And His Allowance Was a Continual Allowance Given Him of the King…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From 2 Kings 25:30

Jehoiachin was not sent away from the king’s palace with a store to last him for months, but his provision was given him as a daily pension. Herein he well pictures the happy position of all the Lord’s people. A daily portion is all that a man really wants. We do not need tomorrow’s supplies; that day has not yet dawned, and its wants are as yet unborn. The thirst which we may suffer in the month of June does not need to be quenched in February, for we do not feel it yet; if we have enough for each day as the days arrive we shall never know want. Sufficient for the day is all that we can enjoy. We cannot eat or drink or wear more than the day’s supply of food and raiment; the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. One staff aids a traveller, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden. Enough is not only as good as a feast, but is all that the veriest glutton can truly enjoy. This is all that we should expect; a craving for more than this is ungrateful. When our Father does not give us more, we should be content with his daily allowance. Jehoiachin’s case is ours, we have a sure portion, a portion given us of the king, a gracious portion, and a perpetual portion. Here is surely ground for thankfulness.

Beloved Christian reader, in matters of grace you need a daily supply. You have no store of strength. Day by day must you seek help from above. It is a very sweet assurance that a daily portion is provided for you. In the word, through the ministry, by meditation, in prayer, and waiting upon God you shall receive renewed strength. In Jesus all needful things are laid up for you. Then enjoy your continual allowance. Never go hungry while the daily bread of grace is on the table of mercy.

2.14a

Weekly Links (3/2/2012)

No culture in history has ever embraced moral relativism and survived. Our own culture, therefore, will either (1) be the first, and disprove history’s clearest lesson, or (2) persist in its relativism and die, or (3) repent of its relativism and live. There is no other option. (Peter Kreeft, The Philosophy of Jesus)

by Stephen Rodgers

Let’s just jump straight into the links, shall we?

  • Creation.com has a great new resource out called “Genesis Verse-by-Verse.” It works pretty much like you might expect it would, creating an index of the first 11 chapters of Genesis down to the verse level, and then linking back to more than 8,000 articles that are relevant to that particular passage. It’s a great resource for that section of Scripture.
  • Since it’s now March, there’s a new edition of Tabletalk out entitled “The Self-Centered Life.” If you’re not reading Tabletalk, you should start.  If you don’t know where to start, how about our chronological index?
  • The quote from Peter Kreeft was actually inspired by an article in The Journal of Medical Ethics that recently argued in favor of “after-birth abortions.”  Sadly, this is actually intended to be serious rather than some sort of reductio ad absurdem.  I’ve updated the Abortion Hub Post with some materials.
  • Tim Challies is a rather prolific blogger, and recently started to explore the idea of visual representations of certain Biblical ideas or themes.  We’ve already benefited from this by shamelessly appropriating one of the visualizations for the BOB logo (not to worry, he allows that). However, I wanted to pass on some of his other visualizations for your benefit as well.

The Order of Salvation
The Attributes of God
The Books of the Bible
Philippians 4:8
Awaiting the Messiah

Alright, that’s all for this week.  See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

How’s Seminary Going?

by Roger Alcaraz

Six years ago, when God called me out of darkness, I had a very limited understanding of what being a Christian meant. By that time, I had heard some messages from the book of Romans, was getting discipled through the book of John, and had Christians around me as examples, so I knew that if I gave myself to following Christ, God would radically change my life. After counting the costs and confessing my sins, God gave me his Spirit and my life has never been the same.

What I neglected to consider were the hardships that would come with following Christ. It was later that I understood my calling. First Peter 2:21 says, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” I, like most people, would rather avoid suffering and I will probably never suffer to the extent of the Christians to whom Peter wrote. But I have had times of difficult trials and I see God’s care in never giving me a trial that I cannot bear. The point of this article is not to show how I have overcome trials. Hopefully, it will be clear that God was the one protecting and providing for me throughout.

This particular story begins in Fall of 2009, when I decided to go to seminary. After I graduated from UCSD, I had about eight months to look for a job. I needed something to keep me in San Diego. One of the main criteria for a job that I had was that they had to be okay with me going to seminary. I did not want to hide the fact that I would eventually be commuting to LA twice a week for school. I can only imagine getting hired and then telling my employee, “Oh, I forgot to tell you, I’m going back to school soon.” What kind of testimony is that? I wanted to trust that God would provide a job where I would not have to compromise and after interviewing at a dozen places, I landed a job at the last place I wanted to work – McDonald’s. But it was a good job and they fed me well.

By July, LBCSJ was planted and I became the new youth leader, going from preaching twice per year to twice per week, not to mention all the other responsibilities that I never realized were involved. When August came, I started seminary ready to learn and ready to take my relationship with Grace to the next level. By the third week of school, I bowed my knee before her and we promised our hands in marriage. Grace’s parents were opposed to us getting married so we had to go to LA a lot to see them to win their hearts.

So that is where I was. Within a few months, I was working, leading the youth, going to seminary in LA, newly engaged, and in conflict with my future family. But God provided for all my needs and sanctified me throughout. In God’s providence, though my discipler JR Cuevas had gone to San Jose for the church plant, he was forced to fly back to seminary each week to finish his last semester. He had previously dropped a semester because of his own engagement trials. When JR was going through the trials that caused him to drop his classes for a semester, I doubt he knew God would eventually use his extra time in seminary to minister to me. I was just off the starting blocks and I already wanted to quit, or at least slow down. But JR brought me strength each week to keep running. If it were not for JR’s example and encouragement to me, I doubt I would still be in seminary.

I had made it through the first semester, but JR had graduated so I wouldn’t see him the following semester. I didn’t know how God would provide but I knew he would, and he did. I enrolled in a prayer class and coincidently, this was the time I needed to pray the most. My legs were getting tired of standing and my head was sore from taking orders all day at McDonald’s. My sleeping schedule was off with working until 1:00am on some days and waking up at 4:00am on others. Things with Grace’s family were worse than ever, causing the first of three wedding postponements. Each week I would weep as I prepared for Friday’s youth message, but I would have to repent from my anger and sadness. My body, mind, and heart were ready to break and it was during this time that my prayer professor taught on the joys of suffering for Christ. He taught on Philippians 1:29 which says, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” The word translated “granted” is chrizomai in the Greek. It is similar to the word for spiritual gift and can be translated, “grace-gifted.” Suffering never seems like a gift of grace, but God promises that it will work for the believer’s good and so we should rejoice and be unashamed of it.

During my frail state, I would remind myself of God’s compassion and how easy my life was compared to others. It was also during this time that I was studying church history and read about the faithful Christians of the past who literally considered their lives of no value and dying as gain. There was a song called “Heavy Laden” that would encourage me throughout this time by a group name Hazakim. The song was about a man who understood the cost of being a disciple of Christ but thought his cross was too heavy to bear. So he asked Jesus for a lighter one and Jesus presented him before a field of crosses. He realized that the crosses were ones bore by previous believers who had since exchanged their cross for a crown. The size of the cross corresponded to the difficulty of life and he thought, “Surely the burdens they carried in their journey weren’t half as bad as mine.” As he continued, he found a cross that was smaller than the rest and he quickly made his decision, “Jesus I wish to carry this one.” Then with a look of sadness Jesus said, “My child I am fully aware of all you’ve been through. Nonetheless you may take it with you.” And as the man got closer, he realized that it was one he came in with.

That is how I felt as I cried out to God. I knew my trials were small compared to others’, yet God was with me the whole way and never gave me more than I could bear. My prayers to God were childlike, honest and simple, asking for more faith and for help. Concerning my job, I prayed for a new job. Knowing I didn’t deserve one, I asked God for a job that would give me one of the following: either allow me to sit, or allow me to study, or pay more, or offer a consistent schedule, or give me daytime hours. Since then, God has granted five out of the five requests I had for a job.

Concerning school, I prayed for a way to drive less or a way to drive later in the day. Since then, my classes have allowed me to drive up once a week instead of twice a week and to leave at 6:30am instead of 4:30am.

Concerning my engagement, I prayed that Grace’s parents and I could be reconciled, that they would support our marriage, and that we could set a wedding date. Since then, God miraculously worked in the hearts of her family to not only be supportive but excited for our upcoming wedding on September 15 of this year!

And so God personally lifted all of the burdens I put before him, though I know it was only because of his grace. As I conclude this article I have to mention the most instrumental part of God sustaining me through all this – the youth staff. It may have seemed strange to some that there were four men on staff with only two male students. Total, we had a staff of seven watching over eight students. But the ratios were not just beneficial for the youth; they were most beneficial for me. Multiple times per week, I would see how other saints are persevering through their own trials while seeking God. I never felt alone through my trials, and I heavily leaned on my staff for encouragement and examples. Four hour staff meetings and staff accountabilities lasting until 1:00am were some of the most tiring yet best moments of the year. I cannot tell where I would be without them.

This is part one of two concerning the theme of Lumos for 2012, “Unashamed of Christ.” What does all this have to do with being unashamed of the gospel? Stay tuned for next month’s article.

BOB – Job

by Stephen Rodgers

JOB IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“God allows human suffering for His own purposes.”

TITLE

The title of the book is the same as that of the central character: Job. That name might have been derived from the Hebrew word for “persecution,” thus meaning “persecuted one,” or from an Arabic word meaning “repent,” thus bearing the name “repentant one.”

In either case, it is not a common Hebrew name. In fact, the only recognizably Hebrew name in the book is that of Elihu, himself a somewhat problematic character…but we’ll get to that later.

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

The authorship of Job is hotly contested, and ultimately uncertain. It is generally agreed upon that the author could not have been Job, as his lack of awareness of certain elements of the story is a key point. Early Jewish tradition suggests that the author was Moses (supported somewhat by Midian’s proximity to the traditional location of Uz), although a number of scholars favor either Solomon or another well-educated Israelite during the Solomonic period. Elihu, Isaiah, Hezekiah, Jeremiah, and Ezra have also been suggested as possible authors, but with very little supporting evidence.

It is interesting to note that the author of Job frequently refers to God by His covenant name with Israel (“Yahweh”), whereas Job and his friends never refer to Him in this manner, using the more generic “God” or “the Almighty.” This suggests that author of Job did not share a chronological or cultural frame of reference with the subject of the book. Additionally, the author of Job shows a certain familiarity with other OT texts, often quoting them directly (Psalm 107:40; Isaiah 41:20).

Assuming ad arguendo that the book was written during Solomon’s reign, the target audience would have been Israelites living in the united kingdom at the time.

DATE

Care must be taken to separate the date of the content from the date of the composition.

Content-wise, Job is quite ancient, even archaic by OT standards.  Many consider the events in Job to pre-date almost all other OT records, possibly occurring as early as Genesis 12, which would have made Job contemporaneous with Abraham.  There are a number of other elements which would seem to support this thesis.  As the MSB puts it:

This conclusion is based on: 1) Job’s age (42:16); 2) his life span of nearly 200 years (Job 42:16) which fits the patriarchal period (Abraham lived 175 years; Gen. 25:7); 3) the social unit being the patriarchal family; 4) the Chaldeans who murdered Job’s servants (Job 1:17) were nomads and had not yet become city dwellers; 5) Job’s wealth being measured in livestock rather than gold and silver (Job 1:3; 42:12); 6) Job’s priestly functions within his family (Job 1:4, 5); and 7) a basic silence on matters such as the covenant of Abraham, Israel, the Exodus, and the law of Moses. The events of Job’s odyssey appear to be patriarchal. Job, on the other hand, seemed to know about Adam (Job 31:33) and the Noahic flood (Job 12:15). These cultural/historical features found in the book appear to place the events chronologically at a time probably after Babel (Gen. 11:1–9) but before or contemporaneous with Abraham (Gen. 11:27ff.).

Composition-wise however, there is less agreement, although the bulk of most scholarly opinions is that it should be located either during the period of Solomon when Hebrew wisdom-literature was at its zenith, or even later during the post-exilic period. There simply are not enough indicators within the text to place it more precisely than that.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

As previously mentioned, the book of Job takes place most likely during the time of the patriarchs.  This means that the context is closer to that of Genesis 12 than it is to Jerusalem after the return of the Babylonian remnant.  However, much of the book concerns the character and nature of God, and as such is not bound to a particular time or place.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are a number of themes that are prevelant throughout the book of Job:

  • God’s Sovereignty. Throughout the book of Job, God is shown to be in control of everything (Job 37:14-24; 42:2) even Satan (Job 1:12; 2:6). And while in the case of Job God never offers an explanation for Job’s suffering, He does offer something even greater: Himself.
  • God’s Goodness and Justice. The classic problem of evil is that God cannot be both good and powerful and yet allow evil.  Job reiterates that God is indeed good (Job 1:1-2:13; 42:7-17), while freely admitting that sometimes bad things happen to good people and vice versa.
  • Satan.  Satan is the adversary of God, and therefore the accuser of God’s people.  However, unlike the deities of other ANE literature, Satan is never portrayed as God’s equal.  Rather he is consistently shown to be subordinate in authority, power, and knowledge.
  • A Proper Response to Suffering. Job teaches us that while our pain and suffering are real, it is important to maintain humility and reverence for God in the midst of it.  We are not God’s equals any more than Satan is, and attempting to call Him to account will not end well for us.

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

There are a number of minor challenges that arise out of Job.  Notable among them are the fact that Job never fully understands the reasons for his suffering, the character of Elihu remains strangely incongruous and is never addressed in the final divine discourse, the fact that Job is both declared wrong for seeking vindication and yet ultimately vindicated (Job 42:7), and the fact that the reader must grapple with the fact that sometimes the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper.

Despite these minor issues, the central theme of Job remains the question of the so-called problem of evil: how can a good, powerful God allow suffering and evil?  The MSB summarizes it this way:

Engaging in “theodicy,” i.e., man’s attempt to defend God’s involvement in calamity and suffering, is shown to be appropriate in these circumstances, though in the end, it is apparent that God does not need nor want a human advocate. The book of Job poignantly illustrates Deut. 29:29, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God… ”

LITERARY FEATURES

The book of Job has an interesting and somewhat unique structure, being a prose framework containing a series of lengthy poetic speeches.  The speeches between Job, his friends, and ultimately the LORD Himself all take the form of a debate, with questions being posed and answered, rhetoric being bandied back and forth, and each side seeming to have the upper hand at one point.  There is even what could be construed as a darkly humorous element when the LORD appears out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1; 40:6)…exactly as Job had commented He might do (Job 9:17), which constitutes sort of a “yup…saw that coming” moment.  The ensuing “Yahweh speeches” silence all other debaters.

There are a number of other literary constructions within the framework of the book that are worth exploring, but we only have time for one: the contrast between the relationship of Job and God with the relationship (or lack thereof) of Job’s friends and God.  Much has been written of how Job’s friends make astute theological observations regarding the character of God, but comparatively little has been written regarding how only Job seems to address God directly.  While his friends have good theology, theirs seems to be a dead faith.  In contrast, while Job occasionally lets his pain get the better of him, he does so from a position of deep reliance upon God, and from within a framework of deeply personal relationship with Him.

OBJECTIONS

In terms of its canonical status, Job’s position within the Scriptures has never been seriously questioned.  What has been questioned however, is if the book is intended to be taken as historically literal, or merely as allegory. In other words, is the reader intended to understand that the events and persons that take place within the Job narrative actually happened, or is it just a sophisticated story exploring the question of theodicy in relationship with the Israelite God?

However, going solely on the internal evidence of Scripture, it seems as if Job was intended to be understood literally.  NT writers directly quote Job two times (Rom. 11:35; 1 Cor. 3:19), plus Ezekiel 14:14, 20 and James 5:11 indicate Job was a real person, listing him alongside other historical personages.

While some critics would certainly maintain that certain elements of the story seem to present as mythological or mytho-poetic, it should be noted that 1) to assume that from the outset due to an anti-supernaturalistic bias simply begs the question, and 2) the Hebrew theology and narrative differs on a number of key points from other ANE sources (such as the Babylonian theodicy, or accounts of the Hittite storm god Telepinu). In those records, invariably the problem of evil is resolved by portraying the gods as less than omnipotent; Job makes no such concession when it comes to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

  • Job 1:21
  • Job 14:1
  • Job 16:2
  • Job 38:4
  • Job 39:1 (John Kim’s favorite)
  • Job 42:4-6

DID YOU KNOW?

  • The book of Job pictures Satan coming into God’s presence (Job 1:6), which is odd to say the least.
  • Many theologians believe that Job 19:25 prefigures the work of Christ.
  • Job is widely considered by those in the know to be a “translator’s nightmare,” as it contains words, expressions, and even languages (Ugaritic) that appear nowhere else in Scripture. This suggests that the writer possessed both extraordinary literary skill, as well as access to earlier source material.

Other Works Referenced

  • Apologetics Study Bible, “Job Introduction”
  • Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Job”
  • ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Job”
  • MacArthur Study Bible, “Job”
  • NET Bible, Job
  • NIV Study Bible, Job
  • Reformation Study Bible, “Job”
  • The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Job”
  • Know Your Bible
  • Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
  • Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook

A Detestable Thing

by Elder Peter Lim

Ever since I was a small child, one of my favorite movies to watch has been “The Sound of Music” starring Julie Andrews. Without going into a detailed description of the story, one of the songs has the words “Nothing comes from nothing / nothing ever could / Somewhere in my youth or childhood / I must’ve done something good.” This song is sung in the context that since something good is happening to Fraulein Maria now, she must have done something good in her past. She is a candidate to be a Catholic nun, but this kind of logic is more in line with the oriental idea of Karma, that something should happen because of something that happened in the past. On the other hand, maybe something bad might happen since something good happened in the past as in the idea that yin and yang must balance itself out in order to have peace and harmony in the universe. This idea is even propagated in science fiction stories such as Star Wars as the “chosen one” will bring “balance” to the force. Some people who would consider themselves to be Christians no doubt believe in this and other pseudo-religious ideas of how the world works to a some degree without thinking twice about how they may conflict with Biblical truths. I wanted to examine ourselves to see if we are possibly in danger of mixing and injecting non-Christian ideas into our everyday lives, usually without even realizing it.

Many people minimize the dangers associated with unbiblical thinking. Some examples of this include: superstitions (black cats, broken mirrors, knocking on wood, good luck charms), wishing upon a star, wishing wells, or even something as innocuous as making a wish while blowing out the candles on a birthday cake or having fun with fortune cookies or a Magic 8-Ball. It sounds a lot worse if we are talking about Ouija® Boards, astrology, voodoo dolls, or casting spells. Pastor Patrick wrote an excellent article a few weeks ago regarding the Chinese Astrological roots to certain websites that claim to be able to foretell a baby’s gender. Most people who look at that stuff claim that it’s just entertainment, but almost in the same breath they would claim that it has a high success rate. Well which is it? Is it purely for entertainment or are you dabbling in the occult? Let’s not forget that demonic activity and spiritual warfare are for real. The more “accurate” something like that is (that’s not based on real science), the more you should stay away from it. We should not be surprised when divination produces accurate results. (Acts 16:16)

Deut. 18:9-14 says:

When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations.
There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.
For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you.
You shall be blameless before the Lord your God.
For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do so.

As they are about to enter the promised land, the children of Israel are warned not be like the heathen. It is no accident that people have always relied on things such as astrology to “guide” their decision making because the enemy will use anything that prevents people from relying on God and the values taught in His Word. All Satan has to do is give a little bit of credibility to any other system and people are willing to put their faith in something other than God. We Christians must not dabble in these detestable things which usurp God’s authority and guidance. Instead, we are to put our faith in the firm foundation of His Word which He has given to us. There are things that have been revealed to us and things that are kept secret. We need to learn to place our faith in God and trust that He will reveal things in His time.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law. (Deut. 29:29)

There Is Therefore Now No Condemnation

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Romans 8:1

Come, my soul, think thou of this.

Believing in Jesus, thou art actually and effectually cleared from guilt; thou art led out of thy prison. Thou art no more in fetters as a bond-slave; thou art delivered now from the bondage of the law; thou art freed from sin, and canst walk at large as a freeman, they Saviour’s blood has procured thy full discharge.

Thou hast a right now to approach thy Father’s throne. No flames of vengeance are there to scare thee now; no fiery sword; justice cannot smite the innocent. Thy disabilities are taken away: thou wast once unable to see thy Father’s face: thou canst see it now. Thou couldst not speak with Him: but now thou hast access with boldness. Once there was a fear of hell upon thee; but thou hast no fear of it now, for how can there be punishment for the guiltless? He who believeth is not condemned, and cannot be punished.

And more than all, the privileges thou mightst have enjoyed, if thou hadst never sinned, are thine now thou art justified. All the blessings which thou wouldst have had if thou hadst kept the law, and more, are thine, because Christ has kept it for thee. All the love and the acceptance which perfect obedience could have obtained of God, belong to thee, because Christ was perfectly obedient on thy behalf, and hath imputed all His merits to thy account, that thou mightst be exceeding rich through Him, who for thy sake became exceeding poor.

Oh! How great the debt of love and gratitude thou owest to thy Saviour!

‘A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear with Thy righteousness on,
My person and offerings to bring:
The terrors of law and of God,
With me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour’s obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.’

2.13p

Weekly Links (2/24/2012)

“Here’s the bottom line: forever not only promises us blessing in the future, but it guarantees us the grace that we need in the here and now. This grace is not a set of things; it’s a person, and his name is Jesus! Understanding that God’s greatest gift is himself changes the way you live. If Christ lives inside you, not only is it impossible for you to be alone, but it is impossible for you to be left to your own resources of character, wisdom, and strength.” (Paul David Tripp, Forever: Why You Can’t Live without It)

 by Richard Shin

There’s quite a bit of links this week. So, here we go:

  • The season of Lent is upon us. As such, Tim Kimberley from Parchment and Pen gives a short history on Lent.
  • Upon completing his personal study on Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, Tim Challies gives us six ways we can stand to fight against Satan.
  • Phil Johnson from Pyromaniacs shares the right idea behind what it means to reprove, rebuke, and exhort (2 Tim. 4:2).
  • With bits and pieces taken from the chapter called “Conformity to the World” from Charles Bridges’ book on The Christian Ministry, Mike Riccardi shares some wisdom on how we can follow Paul’s example from 1 Cor. 9:19-23 and not be conformed to this world.
  • If you were with us a few months back, you might recall some videos I referred to John Piper and John Knight. Well, you need to know what happened there to understand what happened here.
  • If we stay in the faith long enough, sooner or later we will lead others spiritually. Jon Bloom from Desiring God lists some ways Moses led his flock and how he was reminded that spiritual leadership is hard and sometimes heartbreaking. However, he reminds us that God is our reward (Heb. 11:26), and so we can be hopeful.
  • Among other things, John Piper is famous for his helpful acronyms. Well, he has a new one A.I.M.S. Check it out here.
  • Ray Ortlund Jr. breaks down Psalm 16:3 into its three phrases and shares with us some encouraging words that give a new perspective on the verse.

That’s it for now. For the collegians (and staff…yay!), have a great retreat. The rest of you, stay safe and glorify God.

Coram Deo

Psalm 78 (Sonlight)

by Daniel Kim

As I walked around the library, I saw a little 1-2 year old boy with a sucker in his mouth, seated by himself while perusing a book. As I was walking back to my desk, the little boy got up from his chair and ran to his mom, saying something inaudible to her. The mother acknowledged that it was time for him to eat. As I contemplate this scenario, I realized that this little boy has absolutely no way to survive on his own. As rebellious as this 1-2 year old boy may be, there is no way he can provide for himself or meet the basic needs of survival, such as food, shelter, and clothing. He, like all children, must submit to a higher authority (in this case, the authority of his parents).

The Israelites understood the importance of submitting to a higher authority. Although the Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 430 years (Ex. 12:40), the Israelites submitted to an even higher authority. Ultimately, the Israelites submitted to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 3:15). Psalm 78 shows that the Israelites were to submit to the authority of God because the LORD had delivered them from slavery in Egypt (Ps. 78:42), performed His miracles in Egypt (Ps. 78:43-52), parted the Red Sea (Ps. 78:13, 53), led them through the wilderness in a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (Ps. 78:14), provided water at Horeb (Ps. 78:15), provided manna (Ps. 78:24), provided meat (Ps. 78:27), and even provided the Israelites with King David (Ps. 78:70-72). Therefore, the Israelites came to know, follow, and obey the LORD because of their experiences with Him. They submit to God’s authority because they have experienced His saving, sustaining, and protecting power.

In a similar way, the children staff members at Lighthouse have come to know the Lord through their own individual experiences as well. Each Christian has had an experience of God’s grace through the message of the cross. Hence, there is a clear understanding that the gospel is the power of God onto salvation (Rom. 1:16), that the gospel has the power to change the heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ezek. 11:19; 36:26), and that God demonstrated His love for us through the gospel (Rom. 5:8). Because of this experience of God’s love, Christians have a responsibility to follow the Lord and all His commandments, including His commandments in regards to children.

In the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelites to bequeath the knowledge of the Lord to the coming generations. To name a few examples, the Israelites were to tell their children about the events that occurred (Ex. 12:23-24; Deut. 4:9-10; Deut. 11:2-7), the commandments of the Lord (Gen. 18:19; Ex. 20:3-17; Deut. 4:40; 5:7-21; 6:4-7; 11:18-21; 31:12-13; 32:46-47) and physical reminders of His faithfulness (Gen. 9:12-13; 17:12; Ex. 12:13-14; 12:26-27; Josh. 4:5-7). In Psalm 78, the psalmist Asaph (1 Chron. 15:16-17; 16:4,7; 2 Chron. 29:30) wanted to emphasize the importance “telling the coming generations” of the knowledge of the Lord.

By retelling the past events in Psalm 78:9-72, Asaph wanted the Israelites to tell the coming generations about “the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders that he had done” (Ps. 78:4). The reason behind all this can be seen in verses 7, 8. They were to do this so that the coming generations “should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments” (Ps. 78:7). Another reason for passing on the baton was so that “they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God” (Ps. 78:8).

In Psalm 78:7, there are three reasons the Israelites were to tell the next generation about the Lord: The children were to…

  1. Set their hope in God,
  2. Not forget the works of God, and
  3. Keep His commandments.

Although this verse was addressed to the children of Israel, these reasons are still relevant today. Since this verse is still applicable today, I would like to do an Old Testament and present day analysis of the three reasons listed above.

“Set their hope in God”

In the Old Testament, the Israelites, were to hope in the LORD because he promised to lead them to the Promised Land (Ex. 3:8,17) and he promised he would protect them from their enemies (Deut. 31:3-8). Moses understood that the sole reason the Israelites were distinct from all the nations of the world was because the LORD was with them. In Exodus 33:16b, Moses says, “Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” For this reason, the Israelites were to put their hope in the Lord.

As a Sunday school teacher, I tell the children that they ought to put their hope in God as well. The children are taught that we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Because of this truth, we will all face the judgment seat of God and give an account (Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Pet. 4:5). But God provided a way of salvation for us (1 Tim. 2:5-6) and “while were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Therefore, the children are taught to put their hope in Christ, because he has the power to save us from our sin and from the wrath of God. Furthermore, this way of salvation is exclusive (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and is only possible through the person and work of Jesus. Therefore, the children are taught to put their faith solely in Jesus for their salvation.

“Not forget the works of God”

In Psalm 78, “forgetting” and “remembering” are reoccurring themes (vv. 7, 11, 35, 42), pertaining to the Israelites. The psalmist hoped that those who sang this psalm (this psalm is identified as a maskil) would “not forget the works of God.” Rather, the Israelites were to remember the deeds of the Lord. The Israelites were to remember the wonders God performed in Egypt (Ps. 78:12, 43-52), how God parted the Red Sea and did not allow their enemies to pass through (Ps. 78:13, 53), and how he led His people into the Promised Land (Ps. 78:54-55). As mentioned earlier, the Israelites experienced God in a unique way (Ex. 33:16). These experiences were not only for the Israelites to remember and recollect, but were to also point to God’s character. Since the Lord led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to the land promised to their forefathers (Gen. 12:7; 13:14; 15:18-21; 17:8), they were to trust in His character.

Teaching the Bible stories such as Noah’s ark, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the Exodus, and David and Goliath, all reveal the character of God, such as His justice, sovereignty, kindness, goodness, etc. Therefore, in the same way that the Israelites ought to have remembered the works of God so that they would trust in His character, children today should also be taught the works of the Lord so that they would also trust in His character. Moses attests to God’s character as he claims God to be “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.” (Deut. 32:4). Furthermore, Paul claims that out of his own love and mercy (both attributes of His character), God chose to save sinners through Christ (Rom. 9:15-16,18; Eph. 2:4-5). It is important to teach children “the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27), so that they understand His character and he looking for in faithful, obedient followers. As they grow in their knowledge of God, the children can hopefully come to know that the Lord is trustworthy and that they should put their faith in Him.

“Keep His commandments”

In Deuteronomy 32:46-47, Moses tells the Israelites to “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” Thus, the Israelites were to keep God’s law; to obey it, not to depart from it. The Lord gave the Israelites the 10 commandments (Ex. 20:3-17; Deut. 5:7-21) and the Mosaic law. Also, the Israelites were to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul and might (Deut. 6:5).

Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). As Christians, we have received special commandments, such as to make disciples of Christ (Matt. 28:18-20), to love God and to love people (Matt. 22:37-40; Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:27-27), and to be faithful witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). In regards to children, there are special commandments as well. For example, children are told to obey their parents in the Lord (Deut. 21:18-21; Eph. 6:1). Other commandments are important to teach children as well, such as not coveting (Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21), not complaining (Phil. 2:14), and honoring our father and mother (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16). These commandments are important because they impress upon the conscience of a child that there is a God, he has commandments to be followed and that God is the ultimate source of morality. In knowing this, the children can come to know the difference between right and wrong. Furthermore, children can come to understand that they are sinners in need of a Savior and hopefully they can realize that on their own, they are incapable of following God’s law perfectly and instead they must rely on an alien righteousness to be justified before a thrice holy God. Therefore, the law of the Lord should not be the endpoint in itself. Instead, the holy statutes of the Lord should point to the person and work of Jesus Christ, and specifically what he has done for us on the cross.

The overarching theme in Psalm 78 is one generation telling the next about the glory of God, or as our former senior pastor, Pastor John Kim, would say, ‘Passing on the greatness of God to the next generation”. Therefore, this implies that Christian parents should be telling their children about the greatness of God (Ps. 78:4). Furthermore, Christian parents should tell their children about the importance of submitting to the authority of God.

As I consider the little boy that was in the library, I understand that he, along with all children, must submit to a higher authority. I also know that along with submitting to his parents, he will one day have to submit to the authority of his teachers, his bosses, and ultimately to God (Rom. 14:11-12). As Christians, we have the unique opportunity to tell the next generation about the hope that we have in Christ, the great works that the Lord has done, and the commandments that he has given us. Christian parents have the unique privilege of telling their children of how they experienced God’s saving grace in their own lives. Also, as Christians, these parents understand the importance of authority.

Therefore, Christian parents should live their lives in a manner which shows that they too are under the authority of God. In this way, children can see the importance of joyfully submitting to a higher authority and hopefully, one day, their little hearts will be transformed the power of the Spirit through the message of the gospel (Ezek. 36:26; 37:1-9). Hopefully, in this way, children can experience the grace of God themselves and submit to the authority of the Lord. And hopefully, these children can accredit and thank their parents for faithfully modeling this higher authority, just as this young writer has had the honor and privilege of witness his own parents modeling this higher authority and being faithful in handing the baton of “passing on the greatness of God to the next generation.”

Steve Hays vs. The Internet

by Stephen Rodgers

If this sort of thing is deadly poison, then all I can say is that it’s a very slow-acting poison, for I’ve been reading this stuff for years, and it hasn’t killed my faith or precipitated a crisis of faith or even raised a flicker of doubt. Like small, incremental doses of venom, administered over time, the effect of this stuff is not to kill the patient, but to build up an immunity. If it’s had any impact, the effect is rather the reverse. I’ve read books like this before. I always come away thinking to myself, “Gee, if this is the best they do, then they must be pretty hard up for excuses!” So, no, the encounter with his book did not precipitate any Exorcist-inspired head-twirling. (Steve Hays, “Satan’s School for Girlie-Men”)

For those of you who have wondered, but largely been too kind to comment, we’ve been scrambling a bit this week on the Beacon. Pastor Patrick is traveling, I’m battling a flu, and it seems that an unfortunate confluence of events have conspired to wreck our normal weekly schedule. Fortunately, I’ve got a few backup articles in various states of readiness, and this seemed like a good opportunity to both extend a little grace to our content-providers, while still supplying something our readers could really sink their teeth into.

I’ve mentioned in other contexts that atheism has a history of attempting to subvert traditionally Christian forms of argument, and a rather prolific example of this is the so-called “free-thought argument.” The form of that objection varies, but the gist of it generally goes something like this: “Religion in general (and Christianity in particular) are faith-based, dogma-driven, irrational belief systems. If only the Christian would take a step back, examine competing claims from a neutral perspective, and apply universal standards of logic and reason to what they believe, they would quickly realize the error of their ways.” They then go on to typically pepper the believer with a wide range of challenges and counter-claims for why Christianity must be false.

Now, anyone who knows me understands that I take umbrage with a rather large number of those propositions, from the claim of irrationality to the smuggled assumption that there is such a thing as a “neutral” perspective. But what I’d like to explore (briefly!) today is that this line of argument is actually derived from Christian principles. And as invariably happens when we compare and contrast Divine wisdom with human wisdom, we discover that God did it first, and God did it better.

You see, Proverbs 18:17 warns of the dangers of naive acceptance in the face of human persuasiveness, and admonishes us to to be discerning and (appropriately!) skeptical of such claims. Luke records that diligent examination of questions in the light of Scripture is not a blow to dogma, but rather something “noble” (Acts 17:11).

That is why I am incredibly grateful for the hard work that many apologist have done and continue to do in refuting the many, varied, and (seemingly increasingly) odd and desperate challenges that are raised against Christianity.  And I want to take a moment to highlight one of those men, and perhaps turn you on to some of his work in the hope that you will not only be educated, but edified.

Steve Hays blogs prolifically at the famous Triablogue which as been referenced here on the Beacon a number of times. Today I just want to raise awareness of a few of his more substantial efforts to review and refute some of the more popular offerings contra-Christianity. For anyone interested in familiarizing themselves with these objections (and their subsequent refutations), this would be a good place to start:

He has also written or co-written a number of book-length responses to other published anti-Christian books.  The more notable of these are:

Last but not least, I expect you would benefit from a few of his other works as well:

  • Love the Lord with Heart and Mind, a survey he conducted with a number of theologians and apologists regarding their reasons for embracing Christianity
  • Why I Believe, (part 1 and part 2), his positive case for the Christian faith

For what it’s worth, a number of these resources (and others!) are available in various ebook formats as well.

For those of you who are going to be reading these for the first time, I envy you: you’re in for a treat.

…Beloved, Now Are We the Sons of God

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From 1 John 3:1-2

‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. Consider who we were, and what we feel ourselves to be even now when corruption is powerful in us, and you will wonder at our adoption. Yet we are called ‘the sons of God.’ What a high relationship is that of a son, and what privileges it brings! What care and tenderness the son expects from his father, and what love the father feels towards the son! But all that, and more than that, we now have through Christ. As for the temporary drawback of suffering with the elder brother, this we accept as an honour: ‘Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.’ We are content to be unknown with Him in His humiliation, for we are to be exalted with Him. ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God.’ That is easy to read, but it is not so easy to feel. How is it with your heart this morning? Are you in the lowest depths of sorrow? Does corruption rise within your spirit, and grace seem like a poor spark trampled under foot? Does your faith almost fail you? Fear not, it is neither your graces nor feelings on which you are to live: you must live simply by faith on Christ. With all these things against us, now-in the very depths of our sorrow, wherever we may be- now, as much in the valley as on the mountain, ‘Beloved, now are we the sons of God.’ ‘Ah, but,’ you say, ‘see how I am arrayed! my graces are not bright; my righteousness does not shine with apparent glory.’ But read the next: ‘It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him.’ The Holy Spirit shall purify our minds, and divine power shall refine our bodies, then shall we see Him as He is.

2.13a