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John 2, Various

The Abundance of Joy!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 8, 2022

In John Chapter two, at the wedding of Cana, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.” In light of the prophetic role of wine in the Old Testament it appears to be more of a description of the state of things in Israel than simply a statement of fact. We could discuss the Bibles condemnation of drinking “too much” wine and the exhortation to “not be drunk” with wine and other passages which express the danger of strong drink of any kind. Whereas that should not be forgotten, Wine in the Old Testament was the symbol of joy! Wine would be one of the many blessings God’s people would enjoy when they lived according to the Covenant God made with them in the Book of Deuteronomy. He said to Israel, In Deuteronomy 7:13, regarding covenant keeping people, “He will love you, bless you, and multiply you. He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine and your oil, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock, in the land that he swore to your fathers to give you.” In Psalm 4:7, David extols the joys of living in harmony with God’s laws and says that it’s better than wine. He writes, (or sings!) “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.” Abounding wine does represent joy! Then the Psalmist clearly expresses the results of appropriate wine. In Psalm 104:14-15 he says, “You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man.” So, it’s pretty clear that wine can “gladden” the hearts of men and give them joy.

But wine is not only used as a symbol of joy in the Old Testament, it’s also used as a description of life upon the arrival of the promised Messiah. When Amos prophecies his coming he says in Amos 9:13 that, “…the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.” Hosea speaks of those days as having excellent wine. Hosea 14:8 says, “They will come back to live in my shade; they will grow wheat again, they will make the vine flourish, their wine will be as famous as Lebanon’s” (See the New Jerusalem Bible for this specific translation). Jeremiah, as the Prophet of the New Covenant, expresses the joy of the coming days. In Jeremiah 31:12, he writes, “They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil…” In addition to this there are two other Jewish works that foresee the Messianic days as being the days of great joy symbolized by wine. First, The Book of Enoch 10:19 says, “And all desirable trees shall be planted on it, and they shall plant vines on it: and the vine which they plant thereon shall yield wine in abundance.” The other work is The Apocalypse of Baruch 29:5. It says, “The earth also shall yield its fruit ten thousandfold, and on one vine there shall be a thousand branches, and each branch shall produce a thousand clusters, and each cluster shall produce a thousand grapes, and each grape shall produce a cor of wine.” After discussing these two extra-biblical texts, Hall Harris (a former professor of mine), said that a “cor” of wine is equal to about 120 gallons which is about the same amount of water that Jesus turned into wine at the wedding of Cana in John 2!

The point of all this is that Jesus’ miracle had more to do with the clear demonstration that he was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament and that this “first sign,” as John calls it, was done to begin his ministry of revealing himself as the promised Messiah that would now bring a flow of “joy” to his people as promised throughout the Old Testament. That joy would not come through keeping the covenant of the law, but would come through faith alone in the one who did keep the covenant perfectly and saves us from our sins.

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Matthew 3:17, 9:13

Get Down!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 7, 2022

In Matthew 3:17, the sky opened and God the Father spoke from heaven to the world about His one and only begotten Son. He said for the benefit of all those present and for every generation of people who followed, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” In several of Jesus’ parables mentioned in the Gospels the master of a house entrusts his servants with certain things and when he returns he blesses some of them for being “good and faithful servants.” The master says to those servants, “Well done!” We’d all want to hear than one day from God, don’t you think? I’m afraid most of us believe that has to do with how many good deeds we do and how many religious observations we make but i’m thinking that it is really focusing on the fact the the good servants were “faithful.” I think that means they were full of faith: “believing.” Pleasing God is more about believing in Jesus and trusting in His good works to save you rather than trusting in yourself and your own efforts in that regard. Most religions rest upon a foundation of good works and rituals. Jesus did not come to set up another, competing religion, but to destroy religion as a whole! There is much theological discussion about the role of repentance in our salvation experiences. I believe that repentance is not about being sorry for any particular sin but rather a “change of mind” about our own abilities. This is really what the Greek word for “repentance” means: to change one’s mind. According to Isaiah the best efforts, good works, of man are nothing more than filthy rags or polluted garments. That’s what Isaiah 64:6 says, “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”

In a world in which hard work, great accomplishments and strict discipline is widely rewarded it’s rather humbling to acknowledge the fact that we can’t do it! Repentance is saying, “Your are right Lord! I cannot save myself! It is something beyond me.” It’s to humble ourselves before God and His word. In July 1976, Israeli commandos made a daring raid at an airport in Uganda. 103 Jewish hostages were freed. In less than 15 minutes, the soldiers had killed all seven of the kidnappers and set the captives free. As the commandos entered the terminal, they shouted, “Get down!” The Jews understood and lay down, while the guerrillas, who did not speak Hebrew, were left standing. Quickly the rescuers shot the upright kidnappers. But three of the Jewish speaking hostages didn’t fall down. They were shot with the bullets meant for the enemy. Had these three heeded the soldiers’ command, they would have been freed with the rest of the captives.

In Matthew 9, Jesus receives Sinners. The Pharisees take issue with that and Jesus addresses them and says, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Jesus said in Matthew 20:28 that, “The Son of Man did not come to be a slave master, but a slave who will give his life to rescue many people.” To attain God’s favor and full acceptance is something that’s achieved by faith not by works. When Paul tells the Ephesians that it is in “…praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved.” He’s saying that Jesus’ perfect pleasing of His father, is our perfect pleasing of the father by faith in him. What a relief! Rolls is right on as he writes, “This is one of the brightest jewels of revealed truth. In spite of our frailties, failures and faults our acceptance knows no hazard because we are accepted in One who is always and altogether acceptable to the Father. Our confidence in approach, our converse with heaven, our communion in the light and our companionship with the Father are all centered in the Beloved. What a precious foundation this revelation furnishes for faith! A worthy factor to encourage our hearts in fervent devotion and to enrich our lives with delight in the Lord, while we express to Him our adoring gratitude!”1

1 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Hebrews 1:3, John 1:4-5

Jesus is the Light of the World

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 6, 2022

Jesus is the “brightness” of God’s glory! That’s what Hebrews 1:3 says as the writer begins his dissertation on the complete superiority of Jesus to the Prophets, Moses, the Law and even Angels. I was curious to learn what it means to be “the brightness of God’s glory.” After looking at a lot of my English Bibles (I have 50 or more!!) many of them use the phrase “radiance” instead of “brightness.” The New Jerusalem Bible says “He is the reflection of God’s glory.” Oh no!! Kistemaker has it right. He says, “The translation ‘radiance’ here is proper, as against some others which use ‘reflection.’ There is a vast difference between the two, as different as the functions of our solar system’s sun and moon. The moon reflects light, whereas the sun radiates light because it is its source. Jesus does not simply reflect God’s glory; he is part of it! This was shown on the Mount of Transfiguration when ‘His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them’ (Mark 9:3). It was his own essential glory, but it was also the Father’s. This is what blinded Paul on the Damascus Road (Acts 9:3; 22:6). This is why the Nicene Creed sings of Christ, ‘God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God.’”1

It reminded me of John 1:4-5 that says, speaking of Jesus, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Since John began with the same phrase as Genesis “In the Beginning” we can’t miss the allusion to the creation account at the beginning of the Bible where “darkness was over the face of the deep.” But God said, “Let there be light! And there was light.” Then in John 8:12 Jesus told the religious leaders who opposed him, “Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Then in John 9:5, he said, “as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” What happened to the light when Jesus ascended into heaven? In Matthew Jesus called his followers by the same title. In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” We often teach our children to sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine…” Some of the “Christ-consciousness” New Age cults use this passage to argue that we are our own Christs who can save the world in some way. We need simply accept our role as divine ourselves. Watch out for that!! Geisler explains it well, “Jesus is the primary light, and we are the secondary light. As the light of the sun is to the moon, so Jesus is the source of the light, and we are the reflectors of the light. Now that He is no longer here, we are His reflected light in the world.”2

I like the way Bolls describes Jesus as being “the radiance” of God’s glory. He says, “He (Jesus) is the corona of the everlasting flame, the effulgence of essential light, the burnish of celestial brilliance, the aurora borealis of spiritual magnificence, the radiance of supernal resplendence and the nimbus of heaven’s loveliest luster. If the iridescent halo of the ineffable Shekinah that abode on the mercy seat of the tabernacle of old was so awe-inspiring, what are we to say of His eternal excellence, flashing rays of exquisite light from His transcendent countenance to the uttermost bound of heaven’s ceaseless domain?” 3 Thus, Jesus is the only light we’ll ever need. I expect that’s why John explains the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:23 that says, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”

1Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1984), p. 29.

2 Norman L. Geisler and Thomas A. Howe, When Critics Ask : A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1992), 329.

3 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Revelation 3:14

Jesus: The Source of all thing!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 5, 2022

Many of the Christological heresies in the past focus on the humanity of Jesus and assume that he is simply a created being. When John wrote the book of Revelation he included a brief letter to the church at Laodicea which was struggling with heretical issues itself. Jesus instructs John to write to them and address the message as being from himself. Revelation 3:14 says, “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.’” The Greek word translated “beginning” here also means “ruler.” It’s a title which intends to put Jesus in charge of the creation, not a part of it. That’s why the Lexham English Bible translates the phrase as “the originator of God’s creation…” The same is true of the New English Translation (NET), the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), and The Good News Bible (GN) says that Jesus is the “origin of all that God created.” The Complete Jewish Bible says, “The Ruler of God’s creation.” I would argue that this verse does not present Jesus as being part of God’s creation but a partaker in that creation, the creator himself. That’s why Jesus can say things like he says in John 17:5, when he prays, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” He isn’t part of the creation but the creator with the Father at the very beginning. That’s what John means when he begins his Gospel saying, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” “In the beginning” is the phrase that opens the Bible in Genesis 1:1. John 1:1 refers to Jesus’ presence at the “beginning” and then with the book of Revelation presents Jesus as the creator, not the created.

My favorite commentaries of late have been the various Handbooks for Bible Translators prepared by the United Bible Society. It was prepared to help those who are tasked with translating the Bible in various languages around the world. It’s first task is to clarify the original language to aid the workers to give an accurate rendering of the text. At the expense of being too academic let me show you what they say. Regarding this phrase from the Book of Revelations, the handbook says, “The beginning of God’s creation: in English this could be understood to mean that Christ is the first being created by God; this, however, is not what the text means. As translated by TEV , ‘the origin of all that God has created’ (note REB ‘the source of God’s creation’), the meaning is that Christ is the one by means of whom God created all things, and in many languages it will be translated this way (see John 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2). The same Greek word for beginning is used also in Colossians 1:18 in the sense of ‘source.’ As the TEV footnote indicates, the word may mean ‘ruler’ (so NIV ), but the other meaning is preferred by the large majority of commentaries and translations. Most translations use ‘origin’; a few use ‘source.’ The phrase God’s creation means ‘what God has created’; in this context it includes everything that God has created.”1

Jesus shares all the “glory” with God the Father for all of creation. He is the “source” of all things. When we think of Jesus in this way, we can truly worship him. Rolls helps is when he writes, “If we examine the vaster things we must admit that the whole earth is full of His glory, whether this glory be reflected from the sublimity of the sky which is so measureless, the splendors of the stars which are so countless, the shining of the sun which is so exhaustless, the spaciousness of the heavens which are so trackless, the surging of the ocean which is so ceaseless, the spectrum of light which is so matchless, the designs of the snowflakes which are so numberless, the springs of fountains which are so traceless, the superiority of mountains which are so ageless or the fragrance of flowers which are so taintless. These few features in themselves introduce a range of wonders that are indescribable.”2

1 Robert G. Bratcher and Howard Hatton, A Handbook on the Revelation to John, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1993), 78–79.

2Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Colossians 3:11

All Lives Don’t Matter!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 4, 2022

I’m sure that got your attention. Mankind has categorized human beings into various classes throughout history. The Jews were best at this in that they saw everyone outside of their physical heritage as being “Gentiles.” This phrase is sometimes translated as “Dogs.” This could have contributed to the reason they were so hated throughout history. They saw themselves as “God’s Chosen” elite in contrast to the rabble of the rest of the world. To the Jews “all” lives weren’t equal and all lives did not matter. In reaction to this they were persecuted violently. Hitler made the extermination of Jews a high priority in the German nation until the Allied Forces invaded Berlin and he reign of terror ended with his suicide in a cement bunker along with his wife. Hitler elevated the Arian race above all others to the extent he wanted to exterminate the inferior races, not just the Jews. To Hitler and his clan, all lives were not equal and all lives did not matter either. But isn’t this the way of the world? Not all lives matter! This is not an ancient problem. It’s been around since the beginning of time and is still going on today. Here are ten examples of recent horrible genocides. Herero Genocide: 1904–1907. Armenian Genocide: 1915–1923. Holocaust: 1933–1945. Cambodian Genocide: 1975–1979. East Timor Genocide: 1975–1999. Guatemalan Genocide: 1981–1983. Kurdish Genocide: 1986–1989. Bosnian Genocide: 1992–1995. Rwandan Genocide: 1994. Darfur Genocide: 2003–Present. The way of the world has always been “Not all lives matter.” No, as a general rule yet today people don’t like those who look different, dress different, live different, act different, eat different and believe different than they do. The worst part of this is that “religion” has been the most profound distinction between peoples that have cause such devastation. The shame of “Christendom” is that it has been as guilty of this as any others. It’s not only the Crusades that bear witness to this, but also the Inquisition as well as some post reformation atrocities committed by both Catholic and Protestant groups.

This is such a disgrace because Jesus did not come to set up another religion to be at odds with all the other religions in the world. He came to destroy religion as well as all the other human distinctions between the peoples of the world. As the Colossians struggled with the infighting of various groups within their number Paul exhorts them to change their attitude about that. Paul spends some time exalting the Characteristics of Christ. He points out Jesus’ role in creation of all things and calls him the firstborn of all, the preeminent of all, the reconciler of all, the ruler of all, the nourisher of all, the forgiver of all and concludes with the claim “Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 3:11 says, “As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.” The Galatians were having a difficult time with these distinctions and Paul had to address the problem with them as well. But there gender had become an issue as well. Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

I do not want to preach for the sake of the advancement of Christendom as it has been expressed throughout history. I just want to preach Christ. I like the way Norm Geisler said it in his Colossians commentary, “In Christ distinctions are removed. These include national distinctions… religious distinctions… cultural distinctions… and economic or social distinctions.” When a person comes to Christ in faith, He destroys all other distinctions. Paul tells the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” So, going back to Colossians 3, Paul says that once they have taken off the “old self” they now have “put on” the new self in which there is no distinctions anymore. “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” But there is still one more distinction that cannot be missed. In Christ there are no more distinctions, but outside of Christ the distinctions still exist and rule our world. There are still those who have not received Christ. John says in John 1:12, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

1 Norman L. Geisler, “Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 681.

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Revelation 3:14

Amen to that!!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 3, 2022

I was listening to a Church History lecture the other night and the professor, Everett Ferguson, talked about the origin of saying “amen” after someone had prayed or after they heard something they agreed with. It is ancient in its origin. It appears as many as 100 times in the Old Testament as far back as Deuteronomy. Moses is instructed to put half the people on one hill and half on another and then the Levites will pronounce a dozen or more curses to which the People will be in agreement. Deuteronomy 27:16 is one of those curses. It says, “Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” It also appears in the Psalms several times. Psalm 89 ends with a double expression in verse 52, “Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” The New Testament is full of “amens.” It’s not unusual for Paul to end his letters with it. 1 Corinthians 16:24 closes the book with it: “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” The Lexham Bible Dictionary says that Amen is, “A Hebrew word that has served as a declaration of affirmation and as the closing exclamation of agreement to a doxology or prayer in Jewish and Christian liturgy.” It seems strange that the Apostle John would suggest that Amen is a title for Jesus. In Revelation 3:14, John writes, “These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” I think Rolls is correct when he speaks of this as being one of the Names of Jesus when he writes, “We may diligently search the chief cities of the nations, examine all the records of the centuries and ransack the literature of continents the world over, but will never find another bearing this name.”1

Whereas it was customarily used to end statements or prayers, as it is today, Jesus used it to begin his statements. But he doubled it when he was about to say something extremely important as well as unimpeachable in its truthfulness. Most English translations translate the double words as “verily, verily” but they are the same word. The Hebrew word is pronounced the same, Amen. The Greek took the exact same word and put it into their own letters of their alphabet but it is pronounced the same: Amen! When we say Amen today, were reproducing the same sounds the Hebrews spoke and the same sounds that the Greeks spoke. Amen sounds the same and means the same thing in any language. The double “amen” is seen in John 3:5. It reads, “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’”  The New American Bible, (NAB) actually translates Jesus quote as “Amen, Amen, I say to you no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Jesus used the introductory double phrase of “Amen, Amen…” (Truly, Truly or Verily, Verily) 25 times in the Gospel of John alone. He wants his listeners to understand the truthfulness of his words.

As far as being a name or title of Jesus as John records in the book of Revelation it’s referring to the very character of Jesus throughout his life on earth. Unlike the rest of mankind, Jesus “always” did the perfect will of his father. Whatever God asked of him, or whatever the Father said that’s what Jesus did or said. As Rolls adds to his discussion, “We affirm again that no one else, anywhere at anytime, always and altogether, said, “so be it” to every jot and tittle of the will of God. Because He did, he was able to use this claim in John 3:38 when challenged, as the supreme proof of His Sonship, “I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me” (John 6:38). Paul tells us that Jesus, as the great Amen of the Father, is deserving of our complete faith. “We can be certain,” Paul says. He says in 2 Corinthians 1:20 that, as the Great Amen of the Father, we can be certain all of God’s promises will come true. We can say “Amen” to all of God’s promises because Jesus is the great “Amen” who will assure them. Paul writes, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” Paul talks to Timothy about the trustworthiness of the Gospel and the certainty of his salvation through faith in Jesus. Timothy is likely struggling with sin. Don’t we all? But Paul gives Timothy full assurance that Jesus is completely trustworthy in saving sinners. He begins his letter to Timothy with “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

1 Charles J. Rolls, The Indescribable Christ: Names and Titles of Jesus Christ: A-G (Loizeaux Brothers, 1984).

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Song of Solomon 5:16

Jesus is “Altogether Lovely”

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 2, 2022

The Old Testament book, “The Song of Solomon” is a real difficult book to preach. Most ancient commentators see this book as only metaphorical and the love descriptions of Solomon and his lover are figurative of the nature of Christ and his bride, the Church. John Owen, from a long time ago, says, “The whole Book of Canticles (Song of Solomon) is nothing but a mystical declaration of the mutual love between Christ and the church. And it is expressed by all such ways and means as may represent it intense, fervent, and exceeding all other love whatever; which none, I suppose, will deny, at least on the part of Christ. And a great part of it consists in such descriptions of the person of Christ and his love as may render him amiable and desirable unto our souls, even “altogether lovely.” 1 J. Vernon McGee says, “He is altogether lovely. Now the important question is this: Is He altogether lovely to you? Are you able to speak of Him with the enthusiasm the bride had for her bridegroom? We must know Christ intimately if we are to witness of Him. And we must love Him. When one comes to Christ it is not a business transaction. He is wonderful, and I do not think that we laud Him, glorify Him, lift Him up, worship Him, and bow before Him with thanksgiving enough. He is wonderful any way that you look at Him”2

More modern exegetical work on the book wants to see it more literal. It’s all about sex and young love. Arnold Fruchtenbaum entitles his commentary on Song of Solomon, “Biblical Lovemaking.” Rob Morgan concludes his comments on the Song of Solomon by writing, “Earlier generations viewed this book primarily as an analogy for Yahweh’s love for His bride, Israel; or Christ’s love for His bride, the Church. There are certainly lessons there, but the primary purpose of Song of Songs is to convey the pleasure God intends to bestow through His invention of love, marriage, and sex.” (Check out: https://www.robertjmorgan.com/devotional/song-of-solomon-the-bibles-pre-marital-counseling-course/) Also, Larry Richards, in his “Teachers Commentary,” takes the book much more literal. Concluding his remarks on the literal nature of the sexual illusions in the Song of Solomon says, “Scripture, of course, forbids sex out of marriage, both adultery and premarital. It also forbids prostitution. A number of passages in the Law, but particularly Leviticus 18, define sexual limits. Yet when it comes to marriage, the biblical message is one of freedom rather than restriction. No passage in Old or New Testaments regulates sexual practices within marriage. Instead the Bible affirms the joys and values of human sexuality.”3

God is the creator of “male and female” and is very much pro-sex within the confines of marriage. Yet, if I’m to truly understand the book of Song of Solomon, I have to see it in light of Christ’s word to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He told them that the whole bible: the Law the Prophets and the Writings were about himself. Song of Solomon is one of the “writings” that Jesus was referring to. Thus, I cast my lot with the older commentators. Further, to see the Song of Solomon as a depiction of exclusive marital bliss misses the mark when we remember that no one in the Bible was less “exclusive” in marital relations than Solomon. Also, to understand all the descriptions of the physical body parts of both male and female throughout the book makes it no more then acceptable pornography. I think Exell has it right when he says, “I am not about to speak of Christ’s loveliness after the flesh, for now after the flesh know we Him no more. It is His moral and spiritual beauty, of which the spouse in the Song most sweetly says, ‘Yea, He is altogether lovely.’ The loveliness which the eye dotes on is mere varnish when compared with that which dwells in virtue and holiness; the worm will devour the loveliness of skin and flesh, but a lovely character will endure for ever.”4 As the text lays out various descriptions of the beloved, as seen through the eyes of the lover, one cannot help but see the beauty of Jesus in it all. O’Donnell says, “That’s the perfect picture of this text. Anyway you turn it, it points us to the cross, to Jesus who is ‘altogether lovely’ (Song 5:16, kjv )—lovely in his person, glory, majesty, resurrection, ascension, grace, power, wisdom, pardon, and in his selfless incarnation and death.”5

1 John Owen, The Works of John Owen, ed. William H. Goold, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, n.d.), 157.

2 J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible Commentary: Poetry (Ecclesiastes/Song of Solomon), electronic ed., vol. 21 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 174–175.

3 Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher’s Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1987), 356.

4 Joseph S. Exell, Ecclesiastes & The Song of Solomon, vol. 2, The Biblical Illustrator (New York; Chicago; Toronto; London; Edinburgh: Fleming H. Revell Company, n.d.), 124.

5Douglas Sean O’Donnell, The Song of Solomon: An Invitation to Intimacy, ed. R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 95–96.

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Psalm 137:7-8, Revelation 3:17, Luke 13:5, Isaiah 64:6

A Wretch like me!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
January 1, 2022

Everyone knows the famous hymn by John Newton, “Amazing Grace.” It’s been around since it was first published in 1779. A web search on the song says, “Amazing Grace is the most popular of the Christian hymns. Many people know this and it is commonly sung in churches or congregations.” There are more than 7,000 cover versions of the song! It’s still being performed today by popular artists of every music genre: Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, Judy Collins, Carrie Underwood. Cher also “covered” the song! Wikipedia says the song is sung 10 millions times every year! It begins, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”

Do I really consider myself to be a “wretch?” According to one of my lexicons (dictionaries) for biblical words, to be a wretch is to be “of very poor quality or condition; perhaps inciting pity.” Poor quality? Me? We moved into a new house about four years ago and this past week I just got around to unpacking my office stuff. I hung up my diplomas on the “I love me” wall. My bachelor’s of theology degree has a gold sticker on it that says, “Summa cum laud.” My Master’s of theology degree has a gold sticker that says “with honors.” They both look pretty good right next to my oversized Doctor of Ministry Degree. I’m a pretty good guy! I don’t like the idea of identifying with being of “poor quality.” I think I’ve done pretty well in life. I own my home and my car and have few debts and have a satisfactory retirement in my old age. I’m pretty well off! I don’t need anything.

But it’s that kind of thinking that makes God want to spit me out of his mouth. Well, that’s what he told the members of the church at Laodicea in the third chapter of the book of Revelation. In verse 17, God tells them he wants to “spew” them out of his mouth because “…you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” God doesn’t see my diplomas or my gold stickers. God sees my heart. He knows behind all the good works in my life lies a deceitful, glory seeking, pitiful man. Thus he tells Isaiah that all your “good works is as filthy rags.” In Isaiah 64:6 we read, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags.”

The Greek word for “repentance” literally means “to change one’s mind.” I believe repentance means to change the way we think about ourselves. We must see ourselves as God sees us, as we really are. None of our gold stickers will save us. You have your own “gold stickers” don’t you? They are just filthy rags! When the disciples encountered the Galileans who perished when the tower fell on them, they assumed it was the result of some great sin in the Galileans’ lives that they were not guilty of. Jesus says in Luke 13:5, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Jesus came to save the sick, not the healthy. He came to save the “wretched” not the glorious. It’s the ones who recognize and acknowledge their “wretchedness” that God saves. The Psalmist writes in Psalm 137:7-8, “He picks up the poor from out of the dirt, rescues the wretched who’ve been thrown out with the trash, Seats them among the honored guests, a place of honor among the brightest and best.” Paul knew that he was a wretch. He wrestled with sin in his life and seemed to lose that battle more often than he won it. Finally, he exclaims In Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He answered his own question in the following verse, Jesus! “Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”

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