Redeemer and redeemers

And now it is true that I am a redeemer. (Ruth 3:12 ESV)

Redeemer and redeemers

In my library, I have a lot of books, but only one Book.  I enjoy many movies, but I really have one Movie.  I have many friends, but one Friend.  I have lived quite a few days, but I really focus on one Day.

Ruth had a number of redeemers (her husband, her mother-in-law, Boaz), but only one Redeemer, the yet-to-be-born Christ Jesus.

In fact, Ruth’s many redeemers all directed her to the ONE redeemer.  Boaz may have been her immediate redeemer, but Boaz’s redemption was limited, temporary, and inadequate.

But her enjoyment of Boaz’s redemption taught her to seek the Redeemer, her Savior, the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Himself.

In the same way, perhaps you have redeemed someone.  But you are not the Redeemer.

Perhaps you have been redeemed.  But that redemption pales before the light of THE Redeemer.

We all need redemptions, and God graciously gives them to us.

Redeemers, big R and small r, are an amazing blessing.

Tools

After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines with an oxgoad, and he also saved Israel. (Judges 3:31 ESV)

Tools

Many of my best tools were gifts.  My grandfather created amazing plumbing tools, and they were passed down to me.  My collection of battery powered drills and saws were mostly given to me by my father.  And some of the tools that I have purchased, were bought because an experienced craftsman gave me his knowledge and brought a useful tool to my attention.

We do not know much about Shamgar… but he had an oxgoad (a pointy stick to keep oxen in line) and he used it to kill 600 Philistines.  This short description of one of the Judges of Israel does not give us a lot to go by… but what we do know centers around that pointy stick.

As we read this description, we do not see a trained warrior, or battle commander, or a ninja.  We see a Shamgar doing the work God gave him, and becoming a hero.

God puts us in place, and puts the tools we need in our hands.

Whether that tool is a Bible verse to suggest to a hurting friend at just the right time, or a memory that can guide someone in trouble, or faith that encourages a downhearted companion.

God gives the tools, God sets the situation, and smiles as we do His work.

Not because we’ve trained for it (although training is a tool…); not because we have impressed God (although He looks favorably at His children); and not because He desperately needs us (although He desires to work through us).

What a blessing the Lord’s tools are.

Ehud

Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. (Judges 3:15 ESV)

Ehud

Ehud was probably not a popular man.  He was from one of the lesser tribes of Israel.  And even worse, Ehud was left-handed.  His society would have doubted Ehud, mocked Ehud, and excluded Ehud.

But God wanted Ehud.

It is interesting that Ehud’s nemesis, Eglon, was probably also unpopular.  The story indicates that Eglon was not respected by his soldiers.  Also, Eglon was described simply as ‘fat.’  Back then, even more than today, Eglon’s physical trait would not have endeared him to his people.

But that is not what made God reject Eglon.

Because both men are here in history, at exactly the place they are, in exactly the situation they live, at exactly this time for one reason:  God is gracious.

God shows here that He is not as interested in individuals as we want Him to be.  Rather, God works in history AND in our lives in precisely the same way:  God is gracious. 

He loves His people, and so He disciplined through Eglon… and saved through Ehud.  No one would have expected God to use either man in that way.

So we are reminded to keep our eyes, our minds, our interpretations, and our expectations on God, and God alone.

God is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11) which lets us focus on Him, and Him alone.

What a blessing God’s actions are.

Othniel

But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. (Judges 3:9 ESV)

Othniel

Crying out to the Lord works. 

Here, foreign Kings were oppressing the tribes of Israel… and while we do not know how long it took, they eventually cried out to God.

And God heard them.

But God was not rewarding the Israelites for finally crying out to Him.  He did not withhold His help until they said just the right words in just the right way.

But the crying out of the Israelites changed everything.  They finally knew they depended on Him.  They finally remembered they had a profound, rich, and beautiful relationship with Him.  They finally, with broken hearts, spoke to God as THEIR God, as THEIR Father, as THEIR helper.

God is gracious to His people.

And the Israelites finally acknowledged that, and were saved.

He is gracious to us, too, in the same way.  He helps because He loves His people, not because we said magical words.  He helps because He loves his people, not because we followed the right formula.  He helps because He loves His people, not because we proved ourselves.

He helps because He loves His people… so love HIM!

What a blessing God’s help is!

Leaders

Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them.  Yet they did not listen to their judges… (Judges 2:16-17 ESV)

Leaders

These judges did not wear black robes and ensure that court cases were just.  Rather, Old Testament judges were like kings, princes, chiefs, or bosses.

And the Lord gave the Israelites, just forming God’s Kingdom on earth, judges who saved them from nearby kings who were oppressing them.  Most of the judges had questionable character, were disobedient, and were not clear God-proclaimers.

But the Lord did not save them through the judges in response to the people’s faithfulness… clearly they were disobedient, and did not follow the Lord’s appointed leaders.

But yet He saved them.

Because God’s salvation is not conditional on His people’s obedience.  God’s salvation is conditional on His grace.  He is gracious, and so He saves.

God shows here that He is always at work saving His people.  Often not in the way we expect.  Probably not in the way we ask.  Usually not following OUR ideas of salvation.

But God is graciously at work.  Yes, even when He sends us undesirable leaders.  Yes, even when He sends us unrighteous leaders.  Yes, even when He sends us bad leaders. 

His plan is a longer plan, a more complex plan, a more delightful plan than we imagine.  And even when His plan includes suffering politically, financially, or nationally… He is saving His people in the way that HE knows we need to be saving.

So yes, He is gracious even in the leaders He gives us.

The leaders God gives us are a gracious blessing.

Presence

And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.” (Numbers 10:35, 36 ESV)

Presence

The ark was more than just a big beautiful box.  The ark was the sign, symbol, and reminder of the presence of the Lord.  And Moses begs God to be present in the wandering years of God’s people.

And God was present.

The Lord scattered His enemies.

And the Lord gave rest to His people.

These things have not ceased.

The Lord continues to scatter His enemies.  Even though our eyes, minds, and hearts doubt it at times.

And the Lord gives His people rest.  Even though our cynicism and misunderstanding of Him causes us to doubt it at times.

If God defeated His enemies, and gave us rest, based on our obedience, righteousness, faithfulness, dependability, or coolness… we would have reason to doubt.

But He defeats His enemies and gives us rest because He is gracious!

What a blessing His presence is.

Battles

One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. (Joshua 23:10 ESV)

Battles

One of my favorite pictures in Scripture is when Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, has his eyes opened for a moment and was able to see the army of the Lord arrayed in Judea.

What we can not see is bigger and better than what we can see.

When we are discourage at the daunting tasks God has place before us, remember that He fights the battles we think we fight.  That does not mean we will win every battle we fight, because sometimes we are not fighting the right battles.  But we will win every fight HE is fighting.

Not because He is our mercenary, but because He has adopted us as His children.

God defends us, uplifts us, protects us, and has destroyed every enemy we can see, imagine, or are unaware of.  Because He graciously fights for us.

What a blessing His battles are.

Glue

And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:7 ESV)

Glue

I had a magic trick that did not quite work correctly.  It involved hidden magnets, and steel platelets, and ultimately the magnets were not quite strong enough.

I went to a magic shop, and explained my problem to the clerk.  He was sympathetic, and not only described the perfect magnet to make my magic trick effective, but he went around back and found just the right magnet… and then rather than charge me for it (I would have paid an exorbitant price), he gave it to me as a gift.

That was one of my favorites, for many years.

Because it had Grace attached.

The Savior of Christians, Christ Jesus, is the glue that holds the universe together.

That alone would endear Him to us.  His power, exerted on our behalf… His effectiveness, manifested on our behalf… His wonder, declared on our behalf…

But He gives it to us Graciously.

He does not require our obedience first.  He does not require us to prove our loyalty first.  He does not even demand our repentance, conversation, and sanctification before He glues the universe for us!  Because He has been holding all things together since the first moment of creation, long before we were even born.

What a blessing that glue is!

Rejoice

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. (Philippians 4:4 ESV)

Rejoice

Recently, DeAnne and I went out for ice cream.  And that ice cream was incredible.  It was a stunning flavor.  The texture was silky yet firm.  It even had an aroma that was amazingly desert-ish.

But I did not really rejoice, because it did not last long.

I enjoy my lawn mower.  We bought it almost eight years ago, and that machine has made mowing a delight.  It is efficient, powerful, fast, and the envy of most of my neighbors. 

But I do not rejoice about it, because it already is starting to show signs of age.

My favorite pet was a dog in Australia.  It was a funny beast, a sheep dog that was afraid of sheep.  The shepherd finally got tired of the struggle, and gave Bonnie to us.  This dog was gentle, smart, and loyal.  And it herded my toddler son away from dangerous places on our property! 

But I did not rejoice about that dog, because it became sick, and died.

The only really rejoiceable thing in the universe is the only eternal all-powerful thing in the universe.  God Himself.

And we can rejoice in the Lord because He is present in our lives graciously, powerfully, graciously, lovingly, graciously, shockingly, graciously, and eternally.

What a blessing rejoicing is.

Worship

Your acts of worship are acts of sin. (Isaiah 66:3 The Message)

Worship

God’s ways are not our ways.  Sometimes we forget that, and therefore get things backwards.

In our human world, we do our jobs, we perform acts of service, and we work hard, causing (we hope) happiness in the recipients of our labors.  For instance, I mowed my grandfather’s lawn every week, and I was glad that  he was pleased.

But when it comes to our worship, our work is not as perfect as God, in His holiness, demands.  We might be surprised to find that our worship often has selfish motivation, follows our own instincts and desires, and is manifested usually in the styles we like, the songs we enjoy, and the sermons that make us feel good.  All of those things indicate that even our most devote worship is still tainted by sin.

However, worship that acknowledges and emphasizes the fulness of God’s Grace is exactly the right kind of worship.

If we are worshipping with the goal of making God happy, we will disappoint Him and ourselves.  Our actions do not make God happy.  Only Christ’s holy actions please God.  God is pleased when we lean on Him alone, rest in Him alone, and worship through Him alone.

In fact, as strange as it sounds… we should not worship to please God.  Instead, God’s pleasure leads to our true worship.

And God’s pleasure, His favor, His love, and His grace need to be the foundation of all that we do.

Worshipping entirely in Christ is what God loves us to do. Any other kind of worship is not Godly. 

The good news is, that our God changes us into worshippers, empowers us as worshipers, and when we fail, God chooses to see Christ worshiping on our place… perfect, pleasing, and fully in Him.

What a blessing worship is.

Dependence

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. (Psalm 118:8 ESV)

Dependence

I wonder, sometimes, what God thinks of our Independence Day concept and celebration.  Every year in July Americans celebrate our independence from foreign rule.  But our independence, we are taught, was earned in blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

In other words, it was bought, earned, and paid for.

And we cherish the thought of that kind of independence.

But our dependance on God is exactly the opposite.  We did not buy it, earn it, or pay for it.

Our dependance on God is the result of Christ Jesus.  His life, His death, and His life allow us to have immediate and ultimate dependance on the One True Living God.

But we do not seem to cherish it as richly as we cherish our independence.

This year, remember the blessing of God’s Grace that gives us dependence on Him… which is more reliable than our independence, more important than our independence, and more real than our independence.

What a blessing dependence is.

Results

And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, and stored the silver, the gold, and all the vessels in the treasuries of the house of God. (2 Chronicles 5:1 ESV)

Results

I am not a good gardener, because I am impatient for results.  I would not be a good road construction worker because I am impatient for results.  I would not be a good hospice health care worker, because I am impatient for results. 

I am not a good David, because I am impatient for results.

King David had wanted to build God’s House, and even began to gather necessary raw materials, but God said no.  It was David’s son, Solomon, who built the temple.  And finally, years after David’s death, the preparation that David began bore final fruit.

But David never saw it while on earth.

This is the way that God works with His people.  He has given us tasks, duties, and responsibilities.  But the results are in God’s gracious hands.  He does not necessarily reward us with results on our schedule.  But because the work we do for Him is HIS work, He completes it when He is ready.

So we can enjoy the work, perhaps, without needing results.  So we can more easily remember that the work is HIS, and relax while we work.  So we can contentedly obey, like King David, knowing that God’s results are probably even better than we can imagine. 

What a blessing God’s results are.

Prayer

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. (James 5:13 ESV)

Prayer

When I push the correct icon on my phone, a telephone call results.  And my phone works because I have paid for the privilege of telephone service.

There is very little Grace evident in any telephone call I make or receive.

But prayer, the means believers have to communicate with God, only exists because of His Grace.

He listens to us because He is gracious.  He inclines His ear towards us because He is gracious.  He commands us to pray because He is gracious.

Prayer is not our right, our power, or the result of our righteousness.

Prayer works because God graciously listens.

Prayer exists because God graciously listens.

What a blessing prayer is.

Sleep

Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, (Ecclesiastes 5:12 ESV)

Sleep

I sleep better after a day of hard work, than a day of loafing around.  So my experience confirms what the author of Ecclesiastes writes here.

But the context of this proverbial statement goes beyond ‘sleep pattern analysis.’  Sleep is not just a body’s natural revitalization process.

Sleep is a gift from God.  Yes, because our bodies and minds need sleep.  But also, because in sleep we taste slightly of our Eternal Rest.  In sleep we can find solace from our sins and sin’s effects.  In sleep, God performs an amazing act, still not fully understood by modern medicine, in which we are freed from so much suffering.  In sleep, we are blessed by God.

So nearly every night, for nearly eight hours, we receive another blessing from God.  And like His other blessings, He does not give it to us as a reward, or a payment, or the result of our efforts.  But it is given to us because of His Grace.

What a blessing sleep is.

Possesions

So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you?” (Joshua 18:3 ESV)

The Land

My brother and I shared a bedroom.  We did not fight excessively about room distribution, but there were times we squabbled.  Who got the top bunk? Who got the better dresser?  And most of all, whose room was it?  Was he a guest in MY room?  Or was I a guest in HIS room.

My father walked by the room while we were having one such discussion and he settled the dispute quite simply.  “It’s MY room,” he proclaimed. “Why you buy a house it can be YOUR room.”

The Israelites during the time of Joshua were very aware of land ownership.  Not only did Joshua remind them in speeches such as this, that the land was given to them… but they remembered the battles that the Lord won on their behalf.  They remembered the hordes of Canaanites fleeing not the army of Israel, but the Army of the Lord.

We would do well to remember that same concept.  You did not buy your land, the Lord gave it to you.  You did not buy your car, the Lord gave it to you.  You did not achieve your education, the Lord granted it to you.  You did not rise to great heights, or fall to great depths, the Lord gave you your position.

Remembering His gifts is a good way to remember His Grace.  All that we use, steward, and manage for Him is His, not ours.  But He rejoices to give them to us.

What a blessing our possessions are.

Love

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 ESV)

Love

Love is unconditional, so I do not love ice cream.  I reject it if the flavor is horrid.   Love is unconditional, so I do not love my car.  I reject it when it doesn’t start in the morning.  Love is unconditional, so I do not love any form of government.  I reject it when it fails to do what I want it to do.

Love is unconditional.  It is not love, because.  It is not love, if.  It is not love, when.

And so the only time we are loved, it involves Grace.

God is gracious, so He is able to love.

We did not, do not, and will not deserve His love.  But He, in Grace, loves us.

What a blessing love is.

Hope

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21 ESV)

Hope

I took a cross-country overnight bus trip in Australia in 1990.  I had not yet absorbed a sense of Aussie geography, and had barely a sense of how many hours the trip would take.

To make it worse, the bus driver was not interested in answering the no-doubt annoying questions of this overconfident but under-knowledged Yank.  Eventually he asked me to move farther back in the bus.

But I blame him.  I was seeking hope.  While I knew the destination, Sydney, I did not know anything along the way.  I was asking for information because I wanted hope.

I could have just closed my eyes and hoped internally.  But internal guessing does not lead to hope.  I could have remembered past glimpses of maps of Australia’s mountain ranges. But memory does not lead to hope.  I could have reasoned the pathway, using geometry, algebra, and logic.  But reason does not lead to hope.

Hope usually comes FROM someone.  In my case, I wanted it to be the bus driver.

Our God understands that.  And so He gives us hope by giving us His Word.  We can read His purposes, know His lovingkindness, and hope that HE knows where we are going, and how we will get there.

But God could be like my bus driver.  He does not owe us an explanation.  He does not owe us hope.

He is gracious, though.  And so He gives us reason to hope, the gift of hope, and hope itself.

What a blessing hope is.

Faith

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24 ESV)

Faith

We know with our minds that faith is a gift, lest anyone should boast of our faith as if we achieved it after much effort.

But that gracious gift of faith was not given once.  We get to receive the ability to choose to believe over and over again.

That is what this father meant by his plea to the Lord.  At that moment the father believed that Christ could and would heal his son.  But the man knew tomorrow might be a different day.

God gives us faith that leads to salvation.  But He also gives us faith to believe in the tiny moments.  In our daily crises.  In our daily fears.  In our daily insecurities.  In our daily doubts.

Faith is the gift, in fact that keeps on giving.

And it comes to us purely and only through God’s Grace.

What a blessing faith is.

Work

You have given him dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, (Psalm 8:6 ESV)

Work

I showed up one summer on a film set, directed by a good friend.  He had done a number of films, and I thought it would be fun to hang out and see what might happen.  He gave me a couple of duties, a couple of small parts, and away we went.

Each film he’s given me more things to do.

Now I am a producer!!!

But never has he given me duties because I earned the right to work for him.  He gave me things to do because he respects, likes, trusts, and enjoys me. 

God gives us work for the same reasons.

He has given us dominion over the entire universe, everything that He has created.  That is a lot of dominion.  But God did not give us entrance exams, skill tests, or require experience before He gave us dominion.

And He does not need minions.  He could do everything He desires in this universe with less effort than a snap of His fingers.  But God is gracious.  He gives us work.

God is full of Grace.  He loves us, His people, and He graciously gives us jobs to do.  And not just preachers!  Every occupation, formal or informal, is placed before us because He is gracious.  Every responsibility is given to us because He is gracious.

And having something to do, or SOMETHING to do, is a blessing.

What a blessing our work is.

Disciples

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 Peter 23:21 ESV)

Disciples

My Uncle John had been a plumber for longer than anyone I knew.  And he had advanced to the point that he owned the shop.  He was a plumber’s plumber.

At one job, when I was a young teenager, he let me follow him around.  He flitted from task to task, and I walked behind him, trying to learn.

I am not sure I learned that much.

I am not sure that I was qualified to be his apprentice that day.

I am not sure I deserved his expenditure of time, energy, and patience.

But Uncle John was gracious that day.

He let me be his disciple, not because I had earned the opportunity… but because He loved me, his nephew.

We are Christ’s disciples in the same way.  He lets us follow Him.  He expends time, energy, and patience.  He did not choose us because we passed a test, or proved ourselves, or were already righteous.

He lets us follow Him because He is gracious.

What a blessing discipleship is.