August 26th, 2012
II Chronicles 2 (1 Kings 5)
“Knowing God – Humility”
Bible Memory Verse for the Week: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. — Psalm 20:7
Background Information:
- (v. 1) Once again, expense was not an issue for Solomon. He was willing to spend whatever it took to build an appropriately splendid temple for God. The Chronicler’s post-exilic readers must be ready to do the same in their day. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 220)
- (v. 1) The construction of Solomon’s temple began in his fourth year as king (ca. 967 B.C.) And was completed in the eleventh year of his reign (ca. 960 B.C.). The fact that Solomon did not begin the temple construction until his fourth year reflects the significant amount of preparation and planning that still needed to take place beyond that accomplished by David. (John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 298)
- (vss. 3, 7, 12, 14, 17) On several occasions, the Chronicler emphasized that the Davidic line was God’s gift of love to Israel. To counter any misgivings about the legitimacy and necessity of re-establishing David’s royal line, the Chronicler seized another opportunity to remind his post-exilic readers that the Davidic line was their divine blessing. (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 220-21)
- (v. 3) The fact that Solomon’s relations with Lebanon are here in view, rather than with other of his smaller neighbors, further stresses his wide influence. Lebanon had for long supplied the empires of the east with timber for building. Her forests, and especially her cedars, were renowned for their abundance and luxuriance and were proverbial in Israel as symbols both of plenty and of pride (Isa 2:13; Ps 92:12; 104:16). For a building of splendor it was imperative to use what was universally recognized as best, and Solomon’s ability to command it is a sign not only of his ascendancy over Huram, but of his eminence in the ancient world in general–and of course, of the supremacy of the Lord. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 116)
- (vss. 7, 13) It is noteworthy that Solomon (like David, cf. 1 Chr 22:1-5) readily seeks Phoenician assistance in the building of Yahweh’s temple. The Phoenicians were noted for both supplying crucial building materials as well as the technical expertise to construct buildings and fashion raw materials into artistic objects. Longstanding Phoenician involvement in the temple building projects of other nations is reflected in a fifth-century B.C. sarcophagus inscription of a Phoenician king that claims, “We are the ones who built the houses of the gods.” (John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 301)
- (vss. 7, 13) As elsewhere, the Chronicler is writing with one eye on his historical source and the other on the phenomenon of the tabernacle, in this case its construction described in Exodus 35. There the chief craftsman was Bezalel, a Judahite. Mention of him slipped out in 2 Chr 1:5, while earlier he was featured in a genealogy at 1 Chr 2:20, and so he has been on the Chronicler’s mind. Bezalel had an assistant Aholiab from the tribe of Dan, and between them they had such multiple skills as vv. 7 & 14 indicate (see Ex 35:30-35). The Chronicler wants his readers to regard Solomon typologically as a second Judahite Bezalel and Huramabi as a second Danite Aholiab. In the latter case the longer appellation is a clue to the typologizing. In chapters 3-4 we shall read repeatedly “and he made” about Solomon’s work on the temple. It is based on the same refrain concerning Bezalel in Exodus 36-39. In all these respects the Chronicler is making a theological affirmation, that the temple is a second tabernacle.
Typological comparison is his way of describing the new era which was comparable with the old and succeeded it. What the tabernacle meant in the Torah and to Israel hitherto, henceforth the temple would mean. The old was a model for the new, and the new replaced it. This sense of newness which reuses language relevant to the old even as it supersedes it, reappears in the NT. An instance is the description of Christ as “the last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45), the head of a new humanity corresponding to and yet surpassing the first Adam. In the NT there is the same painstaking concern as here in Chronicles, to trace continuity between the old and new revelations. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 207)
- (v. 8) While the exact type of wood meant by algum wood is not certain, it may be a type of sandalwood, another cypress variety, or even ebony. Assyrian sources as well as two Amarna letters listing gifts sent from Mitanni to Egypt refer to elammakku, a precious wood imported from northern Syria that might be a cognate term to almug/algum. This lack of specificity aside, algum wood was likely a highly polished quality wood given its use in the temple project. (John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 303)
- (v. 10) The “cor” is a unit of dry measure equivalent to approximately 6:25 bushels. (John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 303)
- (v. 10) The “bath” is a unit of liquid measure equivalent to approximately six gallons. (John H. Walton, Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 3, 303)
- (v. 12) The expression of so fundamental a confession in the God of Israel by a gentile king clearly demonstrates, therefore, that Solomon is being presented here as the dominant partner in the relationship. (H.G.M. Williamson, The New Century Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Chr, 200)
- (vss. 12-14) While Solomon has sought to enlist the world’s most skilled people, God ultimately provides an Israelite to do the job. The fact that this craftsman is from the tribe of Dan creates a parallel with Moses’ preparation of the tabernacle. In Moses’ case, working in the wilderness, God appointed a Danite to oversee the work (Ex 31:1-11). (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 62-63)
- (v. 13) In response to Solomon’s request, Hiram sends Solomon a craftsman by the name of Huram-Abi (v. 13). It is possible to render his name in a slightly different way by translating it as “Huram, my master craftsman.” The list of his job skills includes the same abilities that were seen in Bezalel, Oholiab, and the craftsmen who worked on the tabernacle at the time of Moses (compare v. 14 with Ex 28:6-8; 31:1-11; 36:8-38). Huram-Abi, just like his ancient predecessors, was a man who had received the gift of wisdom. The NIV’s rendition, “a man of great skill” (v. 13), flattens out the more generous praise of the Hebrew, “a man of wisdom and knowing understanding.” The piling on of synonyms makes it clear that this Huram-Abi was the top man in his field. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 37)
Reconciling Apparent scriptural discrepancies between 1 Kings 5 & 2 Chronicles 2:
- Some see a contradiction between the quantities of provisions promised here and the ones listed in 1 Kgs 5:11. A closer reading of the two texts reveals, however, that the contradiction is more imagined than real. In the case of 1Kings, we have supplies Solomon gave to Hiram “as food for his household” (1 Kgs 5:11). Here in 2 Chronicles, the supplies are earmarked for “the woodsmen who cut the timber” (v. 10). The supplies promised in 2 Chronicles appear to be more of a one-time deal, whereas the ones mentioned in 1 Kgs 5:11 were given “year after year” as part of an ongoing treaty obligation. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 34)
- In 1 Kgs 7:14 Huram-Abi is described as being from the tribe of Naphtali, not of Dan. For those who have read the People’s Bible commentary on 1 Chronicles, it might be useful to remember something we learned there about Hebrew genealogical references. The idea of strict descent and relationship by blood is not always in the foreground. Sometimes the phrases “the father of” and “the son of” indicate a looser connection of some type, such as the founder of a guild or the inhabitant of a certain village. So here we may say that Huram-Abi could trace his roots back to two tribes: Naphtali and Dan. The exact nature of those two connections remains unknown to us. Some have suggested that his mother was from Dan while his father was from Naphtali. The reference to his father being “from Tyre” (v. 14) would then be explained as indicating his place of residence, not his racial origin. Even though the precise understanding of this phrase may elude us, we may assert with a great dal more confidence that the Chronicler’s chief reason in pointing out Huram-Abi’s background to us is to draw another parallel between him and Oholiab. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 38)
- In 1 Kgs 5:16 only 3,300 supervisors are listed, in contrast to the 3,600 mentioned here and in verse 2. This discrepancy might be due to an error during the copying of the text or due to the Chronicler’s inclusion of some other people involved in supervising the work who were not included by the writer of 1 Kings (for example, some of the officials mentioned in 1 Kgs 9:23). (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 40)
The questions to be answered are . . . What is the Chronicler’s agenda in communicating 2 Chronicles 2 to his post-exilic audience? What does that have to do with us?
Answers: Don’t ever be proud nor discouraged because of your efforts for God. No one can impress God with their efforts. When you know the real God your only response will be humility and awe. What God wants is your heart wholly and lovingly devoted to Him.
The Word for the Day is . . . humility
What is the Chronicler attempting to reveal to his post-exile audience and to us?:
I. When you know God, you know The Name of the Lord. (2 Chr 2:1, 4; see also: Ex 20:7; Dt 28:10; 1 Sam 17:45; Psa 20:1; 124:8; 145:3; 148:13; Jn 12;13; 17:11; Acts 2:21, 38; Rom 10:13; 1 Cor 5:4-5; Phil 2:9-10; 2 Thes 1:12; Jas 5:14)
It is in Deuteronomy that we first find this way of speaking about his presence (Dt 12:5), and it is a further safeguard against the belief that God was confined in the place of worship. The “name” at times seems to take on an existence of its own, as a kind of representative of God. It never actually becomes a separate entity, and indeed cannot, because in the OT a person’s name and his personality, or very being, are far more intimately linked than in our own day. But the idea of God’s name does suggest something of the elusiveness of God. Much of the OT’s imagery surrounding his presence speaks of the fact that he is present and yet absent, or inaccessible, at one and the same time. Herein, perhaps, is the abiding truth which we may take from this chapter. God made himself available to Solomon and his Israel by permitting a building made with hands to symbolize his presence. Yet that concrete symbol could never reduce God to something which Solomon could manipulate to his own ends (again, a popular error of pagan religion). It ill behooves us moderns to scoff at these “primitive” delusions. The attempt to enlist God to the cause of this, that or the other cause or ideology is almost obsessional in parts of the modern western world, and, absurdly, suffers little from the fact that he is often thought to be on both sides at once. The use of religion for personal gain or advancement is nothing other than the sin of idolatry, against which the OT writers protest above all. (J. G. McConville, The Daily Study Bible Series, 1 & 2 Chr, 117-18)
Both Kings and Chronicles are careful not to claim too much for the temple. Ex 25:8 had badly spoken of the tabernacle as a place where God was to “dwell among” His people. However, here in v. 4 it is “a temple for” His “name”: it will not “contain Him” (v. 6). Rather, the role of the temple is for worship, of which three media are listed in v. 4. The presence of God in the temple is not denied, but it is a partial presence. He is by no means limited to the temple, this cosmic God. There is a wrestling here with the paradox of the transcendence of God and His immanence, seeking to do justice to each without doing despite to the other. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 206)
The temple is not a dwelling for God; it is the place in which men may worship him. (Peter R. Ackroyd, 1 & 2 Chr, Ezra, Neh, 104)
“I am.” The name’s origins come from the verb to be, so some read it as “I will be who I will be.” Others suggest it should be read like this: “I will always have been, I am, and I always will be.” Perhaps this is God’s way of saying, “If your goal is to figure me out and totally understand me, it’s not going to happen. Even my name is more than you can comprehend.” (Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis Repainting the Christian Faith, 24)
The ancient rabbis had all sorts of things to say about this passage, but one of the most fascinating things they picked up on is the part about God’s back. They argued that in the original Hebrew language, the word back should be understood as a euphemism for “where I just was”. It is as if God is saying, “The best you’re going to do, the most you are capable of, is seeing where I …just…was.” That’s the closest you are going to get. If there is a divine being who made everything, including us, what would our experiences with this being look like? The moment God is figured out with nice neat lines and definitions, we are no longer dealing with God. We are dealing with somebody we made up. And if we made him up, then we are in control. And so in passage after passage, we find God reminding people that he is beyond and bigger and more. (Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis Repainting the Christian Faith, 25)
“‘Your thoughts of God are too human.’ said Luther to Erasmus. This is where most of us go astray. Our thoughts of God are not great enough; we fail to reckon with the reality of His limitless wisdom and power. Because we ourselves are limited and weak, we imagine that at some points God is too, and find it hard to believe that He is not. We think of God as too much like what we are. Put this mistake right, says God; learn to acknowledge the full majesty of your incomparable God and Savior.” (J. I. Packer; Knowing God, pgs 78-79)
No God — No Peace. Know God — Know Peace.”
We have been made for relationship with God. Therefore it is not surprising that we long to meet and know God. But the God we seek is the God we want, not the God who is. We fashion a god who blesses without obligation, who lets us feel his presence without living his life, who stands with us and never against us, who gives us what we want, when we want it. We worship a god of consumer satisfaction, hoping the talismans of guitars and candles or organs and liturgy will put us in touch with God as we want him to be. (Mark Labberton, The Dangerous Act of Worship, 65-66)
To know God is at once the easiest and the most difficult thing in the world. It is easy because the knowledge is not won by hard mental toil, but is something freely given. As sunlight falls free on the open field, so the knowledge of the holy God is a free gift to men who are open to receive it. ( A. W. Tozer; The Knowledge of the Holy, 115)
“The way for the world to know that it needs redeeming, that it is broken and fallen, is for the church to enable the world to strike hard against something which is an ALTERNATIVE to what the world offers.
Unfortunately, an accomodationist church, so intent on running errands for the world, is giving the world less and less in which to disbelieve. Atheism slips into the church where God really does not matter, as we go about building bigger and better congregations (church administrations), confirming people’s self-esteem (worship), enabling people to adjust their anxieties brought on by their materialism (Pastoral care), and making Christ a worthy subject for poetic reflection (preaching). At every turn the church must ask itself, does it really make any difference, in our life together, in what we do, that in Jesus Christ God is reconciling the world to himself?” (William Willimon and Stanely Hauerwas; Resident Aliens, 94-95)
This house was not to be thought of in crude terms as the physical dwelling place of God’s entire being. Rather it was the place where God would put his Name (vs. 4, 6; Dt 12:11). This was just an OT way of saying, “This is the place where God has chosen to reveal himself as our gracious God and Savior. Here he is pleased to come to us, and here he invites us to draw near to him. Though God is everywhere, we cannot grasp him everywhere. In this place he promises to come to us in a way that we sinful human beings can manage.” (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 32)
II. When you know God, you know that your best is never enough. It is only on the basis of God’s great love and grace that anything is deemed worthy of His acceptance. (2 Chr 2:6; see also: Ex 3:11; 1 Sm 18:18; 2 Sm 7:18; 1 Kgs 8:27; 1 Chr 29:14; 2 Chr 6:18; Isa 64:6; Jn 4:24)
“Who am I’ is a common protestation of humility (Ex 3:11; 1 Sm 18:18; 2 Sm 7:18; 1 Chr 29:14). (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 19)
Solomon’s principle of a great building for a great God was that of the medieval church, which channeled immense profits, made by its members from trading, into magnificent cathedrals which were showpieces of artistic beauty. The modern church, with eyes opened up to human needs, both local and worldwide, can hardly emulate such architectural masterpieces. It should never be forgotten, however, that church buildings are a silent witness to the faith of its worshipers and that outsiders receive from them an impression of the God who is worshiped there. The role of the building committee and the fabric committee is to communicate theology. (Leslie Allen, Mastering the OT, 1, 2 Chr, 205)
God does not receive thanks from us because they are worthy of acceptance, but because they are responses to His grace. Little things become big, and sometimes great things become very small, just as their attitude is towards God. Bethlehem, for instance, was the least of all the cities, and yet it became great because it was sanctified and glorified by the birth of the Son of God. It was not the town, but what was associated with it. Nazareth was a despised, contemptible, mean little village; so contemptible that it came to be a byword, and yet Nazareth is one of the famous towns in the history of the world, and always will be. The things we offer to God are great, not because of the money they cost, not by the splendor of them that may meet the eye, but because they are given to God. God makes them great. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 10)
The homeliest building is adequate for worship if it is the outcome of sincerity and is cared for diligently. What is despicable is to be eager and lavish about the size, comfort, and adornment of our home, and at the same time be content to let the place of our worship become mean and shabby. The perfect temple is not built with hands; it can be entered anywhere at any time by the honest seeker after God (cf. Jn 4:21-23). (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible Vol. 3, 446)
The Chronicler also introduces into Solomon’s letter reflection on the tension between the transcendence and immanence of God; he imports phraseology drawn from the prayer at the dedication of the temple (6:18; 1 Kgs 8:27): even the highest heaven cannot encompass God, much less a building contain him; though he may reveal himself in his name and in his glory in a place, prayers addressed there are answered from heaven (6:20-21; 1 Kgs 8:29-30). The building is not strictly a residence for God, but a place to make sacrifices to him; cf. Isa 66:1-3. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 23)
The purpose for the temple as envisioned by Solomon is worship in all its forms; it must be congruous with the greatness of Yahweh who is above all gods, though he cannot really be confined to a house made by man. Solomon’s depreciation of himself conforms to the writer’s view of the majesty of God in comparison with whom even the great and wealthy king pales into insignificance. (Jacob M. Myers, 1 Chronicles, a New Translation, 11-12)
God empowered these men to do the work by His Spirit. This is evidence that we can try to do the work of God in the flesh, but we will fail and come far short of what God intends to do. Or we can submit to God and be filled and led by His Spirit, and God will do far above what we are able to do in the flesh. It is not by our might or by our strength but by God’s Spirit working through us. (Dr. Tremper Longman, Quicknotes, 1 Chr Thru Job, 63)
Solomon says, no one is really capable of building a house for God. “Who is able to build a temple for him?” (V. 6). It’s the same as if he had said, “I have been specially selected by God to build his house. Extensive preparations have been made. In fact, the entire kingdom with all its wealth of people and resources have been marshaled for the purpose of carrying out this task. Yet this is still not enough to build the temple in a way that matches the great glory of our God.” God is great and deserves our best gifts. But even when he receives our best, we still have not given him anything truly worthy of his infinite dignity. What we offer God is received by him on the strength of his love and by the certainty of his promise to look with favor on our offerings–not because of the intrinsic worth of what we give. (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 31-32)
No matter how great the temple may be, it would not be magnificent enough to match the grandeur of Israel’s God. Solomon drew on these concepts again at the dedication of the temple (see 6:18; Ps 139:7-10; Isa 66:1; Jer 23:24; Acts 7:48, 49). (Richard L. Pratt, 1 & 2 Chr, A Mentor Commentary, 220)
God remains the great Initiator of our worship. He must first come to us and reveal himself to us, or we would never be able to approach him in the right way. None of our praises could ring true or be pleasing to him. We see this spiritual truth illustrated in the building of the temple. Solomon was not the one who chose to build God a house. God chose the place for it (1 Chr 21, especially v. 26), selected the man for it (1 Chr 22:9, 10), made the plans of how to do it (1 Chr 28:19), and provided the resources to build it (1 Chr 29:14). God even made it clear to Israel exactly how and when they were to approach him. They had not invented their religion, nor did they hit upon their own way to honor God. Their form of worship had been provided by God as “a lasting ordinance for Israel” (v. 4).
We live in an age when people are busily trying to make their own connections to God. Even if they refuse to name “God” as the object of their quest, they are still searching for a way to gain access to something higher than themselves. They wander aimlessly in all sorts of directions, “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). They try to touch God in nature, although he has never promised to be found by them there. They worship the beauty in things instead of the one who gave all things their beauty. They worship reason and intellect, forgetting him who gave us our ability to think and our power to understand . They may put forth tremendous efforts, daring to do great things–astounding things–all in a desire to please God. Yet these are things God never commanded them to do. They may turn to look inside themselves–deep within their innermost core–in an effort to find and release some spark of divine power. What else can they discover there but an image of themselves and another empty hope? (Paul O. Wendland, The People’s Bible, 2 Chr, 32-33)
Jews were to see their inability to keep the Law and, because of this, look to the Messiah all the more. God designed the Law this way. Moreover, even if by some miracle a Jew was able to keep EVERY SINGLE tenet of the Law, he would likely still fail in one—his attitude. The Law, after all, creates a horrible “Catch-22” almost by necessity. The better you “keep” the Law, the more you think yourself basically “good” and the less you humble yourself before God. You quickly become self-righteous and prideful. Thus, though you may be able to keep many outward tenets of the Law (as the Pharisees did), your motivation for doing so would have shifted from love of God to love of self. All the outward piety in the world cannot cover a sick and twisted heart. Period. — Chris Scripter
Christian spirituality talks about what we receive more than what we achieve. Our potential and activity are entirely dependent on God’s prior work in our lives. If we set out to be “achievers” rather than “receivers,” we have not begun to follow God. An achiever calls attention only to herself, whereas a receiver leads others to appreciate the Giver. If we insist on being an achiever, seeking God so that others might admire our faith, our commitment, our dedication, we become God’s competitor; trying to steal some of His glory. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 16)
III. When you know God, you know that a grateful heart and at the same time a humble spirit are the only possible perspectives in light of His Name. (2 Chr 2:5; see also: 1 Kgs 5:5)
Christian living, therefore, must be founded upon self-abhorrence and self-distrust because of indwelling sin’s presence and power. Self-confidence and self-satisfaction argue self-ignorance. The only healthy Christian is the humble, broken-hearted Christian. (J. I. Packer, A Quest for Godliness, 196)
The more people know, the more they realize what they do not know. So the greater the scholar, the humbler the person, almost invariably. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 12, 459)
Once I was pondering why our Lord was so fond of this virtue of humility, and this thought came to me–in my opinion not as a result of reflection but suddenly: it is because God is supreme Truth; and to be humble is to walk in truth, for it is a very deep truth that of ourselves we have nothing good but only misery and nothingness. Whoever does not understand this walks in falsehood. The more anyone understands he is walking in truth. (Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle, VI:10:6)
Satan fears virtue. He is terrified of humility; he hates it. He sees a humble person and it sends chills down his back. His hair stands up when Christians kneel down, for humility is the surrender of the soul to God. The devil trembles before the meek because, in the very areas where he once had access, there stands the Lord, and Satan is terrified of Jesus Christ. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 21)
Humility is not a popular human trait in the modern world. It’s not touted in the talk shows or celebrated in valedictory speeches or commended in diversity seminars or listed with corporate core values. And if you go to the massive self-help section of your sprawling mall bookstore, you won’t find many titles celebrating humility. The basic reason for this is not hard to find: humility can only survive in the presence of God. When God goes, humility goes. In fact you might say that humility follows God like a shadow. We can expect to find humility applauded in our society about as often as we find God applauded. (John Piper, Future Grace, 85)
What we suffer from…is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert–himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt–the Divine Reason. (G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy, 31)
Humility is the fear of God, not man. “By the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil” (Prv 29:25). For this reason Paul declared, “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Gal 1:10). If we truly fear the Lord, we will not fear anyone else. To honor and respect the Lord is to be delivered from all fear of man. (Rick Joyner, There Were Two Trees in the Garden, 123)
God repeatedly expresses his pleasure with and delight in those who do exactly what he says. In Isa 66:1-4 true religion (“the life of God in the soul of man”) is characterized by one “who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word” in contrast to these who choose their own way. (Philip Graham Ryken, Give Praise to God A Vision for Reforming Worship, 58)
Thomas á Kempis believed that an accurate self-knowledge always leads to humility. “Whoso knoweth himself well, is lowly in his own sight and delighteth not in the praises of men.” It follows that if we aren’t lowly in our own sight and are dependent on the praise of others, then we don’t know ourselves very well. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 124)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: What does this message have to do with Christ and me?:
John Wesley says of those “who imagine themselves Christians and are not.”: “These abound, not only in all parts of our land, but in most parts of the habitable world. That they are not Christians is clear and undeniable if we believe the oracles of God. For Christians are holy; these are unholy. Christians love God; these love the world. Christians are humble; these are proud. Christians are gentle; these are passionate. Christians have the mind which was in Christ; these are the utmost distance from Christ. Consequently they are no more Christians than they are archangels. Yet they imagine themselves so to be, and they can give several reasons for it. For they have been called so ever since they can remember; they were christened many years ago; they embrace the Christian opinions, vulgarly termed the Christian or catholic faith. They use the Christian modes of worship, as their fathers did before them. They live, what is called a good Christian life, as the rest of their neighbors do. And who shall presume to think or say that these men are not Christians? – though without one grain of true faith in Christ or of real, inward holiness; without ever having tasted the love of God or been ‘made partakers of the Holy Ghost.’ Ah, poor self-deceivers! Christians ye are not. But you are enthusiasts in a high degree” (Wesley’s Work, vol. 1, p. 332 as quoted in B.T. Roberts; Fishers Of Men, 75-76)
A- If you are proud there is little chance that you have come in contact with the real God as revealed in Christ. (1 Cor 3:18; 4:6-10; 8:1-2; Eph 4:17; Jas 4:6; 1 Jn 2:16; Rv 3:17-20)
Anyone who takes it upon himself to enter the arena of God-talk in a meaningful and substantive way had better be prepared to joust with humility, for there is no subject which exposes the finitude of man quite like the infinitude of God. (C. Samuel Storms, The Grandeur of God, 33)
God cannot use a proud man. “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pt 5:5). The man who is puffed up with pride, self-esteem, cannot be filled up with the Holy Spirit. Paul saw this danger for himself. God saw it for him, and Paul writes, “Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Cor 12:7). How many men have failed here! They have sought God’s power, sought it in God’s way, and it has come. Men have testified of the blessing received through their word, and pride has entered and been indulged, and all is lost. (R. A. Torrey, The Baptism with the Holy Spirit, 78-79)
The real trouble with man in sin is that he always wants to understand. The ultimate sin of man is pride of intellect. That is why it is always true to say that “not many wise men after the flesh, not many might, not many noble are called.” The wise man after the flesh wants to understand. He pits his brain against God’s wisdom, and he says, “I don’t see.” Of course he doesn’t. And Christ says to him, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 18:3). If you think that with your mind, which is so small when you compare it with the mind of God, and which is not only small but also sinful, and perverted, and polluted, and twisted–if you think that with the mind you have you can comprehend the working of God’s eternal mind and wisdom, obviously you do not know God, you are outside the life of God, and you are lost. The first thing that must happen to you before you can ever become a Christian is that you must surrender that little mind of yours, and begin to say, “Of course I cannot understand it; my whole nature is against it. I can see that there is only one thing to do; I submit myself to the revelation that God has been pleased to give. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Romans, Exposition of Chapter 5, 251)
Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness. — Blaise Pascal
Humility is achieved by companying with One infinitely above us. After a visit with Tennyson, Edward Fitzgerald wrote: “Perhaps I have received some benefit in the now more distinct consciousness of my dwarfishness.” For a people or an individual to walk with God is to walk humbly. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, 606)
The rabbis believed that humility was an indispensable condition for learning: “Just as water flows away from a high point and gathers at a low point, so the word of God only endures with the learner who is humble in his knowledge.” (Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 7a) (Ann Spangler, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, 60)
Keeping sight of God, then, is vital to humility, just as keeping in touch with humility is vital to seeing God. We cannot maintain one without the other. “Christianity is strange,” Pascal wrote. “It bids man to recognize that he is vile, and even abominable, and bids him want to be like God. Without such a counterweight his exaltation would make him horribly vain or his abasement horribly abject. (Pascal, Pensees, as quoted in Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 133)
“They that know God will be humble,” John Flavel has said, “and they that know themselves cannot be proud.” (quoted in MBI’s Today in the World, November, 1989, 20)
The organic material that has been broken down to give the soil its richness is called “humus.” Our word humble is related to it, meaning “to be brought low.” That is the process God uses to makes us receptive to His word. He allows us to be brought low. Sometimes He Himself is the one who brings us there. Humility, said Confucius, is the foundation of all virtues. (Ken Gire; The Reflective Life, 54)
True evangelical contrition, true repentance, must be preceded by a falling in love with God. (Leadership, Spring 1999, 42)
Men are often willing to be baptized, to pay their money, or do anything that is respectable, rather than humble themselves by repentance. But it is all of no avail. We come to the footstool of sovereign mercy only by genuine self-abasement.
A man who has counterfeit money is worse off than one who has no money. Preaching unscriptural ideas of repentance does, perhaps, more damage than not preaching repentance at all. It is harder to unlearn an error than it is to learn the truth. (B.T. Roberts; Fishers Of Men, 125)
“Humility is the obverse side of confidence in God, whereas pride is the obverse side of confidence in self.” (John Baillie as quoted in Eugene H. Peterson; A Long Obedience in the Same Direction discipleship in an Instant Society, 143)
If you feel like you don’t need to repent. If you feel like you are not in the wrong. If you feel like you are doing just fine, then you are not a believer. You might as well go home and watch football. Because one of the most evident identifications of a true believer is a repentant contrite heart. — Pastor Keith
“Brethren, may I take leave a little to expostulate this case with my own heart and you, that we may see the same of our sin and be reformed! . . . Humility is not a mere ornament of a Christian, but an essential part of a new creature; it is a contradiction to be a sanctified man or a true Christian and not humble . . .” (Richard Baxter; The Reformed Pastor, 99)
Humility is accompanied by much happiness and peace. But the proud man is trouble for everyone who knows him. Anything can irritate the proud person and hardly anything can please him. He is ready to complain about everything that happens as if he were so important that Almighty God should see to it that he is always happy. He acts as if all the creatures of heaven and earth should wait upon him and obey his will. The leaves of high trees shake with every blast of wind. Likewise, every casual conversation or harsh word will upset and torment a proud man. (Henry Scougal and Robert Leighton; God’s Abundant Life, 51)
The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is. (Phillip Brooks as quoted in E. Skoglund; Burning out for God, 11)
Our conception of God controls everything. A little God means a little life, a little morality, a little service, a little petty, miserable effort altogether; but a great conception of God is a great life–great loving, great service for others. I do not fear about God in the Church. God is great. We have dismissed Him from our thought. We are agnostics without the courage of our convictions. (Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator, 2 Chronicles, 8)
For those who would learn God’s ways: Humility is the first thing. Humility is the second thing, Humility is the third thing. — St. Augustine
If in the presence of human superlativeness your self image comes crashing down around your ears, then even if you got into the presence of God who is pure love you would hate yourself. You would say, I’m so cruel, I’m so unloving, I used to think that I loved people but now I know that I have never loved anybody.
Think about it. If in the presence of human superlativeness your self image comes crashing down around your ears, how could it be different with God? How could it be otherwise with God? Here’s how you know when you have begun to get into the presence of the real God, that you’ve begun to have God move into reality. You see that you are a sinner. You think you’re lost. You see you are more capable of cruelty, more capable of evil, more selfish, more petty, more small minded, more impatient than you ever thought you were. And you know you are a sinner and you know you need to be rescued by grace. And if you say, “O that’s real negative.”
Come on, I just said to you, “If there is a real God (who is holy ) it would have to feel like that.” How could it be otherwise? It couldn’t be otherwise.
And if you say, “Well I just don’t believe, that, you know, that people should feel sinful.” Well then you haven’t been near God. (Tim Keller message “The Gospel and Yourself” 27:30 into the sermon)
Humility rests on self-knowledge; pride reflects self-ignorance. Humility expresses itself in self-distrust and conscious dependence on God; pride is self-confident and, though it may go through the motions of humility with some skill (for pride is a great actor), it is self-important, opinionated, tyrannical, pushy, and self-willed. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prv 16:18). (J. I. Packer; Rediscovering Holiness, 149-150)
B- If you claim any righteousness of your own there is little chance that you have come in contact with the real righteousness of God as lived and preached by Christ. (Mt 5:20; 5:48; Lk 18:9-14; Jn 16:8-11)
Let us recognize before we do warfare that the areas we hide in darkness are the very areas of our future defeat. Often the battles we face will not cease until we discover and repent of the darkness that is within us. If we will be effective in spiritual warfare, we must be discerning of our own hearts; we must walk humbly with our God. Our first course of action must be, “Submit…to God.” Then, as we “resist the devil…he will flee” (Jas 4:7). (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 16)
Keen as appears to have been the sense of unworthiness felt by Jacob, David, Job, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, and others; deep as was their conviction, and humiliating as were their confessions of sin’s exceeding sinfulness, not one expression seems to betray a denial of the work of the Holy Ghost in their souls: they felt, and mourned, and wept, and confessed as men called of God, pardoned, justified, adopted, not as men who had never tasted that the Lord was gracious, and who therefore were utter strangers to the operation of the Spirit upon their hearts: they acknowledged their sinfulness and their backslidings as converted men, always ready and forward to crown the Spirit in his work. But what can grieve the tender, loving heart of the Spirit more deeply than a denial of his work in the soul? (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 133)
The reason why so few believers “through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body,” is, a forgetfulness that the work has to do first and mainly with the root of sin in the soul: “Make the tree good, and the fruit will also be good”; purify the fountain, and the stream will be pure. Oh, were there a deeper acquaintance with the hidden iniquity of our fallen nature,–a more thorough learning out of the truth,–that “in our flesh there dwelleth no good thing,”–a more heartfelt humiliation on account of it, and more frequent confession of it before God,–how much higher than they now are would be the attainments in holiness of many believers! (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 172)
The Pharisee had never seen the need of forgiveness and there is no more terrible sin than that. I know of nothing worse than the person who says; ‘You know I have never really felt that I am a sinner’. That is the height of sin because it means that you have never realized the truth about God and the truth about yourself. Read the argument of the Apostle Paul and you will find that his logic is not only inevitable, but also unanswerable. ‘There is none righteous, no not one.’ We know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God.’ If you have never realized your guilt or guiltiness before God you will never have joy in Christ. It is impossible. ‘Not the righteous, sinners Jesus came to save.’ ‘They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick.’ (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cure, 31)
The true way to Christianity is this, that a man first acknowledges himself by the law to be a sinner, and that it is impossible for him to do any good work. For the law says: You are an evil tree, and therefore all that you think, speak, or do, is against God. You cannot therefore deserve grace by your works: which if you go about to do, you double your offense; for since you are an evil tree, you cannot but bring forth evil fruits, that is to say, sins. “For whatsoever is not of faith, is sin” (Rom 14:23). So he who would merit grace by works going before faith, goes about to please God with sins, which is nothing else but to heap sin upon sin, to mock God, and to provoke His wrath. When a man is thus taught and instructed by the law, then is he terrified and humbled, then he sees indeed the greatness of his sin, and cannot find in himself one spark of love of God; therefore he justifies God in His Word, and confesses that he is guilty of death and eternal damnation. The first part then of Christianity is the preaching of repentance and the knowledge of ourselves.” (Martin Luther; Commentary on Galatians, 92)
I read the NT, especially passages such as the Sermon on the Mount, with a different spirit now than in my adolescence. Jesus did not proclaim these exalted words so that we would, Tolstoy-like, furrow our brows in despair over our failure to achieve perfection. He proclaimed them to impart to us God’s ideal toward which we should never stop striving, and also to show that none of us will ever reach that ideal. The Sermon on the Mount forces us to recognize the great distance between God and us, and any attempt to reduce that distance by somehow moderating its demands misses the point altogether. We are all desperate, and that is in fact the only state appropriate to a human being who wants to know God. Having fallen from the absolute ideal, as Tolstoy did, we have nowhere to land but with Dostoevsky, in the safety net of absolute grace. (Philip Yancey; Soul Survivor, 145)
In Tournier’s words: . . . believers who are most desperate about themselves are the ones who express most forcefully their confidence in grace. There is a St. Paul. . . and a St. Francis of Assisi, who affirmed that he was the greatest sinner of all men; and a Calvin, who asserted that man was incapable of doing good and of knowing God by his own power. . .
“It is the saints who have a sense of sin.” as Father Danielou says; “the sense of sin is the measure of a soul’s awareness of God.” (Philip Yancey; What’s so Amazing About Grace?, 183)
The thing you fear the most is probably the thing that you are counting on to earn your righteousness before God. It is your idol, your work, your merit before God. Give it up. You can never be that righteous. — Tim Keller
When a man is humbled by the law, and brought to the knowledge of himself, then follows true repentance (for true repentance begins at the fear and judgment of God), and he sees himself to be so great a sinner that he can find no means how he may be delivered from his sin by his own strength, endeavor and works. (Martin Luther; Commentary on Galatians, 94)
The office therefore of the law is to kill, but only so that God may revive and quicken again. It is not given only to kill; but because man is proud, and dreams that he is wise, righteous, and holy, it is necessary that he should be humbled by the law so that this beast, the resumption of righteousness, might be slain; otherwise, man cannot obtain life. (Martin Luther; Commentary on Galatians, 219)
Think about your own righteousness and presenting it to God. What a joke! You have nothing to offer the God of the Universe. Even your most pure righteous deeds fall far short of God’s glory (Rom 3:23, Isa 64:6). The only thing that can please God is God. Therefore the only thing you can offer the God of the Universe is Himself reflected in you by the work of the Holy Spirit in you. That is what brings glory to God. That is what pleases God. That is what brings merit to us before God. It is God and God alone.— Pastor Keith
C- If you claim you know how to love with real agape love there is little chance that you have come in contact with the real God of agape love as demonstrated by Christ. (Mt 5:43-48; 22:37-39; Lk 6:27-35; Jn 14:15-24; 15:9-26; Rom 5:8; 12:9-10; 1 Cor 13:4-8; Eph 4:2; Jas 2:8; 1 Jn 3:16-18; 4:7-21; 5:2-3)
By logical syllogism we deduce a very important fact. If a person is not loving, John says, he or she does not know God. How will that individual become more loving, then? Can we grow in love by trying to love more? No, our attempts to love will only end in more frustration and less love. The solution, John implies, is to know God better. This is so simple that we miss it all the time: our means for becoming more loving is to know God better. (Marva J. Dawn, Truly the Community: Romans 12, 146)
Man approaches God most nearly when he is in one sense least like God. For what can be more unlike than fullness and need, sovereignty and humility, righteousness and penitence, limitless power and a cry for help? This paradox staggered me when I first ran into it; it also wrecked all my previous attempts to write about love. (C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves, 4)
Labor to be clothed with humility. Humility makes a man peaceable among brethren, fruitful in well-doing, cheerful in suffering, and constant in holy walking (1 Pt 5:5). Humility fits for the highest services we owe to Christ, and yet will not neglect the lowest service to the meanest saint (Jn 13:5). Humility can feed upon the meanest dish, and yet it is maintained by the choicest delicates, as God, Christ, and glory. Humility will make a man bless him that curses him, and pray for those that persecute him. An humble heart is an habitation for God, a scholar for Christ, a companion of angels, a preserver of grace, and a fitter for glory. Humility is the nurse of our graces, the preserver of our mercies, and the great promoter of holy duties. Humility cannot find three things on this side heaven: it cannot find fullness in the creature, nor sweetness in sin, nor life in an ordinance without Christ. An humble soul always finds three things on this side heaven: the soul to be empty, Christ to be full, and every mercy and duty to be sweet wherein God is enjoyed. Humility can weep over other men’s weaknesses, and joy and rejoice over their graces. Humility will make a man quiet and contented in the meanest condition, and it will preserve a man from envying other men’s prosperous condition (1 Thes 1:2,3). Humility honors those that are strong in grace, and puts two hands under those that are weak in grace (Eph 3:8). Humility makes a man richer than other men, and it makes a man judge himself the poorest among men. Humility will see much good abroad, when it can see but little at home. Ah, Christian! Though faith be the champion of grace, and love the nurse of grace, yet humility is the beautifier of grace; it casts a general glory upon all the graces in the soul. Ah! Did Christians more abound in humility, they would be less bitter, forward, and sour, and they would be more gentle, meek, and sweet in their spirits and practices. Humility will make a man have high thoughts of others and low thoughts of a man’s self; it will make a man see much glory and excellency in others, and much baseness and sinfulness in a man’s self; it will make a man see others rich, and himself poor; others strong, and himself weak; others wise, and himself foolish. Humility will make a man excellent at covering others’ infirmities, and at recording their gracious services, and at delighting in their graces; it makes a man joy in every light that outshines his own, and every wind that blows others good. Humility is better at believing than it is at questioning other men’s happiness. I judge, saith an humble soul, it is well with these Christians now, but it will be far better with them hereafter. They are now upon the borders of the New Jerusalem, and it will be but as a day before they slide into Jerusalem. An humble soul is more willing to say, Heaven is that man’s, than mine; and Christ is that Christian’s, than mine; and God is their God in covenant, than mine. Ah! Were Christians more humble, there would be less fire and more love among them than now is. (Thomas Brooks; Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, 209)
D- The mature believer is the one who comes cheerfully and gratefully before the God of the universe with a broken and contrite heart. That believer is cheerful that God will make him into a suitable temple because he is “in Christ” the living temple; but broken and contrite because he has such a long ways to go before completion and he becomes like Christ. (Is 66:1-3; Rom 8:29-30; 1 Cor 3:16-17; 6:19-20; 2 Cor 6:16-17; Phil 1:6; 1 Jn 3:1-2)
If you were in this happy [humbled] state, far from impatiently enduring those who are not, the immense stretch of your heart would make you indulgent and compassionate toward all the weaknesses which shrink selfish hearts. The more perfect we are, the more we get along with imperfection. The Pharisees could not bear the publicans and the women sinners, whom Jesus Christ treated with such gentleness and kindness. (Fenelon, Christian Perfection, 61)
The fuller of pride anyone is himself, the more impatient will he be at the smallest instances of it in other people. And the less humility anyone has in his own mind, the more will he demand and be delighted with it in other people…You must therefore act by a quite contrary measure and reckon yourself only so far humble as you impose every instance of humility upon yourself and never call for it in other people. (William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, 234)
Any desire of the heart for Christ, any secret brokenness, any godly sorrow over indwelling sin, any feeble going out of self and leaning on Jesus, is the gracious work of the Holy Ghost in the soul, and must not be undervalued or unacknowledged. A truly humble view of self, is one of the most precious fruits of the Spirit: it indicates more real fruitfulness, perhaps, than any other state of mind. That ear of corn which is the most full of grain, hangs the lowest; that bough which is the most heavily laden with fruit, bends the nearest to the ground. It is no unequivocal mark of great spiritual fruitfulness in a believer, when tenderness of conscience, contrition of spirit, low thoughts of self, and high thoughts of Jesus, mark the state of his soul. “Who hath despised the day of small things?”–not Jesus. (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 163)
Unwise counselors may try to tell us we should fight the loss of feelings. Yet gluttony for spiritual feelings opens a wide door to the other appetites, including greed, overeating, sexual lusts, the hunger for power, and other sins. When feelings become the focus of our faith, religion becomes not a friend but an enemy, concealing the true state of our heart. We wonder why we fall into sin so soon after a seemingly powerful encounter with God. What we fail to realize is that our hearts were stolen by spiritual gluttony, not real reverence. We have been misled into believing that these feelings are an indication of the temperature of our hearts and the commitment of our will. They are not.
So God steps back. He stubbornly denies us the spiritual feelings with which we’ve grown so familiar. This is frequently accompanied by very dry periods, times when our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and our hearts feel like hot, dry sand. God does this so He can irrigate our desert with the cold water of pure faith, so He can break our addiction to the sensual and call us to the truly spiritual, and so we can humbly say, without doubt or need for reinforcement, “O God, You are my God, and I will follow You all of my days.” (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 186-87)
God can never entrust His kingdom to anyone who has not been broken of pride, for pride is the armor of darkness itself. (Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds, 17)
The more guilt and shame that we have buried within ourselves, the more compelled we feel to seek relief through sin. As we fixate on our jaded motives and soiled conscience, our self-esteem sinks, and in a pernicious leap of logic, we think that we are finally learning humility.
On the contrary, a poor self-image reveals a lack of humility. Feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, inferiority, and self-hatred rivet our attention on ourselves. Humble men and women do not have a low opinion of themselves; they have no opinion of themselves, because they so rarely think about themselves. The heart of humility lies in undivided attention to God, a fascination with his beauty revealed in creation, a contemplative presence to each person who speaks to us, and a “de-selfing” of our plans, projects, ambitions, and soul. Humility is manifested in an indifference to our intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being and a carefree disregard of the image we present. No longer concerned with appearing to be good, we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are, aware of the sovereignty of God and of our absolute insufficiency and yet moved by a spirit of radical self-acceptance without self-concern. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 120-21)
The great weakness in the North American church at large, and certainly in my life, is our refusal to accept our brokenness. We hide it, evade it, gloss over it. We grab for the cosmetic kit and put on our virtuous face to make ourselves admirable to the public. Thus, we present to others a self that is spiritually together, superficially happy, and lacquered with a sense of self-deprecating humor that passes for humility. (Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust, 122)
The churches that mature in health and effect lasting change are the ones that come to God in brokenness and humility and beg Him to produce the obedience of faith in them. (Donald J. MacNair; The Practices of a Healthy Church, 231)
Real prayer is the breathing of God’s own Spirit in the heart; have you this? It is communion and fellowship with God; know you what this is? It is brokenness, contrition, confession, and that often springing from an overwhelming sense of his goodness and his love shed abroad in the heart; is this thy experience? (Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, 95)
Let us not forget that it is broken and contrite hearts which God will not despise; therefore, any ministry which fails to produce them, no matter how acceptable, is nevertheless in the sight of God a failure. (John D. Drysdale; The Price of Revival; 33)
These petitions to God are the worship songs of a broken people. But almost without exception they also display an underlying confidence and trust in God, and so are truly worship. As B. W. Anderson explains, “The laments are really expressions of praise–praise offered in a minor key in the confidence that Yahweh is faithful. (Matt Redman; The Unquenchable Worshiper, 28)
The debate gets so hot, it’s sometimes called ‘the worship wars.” Some churches are fighting for traditional forms of worship, and others are fighting for contemporary forms of worship. The traditional people accuse the contemporary people of being superficial, and the contemporary people accuse the traditional people of being irrelevant.
Isaiah points the way out of our wars into God’s peace by helping us think in God’s categories. His categories are not traditional versus contemporary worship but, more profoundly, acceptable versus unacceptable worship. And he has told us what kind of worship he considers acceptable: “The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit” (Ps 51:17). Acceptable worship is sweetened with a spirit of repentance. (Raymond C. Ortlund, Jr.; Preaching the Word: Isaiah, God Saves Sinners by, 33)
In this book you will find more than a dozen of these fast day messages described by Evan along with calls to corporate repentance issued by government bodies and church leaders. Early Americans, despite their faults, knew that God hated sin and punished it in the unrepentance, including unrepentant believers and churches. Because they feared God and His ability to punish, they sought to lead their people in quick and thorough repentance.
They were alert to signs of God’s manifest displeasure among them. Natural calamities, which some of us treat with a shrug of a shoulder, were dutifully examined, prayed over and improved by godly men of old. Even the unexpected death of a pastor, a youth, a government official, a farmer or a housewife had power to provoke them to inquire if God had a grievance against His people.
Their attitude of brokenness and contrition before God made them sensitive to what He was saying to them, just as the arrogancy and self-sufficiency of today’s church make it virtually immune to the voice of God and the promptings of the His Spirit. If they passed into dry seasons spiritually, they took this as a message from God and sought His face in renewed repentance an dedication.” (Robert Roberts; Sanctify the Congregation; xii)
Our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the concern, compassion and love which he showed to mankind, made some very vivid portrayals of man’s condition. He did not mince words about the gravity of human sin. He talked of man as salt that has lost its savor (Mt 5:13). He talked of man as a corrupt tree which is bound to produce corrupt fruit (Mt 7:7). He talked of man as being evil: “You, being evil, know how to give good things to your children” (Lk 11:13). On one occasion he lifted up his eyes toward heaven and talked about an “evil and adulterous generation” (v. 45). In a great passage dealing with what constitutes true impurity and true purity he made the startling statement that out of the heart proceed murders, adulteries, evil thoughts and things of that kind (Mk 7:21-23). He spoke about Moses having to give special permissive commandments to men because of the hardness of their hearts (Mt 19:8). When the right young ruler approached him, saying, “Good Master,” Jesus said, “there is none good but God” (Mk 10:18)…
Jesus compared men, even the leaders of his country, to wicked servants in a vineyard (Mt 21:33-41). He exploded in condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees, who were considered to be among the best men, men who were in the upper ranges of virtue and in the upper classes of society (Mt 23:2-39).
The Lord Jesus made a fundamental statement about man’s depravity in Jn 3:6: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.” He saw in man an unwillingness to respond to grace–“You will not come to God” (Jn 5:40), “You have not the love of God” (v. 42), “You receive me not” (v. 43), “You believe not” (v. 47). Such sayings occur repeatedly in the Gospel of John. “The world’s works are evil” (Jn 7:7); “None of you keeps the law” (v. 19). “You shall die in your sins,” he says (Jn 8:21). “You are from beneath” (v. 23); “Your father is the devil, who is a murderer and a liar” (vv. 38, 44); “You are not of God” (v. 47); “You are not of my sheep” (Jn 10:26); “He that hates me hates my Father” (Jn 15:23-25). This is the way in which our Lord spoke to the leaders of the Jews. He brought to the fore their utter inability to please God.
Following another line of approach he showed also the blindness of man, that is, his utter inability to know God and understand him. Here again we have a whole series of passages showing that no man knows the Father but him to whom the Son has revealed him (Mt 11:27). He compared men to the blind leading the blind (Mt 15:14). He mentioned that Jerusalem itself did not know or understand the purpose of God and, as a result, disregarded the things that concern salvation (Lk 19:42). The Gospel of John records him as saying that he that believed not was condemned already because he had not believed on the Son of God (Jn 3:18). “This is the condemnation, that…men loved the darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (v. 19). He said that only the one who has been reached by grace can walk not in darkness but have the light of life (Jn 8:12). The Lord Jesus emphasized that it is essential for man to be saved by a mighty act of God if he is to be rescued from his condition of misery (Jn 3:3, 5, 7-16). Even in the Lord’s Prayer the Lord teaches us to say, “Forgive us our debts” (Mt 6:12). And this is a prayer that we need to repeat again and again. He said, “The sick are the people who need a physician” (Mt 9;12). We are those sick people who need a physician to help us and redeem us. He said that we are people who are burdened and heavy-laden (Mt 11:28)…
The people who were most readily received by the Lord were those who had this sense of need and who therefore did not come to him with a sense of the sufficiency of their performance. The people he received were those who came broken-hearted and bruised with the sense of their inadequacy. (Roger R. Nicole, “The Doctrines of Grace in Jesus’ Teaching”)
We shall draw nearer to God, not by trying to avoid the sufferings inherent in all loves, but by accepting them and offering them to Him; throwing away all defensive armor. If our hearts need to be broken, and if He chooses this as the way in which they should break, so be it. (C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves, 122)
A man after God’s own heart is constantly rejoicing with a broken heart.” — Buddy Briggs (Bible study May 6th, 2012)
I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him. (Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, 19)
To receive God’s Grace all you have to do is humbly admit that you need it. James 4:7.
E- If Solomon with his limited knowledge of the God of The Name was able to worship in Spirit and Truth; we, the New Testament Church, are without excuse as we have an even better understanding of Who God is because we have Emmanuel. (Mt 1:22-23; Jn 15:22; Acts 17:29-31; Rom 1:20; 5:5-17; 2 Cor 3:3-17; Heb 1:1-4; 9:11-15; 10:26-31)
For the NT the ultimate resolution of the problem of the transcendence and immanence of God is the God/man, “the radiance of glory and the exact representation of his being” (Heb 1:3), who “tabernacled” in our midst (Jn 1:14). The visible glory of God would ultimately come to the second temple in the person of Jesus Christ. (Raymond B. Dillard, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 15, 24)
Worship point: You will know when your worship is in spirit and in truth when you realize there is nothing too great that God can ask of you. Also, you will know when your worship is in spirit and in truth when you see the ineptitude of your own spiritual performance and stand amazed at God’s holiness, righteousness, purity, power, forgiveness, wisdom, knowledge, mercy, love and grace. Worship that is in spirit and in truth will come as you know God.
The proud and lofty man or woman cannot worship God any more acceptably than can the proud devil himself. There must be humility in the heart of the person who would worship God in spirit and in truth. (A. W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship?, 84)
Spiritual Challenge: Endeavor to know God a little better each and every day.
That is the trouble with the world, it does not know God. And the world will never be interested in the Christian message until it has some knowledge of God.
Oh, the church has been blind to this. She has been trying to attract people to herself for fifty years and more, putting on popular programs, dramas, music, this that and the other, trying to entice people, especially young people, but they do not come. Of course not. They never will come until they know the name of the Lord, and then they will come. (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones; Revival, 309-10)
When we understand Who Jesus is, we will not grovel in our “small role” for the King of Kings. We will simply be eternally grateful we are on His side and have the absolute privilege of serving Him. — Pastor Keith
May all your expectations be frustrated,
May all your plans be thwarted,
May all your desires be withered into nothingness that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the compassion of God; who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN (By Brennan Manning)
Quotes to Note:
“True knowledge of God is born out of obedience.” (John Calvin as quoted in Eugene H. Peterson; A Long Obedience in the Same Direction discipleship in an Instant Society, 156)
These spiritual truths have profound implications for Israelite worship. Since God is everywhere present, the spontaneous and informal worship of the Lord of heaven knows no restriction of space or time. The righteous may rejoice in his presence continually (Ps 16:8; 34:1). Such praise is infectious–as praising the splendor of the God of heaven generates hope that in turn elicits even more praise (71:8, 14-15). In fact, this continual praise and worship of God is the whole purpose of life (63:4; 119:175). This was the implicit exhortation in the Chronicler’s retelling of the story of Solomon’s temple: “This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” (118:24). (Andrew E. Hill, The NIV Application Commentary: 1 & 2 Chr, 417)
Christ:
God Revealed
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