Lamentations: God's Word for the Brokenhearted

 He has made my teeth grind on gravel,
  and made me cower in ashes;
 my soul is bereft of peace;
  I have forgotten what happiness is;
 so I say, “My endurance has perished;
  so has my hope from the LORD.”

 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
  the wormwood and the gall!
 My soul continually remembers it
  and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
  and therefore I have hope:

 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
  his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
  great is your faithfulness.
 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
  “therefore I will hope in him.”

 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
  to the soul who seeks him.
 It is good that one should wait quietly
  for the salvation of the LORD.
 It is good for a man that he bear
  the yoke in his youth.

 Let him sit alone in silence
  when it is laid on him;
 let him put his mouth in the dust—
  there may yet be hope;
 let him give his cheek to the one who strikes,
  and let him be filled with insults.

 For the Lord will not
  cast off forever,
 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
  according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
 for he does not afflict from his heart
  or grieve the children of men.

 To crush underfoot
  all the prisoners of the earth,
 to deny a man justice
  in the presence of the Most High,
 to subvert a man in his lawsuit,
  the Lord does not approve.

 Who has spoken and it came to pass,
  unless the Lord has commanded it?
 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High
  that good and bad come?
 Why should a living man complain,
  a man, about the punishment of his sins?

 Let us test and examine our ways,
  and return to the LORD!
 Let us lift up our hearts and hands
  to God in heaven:
 “We have transgressed and rebelled,
  and you have not forgiven.

 “You have wrapped yourself with anger and pursued us,
  killing without pity;
 you have wrapped yourself with a cloud
  so that no prayer can pass through.
 You have made us scum and garbage
  among the peoples.

 “All our enemies
  open their mouths against us;
 panic and pitfall have come upon us,
  devastation and destruction;
 my eyes flow with rivers of tears
  because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.

 “My eyes will flow without ceasing,
  without respite,
 until the LORD from heaven
  looks down and sees;
 my eyes cause me grief
  at the fate of all the daughters of my city.

 “I have been hunted like a bird
  by those who were my enemies without cause;
 they flung me alive into the pit
  and cast stones on me;
 water closed over my head;
  I said, ‘I am lost.’

 “I called on your name, O LORD,
  from the depths of the pit;
 you heard my plea, ‘Do not close
  your ear to my cry for help!’
 You came near when I called on you;
  you said, ‘Do not fear!’

 “You have taken up my cause, O Lord;
  you have redeemed my life.
 You have seen the wrong done to me, O LORD;
  judge my cause.
 You have seen all their vengeance,
  all their plots against me.

 “You have heard their taunts, O LORD,
  all their plots against me.
 The lips and thoughts of my assailants
  are against me all the day long.
 Behold their sitting and their rising;
  I am the object of their taunts.

 “You will repay them, O LORD,
  according to the work of their hands.
 You will give them dullness of heart;
  your curse will be on them.
 You will pursue them in anger and destroy them
  from under your heavens, O LORD.”
(Lamentations 3:16-66 ESV)

 

 

"It is an easy thing to extol in high terms the favour of God in prosperity, and also to exhort those who have reasons to hope well to entertain confidence, and to bring forward God's promises, that the minds of the godly may recumb on them; but when things are in a state of despair, and God seems to have forsaken his Church, since prophecy still remains in its force, and God appears as stretching forth his hand to the miserable, and to such as are almost in a hopeless state, we hence derive much benefit, and this is the chief use of what is taught here" (John Calvin).

 

It has been a difficult weekend. Our great excitement and expectations for the weekend came to an abrupt halt Friday afternoon. Tragedy has struck again, and most of us are still struggling to wrap our minds around the horrific events that took place in an elementary school, first-grade classroom. Some of us rushed to our TVs and turned on the news. Some of us whipped out our cell-phones and began browsing the headlines. Some of us called friends and family that we knew in the area where the shooting occurred. Some of us crumbled to our knees, and prayed one of those prayers that Paul speaks about in Romans 8:26. Throughout the myriad of thoughts racing through our minds at that second, one we shared was, "What is this world coming to?"

 

I have avoided watching the news the past few days. I know what happened, and the media has no hope whatsoever to offer for this tragic situation. When tragedy strikes, we are often glued to the television set, waiting for the media to report on something good that happened in the midst of the tragedy. We are slightly encouraged by reports of heroes and heroines that sacrificed their lives to try to save another's, but that's not enough to answer that burning question that itches all of our ears: Why?!

 

I watched one of the national broadcast news' morning report this morning, and I began to crumble. Twenty first-grade children without a care in the world, anxiously anticipating Christmas break, whose bright-smiled pictures proudly decorated their families' homes and wallets, will now be the bright-smiled pictures that leave an entire nation "Under God" grieving and wondering Why? Why these children? Why now? Why there? Why? Why? Why?

 

We stay glued to the TV waiting for the media to answer that fifth "W" question, but they don't have an answer for us. We know who, we know what, we know when, we know where, but we have no clue why. We talk about it with others at work, with our families, with our fellow believers, but we never seem to have the answer each of us is looking for. Our children huddled beside us on the couch ask the stinging question, "Why did God let that man kill all those kids?" Choked up, wondering the same question ourselves, we try to reassure them along with ourselves that God will use this tragedy for good and for His glory, but our hearts are actually filled with doubt that any good can come from this.

 

If you've read God's Word, then you know that this is not a question that remains unasked throughout Scripture. How many of God's faithful servants were left wondering why God allowed them to succumb to tragedy after tragedy? How often did God's unfaithful people wonder why God turned a blind eye to their suffering while the wicked and sinful flourished and abused them? King David, a man after God's own heart, was even left wondering, "Why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?" Of course, even the only begotten Son of God asked His Heavenly Father Why? as He was crucified on the cross for our transgressions. Brothers and sisters, do not be ashamed of wondering Why?, but be careful how you respond to God's answer.

 

When tragedy strikes, Lamentations is a good book to turn to when you are left wondering Why? As the book of Job teaches us, not every destruction and tragedy we face is a punishment for our sin. This is where our hearts deceitfully venture first to answer our question. We automatically think, "What did I do to deserve this?" We are quick to ponder this question after an event reminds us just how frail human life is, but the thought hardly ever crosses our minds when all is seemingly well. We never wonder why God has so bountifully and graciously provided for our every need in the past, but as soon as our world is turned a bit off kilter, we are quick to file through the sins we have committed and wonder which one God is punishing us for. This, as the book of Job relates, is not good.

 

Every destruction, tragedy, and evil committed in this world is a result of our sin but is not necessarily a punishment or judgment of God for our particular sins. In light of this recent tragedy, Christian churches should not (although many will) try to make any connotation between the tragedy that occurred in Connecticut with social sins that our country has committed. We need not mention the sins of abortion, divorce, or the lack of Christian education in our culture in connection with the tragedy that has taken place. God is not punishing America's policy on the destruction of unborn life by taking the lives of twenty first-graders, and perish the thought in the hearts and minds of God's people that He ever would.

 

On the flip-side of the coin, this event, along with every tragedy, is not outside of God's control and power. That is to say, Satan did not achieve the upper-hand in this tragic loss of life and lay a stinging blow to God's ability to thwart all wicked destruction. Similarly, God is not sitting idly in Heaven, allowing the rest of history to play itself out, allowing man to destroy himself and creation until He chooses to return to judge the quick and the dead. As verses 37 and 38 relate, "Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come?" These verses help us understand that nothing comes to pass outside of God's sovereign will, but that leaves many doubting the goodness of God. Surely, if God allowed this evil to occur, then He must necessarily be guilty of the evil committed and, therefore, not be a good God. Calvin extinguishes this incendiary idea much better than I ever could:

"Let us then hold this doctrine, that nothing is done except by God’s command and ordination, and, with the Holy Spirit, regard with abhorrence those profane men who imagine that God sits idly as it were on his watch-tower and takes no notice of what is done in the world, and that human affairs change at random, and that men turn and change independently on any higher power. Nothing is more diabolical than this delirious impiety; for as I have said, it extinguishes all the acts and duties of religion; for there will be no faith, no prayer, no patience, in short, no religion, except we believe and know that God exercises such care over the world, of which he is the Creator, that nothing happens except through his certain and unchangeable decree.

"Now they who object, and say that God is thus made the author of evils, may be easily refuted; for nothing is more preposterous than to measure the incomprehensible judgment of God by our contracted minds. The Scripture cries aloud that the judgments of God are a great deep; it exhorts us to reverence and sobriety, and Paul does not in vain exclaim that the ways of God are unsearchable. (Rom_11:33.) As, then, God’s judgments in their height far surpass all our thoughts, we ought to beware of audacious presumption and curiosity; for the more audacious a man becomes, the farther God withdraws from him. This, then, is our wisdom, to embrace only what the Scripture teaches. Now, when it teaches us that nothing is done except through the will of God, it does not speak indiscriminately, as though God approved of murders, and thefts, and sorceries, and adulteries; what then? even that God by his just and righteous counsel so orders all things, that he still wills not iniquity and abhors all injustice. When, therefore, adulteries, and murders, and plunders are committed, God applies, as it were, a bridle to all those things, and how much soever the most wicked may indulge themselves in their vices, he still rules them; this they themselves acknowledge; but for what end does he rule them? even that he may punish sins with sins, as Paul teaches us, for he says that; God gives up to a reprobate mind those who deserve such a punishment, that he gives them up to disgraceful lusts, that he blinds more and more the despisers of his word. (Rom_1:28; 2Th_2:10.) And then God has various ways, and those innumerable and unknown to us.

 

"Let us then learn not to subject God to our judgment, but adore his judgments, though they surpass our comprehension; and since the cause of them is hid from us, our highest wisdom is modesty and sobriety.

"Thus we see that God is not the author of evils, though nothing happens but by his nod and through his will, — for far different is his design from that of wicked men. Then absurd would it be to implicate him as an associate in the same crime, when a murderer, or a thief, or an adulterer is condemned, — and why? because God has no participation in thefts and adulteries; but the vices of men are in a way wonderful and incomprehensible as his judgments. In a word, as far as the heavens are from the earth, so great is the difference between the works of God and the deeds of men, for the ends, as I have said, are altogether different."

 

"But this I call to mind,
  and therefore I have hope:
 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
  his mercies never come to an end;
 they are new every morning;
  great is your faithfulness.
 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
  “therefore I will hope in him.”
 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
  to the soul who seeks him.
 It is good that one should wait quietly
  for the salvation of the LORD...

 For the Lord will not
  cast off forever,
 but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
  according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
 for he does not afflict from his heart
  or grieve the children of men."
 

Overall, we have brought this tragedy upon ourselves when Adam disobeyed the command of God and plunged every man, woman, child, creature, and all of creation into the destructive power of sin. The punishment of sin is death, and every sinful creature shall die once. Whether we live to see eighty or our life is snuffed out after six months, we will all die and this is unavoidable. Death is sadly a part of our lives because of man's sinfulness. Death, however, is not the only punishment, but hurt, pain, destruction, torment, and immense suffering.

The Lord causes grief in our lives, grief that will cause us to wonder What have I done to deserve this?, and such grief should not point us to a single sin but to an entire sinful nature in need of salvation from sin and its desserts: pain, suffering, grief, and death. God does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men. He finds no pleasure in our suffering from sin. He does not delight in the tragedies that we have exposed ourselves to through sin, but He does allow and cause us to be stricken with grief so that we might repent of our sins and turn to Him for compassion. God does not enjoy our suffering, and He even suffered along with us and for us, even death upon a cross, so that He could save His creation from the sinful torments they brought upon themselves. He hates our suffering and our sin so much that He burdened Himself with it so that we might be freed from it by faith in Him. Unfortunately, so many of us ignore our only hope of salvation until God removes every false hope from our line of sight and reminds us that He is our portion and we can and should only hope in Him. It takes tragedies to remind us that the most tragic event that occurred throughout all creation is the only one that brings us hope above all others: our creator died the sinful death of His creation so that mankind might pass from sin and death to life everlasting through His death and resurrection.

As a nation, we should certainly grieve over this terrible tragedy. As a church, we should not be surprised when we ask Why? That is not a bad question to ask, but we need to let God answer our question through His Word. He is not going to answer each of us individually through a dream or a vision. He is not going to let an event or a circumstance answer that question. His answer is clear, and we need to obey immediately: "Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven" (Lamentations 3:40-41 ESV). In short, let us pray!

Let us remember who our only hope is! Let us lift up His name on high! Let us praise and worship Him for His truth and glory! Let us humble ourselves and glorify Him with honor! Let us recognize that although the mountains should fall, our God sits upon His throne in Heaven and protects the needy and defenseless! Let us remember that God has provided the Lamb for the sacrifice, and has shown compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love by giving His only begotten Son as the propitiation for our sins!

Let us never forget that although these children, their protectors, and their murderer have left this sinful world, God will judge the sinful and will pardon the faithful! This heinous crime shall not be ignored by God. He has heard the cries of the children, He has heard the sound of their blood crying from the ground, and He has answered their cry for justice. Their murderer shall not remain unpunished, and although he may cry, "My punishment is greater than I can bear!", the Lord will execute His just judgment!

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

This is the hope that we have as Christians. In the midst of great grief and tragedy, our message must not change. Death is not the end-all. There is a resurrection from the dead, and when the death toll climbs the glory of the resurrection increases! Although God will be glorified for every man's resurrection, the resurrection will not be a wonderful experience for everyone. Some will be resurrected unto everlasting life and some unto everlasting torment. The book of life is written in the blood of Christ and has been published long before the foundations of the earth have been laid. The names in that book were written before the men and women who match those names even drew a single breath. Their names are not in that book because of their deeds in this life, but solely because of Christ's obedience in life and death to God's will. Therefore, countless childrens' names are surely included in the book of life, to include names of the twenty murdered children. Even children who remained unnamed in this world because they never survived the womb have names listed in the book of life. This gives us immense hope in light of tragic, child death that occurs around the world every day.

Finally, we do not know whose names are listed in that book, but we must assume that every neighbor that surrounds us is listed in the book of life. How shall they believe if they have never hear the Gospel? In light of tragedy, those who are at enmity with God do not grow softer, but rather, their hearts tend to grow harder. They hate someone that they claim does not exist. They say that events like these just go to prove that there is no God, and if there is, He is either all-powerful and unloving or all-loving and not powerful. Overall, the hard hearts will hate with a further passion Him who they fervently argue does not exist. How much more, therefore, should we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to these people?! Remind them that this situation is completely hopeless if there is no God. These children will never receive justice and they will never know any more of life. To remove God from this tragedy is to say that the cry of these children's blood will never go answered and to steal from their families any hope of seeing their children raised from the dead on that last great day. Without God, this situation is bleak indeed. But with God, there remains hope, and you MUST provide that hope to those who cannot see it. But you must first see that hope yourself, and therefore, you must read God's Word and lift up your prayers and doubts before God so that He can comfort you by the Holy Spirit in the salvation and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:14-16) 
 

Tempted? See the salvation of the LORD!

The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly.

 And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."

And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:9-14)

Temptation got you down? Are you struggling with a sin in your life that you cannot seem to shake? You have been freed from the slavery of sin by the blood of the Passover Lamb. You have been freed from slavery and you now venture as a pilgrim to the Promised Land. But lo and behold, sin chases you down to trap you and to completely destroy you when there seems no route of escape. You raise your eyes, and instead of praise, your lips are tainted by fear and doubt. Why has God freed you from your sins, placing a new heart in you, writing the Law on your heart, giving you the will and ability to be righteous by the power of the Spirit only to allow you suffer more in this sin than you did before when you committed it without a heart to obey Christ?

But wait a minute, what does all of this have to do with the Israelites at the Red Sea? Exodus is a just an Old Testament story about God saving Israel from the oppression of a wicked Egyptian Pharaoh through the mediation of Moses and by signs and wonders? What does that have anything to do with my salvation and my present struggle with temptation?

Arthur Pink writes:
"Historically, the book of Exodus treats of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt; but viewed doctrinally, it deals with redemption. Just as the first book of the Bible teaches that God elects unto salvation, so the second instructs us how God saves, namely, by redemption. Redemption, then, is the dominant subject of Exodus" (from Gleanings of Exodus).

With this in mind, Exodus is both a historical narrative of the true events that took place concerning Israel's exodus from Egyptian bondage, and also a narrative of true events that take place in every believer's redemption from the bondage of sin by the hand of God. The historical Passover points to the sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ upon the cross (1 Cor. 5:7). Paul also shows that the Israelites were baptized into Moses in the Red Sea and that they drank from the spiritual Rock, Jesus Christ, in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:1-4). By their crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites in a sense died to Egypt and were raised to a new life free from slavery and free to worship their Covenant God. Therefore, there is undoubtedly a connection between every believer struggling with besetting sins and temptations with the Israelites that felt trapped at the shore of the Red Sea. Like Israel, we have been saved from slavery but it now seems that we have only been saved from bondage for our utter destruction. 

Sin is now attacking all the more vehemently for our demise, sparing no device at its possession. Just as Pharaoh gathers every resource at his disposal, so sin will not let you leave its possession quietly. You can trust that sin will seek to devour you all the more after you are freed from its reign over your life. Satan, the accuser, will recognize your new resting place in Christ, and he will take advantage of your new position hidden in Christ to increase his attacks' propensity and intensity.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:8-10)

All of Israel was encamped at the shores of the Red Sea. They all experienced this same trial together. You are not alone. Look to your right and to your left, and recognize your brothers and sisters who are in the same boat with you. Know that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. There is not a fellow brother or sister that does not have sin seeking to destroy them. There is not a fellow believer that is not sought out by the devil to devour.

As the enemy approaches, Israel lifts their eyes up but not high enough. They look upon Pharaoh's army and they begin to doubt God's salvation. They accuse God of only freeing them from Egypt in order to destroy them in the wilderness. They foolishly say that it would have been much better that they remain in Egypt as slaves than to be slaughtered as freemen in the wilderness. We are quick to see the foolishness in Israel's lack of faith, but do we not often make the same foolhardy mistake and speak such faithless words?

For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they (the wicked) entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: "The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire." (2 Peter 2:18-22)

Like Israel, we are tempted to return to Egypt like a dog returns to its own vomit and a sow returns to wallow in the mire after being cleaned. We believe that we are in a worse state now, facing destruction as freemen in the wilderness, than we would have been in if we had only remained under the bondage of sin. However, Peter clearly articulates that the worst state of all is to escape the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then to be overcome and entangled back in our past corruption. Israel, therefore, only saw two options: die in the wilderness or return to Egypt as slaves.

Arthur Pink writes:

How absurd are the reasonings of unbelief! If death at the hands of the Egyptians was to be their lot, why had Jehovah delivered them from the land of bondage? The fact that He had led them out of Egypt was evidence enough that He was not going to allow them to fall before their enemies. Besides, the Lord had promised they should worship Him in Mount Horeb (3:12). How, then, could they now perish in the wilderness? But where faith is not in exercise, the promises of God bring no comfort and afford no stay to the heart.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God is faithful, and He promises to provide the way of escape so that you may not be destroyed and overcome by temptation and sin. God has not delivered you from sin in order for you to be enslaved by it once more. Therefore, look at Moses' words to the people of Israel, and take them to heart: "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."

Fear not, Christian. Stand firm on the Rock, believer. See and remember the salvation of the Lord, brother and sister. The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die--but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Romans 5:7-11)

The Red Sea was parted, the Israelites passed through on dry land, the army of Pharaoh pursued them, but were swallowed up in the sea. Paul tells us that Israel's passage through the Red Sea was a type of baptism. Therefore, look to your baptism, Christian, when Egypt seeks to return you once more to bondage. It will pursue you, it will chase after you, but you have entered a path where it cannot pursue. You have died with Christ and have been raised with Him, and never forget that which your baptism signifies (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12)! If while you were still an enemy of God he reconciled you to Himself by the death of his Son, how much more, now that you are reconciled through our Lord Jesus Christ, shall you be saved by his life.

The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The sins that you see today, you shall never see again. Fear not. Stand firm. See and remember the salvation of the Lord.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

Your slavery is past tense. Yes, sin will chase you to the shores of the Red Sea, but remember the salvation of the Lord when you feel trapped against its bank. Such were some of you. You were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. As Israel passed through the Red Sea and Egypt could not follow them, you too have passed from death to life in Christ's death and resurrection, and sin, like Pharaoh's army, shall be consumed by the raging waters.

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:16-23)

Amen.
 

To Vote or Not to Vote? (Part 2)

My dear friends and fellow readers, I must apologize for negligently leading you astray in my last post about whether or not it is lawful for a Christian to vote for a non-believer who does not recognize the Kingship of Christ. In my negligence, I passed over a crucial section of the Testimony of Faith, which would have persuaded me against the prior position that I took concerning scriptural principles of government. In section 15 of the Testimony, we read that:

The Christian, when such action involves no disloyalty to Christ, ought to be involved in the selection of and to vote for civil rulers who fear God, love truth and justice, hate evil, and are publicly committed to scriptural principles of government. Ex. 18:21; Deut. 16:18; 2 Sam. 23:3; Rom. 13:3

Herein, the Testimony defines its own terms of what it means when it states that we should only vote for men who are committed to scriptural principles of government. As I admitted in my previous post, I was uncertain whether the qualifications for a leader provided in Exodus 18 and Deuteronomy 1 were descriptive of the leaders placed over the holy nation of Israel or whether they were prescriptive qualifications that every civil ruler should meet. The RPCNA clearly demonstrates a prescriptive understanding of these two passages by referencing them  as proof-texts for Section 15, and therefore, remaining loyal to Christ and Scriptural principles of government requires Christians to vote for men who fear God and possess godly wisdom. I hope that this understanding of Scripture will persuade you as it has persuaded me. (To be further persuaded, please read Sean McDonald's two comments to my first post.)

Section 17 of the Testimony states:

The Christian must profess publicly and the Church must witness, that Christ is the Ruler of every nation. Whatever the official action of the civil government of a nation may be, the Christian in his civil actions must always exhibit his loyalty to Christ. The Christian must relinquish every right or privilege of citizenship which involves him in silence about, or denial of the supreme authority of Jesus Christ.

How could I have missed these two crucial sections of the Testimony in my last post? My negligence is my foolishness. I strongly encourage all of you to read through the texts provided to support section 17: Matt. 5:13-14; Prov. 3:5-6; Ps. 37:7; Matt. 22:21; John 17:14-15; Mark 13:9. If none of the candidates for president are publicly committed to scriptural principles of government, then we must relinquish our vote, publicly profess, and witness to the nation (and the world) that we will not just settle for anyone so that our political views will be upheld (although very marginally) but that we will demand a man who recognizes the supreme authority of Jesus Christ even if it means relinquishing our votes and submitting to being governed by the ungodly.

Why the huge change of heart and mind? Since my last post, I could not stop thinking about the biblical language of the Kingdom of God. I kept thinking of government dualistically. That is to say, I was thinking of civil government as of "this world" and church government as of "that world." However, they are one and the same, but not yet consummated under one Head, Christ Jesus. Yes, government is not a natural institution. By that, I mean that government is necessary because of the Fall, and that man must be governed now because of sin. Although government is a result of Adam's sin in the Garden, God has redeemed this institution in the work and person of Jesus Christ. Before the Fall, there was no need for a king, but Christ now rules as King of kings. Government is not a worldly institution that will be removed at Christ's return, but rather, government will be fully redeemed and consummated when the King returns to judge the nations. That is why the Testimony rejects, "the teaching that Christians should not seek the establishment of Christian civil government" (Sec. 8). To reject Christian civil government is to reject Christ's consummation of the office of King. Although government will not be fully Christian until Christ returns, we as Christians, nevertheless, must recognize the need for Christian government. Much like we must not cease to put sin to death although we know we will never be perfectly sanctified until Christ returns, we must not cease to recognize Christ as King although we know He will not be perfectly recognized and submitted to as King until He returns to judge the nations.

Pray, search the Scriptures, and be willing to submit yourself to God's will. It is not easy to go from arguing that we should vote this election to arguing that we should not. Perhaps I should not have made my previous position so public, but then again, if I had not then I would not have received the persuasion I needed to reach the position I now take. Every way of man is right in his own eyes, and that is why I often make my positions public so that my thoughts can be reviewed and critiqued by others.

If nothing else, you have two arguments presented: one for and one against voting. Weigh them both heavily against the teaching of the Whole Counsel of God. Rom. 14 is still very applicable, and no matter what stance we take, we need to be careful how we respond to others.

To Vote or Not to Vote?

Some of you may have your minds set this election; not on the candidate you plan to vote for but on whether or not you will even vote at all. There seems to be more controversy over whether or not Christians should vote this election than who Christians should vote for. As a member of a confessional church (RPCNA), I turned to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Testimony of the RPCNA in order to see what they have to say on the subject. As a deacon, I vowed that I believe and accept the system of doctrine and the manner of worship set forth in these two documents, and I did not take any exceptions thereof. Having reviewed Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate, I do accept and believe the system of doctrine without exception.

Section IV of the Westminster Confession of Faith states:
"It is the duty of people to pray for the magistrates, to honour their persons, to pay them tribute and other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience's sake. Infidelity, or difference in religion, doth not make void the magistrates' just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to them: from which ecclesiastical persons are not exempted; much less hath the Pope any power and jurisdiction over them in their dominions, or over any of their people; and, least of all, to deprive them of their dominions, or lives, if he shall judge them to be heretics, or upon any other pretense whatsoever."

First of all, what jumps out at me the most is the first part where it states that we ought to pray for, honor, pay tribute to, obey lawful commands, and be subject to the magistrate's authority. Before we start wagging the finger at the non-Christian candidate(s) lack of Christian conviction and recognition of Christ as King and speak about what a terrible president they would make, we first need to recognize that we are being terrible Christian citizens, both within the civil sphere and as citizens of Zion. When was the last time you prayed for the civil magistrates that God has placed over you? Do you hold them in honor or in contempt?

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim. 2:1-4)

Secondly, nothing within this section (or any of the other three) jump out to me as articulating clearly that a Christian cannot vote for a candidate that does not publicly recognize Christ as the supreme King of kings. However, it must be recognized that the Westminster Confession of Faith is not an American document and it was written long before the United States and Constitutional democracy were around. Therefore, I turn next to The Testimony of the RPCNA, which is an American document.

Section 23 of the Testimony states:

"The failure of a civil government, through negligence, ignorance, or rebellion, to recognize the authority of Jesus Christ does not cancel its just authority. A civil government, though guilty of many sins, still has authority in so far as it furthers some of the scriptural ends of civil government."

Section 29 states:

"When participating in political elections, the Christian should support and vote only for such men as are publicly committed to scriptural principles of civil government."

Herein, I recognize that a government is not invalidated by its failure to recognize the authority of Jesus Christ . In addition, the Testimony does not clearly suggest that Christians should only support men that publicly recognize the authority of Jesus Christ as King of kings. With that said, the Testimony does articulate that Christians should only vote for men who publicly commit to scriptural principles of civil government. Well then, what are scriptural principles of government? That could require a long, drawn-out biblical theology, but I am inclined to turn to Romans 13 first:

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 

"Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. 

"But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 

"Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom. 13:1-8)

Governing authorities in power, regardless of their homage to Christ as King, are said to be servants of God and an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. The scriptural principles of civil government that I observe in this passage are: 1) government is instituted by God to be a terror to bad conduct, 2) to be God's servant for the good of others, 3) to be an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer, and 4) to collect taxes because they are ministers of God. On this last point, Calvin writes:

"If it be their duty to defend and safely preserve the peace of the good, and to resist the mischievous attempts of the wicked, this they cannot do unless they are aided by sufficient force. Tributes then are justly paid to support such necessary expenses." (John Calvin's Commentary on Romans 13)

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses recollects the election and appointment of judges/commanders from the twelve tribes of Israel to command thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens, and officers throughout all the tribes. The Hebrew word used in this passage for commanders or captains is the same word used for princes, chiefs, rulers, and  governors throughout the Old Testament. This is one of the few elections recorded in scripture, and the qualifications that Moses provides for these commanders is that they be, "wise, understanding, and experienced men" (v. 13, 15). In Exodus 18, Moses recollects the very same election of commanders, and the qualifications that Jethro provides for the commanders is that they be, "able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe" (v. 21). On this passage, Calvin explains:

"Jethro enumerates four qualifications which must be principally regarded in the appointment of judges, viz., ability in business, the fear of God, integrity, and the contempt of riches, not to exclude others whereof, as we shall soon see, mention is made in the first chapter of Deuteronomy, but to signify that all are not qualified, nay, that extraordinary virtues are required which, by synecdoche, he embraces in these four."

Therefore, the combination of these two passages relate that those elected as rulers/commanders/judges over the people of Israel had to be able, wise, understanding, and experienced men who were from the people, who feared God, who were trustworthy, and hated a bribe. As Calvin points out, these qualifications are merely a synecdoche, wherein Moses provides only four qualifications to represent the entirety of the righteousness and ability the men required to fill the position. In simple words, the list is not at all exhaustive.

Two qualifications that jump out to me in regards to this discussion is wisdom and the fear of God. In this passage we see a biblical election of governing officials, albeit, they are to govern the very children of God. Therefore, are these qualifications descriptive of men elected to judge the twelve tribes of Israel or are they prescriptive of all elected officials? That question, I do not have an answer to. Obviously, you would not want a judge who did not fear God to rule or judge the holy nation of Israel, but does it necessarily follow that all governing officials must fear God, and wisely recognize the Kingship of Christ as a qualification?

Romans 13 shows that government is not a Christian institution but that it is, nevertheless, instituted by God. In Romans 13, Paul seems to allude to a clear separation between the role of the church and the role of the state. Both are institutions of God, but they serve different purposes by different means. The church is to make disciples of all nations by preaching the Word, administering the sacraments, and teaching all that Christ commanded. The state is to carry out God's wrath on the wrongdoer, uphold the moral law with truth and justice, defend the defenseless, and collect taxes in order to fulfill its God-given function. Remembering the historical context of Romans 13, Paul is telling the Romans that Rome and Caesar are servants and ministers of God, and although they are not under the rule and authority of a Christian state with Christian rulers, they are to submit to the authorities God has placed over them. Therefore, no matter what the outcome of the election, we are to submit to the authorities placed over us and pray for them as well.

In conclusion, Romans 13 seems to demonstrate a distinction between the role of a governing authority within civil government and the role of a governing authority within the church. It seems to me that a civil magistrate is to natural revelation what ruling elders are to special revelation. As pastors and elders oversee, judge, and discipline, by Christ's authority, citizens of the church within God's saving grace who have attested their belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life, civil authorities oversee citizens outside the church within God's common grace who have the law written (natural revelation) on their hearts and are held accountable to God for their wicked deeds (Rom. 1-3). Therefore, civil authorities must be committed to biblical principles of civil government in order to earn our vote. They must know the law written upon their hearts, they must recognize the need for discipline and punishment of those who break the Law, they must seek to defend their citizens from domestic and foreign enemies, but their primary duty is not to proclaim Christ as Lord and Savior, unlike pastors and elders.

I am not yet persuaded that Christians should not vote for a civil leader that is not a Christian and does not recognize the Kingship of Christ. I challenge those who would seek to persuade me otherwise to consider their consistency upon this matter. Will you not vote for a city council member, county sheriff, mayor, judges, representatives, congressmen, and the like without requiring them to publicly proclaim Christ as King first? If you will not, and you can honestly attest to your consistency to do so, then I applaud you for your Christian convictions and fidelity to them. With that said, I think we should be very careful about this subject, especially during presidential elections, lest we cause our weaker brothers in Christ to stumble. Are we being careful about how we articulate our positions? Is voting for a non-Christian president a matter of Christian liberty or a matter of fidelity to God? Those who vote for the "lesser of two evils" are not seeking to be unfaithful with the vote that God has given them, they are not seeking to tear down the Kingdom of God with their vote for a non-believer, but they believe that voting for a Mormon with scriptural principles of civil government and the law revealed in natural revelation is better than voting for a man that has demonstrated support for principles of civil government that are against scripture and the Law. Therefore, I close with Romans 14 in its entirety and urge you to consider whether the kingdom of God is a matter of voting or of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit?

"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 

"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 

"Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

                        'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
 
"Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 

"Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." (Rom 14:1-23)


 

Are you working this Lord's Day?

"Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal. 3:5)

It's the Lord's Day, that blessed day that we gather together as the children of God, the body of Christ, the flock of the Shepherd, to worship our God, Creator, Redeemer, Comforter, and Holy Father. If we would just stop and think about what we go to do this day, we would be reminded that this day especially is all of grace and not of work. If we would just remember our rest in Christ Jesus by His work of redeeming us from our sins by the spilling of His precious blood and life upon the cross, then this day would remind us that God is gracious and we are wretched sinners. Alas, many of us to go church this Lord's Day to work rather than to be saved by grace through faith.

In Galatians 3:5, Paul asks a rhetorical question that should cause us to stop and think about how we are preparing our hearts for worship on the Lord's Day. Are we merely trying to get our spiritual ducks in a row before we head out the door to church so that we can do everything within our power to make the most of this Lord's Day, or are we waking up in the morning, falling to our knees, and thanking the Lord that He supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you by hearing with faith?

The Lord's Day can be all about me, oftentimes. It is all about my works. How well am I dressed? How much am I tithing? How well am I listening to the sermon? How loud am I singing the Psalms? How devoted am I to prayer? How sincere do I seem in my love for others and my love for God? Am I working hard enough to make this day a delight? Am I endeavoring with all of my spiritual strength and mirth to make the most of the blessed day? Am I working hard enough to obtain the grace of God?

Stop, wretched man! Stop! This day is not about you. This day is not about your works. Your works can accomplish nothing this day. This is the day of rest! Stop working, wretched man, because you are accomplishing nothing but demonstrating idolatry, wherein you desire to replace Christ's work with your own.


"Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:2-3)

How did you first receive the Spirit? Was it by all of your works or was it by hearing the Gospel preached with faith? Having first begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be perfected by your own works?

Go this Lord's Day, and recognize that all of your works, no matter how sincere they may seem to you, are not going to make this day blessed. You can work as hard as you want this day, but it is not works of the law that will make your worship pleasing to God. It is not works of the law that will renew and strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by the hearing of the Word preached this day.

Contrary to logic, the best way to prepare your heart for worship this day is to stop trying to prepare your own heart and rest in the Lord. This is His day. He has already clothed you in white robes of righteousness. What better vestments can you wear? He has taught and trained your tongue to sing and given you the Spirit to know that the Psalms you sing find their yes! and Amen! in Him. He has given you ears to hear good news, and the Spirit works miracles through the hearing of the Gospel. He has given you a new heart to love your neighbor as yourself and to love God as your Heavenly Father. He guides your prayers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes on your behalf, teaching us to pray and praying for us with groanings too deep for words when we do not know what to pray for. Your heart has already been perfectly prepared  for this day of worship, and you need to rest by faith in Christ's finished work. This day is not about work but about faith. This day is not about picking up where Jesus left off, but it is all about worshiping God for He has done the impossible, He has made wretched sinners like you and me righteous through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ said, "It is finished." It most surely is. Stop working, and rest.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:1-2)


Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith, this day, and put aside every effort to perfect that which you can never perfect and to accomplish that which you can never accomplish. Prepare your heart for worship, therefore, and look to Jesus!

Moses found comfort in Christ

"Wherefore, you may assure yourself, that as Christ was always set before the fathers in the Old Testament, to whom they might direct their faith, and as God never put them in hope of any grace or mercy, nor even showed himself good unto them without Christ: even so the godly in the Old Testament knew Christ by whom they did enjoy these promises of God, and were joined to him. [To Christ, by faith.] And, indeed, the promise of salvation never stood firm till it came to Christ. And there was their comfort in all their troubles and distresses, according as it is said of Moses, 'He endured as seeing him who is invisible, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense of reward' (Heb. 11:26-27)." (Edward Fisher's The Marrow of Modern Divinity)

 The modern English translation of Hebrews 11:26-27 reads, "He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible."

So, you think you have had a rough week, month, year? At least you weren't a prince of Egypt who was being hunted by Pharaoh for murder and insurrection for an accident, rejected by your own people when you tried to stand up and defend them from oppression, completely floored by the direct revelation and voice of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the recipient of the divine command to lead God's people, a people you have known only afar from Pharaoh's palace, out of the heart of Egypt to the Promised Land.

If Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt then why can't you consider the reproach of Christ greater than your earthly treasures? Consider Moses when God revealed Himself to him. He had hit rock bottom and went from being a prince of Egypt to being a vagabond sheep herder. He probably had heard more about the false deities of Egypt from Satan's sorcerers than he had heard about his fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their covenanting God. In the blink of an eye, Moses' life completely changed. He went from being a lost shepherd to becoming a type of Christ, the ordained mediator of God's people, and the typical savior of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. He went from being a wanted man to the most feared man on the face of the planet, a man that not even Pharaoh dared to touch or imprison.

What made Moses so great? Was he not a man just like you and I? Was it not his faith in Christ that made him able to endure all of this, seeing him (Christ) who is invisible? Moses found comfort in Christ! Why don't you?! Moses would begin writing the God-breathed, authoritative, inspired Scriptures that you now have sitting on your bookshelf containing the perfect and complete canon of Scripture. Moses never saw Christ, but he found comfort in Him as the savior and redeemer of God's people from the bondage of sin. Moses did not know Jesus would be his name, but Moses nevertheless knew Christ and clung to Him by faith. Moses did not have the Psalms, the prophets, the chronicles of Israel's kings, the gospels, the acts of the early church, the epistles of Peter, Paul, James, and John. And yet, he saw Christ by faith and endured the reproach of Christ because he saw Him who is invisible.

I won't end by saying that if Moses can find comfort in Christ then surely we can. It was not Moses' human ability to find comfort in Christ, but it was the comfort of the Holy Spirit that quickened him by faith to seek Christ and His righteousness. If you are seeking the Lord, if you are looking for comfort in Christ Jesus, if you are seeking the forgiveness of sins and the Kingdom of God by faith in Christ, then the Holy Spirit has already found you. Therefore, find comfort that you will endure as you see Him who is invisible.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Cor. 13:9-13

And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Acts 1:10-11