Who is like the LORD?

On a recent morning walk, a phrase came into my thoughts: “Who is like the LORD our God?” The all-caps “LORD” in this question is YaHWeH, the personal name of the God of Israel. In a variety of ways, the unique and superlative nature of Yahweh comes up again and again in the pages of the Bible. As Christians who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in a post-Enlightenment, post-Christian culture, we are in danger of missing the significance of this repeated question: “Who is like Yahweh?”

In our post-Christian world, the one true God of the Bible is the default in discussions of all varieties that involve “god talk”. When someone says “Oh my God!”–an empty oath– which god are they thinking of? Even for equal opportunity atheists, the “god” they really, really don’t believe in is the monotheistic God of the Bible. The Biblical question: “Who is like Yahweh” comes across as being rhetorical: “There is only one God so, duh, no one is like the Lord.” But that is not what the biblical writers were communicating.

Think about this: if you are the winning participant in a race of one runner, or the last man standing in boxing match featuring just you, is that much of an accomplishment? All the nations that surrounded or opposed Israel had gods: gods of war and love, of fertility & harvest, of the moon and sun, of sky and ocean. Some rulers, like the Pharaohs of Egypt claimed divine or semi-divine status. A defeat of an enemy was proof that their gods were inferior to yours (2 Chron. 32:17). The gods worshipped by the nations were powerful… but petty and capricious. They had to be placated with gifts and sacrifices and they seemed to favor the strong and ruthless.

And then Moses encounters Yahweh: a God who is utterly unique. After 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the God who had spoken and walked with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, completely and utterly humiliates the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12), parts the Red Sea, and destroys the ancient world’s most powerful army in a single blow.

 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. “Who is like you, O YAHWEH, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. – EXODUS 15:10-12

Living as Egyptian royalty, Moses would have been educated about the Egyptian gods; he would have known what were like and how they acted. But this God, Yahweh? He was not like any god Moses had ever heard of, and not just because of His awesome power. Yahweh is unique in what is important to Him:

Who is like YAHWEH our God,… He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes with the princes of his people. He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children.
–PSALM 113:5-9

Yahweh is not a God who needs to be on the side of winners. He loves and cares for the least, the weakest, and rejected. And just as amazing, you can count on this God; he entered into a covenant relationship with His people, binding himself to them. He is not capricious, He doesn’t get distracted or bored. He keeps his word continually:

“O YAWHEH God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart” – 1 KINGS 8:23

In a battle, the strongest army wins. It is easy to say the victor’s god has given them victory. Who could argue with that logic? No god actually showed up, but whose to say he or she wasn’t present? Yahweh isn’t like that either; he is unambiguous and he can act even in the territory of other so-called “gods”: three faithful jewish boys walked into and out of a giant oven without even the smell of smoke on their clothes. Having seen a mysterious fourth person walking around in the fire with the young me, the King of the Babylon whose god, Marduk, had made itthe most powerful empire of the age said this about Yahweh, the God of the conquered Jews:

Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way. – DANIEL 3:29

Incredibly, this one-of-a-kind God, the One who created everything (John 1:1-3,14) did something no other God has ever done in entering human history to die in the place of his rebellious creatures so they could live. (Philippians 2:5-8). In the person of Jesus, this God has brought us into His forever family (Ephesians 1:5-7). Search the pages of history and mythology; you will never find any god like the one who shows love and forgiveness to law-breakers and enemies (Romans 5:8) in this way. Now, more than ever before we can ask with awe and wonder: “Who is like Yahweh our God?”.

Family Scripture Memorization

Words are powerful.The things we say can wound or heal; they can bring an idea to life or change a point of view. Some words are so powerful we memorize them to continually refresh and invigorate our thoughts or to more powerfully express the things we want to say. If this is true for our finite and imperfect words, the perfect and unchanging words of God in scripture are a precious treasury that we and our families take permanent hold of by committing them to memory. But maybe you’re not convinced…

You’re busy. Your memory isn’t great. You struggle to get time with your family. Why should the practice of committing parts of the Bible to memory be a priority? Here are just a few of the many reasons.

1. Jesus memorized scripture. Not to pull rank, but if the incarnate Son of God thinks it is important to memorize the things that God spoke in the past, we shouldn’t feel that it is a waste of our time. Three times in Matthew 4 alone, Jesus rebuffs the deception of Satan by saying “It is written…”.
2. The Apostles & disciples regularly quoted scripture. Not only do the new testament writings drip with scriptural references, but in the book of Acts, Peter and others regularly quote from scripture (e.g. Acts 2:16, 25, 34, Acts 4:25, Acts 7, Acts 11:15)
3. Jesus commanded us to teach everything he commanded. The great commission (Matthew 28:18) involves making disciples by teaching everything he taught. These words were not initially written down, they were memorized and then spoken. This is the pattern of the disciple in Jesus’ day. As parent disciple-makers we should have Jesus’ words deeply in our hearts and minds so we can effectively live as Christ did towards our children and be confident that we are sharing God’s word.
4. The Word of God is our only offensive weapon against spiritual forces. In explaining to the Ephesians the nature of the spiritual war they are fighting (Ephesians 6), Paul lists “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (v.18) as the only offensive weapon (used in tandem with prayer). We are called to take ground, not merely maintain our position.
5. The Word of God is a surgical multi-tool for the soul. The Word of God is living and active… capable of revealing the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) It is both a diagnostic tool revealing our sin, a scalpel of truth to direct us to Jesus, and a soothing balm to recall the promises of God’s grace; for ourselves and for our children.
6. Scripture is given to us by God for our hope and encouragement.  Paul explains”Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” (Romans 15:4) If you are living in despair at the cultural or political climate. If you are worried about the future of your family, God does not leave us without hope; we need only grab hold of His word.
7. No other book contains the “Words of Eternal Life”. When many people were deserting him, Jesus asked his disciples if they too would leave. Peter answered for the group: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” In memorizing Jesus’ words, your family takes firm hold of the words of eternal life.
8. Your children can have no stronger foundation that God’s word. There is no education, no college degree, no job, no lifestyle that can give your children the rock-solid foundation for life offered in the unchanging word of God. Jesus said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24) Don’t store up funds for a college education or a wedding but fail to give your kids a treasury of biblical truth  they can draw from throughout the rest of their lives.

GET THE BALL ROLLING
If you are ready to make this part of your family culture, here are a few ideas on how to get started.

1. Set a time and place and be consistent. After or during dinner. Before homework. Before a family movie. After church on Sunday.
2. Start small and build up. Shorter passages from Proverbs or excerpts from the Psalms are great. If you have an age span with your children, have the older kids help select additional verses or longer passages in addition to the shorter ones.
3. Be vulnerable. If you struggle, don’t hide that fact. Let your kids help you.
4. Discuss the verses meaning or context. Make sure the passage is understood in the way it is intended. Everyone knows Jeremiah 29:11, but did Jeremiah intend this passage for everyone at all times and places or was it written for the Jews in relation to the Babylonian captivity. If the verse has a story connected to it, share the story first in order to help younger children remember.
5. Use family skills. Do your kids like to draw? Give the verse a visual trigger with a picture. Do you sing as a family? Put the words to a song. Enjoy sports? Make a game out of memorizing. Do you have dinner guests? Involve them in what your family does.
6. Memorize and Review. Frequently revisit formerly memorized passages.

 

WWGD…IHWIHF

Many of you may remember the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) phenomenon of the 1990s. Based on the 1896 novel by Charles M. Sheldon, In His Steps, many Christians wore arm bands and t-shirts to help themselves try to act as Jesus would in their place. A few days ago I had the opportunity to spend some time in reflection on Psalm 146:7-10 which lead to a beautiful, clear, scriptural answer to the slightly less catchy question: “What Would God Do…If He Was In Human Form?”.

On many evenings, my family and I will rush out of the house to watch the splendor of the sunset. Each time we do, although we see the same sun doing the same thing, it is always in a unique and eye-popping experience that moves us to loud exclamations of wonder. One reason why we should read and study the Bible with our families is so that we will be amazed at Jesus. In his first letter, Peter wrote of Jesus, “Though you have not seen him, you love him…”.

Reading through Psalm 146:7-10 I was immediately reminded of a similar list of actions in the New Testament. Quoting from Isaiah 61:1-2, Jesus declares (Luke 4:18-19) that he is the one who is annointed (by God) to proclaim good news to the poor,  liberty to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.

This is an abbreviated list of the characteristics of God found in Psalm 146:7-10 :

YHWH…who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.YHWH sets the prisoners free; YHWH opens the eyes of the blind. YHWH lifts up those who are bowed down; YHWH loves the righteous. YHWH watches over the sojourners[foreigners]; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. YHWH will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Bear in mind that whenever “LORD” or “GOD” appears all capitalized, that those words are standing in for the tetragrammaton, the four letters of the one true God of Everything’s sacred name revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus. These characteristic attitudes/actions of God are seen throughout the Old Testament. So, if this One, True God were to take on human flesh, it stands to reason that he would behave consistently with his expressed and revealed character in the past, right? So, does Jesus do these things?

FAMILY STUDY IDEA:
Walk through the Gospel of Luke and look for instances where Jesus does these things. Not only does Jesus fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy, but he demonstrates that he acts out in human form (John 1:14) exactly what the one true God would do. Here are some examples of each, but it might be fun to look for more. Some of these works of Jesus fit into more than one category.

• Executes justice for the oppressed – Jesus is especially concerned with those oppressed by the corrupted religious system of his day.
  • Luke 19:45
  • Luke 20: 45-47
• Gives food to the hungry
  • Luke 9:14
• Sets the prisoners free – the captives are specifically those in bondage to evil spirits. This is a big part of Jesus’ earthly ministries.
  • Luke 4:35, Luke 4:41, 9:42
• Opens the eyes of the blind
  • Luke 18:41-43
• Lifts up those who are bowed down – Jesus’ ministry is replete with interactions with the marginalized and outcasts.
  • Luke 5:12, Luke 7:48, Luke 11:28, Luke 12:22-31,
• Loves the righteous – Remembering that “The righteous will live by faith” and (from John’s Gospel) that the will of God is to believe in the one he sent, we see that Jesus always approves out those who trust in him.
  • Luke 191-9, Luke 10:41-42, Luke 7:9, Luke 7:50
• Watches over the sojourners [foreigners, possibly could mean the poor as well]
  • Luke 17:18
• Upholds the widow and the fatherless
  • Luke 7:11, Luke 21:3-4
• The way of the wicked he brings to ruin
  • Luke 6:24, Luke 10:13-15, Luke 11:37-52, Luke 13:3-5, Luke 20:14-16, 19
• Reigns forever… to all generations.
  • Luke, 21:27, Luke 22:69, Luke 24:46-47

When we examine Jesus’ word and actions, not only do they point to him as signs of power (i.e. “Only God does such things”), they offer a more subtly beautiful proof of Jesus’s divinity in that they are what you would expect of the God of Everything as revealed to the Jewish prophets. With this understanding we can see that Jesus’ miraculous feed of the 5,000 isn’t just a demonstration of power calculated to appeal to the masses, it is exactly the kind of thing that God has always done, from Eden, to manna, to 5 loaves and 2 fish and ultimately the breaking of his own body, the Bread of Life to feed our deepest hunger.

We can truly say that “we have seen his glory,  glory as of the only Son from the Father full of grace and truth.” “What Would God Do…If He Was In Human Form?” He would sound, act, and do exactly what Jesus did: Immanuel, God with us.

Worldview 101-Romans 1:18-32

As parent/disciple-makers, we face many cultural challenges that compete for our minds and those of our children. Without a consistent worldview, we can be filled with anxiety or run ourselves ragged trying to anticipate and protect our kids from every new fad or ideology that comes our way. Not only is this exhausting, but it leaves our kids without a “big picture” understanding of reality. As followers of Christ, we not only have a new life but a transformed understanding of the nature of reality.

In the stage-setting opening to the book of Romans, Paul gives a time-lapse view— from God’s perspective— of the chain of events cascading from the  human rebellion in Genesis 3. This section illuminates the inevitable and tragic consequences of denying Yahweh his rightful place as the Sovereign Creator.

The play-by-play boils down to this:

• Rejection of God as Sovereign disconnects humanity from the source of goodness and life.(v.18)
• Unlike God’s pronouncements over creation, we become “un-good” and, as He had warned, spiritually dead, incapable of resisting the decay that must now begin to unfold. (Genesis 2:17)
• Faced with the shame and horror of spiritual death, people suppressed the truth about the good and holy God of All whose very existence is a judgement (v.18, 20, Genesis 3:8)
• As a consequence, the self-deceived mind becomes darkened to truth, even the clear truth of nature.
• In this state of diminished capacity for wisdom and understanding, the Living God is replaced with idols, the Creator is substituted by the created. (v.20,23)
• The result of this idolatry is an ironic inversion: a descent of the pinnacle and glory of creation into slavery to un-human behavior. (v.25)
• In judgement, Yahweh lets humanity have its own way resulting in a rapid descent into rot as people become “inventors of evil” (v.30, Genesis 6:5).
• The “un-humaning” effects of sin are complete: the once perfect image-of-God are so darkened they applaud acts that carry the sentence of death (v.32)

The cycle of sin is complete resulting in death and decay . And continues to this day. As James describes the cycle, “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) The process that transforms humans into un-humans. As Mr. Beaver tells the Pevensie children in The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis,

“But in general, take my advice, when you meet anything that … used to be human once and isn’t now, or ought to be human and isn’t, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet.”

In a speech to an appreciative auditorium, atheist Richard Dawkins  mocked the Ten Commandments as an adequate foundation for a moral society, especially in light of a supposed omniscient, good creator:

“ ‘Thou shalt not have any gods before me.’ Is that really a moral principle we should be living by?…’Do not make unto thee any graven images.’A moral principle to live by?… ‘Thou Shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.’ There are better things to remember!”.

Dawkins, however brilliant to his applauding audience, provides a modern illustration to Paul’s words in Romans 1:18-32. Rejecting the Sovereign God, he suppresses the truth of God (usually by ridiculing a self-defined caricature) resulting in a “darkened mind” and has become “futile in his thinking”. Subsequently, he worships nature and humanity resulting in wickedness (what could be more reprehensible that drawing more people into darkness) and approval of unrighteous behavior.

King David presents what amounts to a succinct summation of Paul when he writes “ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good (Psalm 14:1).

For four hundred years in Egypt, the descendents of Jacob had been surrounded by a culture who worshipped false gods and who followed the pattern of evil Paul describes. When the Sovereign God called out a people for himself as part of his ongoing plan of rescue, he had to establish first principles with them: ‘before you think of ordering a society, remember who I am and who you are in relation to me.’ Without the goodness of God as the standard for life, “un-human” evil must increase in a society. What Dawkins and others ridicule as superfluous and nonsensical turns out to be the necessary pre-conditions for a truly good society.

Life & Legacy

This week I had a two experiences that were strangely juxtaposed. On Thursday morning I went with Tim Barley to visit Earle Fries, an institution at VBC and a faithful servant of Jesus for most of his 92 years. Although his health has taken a down turn, Earle continues to radiate the life of Christ. The life he and his wife Julie have lived has been one surrendered to Christ and for his purposes. As a result he has impacted hundreds, if not thousands of people, for the sake of the gospel and his legacy of faithfulness will continue to send ripples long after he stands in glory with his savior.

On Thursday afternoon I stood with my wife by the hospital bed of her uncle, who is also dying of cancer. He is several decades younger than Earle but he has no hope of eternity. Though he has heard the gospel he has never received the forgiveness of God through Christ. With only a few more days to live, he is so full of pain medication that he is not awake and lucid enough to have a conversation. His wife lovingly sits by his side while his son looks on and gives support. Though he provided for the physical and educational needs of his children, he has not been able to give them any hope of life beyond the suffering of the present world.

 “Show me, LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.–Psalm 39:4

It is easy to get lulled into a false sense of immortality but in reality only God knows the length of time he has given us. It would be foolish as parents to assume a false future, wasting the time we are given. Jesus puts this in perspective when he urges his followers not to worry about “tomorrow”. We trust God today for our daily bread, and obey God today. We only have to pray for our enemies today. We only have to endure persecution and suffering today. It is up to the Captain of our souls, our Creator, our Loving Father to determine our “tomorrow”.

Put a sticky note up on your bathroom mirror or in your car as a reminder: are you living out the call of obedience to Christ today? Are you clearly and accurately representing Jesus to your spouse, your children, your co-workers and neighbors today? You can’t change yesterday and Jesus says that tomorrow will take care of itself. A legacy is one day of faithfulness, followed by another for as many days as the Lord gives you.

THE PHYSICS OF PRAYER

Continuing on my study of prayer, I came across this sermon from John’s gospel by John Piper that is well worth watching/listening to. Here’s a nugget from the heart of his message.

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By looking at John 14:13, 15:7-8, 15:16 and comparing them to each other, we get the following “equation”:

• When we abide in Jesus’ we will bear fruit (Jesus-likeness) and then,
• we will ask for anything in Jesus’ name and,
• God will do it so that,
• God can be glorified and,
• Our Joy may be full

The two-fold purpose of prayer seems to be (a) glory for God and (b) joy for us. How is that possible?

Psalm 37:4 says it clearly: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” When we have the mind of Christ we desire what he does “Hallowed by YOUR name, YOUR kingdom come, YOUR will be done”. The ambition of the Son is the Father being glorified (14:13). It’s why he uses the word “that”—we would say “so that”—and the way Jesus accomplishes this is by answering the Son-like requests of his disciples to bear fruit. To put it another way, when a disciple who thinks and acts like the Son, asks like the Son, the Father says “yes!”.

 

–Nathan

JESUS, THE PROMISED KING

Here are some thoughts from Psalm 132.  For the meaning behind the Psalm, see –1 Samuel 4-6, 2 Samuel 7.

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God’s promises to David are realized in Jesus:

• Jesus is the Son of David who provides our righteousness (v.16)

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Romans 3:21-22

 

• Jesus is the forever king who has conquered our greatest enemies (v.18)

O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

 

• Jesus is the annointed one (Messiah=King) who permanently brings us into the presence of God (v.13)

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ… So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. – Ephesians 2:13, 19

• Jesus is the son of God who guarantees that we are in God’s care

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? – Romans 8:32

 

–Nathan

One Generation to Another

Psalms 145:3-7 “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your works to another.

Take time to tell your children of some specific things the Lord has done in your life. In doing this, you will be fulfilling David’s prophecy and build a legacy of God’s majesty in the life of your family.

—- Nathan