Quick Note – Proverbs 24:11-12 – Your Job to Warn

Proverbs 24:11-12 – “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it:  Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?”

If you knew a plane was going to malfunction and could stop every passenger from getting on that plane, would you?  If you knew that your best friend had cancer that could easily be treated but would rather not know if he had it, would you still tell him?  If you could see a person’s future and knew that the career choice he was making right now would only lead to a miserable life, would you tell him and rob him of the freedom to make the mistake?  These are some of the philosophical questions that are posed to make a person reflect on the value he places on life and choice.

When I think about these questions, I can almost easily say that I would tell the person no matter which situation I was in – the plane, the cancer, or the career.  I would feel like it was my obligation to use that knowledge to help the person needing help in the best way possible.  If I didn’t help them, I would feel guilty for allowing them to crash in the plane, him to die of cancer, and him to ruin his life.  Fortunately, we need not tackle these difficult situations very often when it comes to a person’s physical life; but as disciples of Jesus Christ, we are constantly faced with this situation spiritually.  Each and every day, there are people around us who are heading toward spiritual death and destruction.  They are living in their sin and will continue doing so, unless we stand up and speak out the Gospel in love and grace.  But often instead of sharing with them this escape, we hide behind excuses of being tolerant and not offending someone.  Like our passage today states, we need to rescue those who are “being taken away to death” and “hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”  It is our responsibility as caretakers of the Gospel, as watchmen of our generation, as witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, to make sure that these people know that they are headed toward destruction and can only find salvation in Christ.  If we choose not to do so, God will know our hearts; He will know our reasons; He will see the truth and will require their blood at our hands.  Ezekiel 33 talks about how Ezekiel’s job was to act as a watchmen for his people.  If he warned them about the upcoming destruction and they chose not to repent, then he was free from their blood; but if he failed to speak, then their blood would be on his hands.  We have that exact same job as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Will you not speak out and save a person from eternal destruction?  You would certainly warn them if they were going to bring physical harm to themselves (Who wouldn’t stop a child from putting their hand in a burning flame?), so why would you hesitate to give this warning, when it comes to the eternal matter of the soul?

Quick Note – The Second Plague

Exodus 8:8-10 – “Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’  Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.’  And he said, ‘Tomorrow.’  Moses said, ‘Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God.’”

It is quite interesting to study the Ten Plagues that God brought upon Egypt because Pharaoh would not let the people of Israel go.  Just by looking at the list of the Ten Plagues, you can already tell that Pharaoh would have had to have a really hard heart to not give in by the first few.  Who would want to have the whole Nile filled with blood or a room filled with frogs or an Egypt filled with swarms of gnats and flies?  And these were just the first four plagues.  I don’t actually understand how Pharaoh could have taken so long to give in; but his stubbornness has left us with Biblical passages that are rich in lessons that we can surely learn from.  According to some people, the Ten Plagues were even specifically designed to showcase God’s power over all the Egyptians’ so-called “deities.”  Whether or not that previous sentence is true, we can certainly glean a lot by studying the passages that talk about the Ten Plagues.

One such passage is found in Exodus 8:1-15, which details the second plague – the plague of frogs.  This plague was supposed to be directed against the Egyptian goddess of fertility Heqet, which was represented by the frog.^[1],3  It is funny to see how something that was so treasured by the Egyptians as a symbol of worship became a tool of affliction.  But it isn’t surprising; for one frog is a nuisance, but a room filled with them is a horror.  I remember watching a TV show called Sweet Home Alabama, a dating show similar to The Bachelor on CMT.  In that show, the country girl took the guys on a date where they went to catch frogs in a swamp.  Now, for me, that would not be enjoyable, because I’m a city guy and I would hate fishing for frogs; but for some Southerners, it is considered fun.  Although it may be fun for some, I would venture to say that no one would want a room filled with them.  Surely, no one would want frogs to be all over their beds, in their food, and everywhere else in between.  But that is exactly what happened to Pharaoh and his people in Egypt.  They were plagued with frogs.

This passage filled with frogs is also filled with lessons for us to learn.  The first lesson is found in the context of the plague itself.  If we take a look at vs. 3, we find that the frogs would be everywhere – “…into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.”  There was no place in which the frogs would not be.  This is just like sin and its consequences.  When sin enters a person’s life, it will invade every single piece and portion of it; not one area will be left untouched.  Its consequences will disperse everywhere, affecting everyone.  Although Pharaoh may have thought that the plague could be contained, he was completely wrong.  We need to learn from his mistake and realize that we cannot “contain” sin; its effect will reach out and touch every part of our lives.  We cannot let it have even an entrance, for an entrance is all it takes for that disease to spread.  The second lesson is found in the context of Pharaoh’s plea for help.  Although Pharaoh’s magicians were able to replicate this miracle (vs. 7), nowhere does it show that Pharaoh asked them for relief when the plague was in its full force.  Pharaoh went straight to Moses and asked them to plead with God for relief.  He knew that God had brought this plague and only He could provide relief.  As much as man tries to replicate God, they can never match Him in anything.  Ultimately, everything must bow down and humble itself before God, for God is the One in complete control.  We need to recognize that no matter how much we try, we can never match God and must instead humbly submit to His will instead of stubbornly trying to fight Him.  The third lesson is also found in the context of Pharaoh’s plea for help and is highlighted in the verses accompanying this post today.  It is in regard to Pharaoh’s one word answer to Moses’ question of when the plea for relief should be made – “Tomorrow.”  Instead of asking for relief right that instant, Pharaoh answered with the word “Tomorrow.”  Why?  Why would he wait for relief from the frogs?  We can only begin to speculate the reasoning behind this unusual answer.  According to Matthew Henry, it could be because he was hoping for some earlier relief that may allow him to forgo his obligation to let the people of Israel go.^[2]  It could also be because he, like so many of us, would rather stay in our sin and its consequences than to turn to God and repent.  So often, like Pharaoh, when God asks us to obey, we tell Him, “Tomorrow.”  Go share the Gospel with this person.  “Tomorrow.”  Get rid of that sin that I have been telling you is holding up your spiritual growth.  “Tomorrow.”  Receive me as Lord and Savior.  “Tomorrow.”  We just keep putting off what God is calling us to do today.  Why are we waiting like Pharaoh for relief and growth and blessings and joy?  We need to let go of whatever is keeping us from doing God’s will today.  Don’t put it off till tomorrow.

Just this passage focused on the second plague alone has already provided three lessons for us to learn and apply to our lives.  Take some time today to meditate over these verses and to look over some of the other plagues to see what you can learn from there too.

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^[1] The Open Bible: New King James Version. 1998 (electronic ed.) (Ex 8:2). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

^[2] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: Complete and unabridged in one volume (105). Peabody: Hendrickson.

³ “Heqet.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heqet.

 

Series: The Kingdom of Heaven – Your Value to God

Matthew 13:45-46 – “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

For the next few days, we are likely going to talk about various parables that Christ told to describe the kingdom of heaven.  Each parable about the kingdom of heaven that he told painted a picture that showed a characteristic of that abstract concept that is so hard to grasp.  By just understanding a few characteristics of the kingdom of heaven, we can take this abstract thing and make it something real.  Skipping some of the first parables about the kingdom of heaven, I decided to start with this one, because I feel that it commonly gets misinterpreted as the same parable as the verse before it (vs. 44) about a great treasure hidden in a field.  The truth is that these two parables show two different characteristics of the kingdom of heaven and are not necessarily just one and the same, which is how most people treat it.

If you look at this parable, the kingdom of heaven is not described as a pearl of great value but a merchant in search of fine pearls.  Unlike in vs. 44, which describes the kingdom of heaven as “treasure hidden in a field,” something to be desired above all else, in vs. 45 it is described as “a merchant” who is looking for something to be desired above all else.  Our passage today illustrates a characteristic of the kingdom of heaven that is heavily overlooked – its willingness to do whatever it takes to bring a soul into its kingdom.  If we look carefully at vs. 45-46, we find that the kingdom of heaven is described as a merchant who sells everything he has to buy “one pearl of great value.”  It sells all to get one.  Being a comic book collector, I can completely understand that mindset, for if at a convention, I found a rare comic book at a reasonably cheap price, I would likely sell every book I had with me at the time to get my hands on that one book.  Because I know and understand its value, I would do anything I could to get it.

The King of the kingdom of heaven does the same thing for every soul that is on this earth today.  All three Persons of God have done everything they can to draw you in.  First, we must recognize what Christ, the Son, has done for you.  Christ has given His all for you.  He willingly gave up His glory in heaven above to die as a criminal on the cross to pay the penalty for you; He did all of this so that you could have a new and restored relationship with Him.  All it takes is trust in Him as Lord and Savior.  Second, we must recognize all that the Father has done for you.  He has designed every single event and detail of your life from the century you were born in to the family that raised you to the school you went to, so that you would have the best opportunity of accepting Him as Lord and Savior.  I sincerely believe that God has arranged everything in each person’s life in a way so that they would have the best chance to accept Him.  For some people it may be through a Christian upbringing.  For others, it may be through some hardships and difficulties that will bring them to their knees.  Whatever situation, event, or history, God will do everything to bring you to Himself.  If God was willing to give up His Son for you, will He not do everything to draw you to Him?  Lastly, we must recognize all that the Holy Spirit does to draw you to the kingdom.  John 6:44 states that no one could come to Christ unless the Father draws him; that job of drawing people falls on the shoulders of none other than the Holy Spirit.  He moves in each and every heart to draw them to recognize their sinful state, their need for a Savior, and the solution in Christ.  It is only through the Spirit that anyone can utter that “Jesus is Lord” (1 Cor. 12:3).  The Holy Spirit plays just as essential a role in drawing you to Christ than Jesus Christ and God the Father.  All three Persons of the Trinity will do everything they can to bring you to Him; the choice is up to you.

When Christ stated this parable, He likely wanted to highlight how God will do everything He can to bring you into His kingdom.  He sees you as a pearl of great value, worth everything, including His life; that is why He was willing to die for you.  If you have already received Him and are a part of His kingdom, then give thanks for that awesome gift and live for Him in return.  If you have not yet decided to be a part of His kingdom, then what are you waiting for?  He gave everything for you.  Why won’t you give your everything to Him?

Quick Note – Proverbs 19:26 – Honor Your Parents

Proverbs 19:26 – “He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who brings shame and reproach.”

Ephesians 6:1 states, “Children, obey your parents in the LORD:  for this is right”; I must admit that sometimes it is quite hard to follow this command.  A lot of people like to think that this verse is directed only towards younger children, for it is one of the most common children’s Sunday school lessons, but that would be wrong.  To say that the verse is restricted to a certain age group like younger children and teenagers would be ludicrous, for the verse speaks to everyone, because we are all children of a set of parents.  We must all obey and honor our parents no matter how old we get.  And it’s true that a lot of us tend to think that as we grow older and more mature, we learn to respect them more, but that is not always the case.  Sometimes, if we are not careful, we can actually become even more disrespectful because we may think that we now “know more.”  Whether we are old or young, we must be careful to obey and honor our parents.

Our passage today is found in the book of Proverbs.  It is just one of the hundreds of wise and pithy statements that Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived, left for posterity.  Although a lot of the Proverbs in this chapter focused on the poor, idleness, and temper-control, it was this specific verse that hit home with me today.  The reason for that is because I actually did not show the proper respect to my mom today when she shared some advice with me.  Instead of calmly listening, weighing the information, and taking it to heart, I lashed back in a way that showed dishonor to my mother.  It is just like the verse says, I “chased” away my mother.  Now, of course, I didn’t actually chase my mother away from my life in my words or actions, but the way I acted was certainly a step in that direction.  It was after I had done that that I realized how foolish I had been.  Fortunately, my mom is a fairly quick forgiver and forgave me after I apologized.

Although my short story ends with a happy ending, a lot of people today do not have good relationships with one of their parents, because they refuse to give them the proper respect and honor.  It may not even be an issue of a specific event but a general disrespectful attitude.  As Christians, God expects us to love and honor our parents, no matter how trying it may be.  They could be always giving you a hard time, but you must still respect them.  They could be elderly and need more of your time and help, but you must still respect them.  They may be controlling and difficult, but you must still respect them.  They could be unsaved, but you must still respect them.  The fifth commandment of the Ten given to Moses was “Honor your father and mother.”  We must make sure that we set an example for the world of what it means to respect one’s parents.  We must love and take care of them.  We must listen and obey them in the LORD (as long as it is not going against God’s Word).  We must honor them.  By honoring them, we honor God through obedience as well.

Quick Note : Genesis 40:5-8 – A Present Opportunity

Genesis 40:5-8 – “5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, “Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, “We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

We have all had times in which we missed an opportunity to do something great, because we did not have the foresight to see what a great opportunity it was at the time.  It happens all the time in investing; just look at Apple.  About ten to fifteen years ago, the company was about to go bankrupt with its shares selling at almost dirt-cheap prices, and now, it is at the top of its game in the hundreds of dollars a share.  If we had had the foresight to jump in back then, we could be millionaires today.  That is just with investing; in actuality, opportunities can be missed in every part of our life.  People have missed the chance to date and eventually marry wonderful people because of fear or a lack of being able to interpret the “signals.”  People have missed the chance to be in various careers, because they were not able to see the opportunity in education or work that was right in front of them.  People have even missed chances to do once in a lifetime things on vacations, because they could not tell how special that opportunity was.  But the worst opportunity to miss is the one to share the Gospel with a person, for losing the chance to be part of a person’s testimony is tragic.  That is why it is so important for Christians to learn to observe a situation and see the opportunities he has to be a witness for Christ in every moment of every day, for without expectation, there might just be a chance to be a witness for God.

In our passage today, Joseph became a witness of God’s power to two of Pharaoh’s servants just by being observant.  In Genesis 40, we find that Pharaoh threw two of his staff members into prison – his cupbearer and his baker, for reasons unknown to us.  Nonetheless, while in prison, both the cupbearer and the baker had a dream of which they had no interpretation; because of this, they were quite distraught and downtrodden.  Although nobody else might have noticed or cared, Joseph, realizing their trouble in vs. 6, asked them to share their dreams with him.  By observing their need and taking the time to address it, Joseph was able with God’s guidance and grace to interpret their dreams, acting as a witness of the One True God’s power (vs. 8).  This one event in which he was observant and caring eventually opened the chance for him to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and become the ruler of Egypt, acting as a witness of God’s mercy and power to all of Egypt (Gen. 41).  One choice to be observant and act on that observation resulted in a powerful witness of God’s power and love to a whole nation and quite possibly the world.

We need to be like Joseph and seize the harvest full of spiritual opportunities right in front of us.  Christ mentions in Matthew 9:37 that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.  So why aren’t we harvesting?  There are thousands of people everywhere who are downtrodden, broken-hearted, and are searching for the Savior; all they need is somebody to share the Gospel with them.  Yet too often, we miss these opportunities because our heads are in the clouds looking for the “bigger” opportunities or buried in our phones building “relationships.”  If we would just take the time to look, we will find that opportunities to share Christ with others abound, even if it may not be through physical talking.  Let us always live the life of Christ in our lives, acting as silent witnesses, but let us also take the initiative to show Christ through our actions and speech.  Let us study and be prepared to share the Gospel at any time, as 1 Peter 3:15 states, “…always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you…”  If we want to share the Gospel, all we have to do is 1) Be observant, 2) Be caring, and 3) Be active.  Throughout today, look around you for those who may need Christ and go out and share the Gospel with them through your words and actions.  You will be surprised at what God will do.