Coming In Peace And Coming To Conquer

Zechariah 9:9-12

Today’s Old Testament selection from this week’s Sunday Lectionary is one most familiar and associated with Palm Sunday.  It is the Prophet Zechariah’s prophecy of Israel’s king coming to them riding upon a donkey’s colt.  Zechariah made this prophecy about 500 years before Jesus, and it was fulfilled when Jesus came into Jerusalem a week before His crucifixion, on what we today call Palm Sunday.

Why a donkey and not a horse we might ask?  The Jewish people were looking for a conquering Messiah, one who would defeat all of their many oppressors.  They had been overrun by the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans, each in succession.  They knew that God had promised them the Messiah, and they were looking for Him to run their oppressors off.  Horses were signs of wealth, war, and military power, exactly what they would have wanted in a Messiah that would deliver them.  Donkeys, instead, were signs in the Bible of peace and hard work.  In Bible times, and also today, they are used as pack animals and sometimes to ride on. However, a donkey would not be ridden by a conquering king.  A king coming in peace would ride a donkey.

Verse 9 was a prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah’s first coming.  In His first coming, Jesus came in peace to bring the message of God’s love and salvation to us.  He was not coming that time as a conquering Messiah.  When He rode into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, He chose the donkey to ride.  He was lowly, humble, and peaceful.  He wasn’t charging in like Alexander the Great on a mighty warhorse.

In Mark’s Gospel, we read that the young donkey colt that Jesus rode on was one that had not been ridden before (Mark 11:2).  He was unbroken, untrained.  Until a horse or donkey has been broken or trained, they are usually difficult to ride.  This would especially have been the case when trying to ride the animal around a large, noisy, and boisterous crowd, like on Palm Sunday.  This was not the case with Jesus that day.  The animal did not bolt, nor was he spooked.  He knew his Creator and Master, knew the honor that was bestowed on him, and gently carried Jesus into town.

In verse 10 the scene changes.  Zechariah speaks of Israel’s king having dominion throughout the world, from sea to sea.  In one verse He comes in humility on a donkey, and in the very next verse He cuts off the enemies of His people, and rules from sea to sea.  That’s a big change.  Reading prophecy is sometimes like looking at a mountain range from a distance.  We can see two mountain peaks that look like they are right next to each other, that even look like they are touching each other.  But as we get closer to the mountains, we find out that they are many miles apart, perhaps even with several valleys in between.  So it is with prophecy sometimes.  One verse, such as verse 9 here, speaks of Jesus when He came the first time.  The other, verse 10, speaks of His Second Coming, which is still in the future.

At His Second Coming, Jesus will not be coming back riding a donkey.  At that time He will be on a horse (Revelation 19:11, Revelation 19:19-21).  He will be coming as the conquering King.  He came in peace the first time, bringing salvation to mankind, seeking to draw all to Him in love.  The second time is different.  Mankind had its chance, and He is returning as the conquering King.

When a conquering king comes, it is always best to be on the good side of that king.  The time of Jesus coming as the conquering king is still in the future.  So far He has only come as the peaceful King, offering salvation to all.  Verse 11 speaks of God making a covenant with blood, to bring the prisoners free from the pit.  That covenant with blood was made at the cross of Calvary, with the Blood of Jesus, the king who came in peace, riding upon a donkey.  A covenant is an official contract or agreement.  God made that with us, signing or sealing it in the Blood of His Son.  By accepting the Lord Jesus as our Savior, He brings us up out of the pit that Satan cast us into.  He promises, also, to restore double to us what Satan stole (vs. 12).  When He comes again to rule and reign from sea to sea we will be part of His kingdom, not one of the enemies who will be defeated.  Are we prepared, ready and waiting?

Counting The Cost

Matthew 10:34-42

Our Scripture passage from the Gospel of Matthew for today starts out with a rather shocking statement - Jesus saying that He has not come to bring peace, but rather a sword.  Weren’t we all taught that Jesus was a peace-loving kind of guy?  Let’s look more closely at this passage together.

In verses 34 - 36 Jesus is talking to His disciples, and telling them that many of them will experience conflicts in their families for deciding to follow Him.  Many of us have found this to be true, some around the world with rather serious consequences.  Some believers are quite fortunate in that all, or most of their family members are also fellow believers.  However, when one becomes a Christian and the rest of the family isn’t, frequently that can lead to conflicts.  The believer's Christian lifestyle is in opposition to the world’s standards.  The unbelievers frequently will oppose this, and thus bring a “sword” in their relationship.

When a believer is living righteously and obediently to God’s Word, Jesus will bring them peace in their heart, and their reward is great.  The immediate results, though, are sometimes conflict.  Following Christ will sometimes cause strains in families, persecutions, and in some parts of the world, martyrdom.  Throughout the Bible we read that there is a difference and distinction between those who have made a choice to follow Jesus and those who go the way of the world, clinging to other religions or to the lure of the world’s system.   A Christian who is striving to follow Jesus will have different values and morals, a different purpose in life from the unbelievers.  That often brings conflict.  Sometimes it is just condescending or belittling remarks or comments about following Jesus and believing in the Bible.  Other times, depending on the country or culture, it can escalate into something much more serious.

Here Jesus states that the person must make a choice (vs. 37).  Do you love and choose Jesus, or do you choose your family?  Do you want a supposed artificial “peace”, just to make mom or day, husband or wife happy?  Or are you willing to stand up and say, “No, I choose Jesus.  He died for my salvation.  I am going with Him.”  Sometimes this might just bring a bit of disharmony between spouses, as one chooses to go to church on Sundays, and attend Bible study, and the other won’t.  Sometimes it is name-calling between siblings.  Other times it might get worse.

Following Christ demands total commitment and full surrender (vs. 38).  Jesus said to take up our cross and follow Him.  Today that phrase would not have the very strong impact it would have had back in Jesus’s day.  The cross was a very brutal and heinous form of execution in His day.  Jesus was in effect saying, “Are you willing to die to follow Me?”  Today many have made that phrase to seem like we might be called upon to carry a heavy burden in our life.  Jesus wasn’t talking about just carrying a heavy burden during a period in our life, He was talking about dying.  Condemned people carried their cross to the place of execution.  Publicly identifying with Jesus will bring opposition, suffering, and maybe death.  Are we willing to go that far for Him?

Do we love power, popularity, and money more than standing with Jesus (vs. 39)?  They are empty compared to the rewards He has for us in heaven.

Jesus closes this passage with a few words about how His followers are accepted as they go out bringing His message to others.  We are Jesus’s ambassadors and representatives.  How people treat us, is how Jesus is treated by them (vs. 40 - 42).

If we are going to live for the Lord, the world will scorn us at best, kill us at worst.  A friend of the world is an enemy of God.  We must do what is right, following Jesus every step of the way, not fearing the consequences.

No Longer Slaves

Romans 6:3-11

Let’s imagine, for a moment, a slave and his slave-master.  The slave is bound to his master to obey all of his commands and orders, or face the sting of the whip.  His life is one of misery.  Then one day someone purchases him and decides to set him free.  The man is no longer a slave, but is a free man.  Imagine then, how preposterous it would be if that man continues to obey his slave-master, doing everything he is told, continuing to be punished if he doesn’t!  That would be ridiculous!  That is how so many believers in Jesus are.  They have been set free, but continue to live in bondage, as we shall see in this passage from Romans.

This passage in Romans begins with Paul discussing the meaning of baptism.  When one is baptized, it shows the transformation of the person who is saved.   Baptism itself does not save anyone.  It is an act of obedience to Jesus after we are saved.  We are saved when we put our faith and trust in Jesus.  Baptism identifies us with the crucified and risen Savior (vs. 3).  When we acknowledge Jesus as Savior and confess our sins, we become saved.  Baptism symbolizes being buried with Jesus and then being raised with Him to live a new life that He gives us (vs. 4).  It is a public testimony of what Jesus has done in our life.  Since through salvation we are united by faith with Jesus, His death and burial become ours we are also united with Him in His resurrection.  We now have a new life.  Sin was our old life.  Our new life is now one of righteousness.

Before we were saved sin had a stronghold on our life, and we were compelled to follow and obey its every order.  We were truly its slave.  After salvation, Christ set us free from sin’s hold, and through His power we have a new nature (vs. 6).  We now have power to live for Jesus.  Our salvation unites us with Jesus, and just as He was crucified and died, so our old, sinful nature has been crucified and is now dead.  And as Jesus rose from the dead, united with Him, we have risen to a new life, as well.  Our old life of sin is removed.  No longer are we under sin’s control.  We are no longer its slave.  When a slave has been set free, he does not have to obey his master any more.  United with Jesus through salvation, we are set free from sin’s control (vs. 7).  Sin’s power and penalty died on the cross.  We are freed from its power.  

The term “body of sin” is not the human, physical body, but the rebellious and sin-loving nature.  This is what Jesus defeated on the cross.  We don’t need to live under it’s power.  Sometimes we will still feel like sinning, and will give in.  But we are no longer its slave, and we can choose to live for Jesus.

Jesus died to sin in regards to its penalty.  He met the legal demands for the sinner.  He also died in regards to sin’s power.  He broke it’s power for the redeemed (vs. 10).  Those who are saved now have the resurrected life of Jesus living in them.  We are no longer slaves of sin.  Sin is no longer our master (vs. 11).  When sin wants to raise its head in our life and regain its position as master, we need to draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to put it back to death.  We need to embrace by faith, and put absolute confidence in what God has revealed to be true.

So how can we put this into practice in our life?  We need to draw upon the Holy Spirit’s power in our life, and His strength, not our own.  We need to give Jesus dominion, or complete rule in our life.  He has set us free from the rule and slavery of sin in our life, so let Jesus be the absolute Monarch in our life.  When sins start to pop up in our life, which they will for everyone, we should not allow them to remain.  We don’t want to allow any sinful attitudes to remain, or they will stifle the Holy Spirit’s power in our life.  Never have a soft attitude about sin.  It is a terrible task-master, and we don’t want to let it regain any power in our life.  Remember, we don’t have to obey sin any more than a former slave has to obey his former slave-owner.  We have been set free!

God's Promises Are Forever

Psalm 89:1-18

Our psalm selection from this past Sunday’s Lectionary is the first half of Psalm 89, and is one that speaks of the greatness of God.  The psalmist, a fellow named Ethan the Ezrahite, first sings of God’s mercy and faithfulness (vs. 1-2).   A simple definition of mercy is not receiving the just punishment that is due to you.  If someone speeds down the highway, going way over the speed limit, and the police pull them over and just gives a warning rather than a $100 ticket, he had mercy on them.  God shows us mercy all of the time.  Our sins and behavior would always call for just and swift punishment from God, but He has mercy on us.  That should always call for us to sing His praises.

Ethan also speaks of God’s faithfulness.  When God speaks and gives a promise to His people, He is faithful to deliver on that promise.  God gave a promise to King David that He would establish his throne forever (vs. 3-4, and also later in the psalm in verses 35-37).   Sometimes we can look at God’s promises and think that He has forgotten them.  From the time of King David to the time of Jesus there is approximately a thousand years.  During that time David’s kingdom was conquered, first by the Babylonians, then the Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans.  That promise didn’t look like it could or would be fulfilled.  Jesus, the Son of God, was also through His human lineage, a descendent of David, and His kingdom will never end.  God’s promise to David has been kept.

What about other promises that God has made?  Sometimes when things are very scarce and the wallet is empty, can we trust that God will keep His promise to always provide for us (Philippians 4:19)?  What about when we feel so alone and that no one cares about us?  Hasn’t He promised to never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)?  God always keeps His promises!  He is a faithful God, as our psalmist friend Ethan reminds us.  

Sometimes it may seem slow in coming, like the promise made to David seemed to be, but He always comes through.  Jesus has promised to return and bring His children, us believers, with Him back to heaven.  Unbelievers scoff at that, saying that it’s been 2,000 years now, that it’s a lot of nonsense (II Peter 3:3-11).  Even some believers might start to doubt if this will ever happen.  The whole world doubted Noah’s proclamation of God’s Words.  A good hundred years or so, “Yeah right, Noah!  You’re crazy in the head!”  Who was sorry when they found themselves on the wrong side of the door of the ark?!  God always faithful, and always keeps His promises, no matter how long it might seem.  Jesus will return for His children who should be watching and waiting.

In the remainder of this portion of the psalm, Ethan speaks of God’s glory in His creation. He uses rhetorical questions to state that there is nothing or no one, implying false gods, to compare with Him.  In verses 5 and 6 he speaks of God’s glory in the heavens.  Many people in ancient times worshipped the stars, moon, or planets in the sky.  Could they compare with Yahweh?  Or even the angels?  No!  Verses 9 and 10 proclaim that Yahweh rules over the oceans and all that is in them.  “Rahab” would be a name for a mythical sea monster, and also sometimes refers symbolically to Egypt, which frequently tormented their country.  I don’t live near an ocean, but I can imagine how tempestuous huge storms at sea could be, with the raging and crashing waves.   God rules over them.  He is all-powerful over all creation, the heavens, the earth, north and south (vs. 11-12).  Who can compare with Him, the psalmist asks?  No one or nothing!

Because of God’s character, we can trust in Him (vs. 13-14).  He is all powerful, but also a just and righteous God.  He is a God of truth, but also of mercy.  As His blood-bought children we are blessed, and can rejoice and sing His praises (vs. 15-18).   Truly, as Ethan says, there is none who can compare with our God!

The Humbling Of Mankind

Isaiah 2:10-17

Our Old Testament Passage today from this week’s Lectionary readings is a rather obscure passage in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.  Let’s take a look and see what Isaiah is saying here.

Isaiah speaks of a day coming in the future when the Lord God will bring judgment on the pride of man and his arrogance against Him, and our pride and willfulness will be destroyed.  The term “day of the Lord”, which Isaiah uses in verse 12 and alludes to in verse 17, is a term used in Scripture to refer to a time when God will bring judgment.  Sometimes it referred to a specific time when He was chastening His people, like with the Babylonian invasion.  Often it referred to God’s final judgment of the world for their sins and rebellion against Him.  In this passage Isaiah is referring to a future end time day when God will judge the pride and rebellion of man against Himself.

Just about every sin can be traced back in some way to pride, and would have its roots in pride.  It was pride that caused the one-time archangel, Lucifer, to be cast out of heaven and become now known as Satan (Isaiah 14:12-17).  Pride is one of Satan’s key weapons to use on us to get us to sin like he did.

Verse 11 speaks of men’s lofty looks and haughtiness.  Look around today - don’t you see that everywhere?  In the political realm, regardless of whether they are left wing or right wing, you see arrogance and pride.  In the business world, as well, this is unbridled and widespread.  God sees this, and notes that mankind has set themselves against Him.  On that day, though, God has promised that He will bring them down and He, alone, shall be exalted (vs. 11-12).

In verse 13 we read about the cedars of Lebanon and the oaks of Bashan.  The wood from the cedars of Lebanon were used to panel the Temple in Jerusalem and the royal palaces.  It was beautiful wood.  Oak trees are big and strong.  In many cultures and ancient religions around the world trees have been worshipped, particularly oak trees.  God will bring down anything that exalts itself against Him.  Ancient pagan practices and worship often took place on top of hills, and these God is going to destroy as well (vs. 14).  He will destroy every religious belief and practice that is not of Him and through His Son, Jesus Christ.

In verse 15 we read of the high towers and fortified walls.  This spoke of a city’s defense, such as fortresses they built to protect themselves from the enemy.  Today nations don’t usually build walls around cities with fortresses like they did in times past, but we do build up our military strength.  Has that replaced our trust in the Lord God to protect us?  Has our pride been placed in that instead of Him?

We read in verse 16 of the ships of Tarshish and the sloops.  Ships from Tarshish, which would have been along the western end of the Mediterranean, would have been trading ships.  They would have brought goods from all around the known world to the shopping markets of Israel.  Buy, sell, gain wealth, and decorate their homes.  What did they need God for, they would have thought.  A sloop would be a recreational boat.  “Look what my wealth has gotten me?”  God condemns mankind's pride, the thinking that their wealth, their power is all they need, and not Him.  Are we depending on ourselves, and putting our trust in ourselves, and not in God?

God has promised that everything that exalts itself against Himself will be brought down (vs. 17).  The world will see and acknowledge Jesus Christ as God and King, and He will rule over all.  That day is coming soon.  We all need to be sure that we have a proper relationship with God through salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.

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I pray that you have enjoyed and benefited from these Bible meditations that I have written for this blog.   I hope you will prayerfully consider donating as the Lord might lead you.  This blog is not run through a large ministry with a wide funding base.  I am an individual with limited financial resources.  Thank you and God bless.

Hope And Encouragement In Times Of Persecution

Matthew 10:16-33

A life of ease and popularity, or a difficult life with opposition - which one would you choose?  Most of us would probably choose the first one, as no one wants others fighting against them, along with a lot of struggles.  This, though, is exactly what Jesus has said His followers would encounter as a result of being His disciples.  Some preachers today have promised a life of ease and wealth.  “Turn to Jesus and all your problems will disappear.”, they say.  Nowhere in Scripture is that ever said.  In our passage today we see what Jesus said His followers could expect for faithfully proclaiming His message.

As believers, we have been given a commission to go out and spread the Gospel message.  Jesus warns us in verse 16 that this could, and would often, be dangerous.  Wolves was a term that was used to describe those who would oppose His followers, whether political leaders or false religious leaders who would persecute true believers and destroy the true Church.  Paul and the apostles in the early church certainly experienced that, and it continues today.  There are plenty across the world in both the political and religious realms who persecute those who stand for Jesus and the truth of the Bible.  We can even expect opposition from our own families (vs 21).  We are God’s sheep, but when we are out among the wolves, Jesus tells us to not be like ignorant sheep, but be wise, sensible, and prudent, not gullible or naive.  We are under His protection and have been given His wisdom and power.

The Jews in Jesus’s day, and many people today believe that suffering is God’s punishment.  Why would one suffer for being obedient to God?  Jesus, the Son of God and 2nd Person of the Trinity suffered, and He was certainly obedient to God.  Just because we act good, holy, and decent doesn’t mean that people will like us or treat us well (vs. 25).  The Jewish leaders called Jesus “Beelzebub”, which is the name of the Prince of Demons.  Literally translated it is “Lord of the Flies”.  As His followers, we can expect similar accusations or names.  The unbelievers did not like Jesus, and they will not like us.  If we are faithfully following Him, we should not expect the world to sing our praises.

If this was all that Jesus told us in this passage it might be a bit discouraging, but He didn’t just tell us to go out and face persecution.  He gave us some encouraging words as well, to equip us for the opposition we will face.  One promise Jesus made was that if we are ever brought before court for our faith, if we rely on Him, He will give us the words to speak in response to their opposition (vs. 18-20).  Trusting in Jesus we don’t have to rely on our own abilities.

In addition, God reassures us, His beloved children, that we are infinitely precious to Him.  He watches over all of His creation.  Nothing is beyond His notice, including the death of even the smallest of sparrows.  If the almighty God is concerned about something as small and seemingly insignificant as a sparrow, don’t you think He is all the more concerned about His Blood-bought children?  We are so important to God that He has even counted the very numbers of our hair (vs. 29-31).  When someone deeply loves another, they like to know every detail of them.  The fact that God would keep track of something as unimportant as how many hairs we have shows just how much He loves us.  We can trust Him that He is sovereign and has all of our life under His control.

Jesus wasn’t afraid of Pilate or the Jewish religious leaders.  We do not need to fear any of our enemies.  What is the worst they can do?  Kill our bodies?  They can’t harm our souls.  God has that in His hands, and if we are saved, we have nothing to worry about there (vs. 28).  Our job is to continue on as His witnesses, never being ashamed of Jesus or His Word (vs. 33).

We can and should trust that God has a plan for all of the trials and sufferings we go through.  He has a plan, and will give us His comfort.  We need to keep our eyes on the goal, on the day when our trials are over and we will be rewarded.

Two Men With Opposite Impacts

Romans 5:15-19

In our passage from Romans today, Paul contrasts our first forefather, Adam, referred to in this passage as “one man” (small letter m), with our Savior, Jesus, referred to in this passage as “one Man” (large letter M).  In this brief passage Paul tells his readers and us that it was through the sin of one man, Adam, that sin entered into the world, and judgment has come upon all people.

We are all descendants of Adam.  Just as we inherit certain characteristics from our parents, we have all inherited one thing from Adam, and that is the stain of original sin and a sin nature, the tendency and desire to sin.  It was one act of sin against God that started that whole ugly ball rolling.  One act of sin, eating the forbidden fruit, that brought sin into the world, leading to more sins, and more.  Sin brings judgment from God.  That one act of sin, committed by Adam, which lead to more sins committed by everyone, brought God’s judgment upon us all.

This one man, Adam’s, one act of sin and disobedience in the Garden brought death into the world.  This was both physical death at the end of one’s life, and also spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God in hell.  This, too, is something that we have inherited as descendants of Adam.

This would all be very dismal and depressing if left just like that.  Our forefather Adam sins, and we all inherit sin, disobedience, judgment, and death.  That’s a rather hopeless picture.  But that is only half of the picture Paul is presenting us here.  The other half is that there is another Man who has brought something much more glorious.  This Man is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  One man’s act brought sin, judgment and death.  This second Man’s one act of obedience by dying on the cross for our sins has brought grace, mercy and life to us.

Jesus’s act of obedience through His death brought us just the opposite of what Adam’s act of disobedience gave us.  Instead of condemnation we now have justification.  Instead of the spiritual death, we now have grace and righteousness.  Instead of being made sinners, we are now made righteous.

This is a gift from God.  A gift is free, you don’t have to pay for it.  If you did, it wouldn’t be a gift, would it?  It would be a purchase.  Why would anyone pay for something that they can get for free?  Where I live we have much good, clean, safe water.  Every house has several faucets, and there are plenty of drinking fountains, and yet people buy water.  Why pay for something you can get for free?  God has given us the gift of salvation.  We have His gift justification instead of His condemnation, grace and righteousness instead of spiritual death.  We don’t need to work for that.  It is His free gift.

A gift is no good to the person it is intended for unless that person accepts and takes that gift.  I can give a gift to one of my children, wrapping it up nice and setting it on the table.  If they don’t take it, and leave it there day after day, it does them no good.  Someone could give you money to pay a big bill you have, but if you don’t accept it, then the bill remains unpaid and you will suffer the consequences of that.  God has given us a gift through His Son, Jesus Christ, that one Man.  It is offered to everyone, but not everyone has accepted it.  Many are either trying to work for it themselves, or just blindly go on their way, oblivious to their condition inherited from Adam.  Have you accepted God’s free gift?  If you haven’t, will you accept it now?