The Good New Days

In those days there was no king in Israel. (Judges 18:1 ESV)

The Good New Days

Four times in the book of Judges, the author reminds us that ‘in those days there was no king in Israel.”  He was not reminding readers of a better time.  He was declaring, sorrowfully, that chaos ruled in the land.

The good old days did not happen during the book of Judges.

But by the time the book of Judges was being regularly read by God’s people, there WAS a king.  And when we read it now, we know that there IS a King.

A King of kings, in fact.

And because of our Good King, we are in the Good New Days.

Yes, our eyes focus on the remaining chaos, the faltering ethics of modernity, and the decline of culture.

But we have a King!  And He is at work every day.  His reign is not some future calendric event.  His rule is now.  His rule is absolute.  His rule is amazing.  His rule is good.

I could point out the good things about society that we often ignore.  I could point out scientific improvements.  I could point out the historic trend towards peace, overall, since Christ’s anointing.

But instead I remind us that our King is sovereign, and always at work, doing what is best for us as HE defines it.

If it does not seem like He is sovereign, prayerfully look again.  Let the Spirit guide your understanding. 

We have a King!

Nicknames

Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place. (II Chronicles 21:1 ESV)

Nicknames

I can’t hear the name “Jehosophat” without inserting the expression, “JUMPING Jehosophat.”  I do not really know what the phrase means.  I suppose it is simply alliteration added to an unusual Biblical name.

But Jehosophat is always Jumping Jehosophat to me.  It is his nickname.  I wonder if people call him that in heaven.

Nicknames are like that.  They get assigned.  And they sometimes stick.

And they are often not pleasant.

I have had a few nicknames in my life.  In middle school, because of a play I was in, my nickname was Preacher.  While that might not sound to bad, for me it was awful.  It was the last thing I wanted to be.

But I do have another nickname.

Jesus has given me a nickname that connects me to Him.  He calls me Christian.  And unlike most nicknames that are temporary, insulting, mocking, or silly, THIS nickname is grand.

And it is necessary.

Without Him giving me that name, I would be doomed.

He is the only One who can assign that kind of name. 

He necessarily has given me that necessary name.

Batteries

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,  remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.  (I Thessalonians 1:2-4 ESV)

Batteries

I have some pretty fun toys, still.  I have a tiny tape recorder.  I have a small drone and a mini-drone.  I have a fake Star Trek communicator.  I have a brand new stud detector.

But they are nothing without batteries.

Christians have works of faith, labors of love, and steadfastnesses of hope.

But they are only ANYTHING because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus instructs us in these things, inspires us in these things, gives focus for these things, and enables these things.

Without Jesus, they are just words.

With Jesus, they are worth writing to the Thessalonians about!

Gather

He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps His flock.’ (Jeremiah 31:10 ESV)

Gathered

Between Elon Musk’s satellites, traffic radar, ChatGPT conversations, Facebook algorithms, and shopping crowds, it would appear we are never alone.

But it sure seems like it sometimes.

We are alone when it feel like no one understands us.  We are alone when our life’s circumstances are painfully unique.  We are alone when we lose friends or companions due to conflict.  We are alone when we lose loved ones through death.  We are alone when sin separates.  We are alone when sin separates us from God.  We are alone when sin separates us from each other.

But God has always worked to reunite, commune, and gather.

We see it in His very (confusing) nature of Trinity.

But we see it God’s actions in Scripture and our lives.  Babel separates, but Pentecost unites.  War tears apart, but peace reunites.  Israel and Judah divided, but the Messiah, the True King, reunites.  The diaspora divided, but Paul’s missionary journeys reunite. 

And that “reunion”ing is accomplished only through Jesus.

Jesus’ life and death and life  reunites sinful humans to the loving God.  Jesus’ life and death and life reunites those separated by gender, race, or age.  Jesus’ life and death and life reunites us with whatever and whoever we have lost.  Jesus’ life and death and life gathers, where chaos, and fear, and sin divides.

The answer to our separations, divisions, and loneliness is only Jesus.

Atonement

For Job said, “It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually. (Job 1:5 ESV)

Atonement

Recently I heard a clerk in a store complaining about some shoplifters.  He did not really know who had stolen.  He did not know why anyone had stolen.  He did not know how to get his money back.

But he repeatedly said, “Someone needs to pay!”

He was not wrong.

God is the epitome of Justice.  And rebellion against Him (better termed, “sin”) is so antithetical to God that He cannot abide Sin.  He abhors it.  He despises it.

And He says, “Someone needs to pay!”

What God has offered to the universe is two options.  Either we pay… or Someone else, namely Jesus, pays.

Our forgiven sins are not forgiven because God chooses to look the other way.  They are forgiven US, because Jesus paid instead of us.

Job prays for his children because he clearly understood this concept.  Atonement comes on the back of Someone else.  It is not our suffering that purchases atonement.   It is not our faint good works that purchase atonement.  It is not our intentions or desires that purchase atonement.  It is not our proper words of repentance that purchase atonement.

It is only the Messiah.  It is only Jesus.

For Job, the Jesus to come.  For us, the Jesus who came.

Job depended on the Messiah for the atonement of his children, who probably were not fully aware of their sins.  Neither was Job, we find out.  Neither are we..

Atonement happens ONLY through Jesus.

Strength

And she (Delilah) said to him (Samson), “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.”  And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death.  And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” (Judges 16:15-17 ESV)

Strength

Samson’s hair was NOT magic.  Samson’s Nazirite vows were NOT ritualistic.  Samson was NOT strong because he was devoutly obedient to the Lord.

Samson was a Nazarite.  God blessed Samson’s Nazarite-ness by giving Samson supernatural strength.  But the profession of Faith that undergirded Samson’s vows is the real aim, goal, and foundation of Samson’s situation.

Samson’s revelation to Delilah of the Strength behind his strength displayed Samson’s last falling away from that faith.  More than the cutting of his hair, his choice of Delilah over God showed God Samson’s unfaithfulness.

He gets his strength back at the end, not because his hair regrew… but because his growing hair matched his returning true faith.

Faith is not a vague faith. The focal point of faith is not in a vague divine being.  Faith, to be faith, is found in, through, by, because of, and all about Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Nothing else is faith.

Samson received the blessing of strength because he believed in the Messiah to come.

For Samson, Jesus was necessary for Samson’s strength.

And it is for us, too.  We might not carry off gates or kill hordes of foxes… but whatever strength God grants us is because of Christ.  Strength to endure temptation.  Strength to overcome sorrow.  Strength to keep on keeping on.  Strength to hope.  Strength to believe.  Strength to love.

We need Jesus to have strength.

The Wall

And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ (Deuteronomy 31:17 ESV)

A Wall Against Evil

I ignored public opinion for a long time, and did not install any firewalls or protection on our computers.  But then, precisely because I did not have defenses, identity theft occurred.  There is ‘evil’ in the internet, and it struck me hard.

At the end of Moses’ life, God reminded Moses and the Israelites that His enemies are in the world.  And God explained that THE defense against evil and evils is God’s presence.

When God’s people use other defenses, the evils get in.

God’s presence is the only defense against evil. 

And God’s presence, Immanuel, is only found in Christ Jesus.

Jesus is the necessary wall against evil.

Conduit

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.  Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.  (John 3:35,36 ESV)

Conduit

One afternoon many years ago, my old car broke down.  The car suddenly lost all movement and momentum, and coasted to the side of the road. 

But it did not take long to figure out what was wrong.  The engine hummed (or rattled) with its usual power and strength.  The tires and axles were able to turn, as shown by the smooth drifting.

But between the power source and the wheels, something had gone wrong.

The mechanism between the motor and road had broken.

Cars need a way to get the power of the engine to the grip of the wheels.

I fixed it (with a tin can) and continued on my way.

In a similar way, between God’s immense and intense love, and our finite hearts, minds, and souls, mankind needs a conduit.

And Christ Jesus is that conduit.

God’s love comes to humans only through the Messiah, the God/man, the infinite who took on the finite.

God’s power comes through Him, too.

God’s salvation comes through Him, too.

My tin can worked for a few miles… and then I need to fix it again.

Whatever other methods we choose to connect with God will fail, too.  Whether it is good habits, a spiritual mindset, efforts, hopes, or traditions.  As good as those things might be, they will not connect you to God.

Only Jesus does that.

Jesus is our necessary conduit.

Knowing

And Jeremiah the prophet said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you have made this people trust in a lie. (Jeremiah 28:15 ESV)

Knowing

The people living during the time of Jeremiah and Hananiah were probably confused and concerned.  BOTH prophets presented messages, and these messages contradicted each other.  Hananiah encouraged the people that God would never forsake them, even in the face of the mighty Babylonian Empire.

Jeremiah challenged to people to repent of their pride, and trust that the One True Living God would do what the people truly needed. 

How could they decide?

It must have been hard… we know the answer, because we have the Word of God declaring what was true, and what happened.  But they did not have that, yet.  They had to discern on their own.  And for the most part, they chose poorly.

But what about us?

We, too, hear conflicting messages. 

But we have the Words of Jesus Himself to discern other messages.

If the message does not point to Christ Jesus, that message is questionable.  If any message directs us to trust in other things (the state, our abilities, our knowledge) than Christ alone, those messages are questionable.  If messages give us hope in ourselves, our history, our own understanding, leave those messages behind.

Christ is necessary because HE is the way, the truth, and the life. Truth is find only in Christ, and Him crucified.  HE is the litmus test of truth.

We need Him for that.

The Chase

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.  Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:2-6 ESV)

The Chase

Once, I saw a woman drop a roll of money.  Unaware, she kept going, but I grabbed the money and pursued her.  She saw me running towards her with an outstretched arm, and she panicked and fled.

I wanted her to have her money back.  And she did not know my kind intentions, so she ran.  I pursued her because I knew how heartbroken she would be when she realized her money was lost.  I pursued her because I was doing good.  I pursued her with the best intentions.

But she fled.

I do not know how long I would have run after her.  Thankfully, I was more fleet of foot.  But I do expect that my persistence had a limit.

But Jesus does not have such limits.

Not only does He desire to bless us in the broad ways described here, but He also will overtake us to give them to us.  We may try to avoid Him.  We may mistrust His efforts.  We may misunderstand His desires for us.

But He will overtake us.

And we need that.  We need Jesus to bless us.  And we need Jesus to overtake us.

Love

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 ESV)

 Valentine’s Day

Some people call it the only holiday invented by a greeting card company.

It’s Valentine’s Day.

Of course, the day itself was around long before we started buying cards.  It was a day celebrating the life of Valentine.  Stories vary regarding exactly what he did that makes him worthy of a “day.”  Some tell of his commitment to marriage in the face of the Roman Empire’s attempt to suppress it.  Some tell the loss of Valentine’s one true love, and his unending devotion to her.  Some tell of his gifts to the lonely, the unloved, the desperate.

But no matter the origin, today it has become a day to say, “I love you.”  Sometimes we blush to say that.  Sometimes we blush to hear it.  But “I love you” is not really embarrassing.  It is not merely a marriage proposal.  It is not merely expressing a crush.  It doesn’t really have much to do with romance.

“I love you” means that the beloved is important to you.  More important than yourself.  “I love you” means that you will ACT in a way that shows the beloved matters.  “I love you” means that you are willing to do without, so the beloved can do with.

The best example of love is Jesus Christ.  In fact, we do not really KNOW love other than through the lens of Him.  He is necessary, because He is love.

He said, “I love you” on the cross.  He was saying that in His opinion, you (if you are His beloved) are more important than Him.  That is why He died for you.  He was ACTING in a way that shows you matter.  He was saying that He was willing to do without life, so that His beloved can HAVE life.

Love is much more than pink hearts.  Love is much more than batting eyelashes.  Love is much more than giving mass produced cards to classmates.  Love is more than warm feelings and puppies.

Love is Christ.

Promises to Keep

Jephthah made a vow before God: “If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I’ll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I’ll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering.” Judges 11:29-31 ESV)

Promises to Keep

Jephthah, one of the Judges of Israel, should have known better.  First, he made a bad vow.  I really bad vow.  God had already promised the Israelites under Jephthah that the Ammonites would lose.  Why did Jephthah make this foolish promise to God?  It was unnecessary.

And even worse, it was a promise to God that Jephthah would do something terribly unrighteous.  As it happened the person who came out of Jephthah’s door after Israel’s victory was Jephthah’s beloved daughter.  But no matter who it was… God does not ask for, condone, or accept such human sacrifices.  Israel’s neighbors did such things.  But not God’s people.

And then, Jephthah actually KEPT that vow.  He murdered his daughter to keep his own wrongly-motivated vow.  Adding evil upon evil.

He should have known better.

But Jesus is the perfect leader.

He makes GOOD promises.  Helpful promises.  Gracious promises.  Loving promises. 

And then, He keeps them, because they are always just the right promises to keep.

We need a good leader, and that is Jesus.  We need a properly reliable leader, and that, too, is Jesus.

Strength

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him. (II Chronicles 12:1 ESV)

Strength

Rehoboam was the anointed King of Judah, after Jeroboam’s civil war that split Israel into two parts. At first, Rehoboam raised an army to smash Jeroboam in his Samaritan capital, and maybe could have won. He had a huge army. And Jeroboam’s sinfulness would seem to have guaranteed Rehoboam’s victory.

But God sent a prophet to Rehoboam and told him to stand down.

King Rehoboam obeyed. (It is good to read of his following the Lord, despite his instincts, strategic sense,) But after his power in Judah was firmly firm… backed up, he probably believed, by the power of God… he changed.

Power does that to us.

We need leaders.

And human leaders, once they have strength, usually lean towards tyranny, Cincinnatus aside.

But not King Jesus.

Jesus actually DOES have strength, not merely strength delegated to Him by God. Jesus has all power and authority, and is the only one who could legitimately grab MORE and MORE power, and never be called a Tyrant.

But instead, Jesus uses His power for His people.

He is the leader we need. And He is the leader we have. Listen to Him.

Easy Choice

And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” (Judges 10:18 ESV)

Easy Choice

We humans often end up with poor leaders.  In the case of the Judges of Isreal, Gideon was the ninth Judge.  And each of the previous eight failed the Lord in some way or another.

Certainly, the judges did excellent things.

But they were never enough.

The proof is in the continued end result:  God’s people again and again and again turned away from Him.  The judges were never enough for actual salvation.  They could not be.

Only one leader saves.  King Jesus.

This continues through the Old Testament.  Saul, David, Solomon, and all the rest.  Even when they did good things, were never enough.  They could not be.

Unlike the chanters at Christ’s trial… “we have no King but Jesus.”

This is not a political post.  It is a post that declares that whoever we claim as leader, whether through election, appointment, or tyranny… is never going to be enough.

So stop looking there.

We have no King but Jesus… and He is necessary and grand.

THE Clue

This Christian life is a great mystery, far exceeding our understanding, but some things are clear enough:

                        He appeared in a human body,

                              was proved right by the invisible Spirit,

                                    was seen by angels.

                        He was proclaimed among all kinds of peoples,

                              believed in all over the world,

                                    taken up into heavenly glory. (I Timothy 3:16 The Message)

THE Clue

In most mysteries, among the myriad of clues and evidence, there is usually ONE clue that connects the dots, clarifies the solution, and/or brings epiphany.  Lieutenant Columbo had his “AH HA” moment.  Scooby and the Gang suddenly saw behind the villain’s scary disguise.  Piorot observed that insignificant bit of data that his grey matter had collected.

Red Herrings abound.  But there is usually that ONE Clue.

I always wanted a secret decoder ring from a cereal box.  I do not recall ever having one.  But the idea of a cool ring that could be used to unravel mysterious messages seemed invaluable.

Living for Jesus is tough, at times.  God’s Way, while extravagantly amazing, sometimes is hard to understand.  We like things to make sense, but sometimes God’s requirements of us, and God’s actions in the painful parts of life, and following God’s instructions blindly is complex and difficult.

We want to understand His mystery.

And the only way to understand God’s mysteries is through Jesus Christ.  Every mystery in the Bible requires THE Clue to understand.  Every mystery in the Universe requires THE Clue to understand.  Every mystery in every situation requires THE Clue to understand.

Christ bridges the eternal with the finite.  Christ bridges God’s justice and mercy.  Christ demonstrates loving the unlovely.  Christ offers hope to the hopeless.  Christ entered darkness to bring light. 

We need THE Clue.  And He arrived, keeps arriving, and will arrive.

Presence of God

But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! (I Chronicles 6:18 ESV)

The Presence of God

God had told both David and Solomon that He did not need a place to dwell on earth.  It is enough, for God, to dwell in the hearts of His people.  Yet God instructed both David and Solomon that a temple should be built.

This is not a contradiction.

Rather, it points out that that God’s people need God’s presence more than God needs our presence.

And God knows that we need His presence.

God’s presence provides joy (Psalm 16:11), protection (Psalm 91:1); peace (Exodus 33:14); removal of obstacles (Isaiah 8:10); necessary rest (Matthew 11:28). His presence transforms us, fixes us, and burns away all unrighteousness and sin (Colossians 3:18)!

We need His presence.

But earth cannot contain Him.  In fact, heaven and earth cannot contain Him.  But Jesus can and does!

The temple was always only a temporary place, as beautiful as it was.  Only divine Jesus can contain our infinite God.

The nation Israel could not contain Him.  Only human Jesus, in the expanded kingdom of the Church can contain our saving God.

Jesus is necessary because only Jesus delivers us into the Presence of God, and the Presence of God into us.

Roads

Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you… (I Thessalonians 3:11 ESV)

Roads

There is a road nearby that I travel fairly frequently. That road seems closed more often than it is open. Finding an alternative route is frustrating, time-consuming, and disappointing.

I often have wondered why the civil engineers cannot seem to find a better way from north to south along that stretch of country-side?

I am sympathetic to their task, however. Sometimes roads are difficult to plan, create, and maintain. The landscape, geographic features, water patterns, and probably private property issues can make road-building problematic.

In life, too, some roads are tough to build. The chasm between broken hearted spouses makes for difficult road building. The walls we masoned in the past make for painful road planning. Heart highs and lows, rivers of tears, and the weakness of our hearts make some roads impossible for us to plan, build, and maintain.

But Jesus says, “I am the WAY.” He is the connector of the sundered. He is the direction in our life-journeys. He is the road on which we travel, uniting our sinful souls to our Holy God. And only He can do it.

Follow His road to the Father. Walk His road, obeying in (and through) Him. Travel His road that takes weary pilgrims Home.

His road is necessary… and His road is the only Way.

Free

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood  and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. (Revelation 1:5,6 ESV)

Free

Before John saw visions of His future, and the establishment of God’s Kingdom in heaven and on earth, Jesus tells John some great news… more than that, it is necessary news.

Jesus frees us from our sins.

Because of what Jesus did in His life, His death, and His resurrection, sin does not hold us captive.  Even if you do not remember a ‘pre-Jesus’ time in your life, you WERE a slave to sin.  But Jesus freed every one of His people.

He took our punishment. He defanged Sin’s power.  He bought us forgiveness of our debt to God.

Nothing else gives that freedom.  Moderns look to political process, or economic success, or establishment of a safe place to find freedom.

But those things are just slavery in a different form.

Jesus is freedom because He paid, pays, and will pay for us.

This is the best news in the Bible.

And it is all because of Jesus.

Mysteries

…that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,  in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2,3 ESV)

Mysteries

One reason modern folk like our phones is that it gives us the impression that we are connected with everything we want to know.  We can check the veracity of politicians or entertainers.  We can remember those things that used to languish on the edge of our mind.  We can determine definitions of words, mathematical formulae, and exact dates of events in the past.

Lately I have been struck with how often that magical internet leads me astray.  My searches are affected by my search parameters.  Information gleaned is just as likely to be incorrect as an old People Magazine, Readers’ Digest, or coffee shop lecturer.

At those moments of unsureness, I am reminded that Jesus knows, understands, and controls every unknown data point, every factual fact, and every unsolvable mystery in the universe.

Nothing (or no one) else is as reliable, inexhaustible, or goodly-in-purpose as Jesus.

We flounder in the dark, and He is THE source of light.  We fear in ignorance, and He is THE source of knowledge.  We admit we do not understand reality, and He is THE lodestone of all Truth.

Without Him, we know nothing.

Worthy

And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:39-40- ESV)

Worthy

Some of us praise a Football Quarterback, until they stop winning.  Some of us praise a political leader, until his humanity is revealed.  Some of us praise a culinary delight, until the price goes up.  Some of us praise our family, until they forget a birthday, anniversary, or food allergy.

We humans are created to praise someone. 

And we Christians have Someone who deserved, deserves, and will always deserve our praise!  In fact, His praiseworthiness is so absolute and obvious that Jesus says if the people stopped, the very created rocks would praise Him.

In fact, they actually are!

We should probably be concerned when we find ourselves praising a human too readily and easily.  We should probably be concerned when we find ourselves praising a geographical feature to completely and unabashedly.  We should probably be concerned if we find ourselves praising a philosophy, political view (or party), or idea too enthusiastically and blindly.

But we can praise Jesus!  Confidently, honestly, openly, gladly, and sincerely!  And we need that.