Warnings and Rewards

This morning as I was praying and giving thanks to God, I was thinking over my life. I was thinking about the man I am and what I could have become had it not been for the grace of God. I thanked God for the Scriptures, and for the difference their influence has made in my life. As I thought on this, this verse came to mind:

Psalms 19:11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

This verse is dealing with the Scriptures, which are variously named the law of the LORD, the testimony of the LORD, the statutes of the LORD, the commandment of the Lord, and the judgments of the LORD in Psalm 19.

As I thought about the influence the Scriptures have had on my life, I realized that I have avoided many pitfalls because of the warnings of Scripture. “By them is thy servant warned.” I have been presented with many temptations, but the warnings of Scripture have frightened me away from yielding. Now Satan will suggest to the mind: “Oh, go ahead, nobody will ever find out.” But then I recall warnings like these:

Numbers 32:23 …be sure your sin will find you out.

1 Timothy 5:24 Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after.
25 Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

King David thought he had covered his adultery with Bathsheba, when he ordered her husband Uriah to the front lines to be killed. But his deed ended up written in the Bible for the whole world to read. Let that example warn you when you are tempted to think that you can get away with secret sin. Thank God for the warnings! And thank God for the work of His grace in my heart so that I have respect unto those warnings. How many shameful things I have been spared from because I respect the warnings of Scripture and take them very seriously!

Psalms 119:6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

God’s commandments will not have much influence in your life if you have no respect for them.

But my life has also been greatly influenced by the fact that “in keeping of them there is great reward.” Keeping God’s commandments always pays off in the long run. Many have been the rewards in my life for following the Bible. And these rewards only reinforce my desire to obey God’s commandments. Every Sunday that God blesses me to be in church brings a reward with it which makes me want to keep coming back, as I am sure others of you will attest.

So by means of warnings and rewards the Scriptures keep me straight. By warnings they keep me running from the whip and by rewards they keep me chasing a carrot.

I have written this meditation in the first person. I was thinking this morning of what the Scriptures have done for me personally. And so I decided to write my thoughts as I thought them. Please do not think I am praising myself. It grieves me that I find so much evil in me to be warned against. And were it not for God’s grace choosing me, redeeming me by the blood of His Son, and regenerating me by His Spirit, I would have neither desire nor respect for the Holy Scriptures. And that same grace of God has likewise affected you, my brethren. Otherwise, we would not have a Christian fellowship together in righteousness.

So I join with the apostle Paul in affirming: “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1CO 15:10). May the warnings and rewards of God’s word continue to be a prevailing influence in my life so that I may answer the call of 1TI 5:22: “Keep thyself pure.” And may God likewise bless you. I am your servant only by the grace of God.

Scorner

Thank God we have made it through another Christmas holiday season. I am so glad it is over!

Have you ever noticed that some people who claim to be seekers of truth will not inquire of the person who can show them the truth they claim to seek? Have you ever wondered why that is? There are two reasons as to why a seeker of truth will not go to one who can show him the truth.
First, it may be owing to ignorance. He may not know that that person has the truth he is seeking. Or it may be owing to a flaw in his character. Proverbs has a verse that sheds some light on this.

Proverbs 15:12 A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him: neither will he go unto the wise.

Obviously, a scorner is one who scorns. So let’s define what it means to scorn.

Scorn – To treat with ridicule, to show extreme contempt for, to mock, to deride. To hold in disdain, to contemn, to despise.

Now our text sets forth two characteristics of a scorner. First, he loveth not one that reproveth him. That is, he despises anyone who shows him he is wrong. Secondly, he will not go unto the wise. He will not seek out people who can teach him what he does not know or that can show him that he is wrong. He may profess to be seeking truth, but in reality he is seeking that which will make him feel comfortable in what he has already decided he wants to believe or do. Therefore, even though he claims to be seeking wisdom, he will never find it because he avoids the sources that can give it to him. Therefore, Proverbs 14:6 hits the nail on the head:

Proverbs 14:6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not:

If a scorner senses that a man is wise and can answer his questions, then he will not go to him with his questions. He knows that if he cannot gainsay the wise man’s answers, then he will have to consider that perhaps that wise man is indeed telling him the truth. And if he is being told the truth, then he will be morally bound to submit to that truth. But if the cost of submitting to that truth is a price the scorner is unwilling to pay, then he would rather not know that truth. The scorner does not know because he does not want to know. He is afraid to find out. This is willful ignorance and reminds us of the scoffers (scorners) that shall be in the last days.

2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

With respect to a wise man, who is telling the truth, the scorner might think or say things like this: “Oh, he just thinks he’s right and everybody else is wrong.” “Aw, I already know what he’ll say and I just don’t believe it.” “Yeah, yeah, I know those verses say that, but I just feel that…..” Observe the contempt that is being expressed in these statements for the wise man and the truth that he speaks. That is why a person who says things like this is called a scorner, no matter how nice he might otherwise be. And, to be sure, he will not go unto wise. All his talk about seeking truth is just that, talk, nothing more than cheap talk. If he really wanted to know the truth, he could find out. But a scorner will not go unto the wise.

Now if you fear God, you do not want to be a scorner. The future of the scorner is not bright.

Proverbs 3:34 Surely he (God) scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.

Proverbs 19:29 Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

Do you want to know the truth? Do you want to find the true doctrine? Then go to someone whom you think might be able to answer your questions. And do not despise that person if he shows you that what you have thought and felt is wrong. I close with the call of wisdom sounded in beginning of the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

If you really want to know truth, God is telling you that you can!

Reporting to the Master

I have some thoughts on Mark 6:30 that I wish to convey to you.

Mark 6:30 And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught.

Our Lord had sent out His disciples to preach, to heal, to raise the dead, and to cast out devils (MAR 6:7; MAT 10:5-8). The disciples did as they were instructed. Now in our verse above we see those disciples coming to our Lord and reporting to him what they had done and had taught. I see here a great principle we need to incorporate into our lives.

We are certainly familiar with telling the Lord our sins, the things we do wrong. But do we also tell the Lord the things we do and say that are good, that are in obedience to His commandments? For example, when the prophet Isaiah informed King Hezekiah that he was going to die, Hezekiah confessed to God the good that he had done in his life.

Isaiah 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD,
3 And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.

Or consider the prayer of David. Observe in the bold print David’s report to God of the good he had done.

Psalms 26:1 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.
3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

Or consider the example of Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 13:10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.
11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.
13 And I made treasurers over the treasuries, Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and next to them was Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah: for they were counted faithful, and their office was to distribute unto their brethren.
14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.

In the world of business, it is expected that men give an account to their superiors as to what they have done with the responsibility and resources they have been given. It is no less true in the realm of service to God. In the great Day of Judgment we shall all give an account of ourselves to God.

Romans 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

It would be a good idea for us all to get a head start by doing that know. Like the disciples, learn to report to your Lord all things, both what you have done, and what you have taught. In his comments on Mark 6:30, G. Campbell Morgan said it well: “Regularly to do this would be to make us more than ever careful in all our doing, and all our teaching.”

And, now, O Lord, I have written this devotional to impress upon my readers the importance of being accountable to Thee. Behold how I love these Thy people and how I yearn that they live unto Thee. Remember this good deed that I have done and wipe it not out. Through Jesus Christ our Lord I pray. Amen.

Omnipresence

I skipped sending a devotional to you last week. Some weeks I am too busy to do one. Also, I do not want to overload you with e-mail. Some of you get so much e-mail that these devotionals could become just one more thing to read, which could in turn reduce their effectiveness.

My thoughts today are upon the omnipresence of God, that attribute of God that makes God present everywhere at all times. The Psalmist David describes this attribute of God in the following verses.

Psalms 139:1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7 ¶Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

David begins by dealing with God’s omniscience, the fact that God knows everything. Then he blends the thought of God’s omniscience with the thought of God’s omnipresence. It follows that if God is everywhere all the time, then God always knows everything that is happening, because He is there to see it happening. Because God is everywhere all the time, there is no place I can get away from Him. And since He is everywhere at all times, there is nothing I can think, say, or do that He is not aware of. It is as God said in Jeremiah 23:24:

Jeremiah 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.

The awareness that God is present everywhere should have two effects on us. First, as children of God for Whom God cares as our heavenly Father, it should bring us great comfort to know that God is omnipresent. Since God is everywhere all the time, God is always there to help and relieve us. We are never beyond God’s reach in any place or situation we may be in. Wherever we are, God is there. But it is also true that wherever our enemies are, God is also there to restrain them. Our security lies in the fact that God is everywhere at all times.

And God’s omnipresence should have another effect upon us. It should serve as a deterrent to sin and a motive to obedience. Whenever you are tempted to sin, consider that God is right there watching your thoughts, hearing your words, and seeing your actions. How many sins we would avoid if we more diligently maintained an awareness of God’s presence! Are there sins that you commit that you would not commit if you knew that your brethren or your pastor were watching? If so, then why do you commit them when God is watching? Is God less than your brethren or your pastor? Or is it that you do not really believe God is present everywhere at all times watching everything you do? Just remember this:

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

We do well to continually remind ourselves as did righteous Job.

Job 31:4 Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?

The fact that sin is committed in the very presence of God makes it all the worse. Observe how the prophet Nathan charged David with his sin:

2 Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

What David did, he did in the sight of God. When David confessed his sin, he acknowledged that he had sinned in God’s sight, which served to justify God’s verdict against him.

Psalms 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

How does one claim innocence before the person that was there and saw him commit the crime?

The awareness that God is ever present seeing all we think, say, and do, should spur us to avoid sin and obey God’s commandments. This is just the effect this awareness had on the Psalmist.

Psalms 119:168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies: for all my ways are before thee.

I close with this reminder: God is everywhere at all times; yea, God is here right now watching me as I write this and watching you as you read it. Be aware and beware!

Rock

My meditation today centers around this expression found in PSA 18:2: “The LORD is my rock.” In several other Psalms God is referred to as the rock. Why is God described as a rock? A good place to begin in answering that question is considering the definition of a rock.

Rock – 1. A large rugged mass of stone forming a cliff, crag, or natural prominence on land or in the sea. 2. In figurative or allusive uses: a. A source of danger or destruction, usually with allusion to shipwreck. b. Something which affords a sure foundation or support; something which gives shelter or protection; used esp. with reference to Christ.

Obviously, the Creator of all rocks is not Himself a mass of stone. The word rock is being used here figuratively. However, the figure is derived from the primary meaning of the word. When we know what a rock is primarily, then we can learn why God is described as a rock. Something about a rock tells us something about our God. It is interesting to note how the Holy Spirit draws from things in the creation in order to reveal God to us. James Jordan had this interesting insight:

We simply cannot grasp God’s infinite tri-personality all at once. For this reason, God chose to reveal the infinity of His personality in the diversity of this world. Various things in the world reveal various things about God.

As Scripturally informed believers we can find reflections of God throughout His creation. In describing God as a rock, the Holy Spirit reveals to us what we can experience in a relationship with God.

The above definition says that a rock is a figure of something which affords a sure foundation or support. It provides us with strength to bear us up. We have strength to stand and withstand our troubles because we have a sure foundation beneath us giving us support. Hence, God as our rock is a source of strength.

Psalms 62:7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

A rock is also a figure of something which gives protection. Therefore, as our rock God is a source of defence to protect us.

Psalms 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

If you are “stedfast and unmoveable” in your Christian profession, it is because your rock is defending you. He is protecting you from whatever is beyond your ability to bear. As our rock, God is a refuge to which we may flee when we perceive danger. We flee to Him to protect us.

Psalms 94:22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

And then a rock is something which gives shelter. In the blistering heat or in a raging storm, what better place to be than under the shelter of a mighty rock, where one can find refuge, rest, and relief? And such is our Lord Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, the God-Man.

Isaiah 32:2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

For centuries believers have found comfort in this revelation of God as their rock. Many songs have been composed which celebrate this theme. In our congregation we sing, “On Christ the solid Rock I stand”; “Rock of ages, cleft for me”; “In the rifted Rock I’m resting”; “O Thou blessed Rock of ages, hide thou me.” Indeed, the very survival of the church of Jesus Christ is owing to the fact that its Rock has strengthened and defended it.

Matthew 16:18 …Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Another thought that emerges from this description of God as a rock is that of constancy. A rock is a sure foundation, shelter, and defence because of its permanence and stability. A massive rock does not move. It does not collapse under pressure. It abides. One quality we look for in human relationships is the quality of constancy, dependability, faithfulness. We want someone who will always be there for us, someone we can count on. How we need constancy in a shifting, changing, dying world! But, alas, all human supports are limited and temporary. No creature can always be there for us. At some point any human being will let us down. And then there is always death, the Grim Reaper, to snatch away those on whom we depend. That is why we must always look beyond creature supports to God as our ultimate support. Only God can be a rock in the fullest sense of all that a rock implies. He is the only one who can always be there for us, the one we can always count on. Hence, we do well to say with the Psalmist regarding our God:

Psalms 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

In closing, observe in the definition above that a rock is also a figure of a source of danger or destruction. The comforting figures that arise from the description of God as a rock belong to those who can say with the Psalmist, “The LORD is my rock.” If you have no personal relationship with God, then these comforts do not belong to you. If God is not your rock, then to you He is a source of danger or destruction. When speaking of Himself as the Stone (Rock) the Lord Jesus Christ had this to say:

Luke 20:17 …What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? 18 Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ? Is He your Lord Whom you obey? Are His commandments the rule by which you govern your life? Is he your rock? Or have you rejected Him? If you have, then you will find Him a crushing source of destruction. For myself, I am
standing on, trusting in, and sheltered under the LORD, my Rock.