All Quiet on the Front

1 Timothy 1:18 ESV

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,

Of late, the last couple decades, it has been a brutal and bitter culture war, in these United States. Of late States have started working against each other in this culture war, with the Governor of California even using campaign funds to advertise for abortions. It is a disservice to the war that is being waged when it is referenced as a “culture war” because this is not what it is at its heart. Or maybe it is better said that Christians are not fighting a “culture” war. Christians are at war but not with culture, culture is merely one of the tools that Christians use in THE war. Yes, THE war, because there is only one. Many other wars take place but those are but skirmishes in THE war that has been waged since Adam failed to protect his wife, and then failed to offer himself up for her.

Timothy was charged by his mentor and father in the faith to persist in the war that was set before him. To “wage the good warfare” by holding to the faith with a clean conscience. Paul also warns of those that have gone before Timothy and fallen in the war, noting two, in particular, that made shipwreck of their lives, by their failure to hold the battle line of their faith. This was merely the introduction to the battle plan that Paul wishes to remind Timothy of, listing both the consequence of failure and the plan for attack.

Chapter two begins with “First of all”, moving to some of the particular nature of this war that the Christian becomes aware of when his eyes are open to the reality of Christ’s sacrifice, orders are given. First of all pray. Pray with supplications, intercessions, and thanksgiving. For Kings and those in authority over you. At this point it starts to get hard, or maybe starts to bring my life into question. Why are we to pray for these people? It is the toddler question that always hounds me, “Why”? God faithfully answers this but, as with small children, Christians don’t understand and so skip over that part and run off to do something else. Here God tells us why Christians are to be praying for their leaders and authorities, and it isn’t to win the culture war, even if that is good, nor is it to save any from poverty, even though that is noble and good. What then is the reason given in 1 Timothy 2:2?

“That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

It is hard to live quiet and peaceful lives when marijuana dispensaries are making slaves of children, when grandchildren are in danger as they grow in their mother’s womb, or as children are indoctrinated into the latest social theories. The goal of prayer and of the victory is that Christians can live a peaceful and quiet life, defined as godly and dignified.

When at war you need to know what victory looks like and what failure is. Over the last few decades as THE war has taken shape centered around culture, many do not realize that this is not a war of fronts but of gorilla actions. The enemy has pressed churches and schools into his service early on not by theology or theory but by practicality, pressing activity onto communities. The peace and quiet that was once “coming home”, has given way to another church program, sports game, dance night, … with “too busy” to read my bible, pray, catechize, meditate, or simply rest being hallmarks of the modern family.  

Paul continues by telling us that the “peaceful and quiet life” is “good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God.” We train our children and ourselves to think that value and enjoyment is found in doing, rather than being. The greatest barrage you can fire in this “culture war” might be canceling that activity and living fundamentally different than your neighbor. Living a “peaceful and quiet life” is an act of war against the wickedness of our enemy. Live at war.

Coram Deo

Secure in the Knowledge

2 Kings 10:1a

“Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria.”

Ahab had everything he wanted and, if he did not, he would simply cry to his wife and she would get it for him. Her husband had multiple concubines, but her son would reign on the throne of Israel and her grandson on the throne of Judah. Jezebel would do whatever was required to make sure he stayed happy. And so, Ahab was sure of his legacy. He knew that he would die and arranged it such that every powerful man in the country was raising one of his sons. Even if they fought over which would be king, they would simply be picking one of his sons.  There was nothing to fear, his biological legacy was as secure as man could ever make it. He went to battle secure in the knowledge his line would continue.

Rehoboam took over the kingdom of Israel on the death of his father. David and Solomon reigned over the nation of Israel for eighty years creating a “Golden Age” of wealth and security. They were the undisputed masters of the most profitable trade route on the plant at the time. He was the undisputed heir of that legacy and so squandered it before it had begun. He took the advice of his friends and refused to pander to the people.

Christians rightly come to Romans 8:31 with the hope and conviction that Paul was hoping to convey to them. For the reality that is implicit in the question “If God is for us who can be against us?” carries with it the assurance that carries us through the most difficult of times as we walk the paths that he has directed our steps down. As I read this morning of the sons of Ahab, I could not escape the reality that the inverse is also true. No position is so secure and strong that it will remain if God is set against it. Ahab had everything going for him, wealth, money, progeny, and devious wife to carry on his legacy and yet fifteen years after his death his wife was eaten by dogs and his sons’ heads were laid in two heaps. It would seem he had everything except the one which was most critical for the victory, God’s favor. Rehoboam is of like nature with the later king of Israel in that his was a kingdom with everything going for it and yet he could not even hold it together past inauguration day!

Romans 13 declares the sure truth that “there is no authority except from God”, when God has decided that a people is in need for a new direction or that a ruler has misused his authority enough nothing will hold it together and “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men” will not be able to put it back together. As we are coming to the last month before our nation once again goes to the polls, you must realize that God is for our good, and his glory. No position is so secure or outcome so assured that God is not the primary cause of its rising or falling. After decades of pandering and political maneuvering Hillary Clinton’s victory was a sure bet then, the most unexpected thing happened, “Dewey defeats Truman”.

It is said that the only thing in life that is certain is “death and taxes” but even these, the Christian knows, depend wholly and solely on the will of God. He has defeated death and taxes will not exist in his kingdom. He allows physical death to parade about like a former president which thinks he still has authority, but in the end even physical death's days are numbered by our Lord and King. The saints rest upon the immutability of the decree of the almighty in their final state of joyful relationship with him. In the end his is the only word that truly matters. No position is so secure it does not require him and no place so perilous that he cannot secure it. Let us seek him in abundance and let us seek him in trial, he is all that is of consequence for us.

Coram Deo

High Score

Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

Jeremiah 26:20-23 ESV

There was another man… Uriah the son of Shemaiah…He prophesied…in words like those of Jeremiah… (they) struck him down and dumped his dead body in the burial place of the common people.”

The world is full of winners and losers. Uriah the Son of Shemaiah was a man I had read over many times. His story is one short paragraph in Jeremiah and we are not told of him again. He walks in and out and in the midst of this book of sorrow and destruction his is a story that seems to blend into the patchwork. He was a prophet to Judah and, like Jeremiah, he prophesied its destruction by God’s hands through the means of Babylon, because of their generations of sin. Even though he preached rightly, even though he spoke truth, and courageously proclaimed to those in authority their sin and damnation, he was tracked down in Egypt, brought back to Judah, and killed for it.

Later in the recorded text Jeremiah is told to buy land that he will never be allowed to cultivate. The city is surrounded and will fall. Judah will be conquered and go into exile. As Jerusalem is surrounded by Babylon and all that Jeremiah has prophesied will happen God told him to buy a field. He responds with a little exasperation and God replies with the reality that NOTHING is too hard for him.

The world is full of winners and losers. The reality is that the winner isn’t always the one with the highest score. The truth of the matter is that it depends on what game you're playing. Golf requires a low score, basketball a high score; who wins and who loses is determined according to the rules and what game is being played.

I have been told that life is a contact sport. I disagree with this on a technical level. Sports have umpires and referees. They don’t determine who wins or loses they simply make sure the rules are being followed. We are deceived if we believe that God is simply calling balls and strikes. Making sure everyone plays by the same rules and allows the game to continue come what may. As if Uriah simply chose a poor time to stand and speak. He just picked a run plan when he should have picked a pass play. So, he suffered and died for it. Jeremiah was more nuanced in his approach and lived (to die in Egypt).

Life is more like figure skating or Gymnastics. I grew up watching these events with my mom, and always remembered watching amazing athletes twist, twirl, and jump, then sitting in expectation waiting to see what the JUDGES said. Sometimes it was evident they were not as skilled other times it was unknown to my untrained eye. Yet, it didn’t matter how much I liked the routine or didn’t, only one thing mattered when it came to winners and losers, the judgment. Uriah was a winner not because he pleased the Judge by speaking truth. Jeremiah was the same, not because I think he did a good job, or I think he courageously preached but only the judgment of the Judge matters. How great the life looks or how foolish is only icing for the crowd, the matter wholly and solely rests in “the God of all flesh.”

In Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew the servant has no clue what is going on with his master. It is painful and shameful for him. But the master knows what he is about and in the end his wisdom is proved. As we look at the twists and turns of this world, we must recognize that we are merely servants, we are not the master. He is about something far more glorious than we could imagine.

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO

Assistance

1 Kings 19:3 ESV

Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

Reading through the text of scripture it hits me again, Elijah was not alone! This verse is taken from his flight out of Israel and to the “mount of God.” He has just conquered the Prophets of Baal and had them slaughtered, four hundred and fifty of them, now he is running from Jezebel because that was her church that got slaughtered. He is running to God to tell him that he is the only faithful prophet left. This despite having been told by Obadiah that there were 100 prophets safely hidden (1 Kings 18:13). He was not alone on Mount Carmel; his servant was with him. His servant went and told him that clouds were coming from the sea and his servant is now left in Judah, presuming he will be safe from Jezebel. After he cries out to God about the situation God sends him back and has him anoint Elisha as the next prophet. The chapter ends by declaring that Elisha “assisted him.”

This last Sunday I mentioned a little of the need for a helper, the word being paraclete used both for Eve in the created order and for the Holy Spirit. The wife is not to be a servant or slave that simply does as commanded, but an active help in fulfilling God’s call on the home. Having read through this text before and wondering about Elijah and the prophets that Obadiah saved, now the chasm of difference between a servant and someone assisting you. Other versions may translate it into "served him" but the Hebrew does use different words in the two locations, because the service is different and its impact on Elijah is different.

A few years back I read a biography on Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda. He noted the way that General Lee was with ineffective Generals. He would give the example of a General that would foolishly follow orders to the destruction of his unit. General Lee would come extremely upset and demand why he had done such a reckless act, “following orders” was the reply and so General Lee walked away and quietly removed the general to a less critical theater. This is true of all manner of life. As I would work as an Engineer the difference between men on a team and those that were simple “clock punchers” was not title or ability but the heart of the individual. Are they simply “obeying orders” or engaged in the effort? The reality being that men and women as part of the church need each other to assist them in the tasks that God has given us to do and simply serving often simply leaves others alone.

 You see, on Mount Carmel Elijah was alone because the servant “didn’t count.” He was a living breathing person that had served Elijah faithfully but he did not assist him. Elijah needed assistance, someone dedicated to the LORD and the mission field of Israel. Someone engaged in ministry with him because he could not do it with a mere servant. A task so large you need help, not only men and women willing to turn screws but who press themselves into the cause heart and soul.

This then is the goal of faithful ministry: an assembly of believers met together under the preaching of God’s word. That unfolds as we are called upon to serve God by assisting in the discovery of our brother’s and sisters that have not yet come to believe. Blessed to be the means God would use for the growth of his kingdom at home and abroad!

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO

What I choose

Matthew 20:15 ESV

“Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?...”

Autonomous – Not controlled by others or by outside forces; independent.

                                                                -The American Heritage College Dictionary, 3^rd edition.

He was asked to make it a certain way. He did and they paid him for what they received. Seems like how it should be done. The next year the same thing happened again this time with more people. All of whom were happy and content with the products and services they received from Amos Miller. For daring to conduct business without the government's oversight Amos Miller is having his Farm shutdown. A Private Membership Association is private individuals contracting with another private individual for a good. It has been used by many farmers and whole foods proponents to remove the government from the logistics of food consumption. In so doing the individuals that choose to contract with the farmer and have their food produced in a way that goes outside of the normal production regulations for “public” distribution of food.

Do we have the right to produce and sell food? The court appointed a lawyer from Texas to defend the Pennsylvanian farmer and refused the farmers request for different counsel.  He lost his case, refused to yield his right to produce food as he saw fit and is now in violation of the Judges orders.

In the parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard Jesus tells the story of a man who contracts with Laborers for a job. At the end of the day chooses to pay all equally for unequal work. When he is castigated by those who worked harder, he asks the simple question, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” The United States government has repeatedly said “NO, you are not allowed to do as you choose with what belongs to you.” In 1942 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that a farmer has no right to grow wheat for consumption by his cows (Wickard v. Filburn).  This under the Commerce Clause of the constitution. You see, because he was not buying the wheat it impacted the price of grain as such it affected the price of grain so even though he did not buy, sell, or transport his grain the government HAS the right to regulate him. Under this reasoning it is also true it HAS the right to regulate your garden it just chooses not to.

Human Flourishing takes place when men and women are free to obey God’s word and when the government stays in line with that word. The United States government has often said “I am from the government, and I am here to help”. It has chosen to help us in how education should occur, food should be produced, hospitals should be paid, who should marry, and how church government should function, and recently even worship services should be run and what messages are acceptable in them. They would tell Christ it is unfair that you should privilege the last workers above the first. The government will now oversee how much you will pay your employees, to guarantee a more equitable distribution of wealth.

Make no mistake the goal of government is to be sovereign and the problem is God is sovereign. Those wishing to organize their lives around the dictates of a sovereign authority apart from the government will ALWAYS be opposed by that government. The United States Government is no different. As fewer in it recognize they are not sovereign and God is, the danger to human flourishing grows more prevalent. In a time when many clamor for the autonomy of self it seems we run to give our autonomy away. Soon you will not be able to buy and sell unless you have the appropriate seal. The gospel attacks the depraved totalitarian nature of government by squarely holding that God is sovereign over our lives and our deaths and the church is the only human institution that lasts into eternity. Such reality puts nations and governments “in their place” and will restore church to its.

CORAM DEO