Israel, and then even later to their sister country of Judah in the south.  They were filled with pride, but God warned them that they were no better than the countries He had already destroyed.

The Israelites were so caught up with their prosperity that they had completely written Yahweh out of their lives.  They were prideful in their affluence and military victories, they believed they didn’t need Him anymore.  They could just go home and stretch out on their beds inlaid with ivory, eat their elegant meals, and listen to their fine music.  No need for them to worry about anything, or so they thought.

When called to repent, Israel refused.  They were not willing to give up their wealth and ease for God, and it ended up costing them everything.  In just a few short decades the Assyrian Empire would come in and destroy their nation.  All of their wealth, their homes, beds inlaid with ivory and gold, their jewels, chariots, would all be in the hands of the Assyrians.  If they weren’t brutally killed, they were taken captive.  Where did what they trust in get them?  God had promised to love and care for those who were faithful to Him, but they had, instead, turned their backs on Him.

What about people today?  Most of the world seeks to accumulate riches and wealth just like the people of Israel did in the days of Amos.  They feel they have no need for God, just like those folks did.  And most preachers today, instead of faithfully preaching God’s Word, instead preach a feel-good or prosperity message.  No matter what they preach today, the Day of Judgment is coming.  It came for Israel.  Amos and other prophets and preachers sounded a warning, and few listened.  What about us?  We are no better.   We need to examine our life, rid ourselves of any spiritual complacency, and turn to the Lord Jesus and His Word.

The Dishonest Steward

Luke 16:1-13

Would the Lord Jesus ever commend or praise a scoundrel, someone who is a cheat and a swindler?  We would not think so.  In our Scripture for today, which is the parable of the unjust steward, a casual and superficial reading might think that was the case.  However, this is a Scripture passage that needs a closer look to determine exactly what the Lord Jesus is saying, so one does not go away with a misconstrued interpretation.  Let’s take a look at what this parable is saying.

As Jesus began telling His disciples this parable, He spoke of a rich man who had a steward that he was going to let go from his position because the steward was wasting his money, possibly being dishonest with the accounts or embezzling the money (vs. 1-2).  The position of a steward was a trusted servant who was chief of management and distribution of the household provisions.  He was to manage the master’s resources, and often acted as an agent to transact business in the master’s name.  The wealthy man found out, though, that this steward was not one to be trusted.

So what did this dishonest steward do?  He didn’t want to be out on the street with no job or place to live.  Word might soon get around that he was dishonest, and he would not be able to get another job.  He was a dishonest man, but he was also a clever one.  He used his wily senses to make sure he would not be friendless and unprovided for.  He called a number of his master’s clients and had them change their bills to read less, thus making sure these folks would appreciate him (vs. 3-7).  When the steward was kicked out, these people would owe him a big favor, and would help him.

Outwitted, the master applauded the steward’s cunning.  His admiration for the sinful steward’s deceitful genius showed that he, too, was probably just as unscrupulous, but naturally didn’t want to be cheated against.  The scheming, devious, and underhanded plots are the ordinary course of events in this world, all to obtain transitory and corruptible treasures.

Jesus did not commend this man’s dishonesty.  However, He does want us, His followers, to be wiser when we are concerned with eternal matters and not just with earthly ones.  Most unbelievers are wiser in the ways of the world than some believers are towards the things of God.  The unjust steward used his master’s money to buy earthy friends.  Believers should use our Master’s resources, what He has given us here on earth, to get friends for eternity by bringing sinners to salvation, souls who will be in heaven and who will welcome us there.

If we use our money to help those in need, or to help others find Jesus, our earthly investment will bring eternal benefits (vs. 9).  We should be using our finances and other resources to bring people to the Lord, not just for our own pleasure.  Faithfulness in small assignments the Lord gives us qualifies us for the opportunity to serve in greater and more influential ways (vs. 10).

If a believer is faithful with the money God gives him, he will more likely be faithful in all other aspects of his Christian life.  If the believer will not allow the Lord to have first place respecting money, he will likely be unjust in other spiritual matters.  If we are not trustworthy with our money here on earth, we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God’s kingdom (vs. 11-12).  If we can’t handle the “least” money, then how can we handle “much”, such as spiritual wealth?  How we use our money is a good indication of how we are following Jesus.  If our money is not at God’s disposal, our heart is probably not surrendered to God, either.  We need to use our money for Him.  Faithfully using our earthly wealth will ensure heavenly treasures.

The steward used his brains and mind to figure out a way to survive, although it was in an unscrupulous way.  Are we using our brains and mind for the Lord in a good, wise, and righteous way?  When believers are before the Judgment Seat of Christ, one thing we will be asked is to give an account of our stewardship.  Are we wasting what the Lord has put in our hands?

Our Divine Mediator

I Timothy 2:1-6

If you had an issue, a difficulty, or a legal problem with someone important, someone who held rank or stature far above you, or perhaps you needed to ask a favor of them, you might seek another person to act as a go-between, someone who was known to that other person, and who they held in high esteem.  This person would act as a mediator between you both, and depending on what the issue was, and who the problem was with, you might not stand a chance of seeing it resolved unless you had that mediator, that go-between.  You may be fortunate to never have a need for such a person in your life, but when the day comes when we will stand before God for the final judgment, we will all need a mediator, someone who is able and willing to plead our case.  Let’s look into our Scripture for today and see who is able to be that mediator.

As our Scripture passage opens, the Apostle Paul is writing a letter to Timothy, a young man who Paul has taken under his wing to teach and guide to be a pastor and man of God.  First, Paul instructs Timothy in how important prayer for others is, especially for those who are our leaders and who are in authority (vs. 1-3).  Corporate prayer by the believers with each other should be an important part of our church services.  These can be prayers for our own needs, intercession for others, and giving thanks to God for His blessings and for answered prayers.  Paul specifically mentions that believers need to pray for their political leaders, and this holds true whether we are in agreement with them or not.  They desperately need our prayers, especially if we feel they are making unwise or ungodly decisions.

As Paul continues, he tells us that God desires that everyone would be saved (vs. 4).  God wants everyone to be saved, but that doesn’t mean all will be saved, because there will be many who reject Jesus (Matthew 25:41-46; John 12:44-50; Hebrews 10:26-29).  God does not rejoice in having to judge and punish the wicked, but wishes to redeem those who believe in His Son as Savior (II Peter 3:9).  Jesus is the only way to be saved.  Salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to all people, but unfortunately not everyone will accept it.

We are then told how we are able to approach the all-holy and all-powerful God, for as weak and sinful creatures we are not able to approach Him on our own.  That privilege was broken at the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  There is only one Person who can be our Mediator, and stand between us and God.  There is only one who can bring us together again, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both God and man (vs. 5).

Jesus acts as a Mediator between individuals and God.  A price was paid so that we may be released from the bondage of sin.  This price was paid through the death of our Mediator, Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ death was a voluntary sacrifice on His part (vs 6).  He paid the price owed by man to God, which was His Precious Blood (I Peter 1:18-20).  Through His death believers are given open access to God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ.

A mediator can only be really effective if they have sympathy and understanding of both parties, and if they are understandable by and clear to both.  Jesus is able to be that effective Mediator because He is both truly God and truly man (vs. 5).  Jesus is not just some good teacher or person to look up to, but God Himself who became our Mediator.  This truth is a key foundation for the Christian faith, that there is one God, manifested in three Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

On that day which is surely coming in the future for each of us, when we stand before the Lord God, will you have access to that Mediator through a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son?  God desires you to be saved, and when you accept Jesus’ death on your behalf, you will then have a sure Mediator on your behalf.