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Nahum 1:6-7, Various

The Lord is Good!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 8, 2023

Nahum warns the residents of Nineveh, as well as us that God’s judgment is coming upon the whole earth. The mountains will tremble, the earth will quake, the seas will dry up, and every resident on earth will experience his wrath. God’s wrath will be all-consuming. But wait! Is there no escape? Nahum doesn’t leave his readers or us without hope. Nahum 1:6-7 says, “Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.  The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” God’s judgment is an irresistible force against with nothing can stand. The assumed answer to Nahum’s two questions is, of course, “no one can stand” and “no one can endure his anger.” There is no such thing as an immovable object when confronted with the irresistible force of God’s judgment. There is no way to escape it. I remember as a kid, I used to listen to the old song “Sinner Man.” It says, “Oh, sinner man, where are you going to run to on that day?” The seas will be boiling, the mountains will be crumbling, and the stars will be falling.” There is nowhere to run or hide. That’s what the song says in Psalm 139:7-12 “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there, your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”

But there is a refuge for those who seek God. When the world falls apart because of bad judgment or bad luck, like the Prodigal son, it’s time to go home. The Bible has its own songs. The Psalmist sang in Psalm 27:5, “For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.” It often takes a calamity in life to turn our attention and focus on God. We soon learn that money, power, possessions, and pleasures of this world are of no help in serious times of trouble. The only true option is to go home. “You can count on God in thick or thin (Psalm 46:1). He is no fair-weather friend. He is a friend at all times. His power is present when you are your weakest. He will not fail you when you pass through the dark valleys of life. God delights to help you in the darkest times. This gives Him greater glory.”[1]

That God is with us wherever we go can be a truth that greatly comforts us, or it can be a truth that fills us with fear.  When things go well, we often stray, like the nations of Judah and Israel. When things get tough, we have only one place to turn. God is never tired of forgiving our wayward spirits and is always ready to receive us lovingly in His arms when we turn to Him. He never gets tired of blessing us. The Bible teaches us that Jesus died for us while we were in our sins. When asked how many times we should forgive, Jesus explained that seven times wasn’t enough. Seventy times 7 times was his response which was a figure of speech, meaning always. God is, as one writer put it, “Good and gracious, not willing to destroy or to take vengeance, a God before whom the sinner may tremble; a God in whom the chief of sinners may find forgiveness.” God is “Longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Such is his goodness now. He is rich in mercy. His patience is beyond all conception or measure. And in his longsuffering, there is salvation—salvation to the uttermost. He pities, yearns, pleads, beseeches, spares, prolongs the day of grace, presents pardon, salvation, and life to the ungodliest, free. Yes, freely to the last! Let this long-suffering goodness draw us, melt us, awaken confidence, and win us to love.”[2]

[1] Butler, John G. 2014. Sermon Starters. Vol. 4. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.

[2] Bonar, Horatius. 1873. Light and Truth: Or, Bible Thoughts and Themes, Old Testament. London: J. Nisbet & Co.

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Micah 1:5, Various

The Rebellion of Mankind!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 7, 2023

The Old Testament is full of prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah to save the world. He will forgive and heal. But the Old Testament is also full of prophecies of a second coming. The second coming will be different from the first coming of the Messiah. Jesus came and was rejected totally by the people, as predicted in the prophets. Therefore, a second coming is essential. Micah tells of the judgment of God coming upon the earth. The birth pangs as preludes to his arrival will be the tearing down of mountains and the flooding of the plains. His judgment comes upon nature as a prelude to His judgment upon all those who have sinned against Him. Why does God come with judgment instead of peace? Micah 1:5 tells us why. It says, “All this is for the transgression of Jacob and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? Is it not Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Is it not Jerusalem?”

The Lexham English Bible says that the word translated as “transgression” in this passage should read “rebellion.” It says, “All this is for the rebellion of Jacob, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Is it not Samaria?” Redmond says, “There are few things more destructive in life than rebellion. We can all identify with this statement because we’ve all been rebellious. Rebellion appears in our lives like an uninvited guest, but it soon takes up residence in our hearts. For me, it began to appear in my early teenage years—perhaps it was the same for you. One day I was happy to do whatever my parents told me; the next, I began to question every decision they made. What caused this shift in my thinking? Rebellion. Simply put, rebellion is defiance against authority. It begins with rebellion against our parents, teachers, and coaches. Left unchecked, it grows to be rebellion against employers, law enforcement, and government. Ultimately, though, rebellion is always against God because God institutes all forms of authority. I spent three years as a police officer in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before God directed my steps into local church ministry. I saw firsthand the damaging effects of rebellion. I located children who ran away from home to escape their parents’ authority, and I arrested citizens who refused to submit to the laws of the city of Chattanooga and the state of Tennessee. In every case, rebellion was the root cause. No one was going to tell these folks what to do. Sadly, rebellion is a constant enemy for everyone. This was certainly true for the nations of Israel and Judah when Micah began his prophetic ministry. In fact, Micah will spend the first three chapters of his book demonstrating how rebellion had corrupted God’s people.”[1]

As parents, we tried hard to discipline our children appropriately. Rebellion was the primary issue deserving correction. Outright rebellion against the standards of the household, the standards of the school, or the standards of the state cannot be tolerated for long without chaos ensuing. Yet, even with the “transgressions” and “rebellion” of His children, God has made provision for us. Transgression and rebellion are just two synonyms for sin. All sin requires the shedding of blood for forgiveness. That’s what we learned in Genesis chapter 3 in the Garden of Eden, and that’s what the sacrificial system taught Israel. It’s the same today, except the blood that is shed for our sins is not the blood of sheep, bulls, and goats. It’s the blood of His one and only Son. Samaria, representing the northern ten tribes, and Jerusalem, representing the southern tribes, have both rebelled against God’s provision for sin. They have turned to pagan forms of religion and have rejected the one true God and His demonstrated love for us in the shedding of the blood of the sacrifices. There is nothing left but judgment.  Benson writes, “When Paul said that ‘the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ’ (Gal. 3:24), he included the ceremonial law. The shedding of blood by the offering of animal sacrifices for the redemption of sin was a symbol of the great Sacrifice (Lev. 1:2, 11, 15; 8:15) and a constant emphasis on the all-important truth that ‘without shedding of blood is no remission’ of sin (Heb. 9:11–14, 19–22). The office of the high priest was instituted so there would be a representative of the people to offer up sacrifices. As the great High Priest, our Lord offered Himself as the all-sufficient sacrifice for sin.”[2] Rebellion is the rejection of Jesus Christ.

[1] Redmond, Eric, William Curtis, and Ken Fentress. 2016. Exalting Jesus in Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.

[2] Benson, Clarence Herbert. 2004. The One True God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Biblical Essentials Series. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

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Jonah 1:5, Various

I Depend on God!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 6, 2023

If Jonah actually thought he could run from God by boarding a ship bound for Tarsus, he was seriously disappointed. God “hurled” a great wind at sea and the ship. The Psalmist is right; you cannot run and hide from God. Nina Simone sang the song, “Sinnerman.” It makes me think of Jonah. “Oh, sinner man, where you gonna run to? Sinnerman, where you gonna run to? Where you gonna run to? All on that day.” It goes on to say he runs to the rock to hide him. The rock cried out he’s not going to hide him. The second attempt to escape God is in the next verse of the song. “So, I run to the river. It was bleedin’; I run to the sea it was boiling….” I guess you could say, in Jonah’s case, that the sea was boiling. It was boiling so bad that Jonah 1:5 says, “Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them.”

 The “boiling” ocean caused the seaman to cry out to their gods. It was a diverse crew. They each had their own god. Roop says, “It is normal for ancient mariners to attribute the weather to direct divine action, whether that weather be calm or storm.” Most ancient religions see their gods as riding upon the clouds or sending rain and storm upon their devotees for a failure of some kind. Modern thought laughs in derision at the thought of God controlling the weather. That’s an ancient idea that the modern scientific world has outgrown. However, in Jonah’s case, they were right. God did cause the storm. The text says He “hurled” the storm at the ship. Roop goes on to say the seaman matched “God’s hurling with some of their own (1:5). They hurl cargo overboard to lighten the load, perhaps so the boat will ride atop the waves rather than be buried under them.”[1]

While the crew panicked over the divine storm they were facing, verse 5 continues to tell us what’s going on with Jonah, who is actually the reason for the storm. It says, “But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep.” I remember storms in the North Atlantic while I was serving on the destroyer Waller in 1966. No one slept during that storm. I remember storms in the South China Sea while serving aboard the destroyer Rathburne in 1976. No one slept through that storm, either. This leads me to believe that Jonah’s nap was a divine one. God was going to do something important, and He caused a sleep to come upon the subject of the revelation. God put Adam into such sleep when he took one of his ribs to create Eve. God put Abraham to sleep to show him the vision of the sacrifices, demonstrating God’s guarantee that he would have a son. In Genesis 15, God shows Abraham that it doesn’t depend on him. God will see to it Himself. God is in control; one must rest in the hands of the one who sends the storms and trials of life. God is there even in the storms of life. This was another lesson from God to unbelieving people that He will see to it. I’ve heard so many sermons that suggest that God depends on me in one way or another. Cowles says, “God depends on you to diffuse invaluable light, and therefore facilitates your service by putting you prominently before all human eyes, like a city on a hill which no forest or high land can hide, or like a candle, never placed under a bushel measure.”[2] If the work of God, in God’s way, in God’s time, depends on me, the world should get ready for disappointment. God does not depend on me. I depend on God! That’s the truth that Jonah is about to learn. In the contest between God and the idols made of iron or wood, God confronted the idolaters and told them that they had to carry their handmade idols with them. God tells us, “you don’t carry me. I carry you.”

[1] Roop, Eugene F. 2002. Ruth, Jonah, Esther. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press.

[2] Cowles, Henry. 1887. Matthew and Mark, with Notes, Critical, Explanatory, and Practical. New York: D. Appleton & Company.

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Obadiah 7, Various

Betrayed by Friends

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 5, 2023

Obadiah prophesied, as did Jeremiah, of the complete destruction of Edom, the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s twin brother. Unlike other plundering and pillaging, that of Edom will be thorough, and nothing will be left. The judgment would result in the complete nihilation of the Edomites. Edom was perpetually at war with Israel and would often align itself with the other enemies of Israel. The plundering of Edom would come from their supposed allies. Obadiah 1:7 says, “All your allies have driven you to your border; those at peace with you have deceived you; they have prevailed against you; those who eat your bread have set a trap beneath you—you have no understanding.”  The key point of this verse, as well as other verses that will follow, is that Edom will be betrayed by those he thought he could trust. They had misplaced confidence.

Betrayal is not an infrequent theme in the Bible. In Psalm 41:9, we read, “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.” This is a prophetic psalm. It speaks of the Messiah being betrayed by a close friend. It’s mostly understood as referring to Judas. In John 13:11, Jesus said he knew who it was that would betray him. It’s interesting also that it was his closest disciple who denied him in the courtyard on the night of his crucifixion. We see how David, a prefigure of the Messiah, was treacherously betrayed by Ahithophel. He was also betrayed by several of his own sons. Shenton observes, “Obadiah prophesies in this verse about the nations who were in league with the Edomites, who were supposedly trustworthy and friendly; they will not only ‘deceive’ them by feigning their support, but will, when war comes, actively help the enemy to ‘overpower’ them. The Edomites, for their part, will fail to ‘detect’ the secret treachery of their friends. Without wisdom or discernment, they will fall into the traitors’ trap. Ironically, those who know so much will fall because of their ignorance; the people who had betrayed their brother will be betrayed by their friends.” This is clear from the condemnation Obadiah delivers to Edom in verse 15. “As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.”[1]

History is full of famous betrayals. Julius Caesar was surprised when the man he considered a faithful son, Brutus, pulled his dagger and killed him. William Tyndale, who translated the bible from the original languages into English, was betrayed by a friend that had him turned over to the king of England, that had Tyndale burned alive at the stake. His last words in the fire were, “May God open the eyes of the King of England.” That happened a year later. The birth of the United States records the betrayal of Benedict Arnold. Yes, from biblical days to the race to colonize the New World to the situation in the Middle East today, human history has been dotted with self-serving traitors and collaborators who have betrayed their peoples and their nations. One website tries to describe the pain of a betrayal. It’s very much like death. She writes, “Imagine one day you wake up, and you find yourself 30,000 feet above the earth, and you are free-falling. You don’t know how you got into this situation. But, you feel sheer terror. You instinctively start grabbing everything on your body to feel for something like a parachute cord. You search frantically for this cord that will save your life. You never find the cord. Soon, you pinch yourself and tell yourself, ‘It’s all a bad dream. It’s all a bad dream. Isn’t it? Wake up. Wake up. WAKE UP!!!’ You do not wake up. With each second, you grow closer to the ground below. You have not woken up yet, and you have not found a parachute cord. A minute later, your body smashes into the earth at 500 miles per hour; your body is shattered into a million pieces. It was NOT a bad dream, and you just died. Everything that was you was obliterated into formless and scattered pieces.”[2] It’s not a physical death, but everything you trusted in and believed in is gone. Jesus warns us of this in Luke 21:16-19. He says, “You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all, for my name’s sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your lives.” We will all face betrayal of some kind in life. The only sure thing is to trust in the one who said, “I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.”

[1] Shenton, Tim. 2007. Nahum and Obadiah: An Expositional Commentary. Exploring the Bible Commentary. Leominster, UK: Day One Publications.

[2] The Pain of Betrayal – Do We Have Words to Describe What it Feels Like? (emotionalaffair.org)

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Amos 1:4-5, Various

Through the Fires of Life

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 4, 2023

In 2022, we had all watched the atrocities perpetuated on the Ukrainian people by the invading Russian armies. NATO has documented many war crimes, and when we see their reports on the news, we cringe at man’s inhumanity to man. Every war has had its atrocities. But, as I read the account of the Assyrian king, describing his brutality towards his defeated enemy, it’s hard to imagine anything could be worse. He writes, “I burnt many captives from them. I captured many troops alive; I cut off of some their arms [and] hands; I cut off of others their noses, ears, and extremities. I gouged out the eyes of many troops. I made a pile of the living [and] one of the heads. I hung their heads on trees around the city. I burnt their adolescent boys [and] girls.”[1] Because of the repeated sins against mankind as a whole, God will send judgment on the Assyrians and their leaders and their capital city of Damascus. Amos tells the people what God is about to do to them, “So I will send a fire upon the house of Hazael, and it shall devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad. I will break the gate-bar of Damascus and cut off the inhabitants from the Valley of Aven, and him who holds the scepter from Beth-Eden; and the people of Syria shall go into exile to Kir, says the Lord.”

The flood was God’s judgment on the sins of mankind. At the end of the flood, God promised Noah that he would never again bring a flood upon the whole world as judgment for man’s sin. Instead of water, God will send fire. It seems that the image of “sending fire” is God’s metaphor for judgment on sin. God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah as a form of judgment, and this has become the picture of God’s judgment for sin. In the book of Ezekiel, God says, “6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” God also promises to send fire upon Edom, Moab, Temah, and others. Then, In Hosea 8:14, the prophecy is on Israel and Judah “For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.” God used the flood to purify the world, but he preserved his remnant. God uses fire to purity his people, but he preserved a remnant. God always promises his people redemption, not judgment, from their sins. Isaiah 43:1-2 says, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.’”

“Most of the Psalms were born in difficulty. Most of the Epistles were written in prisons. Most of the greatest thoughts of the greatest thinkers of all time had to pass through the fire. Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress from jail. Florence Nightingale, too ill to move from her bed, reorganized the hospitals in England. Semi-paralyzed and under the constant menace of apoplexy, Pasteur was tireless in his attack on disease. During the greater part of his life, American historian Francis Parkman suffered so acutely that he could not work for more than five minutes at a time. His eyesight was so wretched that he could scrawl only a few gigantic words on a manuscript, yet he contrived to write twenty magnificent volumes of history. Sometimes it seems that when God is about to make preeminent use of a man, he puts him through the fire.”[2]

[1] Smith, Gary V. 1998. Amos. Mentor Commentaries. Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.

[2] Galaxie Software. 2002. 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press.

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Joel 1:6-7, 1 Peter 5:8, Revelation 5:5

The Lion King!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 3, 2023

Joel warns the people of God that judgment will come upon them like a locust plague. He calls them to wake up to the reality of their situation. He rebukes the people for their luxurious lifestyles and excessive indulgences, and then he gets specific on the judgment that’s about to come. In Joel 1:6-7 God lays out the devastation, “For a nation has come up against my land, powerful and beyond number; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness. It has laid waste my vine and splintered my fig tree; it has stripped off their bark and thrown it down; their branches are made white.”  It’s almost like Joel is describing what the land would look like after a locust plague passed through. But these locusts were more like lions! The produce of the field would be either eaten or destroyed. The bark of trees would be torn away, exposing the naked wood. The nation had just experienced a devastating locust plague, and they all remembered that experience. What was coming would be multiplied greatly as much as a predator the size of a lion would do more damage to a predator the size of a locust.

There were so many of them that they could not be counted. “The strength of the locusts is defined not only by their numbers but also by their voracious appetite and ability to devour anything in their path. And thus, the seer describes these hostile, countless intruders as possessing some formidable weapons: the teeth of a lion and the fangs of a lioness. The lion is often used to picture enemies who attack the people of God. In typical Hebrew poetical style, the locust’s ability to tear and shred is described by a parallel phrase: And it has the fangs of a lioness. The lioness is occasionally employed as a symbol of violence.”[1] Wikipedia says that the lion is an ancient Babylonian symbol and symbolically represents the King of Babylon. The lion imagery that Joel employs might very well represent the massive Babylonian army that would do the invading.

I’m moved by 1 Peter 5:8. It describes our enemy as a devouring lion. It says, “Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” This is a familiar verse, but we must remember that it uses a simile. Just to refresh your high school English a simile is a figure of speech comparing one thing with another to make a description more vivid or colorful. The Babylonian Army is not made of lions. Satan is not a lion. The Army and Satan are “Like” a prowling lion. There is a fascinating video of two lions fighting to see who will be king of the pride.[2] They will also fight over the right to mate with a fertile female as well. With the lion imagery being used in the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, I can’t help but think that the authors understood lions better than we do. The Messiah is also figuratively referred to as a lion in both the Old Testament and the New. The word “Satan” actually means “Adversary.” There is a battle between two forces. Jesus, the lion of the tribe of Judah, and Satan, the prowling lion wanting to devour us. I’m pleased to quote the book of Revelation here. One of the elders, in John’s vision, sees his anxiety and says, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered” (Revelation 5:5).

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

[2] Wildlife: Two Lions Fight to See Who’s King! – YouTube

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Hosea 1:4-6, Various

From Unloved to Loved!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 2, 2023

Hosea was instructed to name his son, born to Gomer, Jezreel. That was to be his name because it would declare the coming judgment of God upon an adulterous nation. Hosea 1:4-5 says, “And the Lord said to him, ‘Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.’” Gomer conceived again, but it appears this child was not from Hosea but from one of her many adulteries. God directs Hosea to give it a name with a specific meaning as well. Hosea 1:6 says, “She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, ‘Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.’”  Many commentators think that the ESV’s (English Standard Version) translation of the child’s name as “No Mercy” might not be as accurate as it should be. In Hebrew, it is Lo-Ruhamah. Some English translations like the King James, New King James, and many others just put the Hebrew word in English letters without defining it. The Good News Translation says, “The Lord said to Hosea, ‘Name her Unloved because I will no longer show love to the people of Israel or forgive them.’” Garrett says, “The name Lo-Ruhamah means ‘not loved.’ It is a dreadful name to give to a little girl. It communicates rejection by her father and says that he has abandoned her to all the troubles of the world. For a culture as child-centered as Israel was, it is difficult to imagine a name more scandalous and offensive. Whenever her name was spoken, it commanded the attention of the people around and invited the question, Why would anyone call his daughter that?”[1]

The commentators are also divided on the issue of whether this little girl is Hosea’s daughter or one of his many consorts. But the name itself seems to imply to me that this daughter, who is unloved by her father, is the offspring of another man. Garrett goes on to observe, “The people heard that terrible name, and no doubt whispered to one another, ‘Hosea’s wife is unfaithful; he must doubt that this child is his. He has rejected the poor thing!’” The most important translation confusion, however, rests with the phrase “to forgive them at all.” Garrett and other Hebrew scholars argue that it’s a total mistranslation. He translates this verse as “Call her name ‘Not Loved.’ Thus I shall no longer let it happen, that I should love the house of Israel. But I shall completely forgive them.” This seems to be the message of the whole book and fits the context much better. Hosea is about a husband who continues to love and forgive an unfaithful wife. It was a picture of how God continues to forgive his unfaithful people.

As I think about this, it’s truly humbling. We might want to point our fingers at Israel, which I think I do often and say what an ungrateful, unthankful, and rebellious people they were. They deserve everything they get. But then I remember the indignation that David showed to the parable Nathan told him about the wealthy man slaughtering the only beloved pet of his poor neighbor while he kept his own herd safe. When David got indignant and said, “that man should die.” Nathan said to him, “you are that man.” It’s always tempting for us to identify with the righteous people in the Bible stories, but if the truth be told, I am the one that has proven unfaithful. I am the illegitimate child of God that has been named “unloved.” Although we were all foreigners, not natural children, God bestows upon us in Christ the blessing of adoption. As Paul tells the Romans, we are now legitimate children of God who cry, “Abba! Father.” Although we were once aliens and unloved by God, He demonstrated his love for us in Christ. While we were still sinners, Christ took the shame of our sins on himself and paid the penalty for us.

[1] Garrett, Duane A. 1997. Hosea, Joel. Vol. 19A. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Daniel 1:8-15, Various

Dare to be a Paul

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 1, 2023

The King of Babylon was intent on converting the Jewish youth to their lifestyle and culture. But Daniel and his friends found ways to resist. Daniel 1:8-15 tells some of the story, “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore, he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, ‘I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.’ Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, ‘Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king’s food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.’ So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. At the end of ten days, it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king’s food. So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.”

“Dare to be a Daniel” has been the title of many books and sermons, past and present. But it’s important that we understand the “stand” that Daniel took and why. The nation of Israel was in captivity because of its failure to keep the law of Moses. Daniel and his young friends were dedicated Jews and had set their hearts on keeping the law while in captivity in Babylon. As God had punished the nation for failing to keep the law, God rewarded these young men for keeping it while prisoners in Babylon. The pressure to compromise their standards was great. They were offered all the good things of Babylon and received very special treatment from their captives. Yet, even in the face of this pressure, they held firm to the conviction to keep the law of Moses. Daring to be a Daniel is holding firm to one’s convictions in spite of pressure from others to compromise them. What does that mean for us today?

Peter was told in Acts chapter 10 to take and eat foods that had been forbidden to Jews according to the law of Moses. Peter refused to eat, saying that he would never compromise this standard. But God repeated his vision three times, telling him not to call unclean what God has declared clean. Most commentators suggest that this was simply symbolic and represented the Gentiles who did eat unclean food but did not refer to eating the forbidden food itself. This suggests that the standard of a Jewish diet is still applicable to us today. But Jesus said in Mark 7:18-19, “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,  since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled? (Thus he declared all foods clean.)” Peter’s peer pressure was not from a gentile culture that ate such foods but from the Judaizers who insisted that all gentile converts keep the Jewish laws regarding their diets as well as circumcision. Peter struggled with this peer pressure during much of his ministry. Paul had to confront Peter on these issues, as recorded in his letter to the Galatians. In Galatians 2:11-12 we read Paul’s testimony, “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came, he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.” There are still those who would restrict Christians from certain foods. Paul warned Timothy about them. He urges Timothy to stand against those who “forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods created to be received with thanksgiving… for everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 1:3-5). Daniel stood against those pressuring him to violate God’s revealed truth. Paul stood against those who pressured him to violate God’s revealed truth. Jesus fulfilled the law, and we are called to stand against the legalists who want to rob us of our freedom in Christ. Dare to be a Paul.

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