Looking Ahead

This week’s study in 2 Samuel 23 caused me to imagine what it will be like when Christ rules the earth. Verse 4 is part of the oracle of God channeled through David near the end of David’s life. This oracle is a prophecy and is different from David’s other songs and psalms in that verses 1-2 identifies it as the utterance or oracle directly from God (and not from David’s own thoughts). When we get to verse 4 it talks about what it will be like when there is a ruler over the people ruling in the fear of God (verse 3).

2 Samuel 23:4: “like the morning light at sunrise on a cloudless day that makes the grass on the earth sparkle after a rain” (CJB). Picture in your mind the most glorious cloudless day and the total sparkling of the greenest grass after a nice rain. This brought to mind some of the images various Scriptures (old and new testaments) gives us about the earth when Jesus is ruling over it in the end times. One commentary put it this way:

“Imagine a world where the curse is removed, where the environment is restored to the pristine purity of the Garden of Eden” (See Summary of Millennial Kingdom by clicking here.)

It is hard for me to imagine such a world, but it does cause me to look forward with great anticipation to such a beautiful time and place (the commentary listed several other wonderful characteristics of those times).

In contrast, for those who are not a part of God’s kingdom, 2 Samuel 23:6-7 tell us of what the ungodly are like and what they can expect in those times.

But the ungodly are like thorn bushes to be pushed aside, every one of them. They cannot be taken in one’s hand; To touch them one uses pitchfork or spear-shaft, and then only to burn them where they lie. (CJB)

The aforementioned commentary also explains more about that. It is a contrast that is not missed by me: beautiful Eden-like creation vs. useless thorns thrown into a fire.

As part of God’s kingdom, I’m rejoicing and, as I said, looking forward to such a glorious time.

Burdened For the World

Daniel’s prayer and praise in Daniel, chapter 9:1-19, convict me. There are several key elements in this approximately three-minute prayer to which my attention was drawn.

First, Daniel may have intended to be long-winded, but God sent an answer while he was still praying. In verse 21 Daniel tells us, “while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, who I had seen in the vision previously, came to me . . .” I often think I’m not praying enough meaning my prayers are too short. However, God heard Daniel and responded quickly. One commentator suggested that God heard Daniel right away and it took Gabriel three minutes to get to him. Or, the commentator suggests Gabriel got there right away but stood by, shifting from one foot to the other, waiting for Daniel to notice him. Either way, God sent His answer quickly, not after long hours of prayer as I often suppose has to happen.

Second, Daniel prayed with understanding and earnestness. Verse 3 says, “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.” He also started off with praise and confession. Verses 4-5 say,

I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, ‘Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.’

Notice, he included himself in the confession. There is no record of Daniel’s sin in the Bible, but from his own mouth we know he sinned. He was pleading on Israel’s and his own behalf for forgiveness. However, I noticed that throughout the prayer, he acknowledged God’s character and promises. He acknowledged how they had sinned against all the commandments that God had provided them through His ordinances and through the prophets. They had rebelled in spite of God’s goodness.

And, third, Daniel’s heart was burdened for all the people and for God’s glory to be highlighted. My heart is now sufficiently burdened for mankind and that the glory of God, through the sacrificial act of Jesus Christ’s life, death and resurrection, be made known throughout the world – starting with me wherever I go and whomever I talk to. I also need to pray and keep in mind that it’s all for God’s glory. We are made for Him, not Him for us. We should be about the business of God, proclaiming Him and loving in His name. If I’m truly burdened for the world, I need to take every opportunity to share Christ, as He is the only hope in the world and through Him we learn to give God all the glory and praise we can. No matter how much we acknowledge God and point others to Him, it is not enough. He deserves so much more than we can humanly give Him. Being burdened for the world (our sin included) and trying to bring glory to God go hand-in-hand. Keeping both those perspectives in mind allows us to know true joy and peace.

Why Laugh?

Keeping the theme of laughter in mind, I pondered the question of how can I laugh in the midst of my struggles. I found an answer in my daily reading in Joy Breaks. The key to laughing in the midst of tribulation and suffering is being focused on God and His eternal promises to us. 

Romans 5:3-5 are very encouraging to me and help me focus on what really matters. “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” [NASB] Proven character is the goal, and that only comes about by dealing with some suffering in our lives.

I’d rather not have to deal with the suffering part of things. The hope of the future glory we will experience, and the hope of being in the presence of God, is great. But to truly rejoice in the coming of those things, we have to experience some suffering. If everything on this earth was great and happy and fun, we would not be looking forward to being with Jesus in heaven at the end. The tribulations keep us longing for the next life; a life in God’s presence where there is no trials or suffering. If we were without the troubles and tribulations here on the earth, we would already be in the presence of God because in His presence, in His kingdom, in heaven, is the only place where everything will be perfect.

So, knowing that the suffering in this world is just preparing me for a time in the future where all my hopes will be realized, gives me cause to rejoice. With the rejoicing because of the hope of the future, a hope that will not disappoint me, I can see past the troubles I face in this world. I can be confident that better times are ahead. I can rejoice in the knowledge that this life, and any current struggles I may be having, are only temporary. I can rejoice in the eternity of peace, love, acceptance, and glory that is to come, and exist permanently for me.

So I can choose to see struggles as temporary. I can be glad for my suffering because those struggles lead to a proven character, a character that is in Christ’s likeness, in glory forever. If I view my struggles as temporary, I can laugh in the midst of them, knowing that the hope I have for an eternal existence without suffering is waiting for me.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Today is Christmas Day. As you all know. I’m not sure how many of you will read this today since you will probably be busy with family and friends. I know I will be.

I wanted to have a nice Christmasy article for you to read, however, I already wrote about my Christmases past and have talked about what this holiday means to me. So I thought I’d just share from my Quiet Time today in 1 Timothy 1:12-17. This passage is Paul telling Timothy his credentials for sharing the gospel. Paul said he was the worst of sinners and yet that made God’s mercy and grace even more remarkable.

That mercy and grace only came about because of Christmas Day and the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Paul talks about how it was the Lord Christ Jesus that did everything for him and allowed him to be a minister of the gospel of salvation. The passage reads as follows (from the NASB):

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. ¹⁶ Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those ^[a]who would believe in Him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory ^[c]forever and ever. Amen.”

So all of Paul’s ministry was possible only because of Christ Jesus. That same truth is what makes my life and ministry possible today. It’s because Christ came into this world as a human being and lived and died on the cross that we have God’s mercy and grace available to us.

I especially like how Paul ends this passage, with praise. Today, as I think about Christmas and all that Christ Jesus did for me, I am able to praise God in the same way: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory, forever and ever. Amen.” Let’s celebrate Christmas with the thankfulness and praise it deserves.

Praising God for His Glory

When I think about praising God, I think about His glory. I want to be like the saints in heaven as they are singing in Revelation 1:6 “to Him be the glory and the power and the majesty and the dominion throughout the ages and forever and ever. Amen (so be it).” [Amplified Version] But what is the glory?

Glory has a lot of different meanings. The first thing that comes to my mind is beauty as in a glorious countenance. God is the ultimate in beauty. He shines and is like gems of every color of the rainbow (Revelation 4). Other words that describe glory are greatness and honor. Eminence, majesty, prestige, and splendor are also words used to try and convey the meaning of glory.

Our words of praise are too meek and mild for describing what God is really like. Like David and the other writers of the Psalms, the best we can do is compare God’s glory to things we do know about. Psalm 19:1 compares God’s glory to the heavens (“The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”) Think of a beautiful summer’s evening sky with the clouds reflecting the sun’s rays turning the sky various shades of purples and pinks and oranges. That’s glorious, but God is even more glorious. In Psalm 57:11 it again compares God’s glory to the heavens: “Be exalted above the heavens, O God; Let Your glory be above all the earth.” His glory is greater than all the heavens and everything in the earth. No matter how glorious a sunset we might ever see, God’s glory is greater still.

I try to picture what God’s glory is like while I’m praising Him. That is very difficult to do but if I keep in mind that it’s greater than the most beautiful sunset or the most beautiful landscape, I get to a place of awe and that’s what praise is all about. I’m in awe of God’s greatness, of His splendor and of His majesty. And telling Him I’m in awe of Him is what worship and praise is all about. Acknowledging His glory is one way to do that.