New Thoughts (9/18/04-9/23/04)
Simeon declares that the Christ was prepared in the sight of all the nations. How am I to understand this? Certainly, I can conclude with confidence that God was not working in secret when it comes to the birth of Jesus. There were witnesses to the event: the shepherds, the family with whom they were staying, and now, the Temple authorities would be made aware of it as well, as Jesus was dedicated to the Lord. Certainly, a people so concerned with their genealogies would have made note of this child of David's line. Remembering that Joseph had gone to Bethlehem to register for purposes of Roman taxation, Rome may well have been given notice of this birth as well. But, is this what Simeon means?
It feels as though the message he is delivering applies to a longer period. As a Christian, I trace that preparation all the way back into the Garden. Right there, as God dealt with the first sin of mankind, the promise was made that this Christ would come. Throughout the history of Israel, one can find the preparations of God proceeding towards this day. Yet, all this was held within the bosom of Israel, was it not? Well, this people, this nation chosen by God, had been scattered to the corners of the earth many times. There was no place in the world of that day that the Israelite, the Jew, was not known of. Wherever they went, they maintained their own separate ways, gathering themselves into communities within the nations in which they found themselves. This is still ongoing today. Whatever their nation of residence, the Jew still remains a Jew first. Everything else is secondary. What is my point? Only this: Every nation knew of God's people. Every nation knew that they considered themselves God's people. Every nation knew at least a little bit about their history, about the many times they had been so close to extinction, and had somehow walked out of it victorious.
Solomon was known to the nations. For all that, God had so positioned His people when He chose the land in which they would dwell that it was impossible that nations would not be aware of His people. They occupied the crossroads of civilization. They were set as a light upon a hill, that all might see the work of the Lord in them. Especially among the nations who fought to control that crossroads, this people that would not be removed, could not be evicted from the land, were a painfully well known phenomenon. All of this, though, made God's people known, but not necessarily His plan and purpose of Salvation.
Well, the people God had chosen certainly had the attention of the power-brokers of the age. They were notorious as the holders of that strategic place on the trade-routes. They were notorious apart from those lands as businessmen of particular acumen and shrewdness. They had the attention of the nations, and those whose attention they had must surely have been wondering why this least of people were so impressively successful. No, they had not carved out great empires for themselves, but neither had the great empires carved them out. They simply could not be subdued. Questions had to come to the minds of those who tried. How could this be? Isaiah answers in part. In Israel's path in the world, God revealed both His holiness and His power (Isa 52:10). This, too, was done, 'in the sight of the nations.' Further, Isaiah tells us God's reason for this: so that all the nations might see the Salvation of God!
Here was preparation in the sight of all. The question mark that is Israel, the perplexing, insoluble problem that is Israel in the world, is in fact its own answer. However, the world is blind in its understanding of that answer, though it plays out before the eyes of the world. The world sees only belligerence. The world sees only strange turns of events. The world sees only the arrogance of a people, or the incredible sorrow of that people's history. For those who are being saved, though, a sign-post - a great shout of God's powerful revelation. He was prepared that all the ends of the earth might see Salvation. That is Isaiah's message. God no more says by this that every single entity would see, let alone that they would accept. He says the opportunity is there.
Add to this the testimony Paul declares to the Roman church. What is known about God is evident within every man, because God has made that evidence plain to their sight. From the beginning, what may not be seen of God directly - His essence, His power, His character - have been on display in the creation He made (Ro 1:19-20). Therein lies the justice of God's wrath, and the eternal damnation that is the penalty for sin. Therein lies the preparation of His Christ revealed to all, done in plain sight. All of creation speaks of this Salvation, speaks of Redemption. It is part of the natural order, because it is part of the Creator of that natural order. Every cycle of the seasons plays out another message of Redemption. Every pagan religion of the older ages recognized the message. Every false religion had that grain of truth - that out of death came life, out of hopelessness came hope. But, the thoughts of fallen man insistently twisted the message away from the truth it revealed, and replaced it with inventions of their own corrupt imaginations. Unwilling and unable to accept the God who Is, they created gods in their own image, gods who could be manipulated by their 'creation,' god who were no better than the men who worshiped them.
Truly, God has revealed His holiness and His power to all the nations as Isaiah recorded. Truly, as Simeon says here, the preparations were made in plain sight. The Purpose went forward unchanged. Salvation was being prepared, and the whole of creation knew it. They denied it, understood only what they wished to understand, but they knew it. Now Redemption was come to Israel, though Israel had largely forgotten its purpose. Though they treated this matter of Messiah as a jealously guarded secret treasure given only to them, still He came as promised. Though they did not reveal the preparations to the nations around them, God did. Sadly, the people He set to spread the word had come to a point where even they did not recognize the times. They could not spread the word because they didn't hear it, and those few who did hear it were so misinformed by the 'experts' that they thought it best to keep the message among a chosen few.
God would not have it so. He had said it through Isaiah: all the nations would have opportunity to see His Salvation. John the Baptist made plain that the message hadn't changed. Indeed, the promise was reinforced: "All flesh will see the salvation of God" (Lk 3:6). He will suffer much in His earthly ministry, but He will not suffer Himself to be hidden from any that would truly see. The early church, being Jewish in its roots, retained much of Jewish understanding even though they had seen Salvation and recognized Him for who He is. They would keep Him in the family, among the Jews. After all, He was promised to them, was He not? They were still God's chosen people, were they not? It took a lot of convincing before they recognized the greater plan, before they remembered Isaiah's words and truly understood them.
There is something of Israel that yet remains part of the Church of Christ. I had written that whatever their nation of residence, the Jew still remained a Jew first. This is still true of them, and it ought to be true of the Christian. We are called to be Christians first, citizens of heaven first and foremost. Whatever nation we may reside in, though it is assuredly the Providence of God that has situated us so, it remains secondary. The cry of the English army was once, "for God and country!" Rightly did they put God first in the equation. For the Christian, it must be understood that if we cannot cry, "for God and country!" then we must cry "for God!" To Him and Him alone must be our first allegiance. Apart from that we must recognize that we dare not follow any government farther than it follows God. Yes, this thought, taken from the founders of Plymouth colony, stands as a worthy guard and guide to us even today! The government of a nation is no better, can be no better, than the men who compose the government, and the message in that early day in American history was that we would follow no man farther than he follows God. That warning remains key to our eternal security today! Whether in governance, in labor, or in church, the rule of our life must be the same: follow no man except as his pursuit of God lays a proper course toward Home.
As we pursue that course, we must take care lest we take on another trait of our Jewish forebears. They came to think of God as exclusively their own. He was not to be shared with the 'great unwashed.' Even the Samaritans, because they had dared to mix with the Gentiles, were excluded from the promise as they saw it. Yet, God declares Salvation to all. All may see Him. All may come to Him. He will have Himself a people drawn from among every nationality, every misconception, every shape which fallen man has taken. He will take them from those quarters, and He will recreate them in His image, restore them to their intended form, whatever may have become of them.
The Church today must take care, lest we come to think that the message is only for those who are already in. The Church without outreach to the lost and dying is become another sect of Pharisees. This is not a call to be seeker friendly. It's a call to become seekers - seekers after the lost sheep. It's a call to be busy seeking those whom God is calling, and explaining to them what it is they are hearing, that they might respond. It's a call to be busy in the labors God has assigned, rather than too busy in our own religious conceptions to pursue what He asks. If all our time and energy is spent preaching to the choir, who is going to help those who have not yet found cause to sing?
Philip was sent to meet the Ethiopian eunuch south of Jerusalem (Ac 8:24-39). Here was one whom God was calling, yet he did not quite understand. He understood that there was a call, but the message was unclear to him. He needed someone to explain. Philip was divinely appointed to fill that need. Because of his obedience to the command of God, a church was born in Africa, the fruit of which is still pouring out today. There is a dual call upon the Church: Feed my sheep first, prepare them for service. We cannot stop there, though, or all we'll have is fat sheep. There is a second part: go and make disciples. Here is the source understanding that made the motto of my local church: "called out, sent out." We were each one of us called out of the world to meet God, to learn of Him and to seek His ways. That learning itself is not enough. It is not the purpose in itself, but a purpose with a purpose. All the learning comes to naught if it is not put to work for its intended use. No, when learning is accomplished, there is a work awaiting our attention. We are sent back out into the world from which we were called, that we might be His mouthpiece to those others He is calling, helping them understand, as Philip helped the eunuch. "And to the increase of His kingdom, there will be no end" (Isa 9:7).
It turns out God had not yet exhausted this point when I stopped writing yesterday. Imagine! As worship unfolded, a number of words came forth. Each was in part repeating what my studies had been saying. Wow! When God wants to get your attention, He has a way of doing so! The words that came forth were reminders that like Israel, we await the fulfillment of a promise God made long ago. Like Israel, it is entirely possible that we will be too distracted to notice when He fulfills that promise "In the presence of all peoples." Like Israel, should we miss it, there will be no excuse. Once more, God is working out His purpose in plain sight, but plain sight will not suffice to understand. If we, if I, will not stay "in the Spirit," if I am not in tune with Him, listening to His explanations, I will be among those who seeing, comprehend not.
Oh, but I have faith in a God who is greater than my flesh! Therefore, the warning does not cause me to be anxious. Quite the opposite! It confirms me. It teaches me to understand what He is already showing. I'll admit, I would that I understood more readily. Yet, I am reassured by this that the same Spirit that guides my own times of study is that Spirit who is speaking to the body. Spirit testifies to Spirit. Anointing recognizes Anointing. If these things be true, if I truly believe in God, I do well to pay heed to what He is saying through these fellow Christians.
The words were not necessarily such as one wishes to hear. We do not like to hear the warning of danger ahead. We would really prefer the messages of "peace, peace." Yet, God's record shows that the messages we prefer are not the ones He speaks. He spoke of hard times ahead, of violent times. He spoke of the fulfillment of promise being near. So hard, to accept that. So many have made that claim before and been shown false. Yet, it is the same Spirit speaking who has so often spoken to me here. Dare I reject what was said as so many rejected Jeremiah? No. I cannot. The time is at hand to be prepared, to be ready to depart in an instant. The time has come when, though we remain engaged in providing for our family, we recognize that all provision comes from God. It's time to be more serious than ever about pursuing God, pursuing holiness.
How sad it would be if the Light of Revelation, which cannot be extinguished, shone upon us in our day, and we refused to see Him. He came once, the true and genuine Light of life shining in upon the darkness of fallen man, and fallen man refused to see the Light. Did we really think His return would be that different? Oh, the day will assuredly come when every knee shall bow before Him. All flesh will see the salvation of God (Lk 3:6), as He has said. Indeed! Every man ever living shall stand before His throne in judgment. Every man ever living will see Him. But for many it will be the last time, it will be the moment when they are forced unwilling to their knees to acknowledge the justice of their eternal condemnation. They will see, they will bow, but it will have come too late. I want to be found ready. I want to be found faithfully pursuing the task He assigned me until the moment of His return. I want to be found watching for Him, not so I can hurriedly clean up before He arrives, but because I know all is prepared and awaiting the return of my Beloved.
Lord, I hear You. I hear You and I want so very much to be found prepared as You have been working to prepare me. I know beyond doubt that You have been preparing me, and I thank You that I know, too, that You are faithful to complete what You have begun in this man. If You were not faithful, who could stand? None could hope to be saved! But, You are. So, I will not be afraid. I will only seek that You would bring victory in those things I still battle with daily. I will only seek that You cleanse me of those habits that I cannot cleanse myself from. Apart from You, Lord, I can do nothing, but all things are possible with You. How many ways You have been making that real to me, lately. You have given it to me in song, and You are making it a theme in my life. You are burning things into me, Lord, engraving them on my heart. Yet, I can still forget so quickly. I see the willfulness of my flesh, rising up to block my ears from what I know. Holy Spirit! Make me a man of circumcised ears! I don't want to miss Your call. Make me a man of circumcised heart! I cannot bear to think how often hearing results in no more than a nod of agreement. Where is action? Where is response? Awaken this sleeper, Lord! I am Your servant, teach me to obey. I am Your sheep, Lord. This I know. I have failed you more often than I would tolerate myself. This, too, I know. But, You are Faithful and True. You will not leave or forsake me. Though I fail so often, You continue Your patient work. Oh! To see it complete as You see it! Speed the day, God! Speed the day!
God is a God of purpose. He does not work frivolously among His children. No! And He is not arbitrary in His dealings with His children. He does not, as some would have it, give good gifts to one, and leave the other wanting. That understanding does not reflect knowledge of God at all. It reflects a viewpoint that has imbibed too much of the world system. We have come to think that God's blessing must include wealth and plenty. God's blessing is not required to include any such thing! He will Provide! Either we believe it or we don't, but He will Provide! There is as much blessing in experiencing that Provision in a fashion that requires absolute dependence as there is in experiencing bounty poured out. Indeed, it is the same blessing! The blessing isn't in the stuff. The blessing isn't even in being fed day to day. The blessing isn't in the material manifestation at all. The blessing is in knowing Him who has blessed us so, and in knowing His blessing when we see it.
Yesterday, we went for a bike ride together. Off we went, following Mom, as it was her week to choose our family activity for the evening. She chose to ride, and ride we would. As we rode along, something caused our daughter to call out to Mom to stop. She did. Boy did she stop! Not knowing what our daughter needed, her response was instant. However, her response was to grab the front brake, and over the bars she went. Wow! What was that all about? Well, eventually we got her up and out of the street where she had fallen, and as she shook it off, not far at all down the road a crash, the screeching of tires, and a horn that won't stop. I'm still not entirely clear what had occurred down at the next intersection, whether it was a collision or something worse yet. I do know that whatever the details of the event, it was not a place for three cyclists to have been in that moment. Immediately, there was recognition that Mom's fall, while painful, was yet God's Provision in action.
Now, some would be offended by that. God would never do such a thing! Really? Seems to me He's done that any number of times. Again, our sense of right and wrong is twisted about by the world's view of things. How dare we judge God's love by the standards of a fallen and corrupt worldview? His love knew what lay ahead, and knew that the loving thing was not to allow us to proceed on our course. Were we doing anything wrong? Not at all. Was there an appointment up ahead that sought our harm? Quite possibly. Was there a good God Providing for His children? Absolutely! Don't get me wrong. My wife's pain is real. Her arm's pretty sore, although it's most likely no more than a bruise, strain, or perhaps a sprain. I'll tell you, though. While she's not real happy about the pain, she is yet rejoicing in the Lord. In that moment, she did not look upon the hurt that was inflicted, but upon the greater pain that was prevented. In that moment, she was focused not on what the enemy was doing, but what God had done. There's a lesson we could all stand to learn! I confess, I don't always do so well with it myself. It takes me time to recognize my Lord in action sometimes. It's real easy to complain before His hand is evident, but once He can be seen, well! "Though He slay me, yet will I praise Him!"
Now, I see, Lord, that You have taken me rather far afield once more, haven't You? Thank You. What else can I do but thank my Teacher for aiming my studies in the direction they need to go? Thank You, that even in the last day You have been bringing to life the very things You have been pointing out to me. Already I've seen it in this morning's words, God! The things You were showing me, You are showing me not just here in these studies, but as the day unfolds around me. Yes, You have often had to use the words of others to explain the significance of what You were doing before my eyes. Train me, Holy One, to see for myself, to truly understand. Thank You, though, that You have surrounded me with men and women of understanding. Thank You, that You have shown me repeatedly that it is the same Spirit that moves upon every true member of Your body. Forgive, Lord, the doubts that clouded my thinking last week, and thank You that You heard my prayer when I came to Your house yesterday. I asked that You would clear out those doubts, and You have done it! All praise to Your name!
If I may, Lord, I would ask that You would also clear out the clouds of frustration that have been accumulating in my family. You know. You know the challenges that mother and daughter present to each other. You know the challenge that it is to me when I am asked to enforce something I don't even accept. I don't want to rule with an iron will in this house, Father. That's not Your way and it's not my right. I would that You would help me to bring understanding to the situation, that You would speak through me in such a way that we can each recognize the other's point of view. I ask that You would help us to cast aside our own misconceptions, set aside those agendas that are ours alone, that You have not set. I ask that You would make of me a peacemaker in my house, bringing understanding and reconciliation by Your power and Your word. Thank You, for I know You hear me, and I know You are not silent!
This is an exciting thing, for I note that experience is outpacing study here. I look at what I had chosen to comment on next, and I realize that this is exactly what I was living out yesterday - Spirit recognizing Spirit. I was thinking, in these notes, of the experience which Simeon, Mary, and Joseph were sharing. Strangers crossing paths at the Temple, and yet Simeon knows that these are the ones who escort the King. Strangers to each other and yet Mary and Joseph know that there is no threat in Simeon's taking of the Child. They are strangers to each other, it is true, but they know that they are connected by a common thread. The same Voice informs both parties. In one ear He whispers, "There is your Redeemer." In the other He whispers, "Fear not what is about to occur. He's with Me." Spirit recognizes Spirit. Yes! But, if they had not all been 'in the Spirit,' they would not have recognized what He recognized. Had they been so wrapped up in their own concerns and events that He was forgotten with the morning prayers, He could not have told them what was up.
It is because they were 'in the Spirit' that the Spirit could speak, that He could guide. No. That's not quite right, either. God is God. He will guide our feet whether we will have it so or not. He is able to do more than we can even think or imagine. We imagine that we are free to buck Him, to pursue our own course and ignore His direction, but He is greater than our imagination! His love for us most assuredly respects our wishes, but His love for us is greater than that. His love for us recognizes that our wishes are not always in our best interest, and His love for us will do what is needful for us, whether we recognize the need or not. No, these three would keep their appointment, because it was God's appointment. What greater joy, though, then to go to that appointment knowing that He has something special awaiting us in that place! What greater joy than to know as we go that we are walking in His purpose, that we are right precisely where He wants us to be! What greater joy than to have all doubts about our actions removed because we hear Him telling us where to be, when to be there. Oh, He may not tell us what or why. He knows that surprises spice the lives of His children. He seeks only that we would trust Him with the when and where, and that we know that He will provide the how.
As with their lives, so with this study! I have my plan of study for the Gospels. I occasionally fool myself into thinking that it's my plan, my schedule. The plan might well be mine, but the schedule is His! Once more, Scripture is proven the truest assessment! Man plans his ways, but God directs his steps. I plan the course of this study, but God determines the pace, and so often of late, He determines the very course of my thinking. This is as it should be, don't you see? The purpose of study is, after all, to know Him better. Who better, then, to guide the course? Who better to give the answers that study seeks? Yes, and it is the very same principle that was played out in the bike ride. We had our plan, but God determined the details, and thanks be to Him that He does so! We plan with a knowledge that is in part, with a wisdom that is still ninety-nine percent foolishness. He plans with full knowledge, with perfect wisdom. Which plan is more likely to produce satisfying results? If it comes down to His appointment and purpose versus my own, which will I be better off with? Would I prefer the perfect or the best guess?
There is this principle at play in both the situation playing out in Scripture, and the situation that played out on the streets of Lowell yesterday. Because the events are by His hand, we can rest assured that however it may seem to us, what has happened has happened for a good reason. It may be hard to view a tumble from a bicycle as a good and perfect gift, but it is from the hands of my Father, and I know that He gives good gifts to His children! Mary and Joseph, seeing Simeon suddenly upon them, taking the Child from Mary's arms without asking, knew this much: The appointment was His, the plan was His, the Child was His. What was occurring here was in some way one more of His good and perfect gifts, and there was nothing to be feared in it.
I wonder, as I write this, if Mary still recognized that same source of peace as her Son, God's Son, hung from the cross. It's clear that she came to understand it eventually, for she was found with the apostles still when He came to visit on His way Home. But in that moment… how long was it before she could recognize the Father's loving hand in that? Spirit recognizes Spirit. God being merciful, I think she must have been hearing His voice throughout that agonizing time, assuring her that whatever things might look like in the moment, His plan and purpose were being fulfilled. Whatever pain her son was going through, it remained God's good and perfect gift. Not that I think she understood it fully in the moment. Neither did the disciples. But God would not leave them in the dark for long.
He is, as I wrote elsewhere, a purposeful King. It is good to know that. It is good to know that, whatever we may think of events as we go through them, if He has done it, it has been done for good reason, and for reason of good. It is good to know that, though we don't understand now, understanding will come. The car accident that we were in not all that long ago did not feel like a good thing at the time. It didn't seem to make a great deal of sense, and it certainly wasn't anything we had in mind to do with our day. No. We were there to fulfill a godly commitment to honor parents. But the emergency room was a place in need of prayer that day, and God put His worker in place without any great harm. Yes, she was discomforted by events, but nothing was broken, and the van continued to be drivable. Yes, there were any number of frustrations down the road when it came to getting the van repaired, but these were light and passing trials compared to the life of a child that hung in the balance in that hospital. They are nothing compared to the joy she knew at having been put in place to speak God into the situation. They are less than nothing compared to the sweetness of hearing that the breath of life had been restored to that child, and knowing that even the doctors who thought all the singing of praises a bit outré recognized that the God who hears had made a difference in the outcome! Truly, if He has done a thing, it has been done for a good reason, and eventually, understanding will come!
This same truth remains true in yesterday's events. Was it all just to keep us out of an intersection? Surely, there were better ways that could have been prevented! A flat tire on one bicycle would have covered it. No, there is something bigger in this. If He ordained a sprained arm, or whatever consequence has befallen my wife, He has done so with good reason, with purpose. He does not act in such frivolous fashion, and He certainly doesn't harm His children just to make a point. He is preparing something even now. He has ordained particular matters, prepared these events not only in my wife's life, but in my own, and in my daughters. Do I understand what He is up to? No. But, this I know: What He does, He does for good. In looking at the definition of "bless," I noted Zhodiates' words: "He blesses by interfering." Well, that was certainly interference yesterday! I can say with equal certainty, then, that it was God blessing us. I may not know how, just yet, but I know it was blessing.
I do want to turn to a couple of thoughts that I actually planned to pursue here, because it is now the right place for those thoughts. God ordains particular events in our lives. These events are not necessarily ones we would choose, but they are His choice. They are His interference in our lives, and they are the interference of a good God seeking our good. They are His blessing upon us. They may not seem good as we pass through, but consider these things. The very fact that He is bothered to interfere with our lives says something good about us. It does not say that there is anything good about us, but it says something good about us nonetheless. It says that God is interested in us, concerned about us. It declares to our spirit, as spirit recognizes Spirit, that He has chosen us, and there can be nothing better said about us than that! That interference also says something good about Him who interfered! What is said may not come to us immediately. It will require understanding of what He has done and why He has done it. In the meantime, faith speaks to us that He works all things together for our good, because we are laboring in His purpose. The good may not be clear to us, but that it is there is clear in who He is. As we come to understand His purpose in which we labor, we will recognize the good of His interference on our behalf.
With that in mind, how shall we react to His interference? Shall we berate Him for distracting us? Shall we complain because He has messed up our plans? No! The only right reaction is praise and celebration. God still cares! God still moves in the lives of His children. He has not changed! He remains faithful to His promises! He remains the Great I AM. Whether we understand His actions or not, whether He has explained to us what He is doing or not, we can and should praise Him in the interference. We can and should celebrate His interference because it is ever and always a manifestation of His abiding love for us!
God! This is just so unbelievable. You know and I know that the words I have just written are completing things that were on my mind yesterday before the day had really begun! You know and I know that so much of yesterday was non-stop confirmation of the things You had led me to collect out of this passage. I am so in awe of You at this moment! I am so thrilled by Your orchestration. I am also rather ashamed of my own reaction to events. Would that You had drawn me back to these thoughts then and there. Ah! My Jan, she thinks that she is so far behind me in these matters, yet I am so far outstripped by her own reaction on this occasion! Truly, You bless me with her, Lord. Truly, I am shamed by my own poor reaction. Forgive me for not seeing You in what You are doing. Forgive me for forgetting so swiftly what You have been revealing. Help me, Lord, to see what it is You are doing in this, and not get all put off by the inconvenience of it all. You are yet the Potter, and I am but the clay. Surely, You will have cause of praise in what is unfolding still. No, I don't think for a moment that it's done yet. There is something else that is wrapped around what has happened. Let understanding come, and in the meantime, I will celebrate Your goodness! I will rejoice in being a part of what You are doing, however little I may know of what that is! Thank You, Lord, for making this family Your own! Thank You for including us in Your plans.
The God of purpose has been at work from the beginning to bring about a people of purpose in this day. As with His revelation of the plan of Redemption, His revealing of our own part in that plan has been a progression of understanding. In the parallel verses to v32, I see that progression clearly on display. It begins with a deepening of the revelation of Messiah, as Isaiah, speaking God's words, declares, "I appoint You as a Covenant to the people" (Isa 42:6). What a powerful statement this is! The Law had been handed down, the terms of covenant, upon tablets of stone. This would be the indelible record upon which the agreement sealed there at Mount Sinai was to be based. Yet, even stone wears down over time.
Now, God was declaring something greater was coming. There was to come this One, this Messiah, eternal King of nations, and He Himself would be the record of the terms of covenant. More durable than stone is the Rock of our Salvation! Standing from all eternity, He declares to us the rule of righteousness. He is the Rule of Righteousness! He is our Righteousness! What came as a greater revelation of what had been from the beginning was also a promise of greater things to come as Redemption unfolded. The announcement made through Isaiah's mouth was a signpost of greater things to come, a ray of hope in the darkness.
In a later chapter, Isaiah moves in his vision to the time when the Covenant Child is come. He is not there in the flesh, but he is there in the spirit, and in heaven, he is doubtless with the ranks of the righteous who looked upon that day with rejoicing. Indeed, he is rejoicing as he writes these things. "Rise up!" he shouts to his compatriots. "Rise up and shine with the Light that is upon you!" What is this Light he speaks of? It is the glory of the LORD (Isa 60:1)! This Light is the very same Covenant whom God was promising in the previous case. Here is a vision of the fulfillment. The Covenant was promised. His arrival is the Light of God's own glory come upon us. All that is magnificent, all that is praiseworthy, all that is good and righteous and true in Him is come upon us. The Light came among men, a Light that the darkness could not comprehend, could not block out, could not subdue (Jn 1:5), because He is the Light of God's own glory made manifest to man (Heb 1:3). He is, according to Isaiah's words here, not only made manifest to man, but made manifest in and through us to whom He has come! He is risen, and He is resting on those whom He has adopted into His family.
He who adopted us, He who is risen in and upon us, is the same God of Purpose who was and is and ever shall be, evermore the same, Unchanging God of all creation! He has sent His Covenant to man. In Christ He has written the requirements of righteousness. What the Law intended, His Christ has fulfilled before the eyes of man. He was not hidden away. He was prepared before the eyes of the nations, in plain sight, on display to all as He accepted the consequences of sins He never committed. Through it all, He stood as the inextinguishable Light of God, the Light of truth and knowledge lived out in purity. It did not end at the grave, because the Light is not such as can be extinguished. It did not end because He rose up! Had He remained in the grave, then all of human history was made vain and hopeless, but He did not. He arose from that place victorious, and death itself was defeated! In that moment, all those heroes of faith, all those entries in the Hebrews hall of fame, knew their hopes fulfilled in Him as they departed the regions of Sheol.
To those remaining in the life He had left, He returned that they, too, might recognize their hopes fulfilled in Him. The Light was not extinguished any more than the sun goes out each night. No, but like the sun, He is Light unending. Indeed, if we accept the word of the sciences, His Light is the greater, for even the sun will fade and be extinguished should time continue long enough. He will not. This inextinguishable Light has come upon us. He has not only come to rest for a moment upon us, He has come to stay! The Glory of the Lord, that same Glory whose brilliance so filled the Temple that clouds of incense were needed before mortal man could tolerate its glow, has come and filled the temple of our own bodies! The eyes of sinful man cannot see it. Our own sins may occlude it at times, so far as those around us are concerned, but they cannot really block it out! Darkness cannot block out that Light!
But the Light Who is our Covenant, the Light Who has adopted us as co-heirs, Who has taken up residence in us, has come with a Purpose. He has come with the voice of command that is rightfully His, for He is our Lord and King. His command is this: "You are set as a light to the Gentiles. You, My brothers, My friends, My people, have a Purpose. You have My Purpose. You are to spread Salvation to the very ends of the earth" (Ac 13:47). Be a light. Be as inextinguishably true to the Righteousness that is in you as was He who manifested God before man. He is here! He is present in your life! His light is my light!
The question then becomes, am I allowing His light to shine with clarity, or do I insist on clouding up the revelation of His glory with my own sins? There is great assurance in knowing that darkness cannot occlude the Light. There is great assurance in knowing that even my own sins cannot completely block the Light, no, nor can my rebellious flesh prevent Him from accomplishing all His will. But, there is a choice upon me moment by moment to join gladly in His purpose, to shine with clarity that His pure light may be seen purely, or to continue in my own ways, grieving the Spirit, distorting the image that is in me, and effectively leaving those amongst whom I walk in the dark. I am a servant of the Most High God. I am a son of the Most High God. I have my orders from my King: Be a light. Bear my Truth in purity. Walk worthy. What am I doing with that command?
This is a difficult question for me. Certainly, when looking at the Great Commission, the command is both to go, and to make disciples. At the same time, Scripture tells us that not all members of the body serve the same function. If all went into the hinterlands to make new saints, who would remain to disciple them? For myself, I have been far more concerned with seeking to live according to my beliefs than with simply telling folks what I believe. How powerful is it to hear another statement of belief that doesn't match up with the speaker's example? What cause is given to accept one's words above those of any other stranger?
God, I don't know. Am I making excuses here? Am I seeking to justify myself? If so, make this plain to me, and help me to change. Yet, it feels right to me, God, not that there is any safety in following my feelings. I know without a doubt that there are things in my character yet which do not display Your Light as they should. Forgive me for this, too. I have also witnessed Your work in me made recognizable to those around me. You have me in mind of my coworker's comment yesterday, regarding my productivity. How I failed You in that encounter! No, I did not proudly boast of my own powers, except in displays of humility. Where I failed was in not making plain the Source of my productivity, the God in Whom I live, move, and have being. Yet, I am also reminded that there have been occasions that made plain to those with whom I was involved that my character would pursue Your ways and no other, however attractive a change of course might have been for me. Thank You, Lord, for that testimony to Your work in me! Continue, Holy One, to work Your will in me, and I shall be satisfied, for I know as Your work is done in me, You are satisfied.
There is so much assurance to be found in the Light which has shone on us. I love the fact that the particular Light that is used as a name for my Lord and Savior specifies that sort of light that never required ignition, and will therefore never expire. The Light which shines in me is an eternal Light, a Light unchanging, in which is no shadow whatsoever! He is no flickering torch that might go out if the winds pick up too much. No! He is Light unending, the reason in Himself that there will be no need for sun or moon in the New Jerusalem. This is the Light that has come upon me!
How, then, am I called to be a light like unto Himself? Is it simply in allowing Him to shine through? Yes, and at the same time, no. Thayer's Lexicon gives a good sense of what the Light is to look like in us. The Light is the Light of Truth, and in us that Truth combines with knowledge as the Spirit teaches us. Truth is dead in us if we do not understand that it is true. The same truth about God is visible to the senses of every man as he walks through creation, yet for the majority it is not understood, it is nothing about which they know, because it requires spiritual understanding.
Thayer's definition continues in a fashion that reminds me of a favorite Charlie Peacock song, for Thayer proceeds by saying that even as knowledge of the truth is required by this Light, so also is a life that reflects that knowledge, a life that knows truth, and combines this knowledge with the spiritual purity that the truth requires. Charlie puts it this way, "Truth, to be understood, must be lived. We can only possess what we experience!" Yes! This is the way of the Spirit! Head knowledge is insufficient. Knowing a thing true is insufficient. Knowing the right thing to do In a particular situation is not enough to qualify as light. It is only as we act upon that knowledge, as we allow the Truth we know to chart our course of action, and indeed, as Charlie's words suggest, until that Truth has shaped us, has informed our character and become the basis of all our choices, we don't really know it yet. We are still hearing with uncircumcised ears that fail to comprehend.
Truth must meet understanding of truth in us, and as we are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, that meeting will occur. As sanctification proceeds, the things we understand will become the things we choose to do. It is, however, a process. We can all, I expect, come up with examples of things we knew were bad ideas to pursue, and yet pursued them anyway. But, as we are made a new creation in Christ Jesus, these old things are passing away. We are coming into a place where the decisions we make, even in the tough places, are consistent with faith. This is how we walk worthy! As we choose to stand in righteousness rather than take the easy, profitable course - as we insist on doing things His way, rather than insisting on our own way, we display a light that none can extinguish!
I am coming back once again to that matter of being 'in the Spirit.' This is informing so much of what I study of late! God simply is not allowing me to get away from this idea. Everywhere I turn, this is what it's all about. If we want that Light to shine in us, if we want to obey the command that is given us to be a light, it requires that we remain in the Spirit, as He abides in us. It requires that we be attentive to His move and His direction, so that whatever move we may make, we do not suffer to be moved from within His presence. I remember that in looking at Simeon I had noted that when we are in the Spirit, we cannot help but be noticed. The power of His presence in one's life is going to make a difference that cannot be ignored. It can be misunderstood, to be sure, but it cannot be ignored.
Therein, I think, is our key to understanding how we can be a light to the world around us, as our call requires. Remain in the Spirit. Abide in Him. He is, after all, sent as our Teacher. He is ever present in us. That is Truth. What changes in our day to day situation is not Him. He remains unchanged. We, however, wax and wane in our willingness to hear Him, in our attentiveness to His voice. If we are to stand as a light to the nations, though, we must train ourselves by allowing ourselves to be trained by Him. We simply must reach the point where we rest in Him. We have got to reach the point in our Christian growth where, like Moses, we will simply not move except He go with us. Is there somewhere we could Go that He is not? No, of course not. That's not the idea. Moses knew full well that God is omnipresent. He had already learned, like David, like Adam, that there was no place he could go that would hide him from his Maker. That wasn't his concern, that he would somehow find himself out of God's reach. No. He knew he was always in reach of his God. What He wanted to be certain of, though, is that he was exactly where God wanted him to be. He wanted to be certain that he was in the spot that God was blessing.
This is the thing Pastor has been trying to get us to understand of late. We have grown so used to asking God to bless what we're doing, trying to call Him over to where we are. That's not the proper order! We are the servants, He is the Lord! It is His place to set our course, and our place to pursue the course He has set. How are we ever going to hear His directions, though, if we are constantly running about trying to do on our own? If it is in Him that we move (and it should be!) then we must do what is necessary to remain in Him, in His presence, 'in the Spirit!' This is not some new work we must perform, else it would be a dead work for us. It's not work at all! It's learning, it's training, it's growing up into the fullness of maturity in the faith.
How are we to get there? Prayer, study, meditation upon our Savior's ways and words, the communion of saints, worship - all of these things. These are the tools of God's grace, given to us in His mercy that we might grow in Him. Any one of these things by itself will not be likely to produce a life that is lived 'in the Spirit.' Neglect of any one of these things is as likely as not going to keep us falling short of the goal. It is as we allow all of the aspects of faith to work together, as we seek Him in His word, honor Him in worship, share the strength of His presence with our fellow saints, and ask of Him in our prayers, that He can begin to fully inform our lives.
If we do not pray to Him, we are neglecting our side of the conversation. If we do not study His word to us, we are ignoring His side of the conversation. Conversation requires that both parties to the conversation have opportunity to speak. By the combination of prayer and study, we allow that two-way communication. By the communion of saints, we are given the tools to make certain that the one we are listening to is indeed the One to whom we ought listen. We are given a means of ensuring that our understanding is more than vain imaginings, but is true to the Truth that is in us. In worship, we are given the means to ensure that all the honor is given to Him who sits on the throne! Like the doctrines of the Truth that He is, all these aspects of our life in Him are knit together. They are intended to harmonize together as a sweet chorus in His ears, and what is sweet to His ears will surely entice those who hear it. The world tells us that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it's not. The beauty lies in the Source, He is all that is beautiful in the world, and when His beauty is allowed to shine through, those who see it cannot help but recognize it as beautiful.
Before continuing, I need to capture this thing that God was speaking to my heart yesterday. If we consider the citizens of Israel at the time of Jesus' birth, we might reasonably divide them into three or four groups. There were those who had decided that God mattered no more than any of the other gods. They had largely dismissed any thought of a life hereafter, and were focused exclusively on getting ahead in this life. There were those who had decided that God was but one god amongst many. While they perhaps continued to worship Him, they were not concerned with these others who worshiped as they chose. If the Greeks chose to worship their many gods, this was not an issue. One might think of them as the 'personal truth' crowd. There were those for whom God had become nothing more than a tool, a means to their own ends. These thought that office in the Temple was a means to gain power and prestige. They were no different in the Temple than the Romans were in the world. There were others who were so anxious for the coming of Messiah that they followed every claimant to that title, until having had their hopes dashed sufficiently by repeated disappointments, they gave up. None of these were ready when He came. They all saw the preparations, but none of them understood the meaning.
I look at our nation today and I see all these same groups so strongly present. So many would declare themselves at best agnostic, more likely atheistic. There is no God, there is nothing but this futile life into which we are born. Ours is to make the best of it in the time we have, perhaps to seek to do our utmost to extend that time.
There are those who look upon our pluralistic society with satisfaction, and are pleased that each man is free to pursue whatever gods he may so choose. They think in this that we have shown ourselves faithful to the founders' plans, but they are wildly incorrect! The founders would not, methinks, have welcomed the influx of Mohammedism into their presence. They would not have been satisfied to let the natives continue worshiping their pantheon of gods. They would, perhaps, have welcomed the people that so worshiped, but they would have seen in them ground to spread the Gospel. These were mission minded men. Insofar as the world was not convinced of the Gospel, it was their duty to declare the Gospel faithfully, exclusively. It was not their duty to welcome every false god that so chose into their midst. Yet, in our day, the message has been sufficiently muddied that we think we do well to allow any delusion whatsoever to pass as legitimate religion. We think we do well to tolerate the worship of a lie, and in so doing, we join in the worshiping of the Lie.
There are those who are employed in the Church, but have no interest in the things of God. They see the pulpit as a point of power, a platform on which to speak of matters not of God's interest, but of worldly interest. There are those who have taken the pulpit in the interest of bringing some sort of honorability to their own personal sins. Perhaps if we can get a gay pastor into a place of power, we can finally gain some respectability and acceptance in the eyes of the religious factions. What shall be accepted as spokesman for God next? Will pedophile priests become a welcome wave of the future rather than being seen as pariahs? What will next cease to offend the nation? Indeed, we have men in the Church for whom the whole of religion is but a disguise in which to hide their own sinful proclivities, a means to feed illicit passions that the world, as fallen as it is, has not stooped to accepting just yet.
Into this setting come the words of last Sunday, repeated warnings that the signs were clear, time draws short, the events of the end are upon us. We were warned of violent times ahead as the full sinfulness of sin is made manifest. I think upon this, and the skeptic in me really doesn't want to buy into it. We've heard it all before. So many churches have been founded on false statements regarding the coming of the end, the return of Christ, that I don't want to be fooled by it all. Whoops! There is that other camp in Israel, that had jumped out after every so-called Messiah that came along, who had heard it so many times by the time He came that they were no longer interested. They had become the "we don't get fooled again" crowd, and because of this, they got fooled again. Wow! What danger I have put myself in! Not that I will ever advocate taking every claim to a word from God as real. No! That would put me right back in the same danger and worse! But, when that same message comes not only from the church but from my own studies, when everything converges on a message, we have to take notice.
Here it is! The days we live in now are not so very different at all from the conditions prevalent in Palestine when Messiah came. The state of religion in general has largely returned to similar state - paganism, new religions cropping up, the corruption of the true faith. All of these things are the same distractions and deceits the devil has put in play throughout history. Any way he can, he seeks to dissuade belief in the Truth, whether by offering more attractive alternatives, or by repeatedly mimicking the signs of Truth until we no longer believe the true signs. The danger lies on both side, because the lies abound on both sides. But those who trust in the Lord shall not suffer themselves to be turned either to the left or to the right, because the Lord determines their steps!
The vast majority of Israelis were sufficiently deceived as to miss the Messiah when He came. It was not for lack of warning that He was imminent. Zacharias and Elizabeth did not have John in a vacuum. The silencing of Zacharias was a very public display, and the end of his silence was front-page news around Judea. The shepherds in Bethlehem had not slipped quietly in and out of town, careful not to disturb the sleeping city. No! They rushed to meet Messiah, and we are told that they returned to their fields shouting God's praises and singing of His glory, and every one who came to question the cause for their noise heard that Messiah was come. Yet, we don't hear of a single one who went to see Him. They heard the word that He is come, and went back to sleep. Simeon, who is here praising God as he beholds his Salvation, is not doing so hidden away in some side-chamber of the Temple. I have no doubt but that he was there at the gates of the Temple as the crowds passed in and out, and it is right there in the gates that he declares the blessed news. People saw what was happening, heard what he was saying. The curious would soon notice that a noted prophetess joined her voice to Simeon's. Two or three witnesses…yet not many at all heard with understanding. All saw the signs, all saw God's preparations being completed in their very presence, yet so few laid hold of what God was giving them. The Light of the world was come to His own, but His own would not recognize Him, would not accept Him.
We are at incredible risk now, in this day, of finding ourselves exactly like Israel did. When the hour of our visitation comes will we be ready to welcome the return of the King? Or will we be too busy looking for our own idea of His return, too convinced of our own understanding and reason, too impressed with our own theories to recognize Truth when He comes and stands before us? Too many voices are shouting 'get ready!' Too many preparations are underway, too many signs are evident all around us. We dare not ignore the import of these things. The faithful God has promised His own return to reap the fruits of the work He completed on Calvary. We know not the day nor the hour, but we know this: He has told us that He does not move without informing His prophets of His plans. He does not come in secret, though His coming will take many by surprise. To His own, He issues the call, "prepare yourselves. Make straight the way of the Lord. Behold! The bridegroom comes!" Can we afford not to hear? Can we afford to pass it off as another false alarm?
He is a light of revelation to the Gentiles. That is the word God speaks through Simeon. Recall the sort of light He is declared to be, a light that never needs lighting because it never goes out. He is, then, the eternal light of revelation. The eternal bearer of revealed Truth, giving not only the Truth, but the understanding of truth. It is revelation precisely because it is not only made manifest to us, it is interpreted and explained. A vision unexplained is but a dream. A parable without interpretation is but a story. Truth without understanding is but a statistic, a curiosity. No, Christ stands eternally as the beacon of Truth, revealing, interpreting, and explaining to His brothers who God is and what He is doing. His is the voice that informed the prophets of old, for He always has been the beacon of Truth. He was not suddenly lit on the day of His birth. His is still the voice of real prophecy today, His is still the voice of the real preacher today. His light did not go out at the Cross, nor did He cease to speak because the apostles had passed into eternity.
The Holy Spirit remains present amongst His people. And God remains unchanged and unchanging. Yet, modern man rejects this God. They cannot bear that God should still move in such mythological fashion. Surely, with the great advances of human knowledge, God will no longer belittle us by speaking in dreams and visions! Surely, miracles were something He used while we were still in our infancy. Now that we are grown so sophisticated, He will doubtless speak only to our reason.
I see the rejection of prophecy because so many prophets have proven false. Yet, this was just as true in the days of Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah. Of course there were false prophets! Did we really expect the father of lies to just idle his feet while God took care of wiping him out? I see claims the gifts were only for that foundational period in the church, because, after all, Paul told us that they were only for a time, only until perfection had come. Well, these would argue, Perfection came in the body of Christ. But, by that argument, the gifts must cease before ever they started! This is no sound argument! The children of God are about as perfected right now as they were in any other period of history. I don't know about anybody else, but I'm still waiting for that perfection. I'm still waiting for the return of my Jesus, and I still can say with Paul that I only understand in part, I see more each day, but I still see as in a dim mirror. I still need every advantage I can have to steer clear of deception.
Is there, amongst those who reject the gifts, one who has knowledge of what tomorrow holds? Is there one who has gained such righteousness that he needs no further warnings and admonitions? I think not. So long as there is a tomorrow we will have need of those who can speak of tomorrow. So long as we remain strangers in this foreign land, we will have need of those who can tell us of news back home. So long as we have need of the gifts of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit will remain. So long as the real gifts remain, rest assured that the deceiver will have his counterfeits on display right beside them. It would be equally wrong to take every claimant to speaking for God as real as it would be to reject every such claim as patently false. Either way, the devil wins. The people of God are told not to despise the prophet. They are also told to test the prophet. That is the balance God speaks. Hear not with undo skepticism, but neither with undo credulity. Study to show yourself approved. Study to prepare yourself that you may hear with discernment whether the claims of being God's voice are real or not. Study that you might recognize Truth being added to Truth, and avoid the Lie that seeks to erase the Truth in you. If the light of revelation to the Gentiles is inextinguishable, how dare we make Him silent in our own lives?
No! He continues inextinguishable and unchanging. If ever He bore revelatory knowledge to the nations, He still does so. That is our promise! That is our assurance! He is still here, and He is not silent. God has not suddenly changed, that He would decide to keep His own people in the dark about His plans. No! He is not of the lie, that He should seek to cloak His deeds in darkness. He prepares His purposes in the sight of the nations that all might see and know, that all might be saved.
Consider the other half of Simeon's statement: He will be all that is excellent amongst His people, He will be the Glory of Israel. All that is excellent in Him will be transferred to His people, His majesty will reflect upon those He rules. We remain nothing in ourselves. The most religious of men, apart from Christ, remains just as guilty of his sins as ever a man was. Apart from Christ, he has yet rejected the provision of God, refused to pursue the course of obedience. Apart from Christ, he is deluded into thinking that he can make himself good enough to be acceptable. But, until God's glory redounds to him, until God's glory is transferred to his account, he remains corrupt and bankrupt. He has nothing to offer, no means to stand in the presence of the King. The glory of God was made manifest to us in Christ. That is the testimony of Scripture. He stood among us as the exact representation of God's glory, and in His death, He caused the glory that was in Him to redound to our own account. He transferred of His own righteousness into our own accounts, contributed His excellence to us in such degree that it rises up within us, swells the banks of our spiritual river, and overflows! All that is glorious in us, all that is good and lovely, He is! All that will remain in the day of His return, He is!
What a wonderful hope! What a wonderful certainty! Even so, Lord. Come quickly.
