service genset jogja
Jonah 1:6

No Atheists In Foxholes!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 10, 2023

Jonah is sleeping inside the ship when God “hurls” the storm at it. The crew cries out to their gods for help. But there is no answer. They then begin to lighten the ship by tossing over their cargo. This is a “cargo” ship. Its purpose was to move cargo from one port to another. But they believed their lives were in danger and were willing to throw it all into the sea to lighten the ship with the hopes it would survive the storm and take them safely to land. The seaman not only threw out all their possessions on the ship but also their expected future profits.  Phillips observes, “The cargo represented long labor and fond hopes of future wealth. But with their lives at risk, the sailors did not hesitate to jettison their possessions to gain only a slightly increased chance of safety. This is no less true for those with great possessions than for those with few. England’s King Richard III cried out in the midst of his defeat in battle: ‘My kingdom for a horse!’ Likewise, any of us would give up any amount of money or possessions to save our lives.”[1] But the gods do not help them. Lightening the load does not help them. When things become hopeless people will often resort to something they have denied all their lives: the One true God! I’ve read many stories of foxhole conversions. They are not true conversions in most cases, but you see that when all the chips are in, people will try anything in hopes of salvation. That’s what the sailors on this ship do. The captain sends for Jonah and finds he’s sound asleep. Jonah 1:6 reports, “So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

The captain of the ship expected Jonah to pray. Calling out to their little gods did not good, so now, as a last resort, they turn from crying out to their gods, from trying to manage the problem themselves, to seeking the one true God’s help. The only thing they wanted from God, it appears, is that they “not perish.” Boice talks about this kind of conversion in his commentary. He says, “We may imagine a situation in which a soldier is crouching in a foxhole looking down a hill against which an enemy is advancing. Naturally, he is afraid for his life. He begins to pray: ‘O God, if there is a God, don’t let me get killed! I don’t want to die! Save me! If you save me, I will do anything you want! I’ll even … yes, I’ll even become a missionary!’ Suddenly the soldiers turn off in another direction. The battle shifts, and he is saved. Does he remember his conversion? Not at all. He turns to his buddy and says, ‘Boy, we sure had a close call that time. Let’s celebrate when we get our next leave.’”[2]

It’s often been said that there are no atheists in foxholes. One’s academic arrogance, stubborn self-sufficiency, hardened pride of life, and the simple desire to live a life of moral abandonment all seem to slip away when one faces imminent mortality. According to the Wikipedia article, “Author James Marrow said: ‘That maxim, ‘There are no atheists in foxholes,’ is not an argument against atheism — it’s an argument against foxholes.’  In 2015, describing the phrase as a ‘tired, old, untrue cliché’, the Freedom From Religion Foundation erected a monument to ‘Atheists in Foxholes,’ commemorating American atheist, agnostic, freethinking, and skeptical US armed services veterans.”  Of course, Marrow says this from his safe academic position in university settings all over England with his Ph.D. There is no history of ever being in a foxhole himself. Safely housed in the upper class, protected from the horrors of war, and enjoying all the amenities modern civilization offers is not a great testimony to the knowledge of the existence or non-existence of God. But even if the religious outlook of people who find themselves in foxholes of various sorts has become more diverse, the crucible of the personal crisis remains a site of spiritual reckoning. Why would the sailors on Jonah’s ship turn to their gods and ultimately to the messenger of the one true God?

[1] Phillips, Richard D. 2010. Jonah & Micah. Edited by Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Iain M. Duguid. Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

[2] Boice, James Montgomery. 2002. The Minor Prophets: An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Tags:
Permalink
Obadiah 1:8-9

God Curses Israel’s Enemies

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 9, 2023

Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, who became Israel, and from whom came the nation itself. Esau’s descendants became a primary enemy of Jacob’s descendants. They turned away from Jacob and Jacob’s God and joined with Israel’s enemies to destroy her. All the way back to Abraham, God had promised to bless those who bless Abraham’s descendants and to curse those who curse them. Edom, the descendants of Esau, joined with those who cursed Israel. Obadiah 1:8-9 tells us that God will not intervene to save Edom when all of her so-called allies betray her and refuse to help her in her hour of need. As Edom cursed Israel, God cursed Edom. God says, “Will I not on that day, declares the Lord, destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out of Mount Esau? And your mighty men shall be dismayed, O Teman, so that every man from Mount Esau will be cut off by slaughter.”

The Edomites were wise in their own eyes only. Eliphaz, the misguided counselor of Job, was from Teman.  Eliphaz thought he knew the answer to all of Job’s problems. He was dead wrong. The pride and arrogance of the Edomites prevented them from seeing the truth. Although we have some wise sayings from ancient civilizations, we have none from Edom. Jeremiah made a similar charge against Edom. He writes in Jeremiah 49:7, “Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Is wisdom no more in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom vanished?” Jeremiah’s assumed answer is “No,” there is no more wisdom in Edom. And “Yes,” their wisdom has vanished. Isaiah 5:21 speaks the truth when he says, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” Woe might even be too mild of a word for the Edomites who turned against their Israel kin. God says they will be destroyed, dismayed, and cut off.

Whatever Obadiah means by the three different phrases, we can see by the inclusion of the phrase “by slaughter” the conclusive nature of the destruction. Raabe recognized this and said the phrase “by slaughter” means “every Edomite will be killed and thus eliminated from the land. The clause furthermore seems to imply the eradication of the Edomites’ remnant and memory. Two passages in Ezekiel’s oracles against Edom provide close parallels.”[1] One of the passages in Ezekiel that Raabe is referring to is Ezekiel 25:13, “Therefore thus says the Lord God, I will stretch out my hand against Edom and cut off from it man and beast. And I will make it desolate; from Teman even to Dedan, they shall fall by the sword.” Raabe even refers to a commentator who suggested that the phrase could include denial of the afterlife.  God promised Abraham that all those that blessed his descendants would be blessed. Those that cursed them will be cursed. I’m always glad to see American support the new nation of Israel.

[1] Raabe, Paul R. 2008. Obadiah: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 24D. Anchor Yale Bible. New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

Tags:
Permalink
Amos 1:6-7

The Bible And Slavery

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 8, 2023

One of the major headlines covering Ukraine’s war with Russia says, “Up to 40,000 Ukrainians snatched from besieged cities have been forced into ‘slave labor’ in Russia.”[1] The history of the world regarding making slaves out of conquered enemies is full of atrocities. We see it in the Bible as well. “Thus says the Lord,” In Amos 1:6-7, “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds.” 

Gaza was one of the main cities of the Philistines, the perennial enemies of Israel and Judah. Hoyt observes, “After the time of Amos (during the reign of King Ahaz), Philistia invaded southern Judah.”[2] They defeated the Israelites and delivered them to another perennial enemy, Edom, as slaves. The Philistines are sometimes identified with the Palestinians of today, but there is much debate over that connection. Yet, when I speak with friends in Israel, they argue that the current Palestinians have dedicated themselves to the complete extinction of the Jewish nation. That’s one reason there is constant war in the Mid-East. Whether the current Palestinians are the ancient Philistines is not as important as the fact that they both had the same intentions for the Israelites. They would settle for nothing less than the entire nihilation of the Nation. The phrase “whole people” has caught the attention of many commentators. One argues that this phrase in this context means “That full populations or communities were taken as exiles. Typically when one nation conquered another, the victors would exile people; however, usually, it was only the previous leaders, rulers, and higher-ranking people most likely to lead a revolt. Here, though, by exiling entire populations, Gaza has gone far beyond what was standard. They did not just uproot those who led the fight against them but everyone, even those who had no part in the battle.”[3] God will not condone the misuse of one human for the gratification of another.

There is a tendency to look at slavery as something of the past. But it is estimated that there are today over 27 million people in the world who are subject to slavery: forced labor, sex trade, inheritable property, etc. God does not condone this kind of slavery. He saved Israel from it at the hands of the Egyptians, and he will repay Edom and Philistia for this kind of slavery. As Jeremias observed, “Amos 1:6 is most likely referring to the greed of the Edomites, who needed slaves for the expansion of their extensive copper industry.”[4] The Egyptians used the slave labor of the Israelites to build their cities. Now the Edomites received the descendants of the Egyptian slaves to do similar hard labor for them. God disapproves of slavery. The laws handed down to Israel at Sinai contain restrictions on slavery which make biblical slavery more like employment. It even allowed the Israelites to hire themselves out accordingly. The laws of Exodus “gave some basic rights to slaves and curtailed the actions of masters in a historically unprecedented way. In the ancient world outside of Israel, slaves had no rights. But God’s Law extended to slaves the right to keep a wife, the right not to be sold to foreigners, the right to be adopted into a family by marriage, and the right to food and clothing.”[5]

[1] www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10658897

[2] Hoyt, JoAnna M. 2018. Amos, Jonah, & Micah. Edited by H. Wayne House and William D. Barrick. Evangelical Exegetical Commentary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Jeremias, Jörg. 1998. The Book of Amos: A Commentary. Translated by Douglas W. Stott. First American edition. The Old Testament Library. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.

[5] Got Questions Ministries. 2002–2013. Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

Tags:
Permalink
Joel 1:8-9

When Will We Learn?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 7, 2023

The Israelites are told to prepare for the devastating invasion of the Assyrian armies. Their children will be taken as slaves, the temple will be destroyed, and the civilization that they had built under Solomon will be destroyed. Joel 1:8-9 says, “Lament like a virgin wearing sackcloth for the bridegroom of her youth.  The grain offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord. The priests mourn, the ministers of the Lord.” During the invasion, the young men of Israel will be killed in the battle or taken away as prisoners into a foreign land. Pete Seger wrote a song back in the early 60s that was covered by many during that era. He asks, “Where have all the flowers gone?” He answers his own question, “The girls have picked everyone.” He then asks, “Where have all the young girls gone?” He answers that “They’ve taken husbands, everyone” The next question is, “Where have all the young men gone?” His answer: “Gone to Soldiers, everyone.” The frequent refrain in the song is “When will they ever learn.”

The grain offerings and drink offerings were the symbols of great celebrations for the Jewish people. They were offered at their communal gatherings. Part of their offerings were given to the priests and Levites. The rest was consumed by the family in a banquet-type setting. This served as one of the main livelihood sources for the religious leaders in Israel. Just a few verses earlier, Joel condemned the priests for their gluttony and drunkenness. They now will mourn because there will be no more offerings for them to abuse. The offerings were a picture of prosperity, celebration, and happiness in the land. That would all come to an end. Israel’s defeat by Assyria brought the good times to an end for Israel. But the grievous part of their destruction was the people themselves.

You would think that such events would teach us something, and we would learn how to live on the planet in peace. But that has never been the case. We can’t even get along with each other. One source reports that “The American Civil War created an unprecedented number of young white widows, many married for a short amount of time, like Hetty Cary. Between 1861 and 1865, approximately three million husbands, fathers, sons, uncles, and brothers left for war. Approximately 750,000 American families would never see their loved one’s faces again as the men died, often far from home. As a result, some 200,000 white women became widows within these four years.”[1] The women are all in mourning for their lost mates. Busenitz says, “The young woman has exchanged the silky fabric of a wedding dress for the scratchy, coarse clothing of goat’s hair! She has traded the music and gaiety of the wedding feast for the reverberating cry of the funeral dirge! In the ancient world, the donning of sackcloth was a customary rite used to visibly express one’s state of mourning.”[2]

The moral foundation of the nation had collapsed. They had turned to the habits and practices of the people around them and had rejected the morals and values instituted by God for people to live healthy, happy, and purposeful lives. The deterioration of moral values signals the end of any society, as history has taught us. Like Israel, America has had its dramatic origin. It was called from the slavery of an unjust rule to make a long journey to an unknown land to start again. Being one nation under God, we have established the greatest nation on earth. I hope we know enough to learn from the history of Israel. But, I’m afraid we’ve lost our bearing. The question Peter Seger asked, “When will we ever learn?” pointed at the uselessness of war and was a protest song primarily against the Vietnam War. I would say that the real question we need to ask is when we will learn that without God and the moral foundation the Judeo-Christian ethic provides, we are doomed to the same fate as Israel.

[1] Civil War Widows – Essential Civil War Curriculum

[2] Busenitz, Irvin A. 2003. Commentary on Joel and Obadiah. Mentor Commentaries. Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.

Tags:
Permalink
Hosea 1:7

God Does Not Need Me

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 6, 2023

Hosea promises complete forgiveness for Israel’s betrayal of their Lord. Even though forgiveness was promised, the consequences of their disobedience will still be carried out. Their enemies will defeat them. They will be taken off as prisoners into a foreign land, and the land they inhabit will be given over to their enemies. There will be forgiveness, and God will restore the Israelites as promised, but the blessings of obedience have been forfeited. There will be no mercy. That is, what has been promised as a consequence of their sin will be carried out. As we know, Israel was taken captive, and the ten northern tribes that occupied Israel with their capital at Samaria were either scattered or taken captive. This happened in 721 BC. Yet, the southern Kingdom, the line from the house of David, was shown mercy. Hosea 1:7 speaks directly to this. It says, “But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

It is well known that the Northern Kingdom of Israel had 20 kings after Solomon. None of these kings were considered “good.” I did hear a teacher who did his doctoral dissertation on Jehu argue that Jehu was the least bad of the Northern Kings, but even he could not be called a “good” team by biblical standards. If you ask the question, “How many good kings did Judah have?” The internet will tell you, “From the end of King Solomon’s rule, there were thirty-nine good and evil Kings that reigned over Judah and Israel combined. Of the thirty-nine, there were only eight good Kings, and they all reigned in Judah.” Hezekiah was the last of the good kings of Judah, and most scholars attribute the southern kingdom’s longevity to him. 2 Kings 18:3-6 tell us that Hezekiah “Did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done. He removed the high places and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel, so that there was none like him among all the kings of Judah after him, nor among those who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord.” It took another 150 years before God withdrew his protective mercy on the house of Judah.

God took care of Judah’s enemy. What did God require? Just what Micah said, “Love Justice, do mercy, and walk humbly with God.” Guenther puts it this way, “Judah’s deliverance will occur through an act of God (Hos. 1:7). No human or military might will serve as God’s weapon to defeat the foe. God will not even draw on the cavalry or chariot corps. There will be no misinterpreting the hand of God in Judah’s rescue. Hosea is probably predicting the miraculous deliverance which Jerusalem (Judah) experienced from the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 18–19). The Lord sent his angel to decimate the Assyrian army besieging the city and occupying the land. That act was a tangible expression of the Lord’s restorative love.”[1] God does not need me! I’ve always balked at preachers that try to put the responsibility for evangelism, world missions, or any other valuable Christian endeavor upon the backs of their members. God is holy, eternal, almighty, and totally self-sufficient. He does not need any created being. All of creation is dependent on the life that God alone sustains. God, on the other hand, is not dependent on anything or anyone. He suffers no lack, knows no limitation, and experiences no deficiency with no qualification or exception. If He needed anything to stay alive or to feel complete, then He would not be God. No, God does not need you or me. But amazingly, He “wants” and “Loves” us! Love God, and He will take care of the rest.

[1] Guenther, Allen R. 1998. Hosea, Amos. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.

Tags:
Permalink
Daniel 1:17-21

Saying Grace

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 5, 2023

Daniel and his friends refused the pleasures of Babylon. They preferred to live by the customs of the Jews. They wouldn’t eat the goodies from Babylon or drink their wine. Instead, they ate vegetables and drank water. This worked well for them, and God blessed them in many ways. Daniel 1:17-21 explains, “As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king spoke with them, and among all of them, none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore, they stood before the king. And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.”

The superiority of these young men over the other men who did not follow Jewish customs was not solely the result of their diet. I’m sure a healthy diet will affect one’s mental acuity, but I doubt very much if there was a diet that would enable one to understand all visions and dreams. Like Joseph in Egypt, it was a divine enablement that Daniel received. The text begins with “God gave them….” I’m not sure it matters a whole lot what one eats if it is blessed by God. Ferguson says, “He (Daniel) recognized that the Lord alone blesses our food in order to nourish our bodies. Unless He does so, we may eat the fat of the land and be no stronger or healthier. That is why, even in the affluent West, there is still reason to pray that God will give us the food we need and bless it to us. In giving thanks for our meals, we acknowledge that we are constantly dependent on the Lord’s strengthening and keeping of our lives. Recognizing this, Daniel and his companions knew that the Lord could easily strengthen them through their vegetarian diet and also easily withdraw His blessing from the diet set by Nebuchadnezzar. That is a principle that has application to home and marriage, to children and family life, to work and play.”[1]

When my three grandsons come to dinner, I give thanks for our food. I have a prayer I like to repeat for them. I really want them to remember that Grampa believes in God, Attributes all the good things we have in life to God, and asks God’s blessing on his food. I pray, “Father in Heaven, you have filled the world with color and gave us eyes. You filled the world with sounds and music and gave us ears. You fill the world with good things to eat that will sustain us and then give us the ability to enjoy them. So, bless us, our Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive through Jesus Christ our Lord. We pray in His name.”

[1] Ferguson, Sinclair B., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie. 1988. Daniel. Vol. 21. The Preacher’s Commentary Series. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.

Tags:
Permalink
Ezekiel 1:5-9, Psalm 104:3-4

Just Trust God

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 4, 2023

The living creatures that Ezekiel sees in his vision look like the idolatrous depiction of the Assyrian and Babylonian deities with a human appearance, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a bull or lion.  The arrival of these beasts was very dramatic. A stormy wind came blowing out of the north. It brought a bright cloud with it that had what appeared to be a fire burning in the middle of it. Then he continues his description in Ezekiel 1:5-9, “And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides, they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went.”

 I’ve seen some time travel shows at the movies and on TV. The “Terminator” series, the Matrix, and some others all have a dramatic atmosphere wherein the time traveler, or the one who moves from one dimension to another, arrives at his destination with lightning and smoke and loud sounds. It purports something significant. There seems to be a lot of pomp and circumstance with the traveler’s arrival—the more important the person, the more dramatic the appearance. Ezekiel seems to be picturing for us something like that. When angels appear to humans, there is some exciting fanfare but nothing like what Ezekiel describes here. Humans are almost always afraid when they receive a visit from an angel. The first thing we hear the angels say is, “Don’t be afraid.” The arrival of these “living creatures” is not a usual appearance. It’s a vision. It reminds me of the vision Jacob had at Bethel. He saw a dimension opening up with a ladder or a doorway breaching this world with the spiritual realm. Angels moved up and down (or in and out) of the access from one realm to another. In Abraham’s vision in Genesis 15, God produced a scene of sacrifice to reveal to Abraham that God will keep his promise no matter what. His promise is unconditional. This promise was passed on from Abraham to Isaac and then to Jacob. God was confirming this promise to Jacob at Bethel. The Angels ascending and descending in the vision was the promise that God would carry out his unconditional guarantee to Abraham that Jacob inherited. God was sitting at the top of Jacob’s ladder, sending his ministers to accomplish his will on earth. Jacob continued his journey to Haran, assured of God’s promises.

Ezekiel was an enslaved person in Babylon! The Assyrians had conquered his people in the North and the Babylonians in the South. But God sent Ezekiel a vision to assure him that He was not through with the nation of Israel and that God would make his appearance in a form mysteriously capable of delivering his people from captivity just as he had promised Jeremiah. Psalm 104:3-4 uses interesting language regarding God’s means of appearing to man. The Psalmist tells us that God “Makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.” We can see the images from this Psalm in Ezekiel’s description of the Lord coming from the midst of the storm. Ezekiel sees four living creatures coming from the storm. He tells us about their wings, their legs, their feet, their hands, and their unrestricted movement. Unlike the gods of Babylon, Ezekiel’s God was not impotent. He was a God with incredible ability and mobility. He just didn’t deliver His people from their struggles in Israel. He could move throughout the earth to carry out his plan for his people no matter where they were and what they were going through. It doesn’t matter where you are or what your circumstances are. God has a good plan for your deliverance, and He will work it out in His good time. Just trust Him.

Tags: ,
Permalink
Lamentations 1:5

The Need For Repentance

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
September 3, 2023

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, laments the fall of Jerusalem with the destruction of its place of worship and the enslavement of its people. God had promised Israel many blessings if they would follow His instructions for righteous living. Just as Adam and Eve had the bounty and the beauty of the Garden of Eden, Israel prospered under King David and even more so under King Solomon. But again, like Adam and Eve, they failed to follow the Lord’s instructions and suffered the consequences. One of God’s great promises to Israel was the victory over their enemies. They would inherit fields they did not plant and houses that they did not build. Davis comments, “Having been lavished with an astonishing array of blessings from God historically—the promises to Abraham, the exodus under Moses, the manna in the desert, the conquest of the promised land under Joshua, the joy of eating harvests they did not plant and living in houses they did not build, the patience of God through the rebellions in the time of the Judges, the gift of leadership by David, the repeated warnings and encouragements from many prophets—Israel responded with a shameful array of sins for generations.”[1] But by Jeremiah’s time, God’s patience had expired. God turned Israel over to its enemies. Lamentation 1:5 says, “Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.”

 It’s not uncommon to see God’s judgment falling upon the Israelites because of their rebellion against God. Yes, she was afflicted for the multitude of her transgressions, but the affliction did not come from her rebellion. It resulted from her refusal to repent of her transgressions and rebellion. That’s why God sent the prophets. He gives sinners a chance to repent of their rebellion against God as well as their many transgressions. Even the sacrificial system provided in the book of Exodus and Leviticus teaches us that man sins, but God forgives when we repent. Everyone has “transgressed” God’s commandments. Isaiah tells us that there is no one who seeks after God. Each of us has gone our own ways to get what we want in contrast to what God wants for us. Paul echoes Isaiah when he says there is not one righteous man. We have all fallen short of God’s standards. The key to a successful life is not trying harder! We just fail when we do that. It’s to repent and acknowledge our sinfulness before God. When the residents repented at Jonah’s preaching, they escaped God’s plans to destroy the city. Repentance is something for both believers and non-believers. The word in the Greek for “repentance” is literally to change one’s mind. It’s to stop rebellion against the truth of God’s instructions for a healthy and happy life. It’s to see that there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is destruction. In our country, that’s the way of moral decline, lawlessness in the cities, and weaponizing the institutions of America for political gain. This will result in the death of our country, just as Jeremiah says about Israel, “Her foes have become the head; her enemies prosper because the Lord has afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe.”

It’s not sin. It’s the failure to repent of sin that brings judgment. It’s not the same thing as saving faith. Both believers and non-believers are called to repent in the Bible. Swindoll has it right when he says, “Repentance and faith are two distinct terms that should not be identified with each other. Repentance is for all people, unbelievers as well as believers. Repentance is not necessary (though it may often occur) for entering into an eternal saving relationship with Jesus Christ. But repentance on the part of believers is necessary for maintaining fellowship with the Savior. For unbelievers, repentance from sin and toward God (that is, changing one’s mind or perspective about sin and God) prepares the individual for saving faith.”[2] Repentance for both believers and non-believers also leads to a healthy and happy life in our temporal world. A thief who repents of his stealing will find that life outside of jail is preferable to life behind bars. Sometimes, salvation in the bible refers to deliverance from temporal consequences that we face in the world today. So, Jeremiah, as well as all the other prophets, calls God’s people to repent. When they fail to do so, they face the consequences.

[1] Davis, Andrew M. 2017. Exalting Jesus in Isaiah. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.

[2] Swindoll, Charles R., and Roy B. Zuck. 2003. Understanding Christian Theology. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Tags:
Permalink
sewa motor jogja
© Chuck Larsen 2019. Powered by WordPress.